Owamni, the James Beard-winning Indigenous restaurant from chef Sean Sherman, is packing up its snug corner in the Water Works Pavilion and heading a short way down the river to a far bigger stage: the Guthrie Theater. The move will come with a full rebrand and a new name, even as Sherman prepares to nearly double the dining room and ramp up midday and post-show service to bring his decolonized, regional menu to many more diners. Owamni operates under Sherman’s nonprofit North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NĀTIFS), which also runs the Indigenous Food Lab and related training programs.
According to MPR News, the restaurant will take on that new name when it opens in the Guthrie’s main-floor dining space this spring. Sherman’s team is mapping out a scaled-up operation aimed at serving more people while holding tight to the seasonal, place-based approach that helped make Owamni a national destination.
Why the Guthrie?
A joint announcement from NĀTIFS and the Guthrie first revealed the relocation in October 2025, and Owamni has said the Guthrie space will roughly double the restaurant’s footprint. Theater leadership framed the partnership as a way to deepen the riverfront’s cultural offerings while keeping the restaurant geographically and spiritually close to Owámniyomni, also known as St. Anthony Falls.
What Changes On The Plate
The larger kitchen is expected to open up the playbook. Local coverage notes that Owamni plans to add pre-theater snacks, expand its seafood options, and stretch service later into the night for post-show crowds, all while growing its educational and production work behind the scenes. Eater Twin Cities reported that the move is expected to create dozens of jobs and give the Indigenous Food Lab more capacity to produce for markets and programs. Sherman has been clear that, expansion or not, the restaurant’s focus on Indigenous ingredients will stay put.
National Profile And Local Roots
Owamni shot to national prominence after winning the James Beard Foundation’s Best New Restaurant award in 2022, earning attention for its “decolonized” menus centered on corn, beans, squash, fish, game, and foraged plants. As Owamni explains, the restaurant intentionally leaves out ingredients introduced through colonization, including wheat, dairy, and cane sugar.
What It Means For The Riverfront
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board has confirmed that Owamni will not renew its lease at the Water Works Pavilion and says it will solicit new proposals for the riverside spot once the restaurant moves on. In a statement, The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board described the transition as part of the riverfront’s ongoing development and revitalization.
“We couldn’t be more excited to make Owamni’s stage, a restaurant that showcases Indigenous cuisine, part of the Guthrie stages,” Sherman said in a joint press release, according to the Guthrie Theater. As the team prepares to reopen under a new name, Sherman and NĀTIFS say the larger footprint will support expanded programming, more training, and a wider platform for Indigenous foodways across the region.
