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Categories: Japanese, Sushi Bars [Edit]
Neighborhood: MissionWed-Sun. 5:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
"This is my favorite place to get sushi, hands down. The owner is a great host, always attentive and generous. All the sushi chefs have a…" read more »
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One of San Francisco's best quirky spots to discuss climate change, Bowie's Low/Heroes/Lodger trilogy, permanent-magnet synchronous motors, and the implications of Morrissey taking off his shirt at the Ventura Theater.
I think everyone knows what I am talking about.
However, if you're not having that particular discussion with Carolyn, the Mission District's resident philosopher with a wrench... well, poor you. Suffice it to say that your mileage may vary.
I gave Minako five stars - it's your call as to whether or not to find out why. Go, but don't go too often - the owner doesn't want the place overrun with hipsters, or people in general (I think they are referred to as "customers"). Go. Experiment.
Only word to describe the overall experience is "RIDICULOUS"
1 - as other reviewers have mentioned, the "seating system" makes no sense. when we entered the restaurant, the place was practically empty and they clearly saw us enter but because we did not walk up to the counter, we were not seated until we did so. also, when I wanted to pick the table, the owner would not let us choose! only 2 tables were occupied. seriously?!?!?!?!?
2 - another ridiculous rule = you MUST close the menu in order for them to come and take your order. when we were ready to order, we waived to let the waitress know. she came over and closed the menu for us, only to walk away... then 5 minutes later the owner (the crazy one with OCD) came to take our order. our mouths dropped...
Food was delicious & the OCD owner was nice as long as you followed her rules (hence the 2 stars), however, it was such an odd, unpleasant experience. when I go out to eat, I like to be in a more free and comfortable environment.
Will not return.
Their food is good. No question. True, I didn't like that they didn't show the prices of the "specials," but you can just ask. True, I felt the service was a bit slow, but I understand good food takes time to make.
What annoyed me was their waiting system. It's truly, utterly incomprehensible. And who would want to deal with that kind of incomprehensibility when you walk into a restaurant starving???
So here's the thing. The first time we went there, we saw a sign right inside the door that told us to go up to the counter and put our name on the list. I did as it said--went up to the counter and told the lady there we wanted a table. She looked at me as if I were doing something completely unnecessary causing her extra trouble and said, "Okay, please go back and wait at the door."
Okay. I guess I didn't have to listen to the sign. Sorry!
I walked back to the door and we waited there. After a few minutes, a waitress got one table ready and sat us there. Things went smoothly from there, and impressed as I was with their food, I forgot about what happened when we had entered this place.
That was good. Now our second visit.
We were starving. Badly. So we were a bit disappointed when we entered and saw a couple in front of us, waiting. Oh well. We thought of going up to the counter to tell them we were there, but then I recalled what happened on our former visit. We asked the couple what they did, and they told us how they went up and were coolly sent back to the door, just like what I had experienced. We decided they didn't like it when customers did as they were told by the sign and just stood there, waiting.
The couple got a table. We waited. Another couple came in and waited behind us. They asked us what they should do, and we told them what happened to the one before us. So we all waited obediently like cows. The servers walked past us a dozen of times. A few times they looked up and saw us. We stood on our toes, looked around and pleaded with our eyes, making it as obvious as we could that we were super hungry and waiting. There was a table that had just opened up, and they could have just taken away the plates there and wiped it to sit us there. The only thing is, they didn't for another ten minutes.
"It's weird," we started saying. "It's silly. What's going on?" "You know, maybe they can handle only so many people." Finally, the guy of the couple went up to the counter and asked what was going on. He came back with disbelief in his eyes.
The lady there basically told him that they didn't think we were waiting because we hadn't gone up to the front to tell them we were. Unless we did that, they'd assume we were just waiting for our friends to arrive so all of us could get one table together. DESPITE that we were very clearly waiting to be seated. We kept looking at them. We didn't even flip our phones open. If that didn't look to you like we were waiting for a table, seriously, that's somehow wrong. Wrong. As we were looking extremely eager to talk to them, they could've just asked us once, "Are you waiting?" That would've clarified a whole lot.
The lady we talked to didn't offer an apology. She just told us it would take 15 minutes to get a table ready--and how would it take 15 minutes to just put plates away and wipe the table??--and asked us if we wanted a menu. We couldn't wait anymore, so we just left feeling miserable with empty empty stomachs. It was one sad night.
You might offer good food, Minako. Very good food. But if you don't mind making your customers wait at all, if you don't even want to talk to them unless they come up to you to talk, I don't like you :(
Minako is my favorite Japanese restaurant in San Francisco, possibly my favorite SF restaurant period. There is so much love packed in this tiny little place, and it resonates through the food, the service, the attention to detail. Delicious, amazing, never disappointing. Bring your vegans and your carnivores, leave your impatient nitpickers at home. I only take my special most beloveds here. Everyone else can just go to sushi bistro....
This place is amazing. Everything that I have ever ordered was delicious. One of my favorite dishes is the fried eggplant. It comes in a half eggplant bowl.
Judy is very friendly and helpful. If you are mean to her, then yes she gives you a hard time. But as a waitress myself, I appreciate her bluntness and the way that she gives priority to customers who are polite.
