Anima Cucina

The first few times my husband and I went to this place, we were in love. Super knowledgeable staff, the food was outstanding, and bartenders and servers more than willing to sit and talk to us about random things; where we were from, what we like to drink etc. The last three times I have been here, the food is still outstanding, but the service has become terrible. We went for my birthday this past year and I left before my wine glass was even empty. It took me almost 25 minutes to get my glass of wine. Nobody came to apologize about it, much less acknowledge that it took so long. There were more than enough servers on staff that night, none of them just seem to care that my husband and I were the only people in the restaurant. I went and sat tonight at the bar, the whole thing to myself, and I saw the bartender maybe twice. I had a super nice, helpful, knowledgeable server who occasionally checked on me and brought me my food and eventually my second glass of wine. Aside from that, the bartender finally came back about an hour after the last time I saw him, and had no idea that I had already paid and was on my way out. It’s all such a shame because this place is somewhere that I used to consider a hidden gem in Bismarck. Now I have to talk myself into going whenever I feel up to it. Figure the service out and this place will get back on my “A-list”.

We had brunch on a Saturday afternoon while passing through Bismarck. The restaurant is counter service on Saturdays for brunch. We ordered at the counter and sat at a table outside. Service was slower than anticipated but the food was very good. The Eggs & Greens with the added English Muffin toast was delicious. The lemon loaf was great.

I got a caramel roll, which had a nice surprise of icing on it. I thought it was smooth and creamy as a dish. My wife had a molasses scone and she thought it’s a bit heavy on the ginger, but the texture was fantastic. Keeping in mind yeast breads are difficult to master, and for the most part they did a good job. We both had americanos and they both were very very good. Not a lot of acidity which I appreciate. I love the atmosphere. Great vibe to the place. My wife says retro rustic. Overall a good experience and we will be back to try more of the fare.