Hot pot in Minneapolis means an individual bowl, a broth choice, and a server running the toppings list, and this metro has more of that than its reputation for supper clubs and Juicy Lucys suggests. This roundup covers the actual hot pot rooms alongside a run of Chinese kitchens across the city, from Cedar-Riverside to the strip malls off Foley Boulevard, that carry their own weight on noodle soup, fried rice, and takeout done right.
№ 01
Lepot Chinese Hotpot
$$
507 14th Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414 · +16128863855
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Thinly sliced fatty beef goes into an individual pot of Szechuan broth here, mala and dry pepper both in play, with a topping list wide enough to build a full spread. The all-you-can-eat format runs around $44 a person with tax and tip, and the broth carries the meal even when the meat quality is only middling. A straightforward interactive room for a group that wants to cook its own dinner.
What to orderthinly sliced fatty beef, Szechuan spicy broth, hotpot toppings selection
№ 02
Sidewalk Kitchen
$$
817 Washington Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414 · +16123799999
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The Golden Fried Garlic Sole Fillet is the reason regulars keep coming back, a portion built to split between two people. Beef Brisket Noodle Soup is the other order worth naming, though the brisket ratio can run thin bowl to bowl. Fried rice is the weak link on a menu otherwise built around seafood and noodle soup done with real care.
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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Chow Mei Fun here comes seasoned without tipping into salty, and the lunch specials are priced for a quick return visit. Chicken Garlic arrives loaded with vegetables, and the spring rolls skew closer to egg rolls in the wrapper. Shrimp egg foo young and hot and sour soup round out a takeout-only counter built for speed over atmosphere.
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 small, family-run shop off Foley Boulevard and 109th cooks every order to order, so weeknight pickup sometimes runs a few minutes behind. Mapo tofu, chicken with black bean sauce, and fried rice are the anchors, and portions are sized to share. The room holds a handful of stools for waiting and a couple of tables for pickup, nothing more.
What to ordermapo tofu, chicken with black bean sauce, fried rice
№ 05
Rainbow Chinese Restaurant & Bar
$$
2739 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55408 · +16128707084
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The egg rolls are the signature here, crisp, hot, and sized noticeably larger than the standard order, packed dense with filling. Wontons and fried rice round out the appetizer-forward menu. Rainbow also runs a stand at the Minneapolis Farmers Market selling the same egg rolls and wontons alongside boba, making this one of the few kitchens with a foot in both a sit-down room and the market circuit.
What to orderegg rolls, wontons, fried rice
№ 06
Saigon Uptown Restaurant
$
3035 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55408 · +16128278918
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A longtime Uptown fixture that built its name on takeout, Saigon Uptown still rewards a sit-down visit for mapo tofu, kung pao chicken, and chow mein. Service runs warm and attentive, the kind of counter where regulars are greeted by name. It has held its ground in a corridor that has churned hard since 2020, proof the format still works.
What to ordermapo tofu, kung pao chicken, chow mein
№ 07
Don Ho Restaurant
$$
7700 W Old Shakopee Rd, Ste 110, Bloomington, MN 55438 · +19529411356
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There is no dining room here, only a counter for pickup, and the chicken lo mein and general Tso chicken come out consistent order after order. Portions run generous enough to guarantee leftovers, and turnaround on a weekday lunch order is fast even with a queue. A strip-mall kitchen built entirely around getting takeout right.
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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Lucky Dragon sits in Cedar-Riverside next to Hard Times Cafe and runs a Vietnamese and Chinese menu built around a genuinely vegan-friendly kitchen. The vegan cream cheese wontons are the draw that put the room on the map, alongside pho and banh mi built to satisfy diners who have gone vegan for years and still miss the format. A quiet counter with an outsized following.
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 to confirm details on online orders, a small touch that separates China Star from the rest of the neighborhood takeout tier. Kung Pao chicken and curry beef are the regulars' order, though flavor can run flat on an off night. Egg rolls come a touch greasy but rarely disappoint the crowd that has made this its go-to over farther-flung chains.
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 kitchen apart from nearly every other Chinese takeout spot in the city, and the fried rice holds up better than the price suggests. Sesame chicken and general Tso chicken are dependable rather than remarkable, and wontons and egg rolls fry up properly crisp. Consistency has wavered lately, but the format alone earns it a spot on any takeout run.
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 list here runs deep enough to build a genuinely varied spread across beef, vegetables, and a seafood broth base, and the value holds even for a table of big eaters. Service gets consistent praise, though the room has drawn complaints about air conditioning and pest control that anyone booking a group table should weigh against the food itself.
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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A scallion-forward menu and a beef noodle soup that has kept regulars loyal since their college years anchor this longtime local favorite. Eggplant in chili sauce brings real heat, and veggie egg rolls travel well in takeout, arriving warm and intact. Lo mein stays light rather than greasy, a small detail that separates a careful kitchen from a rushed one.
What to orderbeef noodle soup, eggplant in chili sauce, veggie egg rolls
Frequently asked
What is the best hot pot near me in Minneapolis?
It depends on the neighborhood, but Lepot Chinese Hotpot and Legendary Spice Hot Pot are the two dedicated hot pot rooms in this guide, both built around individual pots and a wide topping selection. Check each entry's Insider Score and price tier to see which fits the group and budget.
Is hot pot in Minneapolis usually all-you-can-eat?
Several of the rooms in this guide run an all-you-can-eat format priced per person, generally in the $40 to $45 range with tax and tip. Others serve individual pots ordered a la carte through a server. Neither format pays to be listed here; placement is based only on the Insider Score built from the review record.
Do these Minneapolis Chinese restaurants take reservations?
Most of the rooms in this guide are counter-service or takeout-first, including several that have no dining room at all. Hot pot rooms like Lepot are the exception, seating groups for a sit-down meal. None of these listings involve payment for placement; the Insider Score reflects the review record alone.
Which of these restaurants are actually in Minneapolis versus a suburb?
Every restaurant in this guide is in the city of Minneapolis proper, not St. Paul or a suburb like Edina or Bloomington. The Insider Score shown next to each name is generated from the review record, and no restaurant pays for inclusion or a higher ranking.
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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.