Minako is one of those SF gems that belongs in every city. The mother-daughter duo who run the place genuinely love food and treat their restaurant like it's their personal dining room. It's small, so nice for duos or small groups.
If you have questions or aren't sure what to choose, Judy will take the time to find out what you like, then carefully suggest options. If you come with a group, she's great about helping you figure out how much food to order (and at not being annoyed when your group is loud in such a small space). They are also great about helping you find substitutions if you're not a fan of something in a dish (I'm not a fan of cucumber, and they replaced it with yummy crab in a noodle dish). Yes, sometimes service may seem slow, but it comes from them taking their time to help you order and carefully preparing the food. They don't have a big staff, so they really put their personal touch on every single dish.
Portions are nicely sized, and the hard part is deciding what to get from the big menu. I highly recommend trying things off the specials menu that gets passed from table to table (cute little metal board with the specials handwritten on scraps of paper and attached with magnets) - I always get the tempura corn (fresh, sweet, and not at all greasy) and the shrimp wrapped in thinly sliced potato (absolutely delish). The miso-marinated fishes are also great, as are the hot teas they offer. Also try the soba noodle soup - call ahead to order ahead of time, since these handmade noodles take time to make, but are worth the wait!
The delicious miso-marinated mackerel does not make up for..
* Confusing and unnecessarily long menu. Seriously, do I have to flip through 5-6 pages of random non-menu crap just to see what you serve? The combination of Xeroxed hand-written and actual ball-point pen hand-written was really convoluted. Simplicity is underrated.
* No prices. The server said it was because sometimes they get organic produce shipments, sometimes not, so it would be "unfair" to have set prices on days they may not have the best ingredients. Really? Is that worth the effort to memorize and recall the price of every dish and need to answer everyone's pricing questions one table and finger jab at a time? I don't consider that individualized customer service, I consider it inefficient and a waste of precious serving time, which brings me to my next point...
* Slow as hell. There were three tables including ours when we went. It took at least 20 minutes to even get water. We wanted to be ready with our orders, but since there were NO PRICES, we had to plan out an entire series of questions before we could decide. Not only that, there was a magnetic board of specials that we didn't get until after the table next to us was finished with it. Why not just write the specials on a chalkboard like every other restaurant in the Mission? Or print the specials onto a separate sheet that you can give to every table? The ordering process took 45 minutes. Do not come here if you're starving. This will piss you off.
* Expensive. Sorry, but our blanched string beans with sesame seeds and soy-based sauce were not worth $9. I don't care how organic they are. It also took away from the specialness of that dish when I also received string beans on the side of my fish and again in the veggie side platter (an extra $14!!). Our bill was over $50 for two appetizers and an entree.
Despite the delay, annoying menu, and high prices, the server was genuinely friendly towards us. The chef is indeed skilled and the food was delicious, fresh and made with love. Too bad we were both still hungry after the meal.
Maybe I'll return when I have 3 hours and $100 to kill on a single meal, but it definitely won't be for a while.
After much anticipation, I was FINALLY able to be in the Mission at a time when this vegetarian/vegan-friendly, organic japanese hole-in-the-wall opens (note their biz hours).
The menu was long and have a ton of choices for vegetarians (like me) and vegans. The portions are decent but the prices are fairly high.
We ordered:
- Almond Tofu
- Vegetarian Eel (Appetizer only)
- Shoyaki (Sea Salt) Tofu (Appetizer only)
- Spicy Greens Sushi Maki
The Spicy Greens Sushi Maki (which is listed on the last pg of a very long menu) was what I liked the most. Vegetarian Eel (deep fried potato root) was very good as well. The Almond Tofu and the Shoyaki Tofu weren't very flavorful without any dipping sauce.
Maybe I should have stick w/ the rolls and makis when I ordered? I wasn't as good as what everyone else had made it out to be although I must say everything tasted very fresh.
It also took a LONG time for them to serve us even though we were the first customer in, and there weren't any other parties there until we got our first dish.
Yes, I know this place is organic and yummy, but PLEASE...the mother-daughter duo really needs to pick up the pace. I thought our food would never come. And we were HUNGRY. But I will say these two ladies were extremely polite and nice.
I would definitely recommend the spicy roll - the house favorite. The brown rice, green roe, and tuna combo was perfection. The other roll, which my friend had, was deep-fried brown rice with avocado and instant crab meat. Ahem...that instant crab meat is the furthest thing from organic. But boy was it good. The exterior had a nice almost-burnt crunch to it. YUM! Hmmm...now that I think about it...I think it was pan-fried to achieve that crunchy exterior.
The two dishes I ordered were pretty FAIL. The age dofu was NOT in a broth...the way I like it and only one of the two pieces of deep-fried tofu had any sauce on it. For $10 they could be more generous and not have me eat just a bland block of tofu. The Yasai Tempura Udon was also a disappointment. First, I only got veggie tempura...so cheap. Could have throw in ONE shrimp tempura. Secondly, the noodles were not the fat chewy kind I was expecting. They were the limp flat ones. HMPF.
