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The Tap loves restaurant tips from readers, so we’re going to award two Heavy Table pint glasses to the best tipster each month, starting in May. 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 The Tap editor Jason Walker at jason@heavytable.com.
Pat’s Tap (opens in June)
3510 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis | 612.822.8216 | patstap.com
The second of Kim Bartmann’s new ventures, following the newly opened Bread & Pickle, Pat’s Tap is set for an early June opening in the former Casey’s Irish Pub at the suddenly hipster-centric corner of 35th and Nicollet.
Pat’s Tap will be a gastropub that follows Bartmann’s commitment to local, organic food and craft beer but with an added benefit: a craft cocktail program focused on artisanal liquors.
“I think the Bradstreet Craftshouse head bartender recently was talking in a magazine about how the next thing he wanted to see in town was a casual place where you could get a craft cocktail, so I guess Pat’s can be that,” Bartmann said.
Pat’s will have 16 taps focused on local craft beer and a menu of gastropub food, “not like a microgastronomy but just sort of elevated things that you’d expect at a pub,” Bartmann said. “A burger, mussels with frites, some real focused kind of beer food, you know, everything homemade. At Pat’s, we’ll have a full chalkboard of cheese and charcuterie, the quintessential bar food.
“We kind of think of it as an international pub with local beers.”
The neighborhood is thrilled somebody is revamping the dive that was Casey’s (an Irish pub in name only, as it served no Irish beer). Pat’s will also make use of its large patio.
“I get emails from people every day. I’ve never been to a neighborhood meeting where people were bouncing up and down in their chairs clapping their hands,” Bartmann said. “Usually there’s somebody that’s like, ‘No, we don’t want you to do anything!’ So I’m excited about that neighborhood.”
No mention of Pat’s is complete without its skee-ball machine, whose proceeds Bartmann said would be donated to charity.
Maeve’s Cafe (opens late June)
300 13th Ave NE, Minneapolis | 612.379.1033 | Find it on Facebook
Northeast Minneapolis is getting a successor to the Audubon Cafe, which shuttered last year: Maeve’s Cafe, from Audubon owner Mary Colon. Maeve’s held a sneak-peek event Saturday, with art displays and simple noshes, and Colon said she hopes to open for good June 20.
The coffee will come from B&W Specialty Coffee Co., bread for sandwiches will be from Rustica, and she’ll bake an assortment of scones, muffins, and other pastries in-house.
“I want to do clean, healthy stuff that nobody is doing,” Colon said. “I don’t want to be the Modern Cafe, don’t want to be the (Northeast) Social, I just want to be local.”
The menu will be a nod to the ethnic groups that historically populated Northeast Minneapolis, Colon said, like Lebanese, Ukranian, and Polish, “but modernized and cleaned-up health-wise so you’re not getting that heavy, fatty load but you’re still getting that flavor. We’ll be doing stratas and egg bakes and, I’m not going to call it charcuterie, but there will be some great meat and cheese selections with some interesting bread. We’ll tour the world with the sandwiches. Keeping it simple and affordable but kind of interesting.”
Colon is also getting a wine and beer license, and said she hoped to emulate Common Roots as a neighborhood gathering spot for everything from date night to hanging out to grabbing drinks and killer coffee.
“My coffee, I’m proud of,” she said. “I think I make the best cold press in the Midwest. That was always my signature.”
Fasika (opening soon)
University and Dale, St. Paul | fasika.com
St. Paul’s popular Ethiopian restaurant Fasika is opening a larger location in the new Frogtown Square development. The building, which has several storefronts and 50 housing units, is just two miles from owner Atnafu Yeshidagna’s original Fasika but will offer more space for diners. Yeshidagna’s other recent success: Fasika was named small business of the year by the Neighborhood Development Center.
