Photo Set

Lake Street in Minneapolis

A dynamic mix of cultures, commerce, and community life along Minneapolis' Lake Street

Photography from Lake Street in Minneapolis captures the vibrant commercial and cultural corridor in South Minneapolis, reflecting the neighborhood’s diverse communities and ongoing urban changes. The images document bustling markets, community celebrations like Mexican Independence Day, evolving infrastructure including new bike lanes, and the mix of longstanding businesses and new developments. These photographs also highlight the street’s role as a social and transportation artery framed by landmarks like the Karmel Mall and views toward Bde Maka Ska and the Minneapolis skyline.

Minneapolis Lake Street Food Vendor in June 2026 — June 28, 2026 — Food vendor on Lake Street and Girard Ave in Uptown Minneapolis in June 2026.

Brim Restaurant on Lake Street with fall colors — November 1, 2025 — Fall colors around Brim Coffee and Cafe on Lake Street in Minneapolis in November 2025.

Man cleans bus stop in Uptown Minneapolis — September 8, 2025 — A man cleans up a bus stop on Lake Street in Uptown Minneapolis in September 2025.

Colorful "Immigrant Power" posters on a shipping container at Chicago Avenue and Lake Street in Minneapolis. — June 22, 2025 — An art installation of "Immigrant Power" posters covers a shipping container at Chicago Avenue and Lake Street in Minneapolis, near the Midtown Exchange. Each poster pairs a sugar skull design with a phrase such as "Immigrant Power by Vision," "Immigrant Power by Hope," or "Immigrant Power by Family." The Midtown Exchange building behind it opened in 1928 as a Sears, Roebuck and Co. warehouse and store and was redeveloped into shops, offices, and housing in 2006.

Uptown Farmers Market sign on chain-link fence with handprint markings on adjacent pavement. — June 12, 2025 — A Uptown Farmers Market sign hangs on a chain-link fence enclosing the market's lot in Uptown Minneapolis, near the intersection of Lake Street and Girard Avenue. Red handprints and chalk lettering mark the sidewalk beside the fence, remnants of a memorial for Winston Smith and Deona Marie, who were killed in separate incidents in the neighborhood in June 2021.

A colorful building with rainbow-painted window panels in Uptown Minneapolis with birds flying in formation overhead. — March 9, 2025 — The Rainbow Building stands on Lake Street in the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis, its corner painted in a bright color block pattern. A flock of geese flies past the building in formation.

DJ Emberz performs at the Moxy Hotel in Uptown Minneapolis as the crowd cheers. — February 22, 2025 — DJ Emberz performs a daytime set at the Moxy Hotel in Uptown Minneapolis.

Car displaying "Jesus Christ" religious message at stop sign on snowy Lake Street, Minneapolis at night. — January 14, 2025 — A car on Lake Street in Minneapolis displays a sign in its rear window, reading 'Jesus Christ. Will you vote for him? He died for you. He loves you.'

Jade Dynasty Restaurant & Bar storefront with neon signage on Lake Street in Minneapolis at night. — January 14, 2025 — Jade Dynasty Restaurant & Bar on Lake Street in Minneapolis during a winter night. The business occupies a storefront near Lyndale Avenue that remained vacant and boarded up after the closure of Fuji Ya in 2020.

Cortez Landscaping-branded Tesla Cybertruck parked on Lake Street in Uptown Minneapolis at night. — January 5, 2025 — A Tesla Cybertruck wrapped for Cortez Landscaping sits parked on Lake Street in Uptown Minneapolis, near the Rumba nightclub. The Cybertruck is Tesla's stainless steel electric pickup, which went into production in 2023, and the landscaping company has wrapped its angular body panels into a rolling advertisement.

KFC storefront with illuminated red sign on Lake Street in Minneapolis. — November 3, 2024 — This KFC sits on East Lake Street in Minneapolis, in a building that previously housed a Popeyes. The earlier restaurant was damaged during the unrest that followed the murder of George Floyd in 2020, and KFC later moved into the space.

Travel Wisconsin billboard advertising autumn tourism above brick storefronts on Lake Street in Uptown Minneapolis at dusk. — September 21, 2024 — A "Travel Wisconsin" billboard promoting autumn tourism is displayed on Lake Street in Uptown Minneapolis. The advertisement features the slogan "Here's to putting the awe in autumn" and imagery of people enjoying fall foliage.

