Plenty of St. Cloud restaurants and bars opened and closed in 2021. What's coming in 2022?

Sarah Kocher, St. Cloud Times
·3 min read

As you prepare to reminisce about the year that was 2021, allow us at the St. Cloud Times to help you look back on all the awesome things you ate and drank.

Coffee, chicken, barbecue and beer — oh my!

Here's a list of the restaurants in the area that opened in 2021, as well as the ones that closed.

What opened?

Taco Chon. A Mexican-born Minnesotan opened Taco Chon in St. Cloud in December. It's the second Taco Chon location, and popular dishes include birria tacos, chimichangas and a 20-inch-long fresh corn tortilla stuffed with meat referred to as a macheton. Taco Chon moved into the space vacated by Pho V along Division Street.

Crumbl Cookies. This viral cookie company opened a St. Cloud location in December, serving up different cookies on a weekly basis. Crumbl became a TikTok sensation, and has locations all over the United States. In St. Cloud, it's in the Rivertown Village shopping center.

Laura Wolfram and Kayla Adams talk about plans for the new Corvus Bakeshop location during an interview Monday, Aug. 16, 2021, in Sartell.
Laura Wolfram and Kayla Adams talk about plans for the new Corvus Bakeshop location during an interview Monday, Aug. 16, 2021, in Sartell.

Korppi Coffee + Bakeshop. A local cottage food producer and her partner made the transition to a storefront this year. Corvus Bakeshop is now Korppi Coffee + Bakeshop, operating out of the former Dunn Brothers location near the Sartell Walmart since October.

More: Mexican restaurant Taco Chon opens second Minnesota location in St. Cloud

Stihl Wolf. This industrial-themed bar opened in October along St. Germain Street in downtown St. Cloud. The co-owners are brothers-in-law aiming to create an after-work hangout for grabbing a beer and catching a game on the TV. Pizza's available from Polito's next door.

Eric Sjelin stands near the entrance of the soon-to-open new bar Stihl Wolf Monday, Sept. 13, 2021, in downtown St. Cloud.
Eric Sjelin stands near the entrance of the soon-to-open new bar Stihl Wolf Monday, Sept. 13, 2021, in downtown St. Cloud.

Raising Cane's. Minnesota's first two-lane Raising Cane's drive-thru came along with the chicken finger restaurant to St. Cloud in October along West Division Street. It was the 11th Raising Cane's in Minnesota.

Scooter's Coffee. An area resident brought Nebraska-based franchise Scooter's to St. Cloud as a way to help coffee drinkers waiting through long drive-thru lines in the area. The drive-thru-only location opened along Division Street in August.

More: It's opening day for Crumbl Cookies in St. Cloud's Rivertown Village shopping center

The St. Cloud Scooter's Coffee Drive-Thru location, pictured Aug. 10, 2021, will open later in the month.
The St. Cloud Scooter's Coffee Drive-Thru location, pictured Aug. 10, 2021, will open later in the month.

Caribou Coffee (Lincoln Avenue). St. Cloud's newest Caribou location opened at Minnesota Highway 23 and Lincoln Avenue in July. It's one tenant in a multi-unit building that replaced the former Gateway Motel, which was demolished in fall 2020.

Back Shed Brewing. The area's newest craft brewery opened in August next door to Crafts Direct in Waite Park and has since expanded its beers on tap. The space often hosts events and food trucks.

More: St. Joseph's Sliced Pizza closes, sells off equipment

Back Shed Brewing head brewer Chris Simonson stands next to the current small-batch brewing system he uses to develop recipes for future use Friday May 7, 2021, in Waite Park.
Back Shed Brewing head brewer Chris Simonson stands next to the current small-batch brewing system he uses to develop recipes for future use Friday May 7, 2021, in Waite Park.

What closed?

Sliced. The St. Joseph pizza business closed just after Thanksgiving after six years of business.

Ko-Z's Eats & Sweets. The Waite Park sandwich and sweets spot closed in September. Both Sliced and Ko-Z's were in danger of closing last winter, but an influx of customer support kept both businesses afloat longer than expected.

Austin Saatzer works the till Thursday Dec. 17, 2020, at Ko-Z's Eats & Sweets in Waite Park.
Austin Saatzer works the till Thursday Dec. 17, 2020, at Ko-Z's Eats & Sweets in Waite Park.

Pho V. A Vietnamese restaurant serving up Pho in the Division Place Shopping Center closed this fall. The St. Cloud Times was unsuccessful in contacting the business about its closure.

What to expect in 2021

Kinder Coffee Lab. The local coffee company that started with a subscription model has leased a space in the Youth for Christ building along Cooper Avenue that it is turning into a coffee shop. In an October interview with co-founderGuy Magno, he estimated the coffee shop would open this winter, with the drive-thru coming a little later in the year.

Packaging is ready to be filled with roasted coffee beans Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021, at Kinder Coffee Labs in St. Cloud.
Packaging is ready to be filled with roasted coffee beans Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021, at Kinder Coffee Labs in St. Cloud.

Slim Chickens? A Waite Park business group is spearheading an effort to expand the Slim Chickens franchise across three states, including Minnesota, but where those locations will go, and when, has yet to be announced. New locations will start appearing in spring 2022.

Sarah Kocher is the business reporter for the St. Cloud Times. Reach her at 320-255-8799 or skocher@stcloudtimes.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahAKocher.

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This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: What St. Cloud restaurants and bars opened and closed in 2021?