Award-winning roaster will open coffee shop in south Minneapolis this summer

Silverbird Roasting Co. will open at 4237 Nicollet Av. S. in Minneapolis' Kingfield neighborhood this summer. Billed as coffee and more, the shop will be the realization of a dream for Caitlin and Tony Querio. The spot in the former Kruse Markit bistro, coffee and wine bar will be the first brick and mortar for the roastery, which has been supplying coffee to shops around the cities and nationally since 2020.

Coffee is a passion for Tony, who spent years working in the industry, and won the U.S. Coffee Roasting Championship before branching out on his own with Silverbird and Acorn Coffee Club, a subscription service for bean enthusiasts.

Caitlin, an experienced project manager, will handle front-of-house operations while Tony will get to unleash his know-how in the beverage space. “Our emphasis is going to be excellence in coffee quality and service in a comfortable and welcoming space,“ Tony said. ”We have a few unique ideas in the works, but we’re waiting until a little closer to open to reveal them.”

In addition to beverages and coffee, look for a pastry case stocked with treats from local vendors. Before rolling out the welcome mat, they’re retooling the interior a bit and working on getting that back patio ready for the warm season. Follow their progress on Instagram @silverbirdcoffee.

It looks like the defunct Rock Bottom Brewery space in downtown Minneapolis could become a food hall. The Mpls./St. Paul Business Journal reports that key players from the Market at Malcolm Yards and LaSalle Plaza owners Hempel Real Estate will convert the expansive 30,000-square-foot space into a food hall.

With that much room, the concept could include restaurant stalls, two full bar areas, a self-serve beer wall like the one at Malcolm Yards, event space, kids' play area and possibly pickleball courts. Plus, management is up for enticing guests with deeply discounted parking, steps away from downtown theaters and concert venues.

The business partners are not new to the food hall world. Hempel Real Estate also operates Milwaukee’s 3rd St. Market Hall. This is the second new food hall project that the Market at Malcolm Yards owners Patty and John Wall are working on. They also plan to open one in St. Louis Park, with a location yet to be announced.

If all goes as planned, the downtown Minneapolis project could open in 2026.

As Herbie Butcher’s Fried Chicken gets ready to bid adieu to its south Minneapolis location on Sunday (March 30), another restaurant is waiting in the wings to take over the space. Hippo Pockets, the pop-up concept from Centro, the locally run taqueria with four area locations, will take over the spot on 48th Street near Chicago Avenue.

Hippo Pockets’ stuffed tortilla wraps including the Original (taco seasoned ground beef, lettuce, tomato and nacho cheese with a tostada wrapped inside a flour tortilla), Cubano, chicken bacon and falafel concoctions and more could be available for orders at the new location in June if all goes as planned.

“We’ve seen success with the brand through running it as a ghost kitchen these last couple of years as well as doing pop-ups around the metro area. We were looking for a small footprint with a kitchen and this dense neighborhood location seemed to be just the right fit for us,” owner Jami Olson said. “We’re looking forward to becoming more accessible for the community.”

Meanwhile, fans of Herbie Butcher’s Fried Chicken can still find the brand’s vegan fried chicken around town. According to an Instagram post from Herbie’s, they continue to supply to wholesalers and the chicken strips (along with their biscuits) can still be found at J. Selby’s plant-based eatery in St. Paul.

Hide Tozawa of Okome House plans to open a new hand roll restaurant at 4747 Nicollet Av. S. in Minneapolis. Nikko will center its menu on temaki, or the rolled-up cones of sushi that are becoming popular around town. Other small plates and nontraditional dishes along with sake and Japanese cocktails also will be part of the mix.

According to the Mpls./St. Paul Business Journal, the restaurant is aiming for a late spring opening.

Tozawa has made his name around the Twin Cities working in notable kitchens like the original Origami and Fuji-Ya before he co-founded Kyatchi as executive chef. He left to open Okome House, also in Minneapolis, in 2020.

Nikko takes the place of the recently shuttered Fast Eddie’s Pizza.

The grills are fired up at Gyu-Mai, a new interactive Japanese barbecue restaurant (8251 Flying Cloud Drive) in Eden Prairie. Each table comes equipped with a personal, smokeless grill so diners can cook at their table. The menu includes a la carte options like short ribs, steaks, pork loin, enoki mushrooms and more. Or, diners can order special-occasion packages like the Silver Set spread with Wagyu beef, shrimp, vegetables, desserts and more. The restaurant is open for dinner Monday through Friday and lunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday.

Every year around this time, we start tracking the return of our favorite warm-weather restaurants while also putting Prince’s “Sometimes it Snows in April” on standby. Here’s the latest on some of the area’s most popular seasonal dining destinations:

Conny’s Creamy Cone, the local soft-serve ice cream stand on Dale Street in St. Paul, is now open, twisting and dipping all your favorite flavors.

Cup n' Cone in White Bear Lake is also up and running for the season. The stand where sprinkles aren’t just an adornment is a surefire mood brightener every time.

Harbor View Cafe in Pepin, Wis., opened March 21 for its 45th season. Check its Facebook page for the latest updates to the rotating weekend menu.

Chef Shack Bay City is now taking reservations for the April 5-6 seasonal reopening of the restaurant from chefs Carrie Summer and Lisa Carlson. This year the two spent time in Japan and are bringing that inspiration back to their Midwestern home base in rural Wisconsin. In addition to the restaurant, look for the return of the Chef Shack food truck at the Mill City Farmers Market in Minneapolis starting in May.

Last but not least, perennial favorite Sea Salt Eatery near Minnehaha Falls is staffing up for the season with a mid-April rollout announced. No word yet on when other Minneapolis park eateries, Bread and Pickle or Painted Turtle, will reopen.

Fans of Lucia’s in Minneapolis won’t want to miss this upcoming dinner on April 11 at Molly’s St. Boni Bistro. Chef/owner Molly Krinhop will host longtime Lucia’s chef de cuisine Nettie Colón for a throwback menu of favorites from the groundbreaking seasonal restaurant that closed in 2017. The three-course dinners with optional wine pairings start at $85 per person. Reservations are required and available by calling the restaurant at 952-446-1600.

Italo Disco night brings Dario over to its North Loop neighbor Flora Room for a cocktail and snack party on March 30. It’s a bit of a homecoming for Dario co-owner and beverage master Stephen Rowe, who used to work in this space when it was Marvel Bar. A $40 ticket available on Resy gets the buyer a featured beverage, popcorn chicken and an entry for a giveaway.

Crasqui in St. Paul has launched a monthly dinner series with chef friends. Dubbed "Cena entre Panas," chef/owner Soleil Rameriez invites guest chefs including Guacaya Bistro’s Pedro Wolcott, Xelas/El Sazon’s Cristian de Leon and more to feature special menus, with proceeds benefitting local nonprofits. The first dinner will host Gustavo Romero of Oro by Nixta on April 23 benefitting Building Memories with Huellas Latinas. Tickets are $165.

USA Today readers recognized Can Can Wonderland in St. Paul as one of the 10 Best Mini Golf Courses across the country. Editors created a long list and readers voted Can Can Wonderland second in the rankings, which the write-up touts as a “delightfully bizarre entertainment center.” The No. 1 spot went to Mermaid’s Cove in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.