NOW OPEN
- Las Tortillas Mexican Restaurant, 15051 Crestone Ave, Rosemount | 651.332.2200 | lastortillas.net
- Republic, 221 Cedar Ave S, Minneapolis | 612.338.6146 | republicmn.com
- Bread & Pickle, 4135 W Lake Harriet Pkwy, Minneapolis | 612.767.9009 | Find it on Facebook
- Crave, 825 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis | 612.332.1133 | craveamerica.com
- Las Teresita’s Mexican Grill, 5748 34th Ave S, Minneapolis | 612.727.1791
- Candy Alley, 4813 Chicago Ave S, Minneapolis | 612.354.3881 | candyalley.com
- The Nook, 492 Hamline Ave S, St. Paul (reopen again after fire) | 651.698.4347 | Our take
- The Lowry Cafe, 2207 Lowry Ave N, Minneapolis | 612.284.7087 | Find it on Facebook
- Bullfrog Cajun Bar, 1111 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis | 612.339.0638 | Find it on Facebook
- Wuollet Bakery, 200 S 6th St (U.S. Bank Plaza skyway), Minneapolis | www.wuollet.com
- Morgan’s New World Tavern, 14201 Nicollet Ave, Burnsville | 952.435.2100 | Find it on Facebook
- Soul Daddy, Mall of America, Bloomington | 952.854.1900 | souldaddyrestaurant.com
- Burger Jones, 1617 County Rd 42, Burnsville | 952.885.2289 | burgerjones.com
- ALM Corner Cafe, 3301 Central Ave NE, Minneapolis | 612.781.3526 | Find it on Facebook
- Pacific Islander Cuisine, 920 E Lake St #114, Minneapolis (Midtown Global Market) | 612.874.0944 | Find it on Facebook
- Pizza Ranch, 16995 Kenyon Ave, Lakeville | 952.898.3333 | pizzaranch.com
- Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, 3090 Courthouse Ln, Suite 100, Eagan; 14165 James Rd, Rogers; 3195 Vicksburg Ln, Plymouth | www.dickeys.com
- Masu Sushi & Robata, 330 E Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis | 612.332.6278 | Our take
- Goda Cafe, 3400 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis | 612.823.3535
- Modern Times Cafe, 3200 Chicago Ave S, Minneapolis | 612.886.3882 | Find it on Facebook
- Current, 3291 St. Croix Trail S, Afton | 651.436.8883 | currentrestaurant.com
- GreenSpoon, 2600 University Ave SE, Minneapolis | 612.208.0529 | greenspooncafe.com
- Rachel’s, 222 E Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis | 612.379.3345
- The Nicollet, 1931 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis | 612.424.5513 | the-nicollet.com
- Glory Days Bar and Grill, 500 Fifth Ave NW, New Brighton | 651.633.2226
- Tin Fish, 3000 Calhoun Pkwy E, Minneapolis | 612.823.5840 | thetinfish.net
- Victory 44 Coffee Bar & Provisions, 2201 44th Ave N, Minneapolis | 612.287.8399 | victory-44.com
- Rusty Taco, Lexington Pkwy, St. Paul | 612.916.2244 | rustytacomn.com
- Sea Salt, 4801 Minnehaha Ave, Minneapolis | 612.721.8990 | www.seasalteatery.wordpress.com
- Bull Run Roasting Co., 3346 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis | 612.545.5972 | bullrunroasting.com
- Chilly Billy’s, 314 15th Ave SE, Minneapolis | 612.843.4278 | chillybillysfrozenyogurt.com
- Shanghai Bistro, 324 Main St S, Stillwater | 651.430.9000 | Find it on Facebook
- Patriots Tavern, 145 New England Pl, Stillwater | patriotstav.com
CLOSED / CLOSING:
- Cloggy’s Tavern, 5404 34th Ave S, Minneapolis
- Pizza Mafia, 2447 W 7th St, St. Paul
- River Chocolate Company, 2822 W 43rd St, Minneapolis
- Buon Giorno Express, 335 University Ave E, St. Paul
- North Washington Cafe, 700 N Washington Ave, Minneapolis
- Forum, 40 S 7th St, Minneapolis
- Bread, Coffee & Cake, 385 South Wabasha St, St. Paul | breadcoffeecake.com
- Stabby’s Cafe, 4159 Cedar Ave S, Minneapolis
- Steamworks Coffee & Tea, 2201 44th Ave N, Minneapolis
- Panchero’s Mexican Grill, 600 Hennepin Ave (Block E), Minneapolis | pancheros.com
- Porky’s, 1890 University Ave W, St. Paul
- A&W, 3006 Rice St, Roseville
- Bullwinkles, 1429 Washington Ave S, Minneapolis
COMING UP:
- Wise Acre Eatery, 5401 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis. Opens Thursday. | 612.822.4769 | wiseacreeatery.com
- Gather, 1750 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis. Opens June 2. | 612.253.3410 | walkerart.org/gather
- Mill Valley Kitchen, 3900 Excelsior Blvd, St. Louis Park. Opens June 7. | 952.358.2000 | Find it on Facebook
- Pat’s Tap, 3510 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis. Opens in early June. | 612.822.8216 | patstap.com
- Maeve’s Cafe, 300 13th Ave NE, Minneapolis. Opens June 20. | 612.379.1033 | Find it on Facebook
- Fasika, University and Dale, St. Paul (new Frogtown Square) | fasika.com
- Blue Ox Coffee Company, 3740 Chicago Ave S, Minneapolis. Opens in June. | 612.220.7253 | Find it on Facebook
- Andale Taqueria y Mercado, 7700 Nicollet Ave S, Richfield
- Adagio Cafe, 5001 Penn Ave S, Minneapolis. Opens this spring.
