Wrecktangle vs. ICE
The Churn for July 24, 2026
In this edition of The Heavy Table’s Tap newsletter, we talk to the team at Wrecktangle five months after the peak of Metro Surge about surviving - and defying - the federal occupation of Minneapolis.
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A COOLER SUMMER
The arrival this week of cooler temperatures is an absolutely superb development, and one that I think we’ve all collectively earned. 10 days in a 90-100 F wildfire dome is enough to smoke a chicken, and I think we’ve earned good weather for the rest of the year at this point, if not the rest of our lives.*
One of the only highlights of the week was busting out a Costco alligator-themed inflatable water slide and letting our kids and our friends’ kids play in the water for about 3 hours while the adults lounged patio-side.
It was also a good excuse to stress-test the new Arctic Zone Titan 40 Can Collapsible Tabletop Cooler in Sharkskin Gray (about $35-50 retail). We packed this newly obtained cooling solution (a review sample) full of ice, Spindrift, cans of tonic, and a combination of Modist Supra Lights and Castle Danger Cream Ales, and let the good times roll.
Some thoughts on the cooler’s features, in case you’re thinking of picking one up:
TableTop™ Entertaining Lid: Patented TableTop™ lid with 2 cup holders and easy-access hatch for quick grabs
This feature rules. Snapping open the top to grab a beverage is tremendously simple, and the table-top feature is great for food prep, parking your drinks, and general outdoors miscellany.
Keeps Ice Up to 2 Days: Deep Freeze™ Performance Insulation with Therma-Flect® radiant barrier helps lock in cold
We got more like 4-6 hours of ice time out of our cooler, but it may well be that “2 days of ice” is a “packed 100% full” sort of thing. I wouldn’t plan a vacation around this feature.
Comfortable to Carry: Adjustable Backsaver® shoulder strap and carry handles for easy transport
The straps are in fact nice, and a pretty good way to haul this thing to a campsite or beach party.
Collapsible and Space-Saving: Folds down easily for compact storage when not in use
The Titan 40 is much easier to store than our full-sized mega roadtrip cooler, and therefore coming to more events with us this year. Plus, the thing has an attached bottle opener, which would mean a lot to me if I didn’t permanently carry a bottle opener on my keyring. Still, I salute the sentiment. – James Norton
* I understand that we will not in fact be getting good weather for the rest of the year.
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)
Tasca Madrid, 173 Western Ave. N., Saint Paul ■ Tapas, vermouth, paella, and other staples of Spanish tavern dining will come to the former Handsome Hog space in the Cathedral Hill neighborhood of Saint Paul. Soft opening/bakery opening in progress as of July 19, 2026.
Haraz Coffee House, 3001 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis ■ The former Iron Door on Lyndale Avenue is now a new location for the Michigan-based Yemeni coffee chain Haraz Coffee House. Opened late June, 2026.
Asia Village at Northtown Mall, 398 Northtown Dr, Blaine, Minn. ■ A new Asian-inspired food court owned in part by the team behind Eden Prairie’s successful Asia Mall is now open for business. Opened June 13, 2026. Reviewed in the June 19, 2026 edition of the Churn.
Radish Farm Stop, 5357 Penn Ave. South, Minneapolis ■ Radish Farm Stop is a year-round, consignment-based farm stand that combines the qualities of a farmer’s market, grocery, and coffee shop. Opened June 13, 2026. Profiled in the June 12, 2026 edition of the Tap.
Sweet Lou’s Meats, 6318 Minnetonka Blvd, St. Louis Park, Minn. ■ Craft sandwiches, whole-animal butchery, and a breakfast program set this new spot apart from just about everywhere else in the metro. Opened May 27, 2026.
E’s Gourmet Sandwiches, 221 Myrtle St. E, Stillwater, Minn. ■ Ethan Sorensen (the 20-year-old nephew of acclaimed chef Jamie Malone) is serving up classic sandwiches at this petite waterfront eatery. Opened May 6, 2026. Profiled in the May 1, 2026 edition of the Tap.
Restaurant Aubergine, 525 Selby Ave., Saint Paul ■ The former Revival space on Selby will become the bricks and mortar home to a husband and wife-driven French pop-up series with roots in the Gavin Kaysen restaurant empire. Opened April 24, 2026.