The complimentary sweet potato dessert was very odd...weird...different...but my friends liked it. You should at least give it a try.
I doubt I will go again. If I do, I will stick to the rolls, they were quite yummy. Another thing, please fill the water all the way to the top, not 3/4 of the way. *!!!!!!!!*
They've got enough vegan sushi to keep me stuffed for a week. Not just the usual lameness of cucumber, avocado or carrot, oh no. We're talking vegan tempura options along with other apetizers, and they pride themselves on being almost completely organic.
How can you beat that? It brought a tear of joy to my eye to hear they make their own miso and grow their own shiso. Woah, they've inspired me to rhyme it seems.
My only complaint is the speed of service, do NOT go here if you're in any sort of rush. Actually, don't go here if you've got any plans at all what so ever. I was here a very very long time for both of my trips and while the service is friendly it's definitely a laid back "we're gonna take our sweet time so enjoy the water" type of place.
If you've got nothing to do and can spare the time, definitely worth checking out. They are not vegan only contrary to my review, but if you're vegan and have a hankerin' for organic vegan sushi you're going to be hard pressed to find a place with better options than Minako.
I already requested Cha Ya the night before and the dr. and I had gone, eaten and walked away satiated and satisfied, as always. I shall never tire of the place.
But last night, at a loss for where to go lest we end up at Cha Ya again, the dr. suggested Minako, somewhere I had never been. Hip Hip for New Place!
He worried about the wait as the place is small and noted that we should come up with a Plan B. I thought about it as we walked there, but never came up with a Plan B. Plan B would be me standing on the corner of Mission and 18th gnawing on my own arm. I am usually frozen with food decision. I am like a deer caught in headlights when someone asks me what I want to eat.
How am I to choose? How is anyone supposed to choose when there is so much to chose from?
Yeah. People hate me. I can't make a decision to save my life.
The wait wasn't too bad and we managed to get seated within 10-15 minutes. It took longer for us to peruse the menu and try to narrow down what we wanted to order. 2 whole pages of vegan rolls and a note on the cover of the menu that all soup bases were also veggie friendly made it difficult to decide.
Once we narrowed it down and had an ordering game plan, the waitress presented us with their little specials board which threw the game plan off kilter.
Corn Fritter Tempura?
Almond Encrusted Tofu?
Tofu w/ Three Mint Sauce?
Yam Tempura?!?!
WTF?!
After discussion with our waitress she made the best suggestions on 1/2 orders of things so as not to over order, which was perfect.
We ended up with a 1/2 order of the Tofu with Mint Sauce (fresh tofu blocks), 1/2 an order of the Age Tofu (fried tofu block), the corn fritter (crispy and awesome), the spicy greens roll (spicy!), the avocado-spinach maki (gigantor rolls), shitake nigiri (marinated!) and a roll whose name I can't remember.
The mystery roll was topped with carrot, spinach & inari and filled with vegetarian "eel". The mystery roll was probably my favorite. The veggie eel was better then the real thing, which tends to have a texture problem that bothers me.
As the dr. ordered, it sounded like a lot of food, but we're both pretty good at putting it away AND I was starving, so I was ok with having too much as opposed to too little. Three rolls, 1 nigiri, 2 1/2 orders of appetizers along with the corn fritters made for just the right amount of food.
WE FINISHED EVERYTHING.
When I came back from their magical under the sea bathroom, there was a perfect tiny dessert bowl. Our waitress explained it was orange and the dr. explained the texture was agar.
I was sort of surprised to come home and read some of the other reviews for Minako citing the service as being an issue. It was obvious to us that the waitress is the daughter of the mother/daughter team that runs the joint and she was nothing but helpful and sweet.
We walked out into the night, the second to last table to vacate. She waved us off and wished us a good evening. I spent my entire bus ride home wondering what to order the next time we go back.
I can't wait to stalk Minako the same way we stalk Cha Ya. :)
5 stars for food, but -2 stars for the service.
We ordered their special Yam Tempura, a couple of vegitarian rolls, spicy teryaki tofu (which was not what I expected, but AMAZING... sizzling and VERY spicy, more like a crab-cake consistency), and vegetable gyoza. All of the food was delicious. The rolls were enormous, so they had to be dissected before eating, but their tastyness made up for it.
The service was a little strange. When you walk in, you have to go to the back of the restaurant to get on the list. I stood there for quite a while before someone spoke to me, and when I did, they told me the wait would be 15-20 minutes. Which sounded great. So we went for a brief walk, and just 5 minutes later they called us & asked us to come back. So we turned around, but when we got there, we had to wait another 10 minutes for the party to pay their bill. Maybe they shoudn't have called us so early?
I have to second Adam Z. that "please close menus when ready to order" is a weird rule, and it would be much better if the menu had prices for everything (although the menus are very cute).
Overall, I will definitely be back for the food, and maybe when I get the hang of their service style I'll like it a little more... but it was definitely kind of strange for newcomers.
The service sucks and the food is not good.
We sat down and were given three menus for four people. After waiting over ten minutes we received no further attention. Then someone noticed a sign on the board that said "please close menus when ready to order." Soon after we did, the server finally came around to take our orders. What a stupid-ass rule! Half of the menu has no prices on it anyway.
