Minneapolis does New American across a wide range, from the North Loop burger-and-milkshake room to a chef-driven tasting counter three blocks away. This list keeps to Minneapolis proper: patios by the river, neighborhood bars with a kitchen that overperforms, and the two or three rooms that built the city's reputation for the category before anyone called it that.
№ 01
Red Cow North Loop
$$
208 N 1st Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55401 · +16122380050
Photo via 
The burger, fries, and milkshake trio is the reason to sit down at this North Loop room, and Saturday brunch draws the crowd for the shaded patio and the wide dining room. It runs a full bar and takes reservations through OpenTable, which matters on weekends when the wait can stack up. Order the burger straight and do not overthink it.
What to orderburgers, fries, milkshakes
112 N 3rd St, Minneapolis, MN, 55401 · +16123437696
Photo via
The tagliatelle with foie gras meatballs is the dish that built this North Loop room's name, ten small meatballs balanced against a slightly spicy, creamy sauce. The lamb pasta and the dumplings hold their own on the same menu. Cocktails run serious. This is special occasion dining in the North Loop sense: worth leaving the skyway for, not a room to rush.
What to orderTagliatelle with foie gras meatballs, Lamb pasta, Dumplings
211 N 1st St, Minneapolis, MN, 55401 · +16122249850
Photo via
Gavin Kaysen's North Loop dining room built its reputation on oysters and grilled fish that change with the season, and the bar seats offer the same kitchen at a lower commitment for solo diners. Service carries the room as much as the plates do. This is occasion dining for Minneapolis, the kind of address that still justifies a reservation months out.
What to orderoysters, seasonal vegetables, grilled fish
Downtown Minneapolis $$
80 S 9th St, Minneapolis, MN, 55402 · +16123324700
Photo via
Deviled eggs and cheese curds open the menu at this downtown Minneapolis room, followed by bison quesabirra tacos that have become the dish regulars order without looking. Breakfast built the reputation here, though the kitchen runs dinner too. Walk-ins have gotten harder since word spread; a reservation removes the risk on a weekend morning.
What to orderdeviled eggs, cheese curds, bison quesabirra tacos
528 University Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55414 · +16123794909
Photo via
Alma has held its Minneapolis lease as one of the city's steadier New American kitchens, built around a menu that shifts with the season rather than chasing trend. It reads as a room for a real dinner, not a quick bite, with a wine list built to match courses rather than just fill a page. Reservations are the smart move.
What to orderUp South sandwich, coffee with house-made syrup, 3-course dinner
№ 06
Lake & Irving Restaurant & Bar
$$
1513 W Lake St, Minneapolis, MN 55408 · +16123542453
Photo via
The burger and steak anchor a menu built for a patio that runs deep and industrial oak inside for the colder months. Lunch on a weekday afternoon moves at an easy pace; weekends and holidays fill up fast enough that a reservation is worth making. Consistency across visits is the room's real strength, not any single dish.
What to orderburger, steak, seasonal vegetable dish
№ 07
Parlour
$$
730 N Washington Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55401 · +16123543135
Photo via
The Parlour burger is the draw at this below-street-level lounge, though regulars note the patty has thinned out over the years from its original double-stack form. Cocktails carry real weight on the menu, and the room stays unmarked outside, which keeps the crowd manageable even midweek. Casual, dependable, easy to walk into without a wait most nights.
What to orderParlour burger, cocktails, fries
2726 W 43rd St, Minneapolis, MN, 55410 · +16123542806
Photo via
Weekend brunch is the strongest case for this Linden Hills room, with service that reads as consistently sharp even as the kitchen has drifted from its earliest years. A seasonal vegetable side and a house dessert round out a menu built for neighborhood repeat business rather than special occasions. Dinner gets less attention but shares the same kitchen.
What to orderBrunch entree, seasonal vegetable side, house dessert
№ 09
The Copper Hen Cakery & Kitchen
$$
2515 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55404 · +16128722221
Photo via
Brunch is the reason to visit this Minneapolis bakery-kitchen, built around a room that reads as considerably more polished than the strip-mall reputation suggests. The kitchen's consistency draws mixed accounts: some visits land well, others less so, particularly on busy Sundays without a reservation. Free parking nearby helps if a downtown show is on the agenda.
What to orderNot enough specific dishes named in reviews to provide accurate menu items
№ 10
Icehouse
$$
2528 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55404 · +16122766523
Photo via
Live music shares billing with the kitchen here, and the fries have converted more than one visitor who came only for a show. The room runs small and close, which suits both a date and a listening crowd. Service gets consistent notice for staying attentive even when a set is underway. Check the calendar before booking a table.
What to orderfries, burger, seasonal vegetable dish
№ 11
The Sample Room
$$
2124 Marshall St NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418 · +16127890333
Photo via
Burgers, wings, and a serious craft cocktail list define this Minneapolis bar's kitchen, set back enough from the main strip that first-time visitors often find it through a map search rather than foot traffic. The happy hour menu pairs beer and wine with a short bites list, and the patio stays low-key even on a busy night.
What to orderburgers, wings, craft cocktails
№ 12
Aster Cafe
$$
125 SE Main St, Minneapolis, MN 55414 · +16123793138
Photo via
The patio here sits close enough to the river and the Stone Arch Bridge that the location does real work for the room, and the burger, salad, and pasta menu is built to match that setting rather than compete with it. St. Anthony Main gives the whole visit a different pace than downtown. Patio season is the peak, but the room holds up year round.
What to orderburger, salad, pasta
Frequently asked
What is the best New American restaurant near me in Minneapolis?
It depends on which part of the city is near you. The North Loop holds Spoon and Stable, 112 Eatery, and Red Cow North Loop; Uptown and the lakes area holds Lake & Irving, Parlour, and Tilia in Linden Hills; downtown proper has Hell's Kitchen. Each entry above lists an Insider Score that reflects the review record, not a paid placement; no restaurant on this list paid to be here.
Which of these restaurants is best for a special occasion?
Spoon and Stable and 112 Eatery are built for it, both in the North Loop, both requiring a reservation well ahead for weekends. Alma also fits a real sit-down dinner. The rest lean casual, better suited to a weeknight or a patio afternoon than an anniversary.
Are any of these restaurants good for outdoor seating or a patio?
Yes. Lake & Irving, Aster Cafe, and The Sample Room all carry patios worth planning around, and Aster Cafe's riverside setting near St. Anthony Main is the most distinctive of the group. Red Cow North Loop also has a shaded patio for brunch.
How were these restaurants selected and ranked?
Each restaurant carries an Insider Score built from the public review record: volume, consistency, and what customers actually say about the food and the room. Nobody on this list paid for placement or ranking; the order reflects that score, not advertising.
ƒ
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 →
Marit Solheim
Staff Writer · Top of Minneapolis
Marit Solheim is the Food Editor at Top of Minneapolis. Born and raised in the Longfellow neighborhood of south Minneapolis, she spent six years on the line in downtown kitchens before she started writing. She covers the institutions and the chef tier in both downtowns and holds the desk to one standard: know which city you are standing in.
