I was meeting a friend for dinner in Mount Vernon and we were both craving sushi. Minato is only a quick walk from her apartment so we decided to check it out. Like most of my meals that include sushi, we started with an order of Edamame. The edamame was good, but there was nothing particularly noteworthy about it. The real star of the meal was the sushi, which is fitting because we went to Minato for the sushi. My friend and I split four rolls which were different combinations of tuna, salmon, avocado, and mango. We loved all of them. The four we ordered were Tuna Lover, Spicy Tuna and Avocado, Volcano Roll, and the Roman Roll. My favorite of the four was the Roman Roll. Inside was spicy tuna and avocado and the outside was mango, salmon, and white tuna. The sushi at Minato was fresh, the rolls were inventive -- what's not to love? read more

Minato Sushi Bar - Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Placed an order for my company & there was a small ball of hair found in the shumai . When we called the supervisor took forever to come to the phone . I could hear them having a conversation about the incident in the background and arguing . They offered to refund the bento box, so we're waiting for the confirmation. We will never order from here again . They have lost loyal a customer . UPDATE: They just called my coworker thinking it was me after I posted this review. Ridiculously unprofessional. Now we have to block their number. Smh . read more

Darren and I came here weary, hungry, and in need of sushi. Damn good sushi to be exact. I've never been here before (that I recall) and neither had he. Thankfully were on a quest to try new places. The ambiance is pretty cool. It's hip and young. The staff is friendly but not over bearing, which is perfect. The space is also big! We only tried the sushi for tonight. Five rolls. California, Spicy Tuna, Tuna, Yellow Diamond and Salmon Skin. They were all fairly large rolls, but they were very fresh and very good. We paid $27 for all of it, which is a damn steal for good sushi. You should absolutely eat here. read more

Minato Sushi Bar - Japanese Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

During happy hour the $15 Laura Roll becomes $7. WHAT IS THIS WITCHCRAFT?!?! The servers are very nice and the ceiling looks like the friendly alien from Zenon the Zequel. read more

Pretty good place if you go for their Happy Hour specials. 1/2 off sushi!!! Their sushi is not the most creative or masterfully crafted but it hits the spot when you're hungry. Service is decent, not great. read more

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Minato's sushi is slightly above average in terms of quality and taste. but the amazing happy hour deal and proximity to my apartment is what's gonna keep me coming back. HH is from 5-7 and includes cheap drinks, appetizers, regular rolls and half priced special rolls. The last time I came I ordered a seaweed salad to start. For $3.50 it was huge! The salad was served on top of sliced cucumber which was different. As for the rolls my friend and I ordered a couple to share. Our favorite was the Austin Roll. Unfortunately the Spider Roll, which has soft-shell crab inside, hardly had any crab inside and was just mostly avocado. The service here was friendly and efficient! At least two other servers besides our waiter helped us and were quick to refill our waters and remove any empty dishes. Overall, its a good spot for sushi, but I'd say it's only worth it during HH. read more

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Charles street is fat with sushi. There are THREE, count them, THREE sushi restaurants within ten blocks. If you count places that serve sushi, there's four. So, into that environment enters Minato, trying to bring something new, fresh and interesting. Or just more of the same. Minato is absolutely nothing special. It takes the quality of Aloha sushi, adds a pinch more pretension and bumps the price up a few bucks. I'll admit, some of the rolls are interesting in the way they add mango and mango sauce to switch up the tastes. But in the end, there's nothing that sets it apart. Oh, except for the pho. It's in a class of its own of horribleness. It's why I give this place two stars instead of three, because a restaurant that serves a bowl of boiled nasty does not deserve customers. The beef tasted like it came out of a can, the broth was thin and generic and it was served with some wilted stalks of cilantro and tamarind sauce mixed with sriracha because god forbid they put a bottle of sriracha on your table. Oh, and it's $10. Because if you're gonna peddle garbage, might as well gouge for it. read more

