After three years of development, locally led food hall Eat Street Crossing opens in the Old Arizona Studios on Nicollet Avenue this weekend. The food hall has a number of counters serving a wide variety of dishes like izakaya-style sushi and a stand-and-slurp ramen bar from John Ng and Lina Goh of Zen Box Izakaya; Brazilian pizza, burgers, and ice cream from Gabriella Grant-Spangler and Ben Spangler of Bebe Zito; bubble tea from Chatime; and a full bar program and wine wall by beverage director Trish Gavin, formerly of Khâluna, Lat14, and Lemongrass.
Eat Street Crossing is one of this year’s most anticipated openings. The space itself is remarkable — the exposed brick walls are decaled with murals of Prince and Julia Child, a golden constellation of rattan lamps dangles from the high ceiling, and the basement bathroom is painted a sleek race-car red. But the real stunner is the eclectic menu, which, despite its vast range in cuisine, feels coherent and casual.
Now that full menus for each counter are finalized, a few highlights are worth mentioning. Sushi Dori’s Spam sandwiches, which pair a fluffy egg patty with a slab of Spam between two sheets of nori and remarkably tasty sushi rice, are getting a lot of buzz. Ouro Pizzaria’s Bananinha pizza, topped with dulce de leche and roasted banana, is exquisitely salted and golden all over, including the crust. Ramen Shoten’s menu features three chicken broths and one vegetarian — a huge deal for the local ramen scene, where tonkotsu broth dominates. Bebe Zito has a Negroni Sbagliato with Prosecco In It ice cream flavor, and Gavin drafted an extra cocktail menu with a drink for each astrological sign: Leos get a gold rush-inspired drink with extra honey, and Scorpios get Malort and lager.
Take a sneak peek at Eat Street Crossing’s menu and space before the grand opening.
Sushi sandwiches from Sushi Dori
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Peach ice cream from Bebe Zito
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The bar, with cocktails on tap
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Bao from Ramen Shoten
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Sushi from Sushi Dori
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Eat Street Crossing’s upstairs event space
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Bubble tea from Chatime
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Honey butter chicken from Bebe Zito
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Ramen Shoten’s stand-and-slurp counter
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