Foodsmart Restaurant

Rating:

From the outside, the Foodsmart supermarket may not look like anything out of the ordinary, but the little cafe and deli hidden inside offers a treasure trove of Thai and Hmong dishes seldom found elsewhere in the Twin Cities. Most local Thai restaurants cater to a non-Asian clientele and offer a version of Thai cuisine adapted to American tastes. Foodsmart caters to a mostly Hmong clientele, and offers both traditional Hmong cuisine and Thai specialties at bargain prices. The two cuisines are very different, but there is some overlap; Hmong dishes tend to be very simple and mildly seasoned, while Thai dishes can be quite spicy and complex. Foodsmart actually offers three dining options: a menu with mostly Thai dishes cooked to order, a mostly-Hmong buffet served from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily; and a deli counter with a limited selection of prepared dishes ranging from Hmong sausage and grilled chicken to Thai curries.