Café Twenty Eight

Café Twenty EightCafé Twenty Eight
Café Twenty EightCafé Twenty Eight
Bar, Eatery

2724 W 43rd St
Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55410-1663
United States

// CLOSED //
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.45
Reviews:
28
Ratings:
28
pDev:
7.19%
View: Place Reviews
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Photo of beerwolf77
Reviewed by beerwolf77 from Wisconsin

4.38/5  rDev -1.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 5
Made a point to hit this place for brunch while in Minneapolis. Glad I did.

Old firehouse turned coffee house/restaurant. Minimal seating but we got there when it opened so no problem for us. The beers list isn't long but they have all four Surly's year round beers and a seasonal. We ordered food and a couple coffee benders. Great way to start the morning.

Not sure what else to say. The food was fantastic they had Surly on tap and the server was super friendly. Overall a great place for brunch and beer. I highly recommend stopping here if you are in the area.
Apr 15, 2011
Photo of John_M
Reviewed by John_M from Washington

3.95/5  rDev -11.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 4.5
Had the pleasure of stopping by here the other day, primarily to sample Darkness on draft.

Cafe 28 is a modest size cafe, with a modernistic, airy, look and feel to it. We were here for lunch on a Tuesday before Thanksgiving, when I wouldn't normally think a restaurant would be doing all that well. However, this place has an eclectic, easy to appreciate menu, and so maybe it was no surprise that the cafe was doing a brisk lunch business this particular Tuesday. As for the beer selection, they had 4 different Surly beers on tap, and I believe some 23 or so bottled beers as well. While I have to give the cafe full marks for the quality of the beer selection (darkness, furious, cynic and coffee bender), it's hard to give the selection more than an average score, given the limited number of beers available (the cafe also has a pretty decent wine by the glass selection). Service was quick, polite and pleasant (mostly well trained young people), though the experience was enhanced when the owner/manager came out to talk to us briefly (Linda). Food, I thought, was quite good. I was very pleased with my Adobo, and was especially impressed with the level of heat and spice I encountered in the dish. My friend had the egg sandwich with bacon, and it was excellent as well. Linda confirmed that there is a focus on using very fresh, local, high quality ingredients in the food here, and I thought it definitely showed.

Prices were pretty reasonable I thought. My darkness was $6 a ten ounce glass, but otherwise I believe pints here were a pretty reasonable $4. Lunch for 2 came to a bit over $30, which I thought was very reasonable for what we had had. Overall, I was very, very happy with our visit here, and would happily come back again.

I can't over emphasize what a very nice place this is, and what a nice time we had here. Cheers!

Edit from 9/17/11. Stopped by to try some Surly 5 (knew this place would still have it on tap), and get some lunch as well. Also had probably the freshest glass of furious I can ever remember having (just delicious). As for our lunch... did I mention the food here is really, really good? I'll definitely be back...
Nov 24, 2010
Photo of BuckeyeOne
Reviewed by BuckeyeOne from Washington

4.33/5  rDev -2.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3 | food: 5
This is not a beer bar. In fact, it doesn't have a bar at all. They only have four taps --- all Surly. But the bottle list is extensive and high quality.

This is an upscale but relaxed neighborhood restaurant. As I understand it, the owner is the wife of Surly's headbrewer. This was key information for me, given that I was looking for Darkness on tap and was able to get one here.

I had a Surly Furious with my wonderful ribeye. Get the beet salad with arugula and a hunk of creme fraiche. Dessert was my warmed-up Darkness (which I ordered with my Furious and my dinner) and an absolutely decadent chocolate cake with a molten chocolate center and vanilla ice cream.

All said and told, I had a beet salad, steak with fresh spinach and potato au gratin, with a Furious, plus chocolate cake and a 10 oz. Darkness for about $55 dollars including tip --- reasonable if you ask me.
Nov 07, 2010
Photo of adrock7309
Reviewed by adrock7309 from Minnesota

4.83/5  rDev +8.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5
Ok - need to disagree with Florida9 the previous poster. This place does only have 4-5 taps and all were surly but they also have two pages of bottled beer of all high quality selections including many seasonal/specialty and top notch belgians.

We stopped in last night for some Surly Darkness on tap which was phenomenal. In fact the service was so good that when my buddy and I argued over the last of our glass of surly - the server brought us an additional half a glass to end the night. Awesome!

