Market Bar-B-Que finds new home in northeast Minneapolis

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Market Bar-B-Que, which has been serving up ribs and brisket on Eat Street in Minneapolis for more than seven decades, is taking its iconic neon marquee sign across town.  

Redevelopment of the 1400 block of Nicollet Avenue is forcing businesses like Market Bar-B-Que, Salsa a la Salsa and the Red Eye Theater to either close or relocate. On Tuesday, the Polski family, which has run Market Bar-B-Que for 72 years, announced the restaurant had found a new home at 220 Lowry Avenue Northeast. 

The Nicollet Avenue location will close in September and the new location is scheduled to open in mid-November. 

“The city government really stepped up to protect this unique piece of Minneapolis history and made it possible for the beautiful marquee sign to be relocated to its new home in NE Minneapolis,” the Polski family said in a statement. 

The new location will also have a private dining room and vintage arcade room called “Williard’s Card Room,” named after Market Bar-B-Que’s founder, Willard Polski. 

The move may not be permanent, however. Both Reuter Walton—the  firm heading the Nicollet Avenue redevelopment—and the Polski family have expressed interest in having Market Bar-B-Que return to Loring Park once the project is complete.