The 100 Best Restaurants in Minneapolis
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The best restaurants in Minneapolis, according to the experts: AAA, James Beard Awards, and Esquire have all weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Bûcheron comes out on top.
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Hai Hai and Alma hold the next two places. Minnesota Monthly shows up on more of this list than any other guide, with Mpls St Paul next.
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Rank 1. Bûcheron
French
The menu cites lumberjacks as inspiration, which sounds like a joke until the food arrives smelling of juniper and pickled elderberries. This is a French American neighborhood restaurant on Nicollet, where the chef works a distinctly Upper Midwestern palate, finding fall vegetables worthy of a special occasion without making the room feel like one. It won the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant and landed on the New York Times Restaurant List. The pommes dauphine are, regulars will tell you, really just very good Tater Tots.
The awards
- AAA AAA: Four Diamonds
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2025 · Winner · Best New Restaurant
- Esquire Esquire: Martini · The Best Martinis in America
- AAA Four Diamonds
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Winner · Best New Restaurant
- Esquire Martini · The Best Martinis in America
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Deep teal walls, hanging ferns, and paper lanterns turned a former strip club into a Southeast Asian street food restaurant that somehow feels like the right call even in a Minneapolis winter. The cocktails lean tropical, the menu ranges across Vietnam, Bali, and beyond, and the chef behind it all, Christina Nguyen, took the 2024 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Midwest. Book on Resy; walk-ins are optimistic.
The awards
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2024 · Winner · Best Chef: Midwest · Christina Nguyen
- Eater Eater: The Best New Restaurants in America
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Winner · Best Chef: Midwest · Christina Nguyen
- Eater The Best New Restaurants in America
- Minnesota Monthly Top 75 Restaurants
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The awards
- AAA AAA: Four Diamonds
- Wine Enthusiast Wine Enthusiast: Forward 50 Restaurants
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Chef · Alex Roberts
- AAA Four Diamonds
- Wine Enthusiast Forward 50 Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Chef · Alex Roberts
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The awards
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2022 · Winner · Best New Restaurant
- Eater Eater: The All-Time Eater 38
- USA Today USA Today: Restaurants of the Year
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Winner · Best New Restaurant
- Eater The All-Time Eater 38
- USA Today Restaurants of the Year
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Rank 3. Vinai
Hmong Thai
Named for the Thai refugee camp where chef Yia Vang was born, Vinai is a Hmong restaurant that brings a cuisine most Minneapolis diners have never properly encountered. The menu runs from Hill Tribe chicken to grilled lamb heart, and the hot sauces come from family recipes. The New York Times put it on their Restaurant List, and Bon Appétit named it among America's best new restaurants. Every dish has a story, and Vang is usually around to tell it.
The awards
- Condé Nast Traveler Condé Nast Traveler: The best new restaurants in the world
- The New York Times The New York Times: 2025 · 2 stars, Critic's Pick · Restaurant Review
- Esquire Esquire: The Best New Restaurants in America
- Condé Nast Traveler The best new restaurants in the world
- The New York Times 2025 · 2 stars, Critic's Pick · Restaurant Review
- Esquire The Best New Restaurants in America
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The awards
- AAA AAA: Four Diamonds
- AAA AAA: Three Diamonds
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2024 · Nominee · Best Chef: Midwest · Ann Ahmed
- AAA Four Diamonds
- AAA Three Diamonds
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Nominee · Best Chef: Midwest · Ann Ahmed
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Rank 6. Nixta
Masa-Driven Mexican
The awards
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2024 · Nominee · Best New Restaurant
- Bon Appétit Bon Appétit: America's Best New Restaurants
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Best Restaurant · Best New Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Nominee · Best New Restaurant
- Bon Appétit America's Best New Restaurants
- Minnesota Monthly Best Restaurant · Best New Restaurants
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Rank 6. Spoon and Stable
Modern French
The building was a working stable once, and the vaulted ceilings and warm brick still carry that memory into what is now one of Minneapolis's most celebrated dinner destinations. Chef Gavin Kaysen runs a Midwestern French kitchen where the seasonal sourcing is taken seriously without being announced at you. A 2025 James Beard Outstanding Restaurant semifinalist, it draws a dressed-up but not stiff crowd happy to linger over heritage grain pasta and a very good cocktail.
