Top 5 Excelsior eateries

Mapping out the best places to eat in Excelsior

We love to cycle to quaint, lakeside Excelsior to take a dip in Minnetonka or to catch a flick at the movie theater. But we'd never made it back home without something to eat. Here are our top 5 spots to refuel.

5. Patisserie Margo
Here's where you go first thing in the morning to pick up a breakfast pastry. Pain au chocolate, anyone? This is the second location of the beloved Edina bakery, offering all sorts of muffins, Danish, and croissants, plus Midwestern-style cookies and bars and fancy French torts and tarts.

4. 318 Cafe
The 318 Cafe, owned by the same folks who run the Aster Cafe in Minneapolis, serves up casual soups, sandwiches, and salads in a comfortable, coffeehouse atmosphere. At night, it becomes in intimate live music venue. Here's who's playing this week:

Wednesday, September 8: The Mark Kreitzer Band
Thursday, September 9: Roger Johnson & Friends, with special guest Lonnie Knight
Friday, September 10: Jeff Arundel with Deb Harley
Saturday, September 11: Aimee Fischer & the Snazzy Band

3. Jake O'Connor's
With its luxe leather booths, pretty stained glass, and handsome, hand-carved wooden bar, you'd never believe that Jake O'Connor's used to be a hardware store. The owners, who run the downtown Minneapolis mainstay O'Donovan's (and also Lola's Lakehouse in Waconia), know a thing or two about how to run an Irish pub: plate up the shepherd's pie and fish 'n' chips, and always keep the taps of Guinness and Boddington's flowing.

2. Biella
This quaint Italian eatery, tucked into a historic Water Street storefront, has ambiance in spades. On the casual side, Sunday-Thursday there's a smart happy hour from 5 to 6 p.m. (mussels, olives, short ribs to snack on while enjoying a $4 glass of wine or $3 beer). If you want to get more upscale, call ahead to request a custom-designed tasting menu.

1. Adele's Custard
Frozen custard, for the uninitiated, is a sort of hybrid between soft-serve and gelato: ice cream with egg yolks to give it a smoother, more luxurious mouth-feel. Their website lists the custard calendar, with a different special flavor each day, if you have a particular hankering for Kahlua or Blue Moon or Twix Bar.