Known for its lake shore living and astounding, natural beauty, the Calhoun Isles community offers residents some of the best living in Minnesota. Located near Lake Calhoun and Lake of the Isles, Calhoun Isles is a scenic wonderland found within the busy city of Minneapolis. Each year the Calhoun Isles community draws in millions of visitors. The area has developed to be a tourist’s paradise while still maintaining the artsy and pristine atmosphere that is characteristic of the region. This leads to a community that is both dynamic and upscale. There are many facets that contribute to this unique lifestyle.
One of the most unique aspects about the Calhoun Isles community is its restaurants. There are many restaurants throughout the various neighborhoods that are cherished by all. Ranging in styles and prices, these restaurants represent some of the wide variety that the Calhoun Isles community offers:
In the Bryn Mawr neighborhood, the Sparks restaurant creates unique, fire-roasted cuisine in wood-burning stoves. With a cozy, comfortable atmosphere, Sparks offers visitors fine dining at an affordable price. Cuppa Java is cherished by the Bryn Mawr neighborhood for its great coffee and engaging atmosphere. Specializing in coffee and espresso drinks, but also offering malts, wines, beers, sandwiches, wraps, and desserts, Cuppa Java is the perfect small-town location to enjoy a drink with a friend or a light, afternoon lunch. Perhaps the most exciting aspect about Cuppa Java, however, is that they deliver to the neighborhood area. This convenience and quality makes it a very popular destination.
The CARAG neighborhood is home to several unique eateries and cafes. One example is Pizza Luce. Pizza Luce offers artisan style pizzas as well hoagies, salads, appetizers, and desserts. Located around the state, CARAG is one of several locations that draws in pizza fans. Another popular local dining area is Gigi’s Cafe. This charming and quaint shop is a great place to enjoy a dinner date and makes a relaxing location for coffee and scones. With products that are purchased directly from farmers, everything is made from scratch, which adds to the freshness of Gigi’s tasty food. Yet another popular neighborhood shop is Canteen. This coffee shop is located in the middle of the CARAG neighborhood and is a wonderful place to grab a mocha, read a book, chat with a friend, or study. During the warmer months, Sonny’s Ice Cream is a popular destination. While technically located just outside of CARAG, it offers visitors artisan ice creams, sorbets, and gelatos that are hand-made daily. With over 1,000 flavors served throughout the year and a new flavor almost every day, guests enjoy the fresh, simple ingredients that are often locally-sourced and organic.
Although the Cedar-Isles-Dean neighborhood mainly consists of parkland and residential areas, there are a few popular eateries located within the neighborhood. Punch Pizza, located in the Calhoun Village Shopping Center, promotes its Naples-like atmosphere by firing pizzas in a wood-burning oven at a blazing 800 degrees. Punch exploits the same classic methods that Neapolitan chiefs used to produce the world’s first pizzas. Urban Eatery is another popular restaurant that is open during lunch and dinner hours. This tasty restaurant has an extensive menu full of excellent food items and is a common neighborhood location to grab a bite to eat. The neighborhood also includes many other athletic clubs, salons, restaurants, and professional businesses for residents to enjoy.
A popular place to eat along Lake Calhoun is The Tin Fish Restaurant. Located in the East Calhoun neighborhood, The Tin Fish Restaurant was started to generate an exciting mixture of delightful seafood with a duty to bring a first-class experience by offering fresh and healthy seafood meals and its famous Fish Tacos to its customers.
The East Isles neighborhood is home to many notable restaurants. One of the most notable coffee shops in the neighborhood is The Spyhouse Coffee Roasting Co. Their green buying team chooses coffees that are available for a range of appetites and are responsibly grown. It is their desire to provides a local hangout to study, meet a friend, or enjoy a date. The shop works hard to create an excellent experience for its visitors. East Isles is home to one of the nation’s most famous pizzerias. Giordano’s Chicago-style Pizza brings a taste of Chicago to Minneapolis. Famous for its deep-dish pizza, this establishment is one of the only Chicago pizzerias located outside of the city of Chicago.
The Kenwood neighborhood is home to the Kenwood restaurant. The Kenwood stems from a European dining background, and dishes served at the restaurant are a blend of elegant and adventurous. While the food is based on European traditions, the ingredients are locally-sourced and fresh, adding a local pride to the restaurant’s endeavors. Serving breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, and a variety of coffees, wines, and beers, the Kenwood is a staple of the community.
The Lowry Hill neighborhood is home to several famous eateries. Sebastian Joe’s Ice Cream is a local and statewide favorite. Renowned for its usage of only natural ingredients and wide assortment of flavors, Sebastian Joe’s is a great destination for a sunny, summer afternoon. Additionally, the store is constantly innovating with its flavors and is known for some wacky, flavorful combinations. When it comes to urban dining, The Lowry is the definition of an upscale diner. Specializing in burgers, whiskey, oysters and eggs, The Lowry is known by the locals for its classic Americana foods with an urban twist. When it comes to fine dining, however, the Burch Restaurant is a local favorite. Known for their fabulous steaks and artisan pizzas, the Burch Restaurant is an upscale establishment that opens at 5pm each day. Visitors can dine, enjoy wine and desserts, and appreciate the atmosphere late into the night.
