Hai Hai Southeast Asian Street Food
Hai Hai
A Southeast Asian street-food restaurant run by Christina Nguyen, the 2024 James Beard Award winner for Best Chef: Midwest. Known for its tropical decor and frozen cocktails.
Located on University Avenue NE in Northeast Minneapolis, the restaurant was opened in 2017 by Vietnamese-born chef Christina Nguyen and Birk Grudem. Nguyen won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Midwest in 2024. The menu draws on street food from Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia. The crispy rice salad, turmeric dill fish, Bali-style cauliflower, and Bali chicken leg with coconut rice are especially popular. The tropical-style interior and frozen cocktails are another highlight. Popularity has grown since the award, so book through OpenTable. The restaurant is about 4 km from downtown and can be reached by bus or car.
Opening hours
Mainly dinner, with weekend brunch (check the website)
Nearby sights
- Stone Arch Bridge & Saint Anthony Falls
- Mill City Museum
- Guthrie Theater
- Nicollet Mall & Skyway
- U.S. Bank Stadium
- Foshay Tower
- Basilica of Saint Mary
- Weisman Art Museum