CLOSED AND CLOSING (Up to 3 Months)
Bauhaus Brew Labs ■ An avant-garde Northeast Minneapolis brewing stalwart, Bauhaus Brew Labs is calling it quits citing changing consumer tastes and supply chain challenges. Closing June 28, 2026. UPDATE: The Star Tribune reports that Bauhaus will reopen, purchased and run by ABV Technology, which helped Bauhaus develop some of the area’s best-tasting n/a beers. (I remember blind taste testing Bauhaus beers vs. the ABV tech n/a equivalents back in 2020 with the Growler magazine, and our crew getting about 50/50 in terms of guessing which was which.)
Borough ■ More than a decade of upscale party fare in the North Loop comes to an end with the closure of Borough; Jester Concepts will turn the space into the resurrection of Revival. Closing June 27, 2026.
El Tejaban and Lito’s Burritos (Richfield location) ■ The closure of this Richfield Mexican food mainstay and the massively popular Lito’s concept comes down to trauma and financial damage inflicted by Operation Metro Surge, according to an MSP Mag interview with Miguel Hernandez, the owner of Lito’s. The Lito’s in Minneapolis remains open. Closed June 18, 2026.
Red Cow (2626 Hennepin Avenue South) ■ The closure of the Hennepin Avenue location of Red Cow highlights the continuing struggle for the health of Uptown (and its surrounding neighborhoods, if you want to be technically correct about it.) Closed June 1, 2026.
Tay Ho ■ An old-school Vietnamese favorite on University Avenue, Tay Ho may well have served the best bun bo hue in the metro. Closed May 28, 2026.
Downtowner Woodfire Grill ■ After nearly 40 decades of business, an oak grill Saint Paul staple is shutting its doors. Closed May 17, 2026.
Cardamom ■ Uneven foot traffic spurred the Daniel del Prado group to change Cardamom’s service model to a no servers, QR code-driven system, which in turn prompted the Walker Art Center to evict and effectively close the restaurant. Closed May 2026.
Beast Barbecue ■ A Northeast-based St. Louis-style barbecue mainstay for seven years, Beast shut its doors this spring, but the space will be reborn as a new start for Momo Sushi, which was closed by a fire. Closed May 2, 2026.
Russell’s ■ It was a pretty short (less than two years) run for Russell’s, the Grand Avenue restaurant that specialized in cozy tavern fare. Closed May 2026.
The Lowry ■ After 15 years of breakfast-to-late night dining, the Blue Plate-owned Lowry restaurant has called it quits. Closed April 26, 2026.
UPCOMING (Most Imminent to Furthest Out)
Bean & Bear Bagels at Ursa Minor Brewing, 202 S. 26th Ave. West, Duluth, Minn. ■ Freshly made bagels and bagel sandwiches will anchor the menu at this new shop. Opening Summer 2026.
Inti Kitchen and Bar, 4537 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis ■ The former Corner Table/Revival location will start serving Indian and Tibetan fare later this spring. Opening August 2026.
Martiya, 3030 Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis ■ The owner of the pioneering East African fast casual chain Afro Deli is branching out to a new spot that will offer a family style fusion riff on Somali fare. Opening August 2026.
Bill’s Bait Shop, 3101 42nd St., Minneapolis ■ The former Chicago Taste Authority will turn into the latest outpost in the Centro empire, a freshwater fishing-focused casual eatery with a menu including trout dip, walleye sandwiches, smoked chicken, and more. Opening August 2026.
Tiki Tom’s Thai, 1601 West Lake Street, Minneapolis ■ Sushi, Thai, AND Chinese-American food are all on the menu at this ambitious new Lake Street eatery opening in the former Pinoli space. Opening Summer 2026.
Gambino’s, 512 N. Robert Street, Saint Paul ■ The owners of the rapidly expanding Tono’s Pizzeria + Cheesesteaks are opening their first full-service venture in the former Black Sheep Pizza location on Robert Street. Opening Summer 2026.
Vuka Flame Grilled Peri-Peri Chicken ■ A South African restaurant featuring 48-hour-marinated grilled chicken will take over the long-time It’s Greek to Me spot at Lyn-Lake. Opening Summer 2026.
Side Door at Dexter’s Food Hall ■ A Daniel del Prado mini-food hall is on its way, including Rose Sushi, Daq Daq (Korean fried chicken), and Lucia’s (pizzas and salads). Opening Summer 2026.
