| Venue name |
Area |
Type |
 |
Minneapolis: Warehouse District |
American, American contemporary |
 |
Minneapolis: Warehouse District |
American, American contemporary |
|
At his Warehouse District people magnet, chef/owner Isaac Becker does beautiful work with such high-brow fare as sea scallops with wild mushrooms and seared ahi tuna with chimichurri sauce. But don't miss his great takes on basic bar grub: the sweet-and-sour crab salad, cold cuts-pickles plate, bacon-harissa sandwich, one of the Twin Cities' best burger. Reservations a must; be sure to ask for a main-floor table. The restaurant was the Star Tribune's 2005 restaurant of the year. Becker is a 2008, 2009 and 2010 nominee for Best Chef: Midwest by the James Beard Foundation Awards.
612-343-7696
112 N. 3rd St.
Minneapolis, MN
More details »
|
 |
St. Paul: Summit/Grand, St. Paul: Macalester/Highland |
American, American casual, American contemporary |
 |
St. Paul: Summit/Grand, St. Paul: Macalester/Highland |
American, American casual, American contemporary |
|
When co-owners Brock and Natalie Obee called it quits in June 2007 after 11 great years, server Jill Wilson stepped in and bought the place lock, stock and recipe. Cafe 128, version 2.0, is still a swell just-under-the-radar charmer. Chef Ian Pierce is a master of the restaurant's signature dish, slowly braised pork baby back ribs. Other highlights: fork-tender beef tenderloin in an exceptional red wine demi-glace; pan-roasted chicken served with creamy polenta and a robust bacon-rosemary pan sauce; tender cod cakes with energetic Thai flavors, and zesty harissa-glazed shrimp.
651-645-4128
128 N. Cleveland Av.
St. Paul, MN
More details »
|
 |
Northwest suburbs, West metro |
|
 |
Northwest suburbs, West metro |
|
651-343-2923
12690 N. Arbor Lakes Pkwy.
Maple Grove, MN
More details »
|
 |
Southwest suburbs, West metro |
|
 |
Southwest suburbs, West metro |
|
952-401-7902
318 Water St.
Excelsior, MN
More details »
|
 |
Minneapolis |
American |
 |
Minneapolis |
American |
612-823-5858
5800 Cedar Av. S.
Minneapolis, MN
More details »
|
 |
Northwest suburbs, North metro |
|
 |
Northwest suburbs, North metro |
|
763-425-5858
6251 Douglas Court
Champlin, MN
More details »
|
 |
East suburbs |
|
 |
East suburbs |
|
651-735-5858
2289 Minnehaha Av. E.
Maplewood, MN
More details »
|
 |
Minneapolis |
American, American casual |
 |
Minneapolis |
American, American casual |
3808 W. 50th St.
Minneapolis, MN
More details »
|
 |
Southwest suburbs, West metro |
American, American casual |
 |
Southwest suburbs, West metro |
American, American casual |
|
Walk into the lobby of the Country Inn & Suites for an eerie sense of déjà vu: Is this Indianapolis? Rockford, Ill.? Oconomowoc, Wis.? That’s what happens at these chain hotels, as they all look exactly like one another. So it's a pleasant surprise to encounter the entirely unexpected Whitney Bistro & Onyx Bar. The bar just might be the coziest place to nurse a Lemon Drop in the 952 area code, and the lovely dining room could pass for the greenhouse at the palatial residence. Chef Adam Levitt takes his cues from his convention-defying surroundings. Starters ($6 to $13) include flatbreads topped with smoked salmon and the complementary flavors of caramelized onions and roasted garlic, nicely grilled shrimp paired with guacamole, skewers of tender beef, and crispy wontons stuffed with chicken and sweet green onions. Entrees (most under $20) include a half-dozen sandwiches, a handful of salads, four pastas, beef tenderloin medallions paired with wilted spinach, juicy burgers and a pork loin with sweet potato hash. Service is perky and fast.
952-698-4864
5120 W. American Blvd.
Bloomington, MN
More details »
|
 |
Minneapolis: Downtown |
American, American casual |
 |
Minneapolis: Downtown |
American, American casual |
|
Downtown restaurant and bar, serving an all-American menu of sandwiches, burgers and more. During the warm-weather months, the restaurant operates a large, shaded and very popular patio.
