Khâluna

Ah man… I really wanted to like this place a lot but the service really hampered the total review and the food wasn’t really up to expectations. Our waitress, personality wise, was great and was very kind but that’s about as much credit I could give. Service was extremely slow. We arrived at 6:30 for our reservation and was served drinks around 20 minutes later. They did not come around to order food again for another 20 minutes (by now 7:15), after which the food didn’t arrive for another 40 which was only our appetizer. Then we waited another 20 minutes for our mains and another 40 minutes for the check. Maybe the time between checks here is standard or maybe it was a busy night. I want to very much give the benefit of the doubt if it was but it did feel like we were mostly ignored for most of the night. Arriving at 6:30 and leaving around 8:45 for only 2 drinks, 1 appetizer, and 1 entree with what felt mostly like waiting. The food however was also lackluster. Perhaps my expectation was slightly high but Bucatini Talay left the amount of seafood to be desired for $38. Flavor was decent but nothing astounding. The duck fried rice was where we were disappointed the most. Confit duck had me understanding the duck would be moist and flavorful. However, the duck in the fried rice was dry and tougher to chew. Flavor was nothing remarkable and we were again disappointed here; especially for it costing $30. I will say the drinks are fantastic. Well-made cocktails at prices I would pay for. We came to celebrate our 2 year anniversary and they were kind enough to give us some passion fruit ice cream to celebrate which was kind. Atmosphere was amazing too. Well-designed building, hand towels in lieu of paper towels, and everything was internally designed beautifully. Maybe today was unlucky and maybe they were just busy. Maybe the food wasn’t up to the standard we were used to. However, with all accounts, I left more upset than I wanted to be. I truly hope those who come have more luck and a better experience but with everything that happened I cannot rate it fairly higher than a 2.

Everything at Khâluna blends together in a beautiful way: from the flower motifs in the food and decor, to the beachy atmosphere of the restaurant and seafood-inspired dishes, to the carefully chosen plates and stoneware that evoke an oceanic, breezy vibe, all is purposeful. The staff here particularly stand out as accommodating and friendly, there to provide their recommendations as well as show you how to eat the dishes. I enjoyed a house punch, and the sakoo appetizer, which is a delicious, chewy and umami bite that quite honestly, might have been one of the best dishes I've tried this year. The scallop crudo is paired with a rich acidic and spicy broth that's refreshing and light. For my entree I did the laksa, which has delicious shrimp, tofu, and a softboiled egg. To finish, I had the pistachio orange blossom cake, which was served hot and with a generous portion of the mousse. Lots of delightful textures in that dessert - crunchy, crackly bits on top along with a spongey moist cake.

4.5/5 - Came here for a celebration dinner with a gift card from family. Ordered a great mocktail, the chicken wings, the massaman curry and duck fried rice. Everything was great overall. The mocktail was a margarita which was quite spicy and refreshing. The chicken wings were fried to perfection and had great flavor. The massaman curry was delicious and the duck fried rice actually had a good serving of duck. My gf was a bit disappointed they offered no soda as a non-alcoholic option besides mocktails. I think including a lemonade/herbal tea/natural soda would be a good addition.

I recently discovered this place! It is Laotian food and I absolutely love it!!! My favorite dish is Duck Fried Rice and Curry Chicken with sticky rice!! My favorite drink is their Spritz! (Though they recently discontinued the Spritz but if you ask the bartender they might still make it!!) Their service is also very very nice!!! I went visited the place everyday recently because I have some friends visiting me in town. One beautiful waitress recognized me and gifted me their pistachio orange cream dessert 🍨 to go. I absolutely love this place!!🌝if I must must say a down side, the Valet Parking guy will randomly decide to be there and charge you 15$ for parking in the restaurant’s parking lot. The restaurant said they are not associated with the parking guy 😂. So if you want to avoid the parking guy 🌝, arrive 10 mins before the restaurant opens!!You are also park in the street too!

Made reservations for Khaluna in Minneapolis during a visit over the weekend, and I am so glad that we did because this restaurant is definitely popular, vibrant, and reservations are required. …