Reverie Cafe & Bar — the tasty tRuth

"I never thought I'd be in the restaurant business. I’d always heard it’s really hard to succeed, and it’s a really difficult business." This is Kirstin Wiegmann, co-owner of Reverie Cafe + Bar in Stevens Square, Minneapolis.

Kirstin and her life partner, Jeff, have--whether they expected it or not--put together a rather successful vegan hotspot on Nicolette Avenue. The space, formerly a coffee shop, has become a popular community hangout spot, complete with a full menu of plant -based foods, an enticing happy hour, and live music every night.

"Our neighborhood is so high density," commented Kirstin, "that people have really enjoyed having this cozy, warm, and welcoming place to go for an afternoon."

Head chef Jeff has been eating a plant-based diet for a long time, and spent years cooking at Minneapolis's now closed vegan eatery, Ecopolitan, before starting the Reverie venture. He works with his staff to develop recipes and keep the menu fresh.

The "Cubano," with pulled jackfruit in a smoky sauce with garlic aioli and pickled onions

The Cauliflower Poboy, with smoked paprika cashew remoulade

"The Twin Cities doesn’t have a lot of vegan options. There are even cities that you’d think would be less progressive than Minneapolis that have options," Kirstin told me candidly. She and Jeff are excited to be at the forefront of a local movement, along with Herbivorous Butcher and the soon-to-open J. Selby's in St. Paul.

"We’re not here to advertise a ethos or an ethic. We’re about making good food that also happens to be plant-based." From their made-from-scratch pastries to the popular jackfruit tacos, the Forward Eats crew approved!

Who did Kirstin, Jeff, and Reverie nominate for the next Forward Eats event and post? They chose Sen Yai, Sen Lek, a positively forward-thinking Thai restaurant on Central Avenue in Northeast Minneapolis. Attend the Forward Eats event at Sen Yai by RSVPing here. Stay tuned for the next post!