We visited during the end of the ICE uprising in Mpls. That didn't affect the service, or the ambience, and the food is delicious. Highly recommend this place. read more

The best Chinese food I've had in the twin cities! Great service and a vibrant atmosphere!

I discovered Rainbow Chinese at the Mpls Farmers Market. They have a stand that sells Eggrolls, wontons, drinks (teas & boba) and a few other things. The eggrolls are made with chicken and they are crispy. Served with fish sauce which is spiced up and good as well. The wontons are bite size & come with a gingery sweet & sour sauce - also good. I had been craving the eggrolls so I decided to check out the actual restaurant. They have limited hours and closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. They do have a decent size parking lot just on the side of the parking lot (do not park on the side Quangs is on), also street parking but most of it is limited duration wise (15min-1hr). The restaurant is cute decor wise. They have koi fish in a fish tank in the main dining room. We ordered eggrolls, wontons, chicken fried rice & the Double Dragon Punch for a drink. The eggrolls were good but for some reason I feel like they tasted better at the farmers market, I do wish they would give separate sauce cups for dipping when it's multiple people. The wontons were also good. I didn't care for the rice at all. It was pretty bland and the chicken in the rice wasn't good flavor wise, had to pick it out. The drink was also just okay- probably wouldn't order it again. I was kind of expecting it to be similar to a "wondrous punch" but it wasn't. It was smooth though & loved the garnishes & decorations on it. The staff were nice and welcoming. It wasn't too busy. It was happy hour and they had a few specials- we didn't partake but they do have it. I will definitely be visiting the stand at the farmers market again to support!! Farmers market stand 5/5 Restaurant 3.5/5 read more

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Greasy egg rolls... kung pao chicken that was mostly missing chicken... and they left one of five items out of our takeout order. Definitely not worth the premium price. read more

It's been awhile that we've been to Rainbow and so can't here for dinner last Sunday. The place wasn't too busy and we got right in for a party of 6. We sat by the windows so it was nice to get the natural light. They have a parking lot on the side of the building but you can also park on the street. The food was good but the dishes with the brown sauce seemed like they were all tasting the same flavor just different meat. The seafood with wide noodles was my favorite. The sauce was perfectly balanced and doesn't taste too starchy. The green beans were good. We asked for extra broccoli with the beef and broccoli but it seems that we got extra. The kung Pao chicken was cooked to my husband's liking. I didn't try the cream cheese wontons but it looked it has a lot of cream cheese. Overall it was a good dinner. read more

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Service was excellent. The building is cozy and dimly lit. The food is terrific, especially the chicken wontons. read more

Rainbow Chinese Restaurant & Bar - Sesame Chicken - Chinese Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Friends and I were in the mood for Chinese food and we happened to come across this place on Tik Tok, so off we went for Sunday night dinner. Arrived around 7:20pm and I was pleasantly surprised to learn they had a small parking lot. Upon entering we were greeted by an employee who wasn't too enthusiastic at all, but sat us at a table near the front windows. Shortly after we sat down our waitress came over with waters and greeted us. Let me just say, I appreciated how she brought our waters right away; that is honestly VERY rare at any restaurant. We started with the appetizer platter which included: 3- Egg Rolls, 10- Cream Cheese Wontons, 6- Fried Chicken Dumplings, Nuoc Cham Sauce, and Sweet & Sour Sauce. For our shared entrees we got: sesame chicken and Jai Mai Fun noodles, and for dessert we had to try the 4- chocolate wontons. I thought everything was pretty good. Egg rolls were my favorite appetizer. The sesame chicken was flavorful and the Jai Mai fun noodles needed more flavor and a protein especially for the price tag. Overall, it was a fresh good meal, but it is on the pricer side especially for the smaller portions. Chocolate wonton was yummy and nothing I have ever tasted. I appreciate how light it was. First time I've seen that on a menu. Restaurant had some unique/neat decor. They had like separate rooms for dinning and a fish tank. Also, a bar with many cocktails offered. One thing I liked was how the food was brought to the table as soon as it was ready to be enjoyed..... yay hot food. read more

