About Porzana
Daniel del Prado has become the most prolific and compelling restaurateur in Minneapolis — the chef behind Martina in Linden Hills, the visionary who built his reputation at Burch Steak before striking out on his own. Porzana is his most ambitious statement: a modern Argentinian parrillada, or steakhouse, that draws equally on Buenos Aires tradition and the broader Mediterranean influence of Italian and Spanish immigrants who shaped Argentine cuisine over two centuries.
The room at 200 N 1st St in the North Loop is built for commanding presence. The wood-fire grill is the centerpiece — you can see it working from most of the dining room, hear the fat hitting the coals, smell the smoke threading through the evening. The interior is done in warm leather and dark wood, with lighting calibrated precisely to the point where everyone looks their best while still being able to read the wine list. This is power dining done with taste.
The menu spans cold bar offerings — $4 oysters up to a $125 seafood platter — through house-cured charcuterie, handmade pastas ($25–$31) that would embarrass most Italian restaurants, and an extensive steak menu ranging from a $21 bavette to a $295 tomahawk. Non-steak entrees run $27–$41. The wine program, unsurprisingly, is heavy on Argentine Malbec and Torrontés but covers the full South American and European spectrum with genuine knowledge.
The Steak Program
The tomahawk at Porzana has become something of a Minneapolis institution. At $295, it is not for every evening — but for the deal that is already closed and needs a celebration, or the client whose business you are working hard to earn, the arrival of that cut at the table does a kind of wordless communicating that no amount of conversation can replicate. The kitchen handles it over wood fire with the patience and precision of a kitchen that understands red meat at a cellular level. The accompaniments — chimichurri, bone marrow butter, salsa criolla — are exactly right.
For more modest evenings, the bavette and the bife de chorizo represent extraordinary value at the lower end of the steak menu. The rib cap — when available — is the chef's choice for those who ask what to order.
Why Porzana for Closing a Deal
The North Loop is Minneapolis's power neighborhood — finance, real estate, law, media. Porzana is its dining room. The room projects seriousness and confidence without tipping into stuffiness; it is a place where you can have a real conversation over food that commands attention. The wine list allows for the kind of guided selection that signals expertise without intimidation — ask the sommelier what to open and they will read the table accurately.
The lounge and bar — open from 5 PM to midnight — serves as an excellent pre-dinner landing spot for drinks before the meal, or a post-dinner venue for the conversation that continues after the plates are cleared. The transition from the dining room to the bar is seamless, and the bar program is strong enough to make the extension feel intentional rather than obligatory.
The Pastas
For a steakhouse, Porzana's pasta program is absurdly accomplished. Del Prado's Italian and Spanish influences express themselves most clearly here — handmade sheets, bold ragùs, light crudos that speak a Mediterranean dialect. Order one as a course between the cold bar and the main event. The kitchen's discipline in keeping them secondary to the steak while making them entirely worth ordering on their own is a difficult balance that del Prado manages with apparent ease.
Reservations and Logistics
Porzana takes reservations via OpenTable. The dining room is open daily from 5 to 11 PM; the lounge and bar operate until midnight. Weekend reservations should be booked a minimum of one week in advance. The restaurant is in the heart of the North Loop with valet parking available on weekends and surface lots nearby during the week. Call (612) 489-6174 for large party coordination or special requests.