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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Favorite Foods of 2025 | Twin Cities, MN

2025 Hipster Hack Food Review Twin Cities Minnesota
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Keeping up the tradition of the last couple years I wanted to share 12 of my favorite foods of 2025. This year, due to my husband and I buying a house we did a lot less eating out, but it was still hard to pick just 12 dishes. So without further ado, sharing in no particular order…

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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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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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Favorite Foods of 2024 | Twin Cities, MN

2024 Hipster Hack Food Review Twin Cities Minnesota
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Last year I did a recap of my 12 favorite foods for 12 months and it was so fun I had to do it again for foods of 2024.

Sharing in no particular order…

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Buca di Beppo | Saint Paul, MN

Buca di Beppo Saint Paul Minnesota Hipster Hack Review
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Husband and I were invited to Buca di Beppo in St. Paul to try out their menu and learn more about the history of their company and the history of that location’s building…including some ghost stories 👻.*

Buca di Beppo is a national chain that actually started in a basement in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their humble beginnings were actually the inspiration behind the name, with Buca di Beppo translating roughly to “Joe’s small place,” in Italian.

*I do want to add a disclaimer that while I was gifted a dinner experience, my review and thoughts are my own.

See pictures of everything we tried below.

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