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A large rectangular Detroit-style pizza on a silver tray.
Detroit-style pizza in the North Loop.
Bricksworth Beer Co.

15 Essential Twin Cities Breweries That Serve Great Food, Too

Where to find local beer and a meal around the metro

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Detroit-style pizza in the North Loop.
| Bricksworth Beer Co.

Minnesota is known for its great craft beer scene, and many local breweries make food that matches the quality of the suds. From smoked food and beer to Detroit-style pizzas heaped with pickles and gooey American cheese, here are 15 spots for pairing a good beer with a good meal around Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Note that these restaurants are listed geographically.

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Inver Grove Brewing Co

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The Black and Blue Bites — a dish of blackened tenderloin, melted bleu cheese, and portobello mushrooms with horseradish cream — is a must at Inver Grove Brewing Co. The menu features American fare like lake perch fingers, reuben nachos, and dill pickle wings. You’re as likely to find an amber ale here as an IPA, as there’s a huge tap list of house and guest beers.

Saint Paul Brewing

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This brewery’s cozy patio feels like a bunch of storybook moments sewn together at random – nestled in the ruins of the historic Hamm’s brewery, it has comfy seating and a fireplace built into a canoe. The ambiance makes sharing a flight and wood-fired pizza that much more enjoyable. The Sweet Goat Surprise, topped goat cheese and honey, has a bold, tangy flavor. The potato-chip battered chicken sandwich, smeared with a subtly spicy garlic chili aioli, is another standout.

A table set with food and two pints of beer, with two people’s hands visible holding utensils.
A spread at Saint Paul Brewing.
Saint Paul Brewing

Urban Growler Brewing Company

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Urban Growler’s Friday fish fry takes cues from Wisconsin. The wild-caught walleye is breaded in Panko and deep-fried until it’s golden and crispy, and the mac and cheese — made with Cowbell Cream Ale beer cheese — is a cheesy, comforting side. As far as beers go, the Cowboy Cream Ale is an easygoing choice for craft beer newbies and those who like a versatile beer.

Fried fish and french fries with coleslaw on red and white checked paper in a basket next to a pint of beer.
Urban Growler’s popular fish fry.
Urban Growler Brewing Company

Bang Brewing Company

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Bang sits in an old grain bin right next to Urban Growler. Though it doesn’t have its own kitchen, Pastel Artisan Pizza cooks up wood-fired, Roman-style pizzas in a stove just outside the brewery. Tomato sauce classics and garlic cream pies are available — the Fun Guy, a favorite, is loaded with mushrooms. All of the beer is organically made. One notable brew, the Kernza Lager, is made from a special Kernza grain that only a few U.S. breweries are using — it gives the beer a sweet, cereal-grain flavor. Enjoy beer and food in the rain garden and native prairie outdoor patio.

Bauhaus Brew Labs

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Bauhaus’s playful, German-influenced tap list accompanies Animales Barbecue’s dry-rubbed, oak-smoked meats. Chef Jon Wipfli’s menu changes often, adding dishes like pork shoulder congee bowls, beef cheek banh mi, and hot beef sandwiches to the mix. The Animales food truck is seasonal, though — it usually wraps up in November and reopens in April.

A white container with barbecue ribs, links, and vegetables in it, and small container of yellow sauce.
Barbecue from Animales.
Justine Jones

Nouvelle Brewing by Travail

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Formerly known as Pig Ate My Pizza, Travail’s Nouvelle Brewing rebranded with a (mostly) new menu and great beers. One can’t-miss staple is the Nouvelle fries cooked in bacon fat and sprinkled with parmesan cheese, black pepper, served with stone fruit ketchup. The menu’s veggie offerings are also unique: Think hummus, szechuan green beans, eclectic salads, and even elote made with Iowa corn. As an added bonus, snag some Dream Creamery ice cream for dessert. 

A round pizza topped with veggies and drizzled with yellow sauce on a black background.
A Nouvelle pizza.
Nouvelle Brewing by Travail

The Freehouse

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Beer and brunch shine at Freehouse. The breakfast gnocchi — made with cream, basil pesto, mushrooms, fatty bacon, and poached eggs — is a gratifying meal. You can’t go wrong with the chilaquiles either, which are piled with hashbrowns, chorizo, ancho sauce, and queso fresco. There’s a reason The Freehouse won large brewpub brewer of the year in 2020 in the Great American Beer Festival. (It also won four different Great American Beer Festival awards for its Scotch ale, English-style brown ale, barley wine, and Gose, all worthy choices to pair with a meal.)

