MINNEAPOLIS
(includes Apple Valley, Edina, St. Louis Park & Shakopee)
Bakeries, Coffee, Ice Cream, Juice & Tea●Eat Street Social – 18 West 26th Street; 612-767-6850; eatstreetsocial.com; soda fountain that also functions as bar.
●Patisserie 46 – 4552 Grand Avenue South (Kingfield); 612-354-3257; patisserie46.com; excellent croissants and macarons.
●Patisserie Margo – 5133 Gus Young Lane (Edina); 952-926-0548; patisseriemargo.com.
●Patrick’s Bakery & Café – 2980 West 66th Street; 612-861-7570; patricksbakerycafe.com; try chocolate feuillantine cake.
●Rustica Bakery – 3220 West Lake Street; 612-822-1119; rusticabakery.com; European baked goods and pastries.
●Salty Tart – 920 East Lake Street; 612-874-9206; saltytart.com; bakery; anything with buttercream frosting.
●Sweets Bakeshop – 4747 Nicollet Avenue South (Tangletown); 612-208-0672; sweetsbakeshop.com; cupcakes (try Kettle Corn cupcake) and macarons.
Bars & Nightclubs
●Anchor Fish & Chips – 302 13th Avenue Northeast; 612-676-1300; theanchorfishandchips.com; fried fish and hand-cut fries.
●Bar La Grassa – 800 North Washington Avenue; 612-333-3837; barlagrassa.com; wine bar (and pasta temple); make sure to try Calabrian grilled pork ribs.
●Barley John’s – 781 Old Highway 8 Southwest (New Brighton); 651-636-4670; barleyjohns.com/brewery; on Wednesdays, offers “cask-decanted, cask-aged ales” (made as in Shakespeare’s time).
●Bradstreet Crafthouse – 601 1st Avenue North; 612-312-1821; bradstreetcrafthouse.com; inside Graves 601 Hotel; curved granite bar; order Juliet & Romeo (gin, lime, mint, cucumber, and rose water).
●Dangerous Man Brewing Company – 1300 2nd Street NE; 612-236-4087; dangerousmanbrewing.com.
●Donny Dirk’s Zombie Den – 2027 North 2nd Street; 612-588-9700; donnydirks.com; bartenders are dressed as Shaun of Dead-style zombie hunters; stunning waitresses in long, black Morticia Addams dresses serve drinks in big goblets; tempting chainsaw is hanging on wall in glass case, just in case of zombie apocalypse; rotating menu of zombie-themed cocktails.
●Eat Street Social – 18 West 26th Street; 612-767-6850; eatstreetsocial.com; soda fountain that also functions as bar.
●1st Avenue – 701 1st Avenue North (at 7th Street); 612-338-8388; first-avenue.com; built in 1937 as Greyhound bus station; club got its start when Danny Stevens and Allan Fingerhut opened doors on April 3, 1970 to showcase Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs & Englishmen; on New Year’s Eve 1981, became 1st Avenue; during 80s, local artist Prince made it his main stage (used as set for many scenes in Purple Rain).
●Ice Chamber Minneapolis Bar – 901 Hennepin Avenue (at Le Meridien Chambers Hotel); 612-767-6900; lemeridienchambers.com; in season, bar carved of solid ice.
●Icehouse – 2528 Nicollet Avenue South; 612-276-6523; icehousempls.com; hipster bar.
●Lyn-Lake Brewery – 2934 Lyndale Avenue South (at West Lake Street); gluten-free ales.
●Marvel Bar – 50 North 2nd Avenue (at Bachelor Farmer); 612-206-3929; thebachelorfarmer.com; kind of Scandinavian speakeasy located below restaurant; try gin-based “Olivetto” (olive oil & egg white concoction that is variation on traditional “sour” drinks: lush, smooth, and peerless in city).
●Northeast Social – 359 13th Avenue Northeast; 612-877-8111; northeastsocial.com; upmarket, chef-owned bisto pub.
●Parlour – 730 North Washington Avenue; 612-354-3135; boroughmpls.com; basement speakeasy.
●Peacock Lounge – 323 13th Avenue Northeast; 612-623-4211; ertedining.com/peacock.html.
●Psycho Suzi’s Motor Lounge – 1900 Marshall Street Northeast; 612-788-9069; psychosuzis.com; tiki bar and pizza joint with style to burn; enormous riverfront patio and 3 2nd-floor bars open only on weekends; hall of fame-worthy jukebox.
●Rooftop Bar – 901 Hennepin Avenue (at Chambers Hotel); 612-767-6900; chambersminneapolis.com; avant garde movies at night.
●Rye Delicatessen & Bar – 1930 Hennepin Avenue; 612-871-1200; ryedeli.com; promising.
●331 – 331 13th Avenue Northeast; 612-331-1746; 331club.com; friendly, local, art bar.
●Surly Brewing Co. – 4811 Dusharme Drive; 763-535-3330; surlybrewing.com; small brewery that operates taproom.
●World Street Kitchen – 2743 Lyndale Avenue South; 612-424-8855; eatwsk.com.
Hotels
●Chambers Hotel – 901 Hennepin Avenue; 612-767-6900 or 877-767-6990; chambersminneapolis.com; more than 200 works modern art on display and just 60 rooms; austere yet comfortable; Damien Hirst skull suspended in formaldehyde behind front desk; heated bathroom floors; excellent restaurant; deluxe studio rooms are best.
●Graves 601 – 601 1st Avenue North; 612-677-1100 or 866-523-1100; graves601hotel.com.
●Hotel Ivy – 201 South 11th Street; 612-746-4600 or 877-746-6001; luxurycollection.com/ivy.
●W Hotel – Foshay – 821 Marquette Avenue; 612-215-3700 or 877-946-8357; whotels.com/Minneapolis.
Restaurants
●Anchor Fish & Chips – 302 13th Avenue Northeast; 612-676-1300; theanchorfishandchips.com; fried fish and hand-cut fries.
●Bachelor Farmer – 50 North 2nd Avenue; 612-206-3929; thebachelorfarmer.com; contemporary riffs on traditional Minnesota dishes, like meatballs with lingonberries and mashed potatoes.
●La Belle Vie – 510 Groveland Avenue; 612-874-6440; labellevie.us; try lobster & pumpkin pasta.
●Borough – 730 North Washington Avenue; 612-354-3135; boroughmpls.com; smartly designed.
●Brasa Premium Rotisserie – 600 East Hennepin Avenue; 612-379-3030; brasa.us; great neighborhood restaurant masquerading as dive; although primarily chicken restaurant, try slow-cooked, Berkshire pork shoulder.
●Burch Steakhouse & Pizza Bar – 1933 Colfax Avenue South; 612-843-1515; burchrestaurant.com.
●Cue at Guthrie – 818 South 2nd Street; 612-225-6499; cueatguthrie.com; cavernous space; game.
●Lucia’s Wine Bar – 1432 West 31st Street; 612-823-7125; lucias.com; seasonal menus and marvelous deserts.
●Merchant – North Loop.
●Modern Café – 337 13th Avenue Northeast; 612-378-9882; moderncafemineappolis.com; great weekend brunches.
●Murray’s – 26 South 6th Street; 612-339-0909; murraysrestaurant.com; recently renovated, mid-20th Century steakhouse; no windows, mirrors, white table cloths; perfect steaks and sides; reassuring atmosphere without being dowdy.
●Northeast Social – 359 13th Avenue Northeast; 612-877-8111; northeastsocial.com; upmarket, chef-owned bisto pub.
●112 Eatery – 112 North 3rd Street; 612-343-7696; 112eatery.com; international; excellent.
●Parka Minneapolis – 4021 East Lake Street; 612-886-1585; parkampls.com; popular.
●Patrick’s Bakery & Café – 2980 West 66th Street; 612-861-7570; patricksbakerycafe.com; try chocolate feuillantine cake.
●Ramen Kazama – 3400 Nicollet Avenue S; 612-353-6160; ramenkazama.com; bustling Japanese soup shop with small plate selection; beer & sake; funky.
●Rye Delicatessen & Bar – 1930 Hennepin Avenue; 612-871-1200; ryedeli.com; promising; quality ingredients.
●Sample Room – 2124 Marshall Street Northeast; 612-789-0333; the-sample-room.com; “sample night away”; charming, warm establishment where small plates (cheeses, meats, and vegetables) always changing; no reservations.
●Sea Change – 818 South 2nd Street; 612-225-6499; seachangempls.com; try grilled swordfish cassoulet; sustainable food.
●Smack Shack – 603 North Washington Avenue; 612-259-7288; smack-shack.com; for lobster; seafood.
●Spoon & Stable – 211 North 1st Street; 612-224-9850; spoonandstable.com; menu has 5 sections: garden; chilled;grains & pasta; sea; and land; or, can order Dorothy’s Dinner, features daily-rotating dishes served family-style.
●Tilia – 2726 West 43rd Street; 612-354-2806; tiliampls.com; try cornmeal waffles with lobster, garlic-lemon spinach, slow-poached eggs, and bacon hollandaise.
●Travail Kitchen & Amusements – 4154 West Broadway (Robbinsdale); 763-535-1131; facebook.com/Travailkitchen?sk=info; crazy low prices for house-made charcuterie; ambitious and “smart.”
Services
●Beauty Room – 4111 East Lake Street; 612-724-4111; thebeautyroommpls.com; spa.
Shopping
●Askov Finlayson – 200 North 1st Street; 612-206-3925; askovfinlayson.com; men’s clothing.
●Cult Status Gallery – 2913 Harriet Avenue South; 612-965-9162; cultstatusgallery.com; street art.
●D. NOLO – 219 North 2nd Street; 612-584-3244; dnolo.com; women’s clothing.
●Martin Patrick 3 – 212 North 3rd Avenue; 612-746-5329; martinpatrick3.com; impeccably curated sensory overload; clothing & trinkets.
●StevenBe – 3448 Chicago Avenue South; 612-259-7525; stevenbe.com; moddish knitting supplies and one-of-kind clothing items.
●Hunt & Gather – 4944 Xerxes Avenue South; 612-455-0250; huntandgatherantiques.com; 2 stories of everything from taxidermy to scrabble pieces.
●Rogue Buddha Gallery – 357 13th Avenue Northeast; 612-331-3889; roguebuddha.com.
●Shuga Records – 165 13th Avenue Northeast; 952-942-0000; shugarecords.com; vinyl.
●Spinario Design & Gallery – 1300 2nd Street Northeast; 612-396-1860; spinariodesign.com; specializing in mid-century modern furnishings; antiques.
Sights & Sites
●Ballet of Dolls – 345 13th Avenue Northeast; 612-436-1129; ritzdolls.com; anti-art, counter convention, modern dance.
●Allen Christian’s House of Balls – 212 3rd Avenue North; 612-332-3992; houseofballs.com; art made of bowling balls, among other things.
●Corn Maze – 1100 Canterbury Road (Shakopee); 952-974-5000; allcommunitymn.com; seasonal; America’s largest corn maze.
●Form + Content Gallery – 210 North 2nd Street, Suite 104; 612-436-1151; formandcontent.org; art.
●Father Hennepin Bluffs Park – 420 Main Street Southeast; 612-230-6400; minneapolisparks.org; 8 acres for picnicking and play locale; direct access to footpaths and bridges that display unique view of Mississippi River Gorge, downtown skyline, and Stone Arch Bridge.
●Gay ‘90s – 408 Hennepin Avenue; 612-333-7755; gay90s.com; drag shows every night except Mondays; sprawling venue with 6 bars.
●Guthrie Theater – 818 South 2nd Street; 612-377-2224; guthrietheater.org.
●Hubert Humphrey’s Grave & Tiny Tim’s Mausoleum – 3600 Hennepin Avenue (at Lakewood Cemetery); 612-822-2171; lakewoodcemetery.com; as you enter cemetery, make immediate right; Tiny Tim buried in 2nd mausoleum on left (lower level, last room on left); buried with ukulele in his hand and tulip; after leaving mausoleum, go back toward entrance, continue past to Plot 51 for Hubert Humphrey’s grave; also buried here are George Mikan (professional basketball player) and elusive Showman’s Rest (circus performer section).
●Minneapolis Institute of Arts – 2400 3rd Avenue South; 612-870-3131 or 888-642-2787; artsmia.org.
●Minneapolis Sculpture Garden – 726 Vineland Place; 612-230-6400; garden.walkerart.org; more than 40 works on permanent view; additional temporary installations.
●Minnesota Zoo – 13000 Zoo Boulevard (Apple Valley); 952-431-9200; mnzoo.
●Museum of Russian Art – 5500 Stevens Avenue; 612-821-9045; tmora.org.
●Ritz Theater – 345 13th Avenue Northeast; 612-436-1129; ritztheaterfoundation.org; try to book for Stephanie Wilbur Ash, who stages radio variety show live (“PowderKeg Live”).
●Soap Factory – 518 2nd Street Southeast; 612-623-9176; soapfactory.org.
●Southern Theater – 1420 Washington Avenue South; 612-340-1725; southerntheater.org.
●State Theatre – 805 Hennepin Avenue; 612-673-0404; hennepintheatredistrict.org.
●Ted Mann Concert Hall – 2128 South 4th Street, 100 Ferguson Hall; 612-626-1892 or 612-624-2345; tedmann.umn.edu; atop Mississippi River bluffs; host to wide variety corporate, cultural, and educational events; located in thriving West Bank Arts Quarter, easily accessible from downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul; state-of-art hall; breathtaking view through stunning 3-story, glass-walled lobby.
