Nine Twin Cities restaurant openings to watch in 2023
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The menu at Slurp, a new pop-up by Union Hmong Kitchen. Photo courtesy of Union Hmong Kitchen
2023 is shaping up to be a big year for restaurant openings as some of the Twin Cities' top chefs bring life back to beloved hangouts that we lost during the pandemic.
Here are some 2023 openings to watch:
⛩️ Pacifica of Burnsville: The developers behind Eden Prairie’s popular Asia Mall are converting a vacant Burnsville Center anchor into an international food hall and Asian grocery store. Work is expected to begin early 2023.
🇱🇦Unnamed Ahmed restaurant: Khâluna chef Ann Ahmed is closing her Brooklyn Park restaurant Lemon Grass in March, but plans to open a new concept in 2023 across from Loring Park in Minneapolis.
🥩 Unnamed del Prado restaurants: After debuting four restaurants in 2022, chef Daniel del Prado shows no signs of stopping. He's opening a new Argentinian-inspired steakhouse in North Loop’s former Bachelor Farmer space.
- Basement speakeasy Marvel Bar will also be redeveloped into a “lively cocktail bar.” Both are set to open summer 2023.
🍜 Vinai: It’s been more than two years since chef Yia Vang announced his plans for a full-service Hmong restaurant, and 2023 might be the year it materializes. Vang is securing the last of the funding needed for a permanent location.
- Until then, his restaurant Union Hmong Kitchen is opening various pop-ups in Uptown, including noodle shop Slurp on Jan. 4.
🎉Spring Break: Brian and Sarah Ingram are well-versed in opening restaurants with unique atmospheres. Their upcoming St. Paul project is a “nostalgia-fueled” ode to the '80s and '90s, expected to open in April.
🕹️Litt Pinball: Popular pinball bar Tilt is moving into the now-shuttered dive bar Liquor Lyle’s and changing its name to Litt. Construction is already underway.
😋 Eat Street Crossing: The folks behind Bebe Zito and Zen Box Izakaya are opening a new food hall on Nicollet Avenue. Details are limited, but expect a ramen restaurant, Bebe Zito outpost and full bar next year.
🍳Dahlia: Three alumni of fine dining restaurant Travail are bringing high-end hospitality to a daytime café. The full-service restaurant will only serve breakfast and lunch, plus a wide variety of pastries.
- The team is running occasional pop-ups now with hopes of a permanent space in 2023.
🍸 Du Nord cocktail room: The folks behind the nation’s first Black-owned distillery are opening a “spiritual successor” to its original cocktail room, which permanently closed in 2020.
- It’s set to debut in the renovated Coliseum building on East Lake Street just a few blocks from the distillery.
Go deeper: There are plenty of buzzy new restaurants open now. Bookmark our Best of 2022 Restaurants list.