Midtown Global Market

2929 Chicago Ave
Minneapolis, MN
612-872-4041
http://www.midtownglobalmarket.org

Category: Global Food Market

Rating (Scale 1-10, with 10 being the highest):
Food: 8
Service: N/A
Ambience: 8

Recommendation: Very Good. Unique, one of a kind international market in the Twin Cities which offers great food (and much more) -- from an organic produce market to ethnic eateries, and global arts/crafts shopping to various cultural lessons (dancing, yoga, etc).

The Midtown Global Market truly has something for everyone. Located in the old Sears building on East Lake street between Chicago and 10th Avenue, it has helped in this corridor’s revitalization. The indoor market, which contains 50+ independent and locally owned stores, is ideal for our climate. It is internationally themed and has plenty to satisfy a variety of tastes – we especially love the courtyard that always has events going on (jazz, salsa dancing lessons, yoga, live music, etc). This is not just a place that offers unique things, but is instead a great way to immerse oneself in other cultures and learn about them. They have a great web-site with a schedule of events so you should plan your trip around the events before you go.

In some ways visiting the market is like going to the Festival of Nations, except the market is year round. The set-up is much like a food court where there are central, shared sitting areas, although there are a couple of sit-down restaurants as well. The similarities to a food court stops there -- most eateries here also have free standing restaurants in other places in the Twin Cities and you can expect very good food. A few of the eateries that we’ve tried are:

· Holy land Bakery and Deli (Middle Eastern) – they have excellent Gyros, Falafel, Hummus, and other Middle Eastern dishes. There is a grocery store attached where you can buy Middle Eastern grocery items, olives, pita bread, etc. Original store located on Central Avenue.
· Manny’s Tortas (Mexican) – serves a nice selection of Mexican sandwiches. Have tried three different sandwiches (Steak, Chicken, and Eggs and Sausage) and really enjoyed all of them. The bread is a little chewy (much like a baguette) and we love the combination of the avocados, chipotle mayo and jalapenos (which we always get extra of).
· Taqueria Los Ocampo (Mexican) – An extension of the restaurant of the same name a few blocks away. We really enjoyed the simple tacos which we tried with three different pork preparations (carnitas, al pastor, and pork in red sauce). Heavenly.
· Panaderia El Mexicano (Mexican Bakery) – Cakes are $3/slice and Cookies are $0.75. The Tres Leches and the Chocoflan (a chocolate and flan layered cake) were delicious. They also have Conchas (Chocolate and Vanilla), which are Conch shell shaped Mexican sweet breads.
· Salty Tart (Bakery) – a great sweet way to end your meal. We highly recommend the Crème Fraiche Cake which is moist and has good sweet and tart tones from the berries. You can’t go wrong with the Coconut Macaroon either – it’s nice and sticky on the outside and has a soft, chewy, fragrant interior. We didn’t think much of the Sweet Brioche.
· Mapps Coffee & Tea – head on over and grab a coffee to pair with your dessert. We’re usually Caramel Latte people and Mapps makes a killer latte.

Other eateries include A La Salsa (main restaurant on Nicollet Mall), La Loma Tamales (Mexican), La Sirena Gorda (Seafood), Pham’s Deli (Vietnamese), West Indies Soul (Caribbean), and more.

The Market is also a great place for Specialty Grocery items. United Noodles has a location here. There are many Latin American markets as well. There is also a Cultural Herb place where you can buy medicinal herbs from around the world. We love going to the Produce Exchange, which has high quality fresh produce and flowers at very affordable prices. Some vendors set up temporary stands, such as Deep Roots Gourmet Desserts that had delicious Sweet Potato Pies, Mango Cobbler, etc. Midtown Global also has several unique arts and crafts stores from around the world that sell everything from jewelry to sarongs, rugs, and art.

Metered Parking is free on weekends. There is a ramp on 10th Avenue and Lake where you can park for free for up to 3 hours with a validate purchase. The market is open daily from 10am-8pm Mon-Sat and from 10am-6pm on Sunday.