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Meal #3 with fellow Yelper, Kedar D., and his partner, and yet another good meal. Disclaimer: coming from Vancouver, we are spoiled for copious amounts of authentic, high-quality Chinese food. This is not authentic at all in my books, but it's quite tasty. They have plenty of vegan options. The three of us split: -Mock duck crispy tiger ($18) -- we were told this could be made vegan but the server was unclear what wasn't already vegan about it, so you may want to inquire. This was the highlight of the meal for sure. The mock dock texture was phenomenal -- crispy, stringy and cooked perfectly, accompanied with green onions and crispy taro chips, coated in a savoury and lightly sweet sauce. Personally, I'd have omitted the taro chips and added, say, onions, but that's a minor gripe. -Ma po tofu, made vegan by omitting the pork ($16). Not remotely authentic -- no Szechuan peppercorns or fermented bean paste, just soft tofu with green peas (for some reason) cooked in a savoury soy sauce-type thing. Pretty good if you don't tell your brain it's supposed to be ma po tofu. -Vegetable dumplings ($8 for 4 pcs). These were unusual for Chinese dumplings, which were flat. I'd say there wasn't enough filling-to-wrapper ratio, but it was tasty regardless and served with a nice dark vinegary dipping sauce. -Wok-seared cauliflower ($12). Not remotely Chinese -- not even sure why such a thing is on the menu. Regardless, it was tasty, though I'd say the cauliflower was not cooked long enough, as it was still very crunchy. Nice flavours though and not bad if I pretend I'm not supposed to be eating Chinese food. -Mixed vegetables with black bean sauce pan-fried noodles ($21). We replaced the usual egg noodles with wide rice noodles. Not sure why this is so expensive -- it's not a complicated or expensive dish to make. Tasty dish, which comes with all sorts of mixed veggies, smothered in a nicely balanced, rich black bean sauce. Good stuff. Despite my tongue-in-cheek remarks about inauthenticity, I enjoyed the food, especially the excellent mock duck. Very kind, quick service. Good spot. read more

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Took my partners family here from out of town and they LOVED it!! The food tastes so flavorful and fresh- that crispy tiger is sooo good! Always recommend this place to anyone i know. and Love our server avery she is very knowledgeable about the menu read more

I truly regret that I came here. Should've just gone to Quang, but I guess that's what I get for trying something new that didn't have great reviews. Everything on the menu is super expensive, a lot of it not even including rice--they have the nerve to charge extra for that. I guess that's why I ordered fried rice. It was incredibly bland, basically just some greasy and flavorless rice with a sprinkle of onions and stingy serving of chicken. Honestly the worst fried rice I've had in my life, from any Asian place. My drink was a lychee lemonade--about 8 oz over ice, for $8! It was good, but that price is absolutely insane for the small portion. The only reason I'm not giving this place one star is because the server was very sweet. But I don't recommend coming here, even if you're starving. There's too many great places on Eat Street. read more

Rainbow Chinese restaurant on Nicollet and 26th is a Minneapolis classic, having opened in 1987. Somehow, they have found a way to navigate the path between traditional Chinese food and boring. Their food feels modern and familiar at the same time. Of course, chef Tammy Wong has run the show since the beginning. The only comparable Chinese restaurant was Leann Chin's BEFORE they sold out to General Mills, but that goes back many, many years. Rainbow has been on our regular restaurant rotation for decades, so I'm surprised that I have never previously reviewed it. During Covid, it went take-out only and the food did not travel well to my house in the western burbs. Even after Covid, they didn't open the dining room, so it was several years that I went without eating at Rainbow; thankfully, they are now back open. They have reduced the quantity of dishes, but still the core of their offerings remain. Rainbow's decor is very welcoming and far from the sterile look of many Chinese restaurants. They also have their own parking lot, which is a nice perk on the ever busy Nicollet Avenue. We started tonight's meal with Cream Cheese Wontons. This is a good example of this restaurant because even though these are ubiquitous, they are very different at Rainbow, because the wontons are almost tempura light, as opposed the heavy fried wontons we are all used to. Although I'm not really a fan of sweet and sour sauce, Rainbow makes their own sauce, which is more like a marmalade than what we are used to. In other words: familiar item, but elevated in both the dish and the sauce. The eggrolls and the dumplings are are equally solid. I have a hard time not ordering my favorite and today was no exception. I love the sliced, white chicken in black bean sauce with Fun noodles. Fun noodles are the thicker, wider noodles that are perfect for soaking up the black bean sauce. The dish is rounded out by both green and red bell peppers and onions. My wife ordered the Chicken with Cashew nuts which has sliced white meat chicken, peapods, bell pepper and onion tossed in Peking sauce and garnished with cashew nuts and Thai basil. The dish is infused with the sweet taste of Thai basil, which has a different flavor profile than regular Italian basil. I debated whether to give Rainbow a 4 or 5. The quality of food and decor are at a 5. However, I hate that they charge $8.00 for a pot of hot tea for one person (it's only hot water with a bag of tea!) and that they now add a 5% fee on top of high prices, and then expect a 15 to 20 percent tip on top of that. With a bill that was close to $80 for two people (one app, two entrees, tea, and a virgin drink) is already pricy, without adding yet another required price on top of that -- and then expecting a tip. These are the junk fees that restaurants need to drop. Charge what you feel you need, and then let customers decide the value. For those reasons, I gave a total rating of 4. read more

