7 Twin Cities area restaurant closings so far in 2025

Northeast Minneapolis’ cozy spot for creative burgers and more quietly closed with the new year. It held a liquidation sale Jan. 4, and has a simple sign posted on the door, leaving Sheridan residents to find out the hard way that a neighborhood mainstay has shuttered.

When it opened in spring 2023, ALTBuRGEr boasted a burger menu that put plants at the forefront, under executive chef Derik Moran, a veteran of the Twin Cities dining scene. Over time, the restaurant, owned by Martina Priadka, evolved to offer more burger variations and some meat-forward bistro entrees. In November 2024, Moran debuted a special that was decidedly un-vegetarian; the double butter burger was topped with braised beef and bacon.

The location (337 13th Av. NE., altburgermpls.com) was previously the Sheridan Room, which served whole rotisserie chicken and sides. But before that, it had a long and beloved run as the Modern Cafe, which was known for its pot roast, among other homey dishes.

The Stillwater-based distillery will end its 4½-year run on Jan. 18, according to a Jan. 8 social media post. “This is, without a doubt, the hardest post we’ve ever had to write,” the proprietors said. “This isn’t the end we imagined, but we’re so proud of everything we’ve built together.”

The cocktail room with roof deck views of the St. Croix River opened in 2020. Owners Andrew Mosiman and Christie Wanderer studied the craft of distilling in Seattle, came home, and found inspiration in the old Forge and Foundry munitions factory. The black-and-white taproom offered cocktails rooted in the seasons, such as a Dole whip-style summer drink in a pineapple-shaped glass and the savory Farmers Market, with oil-washed vodka, tomatoes and tarragon tincture.

You have a week to plan your farewell visit: 223 N. Main St., Stillwater, forgeandfoundrydistillery.com.

The Bebe Zito burger stand at Eat Street Crossing (2819 Nicollet Av., Mpls., eatstreetcrossing.com) closed at the end of 2024, with owners Gabriella Grant-Spangler and chef Ben Spangler shifting their beefy priorities to expanding and remodeling the kitchen of its original storefront at 22nd Street and Lyndale Avenue. But good news: The food hall is still serving up the duo’s award-winning ice cream. Bebe Zito began as a pop-up before opening as an ice cream shop in Minneapolis; they then added burgers, which have gained a cult following, and now have four locations (there’s one in Woodbury and Market at Malcolm Yards, too).

The all-day cafe and specialty food shop Kruse Markit on Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis has closed. Heidi Stark opened Kruse Markit in early 2023 with the intention of serving the neighborhood a cafe and what she called “that cool, modern curated grocery I’ve had the chance to find in other cities.” The space stocked mostly specialty foodstuffs in addition to serving a full menu, coffee bar, wine and more.

A heartfelt farewell on Instagram said, in part: “Over the past few years, Kruse has been more than just a place to eat — it has been a space where countless memories were made, friendships were formed, and community was built.”

Dulono’s Sports Bar in downtown Minneapolis has closed, bringing a bummer end to a legacy that was nearly 70 years of memories. (Bring Me the News reported that the sports bar was evicted.) Many are bemoaning that the thin-crust pizza restaurant was never quite the same after it left its longtime Lyn-Lake location in 2017. Other outposts in Woodbury and Mahtomedi have come and gone, too.

Another location of Slice Brothers Pizza has closed. The popular New York-style pizza joint shuttered its downtown St. Paul location last fall, and reports that the Mall of America location closed appear to be true, with the mall store boarded up and the location no longer listed on Slice’s website. There are still three locations: in St. Paul’s Frogtown, and on the Minneapolis side at Midtown Global Market and Northeast. Founded by best friends Adam Kado and Hosie Thurmond, Slice says it is the first Black-owned pizzeria in Minneapolis. sliceminneapolis.com

Concerned readers wrote in asking if we knew anything about St. Paul’s Wrestaurant at the Palace, the full-service restaurant from the folks behind the local Detroit-style pizza phenomenon Wrecktangle and First Avenue. Its website and social media have listed the eatery as “closed for maintenance” since mid-November. When we called owners Jeff Rogers and Breanna Evans they said, “Wrestaurant is not currently able to open due to the damages to the space.” In addition to Wrecktangle locations at Lyn-Lake, Market at Malcolm Yards and North Loop Galley food hall, they also operate Wrad and Wrap at Graze Food Hall by Travail, serving thin-crust pizzas and wrap sandwiches.