Ever since the downtown Minneapolis Barnes & Noble anchoring RSM Plaza closed in April 2017, the prime corner at 8th St. and Nicollet Mall has remained vacant.
Steakhouse moving into former Barnes & Noble in downtown Minneapolis
The Denver-based 801 Chophouse will open next fall.
October 2, 2018 at 5:38PM
That will change next fall when 801 Chophouse takes over the storefront. The 11,180 square-foot-space will become the seventh location in the Midwest for the Denver-based chain, and the company's largest, said co-owner Jamie Lynch.
"It's a New-York-style steakhouse that we believe will stand the test of time, and we feel like this type of venue is underserved in the Minneapolis marketplace," Lynch said. "There are a lot of one-offs, very interesting restaurants in the Minneapolis area. We are a commercial New-York-style steakhouse and have had a successful track record."
The site's proximity to the IDS Center and other office buildings and sporting venues is an advantage, Lynch said.
"I think that Minneapolis is really a blue chip city," said Lynch, who lived in Minneapolis for more than a decade, but currently calls Denver home.
"It's got sort of a dense, consistent, executive activity sort of reputation so you got a lot of executive entertainment occurring," he said.
"You have a lot of terrific visitation from the surrounding areas. There's a tremendous footprint of hotels in the area."
Lefse-wrapped Swedish wontons, a soothing bowl of rice porridge and a gravy-laden commercial filled our week with comfort and warmth.
