A new all-day diner just opened its doors next to Allianz Field in St. Paul, serving up eggs benedict, country-fried steak and sandwiches from morning through afternoon. The Midway Diner, led by chef Vincent Francoual, opened Monday inside the United Village development, bringing 120 indoor seats and 80 more on a patio to a stretch of the Midway neighborhood that has waited years for new investment.
Francoual holds the title of head of culinary at the Midway Diner and its sister restaurant, Picco Pizza and Gelateria, rather than executive chef, the Pioneer Press reports. He told the paper he wanted to be also in hospitality, rather than confined strictly to the kitchen — a distinction that shapes how he talks about the project. Francoual said the restaurants are designed to serve everyone, and that he expects the diner and Picco to gladly serve soccer fans heading to and from matches at Allianz Field.
A Chef’s Long Road Back to the Midway
Francoual is no stranger to Twin Cities dining. For nearly a decade and a half, he ran the downtown Minneapolis fine-dining favorite Vincent, A Restaurant, before it closed in 2015, and he later helped open another downtown Minneapolis spot, Chloe, in 2022. Those credentials sit alongside a newer ambition: Francoual has said the United Village project is trying to update a neighborhood that neighborhood leaders describe as having weathered store closures and struggles with drugs and homelessness, according to CBS News.
When the diner first opened, it operated daily from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., with menu items priced at $15 or less, according to the Star Tribune. That schedule is set to expand soon: nighttime hours are planned to begin Oct. 5, when the diner will roll out a dinner menu and a full bar, the Star Tribune reports.
Picco Pizza Next in Line to Open
Just next door, Picco Pizza and Gelateria is expected to debut within the next month or so, per the Pioneer Press. Picco is planned to bake pies in a Ferrari-red deck pizza oven imported from Italy and to serve gelato sourced from Cossetta. Together, the diner and Picco represent the two local, non-chain restaurants at the heart of United Village — “there are no chains,” developer Bill McGuire has said, according to Twin Cities Business…