5 stars for Vinai! We came here for dinner and had the best experience! Every detail was perfect- the food, drinks, service, interior design. We wanted to order everything on the menu! Minnesota fizz- I was hesitant to order an apple cinnamon based drink outside the season of fall, but I was surprised how much I liked it! It was light, spritzy, and cute :) Deviled eggs- I love hard boiled/deviled eggs so I had to try these. Great appetizer! Curry rice ball- small app, but good flavor Shrimp cucumber ceviche- perfect cold app, easy to share between 4 people Fried rice- the group loved this dish! Chicken coconut curry- my favorite dish of the night! Delicious flavor. Large quantity, great for a group. Double cut pork chop- I don't often make pork at home so it's nice to get it at a restaurant. It was so juicy and yummy, and the glaze was the perfect touch. My friend had the New York strip in the past and said that was incredible as well! read more

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We celebrated my husbands birthday at Vinai and it was an incredible dinner. The waitress was very helpful when asked what her favorite dishes and sauces were and made some great recommendations. My only suggestion is that you try more than one side sauce. There are 4 to choose from and we wished we would have tried them all. We ordered the curry rice balls, the Hilltribe grilled chicken, jasmine rice and charred cabbage. We tried the smoky pineapple sauce. Everything was incredible, and we had lots of leftovers. For dessert they provided the molten lava cake for my husbands 50th. We haven't stopped talking about it yet! It came with a burnt cream, and vanilla ice cream. We would definitely go back just to have dessert in the future! Yia Vang has created an incredible experience with this restaurant, and the pride he has for his culture resonates in the flavorful dishes he creates. I loved seeing the groups of patrons eating their dishes "family style" where everyone was sampling each others dishes, laughing, smiling, and commenting how light and savory everything was. read more

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Wow, the crabby fried rice was some of the best food I've eaten. The grilled carrots is a fun, unique dish that I very much enjoyed. The laab carpaccio the curry rice ball were both good as well. The staff were pleasant & ambiance was decent. A Hi-Chew on the way out was a nice touch, I love that candy. I'm excited to go back for the fried rice! read more

Vinai - Crabby Fried Rice, Grilled Lamb & Grilled Carrots - New American Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

:') My husband and I were very excited to try Vinai after loving our meals at Union Hmong Kitchen. Our dinner did not disappoint! We started off with the deviled eggs and WOW. The basil freshness, the tempura shrimp? SHEESH. I could eat a dozen of those! If I come back, I will be getting them again. I chose to try the pork chop after seeing the folks next to us order it and holy cow, it is a huge portion, perfectly charred, and possibly one of the best pork belly pieces I've ever had. I knew that the kitchen would do well since their artistry of fire and meat has never disappointed, but this dish felt decadent and worthy of a family celebration! We were equally impressed with the red cabbage dish and I loved the carrot sauce that was underneath! Other dishes we tried were the curry ball and sardines. The sardines made me tear up a bit as they reminded me of my dad, growing up and eating sardines out of a can with rice. This dish was an elevated version of that with a rounded flavor and a great hardy bite with the purple rice. made my heart happy. Overall, the ambience is warm, inviting, and cozy. The service was stellar and I'm glad we sat at the bar so we could see the magic at work at the kitchen! Excited to be back again with friends! Book far in advanced because this place is popular! There is street parking and if you want to kill time, stargazer around the corner has fabulous drinks. I read that if you book the family table there is a secret menu that comes with it so it's worth booking with a group to share plates! This restaurant seems like the perfect occasion for a family style celebration. Cheers to the vinai team, you deserve all the flowers! read more

