A Guide to Food & Drink Along St. Paul’s Bike Paths
Saint Paul rides differently than its sister across the river, and summer is when that pays off. Here the river is the organizing line. The Samuel H. Morgan trail runs the north bank straight through downtown and Lowertown. Out east, the Bruce Vento heads up an old rail grade toward Lake Phalen. The gorge trails climb to bluff-top patios with the Mississippi a long way down. Come over any of the bridges from Minneapolis and the whole feel of the ride shifts.
Saint Paul’s trails draw less national press than the Minneapolis network and the eating and drinking alongside them draws even less notice, but that undersells it considerably. Within a few blocks of this pavement sits a 1920s grain elevator hung over the river and rebuilt as an open-air taco patio, a West Seventh that has turned into taproom row with a brewpub in an old firehouse, a Payne Avenue stacked with panaderías and taquerías, and a run of bluff-top patios above the gorge.
Every off-street trail on the Saint Paul side is mapped here, every food and drink stop within reach plotted (100 of them, across 8 active trails), and the ones worth building a ride around are written up. Some sit right on the path. Some are a short jaunt into a neighborhood you will be glad you rode into. Three of the prettiest rides have no food on them at all, flagged so you can pack a snack before you roll.
The interactive map below plots all of it, both cities included, with cycling-mode directions you can send to your phone. If the bike has been hanging in the garage since last fall, get the tune-up booked before the first warm Saturday, when every shop in town is slammed. And if you would rather start on the Minneapolis side, those trails have a guide of their own. Summer here runs short. We’ll see you out there. /wp-content/bike-maps/all-trails.html
Samuel H. Morgan Regional Trail
~9 miles · 34 stops
St. Paul’s main north-bank Mississippi trail, running from Crosby Farm Regional Park in the west to Indian Mounds Regional Park in the east, through downtown, Lowertown, and the West Seventh / Fort Road corridor. The food clusters at the Lowertown end around CHS Field and Mears Park, and along West Seventh, which has quietly turned into a taproom row that rivals anything in Minneapolis.
City House · 258 Mill St
St. Paul’s version of the Sea Salt experience: a 1920s grain elevator hung out over the Mississippi and reworked into an open-air patio, with downtown and Harriet Island filling the view. The kitchen turns out a much-decorated Cubano, street tacos, and nachos, with local beer, cider, and wine to drink while the river slides by. Open May through October, right on the trail at the Upper and Lower Landing. https://cityhousemn.com/
Summit Brewing Company · 910 Montreal Cir
Summit has been the elder statesman of St. Paul beer since 1986, and the Ratskeller patio above the river is the place to drink it. Extra Pale Ale is the beer that built the brand and still pours like it earned the reputation. The campus is one of the biggest in the metro, so give yourself more time than you think you need. https://www.summitbrewing.com/
Cossetta’s Italian Market & Pizzeria / Louis Ristorante · 211 7th St W
Four generations of Cossettas have turned this corner near the Xcel into a small Italian empire: a market, a pasta counter, a pizzeria, a pasticceria for gelato and cannoli, and Louis Ristorante upstairs for when you want a tablecloth. It’s five blocks up from the trail, and easy to lose an hour inside. https://cossettas.com/
Waldmann Brewery & Wurstery · 445 Smith Ave N
