A new wave of comfort food in 2024

The basic senses of taste, scent and sight can take us back to a time and place of safety and childhood delight, drawing hungry souls deeper into plush restaurant seats.

This year, several new restaurants put those warm memories through a modern lens for a new era of comfort food dining.

From drive-in burger delights served with a soundtrack of zooming cars to a quaint Parisian neighborhood getaway with bright white and primary color decor and a divine soft-serve sundae, these restaurants leaned into our nostalgic feels to serve our childhood favorite foods dressed up for grownup tastes.

For a place named in honor of the mothers who raised them, the ownership team of Mr. Paul’s Supper Club started with a love of a 1990s-era pizza restaurant, then sprinkled in their modern craft. That means creamed spinach and Buffalo chicken are topping options, but the delivery rides the edge of sophistication without tipping into any kind of pretension. The bar staff is also making familiar cocktails with cutting-edge class. The space is open all day and family-friendly, but no reservations.

5057 France Av. S., Mpls.; mothershippizza.com

Inspired by French burger restaurants, the new Linden Hills restaurant serves this walkable lakeside area that’s full of families but not a ton of midlevel dining options that appeal to both grownups and kids. There are burgers — all smashed into onions on the flat-top — and soft-serve sundaes. (There also are chicken and fish sandwiches, roasted chicken, salads and more.)

4304 Upton Av. S., Mpls., leburger4304.com

All hail the return of this roadside drive-in gem. The midcentury design sparkles, the burgers cook hot and fast, and the malts are cold and sweet. Craft & Crew Hospitality took over the storied former Galaxy Drive In and made it their own without erasing the touches that made this longstanding neighborhood eatery special, including the budget-conscious prices. (They did, however, improve upon the alien green paint job.) Other enhancements: an enclosable year-round patio, and a robotic burger press that makes sure the wait is never too long.

3712 Quebec Av. S., St. Louis Park, wellsroadside.com

This vegan team has done it again with a new outpost in Longfellow that mirrors the success of the original Northeast location. Meat-free smash burgers are topped with dairy-free cheese and served with a side of crispy fries. It hits all the right notes of a classic fast-food burger without any animal products. There’s also a lineup of crispy faux-chicken sandwiches, cocktails and ice cream treats. Walls pop with black, pink and white decor and we’re looking forward to summer, when the patio opens up.

3900 E. Lake St., Mpls., francisburgerjoint.com

Cheap food and drinks is one of the mantras of this retro-themed sports bar clad in pennants and other sports memorabilia (cue the Homer Hanky). That’s carried out in delicious fashion with a menu that includes a destination-worthy smash burger for $8. It’s all the incentive we need to swing by for a quick bite to eat, but then the warm vibes convince us to hunker down and stay a while longer.

3006 Lyndale Av. S., Mpls., beckettsmpls.com

Yes, by year’s end we’re reflecting on the many new burgers that entered the scene. But in 2024, it was what came on the side that really mattered. French fries are no afterthought in Twin Cities dining today. Instead, we ate our way through far too many potatoes in every conceivable form: shoestring to steak-cut, spiralized to thrice-fried, showered in Parmesan and dunked in aioli. Here are the five best new French fries of 2024:

Thick-cut fries can go either way. When done wrong, they’re limp on the outside, dry and crumbly inside. But these are the best-case scenario, and then some. This suburban Asian-influenced steakhouse gives you a hefty bunch of near-wedges, their fried edges shattering to reveal a creamy mashed potato interior. We’re not usually taken by truffle oil, but the addition of some of that umami punch plus a snowfall of shredded cheese made these our favorite bar snack of the year.

$14; 1607 West End Blvd., St. Louis Park, bokettorestaurant.com

There’s something so very French about fries that come in a paper-lined cone. And these metal cones give the illusion that the treasures within might go on forever. (Sadly, they don’t.) Golden shreds of potato, some with the skin still on, are cut so long that they twirl onto themselves. Sea salt dances on top liberally. Béarnaise comes on the side for dipping, but these fries are so pure, they don’t need a thing.

$10; 3753 42nd Av. S., Mpls., lynettemn.com

Juicy. You’d think that adjective would be reserved for the burgers at this new Francophile diner. But no, it’s the fries. Incomparably crunchy on the outside, these hearty spuds stay nice and moist inside, so each bite makes your mouth water, literally. As soon as we tasted them, we got up and ordered a second batch, knowing one paper bag wouldn’t suffice.

$5; 4304 Upton Av. S., Mpls., leburger4304.com

They’re just at the bottom of the menu, buried under side dishes. There’s no burger or any other dish that even gives you fries on the side here. Yet, you’d be remiss to luxuriate in a Diane’s Place brunch without a heaping pile of these thin, hot and crispy numbers. They remind us of a fast-food favorite, in the best way. A side of chef Diane Moua’s chili crisp aioli is a must.

$8; 117 14th Av. NE., Mpls., dianesplacemn.com

Who knew that a dusting of cumin powder was all we needed to take fries to the stratosphere? The folks behind Saturday Dumpling Co. knew. We’d normally advise against filling up on anything that might detract from their exceptional dumplings, which have finally found a brick-and-mortar home. But these fries, with a side of garlic chili aioli, bring something so new to the conversation that we’re willing to make room.

$8; 519 Central Av. NE., Mpls., saturdaydumpling.com