- Little Szechuan, 5377 16th St, Shops at West End, St. Louis Park. Opens this spring. | littleszechuan.com
- Brasa Viva Brazil, 913 W Lake St, Minneapolis. Opens this spring.
- Turtle Bread, 4205 E 34th St, Minneapolis. Opens this spring. | turtlebread.com
- Blue Point, 4400 78th St, Bloomington. Opens this summer. | Find it on Facebook
- Claddagh Coffee, 458 W 7th, St. Paul. Opens in July. | 612.940.9805 | Find it on Facebook
- The Lowry, 2112 Hennepin Ave S, Minneapolis. Opens in July. | blueplaterestaurantcompany.com
- Muddy Waters Bar and Eatery, 2933 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis. Opens this summer.
- Urban Bean, 2401 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis. Opens this summer. | urbanbeancoffee.com
- Humble Pie, 822 W 36th St, Minneapolis. Kim Bartmann’s revamp of Gigi’s. Coming this summer. | 612.825.0818
- Rosa Mexicano, 6th St and Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis (in City Center next to Fogo de Chao). Opens this summer. | rosamexicano.com
- Chilango Cantina, 212 E 7th St, St. Paul. Opens this summer.
- Zen Box Izakaya, 225 Portland Ave S, Minneapolis. Opens in August. | zen-box.com
- Pig & Fiddle, 3808 W 50th St, Minneapolis. Opens this summer.
- Eat Street Social, 26th St and Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis. Opens this summer.
- The Bachelor Farmer, 200 1st St N, Minneapolis
- Cranky’s Bicycle Bar, E Lake St, Minneapolis. | Find it on Facebook
- La Crepe Nanou, Huey’s 24 / 7 Diner, The Wine Loft, Shops at West End, St. Louis Park. Opening this fall. | lacrepenanou.com | hueys247diner.com | thewineloft.net
- Pittsburgh Blue, 3200 Galleria (former Kozy’s), Edina. Opens this fall. |pittsburghbluesteak.com
- Mi Sinaloa, 3801 Chicago Ave S, Minneapolis
- Crooked Pint Ale House, 501 Washington Ave S, Minneapolis
- Five Guys, 230 7th St, St. Paul | fiveguys.com
- YO!Sushi | Company says five metro locations coming, first in Minneapolis in 2011 | yosushi.com
The Tap is The Heavy Table’s guide to area restaurant openings, closings, and other major events. The Tap is compiled by Heavy Table writer Jason Walker, and will be published biweekly. If you already subscribe to our newsletter, look for an emailed version of The Tap every other week — otherwise, you can find it on the website on alternating Tuesdays.
If you’ve got tips for The Tap, please email Jason Walker at jason@heavytable.com. Follow The Tap on Twitter at @jasonwalkermpls.
While those of us who were fans of Audbubon Coffee (and Mary) are all excited for the long-awaited opening of Maeve’s Cafe, NE Minneapolis already has a successor to Audubon: The Coffee Shop NE, which opened in the same space a couple months after Audubon’s closure. That said, I can’t wait to see what Mary’s new venture will have to offer!
Great news about Fasika! I had heard a vague rumor that this was in the works, but couldn’t find any confirmation and I haven’t seen anything happening in the new space. The new location will be within walking distance of my house!