Nankin Cafe Pins and Buttons
Description: Nankin Cafe was a Chinese restaurant in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was considered "a downtown Minneapolis landmark for 80 years". Founded by Walter James in 1919 at 15 S. 7th Street, now the site of the Dayton-Radisson parking ramp, it was sold in 1949 to the Golden and Chalfen families. The restaurant moved across 7th Street to 20 S. 7th Street in 1958. In 1980 it was razed, along with the entire block (1979-1980), to make way for the City Center shopping center, after its owners agreed to a settlement allowing it to relocate in the new center, which it did in 1981 upon completion of the complex. The Nankin was owned by the Wu family for the last 10 years of its existence.
Description: A graphic emblem featuring a red torii gate with green accents at the top. Below the gate, a stylized pagoda building is centered, with a fountain in front of it. Text reads 'NANKIN - CAFÉ -' above the pagoda. A curved banner below the scene contains text 'ON SEVENTH BETWEEN HENNEPIN AN TO MINNEAPOLIS THE BEAUTIFUL'. The entire design is on a black background.
Description: For Jewish and non-Jewish customers alike, the Lincoln Del was a Minneapolis version of Cheers—at the Del everybody knew your name. Folks hardly minded waiting in line for the fresh caraway rye, the cabbage borscht, the corned beef sandwiches, or the towering strawberry shortcake because every visit was like a family reunion, complete with warm embraces, recounted stories, boisterous jokes, and—of course—plenty of amazing food. From modest beginnings as a bakery in 1930s north Minneapolis to a local chain of three bustling restaurants in St. Louis Park and Bloomington, the Lincoln Del was a neighborhood institution for decades.
