CHEF SAMEH WADI’S RESTAURANT SAFFRON IS REOPENING — AND MORE UPCOMING RESTAURANTS TO KNOW

This curated list features newly announced restaurant and bars coming to the Twin Cities — new restaurants that have already opened live here. Did we miss something? Reach out at [email protected].

Saffron

Chef Sameh Wadi plans to reopen his restaurant Saffron, a cornerstone of the downtown dining scene from 2007 to 2016. Mpls.St.Paul Magazine has the full story: Wadi plans to tighten the menu and hone in on the cuisines of North Africa and the Levant, drawing on his parents’ Palestinian recipes. No lease has been signed as of yet, but eep an eye on Wadi’s Instagram for updates.

Xelas by El Sazon

Chef Cristian and Karen De Leon, owners of El Sazon in Eagan and El Sazon Cocina y Tragos in south Minneapolis, are bringing a third restaurant, Xelas, to Stillwater. Expect Mexican and Guatemalan cuisine and craft cocktails.

Bubble Line Brewing Company

Brewer Brittney Mikell plans to open Bubble Line Brewing Company, Minnesota’s first Black woman-owned brewery, to St. Paul’s Rondo neighborhood in 2025. Here’s the full story.

Swank Eatery

A new food hall is budding in the former 4th Street Saloon in North Minneapolis, North News reports. Barber Teto Wilson is the name behind the new venture — he’s already received a significant grant from Hennepin County to help fund the food hall, according to North News, and is currently seeking investors.

Ate Ate Ate

Ate Ate Ate is the new international food hall and Asian grocery store coming to Burnsville Center. New York-based chef Akhtar Nawab, has been tapped to bring it to life — expect a roster of nine international food vendors, a bar and beer pull wall, decor that nods to pan-Asian street markets, and an outpost of Enson Market, the Asian supermarket that will anchor the the space. Keep an eye out for a possible summer opening.

A new food stand at the Sculpture Garden

Minneapolis is continuing its tradition of pairing great parks with great food — this time, at the Sculpture Garden, in partnership with the Walker Art Center. Applications for the new gig closed in April, so it’s fair to expect an announcement on who’s been selected fairly soon.

Chez Annalise

A new bakery serving pastries infused with CBD — a.k.a. cannabidiol, an active compound found in marijuana that doesn’t cause a high or any psychoactive effects — is set to open at Lyndale Avenue and 60th Street in May, according to the Star Tribune.

Black Duck Spirits & Hearth

Jason Sawicki, the chef behind Northeast’s Fare Game food truck, is bringing a permanent restaurant to Northeast Minneapolis. Expect wood-fired seasonal dishes with both Polish and Mexican influences on the menu — Sawicki has worked at Oro by Nixta, and plans to carry elements like maize and mole onto the new menu.

Eloise

Lindsey Pohlad, the chef behind Grocer’s Table, is bringing a second restaurant to Wayzata later this year. Expect a somewhat dressed-up vibe and an emphasis on evening dining; a rustic, Midwest-inflected menu, and a small patio, according to Mpls.St.Paul Magazine.

Brühaven

A new brewery is taking shape in the former Lakes & Legends taproom. The Star Tribune has the full story — expect a wide variety of craft beer on tap, THC drinks, a dog-friendly space, and a summer opening.

Sip Society Cafe

A new coffee shop is set to open in Uptown, bringing various coffee drinks, Somali tea, ginger shots, and a food menu (think sandwiches, wraps, smoothies, etc.) along with it, according to Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal. Owner Sacad Guled plans to offer late hours during the summer, too.

Ava

A two-level bar is coming to Minneapolis’s North Loop neighborhood, offering a cozy street-level lounge, a downstairs club with a classic discotheque vibe, and a menu of “American tapas” from chef Kamal Mohamed of StepChld, according to northloop.org. Keep an eye out for a late spring or summer opening.

La Madre

A new Mexican restaurant is slated to open in Minneapolis’s North Loop this summer. La Madre, from the family behind Roseville’s La Tapatia, will offer a funky, Puerto Vallarta-themed atmosphere, seafood and small plates, a massive dining room, and a 34-seat outdoor patio, according to Bring Me the News.

Hope Breakfast Bar and Salt + Flour

Chef Brian Ingram is bringing two new restaurants — one a new location of his popular brunch spot Hope Breakfast Bar, the other a new Italian restaurant — to the North Loop this summer. Expect the same Instagrammable brunch dishes and creative coffee drinks at the former, and fresh pasta and focaccia pizza at the latter.

