Izakaya Minato

They've only been open a couple weeks and this was our third time, so that should give some indication as to how much I like the place. We had originally planned to go to their pop up dinner over a year ago at Bao Bao, but had to give our spot to friends because of a family emergency. Our friends said it was amazing, so we were very jealous but excited when we heard they were finally opening up their own place up on Washington Ave. It basically consists of two rooms, one with a communal table and bar seating with views into the kitchen, and the other consisting of small dining tables. It's good to get there early because at least for now, this place is hot. And for good reason. The food is very, very good. If you are a small plate lover like me, this is the place to go. We've tried just about everything on the menu by now, but a few standouts are the Ume Q, the okonomiyaki, and the sashimi. So much flavor in each bite and yet also delicate and light. The JFC, Japanese Fried Chicken, is one of my wife's favorites, hearty but also delicate. The beer, booze, sake selections are wide and varied, and they even have some high end Japanese scotch if you are so inclined, which I was this last time and enjoyed it thoroughly with the small spicy bites. Just another few quick notes. The bartender who has served as our waiter each time (I'm a bar seat person given a choice) who I believe is named Isaac (apologies if I am wrong) has been very helpful with both food and drink and very kind and great. And the cost. It is probably the best value for high end food you will find on the peninsula. It's a great model, great food, moderately priced, and fantastic service. Go early (at least if you don't want to wait) and often.

This was a fantastic experience. One of the best I've had in the US. We decided to try the omakase ($40 per person) menu and got a chef selection of surprise dishes. And boy was it a journey. From oysters with yuzu through fresh seafood and fish to Japanese fried chicken and the best salad with butter sauce I've ever tried. Service and atmosphere were great as well. Highly recommended.

This meal was truly exceptional. The raw items were by far the star. It was Main Diver Scallop season and the freshness and high quality of the seafood shone through. Similarly the selection of sashimi was excellent and deciding what order to eat the three in was real. The garlic edamame starter was also wonderful, whatever that garlic is marinated in left me picking up little flecks of garlic to savor every last bit. In comparison to the raw item the cooked dishes were just a tiny bit less exciting, but still good. Warning the portion of the Japanese Fried Chicken was sizeable and is super easy to split, make sure you've got room. I also found the rice + egg yolk to be the perfect side dish for it, you'll want something a bit lighter to balance the chicken and mayo sauce. Last but not least, the wait in summer can be up to two hours, but going in January we waiting less than 15 minutes to be seated. This is definitely on the list of must go back to restaurants in Portland.

Lovely atmosphere, friendly staff, and amazing food. Get the omakase, I haven't had a single thing here not worth driving 200 miles for in a day (wish I was joking). Personal favorite of mine was the miso custard oyster