Meteor’s star keeps rising, waffles in Bloomington and more restaurant news

There’s a new “best of” list, and Minneapolis hot spot Meteor is on it.

The popular dive bar was named one of the world’s top cocktail bars by the Pinnacle Guide. Based in London, the Pinnacle Guide was founded to create and recognize a more inclusive drinks industry. Last week, the group unveiled a global list of bars that were evaluated not only for drinks and service, but also for philanthropy, sustainability and diversity. Only 10 U.S. bars made the inaugural list.

Bars are asked to apply, and just a handful make it to the next step — anonymous reviews from industry experts. If they meet the criteria, the bars are ranked on a scale of one to three “Pins.” Meteor made the 1-Pin list, demonstrating excellent, outstanding or exceptional work on both sides of the bar. (Find the full list of global winners at thepinnacleguide.com.)

It’s been a big year for Robb Jones’ Meteor, which opened in 2019 at 2027 N. 2nd St., Mpls. In January, it made the semifinalist list for a James Beard Award in the national Outstanding Bar category.

Waffle Bar Desserts & Tea opened its third location over the weekend, this one in Bloomington (3810 W. Old Shakopee Road).

The shop specializes in bubble waffles, which originated in Hong Kong. Julie and David Chen discovered the waffles in Boston’s Chinatown, and brought the idea to Minnesota, opening their first outpost in Uptown in 2018. The waffles serve as a base for sweet and savory combinations, from Sebastian Joe’s ice cream and Nutella to chicken and maple bacon. An array of smoothies and bubble teas are also on the menu.

The other locations are in Lakeville (16289 Ipava Av.) and Minneapolis (2758 Lyndale Av. S.); wafflebar.com.

Bread & Pickle, at the Lake Harriet Band Shell, opened over the weekend. It’s back with cold and hot sandwiches (we’re eyeing the shrimp roll), burgers, salads and an array of snackable treats — including Red Stag Truffle Corn, which harks to the now-closed Red Stag Supperclub (which, like Bread & Pickle, was a Kim Bartmann restaurant). 4135 W. Lake Harriet Pkwy., Mpls., breadandpickle.com.

On the shore of Lake Nokomis, the Painted Turtle returns for its second season May 20. The menu will be limited due to construction, but the sacrifice will be worth it. After the renovation, there will be a covered seating space — and, finally, beer. And you can count on there being ice cream. This year’s ice cream vendor is Minnesota Dairy Lab. 4955 W. Lake Nokomis Pkwy., Mpls., painteturtlempls.com.

Fans of kardemummabulle don’t need a special day to enjoy the cardamom-spiced Swedish bun. But May 15 is indeed Cardamom Bun Day, and the American Swedish Institute’s Fika Café is celebrating.