Open since 1999, Alma is a an incredible restaurant attached to their cafe and boutique hotel. Available for dinner Wednesday through Sunday, the tasting menu includes 12 individual dishes. Every plate is prepared with attention to detail, with taste no less than the beauty of each. It will be a special night!
This used to be an alley! It's so tiny, no bathroom, cash only. But the food is great and the camaraderie with the other customers can't be beat as you scoot up or down to make room for newbies. The menu has lots of delicious choices, but we can't go there without getting a blueberry walnut pancake.
With a James Beard Award-Winning chef, BLG bring lip-smacking Italian food to the North Loop. From fresh to dry pastas, indulge in the Nduja Raviolo in brown butter or the Cavatelli with Rabbit Sugo. The mains and desserts are winners too, making you wish your stomach could fit as much as Mary Poppins’ bag.
You've never seen such a fun sushi restaurant. Why not have some fun while we eat? Fresh, highest quality ingredients and creative combinations make a night at Billy Sushi full of smiles. Try the Crispy Rice Tuna for something delicious or the Wagyu hand roll if you're felling a little luxe.
Creole American rotisserie with all the fixings you crave! This joint is so loved, it now has 4 locations in the Twin Cities! Try the moist chicken wings, the vegetable curry, and a plethora of sides like collard greens, grits, crispy yuca, mac 'n cheese or the fried plantains!
The Long Rib. This tender, tasty, juicy, giant miracle of existence. Sauced with a little spice. This is WHY we go. To compliment enjoy the blue crab beignets, one of their sausages or any of the sides. Don’t hesitate to try something else on the menu if it’s calling your name. This isn’t the night to be reasonable.
Step into Persia with all of the aromas and tastes that accompany it. Caspian Persian Bistro has all of the salty umami we crave in steak and kebabs. You’ll feel like a shah as you feast your way through their amazing menu. Start with a crisp salad or app, choose a main, then finish with a baklava sampler.
Cecil’s claims to have the best Rueben in the Twin Cities, and we don’t disagree. Open since 1949, this institution will deliver not only on multiple varieties of toasted Ruebens, but also has a great selection of soups, salads and hot and cold sandwiches. The menu is huge and the service is quick.
With a glass-enclosed pasta-making room, the special ambiance at Dario is only a prelude to the exceptional cuisine. The handmade pastas are inventive, with the Doppio being one everyone is photographing, like a double ravioli with sunchoke in one part and ricotta in the other. Delizioso!
Putting the Twin Cities firmly in the global food scene, chef Gavin Kaysen’s Demi delivers an interesting and masterful tasting menu highlighting seasonal local ingredients. Earning Relais & Chateaux status, each plate is presented with high level expertise in a beautifully-timed and succulent symphony.
Hmong American Restaurant by award-winning pastry chef Diane Moua. You haven’t seen these pastries before like a Coconut Pandan Croissant or a Sweet Pork Danish. For brunch, try the Thai Tea French Toast and the Pan Fried Bean Thread Noodles. The dinner menu is just as interesting and tempting!
El Sazon Cocina y Tragos is a beautiful restaurant serving even more beautiful Mexican dishes. Here, you’ll find some of the most creative and delicious guac you’ve ever seen and tasted, quesabirria that will knock your socks off, and inventive and tongue-tingling cocktails and mocktails.
We go for the beef brisket straight up or the brisket sandwich, but everything is good at Firebox BBQ In St. Paul. The pulled pork is perfect and the chicken wings are juicy. The sides include savory collard greens, cheesy mac ‘n cheese, several more and believe it or not, egg rolls that are delicious too!
Southeast Asian street food is brought by James Beard Award-Winning chef Christina Nguyen. Try the Vietnamese rice crepe, filled with veggies or shrimp and pork, Hanoi sticky rice with pork floss or Cha Ca La Vong tumeric and dill fish. The shrimp toast will also always hold a special place in my stomach.
The best buttermilk pancakes in the world are here! Crispy hash browns, eggs cooked just how you like, and an authentic old diner feel (no restroom, go before you go). They've got breakfast and lunch on the menu and both are so delicious you'll be a little upset you hadn't discovered this 1949 gem sooner.