When we did get food, the server would just drop rolls off at the table without telling us what they were.
Strangely, twice we had to ask for extra wasabi, as they were really stingy with it. After trying in vain to get her attention, I had to literally wave my arms to get a server to come out of the kitchen, but not before she shot me a dirty look.
The rolls are absolutely enormous and impossible to eat in one bite, making it impossible to taste all the flavors from the various ingredients at the same time. Also, they use some kind of brown rice that caused the rolls to already begin to fall apart before they were even picked up.
But for the company, it was not a pleasant experience.
Tonight I had a HORRIBLE experience here, which is too bad, because a friend recommended this restaurant. He mentioned it was expensive, but I don't mind paying for quality, so I went in to try it this evening.
First, I was ignored for about 10 minutes when I first arrived. There were only three tables with two people at each table, so it wasn't busy. The people seated all had their food, and the waitresses were talking in the back. Once I was finally approached, I decided to ask if I could get some food to go, since I was going out, and I started thinking it might take a while otherwise.
The waitresses discussed my request for a minute, and then asked if it was just for myself. I said yes, and they gave me a menu. I ordered two orders of Maguro, and asked if they had Seaweed salad, since it wasn't on the menu. The waitress said yes, so I ordered one of those as well. The bill came, along with my to go food, and it was... $21.35!
I was expecting to pay about $10 to $12 dollars for this meal. After seeing the seaweed salad, which was wilted, soggy, small and otherwise gross looking, and cost a whopping $8.00 (I'll include a picture on my profile in case you don't believe me) I was pretty upset. The sushi was okay, but certainly not worth $11.00 for four pieces. All in all, the food was NOT worth the price.
My other complaint lies with the waitstaff. One person took my order, then I was approached by the other, (about 15 minutes later) who sighed extremely loud after I said that I thought my order had already been taken by the other waitress. She then loudly began putting two tables together. About a minute later, a couple walked in and began to sit at the table. The same waitress walked over and said, "Excuse me, what do you think you're doing?" The couple were very nice, and said, "Hi we're the party of seven", and she answered with, "Oh, I thought you were trying to steal someones' table".
I have worked in the food service industry for over 5 years. I have been a server, a waiter, a barista, and a cook. This was unacceptable behavior for someone who waits tables. I work very hard for the money I make, and I do not want to throw it away on a half-ass meal. Sorry Minako, I will continue to go to Hakabune, it is a much better value for the money, and the staff is never rude to their customers!
I wanted Japanese after rehearsals and I noticed this little whole in the wall since our rehearsal location is across the street.
So get this.
I've got some pretty important out-of-town visitors a few nights ago who were involved in me producing this play we're rehearsing for. They made it clear they want Japanese for dinner. I figured, after the play we can just go right across the street. I even mentioned that according to Yelp, they're amazing.
Fellow Yelpers! You've deceived me! First of all, we wait outside for nearly an hour and half and the one waitress there gives me the biggest 'tude. I said, "did you call our name yet?" She rolls her eyes and looks at me like I'm some idiot and says, "no!"
Okay. I'll let that slide. So after waiting outside, we sit down. My out-of-town visitor mentioned that we have another person joining us. "Can we sit at that bigger table when the guests leave," she asks. The waitress from hell looks at my visitor like she's from outer space and says, "but I already sat you here."
Okay whatever. Strike 2 but this beezy's starting to get on my nerves. We get the menu. It's indecipherable. She treats the other guests with respect and dignity and she treats my out-of-towners and I like some second rate citizen. She even gives the table next to us a "Special Menu" on a magnetic board.
Anyway, the party at the big table moves and we decided to go ahead and sit there, even help this crazy waitress by easing the traffic. She goes up to us and quite literally yells: "DID I TELL YOU TO SIT THERE?! I SAID I'LL TELL YOU WHEN!"
That's it. Strike 3. I'm out of here. I take my out-of-towners the hell out of this mad house and take them to Yo-Yo Restaurant on the corner where we had a far better experience.
Oh and by the way, my out-of-towners were from Tokyo and speak fluent Japanese. They said Minako's is not even CLOSE to what a Japanese Restaurant experience should be like.
You suck, Minako.
"Are you sure you want to order all that? That's a lot of food..."
That's the standard remark I get from the same waitress (I think she's also the owner/operator) every time I eat at Minako. Seriously -- this has happened at least four times now.
I have one thing to say to this. And it's not "ARE YOU CALLIN' ME A FATTY?" or anything like that... I take no offense...
It's...
"FACE IT, LADY. You're food is that good. Now get cookin'."
You are DAMN RIGHT I want to order all that, and I'm gonna eat it all. And then I'm probably gonna order some more, too.
(But honestly, I usually just smile politely and say, "Mm hm! Thanks!")
Just a few of my faves here...
Vegan potato croquettes, miso-marinated black cod, hamachi sashimi, almond-encrusted tofu, shitaake maki, and the coup de grace...
Handmade udon.