Cyclist performs a wheelie on Lake Street in Minneapolis during evening hours. — September 21, 2024 — A cyclist performs a wheelie on Lake Street in Minneapolis.

Multiple cyclists cross the intersection of Lake Street and Bde Maka Ska Drive in Minneapolis at dusk. — September 21, 2024 — Cyclists navigate the intersection of Lake Street and Bde Maka Ska Drive in Minneapolis on the final day of summer 2024.

Cyclist riding on a newly constructed protected bike lane along Lake Street in Minneapolis during dusk. — September 15, 2024 — A cyclist rides on a newly constructed bike lane along Lake Street in Minneapolis.

Vendors grill meat at a Mexican Independence Day celebration on Lake Street in Minneapolis. — September 15, 2024 — On Lake Street in Minneapolis, vendors prepare food for a Mexican Independence Day celebration.

Mexican Independence Day celebration draws crowds and vendors to Lake Street at the I-35W & Lake Street Station in Minneapolis. — September 15, 2024 — Mexican Independence Day celebrations fill Lake Street in Minneapolis. The event features numerous vendors and a stage set up for performances.

Interstate 35W directional sign above Lake Street in Minneapolis with green traffic lights and storefronts below. — September 12, 2024 — A September sunset casts a warm glow on Lake Street in Minneapolis, illuminating the I-35W overpass.

Park & Lake Car Wash, a green and white building with neon signage, operates on Lake Street in Minneapolis. — September 3, 2024 — Park & Lake Car Wash sits on Lake Street in Minneapolis, near its junction with Park Avenue. The business takes its name from that cross-street location, a common naming pattern for Twin Cities car washes.

Revel Apartments building boarded up on Lake Street in Minneapolis following a shooting incident. — July 25, 2024 — Revel is an apartment building with ground floor retail on Lake Street in the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis. Its windows are boarded with plywood after gunfire shattered them in 2024.

The Psychic Reader building at 1700 Lake Street in Minneapolis shows boarded-up entrance and fire damage to upper structure. — July 25, 2024 — The Psychic Reader building at 1700 Lake Street in Minneapolis sustained significant fire damage, with arson suspected following a late-night incident. The structure, located in the Uptown neighborhood, housed a business offering palm readings and tarot cards.

Ragstock storefront on Lake Street in Minneapolis with construction barriers and orange and white traffic cones blocking the street. — July 25, 2024 — Graffiti adorns the facade of Ragstock on Lake Street in Minneapolis.

A person walks down a wet Lake Street sidewalk past storefronts with neon signs and colorful street art at night. — July 7, 2024 — A lone individual walks down Lake Street in South Minneapolis at night.

Psychic Reader storefront at 1700 Lake Street in Minneapolis glows with neon palm tarot and psychic reading signs at dusk. — June 16, 2024 — Psychic Reader, a business offering palm and tarot card readings, is located at 1700 Lake Street in Uptown Minneapolis.

LakeHaus Apartments rooftop pool and amenity deck in Minneapolis's Uptown neighborhood viewed from above. — June 13, 2024 — LakeHaus Apartments in Minneapolis's Uptown neighborhood is a multifamily residential building with a rooftop pool and resident amenity deck.

Waterbury House Apartments and surrounding residential towers on Lake Street in Minneapolis at dusk with downtown skyline visible in distance. — June 12, 2024 — Waterbury House Apartments, located on Lake Street in Minneapolis, is a modern residential building situated near the intersection of Lake Street and Excelsior Boulevard.

Lake Street Market storefront in Minneapolis with neon signage and protective barriers at night. — April 25, 2024 — Lake Street Market is a neighborhood grocery store at 201 W. Lake Street in Minneapolis. Its windows were boarded up in 2020 after the unrest following George Floyd's killing, then later covered with tributes to Daunte Wright after his death at the hands of police in April 2021. The boards have since come down, opening the storefront back up to the street.

