First look: You don't have to get high to eat at Hi Flora in Minneapolis

Hi Flora, a new restaurant in Minneapolis that has taken over the former longtime home of Common Roots Cafe, is many things. When it was first announced (with the name Juniper), it was touted as possibly the first THC restaurant to open in Minnesota. As a vegan restaurant, its menu is entirely plant-based. It's also a "temperance bar," a place that sells no alcohol.

While it can be all of those things at once, the experience is entirely up to the customer.

The THC part, for example, is customizable. Purchase a bottle of "tincture," which comes in varying potencies and flavors, to add to your food and drink as you wish. Or don't. The day we visited, Hi Flora — which styles its name with a final exclamation point — was simply a place to grab lunch and an interesting nonalcoholic cocktail, no mind-altering additives necessary.

The location: 2558 Lyndale Av. S., Mpls., instagram.com/hiflorarestaurant. Open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Wed., Thu. and Sun.; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fri. and Sat. Brunch is served 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekends.

The vibe: The light-filled, brick-walled space is decorated cheerfully, with the front room facing the street done in a peachy hue, with rose lounge chairs, vintage sofas and a pastoral mural. "It's very pink," said my lunch companion.

A marble-topped bar that seats six separates this cafe-feeling space from a more traditional dining room, with a peacock blue wall and modern lime-green chairs.

The whole restaurant retains the building's industrial bones. It's bright and airy while being cozy and homey. There's also a large patio that's generating buzz, though it was far too hot to use it on the day we visited.

The food: We'd come to this plant-based (and almost all-organic) restaurant during a heat wave looking for a garden-forward lunch, but were intrigued to find mostly comfort food among the list of small plates from chef/owner Heather Klein of Root to Rise Kitchen, a vegan caterer.

The Mac N Cheese Veggrolls ($12) were a State Fairish treat, deep-fried egg roll skins stuffed with macaroni and a tangy cashew "cheese" sauce. The wild rice burger ($17) on sourdough toast was a textural, balanced addition to the veggie burger landscape in the Twin Cities. And the Shroomy Shawarma ($14) was a gorgeously presented plate of red pepper-dusted mushrooms and all the fixings.

Our server told us that the Hi! Quesadilla ($11) has been a popular seller. We'll have to return to try it, and the two entrees: Hi! Jumbo Shells ($20) with more of that creamy cashew sauce, and Hi! Lions Mane Steak ($33).

Menu items that start with "Hi!" indicate that the dish contains hemp seed. "In the future it may mean more," Klein clarified in an email. "That's all for now."

On weekends, a brunch menu adds in a few morning mainstays: avocado toast ($10), eggless quiche ($17) and hemp-spirulina waffles ($15).

The dessert menu is short and reminded us of Owamni, which does not use sugar and dairy in its sweets. The rich avocado cacao mousse ($15), sweetened with maple syrup, was as — if not more — successful.

The drinks: Just because the bar is devoted to nonalcoholic beverages doesn't mean they won't go to your head. Caution — and a little guidance from your server — is advised when skimming the lengthy drink menu, which includes both housemade cocktails and canned and bottled beverages from local companies such as 3 Leche and Dry Wit.

Some drinks' descriptions boast that they are "HIGHLY CAFFEINATED," for example. ("We have listed any prominent words that explain feels in capitals," Klein said.) Others have kava root, used in ceremonial drinks in the South Pacific for relaxation. Still others contain adaptogens; the server explained that they are mood enhancers derived from mushrooms. "I have to ask about the legality of that," I said. "No, not those kinds of mushrooms," the server replied.

Klein explained that the adaptogens "are very subtle, but great for you and really just boost peoples' moods and might make you feel a bit happier than usual or a bit more euphoric. But nothing like the highs you might get from THC."

Only one drink, as far as I could tell, was marked as "psychoactive" — the Blue Lotus Tea, which has "APHRODISIAC effects." But a favorite was the completely innocent Hazelnut Horchata ($16), a frosty, creamy blend of black rice and nuts made in-house each morning.

The THC: Listed at the end of the drink menu, THC tinctures start at $8 for 5 mg of Smoked flavor, and go up to $44 for 50 mg of Cloud 9. Also available are canned THC beverages and packaged gummies.

We chose not to partake, so we can't speak to their flavors or effectiveness. But the idea is that you add the tincture to your food and drink at will. Servers can't suggest pairings, however, "as it is considered a pharmaceutical and not food," Klein said. "Unfortunately right now we aren't able to give instructions on how to use, which has been such a frustrating thing with the way the laws are around this."

About those prices: Drink prices vary widely, from $5.55 for a canned sparking yuzu and lime beverage to $19 for the housemade Carrotrita. The latter might sound high, but Klein broke it down: it contains a $9 shot of a nonalcoholic spirit "bottled much like an expensive bottle of tequila," plus $3 of fresh-pressed carrot juice, $1 of "fancy" ice, and garnish directly from the restaurant's garden. Add in the operational costs, and you get a $19 drink. "A few people have complained about this, but they don't understand the cost of these ingredients and sourcing from trusted sources matters so much," Klein said.

You may also notice some unusual numbers sprinkled throughout the food and drink menus — $5.55, $8.88. They are "fun angel numbers," Klein said. "They are blessings of sorts."

When it comes to the bill, you have the option to pay traditionally with a card to your server, or via QR code. Note a 20% service charge is already included. There is also a tip line for any extra gratuity.