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15 Essential Restaurants in Minneapolis’s North Loop

A NoLo dining guide

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Back in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the North Loop was Minneapolis’s warehouse district, a manufacturing and wholesale center for everything from farm implements to Model T Fords and the original Milky Way candy bar. Today, it’s the beating heart of Minneapolis’s upscale dining scene, home to elegant tasting menus and fine sushi, plus a fair number of more casual restaurants that are equally good. Humming with creativity, the North Loop is within an easy walk from downtown, tucked just below the rushing Mississippi River. Here are 15 essential restaurants in the neighborhood.

Note that these restaurants are listed geographically.

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112 Eatery

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A true warehouse district classic, James Beard Award-winning chef Isaac Becker’s 112 Eatery serves sophisticated but accessible dishes in a cozy bistro setting. It’s an older sister to Becker’s Bar La Grassa and Snack Bar. Try the octopus with avocado puree or the tagliatelle with foie gras, and save room for the famous tres leches cake.

A bavette in a rich red sauce garnished with delicate green vegetables in a white dish.
Bavette from 112 Eatery.
Earth Girl Creative 

Billy Sushi ビリー寿司

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At Billy Sushi, the self-described “three ring performance” of the sushi bar, sake bar, and dining room starts with a unique Japanese cocktail menu. Fans of local music will appreciate the monikers — Billy’s Live Bait is a favorite. Specialty rolls (like the Oh Em Gii, a tempura and spicy tuna roll topped with a sheet of 24-karat gold). Billy Sushi is typically quite busy — a reservation is a wise move. Or head to Billy After Dark for a speakeasy experience.

Kado no Mise

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Right above Sanjusan are three connected, equally seductive dining experiences: Kado no Mise serves fine Japanese dishes on a omakase prix-fixe tasting menu, while Kaiseki Furukawa features an immersive 10-course seasonal tasting menu at the chef’s counter. Across the dimly lit hall is Gori Gori Peku, an intimate bar serving premium Japanese whisky. 

Four pieces of sushi with white and silver fish over rice sit on a white stone plate.
Sushi from Kado No Mise.
Wing Ta

Sanjusan

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Chef Danny del Prado and Shigeyuki Furukawa’s marriage of Japanese and Italian cuisines shines in this sparse dining room on North First Avenue. The menu features vibrant dishes like crimson-hued beef carpaccio, squid ink pappardelle, and a variety of small plates and thin-crust pizza. The cocktail menu is intriguing, but be sure to save room for an after-dinner Japanese whisky upstairs at Gori Gori Peku.

Wooden skewers of juicy marinated chicken beside a red consomé of some sort and small handful of vegetables on a wooden plate.
Sanjusan is the work of chefs Danny del Prado and Shigeyuki Furukawa.
Wing Ta

Porzana

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Chef Dani del Prado’s new steakhouse, Porzana, serves an array of Argentinian and classic American cuts (think pincanha and vacio alongside ribeye and flat iron) in the former Bachelor Farmer space. The menu spans from $19 hangers to $290 44-ounce tomahawks, and also includes pastas, snack-like small dishes, vegetable sides, salads, and a seafood cold bar. The Flora Room is Porzana’s adjoining, low-lit cocktail bar.

Spoon and Stable

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James Beard Award-winning chef Gavin Kaysen’s urban-chic dining room at Spoon and Stable has a glass-encased, floor-to-ceiling wine “closet” and an open, bustling kitchen. The menu changes often, keeping pace with Midwest seasonality (think cappelletti with butternut squash and tamarind-glazed pork chops). From the dessert menu, try the honey and cream cake, served with beeswax ice cream.

An intricate mille feuille dessert is arranged on top of a pistachio-green sphere-shaped sweet in a white dish.
Strawberry and sorrel mille feuille from Spoon and Stable.
Erin Kincheloe

Maison Margaux

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Chef David Fhima’s North Loop restaurant is styled as a traditional French brasserie. On the menu are French onion soup, steak au poivre, and racks of lamb served with Dijon cognac beurre blanc. The basement bar, cloaked in red velvet, serves burgers and lobster deviled eggs. Wine is the focus here, with more than 860 selections in house.

Monte Carlo Restaurant

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A throwback to a by-gone era, Monte Carlo has barely changed in decades. Belly up to the glossy polished bar for an ice-cold martini, or settle into the dining room for a plate of Monte Carol wings, which come coated with a carefully guarded secret spice rub. The expansive patio is an ideal spot for a cocktail in fair weather.

Guacaya Bistreaux

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Guacaya Bistreaux, a Latin-Caribbean tapas bar and restaurant by chef Pedro Wolcott, serves dishes like tender orange-marinated skirt steak skewers, empanadas, and Louisiana-style house boudin sausage. Grab a seat at the tropical-mod rum bar, or in the warmer months, try a tap cocktail like the Leche de Tigre, made with orange, ginger, and chili.

