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Listed here are several restaurants in Minneapolis and St. Paul with smart lighting design as a way to highlight various details that go into creating inviting and inspiring spaces with light. I address the light quality, techniques, and fixtures only relating to ambience and comfort and although important for the vibe and feel of the space, I don’t address the style of fixtures or decoration.  I will continue to add to this list as

there are many more well-lit establishments to note!
 

Kahluna

 a streamlined dimmable lamp in the middle of each table, lighting up plants and other natural materials, light washing the walls whenever possible, many different light sources coming from different angles. This place has the best lighting I’ve seen in a restaurant. 
Spoon and Stable

 uplighting of the bar area and washing walls with light, highlighting the natural materials, small lamps with opaque shades at the bar, many light sources, candles at each table.
W.A. Frost

lamps all around, lighting up natural materials (brick and wood), gallery picture lighting. Notice in the bar photo there is a lot of blue light pollution filtering in from the large windows. It is partially off-set with the twinkle lights in the plants. It could be off-set more with sconces on the brick. 
Italian Eatery

sconces, washing of the walls, exposing kitchen white attempting to hide industrial lighting (which is required by the Dept of Health in commercial kitchens). 
French Meadow

twinkle lights, lighting up natural materials, many light sources. Lighting up under the bar (usually rope lights or LED strips)
Myriel

candles at each table, sconces (although I would choose opaque so that the light bulb isn’t showing.) This is an example of when the space has white or lighter colored walls, floors, and/or furniture, not as much light is needed since the lighting bounces around more easily and therefore things feel brighter with less light. Versus darker spaces tend to absorb light and therefore more brightness or lumens are needed. 
Cafe Lucrat

lamps at the bar and lighting up under the bar (usually rope lights or LED strips), wall sconces in between windows which helps when it’s fully dark out as windows are either void of light or a source of poor lighting from the outside.
Constantine

many candles and positioned near walls to light up vertically, different colored bulbs, multiple light sources. 
Kitty Kat Klub

many lamps, different colored lights, dabbling of light randomly throughout the spaces. 
 
112 Eatery

individual sconces at the booths, lamps at the bar and around the space, spot lighting near the walls to highlight the brick and art 
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