New Chatterbox at 44th/France?
Doodledee speculates/suggests that a new Chatterbox Pub location may be opening at 44th and France.
I’ve only ever been to the original south Minneapolis location, not to the St Paul one. Although I hear people like the St Paul one just fine. I’m inclined to think that another Chatterbox location dilutes the brand a little.
On the other hand, it doesn’t seem to be hurting Pizza Luce at all. I routinely drive to the (farther away) Seward location because I just don’t like the Uptown one that much.
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Not to be the resident food troll, but I found the food and drinks at Chatterbox to be “meh,” at best. As much as I like playing Atari games — and I CLEANED UP on PacMan — the experience was disappointing.
I mostly just like that they have Strongbow on tap.
and ginger ale made from scratch! oooh…
I am a huge Chatterbox fan, used to spend three or four nights a week back when it opened at the Mpls location, playing darts and drinking pitchers of rootbeer. And my wife and I had our rehearsal dinner at the St. Paul location and had a great time.
True, the food is “meh”. I used to love it, but got a little tired of it after a few years. But I still think it’s a great idea for a restaurant, and would be a perfect idea for a chain, so I think expansion is a great idea, even if it dilutes the brand a little.
Heck, any place that can take a strip mall Perkins and make you forget that it was a Perkins, must be doing something right :)
In the current issue of The Southwest Journal, Jake Weyer, in an article titled “Buzz”, has a brief blurb confirming the new Chatterbox location:
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Café Bicko at 4501 France Ave. S. has closed and will be replaced with a Chatterbox Pub.
The restaurant served beer and wine and specialized in pizza. The owner could not be reached for comment about the closure.
The Chatterbox Pub planned to replace it will be the third in the Twin Cities, joining one in South Minneapolis and another in St. Paul. The pub has a full menu and is known for its retro video games for Atari, Nintendo and Sega Genesis and board games such as Connect Four, Yahtzee and Apples to Apples.
For more information about Chatterbox, visit http://www.chatterboxpub.net.
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I walked by the location last night. The windows are still almost entirely papered over. Old flooring removed but no new flooring installed yet. So maybe still not that close to being ready to open.
The spot is in a small strip mall. The chatterbox’s space there won’t be that big. Next door there’s a Great Clips, and a couple of doors further down there’s the great Wall, a longtime Chinese restaurant.
The Chatterbox inherit’s Cafe Bicko’s small patio, overlooking 45th St., the corner gas station, and the back of the SuperValu supermarket that’s closing tomorrow.
the SuperValu supermarket that’s closing tomorrow
Is that the one that was going to be a Kowalski’s until Lunds paid off the the owner not to sell to Kowalski’s?
Hope they do this one more up like the original than the St. Paul one. It’s too clean and fresh. The original feels like hanging out in your friend’s basement.
If the chain is so interested in expanding, I think the former Central Avenue Grill storefront in northeast is available…
Yes, Erica. That’s the same store. In the current issue of the SW Journal, the same reporter, Jake W., wrote a good article about the store-closing controversy.
Also, for anyone who lives around there, or would like to check it out, tomorrow is that shopping district’s annual block party. 44th St. gets blocked off between France-44 liquors and Big Mike’s sandwich shop. Normally there are food concession stands, and activities for kids.
Also, I think on the same day, the nearby park, Pershing, is having its annual Fall Festival. Pershing Park is at 48th & Chowen, 4 blocks south and 3 blocks east of the 44th-and-France shopping district.
The block party is in the evening, from 5 to 9.
The Perhing Park festival is 11am to 3pm.
Also that day, the Linden Hills shops at 43rd-and-Upton are putting on their annual “Woofstock” festival, for dogs and their owners. Thats from 11 to 4.
And there’s also a political get-together: a DFL picnic, at Linden Hills Park (43rd & Xerxes, nearly midway beween the two shopping districts). It goes from noon to 4.
Wow, lots going on. That DFL picnic is the Blue BBQ I mentioned.
So I was inspired to go to the Chatterbox for dinner tonight. The pizza with squash, bacon and feta was meh. I enjoyed my Strongbow, though.
Will the service be any better? I went for 2 breakfasts at the Highland Park location(since it’s real close by) and the service is just horrible. Shame since I like the video games there. I’ve never had to leave a tip for breakfast!