We've all been there – someone sends you to an awesome museum and then you end up eating at the nearest Subway. Or you find a great coffee shop but all the tables are full and you have no idea what else to do in the neighborhood. A great double feature fixes all of that – one trip, two activities that are somehow more than the sum of their parts. Here are our five favorite double features in the Twin Cities, reachable by one single trip via bike, bus, car, or foot.
5 - Frozen Chai at Uncommon Grounds + Walk Around Lake of the Isles
Uncommon Grounds Coffee House. (Tiffany Bui / City Cast)
This double feature came compliments of my neighbor Meredith and it’s a slam dunk. It is easy to forget when standing at Hennepin and 28th that you are three short blocks from the greatest set of urban lakes on planet earth. If you haven’t yet had the joy of grabbing a cool treat from Uptown and then exploring a lake while you enjoy said treat I implore you to do that immediately. Uncommon Grounds is a charming coffee shop inside a former single family residence and they stay true to the spirit of a 90s coffeeshop by staying open past sundown (they’re open until 9 p.m. every day, but don’t stop by before your morning walk as they don’t open until 10 a.m. on weekdays).
4 - A Climb at Vertical Endeavors + Music at Icehouse + Tacos at Los Sanchez
Obi Original and the Black Atlantics at Icehouse. (Sean McPherson / City Cast Twin Cities)
The parking lot next to Icehouse lives an interesting triple life as the parking lot of choice for the weird online-orders-only Starbucks, the premier music venue Icehouse, and the celebrated indoor rock climbing facility Vertical Endeavors. Different clientele! But for the venn diagram heroes who love a good climb and a stiff cocktail, it doesn’t get much better. Climb up to the maximum 58 feet at Vertical Endeavors and then clear and/or muddy your head with a mezcal old fashioned. I’ve never set foot in Vertical Endeavors but I’d certainly climb over a boulder to sip on the sharp power of mezcal combined with the homey midwestern sweet profile of an old fashioned. No matter how much you love the drinks, the draw of Icehouse is the music. The sound system is spectacular and they routinely attract some of the finest local and national talent.
Pro-tips:
The best music at Icehouse is often on the “off nights”. Right now Obi Original is holding court on Sunday nights with his group the Black Atlantics and L.A. Buckner is hosting an elite jam session with an amazing cast of players every Monday.
You might be ready to call it a day after your climb + drink but if you are jonesing for a bonus feature, cross Nicollet and poke your head in Los Sanchez! This spot serves up awesome Mexican food including tacos and a crowd-pleasing plate of inter-state-Mexican fusion with quesabirrias.
Bring earplugs. It is a blessing if the house mariachi band is throwing down during your visit, but you can hear that trompeta from the top of Vertical Endeavors.
A customer poured a little bit of their Corona onto the snare drum when I was there and it was absolutely mesmerizing to watch that lager fly.
3 - A Gourmet Meal + A Gourmet Dessert + a Shit Beer in Northeast
A double feature excels when it combines physical activity and bacchanal consumption of food and drink, (see No. 4). But a double feature can also shine when it brings together high class and low class offerings in a matter of blocks. For our creative producer Adam Sage, the allure of a gourmet meal and dessert washed down with an absolutely trashy beer near University Ave NE is his definition of heaven. For this triple feature, Adam suggests starting things off at Hai Hai where he likes to get their Balinese Cauliflower which partners crispy cauliflower with a spicy sambal and a creamy coconut sauce. After that culinary adventure, Adam recommends a quick jaunt across University to visit Mrs. Dessert & Kumpir. The menu is your oyster at this spot but Adam recommends baklava, rolled ice cream, or rolled ice cream with baklava. It seems your best bet is to walk up to the counter and just mumble the word baklava while tapping your credit card and seeing what the world provides for you. After all that sweetness, you don’t need a high-minded cocktail with a lime soupçon, you need a goddamn Hamm’s. And yes, the ultimate place to pull down a Hamm’s is in the middle of a lake in Northern Minnesota with two uncles who will split the 12-pack before you crack your second one but a great runner-up is Grumpy’s Northeast. This friendly neighborhood bar has Minneapolis’ best bartenders, door staff, and vibe. Grab a stool near Paddy if he’s bartending and just enjoy the ride.