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Ventured to Vinai from downtown and it was well worth the trip. The restaurant has a dimly lit intimate vibe with an open kitchen and I appreciated the distance in between tables. Shout out to China for an excellent dining experience! She had thoughtful recommendations, attentive service, and well-paced timing. +++ Laab carpaccio and double cut pork chop are a MUST. I don't think my partner and I said a word to each other when these two dishes were on the table + Mama Vang was yummy, like a crushed chili paste, and not that spicy. - Was a little underwhelmed by the crabby fried rice. Maybe because I'm used to aligue fried rice in the Philippines where they're really generous with the crab fat. - We ordered the charred cabbage based on others reviews but not sure if I would get this again. read more

Vinai - Laab carpaccio - New American Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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this restaurant has received some major recognition from Condé Nast, Time Magazine, the New York Times, Eater, Esquire and was nominated for James Beard award - so of course I had to check it out! The interior was stunning with lots of natural light, wooden accents, clean - it was cozy! The staff were friendly and helpful with recommendations! While we wanted to order one of everything on the menu, we settled for two dishes: shrimp + pork toast and their crabby fried rice. The shrimp + pork toast was salty, sweet, and oily.. there are 4 pieces and I couldn't finish the second one because it was getting real greasy - but still such a solid appetizer! The crabby fried rice with pork belly was savory and packed with flavor! It also comes in a huge portion that's perfect for sharing! Overall, it was a great meal and experience! Though I do wish they didn't charge $4 per hot sauce it definitely is worth a visit! I highly recommend making revelations - though walk ins are welcome! read more

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Entering the place felt like a perfect date night place. The drink menu was quite elaborate with a lot of options. The food was a bit over-priced, but definitely worth it for celebrating something, given the quality and taste of the food. Very huge portions so the price is justifiable I'd say. The Chicken ramen soup was the star of the show. The meat of the beef just fell off the bone, which was quite amazing! The sardines tasted so nice too. Definitely worth a visit especially for date nights! read more

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This is a nice and chic venue with delicious food overall. We enjoyed most of our dishes and it's family style so we split everything. Here are my reviews of the food: 1. Deviled Eggs - this appetizer was amazing. The flavors of the crispy shrimp were a great addition. 2. We got a shrimp salad and there was way too much fish sauce. This was the only dish we disliked. 3. Charred Cabbage - the sauces were fantastic and unique and this is the best cabbage dish I've had in my life. 4. Chicken Curry - the coconut flavors were great and it's soup based but comes with noodles and good fixings. 5. New York Strip - this was very good and we could not finish it since we were pretty full from our other dishes. Ideally we would have gotten this earlier in our dish rotation. The server had good recommendations for the food. The only training opportunity is that she forgot to give us our leftovers after we told her to box them up which consisted of $20 worth of NY Strip steak and we forgot to ask as we left. All higher end restaurants remember to bring leftovers after they are boxed up without the customer having to remember so just wanted to bubble that up. Overall a great dining experience with fantastic and unique food. Be sure to reserve far in advance due to the popularity of this place if you want to dine during peak dinner times. read more

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Vinai was outstanding! For a restaurant where the chef admits it's not all about the food you would be hard pressed to find better. A word to the wise when making your reservation. If it's just 2 of you, you actually want to be at the bar. Gives you access to the secret menu and a front row seat to watch the food prep. Bar staff were outstanding. The hype is real with this one! read more

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Hands down the best meal I have had in a long time. From the minute we walked in to the minute we walked out we thoroughly enjoyed our time here. The crabby rice was so good and the double cooked pork chop was to die for. The portions are definitely share size and the wait staff is excellent!! The look and feel of the restaurant is beautiful. Pro tip- get the deviled eggs! read more

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We got the family table with an extended secret menu which, in a nice touch, was hidden under the table runner. We were able to get a wide variety of dishes, all of which were excellent, staged across an hour plus. Every dish was creatively designed and we shared quite a few. The restaurant was lovely, our server was knowledgeable and pleasant and the dinner was perfectly paced for a wonderful extended birthday party. Also, the price was reasonable for fine dining. It was even easy to park. This was the best dining experience we've had in years. read more

