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40-restaurant ‘dinner table’ will stretch 7 blocks in downtown Minneapolis

Dinner du Nord unveiled its plans for “America’s longest dinner table” on Nicollet Mall. Plus: Hippo Pockets has a home, Pub 819 is back and more.

July 1, 2025 at 6:30PM
Dinner du Nord example table is set with fine dining, fried chicken and more as organizers announced the Minneapolis event.
Dinner du Nord example table is set with fine dining, fried chicken and more as organizers announced the Minneapolis event on Tuesday. (Joy Summers/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

“We can’t prove it’s the longest dinner party table, but I dare you to prove it’s not,” said Scott Mayer as he announced the upcoming Dinner du Nord on Tuesday.

Mayer addressed a crowd of reporters and organizers next to Peavey Plaza in downtown Minneapolis to unveil details of the Sept. 11 event. Modeled after “The Longest Table” dinners held in other parts of the country, the Nicollet Mall event will feature an expansive seven-block table for nearly 2,000 guests.

R.T. Rybak, the former Minneapolis mayor and president of the Minneapolis Foundation, said the 40 restaurants, food trucks and other food vendors represent “all the flavors of this wonderful place we get to live in.”

Attendees can choose which table and purveyor’s menu to attend, with tickets ranging in price from $40 to $195 (tickets are all-inclusive and include taxes and gratuity). Vendors include Bao Bao Buns, OG Zaza pizza, Soul to Soul BBQ, Lotus, Murray’s, Borough, the Dakota, Fhima’s Minneapolis, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, P.S. Steak and Four Seasons Hotel Minneapolis.

Bao Bao Buns co-owner Edward Zhang talked about how his menu reflects his global upbringing that includes Italy, Hong Kong, Chendu and Minnesota. “This table tells my story,” he said. Other tables range from a classic diner breakfast to salt-baked branzino.

As part of the event, which starts at 5:30 p.m., Nicollet Mall will become a vehicle-free zone to make way for vendors and that expansive dinner table.

Scott Mayer announces Dinner du Nord at a press conference at Peavey Plaza, July 1, 2025.
Scott Mayer announces Dinner du Nord at a press conference at Peavey Plaza, July 1, 2025. (Joy Summers/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Organizers said that while Dinner du Nord is modeled after similar events across the country, it’s unique in its own way while celebrating the local hospitality and downtown communities. The event has also partnered with local nonprofit Help the House Foundation, which raises money to help bridge the gaps between physical health, mental health and general well-being resources for those in the hospitality industry.

The event is sponsored by the city of Minneapolis, the Minneapolis Foundation, Hospitality Minnesota, Meet Minneapolis, Mpls Downtown Council, Mpls.St.Paul Magazine and the Minnesota Star Tribune.

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For the latest updates and for tickets, visit dinnerdunord.com

The Red Wine burger of the Pub 819 taken Sunday January 25, 2015 Hopkins, MN.] Jerry Holt/ Jerry.Holt@Startribune.com
Pub 819 and its popular burgers stage a comeback July 9 after a fire temporarily closed the downtown Hopkins eatery. (Jerry Holt/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Pub 819 is back in business

A late November kitchen fire took Hopkins’ Pub 819, one of the Craft & Crew restaurant group’s flagship neighborhood eateries, offline. But that hiatus ends July 9.

Located at 819 Mainstreet, the restaurant will reopen with all the old favorites (chicken Parmesan, pot pie, fish and chips, sandwiches and bowls), plus some new updates to the menu, like smoked meats.

It’s been a busy time for Craft & Crew Hospitality, which recently opened a new The Block in Rogers, joining The Block in St. Louis Park, The Howe and Stanley’s in Minneapolis, Duke’s on 7 in Minnetonka and their recent Galaxy Drive-In takeover, Wells Roadside.

Tortilla wrap from Hippo Pockets. (Nancy Ngo/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

A full-time home for Centro’s munchie-food pop-up

What began as a menu special event at sister restaurant Centro, then transitioned to delivery apps and skyway pop-ups, is finally getting a brick-and-mortar. Hippo Pockets opens July 9 at 735 E. 48th St., Mpls., home of the former Herbie Butcher’s, according to a news release.