612-349-5717
800 Marquette Av. S.
Minneapolis, MN
More details »
|
 |
Southwest suburbs, West metro |
Asian, Chinese |
 |
Southwest suburbs, West metro |
Asian, Chinese |
952-881-1088
824 W. 98th St.
Bloomington, MN
More details »
|
 |
Minneapolis: University |
American, American casual, Coffee, Deli |
 |
Minneapolis: University |
American, American casual, Coffee, Deli |
|
At this laid-back coffeehouse, expect to find an ambitious live-music schedule (performed in an adjacent music room), a nicely retro setting and inexpensive fare that effortlessly swings from breakfast (burritos, oatmeal, waffles) to dinner (black-bean burger, smoked trout salad, aoili/three-cheese grilled sandwich). Beyond coffee, there's an impressive beer selection (including 24 tap choices, from Bell's Oberon Ale to Frostop root beer) and more than a dozen affordable wines by the glass.
612-874-8702
329 Cedar Av. S.
Minneapolis, MN
More details »
|
 |
St. Paul |
|
 |
St. Paul |
|
651-698-8191
1552 Saint Clair Av.
St. Paul, MN
More details »
|
 |
East suburbs |
European, Italian |
 |
East suburbs |
European, Italian |
651-464-6130
8241 North Shore Trail N.
Forest Lake, MN
Reserve a table |
More details »
|
 |
East suburbs |
American, American casual, American contemporary |
 |
East suburbs |
American, American casual, American contemporary |
|
Daron Close and chef Chris Whalen, formerly of Campiello and other D'Amico properties, have struck out on their own to open a small suburban restaurant. Acqua features a non-trendy menu of specials and entrees that unlocks the flavors lurking deep inside ingredients, whether it's a succulent, slow-braised pork shank or oven-roasted cauliflower. While I quibbled with a perfunctory thin-crust pizza and a few over-salted dishes, this place does a great job balancing the unexpected with the standard.
651-407-7317
4453 Lake Av. S.
White Bear Lake, MN
Reserve a table |
More details »
|
 |
Southwest suburbs, West metro |
Ice cream |
 |
Southwest suburbs, West metro |
Ice cream |
952-470-0035
800 Excelsior Blvd.
Excelsior, MN
More details »
|
 |
Minneapolis: Northeast |
Mexican |
 |
Minneapolis: Northeast |
Mexican |
612-789-2526
2405 Central Av. NE
Minneapolis, MN
More details »
|
 |
East suburbs |
American, American casual |
 |
East suburbs |
American, American casual |
651-330-3101
4424 Lake Av.
White Bear Lake, MN
More details »
|
 |
Minneapolis |
American, American casual |
 |
Minneapolis |
American, American casual |
|
An honest-to-god neighborhood bar and grill offering a long menu of burgers, from basics (cheeseburgers, California burgers) to exotic (black bean with lettuce and salsa, cheese with sauerkraut, turkey with tomatoes and mayo), grilled chicken, fish and chips and a dozen deep-fried bar snacks.
612-824-4011
4812 Chicago Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN
More details »
|
 |
East suburbs |
American, American casual |
 |
East suburbs |
American, American casual |
|
A rare bastion of tableside preparation, with a charming
country house warmth and ambience that suggests chicken pot pie rather than steak Diane. But its ambitious menu offers not only flaming steak Diane but authentic Caesar salad and those virtually extinct flaming desserts, bananas Foster and cherries jubilee, with all the appropriate hoopla and pyrotechnics. The performances are first-rate, but the result is often not. So it goes. Times change and culinary fashions change. It's easy to get sentimental about those dishes, but the reality is that they often weren't really that good, even in their heyday. What was different? We were.
651-436-8883
3291 S. St. Croix Trail
Afton, MN
Reserve a table |
More details »
|
 |
Minneapolis: Downtown |
Asian, Chinese |
 |
Minneapolis: Downtown |
Asian, Chinese |
612-332-9190
121 8th St. S., Ste. 225
Minneapolis, MN
More details »
|
 |
Minneapolis: Downtown |
Asian, Chinese |
 |
Minneapolis: Downtown |
Asian, Chinese |
612-338-2366
200 S. 6th St.
Minneapolis, MN
More details »
|
 |
St. Paul |
Asian, Vietnamese |
 |
St. Paul |
Asian, Vietnamese |
651-602-0231
432 University Av.
St. Paul, MN
More details »
|
 |
Southwest suburbs, West metro |
European, Greek |
 |
Southwest suburbs, West metro |
European, Greek |
612-866-5601
2208 W. 66th St.
Richfield, MN
More details »
|
 |
Southwest suburbs, West metro |
Asian, Japanese |
 |
Southwest suburbs, West metro |
Asian, Japanese |
952-358-3558
712 Mainstreet
Hopkins, MN
Reserve a table |
More details »
|