Minnesota is the birthplace of the supercomputer, developed for code cracking during World War II. Tech giants of their day, including Cray Research and Control Data Corporation, were based in the Twin Cities. And while Al Gore is infamously misquoted as “inventing the internet,” humble Minnesota actually can claim a role with the University of Minnesota’s early contribution of the gopher protocol in the early 1990s.
The Twin Cities sit on opposing shores of the mighty Mississippi River—Minneapolis is big brother to smaller and sleepier St. Paul—making up a metro area of approximately 3.76 million residents. The region’s tech industry spans medtech, fintech, artificial intelligence, and tech-focused agriculture companies. Minnesota is home to a number of Fortune 500 companies with deep connections to tech, including 3M, Best Buy, U.S. Bancorp, UnitedHealth Group, and Target.
If you’re a tech worker visiting the Twin Cities for business, you’ll find locals who prioritize work-life balance and embrace the area’s distinct four seasons. In the summer, it’s easy to find people on video calls while walking their dogs around the chain of lakes or enjoying happy hour on a packed patio near a body of water. In the winter, hardcore cross-country skiers and fat bikers commute to the office on area trails. For those who fear the cold, one other Minnesota invention—the skyway system—connects office buildings, shops, and residential high-rises in both downtowns.
Where to Stay in the Twin Cities
Minneapolis is the larger and more modern of the Twin Cities, but there is plenty of tech-related business on the east side of town in and around St. Paul. Here’s where to stay in either Twin.
Downtown Minneapolis
Courtesy of the Four Seasons
245 Hennepin Ave., (612) 895-5700
For visitors on an expense account or looking to splurge, a stay at the Four Seasons is a top pick for its luxury and location. Minnesota’s only five-star hotel property opened in 2022 and quickly became known for its VIP scene and over-the-top amenities. Its fine-dining restaurant, Mara, was created by award-winning local chef Gavin Kaysen. During the winter, Nordic-inspired saunas and private dining spaces line the hotel’s rooftop.
300 N. Washington Ave., (651) 468-0400
This boutique hotel in the trendy North Loop neighborhood offers meeting rooms and event spaces along with a rooftop bar with spectacular skyline views. It’s a popular place to plop down in the bustling lobby with a laptop or use as a home base to explore the area’s high-end restaurants, speakeasies, and entertainment venues.
201 S. 11th St., (612) 746-4600
History and architecture lovers appreciate this luxury hotel located in a 20th-century landmark building that originally opened in 1929. The hotel completed a massive renovation in 2024 and offers all the updated services and meeting rooms in a luxe environment. Connected to the skyway, its location makes it easy to visit nearby cultural icons, Orchestra Hall, and State Theatre.
Saint Paul, Minnesota – Skyline at Dusk – City LightsPhotograph: Aerial Views/Getty Images
26 E. Exchange St., (651) 222-0848
Here’s a chance to stay in a renovated convent in the heart of St. Paul. This quirky but convenient 71-room boutique hotel was once home to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet convent and music conservatory. That history is on display throughout with many church-themed meeting spaces and networking amenities.
350 Market St., (651) 292-9292
Self-described as “one of the nation’s premier historic hotels,” this elegant and charming hotel looms large in St. Paul’s compact downtown. Steps away from sports arenas, theaters, and concert venues, it’s easy to see why this hotel and its hopping restaurant and bar are popular with convention-goers, out-of-town visitors, and locals on a date night alike. Stop by the bar or lobby after a show or a Minnesota Wild home hockey game, and you’re likely to rub elbows with a band member or professional athlete.
Where to Work
Minneapolis Downtown with Hennepin Avenue Bridge at Minnesota USA. Painterly look to downtown.Photograph: Saibal/Getty Images
1400 Van Buren St NE, Suite 200, and 400 S. 4th St., Suite 401
Originally launched as COCO in St. Paul, this organization is known for starting the coworking scene in the Twin Cities, and Google invested in entrepreneurship programs here. The St. Paul office has since closed, and a failed rebranding has led to some confusion, but there are still two distinct operating locations that offer meeting and event areas, private offices, and a number of resources for various budgets.
Five Twin Cities locations including St. Paul, Minneapolis, and St. Louis Park
The Coven made Minnesota headlines in 2018 when four advertising execs opened the first coworking office aimed directly at women, nonbinary, and transgender members. Now boasting five Twin Cities locations and additional spaces in Wisconsin and North Carolina, the franchises provide coworking areas, meeting and event rooms, drop-in desks, and community events. Day passes are available.
