3 new hotspots to look forward to in downtown Minneapolis

The new bakery project from David and Eli Fhima will open Jan. 25 on the first floor of the Capella Tower (225 S. 6th St.) in downtown Minneapolis. Taking the place of the former Peace Coffee, Mother Dough will serve espresso drinks, tea — including Moroccan mint tea — pastries and a breakfast sandwich as well as a few lunch selections like burrata and tomatoes with a fresh baguette and olive-oil drizzle, a prosciutto and butter sandwich and a $19 butter burger. Hours are 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Tue.-Thu.

It's going to be a busy year for the Fhimas, who will have a second Mother Dough outpost on the skyway level — also a former Peace Coffee — opening in March. The father-and-son duo have also announced plans to open a restaurant, speakeasy and event center in the former Ribnick Furs site in Minneapolis.

In other downtown news, Ties Lounge and Rooftop (921 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., tieslounge.com) is taking over the former Rojo space on Nicollet Mall, billing itself as "the only Minneapolis venue that 'Ties' local restaurants, bars and nightlife vibes all under one roof."

The diverse, young leadership team says they are committed to pulling together community and creating a downtown scene to rival those in Miami or other big cities. The food menu will utilize local vendors, including Twin Cities chef Josh Hedquist's Joey Meatballs.

Social media posts teased a February opening, but no date has been announced. Ties is actively hiring staff now.

Billy After Dark will be the new bar beneath Billy Tserenbat's eponymous sushi restaurant (116 1st Av. N., Mpls., billysushi.net) in the North Loop. Expected to open this summer, the bar will have a separate back entrance that leads down to the (possibly haunted) basement. Construction has just begun.

The cocktail menu will focus on modern drinks, and Tserenbat is working on a proprietary sake and another spirit from a local distillery.

Tserenbat's restaurant journey began when he launched Sushi Fix, a food truck serving Edo-style sushi on the streets of Minneapolis. That led to a strip mall restaurant in Wayzata, which he later sold. Billy Sushi first opened in the midst of the pandemic.