Snagged an "impossible" reservation and checked out this new-to-us place. Good service and a good space: the lighting, so often a weak spot in restaurants, has been well thought out here. Not too bright, but bright enough to read menus, atmospheric without being too dark. Nice. The food was amazing, and seemed to be well planned for a Midwestern US city: exotic flavors, but everything was still... yummy. Crave-able. Maybe the only thing that could be improved is some sort of parking solution. There is nowhere to park nearby, and several popular restaurants in the area. Overall we loved it, and will be back! read more

From the minute we walked through the door I knew this place was going to be great. The space is beautiful. Open and modern with nice wood accents. Every table was full but I was still able to hear those at my table. A far cry from Dangerous Man! Our waiter MJ was wonderful. He didn't lead us astray at all. We ordered a bunch of dishes and he brought them out in the perfect combination and the perfect time. The drinks- you know they're going to be good when Javy is behind the bar! The food. Omg, the food. We ordered the MAC appetizer. Mango, Apple and Cucumbers served with spices and caramelized fish sauce. Followed by rice noodles, lamb heart, smoky greens and a whole fish. MJ noticed we didn't eat a lot of the greens and when i told him they were a bit tough for my liking, he comp'd them and brought out a new plate. We were too full for dessert so next time I'm starting with that first! I love this place! read more

See all

Thought we were going to be more wowed to be honest. Little on the pricey side. What we had was pretty good. But I wouldn't say omg I need to rush back. read more

The flavors. Wow. We shared deviled eggs, the pork, cauliflower and rice. Plenty for 4 of us. Great food with amazing service. We will be back. read more

Vinai - Deviled eggs - New American Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

See all

The reservation system they use might not have been working. I'll give them that. There was no instant confirmation when I booked reservation. Judging from the calendar the date and time was available. No one answers the phone at the restaurant. A recorded message gives instructions for reservations. I checked back everyday for 2 days. Finally, a clear status my time was not available. Start all to find availability, No. Do they want my business or not? Get rid of technology to better serve customers. read more

This is a restaurant that challenges your taste buds. In other words don't be afraid to try dishes that aren't familiar. For example I have never had Grilled Lamb Heart but I am glad I did! We ordered a lot of food..it was suggested we share...it was suggested it was for 2-3 people. We ignored it! Let's start with cocktails. We all had something different and all were good! The server at the bar was incredibly helpful and knew their stuff. We moved to our table and was greeted by our wonderful server Kiera. She's a keeper and truly made the experience even that much more enjoyable. Here are the appetizers...Dried Beef- the beef was a little undetectable and not sure I would order again, Roasted Eggplant and as I mentioned the Lamb Heart. We then ordered the grilled fish, carrots, New York Strip and the Chicken along with purple sticky rice and regular rice. The chicken is a must as well as the sticky rice. My husband loved the Strip and our guests loved their fish. Go with the adventurous eater and order more than you need so you can try it all. That's what take out boxes are for! Congrats to Chef Vang! read more

Nice cocktails . Nice flavors. Good menu selections. Only complaint is most portions are family style, ideal for party of 3-4, so it was quite bum to eat there alone. I ordered the Chicken entree, flavors really good and skin grilled crispy but the chicken was pretty dry. Dessert was also so so, just a cheesecake nothing spectacular. I would come again, but, bring more ppl. read more

See all

Chef Yia Vang has done it again!! Close to another fan favorite Oro, Vinai is truly a wonderful creation. I've never seen a hmong fine dining restaurant before, but after eating here you'll be questioning why there aren't more places featuring hmong cuisine. It's rich, comforting and elegant food. The presentation was beautiful, food was spectacular and unique. I've never had dishes like that in my life, but generally felt like these dishes were sorely missed. The staff had great recommendations and were really knowledgeable. Neither of us who went were hmong or knew how to pronounce items on the menu, and I never felt like embarrassed or weird about that. Our server said "we're all learning here, there's no judgement" and I felt like that was such a great explanation of their vibe. I really feel like you leave feeling like "wow that was as amazing food experience as it was a learning experience" and for me that's as good as it gets. We'll be back for more soon!! read more

See all

We had a wonderful experience at Vinai. We loved the Roasted Carrots and the Charred Cabbage and the noodles + Happy Tiger Sauce = heaven. Service was great, all the staff we interacted with were attentive and friendly. Tips: If you're from out of town like me, make a reservation ASAP. Not a ton of veg options. read more

See all

Awesome flavors. Cucumbers/melon has some spice. Pro move add jasmine rice to Chicken and Tofu soup. read more

Vinai - Chicken Tofu soup - New American Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

See all

This might be the best meal I've ever had! Loved the crab fried rice, sticky ribs, charred cabbage and ended with an awesome lava cake. The service was perfect, too. Fair prices for huge portions of quality food and a great experience overall. Love this place! read more

Cool location, "hip" staff, interesting evolving menu. What's not to like? In this current environment, celebrating the Americas prior to 'Murca is refreshing. TG read more

Great atmosphere; fast and friendly service. Bring a couple friends and try multiple dishes. I'll be back for sure. read more

Vinai - Crabby Fried Rice - New American Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

See all

Food: 5/5. Service: 5/5. Dinner, March 2025. Curry rice ball; Laab carpaccio; Fried catfish. Really outstanding and no pretension. Staff was very gracious. read more

The pork chop was the piece of pork I've ever eaten. So flavorful, tons of fat though that needed to be trimmed. Shrimp/pork toast, would order again too. Cabbage and Crabby fried were just there. Reason for the 3 stars. Service was also just there and added nothing to the experience. If you're going for Beard, that has to be enhanced. Go to 112 Eatery and take notes. Do service like that. I'll probably go back for the chop so consider this a 3+. read more

We loved every dish we tried here, everything had such well balanced and full flavors! We especially loved the purple sticky rice to soak up the extra sauces, it felt reminiscent of wild rice with a bit of crunch. The charred cabbage was a must try, definitely split it between multiple people, my fiancé and I only were able to eat half of it! The 1988 New Fashioned was my favorite (I also tried the PSG but preferred the warmth of the 1988), while my fiancé loved the cool as a cucumber. All the staff was so friendly and knowledgeable, and helped us build the perfect order and combo of flavors! We'll definitely be back. read more

See all

Wow! This place was absolutely a perfect culinary experience! The food was excellent! Our server was amazing. Very helpful and made excellent suggestions. The restaurant is in an old brick building and the interior is a blend of old and new. Very intimate! We look forward to our next visit! read more

The service was top-notch. We ate in the bar seating area. It was a full house, but it didn't feel too overcrowded. I received the wrong drink (which I didn't even notice), and they brought out the correct one and apologized. This truly speaks to their integrity as a restaurant. My favorite dish was the deviled eggs, and I don't even like deviled eggs. It was my first time having them in years. My least favorite dish was the chocolate lava cake for dessert. I saw the concept, but I didn't appreciate the flavors. It was a play on the element of fire. The cream was smoky, the ice cream was sweet (a nice balance for the spicy), but it had a drizzle of chili oil and these pop-rock-like nuggets that reminded me of lava rocks. Finally, the cake itself was warm and steamy, sprinkled with chili flakes. The presentation was 10/10, but taste-wise, I'd give it a 5/10. I could eat the ice cream on its own, though - it was delicious! The crabby fried rice was decent, and I'd give it an 8/10. I was expecting the crab and seafood flavor to be stronger, but it truly tasted like regular fried rice. The hot sauces really shone through and provided extra bold flavors to whatever you added them to. I highly recommend it and will definitely be back! read more

See all

Such an incredible meal! Every dish was spot on, such a variety and depth of flavors. Curry rice ball was a delightful punch of cozy flavors, the "sardines" were a beautifully composed bite. Our second course was the Charred Cabbage, Pork Chop, and Crab Fried Rice. The rice was garlicky and perfectly flavored, the pork juicy and delicious, and the cabbage a smoky, crunchy base. All three in a bite together was heaven. The Tiger's Bite and Kua Txob were perfect compliments - vibrant and fresh without being overly spicy, both perfect compliments. And the Mango Madness dessert was a perfect light finish. Also loved what they've done with the space. Enthusiastic and attentive service. Such a good meal, and so thrilled to be finally eating at a restaurant we've looked forward to for years. Well done! Everything we dreamed. read more

See all

All I can say is amazing. Everyone should experience this. Squid cabbage salad and double pork chop. WOW

Insanely good prices for the portions. Love the family style. Food came out very fast as well.