Food was amazing and I highly suggest the Adobo pork if you like spice.

The highlight of the night was our last darkness. It was served in a hand etched Duvel style glass from the first year release of Darkness. The server told us it was etched by Todd the masterbrewer at Surly.

Definitely worth a stop if you're in Linden Hills
Oct 31, 2010
Photo of Florida9
Reviewed by Florida9 from Illinois

3.7/5  rDev -16.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 2 | food: 5
For the record, Cafe 28 isn't a "beer bar," it's a neighborhood restaurant that serves some beers. I'll admit, it's a very good restaurant that serves a few (and I stress "a few") good beers, but Cafe 28 can hardly be considered a beer bar.

The restaurant is located in a very nice, high class area of South Minneapolis next to Lake Harriet. The building it is located in what appears to be a turn of the last century rehab that is shared with an architectural firm. The walls are brick. The floors are a lighter hued hardwood. Everything is colored in a warm, cozy earth tones. It would be a place to eat, drink and relax, except for the country club cliental. Seriously, there was more Tommy Bahamas clothing in here than Macy's and, at 35 and aside from my daughter, I probably had the next youngest person beat by a good 20 years.

As for the beer, there are only four taps. Yes, four. That's it. I think they had a few cans as well. All the taps are from Surly, which makes sense, but still its a rather limited offering. I like Surly and enjoyed the offerings, and I would imagine anyone coming here knows this is a Surly "owned" restaurant. However, there are more wines on the menu than there are beers. The focus here is not on beer.

Now, the food is excellent. It's an rather odd blend of traditional French (quiche, pate, lamb), Mexican (tacos, guac, adobo) and American bar food (burger, fries, sandwiches). But it all works and everything I had, with one exception, was very good. I had a roasted beet and arugula salad and the pork en adobo, both of which were fresh and well prepared. The exception was my daughter's "kid's meal" which wasn't anything more than shitty boxed mac n' cheese. While I would be willing to accept this at a bar, as I've mention before, this place is not a bar. Being a high end restaurant, capable of making classic French preparations, but treating my kid like a culinary retard isn't appreciated.
May 22, 2010
Photo of pwoods
Reviewed by pwoods from Ohio

4.15/5  rDev -6.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 3 | food: 4
I stopped by here first thing in the morning the day I got in town for Darkness Day. The atmosphere is style good, though it seemed a bit too upper scale for my tastes, especially when some of the housewives started piling in. Very nice bar area. The service was outstanding. I hadn't been able to check into my room yet and the waitress was nice enough to let me stash my suitcase off to the side. She asked where I was comingin from and what for, and was very excited to hear that I came all the way from Cincinnati to attend Darkness Day. She took my order(quiche and a Furious :D) and the owner, Linda, brought my beer out and started chatting for awhile. Later, Linda came out with a mug of Coffee Bender on the house. The selection was pretty small but definitely of high quality with the Surly beers on tap. The food was also pretty good, though they only had a brunch menu available when I stopped in. Prices seemed good.
May 12, 2010
Photo of TastyTaste
Reviewed by TastyTaste from Minnesota

4.2/5  rDev -5.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
Located in the tony Linden Hills neighborhood of South Minneapolis, Café Twenty-Eight is much entwined with Surly Brewing Company, and it sure shows. The walls have some of the older Surly screen prints, the beers on tap are all Surly, and the head brewer is co-owner. The service is friendly; the atmosphere is of a repurposed bank or office building, with the pressed tin ceiling that is what I find in some of my favorite Midwestern bars. The soup is good. I had intended to just stop in for a pint, but I was informed that there is some sort of agreement with the Linden Hills neighborhood that they are only permitted to serve beer with food. There is no bar, just a place where a bar should be and some tap handles. I guess this makes it more food-oriented, which is how the upper crust by Lake Calhoun like it. I had a cup of lentil and bacon soup, which was top notch if unwanted. A great place to come for a meal and beer, but not for simply beer alone.
Apr 20, 2010
Photo of WeisGuy
Reviewed by WeisGuy from New York

