Alma
Minneapolis’ quintessential all-day café, special-occasion restaurant, and hotel—rolled into one.
GO HERE: any time, for (pretty much) any reason. Chef Alex Roberts’s remodeled—and much expanded—Alma is now not just a restaurant but an all-day complex. A croissant and a beet-ginger juice from the takeaway counter on your way to work? Check. A sit-down breakfast, complete with a smoked trout tartine and a spicy greens scramble? Sure. A three-course prix fixe dinner at the restaurant next door? Yes, please. Sleep over? Even that is possible thanks to seven rooms upstairs.
THE VIBE IS: welcoming. The modern, Scandi-ish design hints that it’s new on the scene, but the experienced servers and bartenders and the overall bustle make the café feel like that neighborhood restaurant that’s been around forever.
ORDER THE: smoked whitefish tartine, tomato-bread soup, and brownie sundae in the café; whatever looks good on the always-changing restaurant menu (wild-nettle sformato, shellfish-coconut stew, roasted pork belly, et cetera).
GETTING IN: to the café all depends on when you show up: Most seats are reserved for walk-ins, but snagging one during the week isn’t too hard. Make a reservation for the restaurant. There are only seven rooms at the inn, so book out a month or so.
GET A ROOM: above the restaurant and café. You’ll find all the charm of a small-town inn, combined with the aesthetic of your favorite lifestyle Instagram account (hardwood floors, macramé wall hangings, brass accents, and custom bath oils). The best part is the “tray service” breakfast, where a plate of still-warm bread or pastries awaits outside your door each morning.
