When I was contacted by Visit Greater St. Cloud to help cover Restaurant Week 2023, I couldn’t be happier. As someone who considers themselves to be a “foodie” I know just how amazing the restaurant scene is in the St. Cloud community and helping showcase it is right up my alley. Restaurant Week 2023 is ay 15th-21st, and it is the second year that Visit Greater St. Cloud has hosted the event.
From the food and drinks to the atmosphere of an establishment, visiting a restaurant can enhance any travel experience. That is why Visit Greater St. Cloud is so excited to present the second annual St. Cloud Area Restaurant Week. This is a whole week dedicated to experiencing the best foods at some of Greater St. Cloud’s most delicious restaurants. Each day we will featured a new category, with several restaurants in each category.
Visit Greater St. Cloud
Local restaurants selected one menu item to submit for this year’s categories:
- Monday: Health Conscious
- Tuesday: Seafood
- Wednesday: Pasta
- Thursday: Sweet Treats
- Friday: Beverages
- Saturday: Unique Finds
- Sunday: Sandwiches
I got a group of friends together and we did a mini crawl of the area trying to hit as many featured restaurants on the list as we could in a few hours. Here is how our Health Conscious picks panned out:
Nautical Bowls: 305 5th Ave S, St. Cloud, MN 56301
Nautical Bowls is a new establishment in St. Cloud. They are a Minnesota company that is franchising rapidly, and for good reason. They offer “super-food” bowls that are plant based and fill you up with with delicious and good-for-you flavors. The best part, it is healthy but it feels like you are eating ice cream! Their featured item for Restaurant Week 2023 is The Sunrise Bowl. Made with a base of Blue Majik (pineapple, mango, & spirulina) and Pitaya (dragonfruit) bases topped with granola, bananas, strawberries and finished with a honey drizzle. It is light, fruity, refreshing and filling. I got a 12 oz and shared it with a friend, but I know I can also crush an entire bowl on my own (because I have in the past.)
House of Pizza: 4040 2nd St S, St Cloud, MN 56301 + 1733 Pine Cone Rd S, Sartell, MN 56377
House of Pizza probably isn’t the first place you think of when you’re seeking out “Health Conscious” options, but that is what is great about Restaurant Week, it makes you think outside the box and try things you might not always branch out for. House of Pizza is known for killer unique pizzas, but this week they featured Oven Roasted Veggie Wings. These are cauliflower and broccoli florets tossed in your choice of specialty wing sauce and oven-baked. We opted for sauce on the side, and went with a sweet thai chili and a Chipotle chili sauce for dipping. HOP was the 3rd stop on our crawl and the veggies were a great palate cleanser after a few cheese heavy options (more on that later this week!) If you get these, I totally recommend the Chipotle sauce, it is so smoky and flavorful, they are also super shareable so get them for the table, along with a pizza.
More restaurant week content will be coming out as the week goes on. To see a full list of participating restaurants and get involved with the giveaways going on to celebrate, visit the Visit Greater St. Cloud website. And check out The Small Town Tourist Podcast for a deep dive into Restaurant Week and the St. Cloud food scene.
The Small Town Tourist 
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