It ’s hard to keep rail of all the great thing to eat in the Twin Cities when newfangled , tasty position are unceasingly append to the roster . There ’s also something to be say for the city ’ large hidden gems , and I late make the liquid ecstasy from aboriginal and famous person chef Andrew Zimmern . TheBizarre FoodsandBizarre Worldhost dished about his favorite under - the - radar spots – which are a lot less outlandish , and a lot more delicious .

Shuang Cheng

“ I conceive the biggest problem with Taiwanese eating house all across the country is that they have like 400 - item menus , and they ’re really only good at 20 or 30 dish , ” said Zimmern . He advise ensure out the whole Dungeness Cancer or whole lobster , the whole steamed walleye , or the roasted duck’s egg grub fun .

Marla’s Caribbean Cuisine

This southside staple fibre consistently does a slap-up business , but it ’s a place that , all too often , gets overlooked . accord to Zimmern , “ My very typical lunch is a forked Holy Order of her annexe , and I always save room for [ the ] sweet potato pie . ”

Szechuan Spice

“ I recall they have the best honest ma po tofu in town , ” Zimmern say of this Chinese spot on the bound of Uptown . He also founder a nod to the kung pao chicken as a must - try .

Evergreen

When multitude polish off Eat Street , it ’s typically for one of its many well - make love pho restaurants . But this little Cantonese spot is one worth checking out , and it ’s also got the goods when it comes to vegetarian and vegan dining . allot to Zimmern , “ I think they still have the good pan - fried potstickers in town , and their sautéed garden egg looker is out of controller ! ”

On’s Kitchen

On ’s has long been a great daub for Thai food for those in the know , and it ’s in spades the kind of place where you ’re miss out on something special if you have n’t been . Any and all of the bonce soups are excellent , and the deep - fried tilapia is also outstanding .

Rainbow Chinese

A longtime staple in the world of Twin Cities Chinese dining , Rainbow Chinese , owned by chef Tammy Wong , never fail to dole out systematically delightful food . As Zimmern tells it , “ For a eating house that ’s been exposed for , like , 400 class , their Szechuan wantons with black bean are still one of the best dishes in the Twin Cities . ”

Pho 79

Note that we ’re peach about the St. Paul location and not the one located on Minneapolis ’ Eat Street ( which is also quite good ) –   but according to Chef Zimmern , “ I think their spring rolls are better and their soups are dependable . It ’s a belittled eating house that is n’t as heavily trafficked and it just has a very personal level of service there , and I really care it . ”

The Dirty Bird

The newest stead from chef Erick Harcey is churning out doll and sides good than anybody else . Even though it ’s Modern , Zimmern say it ’s absolutely deserving your time . “ This may not be underrated because it ’s new , so who ’s to say . It ’s only a couplet of calendar month old , but I really liked my bird . ”

Bangkok Thai Deli

This petty Thai eatery made ourbest pho list ,   and with respectable reason . Zimmern also said it is one of his favored Thai spots in the Twin Cities . He suggested any of Bangkok ’s curries , or the larb , which is a variety of Thai - style gist salad .

Quang

This is easily one of our favorite places to strike in Ithiel Town , and we do so with frequency . But some of the dishes that Zimmern recommends are thing we have yet to try . “ They have a nettled roll with porc and quail egg with little bits of Vietnamese fermented sausage , ” Zimmern articulate . “ They do it like twice a week –   like Mondays and Fridays . It was so labor - intensive that they had to take it off the menu because it was so democratic , but now it ’s back . ”

Pho Tau Bay

Another one of our best-loved pho speckle , Pho Tau Bay can be easily forgotten because of its location on the out-and-out end of Eat Street ( which also happens to be a utter closing ) . In addition to the pho , Zimmern recommends mark off out one of its awesome stir - nestling dish .

St. Paul Meat Shop

A in force sandwich is a thing of beauty – and its sister sandwich shop , France 44 , made ourbest sandwiches in the city list–   so you recognize this place has dumbfound to be practiced . consort to Zimmern , “ If this stead were in another urban center , there ’d be a line out the door for sandwiches ” – and he ’s probablyvery right on .

Hmong Marketplace

OK , so this is n’t a restaurant ,   but this market and food court has some of the proficient and most interesting eating chance in the Twin Cities . Zimmern said he always create a beeline for the first stall by the entrance . “ I ’m there like twice a month and I never calculate to see what the name is , but there ’s a lady that does all of the green papaya salads to ordinate in her big mortar and pestle . I sleep with that intellectual nourishment court . ”

Dong Yang

This is another one of ourfavorite bit , and quite possibly the good Korean food in the Twin Cities – and Zimmern agrees . There ’s nothing on the carte that is n’t pleasant-tasting . The tteokbokki ( stir - fry Timothy Miles Bindon Rice cakes ) are just as crazy - good as the pancake - like pajeon , the bibimbap , and the grilled short ribs . If you have n’t been yet , it ’s located inside a Korean grocery shop , and is 1,000 % deserving the trip .

Kramarczuk’s

Eastern European food for thought is something that is sorely underrepresented on this list , but this Northeast mainstay has been doing it up good and proper since the middle of last century . “ There are the devotees , but I ca n’t severalise you how many people I relegate into that do n’t cognise that you could actually go in there and get a large kielbasa or a griddle sausage with pepper and onions actually in their cafeteria , which is one of the best Leontyne Price values in the Twin Cities . ”The cabbage pealing are also arguably are one of the best things you may get in the Twin Cities .

Cheng Heng

When it total to Kampuchean culinary art in the Twin Cities , Zimmern is assured that this isthe spot . It ’s all about the bonce soups , which “ are much dissimilar from the soup pipe bowl and hot pots at other Asiatic eatery . ” You ’ll have to try out ‘ em for yourself to find out why .

Trieu Chau

Trieu Chau is another corking Vietnamese restaurant with a softheaded - delicious bowl of pho that made our good - of list ( and its egg rolls are pretty self-colored , too ) . Once you ’ve had those , be sure to check out some of the other soup , stir - fry dishes , and tush , all of which have been nothing shy of starring .

Taco Libre

We just recently added this to our good new eatery in the city list , and according to Zimmern , it is indeed a spot that you should think hitting . Check out the Machete , a fry taco that ’s over a ft long and filled with all kinds of delicious . Of naturally , the other more Hellenic tacos are jolly great , too .

Pineda Tacos

More tacos ! It ’s always dandy discover a new position to grab a set of one of our favorite foods , and if you have n’t strike up Pineda yet , mayhap now ’s the clip . According to Zimmern , the poulet and chipotle taco are where it ’s at .

Mandarin Kitchen

If you ’re reckon for delicious obtuse sum , Zimmern suggests hitting up this fiddling strip mall out in Bloomington that , on the weekends , features a mixture of yummy dumplings and small-scale bites . During the balance of the week , the menu features a ton of classic entrees .

Heyday

We ’ve beensinging the praisesof Heyday since it opened its door and , in our opinion , it ’s easily one of the best position in the country . The food is of the high gauge , and the prices are passing reasonable , give that you ’re being served food that recently blew away major chef Ferran Adrià and José Andrés . “ For a restaurant to have such a famous chef that Jim [ Christiansen ] is over at Heyday , I ’m always surprised how … most Minnesotans in the mainstream only talk about a fistful of restaurants in town and do n’t let in Heyday , ” he enounce . “ I think that Heyday is the most underrated eatery of any kind in the Twin Cities , and you could quote me on that . ”Sign up herefor our daily MSP email and be the first to get all the food / drink / playfulness the Twin Cities have to proffer .

andrew zimmern

Aaron Davidson/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Shuang Cheng

Shuang Cheng (edited)

Szechuan Spice

Szechuan Spice

Rainbow Chinese

Rainbow Chinese

The Dirty Bird

The Dirty Bird

quang’s

quang’s|Flickr/Sharyn morrow

St. Paul Meat Shop

Emily Schnobrich/St. Paul Meat Shop

Dong Yang

Dong Yang|Keane Amdahl/Thrillist

Trieu Chau

Trieu Chau|Keane Amdahl/Thrillist

Pineda Tacos

Pineda Tacos|Flickr/Bjorn