Andiamo Ristorante Opens in Eagan

His entire life Enrique Ruiz has watched his father, Ramon Ruiz, the new general manager of Andiamo Ristorante in Eagan, and uncle, Armando Ruiz, co-owner,  achieve their dreams working in the restaurant business.

It only felt right for Enrique to take on the title of manager of Andiamo Ristorante.

“It’s a natural affinity for me to work around people. I’ve been around the business and have a passion for building relationships," he said.

A family friend mentioned the available spot off of Diffley Road and Johnny Cake Ridge Road (across from CVS); the opportunity for the Ruiz family to open their own Italian restaurant seemed worth the journey. Ramon has a history of opening restaurants and Armando worked as a head chef for 16 years at Buca di Beppo.

Two Italian restaurants have come and gone in the same location but the Ruiz family is on a mission to connect with the Eagan community. “We want to focus on family and we want to be part of the neighborhood. We don’t want to say, this is who we are, deal. We want to build relationships with our customers and encourage and welcome feedback,” said Enrique.

Carrie Kohlmeyer, a resident of Eagan, enjoys going out with her girlfriends a few times a month around Eagan and decided on Andiamo’s for lunch. “Everything has been perfect. The service has been so great.”

Her friend Becky Seiberlich couldn’t agree more. “There is such friendly service here and there's a nice price point.”

Andiamo Ristorante’s menu offers several food options and reasonable prices. “This is an Italian restaurant but we are in Minnesota. Of course we’re going to include a walleye dish and make burgers available,” Enrique said.  

Currently, the most popular food items are the Andiamo burger (runs around $11), which doesn’t look or taste like your normal burger— it’s packed with special seasonings and flavor. The other favorite has been the gourmet pizzas, which run around $10.  There are also happy hour specials from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. to close, offering half-off all appetizers and discounted drinks.

Flo Markand, an Eagan resident, enjoys the variety of food options and the extra punch of flavor each dish carries. “I just tried the bruschetta and it’s to die for.”

Diane Steichen, an Eagan resident, loves trying out locally-owned restaurants. “This is my first time here and I think it’s wonderful.”

Kathy Ghilani, a realtor for Coldwell Banker in Eagan, agrees. “The food is awesome.”

So what makes Andiamo’s different? “We don’t want to end at great food and service. We have a commitment to quality and we want our customers to know we’re not afraid to change a menu item and make it better. We’re here to listen.”

Perhaps this is why the Ruiz family chose the name Andiamo, which means “let’s go” in Italian.

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