Delicious as always! I forgot to get a duck egg for the crabby fried rice and would definitely do that next time. Their shrimp & pork toast is so crispy and juicy - Minnesota State Fair was offering this too last summer read more

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

Certainly one of the best dining experiences I've had in recent memory (and I've been doing a lot of traveling and eating). We didn't have a reservation but they were able to seat us at the bar. This place is beautiful. I could tell it was just recently done. The cocktail program is extremely interesting and well executed. We had the cilantro highball, hmoob ntsuab (such an unusually and unique beverage), the new fashioned, and the volt and the beautiful. All were excellent and everyone behind the bar was super friendly and helpful and passionate about what they were doing. For food, we ordered the deviled eggs, the roasted eggplant dip, the lamb heart wraps, the shrimp/pork toast, the braised cabbage. We also got the mama vang and happy tiger hot sauces. There were no misses at this place. Everything was perfect. No notes. I have a Hmong coworker and have been exposed over the years to various Hmong dishes. The sauce that came with the grilled lamb hearts was perfectly balanced with the fish sauce and the acid in it. All of the herbs and the veg were perfectly balanced. The shrimp toast is better than any other version I've ever had. It's essentially a shrimp/pork dumpling on top of rich toast. The eggplant dip has me rethinking how I'll make baba ghanoush next time. It was so creamy and balanced. I can't give this place enough stars. But here is what else I saw. I sat at the bar which means I could see the whole brigade. People were working happy. You can tell the brigade liked and deeply respected the chef. They were smiling. You could taste it in the food and in the drinks. Mark my words: This place is gonna blow up way bigger than it already has. This is that point in time where everything is firing on all cylinders and the chef's vision is put exactly on the plate. I love this place and will make it a point to come here whenever I'm within 100 miles of this place. read more

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I have been waiting to come to Vinai since it opened and it did not disappoint! Every dish and every bite was filled with incredible flavor. It is obvious that the staff cares about their patrons and that the chefs are meticulous when it comes to food quality. I wanted every dish on the menu, but will have to come back for more another time. The space is beautiful and welcoming and the location can't be beat! I am excited to come back to try more of this beautiful menu. read more

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Wow. Just wow. Every dish we had at this Hmong restaurant was fantastic (even the MAC snack had a spice dip that elevated the fruit slices). We were a table of 4 and ordered a bunch of small plates and 3 mains to share, and 2 desserts. It was the right amount of food- none of us left hungry, and none of us were so stuffed that we couldn't move. The interior has a cozy organic vibe, with lots of wood and natural textures. There is no lot, but there is plenty of unmetered street parking around the restaurant. My Hmoob ntsuab cocktail was light and delicious. I also tried white pinot noir for the first time, and really enjoyed it! Our server was super knowledgeable about the menu and immediately asked us about any dietary restrictions. Again, everything we ate was delicious, but my favorites from each course we ordered were: Roasted Eggplant Charred Cabbage Chocolate Lava Cake (we also ordered: the MAC snack, curry rice ball, grilled whole fish, crabby fried rice, happy tiger sauce, mango dessert). The Mango dessert gets a special shoutout because I am usually not a fan of tapioca, but this dessert had such an amazing mango flavor, I could have eaten the whole thing. This was an absolutely fantastic experience. Definitely check this new restaurant out! (And as an unexpected bonus, the owner, Chef Yia Vang, actually helped deliver our main courses to the table). read more

