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City Cast Twin Cities

Sean McPherson

Anna Weggel

Em Cassel

Adam Sage

The Super Bowl is coming up on Sunday. The game is between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. But for many of us, the real competition is between the snack table and the beer fridge. We implore you to not try to handle all the food needs of Super Bowl Sunday at the grocery store, since you’re worth more than your favorite dip. You’re worth more than the veggies you feverishly cut up right before Charlie Puth sings the Star Spangled Banner. Restaurants all over the Twin Cities are hurting right now, and there is no doubt that immigrant-owned restaurants are hurting even more. Throw some business to a great local restaurant and dive in. We recommend you pull up for air to take in the Bad Bunny performance, and then dive right back in for some third-quarter snacking!

One time, my friend had a classic taco box delivered to BlackStack Brewing while we were watching the Timberwolves thrive in the post-season, and it was the first time I thought I could die happy. Hamburguesas el Gordo serves three varieties of taco boxes. Classic, Nortena, and Quesabiria. I haven’t gotten the Birria version, but the other two are amazing. 

Years ago, my friends started raving about a spot on Central Ave. that at the time was called Crescent Moon Bakery. They were raving about football-shaped pizza that was served with an addictive, tangy, green sauce that made Brasa’s green sauce look like a jar of Hellman’s with a sprig of cilantro on the side. And when I got it, I was absolutely floored. The pizzas were shaped like footballs, which can’t hide a bad-tasting pizza, but they didn’t have to try to hide anything because those pizzas were so flavorful and delicious. All the pizzas carry subtle Mediterranean flavors, and when you dip a slice into the green sauce, it’s a touchdown, game over, safety, or offsides. 

It’s some sort of football reference for sure

. Soon, the football pizza became their calling card, and they changed the name of the restaurant to “Football Pizza” and now they have locations in Northeast, Eden Prairie, and Eagan. My jerk friend Chuck once brought a football pizza to a party where I already had pizza coming; he just wanted that football pizza, baby. Plus, my family doesn’t eat pork at home, and sometimes skipping the pepperoni on a pizza can be a bummer. But Football Pizza is all halal, so you can get beef pepperoni. Penalty kick! Blitz! Gridiron! It’s football pizza time, baby. 

I’ve had it with your Pizza Luce slander, longtime Twin Cities residents. I understand that if you’ve lived in the Twin Cities for the past twenty years, you have probably been to at least 35 work events catered by Pizza Luce. Someone will say, “Can you believe this pizza has baked potato on it?” or “Have you tried the Athena, it’s a pizza but with artichokes on it?” and you will roll your eyes. I get it, you’re over it. Well, sorry that cool pizza has been around for a long time in Minnesota. But don’t get just pizza. The Focaccia Katerina is one of the Twin Cities’ greatest appetizers. The chicken wings are also great. I haven’t tried the Jamaican kind, but I’ve done my time with both buffalo and BBQ. Also, they don’t always have it, but if you see a specialty mushroom pizza on the menu, you absolutely have to get it. I am not a dude who typically likes a fancy mushroom pizza, but it won me over. 

Bucket of Dill Pickle Fried Chicken from 

In human history, no one has ever complained about a bucket of fried chicken. Maybe someone will say “you shouldn’t have” but the same person will be looking for a wet-wipe twenty minutes later. Fried chicken is amazing. Dill pickles are amazing. Why have they spent so much time in proximity without ever being in matrimony? Well, the Bull’s Horn in South Minneapolis is doing their part to get them together! There’s nothing better to bring to your Super Bowl gathering than a honking bucket of chicken. At Bull’s Horn, the bucket itself is also doing some honking; it’s a big, colorful bucket that immediately shouts, “It’s time for a chicken party!” And don’t worry, the dill flavor is subtle; it just gives a little tart anchor to expertly prepared fried chicken. 

