An Insider's Guide to the Asian Food Scene

Walter James opened the Nankin Cafe of Minneapolis in 1919. Before the Chinese restaurant’s arrival on 7th Street, many a Minneapolitan had never heard of chow mein. That particular dish would become the Nankin’s specialty, known far beyond the borders of the state.

It’s remarkable, by restaurant standards, that it lasted nearly 80 years, helping to define Chinese American cuisine in the process. While you can still find recipe threads devoted to its house chow mein and the famous Wanderer’s Punch, that’s not the only lasting impact of this cultural pioneer. 

The space that James created, with its gilded staircases and hanging lanterns, wasn’t just a temple to Asian food; it was a meaningful haven for the Minnesota Chinese community. Generations of immigrants passed through its kitchens, learning the skills that would propel them to open their own businesses. James used the Nankin’s clubrooms to create spaces for new families to socialize. Once the gatherings gained legendary status and outgrew the restaurant, he welcomed people to his farmstead on Howard Lake. He gave generously and founded the Chinese American Association of Minnesota. There is little doubt that this one man’s openness and drive to create connection have impacted how we eat today.

It’s a reminder that Asian food isn’t just about food; it’s about the people who make it, who honor it, who offer it as an invitation to connect. Having soup dumplings is not the only thing that makes our food town special; it’s also having cooks and families who can build generational wealth and influence our shared culture as we all grow together, deliciously.

Think about that as you graciously slurp noodles or tuck into an egg roll. We wanted to celebrate our East Asian food makers here—we’ll have to dig into the Asian dishes of Indian, Nepalese, and other cuisines next time. —S.M.

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How to Build Ramen

John Ng and Lina Goh—the dynamic duo behind Ramen Fest, Zen Box Izakaya, and now Ramen Shoten—are kind of noodle heads. They’ve traveled to Japan and befriended some of the biggest names in ramen culture around the world. When Ng is thinking about creating a special ramen, he goes to his sketchbook and works it out on paper before it hits a bowl because, as we know, you eat with your eyes before you ever dip in your chopsticks.

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More Noodles to Pull

Other spots to try: 

Quang » The pho here is the yardstick against which many others are measured. The pho tai bo vien with beef and meatballs is as close to Minnesota iconic as pho gets. Eat Street, Mpls.

Master Noodle » It’s not just a ramen town. The Mongolian beef fried noodles feature those toothsome hand-pulled beauties alongside the steak and peppers in your bowl. University Ave., St. Paul

Tori Ramen » You always get the Bali, because the tahini and poached egg are the right boost to these handmade noodles, but one of these times, try the K-Pop, with American cheese melted into the broth. Mpls. and St. Paul locations

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Local Asian Markets: Three Things to Get

You don’t need a game plan to peruse an Asian market; you just need time. And sustenance. Grab a snack and shop for ingredients to level up your house ramen or dumpling game.

Dragon Star Supermarket

One of the largest East Asian markets in town, find one in St. Paul and a second location in Brooklyn Park. 633 Minnehaha Ave. W., St. Paul; 8020 Brooklyn Blvd., Brooklyn Park

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United Noodles

For more than 40 years, this family-run market has been feeding Minneapolis, and now Woodbury too. unitednoodles.com

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Hmong Village

The sprawling market near the capitol in St. Paul is worth a summer stroll when the stalls are packed with produce from local farmers. 1001 Johnson Pkwy., St. Paul

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How to Hot Pot

Megan Yuen and Dave Ostlund are the married couple who first introduced me to hot pot, in their home. In the days just before they were headed to China to visit their family and eat more hot pot than I could imagine, I took them out for restaurant hot pot to see how it measured up. Over the course of a meal at Asia Mall’s Hot Pot City restaurant, I managed to pull the following advice from these two eaters.

1) The best hot pot is a communal hot pot. Some places will give you your own broth, but it’s best when everyone is adding to a big vat in the middle. It’s about fishing something out of the broth and putting it on your neighbor’s plate—sharing and giving.

2) Hot pot isn’t about making one soup; it’s about cooking lots of little things in broth and then eating them in whatever combination feels right. This time you dip fatty lamb and fish out some spinach, next time you take a bit of the lobster with a hunk of tofu skin.

3) Order things that you’ve never tried. This is your time to try tripe, maybe. Dip it in the broth and let it cook. If you don’t like it, move on to the next combination. 

4) Fish tofu is great.

5) It’s best to have a sauce bar so everyone can create individual mixes. Some people like spicier sauce than others—this is a personal moment for you.

6) General rule: If something is cooking in a basket or a ladle, that’s not up for grabs. But anything cooking willy-nilly in the broth is fair game for chopsticks.

