Hmongtown Marketplace is an indoor market focused on Hmong-American products and culture in the Frogtown neighborhood of Saint Paul, Minnesota. Hmongtown is noted for its cuisine and produce, with major local paper the Star Tribune calling the food court "one of the state's top culinary gems." It is variously referred to as the Hmong Farmers Market or Hmong Flea Market, or simply "Hmongtown" to emphasize its role as a cultural hub like a Chinatown, not just a retail location.
More than 200 vendors sell traditional food, clothing, and home goods especially from Hmong and Hmong-American culture, including from Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. An indoor produce market designed to simulate open-air markets in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and Vientiane, Laos sells culturally specific fruits, vegetables, nuts, and other edible plants. Hot and ready made food vendors throughout the market and in the food court sell a variety of dishes such as roast meats, boba tea, papaya salad, and bánh mì. Home goods include green market, electronics, religious supplies, and garden tools.
In the summer the market nearly doubles in size with an outdoor market in the surrounding paved lot that brings the number of vendors up to 300 or more. The outdoor market is sometimes referred to as the Hmongtown Farmers Market and sells produce as well as meat, clothing and textiles, herbal medicine, live potted plants, and home products.
The large size and foot traffic thave led to the nickname "Hmong Mall of America". 600 people work inside, as many as 20,000 customers have been noted during events, and there is capacity for more than 300 stalls. The interior footpath complexity due to the many stalls has been described as "labyrinthine" and "byzantine."
Culture
Hmong are the largest Asian diaspora in Minnesota, and Minnesota has the second largest Hmong population in the United States. Hmongtown is a staple of local Hmong life and creates a sense of community and belonging. Less than four miles away is a similar Hmong-American marketplace called Hmong Village.
Vendors at Hmongtown sell traditional Hmong textile art such as (woven baskets) and forms of (flower cloth) such as batik dyed cloth () and story cloth, which depicts scenes from Hmong life and history.
Light boxes of photography from Hmong American artist Pao Houa Her, whose work was selected for the Whitney Biennial, decorate the West Building food court seating area. The exhibit is accompanied by text from Hmong American poet and playwright May Lee-Yang.
While the focus is Hmong culture, the marketplace contains shops and stalls with proprietors and products from any of the cultures that can be found in the surrounding neighborhood Frogtown, which is the most racially diverse neighborhood in Minnesota. Nepali and Mexican vendors have been noted. Owner Toua Xiong aims for the market to be welcoming to those new to Hmong culture.
Cuisine
Hmongtown is noted for its prepared food and quality produce, with the Star Tribune calling it "one of the state's top culinary gems" and Saveur enthusing it's a "destination" for cooks. Minnesota-native food critic Andrew Zimmern says it's "the country’s best little-known ethnic market." Minnesota Monthly included Hmongtown in their "'culinary canon' of essential local eats" list the "Foodie 40", saying Hmongtown is "one of the great, affordable flavor adventures in the Twin Cities" and calling it "ground zero" for good chicken wings. The average price of a meal is less than $15 and restaurants are open all day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Individual restaurant stalls and a food court serve traditional Hmong and Southeast Asian meals, snacks, and street food. Because Hmong is a diaspora, Hmong cuisine is a fusion, so dishes at Hmongtown come from Tailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and even China, Japan, South Korea, and Mexico. Difficult to find outside of Minnesota, Hmong-style barbecue is prominent, including traditionally prepared and cold Hmong sausage (), which is a pork sausage flavored with Thai chili and lemongrass, and , a traditional fermented pork sausage. Dishes popular among Hmong such as , (curry noodles), (minced meat salad), (tapioca dessert), purple rice, boba tea, mangonada, and papaya salad are widely available from multiple restaurants.
Notable vendors and dishes include: