Tom’s Popcorn Shop

Every time I go to this place, I leave smiling and with way more popcorn than I intended to buy! I love the white popcorn he makes and the double cheddar. Somehow, the popcorn is creamy and crunchy at the same time! My husband is a huge fan of the garlic double cheddar. The malts are amazing, too! This is a must visit if you’re out near Lake Nokomis!

Tom’s about as nice as they come, and their malts are EXCELLENT. We stop in every Tuesday after soccer practice in the winter, and one Tuesday I was short on cash — he actually let me come in later and pay the rest. What a great guy — and delicious ice cream!

Tom’s is nothing but a tiny nook in the wall neighboring a gas station a few blocks from Lake Nokomis. The man behind the counter (Tom, the owner, maybe?) was cheery and proud of his thriving little business, which generated a constant stream of seemingly regular customers. A variety of premium popcorn flavors are neatly packaged on display, from sweet to savory. In addition to popcorn, Tom’s serves hand-​dipped ice cream (not homemade, I don’t believe, but delicious nonetheless), milkshakes, and malts. I ordered two scoops (Monster Cookie with chunks of cookie and M&Ms and the oh-​so-​creamy Salted Caramel Nut), the biggest 2 scoops I’ve ever been served at a shop, enough to fill a small cereal bowl, at $ 4 (CASH ONLY ACCEPTED). No seating inside, just a pair of picnic tables and a bench outside. A fun local independent business to support!

We met friends at Tom’s Popcorn Shop for ice cream after eating at 5 – 8 Club. Tom (not the owner, but the retired Minneapolis police chief!) was so sweet, patient and great to speak with as he scooped our cones (which were enormous — bonus!) The ice cream was great and the popcorn smelled delicious. A fun (and fairly inexpensive) spot for a date or quick treat.

Such a cute little shop! Always stop by to pick my parents up some double caramel corn & get some ice cream! They are one of the only places that has rum cherry ice cream, which is amazing! Tom is such a great guy & we will always be returning here for some popcorn! :) Make sure to bring cash! No credit cards accepted.

I remember my dad taking me here as a child and I was entranced by the wall of flavored popcorn. When I returned as an adult, it was really no different. This is such an adorable retro shop. You see mom-​n-​pop shops like this all around Minneapolis, and it’s like a window to the past, which I love.
The owner, Tom’s son I think, was funny and welcoming. We tried the caramel pecan, garlic cheddar, chocolate, Reeses pieces mix, and the 3 citrus mix. All of these are well coated with flavoring and used big round mushroom popcorn. Obviously, the classics like caramel and cheese are to die for, but the more unusual flavors are good too! I was told that they flavor the 3 citrus flavors (lime, lemon, orange) with hard candy flavoring. The owner called it ‘rainbow sherbet without the mess.’ And that’s pretty accurate. It’s like eating Skittles and popcorn at the movies… but at the same time. Very unique.
I was also told that they will ship popcorn to Texas for me if I call and ask! I just might have to take him up on this offer!

You have to love the small independent institutions like Tom’s. We love the black cherry ice cream and the popcorn is good. I like the plain better than the flavored ones.

I have been going there since they opened and every time I make my way back up there from Texas I stop in for a bag or two. Great selection and nice prices. It is a local landmark and if they were to ever go away it would be a huge loss.

I can totally forget about microwave popcorn for the rest of my life. One of the best things about living in the Nokomis area is the popcorn shop on Cedar. The white salty buttery popcorn is heaven. I only buy the little bags though, because if I buy bigger I will just eat and eat.
One drawback is that is it cash only. I never have cash on me so sometimes I have to cash at the ATM next door. It’s not so nice in there. Just sayin’.

Popcorn is popcorn right? Not so at Tom’s. I have heard so many great things about the flavored popcorn, but to be honest, I can not get off the regular stuff. The «plain» popcorn is amazingly good. It is dry popped and then an incredible blend of oil and salt is added after you order. It is somehow not greasy and the flavor is really incredible. Don’t forget to grab a malt to go with your bag of popcorn, to get the whole «sweet and salty» thing going on.

I was having a bad day, and on my way home from work I stopped at Tom’s. I had driven by it numerous times and hadn’t really felt a need to stop, but it drew me in. I had NO IDEA about this gem! I walked in to find a rainbow of popcorn! The woman behind the counter was so sweet and you could tell that she sees this reaction a lot. They have everything from that odd grape flavored popcorn we all had when we were 5 to the most ridiculous state-​fair-​worthy mixes. I was one hundred percent impressed, and on top of that you can get a vat of popcorn for cheap! I know what I’m bringing to Thanksgiving…

Great local find. We can’t wait to stop here before our next trip to the movies, or even on the way home from the rental store.
Great malts also if you are into that sorta thing, because I know some people aren’t which is very surprising to me considering how delicious they are…
Keep in mind this is a cash only establishment.

I just discovered this a week ago but now this might be a regular place to hit when I’m back home and going to Dreamhaven or Matt’s Bar.
I tried the garlic cheese corn and I was not expecting it to be as intense as it was. I also tried the cheese and caramel mixed (because who doesn’t enjoy pulling that divider out of popcorn tins and just mixing it all together). The caramel is poured over the cheese corn! It’s not just separate kernels mixed together. It’s genius.
This is not the dry, powdery flavoured popcorn that you’d get in a bag at the grocery or convenience store.
This is full on.
There are so many more interesting flavours that I did have a hard time choosing. I’ll be back to try more!

I love this place!
It’s adorable and Tom is a great guy.
The popcorn is great and they make some crazy mixes.
Reece’s Pieces and popcorn?
Genius.
You get your sweet and your salty.
They also sell other confections
like ice cream and slushies and sodas.
Yum yum yum!
It’s located near Lake Nokomis and Hiawatha parkway,
so you can get some popcorn and then go enjoy a beautiful day
in the park nearby.
Love it!
And again, Tom is a splendid man.

Tom’s Popcorn Shop is BOMB!!! He does it right, fresh, buttery loaded bags of addictive salty niblets… nummy. My dad owned Dave’s Popcorn Shop for a few years when I was a kid so we consider ourselves a kind-​of authority on such things and we ONLY go to Tom’s… and yes Dave’s is still around too just nowhere near as good. Everytime my dad came from New York for a visit he would stop by Tom’s on the way to our house and get a couple of bags for us. We recently moved to Colorado and I am gonna miss my favorite popcorn shop like crazy!

I love Tom’s popcorn shop! The bagged up, flavored corn is aweome! Try the crunch or the the double cheddar, so delicious! Tom’s also has fresh popped white popcorn with butter, in a variety of sizes. Tom’s also has ice cream! It’s open year round, and they have those huge tins for Christmas. There is off street parking, as well as a bike rack. Definitely give this place a try, but bring cash, they do not accept credit cards!
They are open in the afternoons and evenings (2pm until 9:30).