Explore Spring at Chicago Avenue and 48th Street

BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE

Food and drink in the Chicago and 48th hub

In the stretch from 47th Street into the 50s along Chicago Avenue there are many choices for food and drink. Creekside Supper Club, Town Hall Tap, BaGu Sushi & Thai, Pizza Biga, Pumphouse Creamery and Turtle Bread currently dominate the corner and have been reviewed in this space before. It’s been a while since we checked in on the neighborhood coffee shop, Sovereign Grounds. They continue to provide a large “indoor playground” for kids, a welcoming space for small meetings or lunch dates, house-made bakery items and deli dishes, coffee, tea, and sandwiches. Sovereign Grounds (813 East 48th Street) has great longevity in the coffee shop world, and there’s a reason for that.
Sadly, after less than four years, we had to say good-bye to Herbie Butcher’s, the unique vegan fried chicken place. (You can still get the products they sold at their parent location, Herbivorous Butcher.) It does cause media speculation over whether the location — 735 East 48th Street — is cursed or something. It has been home to many promising but short-lived businesses over the past seven years or so.

Further south on Chicago Avenue, Heather’s (5201 Chicago Ave. S.) is also maintaining popularity and high standards. With one of the most appealing menus in town, and a wonderful four-season covered patio, it’s often packed with customers, especially for brunch and weekend evenings, so consider making a reservation. They also have an impressive array of grab and go options at the front of the house. Their food is so popular, they opened a second location in Minnetonka last fall. With locally sourced food — inspired by the season and farmers markets — what started as an intended expansion for their catering services has grown into a full-blown second restaurant location. Some popular options grace both menus, but both locations have unique options to attract customers.
But — drum roll — there is a new player on Chicago Avenue. Stonegarden is a “new Nordic” style restaurant offering breakfast, brunch, and broth. Also cocktails, mocktails, wine by the glass, fancy beer and cider in cans, and a full coffee espresso selection. Stonegarden, which opened in November of 2024, occupies the ground floor of the new 4-storey Pearl Apartments at 5401 Chicago Ave. S. Check out their impressive menu at stonegardenmpls.com

Health and beauty in the Chicago and 48th hub

Besides food and entertainment, this commercial hub includes many resources for health, mental health, fitness and beauty. For a healthy diet, there are two great resources in the neighborhood small supermarket, Kowalski’s Parkview at 5615 Chicago Ave. S., and the seasonal Nokomis Farmer’s Market, 5167 Chicago Ave. S., which has been running Wednesdays from June to September. (The website does not have 2025 season information up yet.)
For standard medical care, the Health Partners Clinic at 4730 Chicago Ave. S. houses numerous primary care practitioners and a few specialists, including — according to Google anyway — an office of sedation dentistry and dental surgery.

Down Chicago Ave. at 44th Street, you’ll find Family Dental Clinic, operating since 1984. Based on the many positive reviews online, it is clear that they put an emphasis on the “family” part of their name, with parents and their children all coming in to keep up on their dental health. Some loyal patients have even been receiving care here for decades!
For alternative or complementary care, bodywork, and beauty treatments, you have a huge selection to choose from in just a couple of blocks around Chicago and 48th, and a few more scattered along the southward stretch to Richfield.
There are four main clusters of health and beauty-related businesses in the Chicago and 48th hub, as well as a few more scattered along the southward route up to Richfield:
• A group of offices at 4748 Chicago Ave. S.
• Across the road, 4749 Chicago Ave. S., the second floor above Spa Sweet, with an entry door on the street
• At 812 East 48th Street, across from Sovereign Grounds, in a little building called the Shenandoah Wellness Center
• In the Family Enhancement Center building, named for the principal tenant, at 4826 Chicago Ave. S.

