I'm still somewhat of a newbie to sushi, as evidenced by tonight's experience. I had read good reviews about this restaurant, so I thought I'd give it a try. Located in the old Market Hotel, built in 1867, this restaurant has character. There are two levels of dining--and we ended up on the 2nd floor. To begin, I ordered a Mango Coconut Chu-Hi (made with Japanese vodka and fruit puree). Highly recommend it. It even came with a fresh orchid. So pretty! For an appetizer, we had edamame. Yum! Then we ordered the Lava roll (really good!), and a couple samplers of the sushi. But instead of getting the Nigiri (with rice), we accidentally ordered the Sashimi (without rice). So basically, we ended up with raw pieces of meat--adventurous! But I don't think I'll try that again. Nigiri...that is the word to remember.
(3)
Erica L.
Pretty tasty sushi at reasonable prices. There was one roll that didn't taste super-fresh though. The service also happened to not be so great on the night we went.
(3)
Ken R.
For my wife's birthday, I called on Thursday to reserve a space for 16 people on Sunday night at 7:30; called Sunday at noon to let them know we were down to 14. Received a call on Saturday from a manager requesting we "pre-order" food or there could be massive delay's in getting dinner. Not sure what "pre-order" meant, but A) I said I couldn't possibly know what the guests would want to eat; B) I thought, you go to a sushi restaurant to get your food freshly made, and if a restaurant can't handle 14-16 orders on a Sunday night, then you need to address that issue internally. I understand if you're busy, things slow down a bit, but if you have the tables, you should be able to handle them. Dunno, maybe I'm stupid that way. With the exception of 2 people, everyone show up early, a few on time, the last 2 were about between 5-10 minutes late. Shortly after 8 we were asked if we wanted appetizers, though we were asked if we wanted drinks several times. Everyone ordered their meals. At some point between 9:30 & 9:45 the food arrived. As the plates were being put in front of us, the waitress asked us if we might want more food, as the kitchen was going to close. Obviously, who would know that? In the interim 2 guests cancelled their orders and left around 9. Some of the food was nice, some...not so nice. By that time, most everyone would have eaten anything; and maybe it's me, but what is the deal with $11-12 dollar glasses of house Chardonnay everywhere lately? At least fill the glass more than half way if you're going to gouge. Really disappointed.
(2)
Ann P.
We loved Origami...fabulous. We arrived 10 PM Friday and were seated at a deuce near the sushi bar...fabulous miso soup that cured what ailed me (sick as a dog) then a special roll with jalapeño and avocado and yellowfin and cilantro..wow...the spicy tuna maki was lovely as was the veggie gyoza and the shrimp shimai (huge pieces of shrimp). Our server was great. We even had green tea ice cream. The meal plus a huge pot of lemon water soothed me and was a warm welcome to our first night in the twin cities. It's totally cold here..the cold is a very different cold as if the glaciers were above blasting icy air..going to explore and eat of course..loved Origami..
(5)
Seppuk U.
GF and I were celebrating something recently and we decided to come here. Its been awhile since I sat at the sushi bar while eating here. This time when I plunked myself down in a chair a South American(I think) fellow was the fish ninja. This makes me suspicious. I can't help it. I've spent a good part of my adult life living in Japan and it makes me incredibly suspicious when non-Japanese are trying to pull off Japanese food. Maybe my paranoia in Mn stems from the fact so many Japanese restaurants have popped up in the last few years that just don't pull it off well. I started out by ordering all my fish in Japanese, to get a feel for the guy. Sushi 101 says if the chef doesn't know the Japanese names of the fish, he probably isn't very good. This guy didn't ask me to repeat, he didn't say "huh", and he got it right. Dude had skills. After the first round of orders, my suspicions were completely allayed. We got there for happy hour. I like happy hour. Cheaper stuff! Helped myself to beers, edamame, some cool sushi platter for my gal all for reduced price. yeah! With the chef proving himself to be skilled, I can still confidently say this is the best sushi joint in town. They have the best selection, high quality fish, and skilled people to put it all together. Now I remember why I fondly thought of this place while at a crap AYCE joint looking at a piece of fish about 1 mm thick with scales on it. We enjoyed ourselves so much here this night I happily went over my budget. Now, I dunno if Mazda will buy the "but the sushi was so good" excuse when I miss my next car payment, but I'll deal with that when it comes lol. We left Origami with very full stomachs and so satisfied street lights weren't needed in Minneapolis that night, we were glowing that happily.
(5)
Scott S.
Do you see an ocean anywhere close by? Thank goodness for air travel, Japan, and delicious cuts of mouth-watering raw unadulterated sea creatures. For the twin-cities this is apparently the best place around. Good thing too. My "must have sushi" button gets pressed one or two times a week. Very tasty. Solid cuts of Hamachi, Kanpachi, Saba, Kohada, Hotate. All fresh and well balanced. Spicy tuna and Scallop hand rolls were good as well. The chefs are willing to make things to order. Spicy please! The rolls and nigiri were over-riced and need more "spicy" in the spicy tuna. Those are my only complaints. Everything else was balanced and flavorful. The green mussels, miso soup, takoyaki (close to osaka-style), and spider roll were also a hit. See you next time Origami.
(4)
Cailin R.
This is an incredible date location. The sushi is delicious and very reasonably priced (for sushi). It's a great atmosphere, with a classy, hip crowd. This is the best sushi I have had off of one of the coasts. The atmosphere is a quiet busy. It's just the perfect level for a flowing conversation. The restaurant is set up to be intimate and cozy. It does a great job!
(5)
Lea K.
I absolutely love this place for being as close to authentic Japanese food as you can get in MN.
(5)
Paola M.
So when my BF abandoned me for a month of vacation in the old continent I decided to treat myself with a dinner here and decided I would have ordered all I wanted without looking at the price. I called a friend that likes sushi and is not worried about spending money and off we went. We shared the takoyaki and then I had the Aji Sashimi (spanish mekrel) and she had the Hamachi Kama (Yellow tail cheek). The Takoyaki were OK, the Aji was really good, and the bites I had from the Hamachi were Then we ordered some sushi including the Uni (tasted really creamy and fresh) the Ikura (always one of my favorites) and a couple of picks from the waitress. The waitress picks were really good and I kind of decided that from now on I'll entrust her with my choice. She knew which fish was freshest and gave suggestions based on what you usually like. Really appreciated! Given the quality of the food and the fact that we both ate quite a bit I expected to pay a lot for my indulgent dinner, but we ended up with a reasonable bill of about $30 including tip. Looking forward to go back!
(4)
Amanda W.
I love Origami, but it's a bit pricey for my student budget at dinner time. An awesome way to get around that? Their sushi lunch! Since it's within walking distance of my office, my co-workers and I go here occasionally to treat ourselves. For under $15, you get five pieces of sushi ,a choice of either a spicy tuna or salmon roll, miso soup, and a salad. That's almost $10 less than their dinnertime price. Score! The sushi is so fresh and delicious-the best I've had in Minneapolis. When you order the sushi lunch, the five pieces that come are chef's choice, so you never know what you're going to get-just be assured that it's going to be good. I also love their miso soup-as others have said, the miso isn't cut into cubes, but strips, which is a little different. Delicious, though! The only slight negative is that sometimes they take a while to get your order out, which might be a problem if you only have a quick lunch break...in that case, I'd order the meal to-go, which is an option.
(4)
Char L.
Service was SLOOOOOOOOW. It's a Monday night and the place wasn't even that busy, so I don't know why the food came out so painfully slow. Seaweed salad - tiny, crisp, with some cucumbers on the bottom. Very standard. Black cod - yuck. Meat was tough, didn't flake. Not much flavor. I don't think this was very fresh. California roll - crab meat didn't taste succulent. Actually, it was quite dry and bland. Avocado made up for the dryness. Sushi - no fishy smell. not impressed, but not bad.
(3)
Michael L.
Wow! I never expected I would found the best sushi I have had in my life in a place furthest from the ocean as I have ever been, but here it is. Not really much to say beyond that. Not cheap, but reasonable for the quality, you will get what you pay for with the higher-priced rolls it seems. It's in an old brownstone kinda with small rooms so it's cozy and not much to look at maybe where you are sitting, but really can't complain with sushi like this. Yes, it's fusion not traditional, and as usual, most rolls have tempura something or other which I think masks the flavor of the ingredients but the ones we got did not and were very well-done fusion rolls highlighting the flavor of the fish. I have only been once but can't wait to go back and based on the hype I assume the place keeps a pretty good standard of quality. Place looks empty from the outside but it was not at all, parking on the street with meters not a problem.
(5)
Moderate T.
We made reservations for my daughter's 19th birthday - 7 people. Even though we arrived exactly on time, and could see our table - right in front of the window - they kept us waiting in the foyer for a table for half an hour. I can only assume that having a few (sophisticated and well-dressed) teenagers in our party caused them to re-think our table location. Can't let the neighbors see teen-agers eating in our establishment - can we? I could see the hostess's horrified facial expression as we walked in the front door, as she kept looking back and forth from the window-side table to our party, and back again. After I asked for the third time when our table would be ready, they finally gave us an order of edamame to share - hard to eat when you're standing in a cramped foyer. The service was lackluster and less-than-welcoming, and several of the nigiri tasted stale. What a disappointment. Our family eats out frequently, knows "how to behave" in more upscale restaurants, and tips 20+% if the service is adequate. We'll NEVER return to this snobby, only so-so sushi place. Ichiban sushi bar, Saji-Ya and Fuji-Ya - here we come!
(2)
Lauren D.
Easy parking and easy to find location. I ordered the udon and some sushi. I was surprised to hear people speaking Spanish behind the sushi bar. The sushi was good, but nothing phenonminal. Pricing was good and they had some nice deals going as well. I had a green tea, and noticed that it was a roasted rice green tea. It was okay, but I was expecting regular green tea, so I was a bit disappointed. Overall, not bad. I'd eat here again, but I'm not running back or making any reservations.
(3)
Evva K.
Sashimi is extremely delicious and the maki rolls are well prepared. Definitely try the volcano roll! One of my favorites in Minneapolis but a little pricey. Parking can be a pain since it's in the warehouse district.
(4)
Annie D.
I like this sushi so much that I am tempted to write in ALL CAPS. I'll spare you, but hopefully you still feel the enthused tone. As long as I can remember, Origami has been consistently the primo sushi in town. The fish is fresh, the chefs inventive, the service friendly and the atmosphere classy enough for a celebration, but casual enough for jeans. Also, happy hour and lunch specials. So, the first rule of sushi is to always eat at the sushi bar. The chef started us out with a complimentary little taste, a kind of brined tuna. It was aight, but not anything amazing. Luckily, everything else was incredible. Perfect seaweed salad and great spicy rolls. We ordered the Lava Roll (with tempura shrimp, yellowfin tuna, "lava sauce" and green onions), the special P-TNT Roll (yellowtail, spicy salmon inside, cilantro, spicy mayo, jalapeno and avocado... this was my favorite of the bunch) and the traditional Dynamite Roll... which was, dare I say, dyn-o-mite. Washed down with Oroyo white wine from Spain (intended to be paired with sushi.... I'm not in love with it but it is good), and we had ourselves a splurge-worthy fish feast. P.S. There are a bunch of autographed pictures from celebs who ate here. We sat next to Mariah Carey 1999, the year of "Heartbreaker" ( youtube.com/watch?v=UvdS… ).
(5)
Christophe V.
This place isn't bad, but nothing special about the food. Typical sushi rolls with Lots of sauces. Prices are higher then they should be. Service was good.
(3)
Mollee F.
Someone's got to review the non-sushi offerings at this sushi haven right? Might as well be me. I'm not a sushi fan, but my husband and friends are and since I like them so much, I willingly accompanied them to Origami for dinner. First off, they loved the sushi so it's true what most of the other reviewers are saying about it being among the best in the Twin Cities. I, being the non-sushi eater, ordered the Yuki Naki a wonderfully flavorful plate of sizzling rib-eye marinated in hibachi sauce and served with bean sprouts, broccoli and rice. Loved it. Even my husband couldn't keep his chopsticks out of the meat. It was so tender and delicious. I'd have no hesitation in going back for that alone. The chocolate lava cake was a popular dessert choice at our table and for good reason - it was like hot brownie batter - melt in your mouth amazing. I had the vanilla tempura ice cream (because you always order fried ice cream when it's on a menu). It was different and good. This place has a great ambiance with a number of rooms that keep the noise level low enough to actually hear the conversation at your table. Enjoyed looking at all the celebrity autographs lining the walls from the famous that have also loved Origami. Service was top notch. Servers were attentive without being intrusive which is perfect in my book. Overall, it was a great experience that I'll be happy to repeat.
(4)
Sassy A.
Pick them, Pick them! This is top two in the USA, I have had sushi in NY, San Francisco, Long Beach, LA, Portland, BOston, and many other cities. The reasoning I apply to my rating are: Freshness, authenticity, waitstaff (professionalism and personality) and taste (including how the food is cooked). Origami has all 4, and I believe unlike some sushi places, offers it all day, not just around the peak hours. The drink list was pretty good, not mind blowing, but I don't necessarily expect that from a restaurant that serves great food. Price was right also, give them a try, you won't be disappointed.
(4)
andy c.
this is my go to sushi place here in the twin cities. One thing i've noticed about origami is their staff. they are mostly japanese and love to share about their cuisine. my favorite is their mackerel appetizer, where they serve you the fish fileted and chopped with minced scallion. When you are done with sashimi, they take the fishbone back and then deep fry it up so you can eat the rest of it. They also serve seasonal soup. We ordered the eel soup with matsutaki(?) mushrooms and it was very clean brothy soup that was served in a cast iron tea kettle. I also enjoyed their various rolls. Their happy hour specials make a wonderful early dinner if you happen to be going downtown for an evening.
(5)
Crysta P.
After weighing all of the options in the area and reading a pile of reviews, we decided to check out Origami for a quiet dinner for three while in town for the weekend. We were very happy we had. Our server was sweet and attentive, the food was fresh and delicious, and the variety was interesting. We enjoyed a wide variety of hand rolls and spent $30 per person including sharing a bottle of wine. Good sushi, good prices, pretty on par with what we have seen in other cities. We would visit again.
(4)
Abby W.
If I could give 4.5 stars I would. My only complaints are pretty minor, but here's the rundown. I've been in town on business eating supermarket meals in the hotel kitchenette every night and getting awfully sick of rotisserie chicken. This place was walkable from the hotel and had high recommendations so I decided to carry on my normal tradition of Thursday night sushi even though I'm away from home. I ordered miso soup, chicken gyoza, a yellowtail scallion roll and a salmon roll as takeout. That is, once I finally got the right number for the place I was able to place my order- the number on their website and Yelp gives you a recorded message about the restaurant and says press 0 for a host, but when you do the call disconnects. I had to call their other location and ask for an alternate number: 612-333-4599 will route you straight to the host for those who have the same problem. The hostess said it should be about 15 minutes and when I made my way over the order was ready. They package hot and cold seperately, always a good sign. The food was pretty darn good but not perfect. The miso soup broth was delicious but there were about 3 pieces of seaweed, which is my favourite part, and it had strange strips of some kind of tofu rather than the silken cubes I'm used to seeing. Not a fan of that but it's probably more authentic. The bowl was really tiny, although I bet if you eat in it's much bigger with more seaweed, I think I saw some bowls being prepared at the sushi counter when I picked up. Also, $3 for miso soup means it better be the best damn miso soup out there, and it wasn't. The gyoza were tasty enough but a little cold when I got them home. The dipping sauce was pretty meh, not a ton of flavour and not spicy as indicated by the menu. The sushi rolls were great, though. The fish was nice big pieces, sliced cleanly, and very fresh. The rice and seaweed were just right, overall really good sushi rolls. I get the impression that they don't do a ton of takeout but they packaged everything up really well and included a little origami paper square with the chopsticks, a nice touch. The sushi box even had a little flower garnish in it. The total was $25, and I don't know what the deal is with the added 10% for takeout. never seen that before in my life but the company was paying so I didn't really care. All in all this would be my go-to place in Minneapolis for sushi and I'll come back again the next time I'm in town.
(4)
Sarah W.
Best sushi in Minneapolis/Saint Paul. Bests Saji-Ya and Tiger Sushi handily. Comfortable, classy, clean atmosphere in a beautiful brick building. This is a place to to linger, to enjoy good drinks, to experience chef's suggestions; service is professional but not time-attentive.
(4)
Darshy N.
I'm a sushi enthusiast, so I've been trolling every sushi restaurant in MSP. I'll probably go out on a limb here and say, that the quality of fish, the freshness, the standard, the uniqueness of the rolls are on the same level and on par with Morimoto in New York, except not in the pretentious meat packing district, not in a beautifully designed building and not in New York. But, it's good, down to earth, Minneapolis - The wait staff is attentive and friendly, the restaurant has a "small-town" fell but the food is out of this world good, really really good. I don't really get the ambiance of the place, but hopefully if you're going to a sushi restaurant you're more interested in the food, than the "look" and the "feel" They have happy hour every weekday Mon- Fri from 4-6:30, so go get smashed on those chuhai, these delicious tropical Japanese cocktails Check 'em out
(5)
Allison B.
Sushi is one thing, but genuine Japanese cuisine is another. My best friend and I have create a challenge for ourselves. We are on a mission to find the greatest sushi in Minneapolis. Mt. Fuji and Wasabai top our current list. While mentioning this challenge to my mother, she told me a client of hers had rave reviews about this place. So, for my best friends birthday, I booked reservations. (Later we found out, because it was a Monday night, reservations were not needed. They would be, however, on a Friday or Saturday night.) I was unsure what to expect, but very excited. We met there and were greeted with an amazingly warm ambiance. I was blown away by the scenery. The place is on a very cozy corner and is quite small, with just over a dozen tables. The sushi bar is in back and then there are two small rows of tables. A couple booths, the rest table and chairs. It was lit by a few dim lights and candle lights! Just beautiful. The staff were all very welcoming and soft spoken. After we ordered drinks and seaweed salad, we wanted descriptions of nearly everything on the menu. Our server was very sweet and not only described what we wanted to hear, but gave us a bit of history of the cuisine as well. We ordered two sushi rolls and then a dish to share. The only little snag for me was the price. But, we had an app, two sushi rolls, two drinks each, and a dish to share. So, it was a lot of food. And, the service and atmosphere made it worth while. YUM. Not of caution. When you ask someone if they want Origami... specify that it is NOT a paper crane you are talking about.
(5)
Joyce L.
4.5 stars For those of you who like sushi/sashimi, this is the place. I knew this place was for real when they brought out the warm towels right off the bat. I felt like we were back in SF dining at a quality Japanese restaurant. They had a pretty good selection and good service. It is pricey but it's worth the cost.