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More Hot, More Pot

Three spots to try:

Hot Pot City » This one gets bonus points for the big round tables to seat all your friends and a make-your-own-sauce bar for a more custom bowl. Asia Mall, Eden Prairie

Little Szechuan Hot Pot » Offering a huge menu of items from which to pick—from fish tofu to Japanese pumpkin—Little Szechuan will also pack it all up to go. University Ave., St. Paul

Jasmine 26 »  The Vietnamese icon, which just converted to hot pot, now offers smaller double-walled pots on induction burners. Eat Street, Mpls.

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Three Banh Mi to Rank on Your Own Time

A classic banh mi is the French Vietnamese mash-up that classically takes a baguette and layers on pork paté, then cilantro, cucumber, pickled carrots, daikon, jalapeños, green onions, probably more pork, and then a custom flourish from the maker.

Lu’s Sandwiches

The Vietnamese-style sausage banh mi is the move at any of the three locations. Eat Street, Northeast, and U of M, Mpls.

iPho by Saigon

The Banh Mi Sai Gon special here is a meat fest with red roast pork, pork loaf, grilled pork, meatballs, and paté. Several metro locations

Pho Mai

Dinkytown’s favorite grab-and-go spot isn’t afraid to play around a bit: Try the banh mi op la with sunny-side-up eggs. Three metro locations

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Wok Star

What is Tammy Wong, one of the most important chefs in the Twin Cities for nearly four decades, up to now?

By Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl

If you’re a longtime restaurant lover in the Twin Cities, you may think you know Rainbow owner Tammy Wong. After all, since 1987, she’s been harnessing fire and charming guests at her Eat Street Chinese anchor, which just reopened after a lengthy pandemic-driven closure. She’s also a staple of the Minneapolis Farmers Market on Lyndale with her famous egg rolls. But did you know that over the last decade, she’s been reinventing her food, inspired by her deep family history? Read More

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What's Your Dumpling?

Nearly every culture has a dumpling, from pierogi to ravioli to gyoza, but we’re partial to the kind that roll with chili oil and chopsticks. We’re blessed with a high-level dumpling game in town, so it seems appropriate that it’s hard to choose a favorite. Think of this as a field guide to dumplings in the wild.

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Extra Kimchi, Please!

Where to get your ferment on:

Juche » Trust Me sandwich: butter-fried kimchi and peanut butter on toasted white bread. Payne-Phalen, St. Paul

Kimchi Tofu House » Kimchi ramen: noodles, kimchi, onions, carrots, green onions, mushrooms, and an egg. U of M, Mpls.

Young Joni » Kimchi hummus: sesame, baechu kimchi, scallion, hearth-baked pita. Northeast, Mpls.

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Three Sushi Innovations You Can’t Ignore

Raw fish is the just the beginning.

Sushi Sandwiches at Sushi Dori 

The sushi bar at Eat Street Crossing pays homage to the onigirazu tradition with the sushi sando. Spam, dashi egg, wonton chips, shrimp tempura, and spicy tuna all find their way in. Eat Street, Mpls.

Negitoro Hand Roll at Billy Sushi

The loose interpretation of a roll first showed up as a seaweed cone, but the newest innovators treat it almost like a nori taco. This off-menu one is topped with negitoro (luxe fatty tuna), sturgeon caviar, and a little 24k bling. Because: Billy. North Loop, Mpls.

A5 Wagyu Nigiri at Mizu

Proving it’s not all a fish game, this improvised roll takes the most prized, unctuous beef in the world and gives it a quick flame sear to warm up the fats. Eat it on a perfect bite of rice, and you won’t blink at the premium price. White Bear Lake

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Pho Obsessed?

Three Vietnamese dishes to try when you’re ready to eat beyond your standard pho’ order. By Macy-Chau Diem Tran

Hoa Bien’s Bánh Hoi Chao Tôm »

Bánh hỏi are thin vermicelli rice noodles steamed and cut into small, rectangular mats and topped with green scallion oil and crunchy fried shallots and pork rinds. They are traditionally eaten on special occasions, such as weddings or death anniversaries. Chạo tôm is seasoned ground shrimp wrapped around a sugarcane stalk and grilled or panfried. The sugarcane lends an earthy sweetness to the ground shrimp and helps to retain the shrimp’s moisture as it is cooked. The caramelization on the outside of the chạo tôm provides a soft, smoky exterior to bite into. This dish can be eaten with or without rice paper. The server at Hoa Bien brought out a huge platter piled high with leafy greens and fresh herbs, and I opted for just using salad leaves. (The sugarcane is not eaten, so remove it before you start wrapping!) Using a plate or the palm of your hand, lay down the salad leaf first, then layer it with bánh hỏi, chạo tôm, and your choice of herbs. Although this dish could technically be eaten by one person, it is a much more joyful eating experience when shared with family and friends. Roll, dip in fish sauce, and enjoy!

