Such a hidden gem in cliffside Park! And do you know how I came across this place? I asked tiktok for a Japanese restaurant recommendation for dinner in New Jersey and this place popped up! It's a cute little restaurant with plenty of street parking. Service was on point--never missed a beat, but not overbearing! And don't hesitate to ask for their recommendations because they're all foodies, we could tell! Started off with the bluefin crudo and oh my God the tuna was ridiculously tender just melted in my mouth.... I had to fight the urge to lick the sauce off the plate! The branzino is a must-- especially if one of your parents just takes it from you and finishes it for you. Every dish was delicious, including the desserts! I didn't know I was missing lucuma from my life! Will definitely get the chicken chaufa next time only because the pork belly was a little too fatty for us. It's BYOB but the we decided to do mocktails instead; they were fruity, crisp and refreshing! Just try all of them lol read more

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Decent food. Good service. BYOB, which is a nice bonus. In the heart of Cliffside. read more

My favorite restaurant to go to! The ceviche is so fresh and melts in your mouth! It's nice to see the same staff when I visit, they are helpful and explain every dish. Great stop of date night but definitely have to RSVP if you plan on coming during the evening. FYI this location is street parking. read more

Minka Nikkei - Ceviche Clasico - Japanese Near Me - Cliffside Park, New Jersey

Food: 4/5 Service: 5/5 Ambiance: 4/5 The service here was phenomenal, but the food experience was mixed. Market Oysters - 3.75/5: Good overall, but a bit fishy if you don't add enough lime Calamari - 2.75/5: Looked amazing, but the batter tasted old and made the whole dish feel off. The potatoes on the side weren't great either Ceviche Minka Nikkei - 4.5/5: loved this!! super flavorful and easily one of the highlights Hokkaido Scallop Crudo - 4.25/5: Fresh and tasty, but a little too heavy on the onions for my preference Paella - 4.25/5: My partner loved it, good seafood to rice ratio and well cooked. For me, it had too much cilantro, and the portion was on the smaller side Skirt Steak - 4.75/5: My favorite dish of the night. Perfectly cooked steak, delicious flavor, great mashed potatoes, and the Shanghai veggie were nicely charred read more

It's a BYOB spot, which we always love, and the staff was kind enough to provide an ice bucket for our wine and sake--such a nice touch that made the evening feel a little more special. The vibe was really cozy and relaxed--perfect for catching up. Food was solid overall, but the paella was definitely the highlight for us. As for the food, everything we tried was solid, but the standout for us was definitely the paella. It was flavorful, well-balanced, and cooked just right. Overall, great atmosphere, thoughtful service, and delicious food. Would definitely recommend for a fun BYOB night out with friends! read more

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What's not to love about this place!? Great service, amazing food and it's BYOB! The menu blends Japanese and Peruvian cuisine in perfectly balanced and creative dishes using high quality ingredients. The dishes I loved were the Bluefin Tuna Tiradito, Ceviche Chalanero, Ceviche Minka Nikkei and the Lucuma ice cram was a pleasant surprise, very refreshing. Fortunately this hidden gem is near my house so you would see me here often! read more

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Great place to dine at for special occasions if you're in the area. There aren't a lot of nice places like this nearby so I'd say right off the bat if you're on the hunt for a really lovely local dining sport with good ambiance and unique food, this place fits the bill 100% I tried a variety of dishes in cladding their sushi, tuna, calamari and fried fish appetizer options along with their steak as well. They also gave us some nice oysters on the house. All of the food was exceptionally delicious and flavorful. It's not often that a restaurant hits the mark with every single dish with me but this place made it happen. They do a great job of finding a good balance between the fusion of Asian and Latin flavors in a very seamless way so if you're a fan of either or both types of cuisines, you'll love this place. My only minor gripe was that the sushi was a bit too heavy on the rice aspect but beyond that I had zero issues. The service here is excellent and they do a great job of really adding to the already wonderful experience. You can't go wrong if you want to try something exotic in the area by choosing this restaurant. read more

