Shirley Sneve
ICT
The James Beard Award-winning restaurant Owamni will relocate in spring 2026 to a restaurant space on the main floor of the Guthrie Theater along the Mississippi riverfront in downtown Minneapolis.
The new location will offer the popular restaurant more space in a vibrant area of the city.
“It was just an opportunity that kind of just kind of popped up,” Chef Sean Sherman, Oglala Lakota, told ICT. “We looked into it deeply and made a difficult decision, because the original Owamni space is beautiful and it was so meaningful to be there along the river. But we’re just two blocks down, so we can still see Owamni from our windows.”
Sherman, known as “The Sioux Chef,” is also an educator, author, activist and founder of Owamni and its nonprofit organization North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems. Owamni opened in July 2021 in the Water Works Pavilion, owned by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.
Owamni is known for its Indigenous menu that sources most of its ingredients from Indigenous producers. Sherman’s new cookbook, “Turtle Island: Foods and Traditions of the Indigenous Peoples of North America,” will be released next month.
The restaurant prides itself on its ingredients.
“We have cut out colonial ingredients such as beef, pork, chicken, dairy, wheat flour and cane sugar, instead highlighting true agricultural products of North America, such as corns, beans, squash, wild game, birds, fish and Native plants,” Owamni’s website states. “This approach offers a different story of American cooking than the Eurocentric one that is traditionally touted – instead celebrating the amazing Indigenous diversity of Turtle Island.”
Sherman told ICT the new site offers more space near to its current location.
“The space at the Guthrie doubles the size of our current location and together we will continue to reconnect people with traditional Indigenous food practices and support Native cultural revitalization and community well-being,” Sherman said. “Owamni means ‘falling water’ in the Dakota language, and we’re so glad to remain close to St. Anthony Falls, on the shores of the Mississippi, which is a source of great significance to the Dakota people.”
Joseph Haj, artistic director at the Guthrie, said the move is good for both organizations.
“We’re beyond thrilled to welcome Owamni to the Guthrie in partnership with Chef Sean Sherman and NATIFS,” Haj said. “This mission-driven, nonprofit collaboration reflects the Guthrie’s deep commitment to our community and to enhancing the vibrancy of the Mississippi riverfront in downtown Minneapolis. Our current building site was chosen more than 20 years ago for its meaningful connection to the river, and this new partnership will deepen that connection as we prepare to celebrate two decades in our building next year.”
He continued, “We look forward to welcoming visitors from near and far to experience a one-of-a-kind destination that honors the significance of this setting and brings people together in exciting new ways.”
The move coincides with the end of Owamni’s lease at the Water Works Pavilion in Mill Ruins Park, which has a beautiful view of the river and outdoor seating for warmer weather months. The new location will still have outside seating, but the Guthrie is two blocks away from the river. A parking ramp is across the street from the theater.
The new space includes a fully equipped kitchen and dining area, Sherman said.
“We’re just going to Indigenize it a little bit to make it cool inside and then get everything ready to roll,” he said.
The larger space gives Owamni an opportunity to increase its Indigenous food offerings.
“I’m offering a lot more entrées. We’re going to have more protein and more seafood. I will have a full oyster bar featuring some of the coastal tribes,” Sherman said.
The Guthrie Theater produces a mix of classic and contemporary plays while “cultivating the next generation of theater artists,” officials said. The Guthrie, founded in 1963, houses three state-of-the-art stages, production facilities, classrooms and dramatic public spaces.