Owamni

First time ever in MN for this Pacific Northwesterner!and I gotta say Owamni; did live to my expectations.Menu consisted of Fall-Winter ingredients and the food flavors were remarkable.I ordered the Three Sisters Stew to start and it was my favorite dish (being Mexican born; my heart skipped a beat when I saw it contained hominy, beans and squash broth) one of the most delicious plates of food I've eaten in my whole entire life.Then for my main dish I ordered the Spoon Bread with Bison, salsa verde and tortillas. I ended up asking for some hot sauce at that point because the salsa verde didn't really make justice to my tacos but the Spoon Bread was a true delicacy from blue corn and some berry-maple syrup flavors I noticed.Service was ok; attentive and prompt, loved the smiles and felt some good vibes overall. The ambience set a good mood to enjoy the mighty ancestral foods of my adopted country and cannot wait to come back in Spring 2025 for a whole new other seasonal menu!

Hmm I was very puzzled here because this restaurant was on every online rec list however me and my two foodie coworkers felt the food was very average all around. The concept is awesome - "non colonized" food so no beef, chicken, wheat grains, dairy...great for people with food allergies! But while things tasted fine, nothing was great. The sweet potatoes were recommended as one of the most common dishes. The chili oil was very spicy. The potatoes were very charred (ok, burnt.) We picked at them but weren't drawn to finish. The carrot tartare was interesting. Sweet shaved carrots, with a very crunchy chip. The chips were the best part and they kindly brought us extra. The corn taco was not a hit. It tasted very breakfast-y due to the maple syrup.The elk poyha is a meatloaf and this ended up being our favorite dish. It was a little dry but when paired with the potatoes etc. It provided the most substance. When we first sat down I immediately clocked the blueberry crumble dessert and couldn't wait to get to the final course! Sadly it was sooo bad we all took one or two bites and left it there. The crumble wasn't crumbly...the sweet potato ice cream didn't balance things (too sweet? Too savory?) and the blueberry mixture was extremely bitter. Servers were very friendly. We didn't leave hungry but we also are not jumping to go back. Clearly some people like it given the rating but had to throw my two cents in.

Bringing traditional Lakotan foods to the modern culinary world is what this restaurant is all about. The foods are packed with flavor, generally good for you, and simply delicious. Service was simply phenomenal and attentive. It's not surprising that getting a reservation here is tough but worth it. Support returning Native food systems back to Native lands by eating here or supporting the people who help make it happen.

This restaurant does not need my five stars. The mission, education, service and food speaks for itself. All dishes are prepared in ways that reflect Native American food cultures, using ingredients indigenous to North America prior to colonization. This means nothing in their menu has dairy, wheat flour, cane sugar, ... beef, pork or chicken. James Beard winner, Chef Sean Sherman is an Oglala Lakota Sioux chef, cookbook author, forager, and promoter of Indigenous cuisine. He nailed it if you ever get a chance to try this place. I did a walk in which was pretty easy especially after 7. Sitting at the bar was fun. It was a small intimate restaurant. The wild rice and duck with duck egg and spoon bread were delicious. The deer tartare was hmmm a little interesting for me.... it was like tuna. Thank you for everything Owamni ... keep doing what you do!

Incredible atmosphere and flavors. The place was packed at 3:45 in the afternoon! We were visiting MN and this place was a bucket list item after watching Top Chef and learning more about their background. The location is right along the river, and the overall experience was delightful. Their wine menu also features BIPOC and women winemakers. Highlights:-sweet potatoes -bean dip The sweet potatoes were nothing like I've eaten before - I wanted to drink the chili oil sauce it comes with - and how they stacked the pieces were fun to see.It was an incredible experience and if we go back to MN, this will definitely be on the list of places we need to see again!

