You’re walking through a graveyard of rusted machinery and crumbling brick, or at least that’s what it looks like from the outside. Then you push open the heavy glass doors and the smell of wood-fired dough and Korean fried chicken hits you like a physical wall. This is The Market at Malcolm Yards, a place that shouldn't really work on paper but somehow became the beating heart of Prospect Park.
It’s easy to dismiss food halls as "glorified malls." Honestly, some of them are. But Malcolm Yards feels different because it’s built inside the skeleton of the old Harris Machinery building, a 19th-century beast that survived fires and decades of neglect before becoming a place where you can get a $15 burger and a self-poured kolsch.
Why the "Yard Card" matters (and how to use it)
First-timers always look a little lost when they walk in. You don’t just walk up to a counter and hand over a credit card at every stop. Well, you can, but that’s the amateur move. The whole ecosystem here runs on the "Yard Card." You swipe your plastic at the kiosk, link it to your tab, and suddenly the building is your oyster.
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The real magic is the wall. Imagine 32 taps of local craft beer, wine, and cider. You aren’t committed to a full pint of a weird 11% ABV triple IPA that might taste like pine needles. You can pour exactly one ounce. Or four. You pay by the ounce, which means you can basically conduct your own private beer festival for twenty bucks.
The food lineup is actually curated
Most food halls just take whoever can pay the rent. Malcolm Yards acts more like an incubator. You’ve got heavy hitters and experimental pop-ups living side-by-side.
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Bebe Zito is the star child here. Ben and Gabby have created a cult following that’s borderline terrifying. Their burgers are thin, lacy-edged, and salty in all the right ways, but the ice cream is the real reason people drive from the suburbs. They do flavors that sound like a fever dream but taste like childhood.
Then there’s World Street Kitchen. If you haven't had a Yum Yum Bowl, have you even lived in Minneapolis? It’s a messy, glorious heap of rice, secret sauce, and crunchies. It's the kind of food that makes you want to take a nap immediately after, but in a good way.
For something a bit newer, Saturday Dumpling Co. moved in recently. They started as a pandemic-era Instagram side hustle and now they’re slinging scallion pancake wraps and "dumpling poppers." The Buffalo Chicken poppers with blue cheese are a weird Midwestern-Asian fusion that honestly has no business being that delicious.
The "secret" history of the Harris Machinery building
It’s not just "industrial chic" for the sake of an aesthetic. This building, dating back to 1889, used to manufacture railcars. Later, it was a hub for the Harris Machinery Company, which dealt in salvaged cargo. There was a massive fire in 2016 that nearly leveled the place.
If you look closely at the walls, you can see the scars. The developers didn't try to hide the grit. They kept the timber and the raw brick because it tells a story about Minneapolis that a new-build glass box just can't. It’s located in the Towerside Innovation District, right between the University of Minnesota and Highway 280. It’s tucked away behind some apartments, making it feel like a local secret even though it’s packed every Friday night.
Navigation and the parking situation
Let's be real: parking in Southeast Minneapolis is usually a nightmare. At Malcolm Yards, it’s... okay. There’s a lot on the north side of the building, but it fills up fast.
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If you’re coming from the University of Minnesota, you can take the Green Line. It’s a short walk from the 29th Avenue station. Pro tip: if the main lot is full, don't circle like a vulture. Check the street parking on 30th Ave SE or just bite the bullet and park a block away. The walk is worth the empanadas you're about to eat at DelSur.
A few things to keep in mind
- Noise levels: This place gets loud. If you're looking for a quiet, romantic first date where you can whisper sweet nothings, this isn't it. It’s a communal, clanging, energetic mess.
- The price point: You aren't getting McDonald's prices. You’re paying for chef-driven concepts. A meal and a couple of pours from the tap wall will easily run you $40 per person.
- Seating: It’s all communal. You might end up sharing a long wooden table with a group of grad students or a family with three toddlers. Embrace it.
Your Malcolm Yards game plan
Don't just show up and wing it. If you want the best experience, follow this flow:
- Get the Yard Card first. Don't wait until you're at the front of a line.
- Scope the tap wall. Pour a 2-ounce taster of something local, like a Surly or a 56 Brewing seasonal.
- Divide and conquer. If you're with a group, have one person hit Abang Yoli for the Korean Fried Chicken and another grab a pizza from Wrecktangle.
- Finish at Bebe Zito. Even if the line looks long, it moves. Get the "Tonka" if it's on the menu.
The Market at Malcolm Yards isn't just a place to eat. It’s a snapshot of where the Twin Cities food scene is going—less formal, more collaborative, and deeply rooted in the bones of the city’s past. Go for the beer wall, stay because you accidentally ordered three different types of dumplings and need a place to sit while you digest.