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We've been eating here occasionally for years, and especially love their amazing egg rolls and wontons. A classic Minneapolis bar/restaurant, with comfortable atmosphere, good service, and a mesmerizing Koi tank. read more

I will be back the food is delicious and the service is great, If you want cheap price, good food and good service, you should not come here. read more

Terrible. The Mapo Tofu was sweet and not spicy in the slightest. The chow fun and fried rice were basically white in color. The turnip cake was cup too thick and not crispy. The firecracker wonton sauce is so honey heavy, it wouldn't surprise me if the sauce is just a metric ton of honey plus a slight dash of fried chili flakes. And on top of that, $3 for rice at a Chinese restaurant. If you're out here giving this place 5 stars, you are either being paid or your opinion on food is unreliable. I ate cottage cheese mixed with canned tuna this week for my macros and this was the worst food I've had all week. read more

I have been eating at this restaurant, both dining in and takeout for my over 20 years. The food is always very good. The employees always seem cool. Not today... The person at the register was at best cold. The contempt and distain that emanated from this person was unnerving. Needless to say it was an unpleasant experience. I worked in the service industry on and off for many years so I was surprised to see the takeout tipping policy the Restaurant has chosen. A takeout tip screen with 18% and 20% as the only option given (unless you choose another screen). Given what struck me as unreasonable tip options I genuinely, non-confrontationally asked, "what is the takeout tip for, do you share it with the kitchen?" I recalled the restaurant changed policies for dine in and out takeout well past Covid and thought maybe the tip policy was one of them. Why would they suggest the same tip for takeout as a dine in? I honestly don't understand the thinking or the justification. I admit that I may be out of touch. I tipped a recommended amount... for the kitchen as this person glared. read more

Was really disappointed on our last visit. I live just up the street and my first visit here was a year ago but I travel a lot and don't make it out to eat a ton. My mom was visiting and she was looking forward to trying this place, sadly disappointing. Ambiance severely lacking, cold environment and I mean temperature and it was a cold fall day outside. The music did not at all match the interior ambiance, loud rock music. Very off putting. Service was with a smile, although some room for improvement there as well. Hence the two stars, I understand this place is iconic in MPLS. I hope it can make a comeback read more

We finally tried Rainbow Chinese via delivery. Our order included Cream Cheese Wontons, Vegtaboe Lo Main, Sesame Chicken, Chicken Fried Rice. Our favorite was the wontons, perfect crisp! The chicken flavor was really good but it was a bit mushy which was disappointing. Open to trying again but different items read more

Worst Chinese food of my entire life. Many years ago, Rainbow was a great Chinese restaurant. Not anymore. We bought six different dishes, all were horrible. Completely flavorless, completely unhealthy, complete garbage. read more

OK, still super busy (in the best way possible)! I still scored a parking spot out front. And the food was still spot on SO DARN GOOD! Oh, yeah! The ordering? Yes, you can pick a time. And they are good with on time! The pickup? It's clearly marked, socially distanced and kinda fun since there are other hungry patrons to chat with. This time? We went a bit off the script, but just a bit. - Szechuan Wontons - Super yummy, hadn't had these before - Honey Walnut Shrimp - Hubs wants extra sauce next time, so noted - Chicken Mixed Vegetables - Loaded with veggies and HUGE chicken pieces. I ate myself into insomnia (yaknow, so full you cannot sleep)! - Fun Noodles - Get this: Most dishes come with a pint of white rice, default. But... upgrade? Maybe more rice. Maybe brown rice. Maybe fun (rice) noodles. Maybe mein (wheat) noodles. Life's a box of chocolate and so are these options!! - Bottle & Can Beer [Sapporo 6 pack] - yep, I did that. I wanted to show extra love so I bought beer. Because. And it was beautiful. AND! Behold the photos, which I captured this time! Please note that the photos are roughly 1/2 portions because we easily filled our plates again with this much (and a titch more). I need to edit my other curbside cuisine reviews to reflect where home plating might have appeared scrimpt'd. Yeah, I just made a word. read more

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A couple months ago, a friend gave me some leftovers of the Pineapple & Basil Chicken. Since then I have not stopped thinking about how good it was! I finally got a chance to go into the restaurant and try it properly. Of course I ordered the Pineapple & Basil Chicken again. Thank goodness it lived up my memory! I love all the elements of this dish with the sweet pineapple and basil yum! I love anything with basil. My boyfriend ordered the Sesame Chicken which he really liked but I thought it was okay, I like the Pineapple & Basil Chicken much more. Their entrees also come with a side of rice. The portion is good for two meals or one if you're ultra hungry - no judgement here! The ambiance is also cool. They have a fish tank with some fun colorful fish inside. They also have happy hour deals. I think this is a great date night spot or a place for a group of friends! The service was also prompt and friendly! read more

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I have been getting consistent quality takeout from Rainbow for nearly 30 years. My fav is the Gai Lan or the Singapore noodles.

