The history of Eat Street
The corridor that became “Eat Street” began with a single restaurant: the Black Forest Inn, which opened at 26th and Nicollet in 1965. Christos Greek followed across the street in 1987, and Quang arrived at 27th and Nicollet in 1989. Vietnamese immigration in the 1970s and 1980s seeded many of the restaurants that still anchor the corridor today. In 1997, the Whittier Alliance formally branded the stretch “Eat Street” as part of a neighborhood revitalization effort — a recognition of what immigrant entrepreneurs had already built. For more than half a century, this corridor has been a place where newcomers opened restaurants, fed their communities, and invited everyone else to the table. The name came later. The food was always here.
How to use this guide
Eat Street is walkable. You can cover the entire corridor on foot in twenty minutes, though you will want to allow much longer for eating. The Metro Transit Route 18 bus runs up and down Nicollet with a stop roughly every eight minutes. Street parking is competitive — expect to park a block or two off Nicollet. We have organized this guide by cuisine type so you can find what you are craving, but an Eat Street crawl — hitting two or three spots in one evening — is the best way to experience the corridor.
Vietnamese
The Vietnamese restaurants on Eat Street are the corridor's foundation. A wave of immigration from Vietnam in the 1970s and 1980s produced a hotspot that persists today, with family-run institutions that have been feeding Minneapolis for decades.
Quang Restaurant
2719 Nicollet Ave · $–$$
Open since 1989, Quang is the restaurant most people think of when they think of Eat Street. The pho is excellent — clean, deeply flavored broth with generous portions — but the menu extends far beyond soup. The spring rolls are made fresh and served with a peanut sauce that has probably converted more Minnesotans to Vietnamese food than any single dish in the city. The bun (vermicelli bowls) are reliable and satisfying. Quang is almost always busy, the tables are tight, and no one is there to linger. You eat, you leave happy, and you come back next week. It has earned its reputation over thirty-five years, and it is still earning it.
Pho 79
2529 Nicollet Ave · $
If Quang is the ambassador, Pho 79 is the everyday workhorse. About fifty meal-in-a-bowl soups anchor a menu that also includes BBQ meats on rice, spring rolls, and chili wings. The pho broth here has real depth, the kind that comes from long simmering and no shortcuts. Most menu items are under twelve dollars. The broken rice plates with grilled pork are excellent and underordered. Pho 79 is the restaurant where Eat Street regulars eat when they are not trying to impress anyone — they are just hungry and want a great bowl of soup at a fair price. Cash-friendly, no-frills, and consistently good.
My Huong Kitchen
2718 Nicollet Ave · $
Tucked behind Shuang Hur supermarket, across the parking lot from El Mariachi and across the street from Quang, My Huong is the kind of place you could walk past a hundred times before someone tells you about it. That would be a mistake. The pho is excellent, the banh mi sandwiches are crisp and balanced, and the bubble tea is made in-house. The French crepes are an unexpected highlight. The space is small and the prices are low — you can eat extremely well here for under ten dollars. My Huong rewards the people who bother to find it.
Jasmine 26
8 E 26th St · $$
Where Quang and Pho 79 are traditional and no-frills, Jasmine 26 is the upscale sibling — a full-service Vietnamese restaurant and bar with craft cocktails, a lively atmosphere, and a menu that stretches from banana blossom salads to lemongrass ribs. The Vietnamese hot pot is the signature experience: communal, interactive, and deeply satisfying on a cold night. The vegetarian options are surprisingly strong, including a black pepper–braised mock duck that impresses even meat eaters. Jasmine 26 is the restaurant that proves Vietnamese food on Eat Street is not limited to a single register. It is the complete package.
Caribbean
Pimento brought Jamaican food to Eat Street and then became a citywide phenomenon. The Nicollet location remains the flagship.
Pimento Jamaican Kitchen
2524 Nicollet Ave · $$
Tomme Beevas won Food Network's Food Court Wars, then opened Pimento on Eat Street, and it has been one of the corridor's essential stops ever since. The jerk chicken is properly spicy and properly smoky — not a watered-down Minnesota interpretation. The curry goat is rich and tender. The oxtail sells out regularly, so come early if that is what you want. The plantains are perfectly caramelized. There is a rum bar in the back with live music in summer, which elevates Pimento from a great restaurant to a genuine destination. Family recipes meet French technique, and the result is food that is both deeply authentic and distinctly Pimento's own. The hot patties are non-negotiable.
Thai & Southeast Asian
Eat Street has long been a destination for Thai food, with Khun Nai and Peninsula Malaysian representing two distinct Southeast Asian traditions side by side.