4.68/5  rDev +5.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5
Ate lunch here last Saturday before catching a flight home from MSP. My wife and I make a point of hitting up Cafe Twenty Eight every time we're in Minneapolis (once a year, usually). Very nice laid back cafe/bistro atmosphere. Nice neighborhood feel and it gets points for the older renovated building. Beer quality is always high -- the Furious is always super fresh. We've had excellent service every time we've been in. The wait staff know their beer and have always been extremely friendly. Upon hearing of my love of Surly, our waiter on Saturday brought us each a sample of Smoke to make sure we were able to try it before the keg kicked in a few days. Draft selection is, predictably, all Surly - four total - and usually seems to be Furious, Cynic and two special releases. I enjoyed a few mugs of Coffee Bender (awesome Surly mugs, btw) and my wife had a pint of Furious. Very nice - though not huge - bottle list with nice diversity. The food here is very good...probably the best I've had while enjoying great beer. The tuna melt is great as is the fresh guacamole, but my personal favorite is the pork braised in adobo sauce. The prices are reasonable - very fair for what you get.
Jan 05, 2010
Photo of gatornation
Reviewed by gatornation from Arizona

4.28/5  rDev -3.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
cafe 28 is on 43rd st in linden hills in a renovated fire house it shares a place with TEA2 (IN THE BACK) its a small place but its intimate warm and inviting the food looks really good but i stopped there for darkness and wet on tap..both were exceptional..they have 3 surly taps at all times (Todd surlys brew master is part owner) and one guest tap... when i was in they had ommegang rouge on tap which i also had..they have many other guest cans and bottles with a quite extensive/impressive list and appealing..dont go here expecting to just drink it is not a bar you must order some food like the 1$ bread but they have oh so much more..i have gone back for the Sunday brunch and it was outstanding i had the fireman's ladder with a surly wet..i will go back for dinner in the near future..cafe 28 is a nice well done place highly recommended
Nov 27, 2009
Photo of Ek0nomik
Reviewed by Ek0nomik from Wisconsin

4.09/5  rDev -8.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4
I stopped here on Halloween night with a few friends to try the Surly Wet. The lights were dimly lit with candles on each table. I don't remember all the music being played, but I remember hearing some trip-hop style music for a short period of time. I would have liked if the music were toned down just a tad, even though the music selection wasn't bad.

We showed up only for a beer each, but their liquor license enforces that food is served along with alcohol. We payed a dollar for a bread basket. The food here looked good, so I wouldn't mind going there for food in the future. But, the little we had (the bread basket) was good.

There were a variety of Surly offerings, including Darkness, Furious, Wet and Bender. I also remember seeing Hop Stoopid on the list, although at $9 for a glass I'd rather just pay $4 and a quarter and get a bottle to drink at home.

A nice quiet place to stop for a drink and a bite to eat. I'd recommend.
Nov 02, 2009
Photo of joedon
Reviewed by joedon from Minnesota

4.55/5  rDev +2.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
Built in an old fire-house. Outside patio fills the entire front of the building [where the fire-trucks used to go]. Inside has a little museum about the neighborhood and the building's history. Main dining room is sort of craftsman-modern decoration and very cozy.

Beer menu features all the Surly drafts and a nice Belgian bottle selection. The Surly brewmaster is a part owner of the cafe. Correct glassware used for serving my Konigshoeven Quad.

Friendly, efficient service. I did talk beer with the hostess (also the wife of the brewmaster) and she seemed quite knowledgeable about all things beer. Did not request any samples since the place was getting quite busy.

Excellent food. Not a large menu but what they offer is of high quality and fairly priced.

Really good place to go near Lake Harriet. I had dinner here before a concert at the lake bandshell about a five block walk.

In a gentrified, upscale neighborhood with many other little shops, boutiques etc. nearby.
Jun 11, 2009
Photo of natasharai
Reviewed by natasharai from Minnesota

4.47/5  rDev +0.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
The atmosphere was nice, very relaxed, obviously a cafe lunch type of place. It wasn't too crowded when I went but I could see it getting a little too crowded on a really busy summer day.

Amazing quality in food and beer! All beer was fresh and consisted of great selection. Tons of Surly on tap and in the can, and imports mostly in the bottle but I think there were one or two on tap. The service was good, nothing special but we got what we wanted in a timely manner. All beer was served in the correct glassware, but a little colder than I prefer. The food was delicious! The selection of food was a little smaller, but that should be expected with a lunch cafe of this size.