I think the most appropriate phase I can use to describe Minato is that it's a very average Joe, jack-of-all-Japanese-trades restaurant. Definitely do not let that deter you from dining here; just understand that you're not going to get anything that's extraordinary. Now aside from all that average-ness, Minato offers other qualities that would make you consider becoming a regular here. There are daily specials that are generous on your wallet (i.e. Sunday bento box specials and Tuesday $1 sushi specials). Better yet, the happy hours from 5-7 PM are also quite enticing. My favorite thing about this place is it's huge menu. You can find all sorts of Japanese foods here. Aside from the sushi/sashima, think tonkatsu, gyoza, teriyaki, udon, soba, ramen (curb your expectations for this item though), bento boxes, unagi don, etc. Bottom line: Minato is a decent place to stake your Japanese cuisine cravings at. read more

COME HERE DURING HAPPY HOUR. The deals during HH are fantastic and well worth it. Otherwise the place is alright, but a bit pricey. The food is pretty good and I love complimenting my sushi with some hot sake (again only worth it during HH). The staff are really friendly and funny if you get to know them. I went here with a friend who is a friend of the proprietor so the servers felt comfortable enough to joke around with us. All in all, a pretty good place to eat, but did I mention that you should take advantage of their happy hour? read more

Minato Sushi Bar - ALL the sushi - Japanese Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

We came here for our oldest daughter's birthday with her friends. We came in around happy hour, amazing deal! Food is good the price is worth it during happy hour, but decently priced for their regular menu. The service is quite a bit nonexistent.. didn't know who was serving us. Only saw the Sushi Chef and one gentleman who was in the front.. I guess either management or the owner. Which we can understand that it's a bit short staffed because of the on going pandemic. Food came out accordingly, being checked on barely though. All in all, it was nice. The gentleman was kind enough to make the effort to help us make the day special for our daughter.. bringing out the cake we brought in and sang along with us. read more

I came here for happy hour for a friend's birthday. I was pretty surprised with the happy hour prices; they were lower than I expected for sushi in Baltimore. I highly recommend their cocktail menu. They have a great mango one. Sushi was great quality for the price. I would consider this place a bit of a hidden gem in Baltimore. read more

Minato Sushi Bar - Japanese Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Great down-to-earth sushi!! highly recommend happy hour though (much cheaper) I've been to lots of sushi places in baltimore and some are terrible, some are good and some are just okay. Others go really fancy with their sushi like deepfried, etc but if you want some standard legit sushi, this place is great! my friends and i came for happy hour (3 of us) and ended up devouring 6 rolls and we were quite full afterwards. most of the specialty rolls were on the happy hour menu and they were really good. you should just order depending on what kind of sushi you like. i personally thought the standard spicy tuna was great, but the salmon was great too. however, the eel could have been a little better. service was average and the place is pretty big, no wait. read more

Probably my favorite happy hour in the city. I've been here a couple of times and I always come for happy hour. I also love how the my have a happy hour on Saturday's. They have a great selection of sushi and cocktails. If you love lychee like me, I highly recommend the lychee saketini and lychee cocktail. I've only had a couple of special maki rolls: Doug, spider, and Rolex. They were all amazing, but the spider roll was the best. read more

Minato Sushi Bar - From left to right: salmon avocado (bf ate 3 pieces before photo), spider, Doug, and Rolex - Japanese Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Great happy hour deals for drinks and food!! My friend and I got 5 rolls of sushi total, each $4-5 and 6 pieces each. Also got seaweed salad which was refreshing and a great side! Happy hour is until 7pm, and our waiter included us in the deals even though we arrived at around 6:50ish. The ambiance is nice, not extremely aesthetic but overall an inclusive vibe! read more

Minato Sushi Bar - Happy hour sushi rolls! Each about $4-5 - Japanese Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

My favorite sushi bar in Baltimore. I love the crazy rock and roll , dim sum, seaweed salad and the sashimi. I recommend this place to anyone that wants good sushi in the city. read more

