Minneapolis eats in layers: the Cedar Avenue burger bars that started an argument in the 1950s, the North Loop tasting rooms that put the city on the national chef map, and the Northeast and south-side kitchens that never needed a critic's permission. This list moves across all three without ranking one above the others.
800 Washington Ave N, Minneapolis, MN, 55401 · +16123333837
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Isaac Becker's North Loop pasta room runs a rotating list where the gnocchi gets singled out meal after meal, no matter what else lands on the table. It fills fast on weekend nights, though a short wait at the bar for a walk-in table is normal rather than a problem. Service can lag when the room is at capacity, but the pasta itself does not waver.
What to ordergnocchi, pasta, risotto
№ 02
Red Cow North Loop
$$
208 N 1st Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55401 · +16122380050
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The burger and hand-cut fries are the reason regulars keep the reservation on Open Table for Saturday brunch, when the patio and the bar area both fill with groups. Milkshakes round out a menu built for casual, no-fuss eating rather than ceremony. Service occasionally slips behind on a busy weekend, but the kitchen's fundamentals hold.
What to orderburgers, fries, milkshakes
5557 Xerxes Ave S, Minneapolis, MN, 55410 · +16124248338
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The margherita anchors a wood-fired list built for groups, and the kale salad has become the unlikely co-star, ordered as often as the pizza itself. Out-of-town visitors get steered here on a near-ritual basis. Street parking is workable near the restaurant, though a forty-five-minute wait on weekends means a bar seat is the faster route in.
What to orderMargherita pizza, Kale salad, Seasonal pizza special
211 N 1st St, Minneapolis, MN, 55401 · +16122249850
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Gavin Kaysen's North Loop dining room built its reputation on oysters and a bar seat that gets nearly the same attention as a full table, a rarity for a room this ambitious. Grilled fish and seasonal vegetables round out a menu where the kitchen's technique shows plainly on the plate. It remains a benchmark for occasion dining in the city.
What to orderoysters, seasonal vegetables, grilled fish
112 N 3rd St, Minneapolis, MN, 55401 · +16123437696
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Isaac Becker's original North Loop room still turns on the tagliatelle with foie gras meatballs, a dish diners describe reaching for a decade in. The lamb pasta and dumplings hold their own against it. This is a kitchen that treats a weeknight table with the same seriousness as a celebration, which is precisely why it earns one.
What to orderTagliatelle with foie gras meatballs, Lamb pasta, Dumplings
3500 Cedar Ave S, Minneapolis, MN, 55407 · +16127227072
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The Jucy Lucy, Matt's own spelling, was born on this stretch of Cedar Avenue in the 1950s and the bar has not complicated the recipe since: a cheeseburger with the cheese sealed inside, onions the only real customization. It is counter-service, dive-bar plain, and the burger remains the entire argument for the trip.
What to orderJuicy Lucy, cheeseburger, burger with onions
2851 Central Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55418 · +16127881328
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This Northeast Ecuadorian kitchen holds its neighborhood standing on the caldo de bolas, a beef and plantain ball soup that regulars order without checking the rest of the menu. Pupusas and empanadas fill out a list with real depth for vegetarian diners, a rarer thing in Latin American kitchens than it should be. Visitors get routed here on repeat.
What to ordercaldo de bolas, pupusa, empanada
Downtown Minneapolis $$
80 S 9th St, Minneapolis, MN, 55402 · +16123324700
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The deviled eggs and cheese curds set the tone for a downtown room that built its name on breakfast before expanding into bison quesabirra tacos at dinner. It is the kind of address a downtown hotel concierge still points to first. Consistency has wobbled some on busy mornings, but the core plates remain the draw.
What to orderdeviled eggs, cheese curds, bison quesabirra tacos
№ 09
Red Rabbit Minneapolis
$$
201 N Washington Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55401 · +16127678855
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The cavatelli is the order regulars will not stray from, and the garlic bread cheese curds function as a near-mandatory starter at this casual Italian room. A twenty-dollar shareable plate built for a night out with friends has become its own small phenomenon. Service and kitchen output stay steady visit after visit, which is the actual selling point.
What to ordercavatelli, garlic bread cheese curds, girl dinner
№ 10
Red Cow 50th & France
$$
3624 W 50th St, Minneapolis, MN 55410 · +16127674411
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The Mediterranean bowl, finished with fresh mint and dill, has become as much a reason to visit this location as the burger that built the brand. It works equally well as a fast pre-movie lunch or a Thursday dinner for a group of seven. A reservation helps on busy nights, but the room manages walk-ins without much friction.
What to orderburger, Mediterranean bowl, fries
4312 South Upton Ave, Minneapolis, MN, 55410 · +16129229913
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The potato churros draw enough demand that diners routinely wish the kitchen sent out more of them, alongside empanadas that open the meal with real weight. Argentinian and Italian influences run through the asado and the rest of the menu. Same-day reservations are workable, though a short wait for table readiness is common even with one booked.
What to orderpotato churros, empanadas, asado
600 E Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis, MN, 55414 · +16123793030
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Alex Roberts' Southern-leaning rotisserie kitchen built its name on slow-cooked, wood-fired meats served without pretense, a counter-service model that keeps the room moving even at capacity. It sits alongside Alma in Roberts' small Minneapolis footprint, offering the more casual half of his approach. The format rewards regulars who know exactly what to order and rarely stray from it.
What to orderrotisserie chicken, roasted vegetables, grilled steak
Frequently asked
What is the best restaurant in Minneapolis on this list?
There is no single winner. Spoon and Stable and 112 Eatery carry the North Loop's chef-driven tier, while Matt's Bar and Grill holds the old-guard burger tier. Each entry here reflects its own Insider Score, built from the review record, not a house ranking.
Where can I find good Minneapolis restaurants near me?
This list spans Minneapolis neighborhoods from the North Loop to Northeast, and each entry names its actual location so it is clear which part of the city a restaurant sits in. Use the neighborhood listed with each entry to judge distance from wherever you are searching.
Do restaurants pay to be featured on this list?
No restaurant pays for placement. Every entry here is chosen and ordered using its Insider Score, a rating built from the public review record, and that score appears alongside each listing on the page.
Which Minneapolis restaurant is the classic Juicy Lucy spot?
Matt's Bar and Grill on Cedar Avenue is the Minneapolis half of the Juicy Lucy rivalry, spelled Jucy Lucy on its own menu. The 5-8 Club, which spells it Juicy Lucy, is the other originator; both claims are longstanding and neither is settled here.
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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 →
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.
