Pickleball’s grip on the racquet sports world rivals Taylor’s Midnights domination. Though it’s not the first in the Twin Cities—or even the largest—Pints and Paddle is taking courtside carb-o-loading to the suburbs.
The vinegar cucumber sport first landed on our local radar in 2019 when Minneapolis Cider Company’s taproom introduced two pickleball courts. Since then, the cidery has expanded its courtage to eight. Early this year, Lucky Shots, a dedicated indoor pickleball facility, opened in Northeast, and even Life Time caught onto the trend, opening its first all-pickleball facility in Bloomington in February.
The court sport, touted as an easier version of tennis (but equally as cardio-heavy and butt-kickin’, if you ask this editor!), gained ground among retirees before Gen Z-ers started picking up paddles amid the pandemic. It is the fastest growing sport in North America—possibly in the world—with almost 5 million players in the U.S. alone as of 2021. Even country star Maren Morris played with her band and crew on the road this summer. And Pickleball Magazine lives to serve a growing audience of… what do we call them—picklers?
Previously relegated to urban industrial spaces, pickleball has now become mainstream enough to spread to suburbia.
“We’ve seen people of all ages in our community, including friends and family, come together and enjoy the sport, and it doesn’t appear to be waning at all,” says Tim Skaja, co-owner of Pints and Paddle. “We also wanted to bring this concept to Maple Grove because we raised our families here.”
In November, Ryan Companies broke ground on the 40,098-square-foot complex in Maple Grove’s The Grove area. Slated to open in fall 2023, Pints and Paddle will hold 10 p-ball courts and a taproom with a self-pour wine and beer tap wall and counter service eats by area fave Malone’s Bar and Grill.
Besides court rental, P and P will offer lessons, leagues, and open play. Expect a clean, industrial vibe that’s almost too cool for the suburbs, coated in polished concrete and exposed brick with wood and tile accents and a mix of lounge and dining seating. A second-floor mezzanine looks over the courts and provides more seating. Glass overhead doors connect the taproom to the 2,200-square-foot patio, which rolls onto 4,000-square-feet of green space for yard games (just clear your summer schedule, mmkay?).
Skaja and his team know that pickleball isn’t exactly a quiet sport (and the popcorn sounds of racquets and balls might distract from your sipping experience), so walls and doors separate the tap room from the court commotion.
The “pints” portion of the operation is a hearty pour: 50 self-serve taps on the main floor and another 24 upstairs. Could anyone be mad about that? The bevy of options includes rotating local and national beers, ciders, seltzers, and wine. Look for seasonal cocktails too, you on the rocks folks. Malone’s Bar and Grill in Arbor Lakes is extending up to The Grove, heading up the Pints and Paddle taproom eats.
“It’s days like today with the falling snow and cold temperatures that make us excited to open,” Skaja says.
Opening Fall 2023. Pints and Paddle, Maple Grove, pintsandpaddle.com