(4)
Zehr S.
very mixed feelings about this place my 2 cents: 1) order sushi here, not ramen (the ramen is super salty and bad); comparatively speaking, sushi is a better choice 2) the fish I ordered from the menu happened to be NOT AVAILABLE i can expect that to happen, BUT the salad dressing is super SALTY too, this is a super salty place to promote selling drinks, I would guess :-) friendly people but OK food, but since it is Minneapolis, i guess you pass :-)
(3)
Karen F.
OK, I have to downgrade origami for the xcruciating long, slow, laborious service. We waited (I am not exagerating) over a HOUR for our meal. We were so hungry (and had drank all our drinks) we ate soy sauce. The food when it did come was very fresh and tasty. I had an omikase platter (pricey!) and my friends ordered various specialty rolls that looked great. As a jaded out-of-town guest I was looking for a top-quality dining experience whil in Minneapolis. I would not recommend Origami. It simply took for-eh-ver to get our frikkin' food. Oh - and it was not cheap.
(2)
Ben D.
Definitely a place that I would go back to, however I think I like the sushi at Sakura in St. Paul better. The ambiance here is fantastic, service is pretty good too! But the place is wayyyyyy too cramped for my taste. I can understand that they are busy, but when it is impossible to get up from your table because they are pushes so close together, that's usually a sign that there is an issue. In all honesty, the best time to go is during happy hour where they have some really good deals on drinks (which are generally overpriced anyways, but thus is downtown for you) and some appetizers. If you can find one, bring a coupon, you will be happy when the waiter comes with your bill if you love sushi as much as I do! :-)
(4)
Danielle H.
So i went to Origami for lunch to celebrate my husband's birthday. We love sushi and the reviews for this place were phenomenal so I went for it. I wish my experience was as phenomenal as the reviews. All in all the food was good but the price left something to be desired and the service was sub par. Food: Miso soup was great with nice size chunks of seaweed and the sushi lunch was a perfect portion, very tasty! Price: Maybe I'm spoiled with all of the great restaurants on Nicollet Mall that offer the $10 lunch special for us downtown folk, I kind of wanted something like that but couldn't really find a good option. Service: I made a grave error apparently, I wasn't ready to order when the server came over the first time. This caused me to wait another 20 minutes before we had a chance to order, so 30 minutes into my restaurant experience we ordered food. After that things were good, not great, didn't get a drink refill, but not horrible.
(3)
Dan S.
Good sushi, nice location, and a reasonable price. Sit at the bar to get better service and some freebies.
(4)
Sakif F.
Happy hour is definitely worth it. Nice, cozy place to relax.
(4)
Z K.
Best sushi in MN!
(5)
Katherine M.
I live in the neighborhood, so after many times of walking by Origami and thinking "I really should try that place sometime," my husband and I finally made it there last week. We ordered an assortment of rolls, nigiri, gyoza, and ramen. The ramen was super salty and not my favorite, so I would definitely skip that next time, but everything else was amazing. The fish was very fresh and all of our rolls were quite tasty. The only one I didn't care much for was the sari roll - I would say it was pretty bland and just littered with waaaay too many tempura flakes. The other rolls we had and the nigiri were excellent! Our server was great too and very helpful when we were making our decisions. We will definitely be back!
(4)
Tori M.
You know, I've always sort of overlooked Origami and the first couple of times I'd gone, I was fairly judgmental. But on Wednesday, I definitely changed my tune. I thoroughly enjoyed their happy hour; the chuhai was tasty and somewhat authentic. The tempura was so-so, but the sushi/sashimi platter was actually pretty awesome for being dirt cheap. Their takoyaki was also effing awesome and had lots of tako in it, with the perfect inside consistency to be comparable to the best I had in Osaka (takoyaki capital of the world) I also think they have the best inari in town. Inari is like my favoritest food ever and they put little bits of oshinko (pickles) in them. It's a refreshing change to just plain sushi rice - a little tart, a little crunchy. Why didn't I think of this before? The waitstaff is also, shockingly, Japanese. Most gringo sushi joints are just that... gringo-ful. But they really know their shit. I will be back, and not just for happi awaa.
(4)
Ingrid C.
Charming restaurant near the water in Minneapolis. I was amused that we walked by the Fed on the way here (we walked from Loring Park!) I chatted with our waiter, Tomo (who is charming, by the way), and he informed me he's from Sendai... oops. Sorry man. Origami touts itself as having the best sushi in Minneapolis. I'm inclined to agree. I started with the Aji Sashimi - "Jack mackerel is delicate, mild and buttery tasting fish. Served whole, sashimi style with fresh grated ginger and scallions." They fail to mention that it is garnished with the whole skeletal remains of the fish (so you can see that the flesh was, indeed, from a fish). They fry it for you afterwards and you can eat it all... like fish chips! As I knew that I would be drinking afterwards, I had the una-ju (unagi, freshwater eel) over rice. Fatty and starchy. I hadn't had una-ju in a long time, and it hit the spot. It was a good portion, but I just wished there was more. Dessert was black sesame ice cream. I love black sesame anything. My tiny complaint? Our wait cards were actually directions for fun origami animals - except they ran out of origami paper! Bummer.
(4)
Alayna C.
The bento's are tasty (especially the Unagi *tummy grumbles*), the tempura here is my favorite, but the sushi is phenominal. Expensive, but always amazingly fresh and very well presented. I love coming here, but sadly it's a little too expensive for me to be a regular.
(5)
Angie P.
Yum!!! This place has some of the best sushi I've eaten in Minneapolis. If it were any fresher, I'd swear I was in Seattle! Some of it is a little pricey, but it is TOTALLY worth it. Oh man, I've been back twice and I fully intend to keep going back. I don't know what else to say about this place to convince you to try this place other than this: You know your favorite sushi place? Well Origami is very comparable to the place you like (unless it is a hole in the wall). The interior is fresh and suavely decorated and the waiters/waitresses are very nice and do a great job recommending sushi!
(4)
Bautista R.
Went there during happy hour, got a seat right away. The sushi is not the best i have tasted but certainly good.
(4)
Nick M.
I live in New England and want only fresh seafood. Here at Origami you have access not only to fresh, but quality seafood. I regularly dined here at the sushi bar while on business. I let the sushi chef prepare sashimi of his choosing: a good mix of salmon, assorted tuna and a few other selections of what was fresh that day. The Aji is Japanese mackerel and served sashimi, nice and buttery flavor. The hotate gai, mirugai, Tako, hon maguro and uni are exceptionally well prepared; the Japanese chef has excellent knife skills (the others are just average). The spicy tuna is wonderful, a favorite at all my sushi trips. For beer, I enjoyed the Hitachino Birds nest ale-- the white is the best by far. For cold sake, I liked the yaegaki nigori, then the yuki no bosha. Origami can do specialty rolls, but when sushi is this good quality I always go with sashimi. The Japanese chef knows how to cut the fish to bring out the best flavor and textures. Always is on the list when I'm in Minneapolis. World-class fish.
(5)
Krista F.
Delicious. Love all of the (very fresh) sushi choices, the expertise and friendliness of our wait staff, the environment and location.
(4)
Kelly S.
My boyfriend and I had a hankering for sushi the other night, so we popped into Origami on a recommendation from a co-worker. To say the least, we were impressed. We made it in time for the last few minutes of happy hour and got the benefit of some stellar drink prices (good, $3 beer) and their really reasonably priced HH sushi-sashimi combo ($8 for 3 pieces of sashimi and a 5-piece roll of sushi). Both the roll and the sashimi were delicious! It almost melted in my mouth. We also ordered sushi off the regularly priced menu (my boyfriend has a pretty serious appetite, especially when it comes to sushi) and were pleasantly suprised by the reasonable prices that came with the quality sushi. (Rainbow roll... YUMMM.) The atmosphere was perfect for a dinner date and the service was great. We'll definitely be going back!
(4)
Jada M.
Best sushi in Minneapolis, they have a great menu and knowledgeable service. The dining room is small but if your looking for great sushi, check it out! Also, it is a little bit more expensive than others but worth it!
(5)
Andrea B.
Great service!! The Never Ending Summer Roll and the Philly Ex roll were DELISH! Happy hour was wonderful- drinks and chefs choice for a small roll;) We will be back!
(4)
Marc B.
Great downtown sushi restaurant. I vote it the best in the metro area, not as good as ones you will find in larger cities (NYC, San Fran), but still exceptional. Tasty, very fresh (sit at the bar if you can), and relatively affordable given the quantity, ambiance, and location. If you are ordering Sushi/Sashimi and can afford it, go with the chef's recommendations. It has never led me astray. Highly recommend as a date place or business lunch.
(5)
Val B.
Fun fact: Origami is now serving fugu, otherwise known as puffer or blowfish, and is the only restaurant in Minnesota doing so. Not-As-Fun Fact: Fugu is not that tasty. But it's fun to try. I read about the fugu in Metro magazine and was intrigued. I invited boyfriend and a couple friends to come try it. For the unaware, fugu is a "dangerous" dish. If cut / prepared improperly, venom can taint the meat and cause an anaphylactic reaction. People even die from this! Fortunately, we Americans have the FDA and all imported fugu is incredibly safe. Additionally, any restaurant that servces fugu must have a special fugu chef. And then I read an article in Citypages that fugu is neither tasty nor fun, which I decided not to share with my friends. Still interested in the adventure, we went over to Origami on a Saturday night. The waiter didn't give us the fugu menu right away. We had to ask for it - so it felt even cooler. Though I'm guessing he perhaps just forgot about it. Primed with my details about fugu being gross, I suggested the fried fugu dish, since it was the least gross and most economical at $10.95. A healthy appetizer-sized portion arrived, and it was much more delicious than expected. Deep fried, we probably didn't get the entire experience, but it was fun nonetheless. Another item off the nonexistent bucket list! For sushi, we tried several special rolls - the lava roll, philly ex roll, 9.5 weeks roll, as well as a spicy tuna make and a dynamite make roll. The lava roll was good, but I recommend getting it "extra spicy" as we did. Without that, I'm not sure I'd call it a "lava" roll since it had a little heat but not much. The philly ex roll is DEEP FRIED. If you read my reviews, you'll know I have an affliction for fat - and this roll confirmed that. The cream cheese gets soft and gooey, with a crunchy oily outside. Yum. Everything else was great too, but not as comment-worthy as these. I complemented my meal with a glass of Oroyo, which according to the menu was "made for sushi." I'm not much of a white wine drinker, but I have to agree - it was slightly (but not too) sweet, and not dry. Boyfriend had the Riesling, and made fun of me for ordering the wine "made for sushi" but agreed it was great once he tried it. So there. If you're still reading this lengthy review, overall our food was awesome, adventurous, relaxing, and fun. I absolutely recommend Origami for small groups.
(4)
amy r.
Best sushi everytime I go elsewhere I compare to the perfection of Origami so why go anywhere else!!!! I hear they are adding a resetaurant in uptown anyways YAY!
(5)
Michael N.
Origami is some of the best sushi that I've had in the Twin Cities. They have one roll that incorporates green apples (can't remember the name; any help), which was fabulous. It was so nice/weird to have the crunch of the apple mixed in. Simply stated, there's a reason for all of the Diner's Choice awards that are displayed by the entrance. Their happy hour deal is good by sushi standards (although, Wakame's is better if you are down by Lake & Excelsior). The wait staff was incredibly helpful. As for ambience, it was a little bit lacking, but that is more a function of its space constraints. They do what they can with the space that they have. Note: While some people are casual in terms of attire, I would suggest nothing less than jeans and a button-down. Note 2: If you have a group of more than 4 or 5, this place is not the sushi establishment for you. Some of the other places in town are simply set up better for larger groups that Origami. Once again, this is a function of their space constraints.
(4)
Sarah S.
Ok, I'll confess - I'm not a sushi connoisseur. I always like it well enough when I have it, but I don't get excited about it like some people do. I honestly can't differentiate very well between the different types of sushi rolls. I feel like I shouldn't admit that, but it's the truth. Anyway, we went for dinner here with a larger group and split a bunch of different rolls. They all tasted very fresh, and were all equally acceptable (here's the part where if I liked sushi I'd gush about something specific I loved) and I scarfed down many different types without complaint. As always with sushi, I just liked it, didn't love it...and personally, I feel sushi is too pricey if you only like it, not love it. (Not a comment on the prices at Origami specifically, just in general for sushi places.) In sum: I had my annual fill of sushi. It was ok, and fresher tasting than many other sushi places I've been however it didn't change my feelings about sushi from like to love. I did have some kind of Japanese-vodka-mango-juice cocktail which was quite delish though...
(4)
Dima M.
Went here in search for a sushi place I can default to when the need arises. Being around the corner from me, made this place a prime candidate. The quality was OK, the price was OK, but they just didn't have the variety I look for at a sushi place. The service was just OK. For the price, I'd except better than average quality, variety, and service. I usually rate sushi places not by the fancy rolls they have, but by the basic ones, you know, the spicy tuna roll and the Philadelphia roll. If you fail at these, you don't have a good chance with me. Not to say this place failed, but it was average. Again, for the price, I expect better. What I don't get is why this place is always super full and busy. But after living here for a few months, I can see it's because of the lack of other options. That's unfortunate, because living in downtown, I should have way more options. All in all, if I'm desperate, I may order from here, but if I'm not, this is certainly not my go-to sushi place. I'd rather drive a little to go somewhere, than to walk the two blocks here.
(2)
Dean M.
Excellent Sushi! We had 4 different Special Sushi Rolls and each were very fresh and great tasting. We also tried some Big Eye Tuna and it was melt in your mouth good. I highly recommend this place if you are looking for sushi in Minneapolis. The only detractor was the service was a little slow and inattentive but the food was great!
(4)
Carolyn A.
I think Origami is the best sushi in the Twin Cities. While pricier than other sushi options, I think the cost is well worth it. A fabulous secret about Origami is the happy hour. It's from 5-6:30 EVERY DAY and it's complete with $3.50 glasses of wine, appetizers under $5 (including $4 for shrimp shumai or gyoza), and a special sushi combo where you get 3 pieces of sashimi and either a spicy tuna, spicy salmon or spicy yellowtail (the rolls are pretty big) for $7.00. What a steal it all is!!! Another tip is, after 5PM, there's a lot across the street for parking so you don't have to deal with the crazy meters until 10PM.
(4)
Keith S.
I was pleased. Went last night after checking around for the best HH deals. This place had $4 house glass wines (red + white) and $3 beers. $4 small plates (including edamame, shrimp dumplings). And three sushi deals (although their "normal priced" sushi rolls weren't astronomical). I ordered the sushi deal where it was your choice of 3 spicy rolls + chef's choice of sashimi (3 cuts), which last night was sea bass. That was only $7 Origami is apparently the only place in MN able to sell the Japanese Fugu (blowfish) where it is poisonous if not cut correctly. They made it clear on the menu that none of the fugu they sell has any poison to begin with, but very cool literature to read when first sitting down. Nice little place. Decorated nicely and I thought the chopsticks presentation was a nice touch -- everywhere you go you get the same chopsticks, in the paper sleeve, but here they are out, resting in a folded piece of paper branded with the restaurant logo. We had very attentive and knowledgeable service. We pinged her with a couple of recommends and she did a nice job explaining the differences and providing us with her recommendation. I'd definitely go back.
(4)
Gen L.
Ah, Origami. How I love thee. More reserved then the other sushi spots in Minne. Not trying to be hip but keeps it fresh with their specials. Cannot go wrong with a sake flight and a few rolls! As a Seattleite, my hunt for the best seafood in the Twin Cities has taken me here a few times and the verdict is that this ranks as one of the best!!! Grab a few friends or a significant other and take them here. You will not be disappointed.
(4)
Jess L.
I went to Origami yeaaaars ago with a couple of friends, back when I wasn't into real sushi (read: I used to eat a lot of grocery store California rolls). I have since changed my ways. :) I seriously drive past this place every day on my way home from work. The 5-6:30 Happy Hour sign has been taunting me for months! The boyfriend and I finally went after work today for some HH action. We were seated right away, which was nice. The hostess took good care of us, giving us water and menus right away. Our server came over and took our order fairly quickly, which was nice. I ordered the spicy tuna roll, the boyfriend, the yellowtail (fin?) roll, both of which came with three cuts of 'chef's choice sashimi' for $7. Nice! The rolls came out fast, but they were the wrong rolls. I got a yellow(whatever) and he got salmon. The server wasn't even sure what she had ordered for us, or, in fact, what she had given us. Based on the menu choices, we sussed out that he had salmon, and guessed on the yellow fish. We both really like all of the tasty fishes, so we didn't care that much. We ate, and it was delicious. The salmon was to DIE for, and I'm certainly ordering that next time. Salmon was also one of the 'random' cuts of sashimi. Delish! After the rolls and sashimi, I ordered the chicken gyoza, him, the octopus dumplings. This round of food took a while, but it was really good. I have a LOT of texture issues, so I had never eaten octopus. I tried one of the dumplings and was NOT impressed, but it certainly wasn't the chef's fault that I don't like squishy things. :P I would have to say the only complaint is the fact that the server walked past our table about fifteen times before picking up the bill with money in it, and it took her about five minutes to run the cards. Other than that, it was a nice little treat, and a lot of fun. I can't wait to do it again!
(4)
Simon S.
The "best" sushi in Minneapolis (considered by many locals) is very mediocre. There's gotta be better places than this. Don't get me wrong, I came with a very open mind, knowing already that there was no Japanese characters on the menu, and rolls that screams fusion at you. But boy oh boy, we walk in to the bar seating and I'm pretty much the only Asian person dining in the place, crap. I ordered various nigiri pieces; starting with the toro and hamachi was OK, but things just went way south afterward. Tamago tasted like egg powder, Ikura came out of a Styrofoam bowl labeled "Ikura" and way too salty, and Mackerel/Saba that was so dry and salty, to name a few. The spicy salmon and tuna rolls that my friend ordered tasted like a salad roll, an interesting way to make it, but I was a little disappointed with the misnomer. Overall, in addition with poor service, very mediocre to reiterate, especially when the best tasting thing of the meal is the Calpico and the cream puffs w/pineapple. I do applaud the Peruvian (I think) sushi chef for trying hard though.
(2)
Trou D.
Arrived at Origami with a friend from Denver and we were seated immediately at the sushi bar next to this guy who was on his phone jabbering on about work stuff ....on a Friday night ...reeally! He was lame, however, our sashimi was fresh, well prepared and beautifully displayed for us. Unfortunately we weren't able to take in the atmosphere give the cellphone dude that spoke loud enough to cover anything in ear-shot
(4)
Cameron K.
So my fiancee and I live SF and planned a magical weekend with her sister from rural Wisconsin. The sister wanted sushi; our Facebook friends intimated that Minneapolis was more of a burger and beer kinda place. Origami proved our friends wrong. Although Origami is quite expensive for the quality (even relative to Cali) it is tasty and has a funky aesthetic. If I had a craving for sushi while in Minneapolis I would totally return.
(4)
Bo T.
You got to love a place that has Happy Hour all week long. Origami is a regular stop for me. One of the draw backs of not being close to the sea is that some times your fish isn't the freshes, but I've yet to be disappointed at Origami. Over the years, I've seen many a place with trendy sushi offering crazy rolls, but somehow that just doesn't do it for me. I like fresh fish with just great rice that is cooked properly - and Origami gets it right. I also love their hamachi kama - just a great piece of yellowtail collar cooked to perfection with grated daikon. Have it with a bowl of good sushi rice and you're set. Delicious!
(4)
Elijah C.
I came for the happy hour but wasn't super impressed with the value. It's worth it to get a couple bucks off your drink, but what is still making me give it 5 stars was simply the sushi, specifically the hamachi nigiri, which I ordered separately off the ala cart menu. It was simply a thing of beauty. I would recommend skipping the happy hour food and go straight for the good stuff!
(5)
Ronnie G.
I recently moved from Southern California. Currently, I am in search of creamy Korean Soondubu, delicious pho (Pho 79), authentic dim sum (Mandarin Kitchen), and most importantly, fresh sushi that doesn't cost me an arm. Fresh sushi was readily available in So Cal. From Shibucho ($30 a pop) to Urasawa ($300+ a pop), we had some amazing sushi. Moving to the midwest, I dreaded what mid west sushi would taste like. Luckily, we found Origami. We've went to a few places like Fuji-Ya and Midori's but Origami is our pick so far. Here's why. We approached Origami with hesitation, waiting to be wowed. We arrived and was greeted warmly by the hostess during a slower lunch. We sat at the bar, where we would get the best interaction with our itamae chef. He initiated our conversation and we were talking to an old friend fifteen minutes into our meal. I asked him what was fresh and he said almost everything, since it was winter and fish were fresh and plump. I knew this to be true. We ordered some of the most traditional things we enjoyed back west. -Aji Sashimi: Spanish Mackerel. This was our favorite dish of the meal.Our itamae masterfully prepared a young fish and fileted it beautifully. Later the bones were sent back for frying and came back well fried, not too oily and very crispy. rating: 9/10 - Takoyaki: Definitely not sushi but I crave Takoyaki ever since I had some in Oahu on a corner shop. They came out absolutely perfect. Well fried, still gooey on the inside with tender Octopus. I was definitely excited to find a local spot that served japanese Takoyaki. rating: 8/10 - Oysters: We ordered Four oysters, hoping they would taste as creamy as the ones from Neptune's in Boston. While they didn't match the freshness of the coasts, they were done great, with a slight hint of ponzu, grated radish and ginger. Very taste. rating: 7/10. - Amaebi: Raw sweet shrimp. This was the true test of freshness. A sushi restaurant risks a lot putting this dish on the menu. If the ebi is out too long, it becomes mushi and horrible tasting (Midori's is now blacklisted for this very reason). Origami didn't disappoint. The amaebi was sweet and flesh was slightly crunchy. The heads arrived, well fried and crunchy in a different manner. rating: 8/10 We also ordered our standard nigiri (tuna, albacore, etc.) and all of it was well prepared and tasty fresh. Origami is now our go to spot for Fresh sushi. We'll definitely be returning monthly.
(4)
Halie S.
As a visitor from Southern California where sushi is abundant and fresh I decided to try out sushi in this land-locked state. I saw a few places that this place is the best sushi Minneapolis has to offer. It was ok, but no comparison to any place in SoCal. The sashimi was just ok, the rolls were very loose and not uniform, a little sloppy - but it all tasted fine. I haven't been to other sushi bars in MN so I can't compare locally. I would say this place was fine but not on my top list by any means.
(3)
Matt E.
Amazing sushi from chefs that know what they are doing. Wait staff (we had Antonio) was extremely nice, cool, and helped us pick out good sushi and sashimi. The only downside to the entire night was the Uni because I was not expecting it to be what it was. My bad. I got a coke out of it though and we got an excellent desert too. The atmosphere seemed to be modern classy. The music was really interesting there as well. Not what I'd expect, but very good and strangely fitting.
(5)
Peter C.
Sushi in the midwest? Yeah I was skeptical. This place sets the record straight though. We live in a globalized economy and there is no reason NOT to enjoy a large selection of super-quality fish and other treats. Come early on Fridays and weekends or be prepared to wait a bit as they do not take reservations. A seat at the sushi bar pretty much guarantees excellent service and quick preparations - though to take advantage of the happy hour sit at a table or the bar upstairs. Some Favorites: All the stuff out of the kitchen is yummy (appetizers and hot dishes et al.), but my favorite so far is the Agedashi Tofu; they prepare and serve it in a lovely bowl resting in a thin sauce that is totally amazing. Tekka Maki - Simple, yet a chef favorite and so delicious. Negihama Maki - Hamachi and Scallions rolled together, oh yeah. PTNT Roll - A new addition and a fun twist on the ubiquitous 'spicy' roll that combines hamachi with a smattering of goodies and gets its burn from jalapeños instead of bottled chili sauce. Uni - Like, seriously. They bring it in from CA, where I got my Sushi chops and it is amazing, though not always available. Sashimi Appetizer - Probably the best deal on the menu at 9 generously sliced pieces of fish (3 each of 3, and you pick 'em) for under 20.00. Hankering for it yet?
(4)
Andrew P.
OMG - best (by far) sushi in the Twin Cities - expensive, but I will be back. We went to a political event on New Years Eve, and then went there on a whim to get something to eat - the chef gave us a marvelous meal with Hon Toro and Bachi Toro (oily tuna varieties) - melt in your mouth, like eating butter. Have not had sushi this good outside of Japan. They do have Fugu on occasion, and I would like to get some, even though it will not be still twitching as they serve it in Japan.
(5)
Hina K.
Simply the best sushi in Minneapolis. The texture of the sashimi always is supple and buttery soft. What to order? The question is - how do you narrow down your choices? I always start off with a cosmo here because it's not exorbitantly sweet - it's refreshing and complements what I order here. Some of the fave rolls are the Sari roll & NY NY roll. You can't go wrong with the basics, and if you don't feel adventurous, I would order the caterpillar, spicy tuna, Philly, etc. For sashimi, I usually order the aji - After eating the sashimi, send back the rest of the fish to get it fried in the back. It's quite delish. The usual sashimi/nigiri is always fresh here - my recommendations include: sake, toro, bincho toro, hamachi, and my fave - hotate. When I'm feeling adventurous I order the uni, and if I can handle it mentally, I order wasabi tobiko to really cleanse the palate. Once I ordered the wasabi tobiko for a friend, and he literally cried in front of me. His eyes were tearing up, he was clutching the table, and afterwards he held his head in his hands for two minutes. I thought he was going to die in front of me. Maybe he was being dramatic, but i like a dramatic ending after every meal. ;) If you are someone who does not prefer to eat raw fish, not to worry. The chicken teriyaki here is amaze-balls! No joke. it's unusually fresh and light - no excess greasiness so you don't feel like you are walking out of a cheap Chinese buffet. The teriyaki sauce is what makes the dish a winner. For dessert, I order mochi or tempura fried ice cream with ginger ice cream as my flavor of choice.
(5)
Nathan L.
I don't doubt that this is the best I am going to find in this land locked state but it still doesn't compare to what is out west. I know it isn't fair to compare this to places that can actually go out and catch their own fish that day, but this is my party and I'll cry if I want to. We tried quite a few including the dynamite, crunchy, philly, sari rolls and a couple pieces of bluefin nagiri. It was all fresh and tasted good but it just didn't wow me. My favorite was the sari roll with the dynamite in a close second. And how can you go wrong with a couple pieces of bluefin... I will say there will be a next time and I would like to try the tempura ice cream and a few more rolls. All in all the best I'll find in a few hundred mile radius I'm guessing and I'm alright with it.
(4)
Jennifer W.
I went here on a Saturday night for dinner and was seated right away. It happened to be before 6:30 so we managed to order drinks and an appetizer off the happy hour menu (not available at the sushi bar by the way) I was hoping the inside would be a little more intimate and swank, you know dim the lights, set the mood ha! Overall it was nicely decorated. When I go out to sushi I'm always looking for something different and they had this NY NY roll, which had crab, green apple, and tempura flakes- it delivered, especially with the wasabi it had the hot sweet thing going on- fantastic. We also ordered a lava roll and a caterpillar roll, both were fresh and tasty. Overall it was good- however it still didn't compare to the sushi I've been spoiled with in SoCal and Hawaii!
(4)
Sarah Y.
Went here for dinner one night with some family. It seems that no matter what you're going to have to pay for parking in downtown Minneapolis. Luckily there were some metered spots right next to Origami. I strictly went to have sushi/sashimi that night so we ordered sea urchin roe, caterpillar roll, 9 1/2 weeks roll, lava roll, and the sashimi platter. The sea urchin roe was horrible. It was definitely not fresh because it had a strong fishy flavor even with a quirt of lemon juice. The roe sacks were also overly handled to the point where they were just blobs. The caterpillar was good, it's a classic staple. I did enjoy the creativity of the 9 1/2 weeks and lava roll. They were both delicious but the 9 1/2 weeks was my favorite. The sashimi platter was quite fresh and yummy. I remember there being salmon, ahi, red snapper and some other fish. It was a quaint little restaurant with good service that I would go back to.
(4)
Liz L.
I was here for work from Chicago and I was really not impressed. Everyone from the concierge to the local people I knew were raving about this place, so I went and I was a little disappointed. Nothing seemed really fresh and as a reviewer before me, all the rolls seemed very very sloppy, un-uniformed and not tightly wrapped. It tasted OK but the flavours were all a bit off. I can't even say I had a faviourite as all of the sushi we had was a bit average. The service however was great! Everyone from the Hostess to the Servers were excellent very friendly and welcoming, I just wish the food was better. The prices were fair and the atmosphere was really great I loved the building that it was in...it is 2 story and very rusticy...I have had better in Chicago and out west. I know there are better place in MN I just need to find them.
(3)
No One I.
Came in here on a Friday night when we saw it had a patio so decided to try it. They didn't have any beers on tap, so when we ordered a bottled beer & it was warm it was a disappointment. The patio is very average & our waitress was really awkward. The food was good but not worth the $100 bill that came with it. Probably will not be returning.
(2)
Jill H.
Ehhh.. If this is what the twin cities have to offer for "best sushi" in town then I'm very sorry. I took my boyfriend here for his birthday and while we did enjoy ourselves the portions were small and the food was nothing to rave about. The salad that came with my bf's meal tasted like dirt. Did they even rinse the lettuce? It was disgusting. The miso soup was ok, a little sour and almost lukewarm by the time it got to our table. I had the nabeyaki udon and it wasn't anything special. Small amount of udon noodles and an ok broth. The sushi! We both shared the lava and caterpillars rolls. Each roll was about $16-17 for 8 pieces. Lets just say I wasn't impressed with the sushi. For that price and for being known as the best sushi in minneapolis I was expecting amazing sushi. Please don't come here for the sushi. Overall the place has a nice decor with the restaurant spanning three floors (small space, mind you). I thought this was a nice (and lucky) touch to the restaurant similar to Japanese homes. Anyway our waitress was nice and not too pushy or annoying. I give it a 3 stars and won't be going back.
(3)
Neal E.
We had a group dinner here one evening for six - we had a reservation upstairs. We asked that the chef surprise us and ordered several platters of sashimi with whatever the chef wanted to give us. We started with Miso Soup - then came the fish: Hon Maguro (Bluefin Tuna), Maguro Toro (Maguro Toro), Maguro Mebachi (Bigeye Tuna), Ama Ebi (Raw Sweet Shrimp), Hamachi (Yellow Tail), Saba (Mackerel), Hotate (Raw Scallop), Spider rolls, and some other stuff that did not appear on the menu and I am not sure just what the heck it was called - some sort of liver - sort of like Foie Gras. I was not thrilled with the flavor of the liver - but I tried it. The Wasabi was incendiary - just the way I like it. We were drinking Sapporo (22 oz silver cans). Service was very good and friendly.
(4)
Greg N.
Surprisingly good sushi for MN! I've eaten here twice, thanks to Yelp and haven't been disappointed. Tonight I had miso, a hot sake, a cold Kirin Ichiban beer (my fave Japanese beer), takoyaki (very yummy) and some blue fin that was spectacular. I also had a rainbow roll, very good! In my limited experience, it doesn't get much better than this in MN!
(4)
Trin N.
Great HH menu...and it's till 630! Try the Honey green tea cocktail. Bourbon flavoured but light and refreshing.
(4)
Ryan L.
Maybe I've become spoiled with my east coast seafood but this place wasn't fresh at all. Everything had that super fishy taste of sitting out. Not a huge fan.
(2)
Amigo L.
Love the grilled squid and grilled fish
(4)
P X.
After a few fun happy hours at Oragami and with an empty belly, I ordered up some take-out lunch from the Japanese restaurant. I called at 1:20 and asked to place an order, and was met with hesitation because the restaurant stops taking to-go orders at 1:30.....which I was within on the time front and annoyed that the hostess seemed put-out by the request. Strike one Oragami! I arrived at the restaurant 15 minutes later and began an exhausting search for short-term parking so I could grab my order. After locating a spot, I ran into the restaurant to pick-up my order and was shocked to discover that they added a 10% tip to all take-out orders! Um, what?!?! A pretty high tip for no service and having been talked into selling me sushi (plus, I had no idea that this hidden cost was included in my order!). I decided to go home and enjoy my sushi, it was just too hot to argue, and was super bummed to discover that my order was wrong. Overall bust. I doubt that I will be stopping by again.....
(2)
Robert B.
The place was very good several years ago; but was there last month and I would never go back. The service was slow, the saki was room temperature rather then ice cold and the sushi was mediocore; sushi rolls were all rice. If this is still rated the best, then go have a steak
(1)
Ella R.
Great sushi in the Twin Cities. I was impressed with how FRESH everything was. (I suppose that's something you should expect at a sushi place) The Lava Roll was excellent if you like things a little spicy! Parking was easy and there wasn't a wait on a Friday night.
(4)
Sa S.
I'm a bit.. wait, actually, a lot biased because I know some of the chefs here but I still think this is the best sushi joint in TC. I don't understand how it's possible to serve such fresh sushi in Minneapolis, but they sure do it without a fail. I'm not a big sushi eater, but I like Sari Roll and Negihama. What I usually order here are more traditional things like Tonjiru, Hamachi Kama and Halibut cheek. I just checked the menu online and didn't see Halibut cheek - I hope they still serve it! Since I no longer live in TC, my review may not be up to date, but I know those chefs are hard working guys who love great food (and greak sake, hehe), and they are on constant search for creative and authentic menu.
My favorite sushi place in the Twin Cities. Seaweed salad is very good. Sit and the sushi bar for a greater experience.
(4)
Warren C.
Hard to place. I guess it's got a little bit of everything. Very interesting architecture as the restaurant is about four stories tall, but not very big. Lots of memorabilia on the wall for you to look at. It's definitely crowded, so you should think about making a reservation, which is almost a necessity if you're thinking about seating more than a party of four. The one stand out here has to be the service, which is absolutely top notch. They skipped us on the waiting list (increasing our wait by another 15 minutes), but were very apologetic about it and offered a free round of drinks to our party of seven. In fact, 3 different people came to apologize to us which was very thoughtful of them. So being the perennial drunks that we are, we took up their offer to get a few more sake drinks down. I was divided on the food. On one hand, there were some outstanding sushi rolls and sashimi cuts, especially on the more exotic items. On the other hand, some of the more common rolls weren't done very well at all. I ordered the Deluxe Sushi plate ($27), and it came with like 10 different sushi pieces and another small roll. All things considered, I felt it was slightly more pricey than it should've been (judging solely on food alone). As for verifying authenticity, I don't believe sushi in America has very many ties to its counterpart in Japan. It's under it's own brand. But here at Origami, you'll find a nice blend of very traditional Japanese folks as well as more assimilated staff. It's got a little bit of everything. Our server refused to split our bill at the end, which was kind of lame. Other than that, terrific service, some good food, and a unique location.
(3)
Erin P.
Best sushi in the city in my opinion. Always super fresh, super delicious, and just on point with everything I have had here. It's rather small, so keep that in mind. There is a cheap parking lot next to this place if you can't find street parking, so that has never been an issue for me. I would recommend this spot to any sushi lover in the city!
(5)
Camille L.
This place has the best sushi for the best price and a chic and modern decor! I typically get the same type of rolls every time I come here: Spicy Tuna or Salmon, Caterpillar, Philly, and Spider rolls. The Yellow Tail and Shrimp Tempura rolls are excellent as well. These are some of the best ones in my opinion! There is an Origami in Ridgedale mall too for those of you who are suburbanites like me. If I want good sushi I would come here over Fuji-Ya and Nami since the prices are better (I do like those two places as well though)! The only downside is that service can be a bit slow with a big group on Friday/Saturday night.
(4)
Karman L.
SUPER SUPER GOOD!!! I came here for lunch...I had the sashimi and tempura bento box for $16! It was sooooooooo good, fish was fresh and great portion. It also came with this octopus salad! They also gave us fresh pineapple as refreshment! Good deal! I'm coming back tomorrow to try their speciality rolls. Awesome that this is right next to my work! Update on 9/26 - I came back here for lunch...since I had a meeting at 1pm...I just ordered a maki roll to go...I was quite surprise that they charged 10% service charge automatically??? I never really experience that. That's why I'm downgrading this to 4 stars...
(4)
Siobhan W.
I love the charming little look of the place. It certainly would be a nice little spot for a romantic date. Very cozy and lovely interior in a cute historical building. My friend and I were sent up to their second floor. It's a sliver of space with a few tables or seating at the bar. It wasn't quite that busy, so our waiter was quite attentive in tending to our needs. For an appetizer, we ordered a sashimi plate which was delicious and really quite fresh! yay! I'm always hunting for unagi-don in Minneapolis, a rare thing to find in the mid-west, and so I was delighted to find it at Origami. Sadly, it didn't fulfill my taste buds. It's not the restaurant's fault I suppose. I have this problem at every sushi place in town. Due to the fact we are located in the mid-west, far far away from the ocean...it results in fish that just isn't as fresh, rich and tasty as I'm used to. The unagi was thin and dry, which is SO sad...it should have been tender, thick, succulent and bursting with fierce flavor. Oh god, I really miss the REAL thing...I'm tellin' ya, unagi is just divine if it's fresh and prepared properly. People in the mid-west are missing out. Despite being disappointed by the main course, I do like the atmosphere and the excellent service. My expectations for unagi is really high, but I'm sure the other fish items on the menu would probably have been fine. And compared to some other rotten Japanese places I've been to in Minneapolis, Origami is by far a much much better choice. For those who are yet uninitiated in Japanese cuisine, I definitely would recommend Origami to try out for your first Japanese restaurant experience.