Maison Rose, 981 Sibley Memorial Highway, Lilydale, Minn. ■ The former I Nonni space in Lilydale will find new life as a project from the team behind Patisserie 46 and Rose Street Patisserie. The new endeavor will combine production facilities, classroom space, and a bakery/cafe. Opening Summer 2026.
Arch and River ■ The married couple behind B’beri Desserts is taking over the former Owamni space at Water Works Pavilion and bringing Afro-Caribbean-inflected brunch, lunch, dinner, and dessert-bar service along with them. Opening Summer 2026.
Clémentine, 614 W. 54th St., Minneapolis ■ Jasmine Weiser Kaysen (formerly of Edwards Dessert Kitchen; we profiled her June 22, 2022) will bring pastries made using French techniques and global ingredients to South Minneapolis. Opening Fall 2026.
Marrone’s, 4250 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis ■ Wood-fired pizza will anchor the latest project by Steven Brown (St. Genevieve and Tilia). Opening 2026.
Saffron, 165 13th Ave. NE, Minneapolis ■ The acclaimed restaurant Saffron will return in the former Young Joni space in Northeast Minneapolis. Chef Sameh Wadi says onsite capacity (woodfire ovens, no fryer or traditional stove) means that the menu will evolve from its previous standards. The Star Tribune previewed the project in early January.
Steak Frites by Meritage, location TBD ■ A spinoff restaurant from Meritage, slated to be located in a suburban location with a $32 per person fixed price menu including bread and butter, salad or soup, steak or mussels and unlimited fries. Opening yet to be announced. For more, read the Jan. 9, 2026 edition of the Tap.
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. Star Tribune has a story on the mall and its tribulations.
Jujube, 1100 2nd St S., Minneapolis ■ A unique Asian/Central Texas barbecue crossover will bring dishes including classic brisket and Peking duck to the former Izzy’s space overlooking Gold Medal Park. Texas Chef Jake Johnson (with experience at Animales, Kim’s, Bachelor Farmer, and others) will lead the culinary side of this Saturday Dumpling Company-owned sit-down dining experience. Opening late 2026.
Blue in Green, 1500 N. 44th Ave., Minneapolis ■ The former Get Down Coffee Co. will become a bistro with a soulful edge, offering dishes like curry chickpea stew, sweet potato cornbread, and Hawaiian barbecue sandwiches plus a wine program. Opening 2026.
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 2026.
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 2026.
Americana, 5036 France Avenue S., Edina, Minn. ■ A joint project of restaurateur Ryan Burnet and chef Daniel del Prado, Americana will move into the former Cocina del Barrio space and start serving mid-20th Century-inspired American fare. Opening late 2026.
ICE BREAKER
In the crosshairs of Metro Surge, Wrecktangle Pizza took a defiant stand.
By Amy Rea
The Minneapolis ICE surge in early 2026 did not entirely arrive as a surprise to many in the food industry, including Wrecktangle Pizza co-owner Breanna Evans (below). “Like a lot of other restaurants, we were very aware of the possibility of an ICE raid coming through,” she said. “We had printouts in English and Spanish from the Immigration Law Center to post at all of our locations. We established things like what to do, who’s the point of contact, for a very long time.”
The waiting period at the end of 2025 felt increasingly ominous. “December rolled around, the holidays were slower than normal, and we’re like, what’s going on?” she said. “The temperature felt different and weird. We were always checking in with our staff, asking where they were at, how they were feeling.”
Unfortunately, the sense of unease was neither unfounded nor overblown. “The turning point for our team was when Renee Good was murdered,” Evans said. “That really scared everybody when we really saw that spike in the ICE agent deployment. We had staff whose family members were taken. That week specifically was like, ‘They’re taking people, they’re killing people, now it’s real, and I’m terrified.’” She estimates about 30% of the staff had to worry about being targeted by ICE; those staff began asking for rides, while other staff not in ICE’s crosshairs began asking what they could do.
As the reality set in, so did the adrenalized need to do something more than watch helplessly. “We talked about, what are we going to do? What are our restaurant friends doing? Let’s talk to people, let’s figure it out.”
Co-owner and chef Jeff Rogers quickly realized that access to food was going to be a problem for those targeted. “I figured we could make food and have the restaurants be the hubs,” he said. “We make the food, we take it to the restaurants, and they can be dispersed to families and everybody who needs stuff while keeping it under wraps.”
