Try These New Restaurants in Minneapolis
The food scene is always evolving in Minneapolis. These new cafes, wine bars, and cultural fusion restaurants with innovative flavors have opened within the past six months and need to go on your "to-try" list ASAP.
Vinai
1300 NE 2nd St
The highly anticipated restaurant from Chef Yia Vang has arrived. In Northeast Minneapolis, Vinai (pronounced VEE-nye) honors the past, present and future of Hmong cooking. Hmong food draws on the flavors of Southeast Asia countries that the nomadic Hmong people traveled through. The menu at Vinai features modern interpretations of Hmong family dishes that Chef Vang grew up eating. Enjoy grilled and braised meat, vegetables, rice dishes, a hot sauce selection and craft cocktails.
Barcelona Wine Bar
508 Washington Ave
A sophisticated wine bar just opened in the North Loop. Minneapolis' Barcelona Wine Bar (They're part of a national chain, but this is the first location in the Midwest!) boasts 400+ Spanish, French, Mediterranean and Latin American Wines. As for the food menu...some dishes are the same from restaurant to restaurant, but most of it is the brainchild of chef Alex Dayton (the founder of Aliment Pasta Co in NE Minneapolis). Expect charcuterie and cheese galore, tapas, and desserts.
La Madre
205 Park Ave D
The Mill District got a new addition to its growing list of restaurants: La Madre, Spanish for "the mother," serves authentic Mexican street food. Along with house-made tortillas and tortilla chips made fresh daily, La Madre will has a chef-curated menu providing a modern take on traditional Mexican entrees, small plates, and shareables with plenty of seafood. La Madre is owned by the operators of the well-known restaurant and food truck La Tapatia.
Black Duck Spirits & Hearth
2900 Johnson St NE
Every element of Black Duck centers around the hearth, from the flavor of the food to the warmth and congeniality of the gathering space. Chef and owner Jason Sawicki has designed his first brick-and-mortar restaurant to be a neighborhood sanctuary and culinary destination. Highlights of the menu include a duck burger, pierogis, oysters and grilled quail.
Darling
3311 E 25th St
Head to Darling in the Seward neighborhood of Minneapolis for tasty and healthy breakfasts. Try their waffle stuffed with quinoa and asparagus, the trout scramble, or the Grilled Ruby sandwich topped with roasted beets, pickled onions, sauerkraut and avocado.
Fitchn
1024 Washington Ave
Healthy food can be tasty, too. Fitchn serves delicious salads, pitas, bowls and smoothies that will satisfy your body's need for fuel and your taste buds' need for flavor. The most popular menu items here are the Tucson bowl, the Caesar pita and the omega bowl with spinach, chickpeas, avocado, edamame and watermelon radish.
TAP IN
2618 Lowry Ave N
TAP IN is a community space first, restaurant second. As an innovation hub for the Northside's vibrant artists, the menu features spins on American food and craft cocktails. Menu highlights include a catfish sandwich, brisket, hush puppies and wings. The food is delicious, the drinks are refreshing and the ambiance is beautiful...what more could you need?
Staff Meeting
Eat Street Crossing, 2819 Nicollet Ave
A culinary adventure awaits at Staff Meeting inside of popular food hall Eat Street Crossing. Chefs Louross and Chef Thai fuse modern Hawaii street food with the flavors of Chef Louross' Filipino heritage. Both chefs also have a background in dance, so the menu has a funky twist. Order the Dragons Breath (chicken karaage deep fried and tossed in spicy umami sauce), Da Hurricane (fries with furikake seasoning, mochi crunch and rice crackers) or the kimchi fried rice.
Diane's Place
117 14th Ave NE
Located in Northeast Minneapolis, Diane's Place serves Hmong-American food and pastries. Go here for breakfast or lunch (dinner service is coming soon), and try Diane's Hmong sausage, Thai tea French toast, a spam and nori croissant, or anything out of the pastry case. Diane Moua is a five-time James Beard Award nominee for her work as a pastry chef at restaurants like Spoon and Stable and Bellecour.
Chilango Mex-Tex
2730 W Lake St
Get authentic Mex-Tex (AKA Mexican-forward "Tex-Mex") in a restaurant overlooking Bde Maka Ska. Chilango is headed by James Beard award finalist Chef Jorge Guzmán. Try bar snacks, like guacamole or queso, flautas and nachos, then choose which tacos to order. Or, try the pollo al carbon, a marinated and grilled half chicken, or the carne asada.
Picnic
4307 Upton Ave S
Visit this new spot in Linden Hills for snacks and drinks. It's a "stop in" kind of place for picnic boards filled with meats and cheeses, sandwiches, and heartier dishes, like a picnic dog or bone marrow fried rice. Picnic has late night snack deals from 9pm to midnight.
TokiDoki Burger
3406 Nicollet Ave S
Calling all burger fanatics...TokiDoki Burger opened in South Minneapolis and specializes in burgers with Japanese flavors. The teriyaki burger features teriyaki sauce and kyupie mayo, the karai burger is sauced with Thai chili fish sauce, choto karai sauce and pickled carrots, and their chicken sandwich features sweet vinegar soy sauce and purple cabbage. TokiDoki makes a vegetarian burger, too.
Bûcheron
4257 Nicollet Ave
Bûcheron means "lumberjack" in French and is a fitting name for this South Minneapolis restaurant. Bûcheron serves French-American cuisine and pays homage to the skill and craftsmanship of generations of lumberjacks who lived and worked in Minnesota. On the menu you'll find dishes like wood grilled oysters, Minnesota wagyu culotte steak, and celery root tortellini.
