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Cinco de Mayo and Latin Cuisine
Does the thought of sopes make you salivate? Guacamole make your stomach growl? Tamales make you twitch with desire? Follow the Mississippi river from the Gulf of Mexico north to Minneapolis Saint Paul, where your cravings can find their fix.
In Minneapolis Saint Paul, a growing Mexican population and a passion for authentic Latin flavors form a delicious combination. Whether you're here for the Cinco de Mayo celebration in Saint Paul's District del Sol or just hunting down the perfect enchilada, here's your guide to the local Latino cuisine scene. Olé!
Minneapolis
Thank goodness this is the City of Lakes—things are getting spicy around here! From tiny tacquerias to elegant eateries, fantastic Mexican food is an easy find:
• Midtown Global Market features fresh groceries, baked goods and restaurants offering some of the city's best Latin flavors—Manny's Tortas is a favorite
• Nicollet Avenue, also known as "Eat Street" is home to a virtual world tour of tastes, including the innovative Salsa a la Salsa
• East Lake Street—A bustling, growing Latino community lines Lake Street—home to Mercado Central, housing a goldmine of food stands, markets and gifts—as well as many smaller, charming spots like Los Ocampo, serving Mexico City-inspired antojitos (corn-based dishes such as gorditas, sopes, tamales, panuchos and huaraches).
• On Nicollet Mall, downtown offers upscale, cosmopolitan Latin flavor at Masa.
Saint Paul
The city's west side is home to a colorful Hispanic/Latino community known as District del Sol. Bordered by the Mississippi River on 3 sides, this "Spicy Neighborhood" first gained its Hispanic flavor when large numbers of Mexicans migrated to the area in the early 1900s to work in the local vegetable and sugar beet fields. Spend the day exploring the mile-long district's restaurant mix, shops, markets and public art:
• Dig in at the oldest Mexican restaurant in Minneapolis Saint Paul, Boca Chica
• Head down Cesar Chavez Street and stop into one of many Mexican restaurants, including Guacamole's, El Comal or El Amanecer with live music every weekend
• Satisfy your sweet tooth at Don Pancho's Bakery, an authentic Mexican bakery
• Stock up on Mexican groceries, gifts and delicacies at El Burrito Mercado, then stop for lunch at the in-store café
• The Cinco de Mayo Fiesta is one of the 10 largest Cinco de Mayo events in the U.S., drawing 100,0000+ every year. Enjoy live music, Hispanic/Latino dancing, cultural presentations and storytelling, interactive sports, a car show, authentic food and crafts, a Friday night street dance and a colorful parade
Not sure where to start? Get a local blogger's perspective on the local Latino flavor. Read a New York Times article about the Mexican community in Minneapolis Saint Paul here.
