Image via Complex Original
Pick up a Visit Minneapolis! guide book and you will likely be pointed toward the Mall of America, Walker Art Center, and Prince’s purple pants. What you won’t find listed are the low-key spots that make Minneapolis such an eclectic area. Yes, the winters suck and will kill the weak, but if you can last until spring, you will be amazed to see how the city comes alive with micro-breweries, street festivals, and cultural hubs like the Midtown Global Market. But before you make the mistake of calling it a landlocked Portland, Ore., read further and discover the hidden gems that make this city so beautiful.
Taco Cat
Location: Wherever you are
Taco Cat began as an underground operation. For two years the tacos were cooked out of random apartment kitchens, operating once a week with no advertising. The "business line" was a pre-paid burner phone and you had to know someone to get the number. They would start making tacos around 8:00 p.m., joined by all of their bicycling friends. Once orders started to flood in, a fleet of TC cyclists would make their way to various parts of the city, armed with steak, pork, veggie, and vegan tacos. No one was paid in real money, only Black Label beer (the official beverage of Taco Cat). TC is legal now and recently added breakfast burritos on Sunday morning. Call number, get tacos.
White Sand Beaches
Location: East Lake, Mississippi River
There’s a spot in the Kenwood neighborhood of Minneapolis called Hidden Beach, which, these days, seems like an oxymoron. What used to be a chill hippie hangout is now overrun with under-aged ragers. On the other side of Minneapolis, down East Lake, is a spot that locals call "white sands.” Located over the river and through the woods, this is somewhere that grandmothers rarely go. As the after-party’s after-party, these Mississippi banks play host to bonfires and a more laid back vibe.
Yess Yoga
Location:23 E 26th St.
Harsh seasons tend to be an instigator of poor mental health, making cold Minneapolis a hot spot for wellness centers and yoga studios. Yess Yoga is our favorite Zen zone, filled with green plants and positive vibes. New to this stretch life? Yess gives you 10 days of unlimited yoga for $10, getting you hooked on down-dog. Lucia Yess, the founder of the studio, has made it her personal mission to involve the community and has opened her space to organizations like Black Girl in Om to facilitate pop-up yoga sessions that cater to all.
Five Watt Coffee
Location:3745 Nicollet Ave. S.
Those wee morning hours before your first cup of coffee may be some of the most disorienting and even frightening moments of your day. Luckily, places like Five Watt Coffee exist to serve as “the plug” for that caffeine kick you’re itching for. Constantly on innovation-mode, these guys not only boast an arms-length list of coffee drinks, but also an upcoming in-house cold press brewery (kegs and cans), latte art contests, and a “Sunday Service” featuring live organ music and a specialty oatmeal bar that sometimes morphs into a hot cake station (pictured). On top of all that, this oasis also hosts the Five Watt Sessions—a live-performance video series featuring acts like Phox and S.Carey.
Familia Skate Shop and Skatepark
Location:2833 Hennepin Ave. S. (shop); 835 E. Hennepin Ave. (skatepark)
Approaching their 10-year anniversary this summer, Familia is an important proponent of the local skateboarding community. Located in the heart of uptown, the shop houses brands like Nike SB and Huf. The Familia crew also owns and operates an indoor skatepark in Northeast that provides a space for young skaters to be nurtured by Steve Nesser’s founding vision. Also heavily involved with the local music scene, Familia hosts a pop-up skatepark at Soundset music festival, and also sponsors the P.O.S.-curated show, which features artists like SZA, Le1f, and Allan Kingdom.
Ancestry Books
Location:2205 N. Lowry Ave.
What initially sprouted from a literary initiative progressed into a hyper-successful Kickstarter campaign that raised enough money to open this community-oriented bookstore—a beacon of learning for the oft-ignored Northside neighborhood. Influenced by the La Casa Azul Bookstore in New York, this diverse space hosts workshops and readings with the intention of “re-centering the narratives of indigenous authors and authors of color.”
B. Resale
Location:2613 Nicollet Ave. S
Walk into this re-sale shop and you’re likely to hear some of the best local music leaking from the loud speakers, from Greg Grease to Caroline Smith to Vandaam. As a heavy supporter of the local music scene, the founder, Allison, opens her collections up to locally-based stylists, sells concert tickets, and will let you post your concert flyer in the window (as long as it’s tight!). Allison also provides a consignment platform for street-wear upstarts like Hoods By Marge and Tattered Life, while at the same time letting multi-disciplinary artists like KNZ host mimosa-fueled pop-up shops with live sounds from local DJs like Don Cuco.
Glam Doll Donuts
Location:2605 Nicollet Ave. S.
Located next door to B. Resale, Glam Doll Donuts is kind of a big deal. Celebrating their two-year anniversary this month, Teresa and Arwyn were originally inspired by trips out West, discovering specialty donut shops and realizing that they could do it way better. Adorned with a pin-up girl theme, the shop is a cool place to sit and chill and features a wide variety of donuts, including vegan options. Many of the donuts are named after local bands, showing a love for music that has extended to them creating customized donuts for all the big acts that come into town.
Icehouse
Location:2528 Nicollet Ave. S
One of the newer venues in the city, Icehouse quickly gained popularity from their solid jazz nights and affiliations with indie label Totally Gross National Product. Try one of their sipping shots for $5, or our favorite—a whiskey ginger (the ginger beer is made in-house). The stage is predominantly filled with jazz, folk, and progressive hip-hop acts like denitia and sene, Toki Wright & Big Cats, and Saul Williams. But every once in a while, you’ll be surprised by who shows up, like last year, when Justin Vernon (Bon Iver, pictured) showed up to Sunday brunch unannounced wearing a cowboy hat, jumped on stage, and sang country covers all morning.
Cafe Southside
Location:3405 Chicago Ave. S.
Activism is a major focus in Minneapolis, especially concerning racial justice. During the height of the Ferguson protests, Black Lives Matter meetings were hosted at Cafe Southside, including the civil disobedience trainings conducted before the Mall of America protests led by Mica Grimm and Michael McDowell. The owners have done an incredible job of making this a safe place for QPOC (queer people of color) and they also run the space upstairs, The Exchange, hosting pop-up shops, art shows, and spoken word events. And if all this organizing gets you hungry, they have one of the best bagel sandwiches in the city.
Bunkers (Downtown)
Location:761 Washington Ave. N.
Dr. Mambo’s Combo is one of the most legendary bands in Minneapolis. Created exclusively for Bunkers, they have been playing at the bar every Sunday and Monday for nearly three decades. Prince, a longtime frequenter of the bar, sought out Combo’s female vocalist, Margaret Cox, and drummer Michael Bland (current member of Soul Asylum and former member of the New Power Generation) to work with him on multiple projects and tours. To this day, he still stops in to see the Combo play. In addition, Jellybean Johnson (drummer for The Time) is almost always in the Sunday and Monday audience and often jumps on the stage to perform with the band.
Victor's 1959 Cafe (Southside)
Location:3756 Grand Ave. S.
When your Fruity Pebbles have dwindled and that carton of almond milk has dripped its last drop, what do you do? You go out for breakfast. And if you’re going to go out, you might as well go out to the diner that lets you sign your name on the wall. A humbly sized space located on the Southside of the city, Victor’s has been a longstanding breakfast destination, boasting the best Cuban food you’ll find for the price. There’s outdoor seating when weather permits, but make sure to get there early or expect to stand in line.