Food
I’m going to be trying to organize Worlds dining outings for small groups basically each night of Worlds. I know a couple of other locals are also going to be doing something similar so that as many people as possible get to eat the kinds of food they want to eat while at Worlds. In addition, Bite Squad, a local company, offers delivery from something like 200 restaurants to the general vicinity of Worlds.
For those looking to venture out on their own or with a group, here’s a list of some of my favourite local restaurants:
World Street Kitchen (King of Servers caterer) + Milk Jam ice cream shop (in. sane.)
Tori Ramen (best ramen in the Cities if you like nontraditional ramen) V
Zen Box Izakaya (delicious Japanese pub fare + more traditional ramen)
Kyatchi (great sushi & other Japanese fare)
Pinku (amazing Japanese street food)
Kado no Mise (Japanese dining, excellent)
Brasa (vaguely Latin? all delicious) V
Barrio (~100 tequilas and excellent small plates)
Jefe (fewer tequilas, awesome Latin fare)
Tillie’s Farmhouse (American; unique takes on staple foods) V
Augustine’s (American; huge, delicious portions) V
The Happy Gnome (70+ taps & fantastic gastropub food) V
Revival (Southern comfort food)
J Selby’s (100% vegan) V
Filfillah (some of the most authentic Arabic cuisine in the cities)
Hot Indian (Indian food in burrito form)
Ngon (Vietnamese + French, really good)
Victor’s (great Cuban hole in the wall)
The Naughty Greek (reasonable prices for large portions)
V = good vegetarian choices.
Re: that last one, there are a lot of great places to eat (including Hot Indian) at the Midtown Global Market.
Big Groups
Some of the above places are smaller than others – e.g. Tori Ramen is tiny and you won’t be able to get a seat if your group is >4. If you have a large group (like 6+), the following can definitely accomodate:
Anything at Midtown Global Market
World Street Kitchen
Happy Gnome
Brasa (St. Paul location on Grand Avenue)
J Selby’s
Filfillah
Don’t take large groups to Tori Ramen or Pinku. Otherwise, calling ahead should be fine.
Drinks
If breweries or distilleries are your jam, there are too many good ones in the Cities to even start to count. A few I like are:
Bang Brewing
Surly (beware: it’s always packed)
Day Block
Lakes & Legends
Inbound
Du Nord craft spirits
Tattersall distilling
Marvel Bar (not a distillery, just unique cocktails, speakeasy-style.)
There are other well-regarded distilleries with cocktail rooms, but I haven’t tried them yet.
Fine Dining
I’ve also heard from a few people who are interested in fine dining. I’m going to try to organize a group trip to Travail in a separate thread, but in addition, here’s a list of some of the best restaurants around. They’re a mix of à la carte, tasting menus, or both. They range in price from $50 to $150 per person, plus optional drink pairings. Some have chef’s table options if that’s your jam. I’ve been to most of them and they’re uniformly excellent.
Spoon and Stable
Borough
Corner Table
Tenant
Alma
Sanctuary
Cosmos
The Bachelor Farmer (note Marvel Bar is directly below this if you want a 241)
Eastside
Tipping
Tipping is the custom in Minnesota. Serving staff aren’t subject to minimum wage requirements, and in any event the minimum wage hasn’t kept pace with inflation. Thus the tip isn’t really a commentary on the quality of your meal or the service; the tip is functionally part of the server’s wage. The standard tip in the Twin Cities is 20% of the total price. I generally don’t adjust this unless the service was truly horrendous or totally exceptional. There will be a percentage option on the credit card machine or a line item on your meal receipt for the tip.
Exception: you don’t need to tip (and won’t get an option to tip) at fast food places (McDonalds, Chipotle, etc).