Edina, Minneapolis, and St. Louis Park locations
Another Minnesota-headquartered company, Life Time Fitness, expanded its health club model to include luxury coworking spaces across the country in 2018 and offers three facilities in Minnesota. These popular offices lean into the healthy living concept to combine smart workspaces like ergonomic furnishings and nutritious snacks with access to the fitness facilities. Think: PowerPoint presentation followed by pickleball.
225 S. Sixth St., and 729 N. Washington Ave.
For employees who already have a WeWork membership, consider these two Minneapolis downtown locations, about 2 miles apart for convenience and ease over indie charm.
801 S. Marquette Ave., Suite 200, (612) 488-0644
Part of the national Workbox chain, this centrally located meeting and office space offers an industrial decor with open kitchen and lounge areas, along with a rooftop terrace, fitness center, and access to the skyway system. Day passes are available.
Where to Get Your Coffee
Courtesy of Fairwave Specialty Coffee Collective
Six cafés in the Twin Cities including St. Paul and Minneapolis
Known as Minneapolis’ most tech-worker-friendly café chain, grab a coffee and crack open your computer at one of the many tables surrounded by plenty of outlets and powerful Wi-Fi. The North Loop (Minneapolis) location is close to coworking spots, hotels, and entertainment venues, while another Minneapolis site is located inside the Emery Hotel.
Multiple locations, including Minneapolis and St. Paul
Founded in Minnesota but now with shops and stands around the globe, this coffee company rivals Starbucks as a casual coworking and gathering spot. With 292 Caribou Coffee locations in Minnesota alone, make sure to confirm the correct one if meeting someone there, because it may be the other Caribou across the street.
213 Fourth St., St. Paul (651) 493-4694
A combo coffee shop, restaurant, bar, pinball arcade, and art gallery, this funky coffice has a number of nooks and crannies for tech working, virtual meetings, and face-to-face meetings. Located next to the Twin Cities light-rail station and across from the Union Depot transportation hub, it’s easy to get to and a fun find near the Mississippi River.
4208 S. 28th Ave., Minneapolis (612) 353-4222
This micro-roaster and specialty coffee shop was born from a bike shop, and it shows. With an Up North theme, it is located near downtown and the international airport and offers decent Wi-Fi along with decadent drinks.
111 E. 26th St., Minneapolis (612) 460-7739
This charming Minneapolis café in the up-and-coming Whittier neighborhood had a lofty goal of bringing beauty to the community and offers craft coffees and Japanese-style teas. Focus on work while sipping some serenity.
Where to Eat
Courtesy Owamni/NATIFS.org (North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems)
420 S. First St., Minneapolis (612) 444-1846
The Twin Cities is filled with impressive ethnic restaurants, and Owamni deserves its buzz-worthy reputation three years after winning the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant in 2022. Chef Sean Sherman, who is a member of the Oglala Lakota nation, focuses on Indigenous dishes without using colonial ingredients such as dairy, cane sugar, and wheat flour. The dishes are inventive and surprisingly satisfying. Owamni recently announced it will relocate into Minneapolis’ Guthrie Theater in 2026, making dinner and show an attractive option.
825 Marquette Ave., Minneapolis (612) 339-9900
An appropriately named restaurant, Manny’s is what one conjures up when describing a “steakhouse.” For those with a corporate card and large appetite, the red-meat entrees, cocktails, and desserts here are impeccable and impressive. Voted one of the nation’s top 10 steakhouses by the Zagat Guide, expect to find visiting celebs, tech bros, and local business executives dining here nightly.
3500 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis (612) 722-7072
On the complete opposite spectrum from upscale Manny’s, Matt’s Bar is a hole-in-the-wall must-stop for the Minnesota classic, the Jucy Lucy. There’s debate over which restaurant first introduced these molten cheese-filled hamburgers, but Matt’s has the most authentic dive-bar vibe of them all and, therefore, the best-tasting version as well.
Photograph: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
211 N. First St., Minneapolis (612) 224-9850
One of James Beard Award–winning chef Gavin Kaysen’s signature restaurants, dinner here is a perennial favorite and a place where many business deals get made. Expect seasonal Midwestern dishes with a French flair.
470 Cleveland Ave. S., St. Paul (651) 340-3568
Making “grandma chic cool” is chef Karyn Tomlinson, an unassuming but daring creative spirit. A James Beard award winner (note the theme, the Twin Cities have an impressive number of them), Tomlinson focuses on locally sourced farm-to-fork dishes that she’s happy to sit at the tasting menu table with guests to describe.
Where to Drink
Courtesy of Parlour
730 N. Washington, Minneapolis and 267 W. Seventh St., St. Paul
If craft cocktails are what you’re seeking, slip into one of these locations for tasty and strong libations.
