Animales One-Year-Anniversary Extravaganza, Minneapolis (27 Oct 2026)
Animales had been a food truck fixture at Bauhaus Brew Labs for years gaining a reputation for exceptional BBQ – even earning a spot on Texas Monthly’s United States of Texas Barbecue list with the only joint in the upper Midwest. After seven years “on the road”, founder and co-owner John Wipfli and the team were finally able to execute on their vision of a brick-and-mortar location. In October of 2025, they had the grand opening of their 12,000+ ft2 restaurant, music venue, and community space next to La Doña Cervecería in the former Royal Foundry Craft Spirits distillery space. Take a read of this excellent review of the Grand Opening from the Twin Cities Eater.
This past week, Animales hosted a one-year anniversary party and I was lucky enough to get an invite. I knew of Animales but had never eaten it, despite having been to Bauhaus. I don’t know why I hadn’t but thank goodness for anniversary parties and the opportunity to right that wrong. We arrived promptly at six and there was already a large crowd. The space is really stunning. They did such a great job of laying out the dining room relative to the stage and the bar with plenty of room to move around and flexibility in how the space could be used. You can thank my lovely wife for her pictures of the space. Once we got our bearings and a drink, we made for the ribs. Despite the crowd, there wasn’t a line (yet), so we got our first of many (five or six, maybe seven?) samples of ribs. Not a food critic, but I’ll try – Damn! Those are some good ribs. I know they know that and I know you probably know that, but I have to say it. They were tender, juicy, fall-off-the-bone with a buttery, pepper-forward flavor that I enjoyed on their own. I like a sweeter BBQ sauce and their regular was the right amount for me. They also had a spicy version, which was well done. My appetite is not what it was when I was in my 20s but I did myself proud that night.
We were able to meet with Gabby Coll of Blue Fox Concepts, Animales’ marketing partner, and Mao Xiong, the catering manager for Animales. Gabby told us about the desire to have the space be a gathering place in the community and their plans to broaden their offerings including hosting private events. They are currently open Wednesday – Friday from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Saturdays from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm and Sundays from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm. BBQ is only available after 4:00 pm since it takes time to do BBQ right. Brunch is available on the weekends from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. So what happens between 2:00 and 4:00? I guess I’m going to have to go find out. Their musical offerings have leaned towards Americana, Blues, Country and that ilk with Folk Fridays providing a wee bit of variety. Check out their calendar and you’ll see that they have something going on most every day they’re open including Survivor watch parties on Wednesdays and Sunday Game Day watch parties. I almost forgot, they also have line dancing lessons followed by dancing for three nights before the end of the year. They enticed me to come in with free BBQ and getting me in the door was all they needed to be. I’m already planning on being back to see the legend Cordbread Harris on the 7th of November. I can’t wait to see how they expand even further into the North Minneapolis community this next year.