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Caravelle/Pho 79’s Cá Kho Tô »

Cá kho tộ, braised, caramelized catfish, was a staple dish in my household. It is traditionally cooked in a clay pot, which helps to circulate the heat evenly and capture the natural oils and aroma from the fish. My family believes the strong flavors and slender fish bones might be too much for those unaccustomed to it, but I’m not discouraged. If more Americans know about it, I am confident the deliciousness of cá kho tộ will win hearts. When the first bite of tender, fall-off-the-bone catfish melts in my mouth, the richness wakes up all my taste buds. Dark soy sauce and caramelized sugar give the braised fish a deep brown color while also imparting subtle sweetness. Balanced with fish sauce, which adds both salty and umami, Pho 79’s cá kho tộ packs flavor into every bite. Warmth permeates this dish with notes of black pepper. It comes with white rice, which is a necessary complement—eat the fish on its own, and it is too salty and fatty. The rice perfectly soaks up the tangy braising liquid. Though I was full after two bowls of rice, this cá kho tộ’s dance of flavors and textures kept me coming back for more.

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MT Noodles’ Bánh Khot »

If you’ve ever heard of bánh xèo (a Vietnamese savory crêpe), there is a lesser-known sister dish called bánh khọt. Although made with similar ingredients, they take entirely different forms. Whereas bánh xèo is large and flat and considered a meal, bánh khọt is a street food snack shaped in mini muffin tin–like cast-iron cups. It is made with a creamy, lightly sweet coconut milk and rice flour batter. MT Noodles has mastered the perfect bánh khọt texture—crispy on the outside (enough to hear a crunch as you bite into it), with a soft interior that melts in your mouth. These delicate golden cups are stuffed with savory shrimp and dipped in fish sauce to counterbalance the richness of the coconut cream. For an extra textural and flavor component, MT Noodles serves its bánh khọt with pickled carrots and daikon, allowing for layers of brightness and acidity to come together for a well-rounded flavor. To this day, despite living in Viet Nam and traveling extensively across the country, I have yet to find bánh khọt that delivers the same satisfaction as that of MT Noodles.

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Three Condiments That Will Change Your Life

Never support the myth that most Minnesotans think ketchup is spicy.

Jeow at Khâluna and Gai Noi

These Laotian sauces are basically like chili-boosted, fermented salsas. You have permission to use your hands to dip sticky rice in there, or add some to your Thai basil chicken wings or shrimp rolls.

Kua Txob at Union Hmong Kitchen

Pronounced “kuwah tsaw,” kua txob basically means “hot sauce” in Hmong. This hot pepper sauce could boost a UHK whole fried fish, but it’s already on the side with your pork belly. 

Coconut Chili Crisp at Hai Hai

The trendiest condiment gets a tropical hit in this little spice pot. All the crunch of dried chili, plus crispy garlic and onions, and then a breeze from coconut oil.

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Band of Brothers

When your “family”-run business grows from a pack of cooks.

By Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl

Is Abang Yoli a Korean fried chicken counter? Order the sweet potatoes from the Nicollet location—where most everyone is rushing in for a takeout bag of chicken—and everything you thought you knew about a Korean fried chicken counter is suddenly up for grabs. These potatoes! Purple boats fording through a churning sea of fried Thai basil leaves and fresh mint, white waves of sesame aioli, frothy crests of toasted coconut shreds, burgundy-colored pools of house-made chili crunch, amid scarlet hoops of pickled Fresno chili. Stick in a fork to retrieve a robust charred sweetness, a lush bit of sauce, pricking bits of crackle, contrasting flavors and styles of fresh herb, a little prickle of pickle. What is happening at this fried chicken counter? Chef Jamie Yoo is what’s happening. Read More

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How to Treat Yourself

The highest compliment one can give an Asian dessert is: “It’s not too sweet!” That doesn’t mean that it can’t come with panda ears or throw a purple wink your way; that level of sweetness is almost required. The desserts we gathered from around town hit that golden mean: beautiful to the eye without being a sugar bomb to the mouth.

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Find Your Favorite

Plot your semisweet tasting strategy starting with these four:

Bober Tea and mochi dough » The Bui family opened this popular spot in Dinkytown.

Tous les Jours » This international French Vietnamese bakery recently opened in Richfield.

eM Que Viet » Located on St. Paul’s Grand Avenue, this is the next generation’s modern view of their family’s Que Viet Vietnamese restaurant.

Marc Heu Pâtisserie Paris » This eponymous sweet shop from our local Hmong pastry chef recently moved to Cathedral Hill in St. Paul.