Minato's has been around in Wilmington for decades. They offer a Japanese style fried rice with veggies and your choice of protein. They've always offered their traditional menu. (If it ain't broke don't fix it!) They also have a special pineapple tea that is delicious. Get the large because you will want more if you don't. I have noticed that the prices have changes over the years but so has everything else. If it's what you want, the price isn't gonna make a difference. I'm glad the business is still there whenever I have a craving for their special menu!! read more

This place has fallen off so bad. This is what you get for $28, and they only give you half pieces of shrimp. I've been coming to this place since the past owner (the current owners mother) was running the restaurant and she would have never. Also, the crab rolls are so dry and they have the nerve to charge for duck sauce. For this price, I could've went to Bankok house. They're cheaper, rice tastes better, and they don't cut the shrimp in half. Minatos is like a neighborhood staple so I guess people will continue to spend the money even though it lacks quality. read more

I ordered a small rice with chicken. The taste of the rice is always good but your paying 9.00 for a container not even full. Definitely stingy with portions. read more

Minato Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Wilmington, Delaware

Best Japanese in Delaware. I've always get the best service quick and efficient. It's a cozy small shop run by a husband and wife I've been eating here for over 20 years! read more

The medium $10 platters that me and my mother just had were WEAK! Undercooked vegetables. Small portions with half the box full. And only ONE duck sauce between us. Plus the shrimp rolls that we asked for were flat as pancakes with ZERO shrimp or vegetables. Never the hell again. You want a bang for your buck? Go to Tokyo Express out Newark, DE. read more

Best rice in the city. But portions arent worth the prices. I've been going all of my life and today i spent $16.75 for a small shrimp and chicken fried rice a crab roll and a small tea. And i was still hungry. The small comes in small cheeseburger shell container for $12 which is deplorable in my opinion. But the food is amazing you just have to spend $30-$50 dollars if you dont want to be hungry. read more

This place is permanently CLOSED! Disappointed we drove an hour just to find out. Unsure if Yelp could remove it so that no one make the mistake like we did. read more

Amazing fried rice! I always get the chicken fired rice with no mushrooms add egg. The rice comes with fresh vegetables, zucchini, carrots, and onions, as well as mushrooms if that's your thing. What sets them apart even more so then the fresh veggies is the sauce. The teriyaki sauce is made in house and it's phenomenal! I always have to get a cup of sauce to go Bc it's that unbelievably good. In addition to the phenomenal sauce and fried rice, they have a pretty good iced tea. They use pineapple juice in the iced tea as well and it's perfect. My only complaint and the reason for the 4 stars instead of 5 is the price is a little high and the egg rolls. I've only had the crab and shrimp roll but that's enough to know to never get it again. The roll had what tasted (and looked) like the burnt food that's scraped off the grill. You couldn't distinguish any shrimp or crab or the usual cabbage that most egg rolls are made with. I might've thought it was a bad day but my boyfriend actually warned me about the same egg roll before and I didn't listen, so I'm gonna assume that's a normal thing. Other than that they're a great hidden gem! read more

Minato Japanese Restaurant - Chicken fried rice with teriyaki sauce - Japanese Near Me - Wilmington, Delaware

Best fried rice in the city. It's your local Japanese spot that caters to the urban community. Yes, prices are a little steep, but it's a small business and the food IS good. Those who gave bad reviews should probably stick to the Market Street Mall. Oh, and get their iced tea. It's sugary tropical goodness. read more

Looking for something new in the downtown area I stopped into this little walk-in only shop. Come to find out they only offer different types of fried rice. That's not bad in its self, however, don't expect a full menu. The place seemed clean enough, the cooktop hood looked like it was brand new. The waiting area is a little small and you need to stand as you wait to be served. The person that took my order was very friendly and helpful. I tried the shrimp fried rice and a shrimp egg roll. The preparation time was not long and was freshly made. During my waiting I noticed that they butcher their own beef. I saw someone with a giant chuck of beef removing the silver skin. Kudos for that. Received my food and received the bill........in my opinion, was over priced! 2.50 for a shrimp roll.... It only had one small piece of shrimp in it. It was flat and pressed. That was fine, but the filling was iffy and the the reason for the high price tag, the shrimp, was almost non existent. Very upsetting. Then I looked at the main corse, shrimp fried rice. I got a medium, I am a big guy, it came in roughly a 6x6 container, about half full. Immediately notice a burnt smell, but looking at the food I did not see any real evidence of burnt rice. I did notice that some of the rice was black in some spots, like you see in some the pictures. But nothing to promote that much smell. The only thing I can relate it to is when you burn a pot of rice and you scrap off the top layer to eat, I have done that many times myself. When you do that the rice absorbs the flavor and smell of the burnt rice below. The problem is, I saw her cooking the rice, in a pan, with no burnt rice in it. I went with a friend and found out that he also had the burnt smell and taste. He said he has found that to be due to a burnt pan that has not been cleaned properly. For the price the overall food amount was low, but that's ok as I need to eat less. My additional issue is I paid more for the rice with shrimp, however the shrimp was lacking. Each pice of shrimp was flayed in half, so they were small, and there was only 5 pieces of shrimp. That equates to 2.5 shrimp. Summary Environment was good Staff was nice Price is high Volume of food is low Volume of protein or special foods is low Burnt smell and taste I will not be going back. read more

