Downtown Mpls

[tee0007]

Hello,

If any Minnesotans can help me out it would greatly be appreciated. I'm staying in downtown MPLS for a week and need to find any gluten-free restaurants that are in walking distance around 50 south Sixth St. Can anyone help? You can email directly at tee0007@wi.rr.com as I'm new to this site and haven't checked it very often.

Thanks,

Trent

[kbtoyssni]

I live in downtown Minneapolis. I wrote up this PM full of restaurants, grocery stores and things to do for someone else. They were staying just a block south of where you'll be so the distances will be pretty close. I also wrote this during the summer so some of the outdoor things to do and walking suggestions might not be so valid now that we've got a ton of snow! I'll email it to you, too, so you have it, but it's good info to just get out there.

GROCERY STORES:

The Wedge (2105 Lyndale Ave S.) - This is 14 blocks south of your hotel and has tons of gluten-free bread, cracker, brownies, cookies, etc. This is the place you want to go. It's a bit more expensive so if you're looking for a cheaper store, there's a Rainbow Foods about 10 blocks further south. There's also Lunds (25 University Ave SE) which is a more upscale store, but I'd stick with The Wedge or Rainbow. It's about 15 blocks north of your hotel.

RESTAURANTS:

Nicollet (pronounced Nic-o-let) Mall/Ave has tons of food. It's a pedestrian street until you get south of 14th I think. South of about 20th it's called Eat Street.

-New Dehli (1400 Nicollet Ave) is about 8 blocks from the hotel. It's Indian food so pretty much everything is safe. I've eaten here successfully a few times.

-Masa (1070 Nicollet Mall), 4 blocks away: Open Original Shared Link This is a pretty ritzy more authentic mexican restaurant. You won't find tacos on the menu. The waitstaff was really good about the gluten. They did pretty much recommend the pork, though, because that's the only dish straight off the menu that was gluten-free.

-Peninsula Malaysian (2608 Nicollet Ave S), ~20 blocks south: Open Original Shared Link I ate here once successfully. It was really good. Only problem is that English is not the first language for most of the waitstaff so there was some confusion about the difference between soy and soy sauce.

-Chiang Mai Thai (Calhoun Square, 3001 Hennepin Ave S), ~25 blocks south. Really yummy thai food. This restaurant is in Uptown, a really hip, younger part of town. It's definitely worth walking around the area. They've got outdoor seating, too. Not the cheapest (probably $10+ meals) but the atmosphere is worth it.

-Chianti Grill (1611 W Larpenteur Ave):Open Original Shared Link . This is a 15 minutes drive north. I suggest it because it's an Italian place with a gluten-free menu. Also more fancy (~$15+ meals).

-Tuggs Tavern (219 S.E. Main St), Open Original Shared Link This is on the other side of the river from downtown and is a fun, relaxing place to sit outside and eat and watch the river. The food for you won't be too exciting or filling in my opinion (I think I always get the spinach chicken salad), but it is generally safe. I'm more suggesting it if your coworkers get sick of going to Nicollet Ave and want to see another part of the town. This is the St Anthony Main part of town which seems very slow-paced yet upscale. It's a good place to go for drinks.

Not a restaurant, but Brits is this adorable British pub (1100 Nicollet) with lawn bowling and outdoor seating on the roof and a great view of the city. If you want to go out for drinks, this is a fun place. Not so good for gluten-free food, though. It's bar food. I got a salad once, but that's all you're going to get. It's walking distance of where you're going.

THINGS TO DO:

-I mentioned Uptown (note, the Wedge is also on the north edge of uptown). It's just a very hip, fun place to go. You look like you're a runner so you should check out Lake Calhoun. It is THE place to run in the city. I have never seen anywhere with more runners/skaters/bikers, etc. It's a 5k around the lake. It's about 20 blocks south, 5 blocks west of the hotel. See map: Open Original Shared Link

-I'd also recommend checking out the river, another great place to run or just to walk. It's also a 5k if you run to Boom Island Park then back down the river to the Stone Arch Bridge: Open Original Shared Link

-If you like museums and have some time, you could try Mill City Museum. I just went there yesterday. It takes about two hours and is a good overview of the history of Minneapolis. Just stay out of the baking room and the "flour explosion" demo! I find it rather ironic that I went to a museum almost exclusively dedicated to the history of wheat flour!

-St Anthony Main (the other side of the river). You could walk there for drinks. It's 7 blocks to the river and then you can take the Stone Arch bridge over.

-Loring Park area. This is a park on the south side of downtown (about 7 blocks from you). If you cross over Hennepin, there's the sculpture garden (with the famous spoon and cherry) and the Walker Art Museum (I think it's free on Thursdays and Saturdays). The map shows the location of the museum: Open Original Shared Link

[TestyTommy]

Hi tee,

I've lived in downtown Minneapolis since 1990. You will be smack in the middle of downtown, so there certainly won't be a lack of places to eat. Here's a few places I've had good experiences that are within easy walking distance of where you'll be (and some are even on the skyway).

Local restaurants:

Murray's Steak house -- a Minneapolis landmark

Cafe Brenda -- 3rd Street & First Avenue -- uses organic and locally produced foods

Atlas Grill -- 6th Street & Third Avenue -- upscale middle eastern food

Chain resturant:

McCormick & Schmiek's -- 8th & Nicollet- -- a seafood chain

Fogo de Chao -- Brazilian food -- in City Center (6th & Hennepin)

Capital Grill -- 8th & Hennepin

Morton's -- 6th & Nicollet

If you have a car, take a drive to Cooqi, a gluten-free bakery in St. Paul. You will be stunned at how good it is. It's 10 minutes from downtown Minneapolis. (In case you don't know, Minneapolis & St. Paul are right next to each other & most of St. Paul is closer to downtown Minneapolis than much of Minneapolis)

And, just to give you another opinion, I'd say stay out of Uptown -- it's full of poseurs and trustfund babies. The cool parts of Minneapolis are the riverfront and Northeast Minneapolis (just across the river from downtown)!

[kbtoyssni]

And, just to give you another opinion, I'd say stay out of Uptown -- it's full of poseurs and trustfund babies. The cool parts of Minneapolis are the riverfront and Northeast Minneapolis (just across the river from downtown)!

I would disagree with you! I love uptown, and I'm not a fan of northeast at all