10 Minneapolis Hotels with Amazing Restaurants
It's expected that hotels offer comfortable stays, but when they have exceptional dining experiences, too? Sign us up. From gourmet global cuisine to local flavors and fresh ingredients, these Minneapolis hotel restaurants have outstanding menus you need to try.
Make your time in Minneapolis special by booking a night's stay, but you don’t have to be a guest to enjoy the culinary expertise of these restaurants.
1. Giulia at Hotel Emery
Visit Giulia, a Northern Italian hideaway right inside the lobby of Hotel Emery. The dining room is flanked by towering marble columns and showcases a gorgeous bar lined with Italian wines and local craft spirits. While you dine, you’ll get a view of the open kitchen where small plates, fresh pasta and wood-fired pizzas are prepared. Try the chicken parmesan, the bianco pizza, which has a white garlic cream sauce, or the Caesar salad. Giulia is open every day and serves decadent brunch on weekends, like chocolatey crepes, bacon coated with brown sugar, orange, and chilis, pizzas topped with eggs and more.
2. Bar Rufus, Blondette & Miaou Miaou at the Rand Tower Hotel
The Rand Tower Hotel is home to three dining experiences, each with their own twist on French food and cocktails. French bistro Bar Rufus is a swanky lobby bar and restaurant and offers favorites like seasonal tartines, beef tartare and a show-stopping burger. The cocktail menu is refined and features all the French classics. Order the Rand Tower Martini, which comes with all the accoutrements, like olives and caviar, on a platter.
Take the elevator up to the fifth floor and you’ll find Blondette, known for mixing French cuisine with ingredients from the Pacific Northwest. Seafood and red meat are the stars of the menu — you’ll have difficulty choosing between the seared scallops, poached lobster, wagyu zabuton, or the duck a l’orange. Enclosed in a glass-covered atrium with access to an outdoor terrace, you’re guaranteed stunning views of downtown, especially if you dine at night.
Next to Blondette is cocktail lounge Miaou Miaou, which gets its name from how chic cats say “hello” in French. Miaou Miaou will show you the world of French island rums and tropical flavors. Order the Here Kitty Kitty (punch made with French rum, mango, papaya and citrus) or an In the Clouds (blanco tequila mixed with crème de peche, sherry, lemon, lime and seltzer), and nestle into a velvet sofa or grab a stool at the bar and bask in the pink neon glow of the smiling cat sign.
3. Manny's Steakhouse at the W Minneapolis
Manny’s, partners of the W Hotel, is one of the nation’s top steakhouses. Many hotel guests have said they would return to Minneapolis just to dine here again. Sourced from their own herds, Manny’s red meat is flavorful, tender and expertly seared. Enjoy a ribeye in the dining room or sip a bourbon in the bar and take in the dim lighting and classy and upscale ambiance.
4. Restaurant Alma at Hotel Alma
Known for its nationally recognized seasonal tasting menu, Restaurant Alma is perfect for special occasions. You’ll experience 10 individually plated and shared dishes brought out over a period of two hours with the option to add wine pairings. Both dining experiences (omnivore or vegetarian) begin with an antipasto and conclude with dessert. Between the two are several beautifully plated bites highlighting the freshest vegetables and meats available. Currently, the menu features dishes like chilled sweet corn soup, seared Massachusetts sea scallops and duck.
5. Tulibee at the Hewing Hotel
Named after a northern fish whose presence indicates a thriving lake environment, Tullibee within the Hewing Hotel in the North Loop embraces its Scandinavian roots, hyper-local ingredient sourcing and farm to table philosophy. Step into the restaurant, and you’ll be transported to a dark and dreamy woodland hideaway – the entire place embraces clean lines, dark color schemes and rustic charm. On the menu, you’ll find small bites, hearty entrees and a full bar. Tullibee serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, but the dinner menu is where you’ll find unique northern specialties, like rabbit ragu, coho salmon and smoked trout caviar.
6. Mara Restaurant & Bar at the Four Seasons
This signature restaurant in Minneapolis’ Four Seasons Hotel is the vision of James Beard award-winner Chef Gavin Kaysen. Mara’s open kitchen concept with floor-to-ceiling windows makes for a great spot for date night. Try to get a table next to the kitchen — you’ll be transfixed with the choreographic nature of the food preparation. The menu is inspired by Mediterranean flavors and will transport you to coastal destinations. For an appetizer, order the delicious and zesty scallop crudo, and for your main course, reviewers rave about the lobster bucatini and the salt baked Branzino. Mara hosts Sunday brunch as well, where you can choose between homemade pastries, egg specials, breakfast meats and sweets to build your own brunch.
7. Umbra at the Canopy Hotel
Located inside the Canopy Hotel, Umbra serves bistro classics with a seasonal fresh twist (think chicken po' boys and spicy coleslaw made with local produce and flatbreads topped with local cheese from Faribault Cheese Caves) in a welcoming, expansive space that blends warm woods with modern industrial vibes. Umbra is one block from U.S. Bank Stadium and often has specials for major events in town, like Vikings game day deals on pretzel bites, flatbreads and burgers.
8. Jolliet House at the Marquette Hotel
Indulge in savory breakfasts, lunches, and satisfying and delectable dinner entrees, like a Hawaiian ribeye or an American wagyu burger at Jolliet House. The food here is top tier, but what's unique about Jolliet House is the view you'll get of the IDS Center's Crystal Court while you dine. Fun fact, several shots from the opening credits of later seasons of the Mary Tyler Moore Show were filmed from the balcony of Jolliet House. Sit where Mary dined at the aptly named 'Mary Tyler Moore Table.' While you're there, don't miss the immersive Topgolf Swing Suite. Try your hand at virtual golf games while taking advantage of lounge food and beverage service.
9. Breva and Masa & Agave at Hotel Ivy
With its two restaurant concepts, you can explore the flavors of the Midwest and get a Mexican cantina experience at Hotel Ivy. Breva Bar & Grill embraces seasonal and local ingredients, so repeat diners get new culinary experiences depending on the time of year. The menu is filled with refined comfort foods, like a butternut squash soup, rigatoni Bolognese, chicken and wild rice, and of course a stand-out burger topped with bacon-onion jam.
Downstairs in the moody basement restaurant with a speakeasy feel, Masa & Agave is the ultimate and authentic cantina experience. Corn masa starters, Mexico City-style tacos and agave spirits are the norm here. It'll be hard to choose between the tacos or a main dish, like pork carnitas or the tablones (modelo-braised beef short rib). Whatever you do, order a signature Margarita and the elote on the side.
10. Normandy Kitchen & Bar at the Normandy Inn
The Normandy Kitchen & Bar has served bistro cuisine, American food and cocktails downtown Minneapolis for 75 years. Known for comfort foods like roast turkey, meatloaf, and homemade cakes and pies, you'll get a taste of Minneapolis nostalgia here. The breakfasts are decadent (try the Crab Cake Benedict or the Corned Beef Hash and Eggs), lunches are satisfyingly simple, and dinners feature fresh fish, strip steak, comforting risotto and the Henry VIII Burger — a kitchen specialty since 1941.