Darling

Juell and Ray Roberts — owners of People’s Organic restaurants and personal chefs for Prince during the last three years of the musician’s life — have purchased the former Birchwood Cafe building in Minneapolis’s Seward neighborhood, the Star Tribune reports. They plan to open a new restaurant, Darling, there this spring. Expect breakfast and lunch to start, with the possibility of dinner service down the road. Few menu details are available so far, but the Robertses told the Strib that “Who we are is very much healthy food, but also Minnesota comfort.” Darling may open as soon as late April. 3311 E. 25th Street, Minneapolis

Tap In

Tap In is on the brink of opening in North Minneapolis, following a year-plus of licensing delays. A project of the real estate collective New Rules, this restaurant has radically transformed a Lowry Avenue gas station into a lush, earth-themed space for dining, artist residencies, and social gathering. 2618 Lowry Avenue N., Minneapolis

Ococo

A new skyway lunch spot serving Malaysian and Thai street food is coming to downtown Minneapolis, the Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal reports. Ococo, from Abby Sia and Eve Tha-uea, will serve street-food proteins — think grilled pork skewers and the like — in salad, sandwich, and wrap form, plus Malaysian breakfast items like kaya toast and nasi lemak (a dish of coconut rice, peanuts, anchovies, and chicken). Expect an opening in late March or early April. 811 La Salle Avenue, Minneapolis

WildChld

Chef Kamal Mohamed plans to open WildChld, a new cocktail bar, adjacent to his Northeast Minneapolis restaurant StepChld this spring, the Star Tribune reports. A bar program by Bridgit Loeffelholz will highlight fruit brandy, complementing a menu of light bites from the Stepchld kitchen; vibes-wise, WildChld has a “desert sunset” feel with rust-hued walls. The bar is currently under construction. 24 University Avenue NE, Minneapolis

Hola Coffee

A new coffee shop is coming to the former Jim’s Bakery & Coffee Shop space on Central Avenue in Northeast Minneapolis, the Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal reports. Founder Vanessa Palestino plans to highlight Latin American flavors on the menu with drinks like an “Hola Mocha,” a hot chocolate that invokes the rich flavors of mole, and a bright ginger, jalapeno, and cilantro tea. Palestino has family ties to farmers throughout South and Central America, according to the Biz Journal, and plans to leverage the business to support women-owned farms. Expect an opening in late June or early July. 326 Central Avenue SE, Minneapolis

Catzen Coffee Bar & Den

There’s a new cat cafe coming to Grand Avenue this fall. Catzen Coffee Bar & Den will be pouring Dogwood coffee and Rishi tea; serving pies, biscuits, and pastries from Hot Hands; and letting a cast of resident cats roam about the the cozy shop. Though the cats are rescues from local shelters, they won’t be up for adoption. Find more details here. 1416 Grand Avenue, St. Paul

Small Hours

Zenska Glava sommelier Sarina Garibović is partnering with songwriter and musician Sam Cassidy to open Small Hours, a wine bar with an emphasis on music, in Northeast Minneapolis, the Star Tribune reports. Expect expertly curated wine lists and playlists; fresh-baked bread, tinned fish, and other light dishes for grazing; and an intimate vibe, with vintage touches like turntables and horn speakers. Small Hours is set to open this summer. 2201 NE 2nd Street, Minneapolis

Minari

A new Korean restaurant serving dumplings, weekend dim sum, and Korean fare is set to open in Northeast Minneapolis’s former Erté & the Peacock Lounge this summer, the Star Tribune reports. Minari is the work of chef Jeff Watson, executive chef and culinary director for Dani del Prado’s restaurants and an alum of Isaac Becker’s Bar La Grassa and Burch Steak. Expect big bowls of noodles, barbecued meats, and banchan, plus a bar program from beverage director Megan Luedtke that’ll likely highlight sochu and makgeolli (an effervescent Korean rice wine). 323 13th Avenue NE., Minneapolis

Manila Sizzling Wok and Grille at Burnsville Center

After closing their University Avenue location of Manila Sizzling Wok and Grille on St. Paul’s University Avenue, Rowan and Laydelyn Gutierrez are reopening their Filipino restaurant at Burnsville Center, this time under the name Manila Sizzling Plate, Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal reports. Rowan told the Biz Journal the menu will feature “traditional” Filipino fare with sisig, lechon kawali, and lumpia at the center. He hopes to open in late February or early March. 1178 Burnsville Center, Burnsville

