42 Years of Broders’ and Dancing Bear Chocolate
The Tap for Friday, May 23, 2025
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THE HUMAN ELEMENT
I took my family to Broders’ Pasta Bar about a month ago, during one of those brief spring snow squalls that arrive as inevitably as the season itself. We arrived a little after 4pm and the place was already packed. As far as I know, Broders’ is always packed. I don’t even look for a space in the parking lot anymore - it’s a losing battle.
We had to wait a bit for a table, but they’ve figured out an incredible system for making guests feel welcome - they sell you a beer or a wine and you can watch the snow fall between the eaves of the houses and buildings while you kill some time.
I could document what we ate and drank at Broders’, but that’s beside the point. It was delicious and a solid value. The point is this: Our waiter took care of us. He was cheerful, he was prompt, he knew the menu backward and forward, and as soon as he turned up at our table, we could feel our collective blood pressure drop. Service is a potent X factor when it comes to making a restaurant work, and it’s one that Broders’ seems to have solved.
At one point our waiter was unavailable for a solid five minutes because he was talking to a group of regulars at another table. I was irritated for about 15 seconds until I realized how rare this once everyday sight has become: a server connecting on a personal basis with people who knew him, knew his restaurant, knew the neighborhood, knew the food.
All this is to say that while I don’t usually approve sponsored stories for the Heavy Table, I was happy to make an exception for today’s newsletter. It’s written by M.C. Cronin, one of our favorite writers, and illustrated by WACSO, one of our favorite illustrators. And it’s about Broders’. In a marketplace increasingly determined to cut people out of the loop, it’s a remarkably human place to grab a meal. – James Norton
THE TAP
The Tap is the Heavy Table’s ongoing biweekly account of noteworthy Minnesota restaurant openings, closings, and future openings. Please send any tips to editor@heavytable.com. All dates are approximate based on best information available; opening dates, in particular, tend to shift around a lot.
NOW OPEN (Up to 3 Months)
Hey Y’all Tipsy Taco Bar (formerly Big Star Tipsy Taco Bar), 2501 Marshall Street, NE, Minneapolis ■ The sprawling, Ferris wheel- and mini golf-bedecked site of the former Betty Danger’s will become a Tex-Mex and barbecue spot with a special emphasis on cocktails. Owners include Joe Radaich, formerly a partner at the Como Tap in Minneapolis. Opened May 3, 2025.
Kinsley’s Smokehouse Deli, The Market at Malcolm Yards, 501 30th Av. SE., Minneapolis ■ The former Revival Smoked Meats is now an East Coast-style deli offering a Reuben on rye, corned beef, a cold pastrami sandwich, and more. Opened April 28, 2025. Reviewed by Jeanne Lakso in the May 16, 2025 edition of the Churn.
Pizza Karma (Dinkytown), 409 14th Ave SE, Minneapolis ■ The well-regarded Indian-meets-pizza chain that has racked up a series of suburban locations has moved into the heart of the metro with a new shop in Dinkytown, Minneapolis. Opened April 16, 2025.
Karol Coffee Company, 1503 Hamline Avenue North, Saint Paul ■ Fresh, locally roasted coffee and specialty drinks anchor the menu at this shop, which is named for Pope John Paul II. Soft opening March 25 (6:30am-2pm), grand opening March 29 (8am-4pm). Profiled in the May 9, 2025 edition of the Tap.
Tres Bandidos Asadero Grill, 143 Snelling Ave. North, Saint Paul ■ Carnita, barbacoa, and rotisserie chicken are the titular bandits that give this restaurant by the owners of Taco Libre its name. Plated meals with slow cooked meats are the foundation of its menu, and it may open for breakfast in the near future. Opened April 1, 2025.
Khue’s Kitchen, 693 Raymond Ave., St. Paul ■ Khue’s Kitchen Chef/Owner Eric Pham is the grandson of Lung Tran, who opened the locally legendary Quang on Nicollet Avenue. Opened March 6, 2025 after a fire-related delay. Profiled in the April 11, 2025 edition of the Tap.
Cafe Yoto, 548 North Washington Ave., Minneapolis ■ A casual, counter service-driven Kado No Mise spinoff by Chef Yo Hasegawa, riffing on that restaurant’s internal pop-up concept Yo Monday Cafe. Opened March 4, 2025. Reviewed in the March 28, 2025 edition of the Tap.
Papá Chuy’s Bakery, 2409 Lyndale Ave. South, Minneapolis ■ The former Vegan East cafe location is now a Mexican panaderia. Opened February 26, 2025.
