Minneapolis does not have a dim sum hall lined with carts, so this list covers the city's Chinese kitchens and hot pot rooms where the closest local equivalents live: dumplings, noodle soup, egg rolls by the dozen, and simmering pots built to share. Most sit in strip malls and takeout counters from Cedar-Riverside to the far north side, and that is exactly where the best plates are.
№ 01
Lepot Chinese Hotpot
$$
507 14th Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414 · +16128863855
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Individual pots let each diner run a Szechuan broth loaded with pepper and mala spice, then swirl in thinly sliced fatty beef for a count of ten before it comes out tender. The all you can eat format runs around $44 a head with a wide topping selection to build from. Meat quality is inconsistent, but the broth carries the meal and the format suits a table of friends.
What to orderthinly sliced fatty beef, Szechuan spicy broth, hotpot toppings selection
№ 02
Sidewalk Kitchen
$$
817 Washington Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414 · +16123799999
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The Golden Fried Garlic Sole Fillet is the reason regulars keep returning, a portion generous enough for two built around crisp, garlicky fried fillets. Beef Brisket Noodle Soup brings a soft, well cooked brisket into a full bowl. The fried rice draws mixed opinions, so anchor an order around the sole and the noodle soup instead.
What to orderGolden Fried Garlic Sole Fillet, Beef Brisket Noodle Soup, Fried Rice
№ 03
Xin Won
$
4749 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55419 · +16128224888
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Lunch specials here run savory without tipping into salty, and the pricing keeps regulars coming back for the value alone. Chow Mei Fun holds real flavor, Chicken Garlic arrives stacked with vegetables, and the shrimp egg foo young comes in a decent portion alongside hot and sour soup. It is takeout only, built for speed rather than seating.
What to orderChow Mei Fun, Chicken Garlic, Shrimp Egg Foo Young
№ 04
Angkor Restaurant
$
506 Northdale Blvd NW, Coon Rapids, MN 55448 · +17637577777
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This family run counter off Foley Boulevard and 109th cooks every order fresh, which means a short wait but portions sized to share. Mapo tofu, chicken with black bean sauce, and fried rice make up the core order. Seating is limited to a handful of chairs, and the kitchen is upfront about closing times, so calling ahead on weeknights pays off.
What to ordermapo tofu, chicken with black bean sauce, fried rice
№ 05
Rainbow Chinese Restaurant & Bar
$$
2739 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55408 · +16128707084
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The egg rolls here run larger than most, packed tight with filling and fried crisp enough to disappear fast off any shared platter. A seasonal stand at the Minneapolis Farmers Market extends the same egg rolls and wontons alongside boba drinks. The sit-down room handles lunch and casual family dinners with the same rolls as the draw.
What to orderegg rolls, wontons, fried rice
№ 06
Saigon Uptown Restaurant
$
3035 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55408 · +16128278918
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This Uptown room has built its name mostly on takeout, with mapo tofu, kung pao chicken, and chow mein as the steady order. The dining room itself runs small and settled, with service that treats regulars well. It has held on through years of Uptown turnover by sticking to a simple, dependable menu rather than chasing trends.
What to ordermapo tofu, kung pao chicken, chow mein
№ 07
Don Ho Restaurant
$$
7700 W Old Shakopee Rd, Ste 110, Bloomington, MN 55438 · +19529411356
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Chicken Lo Mein and General Tso Chicken come out generous enough to guarantee leftovers, and the kitchen holds a reputation for consistency that regulars point to directly. There is no dining room, just a pickup counter, so this is strictly a takeout stop. New residents in the surrounding blocks have made it their default order for weeknight dinners.
What to orderchicken Lo Mein, general tso chicken, fried rice
№ 08
Lucky Dragon Restaurant
$
1827 Riverside Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55454 · +16123751690
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Set in Cedar-Riverside next to Hard Times Cafe, this quiet Vietnamese and Chinese kitchen built a following on its vegan cream cheese wontons, a dish that drew attention well beyond the neighborhood. Pho and banh mi round out a menu built to serve vegan diners as seriously as anyone else, a rarity among Vietnamese-leaning menus in the metro.
What to ordervegan cream cheese wontons, pho, banh mi
№ 09
China Star
$
6276 Boone Ave N, Ste B, Brooklyn Park, MN 55428 · +17635355447
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Staff here call ahead on online orders just to confirm details, a level of attention that keeps this neighborhood counter busy. Kung Pao chicken and curry beef anchor the menu, though the egg rolls run greasy on an off day. It functions as a default takeout stop for the surrounding blocks, closer and steadier than the chain alternatives nearby.
What to orderKung Pao chicken, curry beef, egg rolls
№ 10
Chinese Express
$
121 E Lake St, Minneapolis, MN 55408 · +16122538888
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A drive-through window sets this spot apart from most Chinese takeout counters in the city, letting a full order of fried rice, sesame chicken, or General Tso chicken move without ever stepping inside. The fried rice surprises for the price point, and the wontons and egg rolls fry up properly crisp. Quality has wavered on recent visits, worth confirming before ordering something unusual.
What to orderFried Rice, Sesame Chicken, General Tso Chicken
№ 11
Legendary Spice Hot Pot
2501 University Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414 · +16128887088
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The topping bar here runs deep, with a wide variety of proteins and vegetables that make the per person price a real value for families and larger groups. Beef, vegetable, and seafood broth options anchor the format. Service gets consistent praise, though the dining room has had issues with air conditioning and flies that are worth knowing before a summer visit.
What to orderbeef hot pot, vegetable selection, seafood broth
№ 12
Tea House Chinese Restaurant
$$
2425 University Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414 · +16123318866
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Scallion pancakes and a beef noodle soup with eggplant in chili sauce have kept this room a steady favorite for well over a decade, with regulars who first found it in college still returning. Veggie egg rolls travel well for takeout, arriving boxed to stay warm, and the lo mein holds its texture without turning greasy. A dependable group dinner option.
What to orderbeef noodle soup, eggplant in chili sauce, veggie egg rolls
Frequently asked
Is there real dim sum near me in Minneapolis?
Minneapolis does not have a traditional cart-service dim sum hall. This guide instead covers the city's strongest Chinese kitchens and hot pot rooms, which is where dumplings, noodle soup, and shareable small plates actually live in the local scene.
Does paying get a restaurant listed here?
No restaurant pays to appear on this list. Every entry is chosen and ranked using the Insider Score, which is built from the public review record for that restaurant.
What is the Insider Score based on?
The Insider Score reflects patterns across a restaurant's public reviews: the dishes people mention most, how consistently the kitchen delivers them, and how the room itself operates day to day.
Are these Chinese restaurants good for groups?
Several rooms on this list, including the hot pot spots and Rainbow Chinese Restaurant & Bar, are built around sharing and work well for families or larger tables. Others, like the takeout-only counters, are better suited to smaller orders.
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The data first, then the verdict
We start with the review record, not a press release. Every room here is a real kitchen with a strong rating across a meaningful number of reviews, ranked on our 10-point Insider Score. We weight consistency over time and the rooms locals return to, not the ones tourists pass through once. The list updates as the data does. How we work →
Kou Thao
Staff Writer · Top of Minneapolis
Kou Thao is the St. Paul & Corridors Editor at Top of Minneapolis. Born in St. Paul and raised in Frogtown, he grew up working the family egg-roll stand at Hmongtown Marketplace. He covers the marketplaces, University Avenue, the East Side and West Side, and every corridor counter worth the trip across the river.