What’s New in Minneapolis

Minneapolis continues to offer new and noteworthy spots for travelers to add to their itineraries this fall winter and beyond.

Here is some of the latest news from the City by Nature.

Airport and Air Service

Just announced, Lufthansa will bring a new international connection to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) with the launch of its first-ever service to the airport beginning June 4, 2024. With the year-round nonstop between MSP and Frankfurt, Germany, five days a week, the German airline will become the 18th at MSP.

Aer Lingus will resume year-round service between MSP and Dublin beginning April 29, 2024, and run four days per week.

Delta Air Lines plans to offer nonstop service from MSP to Dublin starting on May 9, 2024, with five flights per week. This, along with the Aer Lingus flights, will return MSP’s air service to international destinations to pre-pandemic levels.

Nationally known celebrity and local chef Justin Sutherland‘s takes on southern classics opened recently on MSP’s mall at Terminal 1. Northern Soul features a fried chicken sandwich plus offerings like wings, brisket and seafood. They are also available in downtown Minneapolis at the Nicollet Mall location.

Attractions and Arts

Four Seasons Hotel Minneapolis will kick off its five-month celebration of winter with the expansion of its rooftop Nordic Village,  special offers on hotel rooms and suites, guided sauna experiences and holiday happenings at its restaurant, Mara. Offering a Minnesota cabin experience in the middle of the city, Nordic Village is expanding the number and size of heated, cozy cabins that will be open for dinners, private events and buyouts from Nov. 1, 2023, through March 31, 2024.

Many Voices, Many Stories, One Place, a new exhibit at Historic Fort Snelling’s Plank Museum & Visitor Center, where visitors can experience it as a place to remember, reflect and honor the past, through the perspectives of real people. It includes Dakota and Ojibwe people, Japanese-Americans, immigrants, enslaved African Americans, soldiers and fur traders.

Venture Bikes, the only Black-owned bike shop in Minnesota, has a coffee shop with mechanic services for cyclists year-round in its new Midtown Greenway location. Venture’s coffee comes from Tiny Footprint Coffee, the carbon-negative roastery (full menu here).

ConFluence: A Cultured Multiverse, a “space for art and connection for BIPOC nerds,” will take place on Nov. 18 and 19 at Public Functionary, a multi-space exhibition, performance, studio and community cultural hub. The two-day celebration of art, sci-fi, futurism and fantasy is centered on content by and for Black and Indigenous people.

“Ball-o-rama” opened Sept. 16 in Minnesota Children’s Museum, in the Special Exhibit Gallery. Visitors learn about early physics concepts through 10 interactive, hands-on stations. Kids can explore velocity, gravity, friction and more by sending balls on a looping, rolling race to the finish.

A new adults-only mini golf venue opened recently in downtown. Puttery Minneapolis, features over 20,000 square feet with three, nine-hole themed courses, three bars and several lounge areas. Guests can drink craft cocktails and order from a chef-inspired culinary menu.

Dining and Bars

North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NĀTIFS) announced its acquisition of the James Beard Best Restaurant Award-winning Owamni. Through this acquisition, NATIFS will expand its reach and impact, furthering Chef Sean Sherman‘s vision to promote Indigenous culinary heritage and transform North American Indigenous food systems.

Earlier in 2023, NĀTIFS’ Indigenous Food Lab Market, a professional Indigenous kitchen and training center located, opened with grab-and-go and made-to-order Indigenous food.

Porzana, Chef Daniel del Prado’s new Argentinian steakhouse, opened Aug. 20 in the North Loop space, while cocktail bar Flora Room will reside in the basement. Porzana’s menu features woodfired meats like prime beef and wagyu beef, including a shareable three-pound wagyu tomahawk.

Union Hmong Kitchen’s chef Yia Vang has opened a second location on Minneapolis’ Lake Street. The new spot will offer a similar menu along with new specials, platters and desserts by the James Beard Award-nominated chef.

Sanjusan: James Beard Award-winning chef Tim McKee is taking up residency the popular Japanese-Italian restaurant in Minneapolis’ North Loop. In addition to collaborating with Sanjusan chef Peter Thillen on new menu items, McKee will host intimate eight-seat omakase dinners through mid-December.

Baba’s Hummus House & Mana’eesh Bakery’s hummus bowls became popular at the Minnesota State Fair. Now, they can be enjoyed year-round in a new Lyndale Avenue café featuring an expanded menu with spinach tabbouleh and falafel sandwich inspired by the owners’ Palestinian heritage.

Goorgoorlu chef Mo Kebbeh is serving Gambian dishes like chereh couscous, shawarma with fries and fragrant lamb afra with grilled onions alongside American cuisine> This includes catfish, chicken tenders and Philly cheesesteaks.