A heavily-hyped (James Beard winner for Best New Restaurant) spot that lives up to its reputation, serving an upscale twist on indigenous food, using only ingredients from pre-colonial times. I am well-versed in fine dining, but I went with my sister and her wife (who think Applebee's is good food). They were blown away, even if not every dish was a hit (none of us cared much for the wild rice). But the dishes that worked - notable the angus, the corn taco, and the squash - worked very well.Service was good - our waitress knew the menu well and warned us we were over-ordering (we did) - and the restaurant is typical of a fancy new restaurant with fine dining aspirations.Overall this is really good... It's a unique cuisine you won't find most places, and the vision is great. The food itself is good. But it's worth the stop (and it isn't that pricy).

I had one of my favorite meals ever here at Owamni. It was truly incredible to taste new flavors I've never had before along with dishes that tasted like perfection. The rotating menu of Indigenous food all sounded delicious (including the teas and desserts), and it was hard to just pick a few for our meal.Some particular standouts to me were the (very generous portion of) grilled sweet potato. These char-grilled sweet potato wedges were so flavorful, and the ample chili oil they added on top were a delicious touch. I also loved the bison taco--it was braised so well, and then the sweet, fruit sauce paired so nicely with the gaminess of the bison meat. Our server was also very kind and walked us through the menu before we ordered. The views of the Mississippi River from the restaurant were also very nice and relaxing, which rounded out a great meal.Definitely come to Owamni if you have a chance! And be sure to make a reservation!

Owamni tells a lovely story from start to finish, from unique flavors and textures to warm hospitality. We started off with some ginger soda with turmeric, sasparilla with agave, and chocolate tea, which were all a hit. My strong-flavor-loving little one guzzled the ginger soda. My older kids didn't care for the ginger soda but enjoyed the sasparilla with agave. It was a refreshing and lightly earthy drink.All of the tacos were a delight. The bison, corn, and mushroom tacos all jumped off the plate. I loved the texture of the tortillas and the flavors of the fillings. The mushroom with squash was an especially memorable combination. The kids loved the sprouts in the corn taco. The corn fritter was a bit too hard/dry for me, but it was still enjoyable nonetheless.I loved that you could taste every ingredient and also enjoy how it all came together. The elk skewers were a highlight for me -- reminded me of Korean kalbi, juicy, tender, charred and savory, and lightly sweet. My husband wished it was a bit saltier, but I found it great as-is.The alligator gumbo was delicious. I recommend ordering more rice to go with it since it is quite a big plate and has intense flavors and textures. Very lovely and tender.We enjoyed the wild rice pudding to finish off our meal. The corn cookie was a bit too tough for our tastes and the pudding it came in just didn't work for us. But even so, it was fun to try different flavors and textures than what we can typically try. Thanks, Owamni, for welcoming us to your table and sharing your story with us.

A must any time you visit Minneapolis. Delicious food made from great ingredients, highly recommend eating family-style so that everyone gets a taste of everything. My understanding is that the menu varies seasonally, but times I've been there the sweet potatoes, wild rice, caribou tacos, and of course bison are all standouts. I thing but positive things to say about Owamni, should be on anyone's restaurant bucket list.

Owamni lived up to our expectations and then some. We sat at the bar and our server/bartender Thad was nothing short of exceptional. He gave us great recommendations regarding wine and food options. Not only that, we were interested in other activities to do in Minneapolis and he gladly shared information about various museums and theaters to check out. The food was excellent. We had the Mushroom Papusa, Sweet Potatoes, Elk Chili, and Tepary Bean Dip and also split a bottle of the Camins 2 Dreams Red Blend. Everything was fresh, tasted amazing, and was more than enough to split between two people. We loved the atmosphere as well as we had a front row seat to the kitchen. We did go at night so we did not get to view the Mississippi River but we can only imagine how lovely it looks during the day. Lastly, it felt as if we were part of the staff as everyone was accommodating and wanted to make sure we had a wonderful time. We would recommend this place to anyone coming to Minneapolis and will be customers and supporters for life.