Breakfast sandwich alert: Momo Korean Eggdrop coming to Dinkytown

A stretch of street in Dinkytown has become a bit of a global breakfast treat destination with the addition of Momo Korean Eggdrop at 405 14th Av. SE., Mpls. Opening alongside Bober Tea and Mochinut, the restaurant is a local franchise of the Korean chain that serves specialty egg sandwiches.

Freshly made milk bread houses soft scrambled eggs, bacon, cheese, avocados and other goodies. This is the first Minnesota outpost of the chain. Franchise owner Nam Tran said, “Our mission is simple but heartfelt: to create sandwiches that are not only tasty but made with joy, love and care.”

The soft opening is Sept. 25-27 from noon to 6 p.m., with a grand opening celebration on Sept. 28 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. with food specials, a dragon dance and live DJ.

Just in time for sweater weather, when the best accessory is a cozy cup of coffee, we have another new shop opening in Minneapolis. Hola Coffee opens Sept. 28 at 326 Central Av. SE. The storefront is a passion project from Vanessa Palestino, who took a layoff from the financial world as a signal to find more meaningful work that could uplift minority- and women-owned businesses worldwide. Her coffee shop dreams began as a pop-up and mobile cart before the realization of the full-time storefront.

Hola specializes in single-source beans from Latin countries and will sell pastries from local makers. Follow the shop on Instagram for more announcements, including what the regular hours will be after opening.

Maple Grove’s anticipated new eatery is putting all the final touches in place for its grand opening on Oct. 18. Grackle (11852 Elm Creek Blvd. N.) comes from the same group that gave us Andover’s beloved Margie’s restaurant.

The onetime Wahlburgers has been stripped of the lime green branding and given a full refresh with an open dining room and kitchen and a gorgeous new bar. The restaurant will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. with happy hour specials.

Menu details are still under wraps, but, like Margie’s, it’ll be a scratch kitchen.

The St. Paul bar known as Keenan’s for the past 40-plus years is now the 620 Club after an ownership change. The Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal reports that Ruth Kashmark, a Keenan’s bartender, and “semiretired attorney” and Keenan’s regular Dan Guerrero bought the building and the business at 620 W. 7th St. Both are longtime neighborhood residents who appreciate the bar for exactly what it’s been to the area.

After a brief closing for a gentle spiffing up, the new era began on Sept. 12. The coneys ($6) are still on the menu, but they’re expanding food options and added a weekend brunch that ranges from American breakfast classics to a breakfast burrito ($12) and a kimchi pancake ($10).

Downtown Minneapolis lunch is back in full swing, at least by the look of the lines. We spotted one out the door at the Brothers Deli, which has been around in the Twin Cities almost 90 years — and at its current skyway location at 50 S. 6th St. since 2000. One reason for the crowd, besides the housemade pastrami? The appetizer bar has finally reopened after a long pandemic hiatus. You’ll find an assortment of help-yourself noshes, including pickles, coleslaw, herring and the deli’s phenomenal potato salad. Add a trip to the bar for $1.99 with any sandwich order.

The craft brewery teaming we’ve been waiting for kicks off Oct. 4 when Finnegans beer begins to flow from Fulton’s taps. In addition to the ribbon-cutting, expect snacks and more fun available. Finnegans, the nonprofit that turns beer sales into meals, decided to close its massive taproom and streamline operations with the help of another OG craft beer company, Fulton. Fulton’s production facility will produce Finnegans beer and pour their beers in its North Loop taproom, 414 6th Av. N., Mpls., fultonbeer.com.

Meritage’s annual celebration of the bivalve finally returns, but it’ll be a little different. Started in 2011 as a street festival outside of the St. Paul restaurant, Oysterfest took a pandemic hiatus that was extended by road construction around the restaurant. The party returns Oct. 13, but it’s going to be held inside the historic Hamm building in which the French restaurant is located. Oyster fans get to pick their time to enjoy the fresh-shucked beauties for a couple of hours at $150 a ticket. There will be music, other snacks and an optional oyster art add-on. Tickets are limited to 100 people per seating — from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. or 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The evening slot has already sold out. Get more information and tickets at meritage-stpaul.com/oysterfest2024.