On a sunny afternoon, the Trailhead Building at Theodore Wirth Regional Park is one of the most hopping places in the Twin Cities. Mountain bikers and road cyclists alike fill the Trailhead’s racks with their rides; golfers toting little push carts stop in for a bottle of water or a cold beer; and in between it all, a constant stream of walkers, runners, and rollerbladers scoot by on the Grand Rounds, which passes right by the building for a portion of its 50+ miles.
Aki’s Breadhaus co-owner Nancy Marone and her husband live near the Trailhead, and they’re frequently among those who find themselves popping by the Loppet Foundation-operated Minneapolis park building.
“We’ve always loved the place and walked there often,” says Marone. They were out on a walk last year, in fact, when they saw a poster that said the Trailhead’s Mill Valley Market was closing after five years in the space.
As a cafe regular, her interest was piqued; Marone did a little online sleuthing and saw that the Loppet Foundation was accepting proposals for a new restaurant to take over the space. Aki’s always wants to reach new people, and she figured Theo Wirth had a built-in audience of just the kind of folks who’d love their wares: outdoorsy, outgoing, and, crucially, hungry. They submitted a proposal and were accepted, and Aki’s started serving sandwiches, salads, and snacks in the space this month.
It’s been a busy few years for Aki’s, which baker Joachim “Aki” Berndt started as a farmer’s market stall in 2010. Four years later, Aki’s opened a Central Avenue brick-and-mortar, and in late 2024, the bakery moved into a new space at 1712 Marshall St. NE, adding a wine bar (the “WunderBar”) and a menu of hot food. (MSP Mag’s Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl called the move “the biggest event in Minnesota German culinary culture in ages.”)
Now, about a year and a half after that shift, Aki’s is taking over the Trailhead cafe. Though Marone says the Theo Wirth location has its own vibe, head chef Ian Pierce from Aki’s BreadHaus and WunderBar is overseeing the menu here as well. The menu may be different, but the foundation is the bread, with sandwiches like turkey and cheddar ($12) and smoked salmon lox ($15) served on Aki’s broetchen rolls.
And of course, there are pretzels, both wonderful, chewy soft pretzels ($6) and pretzel chips ($4). The latter are offered with a few accompanying dips ($2 each) and were a perfect snack when we popped into the Trailhead Aki’s during a Memorial Day weekend bike ride.
There are more familiar faces at Aki’s Theo Wirth cafe, namely Broken Clock Brewing and Curioso Coffee, with whom the bakery shares its building on Marshall. “It just felt like the right move to bring our neighbors with us,” Marone says. And yes, for all of you who’ve been asking: They’re going to keep doing the Friday night music in the park series. “Ice cream and music have been our top two questions,” she laughs.
And while we can’t say more just yet, ice cream will be coming soon, too. The Trailhead menu is small for now, but Marone says it will evolve as the team has more time in the kitchen. Beginning in June, for example, they’ll add breakfast items (which Aki’s doesn’t do at its other location) and pastries and breads.
“We want to make it like a little neighborhood bakery,” Marone says. “There’s really not another bakery around in that area—even our current customers, some of them, are like, ‘Oh, I’m closer to the Trailhead, I can just come get my bread here.’”
Aki’s Trailhead location will host a grand opening weekend this Friday through Sunday, May 29-31, with live music from Bruce Gutknecht and a Broken Clock beer tasting on Friday followed by a bread tasting with Aki on Saturday.
Ultimately, their plan is to compliment the park and serve the folks who enjoy it—and what goes with a few laps on the trails better than a sandwich served on Aki’s bread and a glass of on-tap prosecco?
“It’s fun to have a destination when you’re doing that kind of stuff—like, we do that, and then we can stop and have a drink or a snack or a meal,” Marone says.
The Trailhead Cafe Powered by Aki's BreadHaus
Address: 1221 Theodore Wirth Parkway, Minneapolis
Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily
