Wheelchair Accessible Minneapolis Restaurants
We've highlighted a few accessible Minneapolis restaurants that go above and beyond ADA requirements to create spaces that you’ll want to roll into again and again. (We’ve also vetted this list for kindness and accommodation of additional requests—so feel free to call up any restaurant below if you have further accessibility needs or questions!)
When it comes to navigating the food and drink scene of any major city, many restaurants will quickly say they’re accessible to all bodies. Unfortunately, until you show up with a wheelchair, walker, cane, crutches, or specific mobility needs, you can’t know for sure whether the space will truly feel accessible to you. Here in Minneapolis, many restaurants make accessibility and inclusivity a priority throughout their buildings and businesses.
Owamni
One of the hottest new restaurants in America—earning accolades from the New York Times, Vogue, and Food & Wine—Owamni is a culinary tribute to the vibrance of Indigenous cuisine. Chef/Owner Sean Sherman, along with Co-Owner Dana Thompson, highlight delicious Native ingredients and remove all wheat, dairy, cane sugar, beef, pork, and chicken. The beautiful dining room overlooking the Mississippi and Owámniyomni (known in English as St. Anthony Falls) is a part of Minneapolis’s Water Works Park project, a public space dedicated to bringing to life historic and contemporary Indigenous communities and cultures.
- Accessible Parking: The pavilion housing Owamni is adjacent to a parking lot with two dedicated disabled parking spaces. Street parking is also available, and folks with a disability parking placard or license plate can park in metered spaces for free for up to four hours at a time.
- Building Accessibility: The building is accessible without any curb or steps from either floor—there is an elevator from the first floor to the 2nd floor dining room. The entrance features an automatic door opener.
- Getting Around the Space: While Owamni’s dining room is always full and bustling, those in manual or power wheelchairs can easily maneuver the space.
- Accessible Seating: Owamni offers accessible tables, though there is also plenty of bar seating and high-top tables—so you may want to call ahead to make a reservation for a wheelchair-friendly table.
- Accessible Restrooms: Owamni offers several restrooms equipped for those with disabilities. Restrooms are large enough for a wheelchair or a caretaker, feature grab bars for maneuvering, and sinks are at a wheelchair-friendly height.
FIKA Café
FIKA Café is the charming cafe inside the American Swedish Institute (ASI), featuring Nordic-inspired snacks and meals made with regional ingredients. Expect dishes like creamy beet salad with apple, dill, and pickled red onion, Swedish meatballs, and open-faced smörgåsar sandwiches with salmon, herring, or smoked whitefish. ASI truly goes above and beyond ADA requirements and is committed to making continued adaptations in the spirit of universal design. ASI and FIKA Café have an accessibility plan which is reviewed and updated every year to create a gathering place for all people.
- Accessible Parking: ASI has a parking lot with six dedicated disabled parking spots. The parking spots are located on the eastern side of the parking lot, closest to the entrance.
- Building Accessibility: The entrance does not have any curb or step from the parking lot, and the entrance features an automatic door opener. Additionally, Metro Mobility and visitors who need easy access may unload directly in front of the entrance prior to parking if they so wish.
- Getting Around the Space: ASI has kept the interior space including the lobby and FIKA Café open and spacious, allowing for ease of movement by both manual and power wheelchairs. Elevator service is available to all full floors of the Turnblad Mansion and Nelson Cultural Center, making not only FIKA Café accessible but also the Turnblad Mansion and exhibitions. (Transport wheelchairs are available for complimentary use on the ASI campus. Please request one from ASI staff or a volunteer at the Information Desk.)
- Accessible Seating: All tables at FIKA Café are wheelchair accessible (no booths or high tops).
- Accessible Restrooms: Diners can easily get to the wheelchair-accessible restrooms, which are located on the 1st and 2nd floors of the Nelson Cultural Center along with the Lower Level of the Turnblad Mansion. All wheelchair-accessible restrooms include stalls big enough for wheelchair and a caretaker. All doors to restrooms feature ADA-compliant doorhandles.
- Additional Accessibility Offerings: Listening amplification equipment is available upon request for tours or events with a speaker. Interpreters may also be requested for tour or event dates with two-weeks’ notice, depending on availability.
Centro
This popular Northeast Minneapolis taco spot is best known for its sociable patio in the warmer months, and its colorful, industrial-chic interior that offers great flavors and fiesta vibes year-round. While the menu is fantastic—try the barbacoa tacos, yuca fries, and Guava Goddess Slushy cocktail—we also love Centro for its dedication to its community and team—including frequent collaborations with nonprofits, paid volunteer hours, equitable wages and benefits for all employees, and no-cost weekly Spanish courses offered to everyone on the team.
