:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61863381/bg1.0.jpg)
Lucky Cricket, Andrew Zimmern’s first restaurant since his rise to international fame, is wrapping up construction, with a target of opening in mid-November.
The chef’s Chinese eatery, located at the Shops of West End in the Minneapolis suburb of Saint Louis Park, is actively hiring staff to kick open the doors by next month. The restaurant side will serve a mix of Chinese cuisines including Cantonese, Hunanese, Szechuan, Fujianese, and a bit of Mongolian.
There will also be dim sum, a weekend service sadly lacking in the Twin Cities. Adjacent to the dining room is a thatched roof tiki bar that will serve drinks from bar consultant Dean Hurst. Drinks will include classic boozy, sweet tiki cocktails plus a whole selection of nonalcoholic drinks.
Lucky Cricket began as a pop up that Zimmern would occasionally operate at food festivals, most recently in Minneapolis during the Super Bowl.
Overseeing the aesthetics is Shea Design, the company that has become the go-to for restaurant design in Twin Cities, working on projects from the fast-casual Brasa to fine dining like Spoon and Stable.
Andrew Zimmern is the Twin Cities’ best known culinary export. The chef made his name at the storied Cafe Un Deux Tois before launching into television mega stardom with his first show, Bizarre Foods. He’s since gone on to host several shows, podcasts, web series and author several books. He also has a food truck and sports arena stand called AZ Canteen, serving globe-trotting flavors and entry level “bizarre” foods like goat and pork belly. This will be his first foray into full-blown restaurant territory.
Today the restaurant shares this video of a giant dragon coming to life before the bar.
