RESTAURANTS >>

• BEST BREAKFAST
  There are certain things you expect when you're indulging in breakfast at a ma-and-pa diner. Grandview Grille has them all, from reasonably priced staples like eggs over easy to the most basic of basics, like toast and oatmeal. But what makes this spot so special is the unexpected. Say, for... More >>
• BEST CHEAP EATS
  Little Tijuana Restaurant is punk rock. It even has a punk one-chord nickname (T's, for short). The heaping portions of authentic Mexican fare provide the perfect punctuation for any situation. A late-night bite after that concert or film? Dig into the chicken and cheese dish or bean burrito... More >>
• BEST CHINESE RESTAURANT
  Whenever a chef emerges from the kitchen carrying the green net on the aluminum pole, all eyes turn to watch: Who's dinner? Which of the live lobsters, world of crabs, various species of fish, or swimming eels will leave its tank by the door to meet wok and ginger? Wherever that critter is... More >>
• BEST COFFEE HOUSE
  One of the great culinary plagues afflicting the Twin Cities is the bland, tasteless, mass-produced sandwiches that can be purchased at just about every coffee shop in town. Bully for the company that thought up this idea, but really, how hard is it to make a freakin' turkey sandwich? Are the... More >>
• BEST DIM SUM
  Dim sum should probably come with a warning from the Surgeon General--or be banned outright as a threat to the public health. With 86.2 percent of Americans already wearing elastic-waistband pants, the last thing we need is a marathon meal where food comes to your table on a cart, whether or... More >>
• BEST DINER
  Just east of the small industrial wasteland around Hiawatha Avenue, south of the Seward neighborhood and north of Lake Street, lies the Diner. An immediate neighbor of such other neighborhood institutions as Stardust Lanes and the Hexagon Bar, the Diner has been on the corner of 26th and 27th... More >>
• BEST FRENCH RESTAURANT
  What is it that we look for when we look for French Food? Is it that Epcot Center-ish lineup of French mascot foods, like croissants, crêpes, moules, and steak frites, preferably served by a guy in a striped shirt and a beret? Or, by French Food, do we mean that which comes from the... More >>
• BEST GREEK RESTAURANT
  Enter this cozy, dark-paneled place, and garlic embraces you like Mama in My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Classic moussaka, spanakopita, and the lamb selections are sure bets. But daily specials, such as scallops Aekaga (with fresh bell peppers and plenty of garlic) and lamb shanks with roasted... More >>
• BEST INDIAN RESATAURANT
  At lunchtime New Delhi is a hopping place. The diverse diners--as much a melting pot as the Indian metropolis this young restaurant is named for--pop up and down from the white-draped tables to survey an expansive buffet filled with treats like pungent beef curry, delicately spiced tandoori... More >>
• BEST ITALIAN RESTAURANT (CHEAP)
  This neighborhood trattoria makes homemade egg noodles so fresh and delicate that the menu warns against ordering them for takeout--they'll never taste as good reheated. Here you won't find red or white sauce, or garlic bread, or sugar shakers of powdery Parmesan (this is no chain spaghetti... More >>
• BEST ITALIAN RESTAURANT (NOT CHEAP)
  Recently at Pane Vino Dolce, we had chard. Chard magically transformed into cloth and folded around little packets of cheese and ham in such a way that it looked like nothing so much as a wee little shirt whisked off a wee little shelf. And it sat there on the plate in a dark sauce, offering... More >>
• BEST JAPANESE RESTAURANT
  Not long ago Nami celebrated its one-year anniversary, and already this mere babe on the local scene has toddled to the top of the heap. Why? The elegant, soaring warehouse space that feels more Miami than Minnesota, the throbbing late-night bar that feels more Milan than Minnesota, and, of... More >>
• BEST KOREAN RESTAURANT
  If you're living a life bereft of King's seafood-scallion pancake (a springy omelet stuffed with sweet squid and tender green onions), we don't know that we'd call that living. And what about that spicy, nutty pork bul go gi! Oooh, that's really living. Not only does King's have some of the... More >>
• BEST LOCAL CHEF
  A chef can be more than an exacting palate demanding things from cowering cooks. In the best instances a chef can be a creative force of good for the entire world around him. For real. Remember four years ago when Alexander "Zander" Dixon opened a narrow storefront restaurant in a rundown block... More >>
• BEST MEXICAN RESTAURANT
  Ever heard of Tio Pepe's taco hole? If you care a whit about real Mexican food, you should make it your business to hear of it. Here's the lowdown: Tio Pepe's is a short section on Chino Latino's menu where some of the best Mexican food in the history of the Twin Cities has been appearing. Look... More >>
