Khâluna
Laotian restaurant · East Harriet ·
Laotian & SE Asian cuisine, tropical resort ambiance, creative cocktails
Laotian & SE Asian cuisine, tropical resort ambiance, creative cocktails
"Chef Ann Ahmed received a semifinalist nod in the Outstanding Chef category." - Emily Venezky
"An elegant, tropical-style restaurant showcasing Laotian-influenced dishes such as stuffed quail, wild rice congee, and red snapper with mango and tangy tamarind, served in a refined atmosphere that complements the cuisine." - AFAR
"Ann Ahmed's Minneapolis restaurant made the so-called "long list" last year and has been under consideration in prior years. The James Beard Foundation announced its 2025 list of semifinalists on January 22, giving a nod to 10 Twin Cities restaurants and one in Saint Joseph, Minnesota — six of which were featured in national categories; for comparison, the city had seven semifinalists in 2024. The semifinalist list reflects the restaurant and chef categories: Outstanding Chef; Outstanding Restaurant; Best New Restaurant; Outstanding Hospitality; Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program; and Best Chef: Midwest. Finalists in these categories will be announced on April 2, and winners will be awarded at a Chicago opera house on Monday, June 16. Disclosure: Some Vox Media staff members are part of the voting body for the James Beard Awards." - Emily Venezky
"With wicker chairs, an abundance of natural light, and a covered patio lined with potted palms, a meal at Khaluna feels like you’ve stepped off Lyndale Ave. into a minimalist island retreat for the kind of people who are somehow always traveling. The decor’s light color palette is just as colorful as most of the dishes, like the tropical fruit salad and multi-hued rainbow rice. Be sure to try the sakoo, pillowy, mushroom-stuffed dumplings made from tapioca pearls, and the bucatini talay that gets a nice kick from thai basil and tom yum ragout. Cocktails are equally good and tropical—drinks are sweetened with palm syrup, and the non-alcoholic options like sparkling teas made with coconut water could be served at a fancy spa." - stacy brooks
"Chef Ann Ahmed’s Khâluna was designed to evoke the palm-tree-swathed resorts of Northern Thailand, Chiang Mai, and elsewhere in Southeast Asia, and stepping inside it really does feel like arriving at a balmy destination by the sea. Domed lamps hover above a landscape of rattan chairs and blonde wood; everything is washed in the warmest shades of sandstone and gold. All this to match the stellar menu, which features a whole fried red snapper drowned in a tamarind glaze and a bucatini talay in a punchy tom yum ragout." - Eater Staff