CLOSED AND CLOSING (Up to 3 Months)
Apostle Supper Club ■ The owners of this Xcel-adjacent upscale dinner spot controversially tied its upcoming closure to crime rates in Saint Paul. See our column in the May 9, 2025 edition of the Tap. Closing June 1.
U Garden ■ The family-run U Garden is shutting down after 32 years of business as a restaurant and events center. The space will be leased to tenants who plan to open a Korean barbecue and hot pot restaurant. Closing May 31.
Hey Bear ■ The eight-month tenure of this counter-service cafe reached an end after a dispute with the building’s landlord. Closed May 14.
North Loop Galley Food Hall ■ While the now Travail-run Graze Food Hall appears to be booming, the nearby North Loop Galley has called it quits, closing with just four remaining tenants. Closed May 10.
Lago Tacos (Lyndale) ■ This Lyndale Avenue gringo taco mainstay is moving to Saint Louis Park. Closed in May.
The Sonder Shaker ■ This remarkably good (but almost aggressively low-key) joint is calling it quits. The owners plan to reinvent it as an Italian restaurant (name to-be-determined) in early May, as per Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal. Closed April 19.
Cafe Ceres (all four locations) ■ A statement sent to staff cited a desire by the Daniel del Prado group to leave “the cafe space” and focus on restaurants. A Southwest Voices story about the closing notes that 30 Cafe Ceres baristas voted to unionize in August of 2024. Closed April 13.
Herbie Butcher’s Fried Chicken ■ The vegan fried “chicken” joint by the owners of Herbivorous Butcher lasted four years, a solid run for an untested concept. It closed March 30, but production of the team’s vegan chicken for wholesalers will continue.
Iron Door Pub ■ A mainstay of the Lyn-Lake intersection for nearly 10 years, the generally reliably busy Iron Door Pub shut its doors citing decreasing foot traffic. Closed March 23.
Saint Dinette ■ The Saint Paul stalwart Saint Dinette, a Tim Niver joint much loved for its sense of hospitality and warmth, has closed. Its sister restaurant Mucci’s will remain open. Closed March 22.
Casablanca Restaurant and Lounge ■ The ongoing Lyndale Avenue restaurant toll continues with the quiet closure this month of Casablanca, which we reviewed (not terribly favorably) in our Lyndale Avenue Checklist series. Closed March.
UPCOMING (Most Imminent to Furthest Out)
Red Coral Coffee, 4457 42nd Ave. South, Minneapolis ■ Specialty coffee from Taiwan will dominate the menu of this cafe-inside-a-restaurant that will share space (but not operating hours) with Okome House in the Longfellow neighborhood of Minneapolis. Opening May 27, 2025.
North Star Deli, 315 W. 46th St., Minneapolis ■ The owners and team behind the recently closed North Loop restaurant Guacaya Bistro are giving it another go in Kingfield, serving “serious” sandwiches including a muffuletta. Opening early June.
Nokko, 4747 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis ■ The former Fast Eddie’s location is set to become a Japanese bistro focused on hand roll-style sushi, owned in part by Hide Tozawa of Okome House. Opening early summer.
Dark Horse (reboot), 250 East 7th Street, Saint Paul ■ The ownership group behind Can Can Wonderland and St. Paul Brewing are reviving this popular Lowertown spot with chef Shane Oporto helming the kitchen. Opening early July 2025.
Arya Cafe, 4605 Minnehaha Avenue, Minneapolis ■ Restaurateurs of Ethiopian heritage are opening a cafe featuring “coffee drinks, pastries, and snacks, with an East African bent,” in a former Cafe Ceres reports Longfellow Whatever. Opening midsummer.
Silverbird Roasting Co., 4237 Nicollet Avenue South, Minneapolis ■ The former Kruse Markit space will be taken over by a cafe run in part by Tony Querio, who is a U.S. Coffee Roasting champion and the former head roaster for Spyhouse. Opening midsummer.
Stock and Bond ■ Steak, whiskey, private dining rooms and space for 250 diners mark this ambitious new steakhouse in the former Farmers and Mechanics Savings Bank in downtown Minneapolis. The restaurant’s original location is in Oklahoma City. Opening midsummer.
Shiki and Mirabelle ■ A ramen and dumplings concept (Shiki) and a steakhouse (Mirabelle) will share a building in downtown Excelsior with the already-open Parlour location. All three restaurants are owned by Jester Concepts, and the two new spots will debut midsummer.
