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    Izakaya Minato

    4.4 (210 reviews)
    PriceyIzakaya
    Closed 5:00 pm - 10:00 PM
    Updated 1 month ago

    Izakaya Minato Photos

    IZAKAYA MINATO ATMOSPHERE

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    Jennifer T.

    Food was tasty but pricey for the portion. We came at 7pm but had to wait over an hour for a table. The host was kind and gave us some recommendations for pre dinner drinks. When we sat down, we luckily ate some bar snacks from across the street. We ordered a bunch of small plates to share among the two of us and some were more impressive than others. The vibes of the place is definitely cozy and dimly lit. The dish I liked the most was the black cod. The ones I liked least was the fish collar and the salad. Both were a bit too salty for my taste. The overall seasoning used was flavorful but didn't have depth to it to justify the price in my opinion. I would save this for a cute date but won't come back just for the food.

    Menu, empty saki cup, dirty plate
    The D.

    Izakaya Minato is one of my favorite restaurants in Portland maine! Amazing drinks great service, lovely food, always some fun music playing very hip setting. I have a friend in town visiting from Philadelphia so I want to show him a couple of the staple spots in Portland Maine. We did have a good dinner, though there were a couple dishes that I was a little disappointed in. We shared the Toro special and the fish tasted old. Then we had the yaki sakana and it also was meh, the JFC, beef yukke, and kinoko salad were spot on. The Toro was on special along with the grilled oysters with a mayo type sauce which were delicious. I will always come back to Minato even with the little fish issues, I'm sure it won't be a repeat situation. I will share if it happens again. I would also like to include they were happy to remove the toro special from the bill!

    Specials menu
    Krista R.

    Stellar. Perfect service. High quality dishes with fantastic variety. Fresh and innovative dishes. Cocktails were solid. Get here before they open if you don't want to wait for a table to open up.

    mochi bacon
    Peggy X.

    I first ate here after being told by two Portland residents that this is the best restaurant in town (high praise for such a culinary scene!). Since then, I've dined at Izakaya Minato three more times, eaten at a bunch of top-notch places on the peninsula, and I gotta say -- they're right. I recommend this place to everyone, and it is the first restaurant I bring friends and relatives to when they visit Portland. The main downside of the restaurant is that the wait time is so long. We usually have to wait between 60-90 minutes to get a table for 2 since they don't take reservations for parties that are fewer than 4 (so definitely make a reservation if you're 4+!). But you can always wait it out over a drink at Oxbow, Hardshore, or Anoche across the street, and every time, the wait has been worth it for us. The restaurant is a bit crowded, but cozy inside, and they have outdoor seating when the weather is nice. We haven't had a bad meal, or even a bad dish, at Izakaya Minato. Every plate is tender, flavorful, and meticulously crafted. Some highlights: the bacon-wrapped mochi, minato age dofu, yaki sakana, and age ochazuke (get it with ikura!). The JFC is of course delicious, and the uni spoon and motoyaki oyster are umami flavor bombs. In short: you can't go wrong. The prices are also really reasonable here for the quality of the food. Last time, I came here with three other people, we stuffed ourselves with food, and the bill came out to about $36/person after tax and tip (though we didn't order cocktails, which I think helped). I haven't had a chance yet to try their omakase, but I'm planning to next time. I can't wait to be back!

    a table with a bottle of water on it
    David W.

    Top notch Izakaya. Get the omekase! Add an uni spoon... a little bite of heaven. Cocktails were outstanding. Service is frenetic as the place is loud and busy. Waitstaff were attentive. Will return.

    Tuna
    Amy T.

    We had the most amazing Omakazi meal last night! In just under 1.5 hours we were served 12 different courses, each one amazing! The 4 of us agreed the oysters were the best we'd ever had. The service was efficient and very friendly. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who is an adventurous eater who loves Japanese food.

    Crab salad with amazing greens
    Magda C.

    I would say some dishes are very small and can't be shared, the rest were for 1-2 people and are indeed high quality. The crab was very good. Price is just right, service is good.

    Kamo Yaki Udon
    Amy Z.

