Dario Restaurant brings a pink punk edge to Minneapolis’ North Loop
Minneapolis’ Dario Restaurant dishes up homemade pasta in quirky interiors designed by Wittkamper Studio

First-time restaurateurs chef Joe Rolle and bartender Stephen Rowe have recently opened Dario Restaurant, the latest hot ticket to arrive at Minneapolis’ North Loop, a neighbourhood known for its edgy shops, bars, breweries and coffee shops.
Discover Dario Restaurant, where Italian cuisine meets global influences
Dario’s distinctive feminine yet edgy aesthetic was brought to life by local hospitality designer Aaron Wittkamper of Wittkamper Studio. Inside, Benjamin Moore’s ‘A Touch of Pink’ painted wall blends with an image of a Roman statue peeking through a digital neon veil. Wittkamper describes the space as, ‘a light-filled, pink and teal environment, supported by an aesthetic that is both pristine and a bit punk rock’.
Brass accents contrast with the ‘undercurrent of energy’ that inspired the design and colour scheme. ‘Highlights include a small poetic archway in the main entry, along with a recessed back bar shelving wall and the kick rail below the bar,’ points out Wittkamper. Along those lines, an iridescent deeper teal velvet is used to anchor the end of the space in the brighter, yet smaller pink ‘Tiger Room’.
To ensure the long and skinny L-shaped space did not feel like a big cafeteria, Wittkamper placed two full-height white-washed oak lattice-like custom millwork pieces, which serve as bookends to the central bar area and dividing the overall restaurant into three main areas, without using an opaque divider to break up the space.
Floor-to-ceiling windows line the restaurant with banquette seating throughout the dining area, leading to a glass-enclosed pasta room, creating a fourth area, which transitions from a workspace by day to a dining area by night, where guests sit at the long butcher-block pasta-sheeting table. This provides an ‘eat-in-the-kitchen’ vibe where you can dine on everything from East Coast oysters topped with a Thai-style beef tartare to sautéed trout with saffron mussel emulsion, or doubled-sided stuffed ravioli with ricotta and caramelised sunchokes.
Guests can also opt to pull up a flamingo-like custom pink ‘Hula’ bar stool from Andreu World against a teardrop-shaped deep teal tile on the bar face, and order a Future Dancer, made with Destilerias Acha Extra Dry Vermouth, or a non-alcoholic option made with Shiitake tea.
Wittkamper adds, ‘I can comfortably say that Dario is a true expression of the owners’ culinary-forward personalities, as manifested in a restaurant.’
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Carole Dixon is a prolific lifestyle writer-editor currently based in Los Angeles. As a Wallpaper* contributor since 2004, she covers travel, architecture, art, fashion, food, design, beauty, and culture for the magazine and online, and was formerly the LA City editor for the Wallpaper* City Guides to Los Angeles.
-
From 3D printed mud homes to portable kitchens, in Venice, we explore new ways to co-exist with our planet
At Palazzo Diedo a new exhibition by MIT Architecture and Antikythera questions how construction is currently understood in order to ‘rebuild’ our world, for 19th Venice Architecture Biennale
-
Jony Ive’s LoveFrom creates a new look for San Francisco’s much-loved architectural bookshop
LoveFrom has unveiled a new graphic identity and typeface for William Stout Architectural Books, a mainstay of the city’s architecture and design community for over 50 years
-
Uniqlo’s colourful ‘gift shop’ at Tate Modern marks 25 years of the London institution
A Uniqlo store in miniature, ‘Uniqlo Tate Shop, Art For All’ opens at Tate Modern to coincide with a weekend of celebration, featuring a playful take on museum ‘merch’ alongside a colourful array of Uniqlo staples
-
Ghanaian cuisine has a story to tell at Washington, DC restaurant Elmina
The new restaurant is chef Eric Adjepong’s colourful ode to the recipes he grew up loving
-
Fancy a matcha-beer cocktail? Visit this dashing new LA restaurant
Café 2001 channels the spirit of an American diner with the flow of a European bistro and the artistry of Japanese cuisine
-
Visit this Michelin-star New York restaurant that doubles as an art gallery
Artist Mr.StarCity is exhibiting his emotionally charged yet optimistic ‘Bloomers’ portrait series at Frevo, a Greenwich Village hidden haunt
-
With glowing honeycomb-shaped booths, this futuristic Japanese restaurant is ramen heaven
After a successful U.S. expansion, Kyuramen touches down in Los Angeles.
-
Tour the best contemporary tea houses around the world
Celebrate the world’s most unique tea houses, from Melbourne to Stockholm, with a new book by Wallpaper’s Léa Teuscher
-
Seven things not to miss on your sunny escape to Palm Springs
It’s a prime time for Angelenos, and others, to head out to Palm Springs; here’s where to have fun on your getaway
-
At Linden Los Angeles, classic New York comfort food gets its due
The restaurant, inspired by a stretch of boulevard bridging Brooklyn and Queens, honors legacy, community and pleasure
-
This atmospheric New York restaurant was designed to be a ‘beautiful ruin’
At Leon’s, classic Italian fare comes with a North African accent and with a side of family history