MINNEAPOLIS — The latest New York Times Restaurant List, which highlights America’s best places to eat, is out now. Two Minneapolis restaurants are on the list.
Interestingly, they are both located in northeast Minneapolis, just half a block apart.
Oro by Nixta, a Mexican restaurant known for its handmade corn tortillas, earned a mention from the Gray Lady.
“Imagine a taqueria with the ambitions of a tasting menu restaurant, but without the pretensions,” wrote Brett Anderson.
Oro, owned by the couple Gustavo and Kate Romero, was a semi-finalist in the Best New Restaurant category category in this year’s James Beard Awards. It is located at 1222 Second Street Northeast.
Vinai, the recently opened restaurant from Union Hmong Kitchen chef Yia Vang, also earned a spot on the list.
“Hmong cuisine shares characteristics with the food of Thailand, Laos and Vietnam,” Anderson wrote. “The chef’s personal take is engaging, peppered with chile and citrus, often laced with wood smoke and always steeped in backstory.”
Vinai — named after the refugee camp where Vang was born — opened on the site of a former the Dangerous Man tap room in July. It is one of the newest restaurants on the list.
Vang was a semi-finalist for the Best Chef Midwest category at the 2023 James Beard Awards, and Union Hmong Kitchen was nominated for Best New Restaurant the year before.
Reservations are available at both restaurants, for those inspired by the Times’ praise.
Minnesota is the only Midwestern state with multiple restaurants on the list.