Great good, amazing rainbow fried rice. Stable of EAT STREET! Always great customer service and friendly.

COVID-19 delivery review for a Minneapolis staple! Rainbow Chinese has launched their own online ordering platform for curbside pickup & delivery, though I believe you can still choose to order through DoorDash if you prefer. Those apps will take a cut from Rainbow's profits, though, so if you want to send as much support as possible to the restaurant and it's staff, I encourage you to use Rainbow's platform, especially for takeout. Delivery does carry a hefty $17 charge, but for me that's totally worth it given the really tough situation local restaurants are facing due to the pandemic. My food was delivered by Tammy Wong herself, which was super cool and frankly I was starstruck! As for the food, Rainbow never disappoints. I am addicted to cream cheese wontons, and theirs are some of my favorite in the Twin Cities. They are small and perfectly crisp, and paired with a sweet dipping sauce made fresh from seasonal ingredients. I also love their chicken with pineapple and basil and the shrimp entrees. The sesame noodles app is simple, but tasty and a big portion of food for your buck. I love Rainbow and can't wait to get back there whenever it is safe to do so. I hope we all can do our part to keep iconic restaurants like these up and running while we give our public health system the time it needs to prepare for and treat Minnesotans over the coming months. read more

This restaurant (and even more its owner Tammy Wong) is now a classic and important institution in Twin Cities dining. As the ethnic dining scene continues to evolve, Tammy's longtime commitment to fresh farm-raised produce and healthy adaptations of favorite Asian foods has provided culinary leadership for decades. It is matched by her personal hospitality. Such a treasure. Don't miss the opportunity to eat delicious real food in such a hospitable environment. Try one of her creative drinks, too. read more

I can't believe it's taken me this long to try Rainbow Chinese! Situated between 2 of my favorite places, this one is about to be a 3rd favorite! The food is delicious! Great portions with homecooked flavors, everything was delightful. The eggs rolls! Oh man the egg rolls are more like egg burritos! They're HUGE! And SO delicious! I had to save mine for the next day because I was so full! I LOVE the szechuan wontons! They're pork and shrimp dumplings in a scallion and black bean sauce. It's wonderful! For entrees, we got the crispy tiger beef and the pineapple and basil chicken. The crispy tiger beef is in a sweet garlic sauce and topped with scallion. It sits on a bed of fried root vegetables, which were delightful. The pineapple and basil chicken is lightly breaded chicken in a tangy sauce. I was fishing for the pieces of pineapple :) read more

I don't need to say much, other than that they use spaghetti noodles for the lomein. They also charge 20% on top of extremely high prices. Never going there again. read more

Best Chinese in the city. You can't go wrong with any of their soups (best broth!), their general tso's, 5 spice calamari, or the mushroom and pea pod noodles. I haven't had anything I didn't love. Get some ASAP and feel renewed. read more

Ridiculous for nearly 60 dollars. Half filled container of Sesame chicken and 6 walnut shrimp. Two orders of egg rolls and they forgot the wontons. You should be doing better during hard times. read more

Rainbow Chinese Restaurant & Bar - 60 bucks.. ridic - Chinese Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

This restaurant has the best, authentic Chinese food! The honey walnut shrimp and crispy tiger beef are to die for. You can tell that the family who owns this puts a lot of care and work into it. They are currently doing takeout and delivery during COVID. Chef Tammy makes the awesome homemade pickles. It really feels like eating at home! read more

Best Chinese food I have ever had! Camamari melts in your mouth, the black bean dishes are outstanding, and everything I have had here is yummy!!! read more

It's Back! We stopped on their opening day to sample Tammy Wong's delicious and reliable meals. The menu is shorter than before but has all of the favorites. The egg rolls are still classic with a sweet sauce and the pork and shrimp wonton soup was bathed in a rich bone broth, perfect for a light snack. Elliott paid careful attention to us and Tammy herself stopped by to say hello. After 36 years, it's still a reliable star on Eat Street. read more

