Lao kitchens hold their own corner of the Twin Cities map, from Golden Valley strip malls to a Northeast Minneapolis dining room built for a night out. This list follows the larb, the khao piak sen, and the sticky rice across both cities and one suburb, naming each corridor and each kitchen on its own terms.
8815 7th Ave N, Golden Valley, MN, 55427 · +17634007910
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Lat14 sits in Golden Valley as part of Ann Ahmed's three-room Lao lineup, the counterpart to Gai Noi and Khâluna in the suburbs. The kitchen works the same Lao pantry, fish sauce, chile, herb, at a casual register, making it the easiest of the three for a quick weeknight plate rather than a planned night out.
What to orderburger, fried chicken, mac and cheese
№ 02
Ruam Mit
St. Paul $$
367 Wabasha St N, Saint Paul, MN 55102 · +16512227871
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Ruam Mit runs Thai and Lao dishes side by side out of a St. Paul kitchen, and the pad thai sauce is the one people ask after by name. The fried tofu appetizer and mango sticky rice round out a plate built for splitting, and everything comes cooked to the order rather than pulled from a steam line.
What to orderpad thai, mango sticky rice, fried tofu
1610 Harmon Pl, Minneapolis, MN, 55403
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Gai Noi plates Lao food family style in a Minneapolis dining room built around a covered patio and greenery, a setting with real ambition behind it. The crispy tofu is the dish to build a table around, and the drunken udon noodles back it up with the kind of heat that holds up on a summer night outside.
What to ordercrispy tofu, drunken udon noodles, mango sticky rice
4000 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis, MN, 55409 · +16123455199
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Khâluna is Ann Ahmed's upscale Lao room in Minneapolis, built for a planned evening rather than a quick stop, with a covered patio and lighting designed to flatter the plates. The scallops crudo leads the menu, and larb and sticky rice keep the kitchen's Lao spine intact underneath the polish.
What to orderscallops crudo, larb, sticky rice
№ 05
HAVEN Asian Eatery
Eden Prairie
6407 City W Pkwy, Eden Prairie, MN 55344 · +19523034868
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HAVEN Asian Eatery keeps a straightforward pan-Asian menu running in Eden Prairie, with pad thai as the dish regulars keep ordering. The room is plain and functional rather than styled, and the service moves fast and friendly even on a walk-in visit, which makes it a dependable stop for a casual weeknight plate.
What to orderpad thai, spring rolls, chicken satay
№ 06
The King's Thai Cuisine
Fridley $$
7890 University Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55432 · +17635711188
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The King's Thai Cuisine works out of a Fridley strip mall that gives no hint of what is coming from the kitchen. Pad thai, green curry, and tom yum soup anchor a takeout-heavy operation, and the volume of to go orders moving through the small room says plenty about what the neighborhood already knows.
What to orderpad thai, green curry, tom yum soup
№ 07
Asian Duck Cafe
4010 E 46th St, Minneapolis, MN 55406 · +17632744417
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Asian Duck Cafe sits near Lake Nokomis and Lake Hiawatha in Minneapolis, an easy walk from either shoreline. Beef drunken kao piak and pad thai carry the menu, though the mango rice that once built its following has come and gone from the kitchen's rotation, worth checking on before setting a heart on it.
What to orderbeef drunken kao piak, mango rice, pad thai
№ 08
Little Asia Cafe
St. Paul $
995 University Ave W, Saint Paul, MN 55104 · +16512093392
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Little Asia Cafe runs a compact Lao and pan-Asian menu out of St. Paul, with beef laab and Lao style papaya salad leading the order. Khao piak sen, Lao chicken noodle soup thickened with tapioca starch, gives the kitchen its clearest showcase, and the noodle broths carry more depth than the modest room suggests.
What to orderbeef laab, Khao Piak Sen, Lao style papaya salad
Frequently asked
What is the best Lao restaurant near me in Minneapolis?
It depends which side of the river and which suburb you mean. Gai Noi and Khâluna sit in Minneapolis, Lat14 is in Golden Valley, and Ruam Mit and Little Asia Cafe are in St. Paul. Each listing here carries its own Insider Score, and none of these restaurants paid to be included.
What is the difference between Lao and Thai food on this list?
Lao cooking leans on sticky rice, fermented fish sauce, and dishes like larb and khao piak sen, while Thai kitchens like Ruam Mit and The King's Thai Cuisine share some ingredients but follow their own curry and noodle traditions. A few rooms on this list serve both cuisines side by side rather than picking one.
Are these Lao restaurants ranked by an Insider Score?
Yes. Every restaurant carries an Insider Score built from the public review record, shown next to its name. No restaurant pays for placement or a higher score on this list.
Which restaurant on this list is best for a special occasion?
Khâluna, in Minneapolis, is built for that kind of evening, with a covered patio and a menu led by scallops crudo. Gai Noi, also in Minneapolis, is the more casual family-style option if the occasion calls for sharing plates instead.
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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.
