The Mill Northeast’s Mid Menu is a fun way to meet the new neighbor.
I’ve long been a cheerleader for happy-hour menus as kid-and budget-friendly ways to try out a new spot. When Marie Flanagan wrote about the opening of The Mill Northeast in the old Porky’s space on Central Avenue, she mentioned their Mid Menu. My family likes the Mid Menu so much I fear a short blog post might not be enough to contain its awesomeness. But I’m going to try.
The Mid Menu goes way beyond happy hour, because it’s three hours, every day, and twice on Fridays and Saturdays. OK, I’m probably not going to be taking my kids to the Mill NE between 10 p.m. and midnight on the weekends, but 3 to 6 p.m. every day? That’s exactly when my kids are hungry like baby dragons, so it’s perfect timing. In addition to the Kid Menu’s four affordable options, the Mid Menu currently has nine $5 dishes. For the grownups, there are $3 tall boys, $4 taps and house wine, and $6 craft cocktails, so you can try a variety of food AND drink without breaking your budget.
On our last visit, we made a family meal out of several items. My elder was so happy to be eating cheese curds that he didn’t complain when I snuck some beet and arugula onto his plate. My husband was suspicious of the squash soup (he has a strange bias against fall vegetables) until he tried it. Then we had to fight over the last bite. There were similar squabbles over the sliders and the cod pops. In the end, we had more than enough food to go around and had tried a number of things across the menu.
On our way out the door, I noticed the Porky’s former neon “DINE IN YOUR CAR” sign has been shortened to “NE.” I think the Mid Menu is a similar smart shorthand. It’s a nice invitation to come in and see what aspect of the Mill Northeast is going to be your new favorite.
The Mill Northeast
themillnortheast.com
1851 Central Ave NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418
Mid Menu every day 3 to 6 p.m.
Friday & Saturday 10 p.m. to midnight
Sunday & Monday: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Tuesday to Thursday: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Friday & Saturday: 10 a.m. to 12 a.m.