-Sean (recommendation from Em Cassel of Racket)

It’s never the wrong time to support Central Avenue, but now is certainly the right time to support Central Ave. Central Ave. is one of the most active streets in the resistance of Operation Metro Surge, and restaurants up and down the stretch are struggling. El Taco Riendo is in the heart of it all, and like everywhere, sales are down. Let’s fix that. The sopes from El Taco Riendo are the perfect snack food, particularly for a Super Bowl gathering. Sopes are open-faced, thickish masa patties that are slightly hollowed out to leave a spot for your choice of protein, lettuce, cheese, and sauce. 

This might be rude, but I refuse to watch any sport that isn’t the Olympics. Therefore, in defiance of football food tradition, I’m going to suggest an order of Chicken Shahi Korma, Paneer Tikka Masala, and your fill of Peshwari Naan from the unmissable Namaste India in Arden Hills. The food is so delicious that it will distract you from the hundreds and hundreds of commercials you’ll be forced to watch at this horrible sports party! 

The Super Bowl is coming up on Sunday. The game is between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. But for many of us, the real competition is between the snack table and the beer fridge. We implore you to not try to handle all the food needs of Super Bowl Sunday at the grocery store, since you’re worth more than your favorite dip. You’re worth more than the veggies you feverishly cut up right before Charlie Puth sings the Star Spangled Banner. Restaurants all over the Twin Cities are hurting right now, and there is no doubt that immigrant-owned restaurants are hurting even more. Throw some business to a great local restaurant and dive in. We recommend you pull up for air to take in the Bad Bunny performance, and then dive right back in for some third-quarter snacking!


City Cast's Guide for superbowl takeout options in the Twin Cities

7 Takeout Options for the Big Game

Where To Eat in the Twin Cities

Where to Eat

Chicken wings are the perfect food to argue about. Pizza is too factional; people are set on their preferences, and little can be done to shake them. Sandwiches are too subjective, and some clever fool will say, “Well, is a taco a sandwich?” and then I have to get into a physical fight, which is always rough. But a chicken wing is not easily categorized, and a good one can win you over even if you didn’t expect to like it. For instance, I’m generally iffy on dry rub wings. I like a saucy wing. But I have to admit that after years of cajoling from my friend Martin, I loved the Burger Dive dry rub, and I wish I had tried it earlier. Similarly, I generally don’t like the full wing; I like the flats and the wings to be separated. But the full wing treatment from Ray-J’s in Northeast and Woodbury is a celebrated wing for good reason. So, there’s room for everybody in a chicken wing discussion. The five chicken wings I recommend are top-tier options, but there are always more to recommend. I still haven’t tried the wings at 

 is the wing-lovers capital of the Twin Cities, but I didn’t personally find a flavor that landed in my top five. With those caveats out of the way, I present to you the Top 5 Chicken Wings in the Twin Cities according to my chicken-wing-loving self.

The very wings you are now looking at were delivered to my bowling lane at the Nook during the stress that is a multi-family bowling affair in the cramped basement of the Nook. Is bowling at the Nook a must-do Twin Cities activity? Yes. Is bowling at the Nook on a weekend a guaranteed Code Red shit show? Double yes. But these wings are an oasis of saucy delight between your spares and gutterballs. These wings aren’t actually spicy, but the honey does talk to the barbecue sauce in a way that just brims with flavor. My biggest gripe with most barbecue wings is that the flavor doesn’t meld. You’ve got tasty barbecue sauce, and you have chicken, but they don’t unite. Not a problem here. The honey does some of the binding work, and the chicken is always crisped enough to create some ridges that hold onto the sauce. Also, roll your eyes if you want to, but I still enjoy a little ranch on these bad boys. I usually go half Spicy Honey BBQ and half Buffalo when I visit. Strike!

I didn’t come to La Doña looking for chicken wings. They have spectacular tacos, burritos, and unique llapingachos, which are Ecuadorian potato pies. But I was ordering for a big table, so I grabbed two orders of buffalo wings on a whim and OH MY GOD. The wings came out dressed in a buffalo sauce that carried a pinch more tang than usual. The chicken also had that hard-to-find quality of possessing crispy-ness and tenderness within in a single bite. The wings tasted so good that I had to pause for a moment and make sure that I wasn’t just overwhelmed with hunger. But the minute my friend Chuck took a bite, he exclaimed, “These wings are really good.” Pairing these wings with one of La Doña’s iconic beers took my weekend to another level, and I owe a lot of that to these world-class wings, which I think are hiding in plain sight, as I’ve read no reviews that mention them.

