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Iconic Mickey’s Diner reopens in downtown St. Paul

Mickey’s Diner, the iconic dining car in downtown St. Paul, has reopened for the first time since the pandemic.

Despite raising nearly $75,000 through a 2020 GoFundMe, the diner remained closed until this morning, when surprised residents and workers encountered what manager Sam Hashish told the Pioneer Press was a “soft opening.”

The menu remains the same, with some additions, such as Middle Eastern pastries like baklava and espresso drinks. Meats are now kosher as well.

The dining car will have a formal reopening at a date to be announced later, Hashish said.

A selection of baklava and other pastries tempt patrons during a soft opening of the famed Mickey’s Dinning Car in downtown in St. Paul on Thursday, Oct. 3. 2024. The landmark restaurant closed its doors in March 2020 because of the COVID pandemic. Sam Hashish, the manager, said the new menu will be essentially the same except kosher and will add such items as Italian and other coffees along with fresh pastries. “We’ll stay open during the soft open as long as the food lasts,” said Hashish. A formal opening date will be announced at a later date. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Cook Ahmed Ashraf keeps an eye on the counter during a soft opening of the famed Mickey’s Dinning Car in downtown in St. Paul on Thursday, Oct. 3. 2024. The landmark restaurant closed its doors in March 2020 because of the COVID pandemic. Sam Hashish, the manager, said the new menu will be essentially the same except kosher and will add such items as Italian and other coffees along with fresh pastries. “We’ll stay open during the soft open as long as the food lasts,” said Hashish. A formal opening date will be announced at a later date. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Line cook Mohamed Mustafa dishes up a breakfast platter for a customer during a soft open of the famed Mickey’s Dinning Car in downtown in St. Paul on Thursday, Oct., 3. 2024. The landmark restaurant closed its doors in March 2020 because of the COVID pandemic. Sam Hashish, the manager, said the new menu will be essentially the same except kosher and will add such items as Italian and other coffees along with fresh pastries. “We’ll stay open during the soft open as long as the food lasts,” said Hashish. A formal opening date will be announced at a later date. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Brittany Jones, standing, takes care of guests during a soft opening of the famed Mickey’s Dinning Car in downtown in St. Paul on Thursday, Oct., 3. 2024. The landmark restaurant closed its doors in March 2020 because of the COVID pandemic. Sam Hashish, the manager, said the new menu will be essentially the same except kosher and will add such items as Italian and other coffees along with fresh pastries. “We’ll stay open during the soft open as long as the food lasts,” said Hashish. A formal opening date will be announced at a later date. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

The mini jukebox and condiments still decorate the tables the famed Mickey’s Dinning Car in downtown in St. Paul during a soft open on Thursday, Oct. 3. 2024. The landmark restaurant closed its doors in March 2020 because of the COVID pandemic. Sam Hashish, the manager, said the new menu will be essentially the same except kosher and will add such items as Italian and other coffees along with fresh pastries. “We’ll stay open during the soft open as long as the food lasts,” said Hashish. A formal opening date will be announced at a later date. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Manager Sam Hashish mans the cash register during a soft opening of the famed Mickey’s Dinning Car in downtown in St. Paul on Thursday, Oct. 3. 2024. The landmark restaurant closed its doors in March 2020 because of the COVID pandemic. Sam Hashish, the manager, said the new menu will be essentially the same except kosher and will add such items as Italian and other coffees along with fresh pastries. “We’ll stay open during the soft open as long as the food lasts,” said Hashish. A formal opening date will be announced at a later date. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

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A selection of baklava and other pastries tempt patrons during a soft opening of the famed Mickey’s Dinning Car in downtown in St. Paul on Thursday, Oct. 3. 2024. The landmark restaurant closed its doors in March 2020 because of the COVID pandemic. Sam Hashish, the manager, said the new menu will be essentially the same except kosher and will add such items as Italian and other coffees along with fresh pastries. “We’ll stay open during the soft open as long as the food lasts,” said Hashish. A formal opening date will be announced at a later date. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

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Until 2020, the dining car had been in continuous operation since 1939, when Mickey Crimmons and Bert Mattson opened the prefabricated building. It’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a beloved tradition for many visitors to downtown St. Paul.

It has also appeared in movies such as “The Mighty Ducks,” “Jingle All the Way,” and “A Prairie Home Companion.”

The Pioneer Press has attempted to contact the owners of Mickey’s, but has so far been unsuccessful. Stay tuned for updates.

Mickey’s Diner: 36 W. Seventh St., St. Paul; 651-222-5633

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