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Came strictly for a nightcap, ordered cocktails and a snack. Our drinks were top tier and so were the cream cheese wontons which came with finely shredded pecorino on top, hot honey and plum sauce. They were decadent. I love a milk washed cocktail so the Noboru was perfect for me, love the clarity. Black sticky rice on a frothy old fashioned, great spin. Cool, upscale place for a fine dining experience, friendly staff, prompt service. Love the concept where a server walks around with a dumpling cart to order from while seated. Will definitely be back for a full meal. Will need a reservation.
What a fun & delicious experience! We came for a friend's birthday dinner and were so incredibly impressed; we want to come back and try much more of the menu! The restaurant itself is so pretty! Its low, red-toned lighting + the darker colored walls gave it a more intimate vibe, and we liked that. We started with some drinks, all of the cocktails were so delicious, but the Sacred City cocktail took the cake for us. It was light and fruit forward but still so flavorful. We also started with the fatty tuna and the cream cheese wontons. I was absolutely obsessed with the pickled plum sauce that accompanied the wontons. For dinner, we planned to split a bunch of things and our server's recommendation was spot on; there were 4 of us and they recommended that we split 3 things from the noodles & plates + charcoal bbq section of the menu. We ordered the bulgogi beef, the mapo tofu, and the crab ramyeon. All 3 of these dishes were spectacular and they all balanced each other out well. The beef was sliced thin and cooked perfectly, we paired it with the banchan and that was definitely the move. The crab ramyeon was my personal favorite; ideal ratio of noodles to sauce and the crab was so so good. All of the servers were knowledgeable, speedy, and very kind. They asked the right questions of us and helped us pick items on the menu that met our tastes best. We will be back!
Absolutely amazing 5 star experience here. Beautiful moody lighting that makes a a great romantic dinner spot. We were celebrating our wedding anniversary and the staff took great care of us. We started with a few cocktails (the Minari old fashion was super smooth) and light apps. I thought the dim sum and dumpling menu had a lot of variety and they even come around with dim sum items on a little cart during the busier dining hours. We took our server's recommendation and got the long beans (green beans), juicy pork dumplings, and wontons with hot honey and plum sauce. Absolutely delicious. I kind of wish the long beans came hot, but it was still great as a cold dish. The wontons came with freshly shredded pecorino cheese on top, so extra cheese, and the plum sauce added a nice little touch of fruit. Dumplings were juicy and had an amazing flavor. For mains, we got the pork jowl and their in-house made gnocchi-- both recommended to us. Don't sleep on the pork jowl! So soft (not at all chewy) and delicious. The gnocchi was a banger too and packed a punch of flavor. We were absolutely blown away by all the food we tried and I know we will be back soon!
Made it in before the dinner menu started, so the meal centered around a couple of dumpling orders and they didn't disappoint. The atmosphere is stylish without feeling pretentious, the music fits the space, and the service was outstanding. The server knew the menu inside and out and made choosing easy. The Shrimp & Fennel dumplings were light and fresh with a subtle fennel flavor, while the Chicken & Green Chili dumplings brought a little Serrano heat without overpowering the chicken. As simple as it seems, the side of kimchi was a standout. Bright, crisp, flavorful, and just enough heat to keep reaching for another bite. Left impressed. Looking forward to coming back for another round of dumplings and diving into the full dinner menu.
I wanted to love Minari more than I did, but it was a bit of a toss up. Don't get me wrong, the quality of their service and dishes was top notch, my favorites being the Crab Ramyeon and Szechuan ribs, but the rest of what I tried left a lot to be desired. The dumplings for example (Juicy Pork), leaned too heavily on the salty end, while the Buldak Gnocchi just tasted flat. Besides the fight that almost broke out at the restaurant, the vibes were impeccable--think moody, romantic, low lighting, elevated!