In these small suites you can find naturopathic care (NDs), chiropractors, massage therapy and other forms of bodywork, estheticians and skin care, nail care, acupuncture and acupressure, psychotherapy, family therapy, and more.
If your health care routines include DIY dosing for stress, pain, or sleep problems, I can recommend the area’s cannabis dispensary Cannajoy at 4753 Chicago Ave. S. They are very knowledgeable and helpful with finding the right product for you.
Another popular form of DIY fitness is to join a class, dojo, or dojang offering martial arts training. There are a couple of really great choices for this in the area as well. At 4744 Chicago Ave. S. is the Center for Blade Arts with its unique offerings of classes in Olympic fencing, kendo, tameshigiri, and historic European martial arts (HEMA.) To find out more about these varied forms of martial arts, see centerforbladearts.com. At 5253 Chicago Ave. S. you’ll find Classic TaeKwonDo, a dojang offering TKD to adults and children.
And finally, don’t forget about McRae Park, part of the amazing Minneapolis Parks system. This beautiful park at the corner of 47th Street and Chicago Avenue has everything — from broomball to pickleball, a wading pool, a year-round hockey rink, Rec Plus after school daycare, and a summer meals program for families and children in need of extra nourishing food.
The wading pool will open when the temperature is above 65 degrees F and remains open until Labor Day. An interesting activity is “Dinner and Movie” for kids ages 4 to 13, on June 13, July 11, and August 8, at 6 p.m. Check out minneapolisparks.org for more events, classes and summer camps.

Having fun in the Chicago and 48th hub

The biggest and best entertainment option in the Chicago and 48th area — and for miles around to tell the truth — is the Parkway Theater at 4814 Chicago Ave. S. Originally built in 1931, it seated over 600 and for many years was a current-run movie house. Although it had a period in the 1970s of showing pornography, then later for a while arty cinema, it’s never been closed for very long. Following a major upgrade in 2018 under new ownership, which for comfort reduced the seating to 365 and re-upholstered in beautiful red plush, and also enhanced its Art Deco features, the screening facilities finally went fully digital. Its current format, since 2019, is a mix of classic films, live music, comedy, and a few unclassifiable offerings (like Scream It Off the Screen.) You can search for events, and buy tickets in advance, including passes for film series, on the theater website. Go to theparkwaytheater.com/all-events.

Upcoming features include:

• “McGuffins Month” film series — April 3: Raiders of the Lost Ark, April 10: Repo Man, April 15: Pulp Fiction, April 21: The Evil Dead. $36 for all + free popcorn. All 8 pm. Tickets: $9 advance, $12 at door.
• A Capella Live — April 13, 1 p.m.: Three auditioned, award-winning a cappella groups: Mixed Company, Mpls Commodores Xtreme, Red Knotes. Tickets: $20 advance, $25 at door.
• Two Dykes and a Mic — April 18, 7 p.m.: Comedy from IRL BFFs McKenzie Goodwin and Rachel Scanlon. Ticket seating options: $35 to $65 advance, $40 general admission at door.
• Shabby Road Orchestra presents Sgt. Pepper Live — April 19, 7 p.m.: A Beatles tribute band. Ticket seating options: $35 to $55 advance, $40 general admission at door.
• Bluegrass concert, featuring The Special Consensus and Monroe Crossing — April 26, 7:30 p.m.: Live music from two great bluegrass groups; separate sets plus monster jam. Tickets: $25 advance, $30 at door.
• Bruce Cockburn — May 5 and 6 (two shows) 7:30 p.m.: Live concerts from famed singer-songwriter. Ticket seating options: $45 to $65 advance, $50 general admission at door.
• Zola Jesus — May 29, 7:30 p.m.: Live music, opera-trained goth musician’s solo voice and piano; part of her North America Solus Tour. Tickets: $30 advance, $35 at door.
• Karla Bonoff — May 13, 7:30 p.m.: Live concert from singer-songwriter. Ticket seating options: $35 to $55 advance, $40 general admission at door.
Note about times: Doors and ticket sales open one hour before given times