This Northeast family establishment began with the end of prohibition. It’s the classics that you go for, their famous bone-in filet, juicy prime rib or one of their succulent seafood options. The sides are classic also, from the French onion soup to the salads-one still using grandma’s dressing recipe.
St. Paul's Joan's in the Park presents a tasting menu in a cozy building that will knock your socks off! Every bite will be delicious and prepared to perfection. You can choose a selection in each of four courses. The friendly service will compliment your evening, ensuring a smile. We can't wait to go back!
Home of the Original Jucy Lucy Burger! Some say it’s Minnesota’s favorite burger. We all say it’s an icon. Matt’s Bar, open since 1954, developed the first burger with molten cheese inside. You can still bite into this today for dine-in or take-out. With fries or chips, is it this your favorite Twin Cities burger?
Aiming for a masterpiece and hitting the bullseye, chef Karyn Tomlinson transforms ingredients from local farms and nearby woods into beautiful bites of magnificence. Both a la carte and tasting menus are available, but we always recommend the tasting menu. This is world-class cuisine.
The epitomy of Mexican cuisine! Have you ever been in Mexico City wishing you could be eating at Oro in Minneapolis? It’s THAT good! Chef Gustavo’s extensive study of nixtimalization shines through his cuisine. Whether it's botanas, tacos, or platos mas fuertes, you'll love every bite!
It’s a small menu in this dimly lit lounge in the North Loop, but the choice is still tough: Burger or Chicken sandwich? Both could be argued to be the best in the Twin Cities! If you’re lucky enough to see a pasta special, it'll be stellar. You’ll also find locations in St. Paul and Excelsior.
Punch Pizza is one of the only places in the Midwest you can get REAL Neapolitan pizza! This bubbly stretchy crust is topped with what you want, and with Margarita (basil) or Neapolitan (oregano) style sauce. The Punch salad with Parmesan, prosciutto and pine nuts is delish. Find a location near you!
Ever have an egg roll on the streets of Hanoi? They’re just like these at Que Viet! That translucent, flaky deep fried shell contains glass noodles and ground pork, but there’s also a vegetarian option. One order comes with 2 egg rolls so large, you can’t eat more than one! Also a location in Brooklyn Center.
The Red Sea is a perfect choice for foodies for Ethiopian cuisine in the Twin Cities. The food is so good you can’t leave hungry. Doro Wot is our favorite chicken dish, seasoned with Berbere spice. Kale greens, two different lentil types, and great fermented injera flatbread banish any guilt as you indulge.
Japanese and Italian?! Yes! Sanjusan delivers eccentric items like pork gyoza with fois gras and nori, brown butter topped Japanese sweet potato agnolotti and multiple yakitori options. The pizzas rival the best on earth, Margarita style enjoyed plain or with interesting toppings like miso pesto or spicy raw tuna. Go.
Spoon and Stable is another eatery on our list by James Beard Award-winning chef Gavin Kaysen. Each dinner renders unique pasta options made with heritage grain. We love the Spaghetti Nero with octopus, prawns and mussels, and the Bucatini with dungeoness crab. Brunch has the best quiche we’ve tasted!
This Korean sikdang uses local and fresh ingredients to recreate delicious traditional dishes. Spicy Kim Chi Jjigae (stew) is served boiling as it arrives to the table. The Gal Bee beef ribs are well-marinated, and you’ll find many fish and vegetarian dishes as well to satisfy your palate. Jal meokgesseumnida!
After Travail Kitchen & Amusements, can any other restaurant call eating there “an experience?” Maybe not. You might have to get up and walk into the kitchen for your next course, or hold your hand out as the chefs make your next bite on your hand. Highest quality food and delicious taste keep us coming back for more and more and more.
Who’s got the best Vietnamese Pho in the Twin Cities? We think it’s Vietnam house. The complex flavor delivers several stages of taste as you traverse the savory richness and spices of the homemade broth. We love the #2 pho tai with sliced rare beef, fresh herbs and bean sprouts. It’s also got a huge menu, so take your pick!
James Beard Awarded chef Ann Kim presents wood fired excellence. We suggest the Korean sweet potato, chili glazed prawns and pork spare ribs. The pizza is outstanding, with eccentric topping choices, but what we really love are the pepperoni that curl into little cups. Church basement cookies end a perfect night.