Have you ever eaten dinner with a doll in a highchair next to you? Until I visited the new American Girl Bistro at the Mall of America, I hadn’t either. Let me explain: You, your kids, and their American Girl Dolls, arrive at the Bistro and the very gracious host shows you to your bright and cheery table. The host attaches pink highchairs to the table — for the dolls of course. Don’t worry if you arrive without a doll, they have plenty to “borrow” while you dine. After you are seated, the equally cheery waitress arrives with menus for all of you (mini ones for the dolls). The price is set, depending on the meal (lunch and dinner are $15, brunch on weekends is $14, and kids 4 and under eat for $7.50).
With the dinner menu, you choose one starter and one main course (each person chooses their own). I tried every starter on the menu and liked every one. My favorites were the tomato and mozzarella flatbread and the warm pretzel bread (notice my bread theme). My daughter’s favorite was Grandma’s Tomato Soup, which I also gave the “thumbs up.” The healthiest option is the Very Veggie Platter, which I recommend for two reasons. First, as you can guess, it’s a platter of nice, raw, healthy veggies (with salad dressing dipping sauce of course). Secondly, this is a good option for kids who tend to fill up on the starter course, like my daughter. Once she ate her tomato soup and a giant glass of chocolate milk, she wasn’t hungry for the main course.
Since I wasn’t "all full,” I was excited for the next round. I ordered the Bistro Burger, which is one of the more adult options on the menu (they don’t separate the “kid” and “adult” options, but there is a definite distinction). Menu items like mac and cheese and something called "Tic-Tac-Toe" appealed to my daughter, but not so much to me. I had a hard time choosing among the adult dishes — they all sounded great!
Our main courses arrived and everyone in my party seemed happy with their food. My burger was good, but not amazing. The grilled vegetable panini was great, lots of flavor from the grilled vegetables and warm, crispy bread. My grandma ordered the grilled salmon filet (probably the healthiest option on the menu). She said the dish was, “seasoned beautifully and delicious, but a little dry.”
The dessert menu looked good, but none of us had room for dessert (even thought my daughter said, “But mom, NOW I’m hungry again.” Maybe next time we go back, we can have a banana split or a brownie at the adorable, old-fashioned dessert bar. Overall, our experience at the American Girl Bistro was delightful! Everyone at our table had big smiles on their faces for the entire dining experience. The food was good, the service was excellent, and when the kids are happy the grown-ups are too (even though my daughter told me I was her American Girl Doll’s GRANDMOTHER).
