Most Outrageous Foods in Minneapolis
Minneapolis is a place for foodies—there's no denying that. Challenge yourself to some of the city's most memorable dishes! (St. Paul even made the cut.)
Milkjam Creamery: “All of them”
Sure, you could get 1, 2, 3, or 4 scoops of ice cream. But why not get ALL OF THEM? Yes, at Milkjam, you can order all of their current flavors—which typically includes at least 16 different varieties. Did we mention that some of them are vegan and a select few contain alcohol? Pass the spoon, please!
Hell’s Kitchen: Bloody Mary Bar
How much can you pack into your Bloody Mary? We’re not talking about a single meat stick and maybe a couple of olives. Hell’s Kitchen’s 35-foot, jacked-up Bloody Mary bar includes 247 different hot sauces, gourmet salts, specialty olives, all kinds of cheeses, bacon, wings, peppers, mini muffins, and other delicious add-ons. It’s truly a meal in itself. (Note: the walk-through experience is currently on pause, but the restaurant offers a “Build-at-your-table” Bloody—they'll bring all the fixings to you!)
Blue Door Pub: Jiffy Burger
Peanut butter on a burger? Don’t knock it 'til you try it! The Jiffy Burger at Blue Door Pub (known for their Juicy Blucys, a spin on the Minneapolis-famous molten-cheese-filled burger) contains crunchy peanut butter, thick-cut bacon, mayo, and pickles and is stuffed with spicy pepper jack cheese.
Vinai Feast
Pop-up phenom Union Hmong Kitchen is renowned for its flavorful celebration of Hmong culture and rituals, and chef Yia Vang's private feast venture Vinai is raising the bar again. Served on banana leaves, eaten by hand, and featuring whole fish, whole roasted chickens, purple sticky rice, roasted seasonal veggies, fermented mustard greens, and more, this is an experience you'll never forget.
Taco Libre: The Machete
Tacos are great, of course, but have you every had an 18-inch long masa dough tortilla filled with Oaxacan cheese, sour cream, and your choice of meat or veggie fillings? The Machete from Taco Libre is sure to impress (and fill you up!).
Hi-Lo Diner: Hi-tops
It’s not a donut, it’s not a biscuit, it’s a hi top! Hi-Lo Diner is known for this unique mashup of fried dough with toppings that range from savory (think buttermilk fried chicken or pulled pork and eggs) or sweet (like the Velvet Elvis with peanut butter, honey, bacon, and banana).
Rise Bagel: The Artisan Breakfast Bagel
These organic artisan "Minneapolis Style" bagels got their start at the Fulton Farmers Market, and are now making a name in North Loop with all-day breakfast bagels like the Artisan—a bagel loaded with organic eggs, bacon, havarti cheese, arugula, rosemary butter, and apple mustard.
Mushroom Pecan Ice Cream from Bebe Zito
Small-batch scoop shop Bebe Zito features a few adventurous flavors on their menu, like Gochujang Brownie (spicy brownies made with Korean gochujang chili paste in dark chocolate ice cream), Vanilla MSG (Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream with a touch of MSG for flavor pop), and Mushroom Pecan, made with a rare mushroom that tastes like maple syrup!
Eye Candy at Waffle Bar
Waffle Bar's bubble waffle cones come loaded up with a variety of sweet and savory fillings, but this one is just extra outrageous. A rainbow explosion of vanilla ice cream, sprinkles, gummy bears, fruity pebbles, edible glitter, rock candy, and cotton candy. Dig in!
Café Astoria: 24k Latte
Looking for that Instagram-worthy coffee shot that actually tastes as good as it looks? Head to Café Astoria in St. Paul and order the 24k latte off of their not-so-secret secret menu (that you can check out here). The drink is topped with real, edible gold, amaretto, and white chocolate.
T-Rex ½ Pound Cookies
Half pound cookies. Need we say more? The sea salt caramel chocolate chip is a local favorite. If that’s not your style, they have 18 other flavors that rotate weekly at a variety of grocery stores, small food businesses, and restaurants around the metro area.
Cereal Milk French Toast from Hope Breakfast Bar
Breakfast of champions! French toast dipped in the milk leftover from your bowl of cereal that's slightly sweet that you wish you could drink by the cup instead of regular milk? Yeah, that stuff. To make it even better, it's topped with cotton candy and cream cheese maple syrup. Where else can you find that?
Anything at the Minnesota State Fair
From Sweet Martha’s giant bucket of chocolate chip cookies to duck drumsticks to deep fried avocado to peaches n' cream nachos to pickle pizza to waffles loaded with peanut butter cups and fruity pebbles, the State Fair has some of the most outrageous foods we’ve ever eaten. We dream about it all year long.
