Bob Berg / Lake Superior Magazine
Sunshine Cafe
Young-A and Steven Clement have owned the Sunshine Cafe for 30 years. As Steven tells it, he does the cooking and she does everything else.
When you’re hungry in Duluth, head to a not-exactly hidden food gem by taking the Central Avenue exit, south or north on I-35. This West Duluth neighborhood brims with homestyle eateries.
Breakfast is the obvious place to start, and the smell of eggs and sweet pancakes on the grill greets you at the door of the Sunshine Cafe. Inside, the cafe buzzes on a Saturday morning, with regulars and first-timers like me packing the tables.
Young-A Clement, who owns the bright, airy café with her husband, Steven, welcomes guests with the warm chatter of old friends or with a bright smile that makes you feel like a regular. The interior décor conjures small-town Main Street, but mingles Asian art and figurines with the crayon drawings by visiting children that Young-A displays on walls and menus.
The menu features tasty lunch items like Swedish meatballs or grilled cheese and chili, but the appropriately named café shines for breakfast. Steven loads the three-egg omelets with fixings (the vegetarian is $7.99). My choice, the Swedish pancakes, melts in your mouth, and for $6.50 comes with two eggs.
“Probably 90 percent of our business is breakfast, no matter what time of the day,” Steven says.
People relax here, so forget about rushing. Many guests are repeats; the Clements watched a few grow up. “We’ve been here so long, I can remember one little kid who used to come in here and twirl around on the stool. Now he brings his little girl in, and she’s doing it, and he’s saying, ‘Don’t do that!’” Steven chuckles.
5719 Grand Ave., 218-624-7013, www.facebook.com/SunshineCafeDuluth. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Bob Berg / Lake Superior Magazine
Gannucci’s Italian Market
Bill Kalligher, right, owns and cooks at Gannucci’s Italian Market and says his son, Josh, left, “is the No. 2 guy. He does everything I do. He cooks; he serves.” Some folks are lured in by savory smells drifting outside.
Not far from the Sunshine, on Central Avenue, is Gannucci’s Italian Market (formerly Italian Village), a genial place to enjoy freshmade ravioli, lasagna, pizza or a generous sandwich. This is a hybrid – part restaurant, part deli market displaying wheels of cheeses and crafted meats, like the homemade Italian sausage. Dry pastas and olive oil line the shelves. Many come to shop the specialized grocery, but eat here once and you’re hooked.
Four years ago, Bill Kalligher acquired the deli and grocery from his aunt and changed its name. He and his son, Josh, expanded into the adjacent space. The new dining area has the welcoming atmosphere of family-owned Italian restaurants. It’s wrapped in a mural of Italian village scenes by Tom Napoli. Almost-lifesize cutouts of Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra hang out in one corner.
Bob Berg / Lake Superior Magazine
Gannucci’s Italian Market
Guy Fieri sampled Gannucci’s porketta during his “Diners, Drive-ins & Dives” visit.
The business has existed for 40 years, but the new look and seating for 65 guests provides a fresh experience.
Bill learned Italian cooking from his grandmother. At her side as a kid, he’d watch her prepare meals.
“I knew the joy I used to get out of eating her food, and I figured if I’m getting that much fun out of it, someone else can get just as much.”
Visitors can try the amazingly satisfying porketta – slow-cooked pork loin on a hoagie bun with mozzarella ($7.89). Full of fennel and spices, it’s tender and dripping with juice. Guy Fieri visited Gannucci’s for “Diners, Drive-ins & Dives” and named the porketta as his favorite menu item.
Guy also featured the popular muffaletta, stacked with capicola ham, capers, provolone, mozzarella, salami and three kinds of olives on homemade focaccia bread. Bill favors the pastrami: “It’s worth the trip. I’m not kidding. You won’t believe that sandwich.”