●Treehouse – 6805 Minnetonka Boulevard (St. Louis Park, east of Highway 100); 612-454-1499; treehouseyouth.org; multi-story structure.
●Walker Art Center – 1750 Hennepin Avenue; 612-375-7600; walkerart.org; Formally established in 1927; upper midwest’s 1st public art gallery; focus on modern art began in 1940s, with gift of works by Pablo Picasso, Henry Moore, Alberto Giacometti, and others; during 1960s, organized increasingly ambitious exhibitions that circulated to museums in US and abroad; permanent collection expanded to reflect contemporary art.
●Weisman Art Museum – 333 East River Road; 612-625-9494; weisman.umn.edu; since 1934, University of Minnesota teaching museum; Frank Gehry-designed; along Mississippi River (1993); museum’s collection features early 20th Century American artists (Georgia O’Keeffe and Marsden Hartley), as well as diverse contemporary art selection.
●Xerxes Avenue – south of West 50th Street; “art houses”; homes painted in wild colors, crazy yard art; worth special trip.
ST. PAUL
Bakeries, Coffee, Ice Cream, Juice & Tea●Bars Bakery – 612 Selby Avenue; 651-224-8300; barsbakery.com; modern twist on classic dessert “bar” (meaning bar cookie).
●Cold Front Coffee Ice Cream Soda – 490 Hamline Avenue South; 651-330-7632; coldfrontmsp.com; soda shop treats with syrups like cherry or lime made in-house.
●Grumpy Steve’s – 215 Wabasha Street South (in Wabasha Street Caves); 651-224-1191; wabashastreetcaves.com; coffee-shop.
●Kopplin’s Coffee – 490 Hamline Avenue South; 651-698-0457; kopplinscoffee.com; Twin Cities’ best coffee; try cinnamon buns and pecan shortbread, too.
●Sweets Bakeshop – 2042 Marshall Avenue; 651-340-7138; sweetsbakeshop.com; cupcakes (try Kettle Corn cupcake) and macarons.
Bars & Nightclubs
●Amsterdam Bar & Hall – 6 West 6th Street; 612-285-3112; amsterdambarandhall.com; mostly beer hall that happens to serve some food and also sponsors live performances.
Restaurants
●Lexington – 1096 Grand Avenue; 651-222-5878; thelexongrand.com; standard fare in venue since 1935.
Shopping
●Grand Hand Gallery – 619 Grand Avenue; 651-312-1122; thegrandhand.com; fine American hand crafts – ceramics, textiles, etc.
●Maharaja’s – 205 7th Street West; 651-292-1623; maharajasgifts.com; groovy gift shop.
●Twin Cities Magic & Costume – 250 East 7th Street; 651-227-7888; twincitiesmagic.com.
Sights & Sites
●Le Cirque Rouge – 6 West 6th Street (at Amsterdam Bar & Hall); 612-285-3112; lecirquerouge.net; burlesque-cabaret show.
●Frieda & Henry Neils House – 2801 Burnham Boulevard (Cedar-Isles-Dean); minneapolismn.gov/hpc/landmarks/hpc_landmarks_burnham_blvd_2801_henry_neils_house; not open to public; designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for Henry J. Neils, architectural materials distributor; unusual for Wright-designed home both in type of stone used as well as aluminum window framing; Neils approached Wright in 1949 to help build new home on property adjacent to existing home, overlooking Cedar Lake; only Wright home to use marble walls (small marble blocks left over from other marble projects & Henry Neil, as marble company trustee, able to acquire them at good price); house designed in Wright post-WWII Usonian architecture.
●Mears Park – 221 East 5th Street; 651-632-5111; stpaul.gov; Mears Park located in Historic Lowertown neighborhood; block surrounded by classical buildings and St. Paul’s tallest residential building, Galtier Plaza.
●Minnesota Roller Girls – 175 Kellog Boulevard West (at Roy Wilkins Auditorium); 651-265-4800; mnrollergirls.com; roller derby.
●Ordway Center for Performing Arts – 345 Washington Street; 651-291-1144; thespco.org.
●Raptor Center – 1920 Fitch Avenue; 612-624-4745; raptor.cvm.umn.edu.
●Science Museum of Minnesota – 120 West Kellogg Boulevard; 651-221-9444 or 800-221-9444; smm.org.
●Wabasha Street Caves – 215 Wabasha Street South; 651-224-1191; wabashastreetcaves.com; event venue built into sandstone cliffs; coffee-shop (Grumpy Steve’s) on site; also, gangter-past tours.
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