Breaking Bread Cafe in Minneapolis to close as it looks for permanent home, and more restaurant news

North Minneapolis' Breaking Bread Cafe (1210 W. Broadway, Mpls., breakingbreadfoods.com) has long been searching for its "forever home." Now Appetite for Change, the nonprofit that runs it, has announced that the cafe will close until they find it.

But the news isn't all bad. The group will launch a food truck this fall to serve cafe favorites, and to continue its participation in community events, meal distribution and catering business. Appetite for Change's garden sites, youth and family-based programming, Station 81, and West Broadway Farmers Market will operate as usual.

"We are sensitive that the sudden departure of several businesses such as Aldi and Walgreens has left North Side residents with even fewer options for food and essential items," co-founder Michelle Horovitz said in a statement. "We want to reassure community we are not abandoning them, but are doubling down more permanently and creating sustainable community-based solutions for the long term."

Appetite for Change began 11 years ago and uses food as a tool to build health, wealth and social change in north Minneapolis. The hunt for a new space will include room for the group's programming, offices and social enterprise businesses, including Breaking Bread Cafe. The cafe's last day is Aug. 25; watch social media for events and celebrations.

On's Thai Kitchen is opening a second location in a Cleveland Avenue strip mall in St. Paul's Highland Park neighborhood. Replacing the short-lived Burger Press in the collection of businesses (where the original Punch Pizza continues to sport its "temporarily closed" sign), On's Thai Express will serve many of the Thai favorites from On's and offer local delivery.

On Khumchaya opened On's Thai Kitchen in December 2010. The restaurant quickly amassed a dedicated following for her deeply flavorful dishes that balance sweet, salty, sour and spicy flavors. Construction is underway; no opening date has been announced.

We don't have an opening date yet (it's imminent), but we do have more details about what to expect when Baba's opens its "hummus house" at 2220 Lyndale Av. S., Mpls. The family behind the ultra-creamy hummus, on shelves in supermarkets and a favorite at the Minnesota State Fair, is close to finishing a 10,000-square-foot production facility that will also serve as a brick-and-mortar cafe and bakery. New menu items to look forward to include a Super Green hummus bowl, with green herb hummus, falafel, herb salad, edamame, pistachio and green tahini; and Lahme bi Ajeen (Sfeeha), a Middle Eastern-spiced meat pie.

But the Baba's team is especially excited about a one-of-a-kind market featuring Arab, Arab American and Muslim products. There, you'll be able to purchase a new line of spice blends (Baharat Blend, Shawarma Spice and Zaza Za'atar) and hot sauces (Shatta Red Hot Sauce, Zhug Green Hot Sauce) from the Baba's brand; plus snack bites, spices, sour gummy candies and fair-trade goods from Syrian, Afghani, Iranian and Palestinian makers, as well as cookbooks from Palestinian authors.

Minneapolis' Cafe Meow, where people can grab coffee and reserve a spot to receive kitty snugs from rescue cats, is moving to Roseville (1718A Lexington Av. N., thecafemeow.com).

"We have outgrown our location here in Minneapolis and need a more spacious layout that caters to the amenities we have discovered along the way, which will better support us and our customers," the cafe owners wrote on social media. The new strip mall location will offer more space for humans and cats, along with plenty of parking spaces.

Cafe Meow opened five years ago at 2323 Hennepin Av. S. as the area's first cat cafe. With separate spaces for ordering food and drink and a lounge for cat interactions, the cafe was an instant hit. But it also has faced challenges, from the pandemic to a constant evolution of road construction.

A second Cafe Meow opened in New Hope in 2022; that space will continue to operate as usual. Cafe Meow's last day on Hennepin Avenue will be Aug. 27.

For those on the edge of their seats about all the big-name restaurant activity happening in the North Loop, here's another little nugget of news. The new restaurant going into the former Bachelor Farmer cafe/restaurant space (200 N. 1st St., Mpls.) will be Porzana and the Flora Room.

With an expected mid-August opening, the project is a collaboration between chef Daniel del Prado and Ryan Burnet. Porzana will be an Argentinian-modeled wood-fire steakhouse, and Flora Room (not to be confused with Hi Flora) will be a lower-level cocktail room with no food available.

If that reminds you of Marvel Bar, which used to operate on this site, here are a couple of other throwbacks: Keith Mrotek, who used to shake drinks at Marvel, is back at this address as the bar manager, and Paul Hennessy, who once shared his singular hospitality at TBF, will return as general manager. Bill Summerville will select wine bottles, and Steve McMullen will run day-to-day operations in the kitchen.

Reservations for Porzana will open in late July; Flora Room will be walk-in only. And in a boon for night owls, Porzana will be open daily from 5 p.m.-midnight; Flora Room from 5 p.m.-1 a.m.

In other floral restaurant-named news, Hi Flora (2558 Lyndale Av. S., Mpls.) is officially, fully open after an extended soft opening that started with its market, patio and limited hours. The cafe specializes in vegan food and beverages that can be infused with THC.

Behind the project is chef Heather Klein of Root to Rise. Hi Flora does not serve alcohol, but offers THC-dosed beverages as well as tinctures that can be added to your food or drink order. Hours are 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Wed., Thu. and Sun., and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fri.-Sat.

Thanks to a hot reader tip, we know that Don Papi Chulo has parked its food truck and opened a full-service restaurant at 7834 Cahill Av. in Inver Grove Heights. On the menu are asada fries, burrito bowls, tortas brimming with fillings, tacos and more. Get all the details at donpapichulo.com.

Wineside Wine Bar & Market (1641 Plymouth Road, Minnetonka, wineside.com), the liquor store-adjacent, self-pour, screen-order eatery and market, has paused operations. In a message on its website, the owners underscore that this isn't a forever thing, but an opportunity to transition to a "cheese- and charcuterie-focused market." Originally, there had been a chef-run kitchen, but that chef left the project not long after opening.

Sharyn Jackson and Nicole Hvidsten contributed to this report.