(3)
Mandy C.
I adore Origami! Hands down the best sushi and also the best experience. I have been here countless times and every time is still like that first time "wow" feeling. This last visit, I sat at the sushi bar. If you want a true sushi experience here, I recommend you do this! The sushi chefs were so adorable with such infectious laughter that I couldn't help but laugh with them. We shared the Sushi Deluxe for roughly $28 which was a good value! It comes with choice of soup and salad - both good. The entree came with many different pieces of fish (chefs choice) - nigiri style. Our chef gave us a delicious array of fresh fish (even Octopus)! You also get your choice of a tuna, salmon or spicy tuna roll - I chose spicy tuna of course. In addition to the Sushi Deluxe we also ordered the P-TNT roll (I like other rolls more here). This was the perfect amount of food for two people. Origami is one of the most awesome sushi restaurants around and could compete nationwide. Side note: I felt self-conscious going in here after I had been out running down by the river but none of their staff ever even gave me second look which made me love them even more!
(5)
Dana B.
LOVE this place. I go with family every time I'm back in town. We almost always have the same server, and he's knowledgeable and very friendly. The happy hour prices are nice if you're not an actual sushi fan, otherwise there isn't too much raw fish on the HH menu. It does feature a tempura plate, a small roll/sashimi combo, and a chicken and beef teriyaki plate. It also offers the octopus salad which is AMAZING. I tend to avoid the speciality rolls and stick to sashimi platters, but it's always helpful to eye what other diners are eating and ask the waiter if you see something that looks good. Or ask for suggestions based on what you like. FYI - Seating is upstairs or downstairs, and both are nice, but the bathrooms are on the 2nd floor.
(5)
Josh L.
I really miss this place. Absolutely the best sushi place in the twin city area and no other Japanese restaurant in the area comes even close. I am saying this after trying most if not all recommended sushi restaurants/bars in the metro area. I had been going to origami 3-5 times a month for 3+ years and I will try to summarize my thoughts about this place below. 1. The location is next to the federal reserve bank, so if you work in downtown or live around U of M, its probably within walking distance (within 30 minutes walking). 2. The place is not very fancy when it comes to inner decoration compared to other places like morimoto or nobu, but is still very comfortable to dine in and good for party. 3. The chefs are very, very attentive and friendly. Unless you want to take advantage of their happy hour menu which is only available for dining at tables, I'd suggest you sit at the bar (to watch the chefs making sushi, ask for specials, and get free appetizer teaser and after dinner fruit :-) 4. Their sashimi and nigiri sushi are on the traditional side which I prefer over morimoto et al kind of fusion style. The fish is very fresh and many are imported from Japan (via chicago i think). Try the blue finn meat and belly (toro) as they are really good. They some days have fresh oh-toro, which is not guaranteed even at more expensive places. I like their uni (sea urchin) and ama ebi (sweet shrimp) too. The tako sonomono is good most of the times (there were a couple of times I didn't like it though, as the slices were too thick and tasted a bit too sour). They even occasionally have hamo which from my own experience is hard to find in the states. The fish/rice ratio is not high, but as much as you can get in places out of japan and not in places like Honolulu. 5. I am not high on their fugu offerings but would try it at least once every winter when they have it in just for fun. This is not specially for fugu at this restaurant, but generally I dont like fugu as I think its taste is kind of bland. I guess the attraction comes more from the danger from eating it (when its not prepared in the correct way). 6. They have matsutake in season. Nothing spectacular but I was thrilled to find it in the US. 7. Their beer selection was particularly good. They have a few japanese microbrew beers to choose from and have new offerings from time to time. They used to have the kuronama (asahi black) that I really liked. Then i switched to hitachino classic. Some special offerings they got from time to time were good as well. 8. Their rolls were just about average as I feel. Being mainly a fan of nigiri sushi and sashimi prepared in traditional way, I could care less about the rolls but for your information I dont think their rolls are particularly good. I have had better rolls at places where sushi/sashimi was way below origami's level. 9. Try their lunch offerings, mainly the ramen which is not available for dinner. No tonkotsu broth, just some simple shoyu ramen. But still would be the best choice in the twin city area when your really craving for ramen. If you are from the west coast or NYC etc, forget about it. This is not comparable to Santouka or Ippudo, just simple home made ramen. (sarcastically, its still better than some other place in the area who claims to have good ramen). 10. Their sukiyaki is good, but not spectacular. Tempura is OK. 11. Their dessert offerings are weak. No house made brulees, no green tea ice cream desserts except for some super market mochi ice cream. 12. Oh I often would order their takoyaki. Not spectacularly good either, but I was just happy to eat it from time to time. Their kakuni was good when they firstly offered it, but later the quality apparently fell down (I guess this was due to slow sale?). TBH i liked it better than Morimoto's so called 10-hour cooked kakuni. I will go there again when I visit twin city.
(4)
Michael C.
I was very happy with this restaurant. The service was attentive and friendly. My tempura platter was tasty and large. A great combination of top quality Japanese fare and Midwestern portions. While I didn't have any sushi on my first visit, my dining partner told me it was superb. OK. Just came back to Origami for the second time. This time I had sushi. And boy am I glad I did. I am even a little sad I didn't have any sushi the first time because it is the best sushi I have had in Minneapolis. No...I have not gone to every Japanese restaurant in Minneapolis, but now that I have been here, I don't need to go anywhere else.
(5)
John G.
great little happy hour spot with a smaller, quieter crowd. Good food specials and drinks. Upstaris bar is small so get there early. Friendly staff and bartender...............try the smooth Japanese vodka drinks
(4)
Mike C.
Although most people goto Origami for the sushi, my favorite item on the menu is the Chicken Teriyaki. It comes on a sizzling hot plate with bean sprouts. Their sushi is probably the freshest in Minneapolis, but i'm partial to the teriyaki sauce. Also, you're bound to run into a japanese baseball player, if you frequent this restaurant when one is in town. I've ran into Ichiro and Hideki Matsui on several occasions here.
(4)
David R.
I lived a few blocks from Origami for about a year so I've been here about a dozen times--not because I like the place but because I didn't know any better. The sushi at Origami is not amazing, in fact I wouldn't even call it good; the fish at Origami is average and gets served up at a premium price in exchange for a somewhat swanky interior. I've sampled most everything on the menu here and nothing is a standout. Go for happy hour if you must and stick with the specials. Nothing on the menu is worth shelling out full price for--believe me, I've tried it all. And really, the quality of the sushi and rolls might not even be Origami's fault because I've never been that impressed by the Japanese/Sushi scene in Minnesota. Sadly it's one of those cuisines that the North Star state hasn't quite nailed down yet and if you're hoping to find the same quality food that's available on the coasts you're going to be sorely disappointed. Even though Origami doesn't have any phenomenal competitors, I still feel fine giving it a low rating because of the sometimes-atrocious level of service. Hate to interject race here, but the Asian servers are generally pretty competent, polite and nice. Unfortunately the white hipsters who work here can be pretty hit or miss. I've been forced to wait an hour for my order, had my drinks horribly botched, and been lectured about the difficulty of splitting a check by some of the less than stellar members of the staff here (dividing a bill in two does not require a phenomenal mastery of math). If Origami wanted to justify the premium they charge, I advise them to step up the service a little bit. Finally, Origami is one of *those* restaurants that refuses to take reservations, preferring to make its clientele sit around sipping overpriced cocktails during the wait for a table to open up. This is wrong, inefficient, and worst of all, could be easily corrected if only Origami cared.
(2)
Brooke S.
aaah origami...your eclectic servers, delicious and inventive rolls and fresh as can be sushi get me every time. except this time, bored idiots from the city also got into my car. well, my boyfriends car. Note to self - park DIRECTLY in front of restaurant or in garage when visiting the apparently gritty intersection of first and first. that said, DEFINITELY hit up Origami for some of the best sushi in the twin cities in the most laid back, non yuppie (think nami) atmosphere.
(4)
Becky L.
As good as it gets!
(5)
Kelsey K.
Yum. Who wants to take me to dinner here? or even just bring me sushi to go? Love it. Every meal I have had here has been fairly perfect. We usually sit at the sushi bar. I could eat sushi rolls here for days and be uber happy. I really like the #9 roll with crunchies added. Soft shell crab is super good too.
(4)
Maria S.
Went back to Origami for happy hour the other day. Definitely reinforced the 5-star rating for the following reason 1) Cheap drinks: $2.50 beers, $3 wines, cheap sake. 2) Still the best sashimi I've had in the twin cities 3) EXCELLENT service. Best I've had in a while. My friends and I were doing happy hour on the cheap and lingered longer than we probably should have, but the wait staff didn't bat an eye. Gracious, friendly, just the right amount of checking up and leaving us alone. Note: this has a "good for groups" tag. It is much better suited for groups 4 and under.
(5)
Jen B.
Philly EX Roll = salmon + cream cheese + avocado + tempura flakes + spicy mayo. yes Yes YES!
(5)
John C.
I eat sushi all over the country. Sushi hound. This is very good, fresh sushi. Been there 3-4 times and it is consistently good. Couldn't tell you what the non-sushi menu looks like let alone whether the food tastes any good, but everyone I have been with always seems pretty satisfied with their food. Not a real rocking place, but more of a place for locals, sushi fans and people traveling for business. Give it a shot. You'll like it.
(4)
Ninja S.
A note on fish. Most fish is brought on planes no matter where you are. "Oh but I live in a coastal--" NO. WRONG. So actually, Minneapolis has some of the freshest fish in the country since a lot of the cargo flights go through the MSP airport. Origami is not the most traditional of places. You can have sake mixed with liqueurs, you can have unconventional and nontraditional menu options. There is also a bar upstairs where you can wait for a table, if you were not prepared with a reservation, that has some ridiculously good sake. I would almost suggest not making a reservation and waiting in the bar for however long is required. It'll make the meal that much better having had to wait for it.
(5)
Dan B.
This is the best sushi I've had. The fish is as fresh as it gets, and the itamae we had was very friendly. If you're into sushi, the obvious place to sit is at the sushi bar. Here, you can watch the artisan work at his craft. There is not one negative thing I can say about my experience here. Those of you who are impatient won't like eating at a real sushi restaurant; "this isn't fast food" is as their website states. Bring some friends, buy a round of sake or tea, and just relax, the sushi really is worth waiting for.
(5)
Drew R.
I've got a tough time reviewing Origami because my second visit was every bit as horrible as my first visit was fantastic. It's a little pricey, but for where it is you expect to pay a little bit more. My first visit was great. We were seated quickly, our server was great, the sushi was delicious, and the service was phenomenal. No complaints. The second? Not so much. There was a bit of a wait, but for a Saturday night it was about what you'd expect. Once we were seated our server didn't stop by to ask for drinks for 10 minutes or so. Not horrible, but longer than you'd hope for. I guess they brew the beer there, because it took a while for those to come out, too. Finally we were able to order. 45 minutes later we still had no food. We ordered a roll, some dumplings, and a few pieces of nigiri. Meanwhile the tables near us who had been seated after us had been served. We hadn't had a visit from our waitress yet. Finally, she stopped by and noted we hadn't gotten our food yet. She said she'd check. A few minutes later she came by and put a roll down our table. It wasn't what we'd ordered. She was nowhere to be found for a few more minutes so we told the hostess what had happened. She said she'd look into it. Meanwhile, our waitress rushed past our table another couple times before disappearing in the back. We left some money on the table and walked out hungry. I'm a reasonable person, a simple visit to say things would take a bit longer than usual would've solved the problem. We never got it.
(2)
Paul K.
The food and service were fine. I didn't think it was the best sushi I have ever eaten, but it was fine. I was a little shocked when I asked for extra wasabi and was told there would be a charge for it. The charge was minimal and the waitress was very embarrassed to tell me about it, but the whole thing came off as sort of offensive. I will go somewhere else next time.
(3)
Sherria M.
Origami continues to be one of my favorite sushi places in the Twin Cities. Not only is the staff always friendly but the food/drinks are top notch. If you are trying to decide between destinations, I would choose this location over the one in Ridgedale.
(4)
David M.
My favorite place for sushi and sushi happy hour in Minneapolis, and probably yours too.
(5)
Lisa K.
Who could have guessed I'd have some of the best sushi ever in the Midwest? I was in town for work for a weekend and my fiance and I were looking for somewhere for lunch and Yelp directed us here. I ended up going once for happy hour and once for dinner while I was in town. Happy hour has a limited menu but you can't beat the prices -- $3 for a cocktail, $7 or so for a plate of sushi/sashimi. When you order off the regular menu the prices can get steep in a hurry, as I learned when getting a special roll that was about $16. But cilantro! In sushi! Brilliant! Everything tasted incredibly fresh, and if you sit at the bar the bartender is friendly and attentive. If I'm ever in town again I will definitely make a return trip.
(4)
Nishy P.
Best sushi place in town. The end.
(5)
Kendra R.
The best sushi in Minneapolis, let alone Minnesota. I would say this is the best sushi I've ever had. My friend and I didn't have reservations, so we patiently waited at the bar. Sake was amazing, but pricey... I think it was worth. I hope he believed so too. Patrons were either dialed in to style or appeared to have just left the house without looking in a mirror. Origami is completely chic. For our meal we were seated at the sushi bar. I really enjoyed watching the chef at work, and peeking at what others were ordering. After the sake that I consumed happily upstairs at the bar, and the plum wine that was ordered to go along with our sushi selection, I was on my own high. Thankfully my friend is well versed in the creations and types of sushi so I didn't have to order once. Everything was sensational yet delicate. Just a great evening overall.
(5)
Rockit O.
I was in town for a trade show, and this place seemed to be the place to go. My sushi chef was Hispanic. That being said, this place was pretty darn good. I had Ono sashimi, which is not a common fish in California...it was extremely well cut and very tasty. They also served us a whole Aji, cut into cubes with some other light spices. I thought this was a little too much, but nice presentation. All in all, while not very authentic, I did enjoy the food very much.
(3)
Jason C.
4 stars for an awesome Origami Martini an Lava Roll. May bump to 5 after a few more great visits.
(4)
Stu M.
The blue fin and big eye tunas were excellent. Age dashi tofu and the mushroom appetizers were also great. The anago and uni were not horrible, but not that great either. Good sake selection. guess, stick with the high volume fishes and you'll be ok here...
(4)
Kandace G.
Fantastic sushi! The chefs are friendly, more than willing to create omakase platters, and very original with their creations. It all depends on what you are seeking: if you want unoriginal sushi, order the California Rolls. If you are seeking originality, take some risks with your order. Its that simple. Service is average; I have had to wait longer than necessary at times, however, during peak hours, it is usually very busy, so the wait is somewhat expected. I would rate this the best sushi place in Minneapolis.
(4)
Henry H.
My friend and I sat at the sushi bar and ordered directly from the sushi chef, who is Japanese. Not that a non-Japanese cant make a good sushi, but it does add to the authentic experience. The 3 nigiri sushi I ordered were very well made and the fish cut seem to be good (but a bit on the small size), however, I was surprised to see the price was for only 1 piece. For the same price and quality at home in Los Angeles, I would have expected 2 pieces. The spider roll was more appropriately priced, was superbly made, and came with 2 additional pieces of the soft shell crab on the side. Lastly I ordered a plate of lightly seasoned mushrooms, which I have never seen in served before. It was delicious, and included multiple Japanese mushrooms - a mush if you are a mushroom lover, but the price is once again a bit steep at 12.75. The waiting staff was pleasant and attentive, but then it was late and the restaurant wasnt too busy at the time. Overall, an enjoyable experience, just wish the prices were a bit more reasonable.
(4)
I W.
Their cooked items are actually their strong suit. Too bad most people feel like they shouldn't order cooked food when they go to a Japanese restaurant, or that they should be embarrassed if they don't just get sushi. Actually, the perfect meal should be a nice balance of both. In any event, I recommend their noodle bowls, the broiled tuna collar, and vegetable dishes. All worth trying out. Their sushi is also solid, too. Best in Minneapolis, which has a real derth of quality sushi/Japanese options.
(3)
Meaghan N.
I was disappointed. Perhaps I shouldn't have gone in with high expectations, but from what I heard from others, I was ready to be wowed...and I wasn't. The service was great, but the food was average. The Origami at Ridgedale is actually even more disappointing. Again, great service, nice restaurant, but the food was average. I do have an appreciation for the gyoza, seaweed salad and the edamame, but they aren't exactly difficult dishes. If I choose to eat Sushi in Minneapolis, I do not go to Origami.
(2)
Monica H.
I was in Minneapolis for business recently, and I got together with some friends for sushi on a Friday night. I like sushi occasionally, but I don't eat it so often that I could consider myself an expert. Either way, the fish tasted fresh and the presentation and decor was nice, but nothing very inventive. Overall, everything was pretty serviceable but it seemed a little overpriced and nothing to write home about. They were pretty tolerant of our large group who stated for 2+ hours, so I'll move then from 3 up to 4 stars for not rushing us out.
(4)
Samantha L.
great consistent sushi. i've come here after work and directly after working out (oh i know, classy) and they make a mean caterpillar roll every time. delicious!
(4)
Adam O.
Ate here Saturday, had a few sushi rolls, a few hours after started feeling terrible. Ended up with food poising which I won't explain details of. WILL NEVER EAT HERE AGAIN. Hopefully you haven't ruined my love for sushi, Origami.
(1)
Sona P.
In the Twin Cities for work, I found this place via Yelp and had to throw in another stellar rating. Had the sushi lunch special, 5 pieces of assorted nigiri and a good sized roll, with miso soup and salad for $14.95. Very generous portion and fresh. Wish I could have done dinner there!
(5)
Terry Scott N.
