Amazingly for living in the South West Suburbs of Minneapolis (or maybe a little farther than what…read moreyou would consider that), I had never been to Lat14. Lat14 Asian Eatery is a critically acclaimed restaurant in Golden Valley, Minnesota, created by Chef Ann Ahmed. Its name comes from the 14th parallel north, inspiring a menu of bold, shareable Southeast Asian dishes from Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and the Philippines. The food was phenomenal, which shouldn't be surprising coming from Chef Ann Ahmed's pedigree of awards. We started with a couple of appetizers. First was the Basil Wings which were Tempura Fried with Thai Basil, Jalapenos, and a Signature Dry Rub. Wow the tempura gave a satisfying crunch with a beautiful zing of spices. Next was the Snow Crab Wontons which were filled with Cream Cheese, Snow Crab, and served with Apricot Sweet Chili. These were stuffed with crab and you totally could taste it. The sweet/spicy sauce with nice acidic bite cut through the cream cheese very well. For my main, I went with the Lao Yum Salad which consisted of Mixed Greens, Tomato, Cucumber, Red Onion, Toasted Almonds, Watermelon Radish, Hard Boiled Egg and Lao Yum Dressing. Perfectly balanced and the dressing was delightful. Oh, and can't forget about the House Pickle Assortment of delicious tangy morsels. ___

It had been a long while since I was last able to visit this establishment, since I now live out of…read morestate. When I recently finally got a chance to go while in town, it was a must visit. I used to go at least once a month when living in state and on the west side of the river, especially when they had happy hour (the one negative aspect I have to report. But I digress...) Ann Ahmed is a Laotian-American Minnesotan and 3 times James Beard semi-finalist. This restaurant is known to serve food around the "14th latitude" and is FAMILY STYLE, so keep in mind while ordering. The food also comes out as it is ready rather than all at once per course. My twin sister and I went one cloudy summer's afternoon and sat outside on the patio, surrounded by lush greenery under decorative cloth shading hung above us. Of course, we got the lumpia, which they split in half for us since it was only us two and they come 3 to a plate (or 4 if you pay an extra $8 or something...) and the nam khao for "starters." For once, we both decided to try something different rather than our go-to (heavenly exquisite) Khao soi (sincerely, just divine). I ordered the pad thai with fried tofu and she ordered the squash curry with a side of roasted chicken to add. We both also got cocktails. I got the mango margarita and my sister got the old fashion (lat 14 style). The lumpia are crispy, flaky and filled with the perfect ratio of succulent pork to fillings served with a spicy dipping sauce. When cut in half, they sear the end of the cut portion to seal in the flavor and contents. Next came the khao soi, a dish to tantalize and tease the palate with the crunch of puffed rice and peanuts and the umami bite of pork flavored with lemongrass and other seasonings wrapped in a crispy lettuce leaf. Living currently in Miami, an absolute vacuum for even gross asian food, I was CRAVING pad thai and Lat 14 delivered. Perfectly cooked noodles with the right amount of sauce (not too dry and not swimming either) with lots of protein, perfectly cooked scrambled egg, fresh beansprouts that don't overcrowd the other ingredients and the crushed fresh peanuts hit every note my taste buds craved. I also was allowed to try the curry and never knew squash curry with coconut was the flavor I missed in my life. All in all, is it pricy? Yes. Are the portions also generous? Most definitely. Is it worth it and your wallet will be begging you to lighten itself by another visit? ABSOLUTELY! Also, our server was attentive, knowledgable and kind.

My husband and I love coming here for a date night. It is casual, but the food is so good and feels…read moreelevated. The space is bright and sunny and I don't think there's a bad spot in the house. Service has always been attentive and most importantly, I've literally never had anything that wasn't delicious. This time, we ordered the coconut shrimp to start. They were so crisp and juicy and large. This is something that we get many places because it's my husband's favorite and we both agreed this was our favorite coconut shrimp so far in the Twin Cities. I got the Asian slaw salad with Aji tuna. I've had this before, it is so good especially the shoyu dressing. It sounds boring to come here and get a salad, but it's just delicious especially with the crunchy macadamia nuts. My husband got the loco Moco with short rib and loved it. We got fries on the side. The kabayaki aioli was so unexpected and good! The fries were hot, salty and crisp. Solid fries on their own. We also asked to try the ghost pepper aioli, which was fab and not too hot.

Pau Hana is a cute little, well-lit venue that really packs a unique flavor punch! The dishes are…read moreHawaiian-influenced and absolutely phenomenal. The drink menu also matches these elements and is a home run, even if a bit off-kilter from your standard fare. The Loco Moco was fantastic, the prices are somewhat reasonable, and the drinks will cap things off perfectly! Well worth the visit!

Perhaps my new favorite bar in Mpls??? Amazing drinks and even better food. I LOVE a bar that can…read moredo both. Vibes are also great. Super LGBTQ friendly!! In love. Will be back.

A great little dive joint. The fried chicken sando was on point. There was sweetness, but not…read moreenough heat. Still really good. The fried chicken alone was worth it.

Gorgeous spot with some tasty (but pricey) bites! Located right in downtown wayzata and overlooking…read morelake Minnetonka, this is a stunning spot for a nice dinner out! Our service was great and our waitress was really knowledgeable. I really enjoyed all of the food we got but was disappointed in the size/amount of pieces in the king grab sushi roll for $28. Two of the pieces fell apart almost instantly after being picked up with chopsticks and the pieces of crab on the side were tiny! The rolls were good but for the price and amount of crab on the roll I couldn't justify ordering it again. The corn esquites side dish was incredible and I even ordered one to go for my husband to try! I would come back for this dish alone. The crispy rice and spicy tuna was tasty as well. Overall it's a gorgeous spot with good food and drinks but pretty expensive for portion sizes.

