This metro's wild rice soup lives mostly in supper clubs, church basements, and diner steam tables, not in the kind of New American and Latin American rooms gathered below. What follows instead is a plain accounting of twelve Minneapolis kitchens worth knowing on their own terms: burger bars, brunch rooms, and chef-driven tables, each entered here for its actual strengths rather than a soup none of them are known for.
№ 01
Red Cow North Loop
$$
208 N 1st Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55401 · +16122380050
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The North Loop room built its name on burgers and milkshakes, and the fries get equal billing. Saturday brunch draws a crowd for the shaded patio and the wide bar area, with reservations taken through OpenTable. Service earns repeat mentions by name, a sign of a floor staff that knows its regulars. Group-friendly and unfussy, it reads as a weekend default rather than an occasion room.
What to orderburgers, fries, milkshakes
211 N 1st St, Minneapolis, MN, 55401 · +16122249850
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Gavin Kaysen's North Loop dining room pairs oysters with seasonal vegetables and grilled fish, and the bar seats carry their own reputation for attentive service, worth booking solo. The kitchen's plating gets singled out as deliberate rather than showy, with flavors built in layers instead of stacked for effect. It remains the special-occasion address for diners who want the full tasting-menu attention without the formality.
What to orderoysters, seasonal vegetables, grilled fish
112 N 3rd St, Minneapolis, MN, 55401 · +16123437696
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The tagliatelle with foie gras meatballs is the dish regulars order first, a rich, slightly spiced plate built around a precise ratio of meatball to pasta. The lamb pasta and dumplings hold their own against it. Isaac Becker's small, early North Loop room still reads as the standard other Minneapolis kitchens get measured against, the kind of dinner that resets expectations for what a good meal should feel like.
What to orderTagliatelle with foie gras meatballs, Lamb pasta, Dumplings
2851 Central Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55418 · +16127881328
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Caldo de bolas anchors the menu at this Northeast Minneapolis staple, alongside pupusas and empanadas that keep visiting friends requesting a return trip. The kitchen's vegetarian range gets specific praise from diners who converted after years of omnivore habits. Family-friendly and unpretentious, it has held its footing in Northeast as a dependable Latin American kitchen rather than a novelty.
What to ordercaldo de bolas, pupusa, empanada
Downtown Minneapolis $$
80 S 9th St, Minneapolis, MN, 55402 · +16123324700
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Deviled eggs and cheese curds open the menu at this downtown Minneapolis room, with bison quesabirra tacos as the dinner standout, rich and well-built even if the curds occasionally miss their signature squeak. Breakfast built the original reputation and still draws walk-ins expecting a wait. Recent visits note a shift from the room's earlier peak, worth knowing before arriving without a reservation.
What to orderdeviled eggs, cheese curds, bison quesabirra tacos
4312 South Upton Ave, Minneapolis, MN, 55410 · +16129229913
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Potato churros and empanadas open most tables at this Argentinian- and Italian-inflected Minneapolis kitchen, with the asado carrying the main course. Regulars request extra churros outright, a fair measure of how the appetizer plays. The room has become a fixture for visitors who now treat Minneapolis as a second home, with same-day reservations common but not guaranteed to seat on arrival.
What to orderpotato churros, empanadas, asado
№ 07
Hola Arepa | Latin American
$$
3501 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55408 · +16123455583
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The arepa headlines a menu that also runs pupusas and empanadas, with cocktails like the Prickly Paloma pulling their own weight at the bar. Vegetarian diners get real options here, though the fusion angle draws mixed reactions from those expecting a single culinary lane. Outdoor seating holds up even in rain, and the room absorbs group bookings, bachelorette parties included, without losing its footing.
What to orderarepa, pupusa, empanada
528 University Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55414 · +16123794909
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Alex Roberts' Minneapolis dining room has held its place in the city's New American tier for two decades on the strength of a menu that changes with the season and a kitchen disciplined enough to make that turnover feel routine rather than gimmicky. It remains a steadier, quieter answer to occasion dining than its flashier neighbors, priced to reward a return visit rather than a single splurge.
What to orderUp South sandwich, coffee with house-made syrup, 3-course dinner
№ 09
Lake & Irving Restaurant & Bar
$$
1513 W Lake St, Minneapolis, MN 55408 · +16123542453
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The burger and steak share menu space with a rotating seasonal vegetable dish at this Uptown-adjacent Minneapolis room, built around an industrial bar with deep oak and a patio spacious enough to handle a quick bite or a full dinner. Reservations are worth making around holidays and weekends. Lunch service on weekday afternoons runs quieter, a good window for a fast, uncrowded meal.
What to orderburger, steak, seasonal vegetable dish
№ 10
Parlour
$$
730 N Washington Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55401 · +16123543135
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The Parlour burger is the reason regulars keep returning to this below-street-level Minneapolis lounge, though longtime patrons note the patty has thinned from its original double-stack build. Cocktails carry the room after dark, and the space stays unmarked from the sidewalk, found by its window sign rather than a storefront. Midweek visits skip the wait that weekends bring.
What to orderParlour burger, cocktails, fries
2115 W 21st St, Minneapolis, MN, 55405 · +16123773695
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The baloney sandwich is the dish servers point to when asked for a recommendation, an unlikely signature that has stuck at this Minneapolis brunch room near the Chain of Lakes. Brunch reservations seat promptly, and the patio suits a stop after a ride around the lakes or a visit to the gallery and bookstore next door. Appetizers and a non-alcoholic beverage list round out a room built for repeat, low-key visits.
What to orderbaloney sandwich, brunch entrees, appetizers
2726 W 43rd St, Minneapolis, MN, 55410 · +16123542806
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Brunch is the strongest case for this Linden Hills room, with a seasonal vegetable side and a house dessert rounding out plates that draw consistent praise for execution. Longtime neighborhood residents who watched it open note a room that has aged into itself rather than chasing trends. Service reads as attentive without being fussy, and the setting stays low-key enough for a relaxed weeknight dinner.
What to orderBrunch entree, seasonal vegetable side, house dessert
Frequently asked
Does this guide actually cover the best wild rice soup near me in Minneapolis?
Not directly. None of the twelve restaurants in this particular guide have wild rice soup documented in their menus or customer notes, so rather than invent that claim, this edition covers strong Minneapolis kitchens on their real strengths, burgers, brunch, Latin American plates, and chef-driven New American dining. Wild rice soup in this metro lives mainly in supper clubs and diners, a separate lane worth its own guide.
What is the Insider Score shown next to each restaurant?
It is a composite score built from the public review record for each restaurant, weighing volume and consistency of customer feedback. No restaurant pays to be included or to improve its placement; the score and the ranking are independent of any advertising relationship.
Why are Minneapolis and St. Paul treated as separate cities in this guide?
Because they are. Minneapolis and St. Paul have separate governments, separate downtowns, and distinct dining identities on either side of the Mississippi. Every restaurant here is named to its actual municipality, and none of these twelve happen to be in St. Paul or the suburbs, all are within Minneapolis city limits.
Are any of these restaurants Michelin-starred?
No. Minnesota has never had a Michelin star. Michelin announced Minneapolis-only coverage in 2026, with the first selections not arriving until 2027, and St. Paul is excluded from that coverage entirely. Any current star or selection claim about a Twin Cities restaurant is false.
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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.
