Curated City Guides by Your Favorite Designers and Tastemakers.

Bars & Restaurants

Common Roots

A great coffee house and café. Excellent coffee and they make their own bagels. A great local beer and wine happy hour daily. Fantastic fair-trade, organic and local food- some of which they get out of their garden right behind the building. 2558 Lyndale Ave S

Espresso Royale

My neighborhood coffee shop is my go-to place when I need a coffee break, but also great to sit and get some work done. Good deli sandwiches on the weekdays with a few great vegetarian options. Also love their butter croissants! 1229 Hennepin Ave

Wilde Roast Cafe

A great place to dine and drink, or sit and work with some coffee. They recently moved and now reside right on the river which has a great front patio. Really great food- the fig and blu cheese pizza, the goat cheese salad and the sweet potato fries are all good. Plus they have homemade gelato. and in interesting flavors like basil, sea salt caramel- so good! 65 SE Main St

Joe’s Garage

A Loring Park bar and restaurant with a nice rooftop patio. They have a make your own mash potatoes with lots of toppings to choose from on the menu. The blu cheese nachos or portabella quesadillas are delicious. 1610 Harmon Pl

Barbette

A little French café with a great location in Uptown. Sitting outside on the sidewalk patio for brunch on a nice day is perfection. It’s a dog friendly patio and their tables are extra cute. The crepes, cheese plate, mussels and of course the French fries are excellent. 1600 West Lake St

Loring Kitchen & Bar

My neighborhood spot in Loring Park. They have trivia, karokee and djs weekly. Great happy hour on drinks and appetizers- good pizzas and sweet potato fries, I love their beet salad. They feature $10 bottomless mimosas for brunch on weekends. A large patio and giant doors inside that open and overlook Loring Park. 1359 Willow St

Barrio

A tequila bar right downtown with good Mexican food. Amazing tacos and homemade tortilla chips with tablemade guacamole. Tends to get a lot of out of towners being right on Nicollet, and sometimes a bit packed on weekends. Open late with music most nights. Delicious mojitos (the blackberry is so good) and sangrias. 925 Nicollet Mall

Loring Pasta Bar

Italian spot in Dinkytown with amazing décor and ambiance. Nice for lunch or dinner. Dance to salsa and tango on the weekends with live music most other nights. Bruchetta is a good appetizer as well as the vegetarian orzo. 327 14th Ave SE

Kitty Cat Klub

An eclectic bar and lounge in Dinkytown with live music or dj’s weekly. The whole ambiance is beautiful, unique and comfortable with huge couches and chairs. Definitely visit the black and white photobooth in the back. Their food shares a kitchen with a burger joint upstairs, Annie’s Parlor. 313 14th Ave SE

Tin Fish

Amazing little café right on Lake Calhoun. The fish tacos and shrimp tacos are large and delicious and only five bucks. It’s only open May until October. The line is always so long. 3000 Calhoun Parkway East

HauteDish

Gourmet, Midwestern comfort food in the North Loop area. The amazing mac & cheese has crab and is so delicious. A great selection of wine and drinks. The Minnesota Mule is served in a copper cup and a variety of great cocktails. They also have duck in a can (never tried). 119 Washington Ave N

Pizza Luce

A Minneapolis staple for excellent pizza. Vegan and gluten-free options. Love the veggie or Athena- greek style pizza. Baked potato is awesome as well. Good salads and sandwiches too. Sit in resturant & bar or delivery with various locations around Minneapolis. 2200 East Franklin Avenue

Victors 1959 Cafe

Cuban spot with some of the best breakfast. Great coffee and mango pancakes. Write on the walls. 3756 Grand Ave S

Band Box Diner

An awesome, small [somewhat hard to find], flat top diner with awesome breakfast and really good [strong] coffee. 729 S 10th Street

U Otter Stop Inn

You just otter do it. A corner dive bar in NE with cheap drinks and karaoke. 617 Central Ave

Happy Gnome

I’m not in St.Paul much but this place is worth it. Really awesome and delicious craft beer selection. Have no idea about the food. There are little gnomes all over the place, it’s amazing. 498 Selby Ave

Pancho Villa

Two for one margaritas every day and good authentic cheap Mexican food. What else do you need in life? 2539 Nicollet Ave

Duplex

A good place for brunch, lunch or dinner in a little made-over duplex house. Nice patio that is perfect for summer and a private upstairs dinning area with a balcony that overlooks Hennepin. 2516 Hennepin Ave

Sebastian Joe's Ice Cream

One of my favorite spots for an icecream craving with a large selection of flavors. Try the raspberry chocolate chip or a Minneapolis favorite- the Nicollet Pothole. 1007 W Franklin Ave

Red Dragon

A little hole in the wall restaurant and bar that serves some dangerously strong cocktails. Most known for their Wonderous Punch, which you will be struggling if you have more than one (guilty). 2116 S Lyndale Ave