Much of the Uptown area can be found in the Lowry Hill East neighborhood. This means that residents have great access to top-notch dining in the area. One of the most unique restaurants is Stella’s Fish Cafe and Prestige Oyster Bar. A seafood restaurant with a comfortable, casual environment, Stella’s offers rooftop dining with great views of the Uptown area. Visitors enjoy the unique atmosphere, and great seafood including lobster, crab, sushi and more. For those desiring engaging entertainment Bryant-Lake Bowl offers just that. A bowling alley, bar, theatre, and restaurant, guests can enjoy food and drink while bowling or enjoying a theatrical production. This unique combination of activities makes Bryant-Lake Bowl a fun date destination or birthday party location. Additionally, DJs are sometimes invited to perform live music. Rinata Restaurant has the perfect mix between great food and excellent service. Not only is the food tremendous, but the service is at a level that is among the highest in the Twin Cities metro area. Perhaps the most famous restaurant in the area, however, is Chino Latino. A restaurant specializing in street foods from the hot zone belt around the world, diners can experience food from the Caribbean, Americas, Polynesia, Southeast Asia, India, Africa and beyond. What truly makes this restaurant so unique is its atmosphere. There truly is no other restaurant like it in the metro area. With experiential dining incorporating tastes and smells from around the world and using only the finest of ingredients, Chino Latino makes for a very fancy, upscale dining endeavor. These examples are by no means comprehensive, as there are countless other restaurants, cafes, and venues available in the area for residents to enjoy.
The Twin Cities Paella is a popular Spanish restaurant and caterer that the locals of the West Calhoun neighborhood love to visit. Paella is an old-style Spanish rice dish. It is usually made above an open fire and is richly seasoned with saffron and Spanish spices. At Twin Cities Paella, visitors will experience classical Paella as well as other traditional dishes. This well known dining location offers large group meals and catering for big events, making it a great restaurant for those seeking food that will entertain.
There are many notable businesses and organizations that can be found in the Calhoun Isles community. They include the following:
The Cedar-Isles-Dean neighborhood is home to the Calhoun Village Shopping Center. The neighborhood also includes many other athletic clubs, salons, restaurants, and professional businesses for residents to enjoy.
There are many local businesses and organizations that residents and visitors of East Calhoun can enjoy. St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church is a historic site located in the East Calhoun neighborhood. With a location overlooking Lake Calhoun, the church is a long-standing staple of the community. Attached to the church is the St. Mary’s Lake Calhoun Event Center. This center is incredibly scenic and perfect for wedding receptions, fundraisers, corporate events, and more. Another notable location within the neighborhood is Calhoun Bike. A local bike sales and repair shop, Calhoun Bike is ideal for the many bikers that utilize the nearby trails around the lakes. Its convenient location and knowledgeable staff make Calhoun Bike a community favorite. On the west side of the neighborhood, near Lake Calhoun is the local Cal Surf, where skateboards, surfboards, and snowboards can be repaired, bought, and even sold. This shop is another great local feature that is perfect for those seeking recreation on the nearby trails and lakes.
The East Isles neighborhood is connected to the Uptown shopping strip. A fabulous collection of top-notch shopping, dining, and entertainment, the Uptown shopping area gives residents no shortage of places to visit and things to do. Some of Minneapolis’s most famous locations are located close to the neighborhood.
Another notable organization is the Lake of the Isles Lutheran Church. Located across the street from Lake of the Isles in the Kenwood neighborhood, this historic church has been a part of the neighborhood community since the early 1900’s.
The Lowry Hill neighborhood is an exciting place of more than 190 one-of-a-kind shops, abundant restaurants, useful facilities, wonderful apartments and historic homes presenting the paramount style of urban living its locals enjoy. Additionally, it is home to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and Walker Art Museum. The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and Walker Art Center is perhaps the most visited area in the Calhoun Isles Community. This area is one of the crown jewels of the city’s park system, connecting two of Minnesota’s most cherished resources with its garden space and its cultural life. The site is 11 acres and stages more than 40 pieces from the Walker Art Center’s famous collection. The most popular attraction within the Sculpture Garden is the famous Cherry on a Spoon. This, among many other sculptures, makes the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden a unique destination. In partnership with the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board, the Garden is a top location for visitors, who appreciate the art as well as the year-round exhibitions in the Cowles Conservatory and the Alene Grossman Memorial Arbor and Flower Garden.
There are several local attractions in the West Calhoun neighborhood. The Minikahda Golf Club is the oldest country club in the city of Minneapolis and occupies most of the neighborhood’s space to the west and south. An 18-hole championship golf course, the Minikahda Golf Club is a private country club offering golf, tennis, swimming, and dining facilities. As one of the premier clubs in the Twin Cities, the Minikahda is sure to impress. The Bakken Library & Museum is another attraction found within the West Calhoun neighborhood. The previous home of Earl Bakken, founder of Medtronic and creator of the pacemaker, the Bakken Museum combines a beautiful mansion with a museum focusing on electricity in regards to life. The museum is truly unlike any other both in its setting and in its comprehensive collection. The Bakken is home to 11,000 rare books and 2,500 scientific instruments related to how electricity plays a role in life. A truly electrifying experience, the Bakken is one destination you do not want to miss. West Calhoun includes Lake Calhoun’s attractive shoreline, as well as the active Calhoun Commons shopping area and adjoining businesses. The neighborhood is separated by the Midtown Greenway, which provides a biking path that ranges out to the Mississippi River and attaches to other paths that lead into the downtown area of the city. There are many old and beautiful trees in the neighborhood, especially in the area that borders the lake. Although the area of West Calhoun is residential, the majority of the neighborhood consists of the local country club and golf course. However, there are several apartments and condominiums, as well as around 30 homes.
While this is by no means a comprehensive analysis on the lifestyle found within the various Calhoun Isles neighborhoods, it gives a brief introduction to what the area has to offer. If you would like more information about particular neighborhoods, feel free to check out our supporting articles.
If you have any questions regarding the city of Minneapolis, Calhoun Isles, or if you would like to sell or buy a house in the area, please feel free to give Twin Cities Property Finder a call at 952.204.7950.
