Gai Noi
Laotian restaurant · Loring Park
1610 Harmon Pl, Minneapolis, MN 55403
Highlights
Lao-inspired dishes, rooftop views, creative cocktails
Lao-inspired dishes, rooftop views, creative cocktails
"Chef Ann Ahmed’s newest restaurant, Gai Noi, offers views of Loring Park. Grab a rooftop table for an evening of Luang Prabang-style papaya salad, creamy panang spaghetti, and papaya piña coladas. Seating is walk-in only." - Eater Staff
"The Luang Prabang–style papaya salad on the menu features long, noodle-like strands of green papaya dressed with lime juice, pounded chiles, fermented fish sauce, and pops of tomato for a spicy, savory, and pungent flavor. The ribbon cut transforms the texture and dining experience compared with shredded Thai versions—its curves trap more sauce so each strand delivers more concentrated flavor—reflecting Luang Prabang’s tradition of elevating simple ingredients into elegant dishes, a guiding principle cited by owner and chef Ann Ahmed when conceptualizing the restaurant." - Kat Thompson
"Chef Ann Ahmed’s Harmon Place restaurant celebrates the cuisine of northern Laos. The rooftop here is as bright and cozy as they come: It seats up to 80 guests in a plant- and window-filled oasis with both indoor and outdoor seating options. Papaya salads and lemongrass chicken skewers play as the perfect party fare." - Cinnamon Janzer
"Chef Ann Ahmed’s Gai Noi is a perfect foil to its sister restaurant, Khâluna, one of Eater’s best new restaurants of 2022 — where Khâluna is poised and enchanting, suited for long sit-down meals, Gai Noi plays it a little fast and fun, whisking crispy basil chicken wings, steaming bowls of khao poon gai, and panang spaghetti to tables. Ahmed has said her biggest inspiration for Gai Noi was the Lao city Luang Prabang: There are three kinds of larb, the national dish of Laos, on the menu, as well as shaved Luang Prabang-style papaya salad, mok paa (whitefish steamed in banana leaves), and four kinds of jeow, the spicy, salsa-like Lao dipping sauce." - Eater Staff
"Chef Ann Ahmed’s Gai Noi is a perfect foil to its sister restaurant, Khâluna, one of Eater’s best new restaurants of 2022 — where Khâluna is poised and enchanting, suited for long sit-down meals, Gai Noi plays it a little fast and fun, whisking crispy basil chicken wings, steaming bowls of khao poon gai, and panang spaghetti to tables. Ahmed has said her biggest inspiration for Gai Noi was the Lao city Luang Prabang: There are three kinds of larb, the national dish of Laos, on the menu, as well as shaved Luang Prabang-style papaya salad, mok paa (whitefish steamed in banana leaves), and four kinds of jeow, the spicy, salsa-like Lao dipping sauce." - Eater Staff