I would love to visit here again! Good food, good beer, at a decent price.
Mar 29, 2009
Photo of brewdoc75
Reviewed by brewdoc75 from South Dakota

4.75/5  rDev +6.7%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5
For quite some time I have been waiting to visit Cafe 28. I think by the time I made it here, I had memorized the menu from the website. In addition to being a beer lover, I also love great food. When you can pair beer and food together properly, you have a beautiful match. This is what occurred on my visit to Cafe 28.

I started off with a pint of Surly Furious. Definitely a Minneapolis staple. When it is on tap it seems to have much more of a hoppy aroma. The pint I had at Cafe 28 tasted quite fresh and flavorful. It was served at the proper temperature and was in the right glass. This beer served as my appertif as we did not go for one of their excellent appetizers.

For my second beer, I went with Surly Smoke. I really don't care for smoke beers a great deal. I have had Smoke several times in the past and really didn't get turned off or turned on by it. The reason I ordered it was to pair it with the Fisher's Farm Pork in Adobo I ordered. I must say this was the best food and beer pairing I have ever had. The smoky flavors of the beer matched great with the adobo 3 chile sauce. The dish was phenomenal. In fact it was so great I have tried to copy it at home a couple times now, without any success so far. I am counting the days until I can go back and try this pairing again.

To end the night I went for the coveted Darkness. This was paired with the Affogato desert. The deep chocolate and roasted coffee flavors of the Darkness melded well with the rich espresso and ice cream of the Affogato.

This trip was definitely a treat. Quite possibly one of the best beer and food experiences I've ever had. The food was superb. My wife went for the organic cheesburger and fries and enjoyed it thoroughly. Most of the dishes use organic and locally grown ingredients. The portion sizes were perfect. They definitely allowed for the enjoyment of beer with your food. In addition to the 4 Surly Taps, they had an excellent variety of Belgian bottles. They did have a few select American craft bottles as well. To make everyone happy they threw in some PBR (this is showcased in their Friday fish fry). The service was better than most beer bars/restaurants I go to. The price was what some would consider high, but based on the quality of the food it was a huge bargain. I would highly recommend this place to anyone seeking good food and beer. Hell, it is a great place even if you don't drink.
Feb 09, 2009
Photo of kbaker91
Reviewed by kbaker91 from Minnesota

4.33/5  rDev -2.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
Cafe Twenty Eight is located in the upscale Linden Hills area of MPLS, a block west of Lake Harriet. Calling this place a 'beer bar' is a bit of a misnomer. It is a cafe that happens to have killer beers. It is an old firehouse converted to a cafe, and has some old firehouse artifacts for decorations. Inside, you are as likely to see someone drinking coffee and reading a book as you are drinking a quality Belgian. Surly offerings are always on tap, which one would expect since it is owned by Surly's brewmaster. Beer selection is not huge, but what they do offer is top-notch. Food is better than average, plenty of options for all appetites & diets. When the weather is warm, a lovely patio area adjoining the front of the building is a perfect place to eat lunch and sample a tasty beer.

A final note: I used to live a block away from this location 8-10 years ago. If Cafe Twenty Eight would have been in the area when I lived there, I probably would have never moved. It is worth the trip out of your way on a lazy afternoon.
Feb 05, 2009
Photo of DaPeculierDane
Reviewed by DaPeculierDane from Wisconsin

4/5  rDev -10.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
Café 28 is located in a very cute neighborhood (uptown?) that is worth checking out on its own. This café makes it a destination. Housed in a historic building along with a historic restoration architecture company, Café 28 is immaculate but character filled. We opted to sit on the patio on a warm June day for our Surly brunch. I found that Bitter Brewer's teas qualities went well with breakfast.

Service was friendly and prompt even though the place was quite busy. Food was good but with some big flaws, mainly that it was a little too healthy. I had a breakfast burrito whose focal point was generous avocado and perfectly cooked and seasoned beans. The potatoes, however, were dry and unseasoned (not underseasoned but entirely unseasoned) though virtually oil free, which made my girlfriend happy. The chicken sausage was overcooked, dry, and difficult to eat. Go with the bacon or the regular sausage. Our other dish was the Huevos Rancheros. Components of the dish such as the ranchero sauce were delicious as were the beans and guaq but again, the overall dish lacked the oil, salt, and seasoning that I crave in breakfast or brunch, particularly after a night of drinking. Still, I would go back and try more since everything I saw served at least looked delicious.

