CrowBar Pop-Up Bar | Saint Paul, MN

CrowBar Saint Paul Minnesota Review Hipster Hack
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I’ve had a couple friends tell me I needed to get to the CrowBar pop-up bar in the old Hamm’s Brewery and after looking into it I couldn’t agree more.

The CrowBar is a cocktail lounge by Voliere Spirits, the first all-women owned whiskey distillery in Minnesota. Read below for more.

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Twin Cities Top 5 Espresso Martinis | 2026 List

Top 5 Espresso Martinis Twin Cities Minnesota Hipster Hack
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Espresso martinis are my love language, my favorite little girl’s night treat, and usually the way husband can determine solely by looking at a menu if it’s a restaurant I will enjoy haha.

A couple years ago I shared some of my favorite martinis in the Twin Cities, and while a couple on the list are still accurate, I thought I’d do a 2026 update.

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Vinai | Northeast Minneapolis

Vinai Northeast Minneapolis Food Review Hipster Hack Blog
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I love Union Hmong Kitchen so I had high hopes (and high expectations) for Chef Yia Vang’s new spot, Vinai. Not only has it been getting a lot of press confirming how good it is, on a personal level, it took over the former tap house space for my beloved Dangerous Man Brewing, so I just knew in my soul it was going to be good. Happy to report I’m always right…and so were the reviews by real food critics 😉.

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2025 Minnesota Renaissance Festival

Minnesota Renaissance Festival 2025 Hipster Hack Food Review
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As I said last year I LOVE a costume party and while the Minnesota Renaissance Festival may frustrate some that it has become more of a cosplay convention for anything fantasy or even just nerdy instead of a sole celebration of the Renaissance era, I personally love it. You never know what you’re going to see. One second you’re looking at someone in period costume, the next second you’re looking at someone dressed up like Where’s Waldo, Batman or Bermuda Merlin from “Sword in the Stone” (true story haha).

You can check out my review from last year for some other foods I really like that are still available, but I did a really good job this year of trying new foods!
Pro: I liked everything enough.
Con: I missed out on the soup in a bread bowl, but there was also no way I was eating hot soup in today’s heat.

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5 Outdoor Dining Spots | Saint Paul, MN

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This list is my favorite patios and outdoor dining spots in Saint Paul and the east side suburbs. I know that there are a lot of revered spots in Minneapolis and the west burbs also, but I spend most my time on this side of the Mississippi so I’m making a list true to me!

If you have a spot you absolutely love, please drop it in the comments!

*Also shout out to my husband for being the star of most of these photos haha

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2025 Food and Drink Review | Duluth, MN

Duluth Minnesota Best Food and Drink Spot Reviews Hipster Hack
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Husband and I were planning a trip to Duluth, Minnesota, but we only had about 36 hours to spend, so I went on a mission to find some of the best rated breweries, distilleries and city spots to check out.

We didn’t make it everywhere, but truthfully you can only eat and drink so much in such a short amount of time haha so below I’m sharing the spots we went (spoiler alert, I would recommend every single one of them).

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7 Saint Paul Breweries | Minnesota Beer

Surly Brewing Company Surly Beer Hall St. Paul Minnesota Breweries Hipster Hack Review
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The last two Sundays husband and I had off together so we had two brewery hopping dates. This made me realize it’s been a while since I did any beer features over here so I thought that in addition to calling out the 4 we visited, I’d include 3 of my other favorites and throw together a list my 7 go-to Saint Paul breweries….one for every day of the week 😉.

*I understand that there are many more options, so please don’t take offense or get up in arms if your favorite isn’t on this list.

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