Khun Nai Thai Cuisine
2523 Nicollet Ave · $–$$
Khun Nai serves authentic Thai and Lao food with a vibrancy that stands out even on a street full of strong kitchens. The green papaya salad has real bite. The oxtail Panang curry is rich and aromatic without being cloying. The spring rolls and lettuce wraps make a strong case for starting every meal here with appetizers. Khun Nai can accommodate vegan diets and does so without making you feel like an afterthought. The khao soi — a northern Thai coconut curry noodle soup — is one of the best versions in the city. Parking is the usual Eat Street challenge, but the food is worth circling the block.
Peninsula Malaysian Cuisine
2608 Nicollet Ave · $$
Malaysian food is rare in the Twin Cities, which makes Peninsula essential. Established by a group of Malaysians passionate about bringing authentic Southeast Asian cuisine to Minneapolis, the restaurant is anchored by Chef Tong, who has over twenty years of experience. The open kitchen lets you watch dishes come together over a roaring flame. The satay is a must-order — tender, charred, and served with a peanut sauce that has real complexity. The roti canai is flaky and perfect for scooping up curry. The nasi lemak and laksa are both excellent. Peninsula fills a niche that no other restaurant on Eat Street occupies, and it fills it with authority.
Chinese
From Tammy Wong's decades-long institution to a brand-new hand-pulled noodle shop, Eat Street's Chinese food spans traditions and generations.
Rainbow Chinese Restaurant & Bar
2739 Nicollet Ave · $$
Chef and owner Tammy Wong has been cooking fresh, seasonal Chinese food on Nicollet Avenue for more than thirty years. Rainbow is not your average takeout spot — the Szechuan wontons are laced with chili oil and numbing peppercorn, the seafood dishes use quality ingredients, and the chocolate wontons are a dessert that should not work but absolutely does. The dining room is comfortable and unhurried, a place for a proper sit-down meal. Wong regularly hosts tasting dinners where she shares stories alongside the food. Rainbow is an institution in the truest sense: a restaurant that has shaped its neighborhood and been shaped by it in return.
Meet Up Noodle
2 E 26th St · $–$$
The newest addition to Eat Street and one of the most exciting. Meet Up Noodle is the first Northwest Chinese restaurant in Minneapolis, specializing in hand-pulled noodles from the Xi'an tradition. You can watch the chefs pull noodles by hand from the lobby — it is genuinely mesmerizing. The rou jia mo (a Chinese flatbread sandwich with cumin-spiced lamb) is addictive and under eight dollars. The Xi'an cold rice noodles, tossed with vinegar, cucumber, chili oil, and peanuts, are bracingly good. The flavors here are complex and unfamiliar in the best way, influenced by proximity to Central Asia and the Middle East. This is food the Twin Cities has not really seen before, and Eat Street is exactly where it belongs.
Greek & Mediterranean
Christos and Marhaba represent two different Mediterranean traditions, both well-established on the corridor.
Christos Greek Restaurant
2632 Nicollet Ave · $$
Open since 1987, Christos is one of the original Eat Street anchors. The menu is traditional Greek and Cypriot, and the standards are all executed with care — moussaka layered and rich, gyros sliced with precision, and spanakopita crispy and well-seasoned. The dining room has a taverna warmth to it, the kind of restaurant where you linger over a glass of wine and a plate of saganaki. Christos is not flashy and does not need to be. It has outlasted trends and turnover by doing the fundamentals well for nearly four decades. On Eat Street, that kind of longevity is its own credential.
Marhaba Mediterranean Grill
2801 Nicollet Ave · $–$$
Marhaba serves authentic Egyptian and Middle Eastern food from the southern end of Eat Street. The buffet is the signature move — a generous spread of tabbouleh, baba ghanoush, hummus, and grilled meats that lets you sample widely. The kabob combo platter with chicken, beef, and lamb is hearty and well-spiced. Portions are built for appetite, not presentation. Marhaba fills an important gap on Eat Street: affordable, filling Middle Eastern food in a casual setting. The lunch buffet is one of the better deals on the corridor, and the dinner menu rewards anyone willing to explore beyond the familiar.
German
Where Eat Street began. The Black Forest Inn has been on Nicollet Avenue since before the corridor had a name.
Black Forest Inn
1 E 26th St · $$
Established on May 15, 1965, the Black Forest Inn is the oldest restaurant on Eat Street and the one that started it all. The schnitzel is pounded thin, breaded, and fried to a satisfying crunch. The bratwurst comes with proper sauerkraut. The spätzle is made in-house. But the real magic is the beer garden — one of the finest outdoor dining spaces in Minneapolis, shaded and convivial, the kind of place where strangers end up sharing a table and a pitcher of German beer. The Black Forest has been serving Minneapolis for over sixty years, welcoming everyone from artists to families to the after-theater crowd. It is the soul of Eat Street.
Mexican
El Mariachi has been a fixture on Nicollet Avenue for years, serving generous plates of traditional Mexican food in a lively atmosphere.