Liliana, 10060 City Walk Drive, Woodbury, Minn. ■ Italian-inspired small plates are coming to Woodbury via the owners of Estelle and Mario’s. As per the Star Tribune, the restaurant’s kitchen will be headed up by Kenzie Edinger, who had a good run at Saint Dinette. Opening midsummer.
Ledger & Ladle, 16 NE 3rd Street, Grand Rapids, Minn. ■ An ambitious new restaurant coming to Grand Rapids, Minnesota by Eric Halverson, who did some strong work at Rapids Brewing Company. Opening 2025.
Matriarch, 1601 West Lake Street, Minneapolis ■ The recently closed Pinoli will become home to a low-dose cannabis lifestyle brand called Jane plus a plant-based restaurant called Matriarch, owned by Michelle Courtright (owner of the now-closed Fig + Farro at Calhoun Square.) Opening 2025.
Animales BBQ and Burger Co., 241 Fremont Ave. North, Minneapolis ■ The two well-regarded Jon Wipfli food trucks, Animales BBQ and Animales Burger Co., will unite in a bricks-and-mortar effort located in the former Royal Foundry Distillery in the Harrison neighborhood of Minneapolis. Opening 2025.
Ate Ate Ate, 1178 Burnsville Center, Burnsville, Minn. ■ Yet another Asian-focused food hall is coming to the metro, anchored by the Asian food store Ensom Market. The spot is giving some Market at Malcolm Yards vibes. As per the press release: “The 13,320 square foot location will be home to a diverse roster of nine food vendors, plus a bar and beer pull wall, an event space, and regular entertainment offerings.” The project is spearheaded by Akhtar Nawab, a Michelin-awarded chef, cookbook author, and TV personality. Opening delayed, possibly August 2025. Star Tribune has a story on the mall and its tribulations.
ŠHOTÁ Indigenous BBQ by Owamni, 2601 Franklin Ave., Minneapolis ■ Sean Sherman is branching out from Owamni - in a big way - this summer by opening a combination restaurant, commissary kitchen, and office headquarters in the former Seward Co-op Creamy space on Franklin Avenue. The restaurant, ŠHOTÁ, will focus on Indigenous barbecue concepts, which means (in part) pre-colonial meats such as venison, turkey, and bison taking the place of mainstays such as pork, chicken, and beef. Profiled in the January 10, 2025 edition of the Churn. Opening summer 2025.
Tim McKee Restaurants at The West Hotel, 167 N. First St., Minneapolis ■ A basque-inspired charcoal-driven restaurant and a Mediterranean bakery will be part of a new North Loop hotel in the former Commutator Building operated by Salt Hotels. Opening 2025.
The Market at Malcolm Yards Food Hall (Second Location) ■ The rampantly popular Malcolm Yards food hall is set to open in the not-so-distant future at a soon-to-be-disclosed location in St. Louis Park.
BRODERS’ CUCINA ITALIANA:
42 YEARS YOUNG AND GROWING
By M.C. Cronin with art by WACSO
This story is sponsored by Broders’ Cucina Italiana.
“Now what?” That’s the question Charlie Broder asks himself as we stand in a recently gutted, shell of a space next to Broders’ Cucina Italiana, soon to house a much-needed expansion of the longstanding Italian deli. It’s a question that cuts to the core of restaurant ownership.
To put it mildly, running a food service operation is not for the faint of heart. If you need proof, look no further than Charlie Broders’ father who—on the day Broders’ Pasta Bar opened across the street—was in the hospital recovering from a heart attack. Or consider this: as we were writing this story, Broders’ sister restaurant, Terzo, was decimated by a city water main break, putting its future in jeopardy and devastating neighboring small businesses as well.
So, Broder knows there will be challenges ahead. And he accepts it. He adores his family’s business, exuding enthusiasm even as he recounts daily trials and tribulations that would make most of us curl into a quivering ball of nerves.
But like his parents, Tom and Molly, who founded Broders’ Cucina Italiana over 40 years ago, and his brothers, Danny and Thomas, who grew up running around its kitchen as toddlers and run Broders’ Restaurants alongside him, Charlie Broder is simply pondering what the next chapter looks like.
BIRTH OF A DREAM
Molly and Tom Broder found their way to Minneapolis as a young couple in the 1970s, after trying out a few different places first—Chicago, upstate New York, and Paris for a while. They tried different professions, too. Tom earned a Master’s in Sociology from the University of Minnesota. Molly studied photography and even worked as a staff photographer for Governor Rudy Perpich.
