If you’re like me, you’re always on the lookout for the latest hotspot for dinner, happy hour, or just hanging out with friends. Well, today’s hotspot is so new, it just opened today.
Uptown Cafeteria and Support Group is actually neither a cafeteria, nor a support group, but a cool new restaurant in Uptwon’s Calhoun Square at the corner of Hennepin and Lake Street in Minneapolis. The place has about 200 table, bar and counter seats on the street level, part of a recently completed Calhoun Square addition, plus another 200 a few floors up on the roof, accessible by a glass-walled elevator.
The Sky Bar, as the rooftop area is called, offers a great view of the uptown neighborhood, and is right across the street from another popular rooftop–Stella’s Fish Cafe.
On the street level, the restaurant is decked out with a retro-mod vibe that could be straight out of A Clockwork Orange, with retro glazed white brick accented by distinctive orange and blue, plastic wood-grain paneling and Naugahyde-covered saddleback chairs.
If one word were to sum up the menu, it would be eclectic. With everything from surprisingly inexpensive breakfasts, ranging from around $4 to $14, most choices are around $8. Breakfast is served weekends, from 8 a.m. to noon both Saturday and Sunday.
As for the rest of the menu, the prices are equally as reasonable. From the $2.95 Field Green Salad to the most expensive thing on the menu–a King-Cut Prime Rib Dinner for $29.95–the choices are many and varied. Sandwiches and burgers range from around $8 for the sliders to a Grilled Shrimp Pita for around $13.
As for appetizers, they serve up Lightly Battered Tempura Vegetables with Green Tea Sea Salt for $6.95 and a Seared Ahi Tuna with a cucumber salad and ginger-soy dipping sauce for a reasonable $9.95. All other appetizers fall within this price range. Not bad.
Choices for entree salads are pretty standard. The Chef’s Salad is $11.95 at the lower end of the range, and the Greek Salad with Grilled Shrimp, at $15.95, is at the top. One salad caught my eye as being a bit unique: The Big Hippie Salad, with lots of veggies, quinoa, and a hempseed vinaigrette. Not sure if it’s my thing or not, but it’s definitely a little different.
If you like an ethnic flavor to your dinner, perhaps the Chicken Curry Masala or Hungarian Beef Goulash would be more your speed. Or even the Nankin Chicken Subgum Chow Mein, which is the weekly special dinner on Monday nights.
There’s plenty of choices for the budget-minded, from the aforementioned burgers and sandwiches, to the Friday night All-You-Can-Eat Fish Fry. At $15.95, it’s a good value, with fries and cole slaw.
See the full menu for more details and exact pricing.
If you’re unsure where Calhoun Square is, check out the location page on the Uptown Cafeteria and Support Group website.
For more information, check out uptowncafeteria.com.