Minneapolis definitely punches above its weight (especially when you add in St. Paul). Here are some of my faves in various categories:
Non-fancy eats:
- Wrecktangle Pizza (best pizza in mpls imo)
- Francis Burger Joint (bomb plant-based food)
- Nicos tacos (solid drinks and Mexican food)
- Boludo (good Argentinian-style pizza)
- French Meadow (great large and reliable selection of reasonably priced food and one of the first organic restaurants from back in the day)
More expensive eats (might be hard to get into these without a reservation, but if you go on the earlier side you can usually get in):
- Oro (delicious high-end mexican)
- Young Joni (fun pizzas and a speakeasy in the back)
- Gai Noi (high end Laotian)
- Sanjusan (Japanese Italian fusion with good cocktails)
- Owamni (native food that will make you stop and think about alternative realities devoid of colonization)
- Guacaya (tapas style latin food that's delicious and good cocktails)
Divey bars:
- Meteor (more trendy dive)
- Dutch bar (more trendy dive)
- Anywhere in the northeast for old and legit dive bars
Cocktails:
- Elusive (good cocktails and usually not very crowded)
- Billy After Dark (trendy basement bar where you order purely on mood/vibes)
- Back bar at young joni (chill classic speakeasy vibes)
- Bronto Bar (more packed but fun)
- Flora Room (trendy and expensive)
- Berlin (have live music and is a new, trendy, and fun spot)
Bakeries:
- Black Walnut (delicious pastries, and only place I know that has a chocolate banana croissant)
- Savory Bakehouse (only open friday - sunday, great treats that change by the week, but get there early because they sell out)
- Patisserie 46 (huge and reliable selection)
- Edwards Dessert Kitchen (open late and also has cocktails)
Coffee:
- Dogwood (specialty, third wave, delicious)
- Mojo (wooden, cluttered with vibes)
- Duck Duck Go (good community and comedy on sundays)
Activities:
- Walking around on Nicollet Island and Boom Island Park, you can also cross and walk along the Mississippi on the downtown side and can then walk to pryes brewery
- The lakes
- Tons of bookstores (personal favorites are bookhouse in dinkeytown, eat my words, and uncle hugos)
- Breweries and cideries galore
- art studios in northeast
- Art Museums (Weisman is free and associated with the university)
Weekend pop ups:
- Dahlia (delicious brunch and pastries)
- Mogi (great bagels)