But they always felt the pull of food and the restaurant industry. Italian cuisine, specifically.
As Charlie Broder tells it, his father was instrumental in first bringing deep-dish pizza to one well-known local restaurant chain—launching what is arguably still their most iconic menu item. And as for his mother? “Well,” Charlie smiles, “The best Italian restaurant in town is Molly Broders’ kitchen.”
Eventually, the dream of opening a place of their own became too strong to deny. After studying Italian cuisine with famed Italian cookbook writer Marcella Hazan, the Broders took the leap. They found a home for their fledgling business in a vacant Wuollet Bakery space where the deli still operates today.
THE LITTLE CUCINA THAT COULD
For many in this area of Minneapolis, it’s impossible to imagine the corner of 50th and Penn without Broders’. The stream of cars pulling in and out in front of the deli is as much a part of their daily lives as strolls around Lake Harriet. But what many may not realize is there’s an alternate reality in which Broders’ didn’t make it on this corner.
When it opened in 1982, Molly and Tom Broders’ original vision for the place was as a pastificio—a shop dedicated to making and selling their own fresh pasta—along with a curated selection of olive oils, meats, cheeses, and hard-to-find Italian specialty goods. But there were early struggles.
Like true small business owners, they tried everything. They added catering and more prepared Italian foods. They even tried opening a second location in Uptown near 25th and Hennepin only to realize they were on the wrong side of the street to get the benefit of people coming home from downtown.
That location didn’t work out. Or depending on your perspective, it worked out exactly as it was supposed to. Because the Broders were able to refocus on the original store. They acquired their first pizza oven around ‘84. Suddenly, the guys from the gas station across the street started showing up for a slice at lunch. Then more people started showing up, and Broders’ truly found its footing as a full-fledged Italian deli. They’ve been holding down the corner of 50th and Penn ever since.
Molly Broder still lives a stone’s throw from “the office.” Charlie Broder, too. His kids attend school in the neighborhood. “When your customers are your neighbors,” he says, “the business feels more like nurturing fellow families than merely providing service.”
A VISION FOR THE FUTURE
Broders’ Cucina Italiana hadn’t strayed much from its roots since finding success in those early years. Then, 2020 reshaped everything.
“When the pandemic hit, we went to 100% take-out overnight,” Charlie Broder says. “And it stayed that way for two years.”
According to him, the restaurant managed to survive only thanks to sheer grit—a dedicated staff standing side by side with the family, and a willingness to do whatever it took to adapt. They quickly reconfigured the space, reducing the indoor seating to put the emphasis on take-out and curbside orders.
A recent redesign brought back a few seats for indoor dining, but now that things are approaching normal—or at least a new kind of normal—it’s time to evolve again.
Leaning over blueprints, Charlie Broder lays out his hopes for the expansion, his voice upbeat and excited. He describes a space where families are welcome back inside the deli to share a meal together. Where a neighbor can pop in, perch in a window seat, and wash down a slice with an Italian lager. Yes, they hope to offer beer and wine. They’re even exploring a morning service with an Italian espresso bar and a menu of breakfast pizzas, frittatas, or some other delicious prima colazione options.
While some ideas are still in the dream phase, the expansion is definitely happening. They expect it to open later this year, and in other good news, the plan is for the deli to remain open throughout the process, if possible. Because no one should miss out on their recommended daily dose of spaghetti and meatballs.
A TRUE FAMIGLIA
Charlie Broder gives us a behind-the-scenes tour of the deli. We wind through a tight labyrinth of kitchen stations, prep areas, basement offices, storage shelves and break rooms. Every square inch is put to good use. It’s hard not to be awed by the machinery—both human and mechanical—it takes to keep Broders’ Cucina Italiana running.
The place oozes history. It’s worn into the scuffed kitchen floor. It’s seared into every dented sauce pot. It radiates from the behemoth pizza oven, its multilevel turntable spinning manhole cover-sized pies loaded with Italian sausage, arugula, prosciutto, olives, and bubbling mozzarella. It hums from the pasta machine turning out those famous fresh pastas that launched Broders’ into existence.
In our time with him, Charlie Broder introduces us not just to one or two, but several people who have been working at Broders’ since he and his brothers were just kids chasing each other around the restaurant. He greets them warmly and recounts stories of growing up at their side. And it becomes clear that Broders’ isn’t just a family business, it’s a way of life. And you don’t have to be a Broder to be famiglia here.
Broders’ Cucina Italiana, 2308 W 50th St, Minneapolis, 612.925.3113, DAILY 11am-9pm