10/19/2026
To our Pimento family:
With heavy hearts, we share that Pimento on the Lake is closed following the termination of our agreement with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.
We are deeply grateful for the opportunity to have served you at Lake Bde Maka Ska, while Nicollet continues to operate daily.
Our Flagship Nicollet Avenue restaurant remains open. Come share a meal, place a catering order, or bring someone who hasn’t experienced Pimento yet. Your support makes a difference.
To our employees, guests, neighbors, and partners: thank you for helping us bring Jamaican flavor, warmth, and community to this beautiful gathering place. Every meal shared and every memory made meant something to us.
We also want to clarify an important part of our story. Pimento on the Lake paid its rent on time, including the agreed revenue share as percentage of sales to the Park Board. There was a $150,000 obligation as a separate contractual capital contribution toward the approximately $5 million the Park Board spent constructing the pavilion.
We were working with potential partners to help meet that obligation. Unfortunately, we were unable to reach an agreement in time with the Park Board on arrangements to provide those funds and keep the restaurant operating. We did our best. We are deeply grateful to those who explored ways to help and believed in a path forward for Pimento on the Lake.
This closure comes during an exceptionally difficult chapter for small businesses across the Twin Cities. The cumulative effects of the pandemic, Operation Metro Serge, and economic uncertainty have demanded years of adaptation and resilience. Behind every neighborhood restaurant are people working to sustain their livelihoods and the gathering places that help make this community home.
We recognize our own financial challenges and remain committed to addressing our obligations. Our focus now is supporting our employees through this transition and continuing the work of stabilizing Pimento for a sustainable future.
Thank you for welcoming us to the lake and being part of this chapter. We carry those memories forward with gratitude, determination, and love.
See you soon at Nicollet!
One love,
The Pimento Team
