The Cook & The Ox

FIVE SOLID STARS! Seriously good food with exceptional service! DOMINIC TOOK EXTREMELY GOOD CARE OF MY WIFE & I !!!! We spent the last seven days in both the Twin Cities and in Northern Minnesota and without a doubt “The Cook & The Ox” served up (by far) our BEST MEAL! Absolutely a HUGE surprise for an airport restaurant. Dominic was spot on with his service, his interaction & his sincere hospitality!!! THANK YOU DOMINIC. The steak bites were perfectly cooked (a beautiful medium rare), the potatoes were beyond yummy, my Chicken BLT was moist and perfectly seasoned & the arugula salad was truly a step above! All in all we could NOT have made a better choice in MSP!

Came in to grab lunch before my next flight. Sat at the bar and grabbed a drink and burger. The bartender, Jeff was super nice and made one of his custom drinks for me. Will come again.

The atmosphere is relaxing and beautiful for a restaurant inside an airport. The first hostest (tall, white) we spoke to kept asking if we had time to sit and eat. I am sure she is used to people being in a rush and rude, but my husband and I had a huge layover and were excited to try something new and different from what we get at home. They weren't that busy when we arrived, but picked up after we were seated. The bacon appetizer, Brussel sprouts, asparagus, garlic mushrooms, medallions were incredible. The ultimate blt was good, but I would've preferred less remoulade sauce. Would recommend if you have the time the next time you have a lay over.
Edit: 3 days later I had to come back to this restaurant. It's that good. This time ordered the bacon appetizer, crispy Brussel sprouts and crab tots. Bacon was the same as the first time, perfectly paired with each item the mustard, the sweet peppers, and blue cheese. The crab tots were crunchy on the outside like a hashbrown and so soft and flavorful on thr inside like biting into a crunchy cloud. The Brussel sprouts were even better than the first time. The cook made the outer later nice and crispy. Order the medallions medium and it was cooked to perfection. There was even a crust on the outside. The kale caesar is so good, the crispy kale with the perfect amount of dressing and romaine lettuce. My husband ordered the pan seared salmon and it was equally delicious! Had the crust on the outside and a subtle sweet flavor. Asparagus had the perfect crunch and flavor. Ended it with the perfect amount of chocolate mousse with what I think had a hint of orange liquor. I would fly into Minneapolis just for this restaurant it's that damn good!

I have to say, I love the atmosphere of this place. The lighting sets a relaxing mood. And nothing aids digestion like Frank's Sinatra playing low in the background. The servers were great and the food is always good. I had the salmon and the bacon appetizer. Both were fantastic. The wait wasn't long at all and I was there nearly 2 hours. I could've stayed longer but my beer tab was getting high. I definitely recommend if you have a decent layover!

It was not only the best steak and eggs in any airport I was ever in, it was the very best steak and eggs I have ever enjoyed. Hands down, the best. Chef Keeya really knows how to cook a steak and Wow, those hashbrowns muffin style were the best. Hirut was gracious, quick and helpful with a smile. I will be returning on my return flight! 5 stars!

The menu is very select; not too many items, but everything that we’ve tried on the menu has been excellent. When traveling to various places across the US, we are typically surprised that our Minneapolis main airport has the best dining and snack options. There are many full restaurant options available. The Cook The Ox is centrally located at Terminal 1; and we like that. It lives up to our expectations being a premier steakhouse by local James Beard Award nominee chef Jack Riebel.

Each time we’ve visited, we ordered and ate at the bar because it is the quickest when attempting to have a bite and still make our flights on time. The bartenders and staff are delightful people to meet and are helpful.

My all time favorite is to order the Charcuterie for 1 person. It has a nice kick, Spicy capicola, soppressata, cornichon, Manchego cheese, bocconcini, kalamata olives, cheese twists (TOTALLY FABULOUS and is served with a small jar of honey. It is remarkably tasty and only $14.

We’ve enjoyed the Ox Burger, their specialty. I also highly recommend the French onion soup; it is rich with robust broth flavor and generously topped with cheese. We sat by a young gentleman who commutes regularly for work and says the French Fries and mocktails are the best. We can personally speak for the quality and taste of The Cooks Old Fashioned (comes with orange peel), Bloody Mary (loaded with goodies), and Tommy’s Margarita (ask for a lime).