Minato is like mediocre sex: I'm not going to complain too much, but it isn't exactly the best I've had in the Baltimore area. Minato is a sushi place like you'd expect - it has a lot of sushi, some cooked rice dishes, and some noodle dishes. All are just okay. The donburi bowl I had was good, but felt somewhat basic. While the chicken was reasonably well cooked and thin, the breading could have been better. The sushi didn't seem all that much more impressive. The beer selection is mostly Japanese, which means it's mostly terrible. The service was excellent and the place was nicely designed. Can't complain about the interior. All the same, I don't see this place becoming my new sushi joint any time soon. read more

The food is excellent, but the service here leaves a lot of be desired, hence the three stars. I met some friends here on a Thursday evening. The restaurant was moderately busy, probably a 1/3 of the way full. I arrived a little before 6, and went to the bar to have a cocktail and a small bite before my friends arrived. I was given menus at the door by the hostess, and took a seat at the bar. I waited probably 10 minutes before anyone came over and took my drink & food order, and the only reason someone came over is because a gentleman (I assume the manager) pointed at me from the other end of the bar and sent someone over. Once we moved to a table in the dining room, the service didn't improve. The woman that took our drink order disappeared for an inordinate amount of time, and when we flagged someone else down, she informed us that they work as a team, so anyone could help us (trouble was, no one was). She took our drink order. A few minutes later, the gentleman (from before) came around to all of the tables in the dining room to take a "last call" order for the happy hour specials. I thought this was a great idea, and it was appreciated since the service was less than stellar. I have to say, the food we ordered was delicious, and the sushi was fresh and well made. I would come back, but I wouldn't recommend it if you are on any kind of time crunch, since the service is sub-par. read more

Pretty decent specialty rolls for a decent price during happy hour, hence the 5 stars. An easy go-to place and haven't had a bad experience and plating is nice. Different rolls are fun to try and it's always a fun time, especially with a group. Drinks are alright, but not delicious. One tip is I did not recommend Valentine's Day there, as it is pricey and the food is nothing that will blow your mind away. read more

Went here twice during my stay in Baltimore. The server we had was great, the food was great but the sushi in my opinion were tiny! I'm from Southern California... I guess I'm used to sushi being a little larger. Enjoyed this restaurant! read more

Minato Sushi Bar - Yum! - Japanese Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Ambience is a modern, colorful, energetic. Service was attentive. Nearly every day there are daily specials. Thursday's there are hot sake specials. Wanted to try hot sake so I had a small drink. It was pretty smooth and was decent. I've never had sake so I don't have anything to compare it to, but not very flavorful or overpowering at all. The table ordered sushi, specifically the Laura roll, and ramen. Both looked good, although I didn't try myself. For dessert I had the red bean mochi ice cream. This was delicious! The red bean ice cream was great, and tasted great with the mochi exterior. read more

Minato Sushi Bar - Red bean mochi ice cream - Japanese Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

This place is perfect. Upon walking in you see a small area upon walking through you see a bigger back area. The udon bowl is very big but worth the cost. The prices aren't bad compared to other places. They have a small bar area that you see as soon as you enter. It has this comfortable feeling in the back area when you arrive. The front is a normal restaurant brightness. The servers are all nice. I've been looking for a few good ramen and sushi places and when a friend talked about this one, I'd had never been and I will be going back soon. This is a place to go for friend meet ups, or just to walk in and relax. It's a place that's a great find. read more

I tried the Korean Chirashi dinner and I thought the sauce that came with it really overpowered the fish taste. So it tasted like I was eating raw shrimp with the sauce. I much prefer the regular sashimi/chirashi. read more

Minato Sushi Bar - Korean Chirashi Dinner - Japanese Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

I'm strictly reviewing this place for the sushi happy hour that starts at 5pm and runs until 7pm. This menu includes cocktails, appetizers, and sushi; it's quite extensive. If you're looking for solid sushi at cheap prices...this is your place. I enjoy getting the seaweed salad to start, but the dumplings were pretty good also. The drinks are also done pretty well, I had the margarita and it was tasty - just a tad sweet though. I've tried so many rolls, too many to list, but I haven't been disappointed yet. I enjoy the spicy salmon, spicy tuna, shrimp tempura rolls, and any rolls with a mixture of fish. To me, the sushi is average to above average. The service is friendly and extremely attentive. I will definitely come back for happy hour and I recommend you give HH a try so you can get an idea of what Minato has to offer. read more

Minato Sushi Bar - Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

My all time favorite sushi spot in Bmore. Friendly staff, fresh fish and the best won ton soup in town. Love Minato!