StormKing Brewpub + Barbecue

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Barbecue is tricky, and Stormking does it right, pairing good beers with tender brisket and pulled pork, and even barbecue pulled squash. The Czech pilsner might be the best beer to prop up the flavors of the food — it cuts through the fatty meat with a strong, toasted-bread-crumb maltiness.

Bricksworth Beer Co. – North Loop

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Bricksworth’s Detroit-style pizzas are loaded with melted cheese — even the crusts. The North Loop location is ideal for Twins baseball game days or for visiting several brewery spots in walking distance. One popular pizza, the “Happiest Meal,” mimics McDonald’s cheeseburgers, with plenty of pickles and American Cheese; the Illegal Fireworks pizza is topped with pepperoni alfredo sauce, parmesan, and a blueberry honey drizzle. All pair well with the Mexican Lager (served with a lime wedge) or one of the many punchy IPAs Bricksworth and sister company BlackStack are known for.

La Doña Cervecería Brewery

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La Doña has a big taco menu (think tender al pastor, black bean and sweet potato, buffalo shrimp, even a Midwest beef) plus quesadillas, fresh guacamole and chips, and crispy yucca fries. Pair a meal with a purple corn Mexican lager or a peach wheat ale, and save room for tres leches.

Day Block Brewing Company

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Chewy pizza crust, fresh ingredients, and a fearlessness to pursue offbeat toppings makes Day Block a great spot for beer and a meal (the mac and cheese bites with smoked gouda aren’t too shabby either). Classic styles are available, but unique pizzas like the crab rangoon and banh mi push the envelope. (Cream cheese and crab meat may not sound appealing on a pizza, but it comes together with a drizzle of sweet chili sauce.)

Three round pizzas on a black background.
Pizza at Day Block Brewing.
Day Block Brewing Company

Town Hall Brewery

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Town Hall Brewery, a staple of the Minnesota beer scene, has an eclectic menu offering walleye, curry, and Minnesota’s revered Juicy Lucy burger — the patty stuffed with lava-hot, molten cheese — means there’s plenty to pair with the taproom’s various beers. Find its ever-popular Masala Mama IPA (a throwback to IPAs before the haze craze) on cask, which gives it a creamier mouthfeel.

LynLake Brewery

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Rooftop drinks are a plus at LynLake, but so is its patty-slinging Burger Joint pop-up. Burgers rotate in and out as monthly specials — the Swiss cheese and pineapple patty was August’s feature. Pair a burger with the new Karate Chimps wheat beer, which brims with tangerine flavor.

A large brewery exterior with a glowing orange sign that says “Lynlake Brewery” and people standing beneath it.
LynLake.
LynLake Brewery

Sure, moto-i is a ramen restaurant and sake brewery, not a typical spot for beer. But it serves some of the finest ramen in Minneapolis (not to mention piping hot steamed buns stuffed with pork belly, vegetables, or tofu). A variety of sake with pear, strawberry, apple, and even watermelon notes is brewed right on-site. 

Northbound Smokehouse & Brewpub

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Smoked food and good beer are the theme of this aptly named brewpub, where even the wings are smoked with apple wood. While there’s an eclectic mix of beer styles and food, the smoked trout and fish and chips stand out, and the Alaskan Pollock battered with Northbound’s Pravy Pilsner is a must for Friday night fish fry. For smoked flavors that mingle delicately with fat, salt, umami, all washed down with chocolatey smoked porter — a rare beer style — this is the place.

A silver tray with sliced brisket, pickled veggies, and coleslaw.
A barbecue platter from Northbound Smokehouse.
Northbound Smokehouse & Brewpub

Wooden Hill Brewing Company

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Wooden Hill is a great spot for burgers and sandwiches: The garlic aioli-smeared house burger, for one, is a double-pattied flavor bom, and the pub burger goes all in with a pretzel bun, cherrywood-smoked bacon, and oozing cheddar cheese with avocado sauce. The beef or veggie dog topped with housemade sauerkraut and ale mustard is a salty joy. Pair those with Code 3 (an award-winning IPA at the 2021 Minnesota Brewers Cup), the Caramel Frap coffee brown ale, or prickly pear sour.

