Evergreen

Bio: Vegetarian, who loves different cuisines and want to have a good gastronomical experience.
My all time favorite. Less expensive, tasty eatout.
Try: dumplings, eggplant stir fry.
Ambience: small cosy basement restaurant, family run.

The most authentic 炒米粉 (fried rice vermicelli) and 貢丸湯 (meat ball soup) I ever had in the U. S… and I’m originally from southern California where Taiwanese food is abundant! I saw many other guests ordering stuff like Mongolian beef and sweet and sour whatever. Please know that if these names are ubiquitous in all Chinese restaurants in the U.S., they’re probably already Americanized. Try ordering something on the menu that you don’t recognize… with the excellent skill level of these chefs I’m sure that it will be worth it! And make sure to ask them if what you’re ordering is Taiwanese. There are so many styles… these folks specialize in Taiwanese.

We had the chicken lomein, beef noodle bowl, egg rolls and wontons. Delicious! However, we will probably order take out next time since it had a very musty odor in the actual restaurant.

really nice place to have some traditional chinese food here， the manager is super nice guy，i do recommend my friend to go

A great mom and pop hole in the wall Chinese restaurant on Eat street. Limited parking on side of building in a free lot. Descend down a staircase and find yourself in a clean, well lit basement where they serve up some delicious food. While dining in, several people came by for take out and bubble teas to go. Service was fairly efficient and very friendly when we were there (4 tables were seated) but we were speculating what service might look like if the place was jam packed on a Friday night. Got the lamb noodle soup for $ 7.95 which just wasn’t for me, the Beijing Style Soy Bean Paste Noodles (thick wheat noodles) $ 7.25 which we would return for, Buddhas delight $ 8.75 (good but nothing special), and the eggplant in garlic sauce $ 8.75 which was the standout star. We had leftovers as portions are fairly generous. We will return to order more soy bean paste noodles, eggplant, and to try other dishes! Go check it out!

Get here early the weekends for the dim sum menu because a lot of it was sold out by 2pm. Got the soy bean drinks and Chinese donuts to go.

The food here is awesome! Best General Tso’s Chicken I’ve ever had! There would definitely be 5 stars here, but the service hasn’t always been the best. My bestfriend ordered some Veggie Dumplings, the server promised us that the dumplings would be vegan, when we got them there was clearly chicken in them. When we approached the server about it, he argued with us until her was to the point of yelling! I honestly haven’t been there since that experience, but the fact that their food is amazing still stands true.

My favorite chinese restaurant! And even though I am not a vegetarian one of my favorite dishes is Lemongrass Mock Beef. I get this every time that I am there with a group to share. Honestly, I have never found a bad dish at this restaurant. I like the very plain feel in the basement of a building — definitely do not go if you want your environment to be fancy and there is no alcohol served either. This is the place you go when all you care about is eating great food and being with friends and family. It is a small family run business and we see the owner every time we are there. Love it!

Visiting Mr. Piano’s home towns and this is apparently his favorite restaurant, which conveniently has plenty of options for what I can eat :) I’m vegetarian with an egg allergy, so having vegan options is always great!
I had the vegetarian chow fun, because I am a sucker for flat noodles, and requested that they add the mock beef to it, which they had no problem with. It’s a good noodle dish, and the mock beef strips are well seasoned soy protein – I’ve seen that style of soy protein at other vegetarian restaurants before, and it’s not always seasoned well, so that is always a good sign that the person (s) in the kitchen know what they’re doing :) Mr. Piano had the General Tso’s mock chicken, and that was also really tasty (because of course I sampled some) – he claims it’s better than General Tso’s with real chicken, so I’ll take his word for it! His friends got the noodle dish with meat sauce, and seemed to enjoy that, and the table ordered egg rolls (which I couldn’t eat but were enjoyed by the others), sesame bread (a little like a roti, chewy and nice), and the fried tofu. The fried tofu was really crispy and great! In fact, it disappeared within minutes between the four of us there, and I am curious how they get the outside to such a nice, non-​oily, crispy texture :0 I of course also got bubble tea, because I am a bubble tea fiend, and got the passionfruit green tea with boba (bubbles). For a restaurant rather than a dedicated bubble tea joint (which we have many of in California, where I currently live), they do a really good job with the bubble tea drink as well!
The service is somewhat quiet, although they do seem to be sufficiently proficient in English, but I’m fine with that. There were only two other tables the night we were there, which is a little confusing given that the food is good, but it is admittedly an odd locale – it’s in the basement of what I’m told used to be an Asian video store and a florist’s shop. It probably fits the «hole in the wall» description pretty well, and appears to be a mom & pop type operation, which I really appreciate. It’s not fancy, but it gets the job done, and I always favor good food over good décor anyway: P
The parking situation appears to be either street parking or a tiny «lot» right next to the building, which amounts to a narrow line of parking spaces between their building and the next. If you have a long vehicle, it might be a tight fit.
Next time I am in the Twin Cities area for dinner, this is definitely going to be at the top of my list of places to visit :) I need to sample more of their dishes!

