The commissary kitchen space that's been home to chef Yia Vang's inventive series of pop-ups will soon flip to a permanent and familiar restaurant. Union Hmong Kitchen will open its second location at 901 W. Lake St. in Minneapolis on July 12.

"These three menus, Slurp, Mee-Ka, and Mov were awesome and we learned a lot from them," Vang said in statement. "But really, the demand for Union Hmong Kitchen keeps growing, and we loved the idea of bringing it to south Minneapolis."

Yia Vang at Union Hmong Kitchen in the Hilltribe Building on Lake Street.
Lauren Cutshall
Yia Vang at Union Hmong Kitchen in the Hilltribe Building on Lake Street.

Vang's Hilltribe restaurant group originally moved into the former Mucci's to fulfill the demand for Union Hmong Kitchen's debut at the Minnesota State Fair. After that, the collective started cooking up fresh ideas for new, temporary restaurant pop-ups. Slurp debuted in January and quickly became a popular spot for noodles in both saucy and brothy form. Next came Mee-kah, a cuisine of Hmong American descent. The last pop-up, Mov, just opened in mid-June and will wrap up July 9.

At this outpost of UHK, menu favorites will be available as well as its Zoo Siab meal, where diners customize the meal with choice of protein, sides and sauces, such as the beloved Mama Vang's hot sauce. Like the location at Graze Provisions + Libations, the North Loop food hall, it will be counter service and served fast-casual style.

Union Hmong Kitchen began as a pop-up and opened its first permanent location in Graze in late 2021. The following year, it was nominated for a James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant. Vang and culinary partner Marshall Paulsen have also been hard at work building Vinai, one of the most anticipated restaurants of the past couple of years.

The Lake Street location will be open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. A grand opening is planned for August.