Vinai

We’re very excited and honored to be part of this year’s class of Best New Resturant with @eater (@eatertwincities ). It’s been a long road to get here and we’re hoping for more to come! Thank you to our incredible staff. Everyone has been working hard and committed since day one and we couldn’t be here without everyone. Remember that our LOVE of adventure will overcome our fear of the unknown as we KEEP MOVING FOWARD TOGETHER! #mn #minneapolis #minnesota #hmong #hmongfood #restaurant #bestnewrestaurants #eater 📸: @drewanthonysmith

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. In less than 3 months I’ve seen a team of people come together because they believe in the vision of 2 poor Hmong refugees who fought and sacrificed for this sons and daughters to have a chance of a future. Vinai is build on the idea that there’s always a space for grace within our doors. From the dishwashers to our leadership team we believe that our love for adventure will overcome our fear of the unknown because we can do anything when we put our minds together and work as a team. The success of Vinai does not fall on the shoulders of one person but it’s carried on the shoulders of everyone on this team. Being on the @nytimes (@nytcooking ) 2024 The Restaurant List is a great honor and we’re so happy that we can serve our families, our friends and our community! Also we’re so excited to be on this list with our neighbors across the street…Congrats Oro by @nixtampls ! #mn #minnesota #minneapolis #northeast #newyorktimes #nyt #cooking #resturant #hmong

The time has come and Vinai will be open starting July 30. It’s surreal to say that after all this time, but the years of planning, adapting, learning, and persevering have paid off. Here we are.  I’ve always said that Vinai is a love letter to my parents, because I want Vinai the restaurant to emulate what Vinai (the refugee camp) was to them and so many people — a place of restoration. We’ve worked hard to create our menu and design a space here at 1300 NE 2nd St. that feels like home, for us and also for everyone who walks in. At Vinai, our menu is centered on the four pillars of Hmong food - meats, vegetables, rice, and hot sauce. It’s built to be explored and shared with your table and it’s built to be adapted for the moment. Whether you’re coming into Vinai for a big celebration with your closest friends, or you’re coming by for a drink and a small something to eat, we want to provide an experience that feels true to the welcoming and nourishing ways of Hmong food and culture. We can’t wait to cook for you - reservations start on July 30 and are now available to book. Visit our website and our link in bio for more information. . . . . 📸: @elcee93 #vinaimn #vinai #chefyiavang #unionhmongkitchen #hmongfood #minneapolisfood

What is Hmong food? This was the question we had lying before us many years ago. As we start shaping the answer to this question another question arose… “What is a Hmong cocktail?” Our bar team lead by @habanero_javy and our GM @fancyjanssey forged a way of answering this question through the commitment and crafting favors and story surrounded by produce and ingredients that we use in our dishes to deliver a unique but also familiar taste for all for join us at the table. Thanks to @joyestellesummers and @startribune (@stribgoingout ) for stopping by. #mn #hmong #cocktail #minnesota #minneapolis 📸: @elcee93

Truly an honor to be part of this incredible cast of AAPI voices, coming together to celebrate AAPI Month through stories that span continents, cultures, and generations. Someone once told me, as a Hmong kid, that “we stand on the shoulders of giants.” I think about that a lot. The elders, the aunties and uncles, the mothers and fathers, the ones who carried stories, survived very hard things, crossed rivers, started over, and still found a way to make sure we knew who we were. My hope is simple: that we live in a way that makes those giants and heroes proud. That the paths they paved don’t end with us, and we keep forging forward for the next generation. My identity in NOT ONLY in being a Hmong kid from the midwest… but it starts from there. This helps construct the way I care about people, how I see people and how I cook for people. Thank you to our director @anothereugeneyi , producers @alphajada and @tgs , and everyone who helped bring these stories to life. The A List: 15 Stories from Asian and Pacific Diasporas premieres May 13 on @hbo (@hbomax @hbodocs ) #mn #minnesota #minneapolis #hmong #aapi Portraits by: @tgs

In the past year our Double Cut “THICCC BOI” Pork Chop has become well known around these parts of our little town. We’re proud to be working with Duroc pork from Compart Farm right here in Minnesota. So we did the math on how much pork we’re going through… just in pork chops alone we’re going through about 250# a week that means our butcher is breaking down over half a ton of pork a month for our diners and guest to enjoy! When coming to Vinai you can never go wrong by getting the pork chops. Now in the immortal words of Dutch from the movie Predator played by action hero icon Arnold @schwarzenegger “GET TO THE CHOPPER” #mn #minnesota #minneapolis #pork 📸: @mistercreates