Beer selection consists of a lot of Surly on tap and some choice Belgian bottles. Prices are decent.

Recommended for breakfast, lunch, or a quick one on the patio. There did not look like there was a bar, however, so keep that in mind.
Jul 15, 2008
Photo of dbalsock
Reviewed by dbalsock from Vermont

4.78/5  rDev +7.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
This place was pretty fantastic. It's definitely got a cafe feel with a very nice green paint job that mellows the mood while allowing for light to fill the place. The paintings are all tasteful and the tables and chairs fit well with the rest of the decor. It presented itself as being good quality and matched that with beer, wine and food. The service was great and attentive, but almost invisible at the same time. The selection of beers was very good, and not very large. However, with the quality of beers the selection did not need to be large. Ciderfaerie got the gnocchi and I got the tuna melt (which was indeed the best tuna melt ever). Overall the prices were a little high, but it's worth it for the atmosphere, good food and great beer.
Jul 01, 2008
Photo of HopDerek
Reviewed by HopDerek from Pennsylvania

4.68/5  rDev +5.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5
The first stop during our tour of Minneapolis, mainly because we knew 100% that they'd have Surly on tap. Besides the usual Furious, Bitter Brewer and Cynic Ale were also on tap, and Bender was being offered in cans. The place sits in a pretty old building in a pretty small suburb by a lake. Street parking wasn't a challenge, but the website does suggest another alternative parking lot about a block away. We arrived around 7pm on a pretty refreshing evening and were told we could have a table, but only until 8pm, or we could head outside. Since we knew we'd be there for a while, we went with the latter. The inside looked very cozy and cafe/bistro-like with lots of small tables, and a view into the kitchen, with the Surly taps proudly displayed at the counter.

Service was excellent, we were greeted immediately and given menus for both food and drink (they do have more than just Surly stuff, though it's all bottles). Very soon thereafter we were given our brews and bread and gave our food order. Not 5 minutes later our food had come out, and was fantastic. I went with the organic chicken tacos and my friend the Fish Fry special. Perfect portions at a reasonable price and excellent tasting.

The next time I find myself in Minneapolis, this is the first place I'm heading back to, maybe we'll even do reservations ahead of time to enjoy the inside as much as we enjoyed the front patio.
Jun 11, 2008
Photo of Deuane
Reviewed by Deuane from Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev -0.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 5
Cafe 28- a restaurant owned by one of the brewers / part-owner at Surly, Todd, and his wife, Linda. C and I are still debating about what we read the building used to be, but regardless, it looks like an old firehouse converted into a warm, cozy, eclectic little restaurant. This is the kind of place people come to enjoy wonderful food with good friends - lingering and enjoying the experience. And we did.

Surly beers are on tap, if that wasn't obvious, and our friend Tom really enjoyed his Surly Two! The food was outstanding - I had the Fish Fry, which was a light, beer battered Canadian walleye served with fries and slaw, while C had the tofu tacos served in a La Perla corn tortilla with romaine, black olives, cilantro, sour cream, queso fresco and guacamole. The tofu was lightly fried and salsa verde was perfect. Also enjoyed was a cup of the tomato soup with spinach and garlic. This was no thick Campbell's tomato soup - this was a light, smooth juice of tomato accompanied by many wonderful flavors, but especially the essence of olive oil.

We enjoyed the company of our friends and the flavors of our food throughout the evening, but were pleasantly interrupted by Linda, who recognized us as the beer travelers from PA. She asked us if we would like to meet Todd and we were like...ahhh, yea!

So, out comes Todd for what I expected to be a 2 minute convo. Well, 15-20 minutes later, we enjoyed our conversation with him about Surly brewing and beer in general!

He mentioned he would call the brewery and "take care of us" We would not find out until the next day thet he really did....awesome!

