48 Hours in Minneapolis-Saint Paul
I'm embarrassed I slept on the Twin Cities for so long—the food is phenomenal and there's so much to do, including museums, outdoor adventures and shopping.
Minnesota was but a mere “meh” in my head until this year and I’m so embarrassed about that. I don’t think I could’ve even pointed it out on a map (again, I’m embarrassed). My brother and his family moved there in March, though, so I started doing my research and honestly when I visited I was blown away. Silly me. His neighborhood in Saint Paul is like a mini Brooklyn (coffee shops, thrift stores, walkable blocks with tattoo shops and cute little cafes) and Minneapolis is a hop and a skip away.
There’s so much more culture here than I expected—apparently Minnesota is a sanctuary state for immigrants and it seems it will be (with limited resources and clinics) a safe haven for people needing abortions, as well. It’s a big music history city, too—Prince and Bob Dylan are all from Minnesota, after all (and Lizzo started her career here). If it weren’t winter for a lot of the year, I might even think of calling it home. But for now, I’ll just visit as much and as often as possible.
Fun fact: Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) was named the most efficient North American airport in its class. MSP is one of only 12 airports globally, and one of four in North America, to receive the award in 2021. It makes the fourth time in five years that MSP receives this recognition; the airport serves between 24 and 40 million passengers (which sounds insane, but I actually have no idea how many people come through any airport in a given year).
Food & Drinks
I found the dining scene here to be really exciting and surprisingly diverse. And lately, Twin Cities have been in the news for their restaurants quite often.
During my first trip to Minneapolis-Saint Paul I was able to get a dinner reservation at Petite Leon, a Mexican-inspired restaurant heavy on the Spanish and overall global elements. From award-winning Chef Jorge Guzman, Petite Leon in the Kingfield neighborhood uses all sustainable, local ingredients. Highlights of the menu include the piquillo peppers, elite salad, birria and Basque-style cheesecake. Cocktails are fantastic and separated into three categories on the menu: The Hits (your classic margarita, negroni, Manhattan, etc.), The Deep Cuts (all the cool, fancy, more complex cocktails), and Feel Good Drinks (which seem to be zero proof, or non-alcoholic). Petite Leon was just mentioned as one of the 50 best restaurants in America on this NYTimes list.
I haven’t been to Owamni yet, but I’M DYING TO GO. James Beard Foundation named Owamni not one of, but THE BEST new restaurant in the US. Oglala Sioux Chef Sean Sherman opened the Indigenous American restaurant in the summer of 2021 and uses all pre-colonial ingredients in his dishes. What does this mean? No wheat flour, cane sugar, dairy, beef, pork, or chicken is on the menu. Instead, you’ll find cedar braised bison, grilled forest mushrooms, nixtamalized native corn tacos, duck sausage and maple chaga cake. Everything is gluten-free. Good luck snagging a reservation; I tried and there were just three slots open (lunchtime) on one day, in a 60-day period. I’ll keep checking, though.
One more restaurant I haven’t yet been to, but wanted to share because it was just featured on Chef’s Table: Pizza on Netflix! Pizzeria Lola in Minneapolis is the restaurant of James Beard award-winning Chef Ann Kim and has been open for over a decade. A Korean immigrant and former actress, Ann also owns Hello Pizza and Young Joni with her husband and business partner. It’s important to note that Ann became the first woman and first person of color in Minneapolis to receive the James Beard Award for “Best Chef Midwest." Her story on Chef’s Table made me cry (this has happened to me with Season 1/Episode 1 and Season 6/Episode 1 only—you should watch BOTH if for some reason you haven’t). When I make it to Pizzeria Lola, these pizzas are on my radar: the Perfect Pickle Pie (fermented pickles, mozzarella, fontina, smoked onions, chili, ranch dressing, old dutch potato chips, dill), Lady Zaza (italian red sauce, kimchi (contains shrimp paste), korean sausage, serrano, scallion, sesame, soy chili glaze) and the Korean BBQ pizza (beef short ribs, mozzarella, scallion, arugula, sesame, soy chili vinaigrette). All pizzas are available with a gluten-free crust for an extra cost. The cocktails, kimchi marinated olives and house-made soft serve look incredible, too.
A few other restaurants, coffee shops, etc. that I loved in MSP:
Alma Cafe, Northeast Tea House, La Boulangerie Marguerite, Momo Dosa, Malcolm Yards Market, Misfit Coffee, and Los Primos Authentic Mexican Food.
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Where to Stay
My brother and I stayed at The Marquette Hotel (a Curio Collection by Hilton) in downtown Minneapolis for a couple nights before he was officially moved into his place. I like the vibe here and the location although it was a bit of a ghost town in the dead of winter. Room service wasn’t available at the time, but I grabbed a bottle of wine at check-in and stopped by Marquette Lounge (the lobby bar, which offers a daily happy hour) and asked them to open it for me. We also ordered pizza delivery, which was perfect after hours of driving. The double rooms here are super spacious with big windows looking out to the city and a desk where I worked comfortably during our stay.
Another downtown Minneapolis hotel on my radar lately is the historic Rand Tower Hotel. Paying homage to Rufus Rand (an industrialist and aviator who commissioned the building), The Rand opened in 2020 in a recently restored 1920’s Art Deco building and is home to the French bistro-inspired Bar Rufus, helmed by Chef Daniel del Prado. Two more dining concepts are expected to open on the property soon: Miaou Miaou (a cocktail bar) and Blondette (a garden dining room on the hotel’s fifth floor).
Things to Do
For fun cultural stuff with or without kids, there are plenty of cool museums like the Bell Museum (natural history and planetarium) and the Frank Gehry-designed Weisman Art Museum at the University of Minnesota along The Mississippi River.
Take a little stroll by the Malcolm Willey House—a Frank Lloyd Wright home that is now privately owned—unless there’s a tour or open-house event, in which case you might be able to get a peak of the inside. Built in 1938, this Prospect Park home is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is one of 13 Frank Lloyd Wright homes in Minnesota.
I’m not really a zoo gal, but enjoyed the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory. Don’t miss the Bonsai collection honoring Japanese art. The greenhouse is a favorite, too.
A few more pics from my Twin Cities trips below:
