Gyst Fermentation Bar

Went for their New Year’s Eve «Worldly Bubbles» event. We live out of town so we hadn’t been here before but we will most definitely be back. As lovers of all things spontaneously fermented this place with their biodynamic wines, ciders, beers, and various snacks is basically our dream neighborhood bar. Everything on NYE was perfect and what struck me most was how friendly, warm and hospitable all of the staff were. I actually felt like I was celebrating at a friend’s (awesome) home bar. They even let us in from the cold when we showed up 15 minutes before they were supposed to open. For food we had the motherboard which was really a delightful mixture of fermented veggies, cheeses and meats. My only suggestion would be to add bits of jams or mustards to accompany some of the flavors in the meats and cheeses. Can’t say enough great things about all of the wines and beers we had. We will most definitely be back whenever we can get up to the city.

This was such a fun and educational place to visit! I will never eat an olive straight out of the fridge again! Life changing.

Simply incredible. Gyst Fermentation Bar strikes the perfect balance of unique and accessible. I am not a very adventurous eater, but the Sandor (peanut butter and kimchi on foccacia roll) was a delicious combination of familiar and exotic. The cheese board is gigantic and diverse. The atmosphere feels like you’re dining in a close friend’s cool kitchen and the staff is delightful and incredibly knowledgable. I cannot say enough good things about this place!

I hadn’t been compelled to write a review in a while, but the goodness of this place sent a jump-​starting shock to my taste buds which in turn gave my food critic brain cells a much needed boost. Let me start by saying: WOW! What a gem this place is! I had never been anywhere like this (granted I am a man of fairly simple taste — a cold beer and wings manage to keep me giddy), and let me tell you, what an interesting /​appealing /​refreshing concept this is. I was in the mood to try something different, so as I was browsing thru options the «Fermentation Bar» tag caught my eye. After seeing that 23 out of 25 people that reviewed this place before me had all given it 5 stars, I was intrigued and decided I had to check it out.
The minute you walk in to this place the smell instantly hits you: you doubt for a second if you really want to stay here, but then you take a look around and the ambiance gives you that comforting feeling like everything’s going to be OK. And trust me, with the amount of food stimulation you’ll get from this place, it will be. The place is very snazzily setup, with perfect lighting (I hate direct lighting, therefore I love indirect lighting, of which there is plenty of in this place), It’s definitely an elegant and trendy place tucked in a busy corner in Whittier. Staff is extremely knowledgeable and friendly, ready to answer any questions you might have and suggest something for you.
We started by getting a flight of the 4 tap beers that they have on hand — all local beers with very unique tastes. I was pleasantly surprised when I asked for the flight and our server was happy to accept my off-​the-​menu request; after all, any establishment’s job is to keep their customers happy, right? I can not begin to describe how much it irks me when I go to a bar and ask for a flight and because it’s not on the menu they can’t give you one. Are you freaking serious? You have beer on tap right? You also have glasses? And you have two hands? OK then you can serve me a flight and charge me what you deem fair for your extra effort.
Whew… with that out of the way, I can refocus my efforts on the good things — which brings me to the cheeses. Oh my the cheeses. We ordered half a tray of cheese, not knowing that our taste buds were about to be stimulated like never before. We let the cheese-​master surprise us with his favorite picks (nothing too stinky as I have to say I am not a fan of any stinky foods). We had the «Ferrari of Manchegos» as described by our server, which was very tasty, borderline stinky but very good. My favorite one however, was the Goat cheese. It was so good we had to get some to go, along with some Marcon nuts that paired really well with the cheese. Again excellent customer service, as the nuts were not listed for sale but I asked for some and she gladly grabbed an empty cup of coffee and sold me a quarter pound. These are the things that really make a place stand out from the rest. It is worth noting that the prices are very affordable, and while I do not usually buy much of this fancy stuff, I suspect it is probably cheaper and of a better quality than at your regular grocery store. As an added bonus, buying here as opposed to a big chain grocery store means that you are helping a small local business thrive.
Something that caught my attention was how dedicated and passionate these people are about what they do. I was watching the cheese-​master do his thing with the cheese and man, did he have a close relationship with his cheese. He was super meticulous about how he was cutting it, and how he was presenting it. He took a step back, looked at it, arranged it again… it was as if he was making love to it. Very dope to watch.
Needless to say, I will be highly recommending this place to my friends. Oh, one last thing, if you are feeling gassy when you are here, it’s probably OK to let it vent, as the scent of some of the cheeses will help you cover it up ;-)

Yum. Ask them to pick what they recommend. They know their shit and you won’t be disappointed! Beautiful flavors. Good times!

The best selection of wine and cheese in the city. An educated team. Wonderful ambiance. Perfect solo or with friends.

This was the perfect place to meet two friends for happy hour. We sat at the bar and ordered whatever Bobby suggested and were so happy with his guidance. The Motherboard was fantastic, and the Georgian amber wine was something I would have never ordered on my own but loved so much.
The concept, food and drink are what makes this place interesting, but it’s friendly and enthusiastic service, and welcoming ambiance that will bring me back (tomorrow, I wish!).
My only difficulty with Gyst is that when I got home I realized I smelled quite… fermented.

This place was fantastic! I went with a good friend (we were actually trying to go somewhere else that was closed and I AM SO GLAD!), and we had a wine flight. I generally consider wine flights to be the best thing that has happened to menus, so I was disposed to be positive. But this was an AMAZING experience. We had excellent service, everything was incredibly tasty, and the recommendations were fierce! I even had Madeira (which I didn’t even know existed anymore). This was an expensive evening out, but well worth it in my opinion! If you have a chance, I think you have to check this place out.

