Here are links to nearby food and drink which we (and our guests) recommend. We enjoy them all!
These restaurants are either within walking distance, on the GreenLine train, #16 bus route, or are a very short drive away from Bobbin House Studio. We enjoy the food at all of them. Yes, there are many others which are just as good. These are nearby and easy to find. Note that the UofMN campus is just a few blocks away where you will find dozens of bars and restaurants which we can't even try to keep track of!
- Hodges Bend Just a quick, one-block stroll to 2700 University Avenue. Open until 2am. This is our go-to neighborhood bar and restaurant. A high-end, (but affordable) barista-service coffee shop and full bar, also with breakfast, lunch and dinner selections! (They serve Poutine!) Extensive offerings of cocktails, mocktails, spiked coffee drinks, wines and beers. Casual and friendly, tin-ceiling atmosphere. (Tom recommends a custom french-press and the sourdough toast with homemade jam at any time of day and you can pretend you're in Europe.) We love it!
- T Rex Cookie and Cafe Just around the corner. A great coffee shop with a breakfast, lunch and light-dinner menu plus HUGE award-winning cookies and an excellent coffee-bar. We love it!
- Fresh Thyme Farmer's Market A five minute walk away. Our local grocery store has take out salads, soups, sandwiches, pizzas, bakery items and snacks, along with all the usual grocery and produce items. They also have a liquor store next door.
- Surly Brewing A six minute walk away. Yes, they make their famous beer there, plus they serve chef-quality food. You can also schedule a tour of the brewery!
- Can Can Wonderland Playland for grown-up-kids. Located in St. Paul’s Hamline Midway neighborhood and the Creative Enterprise Zone, Can Can Wonderland combines art and play to create a one-of-a-kind arts immersive environment for people of all ages to enjoy. Mini golf, vintage pinball, crazy drinks and weird food. Short drive, easy parking.
- Dunn Brothers Coffee Lab A favorite local coffee shop.
- Cafe Biaggio A Moderately upscale Italian Bistro just a few blocks to the East. The food is deliciously memorable, the atmosphere is romantic.
- Keys Cafe Since 1973, a Twin Cities tradition for breakfast and lunch only. Its old-fahioned atmosphere and down-to-earth food is great every time!
- U Garden Chinese Just 3 blocks away. Friendly menu service or inexpensive self-service buffet. We eat here often!
- Caspian Bistro and Marketplace Persian food in a full-service restaurant plus a Mid-Eastern food market. Great food and friendly service! This has been a favorite with many of our guests.
- Foxy Falafel Oh how we love this place! A charming, funky little cafe with healthy, earthy, chef-quality food. Try our favorite, "the stoplight." YUM!
- Seward Cafe A whole-food cafe that's been there since 1974. Healthy and delicious food with environmental and social conscience.
- On's Kitchen Thai Cuisine Up-scale Thai food in an unassuming location on the "GreenLine" near the Snelling Ave. Station.
- Seward Co-op A delightful natural-foods grocery store, cafe and deli.
- Hampden Park Co-op Another nearby natural foods grocery store.
- Egg and I - East At 2550 University Ave West, it's a short walk away. Standard American breakfast fare. Open only until 2:00 pm.
- My Burger Stadium Village 213 Oak St SE (MPLS UofMN campus) Fantastic and definitely NOT your average fast-food burger. They deliver too!
- Hong Kong Noodle Nearby on the "Greenline" at the UofMN campus, this very casual noodle house is about as authentic as you can get in MPLS. Our favorite is #112 jumbo shrimp and walnuts. Delicious!
- Himalayan Restaurant A Short drive away on East Lake Street. A small, local-family-owned restaurant serving Nepali, Indian and Tibetan Cuisine. Optional buffet at lunch! Menu only for dinner. YUM!!!
- Pizza Luce Seward A pizza place with a contemporary attitude.
- Denny's The chain restaurant you probably already know. Decent food and reasonable prices. Easy and ample parking and a short walk from light rail.
- Zipp's Liquors A liquor store with character! They call themselves, "the chicken and waffles" of liquor stores. (It's a fun and funky place.) A large hand-picked selection of unusual specialties makes them different and entertaining. Note that ALL Minnesota liquor stores close at 10:00 pm.
