Revival brings its Southern barbecue charms to Malcolm Yards, and more restaurant news

Revival Smoked Meats returns to its fast-casual roots by opening inside The Market at Malcolm Yards food hall. The new stand kicked off the slow-and-low party on Friday with a special new menu item, a burnt ends burrito that’s exclusive to this location. There also will be classic Southern-style brisket, smoked ribs, pork shoulder, wings and a jerk chicken sandwich.

Revival Smoked Meats first opened as a counter inside St. Paul’s Keg and Case food hall before moving to a full-service restaurant on Nicollet Avenue near 46th Street in Minneapolis. Founded by chef Thomas Boemer and Nick Rancone, the restaurant specializes in barbecue and elevated Southern comforts. Other Revival restaurants are in St. Louis Park and St. Paul.

The new stand is the first phase of a new vendor expansion at Malcolm Yards. Opening on Friday, Jan. 26, is the second outpost of Mr. Paul’s Po’boys and Jams. The sandwich shop is the brainchild of chef Tommy Begnaud, co-owner of Mr. Paul’s Supper Club in Edina. Trung Nam’s famous baguettes are stuffed with all manner of fillings — crawfish, chopped muffuletta and more — in an ode to New Orleans’ famous sandwich. There will also be snacks like fried boudin balls, rich gumbo and dough-nets (a beignet-doughnut combo).

The Market at Malcolm Yards (501 30th Av. SE., Mpls., malcolmyards.market) opens at 11 a.m. daily.

North Loop’s new Dario, from Chef Joe Rolle and bar man Stephen Rowe, opens Friday, Jan. 26, in the former Dalton and Wade location (323 Washington Av. N., Mpls., dariorestaurant.com), at the base of the T3 building. When we spoke with the team back in October, Rolle said the goal was to surprise and delight diners with Dario’s mix of pasta and vegetables.

The restaurant will be open for dinner seven days a week, with seating available in its main room and in a secondary pasta room. Speaking of pasta, Rachael Cornelius McLeod of Cornelius Pasta Co. will work with special flour Rolle had brought in from Italy for the fresh goods.

The room has been given a heavy remodel with design courtesy of Wittkamper Studio, which also did the distinctive style at other area restaurants, including Edina’s Mr. Paul’s Supper Club.

Reservations are now open on Resy.

Ice cream wunderkind Bebe Zito will open its first suburban location Feb. 9 in Woodbury Lakes. This new restaurant, at 9000 Hudson Road, will serve the whimsical ice cream flavors and fantastic burgers that have inspired a passionate fan base.

Inside the new spot is a soda fountain-style bar and a nostalgic red, white and blue style. It’s just the next step in the way Ben Spangler and Gabriella Grant-Spangler continue to reinvent what an ice cream shop can be. The duo began as a pop-up before opening its first location in Minneapolis’ Lowry Hill East neighborhood. A second outpost at Malcolm Yards added burgers and potato chips covered in spiced honey butter hot sauce. Next came multiple stands (including Ouro Pizza) and co-ownership of Eat Street Crossing. Along the way there have been Wonka-esque antics — like an edible balloon and costume parties with ice cream inspired by movies.

The Spanglers said they chose Woodbury because, “We wanted to see how this business would look outside the city.” There are more big plans on the way for this suburban outpost. Follow Bebe Zito’s social media for more details.

After much anticipation, Nashville Coop has announced its newest location will be at 66th Street and Penn Avenue S. in Richfield. The announcement came after the spicy chicken restaurant’s Instagram page teased a new location asking for guesses — and a lot of requests for the more restaurants.

Nashville Coop was founded by brothers Arif and Kamal Mohamed after they were inspired by a trip to Los Angeles, where they got a taste of hot chicken. Fans are lining up for a taste of their proprietary blend of spices, which includes their mother’s homemade blend of Ethiopian spices. The menu centers on crispy chicken fingers in varying degrees of spiciness served on their own or on buns.

Other Nashville Coop locations include Stadium Village (856 Washington Av. SE., Mpls.) and 300 Snelling Av. S., St. Paul. No word yet on when the Richfield store will open beyond “soon.”

In more good news for the suburbs, Waffle Bar is set to open its third location, in Bloomington. The family-owned mini-chain was excited to share plans for the new adventure. “Bloomington will be a great new central spot for our sweet and savory waffle fans,” said Julie Chen.

Waffle Bar specializes in sweet and savory topped bubble waffles along with boba, ice cream and more. The new location expands its current menu offerings with more coffee and espresso drinks. The shops are already serving on 28th Street and Lyndale Avenue in Minneapolis as well as in Lakeville (16289 Ipava Av.). Plus, there are two food trucks.

Look for Bloomington’s Waffle Bar to open at 3810 W. Old Shakopee Road this spring.

Get the cutest new follow on Instagram with Egg Flip, a skyway-level breakfast sandwich shop coming to the old Taco John’s at 601 Marquette Av. S. The Downtown Journal reports that the restaurant comes from the owner of Wave Sushi, who prefers not to be named because “he likes to keep a low profile.” Mysterious.

If all goes well, the restaurant will open this spring with a menu that includes a Spam sandwich with an over-medium egg and cheese, a scrambled egg sandwich with avocado, and bowls for a gluten-free option.

Our weekend plans just got a little more open now that St. Paul’s GusGus ended its Sunday brunch service. What a bummer to not get that cheeseburger first thing in the morning. The news is tempered by the announcement from owners Anna Morgan and chef Kevin Manley that the restaurant will add dinner service on Mondays. Since Monday has traditionally been a sparse dining night, we’ll take it as a win. GusGus is at 128 Cleveland Av. N. in St. Paul.

The North Loop’s First Draft Tap Haus (324 6th Av. N., Mpls.) has announced it will close Jan. 31. The pour-your-own beer business opened in 2018 by Andrew Valen, Darren Nicholson, and Joe Maselter as the first-of-its-kind beverage bar. In 2022, Chef Bernard Collins opened Burnt Chicken inside its kitchen. With the loss of First Draft, Collins is winding down his tenure and is now on the hunt for a new location for his fried chicken restaurant. Orders are open for dine-in or to-go at Burnt Chicken until Jan. 27, the last day of service at this spot.