These girls/​guys really are bringing something special to the Minneapolis region; culture, literally. Cheese, wine, kombucha, chocolate, mmmm… chocolate!
It’s awesomely refreshing to find such passionate foodies following their hearts, doubling down and living their fermented dreams.
This place is the best, new, undiscovered gem I’ve found so far in Minnesota.
It’s worth the trip!

My girlfriend and I went there after reading about the concept on their website. We had already eaten dinner but wanted to simply have an after dinner drink and learn more. It was really, really nice. It was a Saturday about 7 and the place was not crowded. Décor is minimal and is a bit like a combination of a bar and a snack shop but with very comfortable surroundings and a mellow tone. High end eclectic.
I had my first kombucha that I actually liked (home brewed on the premises) and they had a very nice, smallish beer selection with choices I have not seen elsewhere in the twin cities. Excellent cheese and wine selections, though perhaps a bit expensive, though we were told they were from very small artisanal makers and hence rather rare. The server/​owner was absolutely wonderful to us… answering our questions about how to pronounce the restaurant’s name (‘gist’ like ‘getting the gist of something’} to how kombucha was made to showing us wild beers like Belgian lambic mixed with kombucha. We enjoyed the warm citrus olives as well as a homegrown kale salad with a kick butt citrus vinaigrette.
This is a wonderful place to have a drink and a nosh after a night out or before going to a full restaurant. I hope it does well; we’ll be back. A very nice combination of very high quality healthy stuff as well as drinks!

I have had better kombucha but appreciate the fact they make it in house. Very cute and unique happy hour specials.

The food was amazing. The service was great. I would come here several times a week. I was really impressed with all the flavors there were several things that I don’t usually like that were straight up perfect here. Try everything!

i’m not a «foodie,» and i don’t really know shit about wine or cheese – but that doesn’t mean i don’t love both. this place is completely unpretentious and cool. every staff person i’ve met has been really informative, fun, and welcoming. the place itself is modern, minimalist, beautiful, but low-​key.
i stumbled up on this place, and i’m so glad i did. a hidden gem for sure.

I went here with a lady friend the other night and we were both in food heaven. We shared the Motherboard, which is as epic as it sounds. It is a sizeable board of robust varieties of cheeses, cured meats, and fermented and pickled vegetables. We added on the beet pickled egg. While feasting upon this dreamy board of delicacies, we enjoyed a delightful bottle of wine that the server suggested. I am delighted to have this place in Minneapolis… but I am also thankful that I do not live in the same neighborhood, because I would be in here all the time spending all my disposable income. And for Celiac people like me they offer delicious gluten free crackers and they don’t upcharge for them.

This place has a great concept for locals to dine-​all fermented foods and drinks. I first attended a cheese sampling event here. Our friendly server, was actually one of the owners. It’s wonderful to see the owners present amongst patrons.
They serve mostly local foods and drinks, so I had to try the dark ale beer. Thumbs up! The second time I went they were out, so I had a delicious red wine. I would come back again and again for the grilled cheese with Artisan MN sauerkraut! Sounds strange I know, but the cheese with sour and crunch is splendid! The cheese and meat plate comes out on this slab of wood. Very creative. Did I mention how yummy that grilled cheese was?!

Went here with the bf a few weeks back and overall the experience was very good. Service was great and our waitress, who appeared to be one of the owners, seemed very knowledgable.
We ordered a few glasses of wine (of which I can’t remember but were EXCELLENT) The mother board (FANTASTIC) and the artisan chocolate board which was just okay but we still enjoyed it.
When we left however there was a billing issue involving the tip, of which was definitely my fault. The owners were very understanding and refunded me.
If you are looking for a place to go and relax at before a show or special event, I definitely recommend you try Gyst!

We had a giant charcuterie plate of mirth here and it was fantastic, house prepared meats and pickled items that made a great dinner. Broad and well curated wine list, as well as many non-​alcoholic options. Kombucha on tap! We like.

I never would have discovered this hole-​in-​the-​wall gem without Unilocal and I’m so glad I did. What an awesome new addition to the TC.
Awesome women-​owned shop with a super chill vibe and bomb food and drink selections. This place is clearly run by people who deeply know and deeply love both food and drink, and want you to celebrate both along with them.
The drinks: limited but super unique tap selections. I tried a cider that was unlike any I’ve had before. We were also indecisive about wine so one of the lovely people serving us, who seemed like the owner and/​or manager from her demeanor, just offered to give us a couple of half-​glasses so we could try multiple. She described the wines not only by flavor, but also with great detail about location, philosophy, etc.
Food was also stellar — we had the pickle/​fermentation plate, which had 4 awesome pickles — my fave were the beet and celeriac ones. And the meat board — yowza. Awesome pâté (my phone does the fancies for me with those accent marks! Funsies) and salami with cumin and hints of orange.
Can’t wait to go back again. And again and again!

Serious nosh, master sommelier level service, and a super stylish space.
The menu will change and evolve, so listing what I had is pretty meaningless. But trust me when I say, they know what they’re doing. This wine, cheese, beer, and small plate bar is doing it right.

One of Eat Street’s newest gems. Amazing place for wine and noshes. We got the half mother’s board and we loved it. The owners are very knowledgeable and passionate. I would recommend this wonderful spot for dates and friends alike!