Best of Minneapolis.
Chain of Lakes summers, Juicy Lucys, sambusas, and a purple legacy the whole city carries.
The 2025 winners, by category.
Every winner below cleared the same published bar. Only winners are published — no rankings, no runner-up lists, no sponsored placements.
Restaurants · 4 winners · 2025
5-8 Club
Best Juicy Lucy in Minneapolis Minneapolis, MN · Since 1928 2025
Al's Breakfast
Best Breakfast Counter in Minneapolis Minneapolis, MN · Since 1950 2025
Kramarczuk's
Best Sausage & Deli in Minneapolis Minneapolis, MN · Since 1954 2025
Murray's
Best Steakhouse in Minneapolis Minneapolis, MN · Since 1946 2025Every category in Minneapolis
Categories open as their first winner is verified. If a category is still accepting nominations, the fastest way to open it is to put a business forward.
Why Minneapolis is worth the fuss.
Minneapolis eats across hemispheres: Juicy Lucys dripping from neighborhood bars, the country’s largest Somali community filling Cedar-Riverside with sambusas and suqaar, Hmong farmers at the markets, and Nordic baking that takes cardamom as seriously as Stockholm.
The Chain of Lakes turns summer into a shoreline festival and winter into a ski loop; the theater scene rivals cities twice its size; and Prince’s purple runs through everything. Minneapolis character is creative, hardy, and warm in the way only cold places are.
Minneapolis, in short
What locals would tell you first:
What “best” means in Minneapolis.
This guide is built for people who want a better local signal than vote drives, paid badges, or anonymous directory rankings.
Each category starts with public evidence: years in operation, sustained online presence, a real customer track record, positive community sentiment, and recognition in the local community. Open a category to see the winner, the reasons it cleared the bar, and links back to the business itself.
Only winners are published. We don’t sell sponsored placements, publish negative verdicts, or let a business buy its way onto this list. The exact thresholds stay internal so the award can’t be gamed, but the methodology is public and applies the same way in every market.
Know a Minneapolis business that deserves a serious look?
Nominate it for the next evaluation. Free, takes a minute, and nothing is ever published unless it clears the bar.