Coming in the spring 2026 to St. Louis Park, the Minneapolis-based craft sausage maker and butchery Sweet Lou’s Craft Sausage & Butchery (6318 Minnetonka Blvd., sweetlousmeats.com) is expanding with a brick-and-mortar in the former Nelson’s Meats, Bakery and Deli space. Run by restaurant veterans Louisa Farhat and Tim Dubay, Sweet Lou’s has built a following through farmers markets, retail partnerships and a food truck that’s made regular brewery stops.
The two have been looking for a brick-and-mortar for more than a year. When they had the opportunity to purchase the Nelson’s space from the owner, they jumped at the chance. “The owner said, ‘I want to pass on the legacy’ of this space,” Farhat said. “I think the space means a lot to people, so they’re excited to see it brought back to its former glory.”
Farhat, the butcher, and Dubay, the chef, are planning for a butcher shop, market, deli and coffee bar. The menu will include bestsellers from their food truck such as burgers and brats along with new items such as breakfast sandwiches and a rotating menu of deli sandwiches. This past year, Farhat and Dubay have also been running a mobile butcher shop at places such as the Northeast Farmers Market. Expect their philosophy of sourcing from local farms to continue.
More good news for the suburbs
A restaurateur with a growing suburban footprint is adding another pin to the map, this time in the northwest metro. Tiffany’s Kitchen & Bar is planning a Maple Grove opening in the former TGI Fridays (11830 Fountains Way). It joins some 20 suburban restaurants in Mike Tupa’s portfolio (Donatelli’s, Full Tilt Tavern, etc.), this one coming to a city that proudly bills itself as the “Restaurant Capital of Minnesota.” Look for a summer 2026 opening, according to CCX Media.
Brunch is served
In Minneapolis, you can now get brunch at Animales Barbeque Co. (241 Fremont Av. N., animalesbbq.com), which expanded its hours as of Dec. 21. Served Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the barbecue-driven menu gets playful with pork belly tucked into pancakes, deep-fried French toast, maple-and-sage sausage links and “stackers” built on hash browns and topped with smoked and grilled beef ribs and horseradish sauce. There are house-made doughnuts, smoked Bloody Marys and bubbles on tap.
Scoops for Minneapolis
Minneapolis has also gotten a new spot for winter scoops. Northeast Minneapolis ice cream and smash burger joint Dream Creamery just opened a solarium-style outpost in Nokomis. You’ll find it at ie - Italian Eatery (4724 Cedar Av. S., Mpls., dreamcreamerymn.com). The Travail-owned spot brings rotating ice cream flavors into the heated solarium space neighboring the Italian restaurant.
End-of-year goodbyes
As the calendar winds down and festivities ramp up, there is an unfortunate annual occurrence that’s harder to celebrate. Leases expire, numbers get crunched and some restaurants quietly close their doors for good. We’re already hearing about a handful of those losses and will continue to update this list if we hear of more.
Butter Bakery Cafe (3700 Nicollet Av., Mpls., butterbakerycafe.com): The longtime Kingfield bakery and cafe announced on social media that it will close Dec. 31 as owner Dan Swenson-Klatt retires, ending a more than two-decade run built around scratch baking, workforce training and a community-focused mission.
