Mothership Pizza Paradise opens in Minneapolis with ‘90s pizzeria flair

With calamari, crust dippers and promise of a pulltab booth, Mothership Pizza Paradise has a few nods to the low-light pizzerias familiar to those who grew up watching “The Smurfs” on Saturday mornings. The newest restaurant from chef Tommy Begnaud, Carrie Erickson and Courtney Briden is now open at 5057 France Av. S. in Minneapolis.

Mothership is an ode to the team’s moms, with all pizzas named for them. The restaurant leans into nostalgia with visual cues like a giant light fixture dangling in the front window, an Elvis picture behind the bar, a specific hue of orange-red light and a welcome snack of popcorn popped in bacon fat that’s presented in a red plastic vessel resembling an old-school ashtray.

Behind the bar is Aynsley Jones, serving sophisticated drinks like a Negroni blanco, but also an espresso martini and all-day Bloody Marys. Drinks are $13-$16; a tomato can filled with five cans of mix-and-match beer is $20. Sam Rosenoversees hospitality.

Pizzas range from $19-$25, with classic toppings as well as throwback fun with Buffalo chicken and creamed spinach. Optional sides are crust dippers: garlic butter, cheese fondue, pesto and good ol’ ranch dressing.

The menu also sports chopped salads and pastas, and dessert is either affogato or milk and cookies.

The restaurant doesn’t take reservations and is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

There’s a new reason to return to work in downtown Minneapolis: Tuesday lunch breaks. Hippo Pockets, the ghost kitchen concept from the folks who brought us Centro tacos, is popping up in U.S. Bancorp Center (800 Nicollet Mall, Mpls.). The signature octagon-shaped dish wraps flour tortillas around fillings before they’re grilled until the outside is a little crispy; flavors include ground beef taco, chicken bacon ranch, cheeseburger and more ($12-$13). They’re usually only available via online ordering or at Centro’s Eat Street location.

That’s not the only good news. Centro is also popping up in that space on Wednesdays during lunch. Both concepts launched last week in a vacant Caribou Coffee.

Downtown Voices reports that the temporary restaurants are the work of tech company Fooda that recruits eateries to serve inside workplaces lacking food options.

Crispy chicken sandwich lovers will be thrilled to know that as of Nov. 1, Burnt Chicken is back in a new location at the former East Side Bar (858 Payne Av., St. Paul).

Fans have been missing chef Bernard Collins’ work since his long-running Burnt Chicken pop-up was forced to move out when its host kitchen First Draft closed earlier this year.

Friday and Saturday this week and next, Burnt Chicken will be open from 4 to 8 p.m. at the restaurant, with dishes like the signature Nashville Hot fried chicken sandwich, smashed burger with comeback sauce, Mississippi pot roast, banana pudding and more.

Returning to the East Side is a bit of a homecoming for the pop-up that first appeared at Cook St. Paul when owner Eddie Wu opened up that restaurant’s kitchen to up-and-coming businesses. (That restaurant has since evolved into the beloved Juche with Wu’s spouse, Eve Wu, and chef Chris Her.)

Stay tuned to Burnt Chicken’s social media accounts for more hours and menu updates.

At nearly 40 years old, it makes sense that local coffee pioneer Dunn Brothers Coffee is hitting refresh for its future. The company’s newest coffee shop (808 Washington Av. SE., Mpls.) and cafe debuts this week near the University of Minnesota with what they’re calling “a redesigned, modernized interior that reflects the University’s energy and youthful appeal.” There’s a feature wall designed to capture the “Gen Z essence,” and a spacious two-floor layout.

On the menu are lattes, beans, breakfast sandwiches, pastries and more.

The new Stadium Village shop opened on Monday; there are plans for a grand opening event. Daily hours are 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Ed and Dan Dunn opened the first Dunn Brothers Coffee in 1987 on St. Paul’s Grand Avenue. At the time, it was unusual for a coffee shop to roast its own beans, something most of their stores still do on site. There are now 25 Dunn Brothers cafes in the Twin Cities area, plus more across the region; the company franchises the brand to local owners around the Midwest. There are plans for future growth, with a goal of expanding from 50 regional cafes to 250 in the next five years.

Parlay Kitchen & Bar made its debut at the start of the Vikings season on the first floor of Union Restaurant (731 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls.). Still owned by Kaskaid Hospitality, the menu is built to pair with watching a game on one of several large TVs.

The menu includes skinny-crust, square-cut pizzas, nachos, sandwiches and more. It’s open Monday, Thursday and Friday for happy hour through dinner and Saturday and Sunday for brunch through dinner. Reservations are available through Open Table.

Slice Brothers Pizza, which bills itself as Minneapolis’ first Black-owned pizzeria, announced that its downtown St. Paul location has permanently closed. On Facebook, the company shared that the decision came after financial challenges at the location, which opened in February 2024.

Meanwhile, the Mall of America filed papers to evict the pizzeria from its food court location, citing unpaid back rent. Slice first opened at the mall in the summer of 2023 and is currently still operating.

Founded by Adam Kado and Hosie Thurmond, their first New York-style slice pizzeria opened in October 2021 in northeast Minneapolis. A second outpost opened inside Midtown Global Market in 2022, followed by a shop near University and Dale in St. Paul in fall 2023. Those locations still appear to be open.