Crossing Bridge Noodle Restaurant

Southwest Voices has the scoop on the new Chinese restaurant coming to the former Bad Waitress space. Kevin Ni, co-owner of Sushi Train, is brining crossing-the-bridge noodles (a brothy dish of meat, rice noodles, and vegetables from China’s Yunnan province) plus other fare to Eat Street. An opening is planned for March 15. 2 E. 26th Street, Minneapolis

Jade Dynasty Restaurant and Bar

A new dim sum and hot pot restaurant is coming to the former Fuji Ya space as part of a Lake Street revitalization project, Southwest Voices reports. Chuen Sai “Paul” Wu and Eric Zeng promise “authentic Asian cuisine and specialize in Cantonese dishes, fresh fish and seafood, Asian hot pot, and Chinese dim sum.” Look for a late winter or early spring opening. 600 W. Lake St., Minneapolis

Lynette

Lynette is the new restaurant coming to Longfellow’s former Riverview Cafe and Wine Bar. As Mpls.St.Paul Magazine reports, Billie Conaway, Travis Serbus, and Melissa and Ben Siers-Rients plan to fully renovate the 4,500-square-foot space and transform the old Riverview into a new kind of neighborhood restaurant. Serbus and Ben Siers-Rients (both of Petite León and Little Tijuana) are among the co-founders of Lyn65, the beloved, now-closed Richfield restaurant that transformed a strip mall space into cozy, time-worn haunt. Lynette an homage to Lyn65. Expect neighborhood-y, bistro-like dishes of the finest sort: fresh pasta, rotisserie chicken, duck fat fries, sourdough pizza, etc., plus wine and cocktails. Lynette is slated to open in spring of this year. 3753 42nd Avenue S., Minneapolis

Tender Lovin’ Chix on Lyndale

Tender Lovin’ Chix, which debuted just this spring, is making the food-truck-to-permanent leap and opening in the former Fire & Nice Ale House space in Uptown. Marques “Ques” Johnson and Billy Tserenbat (of Billy Sushi) are the names behind this spot — it’s one of Tserenbat’s growing number of local collabs, following his partnership with Jon Wipfli of Animales Barbecue. Tender Lovin’ Chix has made its name on its Tokyo-fried-rice-and-chicken-tender combo, so expect more of that, plus an expanded menu. Tserenbat tells Mpls.St.Paul Magazine the new spot will have a bistro feel, plus a full sake bar. Johnson told Eater he’s shooting for an April opening. 2700 Lyndale Ave S., Minneapolis, MN, 55408

Vinai

Chef Yia Vang’s long-awaited Hmong restaurant, Vinai, will open in the former Dangerous Man taproom in Northeast Minneapolis later this spring. Here’s the full story.

Animales

No word yet on a location for opening date for chef Jon Wipfli’s upcoming permanent location of Animales Barbecue, for which he’s partnered with chef Billy Tserenbat (of Billy Sushi). With a bigger kitchen, Wipfli plans to expand the menu, adding more barbecue and burger options and some key sides. “It’s ridiculous how many people want French fries,” Wipfli told Eater in December 2022. “We’ll probably do something with potatoes or French fries. Give the people what they want.” He’ll be serving alcohol, too, a first for Animales, which has operated as a food truck thus far. Location TBD

Tim McKee’s North Loop Basque restaurant

After some financing and construction road bumps, the North Loop’s West Hotel, home to chef Tim McKee’s upcoming Basque restaurant, looks set to resume construction this year. McKee, the chef behind former Twin Cities restaurants La Belle Vie, Solera, Sea Change, and Octo Fishbar, has devised a Basque-influenced menu of charcoal-cooked dishes and pintxos (small snacks typically served at Spanish bars), though finer details have been scant so far.

Well’s Roadside

St. Louis Park’s Galaxy Drive-In, long owned by Rainforest Cafe founder Steve Schussler, has found a new owner in local restaurant Craft & Crew Hospitality, the Star Tribune reports. Well’s Roadside will diner-style fare like offer burgers and ice cream, plus beer and wine, on a year-round basis. It’ll be a dog-friendly space, too. An opening date hasn’t been nailed down yet. 3712 Quebec Avenue S., Minneapolis

Walkin’ Dog

Beloved hot dog stand Walkin’ Dog is making a triumphant return to Minneapolis’s North Star Center in September of 2024, after closing in April of 2023. A LinkedIn post from the North Star Center promises “dogs, malts, sides and camaraderie in an updated version of this Minneapolis classic that honors Dave & Cindy Magnuson’s legacy.” 608 2nd Avenue S. #725, Minneapolis

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