Address: | 20 University Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413, USA |
Phone: | +1 612-584-3167 |
Site: | pinkujapanese.com |
Rating: | 4.7 |
Working: | 11AM–2PM 11AM–2PM 11AM–2PM 11AM–2PM 11AM–2PM 11AM–2PM 11AM–2PM |
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John Carroll
PinkU continues to impress, and with its original and creative menu, it is easy to get addicted. PinKUs food, with its changing weekly specials and not-so-common dishes, and its casual dining atmosphere help show just how unique this place is. Its where authentic Japanese dishes and treats meet a creative and original way to get your food. This isnt a sushi restaurant, this isnt a teppanyaki grill: this is Japanese Street Food. And the best part? They make it all about you. Really! What to get? Everything, but especially the shrimp and the potstickers. But especially everything. Though their sushi is delicious, fresh, and hits the spot, this isnt a "sushi" restaurant (like I said). Dont expect to get a chef-selected sushi platter. Looking for a large order of fried tempura? Id go somewhere else. Want to spend like $40-50 a person? This place will run you to $20 or under, each. Imagine that, an affordable Japanese restaurant where you dont have to sacrifice quality. Instead of looking for that 20-piece sushi platter, plan on selecting 2 or 3 items off PinKUs menu (or however many items you want, youre a hungry Minnesotan afterall!) like the jumbo crispy shrimp on a bed of Japanese rice or radish noodles. They are so tender on the inside and so crisp on the outside, I dare you to just get one order. And the sauce! Oh my goodness, you could live in it. I also cant not talk about the "Crispy Rice" dishes. Instead of putting spicy tuna or a seared slice of salmon on a cold ball of sticky rice, PinKU does something different and crisps up the rice base. Think a plain fried rice turned up to 11 and used as the rice pad for your fish of choice. My only complaint is you dont get more of them per order! What about something more "traditional" like sushi? They still have items like seared salmon on rice, spicy tuna poke (pok), and then of course, the "fat rolls" -- traditional sushi rolls with spicy tuna or seared salmon. Whatever you decide for yourself, be absolutely sure to then share an order of the delicious, hot, fresh, and juicy potstickers. To repeat, because it is important: be sure and get the potstickers. They are perfectly fried and crispy on one side and succulent all around. The best part, at least for me, is that you can really taste the time, love, and thoughtfulness put in each dish. The depth of flavors is immense, the quality of the ingredients is high, and everything is just so fresh. Whatever you get, I dont think you can go wrong. And everything is served to you in minutes on a simple, shiny silver bento-box-esque cafeteria tray. How perfect.
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Matt Jameson
I really enjoyed the food and feel of the restaurant. It was some of the better Japanese food Ive had in the cities. The staff was very friendly and made me enjoy the experience thoroughly. I really want to see the place succeed as I think its a great addition to the area. I think with some improvements on presentation they could have a real winner. I think the main killer is going to be the small portion sizes and surprise factor of them. I dont think the portions are as much of an issue as that when you order you dont have a clue how much to order. We had to go back up and order multiple times because we never really knew how much food we were getting. If there were some like combination or pre-picked recommendations near the menu I think it would help greatly. Like for 15 dollars you get some potstickers and whatever two other main entrees you think would pair well together. It might "cheapen" the experience but it would help people understand how much food creates a full meal because I just didnt have any idea. Also the serving plates are cool but I think they may make the portions feel even smaller. I would say look at plates and serving styles that accentuate the size of the dishes instead of squishing 3-4 of them on a single tray. Experiment using a few different plates/trays you pick up somewhere and try and gauge reactions. Northeast Minneapolis can still be traditional in the sense that many people expect to be rather full after a fast casual dining experience. Be careful trying to market as fast casual right next to Chipotle where you can get a ton of food for a fraction of the price. People are still going to look for value even if PinKUs quality far exceeds Chipotles. As far as if Im returning Im just not sure. It was extremely good but I ended up spending a lot of money ($40+) for two people which really doesnt make it fast casual at all. I think at this moment PinKU is sort of confused if it wants to be a Japanese restaurant with high quality and a price that matches it or fast casual where speed and value are still very important. I wish John and Xiaoteng luck in their endeavor and would love to visit again when they iron some of the kinks out.
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Megan Hemmila
Unique, simple, and delicious! PinKU describes themselves as "Japanese Street Food." Having no idea if this is accurate or not, one of the first things I tell my friends is that its not the ramen and sushi place you might be used to. The menu is pretty small, but every item is full of flavor and satisfying. The fat rolls are a safe bet for people familiar with sushi but not ready to try raw fish over rice yet. There is also a special (or two!) every week - unless it sounds completely unappetizing to you, try it. Just do it, youll be glad. The atmosphere is very casual; you order at the counter and theyll bring your food to your table. The owner is often working at the counter and is delightfully helpful and energetic. No matter how many times Ive asked about what certain items are or just stared, unsure, at the menu, he is never impatient or condescending, he seems genuinely happy to help you have a good experience. There are only 8 4-tops (which are often split into 2-tops), so there may be a wait when its busy (6-7ish), but Ive never seen it be too long.
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Stephanie Bruesehoff
Went here with friends and loved it! The atmosphere is great - a modern and fun place to dine! We were personally greeted and welcomed by one of the owners who took our order and made sure we understood the layout, process of ordering, and the menu. When our food was brought out to our table, he even refilled our water for us at the self serve area. The presentation of the food was great and everything tasted AMAZING! The portion sizes are smaller allowing you to order more than one item which means you get to try more things! My husband and I split the potstickers (FANTASTIC!) and I had the seared salmon on rice cake as well as the spicy tuna fat roll (WONDERFUL!). The rest of our group loved what they ordered as well. We enjoyed the food and enjoyed ourselves at the restaurant and left wondering when we could come back and who we would bring with us! Thanks PinKU for such great hospitality and wonderful food!
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Monica L
Got a chance to visit on Mon. for dinner. We tried the dumplings, spicy tuna on rice cakes, and seared salmon on rice (w/radish & avocado). Pros: Great food, tasted fresh and was presented well. A nice modern space with a cool artsy-vibe. Friendly service. Cons: Hard to understand menu, no helpful mention on portion sizes - Individual items are definitely not a full meal (see picture for scale). Space is an issue where tables that can be separated/shared cant be unless you want to be in the way of other guests. Lastly, they are not open for lunch which seems weird for the NE area its in and the lunch crowd is usually bigger than dinner crowds. Definitely worth visiting again and I look forward to trying other items.