There are roughly 782 restaurants in downtown Saint Paul. Among those is Cossetta Eatery and Italian Pizzeria.

Cossetta’s is located on West 7th St. and is within walking distance of the Xcel Energy Center.

Cossetta’s is a casual, Italian restaurant that offers a wide range of authentic foods and desserts. Most famously known for their pizza and pasta, Cossetta’s also offers Italian soups, salads and subs. The Cossetta family has been using these recipes for 100 years.

Food is served in a cafeteria style, meaning the entire meal is ordered a la carte. There are different stations for each delicacy: a station for soups, for salads, for subs, for pasta and another for pizza.

If one is looking for a pasta dish the Lasagna Al Forno is a great choice. With their homemade Italian sausage between fresh noodles and covered in hand crafted marinara sauce, customers can not go wrong when ordering this dish. The pasta is accompanied with a side of Mostaccioli con ricotta and garlic bread. The best part is one will get all of this savory food for only $10.50.

If a customer is in the mood for a sub he or she can rely on the smoked ham and cheddar sub to be filling. This sub is placed on a freshly baked Italian peasant roll and topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo and Italian dressing. The price of the sub is only $8.15.

“The sub was heavenly and better than I remembered,” senior Peter Makarov said.

Not only does Cossetta’s have an outstanding restaurant, but it also has a flourishing Italian market. At the market one can buy anything from their homemade sausage and bread to imported olive oils and fresh produce.

The Cossetta’s Market makes all of the bread and meat products for the restaurant. Customers can also purchase products and bring them home to enjoy later.

If cafeteria style ordering is not what patrons are looking for, Cossetta’s opened a restaurant named Louis Restaurant and Bar.

Louis Restaurant and Bar is a sit down restaurant in which customers can enjoy the same traditional homestyle cooking of Cossetta’s in a more formal manner.

Cossetta’s also has a catering service. If authentic homemade Italian food is needed, for say a grad party, Cossetta’s is happy to make the event memorable and delicious.

Overall, Cossetta’s is an outstanding restaurant. The food is outstanding and authentic, the workers are friendly and helpful, while the ambiance is fun and inviting.

When in search of authentic Italian food in a homey environment, take the trip down to Cossetta’s in Saint Paul for an evening of fun, friends and food.