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Vinai is one of the highlights in the jam-packed culinary scene that is the Northeast neighborhood. We went on Valentine's Day, having had our reservation since they opened up for February the month before. We arrived a little later than our 8:30 PM reservation, but still had to wait 10-15 minutes for our table. This is understandable given the special holiday, but I will say that the waiting area is basically one small bench on the side of the door, and most people were waiting in the small vestibule. Overall, the restaurant space is pretty open, but still airs on the cozier side. I woudl even go as far to say the tables felt a little cramped. We were next to a corner booth table, and every time the server was talking to the corner booth by standing in between our tables, we did feel like her backside was in our face. We were a little nervous that the wait for our table would also translate into slow service, but it ended up being the opposite. Our server was knowledgeable, stopped by just the right amount to check in on us, and the FOH staff kept our water glasses full. Also worth noting that when we expressed our interest in ordering the pork chop, our server said that they might have one left and practically ran to ring that up for us when we said we wanted it. Our food and drinks also came so quickly! Now, it was our first time, so we ordered a lot of food and drinks...so buckle in for this review (TLDR at the bottom). We started out with drinks, ordering the hmoob dawb. This drink was basically like a pina colada. Highly recommend getting a straw as the top of the drink felt more flavorless, and all of the fruit flavor was at the bottom. Worth noting that, even with a straw and mixing the drink up, the drink got considerably sweeter towards the bottom. Even verged a tad too sweet for me, and I love sweet drinks. However, they also seem to not have any straws for the tall glasses our drinks came in? The straws we were given were half the size of the glass, leading to an awkward drinking experience. For starters, we ordered the shrimp and pork toast, the curry rice ball, and the fried catfish. The shrimp and pork toast were just fine. I highly recommend getting the Mama Vang sauce to spread along with the jam that comes with it so that you get that sweet and spicy tang. The curry rice ball was pretty forgettable; it didn't seem to have that "crunchy rice" aspect they were going for, and the flavor was pretty mild. We got one just to try, but I would save the $5, to be honest. The fried catfish was my favorite of the starters we ordered, arriving as a "build your own" lettuce wrap spread. My partner was bothered by the fact that the catfish wasn't as crispy as he'd hoped, but I didn't really mind. I will say that it is less of a "crisp" and more of a softer fry, like in Taiwanese popcorn chicken. The texture of the fish does kind of get lost in the wrap with the noodles, pickled vegetables, and the lettuce. But the flavor is good, and I would order this again. The stars of the show were the double-cut pork chop and the seared cabbage. The cabbage is a must-order. The charred flavor along with the sweet potato puree is so flavorful and the perfect accompaniment to whatever entree you might order. The double-cut pork chop has a HUGE portion, and my partner and I barely made a dent in it after everything else we had eaten leading up to the entree. The marinade is so flavorful that it leans a little salty at times, which is where the more balanced flavor of the cabbage can help supplement. Out of the two cuts, the leaner cut was a little dry, but the fattier cut was perfectly tender and juicy. Worth noting that the cabbage and the pork reheated well the next day and were still just as good! We ended our meal completely stuffed, but still ordered the chocolate lava cake. It fit the bill of your average lava cake, I just found it to be pretty average. Probably would skip this one next time and try a more creative dessert. TLDR: the best bite of the night was the double-cut pork chop and the seared cabbage topped with Mama Vang sauce. The chocolate lava cake was a skip for me. Overall, we enjoyed our meal greatly and would definitely come back again for a special occasion or celebration, as everything was on the pricier end. read more

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I have been thinking about this amazing place quite often since we went. Stuffed trout, eggplant and carrots and more! Every one was attentive without being intrusive. Knowledgeable w/o being pretentious. Warm atmosphere lively but not noisy. Food was the best. read more

Vinai - New American Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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. read more

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My partner and I were so excited to check out Vinai since we knew how much buzz and hype this restaurant received. It did not disappoint! It lived up to the hype. The food was absolutely amazing. The service was great. The whole aesthetic was clean and very representative of Hmong culture. I felt like I was back in Southeast Asia. I highly recommend the pork chop and hill tribe chicken, but everything we got was delicious. You also need a reservation that they open up every 1st of the month, so be ready to check that out and parking was free on the street! Overall, amazing experience and 10/10 recommend! read more

