Penumbra Theatre
Founded in 1976 by Lou Bellamy, Penumbra is the country’s preeminent African American professional theater company. August Wilson developed work here. The programming has shaped American theater more than its size suggests it could.
The rest of St. Paul, including the East Side, Payne-Phalen, and other neighborhoods that did not slot neatly elsewhere on this site.
Founded in 1976 by Lou Bellamy, Penumbra is the country’s preeminent African American professional theater company. August Wilson developed work here. The programming has shaped American theater more than its size suggests it could.
Open since 1969, Town House on University Avenue is the longest continuously-operating gay bar in Minnesota and one of the most historically important LGBTQ spaces in the upper Midwest. A neighborhood bar with a deep community legacy and consistently warm welcome.
A St. Paul cafe that is also a record store, which is the right idea. The coffee is good, the vinyl rotation is real, and the room sounds better than most coffee shops because it is staffed by people who care about how rooms sound.
A small St. Paul bakery with a careful European pastry program. The kouign-amann is in the conversation for the metro’s best, and the rotating cake menu is always a temptation. Walk-in and take a number.
A St. Paul restaurant whose burger has quietly become one of the most-talked-about in the metro. Dry-aged blend, soft brioche, perfect cheese melt, almost annoyingly good fries. Order it at the bar with a martini.
Argentinian-style pizza, which means a thicker, chewier crust and a generous hand with the cheese. Order the fugazzeta if you have not had one. Add empanadas to round it out.
A wood-paneled University Avenue mainstay that locals send each other to. Pho, bun, hu tieu, and a few rice plates. Cash habits, no fuss, generous bowls.
A University Avenue go-to with a deep pho menu and reliable banh mi. The dining room is brighter and bigger than most of the block, which makes it a good group stop.
A University Avenue stalwart for pho, bun bo Hue, and grilled pork plates. The kitchen pays attention to broths, and regulars come for that. Service is quick and unpretentious.
The Que Viet family’s upscale Grand Avenue spinoff. Familiar dishes get a little more polish, the room is dim and date-friendly, and the cocktail list is genuinely worth ordering from.
A massive 100,000-square-foot Hmong marketplace on St. Paul’s East Side. The food court alone is worth a Saturday: papaya salad pounded to order, larb laced with toasted rice powder, fresh-cut sausage from a dozen vendors. Bring cash and an empty stomach.
A small St. Paul restaurant doing Lao and Hmong dishes with a focus on the staples: papaya salad, sausage, jeow dipping sauces, and sticky rice. The kind of place where the menu is short and the kitchen does what it does without fuss.
A St. Paul family restaurant that takes its time, with a broad menu that reaches across regional Ethiopian cooking. The injera is made fresh daily and the kitfo is the order if you want to go beyond doro wat.
A St. Paul Ethiopian restaurant doing both the traditional menu and a few modernized dishes that bring the food to a slightly broader audience. The vegetarian platter is an especially good introduction.
A St. Paul family restaurant doing reliable Ethiopian without much fanfare. The shiro is the order on a cold night, and the staff treats first-timers with the patience to walk you through the menu.
A small St. Paul restaurant that delivers exactly what the name suggests. The chicken tikka masala and the saag paneer are reliable, the breads are made to order, and the room is small enough to feel personal.
A Grand Avenue institution running for more than three decades. House-made waffle cones, a deep flavor list rotating through the case, and a back patio for the warm months.
A St. Paul men’s shop carrying contemporary designer labels with a buy that leans Japanese, Belgian, and small-batch American. The room is small and minimal, the staff have opinions, and the inventory rotates with intention. Worth checking on a quiet weekday.
A St. Paul independent dispensary with a focus on hemp-derived THC products and a community-anchored shop experience. Worth checking for product diversity outside of just the standard flower-and-cartridges menu.
A small St. Paul healing-arts space focused on bodywork, energy work, and a quieter wellness register than the bigger spas. Personal, unhurried, and less of a production.