Absolutely awesome! Service and food were fantastic. Not listed was the squid salad, it was great !
Esther Yeoh
5 stars on everything! I used Resy and was able to snagged a reservation last minute. The team was very accommodating and was very helpful with my needs. I showed up at 4:50 pm and there were people waiting. It seems like it is possible to sit at the bar as a walk in if you show up a bit before 5 pm. The most stand out for me was the fried cat fish and the crab fried rice. My party also really liked the Pork Chop, (it was quite large and was shared with 4 adults with leftovers).
The ingredients were seasoned well and the ingredients were fresh. Definitely my favorite restaurant of my recent trips to Minneapolis.
Michael Petrone
Quite the hot spot! It’s loud and busy and you feel some tension from the staff, like it’s been dealing with the ‘grammers since day one. However … this place is tremendous. The drinks were inventive and very strong. Both the tequila cocktails were excellent; the Vinai version of the old fashioned was stout and flavorful.
We did the popular move and got the shrimp/pork toast - 5 stars. Even better with some of the house hot sauces (get all four). The cauliflower was incredible, it sounds basic but it was so good, filling enough to be an entree by itself. The greens were fine. And the chicken coconut curry had many textures and flavors and was much lighter than you would think.
Ray daSilva
Went for a family dinner. We enjoyed every single dish. Starting with the Taro Chip and Dip, Eggplant dip. The Fried Catfish was a hit. We had the Chicken Curry, Braised Beef Rib, Grilled Carrots and the Crabby Rice. We would recommend all of them. We tried each one of the desserts, too. They were excellent. Our server, China, was the best. A great experience. Thank you.
Lubna
We snagged a reservation here at the bar for an anniversary dinner. We had the Laab Carpaccio to start, Grilled Carrots and Purple Sticky Rice as a side, the Hilltribe Grilled Chicken as the main, and the Passionfruit Cheesecake as a dessert.
Although the restaurant was busy, the ambiance was just right. The servers were AWESOME. They checked in with us to make sure we understood the dishes on the menu but also afterward to make sure we were enjoying ourselves and had what we need.
Highly recommend stopping by Vinai for dinner!
PJ ComJo
Things are getting tuned in at this place. Service was great. Ropes were gone at the entry. Small plate options were great. The cocktails were done well. The prickly pisco was awesome. The Shrimp Roll was very tasty - could have gone for seconds. The buttermilk fried chicken was done just right, the mini burger was another great choice. The jicama salad tacos are always a great option. Everything was spot on.
Alberto Perez
Very nice
Jay Shen
As a fan of Union Hmong Kitchen, I came here with relatively high expectations, and was not disappointed due to the quality the establishment had demonstrated with their food. Pretty much everything so far was a hit, after visiting here for dinner twice. I purposefully didn't order the hilltribe grilled chicken because I have had it in UHK before, but I think the next time I will give it a try here just to see what new elements I can discover.
The braised beef rib was extremely tender and the soup tasted everything like I imagined it to be, with good flavor and ingredients and very authentically Southeast Asian. The new york strip steak was cooked to perfection with medium rare, had a good pinch of spiciness with chili oil to the side, and was extremely tender and juicy. The roasted eggplant had just the right amount of garlic, cilantro, and chili to not let one ingredient overpower another. The curry rice ball had the essence of crab and cream cheese. The sambal on the deviled eggs provided the dish with a flavor that I had never experienced before in a positive way due to the cultural fusion. The crabby fried rice allowed every bite to have a feeling of "separated but together" when one tries to break apart the added duck egg, as the rice would be separated while the egg yolk would try to bind everything together.
My friend tried very hard to figure out how Mango Madness was made after having it because she thought it was too good. And the chocolate lava cake had so many layers of flavors, including the chili oil, that made it a very integral part of my sweetness experience.
Overall, highly recommended, and can definitely attest to the establishment's greatness and why it is named as one of the restaurants on New York Times' Top 50 list - making Minnesota proud.
We are so proud to see this place open and running with so much success over the years! We’ve gone twice now. Once for drinks and dessert, the other time for the full menu. Everything is executed with a lot of love and care. Staff is always very energetic and you can tell they take great pride in what they do and what they represent not only to the Hmong community, but as pillars of the hospitality industry in Minnesota. Keep shooting for the stars and keep giving others an excuse to explore more of the magic of Minnesota’s food. ❤️
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Todd Trebesch
The most amazing food in the Twin Cities that I’ve eaten in 2024! Great addition to our wonderful food scene!
