Support Tampopo Now!

[tipitina]

Due to all of the construction for the St. Paul LRT, Tampopo has been losing business. They are no longer serving lunch due to the drop in customers. If you love Tampopo, as I know many of you do, please go and have a delicious dinner soon!

We just got back from having Tonkatsu and tempura chicken with green shiso. Tampopo is a gem in the Twin Cities. It is the only place I know that has wonderful udon and soba soups and homestyle Japanese cooking.

You can check their daily specials on twitter - http://twitter.com/tanpopomn

[AnneInMpls]

I'm sad to hear that Tanpopo had to drop lunches! I work in Lowertown, and though I don't have time for restaurant lunches in my crazy schedule, I had been managing to sneak away once a month or so for a fabulous meal at Tanpopo. Unfortunately, deadlines kept me away this month, so I hadn't realized it's no longer an option. Bummer.

As far as access to Tanpopo - it's fine. I park at the Farmer's Market every day, half a block away, and have had no problem getting there. When I leave work in the evenings (any time between 6 and 8), there are always lots of free meter spots available nearby.

So GO GO GO to Tanpopo! It may take an extra two minutes for a one-block detour or a one-block walk. But it's well worth it.

Anne

[profmacdaddy]

Thanks for the alert about this. Tanpopo is amazing - their katsu-don (fried pork) is probably the best I've ever had, and their wine list is quite interesting. I'm sad to hear about the effect the LRT is having on their business, but this was so predictable.

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Tanpopo Noodle Shop
308 Prince St, Saint Paul, MN 55101

[karykat]

Is parking bad near Tanpopo itself now? I know it's really torn up near Christos. And parking near the farmers market has been challenging on the west side there.

But what about near Tanpopo itself. And what do you recommend for parking and access.

Tanpopo is one of our very favorite places so we will gladly help out now.

[foreverhungry]

The parking directly outside Tanpopo and the Black Dog has been pretty torn up the last several months. However, there's a huge lot behind the building at Prince St, with space for several hundred cars. While slightly less convenient than getting a spot at the meter directly in front of Tanpopo (one has to walk a few hundred feet), I'm not sure parking is really an excuse. The road construction itself is a bit of a hassle, but again, shouldn't be enough to keep customers away.

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Black Dog Restaurant
308 Prince St Ste 100, Saint Paul, MN 55101

[steve_in_stpaul]

Neither the parking nor the road construction should be an excuse.

One tip for people who want to park in that Prince Street lot is that the street leading from Tanpopo/Black Dog to the parking lot is kind of a mess at the moment, but if you're driving along Kellogg, there is an entrance to that lot a block east of the light at Broadway & Kellogg (last light before the bridge as you head east; first light you see as you head west) -- near that row-house looking building.

That said, Mrs. Sisp and I need to get there sometime this week.

[karykat]

Very good advice. It helps to know how to bypass the construction.

[Dasha]

Thanks for that heads-up. I live in the neighborhood, so parking isn't a problem. We'll go this week.

While I'm generally in support of the light rail, I'm a bit heartsick over the effect this could have on downtown restaurants, just as we were finding our groove!

[GoZacGo]

i also worry about heartland moving into the area.

[kevin47]

I agree, it is a gem, and thanks for the heads up. Always happy to support a place during construction.

It is, however, TaNpopo, not Tampopo.

[tipitina]

thanks! I must have been channelling the movie!

[semanticantics]

It's going to wreak havoc along the entire route. Downtown St. Paul will be especially bad, but businesses all along the way are going to be impacted, and several will likely close.