Ok first things first. If you are a vegetarian or vegan, this place is for you. You will be spoilt with options.
The moment I put the Mock Chicken Nuggets into my mouth, I knew I will be coming back again and again: D. I am a big fan of East Asian Cuisine and this place is by far the best I have had in Minneapolis (California has some amazing East Asian Joints). I am not a major Tofu fan so I guess the variety of mock meats they have has been the biggest draw to the place. I had the Singapore Curry Rice noodles my husband had the pepper fried mock pork. The mock pork was good but didn’t really excite me much .The Singapore Curry rice noodles became my comfort food. It had a perfect level of spice, was flavorful and some veggies and mock meats, which added to the texture. We also ordered the Strawberry bubble tea. It was good too, just the right amount of sweetness.
The décor isn’t the best, so if you are looking for great ambience this may not be the place you are looking for. Service was good, could be a little better I felt. Overall the food won me over so I am definitely going back.

I followed my friend Jonathan’s lead and went with his recommendations and I wasn’t impressed.
Yes, the dumplings were homemade, but the outside was too think. I also think I would have preferred them fried instead of steamed. I also ordered the Taiwanese noodles with meat sauce-​there was no flavor. I think there was supposed to be some kind of sauce but I found none. And, the meat didn’t have much flavor either so that was a bust. I also got the steamed pork buns which were probably the best thing I ordered. Again the outside was kind of thick but the meat inside was good. The sauce they served with these was also spicy soy sauce that I really liked.
My friend got the vegetable lo mein and shrimp fried rice and he really liked both of those. I also didn’t like these. Additionally, he got the vegetable egg rolls. I thought the outside was dry and also didn’t like them. Jonathan was correct in stating that none of the food was greasy. I would agree 100% with this statement! They gave us four fortune cookies so that was a plus!
Overall, I thought the food was expensive and not that good. We ordered take-​out so I can’t speak to the ambiance that others have referred to in their reviews. I might try them again in the future, but not anytime soon. I am still on a search for some quality take-​out in Minneapolis and I still haven’t found what I’m looking for…

This place although in a semi weird space in bottom of a building, it has some really tasty food. It’s good for large groups since it’s pretty spacious. They have a variety of different fake meats to enjoy if you want more than a tofu dish. It’s always good to start w/​an app to share since they’re worth getting. There are so many options to try it’s always good to change it up.

Mmmm! Finally some good Taiwanese home cooking in the Midwest!
I like to come here for the Taiwanese breakfast items, aka the warm sweet soy milk, the fried dough, and sticky rice stick (fan tuan). Everything is made in house and tastes super fresh!
I’ve also had their three cup chicken and beef noodle soup, both of which are classic taiwanese dishes!!! Both did not disappoint and were quite good! Their fried tofu is also very well executed and not oily at all! The only thing I noticed was that everything was a bit less spicy, salty and oily than what I’ve had in Taiwan… but that’s actually a good thing! Their food options are healthy and delicious!
The old man running the place is super nice and got really excited to tell me about how he came from Tainan to Minneapolis over 20 years ago. They used to serve more authentic taiwanese dishes, such as pork blood soup, but had to stop because people here didn’t appreciate taiwanese food as much. I’m glad they kept their other taiwanese dishes (like the herbal soup, taiwanese fish ball soup, taiwanese chow mei fun, etc), which are more than enough to satisfy my taiwanese food cravings.