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So good!!! Family owned and BYOB which I love. They can make you yummy mocktails and you can add your own. The service is excellent they really know their stuff here!! I love the fusion of Peru and Japan! I've never had food like that!! So good and fresh! I love the ambiance as well read more

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Delicious meal at the newly opened Minka Nikkei!!! The space is really well decorated. Everything we had was delicious and love that the place is BYOB. The portions are on the smaller side so make sure to order enough for your table. Friendly service, great food, and would love to be back. Parking is available on the street and also in the communal parking lot. read more

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I almost want to gate keep Minka Nikkei for myself, but their level of service and quality of food really deserves a great review! Intrigued by the Peruvian Japanese fusion, we chose to give Minka Nikkei a try. I wouldn't say that it's a true hybrid as the food leans more Peruvian for some dishes and more Japanese for others, everything we ate was delicious. Truly no complaint or need for improvement or tweaking in all the dishes we tried (GRILLED CLAMS AHUMAR, NIGIRI NIKKEI PLATE, CHICKEN YAKITORI, OCTOPUS YAKI, PORK BELLY CHAUFA, ARROZ CON MARISCOS). I would recommend all of the dishes we tried. And while it may look like a lot, the plates are generally tapas style and smaller. In addition to your chosen dishes you are also served complimentary Peruvian corn which is roasted and tossed in salt. So good! In addition to the food, we couldn't have asked for better service. Everything the staff did was right and they ate clearly well trained and dedicated to proving the diner with a good experience. For example, the bottle of wine we brought (it's byob) had a dried out cork and the staff (our main server was Paz) not only showed us what was going on, but offered to get us a new bottle from the liquor store in the area. We told her it was ok and said we would be fine if she just decanted the bottle and filtered out the cork pieces (which she did so well you wouldn't have known why jt was decanted), but she still got us a second bottle compliments of the staff. We had such a pleasant experience at Minka Nikkei we all left dinner unanimously agreeing that we need to go back. read more

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Wow it's been a while since I had an outstanding dining experience! We ordered the ceviche minka nikkei, octopus yaki, pork belly chaufa, and jalea nikkei. The prices are more expensive but for the quality and uniqueness of the ingredients I think it's pretty fair. Everything was so flavorful and so good omg I would definitely return for a special occasion. Only complaint would be for the pork belly I felt like the protein portion was skimped on but everything else was spot on. Our waitress was super attentive and explained all the dishes. read more

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The food here was incredible. I literally already cant wait to go back. Everything was so fresh and flavorful!! There was a little mishap in the kitchen, so the food did take a little while to come but the server had apologized several times. It didn't take away from our experience, the foo was truly worth the wait. The place is cute and small, parking is a little difficult cause it's only street parking and gets busy. 10/10 recommend though!!! My only request is that the crispy rice is made crispier!!! read more

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went with girlfriend. cute and colorful interior- it was decorated for the holidays. service was good and attentive. food i must say looked pretty and tasted pretty good too. the octopus was grilled really well it was so tender. would def try again read more

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Wonderful fusion food with great service. Quiet, intimate setting which I Highly recommend.

This spot is such a gem! A unique Peruvian-Japanese fusion restaurant that really stands out. I tried the oysters, chafa Peruvian, and ceviches, and pork chaufa. All dishes were incredible but my favorite was ceviche, truly some of the best ceviche I've ever had. The staff is attentive, it's BYOB, and the quiet neighborhood makes it a perfect place to meet up with friends. Definitely an amazing addition to the area! read more

Minka Nikkei - Oysters - Japanese Near Me - Cliffside Park, New Jersey

A 5-star experience from start to finish. Minka Nikkei truly impressed me. The space is elegant and cozy -- perfect for a special night out. The flavors were a total explosion -- a beautifully executed Peruvian-Japanese fusion with stunning presentation. The service was top-notch; the staff was friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable about the menu. If you're in NJ and looking for something unique and delicious, Minka Nikkei is a must-visit! read more