This is a four star review solely because of the quality of food and drink. I won't go into specifics but the courses were great; appetizers and entrees, were amazing; fresh and visually appealing (of color). The drinks were exceptional (sake and Sapporo), and the setting within the restaurant (placement right in the front window) was, as Ferris Bueller says, "choice". The reason this is not a five star review is because: I frequent sushi restaurants in town (mpls), and I would have gone for a five star review at Origami except for the poor quality of service. We came as a group of six, we had made reservations, and we were with friends from out of town. Our reservations were for 8 pm. Upon arriving minutes before 8 pm we were told to walk up to the bar, we would have to wait 'some' time. After arriving at the bar somewhat cramped we realized that our reservations were backed up for other tables and other patrons. One of our party spoke to a host and after some conversation, back and forth, we were taken to a table, 20 minutes later a bit dishevelment. We took our seats and that is when all of the inattentive service began. -we felt as though our waitress knew -we were a party of six- that she was automatically going to get gratuity, even if she was not providing optimum service.- I was surprised at the lack of support and assistance we received from the staff. I felt as though our group was on an island; we were waving SOS for service. We would have purchased more drinks, and possibly dessert, but by the time the waitress came back we were asking for our checks. I enjoyed the food, but for the price I expected a bit more from the staff. Also, be mindful of the "stuffy"* atmosphere, I think it's a North Loop thing, but IDK. Otherwise the sushi is quality, and they did play some very interesting music. Go for quality sushi, but be mindful of the aloof service. *JLD
(4)
Tian Q.
Pros: -Good happy hour deal, $4.75 for 5 standard-sized takoyaki -Great mango hi-chew drinks, I ordered like 4 of those, couldn't taste any alcohol at all when I chugged all of these like a goldfish, then I started seeing rainbows and unicorns Cons: -Very underwhelming sushi, caterpillar roll had negligible amount of eel, the rainbow roll tasted very much like the sari roll and both were mediocre, not to mention sloppily put together I had high hopes for the sushi here, but they left me unimpressed :(
(2)
Sarin M.
Nice atmosphere and food looks good, but was not worth the price. Soy sauce was for some reason way saltier than usual.
(3)
Rich T.
Consistently delicious. Origami has delivered tremendously tasty fish, great service and hot sake every visit. One of the better sushi spots in town
(5)
Amanda M.
Our male waiter was a DIVA! The worst service that we have had in Mpls so far. We asked him to take a photo of us on our date night (rare opportunity for us) and he refused!!! We ordered our food, he chose not to write it down and he got my order wrong. I told him and he said "I HEARD YOU SAY......" Ummm...what? Last time I checked, *I* was the customer. Sushi was mediocre-go to Crave for excellent sushi AND customer service.
(1)
Sho N.
My wife and I love both locations. I am a huge fan of Han Toro( Tuna Bacon), its oily and wonderful, I don't find it on too many menu's but when I do, sold! We have tried many of their signature rolls and have yet to find one that didn't taste fresh and great. Highly recommended.
(4)
Abdalrahman A.
Best sushi bar in the twin cities. Tuna is super tender, the fish is very fresh and the presentation is great. Rolls are carefully rolled and the the sashimi is fantastic
(5)
Shawn S.
From the authentic greeting when you walk in, to the hot towel you get when seated, to the cozy sushi bar, Origami is still going strong. The sushi is top quality. Over the years, they have survived increased competition and they have the celebrities signatures to substantiate their longevity. They do have some specialty rolls and appetizers that don't rotate all that often, and a standard roll/nigiri list. But that's because they stick to the basics and deliver quality vs relying on gimmicks. I prefer to sit downstairs but for some reason when I do not sit in the sushi bar I end up upstairs. Love the authentic origami about the space that help decorate. I also love their green tea - there is some roasted rice in the brew that gives it an awesome unique flavor. Shawn's tip - free parking after 5 in the lot across the street.
(4)
Melissa S.
I wasn't super impressed with the vegetarian sushi options but I left my purse there and they stayed after they were closed so I could come pick it up. They didn't know I was a tourist here for 2 days, but it meant a lot to be able to come get it before leaving town. While I was at the restaurant the staff was very attentive and nice. Cute place nice atmosphere and they were one of the only places open on Memorial Day.
(5)
Mark B.
This is the best sushi I've had in MSP. They are very courteous. The sushi chefs were normal American dudes if that matters to you.
(5)
Z L.
It's a good place for a small date since it is a little vintaged and cramped inside. I like their rice sake, very smooth and aromatic. I usually go happy hour for takoyaki and edamame with drinks.
(4)
Sarah Z.
Origami serves the best sushi in the Twin Cities. The fish is as fresh as it (can) get. The venue is quaint and fits with the traditional Japanese focus (or so I feel). The service is gratuitous and kind. I highly recommend the mackerel appetizer. It first comes out and, "omg photo op!" it's so beautiful. You eat the delicate sashimi and admire the fish skeleton that provided it. Then, as usual, your server comes and takes the dish away. But you're not done with it yet... They bring the fish carcass back after it has been deep fried. You can eat the bones--and the eyeballs if you dare. It's a really cool experience! All of the rolls and sashimi at Origami are delicious. Desserts are also a good way to end the meal. Origami is an institution. A great place for a date, too ;-)
(5)
Sway N.
My husband and I love sushi. Let me clarify that- we love and appreciate deliciously-made sushi and all things fishy. So we're critical of it wherever we go. This place was an abomination to sushi. I am shocked that so many people gave this 4-5 stars. I don't know if it was the rolls we ordered or if the sushi chef was having a bad day, but we tried an array of different foods, hoping that at least one of them would be good. They weren't. Very disappointing, considering the lack of flavor in any of the food. (I am still finding it difficult to believe that so many people love this place...)
(2)
Josh S.
Before moving to the Twin Cities we hadn't really had much experience with sushi. Up until a few years ago the mere thought of it made me queasy. I always pictured sushi as disgusting, raw, non-edible pieces of fish that were just cut up and thrown on a plate, similar to what I would consider bait. However, we made some really good friends that are Japanese that live just down the block from us that invited us into their homes and actually made sushi for us. I've been a huge fan since and now eat Japanese cuisine on a fairly regular basis. Amazing how far an open mind will take you... We've tried a few places in Minneapolis, but my favorite thus far is Origami (30 N. 1st St.). They have beautiful decor, friendly staff, fast service and really, really good sushi. I would recommend practically anything off of their menu. Whatever you do, start with the miso soup - top notch. Despite some unfair reviews given by others on here, Origami is actually quite good. Don't forget that most people in the Twin Cities are Midwesterners and our viewpoint on sushi is based on what we have available. From the selection of Japanese restaurants, I feel Origami passes the test. Hey, our Japanese friends down the block have been there with us many times and they seemed to enjoy their visit. Overall, I like it.
(4)
Kate B.
Great sushi. Best I've had in the area. Server forgot to bring us our appetizers - but aside from that we had a great time.
(5)
Dan H.
I've been here 19 times according to Yelp check-ins now (!). I generally always sit at the sushi bar unless I'm there with more than 1 other person. I have been to some of the best sushi places in Southern California and visited Japan in April 2013 and had some great sushi there. None of those experiences soured me on Origami's sushi, it isn't on the level of those places but it can play ball. it's like the Twins playing the Yankees... unfair match-up, but we win some of the time. Just to add something for this re-review -- I don't know anywhere in the cities that has better sushi (actual sushi, not rolls), than here. Nigiri and Sashimi are frequently top notch. They have off days with some of the fish but overall it's the best I've had here. Masu in NE has good nigiri but they have limited selection and their focus seems to be elsewhere. Origami just wins on the quality of the fish. I can't speak to the rest of the menu a lot because I've only had a few rolls and some of the Japanese food. This review is strictly about sushi. This isn't the cheapest place in the cities, but if you live here or are visiting and want the best sushi bar that the cities has to offer, this is the place. Oh, and if you're feeling adventurous, sit at the sushi bar, ask for Sari (the chef) and do omakase!
(5)
Mark A.
Best sushi in town. Whatever you want from rolls to sushi they have it. The wine selection is average. They have the normal beer selection. They take reservations so you don't have to wait. There is good street parking.
(5)
John T.
6 people - $40/pp - 3 small plates of sushi. $342/to leave hungry with a few drinks. Run from here if you are hungry!
(1)
Sue S.
Thus far, Origami is our favorite sushi restaurant in the Twin Cities. Does that mean there isn't a better one? No. But so far it's as good as it gets for us. Here's what I can say -- whenever we crave sushi, we talk about options, look for new places to try and then wind up at Origami :-) The sushi is fabulous -- everything you want it to be... perfect rice, generous amount of fish, nice buttery sake and fatty fatty tuna. Mmmmm. Rolls -- we like a bunch of them, especially the Neverending Summer Roll. It's not on the menu all the time, but if you see it, snag it. We also love the appetizers, especially age dashi tofu. So delicious! We really enjoy the upper level dining room if it is open, though downstairs has the added benefit of being able to watch the sushi chefs. Service is very good, and I appreciate the little touches like the hot hand towels to start your service and the fact that your server wipes down your table for you if you've made a mess (not that I would ever do that, of course). I also really enjoy that the staff always makes sure to thank you profusely for coming in. It's nice as a customer to be appreciated, especially when you're splurging on sushi. Origami isn't cheap -- no really good sushi place is. But it's worth the money and the trip for sure. I just wish we could afford to eat there every week! One last tip-- check out the walls. They are covered with signatures from famous people who have dined there. Lots of fun to see who has been to visit.
(5)
Abe L.
OMG!!! I can't believe this place has such a good rating and amount of groupies. Now, I've got to disclose the fact that I'm from California, and I've got to say, I know what a good sushi joint is. I'm more than positive that any place in my area that has 3 stars, if compared to this one, should have 7 of them. Wife and I went here for a dinner after flying in into MN. After a quick search of nearby places, this one had the highest rating and off we went. When we've got there, we were the only people there and we were quickly seared. Service in this place is great, that's it!!! Service and decor those are the only things that stood out. Everything else is eh, I've had wayyyyyyy better. We've ordered there rolls and two drinks and one veggie dish. When our bill came, it was 90 dollars. Now, I'd like for reader to understand that this review is not motivated by money in any way, it is purely on sushi rolls and freshness of the fish. It was not worth it!!! I've paid half of this amount for much fresher fish and more rolls that 3. With that said, if those two things are not important to the reader, by all means, bring your wallet and enjoy. Definitely not coming back to this place, i'd rather buy sushi from whole foods instead (and that's coming from the guy that never purchased sushi anywhere but a sushi restaurant!)
(2)
Brit B.
Great sushi! We had excellent service and the food we excellent. I would highly recommend the shrimp dumplings as starter! I had a California roll and a rainbow roll and they were both good. Price was a little high.
(4)
Steven H.
I read a lot of reviews and noticed there's a big difference in opinion. This was recommended by a friend who's really into sushi, but I have to say it was disappointing. The rolls were average, and the selection is sad. If you're into tempura shrimp you're set - many rolls have the same basic ingredients. I had two rolls, both of which were very presentable - living up to the name of origami. But neither had great flavor or a combination of flavor from their ingredients. Overall very basic and average.
(3)
Aaron G.
Origami is a beautiful restaurant with great sushi! The atmosphere in the restaurant is very clean and elegant. The service is exceptional although sometimes bordering pretentious. I was once told what I ordered had too much tuna in it... The Never Ending Summer Roll and the Sari Roll are both great! I really don't care if they both have tuna in them... The Nigiri and Sashimi are always ultra fresh. This place is worth the price but only wear your Ferragamo shoes...
(4)
Tom C.
Food was absolutely delightful. Service was nearly non-existent. Server was at the table about once every 20 to 30 minutes. First drink arrived a full 15 minutes after being seated. No help with the menu even after mentioning we had never been there before. PLEASE train your staff to be worthy of your food!!!
(4)
Rose F.
Great food and cocktails! Service was excellent and we would definitely go back next time we're in MN!
(4)
Riasat K.
Great sushi. Reasonably priced. I recommend. 4 star!
(4)
Kate M.
I should preface this by saying I'm not a nigiri type of girl. When I go out for sushi, I tend to stick to the rolls. I get too caught up in omg raw fish when I try nigiri and it never ends well. I've been to Origami a handful of times and it's really a lovely place to go. Rather than doing the usual run down of what we ate, how we liked it, and blahblah. Some pros/cons Pros Delicious sushi. They have a pretty good selection of rolls and then non-sushi stuff if you're so inclined. The brocollini appetizer is amazing with the Japanese mayo. Drinks! I adore the chu-hi cocktails. Some of the flavors are a miss (hibiscus tea). My last visit the flavors didn't seem as vibrant (white peach and strawberry) but maybe they had less mix and more booze. Cons No reservations on the weekends. We went Saturday at 630 and didn't have to wait an unreasonable amount of time, but we had an evening planned where a reservation would've made us more relaxed. It's also another place with limited seating while you wait. Jam in the bar or a little waiting area by the door. The service can be kinda spotty, which I think can be the servers covering a lot of tables at once. I wish the specials menu actually rotated. They add the blowfish and around the Japanese Tsunami, they had a special roll to raise money, but the little special menu insert has been more or less the same (at least for the rolls) for 3 years.
(4)
Takashi S.
I would say this together with Tanpopo is the only Authentic Japanese food left in twin cities. Variety of small entry plates and dashi and seasoning of soup and sauce etc. we, Japanese expatriates in town really depend on these restaurants to survive!!! Thank you !!
(5)
Adam A.
A little overpriced I know it's the Midwest and all and fresh fish is hard to get ... Uptown has better sushi restaurants
(2)
ginger y.
food quality was okay, quantity was mediocre for the price you pay. Paid too much for the satisfaction received. service was pretty good but felt rushed, must have been close to closing time .
(3)
Jonny G.
i'm from out of town & was recommended to this place by a friend of my girlfriends, needless to say...this place was great! authentic menu, half the items i had no idea what they were prior to visiting & thanks to the descriptions in the menu, everything was very clear & straight forward! a definite return from my gf & i, next time we're in the city!
(5)
Andrea H.
I had high hopes given the reviews, but in the realm of sushi, it's mediocre. Don't come looking for great quality/tasty sushi/nigiri or sashimi. While the rolls were good, they were way over priced. We left spending $110 and wondering why. I have high standards, but also know it's possible in a land-locked state to have an amazing product. Oh, and they get toro in on Thursday and they were already out for the weekend (we dined on Friday). Big disappointment.
(2)
Tasha C.
What more can I say? Tomo keeps us coming back. Impeccable service, exceptional drinks and...um...OH! The best damn sushi in the Twin Cities. In the timeless words of David Alan Grier, "Dee. Li. Shuss. And I'm through."
(5)
Risa Y.
I'm native Japanese, so people ALWAYS ask me where the best sushi place in the Twin Cities is. In case you're wondering what does being Japanese has to do with sushi, well, sushi originated in Japan, before it exploded world-wide...who would have thought...! So I grew up with sushi, and I have had sushi at the great largest fish market in the world, Tsukiji, Tokyo...which is sushi to die for...anyways, where do you think my answer to the best sushi is in the Twin Cities? You guessed-it. Hands down, it's Origami. No other place in the Twin Cities compares! This is the sushi I always recommend and I feel confident about the recommendation. Not that it matters, but Origami is also a Japanese restaurant where the chef, including the sushi chef is native Japanese. I've gone there for years and the ambience is so nice and the service is always top notch and consistent, whether you're going with a group or with a friend or two, at the table first floor or second floor or sitting right at the sushi counter in front of the sushi chef.
(5)
Jenny L.
I ordered the Yaki Nuki and a speciality roll. The speciality sushi rolls are priced decently, but are a bit on the expensive side. The yaki nuki is a rib eye beef with rice dish and although it was tasty, I did not find it to be as good as Korean kalbi or bulgogi I've had before. The service was pretty good and the server even gave us hot towels to wipe our hands before we began our meal. Overall this was a decent place but not worth the $30 I spent on dinner.
(3)
Dani S.
Wow, what happened to this place? Last experience was terrible! Due to my previous great experiences, I brought a bunch of people here to dinner recently and it was a HUGE disappointment! Food took 45min to arrive, service was extremely spotty, drinks not refilled, plates not cleared. The food was less than average this time also. All the sushi was not of quality cut like it used to be, rice was hard and not mixed well with vinegar. Tofu dish was over-cooked and completely ruined the texture of the soft tofu. Tempura had too much tempura mix, thick coat of batter on small pieces of veggie. Super pricey! $80pp for dinner!
(2)
Beverly V.
Favorite sushi spot in downtown Minneapolis. Happy Hour menu is decent and goes until 6:30 every day! Check out the stairwell wall with signatures of all the celebrities that have eaten here - pretty cool.
(4)
AJ J.
Had the teriyaki chicken and shrimp bento box for lunch. It was beautiful to look at, but not the tastiest. It wasn't bad, just not something I would eat again. The miso soup and rice were extremely salty and the chicken was a bit dry. The service was great and ambience was very nice. I will probably go again at some point to try the sushi.
(3)
Brian N.
Oh man. I love me some sushi, and I had been excited to try this spot. Thankfully they did not disappoint. I took my boo here on a date and I was pretty excited. Now I could order a ton of different rolls and not look like a pig cause I was sharing them all. Well, mostly. The server we got was pretty friendly, very knowledgeable and super helpful with her personal recommendations. Yes, I'm that guy. I ask the server for recommendations and I like to hear the truth. My BS meter is strong, and she was being honest. So with that we decided on a few of the special rolls like the Rainbow Roll, Neverending Summer Roll, 9 1/2 weeks roll, the Crunchy Roll, and the Philly. Boom. Bang. Bing. Satisfaction. Combine that with the Japanese beers and aged single malt whiskeys from Japan. Man, I love this place. I will be coming back soon my folded paper art.
(5)
Na Da L.
Best sushi in Minneapolis since I've moved here and I've tried about 10 different places within Minneapolis. I love sushi and have had superb sushi in LA, California so I feel like my opinion is valid. Service at Origami is great. The quality of the fish is great. Most importantly, it tastes good. Definitely pricey but we'll worth it if you like quality sushi. It's a small restaurant but I wouldn't have it any other way. Nice and cozy. Hope you enjoy it as much as my boyfriend and I did!
(4)
Randy H.
Crap!!!!! $340 for six people!!!! Still hungry.....food was good but not even enough for six..........
(1)
Jessica L.
Decor: Modern and young. It's kind of like that hip place where the 20-30 year olds come to look more mature and the older people come to look more hip. It's a little more cramped than what I expected. We sat at one of the tables, but I did note the booths and bar seating (With a TV!) that was available (so if you want to eat alone, you can!) Service: Good, I went with a large group of people and she didn't miss our orders. Thanks! Food: So I cannot remember specifically what we got, but we got about 8-10 different things of sushi (I told you, big group!). I'll comment on things that stood out on my mind: - Rainbow Roll: This is usually my favorite roll, but I was very disappointed as I did not think the pieces of fish were very large. I felt like it was a bit skimpy (as were the other rolls) - While most of the rolls were fine, some pieces of sushi I had weren't packed as well as I would have liked or the rice wasn't as sticky. Something was a little off. - My favorite roll was the Sari roll because of the flavour blast. - For the Philly experience, just be prepared for cream cheese... fried cream cheese - The tempura rolls (We had 2 of them) were pretty good and crispy, not bad. - Starting salad was decent, as was the miso soup Overall: I was pretty stuffed after this meal, but I'm still not planning on going back here for sushi. While the prices were decent, I did not think they were a steal. I have hope that there's a better sushi place in this city.
