Two Minneapolis restaurants make New York Times' list of favorites in the U.S.

Two Minneapolis restaurants have been placed on the New York Times ' annual "Restaurant List," picking its 50 favorite eateries in the U.S.

Two relatively new restaurants, Oro by Nixta and Vinai, sitting less than a block apart, received the prestigious recognition on Tuesday.

Oro by Nixta has been collecting praise in the state and nationally over the last couple of years. The restaurant run by Kate and Gustavo Romero, which opened in the spring of 2023, has already been named a 2023 Best New Restaurant James Beard Award finalist , was listed among Bon Appetit 's 20 Best New Restaurants in 2024 , and was declared the Star Tribune 's Restaurant of the Year in 2023.

The Times ' recognized Oro's evolution from a takeout space and a hub for tortillas to a revered restaurant, citing its "passion for nixtamalized corn" as part of the recipe for success. "Imagine a taqueria with a tasting-menu restaurant’s ambitions, and none of its pretensions," Brett Anderson wrote in the "The Restaurant List."

While Oro by Nixta has only been open a short while, it looks a lifetime compared to Chef Yia Vang's Vinai, which only opened in July . Though, while Vang has operated Union Hmong Kitchen for years, Vinai has long been in the works.

"The chef’s personal take on [Hmong cuisine] is arresting, packed with chile and citrus, often streaked with wood smoke, and always suffused with back story," Anderson wrote of the restaurant.

"Food is a universal language we can use to speak to each other. Regardless of our race, creed, sexuality or economic stance; food is what brings us together. My mother and father believed in that. I (Yia) believe in that. We (Vinai) believe in that," Vang wrote on Instagram .

"In less than three months I've seen a team of people come together because they believe in the vision of two poor Hmong refugees who fought and sacrificed for their sons and daughters to have a chance of a future," he continued. "Vinai is built on the idea that there's always a space for grace within our doors."

Related: Hai Hai's Christina Nguyen wins James Beard Award for Best Chef: Midwest

Diane's Place, only four blocks away and the work of James Beard Award-nominated former Spoon and Stable pastry chief Diane Moua, got a call out from the NYT as well. The Times' Anderson called it "a terrific, Hmong American bakery and cafe."

In recent years, Minneapolis restaurants have been a regular sight on the Times' list, with Gai Noi recognized in 2023, Petite Leon in 2022, and Owamni and the (now-closed) Sooki and Mimi listed in 2021.

With two restaurants on the list, the state's culinary scene is well-represented and among the only Midwestern states to appear with just one entry each from Illinois (Asador Bastian in Chicago), Michigan (Noori Pocha in Clawson), and Ohio (The Aperture in Cincinnati) among the 50 included in this year's list.

Related: Food & Wine names Myriel's Karyn Tomlinson one of the best new chefs in the country