Built in 1857, this is the oldest saloon building still standing in the Twin Cities, brought back as a Bavarian brewery and wurstery that leans all the way into its history. House lager poured in a restored 19th-century room, wurst made on site, and a biergarten out back. One of the choice locations to celebrate Oktoberfest season, but a worthwhile stop year round. A few blocks off the trail and a small time machine. https://waldmannbrewery.com/
Bad Weather Brewing · 414 7th St W
Jump just up the block on West Seventh from Waldmann and you’ll find Bad Weather Brewing, the spot that helped turn this stretch into a beer destination in the first place. Flagship ales, some of the area’s best and cleanest lagers, rotating seasonals, bike parking out front, and a tall, loud room that’s glad to hold a crowd. They even host shuttles to Grand Casino Area for Wild games, and every spring they host an outdoor arcade event in their parking lot. https://www.badweatherbrewery.com/
Seventh Street Truck Park · 214 7th St W
An indoor food-truck hall a block off the Kellogg junction, with trucks running tacos, fried chicken, and pizza and a long wall of local taps. Steps from the Grand Casino Arena and the river, and an easy landing before or after a show at the arena. https://www.truckparkusa.com/
The Eagle Street · 253 Kellogg Blvd W
Opened in 2025 right where the trail meets Kellogg, in the old Apostle Supper Club space, reviving the Eagle Street Grille name that stood by the arena for years. Burgers, a Reuben quesadilla, cocktails, live music, and a spot about as close to the path as downtown St. Paul gets. https://theeaglestreet.com/
A-Side Public House · 754 Randolph Ave
A brewpub in a restored 1885 firehouse, a few blocks up from the Shepard Road stretch of trail. Beer made on site, weekend coffee mornings, and a dog-friendly patio tucked behind the old engine bays. The building alone justifies the detour; the beer makes it an easy place to stay. https://www.asidepublichouse.com/
The Bulldog Lowertown · 237 6th St E
A Mears Park pub with a flower-draped patio, twenty-some taps, and bar food a notch above the average, the Lowertown cousin of the Minneapolis Bulldog. It anchors a little knot of Lowertown spots worth knowing: Barrel Theory three blocks north, Erta Ale’s Ethiopian in the old Northern Warehouse, and a recently revamped (under new ownership) Dark Horse for plenty of great food options near CHS Field. https://www.thebulldogmn.com/
Barrel Theory Beer Co. · 248 7th St E
Three blocks north of the trail, Barrel Theory pours some of the most interesting beer in St. Paul, heavy on barrel-aged stouts, sours, and hazy double IPAs. Walk in without a plan and let the board talk you into something you can’t get anywhere else. They recently opened a pass-through window allowing you to order and pickup food from the recently-renovated Dark Horse next door. https://barreltheory.com/
Also along Sam Morgan
A few more around downtown and the West Seventh corridor: Brake Bread (a sourdough bakery built on baking and biking, out West Seventh) · New Bohemia Wurst + BierHaus · Burger Moe’s · Pino’s Pizzeria · Tori Ramen · Gopher Bar · Dabbler Depot · Wandering Leaf Brewing · Amsterdam Bar & Hall · Palace Pub · Holman’s Table · The Commodore · The Buttered Tin · Dark Horse · Erta Ale Ethiopian · St. Paul Farmers Market · Mancini’s Char House · Forepaugh’s · DeGidio’s · Mucci’s Italian · Aubergine
Bruce Vento Regional Trail
7.5 miles · 27 stops (including Lowertown cross-listed)
From Lowertown St. Paul north through Swede Hollow Park, along Phalen Boulevard, past Lake Phalen, to I-694. The Hamm’s Brewery complex sits right beside the trail, one of the most distinctive trail-side anchors anywhere in the metro.