    In all honesty, I would have given Izakaya Minato 3.5, but rounded up because of the friendly staff and nice vibes. It has interesting Japanese-inspired dishes, but the biggest drawback was the HEAVY use of salt that I personally don't think is in the spirit of Japanese cuisine and flavors. Nearly every dish was over-salted to the point where I was gulping down water throughout and after the meal. I really wanted to love this meal, but agree with a lot of the other reviews that the flavors weren't quite there. Our favorite bites of the night were the Motoyaki Oyster (punchy flavor and fresh oysters) and Kamo Yaki Udon (well-cooked noodles and duck). Our least favorite were the sashimi and bluefin tuna poke, mostly due to the perceived quality of fish. My partner got the whiskey flight and as a lover of Japanese whiskey, thought it was a good variety (with some clearly better than the others) and better value compared to the single pour whiskeys on the menu. Food: 1. Motoyaki Oysters (4.5/5) 2. Minato Age Dori (4/5) 3. (Special) Chrysanthemum and crab salad (4/5) 4. Sashimi (3/5) 5. (Special) Bluefin tuna poke in avocado (3/5) 6. Kamo yaki udon (4/5) 7. Miso soup (4/5) Drink: 1. Whiskey flight (4/5)

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    4 months ago

    This spot is such a gem. The grilled oysters are amazing, might be my favorite dish in Portland!

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    MAMI PORTLAND - Shishito Peppers

    MAMI PORTLAND

    4.4(165 reviews)
    0.5 miOld Port
    $$

    Yeah, get over here. I'll eat a dish with pork belly in it any day of the week, I'm somewhat of an…read moreexpert on the subject.. The braised and crisped pork belly (Buta No Kakuni) here was some of the best I have ever had. One of those "Holy sh*t" bites where you have to put your head down to process what just assaulted your taste buds. Perfectly rendered fat, good meat to fat ratio, super crisp outer exterior but not too much where it gets tough, the caramelized soy glaze to top it all off.. It was just so good. Also, getting a bite with the kewpie, pickled onion, and pork belly all in one shot is chefs kiss. It doesn't even need all the supporting characters, but it makes it that much better. Slightly overshadowed by the pork, I also got an onigiri. It was filled with chicken and chives. Overall I thought the onigiri was decent. Chicken and chive wouldn't be my top filling but it was tasty nonetheless and still worth trying! I like that they griddle it slightly to help it hold its structure instead of using a piece of nori. Its a pretty relaxing feel inside the place. Staff was also attentive and pleasant. We set in the back, up a few steps right underneath an awesome Totoro poster- iykyk.

    Really good! We came here for lunch and sat outside. We ordered several of the snacks and all were…read moredelicious, the age nasu and yaki onigiri standing out in particular. The yakisoba was also great! The food was so good that despite being quite full, we ordered the mochi cake special when offered, which was similarly delicious.

    Photos
    MAMI PORTLAND - A little visual vibe, what a cutie place!!

    A little visual vibe, what a cutie place!!

    MAMI PORTLAND - Burger

    Burger

    MAMI PORTLAND - Onigiri

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    Onigiri

    Yosaku

    Yosaku

    3.9(542 reviews)
    0.8 miOld Port
    $$

    I love this restaurant. It's dangerously close to where I live and I go here often and get various…read moremaki rolls. Sushi obviously isn't inexpensive, but compared to many places in Portland it's quite reasonably priced if you order non-speciality rolls. The eel avocado roll is especially good and I have also enjoyed the fatty tuna and yellowtail/scallion. I think what makes this place special though is that it appears the owner is heavily involved in the day-to-day operations. I believe he works as a sushi chef sometimes and I've also passed by late at night and seen him cleaning the glass on the front door. The waiters seem genuinely happy to be working there and seem to be friends with each other. They also seem to have strong intra-restaurant culture such as greeting people who walk in the door with the same greetings that I heard when I was in Japan and saying "corner" every time they're rounding a corner with food. The patio outside is delightful. There's a waterfall and the space has the feel of a Japanese tea garden. Really special place. It can feel a bit buzzy/sceney on the weekends, for better or worse. Definitely a special restaurant worth going to.

    My friends and I had a fabulous experience here. We started with the fried chicken (chicken…read morekaraage) which opened up our appetite for all the sushi we ate. Every sushi roll was fresh and packed with different fish. We loved the option to sit at the traditional Japanese tables on the floor, it reminded me of when in Japan. It took a bit of time for the sushi to come in, but we did order quite a bit (so worth it) They had a painting on the wall featuring the sushi chefs from 2020 and they told us that the same sushi chefs are still working here! It was very heart warming.