- Accessible Parking: Centro is built around a courtyard parking lot that is accessible from 15th Street, (located behind Centro). There is one disability parking spot next to the entrance from the parking lot.
- Building Accessibility: The building offers three entrances, two of which are fully accessible—the entrance from the parking lot and the one from the sidewalk on 15th Street. There is a curb between Quincy Street and Centro's front entrance. Doors do not feature automatic door openers.
- Getting Around the Space: In warmer months, ample outside dining space makes the restaurant extremely easy to navigate. In the winter (when Centro does not offer patio seating) the restaurant tends to be tighter inside, making wheelchair navigation a bit trickier, but not difficult.
- Accessible Seating: Half of the large restaurant’s tables are wheelchair friendly. Some of these tables have bench seating along one side.
- Accessible Restrooms: There are no steps or narrow doorways to restrooms. There is one ADA stall in each restroom featuring ample space and grab bars. Main bathroom doors are not automated, but are typically open to make it easier for guests to get in and out.
- Additional Accessibility Offerings: Centro was one of the first restaurants in Minneapolis to employ phone-based online ordering from tables—a great option for folks with social and/or sensory disabilities. This option also allows guests with disabilities to utilize any accessibility features on their phone to order food and drinks.
Nolo’s Kitchen and Bar
Many historic buildings can feel inaccessible or unwelcoming to folks with mobility needs, but Nolo’s Kitchen and Bar in the revamped Gardner Hardware store in the historic Maytag Co. building is certainly a welcoming space for all. The North Loop restaurant offers modern American comfort food—think burgers, pizzas, pasta, and all-day breakfast—as well as a rooftop bar in the warmer months (accessible via an elevator).
- Accessible Parking: Centro’s parking lot (a rarity in North Loop) features one designated handicapped parking spot, very close to the restaurant’s side ramp entrance.
- Building Accessibility: There are steps leading up to the front door, but there is an additional entract on the side of the building with a ramp and automatic door opener.
- Getting Around the Space: Nolo’s interior is very open, modern, and spacious—maneuvering in any kind of chair or walker would not be an issue.
- Accessible Seating: The restaurant features a variety of table seating, including wheelchair-friendly low top tables.
- Accessible Restrooms: The restroom is easily accessible, and offers grab bars, space for a wheelchair and a caretaker, and accessible sinks.
Cardamom
Inspired by the cuisine of the Aegean and Mediterranean seas, Cardamom is a feast for the senses. Located in the bustling Walker Art Center, the restaurant from celebrated Minneapolis restaurateur Daniel del Prado features dishes like fried chicken pitas with tzatziki, lamb burgers, baklava tarts, and corn with rose za’atar, serrano, lime labneh, feta, and cilantro. Plus, diners enjoy views of the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and downtown skyline.
- Accessible Parking: Accessible parking is available at Vineland Place Parking Ramp with a direct connection to the Walker Art Center. Note that the parking ramp entrance is 8 feet 2 inches high. For vehicles larger than this height, check out the surface lot, which is adjacent to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. (Services such as Metro Mobility should be instructed to drop off and pick up passengers at 725 Vineland Place, the entrance to the Main Lobby.)
- Building Accessibility: There are no curbs or restrictions at any entrance to the building or restaurant, and all public areas are accessible to visitors who use wheelchairs or prefer to avoid stairs. All doors to the Walker Art Center have an automatic door opener and there are no doors leading into the restaurant.
- Getting Around the Space: While the restaurant can get crowded when all tables are filled, Cardamom was built to allow anyone using mobility assistance to access any table.
- Accessible Seating: Nearly all dining room tables are at comfortable height for guests in wheelchairs.
- Accessible Restrooms: All bathrooms are large, private, and easily accessible for all. There are no steps or narrow doorways hindering easy access, and Walker staff is easily accessible to assist in opening and holding doors.
- Additional Accessibility Offerings: Visitors may borrow manual wheelchairs from the Visitor Services desk located in the Main Lobby on a first-come, first-served basis. On the second Sunday of each month, the Walker hosts Sensory Friendly Sunday from 8 am to 11 am. Check out the Walker Art Center’s Accessibility page for full details.
Brasa
Inspired by the flavors of the American South, the Caribbean, and Mexico, Brasa is a haven for all lovers of big flavor—especially folks with any dietary restrictions, as the vast majority of the manu is gluten free and vegan options are plentiful. Enjoy the restaurant’s signature creole-style rotisserie chicken, crispy yuca, fried fish, BBQ tofu sandwiches, or vegan bowls loaded up with vegetable and chickpea Curry. While Brasa’s original Northeast Minneapolis location is accessible, the newer Southwest Minneapolis location is in a brand-new building with extra-accessible features.
