Terra Waconia

A local farm to table restaurant hidden in downtown Waconia. Small (about 10 tables) little charmer with a cozy, homey feel. Don’t look for a menu… it’s on a blackboard and posted daily. Usually red meat, white meat, fish, and vegetarian options available. On this night, the grilled Bison was flavorful but not gamey. More like a sirloin steak. It came with soft boiled eggs on fingerling potatoes — and the eggs were perfect. Also enjoyed the Ram Stew served in a squash carved out to form a bowl. One word — OUTSTANDING. lots of heat and complex flavors. No Minnesota nice spice here! Great staff… great food!

This place is a little gem in Waconia. It is often difficult to find good eats in the ‘burbs, so finding this place was great. The menu changes daily, as does the wine list. There are 3 – 5 choices for apps, salad, entrée and dessert. We had the nachos – pulled pork with guac, on lentil crackers. Very good. I had fish stew which was delightful, my husband had the pork chop that was perfectly seasoned and cooked. We shared the mocha chocolate cake for dessert. The service was also excellent, loved the intimate feel to the restaurant. We will be back.

An unexpectedly cute and romantic restaurant in Waconia.
We were impressed by both the presentation and the flavor of ¾ dishes. Leek soup with Gouda cracker with chive flower baked into it wowed us. Mussels were ok but not the freshest ever or best seasoned.
As good or better than Coalition in excelsior, but less expensive.
Extensive wine choices and several interesting beer options.

Over rated. Was expecting much more from this high end establishment where my dinner with tip was close to $ 200 for 2 of us. No menus — Waiter presents to you — Because the entrees and side change daily the waiter recites a long list at your table. Because of the unsual cuts of meat and sides it all sounds great but there is no way you will remember the extensive list. You end up absorbing and asking for a refresher. All sounded great but the proof is in the execution. First — no bread. None — strange. Always thought you could rate a restaurant by the bread — not here! Salad was the highlight of dinner with pork bellies! Absolutely delicious. Wine list good — enjoyed a fine Cabernet. Bison Steak was tastelss and disappointing, Opa fish was also very dissappointing — dry and presented as if it had been pulled from a lean cuisine carton. Potato sides were deliciousl. Dessert was very good — crème brullee. Ambiance was nice — would be a nice place for a romantic dinner if the food and pretentiousness of the waiter was improved. There was a one other woman waitress who was markedly better than the man servicng the tables. At $ 200 I was expecting a lot more. I was expecting this spot to be a place I would come back again and again.

This local restaurant specializes in local source meats and veggies. It’s a small restaurant, but very nicely decorated, with lovely art on the wall. The menu is written on the wall, and the server explains the evenings offerings. I started with the Spicy green beans, hot, fresh and nicely seasoned! For dinner I enjoyed a serving of pork shoulder marinated in citrus and chipotle, on a bed of polenta. There was a fresh shredded veggie slaw and a lovely pear and apple chutney on the side. Delicious! I can’t figure out why it wasn’t busier! Waconia’s best kept secret!

I loved Terra Waconia oh so very much! I have been dying to go here because I have lived in Waconia ever since I was little and I never stepped foot in the actual restaurant. Why did I wait so long!
The food was fantastic. My mother had a delightful salad that had a nice asian twist on it and was sprinkled with dukkah (ground nuts). I had the spring ravioli with spinach, peas and pesto. Delicious! My mother chose the bison ribs which was served with a soft polenta, rhubarb chutney and a cabbage slaw. That was absolutely delicious as well (fall off the bone good!). We decided to try dessert as well. We had the rhubarb crumble and key lime crème brûlée. Both good, but the crumble won us over.
I would definitely recommend it! it is farm to table and the servers are nice. Just bear with them, as they have a weird way of presenting the menu. But intimate and very wonderful.

The location and atmosphere are very nice. The menu changes daily and includes a nice variety of organic choices. The salad and appetizer (fish cakes) were wonderful; my friend’s scallops were amazing. My main dish (pork chop) was served undercooked and then when served again was impossible to cut and eat. Dessert (crème brûlée) was amazing, so not 1 star overall. May give it another try as I would love to love a place like this in the western suburbs!

Great food — from the appetizer to the entrees, it was just great and surprising to be honest. The menu format and deliver need to change. Our server (who was very patient and informative) verbally recited the menu to us and had no physical menu to leave with us. I wasn’t a fan of this approach and basically settled on the last menu item I could remember. Granted, what I ordered ended up tasting great, so no harm no foul! All in all, it is a pricey meal for Waconia, but the food quality was excellent and I will recommend it for a unique dining experience.

A tremendously intimate restaurant in Waconia. Excellent menu, and super service.
If you want a great meal, this is a great place to go.

Exceptionally good experience here tonight. We came here at around 4:30 when there was an appetizer/​wine happy hour going on but opted to wait for dinner. The menu is small but what they have is really delicious. The BF had the best pot roast he’s ever had; it was perfectly tender, not dry or too greasy, with a delightfully smoky flavor. I had risotto which was perfectly made as well. Risotto is usually either too sticky or too dry, but this was just right. The waitperson was not only friendly and knew the menu, but she could recite each key ingredient in all the dishes, with most of them being locally sourced. They had the front door opened on a gorgeous spring day, very welcoming and charming. This is the kind of local gem I look forward to finding in small towns and yet it’s not so far from the Cities that it’s an onerous drive. Go here before lots more people discover it.

Terra Waconia has an absolute charm about it from the simple chalkboard menu to a minimalistic bar with only beer and wine, all unique. The farm to table concept is being carried out superbly with locally sourced and year round availability to greens and proteins. This creates unique menus almost daily so each visit will bring a new taste. Tracy and Craig are putting a definitive stamp on this restaurant and creating what should be considered experience for those looking for just that.

This is a great little restaurant in Waconia. It’s a small little place that serves all locally farmed products. They do a great job of explaining to you where all of the food comes from and the menu changes daily depending on what’s fresh and available. The service was fantastic!