Pagoda

Address
1417 SE 4th St., Mpls., 612-378-4710

The Scene
Design is definitely not this Dinkytown storefront’s strong suit. The boxy room is tall and cavernous and there hasn’t been much effort to spruce it up. Ambience consists of a couple of wall-hung flat-panel TVs, multicolored halogen track lights, orange paint, an open-to-view kitchen, and a lengthy deli-style counter that displays a variety of takeout snacks. Instead, the focus is on the food—ringing the comfortably spaced tables, pairs and groups of students contentedly slurp noodle soups, pluck choice items from bubbling hot pots, and assault lazy–Susan–mounted smorgasbords of stir-fries.

Our Take
Conventional wisdom would suggest that the execution of any menu that offers some 250-plus items and includes Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, Thai, and Indian specialties would prove wildly unsatisfying—especially with so many dishes priced below $10. In fact, the vast majority of our selections delighted us with authenticity and distinctive seasonings. Everything uniformly arrived piping hot and redolent. From the crisp-skinned, well-stuffed pot stickers to a top-notch platter of curry-laced Singapore–style rice “mine fun,” we kept remarking how much we were enjoying ourselves. Even a couple of curve balls we tried—a Japanese appetizer platter that included broiled eel strips, a traditional Korean combination of grilled beef ribs and spicy kimchi —showed that whoever is in the kitchen has definitely got game. Out of about fifteen different dishes, the only items I wouldn’t opt for again were a so-so kung pao shrimp and a flavorless, difficult-to-eat five-spice roast duck. Friendly servers provided helpful navigational advice. For example, one steered us away from the intriguing “satay sauce beef and noodle mushroom bean thread hot pot,” cautioning that most Westerners find the meat fatty and unpleasant. For reliably prepared, inexpensive Asian food of all types, this place is a real treasure.

Bubble, Bubble
Hidden in the lengthy bill of fare are a couple of specialty categories that aren’t typically found in these parts in as many varieties as they are at Pagoda. One is a collection of hot pot dishes that bubble away in a small, wok-shaped vessel set atop an alcohol burner. The other is a lineup of congee, the hearty rice porridge that’s as close to Asian comfort food as there is. Congee is consumed both as a breakfast dish and a hearty, low-cost fortification for students pulling an all-nighter.