Along with Josh, Bill’s wife, daughters and brother make this a family operation. The face on the sign out front is Vito Gannucci, Bill’s great-grandfather, who moved his family in 1908 from Italy to Hibbing, Minnesota, and later to West Duluth.
“On a personal level, I like it because people might come in and don’t know what to expect. And when they leave, they’re loud and jovial and having a good time,” Bill says.
301 N. Central Ave., 218-624-2286, www.gannuccis.com. Open every day but Sunday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
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Bob Berg / Lake Superior Magazine
Beaner's Central
Homemade soup and salad at Beaner’s Central.
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Bob Berg / Lake Superior Magazine
Beaner's Central
Beaner’s Central is popular for original live music on its stage.
Still hungry? These neighborhood dining options are sure to satisfy:
Beaner’s Central is in its 16th year as “an original music concert coffeehouse,” says owner Jason Wussow. The emphasis is on locally sourced food, craft beer and coffee. Look for homemade soups, paninis, deli sandwiches and a loyal clientele from hipsters to oldsters. A Beaner’s favorite is Thursday’s special: carnitas-style pork tacos. All pastries and cakes are made on-site. Regional musicians perform several nights a week; national acts come once or twice a month. 324 N. Central Ave., www.beanerscentral.com. Open daily, hours vary.
Want to know a secret? West Duluth American Legion Post 71 packs in a crowd for its Monday night dinners that start in September. The line starts forming at 4:30 p.m. for good-as-Mom’s entrées that rotate among Italian dishes, baked chicken, fish or meatloaf. The culinary peak is pork chops night, the last Monday of the month. How good is it? There’s a limit of 220 meals, which go quickly, says bartender John “Big Daddy” Bonlender. You really need to get on the pork chop dinner reservation list, which you do by 1) attending one of the other Monday night dinners or 2) eating an omelet breakfast the third Sunday of the month. 5814 Grand Ave., 218-628-1495, www.facebook.com. Monday dinners served mid-September to mid-May.
Bob Berg / Lake Superior Magazine
Gopher Bar & Grill
Devin Frankfourth at the Gopher Bar & Grill gets rave neighborhood reviews for his cooking.
Big Daddy turned us onto this one, highly praising the Gopher Bar & Grill with: “The guy really knows how to cook.” That’s no surprise. Head chef Devin Frankfourth brings 40 years of experience to the kitchen, creating soups, burgers, sandwiches, pizzas and spaghetti and meatballs from scratch. The homemade sausage at the Gopher Bar is a family recipe that goes back to Ernie Conito, who owned Italian Village market (now Gannucci’s) for two decades. Devin’s personal menu recommendation is the creamy chicken wild rice soup. 402 N. Central Ave., 218-624-9793, www.facebook.com/GopherBarDuluth. Open daily until 2 a.m.
Mr. D’s Bar & Grill, famed for a half-pound burger, has sandwiches, wraps, soups and salads. It’s well-liked, too, for hosting many benefits and fundraisers. The restaurant and its service are icons of the neighborhood. 5622 Grand Ave., www.mrdsbar.com. Open every day, hours vary.
A neighborhood staple since 1956, Sammy’s Pizza & Restaurant of West Duluth offers pasta, burgers, sandwiches, soups and salads, along with its popular freshmade brick-oven pies. Sammy’s all-you-can-eat buffet is served daily (with pizzas, pasta, soups, salad, wings and desserts). 403 N. Central Ave., 218-628-2327, www.sammyspizzawestduluth.com. Open Sunday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday & Saturday, 11 a.m. to midnight.
Shake It has protein shakes, sandwiches and wraps – it’s what owners Tanya and Cheryl Templer call “healthy fast food.” (They also have a drive-through window.) 5801 Grand Ave., 218-624-5662, www.facebook.com/shakeitWD. Open daily except Sunday, hours vary.
So whether you crave pork chops, pancakes, burgers or anything Italian, take the exit to Grand-Central, home to made-from-scratch eateries where you feel like one of the neighbors.