Shakopee sits well outside the Minneapolis and St. Paul lines, its own city on the Minnesota River with a dining scene built around the racetrack, the casino floor, and a strip of family rooms that have outlasted plenty of trendier addresses in the metro core. This list runs from grandstand hot dogs to bánh mì, and every one of these rooms earns its spot on the merits, not on borrowed downtown reputation.
№ 01
Canterbury Park
Shakopee
1100 Canterbury Rd S, Shakopee, MN 55379 · +19524456870
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Canterbury Park runs on horse racing and live events first, food second, and the kitchen knows its job: hot dogs, nachos, and a burger built for a grandstand crowd, not a tasting menu. Clubhouse tables on the glass upgrade the view more than the plate. Come for the racing calendar or the concert bill, order simple, and treat the food as fuel for a day that is really about the track.
What to orderhot dog, nachos, burger
№ 02
Wampach's Restaurant
Shakopee $
126 1st Ave W, Shakopee, MN 55379 · +19524452721
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Eggs benedict anchors the menu at this diner-style room, alongside chocolate chip pancakes and cinnamon rolls that regulars order on repeat. The prices stay low and the portions do not shrink to match, which is the whole case for a family breakfast spot. Skip dinner ambitions here. This is a morning kitchen, built for a full table and a short wait.
What to ordereggs benedict, chocolate chip pancakes, cinnamon rolls
№ 03
Mallards Restaurant
Shakopee
180 Atwood St N, Shakopee, MN 55379 · +19528557779
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The shrimp boil for two is the order that keeps people coming back, a full seafood spread that outperforms its price point by local standards. Grilled fish and lobster tail round out a menu built for a casual seafood dinner rather than a special-occasion splurge. The room sits inside an apartment complex with patio seating, but the boil is the reason to book a table.
What to ordershrimp boil for two, grilled fish, lobster tail
№ 04
Turtle's Bar & Grill
Shakopee $$
132 1st Ave E, Shakopee, MN 55379 · +19524459668
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Chicken parm is the dish worth planning around at this sports bar, with a portion of sauce generous enough to soak the pasta underneath. Pizza and wings round out a menu built for happy hour and group orders rather than a quiet dinner. The room reads dark and casual, the kind of place where the patio seating in warm weather beats the interior.
What to orderChicken Parm, pizza, wings
№ 05
Zuppa Cucina
Shakopee $$
1667 17th Ave E, Ste 104, Shakopee, MN 55379 · +19524453737
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Focaccia bread and tomato basil soup make the case for this counter-service sandwich shop, where the half-sandwich-and-soup combo delivers portions that outsize the price. Order at the counter and expect it brought to the table, a quick-lunch model with none of the ceremony. Consistency has been the strength here for regulars over several years, though not every visit hits the same mark.
What to orderfocaccia bread, tomato basil soup, half sandwich
№ 06
Tommy's Malt Shop
Shakopee $
1101 Adams St S, Shakopee, MN 55379 · +19529139768
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Shakes and fries are the draw at this Shakopee outpost of a small Chaska-born chain, alongside a Jucy Lucy that converts newcomers fast. The format is straightforward: order at the counter, feed the kids, and expect the malt shop routine done well rather than reinvented. It works as a family stop and as the local alternative to the bigger drive-in down the road.
What to ordershakes, fries, juicy Lucy
№ 07
Pablo's Mexican Restaurant
Shakopee $$
230 Lewis St S, Shakopee, MN 55379 · +19524459218
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Chips and salsa set the tone before the spicy shredded chicken and enchiladas arrive hot, which is the baseline this room holds visit after visit. Service runs friendly and food comes out consistently, though the wait can stretch on a busy night with no reservation. It is a family-friendly, casual Mexican kitchen built for repeat trade, not for spectacle.
What to orderspicy shredded chicken, chips and salsa, enchiladas
№ 08
Don Ramon Restaurante Mexicano
Shakopee $$
1561 1st Ave E, Shakopee, MN 55379 · +19522174860
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Enchiladas and elote corn are the two dishes locals name first at Don Ramon, backed by chiles rellenos and a kitchen that holds its quality across many years of dine-in visits. Service stays reliable table-side, though delivery orders have drawn more mixed notes. Dine in for the full experience this room is actually built to deliver.
What to orderenchiladas, elote, chiles rellenos
№ 09
O'Brien's Public House
Shakopee $$
338 1st Ave E, Shakopee, MN 55379 · +19522175490
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Fish and chips is the dish this Irish pub built its name on, with a Reuben that comes out juicy and fry seasoning that gets called out on its own. It is a straightforward pub kitchen for casual group meals, reliable more often than not, though quality has read as uneven on off nights. Order the classics and expect a solid, unfussy pub plate.
What to orderFish and chips, Reuben, Irish soda bread
№ 10
Phở 83 Vietnamese Restaurant
Shakopee $
1141 Canterbury Rd S, Shakopee, MN 55379 · +19522331801
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Phở anchors a menu deep enough that regulars report ordering something different every day for a week without repeating, alongside cà phê đen and bánh mì. The room has held its Shakopee address for over a decade, a rare run for any strip of suburban storefronts. It is a reliable Vietnamese kitchen for any day of the week, not a special-occasion detour.
What to orderphở, cà phê đen, bánh mì
№ 11
Mr Pigs Smokery
Shakopee
2875 Winners Circle Dr, Shakopee, MN 55379 · +19522337306
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Ribs and pulled pork carry this cocktail bar's BBQ program, with smoke and tenderness that have won over self-described barbecue skeptics, backed by a Carbliss vodka cocktail list that includes zero-sugar options. Parking is ample and the liquor menu runs deep. Results have not been universal, but the ribs are the dish to judge it on.
What to orderribs, pulled pork, Carbliss vodka cocktail
№ 12
Bun Mee - Bun Tea
Shakopee
4135 Dean Lakes Blvd, Shakopee, MN 55379 · +19522229999
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Bánh mì, phở, and bubble tea make this a Vietnamese kitchen worth returning to specifically for the drinks, which regulars call out as consistently strong across repeat visits. The room is decorated well beyond the strip-mall standard nearby, and service has held up over multiple visits. It rewards repeat trade more than a single stop.
What to orderbanh mi, pho, bubble tea
Frequently asked
What is the best restaurant near me in Shakopee right now?
Based on the Insider Score, which weighs the volume and consistency of the review record rather than any paid placement, Phở 83 Vietnamese Restaurant and Mallards Restaurant rank at the top of this list for Shakopee. No restaurant pays to appear here or to rank higher.
Where can I get a Juicy Lucy in Shakopee?
Tommy's Malt Shop serves a Jucy Lucy alongside its shakes and fries, spelled the way the dish's Minneapolis originators would recognize. Shakopee sits well outside the city limits of Minneapolis, so this is a local take on the canon rather than a claim on its birthplace.
Is Shakopee part of Minneapolis or St. Paul?
No. Shakopee is its own city in Scott County, southwest of both Minneapolis and St. Paul along the Minnesota River. All 12 restaurants on this list operate within Shakopee, not inside either core city.
How is the Insider Score calculated for these restaurants?
The Insider Score reflects the volume and consistency of the public review record for each restaurant, not a paid ranking. No restaurant on this list, or any list on this site, pays for placement or for a higher score.
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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 →
Hodan Abdi
Staff Writer · Top of Minneapolis
Hodan Abdi is a Staff Writer at Top of Minneapolis. Raised in Cedar-Riverside two floors above the Somali mall her aunt worked in, she now lives in Eagan and covers the whole metro ring. She writes the guides, sweeps the suburbs, and covers the Somali and East African tables as the beat she knows best.