Can recommend the seaweed knots. Saved them for later and added diced cashews for a snack. Delish.

basement location, not much on décor but the food was. OK. Nothing too exciting! Lots of other options on eat street.

Great food when it’s available. Evergreen is a great stop for pretty authentic Taiwanese cuisine. It’s all good stuff with two non-​food related downsides. The service is poor (slow) mainly due to the fact that there is usually only one or two non-​restaurant trained people working the entire restaurant floor. They also run out of ingredients for certain popular dishes. So avoid Sunday’s and late on weekdays.

Taiwanese food in Minneapolis, who knew? This place is legit, making some awesome meat sauce noodles and pot stickers, just like the one from the stand down the street from my home in Taichung. It really brought me back. There were also tons of vegan/​vegetarian options with a variety of faux meats which I will be sampling next time, but there were only so many things we could try in one sitting. The ambiance left something to be desired, but some of the best meals I’ve had have started in a similar place. We will be back.

The best Chinese food I’ve ever had.
The service was awful though. There was only one server and one man in the kitchen.
also they said their bubble tea was «not working»

I’ve been here twice, and both times have been not… good…
Full disclosure: I’m not a HUGE fan of Chinese food, and both times I was here were on Christmas day (it’s a tradition…)
The service was slow and unfriendly. The food was slow and overly bitter.
I gave it an extra star because I didn’t get sick, and I’d like to try it again sometime not on Christmas.

This place is definitely on the higher end of what I endearingly call Crappy American Chinese Food. I love this stuff.
I brought my vegan friend from out of town here based on everyone else’s reviews, and it was perfect for her. She was so happy to see so many options, and enthusiastically over-​ordered everything. Well, not everything, but two regular dishes and two starters is a lot for one person! (I say this having ordered the exact same amount. Shhhhhhhhh!) There’s a lot to like about this joint.
So, first of all, you should know this place is in a basement. A basement where I had no cell service, and they don’t have WiFi. HOWEVER, this is a basement restaurant where we weren’t murdered horribly by some dude (tte) with a meat cleaver, which is a total fear of mine about basement restaurants. The whole windowless no-​one-​can-​hear-​you-​scream thing while there are vats of oil and sharp knives about makes me feel like I’m in a bad horror movie. Since I didn’t get horribly murdered and am here writing this review, this place already deserves a positive review in my book.
We had the five spice boiled peanuts and garlic-​ginger seaweed knots to start. I was ambivalent about the peanuts, because I think boiled nuts in general are a bit soggy and gross, but those seaweed knots. Wow. I could eat those all night. Forever.
Next we had the vegetarian rolls and the steamed vegetable dumplings. Both were good, but nothing special.
I can’t remember the entrée that my friend had, but it did involve deep-​fried tofu and some noodles. Specific, I know. The deep-​fried tofu was surprisingly edible.
I had my usual go-​to, which is General Tso’s. Maybe I need to resign myself to the fact that my tastebuds have been so burned down by the unending servings of kimchi I had in South Korea over the course of a year that none of the so-​called «spicy» dishes in a Chinese joint in America will ever be anything but mildly bland and weirdly tasteless to me. Everything is terrible and sad. This place, however, gladly brought me a whole bunch of extra red pepper to slather all over the General Tso’s. Truth be told, I could have used some more, but at least I was able to taste the flavors after the initial helping (that was large enough to kinda horrify my friend). And, despite this complaint, I did eat it all in one go. So, y’know, it was clearly delicious.
I also ordered the lo mein, which was lo mein-​y goodness. My friend had something else, which I also can’t remember. I was distracted by the large amount of food I had ordered, what can I say.
All in all, I’d go back here, for sure. Probably on the weekend so I can partake in that sweet, sweet dim sum.

I love this place so much. I’m vegan and every meal I have gotten is amazing. I have tried mock chicken, mock pork, and mock beef. The service is amazing and the staff is extremely friendly. The mock beef is on point.
The tea they serve before every meal is really enjoyable. I love that it is downstairs and in an intimate setting.
They have many options for people that eat meat as well. It is reasonably priced and I eat here at least once every week or so.
I would highly recommend this spot to everybody !

