Criminally Underrated South Minneapolis Restaurant Calls It Quits

Xavi, the little restaurant with the ambitious menu at 5607 Chicago Avenue South in Minneapolis has closed after two and a half years. Chef Michael Agan and James Elm are restaurant industry veterans who have known each other for over twenty years, but their first time owning a restaurant.

An Eater tipster noticed the restaurant had been dark over the weekend, but it’s unclear when exactly it shuttered. A Facebook post officially announcing the closure was posted at 5 pm on Sunday evening.

Xavi first opened in June of 2016 and the local critics mostly loved it and all weighed in on how to pronounce the name. Star Tribune restaurant critic Rick Nelson said Xavi redefined the neighborhood restaurant. Describing a $13 lamb dish Nelson said, “Each meaty, fat-ribboned bite is perfectly balanced by refreshing, brazenly ripe slices of mango, and a vividly green, cool-as-a-cucumber cilantro sauce.”

Before Xavi, this address held the First Course restaurant for fifteen years. In the end, the owners admitted they “couldn’t make it work for everyone.”

• Xavi Redefines the Neighborhood Restaurant [STRIB]
• Xavi is a Beguiling New Restaurant in South Minneapolis [ETC]
• All of 2018’s Restaurant Closures So Far [ETC]