DULUTH — Well the weather outside is frightful, but look at these warm patios — how delightful! And since there's no place else to go ...
A number of Duluth-area restaurants, breweries and cideries have opened winter-ready patios as indoor dining restrictions remain in place at least through Jan. 11.
Vikre Distillery first opened its heated outdoor Wunderbar in Canal Park just before the latest shutdown began in November. It was a good start, bar manager David Moreira said at the time, and it's back open daily.
"Relative to what we offered before, there's more room and space and we have six individual fire pits and have an intricate heating system for all the seats," he said. "There's a little bit of a natural barrier to protect some of the elements outside and retain some warmth and nice feelings."
Over at Ursa Minor Brewing in Lincoln Park, three fire pits and four pellet stoves keep drinkers toasty while waiting on their wood-fired pizzas (have you tried the Voyageur yet?).
On the Saturday before Christmas, "All of the fire pits had people by them, and we even had people standing by our flower beds that don't have any heat sources by then," said Amanda Agamaite, Ursa Minor's event and hospitality manager. "I think people are eager and ready to get out there, and we're happy to have them. … We've been seeing people come out, and it's been awesome."
Here are a few more area patios to check out — watch for different hours on New Year's Eve and Day and e-mail duluth@startribune.com if we missed yours and you want to be on this list.
P.S. Many restaurants and breweries without patios are still open for pickup/takeout/delivery, so be sure to spread the love.
