Eastside
305 Washington Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55415

Hours

Sunday Brunch 10am-2pm
Monday – Saturday 4-10 pm

Happy Hour
Everyday – 4:00pm-6:00pm

Valet Available

Eastside friends have more fun…join our email list

Magic for your Inbox – Join the Party

You can make a reservation by calling us at 612‑208‑1638 or you can book online below.

Make a Reservation

Guthrie Patrons

Eastside is walking distance from Guthrie Theater. We have a Pre-Theater Menu to help ensure that you do not miss a moment at The Guthrie. If you are dining with us before your show you are welcome to leave your vehicle with our Valet.

Private Events

Lover of parties? Do you dream of creating a guest list of humans that will laugh at all of your jokes and bring you gifts? Does this party include custom menus and hospitality at its best? Wonderful. We have a space for that. Our private events room offers the perfect canvas for your closest friends to celebrate a birthday or your corporate colleagues to host a fabulous dinner. From intimate dinners to full restaurant buyouts, we do it all. Because at the end of the day, we understand the importance of including but also excluding.

xo

Bridget Sorensen

For more information or to reserve space, please fill out the form below.

  • Date Format: MM slash DD slash YYYY
  • :

THe FaM

Jamie Malone
Chef & Owner

Jamie Malone has always had a life that revolved around food. She grew up cooking and baking breads with her dad in St. Paul, Minnesota. Before receiving her culinary degree from Le Cordon Bleu, Chef Malone traveled and studied extensively in Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, and Europe, immersing herself in each region’s cuisine.

Malone started working in restaurants at age 16, but began her cooking career in hospitality in 2006 working for Chef Tim McKee at the highly lauded restaurant La Belle Vie, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She moved on to be a part of the opening team of several Minneapolis restaurants early in her career, including Georges Chambers Kitchen, Porter and Frye, and Sea Change.

In 2011 she took the position of Chef at Sea Change. There, Malone gained national attention and earned a place as a semifinalist for the James Beard Award Foundation’s “Rising Star Chef” for 2013 and “Best Chef Midwest” for 2014. In 2013, Malone was named one of Food and Wine magazine’s “Best New Chefs”.

In 2019 she became a James Beard finalist for Best Chef Midwest.

Jamie has written for Esquire’s “Eat Like a Man” blog and been featured in many magazines including GQ, Saveur, and Elle. In 2014 she won Cooking Light magazine’s “Trail Blazer Award” for her work with sustainable seafood. Malone has also served as a Chef Ambassador for the Norwegian Seafood Council since 2015.

Nikki Klocker
Director of Operations

While Jamie is the total package in the kitchen of both Eastside and Grand, Nikki is the ribbon—she ties everything together beautifully with a bow. Growing up in St Cloud, Nikki always has been interested in psychology, art and hospitality, all of which serve her well in taking care of guests and staff alike. She has extensive experience in management and creating strong business client relationships.

Nikki’s artistic spirit, blended with laser-like attention to detail, is what drives the stylish and memorable experience for guests at both restaurants. It’s truly magical.

Cool Fact: Armed with a can of paint, a truckload of glitter and some grit, Nikki created the oversized canvas hanging in the entry of Eastside that has become a backdrop of many a selfie.

Ryan Cook
Executive Chef, Eastside

Ryan Cook has the perfect name—“Chef Cook”—plus the well-honed talent and work ethic that make him a standout in an open kitchen. He was part of the culinary magic with award-winning chefs Tim McKee and Jamie Malone at Sea Change that received national attention, and the obvious choice for executive chef at Eastside when Jamie took over.

Ryan’s background as a fisherman in the wild oceans of Alaska gave him an affinity for superior fish—not to mention the stamina for long kitchen shifts— and also a boatload of engrossing stories to share. He has the ability to create dishes that “are technically sound, but also incredibly delicate and beautiful,” Jamie says.

The job of an executive chef is to create foodie-worshiping dishes, but it’s also to have one eye on the line and one on the dining room floor to ensure all guests are being taken care of. This dedication to both workers and guests is something Ryan excels at, and a philosophy he imparts to his crew.

In a fast-paced world, Ryan shines at slow-food-based projects, such as hand-formed breads and diverting the smoke from the live fire for smoked and cured meats and vegetables. Soon this special set of skills will be on view at the Chefs Counter Dinners he’ll be hosting.

Cool Fact: Ryan’s an incredible banjo player with a degree from McPhail Center for Music. And if he wasn’t cooking, he’d be an “old-time fiddle player.”

Bridget Sorensen
Event Coordinator

A flair for hospitality is best learned at home — from a dad who loved to cook and a family who enjoyed each other’s company around the dinner table. Twelve years running a two-store, family retail business honed her business and organizational skill set.

In her role as event coordinator, Bridget brings this innate ability to pair amazing food and wine with flawless service to both the Grand Café and Eastside. And she can do it on a grand scale for private parties, business events and special dining occasions. The key, she says, is her love of people and a healthy appetite for seeing that every minute detail is taken care of with imagination and the romantic charm Grand is known for and the Big City sophisticated vibe of Eastside.

Cool Fact:Bridget was pursuing a degree in aviation with the goal of becoming a commercial airline pilot, before deciding having a family paired better with hospitality than long layovers in strange cities.

Ambrose Burke
Bar Director

Ambrose didn’t know it at the time, but he’s been preparing to inspire and motivate staff since teachers starting writing “natural leader” on his report cards. Being a part of an award-winning improv team trained him for the rapid-fire problem solving that’s required nightly at a high-volume, fine-dining venue where the guests’ experience is as vital as beautiful food and expertly prepared or paired drinks. And while the guest may not always be right, they’re never judged—even when they order spiced run and a diet Coke.

Ambrose began his serving and bartending career at Barbette, before stints at Porter and Frye and Nightingale. At Eastside, Ambrose is that tall, quick-witted guy who is comfortable chatting with guests or waxing poetically about a craft cocktail served in golden swan. And he’s the one who ensures the evening runs smoothly and the only drama you’ll see is if you’re heading to the theater after dinner.

Cool Fact: “I rap, play guitar and sing and even have a group album on Spotify.”

Scarlett Carrasco Polanco
Sommelier/Wine Director

Wine is a many splendid thing, according to Scarlett, who officially earned her sommelier certification in 2017, but has been an avid student of wine for her 11 years in the industry. Wine, she claims, can be as cerebral as a crossword puzzle or as all-encompassing as a beanbag chair, and she enjoys bringing each guest to that place on their pallet. Her wine journey began by sitting in on tastings with the wine buyer for Lucia’s Restaurant and Wine Bar, where she learned not only about wine’s lineage, but about sharing the wine experience with guests so they never feel intimidated or ill-advised. And what better atmosphere for an elevated wine experience than her new home at Grand Café and Eastside.

Cool Fact: Scarlett is known in certain circles as “The Cork Whisperer,” because she can coax any unreasonable cork out of its bottle.

Back To Top