The awards
- AAA AAA: Four Diamonds
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurant
- Eater Eater: The Best New Restaurants in America
- AAA Four Diamonds
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurant
- Eater The Best New Restaurants in America
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The awards
- Wine Enthusiast Wine Enthusiast: Forward 50 Restaurants
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2025 · Nominee · Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
- Mpls St Paul Mpls St Paul: The Best Restaurants in the Twin Cities
- Wine Enthusiast Forward 50 Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
- Mpls St Paul The Best Restaurants in the Twin Cities
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Rank 10. Bar La Grassa
Italian
The awards
- AAA AAA: Three Diamonds
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurant
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
- AAA Three Diamonds
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurant
- Minnesota Monthly Top 75 Restaurants
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Three kinds of larb on the menu signals where Gai Noi's heart is. Ann Ahmed's fast-casual Thai-Lao restaurant in Minneapolis draws from the Lao city of Luang Prabang, so the menu runs toward khao poon gai, banana-leaf-steamed whitefish, and four versions of jeow, the spicy Lao dipping sauce. It's the looser, louder sibling to Ahmed's more formal Khâluna, the kind of place where you order generously and don't overthink it. The New York Times put it on their 2023 restaurant list.
The awards
- Midwest Living Midwest Living: 2024 · Best of the Midwest
- AAA AAA: Approved
- The New York Times The New York Times: The Restaurant List
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Best Innovation · Best New Restaurants
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
- Artful Living Artful Living: The Best New Twin Cities Restaurants
- Minnesota Monthly Best Innovation · Best New Restaurants
- Minnesota Monthly Top 75 Restaurants
- Artful Living The Best New Twin Cities Restaurants
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Best Special Occasion Restaurant · Best New Restaurants
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2024 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Chef · Daniel del Prado
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
- Minnesota Monthly Best Special Occasion Restaurant · Best New Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Chef · Daniel del Prado
- Minnesota Monthly Top 75 Restaurants
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
- Eater Eater: 38 Best Restaurants in Minneapolis and St. Paul
- Midwest Living Midwest Living: Best Restaurants in Minneapolis
- Minnesota Monthly Top 75 Restaurants
- Eater 38 Best Restaurants in Minneapolis and St. Paul
- Midwest Living Best Restaurants in Minneapolis
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Rank 14. Monte Carlo
American
The awards
- AAA AAA: Approved
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
- Midwest Living Midwest Living: Best Restaurants in Minneapolis
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The awards
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2022 · Nominee · Best Chef: Midwest · Jorge Guzmán
- The New York Times The New York Times: The Restaurant List
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Nominee · Best Chef: Midwest · Jorge Guzmán
- The New York Times The Restaurant List
- Minnesota Monthly Top 75 Restaurants
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
- Eater Eater: 38 Best Restaurants in Minneapolis and St. Paul
- Mpls St Paul Mpls St Paul: The Best Restaurants in the Twin Cities
- Minnesota Monthly Top 75 Restaurants
- Eater 38 Best Restaurants in Minneapolis and St. Paul
- Mpls St Paul The Best Restaurants in the Twin Cities
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Top 75 Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Mike Brown, Bob Gerken, and James Winberg - Travail Collective
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The awards
- Midwest Living Best Restaurants in Minneapolis
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Mike Brown, Bob Gerken, and James Winberg - Travail Collective
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Rank 19. Parlour
American
The awards
- AAA AAA: Three Diamonds
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
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The awards
- Artful Living Artful Living: The Top New Twin Cities Dining Experiences
- Mpls St Paul Mpls St Paul: The Best Restaurants in the Twin Cities
- Eater Eater: The Game Changer
- Artful Living The Top New Twin Cities Dining Experiences
- Mpls St Paul The Best Restaurants in the Twin Cities
- Eater The Game Changer
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Vegetables get top billing here, but the duck confit is quietly on the menu for anyone who needs convincing. All Saints is a casual-ish dinner spot where the kitchen coaxes produce into the kind of food you order twice, and the cocktail program runs from raspberry spritzes to zero-proof drinks that don't taste like an afterthought. The former Bardo space on Hennepin feels lived-in and easy, the sort of room that doesn't announce its ambitions.
The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
- Eater Eater: 38 Best Restaurants in Minneapolis and St. Paul
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
- Mpls St Paul Mpls St Paul: The Best Restaurants in the Twin Cities
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Fried green plantains stuffed with cheese and paired with a sharply herbed aji criollo set the tone at this cheerful Ecuadorian and Andean neighborhood restaurant on Central Avenue. The kitchen runs seven days a week, which is convenient when you need a proper seco de pollo on a Tuesday. An old-school institution in the best sense, the kind of place where the regulars have strong opinions about the brunch menu and are not shy about sharing them.
