"Alex Roberts won a James Beard Award here for quiet, seasonal cooking — book Restaurant Alma's three-course menu for Minneapolis fine dining without the fuss."
About Restaurant Alma
Restaurant Alma is the Minneapolis room that chef-owner Alex Roberts opened in 1999 and has quietly kept at the top of the city ever since. Roberts cooked at Bouley and Union Square Cafe in New York before coming home to build a seasonal, farm-led restaurant, and in 2010 he won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Midwest. The Marcy-Holmes building now holds the restaurant, a cafe and a small hotel above.
It sits among the city's best tables. Compare the tasting-room Demi, the perennial favourite Spoon and Stable and the neighbourhood star Tilia, or browse the wider fine-dining picks.
The Kitchen
Roberts cooks seasonal, ingredient-led American food built on local farms, much of it once grown by his own family. He describes his plates in three parts — richness, an aromatic lift and the clear essence of the ingredient — and the menu changes constantly with what is good. Diners build a three-course meal from each section, past favourites running to sweet corn soup, a pork belly starter and a pan-seared scallop main, framed by snacks and a takeaway gift from the bakery.
It is fair value for the pedigree: the seasonal three-course menu runs to around $95 in recent seasons, snacks and a bakery gift included. This is serious cooking without a tasting-menu price.
The Room
The room is warm and unflashy — a calm, grown-up space in a historic Marcy-Holmes building, dressed with locally made ceramics and seasonal flowers. Service is friendly and assured, the kind that suits a long, relaxed dinner rather than a performance. The mood is welcoming and neighbourhood rather than grand: special-occasion comfort, not white-knuckle formality.
Not for
Not for diners after a long, theatrical tasting menu or a buzzy scene — this is a calm, three-course neighbourhood room that prizes seasonal substance over spectacle.
Frequently Asked
What is Restaurant Alma known for?
Seasonal, farm-led American cooking from chef-owner Alex Roberts, who won the 2010 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Midwest; the menu changes constantly with what is in season.
What should I order at Restaurant Alma?
Dining is a three-course menu chosen from each section; past favourites include the sweet corn soup, a pork belly starter and a pan-seared scallop main, plus a takeaway bakery gift.
How much does Restaurant Alma cost?
Fair for the pedigree: the seasonal three-course prix fixe runs to around $95 in recent seasons, with snacks and a bakery gift included.
Where is Restaurant Alma?
At 528 University Ave SE in the Marcy-Holmes neighbourhood of Minneapolis, with a cafe and small hotel in the same historic building.
Has Restaurant Alma won any awards?
Yes — chef-owner Alex Roberts won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Midwest in 2010, and the restaurant has been a Minneapolis fixture since 1999.
Reserve a Table
Reserve at Restaurant Alma
Book via the Alma website; the three-course dining room fills on weekend evenings.
Affiliate disclosure: Restaurants for Kings may earn a commission when you book through our reservation links, at no cost to you. Our scores are editorial and never paid for.
Practical Information
Address528 University Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414
NeighbourhoodIn the Marcy-Holmes neighbourhood near the university
CuisineContemporary American
PriceA seasonal three-course prix fixe (recent menus around $95), with snacks and a bakery gift included
Dress CodeSmart casual
SeatingWarm dining room in a historic building; booking advised
ReservationBooking advised, especially at weekends
