New York Times' top 50 restaurants list features 2 Minneapolis spots
MINNEAPOLIS — The New York Times' latest Restaurant List, which runs down the best eateries in America, is now out — and two Minneapolis spots made the cut.
Interestingly, both are located in northeast Minneapolis, just half a block apart.
Oro by Nixta, a Mexican restaurant known for its handmade corn tortillas, earned a mention from the Gray Lady.
"Imagine a taqueria with a tasting-menu restaurant's ambitions, and none of its pretensions," Brett Anderson wrote.
Oro, owned by husband-wife duo Gustavo and Kate Romero, was a semifinalist in the Best New Restaurant category at this year's James Beard Awards. It's located at 1222 Second Street Northeast.
Vinai, the newly-opened restaurant from Union Hmong Kitchen chef Yia Vang, also earned a spot on the list.
"Hmong cuisine shares characteristics with the food of Thailand, Laos and Vietnam," Anderson wrote. "The chef's personal take on it is arresting, packed with chile and citrus, often streaked with wood smoke, and always suffused with back story."
Vinai — named for the refugee camp where Vang was born — opened in the space formerly occupied by the Dangerous Man taproom in July. It's among the newest restaurants on the list.
Vang was a semifinalist for the Best Chef Midwest category at the 2023 James Beard Awards, and Union Hmong Kitchen was nominated for Best New Restaurant the year before.
Both restaurants accept reservations, for those inspired to try them by the Times' praise.
Minnesota is the only Midwestern state to have multiple restaurants featured on the list.