3 Christmas dining-out (and drinking) ideas in Minneapolis

Dining out for the holidays? Here are three spots to consider.

December 7, 2019 at 1:39PM
Cafe Lurcat's bar area.
Cafe Lurcat's bar area. (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Still working on your plans for the holidays? Here are three local spots to keep in mind if you're considering dining out.

Cafe Lurcat and Bar Lurcat

Christmas Eve: Loring Park's festive holiday lights provide a suitable backdrop for this roomy and hospitable D'Amico and Partners operation, which takes comfort food to newfound heights. The apple-cheese-chive salad, miso-glazed sea bass and pot roast are all Hall of Fame contenders. Dessert? The cinnamon-and-sugar-crusted mini doughnuts, of course.

1624 Harmon Place, Mpls., 612-486-5500, lurcatminneapolis.com

Monte Carlo

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day: This Minneapolis classic — home to one of the city's best-looking bars — cooks up to 11:45 p.m. Don't miss the Charlie's Kitchen Steak Sandwich, an affectionate homage to another classic, the former Charlie's Cafe Exceptionale.

219 3rd Av. N., Mpls., 612-333-5900, montecarlomn.com

Tullibee

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day: Celebrate Christmas Eve in the Hewing Hotel's handsome first-floor restaurant with the kitchen's regular menu. On Christmas, chef Nyle Flynn is preparing an eight-course, family-style feast — parsnip-chestnut soup, pork sausage with housemade lefse, slow-roasted lamb shoulder — for $75, with a $15 optional wine pairing.

300 Washington Av. N., Mpls., 651-468-0600, hewinghotel.com

The copper-topped bar at the Monte Carlo.
The copper-topped bar at the Monte Carlo. (Marci Schmitt/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
The bar in the Hewing Hotel in Minneapolis.
The bar in the Hewing Hotel in Minneapolis. (Marci Schmitt — Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
about the writer

about the writer

Rick Nelson

Reporter

Rick Nelson joined the staff of the Star Tribune in 1998. He is a Twin Cities native, a University of Minnesota graduate and a James Beard Award winner. 

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