3 Tiers Bakery Bistro

Wow, what a disappointment. I ordered the Pork Banh Mi. They make their own bread so I expected a crunchy baguette with a soft interior. I saw the chef drop the bread into a toaster? All that did was make the bread all soft. The bigger surprise was that the bread had no real flavor? As I continued to eat the sandwich that became the overall theme, no real flavor, nothing pronounced. No single flavor jumping out of the sandwich, just kind of dull? And, it cost me $ 7:50! I really think you should go up to Lu’s on Nicollet Ave and try theirs, plus it only costs $ 4:45 and are larger. Lu’s sandwiches are fresh and full of many different favors. The only complaint I would have on Lu’s sandwiches is that sometimes the jalapeño has no bite.
I was hoping to find another great Banh Mi sandwich closer to home, unfortunately, not here.
Maybe their pastries and bakery goods are better, the baguette was not.

While my sister and I were on a quest to sample wedding cakes for her upcoming wedding, one of our stops was 3 Tiers. We were immediately thrown off when we walked through the front door. It looked like a restaurant rather than a bakery. The counter service set-​up boasted mostly café items rather than bakery options. This was confusing given that the name of the establishment is after a traditional wedding style cake. There were few bakery items in the display case, so we just asked for one of each of the two cupcakes they had to go. The cupcakes were not good, to say the least. They had the texture and density of cornbread, and ended with strong notes of refrigerated leftovers.
If you are looking for a cute neighborhood brunch or lunch location, this bakery might be a great find. But if you’re looking for a bakery, this bakery is a total disappointment.

ESPRESSO.
my latte was almost like home (seattle style). I was indesperate need and really appreciative. Sat on the sidewalk and had a sweet with it. It was great too.

Really good!
Went there for lunch and sat at the bar/​counter not realizing I needed to order at the register. There is a sign but I didn’t notice it. Just want to let others know to save them my embarrassment.
Had the Italian sandwich. Warm, fresh bread and quality ingredients. Loved the balsamic vinegar.
Looking forward to trying the rest of the sandwiches. Very difficult to pick — they all sounded good!
Will definitely be back!
…
The Sol Bock sandwich is a new favorite!

Kimchi ramen.
Talk about mashups, this is a winner! 3T’s offers up some really good ramen in a kimchi laden broth. You can order it plain with just (JUST) a poached egg or you can add beef, chicken or pork for a couple bucks more.
When the ramen arrives it is in a bowl of almost boiling broth, be warned, it is really hot, so don’t burn your tongue. The surface of the broth is studded with green onions sliced on the bias, bean sprouts and a lovely orange oil, imparted by the kimchi.
3T’s makes their own kimchi which you can also add to any of their sandwiches, which I will try in the future.
If I feel a cold coming on I will first head to the Kimchi Tofu House in Stadium Village but I will follow it up with some kimchi ramen from 3T’s.
That should scare off a cold!

A little hidden gem on the corner of 34^th Ave and 50^th St in South Minneapolis, this refitted bakery has come a long ways since it was the Scandia Bakery. In addition to the lovely desserts, this place features a deliciously simple menu, comfort food with a Korean flair. The KimChee Ramen is perfect warmer on a cold winter day as is the Beef Brisket Sandwich with kimchee. To pair with your food they have a small but decent selection of local beers and even have a selection of wine on tap.
A small and unpretentious little spot, 3 Tiers is a charming and cozy little place. Just as suited to a dinner date as it is to working with a cup of coffee in the afternoon.

This is a cute little re-​vamped bakery.
The treats in the window look delicious and very tempting. the bar is nice and I like that they have craft beer AND wine on tap — fun!
We have been here twice now — first time was breakfast, I had the asian omlette special, which was really good, man tried the biscuits and gravy — that wasn’t as impressive. I was wishing I would have gotten one of those killer looking breakfast sandwiches when we were on the way out the door. .Next time — I think that’s the better choice.
Recently I stopped in and got two versions of the Bahn Mi sandwiches — meat loaf and pulled pork. The bread was pretty outstanding however i thought the sandwiches overall were pretty tasteless. Definitely was missing the kick or the special flavors that Bahn Mi has — guess i will be sticking to the more traditional locales for this.
Definitely like what they are doing — i will be back to try some other things for sure, just haven’t found anything that I have fallen in love with yet as far as food goes. I really want to though!

