We're approaching the slow season, restaurant news-wise—blame Minnesota winters—but there have been a flurry of openings this month, with some fun announcements that'll be realized very soon. (Lookin' at you, Graze Food Hall by Travail!)
Let's get into it: Here's November's Racket Restaurant Roundup.
Now Open
La Estancia
La Estancia, an Argentinian and Uruguayan steakhouse, is kinda fancy—there are white tablecloths—but also accessible, according to co-owner Luis Del Hoyo, with $5 empanadas all the way up to a $125 tomahawk ribeye. Located at 4751 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis, the restaurant is also serving Sunday brunch.
Burnt Chicken
I really dug Burnt Chicken when it was popping up in the North Loop... the only downside was it was located inside one of those self-serve taprooms, which are not necessarily my favorite. Good news: Chef Bernard Collins is back, bringing his fried chicken to St. Paul's East Side (858 Payne Ave.), where he's also doing smash burgers and po' boys.
Queermunity Cafe
Queermunity just debuted an LGBTQ+ community space at 3036 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis. It's part resource center, part social hub, and part cafe/lounge, with a menu of soups, fresh salads, and sandwiches developed by chef Jun De of the Bella Chow pasta pop-up. (There's also coffee and tea and beer and wine.) The idea is to bring together and elevate the work other local queer groups are doing, according to outreach director Seth Anderson-Matz. “We always say, ‘We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel, we’re just trying to put all the wheels on the same truck,’” he told Racket earlier this month.
Minari
A case continues to be made that northeast Minneapolis's Sheridan neighborhood is the most exciting dining destination in town. The latest edition is Minari, which is bringing modern East Asian fare including seasonal dim sum and banchan to 323 13th Ave. NE. The chef behind it is Jeff Watson, who was born in South Korea, raised in South Dakota, and opened this restaurant with Daniel del Prado's restaurant group. It looks like there are a fair amount of reservations waiting to be snapped up, if that intrigues you...
Le Burger
Love the cheeky little name, love the French-ish vibe, love the colorful palette, love the streamlined menu: five burgers, five other sandwiches, some snacks and salads. Linden Hills newbie Le Burger (4304 Upton Ave. S., Minneapolis), from Jonathan Gans and Josh Hoyt, is adorable, and I'm excited to tear into one of these burgers.
Stonegarden
Yes, it sounds like the name of a grunge band whose CD you've since lost, but Stonegarden is actually a new breakfast, brunch, and broth (yes, broth) spot at 5401 Chicago Ave. in Minneapolis. Racket's Keith Harris had brunch there over the weekend and enjoyed the Norwegian Benedict ($18), with house-cured gravlax, and dijon-dill hollandaise on a croissant; he also thought it was cute that servers gave his friend's kiddo a set of spoons to play with. So there you have it!
Francis Burger Joint East Lake
Francis No. 2 is up and running in the former Peppers & Fries space (3900 E. Lake St., Minneapolis). Look at this happy crew! They're bringing the neon and pink vibes to a whole new side of town—along with the killer vegan burgers we've loved since they were located in the trailer at Sociable Cider Werks.
Russell’s
Russell's owner Todd Russell was born in St. Paul and raised on Grand Avenue, and he wanted to open a cozy spot with steaks, salads, sandwiches, and specials—ya know, a neighborhood joint. His restaurant opened this month at 656 Grand Ave. in St. Paul. Yes, that's the former home of St. Paul institution Tavern on Grand, and yes, there's walleye on the menu.
Jade Dynasty
The former home of Fuji Ya (600 W. Lake St., Minneapolis) is now Jade Dynasty Restaurant and Bar, a new dim sum and hot pot restaurant from Chuen Sai “Paul” Wu and Eric Zeng. They've got sake and soju and signature cocktails including a black sesame espresso martini, all served alongside a menu of Cantonese cuisine.
Aki’s WunderBar
Aki's move is officially complete—the Minneapolis pretzel and bread bakers have set up shop at 1712 Marshall St. NE, where their "WunderBar" (cute!) is serving wine alongside German-inspired food.
Soul Bowl
Also on the move, Soul Bowl 2.0 has opened inside the V3 Sports complex (701 N. Plymouth Ave., Minneapolis), a "community-inspired health and wellness facility" in north Minneapolis.
Baking Betty’s
There's a new cookie shop in St. Paul: Baking Betty's is slingin' sweets at 1700 Grand Ave. Stop in for cookie versions of classic desserts like creme brûlée and lemon meringue pie, as well as Betty's best-selling s'more-stuffed cookie.
Saturday Dumpling Co.
Mark your calendars, dumpling-heads: Saturday Dumpling Co.'s brick and mortar opens this Saturday, November 30. Catch up with co-owners Peter Bian and Linda Cao in the latest installment of Mpls.St.Paul Magazine's "How to Open a Restaurant" series (all the fun chaos is in the lead-up to opening), and then get ready to visit their splashy pink space at 519 Central Ave. NE, Minneapolis.
