The May Hit List: Pajarito Edina, Nightingale, The Sample Room, and More

For those celebrating Cinco de Mayo day-of, bring your party to this bistro between 6 and 9 p.m., when picture-perfect opportunities in front of murals in the underground lounge and free live music from the Jeff Gavin Band await. Don’t worry if you can’t make it on the 5th; the restaurant creates a festive feel year-round with fun décor, food inspired by the regions of Mexico, and drinks like the Nuevo Old Fashioned (whiskey + Tequila), the Habanero Cilantro (Tequila + curaçao), or the nonalcoholic guava spritzer. Popular picks from the menu include the elote-style brussels sprouts, guacamole, chips and salsa flight, wood-fired octopus or pork chop, and, no surprise, tacos. Pro tip: Nacho-lovers should stop in for the weekday happy hour, the only time you can score Pajarito’s version loaded with tomato, onion, cilantro, and your choice of beef, chicken tinga, or black beans.

Like many restauranteurs, Eddie and Eve Wu were sidelined by the pandemic. They shut down Cook St. Paul, lent the dining room to a series of pop-ups, and waited for it all to pass. Coming out the other side, they flirted with Cook again, then decided to launch a fresh concept, Juche, in partnership with chef Chris Her. While the space is the same, the walls have gone black, giving it a whole new intimate vibe.

On the menu, traditional Korean dishes rub elbows with more American-influenced versions. Some picks, such as the Mac ‘n’ Chi (think kimchi) and Mr. Wu’s Chips (formerly Koritos), harken back to the days of yore. Others are debuts, including bacon bulgogi, which can be added to any of the specialties or paired with fries; the spicy pork belly lettuce wrap; and jjajangmyeon, a vegan noodle dish with black bean sauce. While there’s not a full bar, you can grab a can of màkku, a low-proof, unfiltered rice beer, or try it in a low-alc cocktail.

No reservations. Find more info here.

Ten-plus years after opening, this charming bistro from Carrie McCabe-Johnston and her husband, Jasha Johnston, continues to get plaudits — and it’s not hard to see why. First, it’s one of the few restaurants in the city to serve food until midnight … every night of the week. There’s also the cute little slip of a patio that starts filling up right about, oh, at this point in the year. And, of course, there’s the food, a series of small plates (with a few larger ones thrown in) that are meant to be shared.

Regulars give special shoutouts to the fries, crispy strips of potato-y goodness, and the lavender-smoked olives, which you can purchase by the pint to take home. Nightingale is a special nirvana for those keeping to a gluten-free diet. Not only are those dishes called out on the menu (and there are a ton of them), but the restaurant’s fryer is dedicated to gluten-free items. Pro tip: Insiders know to pop in Monday nights for half-price bottles of wine.

The casual atmosphere paired with a creative menu makes The Sample Room a top choice for any occasion — or no occasion at all. First, you’ll find a deep selection of drinks running from taps, cans, and bottles of beer to wines by the glass and bottle to cocktails both classic and craft — plus a fun assortment of creations featuring barrel-aged booze. Adventurers will love the long list of liquor flights, trios built around a single type of spirit like rye, port, aquavit, or agave.

If you thought the focus on fine drinking would mean the food came in second, think again — and dive into items that are definitely not your typical bar fare. We’re talking an “amusement board” loaded with meats, cheese, and fun accents like mostarda; Camembert au Calvados; beef tartare; a whole roasted rainbow trout; and shrimp and grits. There has to be a burger (it is a bar, after all), but this one’s made from Peterson Farms’ Limousin beef and pork belly, FTW.

If it’s meat you’re looking for, it’s meat you’ll find here — loads of meat, by all accounts — in what many consider the stars of the show: La Bodega’s birria and quesabirria tacos. They sport corn tortilla shells with a bit of crunch, a smattering of onions and cilantro, and a flavorful, beefy consomé for dunking. If you prefer to slurp your birria, try the ramen version — all the same flavors but with noodles. But there’s more to La Bodega than birria; dig into shrimp, chicken, walleye, pork (al pastor), nopales, carnitas, or beef (asada) tacos, and tack on a cup of esquite, the dreamy combo of corn/mayo/cotija cheese/chile powder (with or without a sprinkling of Hot Cheetos). Indoor seating is incredibly limited, so plan on getting there early, waiting a bit, or taking your meal to go.

