The Northeast Minneapolis area is home to one of the gems for great Asian food in the metropolitan area.
Royal Orchid, named among the top 100 Thai food restaurants in the U.S. by Thai Food Magazine, is managed by Worun Sukhtipyaroge, a second generation restauranteur.
Royal Orchid opened at 4022 Central Ave. N.E. in Columbia Heights in 2012 after leaving their location in
Roseville, and closing their location in the downtown skyway as well. The family’s first restaurant was opened in 1988 by Worun’s dad, Pat, and his aunt, Nida at 18th Street and Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis.
Worun greets his customers with a wide and warm smile, and said the favorite part of his job managing operations at Royal Orchid is hearing from happy customers. “I love it when
customers tell us they really enjoy our food.”
One of the reasons the family chose Northeast Minneapolis, Worun explained, was the ethnic diversity of the area, as well as the wide variety of locally-owned restaurants.
“There is a lot of variety and diversity here,” he said. “People are very receptive to trying new restaurants, and different foods.”
There is much to choose from on the Royal Orchid menu including 10 appetizers, three soups, five salads, six curries, 12 stir fries, nine rice and noodle dishes and four specialty dishes.
Still, Worun and his staff know some clientele may have issues with gluten or peanut products, or may not like a certain ingredient in one of the dishes. The staff at Royal Orchid pride themselves on the ability to recommend certain food combinations, or even custom-prepare entrees for their clientele.
“We make every one of our entrees fresh, so we can always customize a dish to the way a customer wants it,” Worun said. “Not many people are used to having dishes customized in an Asian restaurant, but we’ll remove any ingredients our customers don’t like.
“If people have a hard time choosing something from the menu, if this is their first time trying Thai food, I can recommend items for them that best match their tastes,” he added.
Royal Orchid offers take-out and delivery. Customers can find their full menu at www.royalorchidmn.com and can order and pay right online. The restaurant’s hours are Sunday, 11:30 to 9 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Saturday from Noon to 9:30 p.m. The restaurant is closed Monday. Free parking is available in the ramp accessible to the west by way of 40th Avenue and Van Buren Street NE.
Worun Sukhtipyaroge and the wall of awards and accolades the restaurant has won. Note there is free parking in the ramp behind the building: Turn west at 40th Avenue to access.