OISS’ GUIDE TO SUMMER FUN IN THE TWIN CITIES! ST. PAUL EDITION ST. PAUL RESTAURANTS/BREWERIES/BARS
West 7th Neighborhood
Keg & Case Restaurants inside and can sit outside and listen to music Five Watt coffee, brewery, Pimento Jamaican food, Purple Ice Cream, Woodfired Cantina pizza restaurant New Purple cream shop and Woodfire Cantina pizza place- both owned by same group that owns Hope and the Gnome!
Hope Breakfast Bar Awesome funky breakfast dishes, also does lunch, great outdoor seating area with Café Astoria! Awesome owners who want to give back to community- they also own the Gnome!
Café Astoria Latte art! New bakery shares the space too, street closed for outdoor seating in middle of here and Hope!
Waldmann’s Brewery Great outdoor patio, German food, beer and non-alcoholic drink options too
Bad Weather Brewing Brewery with food trucks, lots of outside seating, across from Hope and Café Astoria
Mojo Monkey Donuts Magical donuts that sell out fast but are magical so definitely a must do in St. Paul!
ST. PAUL West 7th Neighborhood
Shamrock’s Same menu as The Nook in Mac Groveland, but much larger restaurant with awesome brand new patio Known for burgers and wings!
Claddagh Coffee Cute coffee shop Additional location on Selby near the Gnome
New Bohemia German beer hall, location on West 7th downtown, multiple locations across the Cities Connected to the Food Truck Park
Seventh Street Truck Park Unique indoor food truck park vice with bars and mini food places
Cossetta’s Italian, tons of seating inside and outside with cool views of downtown
St. Paul Tap Arcade and games, new patio, restaurant and bar
Summit Brewery Well-known Minnesota brewery, must be 21 ST. PAUL Lowertown (downtown St Paul) Ox Cart Arcade Rooftop Bar Super tall rooftop bar that oversees Saints stadium, whole place is 90’s themed
Barrio Salsa dancing some nights, tacos are yum Indoor and outdoor seating Location on Nicollet in downtown Minneapolis near that campus too
The Bulldog Next to Barrio, American sports bar vibe, multiple locations
Merriam Park Neighborhood Blue Door Pub Multiple locations, one super close to campus, known for their tator tots and burgers
Nellie's Ice Cream walking distance to campus, custom ice cream sandwiches
Lexinginton-Hamline Neighborhood Pizza Luce Yummy pizza place with fun pizza options, gluten free and vegan options, multiple locations throughout the cities
J. Selby’s Super yummy vegan food, cauliflower wings are heart eyes!
Yellowbird Café Cute little coffee shop in walkable neighborhood ST. PAUL Cathedral Hill Neighborhood
Gnome Pub Sweet patio spot known for yummy cool food and beer list
Nina’s coffee Cute, super popular, walkable area coffee shop!
Moscow on the Hill Sweet patio in back, Russian food!
Sweeney’s Saloon Kind of between Cathedral Hill and Dale/Grand Ave neighborhoods, it’s known for it’s patio, fries with mustard, and people who bring their dogs to the patio! Indoor and outdoor seating, great happy hour spot
Red Cow Known for their burgers, indoor and outdoor seating Multiple locations throughout the Cities
Revival Southern food (think fried chicken!)
La Grolla Kinda bougie Italian place with cute patio
Handsome Hog New huge patio, great place if you like meat! ST. PAUL Highland Park Neighborhood Cecil’s Deli Delicious, Jewish deli, really close to St. Thomas!
Highland Grill Yummy breakfast and lunch restaurant
Quixotic Coffee Super cute, popular coffee shop
Tiffany’s Popular place with Tommies , also serves food
Agra Culture Super good healthy food with so many different dietary needs labeled on the menu- makes it a great option to go in groups! Multiple locations throughout the Cities
Crisp & Green Multiple locations across the cities, yummy salad bar style restaurant
Snelling-Hamline Neighborhood
Augustine’s Bar & Bakery Awesome happy hour, yummy nachos
Rose Patisserie French bakery known for yummy pastries-very walkable!
Naughty Greek 2 locations- one right by Whole Foods! ST. PAUL Mac-Groveland Neighborhood
The Nook Famous for Juicy Lucy’s, has weekday specials, also has amazing old-school bowling alley in the basement. Known for burgers and wings!
Groveland tap Expanded outdoor seating, great happy hour.
La Boulangerie Margarite (formerly PJ Murphy’s) Amazing local bakery that everyone lovessss!
J.S. Bean Sweet local coffee shop that also roasts its own beans! Great outdoor seating in back!
Due Focacceria Cool outdoor seating with yummy bread!
Nelson’s Ice Cream HUGE portions for like $4, definitely get the kids size and split it! Cash only and super awesome! Another location in Stillwater, also own Nellie's
Poke House & Tea Bar Poke and bubble tea place across from Plumb’s
ST. PAUL
Grand Avenue (multiple neighborhoods)
Punch Pizza Multiple locations, yummy personal pizzas with gluten free, vegan, vegetarian options
Grand Catch Seafood restaurant with outdoor back patio
Shish Mediterranean food that’s yummy, affordable, and good for different dietary needs
French Meadow Multiple locations, awesome back patio, lots of options for different dietary needs
The Lexington Fancy feel restaurant, but the rooftop patio in back is not! Café Latte Super popular spot, great for grabbing a lunch to go, known for their cakes!
