MINNEAPOLIS — There used to be an artist-designed mural on the back wall at StepChld, chef Kamal Mohamed’s ode to global flavors in northeast Minneapolis.

Now, a grid of basketballs and footballs hangs as art. The snug two-tops for date nights are gone, replaced with wide booths that invite groups to linger. Behind the bar, inset TVs glow. Nothing on the pared-down menu costs more than $20.

Mohamed closed StepChld this summer, reopening Kizzo in its place with a message that, based on the new look, is literal: this is a sports bar now.

He had polled neighbors about what they wanted in a restaurant, and the answer was clear. Good food without the fuss. No reservations, no dressing up. “I want to feel comfortable … but then also watch the game,” he recalled hearing.

With Kizzo, he said,

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