Closed or Closing
Number 12 Cider
Number 12 Cider, which opened in 2018, will close at the end of the year, with a farewell celebration scheduled for December 21. "It's been an honor and a privilege for the last six years ... but unfortunately all good things must come to an end," co-owner Steve Hance said in a farewell video. Find more info on the closeout sales and that final farewell here.
Hi Flora!
Bye Flora! (Sorry, had to.) Minnesota's first THC-focused restaurant will close December 5 after being hit with a $7,500 fine from the Office of Cannabis Management "over a variety of alleged violations," according to Louis Krauss at the Minnesota Star Tribune. Owner Heather Klein tells her side of the story on Instagram, writing that, among other challenges, "after our tinctures were pulled in August due to new labeling regulations as of August 1, our sales have dropped by 50%."
Black Sheep Pizza Eat Street
If you’re counting Black Sheep, we’ll soon be down to just one. The local pizza chain once had three locations, but after closing its St. Paul spot a few years ago, the Minneapolis Eat Street location will soon follow. “Ya know? I’m sad too," owner Jordan Smith told Racket by phone last week. "But I think for most restaurants 10 years is a pretty good run, plus with our grandchildren, and the lease being up? It seems like it’s the smart thing to do.”
Just Announced and Coming Soon
The Travail Team Is Taking Over Graze…
The North Loop's Graze Food Hall will soon be Graze Food Hall by Travail, according to the Strib's Joy Summers (gift link). Travail chef-owners Mike Brown, Bob Gerken, and James Winberg are also bringing some culinary heavy-hitters with them: Oro’s Kate and Gustavo Romero will open Tixtli by Nixta in the food hall, while the Wrecktangle team is getting into tavern-style pies with Wrad, which will open alongside Wrap. (We like Wrap.) Changes are underway now, with Wrad and Graze on the Greens (salads and grain bowls by Travail) slated to open in December and Tixtli following in January.
…and Italian Eatery?
There's less info about this one out there, but Axios's Audrey Kennedy noticed that an LLC tied to Travail co-owner Winberg has applied for a liquor license to operate in the Italian Eatery building. (If you've forgotten, Italian Eatery closed earlier this year even though it appeared to be thriving; people were very sad.) No details yet beyond the name on the application: Italian Eatery x Travail.
Rosalia No. 2
Rosalia, Daniel del Prado's popular Linden Hills pizza place, is opening a second location in northeast Minneapolis, according to the Biz Journal's Abby Bulger. This one's headed for the ground floor of the Rafter Apartments building at 333 E. Hennepin Ave., right by Surdyk's.
Egg on a Roll No. 2
Was I exaggerating when I called Egg on a Roll's sandwiches "life-changing"? No, I don't think so! And soon folks in a new neighborhood will be able to find out for themselves: "Our big dreams of slinging the best egg sammies, in every neighborhood, is about to begin; Egg on a Roll is officially under construction in Dinkytown," according to an Instagram post from the North Loop sandwich shop.
FRGMNT Coffee No. 5
An aversion to vowels isn't holding this local coffee shop back—FRGMNT is planning to open its fifth location, and fourth in Minneapolis, in early 2025. According to Downtown Voices, this one will be inside SPS Tower (333 S. Seventh St.), joining locations in St. Anthony Main, the North Loop, the Mill District, and Eden Prairie.
Los Ocampo
After a handful of delays, the ever-growing Los Ocampo is juuust about to open its latest location at 2186 Marshall Ave. in St. Paul. No, seriously this time—there's a grand opening scheduled for December 2! They’re taking over the space that previously housed BBQ joint Bark and the Bite.
Catzen Coffee Bar & Den
A cat cafe and coffee lab is heading for Grand Avenue (1416 Grand Ave., St. Paul, to be exact). They’ll have lots of local treats: Dogwood Coffee, pastries from Hot Hands Pie and Biscuits, and snacks from Re-Mix Popcorn and Soul Grain granola. The grand opening is scheduled for January 1, according to the coffee shop's website.
In the Works
As previously reported in the Racket Restaurant Roundup...
Namos Restaurant and Lounge
A “luxury” sports bar, Namos Restaurant and Lounge, is heading for the old Erik the Red space steps from U.S. Bank Stadium, according to Downtown Voices. A recent Instagram post from Namos says it’ll be "a fusion of culture, cuisine, and live sports like you’ve never seen." I doubt that very much, unless Vikings players are doing a Coyote Ugly thing on the bar after each game—but hey, maybe they are!