I had low expectations as usual of fancy restaurants that do asian food, but I think it surpassed it. This is actually my second time back here this year, but my first time was so forgettable, I forgot I went until I look back at photos. We ordered different dishes this time as none of the dishes we ordered the first time had any lasting impressions. My favorite dish although sad that there was no meat in it is the dan dan Mafaldini, it was slightly spicy and I was glad it wasn't some Minnesota nice spicy. Also, I was pleasantly surprised by how thin the skin of the squid ink dumplings is, which is what I normally prefer for dumplings, the meat was juicy and it did not disintegrate upon picking up with chopsticks, all marks of a good dumpling. I liked that this time we were sat in a booth, mainly because some of the tables were too close to each other, you could reach an elbow out and touch someone else in the other table. We came for dinner and it was quite dark inside, I saw a few tables turn on their flashlights to squint at the menu. Pork belly and dessert is good, nothing special though.
We came here as a group of 4. The ambiance was lovely, dim light with large windows. The service was really great. My only only only complaint preventing 5 stars is that as a group of 4, the table we were seated on was not accommodating of all that we ordered. We litterally were spilling items off the table to try to make room, this table seemed more suited for two people rather than 4. However, the food was incredible, will definitely be back. Top plate: Boneless Galbi Bottom bowl: Buldak Gnocchi Middle: Assorted Banchan Drink (served in wine glasses): Bottle of chilled Heiwa Shuzou "Aka Kid" Red Rice Sake. Drink (right side): Chosun, non-alcoholic cocktail Dumplings (green): Shrimp & Fennel Dumplings (black): Squid Ink
Decided to try Minari for my birthday this year. All in all, we were very impressed. The service is top-notch, as is the ambiance (both some of the best in the Twin Cities). The food is mostly good, although there is something missing still that could make this restaurant truly one of the best in the state. Still, it's a great night out, especially if you like Korean and/or Chinese food. Here's a rundown: The food: First and foremost, Minari has special menus to meet many dietary restrictions. Not just symbols on one menu, but different menus depending on your restrictions. That's amazing. We ordered off of the Dairy Free (DF) menu, which does include a lot of their dishes from the regular menu. The Szechuan Ribs were my favorite, they are exquisite. The KFC wings are good too, although they could have used a bit more sauce (I am used to Korean-style wings being pretty saucy). The pork jowl was good but did not have quite enough gojuchang flavor. The accompaniments that came with it were awesome, especially the sauces. The bonchon need some work; I would love to see more traditional bonchon, ours had a couple "fusion" type dishes that were a little too contemporary for us. The drinks: The Minari Old Fashioned was AWESOME, a great drink (and the rice cracker was great too). Highly recommend this. The service was some of the best in the metro. From entering (where the host stand will make sure you have appropriate menu(s)), to the server, who was perfectly attentive and very knowledgeable about every dish, including dietary issues, to the complimentary tea and birthday sparkling wine, I can't say enough about the service here. The only weird thing is the dim sum, I would actually just put the dim sum dishes on the menu and bring them out on demand. The ambiance was really nice, and the bathrooms were clean. The final thing I would say is that I think that Minari could benefit from making their Korean dishes a little bit more traditional...as I mentioned earlier, small touches like making the wings a bit "saucier," more gojuchang flavor on the dishes that feature it, and more traditional bonchon would all be great. Still, this is a phenomenal place to dine/drink in NE Minneapolis, and if you like Korean and Chinese food, you will not be disappointed!
Food: The boneless chicken bites were a hit. It looks/tastes like an in-house chicken ground tempura, served with a sweet & sour sauce. Sooo good! We also split a happy hour burger and each had a hand roll - they serve it fancy with a plastic sheet above the seaweed to avoid sogginess (didn't catch a pic of this but presentation was very nice!) The showstopper was the local vanilla ice cream with sesame oil (a nice twist on the olive oil on ice cream trend) and Maldon sea salt flakes. Truly such a simple yet exquisite dessert. Service: we sat at the bar and service was friendly and attentive. Our bartender/servers let us know about the happy hour and suggested a great grapefruit NA drink. Ambiance: it's a quaint and modern looking bar. Overall it's approachable but probably not great for a large group without a reservation or private party.
Had a reservation and waited 35+ minutes to sit and then they tried to seat us in the pikok lounge when the reservation was for minari. When I asked to be seated in minari the hostess asked "why we cared so much" and seemed very annoyed with us. (Again we made sure our reservations were specifically for Minari, and the lounge was extremely loud which we did not want) Very off putting start to the night and I think this made it hard to really enjoy ourselves for the duration of our time there. I think first impressions really make or break the experience and unfortunately this was not a good one. Our server was great and very helpful though which was a good change! Would get the KFC wings again those were super flavorful and crispy but probably would try all new dishes next time. The dishes were all decent but I expected them to have more flavor packed in them. Would love to go back to try the dim sum but am not sure how soon I'd go back after having such a bad start :(
Minari is such a vibe! The elegance and deep sultry red in the Pikok Lounge felt high end ans cozy. From the real scented candles to the gold peacock and oversized black planter with Pothos plants to the red velvet long booth seating everything felt right. We shared the Sweet Soy Korean Chicken Wings, Bluefish Tuna, Grilled Rice Cakes, and kimchi as a complementary accoutrement. For my drink, I had Chosun, which was very refreshing and citrus. The wait staff at the bar was very helpful and attentive. Definitely kept on it throughout the evening. Plus, I loved the individual bathrooms. It is really nice touch.
Such a fun restaurant and food was great. The vibes are awesome - very packed on a Friday or Saturday night. It will be an expensive night, but that's what all Minneapolis dining restaurants are like these days.
The vibe in Minari is very cool, my friend and I stopped by after we could not get into another nearby restaurant. Minari was busy but had space and we were seated within 10 minutes. Now I've been to Minari a second time and it was just as amazing as I remember it the first time. Everything here is good! But the wings are to tie for. Best wings in the twin cities!
2 years ago
Ambiance is amazing - gorgeous but super dark if you forget your readers. Great diverse crowd from 20s-60s. Food : this is a Korean Japanese fusion with dim sum carts to boot. The food variety was extensive and kept things very interesting, but there were definitely some highs and lows. It was a fun experience overall and not too crazy expensive. Lows: if I'm being honest most of the fish dishes that we had seemed slightly fishy, so that was a bummer. The raw tuna did not seem fresh on the night we were there. The four tops are too small to accommodate many dishes, and we constantly felt overwhelmed with the number of plates in the table and not enough room for everything. This lead us to feeling a little limited on ordering more from the dim sum cart and investing more aggressively and bussing staff might help this feeling. Cocktails: inventive, relatively small cocktail list, however, and no tequila based cocktails. Wine list was nice. See pictures below, we love the Korean short ribs, although they were more steak like than I would have expected. The desserts were delicious, but very small. The service was excellent. read more
11 months ago
As somebody who has been involved in restaurants the main thing that stood out to me is that they did not miss on opening night. Smooth hand off between multiple employees, food was perfectly prepared, the bar kept drinks coming quickly, by all measures, this was the level of quality I would expect from a restaurant that has been open for many years. They have one of the best martinis I've ever drank outside from the ones I curate at my own bar. We showed up 30 minutes early and were seated in a cozy romantic booth for two. This was a birthday celebration for my husband and we were greeted with sparkling wine (after our server confirmed that we drink alcohol) and some tea and in-house kimchi. It was really fun grabbing items off of the dim sum carts as they passed by. Every server had a recommendation as to their favorite dish. The only thing this meal was missing was a riff on sesame balls with red bean paste, We're already planning our next date back and we're bringing friends! read more
I had a wonderful experience with my partner and friend at Minari for brunch. We got some of the items on the dim sum menu and of course we had to try out the entrees too. I don't exactly remember what we got, but everything was delicious! The flavors are a bit more subtle and encourages you to eat slowly to be able to taste the flavors. The bone broth was super homey for me and delicious (I would like a bit more meat in it, but my preference). My highlight was the mochi biscuits, crunchy outside (like a croissant) and soft and chewy on the inside. I could have gotten my own order of the biscuits and be satisfied. Overall, beautiful space and fantastic service! Plenty of residential parking. I highly recommend! read more
