View Full Version : Great ethnic restaurants in Minneapolis?
frugal-one
11-2-12, 12:05pm
Well, it is that time of year again. My son's birthday is in a few weeks and the last few years I have come here for advice. You all have ALWAYS come through for me. My son has LOVED the recommendations you gave and has wondered how I could possibly know or think of the places/products given to him. So my dilemma this year is to find a wonderful ethnic restaurant. He loves authentic "dives". The place does not need to be upscale. Actually he probably would enjoy it more if it wasn't. He enjoys all kinds of ethnic food. When we were there one year he took us to a Somalian restaurant. It was not my thing but he loves all types of food and thought it was great. Any ideas?
Absolutely! Is crossing the river to St. Paul an option? :welcome: If so, skip to the last paragraph.
The place I'd recommend first in Minneapolis is called Midtown Global Market. It's actually a refurbished multilevel Sears store with office space on top and what is essentially a large food court with a few grocers and specialty retailers thrown in for good measure. The cuisines present include Mexican, southwestern U.S., Somali/African, Middle Eastern, Vietnamese, Scandinavian, and "chef-driven". Pretty much every vendor there does a good job. The Salty Tart bakery has won awards for their stuff. Sonora Grill does an excellent job of inventive cooking. MGM is kinda nice to be a "dive" but it certainly will offer a bunch of people enough ethnic food choices to make everyone happy.
Other places in Minneapolis which fit the "dive" bill better would be True Thai, in south Minneapolis; Shuang Chen (in Dinkytown, best after 9 pm or so when the place is full of Asian students slurping up bowls of noodles just like at home); Hong Kong Noodles (other end of Dinkytown; Hong Kong cuisine, which is not quite like Cantonese or Hunan or Sichuan); Krungthep Thai, on "Eat Street" (Nicollet Ave, just north of the K-Mart), and Tortilleria La Perla or Pinedas Tacos (both on Lake Street).
Honestly, though, if you can make your way to St. Paul, there's a place which will blow all of these places out of the water. Two, actually. One is called Hmong International Marketplace. It's a tiny campus of buildings not far from downtown St. Paul. And visiting it is like visiting southeast Asia. Lots of different languages spoken, lots of products you've probably never seen before, just a very different vibe. The marketplace has many stores selling clothing, shoes, Hmong videos and music, jewelry, bedding, gadgets, Asian pharmaceuticals and health/beauty aids, Buddha statues, ... and a couple of greengrocers, at least one butcher shop that I know of, and a food court in each building. I had a Hmong co-worker who insisted there was no such thing as "Hmong cuisine", but the food here is good and safe and plentiful. Even unadventurous eaters will find something familiar to enjoy. Plan on spending a few hours strolling through the buildings. But I guarantee it will be a visit your son will not forget. We've sent friends and families to visit and they've all remarked on how you would never expect to find a street bazaar like this in Minnesota. But it's here, and well worth the trip. There is a second, similar marketplace in northeastern St. Paul, but this one is the original and larger.
Hope this helps!
I'd second Eat Street (Nicollet Ave just south of downtown). There's a little bit of everything- Greek food at Christos, German food at Black Forest Inn, Mexican joints, although most places are Asian. My favorites are Quang's, Pho 79 and Rainbow Chinese (one of the better Chinese restaurants in the Twin Cities).
Here's a list: http://www.urbanspoon.com/n/29/2818/Twin-Cities/Eat-Street-restaurants
I also like Cocina Latina a little further south on 38th and Nicollet. It's Latin/Ecudorian food. It's a cozy place though and pretty cheap. (http://www.yelp.com/biz/cocina-latina-minneapolis)
Awesome thread! I am taking notes. :)
frugal-one
11-2-12, 5:32pm
I agree Stella... awesome responses!!!! Thank you! I know my son frequents the Global Market so I know he would love the other places mentioned as well. I am going to print this out so I can make recommendations when we visit. hehehe
fidgiegirl
11-2-12, 5:40pm
We like Brasa a lot. It's not a dive, but it is Latin-Creole-Caribbean fusion. They have a place in Northeast Mpls.