No reservations. Find more info here.

You can tell good weather is here when you see the bright yellow umbrellas popping up like daffodils on the Tattersall patio (which, BTW, is Fido friendly). Bartenders here are at the top of their game, stirring or shaking up a variety of drinks that call on the distillery’s own spirits and liqueurs, including unique offerings like a toasted coconut aquavit, grapefruit crema, and sour cherry liqueur. While the FareGame food truck is a regular visitor, you’re encouraged to have food delivered if you arrive at a truckless time; ask the staff for their list of recommendations. Check out the website for the spirit of the month and snag $5 off when you purchase a bottle directly from the distillery. Note that while not required, reservations are always a smart move to avoid being disappointed.

If you’re trying to figure out where to become a regular, DeGidio’s wouldn’t be a bad place to end your search. One of the biggest reasons is hospitality: This crew has it down. After all, they’ve had 90 years to perfect the art, having been around in one form or another (bar, bowling alley, dining room) since 1933. (The restaurant is still run by family, descendants of founder Joe “Kid Bullets” DeGidio.) The Italian and Italian American fare is homey, not fussy, something you could dig into on a regular basis. And you can still get almost every entrée for under $20, including favorites like the chicken Parmesan, the rigatoni and porchetta meatballs, and the lasagna. We’re not talking small portions, either. Chances are you’ll have some left over for lunch the next day.

The giant green-, white-, and red-striped flag fluttering outside this corner spot in Uptown should tip you off: restaurateur extraordinaire Kim Bartmann’s recent launch is inspired by all things Italian. While renovating the digs formerly occupied by Amore Uptown, Bartmann did a slow reveal of the new concept, starting with takeout late last year, then opening the dining room in March.

The antipasti are vegetable-forward: roasted Savoy cabbage or broccoli rabe, braised mushrooms, an endive and roots salad. Move on down the menu and you’ll hit the pastas, a handful of seafood and meat-free creations, and the pizzas, an eclectic mix that includes a pie topped with butternut squash and saba (a condiment similar to balsamic vinegar). The secondi are where the big guns come in: olive oil-poached tuna, a rib eye, a garlic and lemon half chicken. If after all that you’re still up for dessert, you’ve got a trio to choose from.

Call 612-823-0250 for reservations.

Enter this narrow dining room and your eyes are immediately drawn to the mural at the back, where Erykah Badu and Nina Simone loom large. Plants wrap around and hang down from ceiling pipes. It’s a space with personality — a welcoming one. The burger has gotten so much buzz that you might think it’s the thing to order. And while it’s quite impressive — American cheese from Cooper oozes lava-like over two smashed beef patties; fried onions, pickles, and an Ethiopian-spiced aioli (one of the many nods to owner Kamal Mohamed’s birth country) are along for the ride — the menu overflows with dishes that’ll have you singing their praises.

Right now, you can’t go wrong with the brussels sprouts tossed with curry, bits of apricot, and almond. Or the pork belly & ginger coconut rice, which arrives deconstructed so that you can put together the perfect bite of its key ingredients, as well as kimchee, a lime leaf curry sauce, and a gochujang mayonnaise. New-ish pastry chef Yon Hailu is already killing it; keep an eye out for his grilled cornbread.

Call 612-439-3805 for reservations.

There are plenty of reasons to head to this cozy sibling to the original Minneapolis café to celebrate Mom this month. Reservations accepted? Enough variety to meet almost any dietary need or preference? A pastry case filled with mouth-watering sweets and baked goods? Wine and cocktails available? Check, check, check, and check.

Through the years, the restaurant has stayed true to its organic, farm-to-table focus. Case in point? Eggs from local purveyor Larry Schultz figure prominently on the breakfast and brunch menu, popping up in Benedicts, omelets, and burritos, and partnering with bacon in the croissant sandwich. As the day moves on, so does the menu, embracing burgers, sandwiches, and heartier entrees like miso salmon or green coconut curry. Fortunately, desserts are a constant — you don’t want to miss out on gems like the apple crisp, cinnamon twists, or the chocolate-crusted berry cream tart.