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Vinai is the touted and James Beard nominated restaurant of Yia Vang, the Minneapolis celebrity chef who has introduced the city to the Hmong-influenced food of Northern Vietnam. We enjoyed Chef Vang's food when he had a takeout window in Graze, the Travail owned food court in the North Loop. However, Vinai let us down. Sitting at the bar, the servers and mixologists were fantastic, taking wonderful care of us. Our drinks and their guidance were right on. We ordered Devil's Egg, Laab Carpaccio, and the Hilltribe Grilled Chicken. The Laab Carpaccio was the best dish of the night, but along with the other dishes, the tastes were bland. We were in Vietnam in October and traveled north of Sapa to visit the hill tribes. The food we tasted was amazing, much tastier than what we had at Vinai. Chef Vang visited with people he knew in the restaurant, but ignored the newcomers. Not only is that arrogant, but it's also not a smart business move. He posed for photos with the people dining next to us, and chose to ignore my wife and me. We felt snubbed, but that doesn't affect my review, truly. The room is spacious, and the bar is a lot of fun. Yet, unless Chef Vang starts serving the knock-out dishes he created at Union Hmong Kitchen, I doubt we would return. read more

I love this place. You can get up to the bar and enjoy really unique delicious food, in a really cool atmosphere. Must haves - the sardine appetizer - amazing. The staff is great, will drop a history lesson here and there about food and traditions they really care about. Can't say enough. Make it a point to come here every time I'm in MSP. Try this place! read more

f comfort had a flavor, this place nailed it. The beef rib was fall-off-the-bone tender--each bite melting in my mouth like it had been slow-cooked for hours with love (and maybe a touch of magic). The purple rice was nutty and perfectly chewy, pairing beautifully with the fresh, savory sardines that tasted like they'd just leapt from the ocean to my plate. And the chicken curry noodle? Rich, aromatic, and so flavorful I found myself slowing down just to savor every spoonful. The broth was silky, the spice level perfectly balanced, and the noodles had just the right bite. Service was warm and attentive without being overbearing, and the portions were generous enough that I left both full and happy. If you're anywhere near here, go. Your taste buds will thank you. read more

Vinai - Braised beef rib, coconut chicken, sardines and purple rice! - New American Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Great spot for delicious and beautifully presented Hmong cuisine. Went twice and tried several dishes. Service was wonderful and friendly, even when I returned a dish. Some things were bigger hits than others, but overall would absolutely recommend Vinai. Hits: Fried catfish - was served like a lettuce wrap. Catfish was fried to perfection, and flavors of the pickled vegetables and noodles with the catfish all worked great together. Charred cabbage - beautiful dish with amazing flavors. The char on the cabbage added great texture. Crabby fried rice - nice garlic and crab flavors, and the herbs on top elevated the dish. Caveat is that the first time I ordered this dish, it tasted like overcooked scrambled eggs and nothing else - no garlic or crab flavors, not even rice. Was told that the chef de cuisine wasn't in that day so it was not recommended that I get it remade since it might still come out the same. Ordered it again the next time I went, and it was amazing! Grilled fish - incredible! Amazing flavor with lots of herbs and umami, and the texture was perfectly light and delicate. It doesn't photograph well, but looks really good in person. Chocolate lava cake - rich and warm chocolate cake with a great flavor twist from the ice cream and whipped cream toppings. N/A Cool as a Cucumber - sweet, citrusy and refreshing. Complemented the meal well. Good: Grilled carrots - very nice flavors. But would have preferred that it be served warm. Roasted Eggplant - loved the flavors, but was surprised that it was a smooth dip. I expected pieces of eggplant. Or would have liked some chunks of eggplant in the dip for some texture. And it was a little off to eat it with sticky rice vs a bread. Deviled eggs - very well done, and beautifully presented but a little too much basil for me. Mango tapioca dessert - lots going on here. Loved the different textures from the different components, and it had some great flavors in the mango ice cream and tapioca pudding layer, but the mango compote tasted canned and the fruit pieces in it tasted like apples not mangos. N/A Culantro Highball - very subtle flavors of the herbs from the dishes. OK on its own but was too much like the flavors in the meal to complement it. Might have been better with whiskey, or some sweetness. read more

