Dark Horse to reopen under new ownership
Dark Horse to reopen under new ownershipBy Tim Spitzack | Editor | July 2025
Despite a string of closures in the St. Paul restaurant scene over the past several months, one eatery has resurfaced under new ownership and its owners are bullish on the future of Lowertown.Buoyed by the June 1 return-to-office policy for state employees and the high number of people living downtown, Shane Oporto and Sarah McDonough are betting that better days lie ahead for the Capital City. The duo recently purchased Dark Horse Bar & Eatery, 250 E. Seventh St., and will reopen it in early July. They are bringing some fresh ideas, new menu items and a healthy dose of optimism to the restaurant, which closed in February after a decade of operation.
“Shane and I were entrepreneurs in the restaurant world and had a pretty constant desire to open something up and work with each other,” said McDonough. “Lowertown kind of has this reputation currently, and if you’re around it [the neighborhood] you see the beauty and we want to emphasize it and bring it back into the light. There’s so much history and culture. Yeah, it’s got some pain points, there’s no doubt about it, but if we continue to be positive and shed light on it and be part of the community, we can make a difference to make it better. That really was the draw for us.”Oporto and McDonough are part of the Eclective hospitality group (formerly Hole In One Management), which also owns three other St. Paul businesses that operate in renovated historic spaces: Can Can Wonderland, Saint Paul Brewing and Martha’s Garden. The group is headed by owner Rob Clapp and chief operating officer Liza Sterletske. McDonough, the former general manager at Can Can Wonderland, will head front-of-house operations at Dark Horse, and Oporto will let his culinary talents shine in the kitchen, drawing on his vast experience at other St. Paul restaurants. Most recently he was with Digidio’s on West Seventh Street for five years, and previously was chef and co-owner of the former Octo Fishbar in Lowertown. He also worked at La Belle Vie in Minneapolis.
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