"The business, which will be operated in conjunction with the proposed licenses, is a restaurant located at 7169 153rd Street W." That sentence comes from a public hearing notice Apple Valley City Clerk Christina M. Scipioni signed on September 24, 2026. Most people know the building on 153rd Street as the pickleball place. The city's liquor paperwork describes it as a restaurant, and the floor plan backs that up.
On Thursday, October 22, 2026, at 7 p.m., the Apple Valley City Council will hold a public hearing at the Municipal Center, 7100 147th Street W. The application is from Picklehall, LLC, for an on-sale intoxicating liquor license and a special license for Sunday liquor sales. The notice lists Randy Ramesh Motilall and Rishikesh Motilall as the corporation's officers. That hearing is the next public step before the doors open.
A schedule that has already moved once
Picklehall's opening date has slipped, and that history explains why residents should treat the current target loosely.
- May 11, 2026. Bring Me The News reported the vendor lineup and said the venue was set to open "by late summer."
- June 10, 2026. The City of Apple Valley's community development newsletter reported that the concrete walls and structural framework were largely in place, with completion "expected later this year."
- September 8, 2026. The Minnesota Star Tribune's restaurant roll call listed PickleHall as planning to open "by November 2026."
- September 24, 2026. The city dated the liquor-license hearing notice for October 22.
As of early October, no exact opening day or soft-opening date has been published. "By November" is a target, and the June update is the latest construction report the city has released.
Two floors of food, with courts below
The building's design shows why the city treats it as a restaurant. When the developer presented the plans to the Apple Valley Planning Commission, the project was described as a 56,000-square-foot, two-story pickleball facility and food hall. The site is 3.7 acres that had sat vacant for years, south of Apple Autos and east of the Apple Valley Post Office.
The 18 courts take up most of the floor. The two-story east side holds everything else. The ground floor has office space, a pro shop, two food hall vendors and a beer hall, with overhead glass doors opening to a patio on the east and south sides of the building. The upper level has the other two food vendors and extra seating that looks down on the courts. The beer hall uses self-serve taps.
The main entrance faces north. The 160-space lot can be reached from Gallivant Place on the west and Garrett Avenue on the east, and a city-operated 128-stall lot sits directly east of the site. The Risor of Apple Valley, an apartment community for residents 55 and older, is directly south, and the GrandStay Hotel is to the east.
Who is cooking
The lineup matters most to residents who never plan to pick up a paddle. Three of the four vendors already have a following elsewhere in the metro.
| Vendor | Where it operates now | What it is known for |
|---|---|---|
| North Star Deli | 315 W. 46th St., Minneapolis | A retro deli full of Minnesota North Stars memorabilia, with creative sandwiches and desserts |
| El Sazon | Eagan, plus a counter at Eat Street Crossing in Minneapolis | Quesabirria, birria tacos, burritos and other Mexican and Latin American dishes |
| Habibi's Halal | Spring Lake Park | New York-style, 100% zabiha halal food, including gyro bowls, wraps, salads and sambusas |
| Traveler's Tea Co. | New concept from Picklehall's developer | Loose-leaf tea, coffee and pastries, starting at 5 a.m. daily |
Bring Me The News reported that North Star Deli's Kingfield shop opened in 2025 and quickly won praise for chef Pedro Wolcott's carefully sourced ingredients and twists on deli classics. El Sazon will feel the most local to south-metro diners. Cristian and Karen de Leon started it in March 2022 in a kitchen inside an Eagan BP station. Their Minneapolis restaurant, El Sazon Cocina & Tragos, closed permanently on August 15, 2026. The Star Tribune reported that the couple will keep running their other El Sazon businesses and Xelas in Stillwater and plan a new El Sazon at Picklehall. Bring Me The News described Habibi's Halal as a Mediterranean restaurant that opened in Spring Lake Park in late 2025.
Traveler's Tea Co.'s 5 a.m. start matches the booking hours. Picklehall's court reservation portal lists availability from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. Those are booking windows, and the venue hasn't separately posted hours for the food hall itself. The published materials also don't say whether diners can walk straight to a food counter without checking in at the front desk. Expect that detail when the venue announces its opening.
What it costs to play
For players, the pricing is the main decision. Picklehall's membership page lists annual plans at three levels. Gold is $695, Platinum is $995 and Diamond is $1,295, and all three include unlimited open play. A Founders plan is open only to the first 50 members. It costs $1,000 per year, includes Diamond-level benefits and keeps that price for as long as the membership stays active without cancellation. That comes to $295 less per year than Diamond. A Family plan costs $900 per year and covers one household of two adults and two children under 16.
Non-members pay $45 per court-hour. Four courts are set aside for walk-in play, booked one hour at a time, with a waitlist when they fill up. A standard paddle rents for $5, a demo paddle for $8, and a ball costs $1 and is yours to keep. At those rates, a Gold membership costs about as much as 15 walk-in court-hours. A Founders member who books a private court pays $30 per hour.
The food hall shows up in the membership tiers too. The Gold description lists 5% off at the Food Hall and Pro Shop, the Family plan lists 8% and Founders lists 10%. Founders members also get access to the Diamond Lounge, which is limited to ages 18 and older. Leagues run 11 weeks and tournaments are monthly. One detail to confirm before signing up is the Gold league fee. The site's comparison table lists $110 per season, while the detailed Gold description lists $150.
Why the city wanted the courts indoors
Apple Valley has dealt with pickleball noise before. Outdoor courts near homes have caused friction because of the sound a hard paddle makes hitting a plastic ball. In 2021 the city moved courts from the Hayes Park neighborhood to Johnny Cake Ridge Park West after noise complaints. The new Johnny Cake courts opened on September 11, 2021, and the six Hayes Park courts closed on September 13.
Johnny Cake Ridge Park West has grown since then. Local reporting says the city added eight courts in 2025 to the original eight from 2021. A 2026 Metropolitan Council project application lists 16 pickleball courts at the park. Those courts are outdoors, so their season is limited by Minnesota weather. When Picklehall went before the Planning Commission, Randy Motilall said the 18 indoor courts could serve people who want to play through the winter. The Sun ThisWeek report on that meeting said an indoor option is viewed as positive because of the city's history with outdoor court noise. No one spoke during the public hearing. Commissioner Paul Scanlan said the facility fits an area that is already busy, with recently built apartment buildings nearby.
Those pieces fit together. With the sport inside a building, Apple Valley gets 18 year-round courts without adding outdoor noise near homes. The rest of the building sits on its two-story east side, with four food counters, a tap wall, a patio and seating that overlooks the courts. That side is also what the October 22 hearing is about.
The Kent Group is based in Lakeville, and Ann Kent and the team follow south-metro openings like Picklehall because new destinations become part of how a neighborhood is described when homes go on the market. If you live near 153rd Street and want to know how your home compares in today's market, we're glad to walk you through it. Request your home value and we'll put together a clear, local picture for you.