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great restaurant. their anticucho was amazing perfectly cooked smokey meat with yummy fried potatos underneath with i think it was aji sauce. i also got their pork belly chaufa the pork belly was perfeccccto so tender and flavorful! read more

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Sweet neighborhood restaurant with excellent service. The staff were extremely endearing and pleasant. It is a byob. We took beer, however, they have a very interesting mocktail list, to which you can easily add liquor to turn it into a cocktail. Both the Nikkei and the tiradito were excellent and very fresh. The yucca fries were a tad too salty. The chicken skewer was just ok. The beef skewer was mouthwatering. Prices are a tad high. read more

A jewel in Cliffside Park, NJ. If Minka Nikkei were a few miles to the east across the Hudson River it would probably be on its way to a Michelin Bib Gourmand rating and nabbing a reservation would be a chore. Tucked away in a humble storefront on a quiet side street off of Anderson Ave. it gives little hint to the culinary trasures lurking within, but it's well worth the journey as food this unique and innovative is hard to find even in Manhattan. Minka Nikkei is fusion cuisine in the best sense, a marriage of Peruvian and Japanese cuisines and ingredients in perfect harmony. The atmosphere inside is warm and comfortable if a bit understated. There are a few colorful fabric decorations on the walls to keep things for being too austere. I enjoyed the old school deep house music in the background that took me back to my clubbing days. The menu is divided into three sections: Crudo (7 items), Small Plates (10 items), and Signature/Large Plates (5 items). For my party of three, we chose two crudos, four small plates and a signature dish, which was a generous amount of food. It's BYOB which makes it a great value - I recommend a lighter Japanese or Mexican beer, crisp white wine, sake or shochu as an ideal accompaniment. While it was difficult to pass up a ceviche, we were tempted by the market oysters and Hokkaido scallop crudo because the descrriptions and uncommon ingredients sounded irresistible. Both dishes lived up to expectations, with the briny oysters complemented by umami of the ponzu and the acidic bite of finger lime and the scallops' sweetness enhnced by a creamy sauce. These choices leaned more towards the Japanese end of the spectrum. The small plates arrived next - Causa de Minka, Papas Bravas, Tebasaki Wings, Steak Anticucho. With the exception of the Tebaskai wings, which skewed very close to authentic Nagoya style, these dishes leaned more towards traditional Peruvian cuisine. The Causa de Minka was on the bland side compared to the flavor explosion of the crudos, but it had a nice richness from the mashed potato, olive aioli, and avocado. Small bits of octopus provided a firm texture contrast although the flavor was a bit lost. The Papas Bravas were outstanding - crispy chunks of fried potato splashed with rocoto aioli and salsa verde that had fresh lively herbal flavors and a kiss of heat. The Tebasaki wings are sweet and sticky, as they should be, with sweet miso umami and crisp crunchy texture. The Steak Anticucho is outstanding - two generous skewers of hearty tender medium rare beef cubes topped with chimichurri sitting on top of more crispy potato chunks. The beef is more flavor-packed than many steaks I've had in the city! We finished with the pork belly chaufa, which was perfect for sharing. This is a rich dish of garlic/egg fried rice topped with generous slices of hoisin-glazed pork belly chashu. It's sweet, rich and filling, and it left the three of us too full for dessert. The total bill for this highly satisfying meal was less than $150. In the city you'd easily pay $100-$200 more for food with these ingredients and imagination. Thanks to places like Minka Nikkei, there are fewer reasons to drive across the GWB. If you live in Manhattan, it's worth the trip across the Hudson and you'll still save a few bucks! read more

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Delicious food! Great service! Cozy dim ambiance! Came back twice in one weekend and we live in queens lol! A must try

Amazing and delicious food, live music on a Saturday night after 630pm and its BYOB, very friendly and attentive service read more

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This restaurant just opened and it's a must try. The staff is welcoming and friendly. The food is so flavorful and delicious. They also have live music. read more

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The food is delicious, creative and innovative without being strange. The ambiance is cozy and elegant. Paz is the best waitress I have ever been served by. I can't wait to go back. read more