Vinai
Restaurant · Sheridan
1300 NE 2nd St, Minneapolis, MN 55413
Highlights
Hmong cuisine, wood-fired meats, unique flavors & stories
Hmong cuisine, wood-fired meats, unique flavors & stories
"At Vinai I felt Yia Vang’s family history in every dish: portraits of his parents preside in the dining room while Mama Vang’s hot sauce and farm-grown mustard greens, eggplants, and chiles electrify plates—deviled eggs with Thai basil sambal, confit mackerel with purple sticky rice, and a 1988 New Fashioned cocktail that embeds Hmong symbols in a stately ice cube—offering an intimate, autobiographical menu that reveals cultural memory through flavor." - ByThe Bon Appétit Staff
"The restaurant led by chef Yia Vang received recognition at the Media Awards (June 14) when the chef was honored in the Lifestyle Visual Media category alongside the Twin Cities PBS producers of Relish." - Emily Venezky
"A Hmong restaurant that collaborated with a beloved local ice cream maker to offer scoops of mango and toasted milk—the team tasted about 20 flavors and narrowed the selection to two complementary options, a partnership that lets the restaurant feature distinct, signature frozen flavors while expanding both businesses' reach." - ByKate Kassin
"Yia Vang’s long-awaited Hmong restaurant, Vinai, debuted in Northeast Minneapolis’s former Dangerous Man taproom in July. A love letter to Vang’s parents and the greater Hmong community, Vinai’s menu is divided into seven sections: Khoom Noj (snacks), Yog Peg Xwb (“It’s just us,” or smaller dishes), Zaub (vegetables), Nqaij Ci (grilled meat), Nqaij Hau (braised meat soups), Mov (rice dishes), and Kua Txob (hot sauces). Vang’s personal favorite dishes include a flame-grilled whole chicken in a ginger coconut sauce and confited mackerel served with lime and a mound of purple sticky rice. Make a reservation on Resy." - Stacy Brooks
"Chef Yia Vang’s Hmong restaurant, Vinai, is as accommodating of sit-down feasts as it is easy happy hours at the bar. Order a dish or two from the Khoom Noj (snacks) menu — maybe a curry rice ball stuffed with blue crab, or oil-packed mackerel in a tomato and chile confit — to pair with a refreshing culantro highball." - Natalia Mendez