(2)
Clint B.
Another lesson learned. When people rave about the sushi items at a restaurant, stick to said sushi items. We made the mistake of wandering away from the sushi menu and tried some appetizers that disappointed. Crab croquettes ($9.95) - Deep fried snow crab served with creamy lemon white sauce. 3 to an order. The meat was stringy, small, no large chunks, didn't taste or smell particularly fresh... meh... Wontons ($9.25) - Deep fried cream cheese and shrimp wontons, garnished with tobiko. I should have known better than to get wontons in a Japanese restaurant. Way too much cream cheese and not enough shrimp. Tuna tataki ($12.95) - Lightly seared slices of yellowfin tuna, topped with garlic, ginger, lemon, green onions... bland and not the freshest tasting cuts. Tuna Tartare ($12.95) - chopped, marinated maguro with avocado and spicy tobiko. Served with fried wonton. This was a mushy, stringy mess. Kinda like they grabbed all the nasty tuna scraps they had, diced it up then dropped it into a martini glass. Yeah... I'm not a fan. P-TNT roll ($16.99) - Spicy yellowtail, cilantro and cucumbers inside, wrapped with yellowtail, avocado, sliced jalapeños and spicy mayo. Finally, something good! The roll was large with generous cuts of hamachi. It was a good combination of heat and sweetness along with the smooth texture of the fish. I'd recommend getting it. The hamachi sashimi ($8 for 3 pc.) was decently cut and, more importantly, tasted very good. The tuna sashimi ($8 for 3 pc.) were 3 sizable slices with a vibrant red color and a silky smooth texture. Other people in my party ordered three rolls that I didn't try (Philly roll, crunchy roll, and a spicy salmon roll). They all agreed that they were decent but not spectacular. It was a Sunday night so maybe many of their fish were several days old. At least it wasn't busy. We walked in without reservations and were seated promptly. Our check, for a party of 6 where they add in 18% gratuity, averaged out to about $40 per person, including tax and alcohol.
(3)
Alexandra H.
I'm with City Pages' voters on this one: Best Sushi in Minneapolis! Good sushi, service and drinks in a relaxing atmosphere...what more could you ask for? (Free/abundant street parking, but that's it!) I also love that the restaurant spans two floors. If the main floor looks busy, you might get a spot upstairs. I don't eat fish so it's nice to have a few veggie sushi options. I really love the avocado rolls. I pick up 6 of those for about $5 and call it lunch!
(5)
Helen C.
After a long day of traveling and shopping we were hungry for some sushi and decided to try this place out since it got so many good reviews. The restaurant staff were friendly and attentive and our food was good. We had an assortment of sushi (mackerel and scallops) and rolls (eel, rainbow, dynamite) which were all delicious and served the right temperature (slightly above room temp). I felt like the rice to sushi ratio varied per roll with the rainbow roll having a tad bit too much for my taste. I struggled between ordering udon or ramen noodles versus sushi because I saw a lot of tables eating it. You know it has to be good if a table full of Asians were slurping away! I'd definitely try it next time to get my inner Asian noodle fix :)
This is the best sushi in MN. I was tempted to give them four stars because the service isn't always consistent (which can be annoying at times), but the quality of the sushi demands five stars. I've eaten here dozens of times and it's always great.
(5)
Susannah H.
best happy hour. best sake selection. CHU-HI. best cuts of raw fish for me to stuff into my face.
(5)
Liz A.
Humm, had some high hopes for this one. Perhaps the quality has fallen over the years? 1st: do NOT get ramen here. It's not their thing and they are not good at it: bland with heavy noodles. Zen Box has the best ramen. 2nd: yes, the fish was very very good. HOWEVER, as bizarre as this statement is, the fish was too thick. Plus, the rice was still a bit too hard and with no su (rice vinegar) flavor. Did they forget it this day?!? There needs to be a balance between these things with sushi and even though they have great, amazing fish, it broke our hearts that it was still not great sushi. The potential is there though.... All that being said, not worth the price. I recommend Obento-ya for sushi instead and Zen Box for ramen (sorry Origami!)
(3)
Jason Y.
Origami is not the best sushi place in the country ( compare to some top notch Japanese Restaurants in NYC), but definitely is on the top list in MN! Their food is not as fancy as those fusion Japanese food, but very solid! Sushi and sashimi are very fresh, clean cut, nicely presented. They have varieties of fishes. A good selection if you are a fan of raw fish! Sometimes, you can even find blowfish. It requries a sushi chef an official certificate and years of practice to serve blowfish! Rare in MN! One nice little thing about origami is that they pay a lot of attention to the details. Like the origami style chopstick wrapper, the way of pouring the sake to show the traditional Japanese generosity, the way they prepare the food. Japanese really pay attention to the details! That is why I enjoy dining in origami, you will notice the Japanese culture there! Downtown location is preferred. Nice decor, great ambiance, great place to go for high quality sushi !
(4)
Patrick L.
Heard this place had the best sushi in town, was excited to try it out. All in all, disappointed in the food. Our server did a good job with our sauce requests and was knowledgeable regarding different foods and toppings. Our table ordered 4 premium rolls and a few other things. Nothing was even mediocre. Sushi was loose, dry and flavorless. The dynamite roll seemed to come without sauce. I wouldn't recommend this place and wont be back.
(2)
Swaha P.
Such an awesome place, with such a chic and stylish seating and decor. Also, we'd a very friendly waitress who was very cordial and patient while taking the order. Yes, the restuarant is expensive but the food is worth it, and I recommend for a date night/ special occassion.
(5)
Jordan O.
After reading many great reviews, I thought I would give this place a shot. As an avid sushi lover, I was very excited. We happily waited 35 minutes for a spot on a Saturday night, which I thought was acceptable - they were busy. Our group of 4 started off with a small appetizer of edamame. It was over cooked - I had never had it like this in my life. I didn't think it was that hard to get right. But when you would bite the peas out with your teeth the whole outer shell would flake off into your mouth and you would be chewing on the skin. It was not good. Very soggy. We informed the server that we thought it was not cooked well; he replied that "that is how edamame is" and didn't apologize or take it off the bill. We each probably ate 3 pieces thinking it would get better, but then just gave up and left it to waste. Then we each ordered about 3 rolls of sushi. We don't know if it was a new sushi chef or what, but it was not good. A few of the rolls were pretty decent, but nothing worth calling it the best sushi ever. A few of the roles we actually asked if it was cooked correctly because it had very hard pieces of some type of vegetable in it and couldn't even chew it. Again, he said "that's how its supposed to be" and walked away. We took out the vegetables and just continued to eat. After that, the only time he came back to check on us was to bring us the check. He just set the check down and then came back after we put our credit cards in it. Having ordered about 12 rolls of sushi and 3 drinks each, you would think he would have treated us better. Our servers name was Brian. Make sure you never have him. Maybe our experience would have been better with a different server, who knows. None of us will go back.
(1)
B C.
Origami restaurant is a well-known Japanese sushi restaurant in town. It depends on where you are come from, you might be surprised or disappointed (as you come from West Coast). However, knowing that this restaurant is located in Minneapolis MN, they do serve pretty good fresh sushi. They offer large selections of Japanese foods along with sushi. Some of the dishes are more tailored to western culture or more instant style (if you are looking for a very traditional Japanese style hand-made u-don or Ramen noodle, you may be disappointed), but their sushi are well made and nicely presented. Also if you like active crowd and want to enjoy Friday night atmosphere, this restaurant is definitely one of your potential candidates. Hostess and waitress are friendly but they need to improve their service * Service: Slightly below average (wait staff are a bit slow and less responsive) * Price: Slightly over average (as this restaurant can be considered as a fine dining place in Minneapolis, their price range might be right on for targeted customers) * Atmosphere: Good (their location might be little odd - 30 North 1st street) * Food Quality: Above average (considering they are located in Minneapolis not somewhere in West Coast) * Parking: Good enough (street parking, sometimes you might have to walk one or two blocks from the establishment) * Avoid factor: Might have a long wait on weekend dinner time * Recommendation: Call ahead of time and make a reservation, try out their happy hour menu (50% off) - That should save your $$$ and give you the great sampling experience what Origami restaurant can offer.
(3)
Ngoc N.
I've gotten over my terrible experience at Origami after a few more good trips recently. In addition, my former sushi staple, Fuji-ya, is no longer 1st on my list. It's still there, but it leaves a sour taste in my mouth after our table of 6 all felt sick for awhile after a meal there in September. Sorry, I digressed again! --- The best place to eat here is that the sushi bar. Forget sitting at a table and whatever. Get service directly from the chefs and your experience will be lovely. Fish is fresh as can be. Good fish = happy me. I go odd hours to eat so I don't run into the dinner crowd much. I get what I need to fill my tummy and leave. Not more to it for this place for me. Parking still sucks around that area if it's busy. Wait staff isn't always perfect. I have't been sick from their fish so hi-5 to them! :)
(4)
Colin M.
Great sushi!! I would highly recommend their lunch special because you receive a salad and multiple types of sushi! If you don't go during their lunch specials, then it can be quite expensive. Only complaint is that the building is a bit small.
(4)
Johanna C.
happy hour 7 days a week from 5:00 - 6:30pm! get the tempura $7.25 and sushi/sashimi combo $7.95 (both spicy salmon & salmon skin roll were good). we also tried the green tea honey cocktail which was ok (6/10). we sat outside so service wasnt that great (not sure if it's better if you sit inside). service rating = 2 out of 5 stars.
(4)
Nate H.
The case of the missing server. Origami is arguably one the best sushi restaurant in Minneapolis. I went there with lunch with a friend and we sat at the bar. No wait at 12:15. Both of us were interested in the fugu as Origami is one of only 14 places to serve it in the USA. I've had fugu before in Japan and actually liked it "Kara-age" (which is similar to a tempura fried preparation). Unfortunately they were out of kara-age so we ordered the sashimi to split: $30 for 7 pieces. Honestly, don't waste your time as it tastes like chewy gummy rubber. Most types of clam would be an upgrade. I had a standard sample of nigiri for lunch: hamachi, maguro, uni, bonito, a scallop finished with a never-ending summer roll. All of these were excellent. The meal was good but here is where things start to fall apart. I rarely complain about service but our server asks if we are done, we reply yes, then they take about 5 minutes to return with the check. We review the bill, then just decide to split it, then proceed to wait.... and wait... and after 10 minutes we give up and head to the host stand to run our cards. 4 stars for the food minus 1 star due to service. I like Masu and Midori's Floating World Cafe better but Origami beats Nami and Fujiya (IMHO). Origami is also more expensive than many places; when ordering nigiri you pay per piece. On average this ends up costing 25 cents - 75 cents more per item. A clear example is $8.50 for two uni at Origami vs $7 for uni at Masu.
(3)
Jennifer S.
This place remains my favorite sushi restaurant in or around the Twin Cities. Now, I have not been to all the sushi places around town. Over many years, I've been to, maybe, 6 or 7 different places around town. But after a long absence, I returned here on NYE because we were already in the area and had the car parked down the street. We then had the absolute delight of eating some of the finest tuna available. When we asked our Japanese sushi chef where they get their fish from, he told us it comes from Chicago, IL. We also learned that they serve Blow Fish, although it's not available all the time. This restaurant is 1 of only 18 in the USA that are licensed and certified to serve this delicacy, and the only restaurant in MN to do so. We ordered oily Blue Fin and regular Blue Fin tuna and also their Sari roll. All items were exquisite. The unfiltered saki we enjoyed was a little on the sweeter side. Service was very good. And final price was expensive, but well worth the treat.
(5)
Emily O.
We tried Origami for the first time w/ another couple on a weeknight. It was a great experience from start to finish. We sat upstairs & the ambiance was beautiful & comfortable @ the same time. Somewhat upscale casual. I ordered my standby, a saketini, named the Ichitini: shaken to perfection & garnished with a fresh cucumber = YUM! Our table also enjoyed a sake flight, & a few Sapporos. The miso soup was hot & plentiful & the seaweed salad was fresh & flavorful. The sushi we ordered was just as wonderful The Sari roll was my absolute fave w/ spicy tuna, tempura flakes, burdock, & kaiware wrapped in tuna & avocado. Super delicious! We also had the P-TNT roll with yellowtail, spicy salmon, cilantro, & avocado which came in @ a close second. :) At the close of our meal, we shared a pot of green tea; authentic green tea w/ roasted rice & green tea leaves. BEST GREEN TEA I have ever had @ a sushi restaurant. Yum, yum, yum! Definetly give it a try! Not to be missed! Side note: The happy hour menu looked fantastic, although we were not able to make it in time.
(4)
Kristin H.
Origami Sushi is located in the Market Hotel building which was constructed in 1867 and was later rebuilt into a hotel in 1880. The Market Hotel functioned as a Hotel until 1960. Eventually, it was purchased and made into a restaurant serving Japanese cuisine, including sushi. November of 1990 Origami officially opened it's doors to the public and has remained one of the best Sushi restaurants in the area. The prices at Origami are very affordable. House wines $3.75/glass, beers ranging from $3-5, cocktails $5 and $6, and sakes from $3.25 all the way to $7.55. Here's the quick rundown: Atmosphere A trendy restaurant in an old building. It's a great place to go for a fancy dinner or a quick bite. Service Friendly and efficient. Presentation Plated beautifully, each dish luring you into sneaking that first bite. Taste Delicious. The sushi has been voted some of the best in the city, I'd have to agree. Value for Dollars Great Happy Hour prices. Can't beat $26 for a meal and drinks for two.
(4)
Breanne K.
I had THE best roll of sushi here last night! For me, NY NY Roll is as good as sushi can get. Fresh crab and apple combo rolled with tempura flakes, tastiest fusion I've ever had. This roll is one of their specials that is (I can only say for certain) Friday night. $8.50 for a creation like this is quite a steal. I like this place because they seem to have some great rolls for reasonable prices. Their basic rolls are some of the cheapest that I've eaten in this city! Sushi not quite your cup of tea, they have plenty of other options. Miso soup and the seaweed salad were also top notch! The only reason I'm not giving five stars is because their tea is horrible. Tasted like bad, hot water. No real flavor. Major let down because I love tea.
(4)
Jeremy K.
Best sushi I have had. Great sushi bar and awesome chef. Happy hour specials were phenomenal.
(5)
Travis H.
My absolutely favorite sushi place here in the Northern Plains and possibly Midwest. When I am in Minneapolis visiting my husband, this is the place on my must visit list. The atmosphere is absolutely welcoming with the lighting, customer service, and the feel, Origami is a great place for a couple or group of friends to eat absolutely great food and enjoy conversations.
(5)
M W.
Great ambiance and service. Sushi is delicious. I especially love their lava, 9 1/2 weeks, and rainbow rolls. I also really like their avocado and salmon maki. A little on the pricey side, but the sashimi lunch is a good deal. Their appetizers are also tasty!
(5)
Craig R.
Excellent - excellent - excellent. What a great crew they have working here- service is absolutely top-notch, and the sushi is some of the best, AND I am in Japan every other month. Great sushi in Minneapolis = ORIGAMI. Bless you guys- you made my week! I had to come back and add information- they make their own Red Wine Sorbet- it was incredible- never had this anywhere else. Check this place out if you have not already done so.
(5)
Vivian N.
Food is good. In my personal opinion, the sushi can do with a bit less sauce. Restaurant ambience is nice and would be good for a date night. Service is fast, friendly, and know about the food. They have happy hour that you may want to check out. Would come back.
(4)
Russel A.
An attractive restaurant with a courteous staff. The sushi chefs were professional, and friendly. I ordered 8 pieces of nigiri sushi, and was pleased by the quality of everything. The tuna was delicious in the traditional way, but the real standout items were scallop (hotate) and salmon (sake), which were amongst the tastiest I've ever had. I was pleased, and might return in the future just for those items. The major downside is the price. Expensive sushi, but very good. I ate here on 9/14/15 at 7:45pm.
(5)
Cendy C.
This sushi bar here definitely owns up to its reviews! I visited this cute restaurant on a Thursday evening and they were happy to take me in as a walk-in. The venue is three floors and it looks like it was renovated from a house. The first two floors are for the restaurant with a sushi bar on each floor and the third floor is their personal office. I was offered a warm hand towel for my hands as soon as I was seated and was pleasantly surprised by this! It was nice especially being outside for a good part of the day. The sushi here is priced individually or a set of three if you're ordering sashimi. Rolls are also based off sets of 6 or 8 depending on what you order. I had two pieces of Ikura, an order of the salmon sashimi and the salmon avocado roll (not on the menu but they gladly made it for me when I requested it). The salmon was fresh and delicious and definitely worth the price! I also had the miso soup and noticed that their tofu was the crispy kind where they deep fried it first then added it into the soup. Overall, I'm satisfied with my experience here I just wish that their service was a bit quicker. It seemed like they were very well staffed but it took a while to place my order and receive my check, etc. I would love to visit again whenever I'm back in Minneapolis!
(4)
Erin G.
I came in here for happy hour sushi and we arrived right as it opened and sat outside. Our server was friendly and knowledgeable. We selected cucumber saki martinis and a sushi platter and sushi bowl off the happy hour menu, which were inexpensive. Food came out really fast and were beautiful and delicious. Zero complaints. We also ordered some sashimi tuna and it was great. The server was just the right amount of attentive. Definitely a winner. Top notch.
(5)
Cindy W.
This is supposedly the best sushi in Minneapolis but I've definitely experienced way better. Their hamachi was good but I ordered a $18 roll that is DEFINITELY not worth $18... The roll was mediocre at best. The rice wasn't very great nor was the quality of the fish and the avocado was turning dark green.. Eeks me thinks not...
(1)
Kat P.
Clean, friendly, and great food. I'm from New York City and we have our choices in Japanese food. This was the best gyoza, shumai, and teriyaki I have had in a very long time. The wait staff is quick and they provided great service. Even the rice was delicious! Perfectly salted and perfect amount of vinegar. I recommend the crab croquettes. You can taste the fresh prep. Thanks for a great dining experience!
(5)
Lydia M.
Excellent food but the service was rough. They seem to have tables spread out across multiple rooms and outdoors and the sushi bar got hit hard as we arrived, even though the room we were in was sparsely peopled. It was a long wait for items from the sushi bar (other tables who ordered from the kitchen after us were already done before we got ours) but the rolls and sashimi made up for it: fresh fish, vegetables and creative combinations. They have a good happy hour deal too, with discounted food and drink available before 6:30pm.
(4)
Louise M.
When I heard the name, "Origami," I thought of something intricate, fragile, artsy, and difficult to make. Like the paper folding meaning of origami, it sounded simple but it is hard to do. Same thing with sushi. Serving raw fish - how hard could that be? However, how many reviews have you read of bad sushi restaurants? Yeah, good sushi is not that easy to find. I was here last week for a drink during happy hour with several of the coolest Yelpers I know. It was super fun and the prices weren't bad at all. Yeah, I know it's happy hour but that was a good value for the delicious drinks we received. I was famished and I was salivating on sushi while I was there. However, we were going to The Bachelor Farmer for dinner that turned out to be not so stellar. Wish we would have just stayed at Origami. I should have been a psychologist as I've been the go to person for a friend of mine who is going through a hard time, and a sister who is also having similar issue. I wanted to go back here for dinner and I thought I dragged my sad friend to cheer her up. Plus, I.... Me, I need a treat too. Let there be alcohol and let's start smilin'!!! We caught the last five minutes of happy hour. I asked if we could still order a couple of things, the hostess said we may. The server came and she took our order but she made sure to let us know that the chef wouldn't be too happy about it. She came 10 minutes after we sat. When we asked about happy hour it was definitely before 6:30 and it should have been last call and we understood that. She took care of it but I could do without the editorializing. I ordered the Lychee Martini I had last week. It was too sweet I thought last week but I wanted it again today. Go figure. I don't know.. Whatever. I'm a girl. Things just can't be explained sometime. My friend got a plum wine. I shit you not she started laughing and smiling and talked about the unagi she had in Japan and the guy who sold it cut off the head and strip the skin and roast it within minutes. The way she described it looked like she got some aggression out as well. We also ordered salmon and avocado roll and the takoyaki. I was pretty impressed with my first bites of our appetizers. Salmon tasted fresh and the takoyaki was succulent and creamy and squidy. What's not to like? I ordered the holy shit expensive bento box, and my friend got the Una-ju, which was the bento with unagi/eel. After the unagi story, she got to have herself some eel. The eel was damn damn good! I stole a piece and kept on stealing. My bento box was overpriced for what I got. The sashimi was well portioned with 6 slices of beautiful and delectable fish. The tempura tasted good but they gave me too much filler crap. The saba shioyaki was tiny. It was nicely cooked but it was tiny. Then, just some other fillers like sweet egg omelette, fish cake, a shu mai, and some veggie mixture I didn't care for. So the verdict is... The sushi was fantastic. The una-ju was too. I wouldn't order the bento box again; however, I would order a la carte of things I want or like. The service was ok. She got everything right but she looked like she was working extra hard or stressed out. The free parking across the street after 5 PM is nice. I like this place. It's not perfect but unless you are a master in origami, most of the time the bird or the flower you created usually looked a bit deformed too. This restaurant is not a master piece by any means, however, I am a fan of paper folding. Well, not literally.
(4)
Caroline A.
I was in the North Loop area heading out for drinks when a friend suggested we stop by Origami for a bite. I was hesitant after having a mediocre experience at their Uptown location, but the service and freshness of their seafood far exceeded my expectations. The waitress was really helpful for us when picking out our rolls. Everything came out fast and had generous portions. Tip - Check out their late night happy hour menu offered 9 to close on the weekdays and 10 to close on the weekends.
(4)
Jennifer N.
Limited sushi roll options, prices a little high. Ambience was nice! The chu hi drink is amazing! I got strawberry and mango and I loved it!!!! Got the "never ending summer roll" that comes with an amazing garlic sauce! I gave 3 stars for the roll option and prices. We also had to park 2 blocks away because there were no parking spots available near the building. The sari roll was also tasty!
(3)
Ken C.
Good food, good service, long waiting time during rush hours. Must try its amazing "UNA-JU". I also tried "NABE YAKI UDON" which turned out a little above average. The "caterpillar roll" was good.
(4)
Yue L.
I went there after viewing so many pics of yummy food, especially the sushi bowl on happy hour menu. Sushi bowl: sashimi were fresh but only one piece per kind. Worthy the price though $9. Avocado salmon roll: worth trying for $5. Bibimbap: just ok Beef don: made with beef slices/small chunks and onions. Loved it but not really a big portion.
(4)
Zarina M.
Had another wonder all day happy hour brunch here. The service here is impeccable. You think Minnesota nice is great? Why don't you check out asian hospitality... Think warm moist hand towels to clean your hands before dinner... What you should order: chef's daily nigiri special chicken gyoza cripsy seasoned octopus These sushi chefs know their art!
(5)
Jerice A.
Great service, awesome sushi, love the outside seating in the summertime. Sushi is high quality, decent service
(4)
Ron P.
First time here. I have to say, I am no sushi expert. There were many people there that were ! They open at 5:00pm on weekends. There were people waiting at that time. On the weekends, this place opens at 5pm. Happy Hour is 7 days a week. 5 -6:30pm. Huge beverage menu and menu for specials and a menu for Happy Hour. Cool old building. Was a meat market, then a hotel. Built in 1867. Parking at meters, nearby even on Sunday! We had mostly happy hour offerings of sushi rolls and shashimi plates. Salmon,Yellowtail and tuna. The spicy tuna was excellent, The yellowtail was good. The Wontons were amazing but, overpriced at $9.50 I am not a Saki guy but, they have a good selection of sake here and Japanese Whiskeys Menu was extensive, server was only slightly helpful. I would return for Happy Hour !
(4)
Rich A.
Amazing! Went all by myself and sat at the sushi bar, which is definitely the way to go if you've got the option - sitting there means you get to have a chat while watching the sushi chefs do their thing, and if there's a spare piece of maki floating around, it gets tossed to you. Staff was friendly, the decor was cool and interesting without being pretentious or annoying, and the sushi rolls were amazing - AND there were well over 20 different rolls available for less than 10 bucks. I am not a particularly cultured/knowledgable sushi consumer, but I've eaten a hell of a lot of it and this was definitely among the best by comparison... plus some of their rolls have some funky twists (granny smith apples? lettuce?) that made it interesting. Would definitely recommend.
(5)
sam a.
Took my wife her for a birthday sushi feast last night and was blown away by quality of the fish. I'm originally from Seattle so I'm probably a bit spoiled when it comes to access to quality sushi and unsurprisingly I have been disappointed with many of the Minneapolis area sushi joints. Not the case with Origami! We sat upstairs on a weekend, the bartender was our server. Not only was he extremely knowledgable on the menu he also recommended and crafted tasty cocktails and Japanese whiskey pairings. We ordered a variety of dishes and some of the stand outs were the blue fin sashimi, eel sushi, shrimp tempura, soft-shell crab and the all of the rolls. Also the complimentary green-tea icecream with a candle in it was an added bonus. This menu may sound similar to most sushi places but what stands out is the quality of the fish, I haven't had fish this good anywhere else in the twin cities. It's not cheap but getting excellent fish this far from the ocean is worth it.
(5)
Josh B.
Great atmosphere! Try the philly X it was amazing....cucumber, cream cheese, warm!!!! Try it out.
(5)
Matt L.
This was definitely the best sushi I've had in a long time. It was flavorful, fresh (flown in daily), and authentic. I've eaten sushi fresh from the water in Hawaii (worked/lived there), in the bay (multiple trips), in Miami, along the pier in SoCal, and you can trust my tastebuds when I say you will definitely enjoy whatever you order from Origami. The price point is set a bit high but I believe it's worth it. We had the unfiltered saki with our meal, and that rounded out the whole experience. Ignore the one-off negative reviews of this place. Do yourself a favor and treat your pallet to Origami.
(5)
Kelly B.
Fantastic and elegant experience! I came into Origami by myself so I sat at the sushi bar. The whole dinner felt like a private dining with the sushi chef. I ordered a dinner plate that came with seven different types of fish and my choice of a roll. Before my meal came out, I got a salad and Miso soup. The salad was delicious! They make their own dressing, and it was excellent. The miso soup tasted like miso soup should. The dinner was excellent because of the atmosphere, friendly waiting, and good food. It was a bit on the pricey side, but it was worth it. Following the meal was a surprise dessert. :) I'm not sure if that is something that is offered at the end of every meal, but it was for me and it was very palatable.
(5)
Jason L.
This place was great. For fish, I can't recommend the Saba shioyaki and the salmon shioyaki enough. The hamachi Kama was ok, but a little dry. Tasted a little too much like chicken. The broccoli was a great starter!!!
(4)
Linda L.
This is also my favorite Japanese Restaurant in the Twin Cities! Foods are very fresh! Small place but they have two levels. It's worth of waiting! Service is good! Been going there since I moved to Twin Cities many years ago. The only thing is no parking lot. But there's always meter parking near by.
(5)
Nick H.
Love it here. Always look forward to visiting. Great quality - everything on the menu is good. Ideal if you want to be in & out in less than an hour. Sitting at the sushi bar is best I find. Good value.
(5)
Layan A.
Came for a visit to Minneapolis with my husband and in-laws. I must try sushi at every city I'm in so yelp brought us here. The place is perfect, lofty and trendy. We were there around 7ish and it was packed, make sure you call ahead, we did. Service was very slow but friendly. Miso soup was ok, it was cold and the tofu was fried which I find gross. When I told the waiter it was cold, he shrugged and said it was because the ingredients were frozen. Ew. The seaweed salad was good, and veggie gyoza was delicious. The sushi rolls were decent. The problem i had was it was mostly rice and there was hardly any filling! The place is way too overpriced though for what you got. Don't know if I'll be coming back again.
(3)
Kimi H.
I've always enjoyed Origami and, prior to Kyatchi, considered it the best sushi place in Mpls. Went there last night for probably the 27th time. We had a bunch of gift cards and decided to go whole-hog and order anything we wanted, regardless of cost. Food was good. I really liked the oysters, and the Neverending Summer roll had some interesting flavors (it really did taste like summer! And it came with a delightfully zesty garlic ponzu sauce!). The nigiri was perfectly fresh and melt-in-your-mouth delicious, as usual. I especially loved the salmon. Service was good. There was one time when we waited an unforgivably long time for a drink refill, but it was busy and our server was clearly working hard to ensure the best experience for all her tables, so I decided to not care, especially when my second $12 martini finally arrived and it was everything I love in an overpriced cocktail (fruity, but not too sweet, adorned with flowers and exotic fruits. Yes, I'm a basic bitch. Deal with it). My one complaint is that we were unable to use our gift cards to pay for the tip. Every other restaurant I've ever used a gift card at allows the customer to include the tip with payment. I've worked at restaurants that allow customers to tip with the gift card. I know it's not an outlandish expectation. Origami, why won't you let your customers pay the tip with their gift cards? The gift card is essentially money, money that was gifted to us, that we would prefer to choose how to spend in your establishment. We didn't have cash on us, so we had to tip with a credit card, and to do so the server had to run a tab of .01, so we could have something to add a tip to. How dumb. And time-consuming for the server, who was too busy too deal with this shit. But now I have $35 remaining on a gift card to spend at your restaurant, so I guess you win.
(3)
James L.
Order: NY NY roll, California roll, Rainbow roll. Strawberry soda (hand made) Best sushi in the mid west, I will be back! California roll and rainbow roll were well executed. I used the basic rolls to see if the place is worthy of moving to more complicated rolls. The NY NY was ok at best, just not my palate. Service was awesome!
(5)
Lyn C.
The place is very modern-looking and a bit semi-formal/formal-casual atmosphere. The waiters give you warm wet towels which is a nice touch. Albeit the quite expensive menu, I was satisfied with my order. I got the philly-x and tempura maki. While both were delicious, I do believe it's slightly over-priced here. The batter was also not as crispy as I thought it would be. The sashimi was good, but you can find the same quality at other places for a lower price. I normally don't like pickled ginger but I found myself quite fond of theirs. The miso soup was also tasty. Soba was all right. Overall, I would only come to this place again if I wanted to treat myself and dine in a fancier ambience.
(3)
Marianne G.
First off, we didn't try the sushi. I made the mistake of looking at Origami Uptown's menu and then making the reservation with the downtown location. I had ramen. Their ramen selection is pretty much non-existent. They just have roast pork and you pick between soy and miso for the base. No pork belly. No poached egg. It was very boring ramen. My husband ordered the Yaki Nuku-Don which is a rice bowl dish. It was very dry - you can't see the hibachi sauce (the rice was completely white and not topped with sauce like we hoped) and they didn't give him enough ribeye beef. He had plenty of rice left over. Service that night was also on the slow side. I would try the uptown location next time.
(2)
Lisa P.
Origami won my vote for best sushi in Minneapolis. I went here last night for Happy Hour before the Timberwolves game. The Happy Hour menu had a great value sushi, but still had many options for non-sushi lovers. My group ordered most of the items on the Happy Hour menu to split. Our favorites were the sushi/sashimi combo (one roll and 3 pieces of sashimi for about $8) and the ebi shumai (4 pieces for around $4). The edamame and chicken gyoza were close seconds. There were a few cocktails on the Happy Hour menu, and lots of choices for beer (some Asian, some not). I enjoyed my "chew-high" with the hibiscus tea because it was not too sweet. Service was attentive, without being over the top. Our entire bill came to $80 with tip for 3 people, and we left full and happy. You can't beat that when it comes to sushi!
(4)
Amy R.
I'm a fish fanatic and a sushi lover who views California rolls with disdain and will eat everything exotic right down to the fish's eyeballs. But this review isn't about me and my tastes (who gives Origami 5 stars, anyway). Rather, I'm writing this review to assist the vegetarian who's not had any sushi experience because that very person was my luncheon companion recently. Five stars all the way! I took a dear friend here for her first time. Bright eyed and adventurous, she was ready to dive in and have fun but had no idea what in the world she'd be able to eat. We started with an appetizer to share... the Asparagus, "sauteed in butter with garlic, soy sauce, and a splash of sake," and it was delicious with just enough bite, but still tender and not overcooked. We found plenty of vegetarian sushi goodies on the menu, and my friend lit up like a Christmas tree when the beautiful and colorful plate arrived. She actually giggled with delight. I'm referencing the online menu as I write this so I can include what she ordered: Inari ("sweet tofu pocket"). This is a lovely and generous rice filled roll of gently fried tofu. Futo Maki ("the original Fat Roll. Cucumber, Takuwan, Shiitake mushrooms, squash, spinach and egg custard"). This is an amazing blend of flavors that anybody would enjoy, vegetarian or not. Avocado roll - a basic roll filled with plump pieces of avocado. And Tamago Yaki ("sweet egg custard") delicious square-inch size slices of velvety custard. My friend loved her meal and we were both impressed with all the options. There was much more on the menu for a quartet of vegetarians to share. What made the meal even more enjoyable for me, while savoring my salmon, clams and scallops, was watching my pal's joyful reaction each time she tasted something new. It made that lunch very special indeed.
(5)
See X.
This place is overrated. The sushi's not bad but it's not THAT great. & it's pretty pricey. I've tried this place a couple of times but I'm just not wow'd by it. And it's always packed so make reservations.
(3)
Jessica S.
Did my taste buds take the night off? Supposedly the cream of the crop when it comes to sushi in the Twin Cities, but I was far from impressed with the sushi. We ordered 3 rolls (rainbow, caterpillar, and spicy salmon). All 3 rolls sure looked handsome, but I found the fish to be fairly tasteless and nearly undetectable leaving me feeling like I shelled out $15 a pop for white rice. For dessert, we ordered the only non-ice cream on the menu: turtle lava cake, a traditional Japanese sweet of course... Scanning the room that evening, this appeared to be a popular choice and for good reason. The most spectacular lava cake I've experienced, particularly in the Twin Cities. The cake was extremely moist and dense and soaked up the oozy chocolate and caramel sauce. Paired with a scoop of vanilla ice cream leads to perfection. This cake alone warrants another return to Origami, as the sushi sure doesn't. The space itself was intimate and relaxed. Unlike many other sushi restaurants, Origami doesn't strive for a trendy modern appeal as it has long ago won over locals for its top notch sushi (again, I disagree with this) and doesn't need sex appeal to earn its stay in the North Loop. We arrived around 7:30 on a Friday. The space is not very large with two very narrow dining areas, upstairs and downstairs. Expect to get cozy with your neighbors here.There were only 2 open tables, though there was some room at the sushi bar. Sidewalk seating was also available, but it seems like the summer nights are behind us for the year and the chill in the air forced me inside. Unfortunately, the a/c was still on high inside making the air just as undesirably cool (bring a jacket!). We were seated upstairs immediately. I think generally a party of 2 should not have a long wait, but larger parties may struggle a bit. Reservations are taken but only for parties of 5 (?) or more and limited to certain times of day. Service was very professional. Prices were expensive but standard for sushi. Origami has become somewhat of an institution from a foodie perspective. However, the sushi was tasteless and I've had far better at spots that many a sushi snobs would likely scoff at.
(3)
Kamil B.
I am a native Minnesotan who's been living outside MN for more than 10 years. I haven't had many chances to come back, but in 2012, I was able to attend one of my science conferences in downtown Minneapolis. Saturday night I was looking for some excellent sushi and stumbled across Origami. Didn't feel like waiting for a table, so I sat at the sushi bar. The tea and miso soup hit the spot. Loved the nigiri and sashimi, which were very fresh. The chef was very nice and the atmosphere was ultra chic. This a great place to start your evening right.
(5)
Rhett P.
I have sushi at least once week and I rely on yelp to guide me for the best Restaurants.. This was likely the least impressive sushi I have every had. I will try some where else next time. Crave is 100 times better!!
(1)
Harsimran B.
Awesome sushi.. Lomi lomi salad a must!
(4)
Susie A.
Went for dinner early enough to have the happy hour specials. Great value! Had both specials offered from the sushi bar and enjoyed them. $7.95 Sushi/Sashimi combo (spicy yellowtail- our choice) $7.95 Sushi bowl and Miso soup. Husbo loved his refreshing $6 Ichitini cocktail of sake, vodka and cucumber. In addition to the happy hour specials mentioned above I had the Japanese micro beer Hitachino Real Ginger Brew. Nice! We also ordered more sashimi: salmon and Amberjack. The Amberjack was pasty or gummy. Not pleasant. The salmon was good. For dessert I had the green tea ice cream wrapped in poundcake and tempura batter and fried. All I could taste was the oil. I wish I could remember what they called it. Husbo had the chocolate lava cake which was so bittersweet it took the saliva right out of our mouths. Our server was attentive and helpful and we liked our table on the main floor by the window. We got there right when it opened, which means we got to pick our table. Bad news is, with an empty restaurant I noticed they are in need of new chairs. The bottoms of the legs are wrapped in layers of black duct tape. Probably wouldn't have noticed if the tables were full...
(3)
Chad T.
