My Top Restaurants

Martina/Colita

South Minneapolis

Executive Chef Daniel del Prado leveraged his Argentinian/Italian heritage to curate one of the most impressive menus in the cities. Surprisingly inexpensive when considering the quality of the food, Martina is an exemplary spot for a special occasion. It’s the first place that I want to take friends and family from out of town. The cocktails are undoubtedly the best I have had in the Twin Cities and if you don’t order the panqueque for dessert, you are making a terrible mistake. Colita, its sister restaurant, is also located in South Minneapolis but features a modern Mexican menu. Colita is almost equally impressive, boasting creative cocktails and great service.

Pizzeria Lola

South Minneapolis

Though Young Joni is the hottest pizza place in the cities, I’d argue that Pizzeria Lola is the place to go. Maybe I’m just being contrarian here but if you are looking for inventive yet simple pizza from visionary chef Ann Kim, you might as well not wait in line for an hour to get it! Pizzeria Lola serving uniformly sized personal pizzas gives the perfect excuse to go with a group and try as many of their outstanding pizzas as you can.

Boludo

Uptown

Argentinian Chef Facundo Javier DeFraia’s empanadas are the best comfort food that the Twin Cities have to offer. I challenge you to find me anything better. I can’t attest to anything on the menu besides the empanadas, but I find no reason to delve into anything else after having them. They’re just that type of food; when I have them on my mind, anything else seems to pale in comparison.