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Vinai offers not just great food, but a whole experience. The decor sets the vibe, and the shared-plate service was a lot of fun with a group. I loved that it let me try so many different delicious dishes--from garlicky green beans to curry rice balls to savory grilled chicken. Our server was amazing, too. He had a great, upbeat energy and always showed up at just the right time to take our orders or refill drinks. It was one of the most seamless dining experiences I've had, mostly because I didn't have to think about anything beyond the food and the friends I was with. read more

A truly remarkable meal in a gorgeous space! FOOD Everything we had was nothing short of perfect. The hype is definitely to be believed. We ordered the curry rice ball, deviled eggs, cucumber melon salad, and crabby fried rice. I can't wait to come back to try more of the menu items. RESERVATIONS Book ahead of time! If your timing is a little more flexible, use the "notify" feature on Resy My friend and I were able to swoop in on a cancellation the night before. SERVICE The place was incredibly busy! It took awhile to be initially greeted and order, but everything else came out promptly! DRINKS We ordered the hmoob ntsuab and the NA cool as a cucumber. Both were incredible and had such unique flavors. I really loved that you can order an NA version of any of the cocktails. read more

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Good food. Great atmosphere. Good service. Very clean. If you are Hmong, don't expect too much. This place is not catered for you. We are use to richer, more spicy food. This place is pretty much Hmong food, made prettier and more bland. The portions are a lot smaller and pricier. Overall, still a nice place. Just didn't meet my high expectations from being Hmong. I wanted to see if Hmong food can be taken to the next level, and this place is not that. If you want good Hmong food, just go to Hmong village. read more

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Easily one of the best meals I've ever had. Ever Everything was different but delicious Good value Great service Loved the ambiance, very chill vibe but also modern without being pretentious I absolutely plan to return to try more The parking is a B but that is mainly because of the area it is in , so plan more time to troll for street parking Otherwise go here asap and you will not be disappointed read more

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This exceeded all expectations. The chicken might have been the best chicken I've ever had. It was perfectly cooked; juicy and seared with perfect brown color... but more so, the sauce that it's served in was spectacular. It is spicy, albeit perfectly so (not sweating). The rest of the food was great as well, but the only thing that didn't make sense was the supplementary "Hot Sauces". I liked the idea of this, but in practice in didn't meld right. The dishes we ordered already had their sauces that accompanied the dishes. read more

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We had amazing food here!! Highly recommend the catfish and the fun fun noodles. And big shout out to our amazing server Kiera, who was so lovely!! read more

Everything was absolutely incredible. The laab carpaccio was perfection and the shrimp toast omg. The cauliflower is a must get and we loved the dessert with burnt toast icecream. Definitely will be back if I'm in town! read more

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We were lucky enough to be seated at the bar around 6. Reservations are pretty much impossible unless you want to go at 5 pm or 9 pm. Everything was exceptional. We started with the deviled eggs infused with Thai basil. For the entree, ordered the fish, crabby fried rice and stir fried greens. The fish was split in half and each side had a different marinade. The crabby fried rice was so so good! Dessert was ok though. We had the mango dessert. The tapioca was a it too stiff, I think coconut milk and/or flakes would be a nice touch. The staff was very friendly and the service was good! read more

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We walked in, was seated at the circle bar, and immediately was served. The ambiance of the restaurant is very nice, laid-back, and relaxing in a way. The staffs were very welcoming and accommodating. We ordered the roasted eggplant, crabby fried rice with pork and the grilled fish. The roasted eggplant comes with sticky rice, and is basically a dip. The eggplant has a very smooth texture, and is very creamy. However, it did lack a lot of flavors, and was very bland. The crabby fried rice was decent--lots of veggies that could have been lessened and was a bit salty. With the grilled fish, we waited a good 30-45 minutes, and the restaurant was really nice and had took up on the grilled fish for us. We were expecting a full fish, but we got half a fish--fish was soft and the flavors were pretty good. We will definitely come back and give the other food options a try! read more