Seriously, the udon at Minako is so good it will make you bawl. It will make you spit in any other bowl of udon ever served you, for time eternal, and fling it across the room like a spoiled two-year-old. You'll want to shriek at your server, "BLASPHEMY! I KNOW WHAT THIS IS PRETENDING TO BE NOW... YOU MOCK ME! REMOVE IT FROM MY PRESENCE!"
Order the udon a day in advance, because it takes serious work to make noodles that good, and you don't want to show up and be disappointed. And ask for the curry broth.
TRUST ME.
Also, I'd also like to politely say to my concerned server... I really like Mika, too. I'm not sure why -- it totally goes against my better judgment -- but keep it comin'. With the udon.
Holy crap, how have I missed this vegan-friendly gem in the Mission for this long?! And I thought Cha-Ya had extensive vegan Japanese food. Tofu gyoza were outstanding and not overly crispy; maki rolls are *huge* and delicious. We were advised that we probably didn't want all the food we were ordering -- the waitress said she'd gotten in trouble for telling people that before, which appears to be borne out in some of these reviews -- but damn, was she right. That final tempura maki roll would have killed us, had we ordered it.
Umeboshi plums from 2000. That's 9 years of delicious, folks.
House-made vegan "eel," which my omni companion pronounced to be "surprisingly eely." I wouldn't know about that, but it's good, whatever it is.
*So* tasty!
This was the best dining experience I've had in months. All the creativity and quality of flashy nuveau cuisine--which I do appreciate--but in an atmosphere, and offered with a presentation and delivery that makes you feel like you just walked into the dining room of a quirky friend with a passion for original cooking.
Never had sushi so good before. Everything was so flavorful. Daughter and mother own and run this place. Both are extremely pleasant. Daughter took the time to explain to us some of the dishes.
Her personal recommendations about the seasonal fish were awesome. Will definitely put them on my list for a regular visit :-))
There was some OTHER sushi place on Valencia that claimed to serve sushi "just like mom used to make," which didn't connect for me at the time...but this place...wow, It really is like eating at someone's mom's house, and it's actually PLEASANT. Like my friend Jamie's Persian mom, only for sushi.
The decor is kooky. Those homemade paper lanterns must certainly get dismantled when the fire marshal comes around. And the bamboo tacked onto the walls barely hides this little joint's plainness. But it's clean and warm, and the menu, for being a little on the wrinkled side, was clear.
The service was pushy in an I'm-guiding-you-through-this (as opposed to I'm-chiding-your-inane-American-choices) way. Personable, though not quite "attentive." Our server saved the sauce from our salad and poured it into a dipping plate, explaining, "this will go well with your sushi." And dip my shushi I did, and it was good.
The food all tasted fresh and of high quality. I didn't like the hamachi cut on the sashimi salad (though the aforementioned dressing was tops), nor did I like learning that it was $15, a good $5 more than anything on the menu, and kept a big secret because it was on the cute little specials portable magnet board they put your table when you come in.
I recommend the spicy tuna roll. I know. Just trust me. Or rather, trust "mom," because she'll probably push it on you.
Hmmm...not to sound like a dick but if I wanted to nagged about my menu choices I would have brought an ex. Between me and my dining homeys I think we ordered maybe 7 dishes...3 were disputed. Two of which were winners, one was not, also prices should be discussed if telling a customer to trade, no? Anyway I felt strange enough getting sucked into something not mexican or latino in the Mission, but I digress....
But seriously I thought this place would be cater more to the vegetarians, and that it does, but it also served up some fresh and delicious creatures with eyes.
For non-seafood choices I highly suggest anything with their burdock root, which after questioning she brought out and showed to us. It was a stick...whatevs it tasted good. The plums were good as well.
Value: This is where I deduct. My bill was something like $32, my fault for not making myself feel like a dick and asking for the prices, but you can get away with under $20pp which is very fair.
Overall: I would come back, as I don't think this place has much sushi competition in the Mission, but then again who goes to the Mission for sushi anyway.
There are some things you need to know about Minako before going:
1. Yes, it will take for-effing-ever. If you will not be ok with this, do not go.
2. Yes, it will be awkward. One of the reviews here describes it as being like "eating at someone's place." I would amend that to read: it is like eating at someone's place WHO YOU DON'T KNOW.
From the lack of a good place to stand that isn't in someone's way while waiting (despite there being 2 empty tables) to the requirement of waiting until she has finished writing down each item before you can order the next item, it will be awkward. No, you cannot assume that after asking how long the wait will be and going back and standing awkwardly to wait, she will put you on the waiting list. No, you have to specify 10 min. later (when you inquire about the empty tables) that you want to be put on the list.
We were actually speculating about whether everyone who works at the restaurant has Asperger's.
I could go on, but you get the idea. If you will not be ok with this, do not go.
3. It is expensive. Not obscenely so, but it is above average cost for SF sushi.
Ok, still with me?
If you can get over those things, you can get some of the freshest and most well-prepared fish you have ever had. The rolls run large, and you get A LOT of fish. I hear their vegetarian items are also excellent, though honestly, I have not yet tried any of it because the fish is so awesome.
And, if nothing else, it will be an experience. You will probably have a funny story or two to tell. I particularly like their handwritten menus (some of it in Japanese with no translation) that feature random drawings (some of them mildly disturbing) that may or may not have anything to do with Japanese food.
