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.
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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:
- The Grand Catch, 1672 Grand Ave, St. Paul | The Wadi brothers and Thien Ly of Cajun Deli have opened a seafood shack on Grand Avenue.
- Maverick’s, 1746 N. Lexington Ave., Roseville | The reopening of the famed roast beef sandwich spot.
- Spring Cafe, Como Lake Pavilion (1360 Lexington Parkway, St. Paul) | Hot and cold lunches and dinners and grab-and-go at Lake Como.
- Parlour Bar, 267 W Seventh St, St. Paul | The popular Minneapolis Warehouse District bar-restaurant (pictured above) has opened a branch in St. Paul.
- The Bungalow Club, 4300 E Lake St, Minneapolis | A neighborhood establishment, in the former Craftsman space, focused on fresh pastas.
- Wooden Hill Brewing, 7421 Bush Lake Road, Edina | The first brewery in Edina has a taproom and kitchen.
- MN Nice Cream Cafe, 807 Broadway St NE #102, Minneapolis | Instagram-ready ice cream in the former Empire Coffee spot.
- Surly Pizza Upstairs, 520 Malcolm Ave SE, Minneapolis | New Haven-style pizza in the former Brewer’s Table space in the Surly brewery complex.
- Geek Love at Moon Palace Books, 3032 Minnehaha Ave S, Minneapolis | The bookstore has moved two blocks north from its original location and its Geek Love restaurant is now open.
- Finnegans Taproom, 817 Fifth Ave S, Minneapolis | The charitably focused brewer has just opened its new brewery and taproom.
- Prime Six, 609 Hennepin Ave S, Minneapolis | A mishmash of everything upscale from around the world, plus a dance floor. In the old Rosa Mexicano space.
- Holman’s Table, 644 Bayfield St, St. Paul | A restaurant at the St. Paul Airport.
- Sweet Chow, 116 First Ave N, Minneapolis | Counter-service pho and veggie-friendly fare. Our review is here.
CLOSED / CLOSING:
- StormKing Barbecue (going down to one day a week, Saturdays). Our review here.
- Geno’s. Our review here.
- Kings Wine Bar (to be replaced by Tap Society; see below).
- Kim’s Vietnamese (as covered on our checklist).
COMING UP:
Minneapolis
- El Burrito Minneapolis, 4814 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis | June | A new El Burrito Mercado restaurant in the former Pepitos next to the Parkway Theater.
- Lipstick Pig, 825 E Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis | Early summer | Another new barbecue spot, owned by the Eli’s crew.
- Fish Bowl Poke, Nicollet and 34th, Minneapolis | Soon | A new poke restaurant by Matthew Kazama.
- Cajun Twist at The Trailhead, Theodore Wirth Park, Golden Valley | Summer | Gumbo, red beans and rice, jambalaya, and more, including beer and wine served up daily out of The Trailhead, a new facility at Wirth Park.
- Tap Society, 4445 Grand Ave S, Minneapolis | June | Burgers, fries, and shakes, plus a wall of self-serve beer, wine, and cider in the old Kings Wine Bar.
- Fhima’s Minneapolis, 40 Seventh St S, Minneapolis | Summer | A new spot from David Fhima in the form Il Foro/Forum space.
- All Square, 4047 Minnehaha Ave, Minneapolis | Spring | Grilled cheese restaurant working to reduce prison recidivism.
- Seed Cafe, 3252 W Lake St, Minneapolis | June | Vegan eatery near Calhoun Village.
- Maven, 901 W Lake St, Minneapolis | Late spring | A project focusing on smoked fish and meats, plus cocktails. By Adam Eaton, Tim Niver, and Saint Dinette’s GM Laurel Elm.
- Royal Foundry Craft Spirits, 241 Fremont Ave N, Minneapolis | 2018 | British-inspired spirits distilled in Minneapolis. Here’s our preview.
- Dayton’s Food Hall & Market, 700 Nicollet Mall | Mid-2019 | Major new 40,000-square-foot food hall curated by Andrew Zimmern.
- Tori 44, 2203 44th Ave N, Minneapolis | Soon | A new ramen restaurant and noodle manufacturing facility in the former Victory 44 location from the owners of Tori Ramen.
- Popol Vuh and Centro, Northeast Minneapolis | Spring | Two restaurants in one (high concept and street food) with a Mexican emphasis. From the team behind the successful Lyn65 in Richfield. UPDATE, 2/6/18, via Cast Iron Communications: “Centro will open first followed by Popol Vuh and they are looking at Spring time (April/May) as of now.”
- Diamond BBQ, 5400 Penn Ave S, Minneapolis | Early 2018 | Barbecue, escargot, beef tartare, and more. By Daniel del Prado of the recently-opened Martina.
- The Sioux Chef Restaurant at Water Works (on the Mississippi, behind the Mill City Museum) | 2019
- Minnesota Barbecue Company, 816 Lowry Ave NE, Minneapolis | 2018 | 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.
- Funky Grits, 805 E 38th St, Minneapolis | Soon, pending resolution of a plumbing snafu | A soul food spot in the home of the short-lived Hell’s Chicken and Fish.
- Malcolm Yards Market, 501 30th Ave SE, Minneapolis | 2019 | A food market that will capitalize on its proximity to Surly’s massive brewery/restaurant complex.
St. Paul
- Hyacinth, 790 Grand Ave, St. Paul | May | Upscale southern Italian fare in the old Golden Fig space.
- In Bloom at Keg and Case, 928 W 7th St, St. Paul | Early summer | Rustic fine dining over open flames by the Corner Table/Revival team in the new Keg and Case food hall.
- Keg and Case revitalization of the Schmidt Brewery, 928 W 7th St, St. Paul | 2018 | Featuring restaurants by the teams behind Corner Table, and Five Watt, plus Sweet Science ice cream.
Greater Twin Cities Area and Beyond
- Pearl and the Thief, 112 N Main St, Stillwater | May | Second restaurant from the chef of Handsome Hog in St. Paul.
- Corktown Deli and Brews, 1906 W Superior St, Duluth| Spring | Minnesota beer and New York-inspired deli in Duluth’s booming Lincoln Park neighborhood, by the creators of the Duluth Grill.
- The Copper Cow, 5445 Eden Prairie Road, Minnetonka | Summer | A new eatery from the Copper Hen team.
- Garage Bowl and Bar, 16 W First St, Waconia | September 2019 | Boutique bowling, brick oven pizzas, and a high-quality bar program in downtown Waconia.
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.