Also taking notes, BTW. It's amazing what one can learn about one's own city.
One that came to mind that I've been to since I was a kid was Emily's Lebanese Deli in NE Minneapolis. Their spinach pie is my favourite. Holy Land has good Middle Eastern food too and I love their market.
I should check with DH. He's part of a monthly group that gets together to eat at ethnic restaurants. I know last month they went to Sen Yai Sen Lek in NE Minneapolis and the month before that it was Ghorka, a Nepalese/Tibetan place in NE. The month before that was Chimborazo, an Ecuadorian place in NE. Can you tell what part of the city I'm in? LOL.
As someone old enough to remember when the only ethnic eatery in town was the Shangri-La Cantonese restaurant down the highway a few miles, I have to say one of the many things I love about living in the here and now--and living in a metropolitan area--is having access to a wide variety of multi-cultural restaurants and markets.
Caspian Bistro near the University is an excellent place for Persian food, and has a small market attached
http://www.caspianbistro-mn.com/
Caspian is a lot of fun, especially with a group. Not sure I would call it a "dive", though -- it's not a white-tablecloth-and-linen kind of place, but it's nice.
I've never heard of Caspian- I'll have to check it out sometime. I'll admit most of the places I go to are on the south end of town. My DH and I do like to head to Jax Cafe once in a while when we feel like a nice night out (not 'ethnic', btw) and I do like to go to Kramarczuk's to stock up on sausages. I also will stop in to the little Polish grocery store (Ziach) in NE, but it's not a restaurant, just a grocery store w/Polish goods and a little meat counter.
I love Eastern European/Russian cuisine. Does anyone in the Twin Cities area know of any other places? I guess there's Nye's. I haven't been there in a long time though. I do like Moscow on the Hill. That part of St. Paul is so pretty too.
Nope, Caspian is not a dive.
Russian - Moscow on the Hill is all I know - our friends from Russia like it a lot. There are several Russian/Ukrainian markets in the area that they've mentioned as well.
Upscale but authentic and delicious Italian - The Butcher Block in Northeast. Our friend from Italy gives it her highest rating.
Most authentic German in the area, Winzer Stube in Hudson. Second most authentic, Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter in Stillwater.
Ping's Szechuan in Mpls is pretty good. Shuang Chen, mentioned above, gets my vote for best Chinese because they have kai lan on the menu (Chinese broccoli).
Good Mexican/Latin food places - these aren't dives but they are very casual.
Casa Lupita in White Bear Township - yes, the 'burbs - it's a takeout place with a few tables, does a big lunch business. Very good salsas, enchiladas. Also in Columbia Heights, Catalina's - we got a groupon here a few months ago and the food was excellent - can't recall where the owner is from, somewhere in Central America I believe.
Anyone have a fave Indian restaurant? This one is a bit of a dive - in Maplewood off of Highway 36, Taste of India - the building really looks like a dive on the outside, the parking lot is battered, and the interior could use some TLC - but the food is excellent.
What's your favorite place for Pho?
I am starting to be convinced that there is a strong and fabulous Simple Living vortex in the Twin Cities that is going to suck us all in sooner or later -- you guys are killing me!
Probably doesn't help that rice cooker bibimbap is on the menu for dinner and I'm hungry! Just a few more minutes, thankfully....
lhamo
I love Eastern European/Russian cuisine. Does anyone in the Twin Cities area know of any other places? I guess there's Nye's. I haven't been there in a long time though. I do like Moscow on the Hill. That part of St. Paul is so pretty too.
There's the Russian Piroshki & Tea House on University in St. Paul, St. Petersburg in Robbinsdale, Babani's (Kurdish) restaurant in downtown St. Paul, and Black Sea (Turkish) near Hamline University. There also are a couple of Russian food stores which offer some food to take out. I live near Kiev, which has a token table or two in the store, but really is not a restaurant. I think there's another grocery store in Eagan or Burnsville, too.