Lowertown terminus: MetroNOME Brewery, Gambit Brewing, and Lost Fox
The trail’s downtown end spills into Lowertown, where a handful of stops sit within a couple of blocks of the trailhead. MetroNOME (289 5th St E) brews with a mission, pouring its proceeds into music education, and it’s the easy anchor for this end. Gambit hides in the basement of the landmark Pioneer Endicott building and opens at 11, early enough for a mid-ride pint. Lost Fox runs coffee to cocktails from 8 a.m., so you can start your ride here instead of ending it. Two more in the same few blocks: Phê for Vietnamese-style espresso and pandan drinks in the Market House, and 1881 Eating House inside Union Depot itself. https://metronomebrewery.com/ & https://gambitbrewingco.com/ & https://lostfoxlowertown.com/ & https://phecoffee.house/ & https://www.1881eatinghouse.com/
Saint Paul Brewing · 688 Minnehaha Ave E
Built into three buildings of the original Hamm’s complex, with a ruin-garden patio set down into the bones of the old campus, maybe the most striking place to hold a beer in the state. Wood-fired pizzas, a full kitchen, the annual Hamm’s Fest, and direct trail access through Swede Hollow. Come once and you’ll route rides past it on purpose. https://stpaulbrewing.com/
Volière Spirits & CrowBar · 704 Minnehaha Ave E
Minnesota’s first all women-owned whiskey distillery, opened in late November 2025 in the former 11 Wells space, once a Hamm’s blacksmith and millwright shop. They distill rum, gin, rye, bourbon, vodka, and a coffee liqueur. Next door, the CrowBar cocktail room commits fully to the setting: a wall of vintage Hamm’s cans, leather couches, and a confessional booth wired with a working rotary phone. The drinks are good; the room is unforgettable. https://www.volierespirits.com/
Tongue in Cheek · 989 Payne Ave
A decade in and still one of the best reasons to ride to Payne Ave: thoughtfully raised meat, vegetarian and vegan cooking that gets the same attention, and a cocktail list that’s been on the city’s A-list since the doors opened. Casual enough for a mid-ride stop, good enough to plan an evening around. https://tongueincheek.biz/
Yarusso Bros Italian Restaurant · 635 Payne Ave
Three generations of Yarussos have run this red-sauce room since 1933. Spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna, chicken parm, served the way they have always been served. Trends come and go on Payne; Yarusso’s just keeps cooking, and the regulars keep showing up. https://www.yarussos.com/
Brunson’s Pub · 956 Payne Ave
A Payne Ave gastropub four blocks off the trail, with nineteen taps and a back patio most people walk right past. Get the #NoPayneNoGain burger, blackberry-vidalia jam, pulled bacon, a blue-cheese-and-American blend, and the name will make sense. https://www.brunsonspub.com/
Caydence Records & Coffee · 900 Payne Ave
Records up front, espresso off Five Watt beans, shows in the back room: Caydence has held down this block of Payne since 2016, and it’s where the East Side leg of the trail finally gets a proper morning coffee. A few doors down, Sweet Sensation (886 Payne Ave) bakes the conchas and pan dulce if you want something sweet for the road. https://caydencemn.com/ & https://sweetsensationmn.com/
Yoerg Brewing Company · 378 Maria Ave
Minnesota’s first commercial brewery, founded in 1848 and brought back to life inside an 1885 Victorian up on Dayton’s Bluff. Cave-aged Bavarian lagers and German plates, wurst, pretzels, spätzle, in a room people can’t stop photographing. Six blocks up from the trail via East 6th, open daily from noon. https://www.yoergbeer.com/
Also along Bruce Vento
Sharing the Lowertown end with Sam Morgan: Bullvino’s · Dark Horse · The Buttered Tin · The Bulldog Lowertown · Barrel Theory Beer Co. · Erta Ale Ethiopian · St. Paul Farmers Market · Swede Hollow Cafe · Mañana Salvadoran Restaurant
Up Payne Ave from Swede Hollow: Juche St. Paul (1124 Payne Ave, in the former Cook space) · Burnt Chicken (858 Payne Ave) · Carnitas Don Tacho · Minnesota Music Cafe · Plaza del Sol (food hall opening summer 2026)
Como Lake Trail (plus Saint Paul Grand Round Northern Segment)
2.3-mile loop · 12 stops
The Como Lake loop is St. Paul cycling’s family hub: short, paved, kid-friendly, and tied into Como Park Zoo and Conservatory. The Grand Round’s northern segment runs along Wheelock Parkway, linking Como to the rest of the St. Paul park trails.
