Charlie's Cafe Exceptionale: Minneapolis' Most Beloved Fine Dining Institution

In the era before Minneapolis became a nationally recognized food city, there was one restaurant that set the standard for what fine dining in Minnesota could be: Charlie's Cafe Exceptionale.

The Restaurant

Charlie's Cafe Exceptionale opened in Minneapolis in 1938 and operated for over five decades, becoming the city's most celebrated fine dining destination. In an era when most Midwestern cities had little in the way of serious restaurant culture, Charlie's was a genuine exception — a white-tablecloth establishment with an ambitious kitchen, an extensive wine list, and the kind of service that made every meal feel like an occasion.

The restaurant was a fixture of Minneapolis civic life. Business deals were made there. Anniversaries were celebrated there. Out-of-town visitors were taken there to show them what Minneapolis was capable of. For generations of Minnesotans, Charlie's was the answer to the question of where to go for the most important meal of the year.

The Legacy

Charlie's closed in 1982, a casualty of changing dining habits and the economics of running a full-service fine dining establishment. But its influence on Minneapolis restaurant culture lasted long after the doors closed — a reminder that the Midwest has always had more culinary ambition than it's given credit for.

The Charlie's Cafe Exceptionale Minneapolis Retro T-shirt, Baseball Tee, and Rocks Glass are for everyone who remembers. Find them in the Twin Cities collection.