• BEST MIDDLE EASTERN RESTAURANT
  Tiny and well-worn, this beloved neighborhood spot just northeast of downtown Minneapolis is easy to miss. But do stop. The traditional selections, seasoned with a light hand, are delicious. Kibbi, for instance, "is like Lebanese meatloaf," explains a young woman with a rope of shiny black... More >>
• BEST NEIGHBORHOOD CAFÉ (MINNEAPOLIS)
  Fluffy pancakes in the morning, hearty soups and sandwiches at lunch, organic artisan breads all day, every day. And now expert, fancy gourmet dinners at night with worldwide wines and beer. What, pray tell, is there not to be in love with at French Meadow these days? Someone should give owner... More >>
• BEST NEIGHBORHOOD CAFÉ (ST. PAUL)
  The amount of love we have for Saigon is pretty much incalculable. Whether it's those crisp and spicy bánh mì sandwiches (French baguettes filled with a combination of Vietnamese and French ingredients, like sweet pickled carrots and spicy liver pâté) to those... More >>
• BEST NEW RESTAURANT
  Of course it would take a guy from Hoboken to give the Midwest the restaurant it most desperately needed. Lenny Russo has long had a reputation as one of Minnesota's most exacting chefs, making all his stocks and other foundations for his cooking from scratch even when he helmed such giant... More >>
• BEST PLACE TO EAT OUT WITH YOUR KIDS
  If food is love, the Egg and I is a great place to start the day. Here kids (of all ages) rev up their forks and dive into fat Kamikazes (pancakes laden with bananas, blueberries, and nuts). The waffles are remarkably crisp and airy, the eggs offer a lesson in the nuances of sunny side up or... More >>
• BEST POWER LUNCH
  Pity the power lunch. Years ago when the options for downtown dining were fewer, the spots for power lunching were more concentrated. In fact, back in the day, a dedicated schmoozer could work through various seats of power like café un deux trois, the New French Café, and Azur in... More >>
• BEST RESTAURANT (MINNEAPOLIS)
  Many places these days can dazzle us with their cooking. And yet somehow it is only at Vincent lately that we feel really and truly happy. Perhaps it is the generous wine list--the way a mere party of two can flight their own wines, having, say, a crisp muscadet with the fish-based appetizers... More >>
• BEST RESTAURANT (ST. PAUL)
  There are little Zs all over the Zander Café wine list, annotations that indicate selections from chef Alexander "Zander" Dixon's personal collection. One would do well to look to the little Zs, for with each one comes an unusual, wonderful little treat. In fact, sometimes it seems like... More >>
• BEST RESTAURANT FOR A FIRST DATE
  There are certainly more impressive (read: expensive and fancy) options, but on a very first date, who needs the pressure? (Also, more cynically, are you really sure yet that this person is worth a hundred-dollar dinner?) So allow us to suggest a more casual option, the Bryant-Lake Bowl, where... More >>
• BEST RESTAURANT FOR APPETIZERS
  There are about a million reasons to love Auriga, home of Doug Flicker, one of Minneapolis's most accomplished chefs. But for reasons million-and-one through million-and-eleven or so, consider this: Auriga is truly a standout place to eat light. Did you know that on Sundays to Thursdays from... More >>
• BEST RESTAURANT FOR DESSERT
  May 15 is a magical day for Minnesotans, not just because it marks the day when we're encouraged to start planting annual plants out-of-doors, but because it's the day beloved Crema Café switches to summer hours. Yes! We made it through the winter! And as our reward, starting on May 15,... More >>
• BEST RESTAURANT FOR GLUTTONS
  At this master butcher's shop, Orest Kramarczuk makes sausages just like his father did, and they're still the best in town. In the attached cafeteria, you can get them freshly grilled to juice-split perfection with plenty of house kraut on a whole wheat bun--Polish, bratwurst, Italian or... More >>
• BEST RESTAURANT FOR LATE-NIGHT DINING
  Here's some hot news for club kids, music lovers, and other insomniacs: Starting in early May, Tiburón will be staying open until two o'clock in the morning! And serving food the whole time! Yes, indeed they have been serving food until 1:00 a.m., and that has been lovely. But 2:00 a.m.,... More >>
• BEST RESTAURANT FOR OUTDOOR DINING
  No matter what you think of German food, this patio is a cool, romantic oasis in the middle of a hot town. Sure it's a beer garden, but who can sneer at a lovely brushed-steel sculpture and waterfall in the shelter of twining grapevines? If you've been married (or divorced) long enough to... More >>
• BEST RESTAURANT FOR ROMANCE
