Dear Charles Barkley, Here Are Your Requested Minnesota Restaurant Recs

A curated list for Barkley’s visit during the Western Conference finals, feat. churrasco, soul rolls, and more

TNT analyst and former NBA all-star Charles Barkley made local headlines Sunday night, May 19, when — following the Timberwolves’ historic game seven comeback against the Denver Nuggets — he asked star shooting guard Anthony Edwards for a list of restaurant recommendations for the Twin Cities. (TNT’s team is arriving in Minnesota this week for the Western Conference finals.)

Locals were quick to provide, flooding Twitter with recommendations for classic restaurants like Hai Hai (get the shrimp toast and banh xeo, Mr. Barkley), Petite León (piquillo peppers and steak frites), Bar La Grassa (lobster and eggs bruschetta), Spoon and Stable (pork chops with the honey and cream cake), Billy Sushi (salmon belly nigiri), and Young Joni (pizza of course, but the gochujang barbecue spare ribs are just as good).

All are stellar options, but what do we know about Barkley’s taste in restaurants? Clues from his Milwaukee shoutouts suggest steakhouses and soul food are high on the list. For the former, Manny’s Steakhouse is the irrefutable choice — but Barkley could also find a chimichurri churrasco at Guacaya Bistreaux; a bavette with potato churros at Martina; or an NY strip served with old-school-St.-Paul style at the Lexington. For soul food, it’s hard to beat Mama Sheila’s lunchtime buffet, soul rolls at Wendy’s House of Soul, or Soul Bowl’s jerk chicken bowls. We hear Barkley doesn’t eat breakfast, but the Camden Social’s live weekend jazz brunch, featuring buttermilk-brined chicken and biscuits and smoked salmon croquettes, may change his mind.

Personally, I love this mysterious photo of Barkley at a local bar in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and would direct him to the Creekside Supper Club for red wine-braised short rib and popovers. On Twitter, Governor Walz has been one of the (surprisingly) few champions of Matt’s Bar and the Nook, both great choices for a trademark Juicy Lucy. Lastly, if you’re reading this, Mr. Barkley, and are on the hunt for a bar or brewery, pay a visit to Falling Knife in Northeast Minneapolis. The taproom was packed for every harrowing matchup in the Wolves vs. Nuggets series, broadcasting the game under the aurora borealis.