The awards
- Eater 38 Best Restaurants in Minneapolis and St. Paul
- Mpls St Paul The Best Restaurants in the Twin Cities
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
- Midwest Living Midwest Living: Best Restaurants in Minneapolis
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Twenty seats, one turn per night, and a tasting menu that changes with whatever the season insists on. Demi is Gavin Kaysen's intimate counter restaurant, a deliberately small operation that sits in the shadow of his better-known Spoon and Stable nearby. The room is close enough that you can watch the kitchen work through every course, which is either thrilling or slightly stressful depending on your personality.
The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
- Midwest Living Midwest Living: Best Restaurants in Minneapolis
- The 50 The 50: The 50 Discovery
- Minnesota Monthly Top 75 Restaurants
- Midwest Living Best Restaurants in Minneapolis
- The 50 The 50 Discovery
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The Jucy Lucy, spelled without the "i" and stuffed with molten cheese between two beef patties, is the whole reason Matt's Bar exists and possibly the whole reason Minneapolis exists. This divey neighborhood bar on Cedar Avenue has been doing exactly one thing forever, and the pleather booths and unadorned bar haven't changed to accommodate anyone, including a former president who stopped in. Order the burger, wait for the cheese to cool slightly, and learn from whoever's nearby why the spelling matters.
The awards
- Mpls St Paul The Best Restaurants in the Twin Cities
- Eater 38 Best Restaurants in Minneapolis and St. Paul
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
- Mpls St Paul Mpls St Paul: The Best Restaurants in the Twin Cities
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
- Mpls St Paul Mpls St Paul: The Best Restaurants in the Twin Cities
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
- Midwest Living Midwest Living: Best Restaurants in Minneapolis
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A falafel banh mi or hummus topped with kimchi sounds like a fever dream until you're eating it and it makes complete sense. This casual counter-service spot on Lyndale blends global pantries without apology, and the Moroccan-spiced fried chicken stuffed into a cheddar scallion biscuit is the kind of menu item that shouldn't work on paper. Order at the counter, grab a seat, and walk next door to Milkjam Creamery when the mood calls for it.
The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
- Eater Eater: 38 Best Restaurants in Minneapolis and St. Paul
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The awards
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The awards
- Artful Living The Top New Twin Cities Dining Experiences
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Mike Brown, Bob Gerken, and James Winberg - Travail Collective
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The awards
- Artful Living The Best New Twin Cities Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Mike Brown, Bob Gerken, and James Winberg - Travail Collective
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The awards
- Wine Enthusiast Wine Enthusiast: Top 50 New Restaurants
- Eater Eater: Best New Bar
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Best Wine Bar · Best New Restaurants
- Wine Enthusiast Top 50 New Restaurants
- Eater Best New Bar
- Minnesota Monthly Best Wine Bar · Best New Restaurants
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The awards
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The awards
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The awards
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The awards
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Best Leader · Best New Restaurants
- Artful Living Artful Living: The Top New Twin Cities Dining Experiences
- Mpls St Paul Mpls St Paul: The Best Restaurants in the Twin Cities
- Minnesota Monthly Best Leader · Best New Restaurants
- Artful Living The Top New Twin Cities Dining Experiences
- Mpls St Paul The Best Restaurants in the Twin Cities
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The awards
- Artful Living Artful Living: The Top New Twin Cities Dining Experiences
- Mpls St Paul Mpls St Paul: The Best Restaurants in the Twin Cities
- Artful Living The Top New Twin Cities Dining Experiences
- Mpls St Paul The Best Restaurants in the Twin Cities
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Best Open Fire · Best New Restaurants
- Mpls St Paul Mpls St Paul: The Best Restaurants in the Twin Cities
- Minnesota Monthly Best Open Fire · Best New Restaurants
- Mpls St Paul The Best Restaurants in the Twin Cities
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Best Revival · Best New Restaurants
- Mpls St Paul Mpls St Paul: The Best Restaurants in the Twin Cities
- Minnesota Monthly Best Revival · Best New Restaurants
- Mpls St Paul The Best Restaurants in the Twin Cities
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The awards
- Artful Living Artful Living: The Top New Twin Cities Dining Experiences
- Mpls St Paul Mpls St Paul: The Best Restaurants in the Twin Cities
- Artful Living The Top New Twin Cities Dining Experiences
- Mpls St Paul The Best Restaurants in the Twin Cities
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The awards
- Artful Living Artful Living: The Best New Twin Cities Restaurants
- Mpls St Paul Mpls St Paul: The Best Restaurants in the Twin Cities
- Artful Living The Best New Twin Cities Restaurants
- Mpls St Paul The Best Restaurants in the Twin Cities
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The awards
- Artful Living Artful Living: The Top New Twin Cities Dining Experiences
- Mpls St Paul Mpls St Paul: The Best Restaurants in the Twin Cities
- Artful Living The Top New Twin Cities Dining Experiences
- Mpls St Paul The Best Restaurants in the Twin Cities
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Best Counter Service · Best New Restaurants
- Eater 38 Best Restaurants in Minneapolis and St. Paul
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
- Artful Living Artful Living: The Best New Twin Cities Restaurants
- Artful Living Artful Living: The Top New Twin Cities Dining Experiences
- Minnesota Monthly Top 75 Restaurants
- Artful Living The Best New Twin Cities Restaurants
