Scoop: Wisconsin-style supper club coming to Minneapolis

The former Pepito's restaurant next to Parkway Theater in South Minneapolis will become a Wisconsin-style supper club.

Driving the news: Ward Johnson and Eddie Landenberger — who own both the restaurant building and the theater at 48th and Chicago — are in the process of renovating the restaurant, which briefly was home to El Burrito Mercado after Pepito’s closed.

• Their third partner on the project is Wisconsin native Eli Wollenzien, a supper club fan who's also the owner/chef of Red Sauce Rebellion and Coalition in Excelsior. (Coalition also has a spot at 50th and France.)

What to expect: The restaurant, to be named The Creekside Supper & Lounge, will serve up all of the supper club classics. Think prime rib, steak, fish frys and a pickled relish tray before the main meal.

• And yes, of course there will be Old Fashioneds, Manhattans and other cocktails.
• "It's going to be the most comfortable, down-to-earth and in many ways, simple menu ... not trying to be super complex, just trying to do very basic things but do them really well," Johnson told Axios.

What else: The interior is being designed by Anna Lundberg, who also designed the Parkway Theater renovation after Johnson and Landenberger bought it in 2018.

• "We're kind of trying to recreate that small town feel, almost like a restaurant that's been there for a long time and it feels familiar and it feels comfortable," Johnson said.

Timeline: Johnson expects a soft opening in late November.