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Nabbed a reservation when one opened up & so happy we did. Truly amazed at all the flavors; So different but really incredible together! The drinks were truly awesome accompaniments with the food. Our waitress was really knowledgeable about pairings! (DO follow their suggestions if you're adventurous; ask if you're unsure & they can tell you spice level of all the foods.) Would also love to sit at the bar & watch the cooks on a return visit. read more

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What a delightful experience! All of the dishes were super but we probably enjoyed the grilled lamb heart most. It was so tender and tasty. Our sever Callista was stellar, attentive and provided great guidance in choosing dishes. Big shoutout for the Mama Vang sauce initially a low smoky heat, but it just keeps building and building and then you burst into flames (metaphorically). Loved it! We can't wait to go back and try more of the menu. read more

Vinai - Grilled lamb heart - New American Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

We loved every bite of our dinner last night! The mix of flavors and beautiful presentation make Vinai a place you will want to come back to. We started with the deviled eggs ( delish) and the fried catfish and the ate the crab fried rice, cabbage and pork chop. All outstanding but if I had to choose a favorite it is a tie between the cabbage and the pork chop- both were amazing! read more

Well we had some problems with the reservation and we only got seated at the bar. Disappointing. But food was excellent in particular desert. The manager at the end gave us the dessert for free making up for the reservation mixup. Great customer service. read more

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Go! Now! From start to finish, this place is legit. Mama's sauce is incredible - put it on everything! Cabbage. Boar sausage. Exceptional cocktails! Service was impeccable. And the pride for the restaurant is palpable. read more

I visited Vinai with a friend to celebrate my birthday The Laab Carpaccio was absolutely fantastic. The crab stir-fried rice topped with a duck egg was special--the texture of the rice was perfect, and the seasoning was just right. The pork chop was slightly salty, but paired with the rice, it was great. We sat at the bar, and our server John was incredibly kind, explaining the dishes in detail, which really helped us choose the menu. The sauces he recommended paired perfectly with the dishes. The non-alcoholic cocktail 'nanananananadada' was also delicious. I especially loved the Mango Madness dessert--it wasn't too sweet and was given to me as a birthday treat, which I really appreciated. I can't wait to try more dishes and will definitely be coming back! read more

Beautiful interior, great service, and delicious drinks and food. We really enjoyed celebrating a birthday here--free dessert

Vinai is outstanding. I've been twice now - once with friends and once by myself and both experiences were excellent. This is one of my favorite restaurants in the city. The food: OMG it's so good. I think the best things on the menu are the catfish and the cauliflower. The cauliflower is fried and served with a delicious cream sauce. It might very well be the best cauliflower I've ever had. The catfish is served with lettuce leaves to hold it, asian slaw, herbs and pickles. It's fragrant and fresh and just perfect. I came in to get a gift certificate so my sister could experience it and decided to stay and get dinner. I ordered both the catfish and cauliflower and the food even stayed pretty good for leftovers (for fried food). These two dishes are an 11/10. The crabby fried rice was very good, as was the charred cabbage. I was a little underwhelmed by the chicken curry. The drinks are also excellent. I'm obsessed with Cool as a Cumber, which is some tequila cucumber concoction that lives rent free in my head. It's delicious and refreshing. The service: The service is top notch and the food comes out surprisingly quickly. The staff is very knowledgeable about the menu and gave great recommendations. The servers are very attentive and we felt taken care of the entire time. If I could give Vinai more than 5 stars I would, for the cauliflower alone. read more

Vinai - Catfish and Cauliflower - New American Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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