Vinai
Restaurant · Sheridan ·
Hmong cuisine, wood-fired meats, flavorful sauces, family recipes
Hmong cuisine, wood-fired meats, flavorful sauces, family recipes
"Named after Van Vinai refugee camp in Thailand where chef Yia Vang was born, this upscale Hmong restaurant serves elegant Hmong American food. Vang uses food to pay homage to his culture, family, and history. The result is a playful menu of thoughtful Hmong classics (chicken coconut curry) and American classics infused with Hmong sensibilities (deviled eggs, New York strip, larb carpaccio)." - Macy-Chau Tran
"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
"I learned that at the Hmong restaurant Vinai in Minneapolis, the mango and toasted milk ice creams on the menu are churned at nearby FrioFrio as part of a collaboration that lets Vinai get signature flavors from a beloved local ice cream shop while extending both businesses' reach to new customers." - 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