2018 update of my food post:
Food
Bite Squad, a local company, offers delivery from something like 200 restaurants to the general vicinity of Worlds.
Near FFG: For eating near FFG, check out this Google map.
For those looking to venture further afield, here’s a list of some of my favourite local restaurants:
US:
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
Co-op Creamery (good food, good prices, tax/tip included) V
Asia:
Sweet Chow (new and so, so good) V
Hai Hai (incredible Vietnamese breakfast / lunch)
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, whiskey bar upstairs)
Ngon (Vietnamese + French, really good)
Latin / South America:
Brasa (vaguely Latin? all delicious) V
Barrio (~100 tequilas and excellent small plates)
Jefe (fewer tequilas, awesome Latin fare)
Victor’s (great Cuban hole in the wall)
Hola Arepa (awesome brunch / lunch) V
Mediterranean:
World Street Kitchen (King of Servers caterer) + Milk Jam ice cream shop (in. sane.)
Filfillah (some of the most authentic Arabic cuisine in the cities)
The Naughty Greek (reasonable prices for large portions)
Naf Naf (Chipotle for the Middle East)
India:
Hot Indian (Chipotle for Indian food) V
Probably the second best Indian in the Cities is the buffet place near FFG (see the map above) that is surprisingly good.
Europe:
St Genvieve (French, spectacular brunch)
There are also German and Scandinavian restaurants around, but I don’t often eat at them so I don’t have solid recommendations.
Africa:
Capitol Café (Somali café, get the tea.)
There’s a large Somali population in the Twin Cities, as well as Ethiopian and other African nationalities. I just wish I could remember the name of that one Ethiopian place…
General notes:
V = good vegetarian choices.
There are a lot of great places to eat (including a Hot Indian branch) 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:
Beer:
Bang Brewing (tiny but punches WAY above its size)
Surly (one of the biggest local breweries. Beware: it’s always packed)
Day Block (craft beer & craft pizza)
Lakes & Legends (solid, particularly if you like Belgian ales)
Inbound (great spot to play board games, experimental, and good)
Modist (very experimental)
Venn (this is far from FFG, but everything I’ve had there has been great)
Distilleries with lounges:
Du Nord craft spirits
Tattersall distilling
Norseman (big cocktail lounge, frequent menu changes)
Lawless (small but very inventive)
Vikre (in Duluth, but excellent)
Bars:
Gori Gori Peku (Japanese whiskey, above Kado no Mise)
Marvel Bar (unique cocktails, speakeasy-style.)
Fine Dining
I’ve also heard from a few people who are interested in fine dining. These restaurants are a mix of à la carte, tasting menus, or both. They range in price from $50 to $200per person, plus optional drink pairings. Some have chef’s table options if that’s your jam.
Martina (Argentinian, CHURROS OMG, everything is incredible) V
Eastside (reasonable prices, modest portions, excellent cocktails)
Borough (reasonable prices, larger portions, good cocktails)
Spoon and Stable (higher prices, smaller portions, excellent everything)
Alma (solid all around, tasting menus)
Cosmos (larger portions with no loss of quality, great if you’re hungry and want to eat really well)
The Bachelor Farmer (great takes on American comfort dishes, and Marvel Bar is directly below this if you want a 241)
Kaiseki Furukawa (above Kado no Mise, very expensive, but incredible)
Travail (a dining experience, you have to buy tickets in advance)
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).