Look Below: Here Are More Choices For Food!
These places are just a bit further away than the ones listed above, but they're still nearby, and are absolutely worth a short drive.
- Wilde Roast Cafe Named after Oscar Wilde, it's a full-service neighborhood restaurant with an updated Victorian feel, but it's not your typical cafe. They've tried to create an atmosphere that would suit Wilde's tastes. A comfortable place where you can go alone, or with friends to enjoy a latte or glass of wine by their 1900's fireplace on a Chesterfield couch. A perfect place for a romatic evening and a leisurely walk, it's on the historic Mississippi riverfront, along the St. Anthony Falls Heritage Trail, and near the Guthrie Theater.
- Kramarczuks Also in the Historic NE Minneapolis riverfront district, not far from Wilde Roast. Imagine the smells of fresh baked bread, pastries, tortes, smoked sausages and stewed cabbage. For sixty years Kramarczuk’s has represented the quality and taste of Eastern European foods in Minneapolis. YUM!!! (The cabbage roll with the "pink sauce" is one of our favorites!)
- Muffuletta The Minneapolis Star Tribune calls it "a candle-lit, chef-driven bistro with an imaginative globe-trotting menu." It's in the charming Milton Square shopping area of Saint Paul's St Anthony park. (About a 5 minute drive from here.) Also, if you feel like shopping for unusual things, the Bibelot is just a few doors away; give it a look!
- Cafe Latte Is also in Saint Paul. They have a fantastic and ever-changing assortment of decadent cakes, pastries, breads, salads, sandwiches and drinks. Your BHS host,Tom, gets his favorite birthday cake from here! (Life is short, Eat dessert first.)
- The Bachelor Farmer A superb, full-service Scandinavian restaurant housed in a historic brick-and-timber warehouse. It's located in the North Loop neighborhood on the nearby edge of downtown Minneapolis. "The Farmer" serves fresh and simple food using the best ingredients available, which often means buying from local farmers. They use organic products whenever possible and even grow herbs and vegetables on their rooftop farm, which is the first of its kind in Minneapolis. Our recommendation: be sure to order a "toast" as part of your meal! YUM! Look for the blue plaid awnings on their building.
- Fika The cafe at the American Swedish Institute serves seasonally-inspired, delicious and beautiful, chef-made, Scandinavian food. Deninitely NOT your typical museum cafe! (The King and Queen of Sweden have eaten there.)
- Little Mekong District This is an Asian-business district several miles East of here on University Avenue. The many "mom and pop" restaurants are deliciously authentic, and probably as close to the home-cooking of their native cultures as you can get. Try something different!!! Several of these places are "regular" dining choices for us. Check out the Asian grocery stores too! The Green Line light rail train or the #16 bus can zip you there easily.
- Shish A "Mediterranean" cafe, this is a place where we love to have hummous for breakfast, (they serve American breakfast too) but any time of day it's great food. Plus there's a bakery case that will definitely tempt your sweet tooth.
- Chimborazo We've saved the best for last! This is probably our favorite restaurant in the entire TC Metro Area. They serve the traditional foods you'd find on an Ecuadorian family's table. This is simple food, fresh food, and beautiful food that will satisfy the tastes of both carnivores and vegetarians. Extremely flavorful, but not hot-spicy. They call themselves, "a small restaurant with a big heart." It's true! Try them for breakfast too!
Vegetarian, Vegan and Veg-friendly:
We can personally vouch for Hodges Bend, the Seward, and Birchwood. The rest are highly recommended by our friends.
- Hodges Bend
- Reverie Cafe & Bar
- The Herbivorous Butcher
- Gyst Fermentation Bar
- Alma Cafe
- Seward Cafe
- Birchwood Cafe
Incidental Necessities, Groceries and Pharmacy
- Fresh Thyme Farmer's Market and Liquor Store See description above
- Lund's Grocery An upcale, full-service gorcery store with lots of chef-quality takeout food options. Free parking ramp.
- Schneider Drug Just across the street from the Bobbin House Suite.
Of course we can't promise that you'll enjoy these places as much as we do, but we certainly hope you will!
Bon appétit!