This is my (and my girlfriend’s) favorite hidden treasure in Minneapolis — It’s hidden below a floral shop.
I have tried many food options on the menu and nothing comes close to topping the eggplant with basil. I am not even sure I like eggplant, but this dish is amazing — I get the eggplant with basil every time I go to Evergreen! (I also get the hot and sour soup… it’s so cheap for a bowl!)
The ambiance is what you would expect from a typical ‘mom and pop shop’ i.e. nothing fancy. However, with cheap prices, tasteful food, and plenty of vegan and vegetarian options, this place is wonderful.
An old man will most likely greet you and sit you down at a table when you walk in, and he’ll gladly bring some complimentary tea for you (free refills). After you place your order, an older lady will cook your food in the kitchen, and then a younger woman will bring the food out to you (I have only seen three people working here). The food can sometimes take a little longer than a typical chain restaurant, but the complimentary tea and company of whomever you are with should pass the time quickly. However, if you want a snack while waiting for your main dish, I will recommend the vegetarian spring rolls (vegan) or the hot and sour soup (also vegan).
When you are finished with your meal, the older man will bring out the check and you pay him upfront at the counter (remember to tip!).
I have brought many non-​vegan people (I call them Flesh-​Eaters) to eat at Evergreen, and they have all raved about how much they enjoyed the food. However, I did tell them to order the eggplant with basil as well as the hot and sour soup because they are the best things on the menu and I wanted them to enjoy their meal!
Tip: Many people at Evergreen are enjoying a quiet dinner, so be aware of how loud you are talking. This is not like a sports bar; this is a place to enjoy a nice quiet warm meal. Mainly, just be respectful.
FYI, they do not accept Discover; however, they do gladly accept Visa — I am not sure about MasterCard or Amex.
Enjoy your time,
Cheers.

My son requested sweet and sour chicken, so I sought out the best I could find near an event I was attending later. Thanks, Unilocal people, for not stiring me wrong. The décor could use some updating but honestly, it doesn’t matter because the food is fabulous. You are greeted with ice water and hot, green tea without even having to ask. I had the Singapore Curry rice noodles and the flavors were perfect. My son loved his sweet and sour chicken. The cup of miso soup was generous and they didn’t skimp on the tofu. My egg drop soup was lovely.
Two tips:
1. They are in the basement with no cell service, so airplane mode your phone to avoid battery drain.
2. Park in the back lot, not in the angled side spaces as you drive into the. Apparently, these are for the school and it’s $ 95 for the tow. There are warning signs inside but I misunderstood… but fortunately karma was on my side because my car was still there with no ticket.
I live really far away, but I will definitely come back if I am ever in the area. Thanks for a great early dinner!

Just an ok food. I went there little late for lunch, there was just couple of people there. They were not busy but it still took them quite a time to get the food.
Pros:
Inexpensive
Mom/​pop shop so helping local business
Lot of Vegan options
Parking is available in back
Cons:
Flavorless food. It did not tasted good.
Décor/​Ambiance is boring
Service little slow

Got out of work late and faced the dilemma of what restaurant to eat at. We finally decided on this restaurant because of the proximity and the Unilocal reviews (thanks fellow Unilocalers).
FYI Limited parking in the back, and the restaurant was actually underground.
Service: awesome. We came in around 8:30 so immediately I was thinking we would get a f-​u face for coming in so late. But the owner/​manager, this elderly man, was SUPER nice and busted out his mandarin. I listened and did not know how to respond other than Cantonese. We were equally puzzled by each other. Finally we resorted to my usual — pointing at items I want.
Food:
1.) Five spice meat appetizer was on point! It came with some hoisin sauce that gave it extra oomph.
2.) Spicy beef stew noodle soup. This version is so different from that in Shanghai, Hong Kong, or mainland. It’s less salty in a good way and the broth appeared thicker. It was not really spicy but I was okay with that. Overall, I liked the dish and would recommend others to try it, but I still think I prefer the Hong Kong version. I like familiarity.
3.) Noodle with sesame/​peanut paste. I had this when I was in Wuhan this past summer and I definitely like the Taiwanese version more. Less viscosity? Its more like a gravy rather than the dry, thick sauce you get in mainland China. I would come here just for this dish.
Overall, I had a great experience. Service was great despite us being d-​bags for coming in last minute. The restaurant has decent space so you can bring in a larger group. I will be back!

