North Loop’s Food Hall Is Now Serving Megadillas and Stunning Views

A new North Loop food hall is now open for breakfast through dinner and drinks. Graze Provisions and Libations sports an outdoor green space, rooftop patio, two bars, and a collection of incredible independent vendors. The two level 14,000 square foot building located on 4th Street and 5th Avenue, not fair from Target Field.

The first sign of life is the window opening at 6:30 am outside Honey & Rye Bakehouse serving Tiny Footprint coffee and baked goods to the neighborhood, with a little bowl for four-legged neighbors. The doors open to the interior at 7 am.

The first floor includes plenty of seating and open wifi for those that want to settle in and work or meet.

The stand inside the food halls is the second outpost of the St. Louis Park bakery.

Honey & Rye will stay open through the evening, when the bakery will serve desserts.

The first floor is divided into two sections, separated by a central stairwell.

Vendors on the first floor include Carbon, run by the same couple behind the Gastrotruck food trucks. Peterson beef is roasted and shaved onto sandwiches, including a proper pit beef sandwich. Co-owner Catherine Eckert said she came here from the east coast. In Baltimore pit beef sandwiches proliferate in roadside stands and gas stations, but it’s hard to find them around the Twin Cities. Other sandwiches include regional beefy goods like a Chicago-style Italian beef, a Philly French dip and more.

Next to Carbon is a stand that will flip menus when the weather changes. For now, there are fresh poke bowls. As the grips of winter sink in, the stand will switch to serving ramen.

Next door to that is the second location of the mega Mexican food truck that’s become a sensation, Flagsmash. It’s here that the Instagram-famous Megadilla is served: a gobsmacker of a dish with battered French fries, cheese and meat, crammed into a tortilla, cooked crispy on the griddle.

There’s also a worthy burrito that could likely inspired epic tales of heroism.

Next to them, nearest the bar and the outdoor exit to the green lawn is MidNord Empanadas and Churros. This is the first permanent outpost for the long-popular food truck serving their signature, blistery empanadas for years, but this is the first foray into the cinnamon sugar world of churros.

Both upstairs and down are anchored by a bar. Unique to Minneapolis food halls, this one allows for drinks to be ordered and enjoyed in a common area. That way, you can order food from several vendors and still enjoy a tasty cold one

The bars are overseen by Jesse Held’s Earl Giles company. As expected, there is a perfect Manhattan and perhaps unexpectedly, there are a few drinks remade from another era. There is a modern twist on the White Russian, and other classics from the popped-collar era. Held has an affection for these drinks, that also made a debut on the first menu he did for Constantine.

Upstairs, along with an inside/outside bar set up, Ms. Packman, giant TV’s with more video games hooked up, are additional vendors including Lu’s Restaurant, from the same people that gave us Lu’s Sandwiches.

Also upstairs is Soul Bowl, the erstwhile pop-up that’s having the Best Year Ever. After making its debut inside Target Field, drawing to a close it’s always popular soul brunch series and gearing up to open a second location.

Soul Bowl will be open from 11 am to 10 (ish?) pm all days except Saturday, the the stand, owned by Klass and Brittany Klass will be closed. However, there is some hope that once things get rolling, chef Klass will bring back the Soul brunch on Sundays. Stay tuned for more on that.

The upstairs outside patio is a ready to act as the North Loop’s new neighborhood deck.

• First Bite: A look Inside Graze [MSPMag]
• All Graze Coverage [ETC]
• Everywhere Awesome to Eat and Drink in the North Loop [ETC]
• Most Anticipated Twin Cities Restaurants, Fall 2019 [ETC]