10 Outstanding Tasting Menu Restaurants to Try in Minneapolis
Sometimes, it’s just nice to know what you’re going to get. And with these Minneapolis tasting menus, you know what you’re going to get is really, really good. We’ve rounded up 10 of the finest tasting menu restaurants in Minneapolis, from tiny and exclusive to cozy, warm, and rustic. Whether you’re craving modern Mediterranean, fine fresh pasta, or a stunning kaiseki experience, there’s something here that’ll knock your socks off.
1. Alma
Northeast Minneapolis: 528 University Ave. SE
(612) 379-4909
It’s “one of Minneapolis’s most celebrated restaurants” for a reason: Since 2000, Alex and Margo Roberts have made their mark on the city’s culinary scene with a seasonal tasting menu that’s warm, welcoming—and at the same time, obviously elite. The $115/person, five-course dining experience is approximately two hours long, and there’s always a thoughtful vegetarian tasting menu ($95) offered alongside the standard seasonal menu. Gluten-friendly, dairy-free, and vegan options are all welcomed upon request.
2. The Bungalow Club
Longfellow neighborhood: 4300 E. Lake Street
(612) 866-3334
At $75 per person, The Bungalow Club’s Family Feast feels like getting away with something. Simply enjoy your evening and let the kitchen, helmed by chef Andrew Kraft, send an assortment of seasonal dishes your way. The emphasis at Bungalow Club is on handmade pasta, and while the menu changes often, you can expect an array of hearty-but-pretty plates. The prix fixe menu is offered Thursday through Saturday, and dietary restrictions can be accommodated. You can, and should, add a flight of three wines for another $25—the wine program here is excellent. One of Minneapolis’s best-kept secrets, if you ask us.
3. Demi
North Loop: 212 N. Second St.
(612) 404-1123
It’s tiny; it’s exclusive; it’s an experience unlike any other restaurant in town. Chef Gavin Kaysen’s Demi, nestled down a side street in Minneapolis’s North Loop, seats just 20 people around its U-shaped wooden bar at a time. The Barrington Menu ($125) is a seven-course tasting menu offered on Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday evenings. The WC Whitney Menu ($175) builds on the Barrington’s foundations each Friday and Saturday evening, with additional courses that amp up the experience. You won’t get the menu until your meal is finished, so sit back, relax, and give in to one of the most magical dining opportunities in town.
4. Mara
Downtown: 245 Hennepin Ave.
(612) 895-5709
Also from chef Gavin Kaysen, Mara is a Mediterranean restaurant situated inside Four Seasons Hotel Minneapolis. While the a la carte menu is available daily, there’s also Chef’s Table at Mara: a tasting menu that offers a little look into the “inner workings” of the kitchen, with dishes that aren’t available elsewhere in the restaurant. You can book the Chef’s Table experience for groups of two to four at $135 per person.
5. Giulia
Downtown: 215 S. 4th St.
(612) 215-5450
Located in the Hotel Emery in downtown Minneapolis, Giulia feels fresh, vibrant, and modern—and so do its takes on Northern Italian cuisine, thanks to Executive Chef Brandon Hurley and chefs Steven Brown and Chris Johnson. At Giulia’s Chef’s Counter Tasting Experience, Executive Chef Hurley will take you on a five-course culinary journey over the course of about two hours, with an evolving menu that in the past has included dishes like Pressed Lamb with citrus cabbage cream and Maitake Pasta with mushrooms, ricotta, and braised beets. The menu is offered on Tuesday and Wednesday nights for $85 a person, with optional beverage pairings for an additional $45.
6. Kado No Mise
North Loop: 33 N. First Ave., Second Floor
(612) 338-1515
Kado No Mise, the outstanding North Loop sushi restaurant from chef Shigeyuki Furukawa, offers three set omakase menus: “ume” ($84 a person), “take” ($138 a person), and “matsu” ($192 a person). In each, you’ll enjoy truly gorgeous sushi and other Japanese dishes, all served with exacting precision in a thoughtfully curated sequence. “The omakase experience involves an element of surrender and trust, but that trust is rewarded with a diversity of flavors and the best that our restaurant has to offer,” Kado No Mise’s website explains. Go ahead: surrender yourself to an incredible night.
7. Kaiseki Furukawa
North Loop: 33 N. First Ave., Second Floor
(612) 338-1515
Kaiseki Furukawa, the chef’s counter sister restaurant to Kado No Mise, offers an even more specialized culinary adventure. Available only on Tuesdays, with seatings at 5:30 and 8:30 p.m., this rotating 10-course seasonal kaiseki tasting menu is the pinnacle of Japanese dining in Minneapolis. At $213 per person, it’s not your everyday splurge, but it’s really magnificent. There is truly nothing else like it in Minnesota.
8. Tenant
Kingfield neighborhood: 4300 Bryant Ave S
(612) 827-8111
The tiny Tenant packs a big punch. With its open kitchen and small (just six seat!) counter, this south Minneapolis corner restaurant has a comfortably come-as-you-are vibe that’s reflected in the tasting menu. From chef de cuisine Cameron Cecchini and general manager Grisha Hammes, Tenant’s menu is described as “casual,” but it’s the memorable kind of casual, with six seasonal courses ($80) that all feel really special. The dinner is $80 with optional wine pairings for another $40, and most dietary restrictions can be accommodated (with the exception of vegan and dairy free diners). Get there early? Not ready to leave after your meal? The bar Next Door is open to restaurant diners and to walk-ins, with classic cocktails, snacks, and TenantWursts.
9. Travail Kitchen & Amusements
Robbinsdale: 4134 Hubbard Ave. N.
(763) 535-1131
Among its many inspirations, Travail’s ever-evolving chef’s tasting menu lists “the whimsy of ideas.” You’ll certainly sense that in the playful, joyful, and often weird—in a good way!—tasting menus that are offered. It could be Travail Roadhouse, with a meaty menu of Tex Mex dishes. It could be Buddies Bar, with food and drinks inspired by a group of… friends living in New York City. Right now, they’ve got an eight-course menu inspired by a certain paper company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Between the signature tasting menu and the basement bar, there’s always something fun happening at Travail, where you kinda get dinner and a show.
10. Owamni
Downtown: 420 S. First St.
(612) 444-1846
Now, there isn’t always a prix fixe option at Owamni, the award-winning Indigenous restaurant from chef Sean Sherman. But the restaurant has offered tasting menus in the past, like the 13-course Waníyetu (“winter”) menu. With this limited-time tasting menu, the restaurant pushed back on fine dining’s Eurocentric focus, with dishes like braised elk, walleye, and venison tartare. If they’re offering a tasting menu, you might want to check it out. (If they’re not offering one… you might want to check Owamni out anyway.)