“Church Basement Dinner” was an incredible evening full of joy, laughter, comfort and ambrosia salad. Thank you to @katomlinson and her team from @myrielmn for teaming up for this collab. This dinner goes deeper than Midwest traditions and culture… It is about the fellowship and community that surrounds the heart of hospitality. #mn #minnesota #church #dinner #hmong

Here in the Twin Cities (MN) some people might call us an “Emerging Market” stating that “there’s something that’s coming up”. I look at us differently. Call me biases or maybe I’m just a proud mid-west boy who’s tired of being told “you’re almost there but not yet”… But I think we’ve always known who we are and we’ve embraced the fact that it is not the labels or condition of the world that makes us who we are… it is the people. This community we work along side each other and the neighbors that we have. When COVID swept through we had each other, when the harsh cold winters comes through we have each other and when “operation metro surge” sweep through we had each other and when all of these things has come and gone… we will always have each other. I proudly stand along side my brother and sisters, of the Twin Cities, @gustavo_romero_veytia , @katarzynakiernoziak and @katomlinson to tell the country and the world that we’re not waiting to be discovered but we’re already doing it. Whatever “it” is… we’re putting in the work and telling our stories that makes our restaurants great, makes our diners curious and makes our community better by coming together by showing the world what happens when a few cooks decide to stop following the status quo and start telling the stories from their table by their food for their neighbors! Thanks to @theatlantic and @exploreminnesota for diving into these stories and showing the world our “little secret”. 📸: @grahamtlbrtfoto #mn #minneapolis #saintpaul #hmong #heritage Read the whole article here:

Before she became Best Chef Midwest for the @beardfoundation …10 years ago @katomlinson and I met literally in a church basement where I was the church “lunch lady” cooking for after service dinners and lunch-ins. From there we both ended up working in the same kitchen. I was a lunch shift cook and she was the head pastry chef. Over the years we were able to do collab pop-ups at Lowry Hill Meats (@lowry_hill_provisions ) then she went to become the executive chef of Corner Table then later opened her very own spot, @myrielmn . Even though we came from different worlds growing up in different family traditions one thing that Karyn and I shared was the language of food. We both believe that through fellowship, food and hospitality you can invite people to the table and we can share a little bit of grace with each other.  We’re so excited to bring this collaboration dinner to the Twin Cities by combining our love for Mid-west traditions and our heart to hospitality. So join us as we dig into the old roots of iconic “church basement” fellowship dinners while also bringing our very own family traditions to this collaboration dinner that we’re hosting at Vinai. May 4th Two Seatings: 445pm and 730pm Get your tickets at click Reservations! #mn #minneapolis #saintpaul #hmong #church

Bringing Vinai Home… Invite us over for dinner! At Vinai we believe that it starts at the table. Many people have dinned with us at our restaurant but now we want you to share it with your friends and family. What if we can take what you’ve experience and bring it to your house and community. Our team is ready to move beyond these walls and be part of your events… or just help you host a small gathering. Whether it’s a group of small friends or a large wedding party we want to be part of your special event and day. Send over an email to us at [email protected] or hop on our website and let’s get ready for dinner (or lunch). #mn #catering #party #minneapolis #hmong 📸: @clewellphotography

We’re teaming up with our friend @sushibybaaska again! Starting next week March 24th… for 3 nights we’re hosting Baaska at the Bar. From 5pm-9pm Baaska will have a small bar menu that you can order from while you’re at the bar and lounge area… Walk-In Only and only at bar seating. Limited seating so swing by to grab cocktails and sushi! #mn #minneapolis #sushi #fish #raw

Vinai will always be Vinai. In the past few months our city has felt pain. People being taken from their homes have not been distant headlines. They have been right here in our own neighborhoods. People have asked us, “What’s Vinai’s response?” Our GM @fancyjanssey said it simply and honestly, 
“Our response is already in our name.” Vinai. The refugee camp, began as a place of refuge for people who had lost everything. Families all across northern Laos came there to regroup and rebuild after one of the most painful chapters in Southeast Asian history. Even in the face of loss, people carried forward with resilience, dignity, and strength. The word Vinai means virtue or dignity. More than 50 years later, that spirit continues through the restaurant. Vinai is a place where people gather, where guests and staff are welcomed with care, and where community comes first. Before ICE was in MN, during this moment, and long after they are gone, Vinai will remain what it has always been. A place of strength, dignity, and community. If you need a moment of rest, join us for dinner. 
We would be honored to be part of your restoration.