Given that the first quarter of the year is their slowest and people were reaching out to them, asking how they could help, their first thought was getting people into the restaurant and offer a BOGO deal where the free pizza would be donated to a family in need. The point wasn’t just the food, though. “We thought, let’s just get butts in seats, make it safe for everyone,” Rogers said. “You have more eyes on the streets and you’ve got more people able to sound the alert if there were ICE agents or whatever bullshit happening nearby.” Given that the Lyn-Lake area was a primary target, it seemed like a potentially strong approach.
MODEST GOALS
The idea blossomed into having any pizza purchased at any of their locations be added to a count for pizzas to be donated–not that that necessarily was positive for the overall business model. “We talked about it, how it would have been incredibly detrimental [for the business’ cash flow], but it didn’t necessarily matter because we have to do whatever we can do for the community,” said Evans.
Then people began offering to donate to pay for the pizzas. “We didn’t have to just pull it out of our pockets without any safety net,” Evans said. The initial thought was that donors would be from Minneapolis and the surrounding metro, and if they managed to raise $800-1,000, that would be amazing.
But the donation idea took off far beyond what they could have imagined. Donations poured in from all over the world, including Europe and Australia. “What are we going to say, no? Obviously, we’d take it in.” The Wrecktangle team worked with Smitten Kitten on a video explaining the donation program, and that generated further donations. “I think everyone was thinking, I want to help, I don’t know how,” said Rogers. “How do you give people a sense of direction? We were feeling it too. I just can’t sit down and not do anything with my hands.”
DEMAND AND DONATIONS
Wrecktangle far exceeded their goal, bringing in nearly a quarter of a million dollars. But that wasn’t the only mutual aid initiative they offered. “We became a hub for a bit for nonperishables, home-care and self-care needs,” said Rogers. “We were turning over our entire basement four times a day.”
Among the realizations that they were dealing with as they went included the dawning knowledge that using Venmo might work well for reimbursing employees who picked up needed items for the restaurant, but it wasn’t ideal for handling nearly $250,000 in donations. It turns out Venmo applies varying levels of restrictions on how much money an account can transfer out per day. Evans noted that in hindsight, using something like GoFundMe might have made more sense. “We were stuck with a bunch of money we couldn’t move,” Evans said. “It was just sitting there, and people needed to pay rent that day. It was frustrating.”
Another lesson learned, or will be learned in early 2027, is what happens when a business accepts donations and uses the cash in ways that can’t be identified as business expenses. “As a for-profit business, how do you take in this money?” Evans said. “You’re just going and you’re like, we’ll figure it out, I don’t care, bring it if people want to donate it, we’ll take it in, and then we’ll make sure it gets to the right people. But our taxes are going to be insane next year.”
BUILDING COMMUNITY
When asked about other lessons learned, both Evans and Rogers point to identifying the organizations that are already created and doing the work, then supporting them rather than trying to reinvent the wheel. They pointed to the Community Aid Network MN (CANMN) as an example. Wrecktangle began working with them. “They tripled the family households that they were delivering groceries to,” said Evans. Rogers said they talked with CANMN and asked what they needed, and it turned out CANMN needed products. Wrecktangle used donations to order those products and get them to CANMN, which allowed the organization to focus on identifying and helping people in need and cutting down the time needed for fundraising and buying items.
But in many cases, the people needing help didn’t know where to find it. “They were working families, going to school, living normal lives, and then it was a community suddenly needing help and didn’t know where to reach out,” said Evans.
Wrecktangle and Smitten Kitten scrambled to disburse donations as quickly as they could. “We were getting cash in and all of the cash was going out, no questions asked. Which is scary, but you don’t have time to ask any questions. I’m not going to sit here and grill you on whether you need money. I mean, it’s 2026, everyone needs money.”
IN THE LINE OF FIRE
While all these efforts were being made, the day-to-day reality was beyond scary. Besides providing funds and food, Evans and Rogers also had to take care of their employees and summon the courage to stand up to ICE. “As scary as it is with these untrained man babies out with guns, we can’t let them have the upper hand,” said Evans. “There’s power in numbers. There’s more of us than there are of them. We had a really good system in place: On this shift, who’s the designated door person, does everyone have a whistle? The whistle and a key to lock the door, that was part of everyone’s uniform.”