Decided to check this place out based on the Yelp reviews just to find out that this would be a very expensive mistake. Ordered the small beef fried rice (90 percent rice and 10 percent beef) and a crab roll (looked like a burnt hot pocket). The rice tasted burnt as if it had been cooked in the very same pan as the last few orders without being cleaned each time. The crab roll was flat like they cooked it in a panini maker. I'm pretty sure rolls aren't supposed to be flat, but I am not a Japanese food connoisseur so what do I know. Long story short, NEVER AGAIN! read more

Been going here for years and even when I come back to visit family I still go there. However the portions have changed and the prices have gone UP! The fried rice is DELICIOUS and so are the Beef rolls...which are not rolls anymore they are Beef FLATS. When Mamma June was alive back in the day it was EVERYTHING, but still worth the trip. Meter parking right on the street and the service is still fast. OH forgot to add MUST have the Pineapple TEA .SOooooo good read more

Best shrimp fried rice, full of veggies, and the flavor was really fresh. Decor is minimal but cute on the inside, how can you not love pictures of "Adorable Puppies" over the fridge. Just a few seats but lots of parking around. Will definitely go back! read more

After eating Minatos Japanese fried rice, you will never opt for Chinese fried rice again! There's just no comparison. I've been coming to this establishment since the early 90s. I would visit more but the service declined and portions have been reduced compared to what they were. You can spend a pretty penny on just the fried rice alone, so I don't understand being so stingy with the servings. It seems like now the owner know the food is different and the people love it so we're going to come back. But they're not looking to make customers happy with anything else (portion size, service) read more

Love this place! Large portions of authentic Japanese food right in downtown Wilmington. It's a take out spot, so be prepared to eat elsewhere! Try to teriyaki chicken and shrimp, you won't be disappointed! read more

Don't waste your time or money going to this place. It has fallen off completely!!!!! I ordered shrimp fried rice (medium) and it only had 4 shrimp that were cut in half. Just TERRIBLE!!!!!! I also ordered a crab roll and it was as flat as a pop tart! This place is beyond pathetic and they are uber cheap but charge a small fortune for mainly rice because that is all you get. I will NEVER ever go to this God awful place again. The food use to be amazing when the original owner was there. They sure have ruined a legacy by being CHEAP!!!!! Don't waste your time trust me keep on walking past this place. As a matter of fact don't walk RUN past this place. Trust me you'll thank me later. I was being nice by giving them 1 star because they are only worthy of time out! They need to sit in the corner until they get their recipes together. read more

I work in Wilmington and love asian food. This place has excellent Japanese food made from scratch, right in front of you. Don't be confused by the mix of Korean and Japanese decor, there is a reason for that. The couple that owns this place are a Korean lady and her Japanese husband. She cooks the food and he prepares the ingredients. The wife is very friendly, and her husband doesn't really talk much but always looks happy. It is a quaint little restaurant, but that is how some are in Japan. The front of the place is very simple too, if you don't know where it is, you just might miss it. I found out by word-of-mouth, kind of like a not so hidden secret of Wilmington. My favorite is their crab and shrimp fried rice, she throws in lots of real lump crab meat and shrimp. read more

If you can find Minato you are in for a treat. This restaurant is basically a modified house, like someone cooking in their kitchen just for you... seating for 3, but more suited for takeout. The decor may look sketchy but when you get past that you will realize this food is second to none. I love the beef fried rice, my wife loves the shrimp friend rice and the crab and beef rolls are to die for. Their pineapple iced tea is very tasty and I am not usually a fan of fruit tasting drinks. The quality and freshness of the food guarantees it is always delicious. And for people who enjoy spice... there will be a bottle of unmarked red sauce on the counter. The closest comparison I can come up with is gochujang (Korean chili sauce), but it is even better. This homemade sauce is out of this world... spicy... but out of this world. Excellent restaurant, Excellent food. Highly recommend. read more