(Images: Animales; Exterior shot courtesy of StarTribune)
Well, now that Uptown has a few hours of free parking and a Little Caesars, and Ann Kim served free kimchi hot dogs last month at 31st and Hennepin, Uptown’s basically fixed, right? So, let’s move to a different area.
Cross that weird bridge northward over the impound lot and next to the light rail station that I still have no idea who will use, and you’ll be right in front of this month’s featured restaurant — Animales.
“Wow, this is like a really fancy Chuck E. Cheese,” is what owner Jon Wipfli has heard more than once. There are no video games, and they don’t serve pizza, but this might be one of the most kid-friendly and adult-worthy restaurants in the cities Twin Cities.
I don’t know that it was his plan, but it’s working. This seemed like a good place to highlight before the August kids’ edition comes out.
Let’s start with Jon
He’s a serious chef. Prior to launching Animales, he was at the multiple-award-winning restaurant The Bachelor Farmer.
After that, he started Animales as a mobile barbeque truck with a regular presence outside the former ABLE brewery in Northeast.
Ribs, pulled pork, sausage, a killer burger and always a long line…because of demand, not slow service. He’s quick.
Jon wanted to open a full brick-and-mortar and finally got the opportunity when the Royal Foundry distillery became available.
It’s a really big space — more than 15,000 square feet.
Jon is utilizing every inch of it, inside and out. There’s a large dining room, a stage for live music, a kids’ play area and a fully built outdoor seating area.
The kitchen is massive too. They need to support hundreds of diners a day, plus catering and everything else they do.
The Food — It’s Good
Really good. Jon is a barbeque master.
I think the star of the show is the pastrami beef rib.
It’s a massive smoked beef rib with pastrami seasoning. More than enough for two to share. Succulent, tender, just really delicious.
The menu also has the classic barbeque-spot meat-and-sides options, but also ventures into other cuisine styles like piri-piri chopped pork, mushroom birria, green spaghetti (pasta from Dario) and of course, a smash burger.
Save room for dessert. There are about eight different options, all great to share.
They also do brunch! The pastrami beef rib is repurposed as a “hash” with a perfectly fried, crispy and creamy potato cake, and there’s the obligatory avocado toast, pancakes and more.
The Drinks
The beverage program is run by my friend Adam Witherspoon. I met Adam about 12 years ago when he was new to the scene, came into La Belle Vie, where I was working, and ordered a “silver gin fizz.”
After I googled the recipe, we chatted for a bit, and I learned that he was getting into the bar industry.
Since then, he’s worked with Bittercube and helped open several restaurants, including the lovely Cafe Alma. He opened and ran the entire beverage program for the Four Seasons and Mara bar, worked with Paris Dining Club and is now at Animales.
“Cross that weird bridge over the impound lot and next to the light rail station that I still have no idea who will use, and you’ll be right in front of this month’s featured restaurant — Animales.”
Suffice it to say, he knows what he’s doing. The drinks at Animales are tasty and make sense. Cucumber, whiskey, ginger, iced tea and lemon in the John Palmer are the perfect barbeque companions.
Whether you like tall and refreshing, short and spirit-forward, or a well-made classic, they’re all available and made properly.
A few of them are also offered by the pitcher, which is perfect for groups.
Speaking of Groups, Let’s Talk About How It Works at Animales
When you arrive, you are brought to a table (possibly after a bit of a wait due to their popularity) and given a menu and shown a — wait for it — dreaded QR code.
Relax, it’ll be OK. It’s not that hard. And it’s really great for groups. Scan the code, the menu pops up and you just choose what you want. The other people you’re with choose what they want. It all gets brought to your table.
No waiting for the check, no trying to figure out who is paying for what, just click and pay. Done. Want to order more? No problem, just do it again. This is perfect for groups when one family is running behind or someone’s kid is having a meltdown and they need to leave NOW.
Everyone orders when they’re ready, and they leave when they’re ready. If you need help, no worries, there are plenty of servers around to help you through the process. If you forgot your smartphone just sit at the bar, where it’s full service.
There’s an Indoor Playground
Yep, just like the McDonald’s PlayPlace or Chuck E. Cheese, you can send the kids off to play while you wait for the food or after you’ve eaten and the adults want to talk.
But you don’t have to suffer through garbage pizza or hyper-processed pink slime “nuggets.” You can have real, quality, good food.
There’s also live Americana-focused music almost every day. Check the website to see who’s playing and bring your dancing shoes.
Good food. Good drinks. Live music. Playground to keep the kids busy. Super bike-friendly. Huge outdoor patio. Why wouldn’t you go?
Jason Suss spent 15 years in tech before leaving the corporate world to pursue his passion for cocktails. For the past 12 years, he has worked on both sides of the bar at local restaurants. He now lives in Lowry Hill and owns @AProperPour.