El Mariachi
2728 Nicollet Ave · $–$$
El Mariachi is the kind of Mexican restaurant where the fajitas arrive sizzling on a cast-iron skillet and the margaritas are strong. The portions are generous — genuinely, almost aggressively generous. The shrimp tacos and chicken fajitas are both reliable orders. The dining room has a festive energy, with karaoke nights that draw a loyal crowd. El Mariachi is not trying to reinvent Mexican food. It is serving the classics with warmth and consistency, and it has been doing so on Eat Street for long enough to be considered a neighborhood institution. Come hungry.
The Food Hall
Eat Street Crossing opened in 2023 inside a historic building at the southern end of the corridor, adding a new dimension to an already dense dining scene.
Eat Street Crossing
2819 Nicollet Ave · $–$$
A food hall founded by local culinary talent including John Ng and Lina Goh (of Zen Box Izakaya). The current lineup includes Sushi Dori, serving creative izakaya-style sushi rolls and rice sandwiches; Staff Meeting, a Filipino–Hawaiian fusion concept from Chef Louross Edralin with excellent ramen and dumplings; and Bebe Zito, whose handmade ice cream is some of the best in Minneapolis. There is a centrally located bar, an outdoor patio, and an airy space full of local art. Eat Street Crossing is not a replacement for the independent restaurants that define the corridor — it is a complement. A place to sample multiple concepts in one visit, or to end an Eat Street crawl with a scoop of Bebe Zito's ice cream.
Bakery & Brunch
Eat Street is not only a dinner destination. These two spots anchor the daytime scene.
The Copper Hen Cakery & Kitchen
2515 Nicollet Ave · $$
Founded in 2014 by a husband-and-wife team, The Copper Hen is Eat Street's brunch anchor. The farm-to-table menu rotates with the seasons, and the baked goods — cakes, cupcakes, fresh bread — are made in-house and worth a trip on their own. The sandwiches are thoughtful and well-composed. The cocktails are surprisingly good for a place that also sells cupcakes. The Copper Hen is the kind of neighborhood restaurant that becomes your regular — the place you go on Saturday morning without checking the menu because you trust whatever they are making. Owner Marisa Brown is deeply embedded in the Eat Street community, and it shows.
Glam Doll Donuts
2605 Nicollet Ave · $
Glam Doll makes donuts that are creative, indulgent, and unapologetically over-the-top. Most of their offerings are vegan, which is a pleasant surprise given the decadence. The flavors rotate and range from familiar (chocolate glazed) to theatrical (bourbon-bacon, anyone?). The shop itself has a rock-and-roll aesthetic that matches the attitude of the food. Glam Doll is open mornings through early afternoon, making it a perfect Eat Street breakfast stop or a mid-crawl sugar hit. It is not trying to be a donut purist's dream. It is trying to make you smile, and it succeeds.
Live Music & Late Night
Eat Street after dark is anchored by Icehouse, which blurs the line between restaurant and venue.
Icehouse
2528 Nicollet Ave · $$–$$$
Icehouse is a two-story restaurant, bar, and music venue that programs one of the best live music calendars in Minneapolis. The food is New American and seasonal, with a kitchen that takes itself seriously — this is not bar food with a stage attached. The cocktail program is inventive and well-executed. But the real draw is the atmosphere: a place where you can have a proper dinner, then stay for jazz, experimental music, or a DJ set without moving from your table. Icehouse is open late on weekends and closed early in the week, which gives it a weekend-destination energy. On Eat Street, it is the place that reminds you this corridor is about more than just food.
Also on the corridor
Eat Street is more than restaurants. Shuang Hur supermarket (2712 Nicollet Ave) is a family-owned Asian grocery that has anchored the corridor since 1992, stocking everything from teff flour to rice steamers to fresh lemongrass. Jasmine Deli (2532 Nicollet Ave), the sibling to Jasmine 26, serves banh mi and vermicelli bowls until the early morning hours — one of the best late-night options on the corridor. The Prodigal Public House (25 E 26th St) is a neighborhood pub with good pot pies and an extensive scotch selection. Eat Street rewards wandering. The best discoveries here are the ones no guide told you about.
What we left out — and why
Eat Street Social closed in 2023 after eleven years. Revival, the beloved fried chicken restaurant, shuttered all locations in January 2025 (though the brand has been acquired by Jester Concepts for a possible return). Bûcheron, the excellent French-American restaurant, sits at 4257 Nicollet — technically south of the Eat Street corridor. Hola Arepa (3501 Nicollet) and Khâluna (4000 Lyndale) are both outstanding but outside the boundaries of this guide. We cover Minneapolis proper — if your favorite Nicollet Avenue spot is missing, it may sit just outside the 24th–29th Street corridor that defines Eat Street.
More Minneapolis food guides
Eat Street is the most concentrated food corridor in Minneapolis, but it is not the only one. Explore our neighborhood food rankings to find the best dining scenes across the city, or check out our guide to cheap eats for the best meals under fifteen dollars.