St. Paul

A longtime landmark of St. Paul's West Seventh Street, the former Schmidt Brewery is back in a big way. Vacant since the brewery closed in 2002, the former keg house reopened in 2018 as Keg and Case. The culinary and retail marketplace houses nine local vendors, including Clutch Brewing, Pimento Jamaican Kitchen, Five Watt Coffee, an edible (and eggless!) cookie dough company called Dough Dough, and more.

On the other end of West Seventh near the Xcel Energy Center, Seventh Street Truck Park features RVs and other vehicles serving “road foods” and low-brow beverages in paper bags. For a more upscale experience, Market House Collaborative is home to a butcher shop, bakery, coffee roaster, pie shop, mushroom cultivator and Octo Fishbar seafood restaurant, conveniently located across the street from CHS Field in the trendy Lowertown neighborhood.

For a taste of one of St. Paul's most prevalent cultures, the Hmongtown Marketplace features over 100 vendors serving traditional larb, locally grown Asian produce, papaya salad, bubble tea and so much more. In the summer, the food court expands to include outdoor vendors. Hmong Village, on the city's East Side, is a similarly massive Hmong market.

Minneapolis

Opened all the way back in 1997, Mercado Central in south Minneapolis is the granddaddy of Minnesota food halls. The thriving Latino marketplace specializes in tacos, tamales, pupusas and other favorites from Mexico and Latin America, along with a handful of retail storefronts. For a wider variety of international flavors, head to the Midtown Global Market—an incubator for minority business owners selling everything from tamales to camel burgers—less than a mile up the road.

More recent additions to the Minneapolis food hall scene include The Market at Malcolm Yards located inside the historic Harris Machinery Co. building with vendors like Joey Meatballs slinging red sauce pastas and meatballs, incredible cheeseburgers and frozen treats at Bebe Zito, or a fusion of flavors from Malaysia, Thailand, Korea and Japan at Abang Yoli.

Other newcomers include Graze Provisions and Libations — a downtown Minneapolis destination with a rooftop deck, two bar areas, and such popular vendors as Soul Bowl and Union Hmong Kitchen — and the newly opened Eat Street Crossing. Named after the multi-cultural neighborhood it's now a part of, the complex features Brazilian-style pizza, sushi sandwiches, ramen, and the innovative ice cream of Bebe Zito (think: Gochujang Brownie, Chocolate Mezcal, and a bracing combination of lemon and extra virgin olive oil).

The hall's in-house bar is also straight out of left field, with a cocktail menu that revolves around star signs. For instance, the Taurus blends cognac with rye whiskey, chai and cold brew. The Virgo, on the other, shakes gin up in a tin with jasmine-matcha syrup, Falernum, dry vermouth and lemon juice.