The Rabbit Hole
They're gonna have 40 screens at this new sports bar, which'll move into the old Axe Bridge Winery spot in the North Loop (411 Washington Ave. N., Minneapolis) later this year. No relation to The Rabbit Hole that once existed at Midtown Global Market, this one'll also host cover bands and DJs and private events, according to the North Loop Neighborhood Association.
Cafe Yoto
Downtown Voices has the scoop on Cafe Yoto, a new counter-service Japanese joint from Kado no Mise chef Yo Hasegawa. Cafe Yoto will open in the Duffey building (548 N. Washington Ave., Minneapolis), in the former home of Stalk & Spade, very soon, with a focus on online and takeout orders.
Stargazer
Since Vinai opened in the former Dangerous Man Brewing address in northeast Minneapolis, the adjacent growler picking room has been closed. That'll change with the arrival of Stargazer, a pint-sized (or growler-sized, I guess), 40-person bar from the minds behind Travail and Meteor. The Strib has the scoop.
19 to Reopen
Thank god: Minneapolis’s 19 Bar, the first gay bar in the city and one of the oldest in the country, is still planning to reopen, according to Zoë Jackson at the Star Tribune. Better yet? It could open its doors by New Year's Eve.
Animales Brick and Mortar
This is the one we’ve all been waiting for, folks. After… oh, a year? of copy-pasting Animales’ tentative plans for a brick-and-mortar restaurant into the Racket Restaurant Roundup’s “In the Works” section month after month, we got confirmation that it is in fact happening! Founder and co-owner Jon Wipfli announced on August 6 that Animales will head for the former Royal Foundry Distillery in the Harrison neighborhood (241 Fremont Ave. N, Minneapolis), with a 300-seat, family-friendly restaurant; a full bar; a patio; and even a dedicated play area for kids. HYFR. Look for it to open in 2025.
Khue’s Kitchen
Eater has the scoop on Khue’s Kitchen, a new St. Paul Vietnamese restaurant from chef Eric Pham, which’ll open in the former Ngon Bistro space on University Avenue this summer. Pham’s grandmother opened Quang, where his mother still works; Pham you might know from his Khue’s Kitchen pop-up at Bar Brava. The brick-and-mortar should open this fall—a fire set back their progress when they were just about to open in August. You can donate to the GoFundMe here.
Bubble Line Brewery
Brittney Mikell—who honed her skills as an assistant brewer at La Doña Cervecería—is readying to open the state’s first Black woman-owned brewery in the Rondo neighborhood of St. Paul. You can find the latest updates from Bubble Line Brewery on Instagram.
Sculpture Garden Eats
A restaurant for the Walker’s Sculpture Garden? Total no-brainer. Kind of can’t believe there isn’t one already. Mpls.St.Paul Mag’s Stephanie March had a great scoop on the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and the Walker’s teaming up to bring this new concession stand to life.
Saffron
Just know this news has the foodie in your life all a-tingle: Saffron, Sameh Wadi’s popular, groundbreaking, and much-missed Middle Eastern fine-dining restaurant, which closed in 2017, will make a return. That’s according to this scoop from Mpls-St.Paul Mag, whose Stephanie March caught up with Wadi earlier this month to talk about opening Saffron, closing Saffron, and the yearslong process it’s been to bring it back. (Did you know he was just 23 when Saffron opened? Wild stuff.) No lease yet, but it’s reportedly in the works.
Razava Bread Co.
A new bakery will open on Grand Avenue in St. Paul later this year, according to the Biz Journal, with “old-world” sourdoughs, bagels, challah, and coffee. Razava Bread Co. comes from owner Steve Baldinger, whose family has been in the bread business for more than 130 (!) years, and baker Omri Zin-Tamir, formerly of The Bakery on 22nd Street.
Mad Chicken
Is that like mad cow? Downtown Voices reports that chicken chain Mad Chicken, which got its start in Wisconsin and has locations in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Maryland, will open its first Minnesota location in the vacant building at First Avenue North and Fourth Street North that formerly housed American Army Navy Surplus Store.
Asia Village
Here’s some news that has the North Metro friend in your life ecstatic: The group behind Asia Mall in Eden Prairie has announced a similar concept called Asia Village slated for the Northtown Mall in Blaine (301 Northtown Drive NE). They’re teaming up with the folks behind Pho Mai and Keefer Court to bring the 130,000 square foot space to life, with hot pot, all-you-can-eat sushi, a Korean BBQ, and a grocery store. Renovations will start this August; it’s scheduled to open by late 2025.
New North Loop Project from Tim McKee
James Beard Award-winning chef Tim McKee (La Belle Vie, Sea Change, Octo Fishbar) has his eyes set on the North Loop for a new project inspired by the Basque region of Spain. He's being tight-lipped about the new Minneapolis endeavor for now, but has revealed that it'll be somewhere on First Street and open sometime... sometime. Read more via the Strib.
