Diane Moua’s Favorite Spots For International Food Spots in Minnesota

Between its grandiose baked goods (danishes that meld sweet pork with salted egg yolk and calamansi with raspberries, croissants wrapped around coconut pandan, and a breakfast sandwich blend of Spam, nori, chili crisp aioli, and fried egg) and Southeast Asian spins on brunch (snappy Hmong sausage with sticky rice, Thai tea French toast, pan-fried bean thread noodles), there’s nothing quite like it in Minneapolis.  

To help put her palate-expanding debut into perspective, we asked Moua — the daughter of Hmong refugees — to take us on a tour of her top spots for international food in Minneapolis and St. Paul.  

ARGENTINIAN  

I love Porzana. It’s my favorite restaurant from chef Daniel del Prado. It’s just got a vibe to it. You know that you’ll always have good drinks and good food there. It specializes in Argentinian steak, but even the veggies — like the broccoli — are so good. And they have these Argentinian [cheese rolls] that are gluten free. I can eat those all day. They come in a small bowl and they’re just amazing.

The drinks are great. Every time I go there, I ask the bartenders how they’re able to use their glasses and not break them. The stemware is so nice. It’s so delicate. If I go to a place that doesn’t have craft drinks, I’m fine; I’m like a Tito’s [vodka] and soda girl, but I do appreciate a good cocktail.  

CARIBBEAN  

Harry Singh’s has the best hot sauce. It’s got scorpion peppers in it. He sells food at the State Fair, too. I usually get the roti there. It’s like a wrap with jerk chicken, and some kind of chickpea spread or rice in there.  

CHINESE 

Shuang Cheng is a staple in Dinkytown, right by the University [of Minnesota]. They have this walleye with meat sauce dish. My boyfriend recommended it. I was like, “Meat on meat?” And he was like, “Yeah.” 

It’s ground pork. It looks like it’s going to be sweet, but it’s not. It’s really good. And they have these crab claws that are my daughter’s favorite. I love the pea tips and rice, too. The last time we went there, the four of us got like six dishes and it was all really good.  

[Rainbow Chinese chef] Tammy [Wong] is on another level. She’s so sweet — so kind — and her stuff is amazing too. I get the egg rolls everybody orders. They’re big and hearty and you’re full after just one of them. And she has these turnip cakes. They come in five pieces, and are seared on both sides. They’re really good.  

FRENCH 

If people are in town and looking for pastries, you gotta visit Black Walnut and Patisserie 46. Black Walnut has this egg souffle that’s so rich. I can’t tell if it’s the sauce or the egg, but it’s great if you’re sharing. 

The quiche at Patisserie 46 is amazing, as are all of [owner John Kraus’] pastries. His Cannelés de Bordeaux are so freaking good. I’ve never seen anybody make them as good as he can. They’re usually available on the weekend.  

HMONG  

Hmong Village has lots of restaurants and it’s inside, so if it’s hot outside or it’s raining, you’re safe. I have a stand that I go to for papaya salad there. It’s good every time, and there’s always a line, so I try to go on a weekday. I also get khaub poob, which is red curry with rice noodles. 

My kids will always get sticky rice with Hmong sausage, although my son said I ruined it for him the other day. He said it’s not the same as ours. It’s more coarse, and you can see tendons or fat in there. My grandparents love that, but the general public does not. That’s why we take a bunch of pork skin and cook our Hmong sausage down until it’s really soft.  

Hmongtown Marketplace is best in the summertime because they have a farmer’s market with the cheapest produce from these grannies and uncles. Eggplants are huge, and the mustard greens they grow here are amazing. I’m so scared about who’s going to be growing this stuff for us in 20 years. A small percentage of my generation is into gardening, but my kids? They’re not gonna garden. 

So I love Hmongtown for that in the summertime. Especially during pepper season, and young squash season. I go there, and I’m like, “yes.”  

There’s a [sports] bar in St. Paul called Cups & Cheers. It’s got different karaoke rooms you can rent out, and it’s owned by Hmong people. They have this dish I crave all the time called ta mee. It’s basically a papaya salad made with rice noodles. They blanch the rice noodles and toss them in this papaya sauce with shrimp, meatballs and long beans. It’s so freaking good. And they have beef brisket with sticky rice and hot sauce that’s really good.  

Unison is great too. It’s maybe two blocks away from Cups & Cheers. They have deep-fried pork intestines. The first time I had it, I couldn’t tell if I liked it because I was so drunk or because it was so good. So I went back and it was so crispy, almost like a potato chip. And they have deep-fried chili peppers on there. It’s my jam. You can see it’s like a ring from the large intestine, but they wash it really well and I don’t know what they do with it, but it’s so good.  

LAOTIAN 

I love what [chef Ann Ahmed] is doing at Lat14. Her food is very traditional and authentic; she doesn’t take shortcuts to appeal to a certain palate. If you go to [her other restaurant] Gai Noi, you can order the papaya salad, and if you want heat, you can have it. The sticky rice isn’t a compromise, either. 

I really enjoy ordering small bites at the Lat14 bar, though. Things like the chicken wings. Her curries are really good too, and her drinks are really beautiful. She’s got this lychee cocktail that’s really good. Lychee cocktails are too sweet sometimes, but hers has just the right balance.  

MEXICAN 

El Taco Riendo is in Northeast Minneapolis, right on Central Avenue. If I want tacos, that’s where I’m going. It’s freaking great. I get the tongue and the tripe.

It’s not really tripe, actually. It’s the small intestines, and they cook them on the flattop so they get really crispy. I’ve never had it cooked like that before. It’s usually soft, or they chop it up, so it ends up chewy like mochi. Asians love that texture, but not everyone else does.  

You should get everything on the menu at Oro by Nixta. Don’t go by yourself, or as a table for two; you need to go with a group of four. They change the menu often. I’d go for the small plates. I’m not a big entree person. 

The place is so small, there’s sacks of corn stacked in the dining room. It’s pretty amazing that they process all of that. I’m glad my boyfriend and I went before they got all these accolades. It’s so much harder to get a seat now; I don’t even try.   

NEW AMERICAN 

All Saints is also good at small plates and veggie dishes. I remember this charred cabbage came out…. I thought someone messed up my plate, but it was so good. The char on one side was almost blackened, where it’s gonna turn white, and it was served with a salsa verde and some breadcrumbs. It was so simple, but done so well you know you couldn’t do the same thing at home. 

When I go out, I want something like that — something that’s a little bit elevated, but not stuffy fine dining.  

THAI  

Thai Cafe on University [Avenue] has the best sour pork. Hot Grainz is this little stall in St. Paul. It’s in a building on Lexington and University that probably sells insurance. You walk up, you order, and you can sit down, but they only have like five tables. Everything [chef Aunyamanee Ritneatikun] does there is so freaking good, especially the papaya salad.  

VIETNAMESE  

If I’m busy, Quang is my to-go place. I can go in, sit down, and know that it’s gonna come out quick and consistent every single time. I usually get the pho combo (pho thap cam). It has tripe, tendon, meatballs, flank steak, and brisket. 

The bún bò huế is so good, too. There’s also this platter with greens, herbs, steamed vermicelli noodles, carrots and meatballs. You basically make a lettuce wrap out of it. It’s great, but it’s messy.