Restaurant roundup: Beast Barbecue closes, Duck Duck Coffee expands

Duck Duck Coffee is expanding to East Lake Street, Longfellow Whatever reports. Ducks on Lake will open in the former Milkweed space as soon as next month.

• In more coffee news, Eden Prairie's Smith Coffee & Cafe is adding a new location at 50th & France this fall, owners told the Minnesota Star Tribune.
• And Arya Cafe, the Ethiopian coffee shop on Minnehaha Avenue in Minneapolis, has reopened after a three-month closure, per its social media.

🇫🇷 Restaurant Aubergine, the neighborhood French bistro by Gavin Kaysen alums, opens Friday in Cathedral Hill. As of Thursday afternoon, a few reservations were still available.

🍗 Beast Barbecue in Northeast Minneapolis will permanently close on May 2 after seven years in operation, it announced this week.

• No reason was given for the closure, but the building was on the market in 2024.

🇵🇱 Black Duck Spirits & Hearth has rebranded as a "wood-fired Polish bistro" with 16 new Slavic-inspired menu items, per a release.

• Meanwhile, Brian Ingram's North Loop pasta spot Salt & Flour Kitchen will relaunch May 4 with "nothing over $15," Ingram announced on Instagram.

🍻 Four Minnesota breweries, including Northbound Smokehouse & Brewpub and Forgotten Star Brewing Co., took home medals at the 2026 World Beer Cup. Full list of winners