Ambitious New Food Hall Will Open Inside Historic Schmidt Brewery

Finally, the news is out that West 7th's revitalized Schmidt Brewery will be the home to a a glorious new food hall, complete with two eateries from beloved Minneapolis restaurantuers and killer cups of coffee.

Nick Rancone and Thomas Boemer, the guys that gave us Corner Table and the fried chicken phenomenon we're calling Revival are working on the biggest restaurant and helping pull in the food hall tenants. The unnamed project will have fire at its core. Much of the food will be cooked directly over open flame on the massive 20 foot wide, 18 foot tall hearth. Whole animals will be broken down on site and vegetables buried into the coals making for a primal cooking experience. Said Rancone, "It will be ambitious." Although the restaurant will seat 200 total and occupy two levels with a patio, the goal is to still retain an intimate feel for diners with lots of nooks and crannies for conversing.

Katie Cannon

Nick Rancone and Thomas Boemer inside the dining room at Revival.

As if that wasn't exciting enough, Hola Arepa, the food truck turned phenom on Nicollet Avenue known for affordable renditions of South American dishes and an outstanding bar program will also open their second location at the same address.

But wait, there's more! Five Watt Coffee, the third wave coffee shop known for their stellar lattes given the same flavor-building care as a craft cocktail will open a location as well.

This is all a part of the Keg and Case revitalization of the Schmidt Brewery. In addition to the two eateries and coffee shop, the 32,000 square foot building will also house a 40 stall food market. There will be shops serving high-quality, take-home foods like cheeses, a patisserie, a butcher shop, spice market, chocolatiers and more. Everything needed to make an exquisite dinner will be easy to find. For those not lucky enough to live in the neighborhood or the adjoining artist lofts, there's plenty of parking for easy in and out. Just imagine in the winter time being able to drive up, eat brunch, go ice skating on the nearby rink, get a baller cup of hot chocolate and a pile of something tasty to cook up for dinner.

The project is moving ahead on schedule and could be open as soon as next summer.

• Minneapolis Restaurants Expanding to Schmidt Brewery [STRIB]
• Revival Kids Opening Restaurant in Schmidt Brewery [MSPMag]