Warning: please see the labels carefully on the menu. The naturally spicy dishes were extremely spicy and it impacted the enjoyment of all the dishes for some in our party. It was surprising considering this is MN. Fun cocktails and tasty dishes. I really enjoyed the salmon and chicken skewers and the basil jalapeño wings. If we chose better I would give this place 5 stars. Don’t forget to bring cash to park in the lot next door!
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$50–100
Food: 4
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Gai Noi is the newest restaurant of Ann Ahmed. Khaluna is so fantastic I had high expectations for Gai Noi, particularly because in the month it opened it appeared on the New York Times 50 best new restaurants list in 2023.
I will start by saying the service is fantastic. And they really prepare you for the speed that food comes out. All the servers were great.
We ordered two drinks and the egg rolls and the battered fried green beans. The taste was fine, but we were surprised at how greasy they were. Really greasy. The cocktails were not to our taste. I had the watermelon and dill one, and to be honest it just was rather boring. My husband did not like his old fashioned, with its very strong flavor of cinnamon and star anise. I tried the lemongrass Collins, but it was too sweet, and the flavors were not balanced. I couldn't drink it.
We tried the crispy pork. It had a good taste, but it was overcooked and dry. The Pad Thai was really saucy and looked like it was just blended together from precooked ingredients. It lacked the special quality of freshly prepared Pad Thai. The best item we had was the yellow curry. While it was watery, it had a lovely flavor.
In summary, it was a really disappointing meal. The food was not well-prepared. I am wondering if Ann Ahmed has eaten this food recently. She probably should.
I should add that within 10 minutes after 5 o'clock every table we could see was occupied. They have a no-reservation policy. I find that terribly inconsiderate of people's time. When we left, there were tons of people standing by the bar, with drinks, people standing in the entryway, and people standing outside in the 14 degree cold. How is that a good thing for a restaurant to do?
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$50–100
Food: 2
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 4
The salad we got was so good, I would come back just for it. The drink sounded delicious but left a lot to be desired. The other food was fine but not exceptional and given how crowded the place is, I am not sure it was worth it. There is so much good food in Minneapolis that I would try other places before coming back. Except for that salad, it was a very good salad.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$20–30
Food: 4
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 4
Gai Noi has quickly become one of my new fave spots! Every dish was flavorful and beautifully plated, the service was warm and knowledgeable, and the restaurant itself was beautiful. We were seated upstairs and loved all of the greenery in the space.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$20–30
Everything about this place is a must. My group was led upstairs to a long, shared table on the top floor. It was so calming to be surrounded by hanging plants and feel the gentle breeze through the open doors.
We ordered a few small dishes and one large dish to share and it was almost too much food. I would highly recommend trying one of the chef's special jeow. It's like a smoky, savory, spicy Laotian salsa that goes on everything.
The delicious food combined with the music and atmosphere to put my family in a spicy daze that we will never forget. We felt lucky to have found this gem in the city; another world from the small towns we had been touristing in during our vacation to Minnesota.
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$20–30
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Chef Anna and her team continue to serve delicious and delightful Asian flavors. The basil wings and jalapeno wantons are must haves. No reservations. Over the weekend, wait time can get long. Plan to grab a drink at the bar and you wait for your table. Enjoy.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$20–30
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Jalapeno Wontons
What can I say, this place is great in every way. I've spent some time in Laos and the experience here really made me feel like I was on vacation again. The food was incredibly unique and boasted a broad range of flavors from savory spicy beef to coconut and lemongrass noodles. Even though the dishes were all very different, they all somehow managed to compliment each other. I highly recommend the phò spiced old fashioned. It will knock your socks off. I think the Times article has had an impact, but that's not a bad thing, just arrive a little early and you'll have your choice of seating. Staff was beyond helpful and kind, lots of advice and personal preferences were shared (great for first timers.) Try to get on the patio before the cold sets in.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Really beautiful place! We sat upstairs on a Tuesday and the whole place was packed.
Waiter didn’t really know much about Laos food and was pretty limited about SE Asian food in general. Ordering took awhile but the food came out extremely fast.
Loved the ambiance.
One thing to note is that most entrees don’t have an option to add a protein unless it’s specified on the menu.
Menu MUSTS:
Calamari !!!
Pad See Eww. Very good. Thinner than usual noodles used in dish.
Green Curry- great flavor but really soupy.
Menu SKIPS:
Panang Spaghetti. No flavor. Spaghetti noodles overpowered any sauce/flavor.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$30–50
Food: 5
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 5
MY NEW FAVORITE RESTAURANT!!!!! I wanna give Ann a smooch.💋 The yellow curry is to die for, the drinks were amazing and the atmosphere is so open and gorgeous with many plants. Great service and the mango dessert knocked my socks off.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Great place for Laotian food! They have real Laotian dishes and some Thai, some fusion dishes. I had papaya salad, fried chicked and sticky rice. Everything was quite authentic! The price was pretty high though. I spent about $40 for one person and finished everything - just about right that I’m full. The papaya salad was a bit too salty but it’s not spicy at all. I didn’t feel even little bit of spice. The sauce was premixed. I asked to remove a certain ingredient but that’s impossible. Chicken was very crispy. It’s like street food fried chicken. Sticky rice was perfectly cooked. Staff was very friendly.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$30–50
