Boardwalk Kitchen & Bar Profile
Shakopee’s Canterbury Commons district is booming, thanks to businesses including Badger Hill Brewing, Bravi’s, OG ZaZa, and Mr. Pig’s Smokery. The most recent addition is Boardwalk Kitchen & Bar, a restaurant and nightlife destination overlooking Canterbury Park.
Boardwalk Kitchen & Bar taps into the expertise and experience of its owners, Joe Berg and Thomas Pivec. Berg’s background in hospitality includes the Lumber Exchange Event Center and formerly, the Pourhouse and the Library Bar. Pivec is a classically trained chef and operating partner at Lord Fletcher’s on Lake Minnetonka. “Boardwalk Kitchen & Bar is really our backgrounds combined together, and our brains each doing what we do best,” says Berg.
In a nod to the proximity to Canterbury Park, there’s whimsical horse-themed art throughout the building. The dining room’s breezy, sleek vibe works equally well for a date night, evening out with friends, or family meal (a kid’s menu is available). The cuisine, inspired by the boardwalks of the East Coast, includes fresh shucked oysters, steamed mussels, and Maryland-style crab cakes. For entrees, there’s wood-fired salmon, pasta dishes, pressed chicken, and steak frites. The drink menu features mint juleps and a Minnesota mule served in a Spam can-style container, plus local craft brews, wine, and zero proof options.
Since Boardwalk Kitchen & Bar is only 25 feet from the Canterbury Park racetrack, the dining room’s floor-to-ceiling windows provide top-notch views of thoroughbreds galloping by on race days (typically Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday). However, the best seats in the house are on the sprawling patio. “The horses going by, that never gets old,” says Berg. “It really is something special.”
Race coverage is broadcast on televisions above the dining room’s central bar, and there’s an on-site betting booth to place race wagers and purchase pull tabs.
Under the same roof and across the lobby from Boardwalk Kitchen & Bar, the Stable offers visitors a more casual, entertainment-focused experience. The Stable features a stage and LED video wall, and the menu is more casual, with smash burgers, chicken tenders, wings, and cheese curds.
In addition to a robust schedule of live music and DJ sets, the Stable hosts karaoke night on Thursdays. Looking to the future, trivia nights are in the works and a sand volleyball court for league play is currently under construction.
“We consider ourselves a resort-style experience,” says Berg. “My best advice would be to come on a Saturday at around 5:00 p.m. to watch the horse races for a couple hours out on the patio. Then go inside for a nice dinner at 7:00 p.m. and then after dinner, catch live music over at the Stable. It’s a one stop shop.”
After dining at Boardwalk Kitchen & Bar, explore the rest of what Shakopee has to offer. Shakopee is home to Valleyfair, Canterbury Park, and the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. It’s also conveniently located to area destinations like Chanhassen Dinner Theatres and Mystic Lake.