OT: Place to go in Minneapolis
Going to Minneapolis for work Wednesday through Saturday. First time to the twin cities. The board has done well by me in Cinncy, D.C., and Denver. Going to the well once more. Bars, breweries, and restaurant recommendations are welcome?
Staying at the downtown Hilton. Currently don't have a rental car, but could get one if there is anything I really need to drive and see.
Thanks in advance!
Go Blue!
You could go visit the Little Brown Jug...........oh wait - that's back in Ann Arbor where it belongs
http://www.winsipedia.com/michigan/vs/minnesota
Easy answer. Go to Revival. Fantastic food.
Minneapolis is a great city, if I wasn’t born there I would probably love it more. If the Twins are in town check out a game at Target Field.
Restaurants
- Bar La Grassa
- Spoon and Stable
- Blue Door Pub (Juicy Lucy’s)
- Mannys
- Owamni
- Meritage
- 112 eatery
Not too sure what the bar scene is like there any more due to COVID
Second vote for Manny's.
Manny’s!
Second on Bar La Grassa - might be my favorite restaurant anywhere, and I travel A LOT (and live in Chicago).
Yeah if I was staying downtown and was going to splurge on a meal, I'd go to Manny's or 112. Mannys is super close to the Hilton. 112 is walkable.
Owamni is neat, and probably unlike any other restaurant around. They only use food products that are native to the Americas before European contact. Chef just won best new chef from James Beard.
These are spot on, although I would suggest calling for a reservation asap, as it seems getting a reservation this close to the dinner may be tough.
Manny's - classic steak house, great product and service and high price. 112 Eatery is a personal favorite.
Others not mentioned that we like include:
The Monte Carlo - supper club vibe, Order a martini and get your own pitcher.
Hai-Hai - SE Asian and funky
Hell's Kitchen - good breakfast and they throw the entire kitchen into a Bloody
Brits Pub - go for a pint and head upstairs to watch the lawn bowling on the roof
Having grown up in the Detroit area, the concerns about safety downtown seem somewhat overdone yet there are issues, and there are about 250 fewer police officers on payroll vs. budget post George Floyd, so discretion is the better part of valor.
Breweries Blackstack in St. Paul, fairstate in mpls, best brewery with food bricksworth in Burnsville. Don’t rent a car Uber is cheap and readily available.
food my favorite is smack shack, it started as a seafood food truck and became a restaurant, spoon and stable. The food in msp is top notch.
This is extremely accurate. Also solid are Indeed and Dangerous Man.
Wayzeta is awesome.
Excelsior. Great Mexican with a view
Wayzata. Correcting so OP doesn’t get lost.
The cove in wayzata is a little spendy. But trains and a view of lake Minnetonka. This time of year down town is nice and have never felt unsafe. Lastly, somewhere on the way back downtown there is “good day” cafe. Great breakfast. Recommend the apple Dutch pancakes.
I love Good Day Cafe / Bad Day Bar. And not just for the name.
good catch it might've taken him a wayzouta town
Haven’t been in a while but Surly has pretty good beer and good food. It’s outside the main downtown area. Also could try Brit’s pub. Heard good things about Boludo. A few options that weren’t mentioned. Manny’s would probably be my first choice. But lots of other good options mentioned.
Confirmed
I could be wrong but I thought the restaurant portion of Surly closed.
It has reopened.
Surly’s tasting room employees unionized so they closed the tasting room, laid everyone off, and then re-opened a few months later with all new, non-union, people. The fastest way to make friends in the industry in the city is to cheers "F*** Surly".
Lots of good breweries in the Minneapolis area. Hard pass on that one. Hit up Fair State instead
Manny’s is a great steakhouse…
Try Fugo de Chao for a great Brazilian Steakhouse. Also visit Minnehaha Falls.
Well, moved out of Msp 6 years ago. The Silver Butter Knife steak place on 2nd is cool as is first avenue. Manny's is world class steak, but pricy.
Get a juicy lucy from Matts . Entertain no alternatives.
Just do everything before dark. I hear from friends that still work downtown. Don't get caught there after dark.
Rock bottom brewery is a fine place and 1st avenue if music is your thing.
Second that, downtown Minny at night is sketcky. That said - plenty of good spots North Loop and NE right across the river. 50th and France in Edina or Main St in Wayzata are good alternatives to Minneapolis if you're on the west side.
You are clearly an "other side of the river" person when it comes to picking your Juicy Lucy. The Nook in St. Paul is just as good and you can bowl on their old warped lanes.
Snobby New Yorker perspective:
- Minneapolis mostly sucks. Terrible restaurants, seedy downtown
- St Paul is more interesting, and has some nice places to walk
- the Saturday Lyndale farmers market is - incredible - as good as any food market in the country, and worth a visit before you get on your flight if you have any interest in food. I still mail order directly from some vendors I found there 4 years ago.