Dock & Paddle · 1360 Lexington Pkwy N (Como Lakeside Pavilion)
Right on the loop, a two-level pub with American food, beer, wine, and cocktails on tap (Old Fashioneds included), live music on summer nights, and a Lakeside Treats window for ice cream downstairs. It’s the old Spring Cafe, refreshed. The food won’t change your life, but with the lake spread out in front of you, it doesn’t have to. https://dockandpaddle.com/
Pier 56 · Como Zoo (entrance off Estabrook Dr)
Inside Como Zoo near the harbor, an outdoor walk-up doing fish and chips, popcorn shrimp, mini donuts, and Nathan’s dogs. Memorial Day to Labor Day only, and easy fuel if you’re riding with kids, as long as you remember it sits on the zoo grounds. https://comozooconservatory.org/como/pier-56/
Black Sea Restaurant · 737 N Snelling Ave
The first Turkish restaurant in Minnesota, doing kebabs, börek, falafel, and a doner that keeps turning up on critics’ lists. Seven blocks south of the lake on Snelling, the easiest detour off the loop when you want to sit down to a real meal. https://blacksearestaurant.com/
Abogados Café · 1053 Dale St N Suite 102
A Latina-owned, law-themed coffee shop from a married pair of Mitchell Hamline-trained lawyers, Ofelia Ponce and Inti Martínez-Alemán, which is why the drinks carry names like Fearless Lawtte and Re Sipsa Lawquitur. The bit gets you in the door; the espresso is good enough that you’d come without it. Four or five blocks south of the park via Lexington and Dale. https://www.coffeeinlaw.com/
Conny’s Creamy Cone · 1197 Dale St N
A walk-up soft-serve window off the loop’s northeast corner, thirty summers in as of 2026. Thirty-some flavors, a line of kids and parents on a hot afternoon, and a curb made for finishing a cone before you clip back in. Open late March through October. https://www.connyscreamycone.com/
Karol Coffee Co. · 1503 Hamline Ave N
A bright, light-flooded roaster-café that opened in 2025 a few blocks off the loop, roasting its own beans and rotating seasonal drinks. An easy detour off the south side of the lake, and a welcome one if your ride deserves better than gas-station coffee. https://karolcoffeeco.com/
Also around Como
A few more within a short ride of the loop: Gabe’s Neighborhood Bar & Kitchen (right at Lexington and Energy Park) · Nelson Cheese & Deli (a weekday sandwich counter out Como Ave). Ride Como Ave east toward St. Anthony Park and the cluster fills out: Finnish Bistro · Nico’s Taco Bar · Lanna Thai · La Morelense.
Lilydale Regional Trail
~3.2 miles · 2 stops
A wooded paved trail through the Mississippi river bottoms, connecting Harriet Island to the Big Rivers Trail at Mendota. To eat, you climb: Lilydale itself is river bottoms with no food on the path.
Lucky’s 13 Pub Mendota · 1352 Sibley Memorial Hwy
Hearty pub food, a long tap list, and live music, all waiting at the top of the climb up out of the river bottoms, which is the price of admission. Downstairs, The Mudd Room runs a speakeasy-style cocktail bar Thursday through Saturday, quieter and darker than the pub above it. https://www.luckys13pub.com/
Beyond that, Lilydale is mostly river bottoms and woods. A few longtime Mendota restaurants have closed since 2024, so don’t count on a meal down there; for coffee or a sit-down, the closest options are across the river on the West Side, covered under Robert Piram.
Indian Mounds Regional Trail
2.6-mile loop · 6 stops
A loop through Indian Mounds Regional Park, where eating means climbing the bluff via East 6th and 7th into Dayton’s Bluff.
Swede Hollow Cafe · 725 7th St E
A counter cafe in an old building on the Dayton’s Bluff hillside, with strong coffee, croissant breakfast sandwiches, quiches, and pastries made in house. Small, unhurried, and mostly full of people who come every week. https://www.swedehollowcafe.com/
Mañana Salvadoran Restaurant · 798 7th St E
Salvadoran and Mexican cooking, recently moved into a roomier Dayton’s Bluff space. Get the pupusas, obviously, but the camarones a la diabla earns its place on the table too. https://mananarestaurantmn.com/
El Guanaco Bakery y Café · 849 E 7th St
A Salvadoran bakery and café a block east of Mañana, open early and late for pan dulce, pupusas, and coffee. The longest hours on the block, and a good window into how deep the East Side’s Salvadoran community runs. https://www.elguanacobakeryycafe.com/
Taqueria Los Paisanos · 825 E 7th St
A no-frills taco counter at East Seventh and Arcade that stays open late, for after the cafés have shut. Tacos, tortas, the usual antojitos, done right and cheap. https://www.facebook.com/taqlospai/
Yoerg Brewing Company (cross-listed)
See the Bruce Vento section. About six blocks west of Indian Mounds via East 6th Street.