Pedestrians walk past the illuminated Karmel Mall storefront on Lake Street in Minneapolis at night. — April 4, 2024 — Karmel Mall is a Somali shopping center on Lake Street in Minneapolis, often described as the first and largest of its kind in the United States. It houses rows of small vendor stalls selling clothing, food, and other goods geared toward the local Somali community.

Bryant Lake Bowl neon sign glows red on Lake Street in Minneapolis at sunset, with Pabst Blue Ribbon sign visible above. — March 3, 2024 — Bryant Lake Bowl is a bar, restaurant, and theater at 810 West Lake Street in the Lyn-Lake area of Minneapolis. It opened in 1993 in a building that once housed a bowling alley, and it kept the Bryant-Lake Bowl name along with its six-lane bowling alley.

AT&T and Ragstock storefronts line Lake Street in Uptown Minneapolis beside a Metro Transit bus and parked vehicles. — March 3, 2024 — Ragstock and AT&T on Lake Street in Uptown Minneapolis. A Metro Transit bus on the 21E route runs along Lake Street, which connects Uptown to the Chain of Lakes and downtown Minneapolis.

Taco Taxi food truck vendor serves customers on East Lake Street in Minneapolis at night. — March 1, 2024 — Taco Taxi is a food truck on East Lake Street in South Minneapolis, with additional locations in Uptown and on Lake Street in St. Paul. Customers order tacos, burritos, and quesadillas through its service window.

Off-duty police and pedestrians outside a nightclub on Lake Street in Minneapolis at night. — October 22, 2023 — An off-duty Minneapolis Police officer stands outside Rumba Nightclub on Lake Street in Uptown Minneapolis in October 2023.

Rumba nightclub at Lake Street and Girard Avenue in Minneapolis at night with detour signs nearby — October 6, 2023 — Rumba, a nightclub located at the corner of Lake Street and Girard Avenue in Minneapolis's Uptown neighborhood, is seen here at night in October 2023.

Private security guard walking on Lake Street at Karmel Mall in Minneapolis at night. — September 1, 2023 — A private security guard patrols the sidewalk outside Karmel Mall, a Somali shopping center on Lake Street in Minneapolis. The guard wears a tactical vest and face covering while walking the block near the mall's entrance.

The Original Uptown Pizza menu board displays specialty pizzas and build-your-own options with red neon signage visible in the background. — September 1, 2023 — The Original Uptown Pizza is a pizza shop in Uptown Minneapolis that has served pizza since 1980.

Lake Street in Minneapolis shrouded in haze from Canadian wildfire smoke, with traffic and pedestrians visible. — May 18, 2023 — Lake Street runs about seven miles through Minneapolis, from the Mississippi River east to France Avenue in St. Louis Park, and carries Metro Transit's Route 21 bus line. Smoke drifting south from Canadian wildfires blankets the street in haze on May 18, 2023.

Muhim's Café storefront with illuminated sign on Lake Street in Minneapolis. — May 9, 2023 — Muhim's Café operates on Lake Street in Minneapolis, a corridor long known for its concentration of East African, Latino, and immigrant-owned small businesses. Lake Street serves as one of the city's primary commercial thoroughfares, running east-west through south Minneapolis and connecting neighborhoods including Whittier, Powderhorn, and the Longfellow area. Many storefronts along the corridor were damaged or destroyed following the unrest of 2020, prompting a wave of rebuilding and new business openings in subsequent years.

Chicago-Lake Liquors storefront on Lake Street in Minneapolis with adjacent residential buildings at sunset. — April 13, 2023 — Chicago-Lake Liquors is a liquor store at the corner of Chicago Avenue and Lake Street in Minneapolis, its storefront covered in a colorful mural along the sidewalk.

Wooden benches line the sidewalk outside Bryant Lake Bowl on Lake Street in Minneapolis at night. — April 7, 2023 — Wooden benches sit outside Bryant Lake Bowl, a bowling alley and theater on Lake Street in Minneapolis. The venue opened in 1997 and includes a cabaret theater alongside its bowling lanes.

A lone figure stands at the snow-covered intersection of Lake Street and Lyndale Avenue in Minneapolis during a snowstorm. Traffic lights glow red through falling snow. — April 1, 2023 — A lone figure stands at the intersection of Lake Street and Lyndale Avenue in Minneapolis during a heavy snowstorm. Traffic lights cast red glows through the falling snow, illuminating tire tracks in the snow-covered roadway.

