Traditional Vietnamese coffee arrives in the Warehouse District

Caphin is about to open its second cafe at the base of the Kickernick Building in downtown Minneapolis.

The cafe (430 1st Av. N.) will start welcoming customers this week with soft opening hours; an official grand opening celebration will come soon after. “It’s kinda cool to be in this space,” said co-owner Savio Nguyen, who remembered this building as Brothers Bar & Grill and Rosen’s way back in the day. “We’re really looking forward to downtown revitalizing. Plus, I’m a giant Timberwolves fan — to be this close is so cool.”

Jenny and Savio Nguyen launched Caphin as a coffee trailer at the Mill City Farmers Market in 2022, selling traditional Vietnamese ca phe sua da and egg coffee. The business caught on and they opened their first storefront in February 2024 in Linden Hills, where their offerings continued to expand.

Savio describes his business as a modern cafe specializing in Vietnamese single-origin beans. “We do have the traditional ca phe sua da and we also have the egg coffee,” he said, “but what we also do is we can make your standard espresso drinks that highlight our single-source espresso beans.”

The couple expect the menu at the new cafe to reflect what’s offered at the Linden Hills shop (4503 France Av. S., Mpls.).

“I’ve loved the American coffee culture,” said Savio, who grew up in Minneapolis. “I was really into the third-wave coffee experience.” He said it’s been exciting to watch the newest wave of coffee culture that often highlights the heritage of the beans. “We also have Qamaria and Arya coffee shops. It’s exciting. I still love nothing more than hanging out at someplace like Caffetto, too.”

Caphin is part of an influx of Vietnamese coffee and cafes opening around the metro area, which also includes Phê Coffee in St. Paul and Giot Cream Coffee in Richfield.

Chula’s Mexican-Latin Food & Spirits, a family-owned restaurant and bar, will open in downtown Prior Lake this spring. Owner Manny Perez said the name is the term of endearment he uses for his granddaughters and reflects that family is at the heart of the restaurant.

Perez is working with Julio “Jules” Martinez, who brings more than 20 years of hospitality experience to the front of house. Longtime Minneapolis chef Jake Dmochowski will run the kitchen, with chef JD Fratzke as a consultant. The menu is still under development, but the dishes will pull from family traditions and what speaks to the community. Cocktails will boast an extensive tequila and mezcal collection.

Centered in the heart of the city’s main street, the building will offer two levels of open space framed by greenery, a central mural and bistro lights. Seating includes a bar, plenty of street-level seats with large windows and a mezzanine level with skylights that will eventually host private events.

If construction continues to go well, Chula’s expects to open the third week of April. Follow @ChulasPL on Instagram for updates.

Once a maze dominated by coffee chains, the post-pandemic Minneapolis skyways are now populated largely by independent coffeeshops. The newest is Still Grind Coffee in the LaSalle Plaza. The roastery specializes in African single-origin beans, and this is the first retail outpost. Open at 6 a.m., the menu offers standard espresso drinks and pour overs.

Groundswell, in the Hamline-Midway area, suffered extensive damage from a fire last May and had hoped to find a way to reopen. In an Instagram post, the owners said that wasn’t possible. “Financially, we just cannot make it work. We have loved being a part of your special and ordinary moments over the last 16 years.”

The cafe started with just coffee but expanded to include a full kitchen and retail space. It had become a beloved neighborhood institution.

A GoFundMe that had raised money for Groundswell’s employees took in more than $20,000 last summer.

The owners of Dinkytown’s Rollicious have purchased the Market Bar-B-Que restaurant location on Lowry Avenue in Minneapolis. According to the Mpls./St. Paul Business Journal, owners Soi Ho and Quyen “Sam” Ha plan to open a restaurant called Umami in the spot, with a menu of Japanese and Chinese dishes. After construction and a design refresh, owners hope to open Umami later this spring.

Dario, the North Loop pasta and cocktail hotspot from chef Joe Rolle and Stephen Rowe, has added a weekly pre-fixe lunch menu on Thursdays. Reservations are now open for a two-course meal with five options for each course — from tartare and salad to doppio ravioli and hanger steak — for $40 per person. Drinks and dessert are also available at an extra charge. Reserve your spot on Resy.

The Minnesota State Fairgrounds will once again host the Winter Beer Dabbler on Feb. 21 from 3 to 6:30 p.m., promising samples from more than 120 local breweries and cideries with bites from 15 food trucks. DJ Shannon Blowtorch will provide the grooves and the weather report looks not awful at the moment.

Tickets are $75 for early access, $55 general admission and $20 for designated drivers. Buy them at beerdabbler.com.

After four decades, Lynn Gordon has sold the original French Meadow and Bluestem restaurant on Lyndale Avenue in Minneapolis to Marlene Leiva. The changing of the guard is not a surprise move, as Gordon told the Star Tribune over the summer that she was looking to sell and transition to retirement.

Gordon and her family continue to run French Meadow in St. Paul and the Minnesota State Fair stand by the same name.

Leiva, who has a real estate background and formerly ran a coffee shop in Hopkins with her sister, has been a French Meadow regular for more than 15 years. In a news release, Leiva said she plans to preserve French Meadow’s legacy, maintaining the popular brunch and daytime menus while tweaking the dinner offerings.