Hand-pulled noodles trend heats up with two new restaurant openings

Hand-pulled noodles are having a chewy, springy and fresh moment, with two more Twin Cities restaurants spotlighting the Asian culinary art form of kneading and stretching dough in-house.

Kinzo Udon is now open in Stadium Village at the University of Minnesota (802 Washington Av. SE., Mpls., kinzoudon.com). The spot specializes in sanuki udon, the thick style of noodles popular in northeastern Japan. The menu allows you to enjoy the noodles in a variety of flavor profiles, including dashi, curry, tomato, tonkotsu and beef broths.

The former Crossing Bridge restaurant space in Minneapolis’ Eat Street area is now home to Meet Up Noodle (2 E. 26th St., Mpls.), focusing on northwest regional Chinese dishes with an emphasis on hand-pulled noodles. In addition to piping-hot noodle soups and stir-fries, there are also cold noodles, scallion pancakes, fried rice and sandwiches in the lineup.

These new noodle spots join Master Noodle shops in St. Paul, Mall of America and Edina.

The family behind a longtime favorite cheese stand will open Shepherds Table (3708 34th St. E., Mpls.) on Sept. 1. Shepherd’s Way is a small, family-run farm that sells its cheese at the St. Paul and Mill City Farmers Markets and in a select few stores. Now, owners Elia and Aidan Read are taking the farm to their new storefront, with a deli and shop that connects farmers with folks who want to buy their goods.

Neighborhood news outlet Longfellow Whatever reports on the challenges the farmers faced in getting this new stand up and running.

Mama’s Market & Deli opened on July 29 at Little Africa Plaza (678 Snelling Av. N.) in St. Paul. Described as a cafe and micro-grocery, the business is run by a collaborative of mothers, all Ethiopian immigrants. The storefront cafe sells fresh fruit smoothies, deli sandwiches, slow-brewed coffee and more. Additionally, the market is stocked with pantry staples such as injera and produce.

Giot (pronounced “yacht”) Cream Coffee began as a cottage business serving Vietnamese coffee to a small community before expanding to its current operation as a Saturdays- and Sundays-only shop at Banh Appetit (511 14th Av. SE., Mpls.) in Dinkytown. Now, the Sahan Journal reports its owners are taking it to a second outpost, with a full-time coffee shop that will open in Richfield this September.

Specializing in strong-brewed cups of joe, the menu includes beverages such as traditional Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk and salty cheese foam or egg white javas. Treats such as croffles (a cross between a croissant and a waffle) will also be available.

Construction is underway in a strip mall near 66th Street and Penn Avenue. Follow Giot.CreamCoffee on Instagram for more updates.

Fans of Stanley’s Northeast Bar Room will be happy to hear the Minneapolis pub is staying put. As previously reported, Stanley’s was listed as among the establishments that could be demolished if the Minnesota Department of Transportation chose it as one of four options for a 2027 University Av. NE. road construction project.

Luke Derheim of Craft & Crew Hospitality, which owns Stanley’s, said vocal fans and customers helped save the day.

Plans have shifted south. The project is necessary to thwart crashes that are common at University and Lowry, according to MnDOT.