Phillips - Minneapolis, MN Area Guide

After the construction of streetcar routes down Lake and Franklin Avenue at the turn of the century, Phillips’ development exploded. The neighborhood is named after the abolitionist orator Wendell Phillips and remembers its proud heritage with historically preserved houses and buildings, as well as the city’s oldest cemetery.

The neighborhood’s cultural scene reflects its dedication to diversity. The American Swedish Institute educates visitors on the area’s Scandinavian influence; it also hosts “Cocktails at the Castle,” a festival of all things Swedish with microbrew and food stalls, Swedish sporting demonstrations and ABBA karaoke.

Art of This throws frequent parties to draw in residents and exhibits local experimental pieces. If you’re interested in live performance art, sit down for a puppet show at Open Eye Figure Theater. During the summer, their Driveway Tour takes them to pop-up locations around Phillips.

Phillips' dining and drinking options reflect the diversity of its people. Korean, Mexican, Spanish, Ethiopian, Vietnamese, Middle Eastern – you can eat your way around the world without ever leaving a 10-block radius. Venues cluster around two areas, the Midtown Global Market on Lake Street and north along Franklin Avenue.

In the Midtown Global Market, 21 different restaurants and cafes feed the hungry. One of the most popular, Sonora Grill, tests the limits of Mexican with unusual dishes like eggplant fries and the Sonora Dog. Chefs make fresh tortillas for every order. The Rabbit Hole is one of two restaurants in Midtown with a licensed bar. Serving Korean food, the Rabbit Hole originally started with funds from a Kickstarter campaign. You call a server by pushing a button on the table and watch all ingredients get prepped in the open kitchen. Brussels sprouts may not be your favorite vegetable, but the ones cooked here will change your mind.

Between Lake and Franklin, inside the American Swedish Institute, hides the European restaurant Fika. Folks come for the rock lobster sandwiches and gravlax; they stay for the sunny patio seating and authentic Scandinavian décor. This tribute to the area’s Scandinavian influence operates as a daytime café with extended hours on Wednesdays.

For a quick, cheap bite at any time, stop by the Taco Taxi. At $2 to $7 each, simple classics like burritos, tacos and birria soup are worth the hassle of finding street-front parking.

For loud, bouncing night clubs, your best bet is to head north into downtown Minneapolis. Next door, in the Whittier neighborhood, the Icehouse serves mixed drinks like the Simpson’s themed bloody mary with candied bacon. Catch live jazz every Monday or revival music for brunch on Sundays. Also in Whittier, the trendy Eat Street Social turns mixology into an art form. Prices reflect the fanciness of the cocktails.

As for entertainment, Phillips residents may wander through exhibit nights at one of the neighborhood galleries or attend a theater performance. The Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant in downtown Minneapolis is worth a Friday night visit.

The Metro Light Rail – Blue Line runs along Hiawatha Avenue on Phillips' western border, linking the neighborhood with Target Field and Minneapolis city center in the north to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and Bloomington’s Mall of America in the south. The line stops at Franklin Avenue and Lake Street/Midtown Stations. A bus service runs along Franklin Avenue and east to the University of Minnesota.

Interstate 35 drops you into downtown in approximately 10 minutes. Alternatively, you can call ahead for a taxi or reserve an Uber.

One of Phillips' revitalization projects, Midtown Greenway, creates a pedestrian and cycle lane across the neighborhood. This 5.7 mile long corridor was previously a railway; now, it encourages residents to move between the Mississippi River and all the way west to Lake Calhoun.

Though two of the city’s biggest parks – Lake Hiawatha and Minnehaha – are located in bordering neighborhoods, Phillips residents have several outdoor and recreational centers at their fingertips. East Phillips Park houses the Cultural and Community Center; together, these spaces provide locals with a picnic area, gym, kitchen, teen space and computer lab.

The Phillips Music Festival brings a mix of cultural musicians to the Community Center for a day of community sharing. Food and outdoor activities further encourage neighbors to participate in this free summer event.

Recreational and neighborhood teams play softball and baseball at Stewart Park. Families bring kids down for the tot lot, playground and wading pool. Though dogs are welcome in Stewart and East Phillips Parks, they aren’t allowed off leash.

Active bikers and walkers can access the Midtown Greenway lanes from central Phillips.

The cost of living in Phillips is approximately 8 percent less than the average cost for Minneapolis. While goods and services are similar to the city average, you’ll pay less for housing. The median rent for a one-bedroom unit is lower here than in other neighborhoods. Rental costs for a one-bedroom unit hover between $600 to $1,100 per month. Because Phillips has a range of housing styles, from new condominiums and apartments along the Midtown Greenway to old Victorian houses along Franklin Avenue, rates vary greatly depending on location.

A light-rail ride from the Franklin Avenue Station to downtown Minneapolis costs $1.75. If you choose to drive, you’ll pay 1 percent less for gas than the national average. Food prices in the neighborhood also vary depending on the venue. A pint of beer at the local pub costs $3 to $5, and a mixed drink will set you back $9 or more.

In the 1880s, Phillips’ main shopping district clung to Lake Street. Now, Midtown Global Market is the shopper’s heaven. In one afternoon, you can buy Tibetan prayer flags, a bamboo plant, a jar of imported Moroccan spices and a new bracelet. While the shops tend to provide more up-market and moderately priced goods, Phillips’ specialty boutiques – and second-hand shops like Savers and Salvation Army – offer items for much less. There is also a Target located across Hiawatha Avenue in neighboring Longfellow.

Rituals is one example of the artisan shops found in Midtown. The owner grows the ingredients for her all-natural beauty products in her own garden. Stop by at the monthly two-for-one sale to stock your bathroom shelves with extra-sudsy almond soap and bamboo body butter. Free parking in the Midtown lot is only validated with proof of a purchase inside the shopping center.

Up near the Franklin shopping district, Electric Fetus opened in 1968 as a gathering place for musicians and neighborhood thinkers and shakers. Over the years, this music store became a Minneapolis institution. Search for your rare LPs or the newest hip-hop album or the release from a favorite local artist. Electric Fetus also carries novelties like toys, books, clothing and gifts.

When it comes to buying groceries, your choices are endless. Stay in Midtown for hard-to-find imports and regionally made products, or take your trolley to Franklin Market on Franklin Avenue. In Midtown, sample the dairy products at Grass Roots Gourmet. One of the most talked about food boutiques in the building, their prices are equitable to other quality food stores, such as Trader Joe's or Aldi's, and come from farms around Minnesota. Midtown also has a produce market that stocks a big range of organic fruit and vegetables.