Nye’s Old Address Will Be a Bar Again

The address for one of Minneapolis’ lost bar icons will once again welcome drinkers and diners when Sonder Shaker opens in Northeast around Super Bowl time. Nye’s Polonaise Room operated at 112 East Hennepin Avenue for 67 years before it met with a wrecking ball after closing in April of 2016. The building has been rebuilt as a condo and retail development and construction will begin next week on the new bar and casual eatery according to the Star Tribune.

The newspaper reports that the name of the new bar comes from “an obscure reference to a YouTube series that defines it as the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own.” The owner Cassidy Flannery grew up in the hospitality business in New Glarus, Wisconsin, living above his family’s supperclub.

ESG Architects and Pope Architects

Sonder Shaker will have approximately 70 seats and be located at what Nye’s parking lot. The menu hits all the buzz words of the “seasonally-driven,” “locally-sourced” variety and a new entry of “laid-back sandwiches.” In addition to the informal bread-based dishes there will be Prohibition-era cocktails and dishes that pair well with those drinks.

The goal is for an opening before February 2018.

• New cocktail bar and lounge will take over the former Nye's site in Minneapolis [STRIB]
• All Nye’s Polonaise Room Coverage [ETC]
• These Are All the Restaurants We’ve Lost in 2017 [ETC]