Might be the best restaurant in Minneapolis. I dined solo, and the entrees are recommend for 2-3 people, so I didn't get to try the highly recommended pork, but I got the deviled eggs, crab puff, and whole sea bream. All were beyond delicious! Service at the bar was amazing, the staff were super friendly and forthcoming with recs. Don't miss this spot! read more

Our service was Impeccable from the moment we entered. All food was perfect, and timed well. Drink menu will have me back for more

Amazing food, service and vibe. Order a few dishes to share as most are family size. Don't skip desert! Totally recommend!

From the ambiance to the service- fantastic. The food was presented so beautifully & the flavors were even better. One of the best meals in town. Can't wait to return! read more

One of the best meals I've had in a long time!! The "cool as a cucumber" cocktail I will dream about all the way in my home in Los Angeles. The "sardines", shrimp and pork toast, and crabby fried rice were all 5/5 stand outs read more

Food was horrible. If you think this food was incredible or amazing, please don't call yourself a foodie. Chef was not friendly. Maybe because I was Asian, I said hi to start conversation because I'm a chef visiting town. The bartender was really nice and kinda gave an excuse for the chef. Such a disappointment!!!!!! Went next door at Young Joni to recover treating myself out to dinner. Young Joni was awesome!!!! read more

Meh. I was unimpressed with our food. Braised beef rib was more fat than meat. I don't know what all the fuss is about. I live nearby but have no intention of going back for another pricey meal. read more

This restaurant is just beautiful. I enjoyed the greeting from the waitress about this restaurant being a place of home and belonging. I'm so happy to see Chef Yia Vang's success. We ordered the roasted eggplant, curry rice ball, the grilled fish, the mama vang hot pepper, and the crabby fried rice. The roasted eggplant was too smooth-it was almost like a puree and not close to the traditional smashed eggplant hot pepper (not that it has to be). However, the flavor was spot on with hot pepper, acid, topped with cilantro. I wish it came with a little bit more purple sticky rice since the rice ran out before even half of the eggplant was done. Overall it was wonderful and my partner loved it. We ate the rest with the crabby fried rice which was perfect. The curry rice ball was so interesting. It was like a crab rangoon but with rice around it instead of wonton wrapper. We loved it! What a great creation and we were so glad that Chef Yia got to create this delightful treat. The grilled fish was a whole seabream fish, butterflied and grilled and two hot sauces spread on top with a mountain of herbs. Simply delicious and perfectly cooked. We loved it. It was full of flavor, the fish was a perfectly dense, meaty fish. There were only a few bones which was just fine! The mama vang hot pepper was eaten with all the dishes. It was the perfect spice level. It was smokey, garlicky. Delicious. We ate all of it LOL The crabby fried rice was excellent. The rice was light and fluffy, plenty of veggies and herbs, and we ordered it with fried oysters which were delicious. The only issue was that it was too oily but we didn't care since the flavors were spot on. On the menu, the phrase Khoom Noj means things to eat, but the menu listed it as being pronounced Khob Noom which means candy. The waitress also called it Khob Noom (candy), which is not correct but I thought of it as a play on words which is pretty clever! Excellent job Chef Yia. My partner said this was the best restaurant we've been to. read more

Such a wonderful meal! Extremely hospitable atmosphere! The chicken is good as everyone says it is! read more

See all

This is not your run-of-the-mill restaurant. In a good-to-great way. For appetizers, had the deviled eggs, fried cauliflower, eggplant and sardines. Eggplant and sardines came with sticky rice. For entrees (each serves 2/3 people) ordered pork chop, grilled chicken and crabby fried rice. All accompanied by Mama Vang & fermented shrimp chili sauces. For cocktails, we had Galangal, the Vol and the new fashioned. Cocktails were excellent, very different takes on familiar spirits. Appetizers also excellent. I wish server had told us that you use your hands to break off sticky rice to dip in the dish (eggplant and sardines). Seemed odd not to have spoons for those dishes. Left a lot on the eggplant bowl as forks can't navigate the angle to extract. And it's so good you don't want to leave even a schmear! Pork and chicken cooked to perfection. Each plated with its own lovely sauce offering hints of heat but nothing overpowering. The crabby rice a tasty retreat to comfort food and in essence a great side dish to the entrees. This was an excellent meal with great service. Only negative is interaction with owner. He was bussing a table next to ours, and one of our party asked if he was the chef/owner and thanked him. He failed to turn to acknowledge her. It was embarrassingly discourteous. Yes, he was busy. But he's the high profile chef on the restaurant floor and once a patron engaged him, surely he could have found a way to be minimally courteous. He was the opposite, and that was surprising and disappointing. Of course we gave him the benefit of the doubt because it was a busy night. All in all an excellent meal, living up to the many accolades Vinai has received. We'd return in a heartbeat. But likely without acknowledging the chef. read more

