Celebrate your Best of St. Croix Valley 2023 Readers’ Choice Poll winners and finalists!
St. Croix Valley Magazine readers, welcome, to your annual Readers’ Choice Poll. You showed up online this January at stcroixvalleymag.com and wrote in your top picks in a host of categories—now we have your results.
You may notice a couple of new additions to this year’s poll, including entirely new overarching categories dedicated to self-care, pet care, services and leisure. We’ve also expanded beyond the Valley, so you’ll meet a few winners from neighboring communities in our Best of the East Metro categories. And finally, we’re encouraging you to travel beyond our community into the great state of Minnesota with our Discover Minnesota + Wisconsin categories. Without further ado, let’s meet your winners and finalists!
Dining
Best Bakery
Runners Up: Sweet Beet Bakery, St. Croix Baking Company
Best Bar, Brewery or Distillery
Runners Up: Lift Bridge Brewery, Tattersall Distilling
Best Breakfast or Brunch
Runners Up: San Pedro Cafe, Keys Cafe & Bakery
Best Desserts or Ice Cream
Runners Up: Nelson’s Ice Cream, St. Croix Baking Company
Best International Cuisine
Runners Up: Miko Thai Kitchen, Sapporo Japanese Restaurant
Best Locally Owned Coffee Shop
Runners Up: Ember and Bean Roasting Co, Joe to Go
Best Outdoor Dining Space
Runners Up: San Pedro Cafe, The Dock Stillwater
Best Plant-Based or Vegan Menu
Runners Up: The Wild Hare, ProteinHouse
Best Restaurant
LoLo American Kitchen and Craft Bar
Runners Up: San Pedro Cafe, Pier 500
Best Restaurant for a Power Lunch
Runners Up: Urban Olive & Vine, LoLo American Kitchen and Craft Bar
Best Takeout or Curbside Service
Runners Up: Dragon Pearl, Miko Thai Kitchen
Best Burger
Runners Up: Milwaukee Burger Company, Agave Kitchen
Best Chicken Sandwich
Runners Up: Pier 500, Agave Kitchen
Best Pizza
Runners Up: EJ’s Pizzeria, Carbone’s Pizzeria
Abode
Best Builder
Runners Up: Derrick Building Solutions, Divine Custom Homes
Best Carpet and Flooring Store
Runners Up: H&F Home Furnishings, Larry’s Flooring
Best Garden Center
Runners Up: Farrill’s Sunrise Nursery and Garden Center, Abrahamson Nurseries
Best Home Cleaning Service
Runners Up: Cleaning with Meaning, Clean Beans LLC
Best Home Décor and Furniture Store
Runners Up: Reclaiming Beautiful, The 715, Brick + Linen
Best Interior Design Firm
Runners Up: Draper House Design Co., Bell Interiors
Best Landscape Design Service
Runners Up: P&K Lawn Care, Stone & Leaf Landscaping
Best Lawn Service
Runners Up: Fitzgerald Lawn Care, P&K Lawn Care
Best Locally Owned Hardware Store
Runners Up: River Falls Ace Hardware, Doyle’s Farm & Home Ace
Best Remodeler
The Fortress Project, W3 Construction (tie)
Runners Up: Leading Edge Contracting, LLC, Petta Building & Design, St. Croix Carpentry
Best Senior Living Residence
Runners Up: The Deerfield, Croixdale
Self-Care
Best Barbershop
Runners Up: The Hudson Barber Shop, The Hair Tailor
Best Boutique Fitness or Yoga Studio
Runners Up: Inspiring Actions, Solo Yoga + Bxng
Best Med Spa
Runners Up: Northern Allure Aesthetics, Willow MedSpa & Fitness
Best Place for a Manicure and Pedicure
Runners Up: 21 Nails, Turbo Nails Oak Park Heights
Best Salon Spa
Runners Up: Tangled Salon & Spa, The Hair Tailor
Wellness
Best Allergy Practice
River Point Family Acupuncture
Runners Up: Allergy and Asthma Center of Minnesota, HealthPartners Clinic – Stillwater, Midwest Ear Nose & Throat Specialists, Wellnessgal Nutrition Consulting
Best Chiropractic Practice
Croixview Family Chiropractic, Vitality Chiropractic (tie)
Runner Up: MoveWell Chiropractic and Sports Therapy
Best Cosmetic Dentistry Practice
Runners Up: Carlson Dental Group, Lift Dental, Oakwood Dental, Orchin + Orchin Specialists in Orthodontics
Best Cosmetic Surgery Practice
Advanced Dermatology Care, Northern Allure Aesthetics (tie)
Best Dental Practice
St. Croix Kidds Pediatric Dentistry
Runners Up: Oakwood Dental, Smiles in Motion Pediatric Dentistry
Best Dermatology Practice
Runners Up: Forefront Dermatology, Dermatology Consultants
Best Eye Care Practice
Runners Up: Christenson Vision Care, Shopko Optical
Best Family Medicine Practice
Runners Up: HealthPartners Clinic – Stillwater, M Health Fairview Clinic – Stillwater
Best Holistic Wellness Practice