Neighbors joined forces. “We had 50 people standing outside the building at every point in time,” said Rogers. “There were around 150 people around the block setting up barricades as a hub, mainly for Smitten Kitten and ourselves. The density was such that if we got a call that a restaurant four blocks away was getting any sort of smoke, everyone would bounce, and it was magical.”
LETTING THEIR ANTI-ICE FLAG FLY
In late January, two local companies that are run by friends of Evans and Rogers asked if Wrecktangle would be interested in hanging banners reading “ICE OUT OF MN FOR GOOD” from their building on the corner of Lyndale Avenue and Lake Street. They quickly agreed.
“While it could seem like a provocation, that wasn’t our intention,” said Evans and Rogers in an email statement compiled by Wrecktangle sales and marketing director Elizabeth Klimenko. “We just wanted to stand for what we believe in, which is fuck ICE. We felt, ‘Why not say what everyone is thinking out loud?’
We just wanted to express what our community was feeling on a large public scale. We didn’t want others to feel alone in resisting fascism. Ultimately, it was just a banner already being made, and our friends asked us if we’d like to hang it on our business, and we said yes.”
The banner is still in place.
THE AFTERMATH
Evans and Rogers are clear on two things: They had to help anyway they could, and they’re lucky their outcomes weren’t worse, as they were for Good and Pretti. But even as things slowly receded, other events began to take a toll. “One of our staff members was supposed to self-deport, and we went to a hearing about it,” said Evans. “That was one of the creepiest things I’ve ever done.”
The media attention they received at the time generated donations and support, but it also brought an onslaught of hate. “The threats weren’t fun,” noted Rogers wryly. They were bombarded with threatening, hate-filled phone calls, emails, and Google reviews. “We were getting these reviews of really bad food, and we weren’t even open.”
“It’s terrible, because it still happens,” said Evans. “If I see a bad review on Google, I wonder, are you a supporter? Did you actually have a bad time? Because I would love to address somebody that had a bad time, but if you’re just putting a one-star review and you’ve never even been to Minneapolis–well, if that’s how you spend your time, I’m so sorry for you.”
The harsh reality is that while things are better now, the toll on Wrecktangle continues. “Historically, this should be our upswing, and it’s lower than the last two years,” said Evans. “It’s bummer, because I know people are out. We just had Lyndale Open Streets and the turnout was awesome.” But other than weekends, the restaurant’s turnout has remained low. It’s a worry that focuses back onto the community. After several brutal years (Covid, George Floyd’s murder, and ICE), the restaurant still wants to support the community if/when the next catastrophe arises. But it will take time to rebuild the resources (never mind face the tax payment next year for this year’s mutual aid).
At the same time, they understand things could be different now. “We’re fortunate enough to say that we stood up and are alive,” said Evans. “But not everybody is, and that’s the terrifying part, right?”
Wrecktangle Pizza Lyn-Lake, 703 W. Lake St., Minneapolis, 612.444.4420, WED-THU 4pm-midnight, FRI-SUN 11am-midnight, MON 4pm-midnight, TUE CLOSED
Malcolm Yards, 501 30th Ave SE, Minneapolis, 612.448.5247, MON-THU 11am-9pm, SAT-SUN 11am-10pm, SUN 11am-8pm
Graze Food Hall, 520 No. 4th St., Minneapolis, SUN-THU 11am-9pm, FRI-SAT 11am-10pm
ELSEWHERE ONLINE
Racket endorses Just Paula’s ‘Minne-delphia’-style BBQ. Travail is serving up pasta via the DeCoco’s concept at Graze Food Hall reports the Strib, which also writes about Laune Bread downsizing and rebooting. Alliance Française Mpls/St. Paul will debut a Marc Heu cafe later this summer, notes Sahan Journal. And there’s a new Swedish candy shop at the Honey and Rye Bakehouse (above), reports MSP Mag. Plus: Beyond Beurre Blanc tries over 100 Minnesota french fries and narrows the list down to her favorite 6.
And! A fascinating look at why some blue-chip brands (like Pyrex and All-Clad) are falling apart. (Hint: greed and international finance could be involved.) A bit of sage advice from the story: “Look up the owner, not the name. The name is the cheapest part of the company to preserve. If the ownership trail ends at a private equity firm or a licensing group, assume the product and the reputation are no longer aligned.”
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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