Minneapolis Weekend

Heh. I assume there are going to be a lot of opinions here. It depends on how much you're willing to drive, but I'm going to assume you're willing to get wherever you want to go.

Restaurants: I haven't been to a lot of fancy restaurants, but of those I have, my favorites are Cafe Lurcat and Bar La Grassa (calling Bar La Grassa fancy is a stretch, but it's fantastic). Both of those are very near downtown.

For less fancy restaurants, I'm partial to Blue Door Pub (they have a few locations). Other people will tell you Matt's Bar for a Jucy Lucy, but I like Blue Door more. I've also enjoyed Nelson Cheese & Deli on Snelling and Como in St. Paul. I'm sure there are waaaaay more restaurants people will suggest, but of the restaurants I've been to so far, those are the two I want to take guests to.

As for breweries, there are a lot. Many of them don't serve food, but they'll let you bring your own or there will be food trucks outside.

Surly has some excellent food and they have a lot of beers on tap they don't distribute, but it's almost always a zoo with a long wait to get seating. If you're thinking of going on a Friday or Saturday evening, it probably isn't worth bothering.

Barrel Theory, Dangerous Man, Town Hall, and Fair State are my other favorite breweries, but there are a lot I still haven't made it to yet.

I think my favorite bar is The Happy Gnome in St. Paul. Republic and HopCat both have pretty extensive tap selections as well.

 

You renting a car? What type of beer are you looking for? what type of food do you want? What taproom experience are you looking for? what motel are you staying at?

 

Good questions, even as I'll bet the OP isn't staying at a motel. OP, help us tailor our responses.

Linked is a handy and up-to-date brewery map.

Ranked based on beer alone (although I may comment on the venues) and my personal tastes, the following is my present ranking of the top 10 of the 33 breweries in Minneapolis proper:

1. Surly: Huge space, most popular taproom by far, most beers on tap, serves food
   
2. Sisyphus: Great but rather obscure little brewery just west of downtown that excels in multiple styles but especially hops-forward styles. Reminds me of a very small Toppling Goliath.
   
3. Fair State: Sophisticated and well-made fare. Especially strong in sours and lagers.
   
4. Wild Mind: Creative and great with slow sours
   
5. Dangerous Man: Very popular but small brewery that can hit home runs but also a lot of singles
   
6. Town Hall: A local legend that no longer quite lives up to its reputation but still is well above average on the whole. Serves food.
   
7. Indeed: Solid. Very close to several other breweries, including Able, Bauhaus, and 612 Brew.
   
8. Utepils: Emphasizes classic, continental European styles. Especially great when it comes to weizens. Large and interesting venue.
   
9. Bauhaus: Emphasizes modernized, continental European styles. Large and interesting venue.
   
10. Fulton: Has improved over the years to the point of being a solid performer. Central location near Target Field and several other, lesser breweries like Modist, Inbound, and The Freehouse.

Four of the breweries on my list -- Fair State, Dangerous Man, Indeed, and Bauhaus -- are in a section of town called Northeast (or, to locals, Nordeast) Minneapolis that has about a dozen breweries in total and wouldn't be a bad area to do a taproom crawl.

If you decide to venture into St. Paul, the following is my top 5 of the 16 breweries in St. Paul proper:

1. 12welve Eyes: Versatile and advanced
2. Waldmann: Specializes in German and old-fashioned, German-American styles. Great venue in a restored old saloon. Serves food.
3. Bang: Well-executed, English-influenced organic beer. Unique space in a grain bin.
4. Bad Weather: Solid performer next to Waldmann
5. Summit: The stalwart. Never a trend-setter but has modernized in recent years.

Surly, Bang, and Waldmann, in that order, are my top recommendations to Twin Cities visitors, if only because I think unique venue matters more than great beer when you travel, not that there isn't good beer to be had at all three places.

I can also give you my best of the 'burbs or specifically what's around Minnetonka (in case that's where you're staying); let me know if you're interested.

I'm not a big beer bar guy, especially when I travel, but I consider Republic in Minneapolis, conveniently located across the street from downtown, to be the only remarkable beer bar in town, not that there aren't other good ones.

 

A must night is a stop at Barrel Theory (best brewery in the Twin Cities hands down) and dinner at Saint Dinnette. The Cheeseburger and Lobster Poutine are as good as it gets.

 

Give Fair State a try, across the street is Holyland for food.
http://holylandbrand.com/deli/

Summit and Schells, but you might find there beer on tap at a bar/restaurant. Or get some at a liquor store.
Utepils and Indeed are worth a look.
Venn is ok if your driving by.
Surly of course .

 

Wild Mind is the closest top brewery to your hotel.

For pilsners and other lagers: Fair State, Waldmann, Bauhaus, and Utepils are all highly regarded in this category. Surly is sneakily good at lagers as well. Wild Mind makes a great Pils too that's usually on tap.

I assume sours "in the classic style" means not kettle-soured. Wild Mind may be your best bet here, although often it's sold out of its sours. Fair State makes some very sophisticated sours, although most of them are kettle sours. Surly usually has Pentagram and Misanthrope on tap. Most sours around here are forgettable, insubstantial, fruit-forward Berliner Weisses.