I posted a Facebook status the other day wondering where I can find the best Chinese food in Minneapolis. Luckily, my good friend Adam informed me that’s far too broad of a question to ask and pointed me to Evergreen for the best Taiwanese food in town (among other places which I must visit soon).
And, wow, was he right!
First, five stars for the Eat Street Location – right by my favorite Spyhouse Coffee location in town. One note, however, is that the restaurant itself isn’t incredibly glamorous. But that’s not what makes it the best.
What does?
The food. Seriously, folks, this place is delicious. I enjoyed the vegetable noodle soup, cream cheese puffs, and fried rice. I went back later in the day for a Lo Mein craving.
Twice in one day. That good.
Great staff, prompt service, a new favorite.

Great vegan options and the menu is clearly marked.
The first thing you’ll notice here is that they’re located on the lower level of a building and it certainly looks like a hole-​in-​the-​wall place, but don’t let that fool you. I was thoroughly pleased with the food and service here.
I started with the Buddhist Veggies. It’s a cold appetizer with wheat gluten, mushrooms and other veggies. It was very good. For the meal, I decided to go with the Fried Tofu with Crispy Soy Bean Flakes. As far as I’m concerned, this was the best tofu dish I’ve had anywhere. It was literally raging with flavor and had just a little bit of a spicy kick to it. I was very satisfied.
The server when I came in was the only person working outside of the kitchen, but he was very friendly and service was quick.
On the menu, everything that is vegan is clearly listed as vegan. They are also able to make most of their (relatively extensive) menu options vegan as well. I may try something a little more daring next time!
I’ll definitely come back if I’m ever in the area again!

Coming from metropolitan familiarity with high standards for authentic Chinese food, I wasn’t convinced this place would be good. Surprises were in store the entire meal.
Let me first say though that there are a few facts that led me to be somewhat dissatisfied, but nothing to make me give less than 4 stars. The menu is incredibly diverse, but there was only one fresh Chinese vegetable available. That is not what I am used to for my choices, and I was definitely disappointed in the fact that we could only order baby shanghai choy as the fresh seasonal green veggie. Also, all the tofu is pretty much going to be deep fried unless you ask… Finally, a couple dishes were too salty.
Ok, the good stuff: all the vegan stuff is labeled, and descriptions are there for the items. Never trust mock meat as vegan, and they keep it real here to let you know most is not. They have authentic Taiwanese brunch food– soy milk with sesame bread and fried crueller (savory). They have authentic ‘little dishes’ like five spice peanuts, spicy cucumbers and oh yum seaweed knots with ginger. Plenty of authentic noodle dishes, including thin rice Taiwanese noodles and vegetable noodle soup — ask for it to be made vegan!
So many choices, you’ll be happy whatever your predilection!

Szechuan, Cantonese, and Hunan = Different Types of Chinese food.
Taiwanese Food = Taiwanese Food.
This is not to say that Taiwanese food isn’t influenced by Chinese food, but a huge difference does exist.
Now the owner and chefs are from Taiwan and even though they do cook Cantonese food, the Taiwanese food is why the Twin Cities’ Chinese and Taiwanese communities eat there. Also, this is home cookin’ ya’ll. Thus, don’t be disappointed when you order sesame chicken, kung pao beef, or cream cheese wontons and it doesn’t taste good. That food is americanized, yo.
I visited Evergreen a couple days ago for lunch. The soy milk, which is made from soy machine maker in the kitchen, is incredibly fresh (no Yeos), silky, and slightly sweet. The Dumplings? House-​made! Usually store bought dumplings are long and dry, but these were round and juicy! Fo sho, the best part of my meal. Finally, the Taiwanese noodles with meat sauce. Soooooo on point! Noodles were al dente! Sapid meat sauce (a good strong salt taste). The soup with fish balls weren’t anything spectacular, but it’s something great to slurp up during the fall and winter. Overall, each dish had the perfect amount of salt and wasn’t greasy.
Sure, Evergreen resides in a basement and the décor isn’t the best; however, if every reviewer gave too much weight to these things, then a five star rating would disproportionately favor «nice» restaurants. Personally, I think there should be more emphasis on great food. I’ve had the best meals of my life in the ugliest places. Just ask any person that went to Asia and had a fantastic meal while sitting on a small plastic chair.
The meal came out to be $ 17 dollars or so. It’s hard to be that!