St. Paul is buzzing with new restaurants that moonlight as hot spots, places where you can linger long into the night after grabbing a bite to eat.

Some are even in the same neighborhood, so you could plan a crawl if you like.

In addition to our restaurant picks, we threw in some new St. Paul breweries for the beer connoisseurs.

DOWNTOWN

For a crawl, consider Lowertown, where there seems to be an ever-growing number of places to eat and bar hop, all within a few blocks of each other.

For a nice dinner and creative cocktails, treat yourself to the new OCTO Fishbar (289 E. Fifth St., St Paul; octostp.com; 651-202-3415) from James Beard-winning chef Tim McKee. The spot has a serious fish and seafood program while managing to toe the line between casual and fancy. Menu items range from shore lunch sunnies to oyster/crudo seafood towers.

For a nightcap, round the corner and grab a beer at Barrel Theory (248 E. Seventh St.; St. Paul; 651-600-3422; barreltheory.com) next door to Dark Horse eatery. The new brewery is the creation of two Surly alums, yet the brew is distinctly different — think boutique beers. Our hearts go pitter-patter for the Black Lotus, a coconut milk stout that wasn’t something we would typically order but ended up being the favorite among our group. Leave it to Barrel Theory’s beer-making aficionados to come up with something inventive while being easy on the taste buds.

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Here’s your list of 20+ places offering State Fair food & drinks in lieu of the Fair Another option for a nightcap is the quaint, cozy, loungey and bustling speakeasy Green Lantern (229 E. Sixth St., St Paul; 651-348-6456; on the ground level of Public Kitchen + Bar. The spot offers craft cocktails. It’s also a great place to grab dinner, with a menu that includes flatbreads and sliders. If your timing is right, you might even catch some live music.

Also in Lowertown, the casual Hygga (213 E. Fourth St., Suite 100, St. Paul; 612-226-5033; hyggalowertown.com), across from Union Depot in the former Bedlam Theater space, wears many hats as a coffee shop, cafe, restaurant and wine bar with plenty of cozy seating nooks to accommodate. Settle into one of the loungey sofa areas, high top seats, dining tables or bar stool along the bar in the back of the room.

Just outside of Lowertown, Gray Duck Tavern (345 Wabasha St., St. Paul; 651-340-9022; grayduckstpaul.com) is a swank, contemporary, gorgeous space — graphite bar tops, opulent accents, expansive windows and all — to have a meal and stay for a while. Dishes from the globally influenced menu are just as beautifully presented. Order the Cuban “Cigar” for an appetizer.

SELBY and GRAND

The highly anticipated reopening of The Lexington (1096 Grand Ave., St. Paul; 651-289-4990; thelexmn.com) happened this year, and it didn’t disappoint. The long-standing institution on Lexington Parkway and Grand Avenue is reimagined with a mix of familiar and new, and as stunning as ever. Dishes and old-timey drinks also get a contemporary twist. A must order: the chicken pot pie.

Revival, the hugely popular burger and fried chicken spot, opened a second spot — this time on this side of the river. The St. Paul location on Cathedral Hill (525 Selby Ave., St. Paul; 651-340-2355; revivalfriedchicken.com) also comes with a full liquor license and a smoker. That means a full bar menu and smoked meats (we’re especially fans of the brisket). The larger digs also can accommodate large groups.

WEST SEVENTH AREA

West Seventh is hopping these days. The chef-driven Mexican bistro Pajarito (605 W. Seventh St., St. Paul; 651-340-9545; pajaritostp.com), in the former Glockenspiel space, has been hot since the beginning for its contemporary Mexican fare and vibrant cocktail list. Just off West Seventh, Waldmann Brewery & Wurstery (Waldmann Brewery: 445 Smith Ave., St. Paul; 651-222-1857; waldmannbrewery.com) opened in a restored 1857 building and pays tribute to the original space as a German lager saloon. In addition to house-made brews like pilsners, the two-story spot with seating nooks and old-timey accents is dishing up some tasty house-made brats (our favorite: the Currywurst) and from-scratch German sides to go with it, from chef Karl Gerstenberger.

The sizable, retro-themed Seventh Street Truck Park (214 W. Seventh St.; 651-340-8431; truckparkusa.com), just steps away from Xcel Energy Center, keeps it fun and casual with several eating and drink areas. Each indoor food truck offers different fare, such as chicken and ribs, tacos, pizza and grilled cheese sandwiches and cookies. Same goes for the various themed bars offering local brews, tall boys and Kool-Aid cocktails to drink. Its sibling restaurant, the local craft-beer- and brat-centric New Bohemia Wurst+BierHaus (222 Seventh St W., St Paul; 651-330-8267; newbohemiausa.com) with several metro locations, also opened earlier this year next door.

OFF UNIVERSITY & CRETIN VANDALIA

Double your fun at two spots that have opened in the same building in recent months. First, there’s the whimsical Can Can Wonderland (755 Prior Ave.; St. Paul; 651-925-2261; cancanwonderland.com) with games such as pinball and a design-savvy 18-hole mini golf course. Grab food at the diner counter offering sandwiches, pizza and boozy malts and slushies. Or head to the ice cream counter for dessert. Note that the spot is open Thursday through Sunday.

In the same building, grab a brewski pre- or post-golfing at BlackStack Brewing (755 N. Prior Ave.; St. Paul; 612-369-2932; blackstackbrewing.com). If available during your visit, try the New England-style IPA. And attention soccer fans looking for a place to watch the game: BlackStack always has the screens tuned to the Minnesota United FC whenever a match is on.

PAYNE AVENUE

Payne Avenue just outside of downtown has a reputation for keeping it real. And Brunson’s Pub (956 Payne Ave., St. Paul; 651-447-2483; brunsonspub.com) in the former Schwietz Saloon is no exception. The spot that opened earlier this year has a down-to-earth, neighborhoody vibe. The menu offers sandwiches, burgers and salads with some Southern influences peppered throughout.