Our experience here was very memorable...when we get back to the area I am sure we will return!
Apr 01, 2008
Photo of JeffKrenner
Reviewed by JeffKrenner from Minnesota

4.38/5  rDev -1.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
Long overdue review here. I visited on Easter Sunday for brunch with my in-laws. Nice place set in an old firehouse. Some plaques and such showing what some of the place used to be. Service was very good. They have all the Surly beers on tap, as you would think. Some other nicely chosen beers. The food was great and the price was more than fair in my opinion. I highly recommend hitting this place up for breakfast. Not one person in our party wasn't satisfied and that was with some picky eaters, including a vegetarian.
May 12, 2007
Photo of Erdinger2003
Reviewed by Erdinger2003 from Iowa

4.83/5  rDev +8.5%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
This little cafe in the middle of Minneapolis has a nice little selection of beers with glasses to accompany them. The atmosphere was friendly and inviting. The service was outstanding with food being very nice, even though I only got bread and Darkness. The menu looked like they had some real good food like Calamari. I noticed they had glasses from Westmalle, Rochefort, Chimay, Orval, and Duvel. The beer they had was Rochert 8, Surly Darkness, Surly Furious, Surly Bender. Overal I can't wait to visit with a little more time and money.
Dec 28, 2006
Photo of tempest
Reviewed by tempest from New York

4.38/5  rDev -1.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
Overall this place is great and your go-to bar for Surly. Only 3 taps here: Bender, Furious, and whatever specialty they have (Darkness when I was there). The location is cozy (especially for an old fire house), but not crowded, the service was fast and friendly, the food was great with affordable options, and the beer list, though small was impressive. The list was of bottled belgians with a few domestic craft and throw-aways for the uninitiated.

Basically this is an affordable, chef-oriented restaurant with a very nice beer selection and 3 Surly taps. What's not to like?
Dec 27, 2006
Photo of badbeer
Reviewed by badbeer from Iowa

4.8/5  rDev +7.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
Made a special trip here to make sure I'd get to try Surly's Darkness. After sitting down there was a brief chat with the co-owner who was very helpful in helping to get us there. Didn't have much time, so we both quickly ordered a Darkness and it was served in its very own Darkness glass. Everything there seemed to be running smoothly and I wish I had more time, as they had a nice selection of beers and plenty of food that looked tasty. Since we were in a hurry, we just got the bread plate, so I won't comment on the food. The bread was, however, very good, and everything else I saw people get looked awesome. I'd love to go back and get a whole meal, I'm sure I wouldn't be disappointed. Once again, service was great, she helped us find the place and even printed off a Mapquest to find one last spot on our way out. I'll be planning on hitting this place up again in my next visit to the Twins Cities.
Dec 27, 2006
Photo of objectivemonkey
Reviewed by objectivemonkey from Minnesota

4.65/5  rDev +4.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
Quaint little place just off of Lake Harriet, with an architecture office upstairs, the place itself is well designed with a smallish dining area, some summer patio dining probably, slight views to the kitchen, all in an old fire station, station 28, for which the cafe is named.

We did have to wait about 20 minutes to get a seat, but there was so much cool stuff to read on the walls (history of the neighborhood, etc), that the time flew. We were seated window-side with views of the street, with drinks served promptly. There were three Surly brews on tap, Furious, Bender and Darkness. We all had Darkness of course (and for $5 an 8 oz.er, well priced), and it came with a matching tulip glass, which I briefly thought of swiping:)

Now, co-owner Todd is Surly's brewer, and its cool that they have all the beers on tap. But there was a good page of all different kinds of beer, Belgian krieks, Trappists, American micros, PBR, etc. A very good, wide selection, a lot of it top notch.

Our food came really quite quickly, mine buddy's the fettuchini, which I was told was pretty tasty, and mine the tuna melt, itself very tasty. The menu, like the beer selection, was broad and diverse, and I had a hard time actually choosing something. All in all, maybe just a little bit spendy, but a very enjoyable time, great food and beer, highly recommended.
Dec 23, 2006
Photo of KarlHungus
Reviewed by KarlHungus from Minnesota

