Lemongrass-and-galangal pork sausage griddled to order at a Hmong market stall, paired with som tam papaya salad pounded fresh with chili, lime, peanuts and tomato.

Saint Paul holds the largest urban Hmong population in the United States, about 80,000 in the metro, descended from Lao and Vietnamese refugees who arrived after 1975. The Hmongtown Marketplace on Como Avenue and the original Hmong Village on East Johnson Parkway became the city's twin Hmong food halls in the 2000s. Chef Yia Vang's Vinai opened in Northeast Minneapolis in 2024 and was nominated for a James Beard Best New Restaurant award in 2025; Vang's pork sausage and papaya salad combo has set the canonical version of the dish for Twin Cities diners.

2 editor picks for Hmong sausage and papaya salad in Minneapolis, ranked by editorial score. All Minneapolis signature dishes · Hmong sausage and papaya salad across every city.

Vinai ★ 4.7

$$$HmongNortheast

Yia Vang's Vinai on Northeast 2nd Street has run a Hmong fine-dining room in Minneapolis since 2024. Beard finalist; named for the Vinai refugee camp.

OrderSai oua Hmong sausage and the lemongrass-grilled chicken with sticky rice.

TipBook three weeks out; the dining counter overlooks the open kitchen. Communal sai oua family-style serves four.

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Hmongtown Marketplace ★ 4.6

$MarketSaint Paul

Hmongtown Marketplace on Como Avenue has run the country's largest Hmong-owned market in Saint Paul since 2004. Dozens of food counters, fresh produce.

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