By Amy Ledig

Downtown Minneapolis can appear eerily empty, even at times-such as lunch-when there should be hordes of office workers on the hunt for a midday meal. The trick, though, is to look up. The second floor, in the world of the skyway, is where the action is. My post as intern extraordinaire downtown has allowed me to explore the skyways and along the way find some gems hidden among the Jimmy Johns’ and Burger Kings. Six months is a lot of lunches. Here, for your consideration next time you find yourself downtown for an internship, interview or some other reason, are a few of my favorites.

Classic Cookie Company
200 S 5th St, Suite 295 (Qwest Building)
I never would have imagined that I would find myself happily shelling out $1.50 for a cookie on a semi-regular basis, but these are no ordinary cookies. They are decently sized, buttery and delicious. You can snag a sample while you wait in line for your lunchtime treat, allowing you to flirt with the double chocolate almond frosted cookie before settling on the incomparable chocolate chip with walnuts.

Good to Go
200 S 6th Street (U.S. Bank Plaza)
This Middle Eastern outpost on the skyway level of the U.S. Bank Plaza is, I would argue, one of the best culinary offerings the city, forget the skyway, has to offer. The star of the menu is the kabob wrap, a tasty concoction of chicken, lamb or beef wrapped in a tortilla filled with your choice of rice, beans, cucumber spears, tomato, onion, jalapeño and yogurt sauce.

D Brians
120 S 6th Street (One Financial Plaza)
Soups, salads and sandwiches are the name of the game at this lunch spot. You might have to wait for a while if you come at noon, but their paninis are worth it.

Turtle Bread Company
120 S 6th Street (One Financial Plaza)
Across the way from D Brians, Turtle Bread offers up some of the same-soup, sandwiches-but on a whole different level. While D Brians might have more options, Turtle Bread is for foodies. The soups are outrageously good (I’m still craving the Chicken Wild Rice from last week) and even the sandwich bread is delicious. The pastries are another key item; save room for the Mexican brownie, if you can.

Sister Sludge
330 2nd Ave S, Suite 215 (Towle Building)
This independent coffee shop, which has another Minneapolis location out in the real, non-skyway world, is a little on the pricey side, but becoming a regular will a) get you free coffee if you collect enough stamps on the frequent buyer club and b) burnish your hipster credentials.

Baja Sol
200 S 6th Street (U.S. Bank Plaza)
I love Mexican food and would probably eat here twice a week left to my own devices. The menu is a rundown of the usual favorites-fajitas, tacos, enchiladas and the like. They are well done, and the salsa bar and unlimited chips are a nice addition.

The Brother’s Deli
50 S 6th Street
An approximation of an old-school New York deli, Brother’s features some hefty sandwiches that will fill you up, and then some. They brag about their pastrami and the potato salad is good, but it’s the unexpectedly good bulgogi sandwich that made me want to go back.

Bombay Bistro
820 Marquette Avenue
This one may be slightly cheating, but I’m including it anyways. Should you choose to emerge on the street level at Marquette and Sixth, you will find yourself outside the best Indian lunch buffet downtown has to offer. For about $10, you get all the south Indian food you can eat. Tandori chicken, samosas, mango lassi … How can you say no?