Ann Ahmed has captured imaginations and appetites with her second restaurant Lat14, and third Khâluna, but Lemon Grass was her first and is just as delicious and buzzworthy. Try the zippy papaya salad, the tom kha (a coconut milk-based soup with galangal) or any one of the roast duck preparations.

Don’t let the no-frills vibe fool you. This family-run deli is known for its can’t-miss, perfectly-smoked meats. Expect friendly-counter service, pork ribs with a balanced sweet-smokey glaze, and brisket so tender you can cut it with a plastic fork. Multiple locations.

A progressive small plates menu paired with a sturdy beverage list gives Sample Room the air of a speakeasy for food lovers who appreciate presentation. Go for the stellar cocktails and stay for the unique takes on bar food, like lion’s mane mushroom cakes and beer-battered Ellsworth cheese curds.

While Giulia is a hotel restaurant in sleepy downtown Minneapolis, it pretty much stands on its own. Giulia shares its vaulting space with the Emery’s lobby, but the hotel overlap stops there. The focus on northern Italian flavors are precise and spot on — think virtually faultless ricotta meatballs, a play on arancini (here, named suppli) paired with apple, and maltagliati: homemade, silky ribbons of pasta with a tonkotsu-style Japanese stock, that’s wildly flavorful.

Nearly lost in the menagerie of PR-backed restaurants that populate Dinkytown, Korea Restaurant keeps quietly chugging along with a glorious assortment of bibimbap, bulgogi, and potstickers. Lunch is mayhem, but worth every second of wait time. Prepare for self-service, generous helpings, and don’t be shy to refill on the side dishes.

This charming restaurant serves deeply satisfying, comforting dishes. The setting is an old firehouse, with decor representing all the neighborhood icons that define Lake Harriet. Expect staples dishes, like salmon rillettes, grass-fed burgers, gnocchi with a glossy beurre blanc, or slightly more adventurous options, like a clams and bison sausage. Don’t leave without plunging a fork into the coconut tres leches cake.