The pizza shop chicken wing is a risky proposition. Generally, pizza shop wings are passed through the oven and then haphazardly covered in sauce. Sometimes the oven is the perfect temperature, and it works great … sometimes you wish they had made room for a deep fryer in the floor plan. During the pandemic, the family and I started getting Tommie’s Pizza on Selby pretty frequently. After a while, I wanted something other than pizza on a Tommie’s night. I grabbed their jerk chicken wings out of desperation, but the minute I had a bite, I was hooked. These blackened chicken wings create a caramelized spice layer of strong char on top of a perfectly prepared chicken wing. I also give Tommie’s points for serving the wings piping hot. In fact, even though Tommie’s is mainly a take-out spot, I’m so partial to the way the wings taste right when they come out of the oven that I tend to eat these right in the shop.

I have been hearing about Kong’s oyster chicken wings for years now, and in September of 2025, they won the first 

, I saw community pillars such as T. Mychael Rambo and Adrian Perryman approving of the taste, and I knew I had to try for myself. Wowza. Oyster wings are distinguished for their umami punch that emanates from the oyster sauce in the recipe. It’s a spectacular style of wing. I’ve rarely had 

oyster wings … but the Kong’s wings are 

. The chicken is uniformly crispy, and it is economically dressed in the sauce. Sure, you’ll need plenty of napkins, but this is not the drippy mess that oyster wings can be. The crispy skin provides an incredible bite, and the chicken inside tastes downright buttery. I predict that Kong’s will keep on racking up the awards all across town from their perch on Arcade on the East side of St. Paul.

My obsession with chicken wings started back in 2003, and I spent most of the year asking everyone in listening range what kind of chicken wings they liked. At the time, my default was the happy hour wings specials at the Uptown Green Mill (RIP). My good friend Joe said I should really shut my mouth about great chicken wings until I make my way down to Runyon’s in downtown. Joe said Runyon’s had the best chicken wings in Minnesota, and there was barely any disagreement about it. We got down there and tried them, and it was immediately clear to me that I was having the highest quality chicken wing. The buffalo sauce tastes so sharp and focused. They are thankfully not quite as salty as the purported original chicken wings of the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York. I find these Runyon’s wings to be the clearest representation of perfect buffalo chicken wings – a steaming pile of chicken wings delivered straight to your seat at the bar with a copious ramekin of high-quality bleu cheese dressing and a side of celery. When the chicken wings are just a touch too hot, but you let the bleu cheese cool it off, and then you take a bite, you are heading into the iconic, crispy, spicy, and legendary bite of the best chicken wings in Minnesota.

Chicken wings are the perfect food to argue about. Pizza is too factional; people are set on their preferences, and little can be done to shake them. Sandwiches are too subjective, and some clever fool will say, “well is a taco a sandwich?” and then I have to get into a physical fight, which is always rough. But a chicken wing is not easily categorized, and a good one can win you over even if you didn’t expect to like it. For instance, I’m generally iffy on dry rub wings. I like a saucy wing. But I have to admit that after years of cajoling from my friend Martin, I loved the Burger Dive dry rub, and I wish I had tried it earlier. Similarly, I generally don’t like the full wing; I like the flats and the wings to be separated. But the full wing treatment from Ray-J’s in Northeast and Woodbury is a celebrated wing for good reason. So, there’s room for everybody in a chicken wing discussion. The five chicken wings I recommend are top-tier options, but there are always more to recommend. I still haven’t tried the wings at Soul Lao, I can tell you the pickle wings at Bunny’s are worth a visit, and D Spot is the wing-lovers capital of the Twin Cities, but I didn’t personally find a flavor that landed in my top five. With those caveats out of the way, I present to you the Top 5 Chicken Wings in the Twin Cities according to my chicken-wing-loving self. 

Best Chicken Wings in Twin Cities

Top 5 Twin Cities Chicken Wings

Green Bean Casserole might be the most divisive side on our list. And although the GBC haters are everywhere, they weren’t in the conversation when we placed this beauty at number five. Also, please don’t 

this dish. Just prepare it with the directions that you can find on the side of the French’s crispy onions you bought. This dish doesn’t require elevation or imagination, just cream of mushroom soup and a willingness to eat something that looks pretty gross and tastes pretty great. We think our friend Maggie put it best when she sent this comment in: 

“Not up for debate in my opinion - green bean casserole is the elite side dish of Thanksgiving.”

You might not need a lot of it …but it’s not really Thanksgiving without cranberry sauce. I enthusiastically endorse skipping the canned stuff and going for this relatively easy 

. But even in canned form, cranberry sauce is an essential part of a Thanksgiving table. From time to time, you might catch cranberry sauce on a sandwich during the rest of the year, but primarily, this tart and tasty dish belongs to November. Our listener and frenemy Davis from Northeast has the opposite take. He says that cranberry “tastes like it is dehydrating me.” Davis, we still love you. But you’re making it really difficult to do so.

When we had this conversation on the podcast, we imagined what sides we absolutely had to keep on the table, and mashed potatoes and gravy were top of mind. Letting the gravy boat make a little lake of meaty, savory flavor on top of the starchy mountain is one of the great joys of making the perfect Thanksgiving plate. And yes, gravy has other roles outside of its potato duties, but it is a perfect match, and it only felt right to list them as a single entity.

You trust doctors, right? Our guest was Dr. Katie Loth, and she was the biggest supporter of sweet potatoes. So at this point, you should like sweet potatoes based on your doctor’s advice. Dr. Loth did point out that the potatoes must truly be sweet, ideally aided by brown sugar and pecans. Sweet potatoes should also receive extra love because they are the secret weapon of any elite leftover Thanksgiving sandwich. No jury would convict you for the carb-on-carb crime of covering that toasted white bread with a layer of sweet potatoes before you get started with the turkey.

If our contributor Tane Danger had his way, his five sides would just be different varieties of stuffing. Stuffing is the rare side that is a must-have that can also evolve and be individualized. Whether you like your stuffing with cornbread, 

, or day-old white bread, it’s all good for us. The sage, thyme, and rosemary that give stuffing its taste also sit at the center of the taste of Thanksgiving in general. If you are looking for all the feeling of Thanksgiving in a single forkful, you’d be best served to dig into the stuffing.

Top Five Thanksgiving Sides

Some foods are great year round and others are best for seasonal appearances. If you handed me a pumpkin latte in May I would probably wrestle you. But, as the leaves start to fall and we head for the autumnal beauty of the Twin Cities I am all in on pumpkin spice and other 

These pancakes are thick, creamy and right on time for pumpkin season. The cream cheese syrup is very rich but frankly, that’s what I’m here for. I involved the whipped cream for a little extra gluttonous treat and I have zero regrets. I’d also like to award extra points to Hope Breakfast Bar for providing a carafe of coffee at the table 

offering a to-go cup in case I wanted a little extra for the road. Class act. 

As a snob who grew up in New England I can be pretty picky about my apple cider donuts. But my pickiness knew no match for the utter joy that is the apple spice donut from A Baker’s Wife in South Minneapolis. This donut is liberally peppered with cinnamon sugar but the secret weapon is the airiness of the donut. There are plenty of little air bubbles inside the donut so it doesn’t carry quite the heft of your usual donut. That is at least what I told myself as I had a second one off of the tray at my temple earlier this fall. 

If you’re looking for the finest in pumpkin ice cream look no further than the Pumphouse Creamery in South Minneapolis. This ice cream mainstay is serious about their pumpkin ice cream, and they even display an example of the Autumnwood Farm-raised Long Island Cheese Squash they use to make the ice cream. The flavors are farm fresh and don’t rely heavily on dried spices to communicate the harvest flavors. It’s so common for “pumpkin” to be used as a point of departure to pile on the cinnamon and the ginger. But this ice cream lets the pumpkin flavor take center stage. Try it on a pumpkin skeptic and watch them change their tune! 

