“I would not give a restaurant with this set of stairs that name,” I thought, climbing up the winding staircase that leads to Two for Tripping.
If you ever visited Annie’s Parlour during its 50 years in Dinkytown, you likely know the staircase well. Annie’s was a goddamn Minneapolis institution—opened in 1974 by esteemed local restaurateur John Rimarcik (Monte Carlo, Runyon’s, Convention Grill), the classic diner was a favorite for its burgers and malts. The restaurant closed for four years during the pandemic, during which time Rimarcik died. His sons, Tony and Tom, took over Annie’s and reopened it in 2024, but it must never have found its footing; it closed for good in July 2025.
Annie’s was one of those significant Twin Cities restaurants. “You can't gin up that sort of authenticity, a multi-generational appeal steeped in nostalgia,” this very publication proclaimed when we revisited after its post-pandemic return. And turnover at those sorts of storied addresses is usually a big deal, which is why I was surprised as I drove up 14th Avenue this weekend to see the brick facade has been painted over in a bold black-and-white color scheme with a cute little fork-as-hocky-stick logo.
It seems Two For Tripping opened this March, completely missing my radar and somehow also the radars of the Gopher alumni in my life who usually keep meticulous track of this stuff. TFT comes from Latif Kamara, according to the Minnesota Daily, who tells the U’s student paper he hopes the new spot can help revitalize the neighborhood. “We’ve seen a decline in the last couple years,” he said at the time of the restaurant and coffee shop’s opening. “I think the only way for it to really thrive and succeed is for not only college students and alumni to come down, but also people who live in the Minneapolis area.”
Guilty as charged! There was a time when this person who lives in the Minneapolis area would have visited U of M bars with some regularity, lounging and drinking at Kitty Cat Klub (RIP) or yelling at the TV and drinking at Sporty’s (RIP, though it lives on spiritually as Como Tap). This Saturday’s sojourn to check out Vinegar Syndrome’s new shop next to the Varsity marked the first time I’d been to the campus-adjacent neighborhood in… maybe a year?
This past Saturday morning at around 11:30 a.m., the crowd at Two For Tripping was split just about evenly between students on laptops and folks gathering to chat over late-morning breakfast. The front room overlooking 14th had a real study hall vibe—no music, mostly laptops—while the main dining area was louder and more bustling. And just about all tables were taken up, with a few groups enjoying the unseasonably warm weather on the deck outside.
Decor-wise, Two For Tripping looks a lot like its predecessor. “I think these are the chairs and tables from Annie’s,” my partner laughed, a slightly broken barstool wobbling beneath him. A few framed prints of hockey greats line the walls, but otherwise the sports theme is minimal—no “Pavelich Panini” or “Gump Worsley Greens,” just a couple of normally named breakfast and lunch sandwiches, sweets, burritos, and bowls.
As for the food, it’s mainly simple staples, done just fine. I liked my bacon, egg, and cheese burrito ($14); though it skimped a bit on the bacon and the listed hashbrowns were nowhere to be found, the avocado crema was fresh and light, the greens crispy, the eggs fluffy and plentiful. A serviceable turkey sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich ($12.50) was accompanied by some really tasty potatoes—lightly seasoned, and that perfect combination of crispy and squishy.
The drink menu is really the thing here; it’s longer than the food menu by a fair amount and features coffee classics, tea, smoothies, dirty sodas, and signature drinks like a cinnamon toast latte and a golden hour latte. Many of the ingredients are housemade, like the syrup in the brown butter banana bread latte ($6.90 for 16 oz), a tasty little number I sucked down quickly. The fall menu features a trio of apple ciders and other seasonal drinks, including a pumpkin cheesecake cold brew ($6.50) topped with a thick, thick layer of cold foam, the kind that could cause problems for anyone with a mustache. There are quite possibly 300 calories in the top inch of this beverage alone, but my god, it’s good.
There were some small kinks during our visit. Two different groups must have gotten the No. 11 after placing our orders at the counter, so we almost stole someone else’s blueberry waffle. And the tables could really use little caddies with the basics—ketchup, hot sauce, napkins, salt, pepper—since there are no servers and the food runners flee without a “can I get you anything else?”
But Two For Tripping seems set up for success in 2026: counter service, streamlined staff, small and healthy-ish menu, little-treat-culture drinks. It’ll do well with students in the area; it looks like it is already.
Is it enough to bring folks from elsewhere in Minneapolis to the neighborhood? Well… it’s no Kitty Cat Klub. But then, what is?
Two For Tripping
Address: 313 14th Ave. SE, second floor, Minneapolis
Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily
