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Best (Specific) Food Around: From City Pages
Best Pizza:
Black Sheep Coal Fired Pizza
600 Washington Ave. N,
Minneapolis, MN
612.342.2625
Their anthracite coal oven, which is a first in Minnesota, delivers a crust that is crisp but chewy, thin but not crackery, and just firm enough to hold a slice with one hand. They have six pizzas to choose from (at 12 or 16 inches) and a full list of ingredients to design your own. The personal hot salami and dried chile pepper ($9) is a common pick, but try their large tomato and oregano ($12) with added smoked mozzarella, garlic, and fresh cherry tomatoes. With its perfect mix of sharp and sweet flavors, it's the finest pizza in the metro this year.
Best Burger:
The Blue Door Pub
1811 Selby Ave.
St. Paul, MN
651.493.1865
The Blue Door serves up several stellar versions of Minneapolis's famed Jucy Lucy, plus our new Best in Show, the Jiffy Burger. Its tender, seasoned patty is topped with three chewy strips of thick-cut bacon, melted pepper jack cheese, a slather of mayonnaise, and an improbable swipe of crunchy peanut butter. Seriously. The combination works because the peanut butter, bacon, and pepper jack pair with the meat in a way that evokes a spicy, smoky, Thai-style beef satay dunked in a nutty dipping sauce.
Best Fries:
Herkimer Pub and Brewery
2922 Lyndale Ave. S
Minneapolis, MN
612.821.0101
Pulling double duty as slightly salty and suddenly sweet, these deeply orange-hued fries are surprisingly crispy on the outside yet still creamy in the center, and perfectly free of the oily limpness that can easily befall a French fry. This is a well-deserved makeover for the sweet potato, complete with a satisfying crunch. A heaping basket at happy hour is just $3.95 and comes with a smoky chipotle ketchup, but these unique fries taste just as good dunked in the Herkimer's chipotle mayonnaise.
Best BBQ:
Pastor Hamilton's Bar-B-Que
1150 7th St. E.
St. Paul, MN
651.772.0279
At Hamilton's, salvation comes in the form of barbecue pork ribs, chicken, and beef brisket served like they do in the sorts of no-frills Southern havens where you place your order at one hole in the wall and your food comes out another. Hamilton's barbecue is a comfortable classic: the meat tender and rich with—holy?—smoke and slopped with his Arkansas family's secret orange sauce—sweet, tangy, and garlic-heavy. (Takeout comes with a slice of soft white bread tucked into a Ziploc baggie with a plastic fork.) Hamilton himself usually staffs the counter and always seems ready to talk about his plans to lift up his community—a portion of barbecue funds goes to the Youth College Fund.
Best Tacos:
La Sirena Gorda
920 E Lake St. #124
Minneapolis, MN
612.870.0037
For those looking for a taco that doesn't leave the lips coated in fat, the shrimp version at La Sirena Gorda is the best bet in town. Succulent shrimp are sautéed in onions, corn, and cilantro and served with a side of savory rice. La Sirena Gorda specializes in seafood, and unlike the string of shops on Lake Street, it's not dirt-cheap. But it's more than affordable—a plate of tacos with rice will set you back between $7.95 and $9.50.
Best Burrito:
El Burrito Mercado
175 Cesar Chavez St.
St. Paul, MN
651.227.2192
Served cafeteria-style, the mercado's burritos are filled with one of a dozen different guisados (a traditional meat stew of chicken, pork, or beef) and can be stuffed with any number of delicious additions like fresh guacamole and colorful salsas that range from Minnesota mild to sinus-clearing. The portions are generous, and finishing an entire burrito and sides is an accomplishment. Luckily, diners can work off their meals (and maybe even make room for a churro?) by wandering the mercado's aisles, gathering the same homemade salsas and smoky moles for (scaled-down) DIY burritos at home.
Best Bagels:
Common Roots Cafe
2558 Lyndale Ave. S
Minneapolis, MN
612.871.2360
Common Roots is committed to fair-trade, organic, and sustainable ingredients whenever possible. Its flour and honey come from a Minnesota mill and farm, and the malt powder travels from only as far as Wisconsin. To keep the spotlight on the bagels' highly praised texture, flavors are nice and simple: plain, poppy seed, sesame seed, and onion, which can be complemented by smoked salmon and the cafe's exquisite cream cheeses.
Best Doughnuts:
Granny Donut
1555 Robert St. S.
West St. Paul, MN
651.451.6132
Owner Xuan To has been running this family shop for 22 years, and he knows his way around a fryer. His raised varieties are justly famous, his cake doughnuts are sizzled to a delicate crunch, and his apple fritters are fried just right—till every edge is crispy. The vibe is friendly, and the price of indulgence comes cheap enough: 70 cents apiece, $1.10 for fancies, or $7.49 for a dozen. There's a good chance they'll be even cheaper than that, since Xuan To has the endearing habit of throwing in a free or "specially priced" sample for good measure.
Best Pancakes:
Good Day Cafe
5410 Wayzata Boulevard
Golden Valley, MN
763.544.0205
At Good Day Cafe, the famous glazed doughnut pancakes come in a Bunyan-size stack of four, topped with a ball of whipped butter and dusted with powdered sugar. Their flavor really does replicate that simple, childhood sweetness of pure vanilla and powdered sugar. The pancakes' texture is so soft that it's almost creamy, and they're light enough that each bite practically dissolves on the tongue.
Best Hummus:
Falafel King
701 W Lake St.
Minneapolis, MN
612.824.7887
Creamy and rich, their hummus blends perfectly with the flavor of pita, or falafel, or nearly anything else you'd care to dip in it. Add kalamata olives to an order of pita and hummus and you'd be hard-pressed to find a better lunch.
Best Egg Roll:
Taste of Thailand
1753 Old Hudson Rd
St. Paul, MN
651.774.6905
The vegetables are crisp and the roll itself flaky and bubbly with just the right amount of chewiness. The whole package comes out tasting refreshingly meaty, but without the overpowering flavor of MSG. Best of all is the dipping sauce, a delicious combination of fish oil, honey, red pepper flakes, and peanuts. It's an appetizer worthy of the entrée menu.
Best Cheese Curds:
Red Stag Supper Club
509 1st Ave. NE
Minneapolis, MN
612.767.7766
Served in a paper cone, these hot babies melt in your mouth and go perfectly with a dab of ketchup. Chef Brian Hauke is a Wisconsin native, meaning that this dairy delight was not put on the menu without careful consideration. Flaky and flavorful, the Stag's cheese curds are made to be enjoyed with a beer.
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