I’m a coffee man. I’m not even certain how I fell into a Golden Milk but at some point at Dogwood Coffee on East Lake I grabbed a Golden Milk and I’ve been in love ever since. It’s one of those drinks where upon the first sip you immediately feel like you’re walking out of a spa after a fifteen hour massage no matter what you are actually facing. The drink can be made cold or hot and with any type of milk. That milk is then mixed in equal parts with a Rishi Turmeric Ginger Chai. I get it hot with whole milk. If you are good on caffeine you are looking for a drink to bring some autumnal peace and relaxation this is the drink for you. 

We hope you enjoy these seasonal treats and please 

Here are the best seasonal holiday breakfast, coffee, drinks, and more!

Best Seasonal Food and Breakfast in the Twin Cities

Take in the Flavors of the Season in the Twin Cities

The bad news? It'll be getting dark at 4pm soon. The good news? Happy hour is about to feel more like a night out on the town. In the spirit (get it?) of helping thirsty Twin Citizens find the ideal happy hour for every type of imbiber, I joined forces with my fellow City Cast Twin Cities creative producers Tiffany Bui to share our top picks for happy hour in Minneapolis.

$8 cocktails, $7-$9 appetizers, $5 beer, $9 house wine

 Wonton Nachos & Indeed Bia Side Pilsner (exclusive collaboration between Indeed and Hai Hai, lemongrass ginger pilsner)

Everything on Hai Hai's menu is delicious, and it's quite a treat to be able to get some of their cocktails and bites at a discounted price. It can be hard to make it there on time after work with happy hour ending at 5:30pm – try to get off work a little early or head over there on a Sunday to get the good deals.

$9.95 for 2 sushi rolls, $12.95 for 3 sushi rolls, $14.95 sushi sashimi lunch

Sometimes you want to feel like you're balling out on a Tuesday afternoon when you're really not spending all that much. Yes, we're bending the rules a little bit by featuring a restaurant in Edina, and a lunch special might not technically be a happy hour, but hot damn it's pretty awesome to get 4 pieces of sushi, 6 pieces of sashimi, and a tuna roll for under $15. Plus, Ama Sushi is owned by the same folks who own Momo Sushi in NE Minneapolis, so every dollar you spend at Ama helps Momo recover from the catastrophic kitchen fire they suffered over the summer.

Daily, 11:00am - 6:00pm and 9:30pm - Close

$3 - $5 - $7 deals on food and drink, $5 beer pints

 a Sociable Cider for you, a Steel Toe IPA for your friend that's into that kind of thing, artichoke dip, and some Sebastian Joe's ice cream.

We aren't going to die on the hill that Taberna's has the best food in town, but I'd be lying if I said there's anything that tastes better than fries with cotija cheese and jalapeños at the end of a night. And even though you might not think, "pizza place" when you think of happy hours, Parkway Pizza is truly one of the best deals around. It's pretty great to be able to grab BOGO drinks at 9pm and chase it down with some ice cream on a low-key night of self-care.

$5 off cocktail buckets, $5 burgers, $5 big beers

 Burger and a Skol Bucket (vodka, grape liqueur, lemonade)

Even if you don't like a sports bar, Beckett's happy hour is well worth your while. Kick your night off with a cocktail bucket and a burger for cheap, then head over to play some games at UpDown on the same block.

$2 taps, $2.25 domestic pints, $1 off almost every other drink, and different food specials every day

 Go on a Tuesday to get 2 tacos for $5 and a $2 tap beer

 Fair State Party Forward Hazy IPA, friendship, and music

Northeast Minneapolis is rich with dive bars, and the Moose and 331 Club are two great options. The fact that you can grab a beer and 2 tacos from the Moose for $7 is just unbeatable. I also love to meet friends at 331 Club during happy hour, grab a beer, and stick around for whatever live music they have scheduled that evening (they have bands every night of the week).

Where to Eat

7 Takeout Options for the Big Game

Top 5 Twin Cities Chicken Wings

Top Five Thanksgiving Sides

Latest articles

Take in the Flavors of the Season in the Twin Cities

Our Favorite Happy Hours in Minneapolis