The Twin Cities have many excellent restaurants, notably steakhouses; however, international cuisine as diverse as Greek and Japanese is also widely available.

Regional specialities:
• Freshwater fish.
• Blueberry muffins.

The state's nightclubs offer rock groups, jazz combos and musical comedy. Popular gathering places are the Loon and the Fine Line Music Cafe in the Warehouse District of Minneapolis, and the Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant in St Paul. America Live! is a nightclub collective in the Mall of America.

The Mall of America stands 15 minutes south of downtown Minneapolis at Bloomington. It is home to more than 520 stores, dozens of restaurants (including the first Rainforest Cafe), nine nightclubs, 14 cinemas, an indoor roller coaster and a walk-through aquarium. At each corner of the mall are the major department stores - Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Nordstrom and Sears.