Runners Up: Fit PT, River Point Family Acupuncture
Best OB-GYN Practice
Runners Up: Evensong Women’s Health and Midwifery, Minnesota Women’s Care
Best Orthodontic Practice
Brettin Orthodontics, Sletten Orthodontics (tie)
Runners Up: Orchin + Orchin Specialists in Orthodontics, Valley Orthodontics
Best Orthopedic Practice
Runners Up: TRIA Orthopedics, Summit Orthopedics, Westfields Hospital & Clinic
Best Pediatric Practice
St. Croix Kidds Pediatric Dentistry
Runners Up: Hudson Physicians, Smiles in Motion Pediatric Dentistry
Learning
Best Dance Studio
Runners Up: Helmer Dance Studio, Dance Explosion
Best Learning or Tutoring Center
Runners Up: Huntington Learning Center, Mathnasium
Best Preschool Program
Runners Up: Sunny Hill Preschool, Trinity Academy
Best Swim School or Lessons
Goldfish Swim School – Oakdale
Runners Up: Foss Swim School – Vadnais Heights, River Valley Athletic Club
Pet Care
Best Dog-Friendly Establishment
Runners Up: Hop and Barrel Brewing, Made Coffee, River Siren Brewing
Best Dog Park
Runners Up: River Falls Dog Park, New Richmond Off Leash Dog Park
Best Pet Boarding or Daycare Service
Runners Up: K9-Playtime, Goldwood Kennels
Best Pet Grooming Service
Runners Up: Paws and Claws Pet Resort, Diggity Dawg Grooming
Best Veterinarian Practice
Croix Valley Veterinary Hospital
Runners Up: Hillcrest Animal Hospital, Animal Care Center
Services
Best Accounting
Runners Up: MidAmerica Financial, Forward Accounting, Guinn, Vinopal & Zahradka, LLP
Best Family Photographer
Runners Up: Lisa Buth Photography, Hello Dolly Photography, Markfortography
Best Home Inspector
Runners Up: Block By Block Home Inspections, Inc., Brian Wert Inspection Agency
Best Law Practice
Runners Up: Galowitz Olson Law Firm, Nicolet Law
Best Mortgage Company
Runners Up: WESTconsin Credit Union, CrossCountry Mortgage
Shops
Best Apparel Boutique
Runners Up: Mainstream Boutique, Whatnot Boutique
Best Florist
Runners Up: Rose Floral & Greenhouse, Bo Jons Flowers & Gifts
Best Gift Shop
Runners Up: Darn Knit Anyway, The Purple Tree
Best Jewelry Store
Runners Up: Stokes Jewelry Services, The 715
Best Specialty Kitchen or Foods Store
Runners Up: Candyland, Alfresco Casual Living, River Market Market Community Co-Op
Leisure
Best Park, Open Space or Beach
Runners Up: Perch Lake, Pioneer Park
Best Place for a Date Night
LoLo American Kitchen and Craft Bar
Runners Up: Pier 500, MatchStick Restaurant & Spirits
Best Place for Family Activities
Runners Up: Willow River State Park, Hudson YMCA
Best Place for an Outdoor Adventure
Runners Up: William O’Brien State Park, St. Croix Boom Site, Kinnickinnic State Park
Best Place to Watch Fourth of July Fireworks
Runners Up: Lowell Park, Pioneer Park
Best of the East Metro
Best Golf Course
Runners Up: White Eagle Golf Club, New Richmond Golf Club
Best Music School
Runner Up: Hovland Conservatory
Best Private School
Runners Up: Hill-Murray School, St. Croix Catholic School, Saint Patrick Catholic School
Best Outdoor Skating or Hockey Rink
St. Croix Valley Recreation Center
Runners Up: Perro Park, Burton Field
Best Speciality Athletic Store
Runners Up: St. Croix Shoes, Run N Fun
Best Staycation Hotel
Runners Up: Lora, Lowell Inn
Best Summer Camp
Runners Up: Hidden Pines Ranch, The Dancing House
Best Theater Program
The Phipps Center for the Arts
Runners Up: The Zephyr Theater, Stillwater Area High School Theatre
Best Winery
Runners Up: 7 Vines Vineyard, Belle Ame Vineyard & Events
Discover Minnesota + Wisconsin
Best Campground
Runners Up: William O’Brien State Park, Lake Elmo Park Reserve
Best Entertainment Venue
Runners Up: Xcel Energy Center, Ziggy’s
Best Hiking or Biking Trail
Runners Up: Brown’s Creek State Trail, Gateway State Trail
Best Live Theater
The Phipps Center for the Arts
Runners Up: The Zephyr Theater, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
Best Museum
Runners Up: Science Museum of Minnesota, Minneapolis Institute of Art
Best Music Venue
Runners Up: Ziggy’s, The Armory
Best Nordic Ski Trail or Alpine Hill
Runners Up: Lake Elmo Park Reserve, Trollhaugen Outdoor Recreation Area
Best Resort or Lodge
Runners Up: Grand View Lodge, The Outing Lodge
Best Wedding Photographer or Videographer
Runners Up: Skyler Seviola, Rachel Ritter Photography
Best Wedding Venue
Runners Up: The Loft at Studio J, 7 Vines Vineyard