Evergreen Restaurant
| Address: | 2424 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55404, USA |
| Phone: | +1 612-871-6801 |
| Site: | evergreen-chinese.com |
| Rating: | 4.2 |
| Working: | 11AM–9PM Closed 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–8PM |
Location
Photos 27
Reviews 10
C
C A
This is my favorite Chinese restaurant in the Twin Cities. Its easy to miss (as many other reviewers have noted) but once you know where it is you wont forget. (If youre going southbound on Nicollet its easier to notice because the sign is painted on the wall; going northbound Ive missed the sign in front a few times) The food is excellent and affordable, I love the large bubble tea selection (strawberry milk with pearls is my favorite; a friend of mine who had lived in Japan for a year said it also happened to taste closest to one of her favorite drinks over there), and the staff is incredibly nice. One time a group of friends and I had visited later in the evening and even while the owner was cleaning up across the room because it was closing time, he didnt make us leave because he saw some of us were still eating. When we realized what was happening, we immediately finished eating and left. The entire time the owner smiled at us and was very kind. Almost everything on the menu can be made with real meat or mock meat, which is fantastic for a vegetarian like me. This is one of the few places I can go with my meat-eating friends and we all have as many delicious choices as the other. Ive been told by my friends that the meat is just as tasty as I know the fake meat to be. I highly recommend this restaurant... The food is great, the people are great, and Ive never had a bad experience there.
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Chris Nguyen
Im giving the 3 stars for the service. The servers were quick, polite (especially the older man), and paid attention to what we needed in terms of refills and empty plates. The food however, was generally bad. My date and I ordered the drunken chicken, steamed bun, 3 cup chicken, and the Ma Po Tofu. - the drunken chicken is a cold appetizer. we expected it to be cold...not frozen. The chicken they brought out was literally still frozen on the inside. When we bit through it we felt the ice inside cracking like a freeze pop. Small portion as well for the 7-8 dollar price tag. 0/10 - steamed bun was 6-7 dollars for 6 small buns. There was barely any pork inside the buns and they had the texture of previously frozen. 5/10 - 3 cup chicken was 13.95 or so for a portion that was small and didnt seem worth it. It did however taste good. 8/10 - the Ma Po tofu was around 11 dollars, good portion size. Tofu was firm and has a good texture. The ground pork and sauce was extra salty however. Ma Po tofu is a Szechuan dish that is suppose to be spicy. While I understand that this restaurant is not a Szechuan restaurant, they should still try to make it somewhat right to the style of it and add in a little spiciness. This dish had zero heat and extra salt. 6/10
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A Private User
The Three Cups Chicken is an incredible dish, and I have it almost every time I go to Evergreen. Its so difficult to make properly, but theyve mastered it. Their eggrolls are delicious, and spicy garlic cucumbers are very tasty, and some of the veggie options are astoundingly good, especially the eggplant dish! Their seabass with the soy bean topping is sooooo good. I love this restaurant! I think all the negative reviews are coming from the same paranoid fool, so I wouldnt pay them much attention. I always park on the street instead of around back. Never had a problem. They do post signs telling you not to park in other lots...I look at this is a friendly warning!
MA
Maukwa Wenaytabimosay
Evergreen has been highly recommended by a U of M professor. I plan on visiting in the near future. In looking over your menu, I notice that you attribute "ketchup" as coming from Malaysia, but it actually came from the Americas...Native people made ketchup...also all of the peppers, and peanuts came from the Americas....tomatoes, peppers, peanuts, corn, potatoes, and many other foods came from right here in the Americas...I am Native so like to see that we get some credit for these contributions... AS A VEGAN, I LOVE YOUR MENU and cant wait to try your cooking.
EL
Elizabeth Caruson
My favorite restaurant! As a 12 year vegetarian, trust me when I say this place has it all! Mock beef, mock pork, mock chicken, mock duck, I think they even have mock shrimp! They have real meat for non-veggies. Personal favorite is kung pao mock chicken. Lemongrass mock beef and three cup tofu are also divine!!! The first time I had the mock beef and mock chicken, I wasnt sure that it was actually vegetarian, I made several friends that were with verify. But you get to know the shape of the mock chicken (little round nuggets) and the mock beef (flat pieces).
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A Private User
We ordered for take-out, so I cant comment on the atmosphere or service per se, but I can say that the small understated feel of this place was charming. Arriving made me feel like I was in on a wonderful secret known only by very protective locals. The staff was very polite and friendly and Evergreen had one of the most extensive vegetarian menus Ive ever seen!! In addition, they were very accommodating when it came to substitutions and special requests. This was among the best Chinese Ive had anywhere in the world. I cant wait to come back!
ER
Eric Sinakhone
This place isnt flashy (usually the best hidden gems arent) but boy are you in for a treat! Im not a vegetarian but my wife is and shes not used to being overwhelmed with choices let alone at a Chinese restaurant. She got the 3 Cup Tofu and I got the Bamboo and Pork Belly Stew. The taste was excellent and unique. My kids shared the Tofu Chow Fun which was tasty without being too oily. The restaurant had simple decorations but was clean. The staff was really friendly but not very attentive. We dont live very close by, but we cant wait to return!
JI
Jiangnan Dun
Im not a fan of leaving comments for restaurants. By far, this is one of the worst experiences I had. If I were able to give ZERO star, I would definitely do that. Terrible place. It takes them millions of years to get your food (or NEVER). You even have to wait forever to start your order. Plus, the restaurant is located underneath the ground. No Wifi, cellular signal. If you are looking for a pleasant place to eat, stay AWAY from here. Also, parking is extremely inconvenient with poor road surface (huge potholes).
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A Private User
I love Evergreen. For a vegetarian, its heaven. Heres things to note. The service has never been particularly spectacular but nice enough. Its a family run restaurant from what I can tell. The atmosphere is an underground restaurant with no windows so dont expect the ambiance to be fantastic. But, the food is great. I have eaten there a lot (probably 50+) and only one time the food was bad. Heres my complaint, the prices keep going up! Id rate it a $$ instead of $ since most dishes are now starting at $9-10.
HA
Hayden Uihlein
Evergreen has the best vegetarian food in Minnesota. Period. Parking sucks, its eat street. Theyre in a basement... big deal. No cell service or wifi? Goodness, its an amazing restaurant not an internet cafe. I have tried so many of their dishes but the owner knows our order these days. You cannot go wrong with their Lemongrass Mock Beef or Pepper Fried Mock Pork. They just make the best vegetarian food in Minnesota. What more can I say? There arent enough places where its better to be vegetarian than not. A true gem.
