7 restaurant openings or reopenings to watch in the Twin Cities metro area

The most popular sandwich pop-up of the pandemic has found a full-time home. Marty's Deli will open at 400 Lowry Av. NE. in Minneapolis. The restaurant is the work of Martha "Marty" Polacek, who has been popping up around town with her focaccia-based sandwiches since November 2020.

The new shop will remain, like the pop-ups, intentionally small for now, with 15 to 20 seats. There's no opening date yet, but construction updates will be posted regularly to Marty's Deli's Instagram page.

The sandwiches, which have inspired an obsessive following, are built on Polacek's signature focaccia and filled with items like Red Table meats, Peterson Farms roast beef, roasted cauliflower with pickled beets and more. For a taste of what's going to be on the menu, check out Marty's pop-ups this weekend from noon-2 p.m.: Friday at Wyldflyer Coffee (3262 Minnehaha Av. S., Mpls.) and Saturday at Modist Brewing (505 N. 3rd St., Mpls.).

Burnt Chicken is now in residence at First Draft (324 6th Av. N., Mpls.) with a yearlong residency. The popular fried-chicken pop-up gained a following during an extended stay at the former Cook St. Paul location. Once that ended, though, the future seemed uncertain. Until now.

"I feel like I've been praying on this and this is the answer," said chef/owner Bernard Collins.

On the menu: the simply seasoned original fried chicken sandwich; the Burnt Chicken, a crispy thigh dipped in a bourbon glaze and pineapple salsa; and the Twin Cities Hot, which is dipped in chile oil and sprinkled with their Twin Cities Hot seasoning and topped with country slaw. Sundays this summer will bring a brunch option with the Coop DeVille: a breakfast sandwich with scrambled eggs, fried chicken, honey-glazed ham and maple butter spread.

Burnt Chicken will slowly open this weekend with soft hours and then kick into normal hours on May 1 with a grand opening celebration.

The popular California-based salad chain Sweetgreen will open three locations in Minnesota — including one in the former home of Moose & Sadie's in Minneapolis' North Loop (212 3rd Av. N.).

The other locations: the Galleria in Edina, which will be the first to open later this summer, and 733 Grand Av. in St. Paul.

Sweetgreen was started in 2007 in Washington, D.C., by three college students looking for a better way to eat. The salad chain has grown a cult following on the coasts with its grab-and-go — and, in many cases, farm-to-table — menu, which includes an array of warm bowls, salads and sides.

"We've been immersing ourselves in the community — meeting local suppliers, connecting with local businesses, and learning more about the local culture," the company said in the statement. The chain has more than 140 locations.

Speaking of salad, homegrown salad chain Crisp & Green has announced that it will open another eight locations in the state, including several outside the metro area.

Founded in 2016 by Steele Smiley, the fast-casual salad restaurant has built a reputation on serving healthful, scratch-made fare, from salads and grain bowls to smoothies and sweets. The chain has been in growth mode: In addition to its new Minnesota locations (Duluth, St. Cloud, Brainerd, Mankato and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport are among the locations announced), Crisp & Green will have its footprint in 15 states.

Steele also started the vegan burger chain Stalk & Spade, and has announced intentions to open a third chain, Paco & Lime.

After an April 2 fire temporarily shut down Broder's Cucina (2308 W. 50th St., Mpls.), the popular Italian eatery expects to reopen within the week. There were no injuries from the fire, which started in the hood of the pizza oven, but the pizza oven was destroyed.

"Sadly, the pizza will be down indefinitely," said Charlie Broder, executive director of the family-run Broder restaurant group. "We've been so happy that folks have been visiting the Pasta Bar and Terzo as an extra way to support our team; it's been really heartening."

Broder's Pasta Bar and Terzo are located near the same intersection and have reportedly seen an uptick in business as fans have turned out to support the restaurant group's recovery from the blaze.

Kalsada, the modern Filipino eatery taking over the former Augustine's location (1668 Selby Av., St. Paul, kalsada-stpaul.com), will open April 28 with a menu that includes breakfast options like chori rice, ube cakes (vibrantly colored from purple yams), omelets and crêpes like the ones made famous by sister restaurant Cafe Astoria. Lunch brings the lumpia, crispy little fried stuffed rolls with ground meat and veggies. Plus there will be sandwiches, burgers and more. The restaurant will also serve Cafe Astoria's stellar coffee program.

In case you missed it, Hot Indian, the fast and flavorful restaurant that started as a food truck, has left Midtown Global Market after nearly eight years. The brand will also be flipping its Mall of America stand into a new concept called Bussin' Birria, which will allow owner Amol Dixit and chef Janene Holig a chance to expand creatively.

But that doesn't mean Hot Indian is going away. Twins fans can grab some Indian spice at Target Field this season, and Hot Indian will return to the State Fair, where it opened a booth last year. No word yet on when the Minneapolis skyway location will reopen.

A deal, any way you slice it: If you lunch anywhere near a Red's Savoy Pizza, you might want to take advantage of its new Jumbo Slice Pass. Get a free jumbo slice of the Sota-style pizza (thin crust, square slices, plenty of cheese) daily from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The one catch: you need to download the Savoy Pizza app to join. Find all the details at savoypizza.com/jumboslicepass. Cost is $19.65 per month, a nod to the year the company, which is about to hit 20 metro-area locations, was founded.

Buzz Cut event benefits N/A bottle shop: Further proof that the nonalcoholic drink movement is gaining momentum: Proxy Bar is back. The group, which throws N/A beverage events, will hold a 21-plus pop-up on April 16 inside the future home of Marigold (3506 Nicollet Av. S., Mpls.), a nonalcoholic bottle shop set to open next to Honeycomb Salon in Minneapolis. Also pouring the spirit-free goods will be 3Leches and DryWit. Plus, there will be a selection of local N/A beer and ciders. Tickets are $25.