- Accessible Parking: Brasa Southwest is located in a relatively residential part of town and offers ample street parking right outside the door. In addition, the church across the street allows use of their parking lot—which is located directly behind the restaurant and is connected to the front entrance by a wide walkway.
- Building Accessibility: There are no curbs or restrictions at any entrance to the restaurant. The front door is not automated by is easily opened and not prohibitively heavy.
- Getting Around the Space: Brasa Southwest is spacious and offers plenty of room for diners using wheelchairs or mobility aids to maneuver comfortably. In addition, all dining room tables are at a comfortable height for guests in wheelchairs.
- Accessible Restrooms: Brasa’s bathrooms are accessible, large enough for a wheelchair and caretaker, and feature grab bars and accessible sinks.
- Additional Accessibility Offerings: Brasa also offers phone-based online ordering from tables—a great option for folks with social and/or sensory disabilities. This option also allows guests with disabilities to utilize any accessibility features on their phone to order food and drinks.
Target Field
Okay, this one isn’t a restaurant per se… but Minneapolis’s MLB baseball stadium (home to the Twins) is one of the most accessible ways to get a taste of the city. All concession stands at Target Field are accessible, as are the field’s two restaurants—Hrbek's and the Town Ball Tavern. Additionally, if guests require assistance at any of the food service areas, you can notify the nearest Concessions worker or Twins Guest Services staff member for extra-friendly assistance. Local flavors include Kramarczuk's Sausage, Red Cow’s 60/40 Bacon Burger, Pizza Lucé, and Killebrew Root Beer.
- Accessible Parking: There are 20,000 parking spots within five blocks of the ballpark, including nearly 8,000 spaces in the A, B & C Ramps. Both A and B Ramps offer direct connection to the ballpark via skyway or walkway, and are connected to the Minneapolis skyway system. Guests with mobility needs may use either of the Drop Off Zones along 7th Street, near both the Majestic Clubhouse Store and Gate 14.
- Getting to Your Seat: A limited number of wheelchairs are available at each gate to assist in getting guests to and from the gates to their seating area. There is no fee for this service, and no reservations are necessary. Guests merely need to request wheelchair assistance when they arrive to the gate. (Wheelchair assistance is limited to getting to and from seating sections, and emergency assistance. If a guest wishes to have a wheelchair for general use while visiting Target Field, they will need to arrange to bring their own wheelchair to the ballpark.) Guests may store wheelchairs and walkers at any of the park’s Guest Services Centers and Concierge desks.
- Accessible Seating: There is Accessible Seating available on all levels at Target Field, available to all guests with any type of special seating needs. While the areas are designed to accommodate wheelchairs, guests that do not use wheelchairs but still require Accessible Seating will be provided with padded folding chairs to use in these locations.
- Accessible Restrooms: All restrooms within the ballpark are accessible, and there are several single-user restrooms available. If a more private environment is desired, please visit the nearest Guest Services Center for directions.
- Additional Accessibility Offerings: State-of-the-art devices that transmit ballpark audio are available for guests who are hard of hearing or have vision impairment for use during games. These devices are available free of charge. Check out the Target Field Disability Access Guide for full details.
Midtown Global Market
Midtown Global Market is an internationally-themed public marketplace and community hub filled with excellent restaurants, local art and music, gifts, houseware and clothing shops, groceries, and services. It’s one of the best places to get a taste (literally) of Minnesota’s richly diverse heritage. Once home to a Sears building, the large gathering spot on Lake Street was transformed in the early 2000s into a vibrant space that captures the entrepreneurial energy of the neighborhood. Home to over 45 businesses spanning over 22 cultures, Midtown Global Market attracts over 1.5 million visitors each year.
- Accessible Parking: Midtown Global Market features ramp, flat lot, and street parking. The parking ramp is adjacent to the market’s main entrance and is easily accessible.
- Building Accessibility: Wheelchairs can easily access all main building entrances—there are no steps or curbs to the doors—and entry doors feature automatic door openers.
- Getting Around the Space: Representatives from Midtown Global Market report the concrete-floored market is frequently visited by wheelchair users (in both manual and power chairs) and that there are no obstacles to easily moving around the space to explore all that the market has to offer.
- Accessible Seating: While the public seating area does include some high top and bar seating, there are many wheelchair-height tables available.
- Accessible Restrooms: Restrooms are on the main floor and feature stalls large enough for a wheelchair and a caretaker, although the restroom doors are not automated.
- Additional Accessibility Offerings: Midtown Global Market is attached through an indoor skyway to Allina’s Abbott Hospital campus.