The Deal Behind The Deal
Northeast Minneapolis is set to gain another neighborhood restaurant, and this one comes from a team with a track record. Brandon Witzel, Jill Mortensen, and Kay Phillips, the trio behind Milly's Wine Bar and Bistro near the Mill District, just closed on a 4,900-square-foot building at 200 Lowry Avenue Northeast. The purchase price came in at $725,000, and the property was found on Facebook Marketplace, which is not a source you often hear tied to a commercial restaurant deal in Minneapolis.
The seller was Duane Arens, a Minneapolis real estate investor who also owns the Solar Arts building. Sabine Shea of Assembly represented the seller, and Kyle Kalivoda of Monarch CRE represented the buyers.
What The New Concept Will Look Like
The Milly's team originally considered a copy paste of their existing wine bar, but they landed somewhere different. The Lowry Avenue location will feature a larger kitchen, a bigger menu with pizza on it, and a stronger martini focus. Chef Zach Ellison, whose resume includes Red Wagon Pizza Co. and Spoon and Stable, is running the kitchen with Jenny Schesvold as sous chef.
Brandon Witzel, who is an interior designer by trade, is aiming for something he described as whimsical Art Nouveau, plant filled, and high-end. The building itself was constructed in 1910. Recent structural work included a new roof, and the interior was gutted before the sale, giving the team a clean slate.
Why Northeast Minneapolis Is A Fit
The location lands in one of the strongest restaurant corridors in Minneapolis. Neighbors already include Hai Hai, Marty's Deli, and Jax Café. The pizza angle also fills a specific gap. Young Joni closed about a mile away, and fine-dining Middle Eastern restaurant Saffron is moving into that former space.
For anyone tracking commercial real estate activity in northeast Minneapolis, this deal is a useful data point. A 4,900-square-foot building purchased for $725,000 in a busy restaurant node signals continued confidence in the neighborhood, even as some longtime tenants turn over. The Milly's team also plans to use the new kitchen to help supply the original Mill District location, which stretches the value of the purchase across both concepts.
What Happens Next
An opening timeline has not been announced. The team is preparing to submit paperwork to the city and plans to walk the neighborhood door to door, meeting other business owners the same way they built out Milly's originally. Brandon Witzel has said he plans to document the buildout on social media, which is how the team drew organic attention to Milly's before it opened.
For northeast Minneapolis residents, that means the process itself will be visible in real time. For anyone watching the food scene from further out in the Twin Cities, it is another sign that this stretch of the city continues to attract independent operators willing to buy in for the long haul.
Let's Talk
Thinking about buying or selling in the Twin Cities? Let's talk. Text Darin Bjerknes at 612-702-5126 or DM on Instagram @darintheminnesotan.
