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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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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2024 Minnesota Renaissance Festival

Minnesota Renaissance Festival 2024 Hipster Hack Food Review
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I love a theme party and the Minnesota Renaissance Festival is the biggest costume party of the year! The theme is “renaissance” but within 5 minutes of being inside the gates you’ll see that the dress code isn’t universal; medieval, vikings, cottage core, witches, Zelda, Lord of the Rings characters, Dr. Who, Mario Kart, you name it – the gangs all here!

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The Brickhouse | White Bear Lake, MN

Brickhouse White Bear Lake Hipster Hack Food Review
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A friend and I stumbled upon the Brickhouse when we were searching for a place to grab some rooftop cocktails in White Bear Lake and it was definitely what I like to think Bob Ross would consider “a happy accident.”

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Apostle Supper Club 2024 | Saint Paul, MN

Apostle Supper Club Saint Paul Minnesota Hipster Hack
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I previously visited the Apostle Supper Club last year with a friend and remember telling Husband that he had to go back with me because he’d love it and I added it to our list… finally over a year later we made it back 😬.

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National Food Truck Day | Twin Cities Top 5

Minnesota Food Trucks Hipster Hack Blog
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When I previously lived in Northeast, Minneapolis Food Trucks were a standard diet staple as we bopped around from brewery to brewery. Food trucks are my absolute favorite way to eat, because I can easily graze and try one item from each place.

I recently became a Twin Cities Hummingbird and was asked to share my favorite Food Trucks in honor of the holiday so below I’m going to share my favorite 5 food trucks*

*I am making a very conscious effort to only pick food trucks and not include food stands, so if you want my list of ultimate “fair” foods you can check out any of my previous blogs.

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National Grilled Cheese Day | Twin Cities Top 5

National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day Hipster Hack Minnesota
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Cheese and sandwiches are two of my favorite foods so of course I’m obsessed with National Grilled Cheese Day. I’ll admit that lately my favorite grilled cheese sandwiches are made by my husband (his are honestly ELITE), but for those of you without a live in home chef who understands that there is really never enough cheese 😂 I thought I’d share my top 5 🧀 over the years in the Twin Cities!

And as an added bonus, you can scroll to the bottom for the Distastefully Tommy recipe 🎉

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National Espresso Martini Day | Twin Cities Top 5

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I have made absolutely ZERO secret about my love of an espresso martini so when my friend (and co-espresso martini adventurer) messaged me that today, March 15th was National Espresso Day I was obviously PUMPED.

I’m going to do a quick and dirty Top 5 of my favorite ones around the cities for those who want to celebrate with me!

P.S. I like an ACTUAL espresso martini and not the fake chocolate type so if you like sweet and not bitter you won’t like these haha

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