Restaurant Roundup: 19 Bar will reopen after fire, Grand Cafe chef teases revival

It's official: 19 Bar is coming back.

What's happening: The historic Loring Park LGBTQ+ dive — known as the first gay bar to open in Minneapolis — was largely destroyed in a fire this March.

• Owner Gary Lee Hallberg aims to reopen its doors by New Year's Eve, he told the Star Tribune.

👀 Could Grand Café return ? Its former chef Jamie Malone teased a reopening on her Paris Dining Club Instagram account last week of the award-winning French restaurant which closed in late 2020 — and her website has a link to join a waitlist for a December 2024 return.

• Malone has not responded to Axios' request for comment.

🥩 A "Mediterr-Asian"-inspired steakhouse is coming to the Shops at West End in St. Louis Park. Boketto will open September 13 for lunch and dinner with additional late-night hours Friday-Sunday; reservations are available now .

🇯🇵 Kado no Mise chef Yo Hasegawa is opening a counter-service Japanese café inside North Loop's Duffey building in October. Cafe Yoko will heavily focus on online orders and takeout, plus Japanese drinks and packaged snacks, per North Loop's news site .

🌯 Minnesota-based Mexican restaurant Brito's Burrito opened its first Minneapolis location in the Stevens Square neighborhood last month, per its social media .

🍷 Barcelona Wine Bar , a national chain specializing in tapas and Spanish wines, just opened its first Minnesota location on Washington Avenue in North Loop.

🥗 Freshii in downtown Minneapolis appears to be no more. Signs on the door say the national fast-casual salad chain's last day was in late July, and its website no longer lists any Minnesota locations.