That’s right, it’s time to talk 2022 best new restaurant buzz!
Photos from Spring 2022 visit to Khâluna
As real estate agents, we LOVE REAL ESTATE and helping you with all your home needs. But guess what? We’re also big foodies and can really appreciate a chic new restaurant bringing some added flare and excitement into our communities. After all, you realistically won’t be staying home for every single meal, even if you do have the dreamiest of kitchens! Believe it or not, we’re telling you to get out of your lovely homes and see what the 2022 best new restaurant buzz is all about! Not only is it about the delicious cuisine, but it’s also just as much about the entire experience. It’s about getting out and trying something new, checking out that hum that’s going around while making memories with family, friends, coworkers, etc. BTW, if you haven’t already checked out our blog about the best Juicy Lucy spots around the metro, you definitely should. Every Minnesotan can appreciate a Juicy Lucy in their life!
Photos from Spring 2022 visit to Khâluna
We all know that the restaurant industry took a hard hit during Covid with a handful of our favorite places sadly having to call it quits. However, it’s not all bad news. Once things began to open back up, many restaurants were able to regain their footing and, for those that closed their doors for good, we’ve seen just as many open theirs for the very first time. Furthermore, it seems that many of these new places have quite the inventive concepts from the food and drinks they are serving, to the general environment their space is providing. Following the peak of Covid, people have been more than eager to get back at it when it comes to the dining experience and the new restaurants blossoming around the Twin Cities are taking full advantage of that in the best, most intriguing ways. Are you ready to hear about the4 spots that make up much of the 2022 best new restaurant buzz?
Photos from Spring 2022 visit to Khâluna
Well, thanks to this MSP Magazine article, we’ve discovered many of the newest restaurants with the most hype that have opened just this year or that are anticipated to open before the end of 2022. Also, make sure you are following us on both Facebook and Instagram @RealEstateNationTeam and STAY TUNED! We will be doing a restaurant gift card giveaway for a new spot on the West side of the river, as well as the East! It’s your perfect opportunity to get a jump start in checking out some of the 2022 best new restaurant buzz spots!
Photos from Spring 2022 visit to Khâluna
2022 Best New Restaurant Buzz Rundown
Macanda
Downtown Wayzata
Opening their doors just a couple weeks ago in the space that was previously Wayzata Brew Works, Macanda is an “eclectic mix of global flavors in a traditional Mexican structure” according to co-owner Danny del Prado who opened both Macanda and the Italian restaurant, Josefina, with Aaron Switz. (You must also check out Josefina located in downtown Wayzata as well!) Additionally, Macanda features a hip HiFi record bar called Macanda’s HiFi “inspired by the Japanese listening bars institution dating back to the 1920s.” We have yet to visit this one but it’s certainly at the top of our 2022 best new restaurant buzz list, especially since it’s just down the road from our Real Estate Nation Team HQ office! Based on their Instagram and website, the aesthetic of the space and the patio could not look chicer and trendier. Oh, and the food, plus cocktails, look pretty stellar as well!
Khâluna
South Minneapolis
This one isn’t quite as new but still new enough in our eyes and, after a visit this Spring, worth checking out! Khâluna is a Laotian restaurant by @chefannahmed featuring an atmosphere that displays a natural, luxury resort-type feel. The menu is filled with colorful Laotian cuisine bursting with flavor. Chef Anne’s goal is to “have a little something for everyone in the neighborhood” and has started with the intent of connecting Minneapolis and the regions of Southeast Asia. She is also the owner of Lat14 Asian Eatery in Golden Valley which we highly suggest you check out as well!
Guacaya Bistreaux
North Loop | Minneapolis
The new Latin Caribbean tapas restaurant and bar featuring “New Orleans creole and Cajun influences” called Guacaya Bistreaux opened up this past March 2022 in the space previously home to Dunn Brothers Coffee and Lolé Clothing before Covid hit. Co-owner Pedro Wolcott has stated that he thinks his Latin Caribbean restaurant is a perfect fit for the North Loop since there really isn’t anything else like it in the area. He’s excited to “bring something different, something colorful, something vibrant” to the neighborhood. Tapas galore, comin’ right up!
The Apostle Supper Club
Duluth & St. Paul
Now here’s a fun concept – a 1960’s Palm Springs inspired Supper Club, Piano Bar and tiki bar – need we say more?! Founded by Brian and Sarah Ingram of the Purpose Restaurants Family, the Duluth Apostle Supper Club located at the Radisson Hotel Duluth is open for business. However, the St. Paul Supper Club and False Eye Doll Voodoo Tiki Bar is scheduled to hopefully open yet this Summer across the street from the Xcel Energy Center. According to the Development Tracker, the new space in St. Paul will have indoor seating for up to 400 people and a 1-acre outdoor patio plus entertainment area that will be able to hold up to 1,000 people! The menu will encompass supper club staples as well as classic supper club experiences such as a fondue cart. The tiki bar is set to have a sprawling menu of fruity drinks along with an extensive assortment of rum.
Mara Restaurant & Bar | Socca Café
Four Seasons Hotel | Downtown Minneapolis
Chef Gavin Kaysen, two-time James Beard Award-winner, has opened up a Mediterranean “immersive and every-occasion restaurant and bar” called Mara along with Socca Café “a street-front café for nourishing grab-and-go meals” both at the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Minneapolis. Opening just last month in June, Kaysen’s inspiration came from his time spent around the Mediterranean Sea during visits to Southern France while living in Switzerland. Featured in the Four Seasons Press Room, Mara is beautifully designed with airy aesthetic of both pops of bold accent colors and textures, creating an experience that is described as “perfectly encapsulating the land, sea and craftsmanship of the dynamic region.” The menu itself is “shareable, craveable, and light, exploring the flavours and techniques of 22 countries including southern France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and beyond.”
Mario’s
St. Paul near Merriam Park
This one’s more casual but just as exciting none the less! Owners of the successful Southern European restaurant called Estelle in St. Paul, Jason Hansen and Peter Sebastian, opened Mario’s this Spring which, according to their Instagram account, is a “70’s inspired pizzeria with Sicilian style pan pizza, east coast style hero sandwiches, and zeppole donuts.” Checking out their Instagram is seriously proof enough that you need to try this place – the pizza and sandwiches could not look more mouthwatering! And if that isn’t enough to convince you, the kitchen is ran by chef Evan Vranian of Surly, Sooki & Mimi, Tilia, and Spoon and Stable according to the Twin Cities Pioneer Press – now that’s some impressive talent in the kitchen! Mario’s is another example of a new restaurant emerging from the ashes of a previous one as it took the space of former Tillie’s Farmhouse.
The Butcher’s Tale
Minneapolis
Kaskaid Hospitality has reopened the former Butcher & The Boar with a new spin on it, now called The Butcher’s Tale. The updated space has crafted savory new menu items, as well as locally sourced daily specials and the finest spirits available. Oh, and don’t worry, the beer garden is still there along with all the artisanal meats you could imagine.
Vinai
Northeast
Still tbd on when it will finally open, Jame’s Beard – nominated chef Yia Vang’s full-service Hmong restaurant will hopefully open it’s door yet this year. According to the Viani website, it is “Coming soon, a new restaurant honoring the past, present, and future of Hmong cooking.” Until the actual restaurant opens, you can book a Vinai gathering which accommodates catering for various types of events. Additionally, for now, you can find Viani at Steady Pour in Minneapolis where it currently has a residency. According to the Mpls St. Paul Magazine, “This summer, on weekends through August, dinners will offer five course meals of Vinai menu items paired with beverages selected by Steady Pour’s Jeff Seidenstricker.”
Wrecktangle Pizza
Lyn-Lake | Minneapolis
In April of this year, the North Loop food hall favorite featuring Detroit-style pizza, Wrecktangle Pizza, officially opened their first permanent brick and mortar in the Lyn-Lake neighborhood. The menu offers “a range of six-slice, rectangular pies” with fun names like “Sotalicioius”, “Shredder,” and “Betty White.” Classic pizzas aren’t forgotten either and you can be sure to find a nice selection of starters and salads as well.
Moulin Rouge-Inspired Restaurant & Speakeasy
Ribnick Furs Building | Minneapolis
The Fhima family, owners of Fhima’s in downtown Minneapolis, bought out the space in the historic building previously home to Ribnick Luxury Outerwear for decades. According to the North Loop Neighborhood Association, the Fhima’s will be transforming the space into a “Moulin Rouge-inspired restaurant along with a speakeasy and event center.” The big news was announced back in December of 2021 with no confirmed date as to when it will officially open. The restaurant will “offer the same eccentric aesthetic as the infamous Moulin Rouge in France, with an authentic speakeasy bar, a brasserie ambiance in the main dining room, and an all-American (à la Ralph Lauren) event center on the third floor.”
Arts and Rec at Seven Points
Uptown | Minneapolis
According to the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, Seven Points in Uptown will be home to Arts and Rec’s “new experiential concept and restaurant, featuring a mini-golf course and rooftop sculpture garden” at some point this year, although, not much more than that is known to the public yet from what we could find.
Wineside
Minnetonka
Formerly home to Champps near the Ridgedale Mall in Minnetonka, Top Ten Liquors will be opening Wineside, a liquor store/restaurant/wine bar/specialty grocery store. Chef J.D. Fratzke, will be crafting a menu of sharable dishes to compliment the wine bar’s 100 wines by the glass. According to the Twin Cities Pioneer Press, Wineside is scheduled to open up this coming Fall 2022 and as said by Fratzke, the goal is for the “experience to not only exist at Wineside, but to be recreated at home, which will be possible with our new boutique grocery store.”
Of course, this list is not exhaustive of the up and coming places making up the 2022 best new restaurant buzz but they are definitely ones that are on our radar to try ASAP!