Following the Vietnam War, tens of thousands of Hmong refugees resettled in St. Paul, building one of the most vibrant Hmong communities in the world. Today, the Twin Cities are arguably the best place outside Laos to eat Hmong food. From two massive marketplaces in St. Paul to a James Beard-honored chef’s new flagship in Northeast, this is one of the things that makes the metro genuinely uncommon.
Chef Yia Vang’s Northeast Minneapolis flagship, named for the refugee camp in Thailand where he was born. Hmong cooking treated with serious culinary attention, a rotating tasting menu, and a room that is one of the most-talked-about restaurant openings the Twin Cities has ever had. Reservations are essential.
Yia Vang’s casual concept inside the Graze food hall in the North Loop. Hmong sausage, larb, sticky rice, and grilled meats served quickly without sacrificing the quality that made the chef a Beard nominee. The introduction to Hmong food for most metro newcomers.
A massive 100,000-square-foot Hmong marketplace on St. Paul’s East Side. The food court alone is worth a Saturday: papaya salad pounded to order, larb laced with toasted rice powder, fresh-cut sausage from a dozen vendors. Bring cash and an empty stomach.
The original Twin Cities Hmong marketplace, predating Hmong Village by about a decade. Smaller and rougher around the edges, but the food vendors here are the ones the older generation of Hmong elders eat at. Outdoor food stalls in summer are the move.
A St. Paul Cambodian restaurant on University Avenue, often grouped culturally with the Hmong food scene because the diasporas overlap heavily here. The amok and the lemongrass-grilled pork are the orders. Cash-friendly, family-run, and one of the most underrated rooms in the metro.
A small St. Paul restaurant doing Lao and Hmong dishes with a focus on the staples: papaya salad, sausage, jeow dipping sauces, and sticky rice. The kind of place where the menu is short and the kitchen does what it does without fuss.