A plate of egg rolls garnished with green onions.
Cajun firecracker egg rolls.
Guacaya Bistreaux

Union Hmong Kitchen - North Loop

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Chef Yia Vang first started Union Hmong Kitchen as a roving pop-up around the Twin Cities — now it has two locations, this one in Graze food hall. The menu highlights at UHK are the zoo siab meals — which means “happy meals” in the Hmong language. They’re made with proteins like chile-glazed pork shoulder and Hmong sausage, all served with purple sticky rice, pickled veggies, and sides like chilled khao sen noodles. Vang’s much-anticipated restaurant, Vinai, is on the horizon.

Sliced meat, purple sticky rice, and veggies on yellow paper.
UHK’s zoo siab meal.
Union Hmong Kitchen.

SOUL BOWL

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Chef Gerard Klass and Brittney Alise Klass’s Soul Bowl is beloved for its customizable soul food bowls: Start with bases like creamy mac and cheese or yellow rice, add veggies (think sweet plantains, smoked mushrooms, and candied yams), and finish with meats like barbecue chicken or Cajun salmon. This location is in Graze food hall.

Black Sheep Coal Fired Pizza

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Black Sheep’s coal-fired pizzas are delicately charred and crispy. There’s a broad range of toppings — spicy salami is tempered by mild anise notes in fennel sausage; salty, buttery olives counter bright bites of onion. The bacon and chili pepper pineapple is one of the best. Storm King’s smoky wings are served here too.

North Loop Galley

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The North Loop Galley food hall has been an incubator for a number of buzzy Twin Cities restaurants. Stop by for gooey Detroit-style pizza from Wrecktangle, chicken katsu from Ono Hawaiian Plates, or steaming bowls of tori ramen from Ramen Kawae.

Borough

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Borough is fancy enough for date night, but casual enough for a post-work meal. The patio is ideal for warm evenings, while the dining room, finished with lush fabrics and metal accents, is a cozy respite in the fall and winter. Pair a duck fat shortbread with braised lamb spaghetti, served with preserved ramps. Sneak downstairs for a cocktail and a burger at Parlour Bar after dinner.

Bar La Grassa

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James Beard Award-winning chef Isaac Becker’s sultry Italian restaurant is always packed. Small and large plates here are best shared. While waiting for a table, step into the adjoining Snack Bar for a slice of pizza and a cocktail before heading to Bar La Grassa for plates of red-wine spaghetti and dreamy soft-eggs-and-lobster bruschetta.

A plate of spaghetti carbonara piled in a white dish.
Carbonara from Bar La Grassa.
Earth Girl Creative

112 Eatery

A true warehouse district classic, James Beard Award-winning chef Isaac Becker’s 112 Eatery serves sophisticated but accessible dishes in a cozy bistro setting. It’s an older sister to Becker’s Bar La Grassa and Snack Bar. Try the octopus with avocado puree or the tagliatelle with foie gras, and save room for the famous tres leches cake.

A bavette in a rich red sauce garnished with delicate green vegetables in a white dish.
Bavette from 112 Eatery.
Earth Girl Creative 

Billy Sushi ビリー寿司

At Billy Sushi, the self-described “three ring performance” of the sushi bar, sake bar, and dining room starts with a unique Japanese cocktail menu. Fans of local music will appreciate the monikers — Billy’s Live Bait is a favorite. Specialty rolls (like the Oh Em Gii, a tempura and spicy tuna roll topped with a sheet of 24-karat gold). Billy Sushi is typically quite busy — a reservation is a wise move. Or head to Billy After Dark for a speakeasy experience.

Kado no Mise

Right above Sanjusan are three connected, equally seductive dining experiences: Kado no Mise serves fine Japanese dishes on a omakase prix-fixe tasting menu, while Kaiseki Furukawa features an immersive 10-course seasonal tasting menu at the chef’s counter. Across the dimly lit hall is Gori Gori Peku, an intimate bar serving premium Japanese whisky. 

Four pieces of sushi with white and silver fish over rice sit on a white stone plate.
Sushi from Kado No Mise.
Wing Ta

Sanjusan

Chef Danny del Prado and Shigeyuki Furukawa’s marriage of Japanese and Italian cuisines shines in this sparse dining room on North First Avenue. The menu features vibrant dishes like crimson-hued beef carpaccio, squid ink pappardelle, and a variety of small plates and thin-crust pizza. The cocktail menu is intriguing, but be sure to save room for an after-dinner Japanese whisky upstairs at Gori Gori Peku.

Wooden skewers of juicy marinated chicken beside a red consomé of some sort and small handful of vegetables on a wooden plate.
Sanjusan is the work of chefs Danny del Prado and Shigeyuki Furukawa.
Wing Ta

Porzana

Chef Dani del Prado’s new steakhouse, Porzana, serves an array of Argentinian and classic American cuts (think pincanha and vacio alongside ribeye and flat iron) in the former Bachelor Farmer space. The menu spans from $19 hangers to $290 44-ounce tomahawks, and also includes pastas, snack-like small dishes, vegetable sides, salads, and a seafood cold bar. The Flora Room is Porzana’s adjoining, low-lit cocktail bar.

Spoon and Stable

James Beard Award-winning chef Gavin Kaysen’s urban-chic dining room at Spoon and Stable has a glass-encased, floor-to-ceiling wine “closet” and an open, bustling kitchen. The menu changes often, keeping pace with Midwest seasonality (think cappelletti with butternut squash and tamarind-glazed pork chops). From the dessert menu, try the honey and cream cake, served with beeswax ice cream.

An intricate mille feuille dessert is arranged on top of a pistachio-green sphere-shaped sweet in a white dish.
Strawberry and sorrel mille feuille from Spoon and Stable.
Erin Kincheloe

Maison Margaux

Chef David Fhima’s North Loop restaurant is styled as a traditional French brasserie. On the menu are French onion soup, steak au poivre, and racks of lamb served with Dijon cognac beurre blanc. The basement bar, cloaked in red velvet, serves burgers and lobster deviled eggs. Wine is the focus here, with more than 860 selections in house.

Monte Carlo Restaurant

A throwback to a by-gone era, Monte Carlo has barely changed in decades. Belly up to the glossy polished bar for an ice-cold martini, or settle into the dining room for a plate of Monte Carol wings, which come coated with a carefully guarded secret spice rub. The expansive patio is an ideal spot for a cocktail in fair weather.

Guacaya Bistreaux

Guacaya Bistreaux, a Latin-Caribbean tapas bar and restaurant by chef Pedro Wolcott, serves dishes like tender orange-marinated skirt steak skewers, empanadas, and Louisiana-style house boudin sausage. Grab a seat at the tropical-mod rum bar, or in the warmer months, try a tap cocktail like the Leche de Tigre, made with orange, ginger, and chili.

A plate of egg rolls garnished with green onions.
Cajun firecracker egg rolls.
Guacaya Bistreaux

Union Hmong Kitchen - North Loop

Chef Yia Vang first started Union Hmong Kitchen as a roving pop-up around the Twin Cities — now it has two locations, this one in Graze food hall. The menu highlights at UHK are the zoo siab meals — which means “happy meals” in the Hmong language. They’re made with proteins like chile-glazed pork shoulder and Hmong sausage, all served with purple sticky rice, pickled veggies, and sides like chilled khao sen noodles. Vang’s much-anticipated restaurant, Vinai, is on the horizon.

Sliced meat, purple sticky rice, and veggies on yellow paper.
UHK’s zoo siab meal.
Union Hmong Kitchen.

SOUL BOWL

Chef Gerard Klass and Brittney Alise Klass’s Soul Bowl is beloved for its customizable soul food bowls: Start with bases like creamy mac and cheese or yellow rice, add veggies (think sweet plantains, smoked mushrooms, and candied yams), and finish with meats like barbecue chicken or Cajun salmon. This location is in Graze food hall.

Black Sheep Coal Fired Pizza

Black Sheep’s coal-fired pizzas are delicately charred and crispy. There’s a broad range of toppings — spicy salami is tempered by mild anise notes in fennel sausage; salty, buttery olives counter bright bites of onion. The bacon and chili pepper pineapple is one of the best. Storm King’s smoky wings are served here too.

North Loop Galley

The North Loop Galley food hall has been an incubator for a number of buzzy Twin Cities restaurants. Stop by for gooey Detroit-style pizza from Wrecktangle, chicken katsu from Ono Hawaiian Plates, or steaming bowls of tori ramen from Ramen Kawae.

Borough

Borough is fancy enough for date night, but casual enough for a post-work meal. The patio is ideal for warm evenings, while the dining room, finished with lush fabrics and metal accents, is a cozy respite in the fall and winter. Pair a duck fat shortbread with braised lamb spaghetti, served with preserved ramps. Sneak downstairs for a cocktail and a burger at Parlour Bar after dinner.

Bar La Grassa

James Beard Award-winning chef Isaac Becker’s sultry Italian restaurant is always packed. Small and large plates here are best shared. While waiting for a table, step into the adjoining Snack Bar for a slice of pizza and a cocktail before heading to Bar La Grassa for plates of red-wine spaghetti and dreamy soft-eggs-and-lobster bruschetta.

A plate of spaghetti carbonara piled in a white dish.
Carbonara from Bar La Grassa.
Earth Girl Creative

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