I was about to give this place one star, but really it's just meh...
If I had to summarize Minako in a pithy one liner, I would say it's the 'Cafe Gratitude of San Francisco sushi restaurants'. Why?
- Expensive (more on this in a moment)
- Food is really not that great (organic does not equate to deliciousness)
- Service is sloooooowwwwww, even when the restaurant is nearly empty
- Service is inattentive. I was never asked if my empty water glass should be refilled, and a refill of my teapot wasn't offered until I was about to stand up and leave.
So about the food:
I ordered everything off the special menu, which doesn't contain any prices. shame on me, but the hostess seemed so nice, and the place was so mellow, I thought it couldn't be too high.
The highlight was definitely the Renkon soup. It was a smallish bowl of soup with a dumpling made from a root vegetable (radish) and a delicious broth with ginger and scallions. It was good, but not $8.50 good.
I also ordered some hamachi toro nigiri and tuna toro nigiri. When these arrived, I questioned their toro-ness. The hamachin contained no veins of fatty goodness, and the tuna was actually salmon (i was a bit distracted and forgot to mention it to the server). Both were decent, but (I don't think I've ever said this before) the nigiri didn't have enough rice, and the rice was not glutinous enough. A couple of drops of soy sauce and it fell apart. The price? $10.50 for the tuna toro and $7.50 for the hamachi toro.
I also got the uni nigiri ($10.50 for 2 pc). It was good, but not $10.50 good. Since I was hungry, I ordered a wakame salad. Again, not bad, but certainly not work $8.50.
My total bill, including an Echigi beer ($8.25) came to $57 before tax and tip. Ouch, considering that I was hungry for slice of pizza afterwards.
All told, I'm glad I tried it, but I won't be back to give it a second chance.
A date brought me here this weekend. Considering the place is right around the corner from my house, I was kinda surprised I hadn't been here before. The Hamachi carpaccio was fantastic. They used this citrusey-ginger-ey sauce that was incredible--just tangy and delicious.
We split the salmon entree and it was really nicely prepared. If you get the "dinner" it comes with miso soup, salad (great dressing), and a jello-y cubed dessert with raspberries. All fantastic.
The service was great--just make sure you close your menus when you've decided what you're getting...that's their "cue" that you are ready to order. I'm definitely coming back!
*This review is for the bathroom portion of the restaurant only*
I walked through the kitchen, nodding at the small Japanese woman and 2 diligent Mexican chefs on my way down the narrow hallway towards the bathroom. It is small and uni-sex. It sits unassuming behind a dingy red curtain. Luckily there was no wait, so I pushed the door open and got a seat right away.
As I placed the paper protector over the toilet seat, I noticed the walls swirling with lights, cast over a beautiful mural of smiling sea creatures. While urinating it was all simply breathtaking to behold. A bubble lamp in one corner produced a serene, almost hypnotic droning sound which, for a few moments prompted me to stay seated. I almost forgot to wipe.
The liquid soap was velvety with a mango-pineapple musk. It was embedded with plastic fishes and seahorses that bobbed to and fro as I shook the dispenser in delight. If only I could have spent the next few hours singing "Under the Sea" and making fish faces at myself in the mirror, it would have been a magical evening indeed.
Although I was tempted to request that the remainder of my dinner to be brought into the restroom, I tore myself away with a heavy, yet happy heart. I was comforted to know that my little underwater world would still be there, awaiting my return. Soon my little friends....soon.....
SIDE NOTE: Deep fried eggplant. Order that. It's good. Also, call ahead and pre-order the udon. It's worth it, and will make you seem extra suave and "in the know" to the rest of your dining companions when you divulge that you took such liberties. It won't suck, trust me. (Thanks Lisa W.)
Just tried the place for the first time after a friend recommended it to me. I have to say that the quality of fish here was top notch, and the service friendly if slow (but I was warned about this).
Pros: Mint Sashimi was outstanding. Fish quality A+. Seaweed salad A+
Cons: Prices are WAY inflated. I left feeling really torn and pissed b/c I paid $16.00 for a rainbow roll filled with fake crab meat. I assumed that the crab would be real since it seems literally like robbery to charge that for fake filler, Oh no no, it was definitely fake. I have NEVER paid that much for a roll stuffed with fakey.
Bottom line: I was super happy until my roll came, and now feel like I can't return to a place that can charge that much for fake crab in good conscience.
Not sure why this is rated "Good for Kids: No," above. I disagree.
Sure there's the risk of waiting for a table, which is never fun (though we called ahead of a recent visit, party of 5, and they held a table for us no problem).
And the food can take a while to come up.
But the vibe is festive, which kids pick up. The crayons came quickly. Our waiter -- the cook's daughter -- scooped up our 5-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son for a guided tour of the bathroom, which is painted to look like an aquarium from the inside looking out. And the food is healthy. ... Minako is *definitely* friendly, for kids and everyone else too. Go there.
I am picky. Especially so for sushi. When I get good sushi I am willing to forgive a lot of things: sloooooow service, loooooong waits, and sporadic checkups by the service. Minako has all of these things.
