RFK Rankings · Minneapolis
Best Restaurants to Impress Clients in Minneapolis (2026)
Impress Clients · Minneapolis · 6 tables ranked · Updated June 2026
Compiled by the Restaurants for Kings editorial team · Published June 12, 2026 · Updated June 17, 2026 · Reviewed by Fredrik Filipsson, Editor-in-Chief · How we rank · Corrections
Minneapolis runs its best business dinners out of the North Loop, the warehouse district that holds the city's defining tables and most of its steak. A client dinner here can mean a James Beard winner's room in a 1906 horse stable, the city's original steakhouse pouring a bone-in ribeye since 1988, or a twenty-seat counter tasting that doubles as a quiet way to seal a deal. Add an Argentinian wood-fire steakhouse, an Italian pasta bar with a Twin Cities legend on the menu and a downtown landmark carving a steak for two, and the city covers every kind of table you need to read a client across. These six are ranked on the food, the room and how well each one closes a deal.
1.Spoon and Stable
Gavin Kaysen's James Beard-winning North Loop room in a 1906 stable; for the city's best client dinner, book a corner table.
Spoon and Stable, in a converted 1906 horse stable in the North Loop, is chef Gavin Kaysen's flagship and a James Beard Award winner, the room that reset Minneapolis dining when it opened. The Hokkaido scallops at $40 and the seasonal contemporary American menu read as serious without being stiff, the service polished enough to carry a high-stakes table. It is the city's first call for impressing a client. For the best business dinner in Minneapolis, book a corner table.
2.Manny's Steakhouse
Minneapolis's original steakhouse since 1988 in the W Hotel, bone-in ribeye and private rooms; for a steak-led dinner, book the Bull Pen.
Manny's Steakhouse, open since 1988 and now in the W Hotel in the Foshay Tower, is the room that commands immediate respect, ideal for out-of-town clients who want a classic American steakhouse. The bone-in ribeye from Manny's bull-to-table heritage beef is the order, with private and semi-private spaces, the thirty-seat Bull Pen among them, for a larger party. It is the downtown power-dinner standard. For a steak-led client dinner, book the Bull Pen for the group.
3.Demi
Gavin Kaysen's twenty-seat counter tasting at $125, a quiet show of intent; for a small, high-stakes client dinner, book early.
Demi, Gavin Kaysen's second North Loop room at 212 North 2nd Street, is a twenty-seat counter where dinner is a tasting menu, the longer WC Whitney experience running $125 a head across two and a half hours. The kitchen cooks in front of you, a controlled, precise meal that makes its own quiet impression on a guest. It is the room for a small client dinner you want remembered. For a high-stakes table for a few, book early and take the counter.
4.Porzana
Daniel del Prado's wood-fire Argentinian steakhouse in the old Bachelor Farmer space; for a modern client steak dinner, reserve the main room.
Porzana, chef Daniel del Prado's Argentinian steakhouse in the former Bachelor Farmer space in the North Loop, brings the wood-fire grill and a more contemporary register to the city's steak scene. The empanadas open, then Argentinian cuts like entrana and a miso-marinated ribeye come off the fire, with the Flora Room cocktail bar downstairs for a drink before or after. It is the modern alternative to the old-guard steakhouse. For a modern client steak dinner, reserve the main room.
5.Bar La Grassa
Isaac Becker's James Beard-winning pasta bar with the legendary soft-egg-and-lobster bruschetta; for a relaxed client dinner, book plates to share.
Bar La Grassa, James Beard winner Isaac Becker's North Loop pasta bar at 800 Washington Avenue North, is the warm, sharing-plate option when a client dinner wants to loosen up. The soft-egg-and-lobster bruschetta is a Twin Cities legend, the house pastas the backbone, eaten across a buzzy room that keeps the conversation easy. It is the relaxed, food-forward choice that still reads as a serious recommendation. For a relaxed client dinner, book a few pasta plates to share.
6.Murray's
A downtown landmark since 1946, home of the 28-ounce Silver Butter Knife Steak for two; for an old-school dinner, carve it tableside.
Murray's, the downtown landmark at 26 South 6th Street, has carved steak since 1946 and is the city's old-school client room, third-generation family-owned just off City Center. The 28-ounce Silver Butter Knife Steak for two is the signature, tender enough to cut with the namesake knife, served with the famous garlic toast. It is the room for a client who wants tradition and white tablecloths over anything modern. For an old-school client dinner, carve the Silver Butter Knife Steak tableside.
Not for a client dinner
Great rooms, wrong night
Hai Hai is a wonderful Southeast Asian room, but it is loud, casual and built for a fun group rather than a measured business conversation. Go for the food on a night off and keep this list for the client dinner.
Skip the bar and the no-reservation seats at any of these rooms for a client dinner. A standing or high-stool perch makes a deal conversation awkward; book a proper table in the dining room, tell them it is a business dinner, and ask for a quieter corner where you can talk.
Booking a client dinner in Minneapolis
The business-dinner map is the North Loop plus a short walk downtown. The North Loop holds Spoon and Stable, Demi, Porzana and Bar La Grassa within a few blocks; downtown has Manny's in the W Hotel and Murray's just off City Center. The hardest tables are Demi, a twenty-seat counter, and Spoon and Stable on a weeknight; book both one to two weeks out. Manny's and Murray's have the private rooms for a bigger party.
Book a proper dining-room table rather than the bar, and tell the restaurant it is a business dinner so they seat you somewhere you can talk. For a group, Manny's Bull Pen and the private spaces at Murray's are the easiest to reserve. The spend runs from a sharing dinner around $70 a head at Bar La Grassa to a $125 tasting at Demi and well beyond at the steakhouses once you order the prime cuts. Pick by how you want to read the client, over steak or over a counter.
Frequently asked
What is the best restaurant to impress a client in Minneapolis?
Spoon and Stable in the North Loop is the city's first call, chef Gavin Kaysen's James Beard-winning room in a converted 1906 stable, polished enough for a high-stakes table. For a classic steakhouse, Manny's in the W Hotel commands immediate respect, and Demi's twenty-seat counter tasting makes a quieter, precise impression.
Which Minneapolis steakhouse is best for a business dinner?
Manny's Steakhouse in the W Hotel is the downtown power-dinner standard, open since 1988, with a bone-in ribeye and private rooms like the Bull Pen for a group. Murray's, a 1946 landmark off City Center, is the old-school choice with its 28-ounce Silver Butter Knife Steak for two. Porzana is the modern, wood-fire Argentinian alternative.
Where can I take a client for a quiet dinner in Minneapolis?
Demi, Gavin Kaysen's twenty-seat counter at 212 North 2nd Street, is the quietest serious option, a $125 tasting menu cooked in front of you over two and a half hours. For a regular table, ask for a corner at Spoon and Stable and tell them it is a business dinner so they seat you where you can talk.
How far ahead should I book a business dinner in Minneapolis?
Book Demi one to two weeks ahead, since its twenty-seat counter sells out, and Spoon and Stable a week out for a weeknight. Manny's, Murray's, Porzana and Bar La Grassa are easier, though a group needs more notice for a private room. Always reserve a dining-room table rather than the bar for a client.
How much does a business dinner cost in Minneapolis?
It runs from about $70 a head for a sharing dinner at Bar La Grassa to $125 for the tasting at Demi, and well past that at the steakhouses once you order prime cuts and wine. Manny's and Murray's are the priciest with steak and a full table; Porzana and Spoon and Stable sit in between. Budget generously for a client.
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