Tanpopo Is Closing After 17 Years in St. Paul

The restaurant first opened on Cathedral Hill in 2000, a small space that soon launched a familial-like fandom. The final service in this era of the eatery will take place on May 23rd.

Tanpopo made the move from the top of the hill to Lowertown in 2003, back when the area was mostly artists and warehouse space. In the ensuing years, much has sprung up around them, a light rail station arrived, a baseball stadium took shape and many buildings were converted to condos.

Change is inevitable and now it’s time for the next period in Tanpopo history. Owners Koshiki Yonemura and her husband Ben said via a statement on their website: “It has been 17 years since Ben and I opened our own little tanpopo in the Cathedral Hill neighborhood. During the 17 years we shared many happiness and some bumps together to make tanpopo a success. However, in the last six months or so, as Ben and I started to talk about our future, we decided it would be best to pass the torch to someone with a passion for food and new energy.”

No word yet on what the change will be, if the restaurant will continue to operate as a new version of Tanpopo or if it will be something different entirely.

• Tanpopo [WEB]
• Where to Eat in Lowertown [ETC]
• All Tanpopo Coverage [ETC]