The food is fucking hot trash. It's clearly preprepared steamed meat thrown with some vegetables into a dish with some sauce. Service is mediocre but it really comes down to how bad the food is. It's also obvious that this restaurant fakes both its Yelp and Google Reviews. Almost all the reviews are fake except for a few that give the restaurant 1 star because they actually are there and know how bad it is. Do not eat here, it's a fake trash Chinese restaurant. read more

We ordered chicken and pineapple, tofu and vegetables and pork fried rice along with a couple of their Old Fashions and everything was incredibly tasty! Probably the best Asian we've had in the Cities. 5-star delicious is an understatement. THANK YOU to Rainbow for a very pleasant dinner! Two Foodies read more

The second worse Chinese food I've ever had. Second worse because I once ate at a Chines restaurant that served Minute Rice. The dry Jasmine rice we had here was not much better. Where to begin? There is no clear way to check in and get seating. The waitstaff check in twice as often with people that they think will tip best. Pro tip - some people don't drink alcohol so not ordering a mixed drink isn't sign of a bad customer. The sauce was saltier than the Dead Sea. It was like soy sauce had been boiled down to the thickness of cheap ketchup. The waitress didn't even know that Bok Choy is a vegetable. Let me say that I do know good Chinese food when I taste it. I've lived most of my life in the San Francisco Bay Area. I've known bad Chinese food in my life too. When you have to ask for chop sticks it's a sign to leave. read more

Fantastic food, great service, cozy, and they have a full bar! A pillar of the community.

Since trying Rainbow's food at the Farmer's Market I've wanted to visit their brick and mortar and had the opportunity to this past weekend. Service was friendly and prompt and the food was delicious. I ordered the egg rolls, cream cheese wontons, and chicken chow mai fun. Overall it was a good experience but there were two things that could've been a bit better. My mom loves spicy food and requested her food to be as spicy as they could make it. When it came out I tried some even though I'm not a fan of things too spicy and I didn't find it spicy at all which was a little disappointing for her although they did provide chili sauce at the table. I guess my issue is that the waiter said they would do it and the request wasn't fulfilled. The second thing that bothered me was that my sister and I ordered the same dish and we both needed boxes for our leftovers. Instead of bringing us boxes they took our dishes back to the kitchen and boxed them for us but didn't keep track of whose was whose. Luckily she's my sister so I don't care much about germs but if I were with someone else it would be pretty off-putting. read more

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Wow, there's some nasty people out there who hold serious grudges against servers they met once at a restaurant. Some people get offended really easily; does everyone who "serves" you have to be blandly subservient to you? I don't get the bad reviews for this place, the food is always very good. It's definitely the best Chinese on Eat Street, and suitable for a casual meal or taking someone out for something a bit fancy. Has valet parking at night. read more

Honey Walnut Shrimp. Yes. Full Stop. Peanut noodles, good noodle, overpowering peanut flavor. Calarami = portion not big enough to share even as an appetizer for more than two people. Egg rolls = americanized Chinese as good as it gets. Service = meh. Good attitudes, a little slow. Why the tiny water glasses?? Why??? Atmosphere and location = works for me. good for two, good for families/kids (no kid menu, so good for kids who like Chinese like food), good for larger groups, good for the older people in your life who are a little freaked out by the fact you still live in the city. More of a 3.5 for me. I'll definitely eat here again, but I'm not quite a fan. read more

With a slight Sunday hangover and in search of the perfect planned "cheat food" from my low-carb diet, my tastebuds lead me to Chinese food... Initially I was looking for some sort of buffet, but I knew I would sacrifice taste and quality in favor of variety. Rainbow's menu seemed just right, where I could get the Chinese food fix while still enjoying high-quality food. My experience turned out to be even better than expected; pleasant conversations with the bartender and the owner Tammy as well as delicious food has solidified that this will be my go-to Chinese resto. I ordered the vegetable Lo-Mein with roasted pork and added Gai-Lan (Chinese broccoli), a single veggie egg roll with a crisp outer shell and fun dipping sauces, and for dessert the chocolate cream-cheese wontons. The bartender was very accommodating with my questions while trying to craft the perfect meal- allowing a half portion on the dessert. Overall great experience and food, will be back- soon! read more

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More egg rolls please! We came here for early dinner last weekend. The restaurant was kind of empty so the service was excellent. Our server was very nice, polite and attentive. We started with the egg rolls. They very good and could very well be one of the best Ive had .. perfect size, crunchy on the outside, lots of filling and the dipping sauce was amazing. The main dishes though were just ok. I ordered Hunan Triple Crown, and my bf ordered pork lomein. They were of good portion. Well, they'd better be with the price tag like that. Both were good, but just ok good ... definitely better than leann chin, food court and buffet. They were, however, not that great and nowhere near the best Chinese like some others claimed. read more

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