"I also like IPAs, but coming from the NE, this seems a little redundant." I can't even imagine reading that sentence five years ago. I'll let others guide you if you're seeking specifically NEIPAs. Surly, Sisyphus, 12welve Eyes, and Town Hall are strong in non-New-England IPAs (although all have dabbled in the New England offshoot as well). So is Steel Toe in St. Louis Park.

 

Give Waldmann Brewery & Wurstery a try for your authentic Lagers, also have Bad Weather Brewery right beside it and Barrel Theory right up the road.

 

Take the advice @islay is giving to heart. It's spot on.

My two cents: Fair State is a must. They do everything well. Plus, there are a dozen or so good restaurants within a few blocks of them. There is an Ecuadorian place a couple block north of them called Chimborazo that I usually get takeout from to eat at the brewery.

 

For lowbrow breakfast, try Al's Breakfast in Dinkytown. It's a literal hole in the wall.

Everyone else has you covered with suggestions. Enjoy your visit!

 

Can't go wrong with Red Cow for lunch or dinner. Incredible burgers, extensive tap list, and they have multiple locations throughout the cities.

For something nicer for dinner in MPLS--Cafe Alma, Spoon and Stable, Bachelor Farmer, Butcher and the Boar (also great beer list).

 

We expect a report on your findings and beer sampling. But be warned any negative comments will start a war (good it's boring here lately anyhow). Refer to this Thread:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/minneapolis-visit.569005/

 

Low key lunch: Surly Hog Frites. Get them. You kind of have to go to Surly since it is such a destination brewery. Usually some solid things on tap. But those hog frites man. One of the best things around.

 

If you find time on Saturday depending on your location in Minnetonka, check out Unmapped Brewing (south Minnetonka) and or Back Channel Brewing (west Minnetonka, technically Spring Park). Both are less than a year old but they brew good beer and have really nice taprooms.

 

Your hotel is in Richfield, on Lyndale Ave just north of I-494.
For a nearby breakfast plate, look up Hot Plate on Bloomington Ave.
Just east of you on Nicollet Ave is Andale Taqueria, which is great for authentic Mexican food.
A little bit farther east is Club 5-8 on Cedar Ave, which is one of the originators of the "Juicy Lucy" burger.
Head north on Lyndale through Richfield, and you will pass by 'Lyn 65', a very good "farm to table" restaurant. A little farther north and you get to Minneapolis where you can take a right on 61st St and then to Pillsbury Ave, which will get you to the Wild Mind Artisan Ales taproom (some road work being done on adjoining streets).
For very good Vietnamese restaurants, nearby there is 'Cadao Express' on Penn Ave and 'Vina' on Nicollet Ave.
For breweries in Minnetonka, look at 'Unmapped' and 'Back Channel' . The Lake Minnetonka neighborhood is very scenic and upscale. For interesting dining look at the restaurants in downtown Wayzata (expect crowds, especially on the weekends).
For beer bars, other than Republic and Happy Gnome, look to Ansari's in Eagan and Grizzly's in Plymouth. If you get to Grizzly's also look at going to Birch's On The Lake, which has its inhouse brewery, good food, and lake views.

 

If you are going to barrel theory (I agree you should most certainly do this) and you like french, don't miss Meritage!

 

My experience with Surly is that weekday lunch is the time to go. I've always been able to walk right up to the bar, and find open stools. There has always been plenty of room at the tables too.

It was touched on in another post, but eating a jucy lucy should be on your itinerary. It's Minneapolis' culinary gift to the world. It's basically a cheeseburger with the cheese inside the burger. In my opinion, and which the another poster suggested, the Blue Door Pub is the place to go. They do gourmet versions of the lucy, along with serving the classic. It's a rotational offering from them, but their Bangkok lucy stuffed with coconut milk soaked mozzarella, topped with pickled veggies, and served with curry on the side to dip it in is my favorite burger ever.

Matt's Bar (mentioned by the other poster) claims to have created the jucy lucy, and is often recommended for that reason. My feelings are that it's the most overrated dinning establishment in the Twin Cities. Their lucy is a quality, greasy bar burger, but it's basic. Although that isn't my style most of the time it is some of the time, and I can appreciate it. My complaint about Matt's Bar is the service. It's a tourist destination so the wait is long at all hours which I can understand. The fact that they prioritize cooking takeout orders over in house orders is what I can't. Unless things have changed since I was last there two years ago, be prepared to watch multiple (think a dozen or so) takeout orders be placed and cooked between the time your order was taken, and the time you receive it. That said, there are worse places to eat in Minneapolis, but that's a whole other thread.

If there are better, creative style lucys in the cities I'm all ears so bring on the suggestions Minnesota folks.

 

Road Construction Alert: I-35W and I-94 through Minneapolis are both going through major construction so traveling into and around the city from the Richfield/Bloomington area might be tricky if they're closed during your visit. Your hotel being on Lyndale Avenue should help as it's a good entry route into the Uptown neighborhood, and the center of the city.

Highway 62 will also be your friend when traveling to Minnetonka, and perhaps into Minneapolis and St. Paul.