3 St. Paul restaurants and a Minneapolis food hall are closing

Within hours, word came that a Minneapolis food hall known for launching one of the area’s most popular pizza shops and the state’s only gluten-free brewery were closing — both on May 10.

The North Loop Galley food hall, in the Nordic building at 729 Washington Av. N., is the current home of Wrecktangle Pizza, Ono Hawaiian Plates, Ramen Kawae and Good Boy.

“While often the want is something juicy or salacious, there isn’t in this instance,” Galley Group CEO Chad Ellingboe wrote in an email to the Star Tribune. “All we can say is cheers to the five years we had, and we look forward to watching the continued success of the North Loop.”

Galley Group owns two other food halls, in Newport, Ky., and Pittsburgh. Ellingboe declined to comment on the state of those Galley locations.

The Minneapolis food hall opened in 2019, just before the pandemic, when “things took a turn for the worst,” said Ellingboe. “However, with a strong team in place, vendors who were willing to push through and guests who were eager to support, we were able to stick it out and stay the course.”

For original vendor Wrecktangle, which launched its Detroit-style pizza concept here, the Galley’s support during COVID helped it grow into a multi-location brand.

“It meant everything,” said Wrecktangle co-owner Jeff Rogers. “We most likely wouldn’t be in the place that we are now without it. To have a super-flexible spot in the North Loop?”

“Pretty unheard of,” said co-owner Breanna Evans.

Soul Fu, serving Southeast Asian cuisine, and Thigh Times Birdhouse, a chicken spot, joined Wrecktangle and Ono Hawaiian Plates in the initial lineup.

Ellingboe called the Galley “a great starting point” for Wrecktangle and Ono Hawaiian Plates. Ono is the in-store restaurant at United Noodles in Minneapolis. Wrecktangle now operates food hall stands at the Market at Malcolm Yards and Graze, plus a standalone restaurant on Lyndale Avenue and W. Lake Street in Minneapolis and one in conjunction with First Avenue in St. Paul that’s currently on hiatus. A Duluth restaurant is forthcoming.

But with its only location in the Galley, Ramen Kawae has nowhere else to serve its Japanese-style ramen and snacks, said Tuan Hoang, the chef behind the three-year-old food hall stand.

“This is the only one, so basically we just have to close,” Hoang said. “After three years, there were returning customers who come a lot and eat here. I made a relationship with all of them and it’s nice to have them like friends, not just customers. So it’s kind of sad.”

Apostle Supper Club, the sprawling Palm Springs-inspired restaurant across from the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, is calling it quits. In a Facebook post, owner Brian Ingram announced the closure.

“We put our heart, soul and everything we had into creating a space that offered warmth, community and an unforgettable experience,” Ingram’s initial post reads. “We built something beautiful. And despite our fight to preserve it over the last three years, we’ve reached a breaking point.”

Sarah and Brian Ingram opened Apostle in October 2022 with a menu of retro cocktails and hearty and modern supper club fare under their Purpose Restaurants, which is also behind the Gnome Craft Pub in St. Paul, Salt and Flour in Minneapolis and Hope Breakfast Bars.

In a follow-up post, Ingram thanked staff and customers and said they did not make the decision lightly. Office and small business vacancies as well as public safety concerns are among the factors, according to Ingram. “Right now, downtown St. Paul is simply not a viable place for small, independent restaurants to thrive,” the post states.

Apostle will run through the end of May before closing its doors.

Chip’s Clubhouse, the Mac-Groveland neighborhood spot in St. Paul serving modern-spun Midwestern comforts and an ambitious bar program, has turned off the lights.

“Sadly, we’ve made the difficult decision to permanently close our doors. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your incredible support over the years,” a sign on the door states. “We will cherish the memories made within these walls.”

The restaurant has been under new ownership since November. Owner Nik Donaker confirmed the last day for Chip’s was Wednesday. “It was a financial choice,” he said, wishing not to elaborate further.

Pastry chef Tara Coleman and chef Gina Mangiameli originally opened Chip’s in early 2021 on Snelling Avenue just south of St. Clair Avenue and quickly gained a reputation for their refreshing take on Midwestern comfort food. Dishes such as the burger, schnitzel-style pork tenderloin and fried chicken sandwich were winning hearts, as was Tim Leary’s cocktails and mocktails — all served against an approachable neighborhood backdrop.

“It was a quiet handover,” Coleman said of the ownership change a few months ago as Mangiameli, currently the head of Surdyk’s prep kitchen, and Coleman concentrate on their other food ventures.

Meanwhile, Coleman continues to run Hot Hands Pie & Biscuit in the same building with coffee, pastries and egg biscuit sandwiches and hashes for dine-in as well as a take-and-bake and catering operation.

Burning Brothers, the state’s first and only gluten-free brewery, announced on social media Wednesday that it will close after 11 years.

“We have come to the incredibly heart-wrenching conclusion that we unfortunately cannot continue operations,” owners Dane Breimhorst and Thom Foss posted on the brewery’s Instagram page, citing “numerous, complex and varied” factors as reasons for closure. The taproom’s last day is May 10.

The owners recently told the Star Tribune that tariffs were a cause for concern. The current structure imposes a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum imports and an additional 25% across-the-board tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, where much of the aluminum used in the United States is sourced. This promises to greatly increase the cost of cans.

“I would be lying if I said we aren’t concerned,” Foss said. “A good chunk of our income is canned beer. If you’re going to increase cost by 25% or more, yeah, that’s going to hurt a lot.”

Longtime friends, Breimhorst and Foss released their first beer, Pyro American Pale Ale, in March 2014, and opened their St. Paul taproom a month later. Previous plans to open a brewery were put on hold after Breimhorst was diagnosed with celiac disease, but they forged ahead with a dedicated gluten-free facility after seeing a growing demand for it – and a dearth of quality in gluten-free beers.

The brewery, named as a nod to the owners’ days as fire-eating partners, is at 1750 W. Thomas Av., St. Paul, burnbrosbrew.com.