Northeast Minneapolis’s new neighborhood destination for affordable American classics and cocktails made with Minnesota spirits comes from Morrissey Hospitality, the local group behind The Bad Waitress, St. Paul Grill. Executive chef John Henkels’s menu opens with sharable starters like pickle-brined fried chicken skewers, flatbreads, truffle fries, and grilled oysters, followed by three burger options, wraps, a BLT, and fried chicken sandwich. Mains like a whole trout dressed with chimichurri, fettuccini, bourbon-glazed pork chop, and scallops are all $21 and under — even high-brow wagyu, served with a mushroom demi-glace. — Tierney Plumb

Sidebar at Surdyk’s opened briefly last fall before the weather and pandemic took a turn for the worse. The modern bar and brasserie recently made a comeback, ready to impress northeast diners under its tenured chef Randall Prudden. The alum of Spoon and Stable and Chicago’s three Michelin-starred Alinea has put together a fun and easy-to-explore menu full of seasonal ingredients. Don’t miss the bright and light crudo or the tartare.

All Saints opened in the heart of Northeast Minneapolis last month with wood-fired cuisine that goes heavy on veggies. Along with creative starters like salt and pepper mushrooms dressed with scallion dip-dip, the sleek setup also serves grilled prawns with miso turmeric butter and swordfish surrounded with eggplant caponata and pine nuts. Creative cocktails like The Mac are filled with rums, macadamia, lime, fino sherry, and vanilla.

James Beard-nominated chef Jamie Malone’s Eastside flipped into an Italian restaurant and market in August, offering downtown Minneapolis a fresh new spot to sample pizzas, salads, sandwiches, housemade sausages, coffees, and soft serve gelato. Patio and walk-up service (4 p.m. to 10 p.m.). is now joined by an indoor component and marketplace. A bottle shop will enter the fold soon.

The Minnesota Farmers Union debuted its first restaurant in the former Spoonriver space in late August, bringing the historic Mill District neighborhood a new sit-down spot for hyperlocal meats, cheeses, and produce. A coffee bar serving State Fair maple cream nitro opens daily at 7:30 a.m., followed by a lunchtime menu full of appetizers, soup, salad, sandwiches, and picnic platters from executive chef Kris Koch. Dinner recently joined the mix with Minnesotan-influenced dishes like walleye “tots,” bison wild rice meatballs, fried cheese curds, and wild rice Waldorf salad will change with the seasons.

Weekends crowds at the Malcolm Yards food hall are consistently strong since the food hall opened in August. No surprise, given the globetrotting lineup of vendors and prospect of cobbling a meal that stretches from Malaysia and Nepal to Italy. Pro tip: share an order of airy, shatteringly crisp Korean fried chicken at Abang Yoli; a DIY pasta order at Joey Meatballs; a warming serving of Rashmi Bhattachan’s ethereally light momos at Momo Dosa; a Detroit-style pie at Wrecktangle Pizza (Elote is recommended); and finally, end with the dizzyingly rich ice creams at Bebe Zito. 

Followers of Daniel Del Prado rarely know what to expect next. Sicilian pizza? New American meets Argentinian? A take on Japanese-Italian fusion? Check all of the above (Rosalia, Martina and Sanjusan, respectively). Middle Eastern cuisine comes next at Cardamom, with a menu influenced by the bounty of the Aegean and Mediterranean seas. The seasoned chef has partnered with pastry chef Shawn McKenzie to set up shop at the Walker Art Center and is churning out subversive riffs on Mediterranean staples, like “Cacio e Pepe” dumplings, raw ahi tuna tabbouleh, and Turkish coffee pot au creme. 

After five years of roving residencies around town, chef Yia Vang finally found a permanent place to serve his popular Asian orders inside North Loop’s two-story Graze Provisions + Libations food hall. A section of Zoo Siab Meals — which translate to “happy meals” — include proteins like barbecue pork or grilled shrimp, purple sticky rice, veggies, and hot sauce. Nontraditional orders include an all-day egg sandwich on a King’s Hawaiian bun, made with his hit Hmong sausage patty, pickled veggies, and chili oil mayo. Vang, who recently became a naturalized U.S. citizen, bases much of his menu around recipes passed down from his parents who met in a refugee camp.

Rising chef Ann Ahmed (Lemongrass, Lat14) adds to her Southeast Asian restaurant empire with the opening of Laotian restaurant and bar Khâluna in October. Menu highlights at her third area eatery include a variation of pa crispy rice salad, elevated with smoked fish and fresh herbs and vegetables from her cousin’s garden, as well as a beautifully prepared bowl of pineapple noodles with shrimp, green mango, shrimp flakes, coconut milk, Thai chili, and micro cilantro. The sleek space (formerly Harriet’s Inn) also features a retail component she plans to use for private events and cooking classes.

It’s been a long time coming, but Karyn Tomlinson has finally opened her chic, bistro-style restaurant in St. Paul’s Highland Park for dinner to start. The dining room got a subdued makeover that sets the stage for dishes like an omelet made with eggs from a nearby farm, creamy on the inside with an herb garnish. More substantial plates include a short-crusted pastry stuffed with caramelized leeks in a deeply savory sauce. Seasonal dishes can be sampled a la carte or via a chef’s tasting menu served nightly at 7:30 p.m. ($135 per person). Brunch is on the horizon. 

A former fire station in the booming West 7th neighborhood of Saint Paul got a new life in August as a neighborhood attraction for small plates. Starters like mussels, charcuterie, and wings are joined by salads, soups, burgers, mussels, and sizable mains like chicken pot pie, branzino and short ribs.

Mendota Heights’s new catch-all cafe and bar from the team behind The Green Mill and Crooked Pint kicks off the day at 7 a.m. with breakfast staples like pancakes, oatmeal, and egg sandwiches served until 3 p.m. At night, the versatile venture flips into an after-work hotspot with $5 Roku and tonic cocktails and bar bites like calamari and brie and cranberry bruschetta. Dinner entrees all $20 and under include flank steak, wild rice stuffed chicken, a lightly breaded walleye sandwich, and sizable “Mac Daddy” burger. The 145-seat setup with a big patio also houses a grab-and-go deli stocked with fresh macaroons, pastas, potato salad, and quiche.