Where to Eat During the Women’s Big Ten Basketball Tournament in Minneapolis

Easy breakfasts, casual dinner spots, late-night eats, and more near Target Center

The 2024 Big Ten women’s basketball tournament has officially kicked off, bringing thousands of out-of-town fans to downtown Minneapolis. If you’re one of them, you probably want to know where to eat. Downtown isn’t quite the culinary heart of the city, so for a broader view of the Twin Cities’ food scene, peek at the 38 essential restaurants map; the Eater’s Guide; essential bars in Minneapolis and St. Paul; and the hottest new restaurants around town. (Here’s a guide to what to eat at Target Center, too.) But these twelve days are about basketball, above all else, and this guide aims to help visitors find the best, most convenient eats during a busy tournament week — most of these recommended restaurants are a 15 minute or less walk from Target Center. Here’s a dining guide for Minneapolis’s Big Ten moment.

Grab-and-go breakfasts

Head to Egg on a Roll for a fluffy souffléd egg sandwich; Café Cerés for a prosciutto croissant or Turkish bagel with smoked salmon; or Rise Bagel Co. for a whole assortment of bagel sandwiches. Hark Cafe offers vegan and gluten-free bakery bites like muffins, quiche, bagels, and miniature pies; Mother Dough Bakery offers Parisian-style breakfast sandwiches and slices of quiche, though note that it’s not open on weekends.

If you have time for brunch

Hen House is big, bustling, and great for American-style egg breakfasts. Hell’s Kitchen is a quirky, worker-owned spot offering lemon ricotta pancakes, walleye hash, and a weekend Bloody Mary bar; Key’s Cafe keeps it classic with biscuits and gravy, farm-style egg breakfasts and omelets, and exceptional pancakes and pies. Same goes for Nicollet Diner (get the pancakes). Over in the North Loop neighborhood, modern American spots NOLO’s Kitchen and the Freehouse are big enough that you can likely get in without a reservation, as long as it’s not peak weekend hours (call ahead, though). The best budget option is a classic diner breakfast at the Band Box Diner (though it’s more like a 25-minute walk from Target Center).

For a quick lunch between games

Graze Food Hall, which is about a 12-minute walk from Target Center, offers a whole range of lunch options: Hmong food, soul food, fried chicken, tacos, ice cream, and more. (If you have time for a 20-minute stroll, North Loop Galley is another great food hall option.) Otherwise, head a few blocks north of Target Center to Pizza Lucé. On weekdays, Minneapolis’s many skyway restaurants are open and serving lunch.

Sports bars

Runyons serves absolutely legendary buffalo wings; the Loon Cafe is casual and cozy, with comfort food like chili and Ruebens. From a pure viewing standpoint, Tom’s Watch Bar is the best call, as there are screens on every wall. Gluek’s and Kieran’s, strictly speaking, are more Irish pubs than sports bars, but they’re great places to stop in for fish and chips during (or after) the game. Both are a stone’s throw from Target Center.

Casual dinner spots you can (probably) get into without a reservation

Take that no-reservations-needed rule with a grain of salt, as downtown is certain to be busy during the tournament, and restaurants that welcome walk-ins may have longer wait times than usual. That said, Red Rabbit is a good choice for pasta and pizza, while Red Cow is a staple for burgers (the 60/40 is extra juicy). Runyons, in addition to those iconic buffalo wings, serves solid bar fare; Brit’s Pub does fish and chips and the like, (plus there’s lawn bowling on the roof); Hell’s Kitchen does elevated pub fare for dinner; and Eli’s serves a classic, supper-clubby menu of pastas, burgers, and sandwiches, etc. Guacaya Bistreaux (Latin Caribbean cuisine with southern flair); Zen Box Izakaya (ramen, sandos, bento, and Japanese snacks); and Black Sheep (coal-fired pizza) are also great options, though a call ahead can’t hurt, as they may be packed on weekend evenings. If you’re looking for a steakhouse experience, you can likely slip into Manny’s or Murray’s on a weeknight, though note that both are on the fancy side.

Late-night eats

Nicollet Diner serves all-day breakfast — plus diner classics like chicken and waffles, poutine, and burgers — 24 hours a day, pouring cocktails until 2 a.m. Puralima Cantina serves a fast-casual menu of tacos, burritos, and frozen margaritas til midnight on Fridays and Saturdays; Pizza Lucé serves pies til 2:30 a.m. daily; Parlour serves smash burgers (among of Cities’ finest) until midnight Fridays and Saturdays, with the bar open until 1 a.m. Here’s a full guide to late-night food across the Cities.

Iconic Minnesota dining experiences

A Bar of Their Own, Minnesota’s first sports bar dedicated entirely to women’s sports, opened last week, just in time for the Big Ten. It’s a historic, exciting moment, so pay a visit if you want — but note that the bar has been absolutely buzzing in its first week, and it may be hard to get a table. Otherwise, Minnesota’s most iconic dining experience may be the Juicy Lucy, a burger stuffed with oozy, molten cheese. You can find Lucys around the city, though the O.G. spot is Matt’s Bar in south Minneapolis. Another unique-to-Minnesota spot is Owamni, the Indigenous restaurant that won the James Beard 2022 national award for Best New Restaurant. Reservations for dinner are pretty hot, but it’s easier to get in for lunch — or head to sister cafe Indigenous Food Lab in south Minneapolis. Al’s Breakfast, the beloved, 74-year-old, 10-foot-wide breakfast counter in Dinkytown, serves the Cities’ undisputed finest pancakes — go on a weekday, though, if you actually want a seat. Lastly, if you want to get a taste for the Cities’ bar culture, head straight for its iconic dives. The Eater’s Guide has a broader rundown of food culture in MSP.