Robbinsdale brewpub flips back to Pig Ate My Pizza

Pig Ate My Pizza is back.

The restaurant replaces Nouvelle Brewing at 4124 W. Broadway in Robbinsdale, which opened as PAMP, a restaurant of cheffy pizzas, before rebranding in 2022 as a craft brewery and kitchen.

Now, it’s flipped back to the original idea, still under the ownership of the Travail Collective. Expect a menu of imaginative pizzas like the OG piggy pie with a pork-topped brioche crust, along with more standard topping options and an extended food lineup that includes appetizers, salads, pastas, smash burgers and Dream Creamery ice cream.

Hospitality shifts to QR code ordering at the table, but the promise of care and service mingled with that convenience. Cocktails are also getting a refresh, with tropical flavor additions and a Bloody Mary from Travail beverage director Robb Jones as well as several of Nouvelle’s craft beers from head brewer Andy Goettsch.

This change comes as the Travail Collective looks ahead to a second Pig Ate My Pizza location in Bloomington. That spot, at 10700 Bloomington Ferry Road, will open this fall with room for 90 diners inside and 90 more out on the mostly covered patio.

“This project feels like a full-circle moment for us,” Travail/Pig Ate My Pizza co-owner Mike Brown said in a statement. “With the Bloomington location, we’re excited to bring our playful take on pizza, progressive bar fare and house-brewed beer to a new community. This brand has always been about connection and community, and we’re thrilled to continue that legacy in Bloomington.”

Two new restaurants are on the horizon in different parts of the metro-area suburbs for the owners of Brick & Bourbon. The fourth outpost of the original concept is close to sharing an opening date for the Apple Valley location at 14883 Florence Trail.

Once open, both are expected to serve lunch through dinner and weekend brunch. Other Brick & Bourbon locations are in Eden Prairie, Maple Grove and Stillwater.

Mogouyan Hand-Pulled Noodles is heading to Minnesota.

The international restaurant concept was born more than 50 years ago in China’s Lanzhou City, where the art of hand-pulled noodles dates back to the Qing Dynasty. The chain of restaurants expanded to North America in 2019, when Mogouyan opened in Toronto. Now, the first U.S. location will open later this year inside the Mall of America in Bloomington, on the third level of the mall’s south side.

The signature noodles are served with various broth and add-in options. There also will be a selection of small plates, a full bar and an open kitchen to watch chefs make and stretch the noodles.

As part of its recently expanded hospitality offerings, Hotel Ivy in downtown Minneapolis has opened Bar Edera in the ground-floor lobby, with Thor Cigar Lounge coming soon on the adjacent patio, bringing what general manager Mark Maggiotto calls “a new level of energy and elegance” to the luxury hotel.

When Thor Cigar Lounge opens, it will offer plush seating and fire pits for enjoying the selection of limited release, vintage and premium cigars, along with high-end accessories, branded merch and cocktails.

These additions are the final pieces of Hotel Ivy’s (201 S. 11th St., Mpls.) restaurant and bar changeover, which began with the opening of the sublevel Masa & Agave and main level Breva Bar & Grill. Both opened in late 2023.

Northstar Cafeteria, the retro-styled food space in the revamped Northstar Center in downtown Minneapolis, is now under local management thanks to Restore Restaurant Holdings. The group is the same folks behind EaTo and Chloë restaurants, also in downtown Minneapolis.

Northstar food options include Walkin’ Dog, Krona Cafe, the cafeteria and the General Store, all on the street level of the building (625 S. Marquette Av.) that reopened last fall after an extensive remodel. The international company Sodexo previously managed the food concepts.

YoYo Donuts at 9092 Buchanan Trail in Inver Grove Heights is now Angry Donkey Bakery. Owners made the announcement via Instagram that after requests from the neighborhood for more menu options, they decided it was time for a big change.