One of the great pleasures of eating is in the enticing aromas of so many foods. Among those aromas, popcorn and butter have to be near the top of the list. When you walk into Kalli’s Popcorn in Bloomington (there’s also a location in Apple Valley), you’re immediately engulfed in those wonderful scents, and you just know you’re in for a treat.
And indeed you are. Kalli’s is in a different realm entirely from the dreck put out by movie theater chains and the sad Christmas tins at Menard’s. This popcorn is delightfully fresh and crunchy, and fire roasted rather than boiled in oil. The cheese corn is made with real cheese that is slowly melted in a copper vat, while the caramel is made from brown rather than white sugar — white is cheaper, but can give off a burnt flavor, something Kalli’s caramel corn definitely does not have.
As perfect as the cheese and caramel are, don’t bypass the buttered white popcorn. Kalli’s, of course, uses real butter, and your popcorn is buttered to order. You tell the salesperson how you prefer your toppings (for example, lots of butter, light on salt), and your order is made up before your eyes, with the butter delicately poured out of a watering-can-type container.
How does Kalli’s compare to the longtime Twin Cities popcorn purveyor Candyland? We’d say that Kalli’s is on a par with that esteemed group.
Kalli’s also has several types of flavored popcorn ranging from variations on sweet (with chocolate, nuts, etc.) to savory (garlic, ranch, spicy). But the real stars are the traditional trio of cheese, caramel, and buttered white. Prices range from $3.32 for a small buttered white popcorn to $55 for a 6½-gallon tin of cheese, caramel, or a mix — and yes, they’re fully stocked on holiday tins. Skip the grocery store tins and make a stop at Kalli’s instead.
Kalli’s Popcorn
Fresh popcorn in Bloomington (and Apple Valley)
8722 Lyndale Ave S
Bloomington, MN 55420
952.426.0075
HOURS:
Mon-Fri noon-8 p.m.
Sat 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
PARKING: Free lot