This is a very delayed review. I visited Minari in January 2025, so a lot of the items I ordered then were seasonal and no longer on the menu. The overall experience was delightful. I highly recommend making a reservation (it was hard to come by) and providing extra time to find street parking. At the time of visit there wasn't any exterior signage, so it's not a place you would just stumble upon. The restaurant itself is one of those low lighting, upper scale establishments. Where you feel the need to dress up a little bit, order a cocktail and hope your poor eyesight can read the menu. Our group loves to eat and yap and our server was really accommodating about walking us through the menu, recommending her favorites, and allowing us to order multiple things at varying times. Ordering dim sum from a cart was a fun experience and once we found our favorites we made sure to order another round. I wouldn't necessarily call it authentic Korean, but it was still a delicious meal. While I haven't been back since, I wouldn't rule out going again. Especially with a rotating menu. read more
Such a treat!! Busy busy busy for good reason! People of all ages here on a bustling Friday night. The ambiance is calming and chic. The service was good. Felt like they were a bit busy but no issues when we needed to flag down our waitress for something. Split tons of dishes- must try the cream cheese wontons, bluefin tuna gimbap, squid ink dumplings, and gochujang vodka rigatoni. We split everything and nothing was a disappointment. Split on whether flank steak or pork belly was better, and decided that's a great sign! Already looking forward to returning to Minari and trying something new! read more
My dinner at Minari was full of delightful surprises; every aspect of our meal felt attentively constructed, resulting in a delicious experience from beginning to end. Our party began with some squid ink dumplings as the dim sum cart rolled by. Absolutely perfect, jet black wrapper with a savory filling started us off right. Next came the tuna dishes. We order both the gimbap and the fatty tuna. I would highly recommend the fatty tuna- the diy aspect of rolling it in seaweed was fun and the overall flavor superior to the gimbap. Next up, grilled meats! The flank steak and the pork belly were both perfectly cooked. No notes. Finally, the buldak gnocchi and the ma po tofu. Wow. The gnocchi reminded me of those Korean corn dogs with potatoes outside and mozzarella cheese inside. Our party dipped into this dish again and again. The tofu was so silky; some of the best I've had. For dessert, do not pass up the yam roulade. I could eat one of those every day for life. With the possible exception of the gimbap, I would eat every single thing we had again, which for a variety seeker like me is high praise indeed. The atmosphere was chill, allowing us to sit back and enjoy the food without and fussiness and our server provided great recommendations at every turn. Loved every minute at minari! read more
We had a very pleasant experience. I reserved a table for four about a month ahead and unfortunately, when we got there, we were seated by the bathroom, which was very disappointing. However, we did ask politely to be moved and the restaurant was accommodating and moved us into a booth. The food exceeded my expectation. We initially came for dim sum, but decided to order off their main menu as well. Everything was delicious. Nice and clean ambiance. read more
10 months ago
Keep in mind this is New Years Eve, and they are quite busy. I got us a last minute table in the lounge. I ordered my wine right away and it showed up quickly. My partner ordered shortly after and his drink took 20 minutes (the server forgot to ring it in). We decided to give the food a chance before leaving and got the dressed oysters. The roe overpowers the flavor of the oyster. The kimchi is tasty though. Not sure if we would come back read more
Food was exceptionally delicious, I ate a heck of a lot more than I should have. I recommend the duck and eggplant dumplings. I heard they were favs and they definitely did not miss. We also had the fried chicken short rib and a few other small bites. Even the sauces were amazing! Our host was great at explaining things and helping us get accustomed to how things work there. It was also fun to have the cart brought by every so often to pick a few more things. The ambience is lively but dim. Good for groups of friends or a romantic date night. The lighting gives many vibes! I only observed street parking which seemed to be okay, we only had to park a block away. They also have an extensive wine/beverage list and a couple of tasty treats if you still have room read more
1 year ago