Amazing!! Vinai has been open 4 days and they have it figured out. Sat at the bar and the service and food were amazing. read more

See all

This is the first restaurant I have been to in a while where all of the food felt completely new. It was a fun mix of ingredients and dishes that were unique and full of flavor. The drinks were great too! I was sad the brewery that was previously in the same space closed, but Vinai is a worthy replacement! They have made the space their own. read more

AMAZING menu, big portions, great ambiance, and superb service. Chef Yia and his team have put so much thought and love into their food, a wonderful experience. read more

Think this place has been overhyped- waited more than a month for a 5:30 reservation. Ordered the "best" items as recommended by national pub Eater and wasn't wowed. One of the party who had eaten there before noted that two of the items weee better at their previous visit. - roasted carrots served very al dente and a strip steak served naked with no seasoning or sauces(boring!) So mark down for consistency. Also we had to ask for new plates after appetizers which isn't in keeping with top dollar place either. I did like the crabby fried rice and curry rice ball all filled with cream cheese., but then akin on the roast chicken was flabby and pale (not edible). Both desserts offered were ok, but none detected promised coconut in the Mango Mania desert and very little mango . One of our group said that it's nice to have someplace a little different, but otherwise unimpressed with it, celebrity chef not withstanding. read more

Unique dishes reflecting the best of SE Asian cuisine. Good wine and beer selection with a nice selection of cocktails. A great vibe and service. read more

Vinai is currently my favorite meal in Minneapolis. It's a wonderful addition to a neighborhood already packed with heavy hitters. Along with Oro and Young Joni, Vinai probably makes 13th and 2nd the best restaurant block in the entire Twin Cities. Yia Vang and his team have done something very special here that few restaurants manage to achieve; Vinai not only presents incredible, elevated dishes, but does so as if they are being served to you by close friends or family. I have been lucky to have had many great meals in my life, but I have had very few that also felt like the chef was sharing something truly personal and important with me through every dish. That's what it feels like to eat at Vinai, and that's not something you forget. You feel it everywhere in the restaurant. What a great spot -- get a reservation! read more

Restaurant is very modern and simple, lots of wood and glass. Our server was well-informed and friendly. We had the deviled eggs, curry rice ball, sardines and Mango Apple Cucumber appetizer. Our sardine lover liked the sardines - the rest of us passed on them as too fishy. We all liked the deviled eggs and rice ball - we especially like the MAC - the fresh fruit and veggies dipped into the caramelized fish sauce and then a spicy red powder was really tasty. The catfish lettuce wraps were a fave, as was the hill tribe chicken. We liked the charred cabbage with its tasty sauce- but it was a lot of food (2 cabbage halves), and we would have liked the cabbage better charred in smaller wedges, which would have been easier to eat. We agreed we want to come back to try the other veggie dishes, which looked great, as well as the whole fish and roasted eggplant. We got both desserts to share - the lava cake and a mango pudding with cake cubes. The mango was disappointing, as the cake cubes were chewy and without much taste, and the mango was not as good as the fresh slices we had as an appetizer. The lava cake was the surprise hit of the evening - none of us love chocolate that much, but the cake was served with a smoked whipped cream and a malty ice cream and sweet crunchy bits that were irresistible - next time we'll all get our own lava cakes. Great addition to the Minneapolis restaurant community! read more

Will never stop raving about this dining experience. Took a chance and went without a reservation, waited about an hour, but were impressed by the wait staff's attentiveness and quickness to transition us to the cocktail lounge as soon as a spot opened. Upon receiving menus, we ordered the 50/50 and PSG, which were inventive and well balanced. The time flew by as we observed the wait and kitchen staff function as a seamless and supportive team - made us want to be apart of it! Our server/bartender (thistle!) was well versed and thorough with recommendations, and taught us more about Hmong dining culture, which was a treat! Food arrived quickly, and truly could not have been better. Crispy rice ball was a great app, grilled chicken, cabbage, and purple sticky rice which, per the staffs recommendations, we ate with our hands, completed our meal. Fresh, herbaceous, bright, satisfying, expertly cooked, in a warm and lively atmosphere with top notch staff made for a DREAMY experience at Vinai! Will be back! read more