On Friday morning, a bagel counter at 107 3rd Ave. N. opens at 6 a.m. and closes at 3 p.m. It is the first Minnesota location of PopUp Bagels. It closes hours before the Washington Avenue dinner crowd arrives, and it serves nothing after lunch.
Over the next four weeks the neighborhood changes in a clear direction. The new places keep morning, brunch and lunch-through-dinner hours. The place leaving is The Loop at 606 Washington Ave. N. It is a sports bar that opened in 2006, back when the North Loop was, in the Minnesota Star Tribune's words, "still an emerging destination for nightlife."
Here is the month in order.
| Date | What happens | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 6 | PopUp Bagels opens | 107 3rd Ave. N. |
| Mon., Nov. 9 | Revival North Loop opens | 730 Washington Ave. N. |
| Fri., Nov. 20 | Minneapolis Christkindl Market opens | North Loop Green |
| Sun., Nov. 29 | The Loop's last day | 606 Washington Ave. N. |
| Sun., Dec. 20 | Christkindl Market's final day | North Loop Green |
6 a.m. on 3rd Avenue North
PopUp Bagels started as a pandemic baking hobby in Connecticut. It built its following on long lines outside its New York City shops, according to the Star Tribune's opening report. The menu is short on purpose. There are five flavors (everything, poppy, sesame, plain and salt), all served hot, and the shop doesn't slice, toast or make sandwiches. Schmears of flavored butter and cream cheese come in tubs, and you tear the bagel and dunk it. The brand calls this "Grip, Rip and Dip."
For the opening, the shop is pouring a Minnesota-only flavor based on Old Dutch Spicy Cheddar & Sour Cream potato chips. The franchise partners are local, too. Dan D'Aquisto grew up in Red Wing, and he runs the business with his childhood best friend, Alex Smereczniak. The two built a laundry company into a national franchise before taking on bagels.
After opening day, the shop is open daily from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a few tables for what D'Aquisto told the Star Tribune is "hanging out." That makes it one of the earliest openings on these blocks, and it's a few minutes' walk from Target Field.
10 a.m., Tuesday through Saturday
The neighborhood's newest shop also keeps daytime hours. Nonpareil opened near Target Field in early October. Owner Dylan Benson spent 11 and a half years at MartinPatrick3, where he was an assistant store manager, before opening his own store, the North Loop Neighborhood Association reported. Benson planned five days a week: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
The racks lean toward brands that had no Twin Cities stockist before. Mpls.St.Paul Magazine lists Belgian designer Jan-Jan Van Essche, the Japanese labels Kaptain Sunshine and Calmlence, Paris-based De Bonne Facture, New York's Colbo and Copenhagen's Another Aspect, along with fragrance and objects from Perfumer H, NONFICTION and Dosigoh. The name is French for "without equal." Benson told the neighborhood association he leaned into the "unmatched" meaning, meaning brands that "stick to their own identity."
On North 1st Street, Parcelle's North Loop cafe has the address 208 N. 1st St. The organics-focused brand is known for smoothies, wraps and bowls. In September, owner Kamal Mohamed told the North Loop Neighborhood Association that about half of this location would be a grocery section, the first in any Parcelle. He described organic shelf items such as pasture-raised eggs, honey and olive oil, priced about the same as a premium grocery store, plus Greek yogurt-based soft serve.
Lunch through dinner on Washington
On Monday, Nov. 9, Revival returns at 730 Washington Ave. N., in the room where Jester Concepts used to run Borough. Its hours follow the same daytime pattern. According to Bring Me The News, the restaurant is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, with weekend brunch.
Chef Mike DeCamp, Jester's co-owner and operations director, explained the approach to the Star Tribune:
"We decided to treat it like a steakhouse, but our steak is fried chicken."
There are three heat levels, Southern Fried, Tennessee Hot and Poultrygeist, plus a gluten-free batter cooked only in dedicated fryers. The drop biscuits, sweet potato hot sauce, grits and banana cream pie are back. Jester bought the recipes and branding after Revival's founders, Thomas Boemer and Nick Rancone, closed every location in January 2025. The refreshed room brings back the original '70s-yellow wallpaper. The menu includes Revival's burger. Parlour, the original smash-burger spot, is downstairs, which the Star Tribune called "the city's shortest elite burger crawl."
A few blocks away, Soul & Flour has been cooking at 350 N. 5th St. since August, in the space that was Salt & Flour Kitchen. Owner Brian Ingram handed the kitchen to chef Gary Sherwood, who has been there since day one. Sherwood is combining his family's soul food recipes with his background in Italian restaurants, and he added a smoker for charred meats.
The last day at 606 Washington
The Loop closes Sunday, Nov. 29. The sports bar and restaurant opened in 2006 and leaves after 20 years in the neighborhood. The owners closed their St. Louis Park location a few weeks before announcing this one, as the Star Tribune reported. The Loop belongs to Rocket Restaurant Group, which also runs Pub 42 in New Hope and Five West Kitchen and Bar and Smoak BBQ in Rochester.
The Loop opened in 2006, when Washington Avenue's main draw was nightlife. The openings that surround its last day keep earlier hours. PopUp shuts at 3 p.m., Nonpareil at 6 or 7, and Revival at 9 most nights. If you have a Loop tradition, such as a regular game-day table or an order you've had for years, you have four weekends left to keep it, counting the closing weekend of Nov. 28 and 29.
Another future tenant on Washington Avenue continues the earlier-hours pattern. Flight Club, an eat-drink-play venue built around social darts, has 729 Washington Ave. N., across from Revival, on its Minneapolis page.
Then the Green fills in
The Minneapolis Christkindl Market opens Nov. 20 at North Loop Green and runs through Dec. 20. North Loop Green shares the 350 N. 5th St. address with Soul & Flour, so the market sets up next to one of the neighborhood's newer kitchens.
The market describes a German-style setup:
- Alpine-style wooden huts with more than 42 local vendors selling handmade and European goods
- Glühwein, spätzle, Swiss raclette, waffles and Spanish honeys
- Live music, dance performances, lantern parades and Christmas karaoke
- Santa visits every Sunday
The calendars overlap on Sunday, Nov. 29. That is the market's second Santa Sunday and The Loop's last day. Over the next six weeks, the Green, a 6 a.m. bagel counter and a fried-chicken room that serves brunch on weekends will set more of the neighborhood's schedule than any bar.
If you live near these blocks and are curious how earlier store hours and new tenants could shape the next few years on Washington Avenue, Isaac Kuehn follows these changes building by building. Get your free Minneapolis Condo & Loft Guide for a closer look at the North Loop's warehouse conversions and the streets around them.
