When a person generally thinks of eating somewhere in the uptown area of Minneapolis, they probably think of something exotic and unusual. That is NOT the case at The Lowry. The Blue Plate Restaurant Co. has been making and supplying trendy comfort foods for the Twin Cities for nearly 20 years, and they’ve done it again with The Lowry.
Near the corner of Hennepin Avenue and Franklin Ave, this former Hollywood Video store has been converted into a very masculine/lawyer-lounge with some wonderful options for eats. They serve what they call “4 meals”, breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night. They bring some of their menu from their other establishments like the Edina Grill, the Longfellow Grill and the Highland Grill, but then they also bring some different options that are unique to The Lowry as well.
With this being my first visit to The Lowry, I got some advice from others who had been there before, so I tried the Peter’s burger. It was named in honor of a gentleman that one of the co-owners knew in Australia. This man had a simple restaurant on a beach in Australia, and a large development company was buying up the property around him. He wouldn’t sell his land, so they built their development around him instead. Great story! The burgers at The Lowry are generally a 1/3 lb burger, so not a little burger but not a gluttonous mass of meat either. :) The Peter’s burger has caramelized onions, a fried egg and a mustard pickle relish on it. It was very good! I then had a few side options to choose from, and so I choose their sweet potato fries. They were cooked well and tasted good, but I prefer my fries to be a bit crispier.
They also have some other options for you to try like the salad that Stephanie Shimp, one of the co-owners ate, it was the Tuna & White Bean salad. The salad consists of tuna, tomatoes, olives and grilled ciabatta.
The staff were all very friendly and seemed to really enjoy the work that they’re doing. That says a LOT about a restaurant, if the staff is enjoying themselves. The row of windows on the north and east sides of the building bring in a ton of light inside The Lowry. For myself, being able to sit on the Hennepin Avenue side of the restaurant made for a fun time to be able to eat, relax and watch the busy traffic go buy, while I was able to enjoy my time eating my burger and talking with Stephanie Shimp about restaurants and the local food scene.
No matter the time of day that you’re awake and hungry, The Lowry will most likely be open and will definitely have something to fill your hunger cravings.