Overall a very nice experience. I will say some food is exceptional and a few other dishes were quite underwhelming (dumplings). Anything with raw fish was fabulous and the drinks were really fun. Loved our server. The "outdoor patio" is not a patio, just a couple Tables along the road. read more
Best meal I've had in a long time! I loved my experience at Minari. From the absolutely gorgeous interior that is vibey, yet bright with the huge picture windows, to the incredible food - this is a 'must try'! The host and waiter were friendly and prompt. The waiter able to walk to walk us through the menu with great tips and recommendations. Highly recommend you visit with a few people to get to try several items. I loved everything we ate and felt like it was the perfect amount of food for 2 - toro Tuna with Nori chips, Squid ink dumplings (these are so bomb), Bulgogi Steak and Dan Dan Malfada noodles. There were so many more things we wanted to try so we will have to be back! read more
The basics: street parking is plentiful. At the worst, you walk a block. It's not so bad! Minari is impressively roomy, beautiful, and decorated with classy interior design. The menu provides a unique blend of Korean-inspired dishes, as well as dim sum offerings. Apple salad: great dressing, fresh, good balance of sweet and savory, 5/5 Eggplant Tempura: great seasoning and light crunchy batter, 5/5 Korean Fried Chicken: basic, you could just go to kbbq or bonchon, 3/5 Long Beans: garlicky, blanched and fried, wish they were crisper, 4/5 Poached Scallops: delicious, sweet/savory broth, sage overpowered, 3/5 Crab Ramyeon: best thing I had that night. Creamy, umami, spicy, 6/5 read more
2 months ago
First time at Minari- this place is VERY vibey. Great tall ceilings and it feels warm and cozy even though it is very large inside. We ordered the hamachi tartare to start and it was well balanced with heat and citrus. Then, we ordered the dan dan mafaldini and the pork belly. The mafaldini was very delicious and so was the pork belly. We did order the foi gras dumplings from the dim sum cart- they weren't our favorite but if you enjoy 10 spice then you may like them. The only reason I can't give it 5 stars is because I wasn't blown away and the service was just so-so (we ordered a couple other things and our waitress never brought them) she was very busy so we just decided to get our check. read more
1 year ago
Love the interior with the big windows and red walls. Service overall was wonderful, got good recs, and didn't wait a long time for food to come out. Bluefin tuna gimbap: 10/10. The tuna was fresh, the vegetables added great texture, overall would get again. Beef tartare: 8/10. It's more sweet from the ssamjang and mango. Squid ink dumplings: 6/10. Not the biggest fan of dumplings so slightly bias but the filling was just too salty for me. Buldak gnocchi: 9/10. Love the pillowy soft gnocchi with the savory gochujang braised chicken. I wish it had some heat to it. Pork belly with ssam and banchan: 10/10. The pork belly was so soft, it melts in your mouth and still has a good amount of meat. Dalgona miso caramel tart: 9/10. It was a good balance of sweet, tart, slightly bitter, and crisp. read more
2 years ago
Great atmosphere & our wait staff was really knowledgeable and speedy. Everything was really amazing and they have dim sum carts that go around the restaurant. Would highly recommend getting Gwangyang Style Bulgogi as it came with multiple sauces and super tender steak. Cant go wrong with any of it though! read more
* After an eventful weekend enjoying the electric atmosphere of Art a Whirl, it was only right to continue the NE Mpls journey to this relatively new gem. I've had my eye on Minari for quite some time and my only complaint is I wish I had dined here sooner. The unique Korean and East Asian menu boasts an abundance of flavorful dishes that are sure to knock you silly. Our hungry bellies quickly audibled to order the chicken nuggets; an unexpected but very welcomed and tasty option. The gnocchi was the shining star, imo: a wonderful combination of savory and spicy- albeit a bit rich for my liking. Take a seat at the bar for a more intimate experience in this modern, chic establishment and prepare for your taste buds to be wowed * Food: chicken nuggets, long beans, bulgak gnocchi, mapo tofu read more
We decided to go check out this new mix fusion dimsum restaurant. It was open for dinners only, and the restaurant was dimly lit. Making the ambiance intimate but not so much because the carts of dimsum had to be pushed around and offered to every table. Everything we ordered was very flavorful, bluefin tuna gimbap was my favorite. Hamachi tartar was also delicious. Dimsum was pricier than the usual Chinese dimsum restaurant. However if you're trying to impress your date or significant other, this is the place to go. read more
was rather unexpected when you first walked in; it was a large space with a perfect atmosphere for a date night or simply a night out with friends--not too loud, dim and moody. The were very attentive and friendly, everything we had was delicious, we received complimentary kimchi and hot corn tea with our meal , definitely on our list to come back again to try more things on the menu. read more
