36 West 7th Street, St. Paul, MN.
Built in New Jersey in 1937 and
transplanted to the middle of downtown St. Paul, Mickey's is a rarity in the
upper midwest - an authentic diner. Mickey's may in fact be a little TOO
authentic. The motif is definitely abandoned traincar, breakfast is served 24
hours a day, and the booths (all four of them) include jukeboxes. Mickey's is
little more than a long counter, seating 20 at most, and the aforementioned
booths. The non-smoking section is on the left, but given the cramped confines
of the diner, it doesn't really matter where you sit. Mickey's has a loyal
customer base in the m any downtown office and state government workers and is
next to impossible to get into from 11:30 - 1:30 weekdays. The Greyhound bus
station across the street assures a steady stream of colorful clientele the
other 22 hours of th e day. Mickey's art-deco charm attracted the attention of
location scouts a nd has been featured in two locally filmed major motion
pictures over the last several years: Emilio Estevez ate here in "The Mighty
Ducks", as did Arnold Schwartzenegger in last year's "Jingle All The Way".
The food quality has been VERY inconsistant in the last several years. If you
go, just hope for the best. Safe bets, as at all diners, are things that are
difficult to screw up too badly. The breakfasts are usually pretty good and
the coffee is excellent. Avoid the meatloaf at all costs. I had the meatloaf
in 1992 and am still in the process of digesting it. The Mulligan stew is tasty
and served with Texas Toast (usually stale). The wait staff at Mickey's has
achieved a level of surliness that takes those accustomed to "Minnesota Nice"
by surprise. This is not a place to take anybody you are t rying seriously to
impress. At one recent visit, the cook took a vat of grease out of the deep
fryer and proceeded to strain the gunk out of it - right on the counter, next
to where I was enjoying my burger. As I said, Mickey's may be a bit
too authentic. Slaw:C. -- Review by Brian
Reiss
5/16/98: Update. Gael Cooper has
been kind enough to send us a link to her review page (including pictures) of
Mickey's Diner. The URL is: http://twincities.sidewalk.com/detail/36098