4.83/5  rDev +8.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5
What can I say about Cafe Twenty Eight that hasn't already been said? The atmosphere is quaint in a hipster sort of way. It is a small, geometric, almost coffee shop-like place with a lot of inviting earthy colors. The food is incredible. As stated in other reviews everything is very fresh, and a lot of it is organic. I would like to point out the wonderful presentation of the food. The meals that both my girlfriend and I had were both pleasing to the eye as well as the mouth. If the beer went away, I would still go out of my way to eat here again. Hopefully, that won't happen, because the beer selection is outstanding. Cafe Tweny Eight might not have the huge number of taps (they only have three), or a large bottled selection (they only have a couple dozen), but it is clear the beers they do carry have been carefully and intelligently chosen. For everything dish on the menu, there was a great pairing for it on the beer menu. Service was prompt, friendly, attentive, caring. On a side note, the wine list looked as respectable as the beer list, with a lot of very good reasonably price wines.
Dec 11, 2006
Photo of BuckeyeNation
Reviewed by BuckeyeNation from Iowa

4.38/5  rDev -1.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
I chose Cafe Twenty Eight as my lunch destination on my trip to Minneapolis in late September because they offer all Surly beer currently available on-tap in the Twin Cities. I also chose it because it looked like a nice place on the website. I had no idea that MasterChief (Surly's brewer) is co-owner. After loading down my car with booty from area beer stores, I picked up feloniousmonk and away we went, in search of good food and good drink.

The drive was nice and scenic as we approached the restaurant's neighborhood (Linden Hills), thanks to a beautiful lake whose name I've now forgotten. My guide gave me a quick rundown of the city's major lakes, but I must have had Surly on my mind because I can't remember a thing. We found a parking spot on the street, a stone's throw from the front door.

To tell the truth, I don't remember a whole lot about the decor, other than the fact that it was clean and bright and cheery inside with a lot of bright earth tones (if that isn't an oxymoron). I had no idea--until I was perusing a magazine on Minneapolis culture and entertainment that I got in the mail several weeks later--that the building was previously a firehouse.

We arrived in the early afternoon and saw a table or two of people lingering over lunch. The servers were expecting feloniousmonk, tipped off by MasterChief, and couldn't have been nicer or more accommodating. Although I'm sure they would have treated us the same if we'd just wandered in off the street.

My food (Albacore Tuna Melt with a Wee Kick) was exceptional. I'm a tuna melt aficionado and this was the best that I've ever had. Jalapenos, cilantro, lime juice and cheese were added to the tuna salad and the whole shootin' match was grilled on sourdough bread. Fantastic stuff! It was nice and hot peppery, but I felt no need to ask for one of the old fire hoses. Even though there were any number of good things on the menu, I'm pretty sure I chose the best one of the bunch.

I didn't really pay much attention to what beer was available (see other reviews and the website) because we were there to drink Surly. We started off with pints of Bender and had pints of Furious for dessert. I thought they were both superb and can't wait to pop open the cans that have mysteriously found their way into my cellar. Reviews to follow.

About midway through lunch, MasterChief and his wife arrived and sipped half pints of Surly Fest as we had a nice chat about all things beer. Two nicer people you aren't likely to meet. They had things to attend to and left ahead of us. Little did we know that they had paid our tab in full. Such wonderful generosity!

I feel like patting myself on the back for picking a place as perfect as this right out of the blue. I won't though. The truth is that my experience at Cafe Twenty Eight was as incredible as it was because of Al and Todd and Linda. I will definitely be stopping in on all future trips to Minneapolis to eat the wonderful food. And, of course, to drink as much Surly as I can hold.
Nov 08, 2006
Photo of truthbrew
Reviewed by truthbrew from Minnesota

4.9/5  rDev +10.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
First off, this is not a bar, you must order food to order drinks, but it is a great restaurant. Now...

We've been going to Cafe 28 for a couple years... it's really one of my wife's and my favorite places.

Before Todd (co-owner, along with Linda) went to brew for Surly, their 3 tap draft selection always had a nice local offering along with a good Belgian or two like Saison Dupont. Now they feature Surly's beers on tap mainly (win, lose for me). Their nice selection of bottled beers range from Boon lambic, Berliner Kindl Weisse, Fantome, Trappist beers and so on. Most are served in the matching glass and if not, at least a glass that is complementary to the beer.

The food is great, often with local produce and several organic offerings, always prepared well. I often have the Pork in Adobo and/or their Champagne Pear Salad.

Service is friendly, attentive, and accommodating.

It is a small place and reservations are best. I highly recommend Café 28.
Nov 03, 2006
Café Twenty Eight in Minneapolis, MN
Place rating: 4.45 out of 5 with 28 ratings