My friend Mikayla invited me along to her girl’s night dinner at Minari and I was ecstatic, because on top of it’s only been open a short while and already having heard such amazing things, it’s gives me great joy to head back to my old Northeast Minneapolis neighborhood.

I’m happy to report that this trip was well worth it.

Because we had a group of 4 and were sharing many of the items, I was able to try out a lot. I will say that this did come out to about $100 a person so while you could order less to spend less, it easily starts to add up once the dim sum cart rolls around…who can say no to dim sum?!

Appetizers:

OYSTERS ON THE HALF SHELL: CHOJANG, LEMONGRASS MIGNONETTE, HORSERADISH

For the starters we selected a few small plates to share. You also can order individual oysters so we thought it would be a great way to start the meal with a couple each.

BLUEFIN TUNA GIMBAP: CUCUMBER, TOASTED RICE, FERMENTED CHILI

The tuna gimbap was my favorite of the shared plates. I don’t even know how to describe it other than perfectly prepared. It was a bitesize flavor punch with a little crunch to it.

CREAM CHEESE FRITTELLE: PECORINO, HOT HONEY, PICKLED PLUM

These were basically like a cream cheese wonton. Mine had quite a bit of the pecorino cheese on top of it, which did make it a bit tangier.

POACHED SCALLOPS: BROWN BUTTER PONZU, BUTTERNUT SQUASH, HAZELNUT

This was my least favorite of the three shareable sides, but there wasn’t anything wrong with it. I just felt like compared to the other two the flavor was a bit too subtle.

Dim Sum:

CHICKEN SHUMAI: PORCINI & SHIITAKE
PEARL MEATBALL: PORK, GINGER, GLUTINOUS RICE

In addition to having a normal menu, Minari also offers dim sum. There are a couple carts that go around the room and I couldn’t resist. Luckily, one of the other girls (who is the only one who had been there before) was in and had recommendations. I really liked both, but I would say of the two the chicken shumai was my favorite. I love a dumpling.

They have quite a few dim sum and dumpling options. Check out the menu below to see all of them.

Main Course:

KOREAN FRIED CHICKEN: PICKLED DAIKON, CUCUMBER MUCHIM, SWEET CHILI AND GARLIC SOY

We all wanted different main dishes so we each got our own. Naturally I got the Korean Fried Chicken, because I cannot resist that breading. So good.

STEAMED MUSSELS: BRAISED KIMCHI & PORK SHOULDER

Mikayla got the steamed mussels and I just had to share a photo for you, because although they call it a “snack” on their menu it is a very large portion and great for a meal. She said the kimchi gave it almost a ramen feel.

LITTLE BIRD GELATO: Triple Berry

I am not usually a sweet tooth person, but I love the citrus taste of a gelato so I decided to try out one of their rotating flavors and it was the perfect palate cleanser.

Drinks:

KUMIHO: VODKA, ESPRESSO, BANANA, MISO, AMARO, DEMERARA

I love an espresso martini (as the whole town knows). I was very excited to try one with banana in it and while I would say you didn’t get too much banana flavor, I believe it showed itself in the smoothness of the drink. There was a really nice chocolate type flavor to this one.

Atmosphere/Service:

The inside is beautiful and definitely full of mood lighting. Unfortunately none of my photos were turning out due to lens flares, so I stole Mikayla’s bar photo to include…the price of friendship 😂

Our server was great, the dim sum cart attendants were very patient listing out everything, and as is obvious by the review, I left with a very happy stomach. 10/10 would go again.

Minari
323 13th Ave NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
GET FULL HOURS & LOCATIONS