    Photos
    Yosaku - Bar

    Bar

    Yosaku - Eel avocado roll and avocado rolls to go

    Eel avocado roll and avocado rolls to go

    Yosaku

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    Pai Men Miyake - Tantanmen

    Pai Men Miyake

    3.9(652 reviews)
    1.1 miWest End
    $$

    Obviously no one goes to Portland wanting to eat something other than fresh lobster and other…read moreseafood. But I had a craving for Ramen and the menu at Pai Men Miyake looked FANTASTIC. I had to try it. Our server, Helena, was friendly and personable. She was also very attentive, and gave wonderful suggestions on food and drinks. Would come here again. Customer service was a solid 5/5. Food: Double Tuna Roll: 5/5. Simple. Delicious. A great starter. Lobster Buns: 4.5/5. We couldn't skip something with lobster on it, we are in Portland after all! They were delicious, but not the best buns I've had. Would order them again. Duck Ramen: 5/5. If there is duck on the menu, I will be ordering it. Have I ever seen duck ramen on a menu? No. Did I order it? Yes. Did it live up to my unrealistic expectations? Absolutely! The duck was cooked perfectly, the ramen was flavorful, and smelled absolutely heavenly. A solid dish and a must try!

    Had such a lovely time at Pai Men Miyake in Portland over the weekend. Stopped in because I was…read morecraving ramen and the reviews said great things. We got brussel sprouts and pork gyoza to share: the brussel sprouts were phenomenal and we ate them so fast (lol), the pork gyoza could have used a bit more flavoring for me personally but the meat inside was super tender! I ordered the chicken shio ramen and it was pretty good, but I maybe would've like some more spice in there, so maybe I should've ordered something different! My partner got the beef short rib buns which he loved. The service was pretty fast and we were able to be seated quickly which was great as we were starved! Would definitely go back if I were in the area and craving ramen again!

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    Pai Men Miyake
    Pai Men Miyake - Tantanmen and pork buns

    Tantanmen and pork buns

    Pai Men Miyake - Front door

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    Front door

    Anju Noodle Bar

    Anju Noodle Bar

    4.2(401 reviews)
    47.0 mi
    $$

    Finding ourselves down in Portsmouth then Kittery this was the perfect spot to stop into for lunch…read more No wait for a spot and we decided to enjoy two of the window seats. They had a good mix of seating, with the mentioned window seats, bar seats, and tables. The staff were all friendly and service was extremely fast. Very impressive how quickly they brought our food out. Speaking of food, so many of the food options sounded good and we would definitely return to try more. My wife ended up getting the Duck Yuzu Shoyu Ramen and said it was the best ramen she has had. I had the Duck Yakisoba and was blown away as well. Especially comparing to some other similar spots they did not skimp on the duck at all. Along with that it was packed with flavor and both dishes were reasonably priced! If you are looking for a ramen/noodle spot this is a must-try!

    Pleasant pan-Asian restaurant in Kittery village - and a nice change from other typical venues like…read morediners and lobster pounds. They offer a variety of ramens and phos as well as some curry dishes and salads. My wife had their curried shrimp and green salad which were very good. The salad was excellent and the shrimp plump and spicy. I had their barbecue pork bun and was tempted by their ramens but went for the daily special of a duck pho. The pork bun was okay, having a different flavor profile than what I was expecting from usual Chinese pork buns. The pho, unfortunately, was a little disappointing: while the duck itself was good, lean and tasty, the broth was almost tasteless. Addition of their house hot sauce didn't improve it (maybe needed the real sriracha!). And - I got a stomach ache right after the meal (maybe from the raw bean sprouts?). Anyway, wished I'd gone with the ramen ... So some dishes were very good, some need work imo. We'll try it again - I haven't been put off by the experience tbh. Staff is very pleasant and friendly. The restaurant is clean and while a little on the small side, seating was comfortable and pleasant decor.

    Photos
    Anju Noodle Bar
    Anju Noodle Bar - Pork Boa Bun

    Pork Boa Bun

    Anju Noodle Bar

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    Izakaya Minato - izakaya - Updated September 2026

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