The Bde Maka Ska Pavilion reopened on October 20, 2023. Almost exactly three years later, its restaurant is closed. Pimento on the Lake announced its closure on October 19, 2026, after the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board ended its agreement. That came just as the season was turning toward the months the rebuilt pavilion had been designed to handle.
For anyone who walks, runs or bikes the Chain of Lakes after the leaves drop, this changes the route. The old refectory was a summer building. The 2023 pavilion was the first shoreline site on these lakes built with cold months in mind. With its restaurant dark and the Lake Harriet Bandshell's concession closed for the year, this winter the loop's warm stops are where they were before 2023: a few blocks inland, in Uptown and Linden Hills.
One Day Short of Three Years, and an Open Question
The pavilion at 3000 E Bde Maka Ska Parkway is owned by the Park Board. Pimento ran its lakeside restaurant there under an agreement that included rent plus a share of sales. According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, the owners said both were paid on time. The sticking point was a separate $150,000 capital contribution toward what the Park Board spent building the pavilion. The owners' statement, as the Star Tribune reported it:
"We were working with potential partners to help meet that obligation. Unfortunately, we were unable to reach an agreement in time with the Park Board on arrangements to provide those funds and keep the restaurant operating. We did our best."
Pimento's flagship on Nicollet Avenue is still open. No plan for the restaurant space has been announced. The 2023 announcement described the separate Pimento Market building as a year-round space, and the Park Board hasn't said publicly whether it is still running. FOX 9 reported that the Park Board hadn't answered its questions about what comes next. The Park Board's Business Opportunities page lists open requests for proposals for Minnehaha Regional Park planning and a concession operator at North Commons. It lists nothing for Bde Maka Ska.
Any new operator would come through a solicitation process like the ones on that page. So the restaurant space is likely to stay empty at least through the stretch of the year when the lake is quietest.
The Pavilion Was the Shoreline's Winter Plan
The original Bde Maka Ska refectory went up in 1930 and, in the Park Board's words, "was operated seasonally until it burned down in 2019." For about 90 years, food on the east shore was a summer thing.
The rebuild changed that on purpose. The Park Board's 2023 opening announcement describes a $6.5 million project with two buildings totaling 4,400 square feet. It included 3,000 square feet of covered outdoor space with ceiling-mounted heaters, a market space for local entrepreneurs, and "a six-stall restroom area that will be available year-round." At the opening, District 4 Commissioner Elizabeth Shaffer called the site a major regional draw, "as the Chain of Lakes is the second-most visited destination in Minnesota."
No other lakeside concession on the chain was built that way. Bread & Pickle, at the Lake Harriet Bandshell, posts a plain notice: "We are closed for the 2026 season. See you in 2027!" Wheel Fun Rentals at Bde Maka Ska is a warm-weather business.
The restrooms are where it gets murky this year. The Park Board's Bde Maka Ska park page still lists the pavilion as having year-round bathrooms. A notice on the same page, and on the Park Board homepage, says restrooms at regional park facilities are closed for the season. If you're planning a long walk around the east shore, check before you count on them.
Where the Warm Stops Moved
With the shoreline closed, the nearest coffee, food and indoor seating is in the two business districts at either end of the Bde Maka Ska–Lake Harriet stretch. Both have changed over the past year.
North end: Lake Street, Lagoon Avenue and Hennepin
- OG ZaZa, 1440 W. Lake St., opened September 7, 2026, in the former Mesa Pizza space. Its website lists dine-in service until 1 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday, which makes it the late option on the north end.
- Harold's Chicken, 1430 Lagoon Ave., is a large restaurant and sports bar serving made-to-order fried chicken. It appeared as open in the Star Tribune's October 5 openings and closings roundup.
- Uptown Diner, 2548 Hennepin Ave. S., was still open when its sister restaurant closed in January 2026.
Some familiar names are gone. New Uptown Cafe at 3008 Hennepin closed in January after more than three years, so don't confuse it with Uptown Diner. The Lowry, 2112 Hennepin, has closed after 15 years. French Meadow Bakery & Cafe and Bluestem Bar at 2610 Lyndale closed September 14 after 41 years.
South end: Linden Hills, off Lake Harriet's west side
- Marc Heu Patisserie Paris, 3509 W. 44th St., started as a holiday pop-up and stayed as a permanent shop. The Star Tribune reported it reopening January 10 with pastries and coffee on the menu.
- The Harriet Brasserie, 2724 W. 43rd St., currently serves Thursday through Sunday, with breakfast Friday through Sunday and dinner Thursday through Saturday.
Hours change in the off-season, so check before you head out. Seen together, the north end has the late-night spots and the south end has pastry, breakfast and a sit-down dinner. That's a real difference when you're picking a direction to walk.
The Lake Loop Calendar Through January
The parkways and the Linden Hills calendar fill in what the shoreline buildings no longer do. Lake Harriet comes up again and again.
| Date | What's happening | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Now through mid-November | Parkway resurfacing plus pedestrian ramp and intersection work. The north-side walking and biking trail and the Bandshell south-lot entrance stay open. | Lake Harriet Parkway, plus the William Berry Parkway intersection |
| Thursday, Nov. 26 | Drumstick Dash parkway closure | Lake Harriet Parkway |
| Saturday, Dec. 5 | Reindeer Day, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Linden Hills |
| Thursday, Dec. 17 | Holiday Wine & Stroll, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., with carolers, drinks, light bites and participating shops | Linden Hills |
| Saturday, Dec. 19 | Reindeer Run parkway closure | Lake Harriet Parkway |
| Saturday, Jan. 23, 2027 | Lake Harriet Winter Kite Festival, with 20 interactive shanties from Art Shanty Projects and food trucks | Lake Harriet |
The parkway dates come from the Park Board's road closures page. The neighborhood events come from the Linden Hills calendar. For the kite festival, organizers warn that parking at Lake Harriet will be very limited and are running a free shuttle from 3033 Excelsior Blvd.
The Park Board's ice rinks page lists Lake of the Isles and Linden Hills Park for skating and hockey. It hasn't posted 2026–27 opening dates yet.
Next Year's Shoreline Is Already Being Drawn
The pavilion isn't the only lakeside project in motion. At Lake Harriet, the Park Board has two projects lined up for 2027.
The first is at North Beach. Southwest Voices reported that the plan aims to improve access, including ADA-compliant beach access, and to address infrastructure and life-safety needs. Construction is expected to start in spring 2027.
The second is on the west shoreline. Some sections of the WPA-era retaining wall there have collapsed or lean toward the lake. Southwest Voices reported that the Park Board is drawing up replacement plans, with construction projected for summer or fall 2027.
That leaves Bde Maka Ska with a $6.5 million building whose restaurant is empty and has no announced successor. Lake Harriet, meanwhile, has two dated construction projects and a concession set to reopen in 2027. When a solicitation for the pavilion appears on the Park Board's Business Opportunities page, it will be the first clear sign of whether the east shore gets back the year-round use the rebuild was designed for.
If you own near the lakes and wonder how changes like this show up in what homes sell for, I'm glad to talk it through. Mark Geier has followed the Chain of Lakes and the Lake Minnetonka corridor for more than 30 years, and you'll work with me directly from the first call. Request your free home valuation and we'll go over what's happening near your street.