Spoiler alert - not going to say anything bad - it was great, flavorful, unique, and interesting. We stopped on a walk, sat at the bar (hint - go early and take a bar seat). Had the Shrimp & Cucumber Salad - really good, had a kick to it! Couple of cocktails - very good. The New Fashioned has a great spice - shout out the MPLS Simple Pour - nicely done! Entrees were the Pork Shoulder and 802 Noodles - hot and cold, char and savory. The side sauce was a tangy (chutney like) with a bite! Needless to say - we’ll be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bryn Erickson
The food here is unique. Eat here if you are seeking something new, different and delicious. We sat at the big table and had a special menu and we just let the server drive. Every single thing was like something I’ve never had before. The hot sauce flights are a must as are the rice balls. Chef came over and chatted us up and he couldn’t have been more humble and friendly. Service was wonderful and everyone at the table left a huge fan. Enjoy!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lauren Drube
The carrots and the crabby fried rice are excellent, as are the cocktails, and the venue is stunning. Unfortunately, I think this place suffers the same big-hype snag. It's getting a lot of attention, as it should, but it might need a bit more time to really find its groove.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Crabby Fried Rice
Unslender Man
HOLY MOLY - for those of you who have been to London, you know how Dinner By Heston Blumenthal shows what British food *truly* is and not the stereotypes that most uneducated Americ@nt$ have of it? Vinai is *EXACTLY* that - but for Hmong food. It shows that there is plenty more than what most people think - some random Asian grocery store deli counter is *NOT* what Vinai is. The exact opposite - if anything, Vinai has the same food quality as Demi - and that’s a 2.99 Michelin star institution! Highly recommend this place to anyone and everyone - this is a national if not international institution! Go here instead of Matt’s Bar + this is as important as Owamni! This restaurant can *EASILY* nab two Michelin stars if Michelin goes fully nationwide!
Ask for Thistle and/or Autumn - those two demonstrated the high quality of customer service I have experienced in London. And like London and many other big cities in the world, this place could *EASILY* charge a “mandatory” tip and nobody would be complaining - because *THAT’S* how good the service is!
Absolutely awesome! Service and food were fantastic. Not listed was the squid salad, it was great !
5 stars on everything! I used Resy and was able to snagged a reservation last minute. The team was very accommodating and was very helpful with my needs. I showed up at 4:50 pm and there were people waiting. It seems like it is possible to sit at the bar as a walk in if you show up a bit before 5 pm.
The most stand out for me was the fried cat fish and the crab fried rice. My party also really liked the Pork Chop, (it was quite large and was shared with 4 adults with leftovers).
The ingredients were seasoned well and the ingredients were fresh.
Definitely my favorite restaurant of my recent trips to Minneapolis.
Quite the hot spot! It’s loud and busy and you feel some tension from the staff, like it’s been dealing with the ‘grammers since day one. However … this place is tremendous. The drinks were inventive and very strong. Both the tequila cocktails were excellent; the Vinai version of the old fashioned was stout and flavorful.
We did the popular move and got the shrimp/pork toast - 5 stars. Even better with some
of the house hot sauces (get all four). The cauliflower was incredible, it sounds basic but it was so good, filling enough to be an entree by itself. The greens were fine. And the chicken coconut curry had many textures and flavors and was much lighter than you would think.
Went for a family dinner. We enjoyed every single dish. Starting with the Taro Chip and Dip, Eggplant dip. The Fried Catfish was a hit. We had the Chicken Curry, Braised Beef Rib, Grilled Carrots and the Crabby Rice. We would recommend all of them. We tried each one of the desserts, too. They were excellent. Our server, China, was the best. A great experience. Thank you.
We snagged a reservation here at the bar for an anniversary dinner. We had the Laab Carpaccio to start, Grilled Carrots and Purple Sticky Rice as a side, the Hilltribe Grilled Chicken as the main, and the Passionfruit Cheesecake as a dessert.
Although the restaurant was busy, the ambiance was just right. The servers were AWESOME. They checked in with us to make sure we understood the dishes on the menu but also afterward to make sure we were enjoying ourselves and had what we need.
Highly recommend stopping by Vinai for dinner!
Things are getting tuned in at this place. Service was great. Ropes were gone at the entry. Small plate options were great. The cocktails were done well. The prickly pisco was awesome. The Shrimp Roll was very tasty - could have gone for seconds. The buttermilk fried chicken was done just right, the mini burger was another great choice. The jicama salad tacos are always a great option. Everything was spot on.
