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Let's Lunch
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Where and why and on what we lunch—these are the questions of adult human life. Zebras don’t lunch. Lions and chimpanzees don’t, either. We may say they do. We may even provide these noble beasts a mid-size meal at noon because we presume everyone likes a mid-size meal to separate the work of the morning from the work of the afternoon, but these regal animals don’t really lunch. They eat what they can, when they can, simply because a fresh patch of grass or a wounded gazelle or a fruit plate presents itself. Human children do lunch, but not freely. They get cheese sandwiches in their lunchbox and, upon opening it, they like it or lump it. In fact, maturity as a citizen in present-day life is marked by the minute, the hour, the day you are put in charge of your own lunch. A 17-year-old gets a taco on a tray from the school cafeteria; an 18-year-old gets to leave campus and eat whatever they want. Lunch is freedom! Ah, freedom: the one thing every truly successful American lacks. Let’s face it, adult life is an arena in which you make a series of trades, accepting ever-greater amounts of responsibility and ceding ever-greater amounts of freedom. This goes on until, if you are truly a pillar of your community, you end up with about 20 free minutes a week to call your own. And the odds are great—almost a lock, even—that you will spend that time on lunch. But beware: If you don’t pay attention, you might end up eating at the chain sandwich place with meat that tastes like salted marshmallow. So make the most of your hard-earned adult freedom: Eat lunch. And eat lunch well, at one of the following 75 places—the best lunches in the Twin Cities.
15 Best Mill City Lunches
Bombay Bistro South Indian
820 Marquette Ave., Mpls., 612-312-2800, bombaybistromn.com
Paper dosa as thin as gossamer filled with silky potatoes blended with toasted cumin seeds and roasted vegetables is just one of the many reasons to seek out this all-you-can-eat buffet.
Kikugawa
120 S. Sixth St., Suite 211, Mpls., 612-746-1769, kikugawa-restaurant.com
The staff makes sushi to order, using the top-quality fish and mad sushi-sculpting skills that Kikugawa is known for. Bonus: They serve real pork ramen—the best-kept secret in town.
Quang
2719 Nicollet Ave. S., Mpls., 612-870-4739, quangrestaurant.com
The Vietnamese lunch specials, like the gelatinous curried Mi Bo Kho, are unusual and plum delicious. The prices are as cheap as ever, too.
Blackbird
3800 Nicollet Ave., Mpls., 612-823-4790, blackbirdmpls.com
Blackbird has been reborn after the fire that leveled its first location, and now it’s a thorough charmer. The banh mi is famous, but the pork and talleggio is a winner, too.
D’Amico Kitchen
901 Hennepin Ave., Mpls., 612-767-6960, damico-kitchen.com
The dining room holds one of North America’s nicest publicly accessible collections of contemporary art, and the food manages to be both robust and delicate.
The Dakota
1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., 612-332-1010, dakotacooks.com
The Dakota, the great restaurant that most people mistakenly think of as merely one of the nation’s leading jazz clubs, is a fresh, haute, and affordable spot for top-notch dining.
Vincent
1100 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., 612-630-1189, vincentarestaurant.com
The two-course, $12.50, Monday-to- Friday lunch at Vincent is one of the best reasons to work in downtown Minneapolis.
Lucia’s
1432 W. 31st St., Mpls., 612-825-1572, lucias.com
On top of their game for three decades and counting. Anything with chicken from Callister Farm in West Concord, Minnesota, is particularly good, be it mustard-poached or roasted on a salad of new sugar-snap peas.
Manny’s
1300 Nicollet Ave., Mpls., 612-339-9900, mannyssteakhouse.com
Nothing says power in Minneapolis like an invite to Manny’s. Order the surf-and-turf sliders, one a generous pile of fresh red lobster served on a sweet pillowy bun, the other a well-charred little steakhouse burger.
TOP TAKEOUT
Surdyk’s Bewiched French Meadow Café Rustica | Kramarczuk’s Heartland Cheeky Monkey Deli France 44 Cheese Shop
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Masa
There isn’t supposed to be class in American society—no upper class, no lower class; we’re all just somewhere in the middle. Of course, we know that isn’t true, and class is most easily observed these days when it comes to tacos. If your taco is hard shelled and comes with south-of-the-border-accented Tater Tots, woe betides. If your taco is made of heritage pork and Minnesota-grown corn, however, good for you! But if your tacos come from Masa? Well, that’s when you know you have achieved the ultimate lunch—one not of a classless society, but of classy society. At Masa, it’s all about the whole picture: pretty ceramic plates filled with savory, authentic, chef-made tacos (Chef Saul Chavez hails from Morelia, Mexico). Oh, those tacos! They are filled with wonderful things like al pastor-marinated pork gilded with spice and pineapple, and shredded chicken with chipotle crema. Making these tacos even more delicious is the line of foolish souls queued up outside the Chipotle down the street. Don’t those people know they’re paying practically the same price for a tenth the enjoyment? That they could be dining on better food in an improved atmosphere just steps away? Oh well, pearls before swine and all that. But if you know how to tell pearls from paste, Masa’s the one for you.
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Reader Comments:
Mutt Bucket · 106 years old
Bayport is inconsistent at best. I've had ribs there that were way underdone and ribs that were way overdone....everything tastes the same...oak wood....they had a buffet there last weekend that was illegal....no sneeze guard, no ice on the cold stuff that sat out for hours.. When I told the owner he chuckled and said," Yep, breakin' the law, I'm not worried about it." I guess the customer doesn't matter. Arrogance doesn't begin to describe this guy...he said his buffet was a one off deal...but he's having another one this weekend....how may one off deals does it take. I hope he sees the light and complies with the law...
I won't be back. Not worth the drive.
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I agree. Bayport was terrible and I went there twice. It wasn't only mine that was poor, but the other three people who went with me. Wouldn't recommend it and echo the sentiments of the previous author.