10 months ago
Fabulous food and dining experience. We were blown away from start of long greens to end with the vanilla gelato with sesame oil. The waiter was very helpful and steered us expertly. read more
Minari was a Twin Cities restaurant that altered my brain chemistry. The food was truly immaculate. The restaurant felt cozy, elegant, and elevated. The service was spot on. I absolutely love when servers will bring the menu to the chef to check and ensure what items are safe for me to eat with a severe lemon allergy and citrus aversions. The food was extremely decadent!! Rich, full of flavor and FUN. The dumpling and side cart was the best and I would go back just to eat these!! read more
7 months ago
1 year ago
Amazing food. Nice service. Parking on street. Splittable courses. Vibes. Good for date night and groups read more
2 years ago
I think calling this restaurant Korean food would be a stretch. It's potentially Korean-inspired, Korean-fusion, but I was mostly left wanting some real authentic Korean food after this experience. The ambiance is great, love the decor and also enjoyed the dim sum type experience with servers coming around with carts. None of the food was bad, but none of it was amazing, everything was just fine. I think I'd make sure people's expectations are managed that this is not Korean food as most of us know & love. There is a lot across the street for parking which is nice and the bar looked like a fun place to be! read more
1 year ago
Everything was so good. The ambiance was great, we had an awesome people watching and food watching spot in the dinning room. The dumplings were great, super full and the filling had great flavor. The Bluefin Tuna was delightful! Get it in one bite, don't be a punk about it! You've got this. Super fresh tasking tuna. Definitely a must have for next time. The Crab Ramyeon was so good, super creamy, not at all brothy. And the noods! Perfectly cooked, great chew to them, cannot miss with this one. Pork Belly is not everyone's first choice. If you are on the fence about it, get off the fence and get the pork belly! My first bite provoked an audible moan. read more
3 months ago
A new Korean/Chinese fusion restaurant in the Twin Cities?! Yass, I've been low-key anticipating this place for awhile so I was excited to go two weeks after opening night. I love eating w/ my sis since she knew the task - try as many things as possible even though it was just the two of us! THE AMBIANCE Walking in, it had a New York City swanky bar vibe. My eyes were drawn to an impressive bar in the main room. We were brought to a cove-like seating area that was cozy but kind of dark (especially for my photos). THE FOOD Here's what we ate, my favs on top: -Mung Bean Jelly (5/5): This was a dim sum item & I was soooo happy to see this. I love this traditional Korean dish & can't find it anywhere else in MN. You got to be cool w/ the jelly-like texture for this savory dish, but one of my highlights. -Wang Yang Style Bulgoki (5/5): Yum! So soft & flavorful. -Pork Belly (5/5): So good & perfect to eat w/ all the lettuce wraps to offset the fat. -House kimchi (4/5): Really good & server was amazing & got my sis & me our own side dishes of it at some point. He was like, "I just had a feeling..." ha, spot on! -Sweet Corn Tea (4/5): This is reminiscent of barley tea you get at traditional Korean restaurants & I enjoyed the flavor. -Persimmon Salad (4/5): We found this very refreshing & I've never had persimmons (which I love) on a salad before. It was also very pretty. -Cake dessert (4/5): I can't remember the name of the dessert so look at my photos. It was much larger than I expected so make sure to share it. It felt different & creative & was a fun way to end our meal. -Sweet Corn Hotteok (3/5): It was just too cheesy for me where that's all I tasted & would of liked it without the stuffing but I can see how it was trying to be different. -Green Beans (3/5): Another dim sum item, was ok, just not wowed. We were glad to have another veggie tho. -Cream Cheese Frittelle (2/5): My sis enjoyed these wonton things a lot more than I did. I swear I actually like cheese but it just came off too rich & the pastry felt too thick. But again, really different so worth trying. - Assorted Banchan (2/5): One point off for charging a Korean for the banchan, haha. Everything was ok, just nothing wow. THE SERVICE I love that you get some tea & kimchi right away, that felt special. It's still early so I'm sure the server was stressed out but it took awhile for him to ask for our dinner order. Other than that, he was helpful explaining how the dimsum worked & gave recommendations. There were other people to help clear plates & roll by for the dimsum. Overall, it was an enjoyable meal. I need to come back to try the dumplings and other things. Don't come expecting traditional Korean food. This is def Korean with a twist but still come try this place for sure! I need more Korean places in MN to stay & I love we have this swankier option for all the people I need to impress. read more