I will not comment on the neighborhood, because I don't care. I am brown, we tend not to concern ourselves with these things. Know this, Minako is worth it.
Even the food that isn't sushi is amazing. Their zen meal is outstanding. Presentation awesome. Rice excellent. Some tips:
-Go early to get a seat
-Don't go in a big group, you'll take all the seating, it's small
-Take cash
-Relax, it's going to take a while
-Just go with the flow
-Know you are eating someplace where they care about how good the food is
-You can't choose anything wrong here
Hands down my favorite place in the city. If you're ever in Mountain View though check out Tomi.
Ok - so let's break it down. There are a 161 reviews so I am not adding anything new here. Why people "hate" this place:
1. The wait
2. The waitress
3. The wait for it... prices
I suggest this handy questionnaire for you to fill out before you go to Minako:
1. Are you planning on "popping in for dinner" on your way to your three other planned engagements for the evening? (If the answer is YES skip to end. If the answer is NO, proceed to #2)
2, Are you someone who likes to feel like they are eating at someone's house? (If the answer is NO skip to end. If the answer is YES, proceed to #3)
3. Are you someone who can have a conversation with your waitress even if she is having a bad day? (If the answer is NO skip to end. If the answer is YES, proceed to #4)
4. Are you someone who wants to share their food with the people they come with? (If the answer is NO skip to end. If the answer is YES, proceed to #5)
5. Can you take a fucking joke? (If the answer is NO skip to end. If the answer is YES, proceed to... actually you're done.)
THE RESULTS:
If you skipped any questions then Minako isn't for you. Period. End of story. Go back to where you came from and don't pass go or collect $200.
If you answered all the questions and got here then you will love this place. Minako IS your plan for the evening... when you want to talk to the waitress like she is a person who isn't just there to take your order and give you food. When you want to actively engage her and treat her like everyone else you came with.
This is a place I have come with one friend or 12 friends. We always have a good time. Is there a wait to get your food? Sure is. When it comes is it frikken amazing? Yup. Can I bring my sushi snobs and vegan nezi friends all at the same time and everyone is STOKED? Yup. Is it expensive? I don't think so... Maybe I've gone enough times now that I have the super special customer prices... but every time I go I never feel like I am overcharged. So I don't know what to think about this comment. It's good food and I love the experience - so in that regard I have no problem with the prices. I feel like I would pay as much for this meal as I would at Blowfish Sushi to Die For... so yeah. There you go.
The waitress... fucking rocks. That's all I have to say. To those who don't get along with her... then don't go back. It is obvious that neither of you would ever benefit from the relationship.
And that brings me to my final point about Minako. It's a relationship. This place is about bringing you and your party into someone's home. Even if it isn't their home per se - that is what Minako and her mother are doing. They are creating a space where a bunch of strangers can hang out, eat and enjoy. The number of times my table ends up talking to another table are countless. The number of times I got up and danced with a stranger also number quite high.
I miss being in the city just to be in the proximity of this great place.
10 stars!!!
I have been dying to try out Minako's ever since my friend highly recommended it. How have I lived in the Mission for over 3 years and not gone? Kicking myself! Minako's far exceeded my expectations and I'm already plotting my next visit. Let's start with the food. Everything was so flavorful without being drenched in sauce. Case in point, the Age Dofu, Black Cod, and Spicy Tuna. Their miso soup was also delicious, made with their homemade miso paste (love black mushrooms in miso!). We also tried a roll recommended by the owner - tuna, hamachi, cucumber, avocado, and tobiko. The reviews don't joke - this is the largest roll you will ever eat!
Side note: We asked the owner if she thought we were ordering enough food or too much. Her response, "Well, how much of a super burrito can you eat?" My response, "On a good day, the whole thing." That's when she recommended the ginormous roll. :)
To top off the evening, I had a lovely conversation with the owner about her thoughts on Yelp. She exemplifies, in my mind, the perfect local business owner. She treats the customers how the customers treat her. Sounds logical but you don't come across that attitude often. If you walk in with an attitude, she'll give you attitude right back. If you walk in with love, she will shower you with love. Through talking with her, I also learned that she plans the order and the pace that your dishes come out to provide the best eating experience possible. Expensive shi-shi restaurants attempt and fail to do this all the time and Minako's nailed it.
From the outside.. I think "they probably do tempura and California rolls" But holy @#$ ... was I wrong....
Instead, I find interesting, carefully prepared dishes with perfectly crispy soba noodle garnishes.. a yellowtail sashimi in an impossibly balanced, tasty mint sauce.. really nice "twig" tea (and I'm a tea snob...) and "Orion" beer.... (the last time I had that.. I was in Japan...) Stay away rude yuppies... don't ruin my new fav on 18th...
Well I was pretty grumpy until I got my food. The restaurant was about half full and I was by myself. I sat for about 25 minutes with a menu ready to order while I saw the Huggy Server do the thing that everyone complains about in these reviews. Btw, I did have my menu closed but I don't see why they need that as a signal that the diner is ready. The restaurant is really small and I think they could implement the more popular social cue of, you know, asking me if I was ready to order. I think that would work out pretty well too.