The steak comes grilled perfectly. Happy atmosphere – tucked under Ikes Restaurant, and in between People’s Organic Restaurant and Caribou Coffee. We’d visit more often if it wasn’t restricted to only airport travelers. We were sad when it was closed due to COVID last Christmas. Over the years, it’s been a favorite place to dine every time I/we travel. Thank you, MSP for dedicating space to fine dining for business and vacation travelers.

Made from scratch kitchen, comfort food. Try the Crab Tots 👍 also had the Wild Rice Soup very delicious ! Nice inviting atmosphere to escape the hustle n bustle of air travel.

I had a 3 hour layover in Minneapolis airport at 7:00 pm last weekend. I walked almost the entire airport searching for a good restaurant. I found the Cook ans The Ox. It was just what I was looking for.

I got a gourmet burger and glass of Duckhorn Merlot. I didn’t like the cab options and tried this merlot. It was delicious and paired well with the burger. I was very appreciative to have a nice sit down restaurant with higher quality food and a great glass of wine after teaching all weekend. Excellent end to my weekend.

Service was great at the bar. The bartender offered a sample of the wine to make sure I would like it.

Price: Higher than usual but reasonable for an airport and the quality.

Robert Bailey was the perfect host! He welcomed us in, gave the best recommendations and the food did not disappoint. I’ll definitely return, and recommend to my friends who are always flying through MSP!

I set my expectations low to what I thought an airport steak would be, but this far surpassed that. Cooked perfectly and tasted great!

Dominique was Amazing! I came in with my family on a time crunch and a little stressed out. He showed a sense of urgency making sure we would make our boarding time. Dominique made sure our children and us adults were able to have the best experience for the very start of our vacation.
10/10 for my most memorable airport dining experience. The food was cooked to close perfection (my family is very particular) and we even were introduced to your talented young chef, Keeya who also gave a GREAT impression to my crew!

Great Job Cook & Ox!
DJS

We had the crab tots, delicious and inventive and the seared salmon with the most delicious sauce. The servers were very kind and thoughtful. Atmosphere was clean, beautiful and romantic music Thank you, Anne

Dominic was some of the best we’ve met. He made drinks quickly, correctly, and with a ton of kind personality. He honestly made our layover fun, and that’s hard to say at an airport. If you’re looking for somewhere to go, for a meal, a drink, and kind staff, come here and make sure if Dominic is working, you sit in his section.

I got great recommendations from Robert for my voice of meal. The food was great and came out in a timely fashion. The atmosphere had a nice vibe and it was very clean.

OMG MSP is so delicious. I have a crispy fish sandwich and it comes with so much flavor and Is just Amazing. And manager Robert is even more amazing. Thank you so much for your customer service and this is the only place I will be going to at the MSP.

We were hesitant, seemed slow on service. But...Had beef medallions, roasted veggies, and AMAZING old fashioned. Dinner was fantastic.

Escape at the airport! Our favorite spot to enjoy dinner when traveling through MSP. And they have an incredible whiskey selection including your truly.

Outstanding experience. Highly recommend. The sage on on the table was a beautiful touch. Our server, Tommy, was exceptional ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I arrived at the airport super early and had a few hours before my flight. I went to The Cook and The Ox for a drink or 2 before my flight. I sat at the bar and had the most wonderful experience with the amazing bartender Jory. He was awesome. Incredibly friendly and such a joy. had an aweome conversation with him. I feel horrible I didn't get the name of the girl that was working with him but she was awesome too. Thank you !!!!! :)

I have never reviewed an airport restaurant before but I had to. This is the best airport restaurant I have ever had. If you have no lounge access here for your loyalty program like i did, do yourself a favor and go. You barely notice it's in the airport. The menu is fantastic. They play Sinatra and the great American songbook the entire time. The price is reasonable for what you get. If you have a layover or a delay this is the place for the discerning airport diner. It's a classy place. I'm not surprised to see people complain about price. They may not be the right clients for this place.