Inspired by a drive-thru favorite, these tortilla-wrapped handhelds are stuffed full of munchies-friendly ingredients. The original Centro Crunch has all the taco-adjacent flavors, while newer offerings include Korean BBQ, pepperoni pizza, breakfast and the reliable chicken-bacon-ranch. The restaurant, which seats 17, will also offer salads, rice bowls and kids’ meals.

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Once they’re up and running, Hippo Pockets expects to be open 11 a.m. to midnight daily.

Cheesecake Funk coming to Excelsior

Cheesecake Funk, Vanessa Drews’ wholesale cheesecake bakery, is getting its own retail shop in Excelsior. Drews posted a photo on social media of her Prince-tattooed wrist holding the key to the new location, near the intersection of Highways 7 and 41. The opening is slated for “the coming months.”

Prince is a big part of Cheesecake Funk’s story. Drews worked at Paisley Park and would bring in cheesecakes to share with staff members. Eventually, Prince became a fan, and her recipe for his favorite, the turtle cheesecake, is still served at events there. (The turtle tops a traditional cheesecake with chocolate, caramel and pecans.)

Until then, Cheesecake Funk operates out of the Minneapolis Marriott Southwest hotel, 5801 Opus Pkwy., for pickup of preorders.

Cheesecake Funk is only the latest food news to hit Excelsior. Recent openings include Old Southern BBQ, Shiki and Parlour, and Vagabondo and Mirabelle are coming soon.

‘Juiciest’ burritos available soon at north Minneapolis supermercado

North Minneapolis is now home to a new Latin supermarket, and the restaurant within, which promises the “juiciest” burritos, is slated to open soon.

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Colonial Market and Restaurant opened in late May at 3120 Penn Av. N., Mpls., taking over a former Aldi supermarket space. The store has a butcher counter and deli, in addition to aisles stocked with ingredients used in Latin cooking. The new restaurant, Jalapeño & Chipotle by Colonial Restaurant, plans to bring “bold flavors and real Latin heat.” Stay tuned to the restaurant’s social media pages for an official opening date.

The mercado is the first step in a larger expansion plan for Colonial, which already had a location on E. Lake Street. In addition to Colonial’s newest Minneapolis location, the owners have plans to open in Bloomington near the Mall of America.

Abang Yoli drops one location

On the heels of opening a new space in Minnetonka, Abang Yoli, the Korean and Asian street food restaurant, announced that its Nicollet Avenue location has closed.

The subway-tiled slip of a restaurant at the corner of 38th Street grew from Abang Yoli’s food hall beginnings to a full-scale, craveable menu. The space — once home to Boludo and, before that, the tasting-menu-only backroom of Nighthawks — lost Abang Yoli as a tenant June 28.

The closing came with “heavy hearts,” according to a social media post. But you can still get chef Jamie Yoo’s Korean fried chicken at Malcolm Yards food hall, 501 30th Av. SE., Mpls., and a much-expanded menu with lots more seats at the new Minnetonka location, 12934 Minnetonka Blvd.

40-year-old pizzeria closes

Ramsey’s 40-year-old pizzeria, Aurelio’s, closed June 30. The owners announced the closing in a social media post and said the decision was due to road construction on Hwy. 10, plus the rising cost of rent and food.

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The multigenerational business, part of an Illinois-based franchise, first opened in Roseville, then Brooklyn Park. It moved to Ramsey seven years ago.

“Trust us, this wasn’t an easy decision to make or taken lightly. Our whole family grew up on Aurelio’s,” they wrote.

Downtown St. Paul’s Afro Deli has moved

If you’re looking for that Somali tea fix or sambusas in downtown St. Paul, old favorite Afro Deli is now at a new address. The restaurant recently shuttered its original location and now is at 400 N. Wabasha St., also in downtown St. Paul. The new location is in the soft opening phase with a limited menu, but expect it to expand soon. Afro Deli has four metro locations, with the other three in Minneapolis.

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about the writers

about the writers

Sharyn Jackson

Reporter

Sharyn Jackson is a features reporter covering the Twin Cities' vibrant food and drink scene.

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Joy Summers

Food and Drink Reporter

Joy Summers is a St. Paul-based food reporter who has been covering Twin Cities restaurants since 2010. She joined the Minnesota Star Tribune in 2021.

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Nancy Ngo

Assistant food editor

Nancy Ngo is the Minnesota Star Tribune assistant food editor.

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