Sisters’ Sludge Owners, Triplets Katie, Maggie and Judy
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE
Coffee Shops along East 38th Street — quality and quirk
There are no bad coffee shops on East 38th Street! At 3745 Nicollet Ave. S. there is Five Watt Coffee, one location of a familiar local artisan roastery. Five Watt is known for its unique menu of espresso (or sometimes tea) drinks “inspired by craft cocktails.” The location special here is The Kingfield, a latte with vanilla, Five Watt Coriander Bitters, and black Hawaiian sea salt.
The next coffee shop is also an outlet for a local roaster, Bichota Coffee. This coffee shop is located in the heart of George Floyd Square at 3740 Chicago Ave. S. They are open seven days a week from 8 a.m., closing at 4 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 7 p.m. Thursday, and 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
Duck Duck and Key West have been covered a lot in the past three years, but let’s not forget Sisters Sludge, at 3746 23rd Ave. S. Sisters Sludge is more than a coffee place; it’s also a wine bar, with panini and small plates. And it’s open until 10 p.m., a welcome anomaly in this town of early risers and strivers. (It still opens early — 6 a.m. weekdays, 7 a.m. weekends.) They have lots of good food choices too, including the Grown-up Grilled Cheese sandwich to pair with your wine.
Fireroast Coffee at 3800 37th Ave. S. used to be open for dinner and occasionally live music. Nowadays it’s open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and serves typical coffee shop fare, including their famous breakfast burritos, quesadillas, and burrito bowls.
Abang Yoli food options
Dining options along East 38th Street — from dive bars to elevated ethnic dishes
For dining options, we will start and end with something fancy and splurgey and in between, some traditional South Minneapolis cheap eats (as much as anything is cheap these days.) Lynette is a lovely newish space at the NE corner of 38th Street and 42nd Avenue which is proving very popular. Lynette has three food menus — Brunch, Happy Hour, and Dinner, and a great wine list. (At my one visit so far, I got quite full on the Duck Fat Fries and Roast Broccoli, two items from the Happy Hour menu.)
Kyatchi, located at 3758 Nicollet Ave., offers a delightful fusion of Japanese and new American flavors. They are devoted to delivering sustainable sushi, with the goal of preserving the health of our oceans and landscapes. In addition to their delicious Japanese menu options, they also boast an award-winning hot dog! Enjoy your meal in their lovely restaurant, and consider using their catering services for your next special event.
The Cardinal Bar, located right next door to the 38th Street Light Rail Station, is one of Minneapolis’s iconic dive bars, but they also have quite good food from breakfast to dinner at very low prices. Especially if you’re a senior. See my review from last month’s Dish: southsidepride.com/2025/04/01/openings-closings-food-industry-news-and-a-mini-review.
Product displays at Tare Market
East 38th Street is also home to two of the best barbecue restaurants in town. One is close by the Cardinal — Ted’s 19th Hole BBQ at 2814 East 38th. This is takeout only and there is often a line of patiently waiting BBQ lovers there. So is the other one in the winter, but they have patio seating when the weather permits. This is Smoke in the Pit at George Floyd Square. They have the usual ribs, brisket, pulled pork, or chicken wings, but also some alternatives common to the Southern Soul lexicon like catfish, smoked burgers, collard greens, and a fried spaghetti side dish.
Just off 38th street, at 3804 Grand Ave., is Clancey’s Meat and Fish, a specialty butcher shop that is so much more. Besides offering all the meat options you would expect from your local butcher, they also have market basics, such as dairy, eggs, pantry goods, seasonal farm vegetables, really more than I have the space to mention. In addition to their market, they offer fresh sandwiches for lunch Tuesday through Sunday, until the bread runs out (usually around 1:30 p.m.)
Tropes & Trifles owners Caitlin O’Neil (left) and Lauren
Richards
Retail shops along East 38th Street — an array of practical and original
Seward Co-op Friendship Store! Nice Time Market! Tare Market! I’m running out of space so I just want to shout out these great alternative ways to buy groceries, all endorsed by The Dish. Here is a nice skeet about Nice Time Market: tinyurl.com/DKRatSSP-Skeet-jason.
Tropes and Trifles is a bookstore along East 38th Street, and is styled as a Romance bookstore. That genre is quite widely interpreted, it includes fantasies with an erotic twist, or cozy mysteries, and more. Tropes and Trifles celebrated one year on April 14, and is located at 2709 East 38th St.
A couple more interesting things…
Blue Crescent Urgent Care, 3809 42nd Ave. S., is a service friendly to the
Dr. Ahmad, director of Blue Crescent
Muslim Community, but it’s open to all. I am culturally Christian and I have used their service twice this year and was very compassionately cared for. We have a shortage of urgent care in South Minneapolis and I am very glad they are here.
Community Hops is a social gathering around a community hops garden at 3116 East 38th St. It meets every Wednesday — from May to September — at 6 p.m. to make connections, tend the garden, and share homebrews and craft beers. Fill out the interest form to join: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfkcfb3jUkqlixMmA59D7QUG6uBPwicKrgQRNVWht5A_KPpEA/viewform
