A downtown Excelsior favorite is expanding, and shop No. 2 is coming to southwest Minneapolis near 50th and France.

Coalition (coalitionrestaurant.com), which serves up American fusion comfort food, will have a home in the former 50th Street Cafe at 3808 W. 50th St. when its second location opens in late May.

After tweaking the Excelsior menu to remove some of the higher-priced items and replacing them with "more approachable proteins," owner Eli Wollenzien said he'll introduce an identical lineup at the new iteration, along with breakfast — for now.

Eventually, he said, he hopes that patrons will dictate some diversions.

"Many of the items will be the same," he said. "But we want to let the Minneapolis menu go where it needs to go. We want to listen to the neighborhood."

Current menu items at the Excelsior location, which opened in June 2014, include a smoked fish board, pulled pork bao buns, root vegetable hash and Swedish meatballs.

In the 100-seat Minneapolis space, look for the same modern/rustic feel of the original Coalition, with exposed brick and wood walls. The building, however, underwent a lot more reconstruction than did the original 1880s-era Excelsior building. Designer Cynthia O'Connor of COCO Design + Consulting added to the Minneapolis location a bar and a covered porch with large windows.

"We brightened it and opened it up quite a bit," Wollenzien said. "We really like long, small dining rooms like this."