Food, clothing, and kawaii – these are the things that make me happy. While there is no shortage of good food in Minneapolis, I find they often lack the kawaii factor. Putting aside my personal dismay, this proves to be a problem when I look for venues to meet with my fellow lolitas. This got me thinking that I perhaps just needed to expand my perception of kawaii. And so, I set out to make a list of establishments in Minneapolis where frill-lovers like myself can eat and look cute doing it. Today we’ll take a look at some of my favorite places to grab some sweets in Minneapolis!
First on the list is Bingley’s Teas, a tearoom themed around Jane Austen novels. They have a wide array of teas blended and served by the owner, Julia. The interior design is reminiscent of a small Georgian era parlor – all perfect for a quick snap of your afternoon tea. My favorite detail is the life-size cardboard cut-out of Collin Firth as Mr. Darcy, because who doesn’t love his rendition of the perfect gentleman?
I recommend trying out a pot of the following teas:
- Emma’s Perfect Match for a fruity green tea
- Longbourne Wedding for its delicate, floral flavor
- Miss Lucy Steele for a black tea blended perfectly with stone fruits
Next is Edward’s Dessert Kitchen, a restaurant focused on – you guessed it – desserts. The interior leans more on the sleek, modern side with rich purple sofas and wooden seats. The food they serve is absolutely amazing too. Apart from the desserts, they also serve gougere, a cheese-flavored puff pastry, using Northern Waters Smokehaus salmon, and let me tell you, they don’t skimp. Everything on their menu looked really good, and choosing one can be incredibly challenging – but just go with your gut and you’ll likely get something lovely presented to you.
An easy winner for both decor and food is Glam Dolls Donuts. They have some of the best raised donuts I’ve had, and while I’m not a huge fan of cake donuts, they have a couple of those that I enjoyed. The theme inside is very retro glam, lots of plush pinks and geometric patterns. A little secret about visiting Glam Doll is that when you go near closing time, they give away free donuts in addition to your order so as not to waste the extras. The best excuse to gorge on donuts is because they are free.
While it’s hard to narrow down my favorites, here are my recommendations:
- Showgirl
- Girl Next Door Hot n Heavy
- Femme Fatale
- Pin-up Girl + Bacon
They also have seasonal specials, and those are often the best choices. They’re what keeps me coming back.
For warmer weather, there’s MN Nice Cream – a soft serve ice cream parlor. It’s quite a small establishment, but what it lacks in space it more than makes up for in decor. The entire place looks so adorable, with colorfully decorated walls and rainbow colored lanterns. And of course, the toppings and dipped cones elevate the eating experience. They have a lot of options available, so you’re sure to find something that suits your palate and your coord’s color palette.
In case you’re looking for a fluffier waffle to hold your ice cream, you can head over to Waffle Bar MN. This bar specializes in Hong Kong’s famous egg waffles (AKA bubble waffles), and they don’t mess around. They serve ice cream scoops inside a rolled up waffle, with a large variety of toppings. They even have cotton candy that was bigger than the waffle. Needless to say, you will walk away happy and stuffed. Again, it’s hard to go wrong with anything in the menu, so you can go and choose whatever fits your preferences best.
For my fellow animal lovers, I also recommend visiting Minneapolis’ first cat cafe, The Cafe Meow. Here, you can have some lovely drinks and snacks while gazing at, or playing with, adoptable cats. They have two rooms – one for placing your orders andbuying some merch, which also has sitting tables for waiting or watching the cats through a window. The second room is where you play, if the furry felines are so inclined, with the animals or just bask in their presence. What I love about this concept is that cat lovers who are allergic to them still have a space to visit without compromising their health. Also, they serve some pretty yummy teas and T-rex Cookies, which are half-pound pastry delights that I can never say no to.
There you have it! Those are some of the food establishments in Minneapolis that I love visiting, especially when dressed in lolita! This guide was probably one of the most difficult articles I’ve had to write because there are so many restaurants that are worth visiting in Minneapolis and the surrounding cities. I decided to focus on sweet eats for this article. The next installment will be about my favorite joints for savory food, so please be on the lookout for more blog posts like this one. Until then, I’ll be scouring the cities looking for more good food and pretty places.
Ruffle Road 