Rather than simply open a St. Paul location of their long-running Minneapolis restaurant Quê Viêt, the Le family decided to turn its younger sibling into the slightly more contemporary Em Quê Viêt. It carves out its own corner of Minnesota's strong Vietnamese food scene with signature cocktails like the Naughty du Monde Espresso Martini (Vietnamese coffee, vanilla vodka, Kahlua, egg white, Godiva, and Liquor 43) and specials like a shrimp and pork banana flower salad, crispy bacon and shrimp crepe, and soft shell crab pasta. You can also order Quê Viêt's State Fair-famous egg rolls, of course.

The Twin Cities has long had one of the United States’ most vibrant Vietnamese food scenes due to thousands of postwar immigrants opening humble, hardworking, very lovable restaurants, such as Northeast Minneapolis’s Que Viet, open since 1980. Now it’s time for the children of the founding generation to take the stage with Em Que Viet in St. Paul. It’s everything we loved about our first-generation restaurants, but with foodie pizzazz like cocktails, fancy lemonades for the kids, and a little something special with squid ink in a risotto-like fried rice.

The white-brick exterior of this Grand Avenue eatery is covered in tumbling wisteria. While there are patio seats on the outside sidewalk, there's also a full patio at the back of the restaurant, shaded and decorated with gardens and greenery. Start with the famous egg rolls and an iced coffee sweetened with condensed milk while perusing the menu, a mix of Quê Viêt classics.

When I heard that a new concept, eM Que Viet, was being opened by the same families who own Que Viet Villages and the Que Viet Concession at the Minnesota State Fair, but with the added bonus of a full bar, I was all in. I was so excited to finally get there to check it out for my monthly friendship dinner and it definitely lived up to Que Viet’s reputation.

Home to the Minnesota State Fair's iconic Giant Eggroll on a Stick and cheese wontons, this family-owned Vietnamese restaurant offers authentic cuisine with a fresh, modern twist. Try for unique specials like the Shrimp and Pork Banana Flower Salad and Squid Ink Fried Rice, or opt for classics like pho, mixed veggie and meat platters, and noodle salads.

Que Viet, the iconic Minneapolis Vietnamese restaurant and State Fair favorite, recently brought their legendary Egg Rolls to Grand Avenue!. Em Que Viet promises to be the younger, sassier version of the old favorite. We visited on opening week, and loved every single bite!

Em Que Viet is a new and family-owned Vietnamese restaurant on in Saint Paul. Known for their giant egg rolls on-a-stick, Em Que Viet has expanded and made its way across the river to Grand Avenue in addition to its Northeast Minneapolis location.