California Building Café

It used to be called the Mill City coffee shop and people in the know have, for years, stopped by to while away the hours on its peaceful and lovely patio. You wouldn’t think that it could improve, but it has. Dramatically. Now Mill City is the California Building Café, with extended hours, a full bar, and a dinner menu offering all sorts of Mediterranean-style treats, such as mousaka and a notably hearty lamb stew. Just to lure you in—as if you needed any more lures—there’s a killer happy hour: half-price drinks from 5 to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and half-price bottles of wine on Wednesdays. A patio and a white Russian. Now that’s the way to welcome fall. 2205 California St. N.E.; Minneapolis; 612-789-8262