Unfortunately I was a little disappointed in the food here. Let me start by saying though - the…read morevibes? IMMACULATE. If you want a place for a good cocktail, dessert, or a place to chill at the bar then come here! The patio is gorgeous but the inside of the restaurant is beautiful as well. Unfortunately the service was somewhat slow and the food was just ok. We got the elote and calamari which were just alright. We did enjoy the breading on the calamari and it was well fried though! The crispy rice and avocado were really tasty. Overall I wish the portions were bigger for the apps but some are shareable. The biggest disappointment was the wagyu tacos. The flavor was good but the beef was cooked way too much. The best part about Wagyu is its melt in your mouth tender and this been was cooked so much it almost seemed like ground beef. The tacos were also TINY. The fried potatoes were well cooked and crispy but they just needed more sauce. It was a LOT of potato. We did enjoy the fried rice and the shrimp on it was cooked and seasoned well! Lastly the churros for dessert were the star! I would definitely be pick about what you get - I recommend the crispy rice, fried rice, churros, and calamari as well as cocktails.

Shrimp rolls - for some reason was so much better during dinner than brunch. Crispy fish,m with a…read morenice bite from the vegetable. Duck fried rice - I like that the duck is already shredded. Flavor is good on its own but so much better with the jeow and chili oil. Mango fish - good crispy skin with nice solid mango chunks. Pistachio cake - dense, light, and nutty. Mango sorbet - sweet, crunchy, and refreshing.

Attended a birthday party here. They rented the private dining area around the side/back of the…read morerestaurant. The space was nice. Set up like a cooking show room. There were 2 tables separated which was a bit awkward. Not sure if that was a choice or how it's just always set up. I believe the room required a $1000 min spend (or maybe more) but to my surprise the menu was pre planned (personal nightmare for me as I don't eat pork/beef/seafood - most of the menu). I looked at the menu days before and there weren't many things I could eat... but I was excited to see they had basil wings. We had welcome drinks which were good and were able to order drinks from the cocktail menu. The food started coming out but 2/4 ppl at our table didn't eat beef/pork and again we didn't realize there was a 2nd special menu for another person at the other table so that table got foods different from ours and we had to order additional chicken and rice. Pretty much wasted 1/2 of the dishes of food on our table. The basil wings were good but the rice wasn't good - very bland. The bill came to almost $3k and split 16 ways (after the event) $180 for 5 wings, bland rice & 2 cocktails definitely left a bad taste for me. I get this was the terms of attending the event and may be more so on the host not communicating how it works prior but for $3k definitely could have been better. After we ate we were told they have a speaker hook-up for music, people were already leaving. We did have a great time but definitely should have had music going upon arrival. Super tiny parking lot but plenty of street parking. They have a really cute patio and the main restaurant is cute!

Everything was perfect from start to finish! The food, service, and overall experience were all…read moreamazing. The sushi was incredibly fresh and beautifully prepared, and everything we tried was delicious. I also highly recommend the Shiso Bubbly mocktail--it was refreshing, unique, and paired really well with the food. The service was excellent and made the whole experience even better. Definitely one of those places I'd happily come back to. Highly recommend!

I had two rolls -- the caterpillar roll and the salmon avocado maki. They were presented…read morebeautifully. Luckily, they were also very tasty! The caterpillar roll is an eel and avocado roll, and it had a generous portion of rice. The maki was also quite hearty with more salmon than I expected. Each piece of sushi was quite big - I think it would've been easier to eat if it was sliced into smaller pieces. My colleague opted for a tempura bowl and the portion was HUGE. I was expecting 5-6 pieces of tempura but it was a whole plate! I tried a mocktail but the flavors didn't stick out to me much. If I were to go again, I'd probably opt for hot green tea. Service was great -- folks checked in on us enough without lingering or interrupting often.

Who knew one of my favorite Sushi spots would be in Minneapolis? The ambience was eclectic and…read moredefinitely anchored the hip little section of the city.

I cannot rate the service and ambiance as I did takeout but from what I can tell the ambiance is…read morefun and chic and the workers are top notch and friendly! I had a great conversation about coming back for dine-in and my visit to Minneapolis with the hostess, so I would say the service definitely seems promising! All the rolls I got for takeout were exactly as described and tasted great, would definitely order takeout from them again!

Went to Raku for Happy Hour this week and had a mixed experience! The service was great but the…read moresushi wasn't anything to write home about. I got the spicy tuna roll, summer roll, and Japanese pancakes. I absolutely loved the Japanese pancakes as it was like nothing I've ever tried before. The dipping sauce is similar to a red curry and was DELICIOUS! Definitely recommend!!

If you're looking for a place to eat in the West End, especially at happy hour time, Raku,is an…read moreexcellent selection. We were in the neighborhood for a movie and had to tell him beforehand. Rocco truly has an amazing happy hour. I could not believe how reasonably priced our food was. Everything we ordered tasted good and in some places excellent. I really liked the crispy Japanese pancake. The tofu we had was prepared well, but the sauce itself was a little too thin. Our sushi roll was tasty, but nothing out of the ordinary. My biggest complaint with the menu is that it's hard to find something that doesn't have either tempura shrimp or cream cheese in it. I will admit I looked primarily at the happy hour menu and not the larger ones so there may have been more selections. Overall, great food. Reasonable prize. And an excellent location.