"This Bloomington outpost of the popular Minneapolis seafood restaurant wasn't quite catching on with suburban eaters." Jess Fleming opened her September 21 Pioneer Press review of Smack Shack Steak with that line. She went on to note that Minnesotans "can be a little squeamish when it comes to food that comes out of the water," which she found confusing in a state of 10,000 lakes.
It's a candid way to describe a restaurant on its relaunch week. It also points to a pattern across this fall's Bloomington openings. Almost nothing new here this season is a first attempt. The newcomers have already proven themselves in Minneapolis, White Bear Lake, Chicago, or dozens of other markets, and they arrive here retooled for a suburban dining room. Smack Shack is the clearest example, so it's the place to start.
A seafood restaurant rebuilt around a 10-foot grill
Smack Shack came to Bloomington in December 2021. It sits at 3801 Minnesota Drive, along France Avenue just outside the Edina border. The brand goes back to a Minneapolis food truck in 2010. A busy first season sent co-owners Josh Thoma and Kevin Fitzgerald looking for a year-round kitchen, and they found one at The 1029 Bar in Northeast Minneapolis. They worked there on a handshake deal until they bought the bar outright in April of this year. In other words, the Bloomington location was already a proven Minneapolis concept placed in a suburban building.
The second version changes the center of the menu. The restaurant reopened as Smack Shack Steak, with a September 15 relaunch date. Its main feature is a 10-foot wood-fired grill, and executive chef Ben Pichler said he wanted to show "what a difference cooking over Minnesota hardwood can make." The owners have built their reputation on sourcing seafood, and they've said they'll apply the same care to meat, with USDA Prime beef and locally sourced Duroc pork.
The grill has a story of its own. Thoma drove to Abilene, Kansas, "with a trailer and a dream" to pick it up, and it now takes center stage in the dining room.
What stayed, and what changed
The seafood menu didn't go anywhere. That includes the lobster rolls that started the business and the lobster mac and cheese that, on "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," prompted Guy Fieri to step away from the camera and smack a wall. The owners think the grill's high heat may even give the signature seafood a "deeper, more complex flavor" than the same order at their other Twin Cities locations.
The room is where the bigger changes happened:
- Dark linens in place of checkered tablecloths, plus revolving outdoor art and a drink list that leans into wine, bourbon, and martinis
- Walls painted a deep green, with the kitchen partly closed off except for the grill area
- Four cow statues outside the building, which the Pioneer Press read as a signal to neighbors that "something new and beefy is going on"
Two things held steady through the remodel, and they help explain why the location suits a steakhouse. The building, a former Fuddruckers, still has ample parking, and it's still large enough to seat groups easily. A steak dinner works well for a group celebration in a way a lobster roll counter may not, and a parking lot that fits that crowd is hard to find closer to the city.
Reading the menu against the room
The posted dinner menu shows where the new concept sits on price. As of late September 2026, it listed a 7-ounce hanger steak at $40, a 6-ounce filet at $54, and a 32-ounce porterhouse at $135. Seafood ran from Maine lobster tails at $72 to a pound of Alaskan king crab at $140. The hanger steak is the easiest way in, and the porterhouse is clearly sized to share. Menus change, so check the restaurant's current dinner menu before you book.
The Pioneer Press table worked through four cuts: New York strip, filet, ribeye, and porterhouse. The reviewer's favorite was the strip, and she described the beef as "perfectly kissed with that woodfire smoke, but not overly smoky." The 16-ounce pork porterhouse got the most reaction from the table. Her top sides were a sweet corn gratin with andouille sausage, collard greens, and whole mushrooms in a caramelized onion beurre blanc.
The hours are as useful for a weeknight as for a celebration. Per the restaurant's location page, the kitchen opens at 11 a.m. every day and runs until 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The bar stays open an hour later, and weekday happy hour runs 2 to 6 p.m. The number is 952-333-7722.
The Sun Current introduced the change with "Move over Woolley's and Fogão Gaúcho," which puts Smack Shack Steak into an established local steakhouse group rather than an empty niche. Co-owner Fitzgerald has said that even with familiar dishes on the menu, the restaurant will be "very much its own concept."
A 1976 restaurant reaching for West 78th Street
The next second draft is still on its way. Donatelli's opened in White Bear Lake in 1976 and has also appeared on "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives." It announced a second location at 4400 W. 78th St., in the former Ike's Food & Cocktails space in the Two Marketpointe building. The plan is to bring the original's classic thin-crust pizza, along with pastas, sandwiches, pizza turnovers, and burgers.
The Star Tribune reported in early August that it would open in September. As of the paper's September 8 restaurant roll call, though, Donatelli's was still listed under "Announced - Coming Soon," and no opening has been confirmed since. If you're planning around it, check Donatelli's own site for updates before heading over.
Donatelli's fits the same pattern as Smack Shack. A restaurant with nearly fifty years of history is moving into a space a previous restaurant built out, in an office building just off the freeway. Two "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" alumni will soon be operating a short drive apart in west Bloomington, and neither started here.
Mall of America's food court gets its own set of transplants
The same pattern holds on the mall's upper levels, just with bigger chains. Most of the new food at Mall of America this year comes from brands that have succeeded elsewhere and are now adjusting their format for the mall.
Open now
Giordano's, Level 3 South. The Chicago deep-dish chain opened in July 2026, according to the Star Tribune's July 14 preview, which said it would open that week.
Sweetgreen, Culinary North on Level 3. Salads, bowls, and protein plates, open since September 8. Still on the way
Cotton & Snow Shaved Ice, Level 3 South. The Nashville-founded brand announced its Minnesota debut with shaved ice and cotton candy, and its mall directory page adds soft serve. No opening date has been confirmed.
Noriteo, Level 3 West, plus a smaller express outlet at the Metro Transit Station. It will sell Korean ramyun, snacks, and drinks alongside K-culture retail and an in-store experience, and it's slated for later this year.
The Golden Nuts, Level 3 West. Kunafa, baklava, chocolates, roasted nuts, and specialty drinks. The mall's directory still lists it as "Opening Soon."
Fire & Wave, east side of Level 4. It will be the mall's first dedicated hot pot restaurant, with tableside simmering pots, sushi, and what the operators call an immersive setting. It isn't due until spring 2027.
The Noriteo express outlet matters most if you ride transit. A ramyun stop at the station is a small but real change if you catch the Blue Line or a bus at the mall.
What the second drafts add up to
Taken together, Bloomington's fall openings all lean on reputations built somewhere else. A Minneapolis seafood brand changed its Bloomington menu after four years. A White Bear Lake institution is betting on a second home on West 78th Street. Chicago deep dish and a national salad chain have taken spots on Level 3. Each one brings a following with it and then adjusts for what a Bloomington dining room can offer, which means space, parking, group seating, and a way in from the freeway or the train.
Smack Shack Steak shows the adjustment most openly, because a local critic said plainly what the first version was up against. The grill from Abilene, the cow statues, and the $135 porterhouse are the owners' answer, and the restaurant's hours mean you can try that answer any day starting at 11 a.m.
Restaurant changes like the one on Minnesota Drive and the one planned for Two Marketpointe tend to come up when clients ask me how a part of town is changing, and I follow them closely along the France Avenue and West 78th Street corridor. If you'd like to know what your Bloomington home could be worth this fall, Carrie Sink is happy to walk you through it. Request a Free Home Valuation, and we'll talk about your street and the businesses opening around it.