Inver Grove Brewing Co

The Black and Blue Bites — a dish of blackened tenderloin, melted bleu cheese, and portobello mushrooms with horseradish cream — is a must at Inver Grove Brewing Co. The menu features American fare like lake perch fingers, reuben nachos, and dill pickle wings. You’re as likely to find an amber ale here as an IPA, as there’s a huge tap list of house and guest beers.

Saint Paul Brewing

This brewery’s cozy patio feels like a bunch of storybook moments sewn together at random – nestled in the ruins of the historic Hamm’s brewery, it has comfy seating and a fireplace built into a canoe. The ambiance makes sharing a flight and wood-fired pizza that much more enjoyable. The Sweet Goat Surprise, topped goat cheese and honey, has a bold, tangy flavor. The potato-chip battered chicken sandwich, smeared with a subtly spicy garlic chili aioli, is another standout.

A table set with food and two pints of beer, with two people’s hands visible holding utensils.
A spread at Saint Paul Brewing.
Saint Paul Brewing

Urban Growler Brewing Company

Urban Growler’s Friday fish fry takes cues from Wisconsin. The wild-caught walleye is breaded in Panko and deep-fried until it’s golden and crispy, and the mac and cheese — made with Cowbell Cream Ale beer cheese — is a cheesy, comforting side. As far as beers go, the Cowboy Cream Ale is an easygoing choice for craft beer newbies and those who like a versatile beer.

Fried fish and french fries with coleslaw on red and white checked paper in a basket next to a pint of beer.
Urban Growler’s popular fish fry.
Urban Growler Brewing Company

Bang Brewing Company

Bang sits in an old grain bin right next to Urban Growler. Though it doesn’t have its own kitchen, Pastel Artisan Pizza cooks up wood-fired, Roman-style pizzas in a stove just outside the brewery. Tomato sauce classics and garlic cream pies are available — the Fun Guy, a favorite, is loaded with mushrooms. All of the beer is organically made. One notable brew, the Kernza Lager, is made from a special Kernza grain that only a few U.S. breweries are using — it gives the beer a sweet, cereal-grain flavor. Enjoy beer and food in the rain garden and native prairie outdoor patio.

Bauhaus Brew Labs

Bauhaus’s playful, German-influenced tap list accompanies Animales Barbecue’s dry-rubbed, oak-smoked meats. Chef Jon Wipfli’s menu changes often, adding dishes like pork shoulder congee bowls, beef cheek banh mi, and hot beef sandwiches to the mix. The Animales food truck is seasonal, though — it usually wraps up in November and reopens in April.

A white container with barbecue ribs, links, and vegetables in it, and small container of yellow sauce.
Barbecue from Animales.
Justine Jones

Nouvelle Brewing by Travail

Formerly known as Pig Ate My Pizza, Travail’s Nouvelle Brewing rebranded with a (mostly) new menu and great beers. One can’t-miss staple is the Nouvelle fries cooked in bacon fat and sprinkled with parmesan cheese, black pepper, served with stone fruit ketchup. The menu’s veggie offerings are also unique: Think hummus, szechuan green beans, eclectic salads, and even elote made with Iowa corn. As an added bonus, snag some Dream Creamery ice cream for dessert. 

A round pizza topped with veggies and drizzled with yellow sauce on a black background.
A Nouvelle pizza.
Nouvelle Brewing by Travail

The Freehouse

Beer and brunch shine at Freehouse. The breakfast gnocchi — made with cream, basil pesto, mushrooms, fatty bacon, and poached eggs — is a gratifying meal. You can’t go wrong with the chilaquiles either, which are piled with hashbrowns, chorizo, ancho sauce, and queso fresco. There’s a reason The Freehouse won large brewpub brewer of the year in 2020 in the Great American Beer Festival. (It also won four different Great American Beer Festival awards for its Scotch ale, English-style brown ale, barley wine, and Gose, all worthy choices to pair with a meal.)