Finally the server came over to me with a specials board - all magnets and post-its and handwritten and no prices. Fine, whatever. If I was not so hungry, I would not be irked by its preciousness, much like the menu (handwritten, doodles, earnest notes from customers.)
Anyway, my food finally came and yay! it's really good. I will come back, although not for awhile.
Best sushi in San Francisco. The menu is definitely overwhelming. Solution? Ask for omakase - the Japanese culinary term meaning they will bring you whatever they want. they'll ask for some parameters, like what kind of fish you like, if you like rolls, nigiri, whatever, and then the rest of the night is a wonderfullly pleasant surprise where you'll get to try new things and get out of your comfort zone. This mother-daughter team is also great because they will whip up different sauces, recipes, etc., depending on their whims. So there is usually something new and interesting going on in the kitchen.
I highly don't recommend this spot unless you have a ton of time to wait...wait...& do some more waiting...
we walked in on a Saturday night around 8:30 or so...they had about 5 tables occupied and 1 empty table...however, we were told we couldn't sit there and we would have to wait for another table...(by the way, that table was still empty by the time we left...not sure why they keep a table in the restaurant that they aren't going to seat people at)
we waited about 10 - 15 minutes until another table left...we got seatly very slowly...they have like 2 people working in the restaurant that were just too busy either taking orders or bringing out food that they didn't have time to clean the table for us to get seated...
finally we took a look at the menu and ordered...btw...this place is definitely not cheap...i have no idea why it's only 2 dollar signs on yelp! we sat and waited for our orders for about 20 minutes and we were like uh...when is our food coming...then they said...oh we cook everything in the order they are ordered so we haven't started making your food yet because another table sat down before you guys...so after about an hour of dealing with this spot...we decided to just take off since they haven't even started cooking our food at that point...
we ended up down the street for quick and delicious mexican food...
BOOOO!!! I made a trip all the way to SF for my birthday dinner this past weekend and they were closed!!! I guess they were on vacation? I had to eat somewhere else that was not as satisfying as Minako. I am still disappointed. I hate to have to turn into the person that calls every place she plans to go before heading out of the house, but I guess I will have to. Bummer.
Wow, this placed was soooo good. The woman taking our order took the care to show us the size of… Read more »
The hamachi with mint sauce is probably the one dish that makes my mouth water every time I think of going to Minako. And I always ask to get some home to marinate delicate white fish or to make my grilled squids happier.
The atmosphere is familiar at best and the music selection is plain awesome.
I remember having omakase here and Minako assembled a delicious meal for us. I definitely have to go back for kaiseki.
i seriously do not understand why this place has such a high rating. i had one of the worst dining experiences of my life at minako, and i'm typically very tolerant of long waits, average service, and san francisco prices. it's a shame that minako is so terrible because i like the concept. alas!
really really really long menu. i forgot to take my afternoon ADD meds and digesting the menu was a challenge.
Ordered 4 rolls. friendly waitress assumed that I ordered for the whole table. but i was just hungry. she then told me i ordered too much. I cut it down to 2 rolls, which she deemed appropriate -- i know i'm making her sound like a pain int he ass, but she was really sweet about it.
They had a pretty extensive veggie/vegan selection, but nothing that actually sounded all that exciting to be honest. Tho they did sound healthy.
I ended up with some burdock root roll and arlee roll. they tasted healthy.
table closest to the back on the left side looks like it was designated as single boy diner table. I made a note to drop by if I ever want to run into cute skater boy again.
reasonable traffic, just enough patrons to keep the ingredients fresh and not too many to make you hate your fellow diners for being too close.
snooty non-vegetarian sushi expert friends deemed this place worthy of repeat visit, so i guess they enjoyed the food as well
Minako does have an inventive menu and a great beverage selection. The rolls we got were delicious. That said, the place seems a bit disorganized. The last time I was there they ran out of rice before closing time.
In terms of price, I think you're paying a significant premium for the organic ingredients. Did my taste buds detect all that organic goodness? Nope, only my wallet felt it.
I'd say the place caters to a niche customer - the vegan/vegetarian sushi lover. If I were entertaining a vegan/vegetarian friend who craved Japanese food, we'd maneuver around the crack hookers on Mission St. to get to Minako. I just wouldn't go out of my way to come here otherwise.
I'm rating this place an "are you kidding me"?
I'm not sure why everyone is raving about this place. Service was very awkward and uncomfortable. I asked for recommendations and the waitress couldn't answer our questions. The food was just okay, but way overpriced ($17 for 4 slices of hamachi sashimi in mint sauce?). In addition, the fish was not fresh.
For those people who have not had that much experience with japanese food, this place may seem very "missiony," "cool" and "organic", but I think it takes more than a divy looking restaurant with an organic menu to warrant good reviews. There are plenty of places that are organic that just don't advertise it that way.
My sense is that vegans are excited about it since there is a special vegan menu, but for others, there are plenty of other great places in the city that have the same atmosphere.
This place is way off the mark. I actually find it a little creepy given the weird menus and the server that has a tendency to be curt, walk away randomly, and hug random people as they are coming and going.
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Castro
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Hayes Valley
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Sushi Bars
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