I love Minato! I come often for the amazing happy hour deals-very cheap sushi and very cheap cocktails. My fave roll is the fried sweet potato. Can be very busy, but I've never had a problem with getting seated. The staff are very friendly, and I've never had a problem with service. Sushi is very tasty and incredibly reasonably priced. read more

This has been my go to Sushi spot since their old location off of Charles Street in 2005-2006. They were my first experience with this cuisine (thanks to an old friend). Service has always been good and the food has been delicious from sushi to non-sushi items. Love the Mt. Vernon location for lunch or dinner service. read more

Minato Sushi Bar - Boston Roll with Avocado and Shrimp Tempura - Japanese Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

I've been meaning to check this place out before CoVid but just never got the opportunity. Today I decided to splurge and order out from Minato. Overall I was pleasantly surprised. The food was delivered very quickly and was still warm. I ordered the vegetable tempura, shrimp dumplings, steamed gyoza, and super bowl roll, and the salmon avocado rolls. My favorite thing was the super bowl roll which is a shrimp tempura roll with eel and avocado on top; absolutely delicious. My cons were the dumplings. I am obsessed with dumplings and if they are on a menu I absolutely have to try them which is why I ordered the fried shrimp dumplings and the steamed gyoza. Both were just alright. Their sauces were heavenly but the dumplings themselves could use some improvement. The shrimp dumpling just tasted like a fried mash potato sadly. Otherwise I think this place has some of the best sushi deals that I've seen in the city. If you're craving sushi and you live in the Mt Vernon area and are looking for a deal this is your place. read more

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Minato is a diamond in the rough when it comes to happy hour. For several short, glorious hours each day, you can order all of their special rolls for 7.50 each. That's right -- SEVEN. FIDDY. EACH. The quality of the fish here will not dazzle you but it is pretty good, and considering the relative lack of good sushi in Baltimore and the price point, it is well worth a visit. If you're feeling dangerous you can also try one of their many ~$5 happy hour mixed drinks, which are generally tasty, no-frills, boozy combinations of vodka, sake, and/or some kind of asian-inspired juice (e.g. lychee). Service is always good! (Not that it really matters. Seven. Fiddy. Each.) read more

Good service, good happy hour menu, but it really exemplifies how grocery store sushi became elevated. These guys had very little understanding of sushi. They aren't that busy, but check out how the preslice the fish, and just unsanitary heap it in plastic bins that just get thrown back in the fridge. Sushi is an art. The freshness and quality of the fish...how you slice it. How you wash the rice, season it, cool it Here your just getting stuff. Seaweed Salad - the frozen pre-made kind you get everywhere was a generous size at &3.95 The spicy tuna roll - poorly rolled, but s decent spice level was also $3.95 I think the guys behind the counter would really benefit from a trip to even Azumi just to see how the fish should be kept. The staff seemed into the restaurant, but just little idea of how they could be better. Wishing them best. read more

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Amazingly delicious such a great find! My friend and I went out in search of daytime Pho. We had struck out at 2 spots and walked past this. We decided to check it out she had the beef pho and I feasted on the poke bowl. Seriously the most delicious lunch ever! read more

Minato Sushi Bar - My gf & I were in search of daytime Pho, struck out a 2 spots when we happened upon this! She had Beef Pho & I feasted on this Poke Bowl OMG - Japanese Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Tried out this place tonight and took a spot at the bar and enjoyed some Sapporooooos. Super tasty miso soup and I ordered 2 rolls - the spicy tuna and the Olivia. If you don't like spicy foods be careful because the sauce has a good bite on that one. The vibe is pretty solid, tv at the bar. Will definitely be back read more

