Northeast Minneapolis has long been the Arts District, but in 2025, it's becoming the city's dining destination. A wave of new restaurants has opened in the past six months, each bringing something unique to the neighborhood's eclectic food scene.
From James Beard-nominated chefs to first-time restaurateurs, these five spots represent the best of what's new in Northeast—and why locals are so excited about the neighborhood's culinary future.
1. Pho & Beyond
Chef Mai Nguyen spent fifteen years working in St. Paul's Hmong kitchen scene before opening her own place in Northeast. Pho & Beyond takes traditional Hmong and Vietnamese dishes and reimagines them with hyperlocal Minnesota ingredients.
"I wanted to show people that Southeast Asian food doesn't have to be imported. We can grow lemongrass in Minnesota. We can source everything locally and still make it taste like home."
— Mai Nguyen, Chef & Owner
The pho is exceptional—rich bone broth simmered for 24 hours with grass-fed beef from a farm just outside the Twin Cities. But the real standouts are the fusion dishes: Hmong sausage with Minnesota wild rice, papaya salad with locally foraged mushrooms, and a banh mi made with sourdough from a bakery three blocks away.
Insider Tip
Go for Sunday brunch and try the pho omelet—it sounds weird, but it works. Trust us.
2. Ember & Oak
This wood-fired everything restaurant is the passion project of former Spoon and Stable sous chef Marcus Chen. Everything—and we mean everything—is cooked over an open flame in a massive wood-burning oven imported from Italy.
The menu changes daily based on what's available from local farms, but expect perfectly charred vegetables, wood-roasted meats, and the city's best sourdough pizza. The space itself is stunning: exposed brick, Edison bulbs, and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the street.
3. The Neon Ramen Bar
Part ramen shop, part nightclub, part art installation. The Neon Ramen Bar is what happens when a James Beard semifinalist teams up with a graffiti artist and a DJ. It shouldn't work, but somehow it absolutely does.
The ramen is serious—tonkotsu, miso, and shoyu broths that rival anything in Tokyo. But the vibe is pure Minneapolis: neon signs, local art on the walls, and a soundtrack that shifts from lo-fi hip-hop during lunch to house music after 10pm.
"Ramen doesn't have to be quiet and reverent. It can be fun. It can be loud. It can be whatever you want it to be."
— Chef Tommy Park, Head Chef
4. Salt & Smoke
Minnesota doesn't have a barbecue tradition, which is exactly why Salt & Smoke works. Chef and pitmaster Jamal Williams isn't trying to replicate Texas or Kansas City—he's creating something entirely new.
The brisket is smoked with Minnesota apple wood. The ribs are glazed with a sauce made from local honey and sumac. The sides include wild rice salad and smoked corn with Surly beer butter. It's barbecue, but it's distinctly Minneapolis.
5. The Greenhouse
The most ambitious project on this list, The Greenhouse is both a restaurant and an actual greenhouse. The dining room sits beneath a massive glass atrium where they grow 80% of the vegetables, herbs, and microgreens used in the kitchen.
It's farm-to-table in the most literal sense—your salad was probably picked three hours before you ordered it. The menu is vegetable-forward (though not exclusively vegetarian), with dishes that change week by week as different crops come into season.
Reservations Required
The Greenhouse is booked solid for the next two months. Plan ahead or try for a walk-in spot at the bar.
Why Northeast?
So why is Northeast Minneapolis suddenly the hottest food neighborhood in the city? The answer is simple: affordable rent, creative energy, and a community that actually supports new restaurants.
Unlike downtown or Uptown, Northeast still has spaces where chefs can take risks without betting their life savings. The neighborhood also has a strong culture of supporting local businesses—these restaurants are packed with locals, not tourists.
As Chef Mai Nguyen told us: "Northeast feels like a real neighborhood. People come back. They bring their friends. They want you to succeed."
If you haven't explored Northeast's restaurant scene lately, now's the time. These five spots are just the beginning—we're already hearing rumors of three more openings before summer.