- Artful Living The Top New Twin Cities Dining Experiences
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Best Scene · Best New Restaurants
- Artful Living Artful Living: The Top New Twin Cities Dining Experiences
- Midwest Living Midwest Living: Best Restaurants in Minneapolis
- Minnesota Monthly Best Scene · Best New Restaurants
- Artful Living The Top New Twin Cities Dining Experiences
- Midwest Living Best Restaurants in Minneapolis
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The awards
- Mpls St Paul Mpls St Paul: The Best Restaurants in the Twin Cities
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Best Live Music · Best New Restaurants
- Mpls St Paul The Best Restaurants in the Twin Cities
- Minnesota Monthly Best Live Music · Best New Restaurants
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The awards
- Bon Appétit Bon Appétit: America's Best New Restaurants
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
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Rank 52. 112 Eatery
Italian
The awards
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The awards
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Rank 52. Ciao Bella
Italian
The awards
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Coastal American food inside a Galleria shopping mall is a proposition that sounds like a dare, but the cocktail list alone gives this casual dinner spot some credibility. The signature Old Fashioned and an espresso martini anchor a wide beverage menu, and the room catches the sunset at exactly the right angle. Boutique retail is a few steps away, which explains the after-shopping crowd settling in for something more than a snack.
The awards
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Rank 52. Dakota
American
The awards
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The awards
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Rank 52. Hazelwood Food & Drink
American
The awards
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Rank 52. J. D. Hoyt's Supper Club
Cajun & Creole
The awards
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The awards
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The awards
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The awards
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The awards
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The awards
- AAA AAA: Approved
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Rank 64. Longfellow Grill
American
The awards
- AAA AAA: Approved
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Rank 64. Nicollet Island Inn
Seasonal Midwestern
The awards
- AAA AAA: Approved
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The awards
- Midwest Living Midwest Living: Best Restaurants in Minneapolis
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Fourteen stools, one narrow counter, and a line that forms before the coffee even brews. Al's is a breakfast diner that has been squeezed into a ten-foot-wide Dinkytown storefront since what feels like forever, and the room has not meaningfully changed since. The bacon waffle and blueberry-walnut pancakes with Minnesota maple syrup are the reasons regulars come back, though mostly the reason is that nothing else feels quite like this at six in the morning.
The awards
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
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Black-and-white tile, Argentinian mementos on the walls, and a menu short enough to fit on a napkin: Boludo is a pizza and empanada shop that takes its cues from Buenos Aires. The chef trained in his grandmother's kitchen there before landing in Minneapolis, and the compact menu shows that restraint. The pizza crust has a faint sweetness that plays against the tangy tomato sauce, and the empanadas are dense and crispy-edged. Several locations around the Twin Cities, all doing takeout and delivery.
The awards
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
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The awards
- Midwest Living Midwest Living: Best Restaurants in Minneapolis
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
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The awards
- Midwest Living Midwest Living: Best Restaurants in Minneapolis
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The awards
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The awards
- Midwest Living Midwest Living: Best Restaurants in Minneapolis
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
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The awards
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
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The awards
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
- Spirited Awards Spirited Awards: 2026 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best U.S. Hotel Bar – U.S. Central
- Minnesota Monthly Top 75 Restaurants
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best U.S. Hotel Bar – U.S. Central
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Corn pancakes, crispy-edged and dusted with cotija, are the reason the line forms early at this Seward neighborhood breakfast cafe. Colombian dishes like arepas and paisa bowls share the menu with a full parade of pancakes, so the table next to you might be having a very different morning. It's a casual, cash-register-and-coffee-mug kind of spot, warm in the way that neighborhood regulars make a place warm.
The awards
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The awards
- Midwest Living Midwest Living: Best Restaurants in Minneapolis
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The awards
- Midwest Living Midwest Living: Best Restaurants in Minneapolis
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
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The awards
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The awards
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The awards
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The awards
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The awards
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
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The awards
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The awards
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
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The awards