Minato Sushi Bar - Olivia roll and spicy tuna - Japanese Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

My wife and I went to see something at the Meyerhof and decided to stop by and grab some sushi after. We love sushi and find any excuse to go and try a new place. We were very disappointed by Minato. I'll start wit some positives: The location is beautiful, an old brownstone type home that is converted to a sushi restaurant. The atmosphere was very nice, and they were quick to seat us. Once someone helped us, the sushi came out very quickly as well. Now the negatives: The sushi had no flavor and didn't taste fresh. The service took forever to get to us, and the. Once we got our sushi our server did not come back to us, we had to flag him down to get our check. read more

Food was only ok. Shumai was delicious. The chicken Teriyaki sauce was sour, too much vinegar. The sushi was good quality but the rice was very salty. I don't use soy sauce, so all the salt was from however they cooked their sushi rice. read more

Went for dinner recently. Second time. As with a lot of sushi places, the menu can be a little busy or overwhelming. The beer selection is also a little limited. Those are my only gripes. Sushi is good. I like the Rainbow Roll. And try the crab dumplings. Good service both times I've been. read more

I'm not sure what changed, but this place has really gone downhill. The sushi is served lukewarm and tastes bland. The fish doesn't taste fresh. I waited a few times to update my review but the last 3 visits over the past few months were all bad. read more

My boyfriend and I love this place. It's our go-to for sushi. I've been a handful of times and never ordered the same thing, and I've never been disappointed with anything I've received. Get sushi for two one night. They serve if on this crazy-huge wooden boat that makes you feel a little ridiculous, but everything on it is beyond worth it. read more

Minato, I miss you. Since I went away, things just haven't been the same. I dream about your fresh, delicious rolls, the good old days when my friend and I used to come 3x a week, and the waiters who looked at me and my friend and said, "You again?" Your happy hour used to be the highlight of so many of my days. After you promptly delivered the 4 or so rolls my friend and I ordered on a gigantic platter, we always stuffed our faces in silence, except for the initial, simultaneous groan of pleasure. Every roll on your happy hour list was always delicious. While you didn't always have the greatest variety, you more than made up for it with quality and freshness. Some other places might boast fancier or more complicated rolls, but you were definitely my main staple. No, your side dishes are not particularly amazing, but there was just something incredible about your green tea mochi ice cream. And your interior was always so nice to look at, especially while we were sitting in our chairs for at least half an hour in a food coma stupor. You were always amazing. Please don't ever change. read more

The sushi wasn't good and it upset my stomach and my fiancé's. Won't be returning. We did sushi for delivery so maybe that has something to do with it? read more

I think I've found a new favorite sushi place in Baltimore. We came specifically for happy hour (weekdays 5-7pm) and what a deal it is: special rolls for $7 and regular rolls for $3 plus deals on drinks. With special rolls normally priced up to $15, and me being a deal-loving asian, I just had to go for the specials--go big or go home baby! That said, I was a fan of the raven, crazy rock-n-roll, and laura rolls as each was deliciously packed with fresh fish. In addition to the sushi, our waiter recommended the shrimp dumplings for an appetizer and mango martini for the girlfriend's drink. Sadly, the former cost the waiter a higher tip. Outside of happy hour, I'd be hesitant to come back given how much pricier our meal would have been. That is unless...you're buying. :) read more

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The roommate and I wanted some sushi for lunch..based on some yelp recs we walked on over to Minato! Both the roommate and I ordered the Bento box for lunch! Things I liked: 1. It was pretty quiet for lunch, but the staff was still really nice and attentive. 2. The Bento box for lunch is a great deal..8.95 for three items! 3. The red snapper fry was tasty, although it looked like fish sticks! I guess I like fish sticks?? 4. The portion sizes were good but not overwhelming. Things I didn't like: 1. Food took a little long. 2. The spicy tuna was a little light on the tuna..heavy on the rice. Not the end of the world, but mildly irritating. Overall, definitely worth it for lunch! read more