Very nice
As a fan of Union Hmong Kitchen, I came here with relatively high expectations, and was not disappointed due to the quality the establishment had demonstrated with their food. Pretty much everything so far was a hit, after visiting here for dinner twice. I purposefully didn't order the hilltribe grilled chicken because I have had it in UHK before, but I think the next time I will give it a try here just to see what new elements I can discover.
The braised beef rib was extremely tender and the soup tasted everything like I imagined it to be, with good flavor and ingredients and very authentically Southeast Asian. The new york strip steak was cooked to perfection with medium rare, had a good pinch of spiciness with chili oil to the side, and was extremely tender and juicy. The roasted eggplant had just the right amount of garlic, cilantro, and chili to not let one ingredient overpower another. The curry rice ball had the essence of crab and cream cheese. The sambal on the deviled eggs provided the dish with a flavor that I had never experienced before in a positive way due to the cultural fusion. The crabby fried rice allowed every bite to have a feeling of "separated but together" when one tries to break apart the added duck egg, as the rice would be separated while the egg yolk would try to bind everything together.
My friend tried very hard to figure out how Mango Madness was made after having it because she thought it was too good. And the chocolate lava cake had so many layers of flavors, including the chili oil, that made it a very integral part of my sweetness experience.
Overall, highly recommended, and can definitely attest to the establishment's greatness and why it is named as one of the restaurants on New York Times' Top 50 list - making Minnesota proud.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Crabby Fried Rice, Lava Cake, Deviled Eggs
We are so proud to see this place open and running with so much success over the years!
We’ve gone twice now. Once for drinks and dessert, the other time for the full menu.
Everything is executed with a lot of love and care. Staff is always very energetic and you can tell they take great pride in what they do and what they represent not only to the Hmong community, but as pillars of the hospitality industry in Minnesota.
Keep shooting for the stars and keep giving others an excuse to explore more of the magic of Minnesota’s food. ❤️
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The most amazing food in the Twin Cities that I’ve eaten in 2024! Great addition to our wonderful food scene!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Food and service were top notch
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Spoiler alert - not going to say anything bad - it was great, flavorful, unique, and interesting. We stopped on a walk, sat at the bar (hint - go early and take a bar seat). Had the Shrimp & Cucumber Salad - really good, had a kick to it! Couple of cocktails - very good. The New Fashioned has a great spice - shout out the MPLS Simple Pour - nicely done! Entrees were the Pork Shoulder and 802 Noodles - hot and cold, char and savory. The side sauce was a tangy (chutney like) with a bite! Needless to say - we’ll be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food here is unique. Eat here if you are seeking something new, different and delicious. We sat at the big table and had a special menu and we just let the server drive. Every single thing was like something I’ve never had before. The hot sauce flights are a must as are the rice balls. Chef came over and chatted us up and he couldn’t have been more humble and friendly. Service was wonderful and everyone at the table left a huge fan. Enjoy!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The carrots and the crabby fried rice are excellent, as are the cocktails, and the venue is stunning. Unfortunately, I think this place suffers the same big-hype snag. It's getting a lot of attention, as it should, but it might need a bit more time to really find its groove.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Crabby Fried Rice
HOLY MOLY - for those of you who have been to London, you know how Dinner By Heston Blumenthal shows what British food *truly* is and not the stereotypes that most uneducated Americ@nt$ have of it? Vinai is *EXACTLY* that - but for Hmong food. It shows that there is plenty more than what most people think - some random Asian grocery store deli counter is *NOT* what Vinai is. The exact opposite - if anything, Vinai has the same food quality as Demi - and that’s a 2.99 Michelin star institution! Highly recommend this place to anyone and everyone - this is a national if not international institution! Go here instead of Matt’s Bar + this is as important as Owamni! This restaurant can *EASILY* nab two Michelin stars if Michelin goes fully nationwide!
Ask for Thistle and/or Autumn - those two demonstrated the high quality of customer service I have experienced in London. And like London and many other big cities in the world, this place could *EASILY* charge a “mandatory” tip and nobody would be complaining - because *THAT’S* how good the service is!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mousse Au Chocolat, Charred Cabbage, Aguachile, Chicken and Carrots, Beef Soup, Curry Rice Ball, Texas Toast with Shrimp and Pork, Grilled Fish, Catfish Curry Rice, Cucumber Melon Salad, Spicy Pork, Sardines, Cucumber Salad, Crabby Fried Rice, Lava Cake, Grilled Lamb Hearts, Grilled Carrots with Yogurt, Sticky Rice, Thai Beef Salad
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