2 years ago
The place was busy! The food was amazing. Appetizer was burrata salmon roe which was whatever. We got the crab ramyeon which was everyone's favorite. I personally loved the Dan Dan Mafaldi as it is so creamy and had a hit of Mala within the flavors. However, for my American friends, it was more of a new acquired taste for them. The best food was the boneless Galbi, even tho it was a bit pricy for a couple slices of meat, it was so tender and flavorful, marinated in the bulgogi sauce. The desserts were all extremely good. They also had dim sum cart going around but it took very long as there was only 1 cart and server. We had to wait very long, and the cart still did not come. So we ended up having to order it to our server. We got pearl meatball, foie gras dumpling, chicken shumai and cold jelly noodles which were all super underwhelming. I think the dim sum and the cart was just for presentation. Please just eat dim sum at an actual dim sum place. Our server was great, but the place was extremely busy and our server was overwhelmed. Overall, a good experience. Ambience was bustling. Decorations were great! read more
I was really excited to try Minari, I love dim sum and was expecting to have a luxurious experience akin to trevail or even an elevated night like khaluna. Sadly, Minari missed the mark on all fronts. Overall it was not worth the $400/4 ppl price tag. I felt as if I paid for ego without getting the implied experience. Skip until they've been open for a year and figured out the kinks. Space: The restaurant itself is very full, they've put as many tables as they can into the space. As a result the restaurant is very loud and patrons are seated quite close, this restaurant does not appear to be ADA accessible, and it was not plus-size accessible. I witnessed a fellow patron literally squish themselves into a wall bench and be squished by the table. In addition the wait staff has very little maneuverability. Kitchen/timing: the kitchen is small for the demand. The lack of space means the dim sum carts have a hard time getting to all the tables in one go and when they do get to thebtabke the hot offerings are not so hot. Ordering dimsum from the kitchen is faster, but definitely takes away from the anticipated experience. All orders take extra time, figure that into your timing. Food/drinks: the entrees were very good, I highly recommend going in with a family style mindset. It allows you to try all the sides and a variety of main meats! The drinks although tasty were hard to handle, in particular a cocktail with gochujang powder, from the description we did not anticipate the powder to be on the outside of the glass, making the drinkware almost impossible to hold, especially for male hands. Service: I was very taken back that our servers didn't start by explaining what to expect food/drink wise or what expectations to have for experience, as a brand new restaurant, with a very pricey menu, and the claim of bringing something unique the presentation wasn't there. We did get some of those answers but only after asking and it took multiple trips for us to get the full scope of what our options were for the evening. read more
Excellent brunch spot in Minneapolis. The dim sum is very fresh, very tasty, and a must try. The staff are friendly and super helpful. Their dinner service is also great. Must try the fried chicken. Restaurant has a nice upscale vibe! Overall highly recommend! read more
Minari is an incredibly sexy and intimate spot, perfect for a date night or a special occasion. The ambiance is captivating, with a unique aura that makes the dining experience feel elevated and immersive. I highly recommend booking a reservation in advance, as this place fills up quickly. To start, the cocktails here are excellent. I had the Sunchang, which was citrusy, bubbly, and sweet--everything I want in a cocktail. It was the perfect way to kick off the meal. For food, we followed our waiter's recommendations (which I'm so thankful for) and shared everything. We started with the Salmon Muchim, which I still think about--it's that good. The raw salmon was diced and seasoned with gochugaru, paired with cucumber, cilantro, and a crispy rice cracker. It was crunchy, flavorful, and almost like a salmon poke meets chips and dip. A must-order. Next, we tried the Sweet Corn Hotteok, a stuffed pancake with corn, fontina, and scallions. It was indulgent, rich, and filling--definitely delicious but not mind-blowing. If you plan on ordering a lot, you might want to skip this one since it's quite heavy. For our main, we had the Boneless Galbi, which came with pa muchim, gosujang, chili oil, ssamjang, jangajji, and a