World Street Kitchen: A New Culinary Destination in Minneapolis' Lyn-Lake

Minneapolis’ vibrant Lyn-Lake neighborhood has welcomed a dynamic new addition to its already bustling food scene: World Street Kitchen. Born from the popular food truck of the same name, this brick-and-mortar location brings a fresh and exciting take on global street food, promising a flavorful adventure for every palate. Located in a neighborhood known for its diverse culinary offerings, World Street Kitchen, or WSK as it’s also known, is not intimidated by the competition, but rather sees it as a thriving ecosystem for food lovers.

Chef Sameh Wadi of World Street Kitchen, Minneapolis

Chef Sameh Wadi, the culinary mind behind both WSK and the acclaimed downtown Minneapolis restaurant Saffron, is enthusiastic about the neighborhood’s potential. “I’m super excited,” Wadi states, emphasizing the collaborative spirit among chefs with a passion for innovative food. He views the concentration of independent restaurants in Lyn-Lake not as a challenge, but as a positive sign for the community, fostering a vibrant and engaging dining environment.

Wadi contrasts this with the downtown scene around Saffron, where he feels a relative scarcity of independent dining establishments creates a different dynamic. He appreciates the energy and culinary focus of Lyn-Lake, believing it’s the perfect setting for World Street Kitchen’s bold and globally-inspired menu. For Wadi, competition is not a deterrent but an invigorating force that elevates the entire neighborhood’s culinary landscape.

World Street Kitchen storefront sign in Minneapolis

While Saffron is celebrated for its refined dishes and upscale dining experience, World Street Kitchen embraces a more casual and accessible approach, mirroring the spirit of its food truck origins. WSK aims to capture the essence of street food culture with its open kitchen, counter service, and menu displays, creating a relaxed and inviting atmosphere. “I feel like the truck is a special feel,” Wadi explains, highlighting the intention to replicate that unique vibe within the restaurant space.

During a preview session, Wadi offered a glimpse into the menu’s philosophy, dividing it into two playful categories: “health conscious” and “stoner food.” This dichotomy reflects the diverse range of flavors and dishes WSK offers, catering to various tastes and cravings. While these preview dishes provide an early indication of WSK’s culinary direction, the true character of the restaurant will undoubtedly evolve as it settles into its new home.

Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad at World Street Kitchen

On the “health conscious” side, the Vietnamese noodle salad is a standout. Priced at $9, this dish is described as incredibly refreshing, reminiscent of a cool breeze on a warm day. It’s a straightforward yet satisfying rendition of the classic salad, featuring chilled rice noodles, shrimp, crisp pickled daikon and cucumbers, and an aromatic blend of mint, cilantro, basil, green onions, and lettuce. The dish is finished with crushed peanuts and a flavorful nuoc cham fish sauce dressing, creating a light yet deeply flavorful experience.

Aloo Tikki Chaat at World Street Kitchen

In contrast, the aloo tikki chaat, priced at an enticing $4.75, is a flavor explosion. This dish is packed with spice, heat, and textural contrasts, presenting a powerful culinary punch in a seemingly simple package. Wadi describes it as “an explosion of flavor, spice, heat, and contrasts, a superman of a dish in a Clark Kent package.” The aloo tikki chaat features a base of spiced potato and lentil patties, enhanced with garam masala sourced from The Spice Trail. It’s then layered with both a sweet and tangy tamarind-date chutney and a vibrant cilantro chutney, cooling lime yogurt, and crispy chickpea flour noodles (sev), resulting in a complex and addictive dish.

Expanding the World Street Kitchen Experience: An Interview with Sameh Wadi

To further understand the vision behind World Street Kitchen, The Heavy Table engaged in a conversation with Chef Sameh Wadi, exploring the transition from food truck to restaurant and the evolution of the WSK concept.

THE HEAVY TABLE: For those already familiar with the World Street Kitchen food truck, what can they expect to be different at the brick-and-mortar restaurant?

SAMEH WADI: We’re essentially taking the food truck concept and amplifying it. The restaurant kitchen offers significantly more space and equipment; for instance, the flattop grill here is larger than the entire kitchen in our food truck. This expanded capacity allows us to offer a wider range of dishes simultaneously. Previously, at the food truck, certain menu items like the Bangkok Burrito would draw a specific crowd, while the Yum Yum Bowl attracted another. Now, at World Street Kitchen, we can serve both, and many more favorites, on the same day.

Sameh Wadi showcasing menu items at World Street Kitchen

HT: So, a larger menu is a key difference?

SW: Absolutely. While the trucks typically featured one or two sandwich options, the restaurant menu will boast six or seven unique sandwiches. Furthermore, some dishes will be slightly more refined than what we offered from the food truck. An example is our banana leaf-wrapped fish, served with fragrant coconut rice and a refreshing marinated radish salad. This dish represents a step up in terms of presentation and ingredients compared to our usual food truck fare.

HT: Does this expansion and slight elevation of the menu reflect the growth and increasing sophistication of the fast-casual dining sector in recent years?

SW: Definitely. The fast-casual category has evolved significantly, with larger food companies raising the bar and educating consumers. People who might have previously opted for traditional fast food are now more inclined to choose places like Chipotle or Noodles & Company. While I’m not suggesting these chains offer exceptional cuisine, they represent a positive shift in consumer preferences. World Street Kitchen aims to bridge the gap by offering hand-crafted, chef-driven food made with quality ingredients for just a slightly higher price point, providing exceptional value and flavor.

MFC Moroccan Fried Chicken Sandwich at World Street Kitchen

HT: The MFC sandwich is incredibly flavorful and substantial. It’s a lot of food with the biscuits and fried chicken, but the slaw adds a welcome brightness.

SW: That’s our MFC, the Moroccan Fried Chicken sandwich. It’s definitely a hearty meal; you might need cutlery and perhaps a nap afterward! The sandwich is built on a buttermilk biscuit with white cheddar and green onion, filled with fried chicken marinated in North African spices – cumin, black pepper, cayenne, and paprika. The spicy feta, blended with smoked paprika, and the carrot salad, inspired by traditional mezze and dressed with preserved lemon, provide contrasting and complementary flavors. This is undoubtedly one of our “stoner food” creations, designed to be indulgent and satisfying.

HT: What about the bar program at World Street Kitchen?

SW: We’ll offer a curated selection of beers, wines, and sake cocktails. The beverage list has been carefully crafted by Rob Jones, our bar manager from Saffron (formerly of Meritage), and Alberto Blanco, Saffron’s sommelier. We’re focusing on local beers on tap, while offering canned beers from around the globe. We’ll also have unique drinks like a sake-based caipirinha, alongside fun and accessible options like Miller’s High Life and Mickey’s grenades. Given the numerous excellent beer-centric establishments in the area, we’re not trying to compete directly. And with Moto-i, the world’s only sake brewpub outside of Japan, nearby, we’re embracing a more playful and complementary approach to our bar offerings.

Eat World Street Kitchen branded t-shirt