Also along Indian Mounds
One more up the bluff: Obb’s Sports Bar & Grill, an East Side institution for broasted chicken and a Friday fish fry. Note that East Seventh is torn up for construction through 2026, so the cafés stay open but the curbs and parking move around week to week.
Robert Piram Regional Trail
3.7 miles · 12 stops
Harriet Island to Kaposia Landing Park in South St. Paul. With the Wabasha Bridge connection, it’s the south-end counterpart to the Sam Morgan trail. The West Side flats just across the bridge add a brewery and a market institution to the route.
Joseph’s Grill · 140 Wabasha St S
A St. Paul comfort-food fixture since 1986, on Wabasha since 2001, with all-day breakfast, lunch fajitas, walleye and steak at dinner, and a dining room where everyone seems to have a usual. There’s a free shuttle to the Xcel, worth filing away for a game night. https://www.josephsgrill.com/
Stockyards Tavern & Chophouse · 456 Concord Exchange S, South St. Paul
A chophouse in the historic Concord Exchange building at the south end of the trail, the place to pull off for a proper steak-and-cocktails dinner in South St. Paul. Four blocks east of Kaposia Landing on Concord. https://www.stockyardstc.com/
Black Market StP · 120 Plato Blvd W
This one sits right on the trail along Plato Boulevard, which almost never happens. Here’s the catch: Black Market smokes brisket good enough to start best-in-state arguments, but it’s open Fridays only, roughly 5 to 7, and it sells out. Order ahead online and build the ride around it. Not a stop to wing. https://www.blackmarketstp.com/
Backstory Coffee Roasters · 432 Wabasha St S
A West Side roastery and café near the Wabasha bridge end of the trail, beans roasted on site and a big patio to drink them on. The obvious first or last stop if you’re rolling out from Harriet Island. As a bonus, Wabasha Brewing is across the street, so you can grab a beer once you’re finished here, or vice versa. https://backstory.coffee/
Also along Robert Piram
Across the Wabasha bridge, the West Side flats add El Burrito Mercado, the market, taqueria, and cantina that’s anchored the neighborhood since 1979, and Wabasha Brewing Co., St. Paul’s first West Side taproom. A few blocks south, the District del Sol stretch of Cesar Chavez Street is its own detour worth taking: Don Panchos Bakery for conchas and bolillos · Le Fresuchii for Mexican paletas and ice cream · Rincon Chalateco for Salvadoran pupusas · plus the sit-down room at Boca Chica, a West Side cornerstone since 1964. Closer to the bridge, two more for a real meal: Babani’s Kurdish Restaurant and Crasqui, the Venezuelan rum bar and dining room.
East Mississippi River Gorge Trail
~4 miles · 19 stops
The St. Paul side of the Mississippi gorge, an off-street path along Mississippi River Boulevard from the Marshall Avenue bridge down to the Ford Parkway bridge, shaded and quiet above the river. There’s no food on the path itself; everything means a climb up the bluff into Macalester-Groveland and Highland Park, where Cleveland Avenue carries the densest run of it. Highland Grill and Cecil’s Deli sit at the top of that climb at Cleveland and Ford Parkway, the closest the bluff cluster comes to the trail.
Myriel · 470 Cleveland Ave S
James Beard Award winner Karyn Tomlinson cooks precise, farm to table seasonal Scandinavian-meets-French food out of a tiny open kitchen here, and Esquire named it one of the country’s best new restaurants for the trouble. Dinner Wednesday through Saturday, up a short steep climb from the river. Reserve ahead; this is a destination, not a drop-in. https://www.myrielmn.com/
GusGus · 128 Cleveland Ave N
A tiny Union Park bistro up at the north end of Cleveland near Marshall, doing small plates and cocktails with real technique behind them. The room seats almost no one and the menu changes constantly, so no two dinners look quite alike. https://www.gusgusmn.com/
The Mezz Taproom · 2170 Ford Pkwy
A self-pour taproom on the second floor of the Highland Bridge Lunds & Byerlys, thirty-some taps of local beer, wine, and seltzer, and a patio over the development’s water feature. The only real place to drink in the new Highland Bridge build, right where the trail crosses Ford and Cretin.