variety of banchan, including seasonal kimchi and muchim. We paired it with the steamed koshihikari rice. Initially, I was skeptical since it looked like just a regular steak, but I quickly realized how perfectly marinated and flavorful it was. The galbi paired beautifully with the sauces and sides, making it well worth the price. We ended the meal with the Dalgona Miso Caramel Tart. It was okay but didn't feel particularly special, so I'd probably skip it next time. My only real complaint was the dim sum cart experience. We really wanted to try it, but the cart kept passing us, and tracking down the person pushing it was nearly impossible. My date and I felt ignored and eventually gave up on it, which was disappointing. It would be great if Minari implemented a system where servers check in with each table at least twice to see if they want dim sum, similar to traditional dim sum spots. Overall, Minari delivers on ambiance, food, and service, making it a fantastic date-night destination. While the dim sum issue left a sour note, everything else made up for it. I'd absolutely return, just with different expectations regarding the dim sum service. read more
Such a cute restaurant, they did a great job redoing the place. Service was excellent! We never even had empty water glasses because they were so good. The dim sum service was so cool, love when food is brought to be instantly! The options were great, we went with the meatballs and the squid ink dumplings. Guys, these were amazing! I think next time I would come and just order dim sum for the whole meal. I would tell them to keep the cart coming back to keep eating them. For the mains, I was honestly disappointed. I got the dam dam noodle dish. It just didn't do anything for me, I didn't really like the flavor. The more I eat it the more I disliked it. Everyone else loved their meals so I think mine was just a dud. I will be coming back to try new things though, and to eat more squid ink dumplings! read more
2 years ago
My father-in-law and his wife went to Minari right after it opened and immediately made reservations to return with my husband and I in tow. The dim red lighting is a nice vibe, my only real atmosphere complaint is that the chairs don't have backs which makes it difficult to get comfortable or stay upright after eating the entire restaurant. Our server was genuinely the highlight of our night. She not only remembered our dining partners from their previous visit, she was able to compare some dishes back to their past meals as well such as the changes in the bulgogi. Her timing was impeccable, both comedic and in service pace. She was extremely knowledgeable about each dish as well as the cocktails, both alcoholic and NA. So, huge shout out to our server (Amy? Anna? I'm so sorry I'm terrible with names) and sorry we had you box up all of the sauces we had! Into the food - I could write an entire essay with all of the dishes we got but I will stick with the highlights and the lowlights of the evening. We immediately snagged some jelly noodles and spicy beans, both of which were fine but nothing to write home about. The roe dip with potato chips was also tasty, and beautifully presented, but it felt a bit lazy. We got four steamed treats from the cart - shrimp, eggplant, and duck foie gras dumplings; and the meatballs. Everything was tasty but average, the only real standout for me was the eggplant dumpling (oh my god the spices and the texture are not what I expected in the best way possible). Now onto the highlights (aka almost everything else we ate): I left little reviews under each image so I didn't drone on here but the crab pasta was the entree winner, it was so rich without feeling heavy and the thai basil was a beautiful compliment. If you take away anything from this review, let it be to ORDER ALL OF THE ACCOUTREMENTS. The glazed potatoes were my favorite bite of the entire night, I wish I could order a bowl full. My husband ordered the Korean Fried Chicken which had a flavoring that didn't really mesh with my pallate but the chicken was SO juicy and everyone else enjoyed. After an entire night of sitting next to the kitchen, watching all of the dishes come out, I was so excited for dessert. But alas, we were so full from eating our body weights that we had to wait until next time. Overall, service was 5 stars, food was 4.5, and the atmosphere was a 4 - add in good company and it easily rounds up to a 5 star dinner for me. read more
More info about MINARI & The Pikok Lounge
323 13th Ave NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
Northeast
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(612) 259-8914
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http://www.minarirestaurant.com
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Hello! Is this place a All you can eat or individual dishes?
When I went, dishes were individually priced, not AYCE
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