Animales BBQ Reviewed and Ember Coffee
The Churn for February 13, 2026
In this week’s edition of The Heavy Table’s Churn newsletter, we check out the biggest news story in local BBQ (possibly ever) and taste through some offerings from a local “best of” coffee roaster.
HAPPY FEBGIVING, TO THOSE WHO CELEBRATE
As you’re reading this newsletter, my family and I are gathering with friends who have become like family over the years: this is the 20th year we’ve celebrated Febgiving, and it’s as real to us as Halloween or the Fourth of July.
This feels like an odd time to celebrate year 20, since the metro is under siege and we’re all feeling fragile - at best. Still: any chance right now to gather with friends and family and be grateful is something we’re seizing upon.
If you’re reading this newsletter, I hope you’ll consider hosting a gathering of your own this month to give the people you love some food, drink, and emotional shelter. It feels like a full 100% of the people in our lives are protecting schools and daycares, working to feed the homeless and vulnerable, and looking out for their neighbors however they can. We’re all very tired, and the first six weeks of this year have felt like a decade.
Strangely, I’m taking comfort right now in the text on a jacket worn by a fellow IKEA customer earlier this week. “The Storm Will Pass,” it read. – James Norton
HEAVY TABLE’S HOT FIVE
#5 Red Velvet Cake Soft Serve Ice Cream at Pizzeria Lola | Minneapolis
For some reason, I always think that red velvet is going to be some sort of fruit or berry flavor - most likely because “bold red” doesn’t necessarily suggest “chocolate” to the lizard part of my brain. But, no - it’s definitely chocolate. In the case of the red velvet soft serve ice cream at Pizzeria Lola (recently available as a special), it’s a chocolate that is cocoa-forward to the extreme, with less sugar and more depth of flavor than one might expect considering the format. It was good. Real good. And chocolatey. Real chocolatey. – James Norton
#4 Tamal Oaxaqueno and Cebollitas at LomaBonita Market | Richfield, Minn.
Grocery store hot bars are usually limited in options and spendy without being justifiably good. At Richfield’s LomaBonita Market, neither of those things is true. The selection was mind-boggling, and the items I chose--the Tamales Oaxaqueno and Cebollitas--came to about $15 with tip and were easily two servings. What’s more, they were tasty; the two tamales were plump with fork-tender roast pork with the masa light and sweet. The grilled onions still had crunch, but the grilling had toned down the onion-iness and sweetened them. As good as a tamale from one of the stronger Mexican restaurants in town? No, but for the price and convenience, this is something I’ll definitely choose again. – Amy Rea
#3 Chicken Congee at Zao Bakery + Cafe | Saint Paul
We’re smack in the middle of respiratory disease season. And smack in the middle of other stuff. In short, we could all use a bowl of chicken congee. This one is from ZAO Bakery + Cafe. If you’ve ever had Sisouvanh Soumounpha’s cooking, whether at 88 Oriental Foods, Basil Cafe, or here, you know it’s good. – Max Hailperin
#2 Encebollado at Antojitos Ryan’s | Minneapolis
North Minneapolis recently gained a new Ecuadorian restaurant, Antojitos Ryan’s on Lowry Ave, and it was the perfect stop on a cold, blustery day for a big bowl of encebollado. The fish and shrimp stew was packed with seafood, as well as large chunks of vegetables, and was accompanied by generous helpings of crunchy corn and spicy banana chips. The stew itself wasn’t spicy, just warm and comforting with a not-overwhelming undercurrent of onion. More, please. – Amy Rea
#1 Garlic Noodles with Barbecue Chicken at Ono Hawaiian Plates | Minneapolis
I may have lucked into my favorite local lunch recently by spinning the wheel and trying a random (for me) new dish at the always reliable Ono Hawaiian Plates. This entree is a big, bold heaping pile of garlic-forward noodles topped by a sizable array of perfectly charred chicken and a side dish of teriyaki sauce. It’s one of those dishes that you can feel healing your heart in a spiritual way with every bite - somehow nourishing and balanced and light but still substantial all at the same time, and richly rewarding. If you’re having a down day and want to turn it around at lunch, this dish is a really good bet. – James Norton
STREET REPORT
Animales Barbecue Company in Minneapolis
By John Garland
The luscious aroma of black pepper and pork fat. A sip of sweet apricot bourbon. A mandolin being tuned and a bass drum thumping its warmup. A football game on TV, hovering over a bar that’s at least a first down in length. A crush of toddlers screaming in the corner. Crowds of diners keep flooding in, and somehow, there’s room for them.
It’s bold, it’s staggering, it’s loud. It’s the new Animales Barbecue Company. Welcome to the meat thunderdome.
If anyone could plausibly claim the title, Jon Wipfli is the standard-bearer of Minnesota barbecue. His smoked meats trailer at Bauhaus Brew Labs has received every superlative from the local press and beyond, even a nod from Texas Monthly as one of the best pits in the country outside the Lone Star State.
Wipfli is a classically trained chef, alumnus of The Bachelor Farmer, a cookbook author, caterer and educator. There’s no doubting Wipfli’s bona fides — this much we know from years of first-hand tasting experience.
But this is a new challenge: a cavernous bricks-and-mortar space for Animales in the Harrison neighborhood of Minneapolis. Can he smoke enough meat to feed an army while maintaining his reputation for quality?