StormKing Brewpub + Barbecue

Barbecue is tricky, and Stormking does it right, pairing good beers with tender brisket and pulled pork, and even barbecue pulled squash. The Czech pilsner might be the best beer to prop up the flavors of the food — it cuts through the fatty meat with a strong, toasted-bread-crumb maltiness.

Bricksworth Beer Co. – North Loop

Bricksworth’s Detroit-style pizzas are loaded with melted cheese — even the crusts. The North Loop location is ideal for Twins baseball game days or for visiting several brewery spots in walking distance. One popular pizza, the “Happiest Meal,” mimics McDonald’s cheeseburgers, with plenty of pickles and American Cheese; the Illegal Fireworks pizza is topped with pepperoni alfredo sauce, parmesan, and a blueberry honey drizzle. All pair well with the Mexican Lager (served with a lime wedge) or one of the many punchy IPAs Bricksworth and sister company BlackStack are known for.

La Doña Cervecería Brewery

La Doña has a big taco menu (think tender al pastor, black bean and sweet potato, buffalo shrimp, even a Midwest beef) plus quesadillas, fresh guacamole and chips, and crispy yucca fries. Pair a meal with a purple corn Mexican lager or a peach wheat ale, and save room for tres leches.

Day Block Brewing Company

Chewy pizza crust, fresh ingredients, and a fearlessness to pursue offbeat toppings makes Day Block a great spot for beer and a meal (the mac and cheese bites with smoked gouda aren’t too shabby either). Classic styles are available, but unique pizzas like the crab rangoon and banh mi push the envelope. (Cream cheese and crab meat may not sound appealing on a pizza, but it comes together with a drizzle of sweet chili sauce.)

Three round pizzas on a black background.
Pizza at Day Block Brewing.
Day Block Brewing Company

Town Hall Brewery

Town Hall Brewery, a staple of the Minnesota beer scene, has an eclectic menu offering walleye, curry, and Minnesota’s revered Juicy Lucy burger — the patty stuffed with lava-hot, molten cheese — means there’s plenty to pair with the taproom’s various beers. Find its ever-popular Masala Mama IPA (a throwback to IPAs before the haze craze) on cask, which gives it a creamier mouthfeel.

LynLake Brewery

Rooftop drinks are a plus at LynLake, but so is its patty-slinging Burger Joint pop-up. Burgers rotate in and out as monthly specials — the Swiss cheese and pineapple patty was August’s feature. Pair a burger with the new Karate Chimps wheat beer, which brims with tangerine flavor.

A large brewery exterior with a glowing orange sign that says “Lynlake Brewery” and people standing beneath it.
LynLake.
LynLake Brewery

moto-i

Sure, moto-i is a ramen restaurant and sake brewery, not a typical spot for beer. But it serves some of the finest ramen in Minneapolis (not to mention piping hot steamed buns stuffed with pork belly, vegetables, or tofu). A variety of sake with pear, strawberry, apple, and even watermelon notes is brewed right on-site. 

Northbound Smokehouse & Brewpub

Smoked food and good beer are the theme of this aptly named brewpub, where even the wings are smoked with apple wood. While there’s an eclectic mix of beer styles and food, the smoked trout and fish and chips stand out, and the Alaskan Pollock battered with Northbound’s Pravy Pilsner is a must for Friday night fish fry. For smoked flavors that mingle delicately with fat, salt, umami, all washed down with chocolatey smoked porter — a rare beer style — this is the place.

A silver tray with sliced brisket, pickled veggies, and coleslaw.
A barbecue platter from Northbound Smokehouse.
Northbound Smokehouse & Brewpub

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Wooden Hill Brewing Company

Wooden Hill is a great spot for burgers and sandwiches: The garlic aioli-smeared house burger, for one, is a double-pattied flavor bom, and the pub burger goes all in with a pretzel bun, cherrywood-smoked bacon, and oozing cheddar cheese with avocado sauce. The beef or veggie dog topped with housemade sauerkraut and ale mustard is a salty joy. Pair those with Code 3 (an award-winning IPA at the 2021 Minnesota Brewers Cup), the Caramel Frap coffee brown ale, or prickly pear sour.

Related Maps