Restaurants In Twin Cities

The food scene in the Twin Cities is surprisingly diverse considering that Minneapolis/St. Paul is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. On the other hand, most Twin Citians seem to congregate within their cliques, and stick with their known eatery choices. Recently, I faced the option of leaving Twin Cities to work somewhere else, and although I didn’t choose that option, I realized that there is a lot that TC has to offer that I haven’t explored. So, I am starting with a long list of interesting restaurants that I want to try or revisit. I’ll also be blogging my experiences at these restaurants as and when I visit them.

The restaurants below are categorized by cuisine.

American

• The Brothers Deli : 50 S 6th St, Minneapolis (2nd floor Skyway)
• Café Brenda : 300 1st Ave N, Minneapolis
• French Meadow Bakery : 2610 Lyndale Ave S, Mineapolis
• Hell’s Kitchen : 86 S 10th St, Minneapolis
• The Malt Shop : 809 W 50th St, Minneapolis
• Matt’s Bar : 3500 Cedar Ave S, Minneapolis (Try the Jucy Lucy)
• Modern Café : 337 13th Ave NE, Minneapolis
• St Martin’s Table : 2001 Riverside Ave, Minneapolis (Vegetarian. Breads, Soups, Sandwiches)
• Tugg’s Tavern : 219 Main St SE, Minneapolis (Great view of downtown from porch, great lemonade)
• Vera’s Cafe : 2901 Lyndale Ave S (Open until midnight. Soups, sandwiches, scrambled eggs)
• Cecil’s Restaurant, Deli & Bakery : 651 S Cleveland Ave, St Paul (St Paul’s best deli)
• Mickey’s Diner : 36 W 7th St, St Paul
• Muffuletta Café : 2260 Como Ave, St Paul (American italian food)
• 128 Café : 128 Cleveland Ave N, St Paul (Seasonal menu, available Prix Fixe menu)
• Porky’s : 1890 Univ Ave W, St Paul (drive-in restaurant)
• Tavern on Grand : 656 Grand Ave, St Paul (Classic MN Walleye)
• Dixie’s on Grand : 695 Grand Ave, St Paul (Bayou cuisine)
• Zaroff’s Deli Restaurant: 11300 Wayzata Blvd, Minnetonka (New York Jewish Deli, goulash, borscht, fresh cheesecake)

French

• Vincent: 1100 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis (old world ambience. Seasonal a-la-carte menu)
• La Fougasse: Sofitel Minneapolis, 5601 W 78th St, Bloomington (Onion soup. Desserts. Mediterranean look. Resvn reqd)

German

• Glockenspiel: 605 W 7th St, St Paul (German beers. Pork specialties including pork knuckle. German desserts)
• Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter: 8390 Lofton Ave N, Stillwater (Large variety of Schnitzels. Bavarian Combo platter. Polka fri, sun. Sommerfest in June, Waldfest on Labor Day, Oktoberfest in Sept)
• Winzer Stube: 516 2nd St, Hudson, WI (Authentic german at decent prices. Jägerschnitzel, Schweinhaxe. Good desserts)

Greek

• Gardens of Salonica: 19 NE 5th St, Minneapolis (Chkn Souvlaki. Boughatsa. Gyros)
• It’s Greek to Me: 626 W Lake St, Minneapolis (Inexpensive. Spicy feta cheese spread)
• Christos: 214 E 4th St, St Paul (Beautiful historic location @ Union Depot. Lunch buffet prices reasonable)
• Santorini: 9920 Wayzata Blvd, St Louis Park (Moroccan Chkn Sandwich)

Italian

• Al Vento: 5001 34th Ave S, Minneapolis (Authentic southern Italian)
• Bobino Café & Wine bar: 222 E Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis (Monte Carlo romantic setting. Monthly menu. 50 wines. 20 tap beers. Tapas. Desserts)
• Broder’s Cucina Italiana: 2308 W 50th St, Minneapolis (Spicy pizza by slice. Homemade pasta w sauce. Italian sandwiches)
• Campiello: 6411 City W Parkway, Eden Prairie (Dressy, classy. Thin crust pizza. Pasta. Rotisserie meat)
• Fat Lorenzo’s: 5600 Cedar Ave S, Minneapolis (NY Pizza, lasagna, pasta, hoagies)
• Pane Vino Dolce:  819 W 50th St, Minneapolis (Small pizza, risotto, ravioli, daily specials. No CC)
• Cosetta Market & Pizzeria:  211 W 7th St, St Paul (Chicago pizza, lasagna, chkn cacciatore)
• Paisano’s: 619 Selby Ave, St Paul (Deep dish pizza, by slice, hoagies)
• Pazzaluna: 360 St Peter St, St Paul (Filleto di Manzo al Pepe. Many Grappe. M-F Happy Hr 4-6, 9-10)
• Red Savoy’s Pizza: 421 E 7th St, St Paul (Flat crust pizza)
• Ristorante Luci:  470 Cleveland Ave S, St Paul (Pasta. Seafood. Wine List. Desserts)
• I Nonni: 981 Sibley Memorial Highway, Lilydale (Fresh pasta, seafood. 14 Grappe)