Mostly agree with this, having lived here 15 years. St Paul is pretty safe and definitely more interesting, but downtown Minneapolis after dark is pretty sketchy. Thankfully it stays light til about 9pm this time of year.
If you do have one fancy meal while in town, yeah, go to Manny's.
When did downtown MPLS become so seedy and dangerous? 3 comments mention it.
2005-2007 there was a vibrant nightlife scene. Our safety was never a concern. Always seemed like new swanky clubs and bars were opening to accommodate the growing nightlife scene. Restaurant scene was very solid during this time also.
I don’t go downtown a ton anymore as I live and work in the burbs. Stopped working downtown in 2018. Then it didn’t feel unsafe and I generally enjoyed it. Now when I visit downtown, it just feels weird. I’m blaming covid.
staying Northeast of Target field (towards Washington) still has an okay vibe.
Like other places in the country, Mpls Downtown has seen a decent amount of closings as a result of COVID, as a lot of offices are still not requiring employees to come in every day like they use to. That being said, for the most part safety issues are way overplayed and we still have lots of great restaurants, bars, and breweries (as someone who has lived in London and DC and routinely goes to NYC for work and to visit friends, I'd push back pretty strongly against the "snobby New York perspective" that Mpls sucks). I do recommend at least getting out of direct downtown and exploring the neighborhoods (e.g., Northeast, North Loop, Lynden Hills, walking on Mississippi / around the lakes),
As a Linden Hills native, thanks for the shoutout! For a quintessential summer evening, head over to Lake Harriet. Grab some food and a beer at the little walk up window (decent food and drink selection for basically being a kiosk), and then walk around the lake a bit, listen to music at the bandshell, and ride the trolley. Or eat at one of the nearby restaurants and just have ice cream at the lake. Can’t be beat (but it’s not fancy and it’s definitely off the beaten path for visitors).
Sebastian Joe's for ice cream near the lakes can't be beat!
Seconded and confirmed MANY times over the years when I've been in town. Raspberry chocolate chip may sound awful to some but OMG...!
This is the Minneapolis life in a nutshell.
Not worthy of its own thread, but I'll be in MSP for The Game this year due to a layover. Assuming I leave the airport, where should I watch? I'll have my boys with me, 12 and 14.
There will, or should, be at least one place in the airport to grab a bite to eat and watch the Game. The spot I’m thinking of is near a PGA Tour store, in the secure part of the airport. They’ll have food - drink - and tv’s. It might be a bit of a walk to certain Delta gates, but - it’s right at the end of the concourse that serves American and United.
Our flight was moved (shocker) from 9am to 445pm. We arrive in MSP late the night before. We were going to stay at the Intercontinental at the airport, but that might change now.
What options would recommend outside the airport? I assume the game will end around 230pm CST.
This year, the Gophers end their season playing against Wisconsin in Madison.
I think there are two “general” areas to consider. One is near / at the Mall of America, the other is downtown.
Pre Covid, I traveled to Minny frequently, and enjoyed both locations - though, I preferred downtown. And, when staying downtown, I would even take the light rail from the airport to downtown - because it was faster than renting a car, driving it, parking it, etc.
Others here probably have a better, more recent perspective of the city. I’ve heard that “post George Floyd” - it’s a different vibe downtown. I’ve been to Minny three times this year - and, it’s definitely been quieter downtown - and, I really haven’t gone “walking around” after dinner.
I hope this helps..
I wouldn't recommend light rail, unless you need Fentanyl and enjoy being yelled at
How pure is the fentanyl? Just doing a basic risk reward analysis.
Hit or miss. Russian Roulette scenario
If you're looking for a place close to the airport, I'd recommend Tiffany's Sport Lounge in Saint Paul. Less than 15 minutes from the airport and is pretty laid back midday on Saturday's. I've watched a handful of Michigan games there and it's rarely very busy. It's a Kansas bar but you might find some other Michigan fans hanging out there...
Less laid back, I'd recommend seeing where the Michigan Alumni Club is hosting The Game. They usually have a dedicated Bar. Not sure where it's being hosted now, it's been a few years since I've been.
I'll likely be back in MI for the game otherwise I'd let you watch it here.
I live 15 minutes from the airport and have three boys. Come on over, it will be fun!
That's a VERY gracious offer. Based on your posting history, we'd probably have a blast. When The Game gets closer, and I know more definitively our schedule, I will reach out. I don't want to put my personal information on this Board, and Seth is not linking people anymore (for understandable reasons).
Alumni Club has watched games at Yardhouse in St. Louis Park for the last 4 years if that is of interest, too.
Definitely hit the Tigers-Twins game on Saturday if you are not leaving that day. Stayed in downtown Marriott and could walk anywhere thru the sky-walkways. Saw Tigers in 2017 vs. Twins on a Sat night with the wife. Nice park.
Smack Shack has the best seafood. Capital Grille has the best drinks and service. The Union Rooftop is pretty cool too.