Graze Food Hall by Travail
Restaurant · North Loop
520 N 4th St, Minneapolis, MN 55401
Highlights
Eclectic food hall with rooftop patio, diverse vendors & craft cocktails
Eclectic food hall with rooftop patio, diverse vendors & craft cocktails
"The chefs behind Travail Kitchen and Amusements have turned to their star-powered Rolodex, giving the 14,000-square-foot Graze Food Hall in the North Loop a splashy update in the first couple of months of 2025. The hospitality group’s founders — repeat James Beard semifinalists Mike Brown, Bob Gerken, and James Winberg — installed their OG pop-up Umami by Travail featuring dumplings from Saturday Dumpling Co. Another space features Gustavo and Kate Romero of the lauded Nixta Tortilleria and Oro by Nixta, who launched a casual masa-centered taqueria called Tixtli by Nixta; and Margo and Alex Roberts of the Restaurant Alma and Brasa, who’ve unveiled a New Orleans Creole and Southern fried chicken spot, Caja Fried Chicken. The food hall includes multiple indoor seating areas, a patio deck and bar on the second floor, and bar and picnic tables at street level. Other vendors include Wrad, a thin-crust, tavern-style pizzeria, and Graze on the Green, a salad and rice bowl spot. Holdovers predating Travail’s arrival include Fabled Rooster and Two Mixed Up. Place an online order from several of the vendors to save time." - Serena Maria Daniels
"Graze’s second-story rooftop patio is an excellent spot to enjoy golden hour by watching the sun set against the skyline of downtown Minneapolis. Naturally, the food hall offers an array of local food options — many of which are new to the space in 2025 thanks to a revamp by Travail Collective; sample masa-based dishes at Tixtli by Nixta, pizza from Wrap + Wrad Pizza by the Wrecktangle team, Southern barbecue from the Fabled Rooster, and more all under one roof." - Cinnamon Janzer
"A 14,000-square-foot food hall in the North Loop that received a splashy update in early 2025 from the hospitality group behind Travail Kitchen and Amusements. Founders and James Beard semifinalists Mike Brown, Bob Gerken, and James Winberg installed an OG pop-up Umami by Travail in January (featuring dumplings from Saturday Dumpling Co.), and subsequent openings include Tixtli by Nixta from Gustavo and Kate Romero of Nixta Tortilleria/Oro by Nixta and Caja Fried Chicken from Margo and Alex Roberts of Restaurant Alma and Brasa, the latter focusing on New Orleans Creole and Southern fried chicken." - Serena Maria Daniels
"Opened in the fall of 2019 as a sweeping, two-level food hall with an outdoor green space, rooftop patio, two bars and roughly 14,000 square feet of space right around the corner from Target Field in the North Loop, the venue struggled for foot traffic after the COVID-19 pandemic struck and brought in the team from Travail Kitchen to rework the concept and programming. The space was rebranded to reflect input from James Beard semifinalists Mike Brown, Bob Gerken and James Winberg, and the broader hospitality group has kept busy with the upcoming revival of ie Italian Eatery by Travail and the recent launch of the cocktail bar Stargazer; the collective also includes Nouvelle Kitchen & Brewing (with pizzas by Pig Ate My Pizza in Robbinsdale) and Dream Creamery in Northeast Minneapolis. Their idea was to place some of the biggest names in the local scene under one roof with affordable ways to indulge in award-winning cuisine. “I think that you’re going to find, with current pricing economic uncertainty, that fine dining chefs are looking for ways that they can still be accessible to the public,” says Molly Herrmann, director of operations. “This is one of those great ways to do that. A stall at a food hall is very approachable, it’s a low entry point for somebody that wants to add another location, and it rounds out the offerings for us.” “We have five James Beard-[recognized] chefs under one roof, and that’s pretty darn cool,” adds Herrmann. The hall includes multiple indoor seating areas, a patio deck and bar on the second floor, and a bar and picnic tables at street level; Travail’s beverage director Robb Jones is set to refresh the bar program in the coming weeks." - Serena Maria Daniels
"Under new Travail ownership, the North Loop food hall is undergoing a major revamp and rolling out a lineup of high-profile vendors and bars: a fried-chicken concept from the creators of Alma and Brasa (opening Feb. 10), a Nixta-backed offering from Gustavo and Kate Romero (owners of Nixta Tortilleria and Oro by Nixta), a Spritz Bar from beverage director Robb Jones (of Meteor Bar and Stargazer), Umami by Travail (dumplings from Saturday Dumpling Co., kimchi, miso-based dishes) which opened in late January, and the relaunch of Travail’s Italian restaurant i.e. by Travail (opening Feb. 10)." - Serena Maria Daniels
