Hello, 2025: What we’re excited about on the Twin Cities restaurant scene

Perhaps the hardest element to master in barbecue is timing: taking it low and slow, careful tending, and knowing the precise moment to serve it up for peak, juicy flavor. Jon Wipfli knows exactly what he’s doing when it comes to fire, smoke and meats at his barbecue stand. Through Minnesota’s unpredictable weather, shifting city ordinances and movable locations, the fine-dining chef turned food truck legend has found success at each iteration of his business. But this year, as the newest chapter of Animales unfolds, all that patience is about to pay off.

Wipfli will open Animales as a full-time restaurant in what used to be Royal Foundry Craft Spirits, at 241 Fremont Av. N. in Minneapolis. Construction is expected to start in February.

Along with a full menu of barbecue, burgers and other seasonal fare, the new location will include a full bar, an indoor-outdoor stage with an Americana music focus and a kids’ zone.

Until then, the Animales crew is braving the winter with its wagyu smashburgers, barbecue and occasional specials that include take-home kits at its trailer parked outside Bauhaus Brew Labs in Northeast. (Joy Summers)

A few months ago, husband/wife duo Megan and Bjorn Jacobse returned to the Twin Cities. “We decided to make the move back because this is where we wanted to open our restaurant,” Megan said. The two have been hosting pop-ups, first when living in Portland, Ore., and now locally, as dress rehearsal for their concept spotlighting Lyonnaise cuisine and techniques, but with their own spin.

Bjorn grew up in Lyon, France, and honed his culinary skills in Montreal, the Midwest and the Pacific Northwest. The duo have traveled the world and worked in top-rated kitchens, Bjorn as a chef and Megan at the front of the house, including Le Pigeon in Portland as well as Bellecour (Bjorn) and Spoon and Stable (Megan) locally.

During a fall pop-up at Bûcheron (they are friends with the owners, also Gavin Kaysen alums), dishes — pâté en croûte, roasted marrow, gelées, liver baked oysters, wild rice stuffed chicken wings and after-dinner cheese plates — were a taste of what’s to come.

“You’ll see rustic classic French ingredients on our menu. French culture played a huge role in my early life and I just appreciated the techniques that go into French cooking,” said Bjorn, who said working in the kitchen at Joe Beef and Liverpool House in Montreal were also part of his formative years. That’s where “I got my hands into everything that went into planning and menus that changed every week. I was doing everything from butchery, to making sausages, to making sauces, and I learned a lot.”

The couple are currently looking for a brick and mortar for Aubergine, which means eggplant in French, for what they hope will be a late summer or early fall opening. While the space has not been firmed up, the couple said one thing’s for sure. “We know it will be in St. Paul. We live in St. Paul and want to invest in our own community,” Megan said. “Our goal is to be a neighborhood-style restaurant that’s comfortable, warm and inviting.” (Nancy Ngo)

Karen and Cristian de Leon are all about taking risks. They opened El Sazon as a counter stand inside an Eagan gas station, creating a cult following for their deeply layered Mexican braised meats served in traditional tacos and nontraditional pizzas and ramen. They then added an elevated sit-down version in south Minneapolis.

For the couple’s next venture, they’re returning to the suburbs and this time heading to the east metro. Xelas by El Sazon in the former Thai Basil in Stillwater is slated to roll out in January with a menu that chef Cristian said will lean more into his Guatemalan roots, spotlighting Mayan cuisine and casting ancient food traditions in Guatemala and Mexico in a fresh light. Dishes will include ceviche, chicharron-crusted pork belly, short ribs and airline chicken alongside cocktails, including zero-proof options. (N.N.)

The suburb to watch in 2025, at least when it comes to dining out, is Excelsior. More culinary activity has been bubbling on the shores of Lake Minnetonka in the past few years, with the openings of Layline and Montego Blu in 2023, and a new outpost of Parlour at the end of 2024. In 2025, we look forward to David Fhima’s Sicilian restaurant, and two new restaurants from Jester Concepts, the group behind Parlour, among others. (Sharyn Jackson)

That’s not all for the ‘burbs. Hopkins is hopping, and Bar Siena joins the Mainstreet lineup Jan. 9. (Another favorite from 2024: Pink Ivy.) Blaine’s Prime Steakhouse is still unfolding upstairs from the new Pizza Pub; we can’t wait for Kobe beef to hit the menu soon. Rogers will get two new watering holes in 2025: The Block and Ray J’s. And Shakopee is getting a massive restaurant and entertainment venue next to Canterbury Park — Boardwalk Kitchen & Bar — and a new Mr. Pig Stuff barbecue joint is under construction next to the recently opened OG Zaza outpost. (S.J.)

They’ve been on our can’t-wait list for a few years running, so take this with a grain of salt. But, opening in 2025 — maybe — are restaurants from some stellar Twin Cities talent: Tim McKee, Sameh Wadi and Josh Thoma. McKee is behind the Spanish restaurants that will anchor the delayed West Hotel in the North Loop. McKee confirmed that the project is still in the works, but the timeline is up in the air. Wadi announced in 2024 that he’s looking for a spot to revive his beloved former restaurant Saffron. And Thoma’s name has been attached to a tequila-focused restaurant supposedly coming to the former Alliance Française in the North Loop.

In the slow-moving world of food halls, we haven’t heard much lately about the opening of Ate Ate Ate, the food hall set to anchor Burnsville Center. But its website lists this roster of vendors: Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls, Oday, Niko Niko Boba, Amazing Momo, Han Sang Korean Cuisine, Messy Jesse’s, Soga, Saigon Meats Manila and Sho Ramen.

And, of course, the Dayton’s Project, which has found life as a seasonal holiday market, but whose grand plans for a year-round place to eat, drink and play have not come to fruition. Yet. (S.J.)

But there’s one food hall we can say is definitively on its way: Graze food hall in the North Loop is getting a revamp, thanks to new ownership from the Travail team and friends. Oro’s Kate and Gustavo Romero will open Tixtli by Nixta, joining the Wrecktangle team’s thin-crust experiment, Wrad, and Travail’s fast-casual salad spot Graze on the Greens. There’s more to come, including a spritz bar from beverage director Robb Jones of the James Beard-nominated bar Meteor. Add to that Travail’s relaunch of the beloved south Minneapolis restaurant i.e., now called ie By Travail, and a new outpost of Pig Ate My Pizza in Bloomington set to open this summer, and 2025 is shaping up to be a big year for the chef collective. (S.J.)

Finally, we’re living in an era where spirit-free beverages are getting just as much — if not more — attention as spiked ones. The explosion of spirit-free bottles and options means not only are we getting more thoughtful menus at area restaurants, but more retail opportunities for the ever-expanding selection of sophisticated drinks. It’s nice that the zero-proof industry has firmly planted its footing in our area and pushing the industry forward in delicious ways. (J.S.)