10 Great Restaurants in Minneapolis

Demi offers an upscale, artistic, and elegant approach to fine dining with a tasting menu that is built from top to bottom to create a special occasion-specific experience. Operated by celebrity chef Gavin Kaysen, this intimate venue has seen every last detail handpicked to provide an experience that feels like an escape to something different from the hustle and bustle of the world outside. Many consider this place to be something approaching the pinnacle of fine dining in Minneapolis.

The menu here is as intimate as the restaurant itself, with entirely small bites and focused on tasting only. This is a place where you come for food in small portions, prepared lovingly and expertly. It's right downtown.

Alma has become a destination for the foodie crowd looking for a crown jewel of the local fine dining scene offering fine wine, locally sourced food, and intimate decor. The menu here is focused on New American cuisine with seasonal meals that are sourced from local producers, so not only are you getting an elegant, upscale dining experience, but also one that's ethically and sustainably sourced. They also have a café where you can grab coffee and baked goods, or a light lunch.

The craft cocktails and beer menu here are also outstanding, as is the cultivated wine list. It's just 7 minutes east from the heart of downtown Minneapolis.

Owamni by The Sioux Chef is a unique, upscale dining experience featuring true indigenous North American cooking with a completely decolonized menu prepared in authentic style. This means that nothing on the menu has any ingredients that existed after Europeans arrived on the continent. You'll get no refined sugar, no flour, and no dairy products at all in any of the recipes here. The end result is meals that are completely different from anything you have likely had before, but still incredibly delicious from start to finish.

As you eat, you'll think about food in a different way and learn about how to eat more natural and less processed fare. Owamni by The Sioux Chef is in central downtown.

Murray's is a 3rd-generation family-owned establishment that offers a memorable experience with a classic steakhouse menu in a historic building in the heart of downtown. The restaurant is in one of the oldest buildings in Minneapolis, dating to the 1880s. The atmosphere is laid back, welcoming, and family-friendly. The owners bring their sense of family values and history to every aspect of the place, and since the beginning with their grandparents, the Murrays have been boosters of the local small business community.

Murray's serves lunch, dinner, and drinks. As a classic steakhouse, their wide range of beef cuts is their signature. They also offer a range of other dishes, from Duroc pork chops to Australian lobster tail.

The Capital Grille is a national chain restaurant that offers up fantastic quality food, world-class wines, and a welcoming, upscale, and classy vibe for your night out. The menu includes such upscale appetizers as lobster and crab cakes, fresh oysters, smoked bacon with tomato jam, and pan-fried calamari with hot peppers. The regular chef's specials include such items as porcini rubbed bone-in ribeye with 15-year aged balsamic and seared tenderloin with butter poached lobster tails. If something more standard is your jam, you can try the roasted chicken breast.

The lobster mac and cheese is also always a hit. For dessert, try the crème brûlée or the homemade cheesecake. It's all right in the heart of downtown.

Spoon and Stable in the North Loop downtown is ideal for just about any occasion from casual brunches to special anniversaries, offering everything from bar eats to vegan options. To get a formal table, you'll need a reservation, and they can be tough to get at this popular restaurant. You can, however, walk in and sit at the bar and lounge, which still offers a full menu plus some extras you can only get there, like duck meatloaf sliders, pork tacos, and a weekly ramen night.

The vibe here is casual and elegant, with dark wood and a classic bar. If you're eating at the bar, try one of the craft cocktails made with top-shelf spirits.

Parlour is a North Loop restaurant in the heart of downtown offering craft burgers made with ground chuck and ribeye steak for an outstanding and juicy flavor. It's a mid-priced restaurant serving up multi-patty burgers on extra-toasted egg buns with tons of gooey melted American cheese and pickles on top. Fries are extra, but they're also worth the price.

The restaurant also has a full bar where you can grab a beer or an excellent craft cocktail whipped up by an expert mixologist. While you eat, you'll be surrounded by dark wood and just an overall great vibe. Whether you're looking for lunch, dinner, or late-night eats, Parlour has you covered, and the burgers here tend to create return customers.

Travail Kitchen and Amusements is a restaurant run by a collective of chefs that specialize in creating a party atmosphere with craft meals and cocktails in a gigantic building. In fact, the current location for Travail is its third, as the restaurant keeps outgrowing its spots. That's just how popular it is. You can enjoy city views from the rooftop terrace or hang out in a speakeasy-style basement bar, and the fun, while vibrant, is always sophisticated and elegant. They offer unique concepts and experimental meals with menu specials like prosciutto-wrapped porchetta in a family-style meal and parking-lot seafood boils.

From takeout family-style meals to in-house parties, this place offers something for everyone. It's 15 minutes west of downtown.

The Oceanaire Seafood Room is a national seafood chain specializing in fresh-caught fish and seafood plus specialty cocktails and an outstanding cultivated wine list. They offer an expansive list of oysters on the half shell, lobster cocktails, caviar, crab legs, and delicious appetizers from crab cakes to jumbo sea scallops. Their chef's specialties of the house include a mixed shellfish grill, surf and turf, and beef tenderloin bourbonzola, among others. From simply prepared grilled salmon with lemon butter to prime steakhouse cuts of beef, this is the place to come for your classic surf and turf meal.

You can also try house specialty craft cocktails whipped up by seasoned mixologists. This award-winning restaurant is in the heart of downtown.

Doolittles Woodfire Grill is a classic family-style grill where you can enjoy the unique flavor of roasted meat over an open wood flame, a great wine list, and relaxed vibes. The restaurant opened its doors in 1989 and has grown consistently since then, and it's still owned by the original creators. The menu is entirely chef-driven and continues to evolve. The experience is completely centered around the guest experience, so whether you're in it for a quick family dinner or you want to have a special-occasion meal, this is the ideal location.

From prime cuts of meat to the outdoor fire pit, this restaurant offers a unique and special vibe from top to bottom. It's 20 minutes south of town.