Chinese

• 1st Wok: 3236 W Lake St, Minneapolis (Sesame Shrimp, Double Wonder. Cheap lunch specials)
• Cleveland Wok: 767 Cleveland Ave S, St Paul (Singapore curry noodles)
• My Le Hoa: 2900 Rice St, Little Canada (Market Place Shopping Center)(TC fave, seafood in oyster/black bean sauce, good fish selection, 4 duck dishes)
• Willow Gate II: 1885 W Perimeter Dr, Roseville (several hundred Chinese & Vietnamese dishes, cheap lunch combos. Curry shrimp. Chkn Fried Rice)
• Singapore! Cuisine of China & Malaysia: 1715 Beam Ave, Ste A, Maplewood (Good Malaysian. Vegetarian choices. Captain’s Curry)

Thai/Cambodian/Vietnamese

• Cheng Heng : 448 Univ Ave W, St Paul (Steamed mussels in black bean sauce)
• Pad Thai Grand Cafe: 1659 Grand Ave, St Paul (Spring rolls, pad thai)
• Saigon Restaurant & Bakery: 601 Univ Ave W, St Paul (Affordable, authentic Vietnamese. Pho. Banh Mi)
• Vina Highland Vietnamese: 756 Cleveland Ave S, St Paul (Curry shrimp, hot & spicy chicken. Chinese lunch specials)
• Kimson Vietnamese Cuisine: 8654 Lyndale Ave S, Bloomington (200+ items. Beef Saute over fried potatoes. Good veg options)

Carribbean

• Harry Singh’s Caribbean Restaurant :2653 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis (Stuffed Roti)
• Café Havana: 119 Washington Ave N, Minneapolis (Cuban)(50’s cosmopolitan Havana nightclub ambience, Tres Leches cake, cigar room. Grilled Chorizo w peppers)
• Victor’s 1959 Café: 3756 Grand Ave S, Minneapolis (Cuban)(b’fast + lunch. Fried Yucca. Ranchero Cubano)
• Puerta Azul: 1811 Selby Ave, St Paul (Puerto Rican. Sliced beef with onion. Fish in Caribbean sauce)
• El Meson: 3450 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis (Spanish, Caribbean. Lunch buffet)

Middle Eastern

• Caspian Bistro: 2418 University Ave SE, Minneapolis (Kabobs)
• Trieste Cafe: 10 S 5th St, Minneapolis (Hoagies, subs. In Lumber Exchange building)
• El Bustan: 4757 Central Ave NE, Columbia Heights (Hookah)
• Barbary Fig: 720 Grand Ave, St Paul (Moroccan. Tangine. Good desserts)

Latin American

• Conga Latin Bistro: 501 E Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis (Latin american cuisine) (Paella, Jamaican chicken. Dance floor)
• Chiapas Restaurant: 2416 Central Ave NE, Minneapolis (Pancho Villa sister concern, but cheaper)
• Me Gusta Mexican Cuisine: 1507 E Lake St, Minneapolis (Authentic mexican. Nopales Asados)
• El Burrito Mercado: 175 Cesar Chavez St, St Paul (Café in market. Tortas. Good prices)

Others

• Khyber Pass Café : 1571 Grand Ave, St Paul (Afghani)
• Kramarczuk Sausage Company: 215 Hennepin Ave E, Minneapolis (East European)(Varenyky, Holubet, Szegedin goulash, Borscht. Live accordion saturday night)
• Queen of Sheba: 2447 W 7th St, St Paul (Ethiopian)(Ethiopian coffee)
• Tanpopo Noodle Shop: 308 Prince St, St Paul (Japanese noodles)
• Tejas: 3910 W 50th St, Edina (Southwestern)(Wood roasted beef tenderloin)

Seafood

• Oceanaire Seafood Room: 1300 Nicollet Mall, Hyatt Regency, Minneapolis (Pricey. Fresh fish from both coasts. Daily menu based on fish available)
• Seafood Palace Chinese Restaurant: 2523 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis (Lunch specials. Crab dishes. Crispy duck)
• Mac’s Fish & Chips: 1330 Larpenteur Ave W, St Paul (Take-out. Haddock fillets. Fried fish basket)

Dessert

• Award Baking Intl: 1101 NE Stinson Blvd, Ste 3, Minneapolis (oblaten, biscotti)
• Univ of MN Dairy Sales: Andrew Boss Meat Sci Bldg, 1354 Eckles Ave, St Paul (wednesdays 3-5pm. Great ice cream)
• Izzy’s Ice Cream Cafe: 2034 Marshall Ave, St Paul (Homemade ice cream, malt, shake, sundae, egg cream)
• Just Truffles: 1326 Grand Ave, St Paul (Rich, homemade choc truffles)
• Regina’s Candy Kitchen: 2073 St Clair Ave, St Paul (caramels, chocolates, toffees, truffles)

Tea

• La Société du Thé: 2708 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis (130 varieties of tea)
• Tea Source: 752 Cleveland Ave S, St Paul