755 Prior Ave. N., St. Paul (651) 432-0228
Mini-golf, pinball, arcade games, live music, and weekly themed events help make this spacious bar and restaurant an attractive location for a night out or meetup. Wander the halls and enjoy the whimsy and clever decor. The owners of Can Can Wonderland also run Saint Paul Brewing in the original Hamm’s Brewery, also worth a visit.
550 Vandalia St., Suite 160, St. Paul (612) 217-4372
This large warehouse craft brewery and next-door King Coil Spirits cocktail bar both cater to the tech crowd with science-themed trivia nights and a board game night called Tipsy Tabletops, featuring local game creators.
560 W. Seventh St., St. Paul (651) 330-3255
For something completely different, this restaurant/bar/escape room based out of a funeral home in St. Paul offers challenging fun and creative cocktails. The common space is well stocked with various board games and immersive puzzles.
Courtesy of Indeed Brewing Company
711 15th Ave. NE, Minneapolis (612) 843-5090
This standout in the local craft beer scene is considered one of the taprooms that started it all. Its spacious indoor/outdoor space is always buzzing, and tech meetups and events are often on the schedule.
2027 N. Second St., Minneapolis (612) 886-2483
With the tagline “Old ass bar with good ass drinks,” Meteor is a cheeky, edgy spot that offers complicated cocktails alongside cheap beers, hot dogs, Atari games, and pinball.
520 Malcolm Ave. SE, Minneapolis (763) 999-4040
Sit beside Surly’s giant brewing tanks in its expansive beer hall or settle into a chair next to a firepit on the adjacent patio and catch up with friends at this massive brewery. With two outdoor stages, a separate upstairs bar, a well-stocked gift shop, and often daily events such as trivia, workshops, and concerts, Surly is “an attraction” beyond the typical brewery.
What to Do in the Twin Cities
Courtesy of Walker Art Center
725 Vineland Pl, Minneapolis, (612) 375-7600
Home to pieces such as Claes Oldenburg’s iconic Spoonbridge and Cherry sculpture that often helps identify the Twin Cities, the outdoor sculpture garden is free and walkable. Inside, the Walker features contemporary art exhibitions, a film and dance series, live concerts, and other cultural events.
2021 Hennepin Ave S, Minneapolis (612) 236-4089
Many Twin Citizens consider LITT Pinball Bar one of the best pinball arcades in the Midwest, both for its 47 well-maintained classic and new machines and also because it helped revive the legendary dive bar Liquor Lyle’s after it closed in 2021. During Liquor Lyle’s heyday, band members from The Replacements, Soul Asylum, and other local favorites used to hang out here, and LITT taps into that nostalgic scene in this space. The pinball machines accept only quarters and most games are 50 cents per play. There are weekly leagues and monthly tournaments. LITT’s food and drink menu is also impressive, with nearly a dozen specialty hotdogs winning several awards.
Multiple locations
The club made famous by Prince and “Purple Rain” is one of the Twin Cities’ best live music venues, but First Avenue’s acquisition of a number of theaters in Minneapolis and St. Paul over the past decade means it’s sometimes difficult to decide which concert, comedian, or festival to attend on a given night. For example, one date in October had Garbage in the main room at First Avenue, Fly by Midnight in the tiny 7th Street Entry next door, Swervedriver in the nearby Turf Club, and a taping of comedian Kelsey Cook at the Fitzgerald Theater.
Photograph: Cavan Images/Getty
Discover why locals love the Twin Cities by renting a bike, rollerblading, or taking a walk around the trails connecting the chain of lakes. Stop at one of the nearby cafés or patios for a drink or bite or to recharge your Fitbit.
100 Portland Ave, Minneapolis (612) 230-6400
Once a railroad bridge and now a path limited to pedestrians and cyclists that spans the Mississippi River just outside of downtown Minneapolis, the Stone Arch Bridge is a beloved destination that offers views of the skyline and St. Anthony Falls. The bridge was closed for nearly a year for needed repairs but recently reopened—and ahead of schedule!
With professional teams in all four major league sports—the Wild in hockey, the Vikings in football, the Twins in baseball, and the Timberwolves in basketball—as well as the WNBA and major league soccer, there’s a good chance of catching a game at one of the local arenas or stadiums even if you’re favorite team isn’t the opponent.
As the features editor at one of the Twin Cities’ two daily newspapers, author Amy Nelson interviewed a variety of local legends, including Prince. She is also the past editor of Minnesota Monthly magazine, where she regularly ranked burgers, top doctors, and weekend getaways. Despite her location, she’s a Green Bay Packers fan and season ticketholder at Lambeau Field.
