Tried Minako for the first time today for lunch takeout and my taste buds are just blown away! The food is incredible. It’s a mother daughter operation and they are so nice!
My favorite family-owned, Japanese-cuisine, small-business, mother-and-daughter restaurant! The flavors are unbeatable & their quality of service is the icing on the green tea cake . It's truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience, run by a team of just 2... phenomenal. I highly recommend trying EVERY item on the menu-- especially the curry! Dietary restrictions: Very knowledgeable & accommodating
Food is great, but it's mostly for take out. The only "dine in" place is 2 small tables on the street.
I've had Minako's on my list for a while since seeing the homemade, organic vegan Japanese options that they provide. As someone who loves Japanese food, it's always nice to see a place that offers more than just an avocado cucumber roll for someone like me. We ordered three items: my mom got the Chirashi bowl, I went with their Tofu Kaarage, and a Mushroom Avo Roll. They told us it would be a 30-40 minute wait due to the number of orders, and we said we'd be okay waiting. When they realized we were dining "in," they even brought out a small bowl of rice crackers for us to enjoy while the food was being prepared. To my surprise, the kaarage came like a set so there was rice, pickled veggies, and their daily side included. The tofu kaarage was fantastic and a nice change of pace from the standard tofu katsu I often see at Japanese restaurants. My maki roll was good too but was a bit small for me. My mom also enjoyed her chirashi but felt it wasn't a lot of food, and the wait probably made it a bit harder to justify the full cost. Service here was great and I did appreciate talking to the owner and daughter about their business and seeing how many vegans have stopped by to share their recommendations on plant-based spots around the country. They were very attentive and kept coming out to check on us even if it meant leaving the restaurant. As of October 2023, they are still very much take-out only but have a few small tables outside to dine on site. I recommend ordering to-go since it's not guaranteed you'll have a table and there isn't a whole lot of activity situated on a street corner with a gas station next door. Vegetarian options: Vegan Tofu Kaarage, Teriyaki, a few vegan sushi rolls
About a million vegan options! Yum
10/10, lots of gluten free options, specifically for customers with celiac or wheat allergy. Dietary restrictions: Lots of Celiac and Gluten Allergy friendly options!