Dragon City Cafe storefront at 4301 East Lake Street in Minneapolis on a winter evening. — February 15, 2023 — Dragon City Cafe is a Chinese takeout restaurant at 4301 East Lake Street in Minneapolis, known for its chow mein.

Stella's Fish Cafe storefront with illuminated neon sign on Lake Street in Uptown Minneapolis. — November 26, 2022 — Stella's Fish Cafe is a seafood restaurant on Lake Street in Uptown Minneapolis.

Lake Street storefronts and mixed-use buildings at dusk in Uptown Minneapolis, viewed from Arts + Rec rooftop. — September 10, 2022 — The Arts + Rec rooftop sits above Lake Street in Uptown Minneapolis, looking out over the shops and apartments below. Stella's Fish Cafe, a longtime Lake Street restaurant, occupies the building at the corner in the middle distance.

LA Fitness and Arts + Rec inside Seven Points on West Lake Street in Minneapolis's Uptown neighborhood. — July 26, 2022 — LA Fitness and Arts + Rec inside the Seven Points building at West Lake Street in the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis.

Graffiti reading "Winston Smith" on a concrete parking ramp at Seven Points Mall in Minneapolis. — June 17, 2022 — Winston Smith's name is painted on the parking ramp at Seven Points Mall in Uptown Minneapolis, where Minneapolis police and U.S. Marshals fatally shot him in June 2020. Deona Marie Knajdek was killed by a driver near the ramp in June 2021 while protesting his death, and the intersection saw weeks of protest that summer.

Mural boards covering a former K-Mart and grocery store on Lake Street in Minneapolis, with downtown skyscrapers visible beyond. — June 13, 2022 — The downtown Minneapolis skyline includes the IDS Center, completed in 1972 at 792 feet and the tallest building in Minnesota, and the Foshay Tower, built in 1929 at 447 feet with an observation deck near its top. Mural boards now cover the fence around the former Kmart and grocery store site at Lake Street and Nicollet Avenue, demolished in 2022.

A "Welcome to Lynlake" sign marks the Lake Street commercial district in Minneapolis's Uptown neighborhood, with Bryant Lake Bowl and other businesses visible along the street. — June 13, 2022 — A "Welcome to Lynlake" sign hangs over Lake Street in the Lynlake area of Uptown Minneapolis, near the intersection with Lyndale Avenue. The neighborhood takes its name from that junction and is home to Bryant Lake Bowl, a bowling alley, theater, and restaurant that opened in 1984. Diners sit at outdoor tables along the sidewalk below the sign.

Weathered "Used Cars" sign with red arrow on Lake Street in Minneapolis at night. — May 17, 2022 — A weathered "Used Cars" sign with a red arrow stands on Lake Street in Minneapolis, marking a used car lot along the street.

Traffic and construction signs line Lake Street during Karmel Mall expansion in Minneapolis. — May 10, 2022 — Lake Street crosses Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis, within sight of the Karmel Mall complex to the east. Karmel Mall is one of the largest Somali American shopping centers in the United States, housing dozens of shops, restaurants, and a mosque under one roof. Road work and detour signs direct traffic around an expansion project at the mall in May 2022.

Black arched bike racks labeled "UPTOWN" on a wet sidewalk in Minneapolis's Uptown neighborhood. — April 29, 2022 — These arched bike racks line a sidewalk in the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis, each one cut with the word "Uptown."

Lake Street and Girard Avenue intersection in Uptown Minneapolis at night, featuring Stella's Fish Cafe and nearby buildings illuminated by neon signage. — March 22, 2022 — Stella's Fish Cafe sits at Lake Street and Girard Avenue in Uptown Minneapolis. The restaurant has operated at this corner since the early 1990s serving seafood.

Pineda Tacos storefront on Lake Street in Minneapolis displays vibrant yellow and red interior with potted plants and dining seating. — March 22, 2022 — Pineda Tacos is a Mexican restaurant on Lake Street in South Minneapolis.

Neon "Open" sign in a storefront window on Lake Street in Minneapolis. — March 1, 2022 — A neon open sign hangs just inside the barred door of a tortillería on Lake Street in Minneapolis.

