Rainbow Chinese Restaurant & Bar

Sunday night dinner with my wife at Rainbow Chinese on Eat Street. We started with the Szechuan dumplings, which are usually my favorite here, but surprisingly they had almost no spice this time. I ended up asking for chili oil to bring them back to life, which helped, but still not what I expect from that dish. We also had the beef chow fun with baby bok choy. The noodles were fine, but the beef was a bit chewy and the overall dish leaned bland. At this price point, there are definitely stronger options around town. The standout was the veggies in black bean sauce with chicken. Easily the best dish we ordered. Good flavor, balanced, and actually had some depth. We added a fried rice side for $4 and a pot of green tea for $8. Service was good and the food came out fast. I still really like the space. It has that classic Eat Street feel, and the koi fish tank is a nice touch. Big bonus that they have a small dedicated parking lot next to the building. Overall, it felt like a bit of a step back from the last time we were here a couple years ago. Portions were generous and we had lunch for two the next day, but the food just did not hit the same. Total with tip was $88.

WOW! Excellent experience overall. Great food, service, hospitality, atmosphere. We went to support Eat Street (Nicolette Ave) in Minneapolis- where Alex Pretti was killed. Local bars and restaurants and merchants line Nicolette and they need our help. But Rainbow is excellent beyond the social awareness. We ordered appetizer platter and I fell in love with the fried chicken dumplings. The platter was huge and three of us barely finished it. We also shared sesame chicken and shrimp with walnuts. Both were superb. By the last bite of the chicken, my scalp was sweating, so the heat was subtle and building throughout. The shrimp and walnuts was a calm, mild counterbalance to the chicken and hit the perfect note of subtle flavor in the sauce. The shrimp was perfectly cooked. Service was wonderful with a very attentive server/ assistant manager who checked in on us, refilled waters and was friendly. We met the owner and are even more impressed. She is wonderful! A neighborhood champion who takes great pride in her restaurant. The food here is 100 percent worth the trip. The community care and focus is a bonus. Please support this place and others along Nicolette Avenue. Great food. Great people. Great neighborhood.

I flew into MSP and immediately my girlfriend told me we were eating at this joint, no options allowed! And she was right! It was pretty dead the night we went, so we got a table quickly, and were served quickly as well. We started off with the absolutely massive egg rolls that were a hit. When they arrived, I was shocked at how big and plump they were! After this, we ordered, I got dish with beef, peanuts, sauce, peppers and onions, and my partner got fried shrimp with a cream sauce and walnuts. Both were very tasty and very large portions, but I was shocked to learn that rice needed to be ordered separately? That did not make sense to me, but to each their own, and the food was very tasty, so that makes little difference to me. It was a pricey meal, but it was a good one for sure.

Got takeout from here and was shocked after reading all the positive reviews. I got the sesame chicken, and it did not taste at all like sesame chicken. The …

We visited on Friday and the restaurant was not busy. The eggrolls were delicious as always. I ordered beef chow fun and did not like it. The noodles were way overcooked, so they were soft and mushy. My bf got the crispy chicken and it was good flavor. The server was mopey and slow. She's more suited for a back of house role. We could hear the two tables next to us complain too.