New restaurant and 'eatertainery' planned for old hardware building in North Loop

The two establishments – NOLO's Kitchen and Bar and Basement Bar – are expected to debut in September.

April 21, 2017 at 7:57PM
NOLO's Kitchen. (Tom Horgen/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Minneapolis' North Loop is getting another restaurant and another bar – the latest in a continued surge of restaurateurs taking interest in populating the fast-growing neighborhood.

NOLO's Kitchen and Bar and Basement Bar are expected to open in the historic Gardner Hardware Building at 515 Washington Av. N. this fall. (Gardner occupied the building for 60 years before closing in September.)

The restaurant, located on the ground floor, will serve breakfast/lunch/dinner, seven days a week and focus on "comfort food" and a "casual environment," according to a release.

Look for dishes like omelets, chicken and waffles and breakfast burritos to be served in the morning, and sandwiches, flatbreads, salads and larger entrees such as ribeyes and pork chops to be served at lunch and dinner.

The basement bar, meanwhile, will follow the "eatertainery" trend that has become popular in Minneapolis and elsewhere recently. A "food truck"-style menu – tacos, burgers, hot dogs and soft serve, among other things – will be complemented by games including shuffleboard and bubble hockey and plenty of sports-geared TVs.

The ownership group, which anticipates September debuts for the concepts, consists of Marty Collins, who also owns McCoy's Public House in St. Louis Park as well as other restaurants in Kansas City, and Brett Johnson, who owns The Hilltop Restaurant in Edina. Chef Peter Hoff, also a native Minnesotan, most recently cooked in California.

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Amelia Rayno

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