I popped in here recently for dinner and really enjoyed it. I had never been to the place even though I live in the area. I had only half-​noticed it in the past and I think it’s because of the signage outside; the place kind of melts into the background of the building. I’m glad I’m aware of the stuff they put out now because I’m around 34^th very frequently.
We ordered a round of drinks initially and they do those up right. Some are kinda spendy but $ 5 for a Crispin on a warm night wasn’t much to complain about; pretty standard for Mpls (read: because it’s the Cities it’s overpriced). But they have some good beers and wines on tap at a cute little bar up front and honestly, you have a drink or two here with dinner, not to get loaded.
We got the gringo nachos, which some of my party liked but I found kind of bland. There were jalapenos and a couple different shades of chips. It just didn’t pop like I hoped it would. The jalapenos weren’t spicy to me and there weren’t enough of them. I found them unfavorable compared to a place like the Lowbrow.
We waited a while for our dinners to come out and it was possibly because we all ordered rather disparate items. That gave us time to appreciate the truly eclectic nature of the place. There are photos on the wall for sale, garments for sale, a mammoth and diverse menu, a bakery, just all kinds of stuff mixed together somewhat incongruously. But it works.
When the food came out I was happy. I got the brisket sandwich with the kim chee on it. The sandwich is reasonably priced and was quite filling. The bread was awesome and the brisket lovely. I wasn’t sure if I’d like kim chee on a sandwich, but it was pretty refreshing with a snap to it and spiced up the sandwich considerably. I liked it quite a bit.
My companions enjoyed their tacos and noodles. I would like to come back to try more of the menu. I got a red velvet cupcake to go and it was tasty as a late-​night treat. As long as you don’t order a million things, 3 Tiers is affordable. You could make it a special-​occasion place or just otherwise do it with a budget figure in mind. It’s kinda spendy, but it’s pretty good quality stuff. I, for one, am happy that there’s another decent restaurant option in Nokomis because there’s a TON of mediocre crap in the area.

I walked in here not really knowing what to expect.
I walked out of here excited to come back.
The bf and I almost always order 2 different things and try each others’, but we both saw the beef brisket sandwich with kimchi and nothing else mattered.
While we waited for our food, I kept thinking maybe I should have ordered something else. Would a kimchi and brisket sandwich at a random coffee shop/​bakery possibly be excellent?
Oh. My. Goodness.
We both made the right decision. First off, the bread! It was a cross between a croissant and a loaf of french bread, and super freakin’ delicious. (As it should be in a bakery, I suppose.) The beef was incredibly tender and flavorful, and even my Texan boyfriend couldn’t stop raving about how it was the best he has had outside of Texas. It was his first kimchi adventure, and he thought the combined texture with the brisket was slightly offputting, but loved the flavor. I personally thought the texture worked great with it, and the flavors really popped.
We got an order of chips & salsa too, which was pretty unnecessary since the sandwiches are a good size. The chips tasted delicious, but the salsa left something to be desired.
We also split a cupcake, since it is pretty much impossible for me to go to a cute little bakery with their old fashioned display full of gorgeous cupcakes and NOT get one. We got the red velvet, which he liked but honestly I could take it or leave it. The frosting was good but the cupcake itself, ehh. Maybe it had been sitting there all day (we were there around 3pm), I’m not sure. Hopefully their cakes are better than their cupcakes.
But back to the sandwich — I did not want eating it to end, I really didn’t. I was so surprised and impressed with it, and for $ 7 I especially will not hesitate to go back. I’m pretty sure they make their own kimchi, and you can add it to any sandwich for $ 1.50, or get a side of it for $ 3 or $ 4.
The service could use some work, but I’m glad we stayed despite being looked at when we walked in, somewhat rudely, and then getting ignored for a good 2 minutes. We were the only ones there. Once I bit into my sandwich I forgot all about this though, but looking back it really isn’t hard to smile, or say hello, or hey if you guys want to look over the menu quick I will be right with you, or SOMEthing.
If I was only rating them for lunch, it would be an easy 5 star. But being snubbed immediately and a meh cupcake at a place with ‘bakery’ in their name makes it a 4 star. I look forward to hopefully bumping it up to 5 next visit — we’ll see! :)