The 10 Best Restaurants In North Loop

The award-winning 112 Eatery has an indulgent menu with dishes like the lamb scottadito with goat’s milk yogurt; tagliatelle with foie gras meatballs; cauliflower fritters and a 112 cheese burger—all at incredibly reasonable prices. For something sweeter try the tres leches cake or chocolate torte with malted chocolate ice cream.

Bar La Grassa has an extensive list of pastas: try the cavatelli with braised rabbit; gnocchi with cauliflower and orange; mushroom and taleggio agnolotti; and paccheri with saffron milk-braised chicken. A long lineup of bruschetta is the other star of the menu, with inventive varieties ranging from charred red onion with goat cheese, to white anchovy and avocado, to roasted shishito peppers with chocolate tapenade.

The Bachelor Farmer serves dishes featuring ingredients picked from its rooftop garden and has an elegant, sunny setting. Its Nordic-inspired menu pays tribute to the state’s culture while celebrating the farm-to-table movement. Enjoy entrees such as poached eggs with hen of the wood mushrooms, cipollini onions and mustard greens; smoked duck breast with butternut squash-oat porridge and red Russian kale; and pork shoulder with pork belly confit, hakurei turnips and their greens, and fresh soybeans.

Borough has an expert barkeeper and a worldly pastry chef who work together to craft an exciting menu that’s constantly changing with the seasons. If available when you dine, order the smoked pork belly with celery root, apple, Gouda and hazelnut, or the venison with Brussels sprouts, squash, Stilton and red wine.

The Freehouse is a brewpub which serves entrees like the turkey burger, made with peanuts, curry, pepper jack cheese and poblano pesto aioli; and the cheese curds with hard cider batter, apple sauce and quince jam. If you’re feeling even adventurous, try the Korean Rockefeller oysters with kimchi, doenjang and tempura flakes, or the oxtail croquettes with blue cheese and pear. The Freehouse’s breakfast menu is just as funky, featuring dishes like the fried gnocchi with mushrooms, pesto, bacon, arugula, toast and a poached egg – a local favorite.

HauteDish’s small plates are artfully prepared: choose from hearty yet complex options such as the pumpkin stew with panang curry, blue prawn, king crab and sticky rice, or the steak and potatoes with bone marrow, Texas toast and gremolata. If you’re seeking something truly special, however, order the famous HauteDish entree with Tater Tots, porcini, short rib and green beans.

For the best sushi and Japanese cuisine in the North Loop, Origami Restaurant is the place to go. There’s an izakaya style menu that features Japanese dishes similar to those of Spanish tapas: enjoy small plates like gyoza (dumplings), edamame and sashimi.

Sapor Cafe and Bar, bearing the Latin word for ‘flavor’ in its title, truly takes its namesake to heart. Ethnic fare from around the world inspires intricate dishes like the house-smoked beef brisket with cherry-bourbon barbecue sauce, hush puppies and mustard slaw, and the pancetta burger on a brioche bun with Fontina cheese, roasted garlic-tomato aioli, caramelized onions and arugula, among others. The restaurant has amassed quite a few awards since it was founded in 2000—most recently, the Star Tribune named it the Best Restaurant for a First Date in 2014—but the food and the cozy ambiance shouldn’t get all the credit, for the service is genuine and incredibly attentive. Sapor’s co-founder and hostess Julie Steenerson was even semifinalist for a 2013 James Beard Award for Outstanding Service.

Smack Shack ensures the seafood it serves is sustainable, partnering with the Minnesota Zoo’s Fish Smart program to do so. For a taste of some the finest seafood in the North Loop, you’d best try the lobster mac & cheese, fried oyster sliders or go all-in with the scrumptious, lobster boil drenched in butter.

Toast Wine Bar & Cafe highlights wines from organic, biodynamic wineries. Accompany your drink with cheeses, olives, crostinis, cured meats, pizzas or polentas. When the weather is fair, request a seat on the alley-like patio studded with twinkling strings of lights. The atmosphere will sweep you away to the cafe-lined, cobblestone side streets of Europe.