2 - One Bike Ride to Cinema + Beer + Books
The mighty and mini Trylon cinema. (Sean McPherson / City Cast Twin Cities)
Racket co-owner and editor Em Cassel is an outspoken supporter of a bike trip to South Minneapolis and she planned a great itinerary for her double feature. Take a 70 degree sunny Sunday afternoon and get yourself to the Trylon for a 3 p.m. matinee. This Sunday the Trylon is offering up Sansho the Bailiff, the 1954 Japanese film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. After you satisfy your jones for cinephilia, you can wet your whistle with one of the fine brews from Arbeiter. Em recommends a Tokki rice lager as a great choice for a light beer to enjoy on a sunny afternoon. Don’t worry if you built up an appetite during the 124 minutes of Sansho the Bailiff, Arbeiter always has a food truck on-site. One of Em’s favorites is the Hawaiian cuisine from Young Man. Em turned this double feature into a triple feature by recommending a quick visit to award-winning Moon Palace Books which is directly next door to Arbeiter. Watch a movie, drink a beer, read a book, and eat a plate of Hawaiian food. That’s a Sunday!
1 - Sea Salt + Minnehaha Falls
Nothing beats a hike around the falls followed by a delicious sandwich from Sea Salt. (Adam Sage / City Cast Twin Cities)
A trip to Sea Salt and Minnehaha Falls is the gold standard for Twin Cities double features. Sea Salt is a seasonal restaurant nestled right into Minnehaha Regional Park. Brave the lines and enjoy some of the finest seafood on either side of the Minnehaha Creek. The seafood po’ boy is my go to, but honestly, you can’t really go wrong at Sea Salt. It would be worth a drive to any corner of Minnesota but the fact that it is mere steps away from the most beautiful waterfall in the metro makes it an unbeatable combo. There are great walking and biking paths of varying distances all around the falls. Whether you build up an appetite with a nice walk before Sea Salt or stroll around the grounds while you digest your meal, a trip to Sea Salt and Minnehaha Falls is an elite choice for our No. 1 Twin Cities double feature.
Honorable Mentions!
Moscow on the Hill + St. Paul Curling Club
Moscow on the Hill. (Sean McPherson / City Cast Twin Cities)
Cathedral Hill is the St. Paul neighborhood where you are most likely to stumble into magic. A quick visit to coffee for Nina’s can quickly turn into buying a plant at Mississippi Market and losing at darts at Sweeney’s. Place your evening in the hands of Cathedral Hill and you won’t be disappointed. My neighbor Silas swears by the double feature of a vodka-forward dinner on the picturesque patio of Moscow on the Hill coupled with a visit to the St. Paul Curling Club. This combo wins extra points because it’s a really unique experience to dine at a world-class Russian restaurant and then watch some of the most elite athletes practice or compete in the most idiosyncratic sport in world history. Only in St. Paul, baby. And mark your calendars: the SPCC Summer Bonspiel runs May 15-17!
Walden Coffee + Marty’s Deli + Dream Creamery
Burgers and fries at Dream Creamery. (Steve McPherson / City Cast Twin Cities)
Why should the nighttime have all the fun? Surely we can pull off a morning-friendly double feature? What about grabbing a perfect cortado at Walden before making your way to Marty’s Deli for a worth-every-dollar, expensive-ass breakfast sandwich? Sure, $10 is an insane price to pay for an egg and cheese but also, have you tried one? It was worth it, right? And if you are feeling extra gluttonous and it’s a weekend, stretch that sandwich and coffee out to noon and you can have the lunch of champions: a dream burger and a strawberry shake from Dream Creamery.
