This week in the Tap: A look ahead at upcoming restaurants in the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area, notes about spots that have closed, and about those that have recently opened.
The Tap is the metro area’s comprehensive restaurant buzz roundup, so if you see a new or newly shuttered restaurant, or anything that’s “coming soon,” email Tap editor James Norton at editor@heavytable.com.
NOW OPEN:
- Seventh Street Truck Park, 214 W 7th St, St. Paul | A food hall with a rotating collection of trucks and three separate bars. Our review here.
- Waldmann Brewery and Wurstery, 445 Smith Ave, St. Paul | “A craft brewery specializing in German lagers and a wurstery offering a variety of house-made sausages.” Another Kickstarter campaign success.
- Haskell’s Wine Bar, 901 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis | A wine bar and lunch counter in the Young Quinlan building by the famed and venerable liquor store folks.
- Back Channel Brewing Co., 4787 Shoreline Drive, Spring Park
- Bardo, 222 E Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis | A new “modern American bistro” in the old Rachel’s spot in Northeast, with chef/owner Remy Pettus. Our review of the cocktail program.
- Tillie’s Farmhouse, 232 Cleveland Ave N, St. Paul | Seasonal cuisine, some of it with a Scandinavian influence, with ingredients from local farms. In the former Trotter’s Cafe space.
- Wonders Ice Cream, 298 University Ave W, St. Paul | A shop selling the latest craze (?), rolled ice cream. See also: Sota Hot and Cold at 394 University Ave W.
- Delicata, 1341 Pascal St, St. Paul | A pizzeria and gelateria by Matty O’Reilly, J.D. Fratzke, and Noah Barton. Our review.
CLOSED / CLOSING:
- Lucia’s (closing Oct. 14)
- Obento-Ya (will be replaced with a second Ramen Kazama location)
- Golden’s Deli
Fabulous Fern’s(Fern’s reached out to us to let us know that they are not, in fact, closing, despite reports to the contrary. Updated: 10/18/17)
- St. Clair Broiler
- Country Bar (will become a Blue Door Pub)
- Coup d’Etat (will become a Pourhouse)
- Bulldog Northeast (closing Oct. 5 and reopening next week as The Stray Dog)
- Sssdude-nutz (moving from bricks and mortar to food truck)
- The Craftsman
- Red’s Savoy
COMING UP:
Minneapolis
- Popol Vuh and Centro | Fall | A two-restaurants-in-one (a la Birdie and Nighthawks) high-concept/street-food purveyor with a Mexican emphasis. From the team behind the successful Lyn65 in Richfield.
- NOLO’s Kitchen and Bar and The Basement Bar, 515 Washington Ave N, Minneapolis | October 9
- Martina, 4312 Upton Ave S, Minneapolis | October | The former Upton 43 space will become an Argentinian- and Italian-inspired spot by Daniel del Prado, formerly of Burch.
- Diamond BBQ, 5400 Penn Ave S, Minneapolis | End of 2017 | Barbecue, escargot, beef tartare, and more, also by Daniel del Prado.
- The Sioux Chef Restaurant at Water Works | 2019
- Sift Gluten-Free Bakery, 4557 Bloomington Ave, Minneapolis | October
- Book Club, 5411 Penn Ave S, Minneapolis | Fall 2017 | A Kim Bartmann California fusion eatery, helmed by Asher Miller, in the former Cafe Maude space.
- Five Watt Northeast, 861 E Hennepin Ave | October | A second location for the popular Eat Street coffeehouse and roastery, including an expanded food menu.
- Hai Hai, 2121 University Ave NE, Minneapolis | Fall | New Southeast Asian restaurant at the former Double Deuce location by the team behind Hola Arepa.
- Rebel Donut Bar, 1226 2nd St NE, Minneapolis | Soon | More action within the “fancy doughnut” sphere, but in this case miniaturized.
- Minnesota Barbecue Company, 816 Lowry Ave NE, Minneapolis | 2017 | A Kansas-City-style barbecue place to be led by Chef Kale Thome of the Travail team (and a Kansas native). Doing pop-ups around town until the official opening.
- Great Northern Smokehouse, 3238 W Lake St, Minneapolis | 2017 | Another barbecue spot in the former Falafel King on Lake and Lyndale.
- Funky Grits, 805 E 38th St, Minneapolis | Fall | A soul food spot in the home of the short-lived Hell’s Chicken and Fish.
- Malcolm Yards Market, 501 30th Ave SE, Minneapolis | 2018 | A food market that will capitalize on its proximity to Surly’s massive brewery/restaurant complex.
St. Paul
- Eureka Compass Vegan Food, 629 Aldine St, St. Paul | 2017 | Now open a few day each week for lunch and dinner in the space the owners will renovate now that their Kickstarter campaign has succeeded.
- The Market House Collaborative, 289 5th St E, St Paul | October 10, with Salty Tart a bit later | As per the Shea designers: “The space will include a seafood market, a casual seafood restaurant, a boutique butcher shop, and a bakery, and we can’t wait to kick off.” Vendors are reported to include The Salty Tart bakery, a Peterson Meats full-service butcher shop, Almanac Fish Market, and the OctoFish Bar on the casual seafood restaurant side of things.
- Keg and Case revitalization of the Schmidt Brewery, 928 W 7th St, St. Paul | 2018 | Featuring restaurants by the teams behind Corner Table, Hola Arepa, and Five Watt, plus Sweet Science ice cream.
- 11 Wells, Millwright Cocktail Room, Historic Hamm’s Brewery, St. Paul | Postponed to “at least 2018” | Multi-state distribution is keeping them busy.
Greater Twin Cities Area and Beyond
- Oakhold Farmhouse Brewery, Midway Township | Late 2017 | Brewer Caleb Levar expects to be brewing in a month or two, pending a final inspection.
The Tap is the Heavy Table’s guide to area restaurant openings, closings, and other major events. The Tap is compiled and published biweekly by the Heavy Table. If you have tips for The Tap, please email James Norton at editor@heavytable.com.