Brasa Known for rotisserie chicken, plantains, and other yummy food. Great spot for people with different dietary needs
Grand Ol' Creamery ice cream shop Super cute, super yummy, super walkable
Colossal Café Yum! One location on Grand, the other near the UofM St. Paul campus in the St. Anthony neighborhood. Yummy unlimited coffee refills and known as a great brunch spot. Pretty busy so definitely plan ahead! ST. PAUL
Midway Neighborhood Blackstack Brewery Huge vintage-inspired brewery tap room and coffee shop above Can Can Wonderland, also has a food truck usually!
Groundswell Super popular coffee shop with breakfast, lunch and dinner. Amazingly delicious vegan banana bread
On’s Thai Delicious, authentic Thai food!
iPho by Saigon Awesome pho place owned by St. Thomas alum- so many diff sizes for pho and yummy banh mi too!
Cha Yes Bubble Tea Next to iPho, Taiwanese shaved ice and bubble tea spot!
Gabe’s by the Park & Half Time Rec Gabe’s is a Packer-bar (plays Packers games) and has a great patio- is close to Como Park Half Time Rec is a total dive bar with bocci ball in the basement, no outdoor seating
Trung Nam French Bakery Vietnamese French Bakery known for their croissants- they sell out like every morning!
Magic Noodle Hand-pulled noodle restaurant-yum! Also known for super good pot stickers, can watch them hand pull noodles!
Burning Bros Brewery ALL gluten free, little brewery with free popcorn ST. PAUL South St. Anthony Park Neighborhood Foxy Falafel GF, veg options for awesome breakfasts and lunches
Naughty Greek second, much larger location
Dual Citizen Brewing Brewery, can order Naughty Greek from in brewery
Dogwood Coffee bar Fruity coffee, modern interior
Workhorse Coffee bar Small, cute little coffee shop
Lake Monster Brewery Brewery with food trucks, indoor and outdoor seating, close to St. Thomas!
The Dubliner Irish bar and restaurant, mostly indoor seating, live music every night
Urban Growler Brewery and full restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating! Women-owned brewery and super delicious food! Great place to bring group who has different ages/doesn't all drink alcohol
Union Hmong Kitchen Hmong food, close to campus, partner with a lot of different pop ups in the area so definitely follow them on IG! ST. PAUL OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES Minnesota State Fair! Last 2 weeks of summer! You can get discounted tickets at Tommie Central, but they sell out so get yours quick! If you go Friday before school starts you can go with all the new international students as a part of their orientation!
Como Park Conservatory, parks, free zoo, kids amusement park, walk around the lake, go to the dockside They have had music/movies on the lawn in the past during the summer
St Paul Farmer’s Market Located in Lowertown, awesome place to get locally grown fruit, vegetables, and other yummy food!
St. Paul Saints baseball game semi-pro baseball team, stadium right in Lowertown
Hidden Falls Across from Minnehaha falls, walking trails, small waterfalls
Live Music happens all over the place outside during summer!
INDOOR ACTIVITIES
Can Can Wonderland Indoor mini golf course made by artists- hang out at Blackstack before or after a round of golf!
Vertical Endeavors rock climbing Super close to campus and a great spot to try bouldering or rock climbing! Join the rock climbing club on campus and try it out in a group!
Live music all year round indoors!
ST. PAUL INSTAGRAM ACCOUNTS TO FOLLOW: *basically every place above is on IG
Visitsaintpaul only_in_minnesota exploreminnesota visit_Duluth TwinCitiesNowandThen Eatdrinkdishmpls Summit_avenue northeastminneapolis pao_minneapolis
OTHER FUN TOWNS/CITIES TO CHECK OUT:
Duluth 2 hour drive north of St. Paul, definitely worth seeing in the summer! Restaurants/breweries: Duluth Grill Literally Amanda's favorite restaurant, they grow a lot of food on their property and have so many options on the menu Betty’s Pies Close to Gooseberry Falls, great little spot for food and pie! Nature Drive all the way up along Superior and stop along all the beautiful waterfalls, hiking, and cute towns Gooseberry Falls Close to Duluth, can pull right off the road and explore! Super famous and beautiful to walk all on the waterfall Tettegouche State Park Awesome views and waterfall! Devil’s Kettle Wayyyy up north but famous because no one knows where one of the waterfalls deposits into-hence the name!
OTHER FUN TOWNS/CITIES TO CHECK OUT:
Stillwater 30 minutes east of St Paul on the St. Croix river Lots of cute shops and restaurants, great place to do a little day trip Canoe and Kayak rental options
Redwing Cute little town on the water One hour south from St Paul Near a ton of beautiful vineyards and apple orchards
Hastings Cute little town just south of the Twin Cities on the river
Taylors Falls One hour north of St Paul, on St. Croix, town is tiny but rocks are stunning Kayak and Canoe rental options are SUPER fun and a beautiful way to see the river! Take along a picnic and stop along the river on your trip