Anyone have a fave Indian restaurant? This one is a bit of a dive - in Maplewood off of Highway 36, Taste of India - the building really looks like a dive on the outside, the parking lot is battered, and the interior could use some TLC - but the food is excellent.
What's your favorite place for Pho?
Taste of India actually is pretty good. I've taken a couple of classes taught by Raghavan Iyer; he claims that no Indian restaurant will make as good food as a good Indian home cook. That said, I don't know any of them, so I rely on restaurants. There is a bunch of new Indian restaurants which are all supposed to be pretty good: Gorkha Palace, Dancing Ganesha, Copper Pot, Bombay Bistro.
For pho, right now I waver between two favorites: iPho Saigon on University (the old Saigon with the same staff but under new management) and Pho Cadao (also on University in St. Paul). Both do a great job with the broth which, to me, is the heart and soul of pho.
This thread is doing nothing for me on the eating at home challenge. :)
I am starting to be convinced that there is a strong and fabulous Simple Living vortex in the Twin Cities that is going to suck us all in sooner or later -- you guys are killing me!
Probably doesn't help that rice cooker bibimbap is on the menu for dinner and I'm hungry! Just a few more minutes, thankfully....
lhamo
Don't resist Lhamo! Join us! :)
There's the Russian Piroshki & Tea House on University in St. Paul, St. Petersburg in Robbinsdale, Babani's (Kurdish) restaurant in downtown St. Paul, and Black Sea (Turkish) near Hamline University. There also are a couple of Russian food stores which offer some food to take out. I live near Kiev, which has a token table or two in the store, but really is not a restaurant. I think there's another grocery store in Eagan or Burnsville, too.
Taste of India actually is pretty good. I've taken a couple of classes taught by Raghavan Iyer; he claims that no Indian restaurant will make as good food as a good Indian home cook. That said, I don't know any of them, so I rely on restaurants. There is a bunch of new Indian restaurants which are all supposed to be pretty good: Gorkha Palace, Dancing Ganesha, Copper Pot, Bombay Bistro.
For pho, right now I waver between two favorites: iPho Saigon on University (the old Saigon with the same staff but under new management) and Pho Cadao (also on University in St. Paul). Both do a great job with the broth which, to me, is the heart and soul of pho.
For pho, I go to Quang's or Pho 79. I've heard good things about the pho at Ngon Bistro on University Ave in St. Paul, but I've not been there. It doesn't seem like there would be a shortage of good places to get pho though. I would like to try the Russian Tea House sometime. The hours were always so hard for me before when I worked FT. That doesn't seem like a place I can bring a pre-schooler either. My DH has been there and loves it.
I haven't been out for Indian food in a long time. The last place I've been was that little place in Uptown on Dupont Ave. It seems to change ownership often, so I'm not sure what it's like now. I would like to try the Darbar Indian Grill on Lake St. though.
Steve, I forgot about Kiev! My hubby used to work near there and would go there for lunch. I just took a trip down to the Minsk Market just over the river in Eagan (I never knew about it). They had a pretty big meat counter and some beautiful cakes/desserts in the case. I didn't pick up too much, just some red caviar (DH's request), smoked pork from the meat counter, some heavy dark bread (which I can't seem to find very often), beet salad and some other items. It's kind of a dreary day today, so I'm making chicken noodle soup tonight and we will have the dark bread. Yum!
frugal-one
11-5-12, 3:53pm
Just to let you all know... I printed out the list from cattledog and everyone's comments and sent them to my son with a check. I'll let you know where he went to eat and how it was. Thanks again for all the great ideas!!!!!
frugal-one
11-10-12, 12:22pm
Update... Today is my son's birthday... and this is the email I received earlier...
Thanks for the gift!!!
I will let you know how the spots are. I have been to most mentioned in the email, but am excited to try those I haven't!!!
He also mentioned being excited about the Russian place... that he always wanted to try it and now will.
Thanks again! You had great ideas!!!!! As stated earlier, you guys ALWAYS come through!
SteveinMN
11-10-12, 8:16pm
:)
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