Highland Cafe & Bakery · 2012 Ford Pkwy
An honest American café and bakery right where the gorge trail crosses Ford Parkway, open till mid-afternoon for homemade soups, burgers, cinnamon rolls, and a few Nepalese dishes. Nothing flashy, and exactly what you want mid-ride. https://www.highlandcafeandbakery.com/
Razava Bread Co. · 685 Grand Ave
A sourdough bakery and café that opened in 2025 from a family with deep Twin Cities baking roots, up on Grand. Whole loaves, New York bagels, open-face toasts, and a sunny room to eat them in: plenty of reason to put in the climb up the bluff toward Grand. https://www.razavabread.co/
Also up the bluff
The rest of the Mac-Groveland and Highland cluster, all a climb off Mississippi River Boulevard: Highland Grill and Cecil’s Deli (the Blue Plate diner and the 1949 Jewish deli, both at Cleveland and Ford Pkwy) · Quixotic Coffee · Due Focacceria · Colossal Cafe · X2 Pastries · Casper’s & Runyon’s Nook · Centro Highland Park · Café Latte · Punch Pizza Grand Avenue · Grand Ole Creamery · Groveland Tap · Wine Thief & Ale Jail · Estelle
Gateway State Trail, Lake Phalen Trail, and Crosby Farm / Hidden Falls Trail
Three more pack-a-snack trails. The Gateway is 18 miles of converted rail bed that mostly points you toward Stillwater. Crosby Farm and Hidden Falls are protected river-bluff park trails with no direct food access. Lake Phalen’s picnic pavilion is closed for renovation through summer 2026, so plan to ride to Payne Ave via the Bruce Vento connection.
Use the Interactive Map
Every stop in this guide is plotted on the master map up top, along with the Minneapolis trails and several dozen more. Filter it by trail (toggle individual trails on or off), by category (breweries only, restaurants only, coffee only), or by flag (anchor stops, seasonal stops, new openings).
The best part lives on every pin: a one-tap Google Maps and Apple Maps button, both pre-set to bicycling mode. Tap it from your phone and the route opens in your default app, ready to go from wherever you’re standing. The same buttons sit in the per-trail maps throughout the article, so every stop is one tap from a real cycling route to your handlebars.
Use the master map to plan a multi-trail day. Use the per-trail maps when you’re already out and just need the nearest place to refuel. Both run on the same data, so everything is tied together.
One Last Thing
Twin Cities summer is short: six warm months if we’re lucky, four if we’re honest. Saint Paul’s trails run quieter than the Minneapolis side, and they are better for it. Don’t save the long ride for a perfect Saturday. Don’t let the City House patio season slip past while you mean to get there. Get to the West Seventh taprooms while the garage doors are up.
Pick a trail. Ride it. Eat something that surprises you. Climb the bluff for the Reuben. Carry a panadería bag home in the basket from Payne Avenue. Drink a cider over the river at the Lower Landing. Find the route that becomes the one you do every Saturday, or make it an adventure to pick a new one every time you go out.
The trails are here. The food is here. So is the summer. Minneapolis has its own set, across the river, when you want them. Find that article here.
We’ll see you out there.
The interactive map and per-trail maps are updated continuously with new openings, closures, and corrections. Spotted something missing or wrong? Email us at hello@thetastingnotes.co.
This article was reported using primary-source verification on every stop (operating status, address, hours) as of June 2026. Where we knew of specific upcoming changes (Plaza del Sol’s summer 2026 food-hall arrival on Payne Avenue, the East Seventh reconstruction, Lake Phalen’s pavilion closure), they’re flagged inline. Coordinates and trail polylines come from OpenStreetMap, refreshed for this guide. The Tasting Notes is independently owned and edited.