  Everybody knows that W.A. Frost has more romance than the Love Boat, more charm than a whole factory run of that cereal the leprechaun shills for, a patio that's more beautiful than a pyramid stack of Miss Universe contestants, and more fireplaces than God in His Heaven. But did you know that... More >>
• BEST RESTAURANT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE
  Arkansaw, Wisconsin is 90 miles southeast of the Twin Cities, 45 miles west of Eau Claire, and roughly 2,000 miles away from Napa, California. But once you find the Easy Creek Bistro, you'll swear you're in that lush West Coast haven. Easy Creek is a country gem, hand wrought by co-owners Bill... More >>
• BEST RESTAURANT TREND
  Sometimes we think Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak should give a medal to each and every Mexican family in south Minneapolis. And the ones in St. Paul, too, even though they're pretty clearly out of his jurisdiction. (Obviously no one wants a medal from the governor, because that guy is a big... More >>
• BEST RESTAURANT WHEN SOMEONE ELSE IS PAYING
  We periodically get e-mails from readers looking for our advice for a last-meal-on-earth-type scenario (the company's closing down, and they're out for a last hurrah; they're selling the house and moving to Madagascar and want a last bit of luxury to remember America by). Invariably, we tell... More >>
• BEST SEAFOOD RESTAURANT
  Oh, the good times we've had at the Oceanaire Seafood Room. The oysters as fresh as mermaids newly broken through the surface of the sea, the cocktails as potent as sea spray whipping over a yacht's prow, the matchstick fries as crisp as the sound of a snapping sail. Of course, there are people... More >>
• BEST SERVICE AT A RESTAURANT
  In a string of visits to newbie hotspot Tiburón, what impressed us most wasn't the burbling wall-of-waterfall, the enormous shark tank, or the wall that changed all the colors of a sunset on Venus (though those did impress us). To tell you the truth, what impressed us most were the... More >>
• BEST STAR CHEF EXPERIENCE
  Poor, poor Steven Brown. Locked away in the terribly located, terribly unattractive RockStar, making adorable, world-caliber food for hardly anyone at all. You should have seen the plates that that kitchen sent out a few weeks ago, plates filled with gorgeous little gnocchi, formed carefully... More >>
• BEST STEAK HOUSE
  If you're like most of us, chances are your pockets are way too shallow to accommodate this temple of dead cow's hefty prices on any kind of regular basis. Plus, it's not at all unlikely that the pinstriped, cigar-puffing examples of Carnivorus Americanus who congregate in its clubby environs... More >>
• BEST STEAK HOUSE ON A BUDGET
  Softly lit, velvet draped, appointed with vintage posters and paintings, erté conjures an era both gracious and unpretentiously chic. Its steaks are prime examples of how good such classic American fare can be. USDA Prime and Choice Angus beef sirloin, filet, and special cuts are... More >>
• BEST SUNDAY BRUNCH
  Yeah, we know. The New Uptown Diner doesn't technically serve a brunch (that is, the word doesn't exist on the menu), but on Sundays it's open until 3:30 p.m. and will happily serve you excellent eggs Benedict. The black T-shirt-and-denim-clad servers strike just the right balance between... More >>
• BEST THAI RESTAURANT
  Picking the best Thai restaurant gives us a headache. The styles of our favorites are so radically different. There are the herb-filled dishes at Seward's True Thai, where every meal feels like it's happening in a springtime meadow. There are the elegant, sophisticated concoctions at King &... More >>
• BEST VEGETARIAN-FRIENDLY RESTAURANT
  A clean, well-lighted place, the Birchwood Café was fashioned from an old neighborhood creamery in the heart of Seward. Drawing in area residents--artists, students, entrepreneurs, moms, teachers--it serves up delicious and humble mostly vegetarian food at modest prices. The menu is so... More >>
• BEST VIETNAMESE RESTAURANT
  There are a lot of tasty Vietnamese dining spots around town (and certainly Quang, which shares an "Eat Street" address with this year's winner, deserves a mention), but there's something about the hole-in-the-wall Jasmine Deli that gives it the edge in this competitive category. Packed during... More >>
• BEST WINE BAR
  In the best of all possible worlds, a wine bar will have a wine list that inspires curiosity and delight. A list that appeals both to wine newcomers and old hands. A list that satisfies at various price points. Bar Lurcat offers all that and more. The list changes often but usually offers some... More >>
• BEST WINE LIST
  There are so many good wine lists in the Twin Cities nowadays, trying to pick between some of our beloveds--Café Barbette's European cheapies, W.A. Frost and Company's deep back catalog, and Heartland's stash of restaurant-only allocations--is like trying to choose hotel pools from among... More >>