Lupita Nail Salon storefront on Lake Street in Minneapolis at night with neon "OPEN" sign and customers visible inside. — March 1, 2022 — A barbershop sits along Lake Street in Minneapolis, marked by a red and white barber pole at its corner entrance. A barber tends to a customer while others wait nearby on red chairs.

Violence interrupters walking through empty snowy Uptown Minneapolis — December 4, 2021 — Members of the nonprofit organization We Push For Peace walk through Uptown Minneapolis on a snowy December evening.

Stella's Fish Cafe neon sign illuminates a brick building on Lake Street in Uptown Minneapolis during snowfall. — December 4, 2021 — Stella's Fish Cafe was a seafood restaurant on Lake Street in the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis.

Wooden benches line the sidewalk outside Bryant Lake Bowl on Lake Street in Minneapolis at night, illuminated by red neon signs and holiday lights. — November 30, 2021 — Wooden benches sit outside Bryant Lake Bowl on Lake Street in the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis. The bar, restaurant, and bowling alley opened in 1993 in a building that once held a bowling alley dating to the 1930s.

Lake Street in Uptown Minneapolis at night, lined with neon signs and storefronts along a wet roadway. — November 8, 2021 — Lake Street is the main commercial strip through Uptown Minneapolis, running west from the Chain of Lakes toward the Mississippi River. This stretch, near Girard Avenue, holds a mix of shops, bars, and restaurants, including the smoke shop and Tenka ramen storefronts.

A wet Lake Street in downtown Minneapolis at night with storefronts and street lights lining both sides of the empty street. — October 28, 2021 — Lake Street runs east to west through South Minneapolis, stretching about five miles between the Mississippi River and Bde Maka Ska. It passes the Midtown Global Market, which opened in 2006 inside a former Sears, Roebuck and Co. building that dates to 1928.

Wince Marie Peace Garden at Lake Street and Girard Avenue in Uptown Minneapolis at dusk, with lit downtown buildings in the background. — July 2, 2021 — The Wince Marie Peace Garden sits at Lake Street and Girard Avenue in Uptown Minneapolis. It was established after the deaths of Winston Smith, killed by law enforcement on June 3, 2021, and Deona Marie, killed ten days later when a driver struck a crowd gathered at the site to protest Smith's death.

Bryant-Lake Bowl on Lake Street in Minneapolis is boarded with plywood bearing spray-painted messages including "PEOPLE LIVE HERE." — May 31, 2020 — Bryant-Lake Bowl is a bowling alley, theater, and restaurant on Lake Street in Uptown Minneapolis. Plywood covers its ground-floor windows, spray-painted with "PEOPLE LIVE HERE" and "DO NOT BURN." The boards went up after unrest broke out along Lake Street following the killing of George Floyd in May 2020.

Neon signs for Stella's Oyster Bar and Fish Cafe glow blue, red, and yellow on a brick building in Uptown Minneapolis. — May 22, 2020 — Stella's Fish Café had anchored a stretch of Lake Street in Uptown Minneapolis for decades, serving seafood alongside its attached Prestige Oyster Bar.

Lake Street bus stop in Minneapolis during a November 2019 snowstorm at night. — November 27, 2019 — A heavy snow falls on a bus shelter along Lake Street in Minneapolis in late November 2019. Lake Street runs about six miles across south Minneapolis, linking Uptown to the Mississippi River and the Midtown Greenway.

Minneapolis downtown skyline rises beyond Bde Maka Ska and Lake of the Isles in the Chain of Lakes park system. — July 16, 2019 — Bde Maka Ska and Lake of the Isles are two of the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes, joined by a channel. Bde Maka Ska is the largest lake in Minneapolis at about 401 acres, while Lake of the Isles covers about 108 acres. Downtown Minneapolis stands beyond them, including the IDS Center, at 792 feet the tallest building in Minnesota.

Minneapolis skyline and Bde Maka Ska under a full moon, viewed from the West Calhoun neighborhood. — October 24, 2018 — The Minneapolis skyline is visible in the distance as a full moon rises over Bde Maka Ska. Bde Maka Ska the largest lake in Minneapolis and is part of the Chain of Lakes.

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