If I was reviewing sushi places worldwide, I might give Origami 4 stars. But because it is excellent sushi and hands down the best place in Minneapolis I am giving it that extra bump. Fresh fish, great quality options, and if you're with someone who doesn't want raw fish there are other options like tempura or tonkatsu or udon/ramen options as well. Also, they have a great sake selection. I was surprised to see a yamahai nama genshu on the list (most places in NYC don't even have something like that) as well as a nigori junmai ginjo. I could stay here all afternoon just tasting the sake selection, all of which is available by the glass, 500 mL, or 720 mL bottles.
(5)
Rick G.
Great sushi, cool atmosphere, and excellent service. I've been all over, and Origami is a consistent performer.
(5)
Daniel O.
OK. So my review is a little tempered because: a) I didn't try any of the Japanese dishes, and b) I am rating this solely on the quality of the sushi. So we had the crunchy roll and a roll that was something like 9 Weeks Of Summer. Don't quote me on that one. I have been to SO MANY different sushi places around the country. I'm not kidding. I have had crunchy rolls from almost all of them and I have never had a crunchy roll like this one. This isn't a compliment. It wasn't very good. It didn't have any type of flavor or taste that I would normally enjoy in a sushi roll and I was very disappointed. Next up: 9 Weeks Of Summer (or something like that!). So this one was about a half step above the crunchy roll. It did have avocado and unagi and shrimp as well, but there wasn't really too much flavor. I was kind of taken aback because I was excited to try this 4 star sushi joint in downtown Minneapolis but clearly many people that come here either come for something different or they may have not tried high quality sushi before. I would give it more stars if it was less expensive due to the quality of the sushi. Oh yeah! We also had the miso soup. Very interesting. I wouldn't get it again honestly. It's too bad because there are so many times that I go into places like this one and I'm so excited to maybe find my new sushi place. I've had better, and it's not even close. Sorry, I try not to be so negative, the service is what bumped it up to 3 stars. Service: 5 stars Food: 3 stars Price: 1 star Ambience: 4 stars
(3)
Wendy B.
I have to give 3 stars. This fish was fresh, but it didn't appear to be at te right temperature...a little on the limp (not firm) side. Miso soup was comparable to the kind you would buy in a chinese supermarket that is 'instant'. People were pleasant. Bar was very tight and crowded---not a lot of elbow room. Locals rave aboutt this place.
(3)
Nue L.
Don't get me wrong, service was great but I was TREMENDOUSLY disappointed with the sushi. Granted it was fresh, but quite bland. I wouldn't come here again and I don't understand all the rave reviews.
(2)
Jeffrey O.
Slow service average sushi.
(3)
R E.
my husband and i are sushi fans. we have tried most of the places around here. this was the best one. highly recommend the sushis, the fish is great, very fresh
(5)
Ms. B.
HAPPY HOUR !!! okay, so i am from a city where sushi is always very good, so i have struggled in minneapolis. origami does a fantastic job with their specialty rolls and their sashimi. their fish is some of the best you ccan find in the middle of the country. however, we cannot all afford such things on a daily basis. that is why i go to their happy hour. i recommend the happy hour sushi bowl - you get some good cuts of several kinds of fish for very cheap ($6 or so). they have cheap appetizers as well. and some of the best sake around about half price during happy hour! it seems most complaints are about their service. sit upstairs in the bar - the servers there are fantastic (see, e.g., shari).
(5)
Jackie L.
I work in downtown Minneapolis, very close to Origami, so I've been here many times. Origami's sushi is consistently good and fresh, the best sushi I've had in the Twin Cities area. Gotta love the ancient brick warehouse it's housed in, too.
(5)
Morriss P.
A friend of mine in Boston recommended this as THE place to go for dinner while we at a conference in Minneapolis. So a group of four of us made reservations for a weeknight, and we ordered a delightful assortment of sushi recommended by our Origami veteran. I tried some varieties that I would never have otherwise, and none disappointed. If you come to Origami, be bold, and order sushi that is outside your comfort zone. You won't regret it! I had a terrific experience with good food, good drinks, and good friends. A fairly intimate venue, it was perfect for four, would be great as a date place, but I don't think good for a really large group.
(5)
JAZON L.
On the corner of a 4 way intersection this place can draw in a crowd. They have great sushi and it simply amazed me regarding the freshness of the fish and the presentation. We are talking about midwest sushi. The fish must be flown in daily b/c it compares with the likes of SF and Boston. Simply stunned that I was able to find not only a good but a GREAT sushi joint. Made my stay in Minny even more enjoyable. Well done.
(5)
Josh M.
3.5 stars. This is decent Sushi, not great, but good for the twin cities. It's right by the Federal Reserve Bank. Definitely worth a visit if you need a Sushi fix.
(3)
Kristi G.
Unfortunately, I was here on a bad date, but the restaurant, from the food to the service to even the prices, was well worth putting up with it for the short time that I was there. The service was spot on and very helpful. This restaurant boasts a lot of different types of sushi that are not normally found in other (at least local) sushi places in teh Twin Cities, and the servers were very knowledgeable in explaining each type. The service was prompt and very pleasant. The sushi - it was easily the best sushi that I have eaten in this country, with the exception of San Fran. Very innovative, but without deterring too far from the classic sushi style. Very fresh fish and many options for both die-hard sushi fans (or addicts, like me) as well as those just beginning to venture into that territory. They also had a wide variety of vegetarian sushi, for those still not comfortable or interested in fish sushi. Overall, I would rate this as a fantastic gem in the Twin Cities and an establishment that I would happily go to again and again. I have been told that their lunch specials are amazing, as well, so perhaps that will be my next time!
(5)
L. T.
Excellent sushi! All of the rolls were incredibly fresh. We went to Origami on a visit from SF and were very impressed.
(5)
sherzy b.
After being told this is "The place" in Minneapolis to get sushi we went to try it out. So, so disappointing. Fish was not fresh, presentation was lacking, service was lacking, ambiance was non-existent. But the check was not lacking, it was very over-priced. Go to Nami, you will be much happier.
(1)
Kelly S.
Excellent sushi in an ultra-cool setting. The prices, however, are sky high and especially so for any kind of libation.
(3)
Dizzle T.
What was i doing in Minnesota?! I'll get back to you when I find the answer... Well i had my doubts about this place, but after living off burgers and fries for the past 3 days, i would've eaten at Yo-Yo (see review below). Ok maybe not, but i was 'feenin for something other than the typical mid-west menu. I ordered a sushi platter for the heck of it, and was pleasantly surprised by the flavors and freshness of the fish. Nowhere near as good as Sasabune in Hawaii, but not everybody can have their fish flown in fresh from Japan. The lady-friend had the thin-sliced beef plate which was very tender and juicy. Ambience is dark and cozy. They have little notes and 'thank-yous' from famous people who've stopped by plastered all over the walls which is kinda cool (ah so Bruce Hornsby DID play the piano!) Service was a bit rough, but i think it was just our particular waitress who was serving the entire 2nd floor by herself. I got agitated when she didn't bring us any dishes for the soysauce/wasabi. But who can blame her being an african-american in a japanese restaurant in the middle of a predominantly caucasian state?!
(4)
T.S. M.
The atmosphere was enjoyable, the service was good, and the sushi is the best I have had in the Twin Cities to date.
(4)
Nate K.
Absolute best sushi in Minneapolis! This is MPLS first real sushi bar and it does everything well.
(5)
Nick K.
Nice atmosphere and friendly bartenders and servers. Great food, ordered so much don't remember what was ordered.
(4)
Mike G.
Not that inspiring, not that classic. I feel like you need to do one of those well. Ya know? This place had slightly unfresh, not well cut sushi. We had 4 rolls and loved none of them. The ginger was sliced too thick. I was however really impressed with their beer selection. I had a great white beer from Japan--totally great. I am sure there are some better spots in MSP for Sushi.
(2)
Jason K.
Enjoyed a late Sunday dinner with two friends at Origami and was incredibly happy with the meal! We sat at the sushi bar, so had the pleasure of watching the chefs work...and believe me when I say it was impressive to behold. Very courteous and knowledgeable, the chef handling our order served up a fantastic "chef's selection" of 30 pieces of sashimi, some of which I had never had before (which says something considering how much I love sushi)! The highlight of the 30-piece-chef's-selection had to be the Uni...but the sweet shrimp and good ol' Toro were a close 2nd and 3rd! Prices may be a little higher than some of the other sushi places in and around downtown, but I would still say it was worth every penny! If you love sushi, I'd definitely recommend Origami!
(4)
Lara B.
Origami has been consistently the best sushi restaurant in Minneapolis for years. When we lived in the warehouse district this was our Wednesday night. We even had a favorite server who always recommended items that weren't necessarily on the menu (see below). I'm also a fan of the Sushi Lunch. It's saved my waning attitude during nasty work days many a time. The atmosphere could stand to be updated, but the best place to be is at the sushi bar. When in Rome . . . Recommended: in addition to la carte sushi (pay close attention to the specials), start with the Aji Sashimi. It's presented beautifully; sliced thin with scallions and shaved daikon, arranged artfully on the posed, whole fish (hard to describe but trust me) and served with a light, tangy sauce on the side. Once you've finished the sashimi they take the fish away and flash fry it. It's nothing short of the best crispy fried goodness you have ever tried -- bones and all.
(4)
Ankit J.
If you happen to be a vegetarian but like trying different foods, this is the place to be. The age dashi tofu and futo maki are great. Do get the green tea.
(4)
Dee T.
I'd been on a bit of a sushi embargo, due to some disastrous encounters with rice-happy super-maki-making sushi chefs at various places around the country. But my first experience at Origami succeeded in turning me back on. I found everything very fresh and clean, simple and not over-constructed. I do believe that I have found my go-to sushi place in the cities!
(4)
Betty H.
This is the best place to get sashimi in town, The fish is so fresh and buttery.
(5)
Karina T.
totally legit sushi joint in downtown minneapolis. had unagi sushi, tuna & sockeye salmon sashimi, spicy tuna roll, great seaweed salad, miso soup had tasty mushrooms in it & a great plate of veggie tempura - all A+
(5)
nicole l.
Sushi is my new pizza! I crave it. This place is always consistantly delicious! I love the philly rolls! Salmon, Cream Cheese, Avacado, Wasabi, and some other delicious but not to crazy ingrediants.
(4)
Dainty P.
Great sushi! We went during happy hour so it was not ridiculously expensive!
(4)
Dan B.
This is it. If you are a sushi fiend, it just doesn't get better than this... at least within a few hundred miles. We have hit every sushi place in the cities, and keep coming back to Origami time and time again. I recommend sitting at the Sushi bar, as the experience is always rockin. The chefs are amazing and interact with you throughout your meal. The sushi is always right on, drinks are great, and the price is right in line with the quality.
(5)
Liz B.
It was just OK. Decor was nice. Food was good. But it was a little overpriced for me.
(3)
ty f.
Origami is another Japanese stand-by in Minneapolis, having been around almost as long as Kikugawa. Jin-san and A-san are the owner/chefs, and very cool guys. They usually man the Sushi bar, and you can BS with them all night without any hassle and they will feed you some of the best seafood you can get in a land-locked state. I wouldn't recommend going on a weekend, as they can get very very busy and nobody seems to be having any fun. And sundays, well, lets just say some people seem to be still recovering from Saturday when they roll into work (or down the stairs, what have you). The bar upstairs is very nice too, although the bartender/host they have up there can crap diamonds he's so uptight.
(4)
Victor M.
We went to Origami a few months ago and we had a great experience. Was a small group of us and we went to try the blow fish. It was a great experience the Sake with blowfish fine. Tasted baddddddddd but i forced it down to get the full experience. Every one in the group was pleased by the service. The bar had a large selection of things and the bar tender was very prompt and skill full. I have been to Origami in the past and i will continue to go. We ended up closing down the restaurant and even though we were way past closing they kept the place open for us and did not rush us. The only thing i noticed was the eel sauce is not as good as fuji ya in downtown saint paul. that location is still my all time favorite.
Takes Reservations : Yes Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Street, Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : No Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Classy Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Lisa M.
I'm still somewhat of a newbie to sushi, as evidenced by tonight's experience. I had read good reviews about this restaurant, so I thought I'd give it a try. Located in the old Market Hotel, built in 1867, this restaurant has character. There are two levels of dining--and we ended up on the 2nd floor. To begin, I ordered a Mango Coconut Chu-Hi (made with Japanese vodka and fruit puree). Highly recommend it. It even came with a fresh orchid. So pretty! For an appetizer, we had edamame. Yum! Then we ordered the Lava roll (really good!), and a couple samplers of the sushi. But instead of getting the Nigiri (with rice), we accidentally ordered the Sashimi (without rice). So basically, we ended up with raw pieces of meat--adventurous! But I don't think I'll try that again. Nigiri...that is the word to remember.
(3)Erica L.
Pretty tasty sushi at reasonable prices. There was one roll that didn't taste super-fresh though. The service also happened to not be so great on the night we went.
(3)Ken R.
For my wife's birthday, I called on Thursday to reserve a space for 16 people on Sunday night at 7:30; called Sunday at noon to let them know we were down to 14. Received a call on Saturday from a manager requesting we "pre-order" food or there could be massive delay's in getting dinner. Not sure what "pre-order" meant, but A) I said I couldn't possibly know what the guests would want to eat; B) I thought, you go to a sushi restaurant to get your food freshly made, and if a restaurant can't handle 14-16 orders on a Sunday night, then you need to address that issue internally. I understand if you're busy, things slow down a bit, but if you have the tables, you should be able to handle them. Dunno, maybe I'm stupid that way. With the exception of 2 people, everyone show up early, a few on time, the last 2 were about between 5-10 minutes late. Shortly after 8 we were asked if we wanted appetizers, though we were asked if we wanted drinks several times. Everyone ordered their meals. At some point between 9:30 & 9:45 the food arrived. As the plates were being put in front of us, the waitress asked us if we might want more food, as the kitchen was going to close. Obviously, who would know that? In the interim 2 guests cancelled their orders and left around 9. Some of the food was nice, some...not so nice. By that time, most everyone would have eaten anything; and maybe it's me, but what is the deal with $11-12 dollar glasses of house Chardonnay everywhere lately? At least fill the glass more than half way if you're going to gouge. Really disappointed.
(2)Ann P.
We loved Origami...fabulous. We arrived 10 PM Friday and were seated at a deuce near the sushi bar...fabulous miso soup that cured what ailed me (sick as a dog) then a special roll with jalapeño and avocado and yellowfin and cilantro..wow...the spicy tuna maki was lovely as was the veggie gyoza and the shrimp shimai (huge pieces of shrimp). Our server was great. We even had green tea ice cream. The meal plus a huge pot of lemon water soothed me and was a warm welcome to our first night in the twin cities. It's totally cold here..the cold is a very different cold as if the glaciers were above blasting icy air..going to explore and eat of course..loved Origami..
(5)Seppuk U.
GF and I were celebrating something recently and we decided to come here. Its been awhile since I sat at the sushi bar while eating here. This time when I plunked myself down in a chair a South American(I think) fellow was the fish ninja. This makes me suspicious. I can't help it. I've spent a good part of my adult life living in Japan and it makes me incredibly suspicious when non-Japanese are trying to pull off Japanese food. Maybe my paranoia in Mn stems from the fact so many Japanese restaurants have popped up in the last few years that just don't pull it off well. I started out by ordering all my fish in Japanese, to get a feel for the guy. Sushi 101 says if the chef doesn't know the Japanese names of the fish, he probably isn't very good. This guy didn't ask me to repeat, he didn't say "huh", and he got it right. Dude had skills. After the first round of orders, my suspicions were completely allayed. We got there for happy hour. I like happy hour. Cheaper stuff! Helped myself to beers, edamame, some cool sushi platter for my gal all for reduced price. yeah! With the chef proving himself to be skilled, I can still confidently say this is the best sushi joint in town. They have the best selection, high quality fish, and skilled people to put it all together. Now I remember why I fondly thought of this place while at a crap AYCE joint looking at a piece of fish about 1 mm thick with scales on it. We enjoyed ourselves so much here this night I happily went over my budget. Now, I dunno if Mazda will buy the "but the sushi was so good" excuse when I miss my next car payment, but I'll deal with that when it comes lol. We left Origami with very full stomachs and so satisfied street lights weren't needed in Minneapolis that night, we were glowing that happily.
(5)Scott S.
Do you see an ocean anywhere close by? Thank goodness for air travel, Japan, and delicious cuts of mouth-watering raw unadulterated sea creatures. For the twin-cities this is apparently the best place around. Good thing too. My "must have sushi" button gets pressed one or two times a week. Very tasty. Solid cuts of Hamachi, Kanpachi, Saba, Kohada, Hotate. All fresh and well balanced. Spicy tuna and Scallop hand rolls were good as well. The chefs are willing to make things to order. Spicy please! The rolls and nigiri were over-riced and need more "spicy" in the spicy tuna. Those are my only complaints. Everything else was balanced and flavorful. The green mussels, miso soup, takoyaki (close to osaka-style), and spider roll were also a hit. See you next time Origami.
(4)Cailin R.
This is an incredible date location. The sushi is delicious and very reasonably priced (for sushi). It's a great atmosphere, with a classy, hip crowd. This is the best sushi I have had off of one of the coasts. The atmosphere is a quiet busy. It's just the perfect level for a flowing conversation. The restaurant is set up to be intimate and cozy. It does a great job!
(5)Lea K.
I absolutely love this place for being as close to authentic Japanese food as you can get in MN.
(5)Paola M.
So when my BF abandoned me for a month of vacation in the old continent I decided to treat myself with a dinner here and decided I would have ordered all I wanted without looking at the price. I called a friend that likes sushi and is not worried about spending money and off we went. We shared the takoyaki and then I had the Aji Sashimi (spanish mekrel) and she had the Hamachi Kama (Yellow tail cheek). The Takoyaki were OK, the Aji was really good, and the bites I had from the Hamachi were Then we ordered some sushi including the Uni (tasted really creamy and fresh) the Ikura (always one of my favorites) and a couple of picks from the waitress. The waitress picks were really good and I kind of decided that from now on I'll entrust her with my choice. She knew which fish was freshest and gave suggestions based on what you usually like. Really appreciated! Given the quality of the food and the fact that we both ate quite a bit I expected to pay a lot for my indulgent dinner, but we ended up with a reasonable bill of about $30 including tip. Looking forward to go back!
(4)Amanda W.
I love Origami, but it's a bit pricey for my student budget at dinner time. An awesome way to get around that? Their sushi lunch! Since it's within walking distance of my office, my co-workers and I go here occasionally to treat ourselves. For under $15, you get five pieces of sushi ,a choice of either a spicy tuna or salmon roll, miso soup, and a salad. That's almost $10 less than their dinnertime price. Score! The sushi is so fresh and delicious-the best I've had in Minneapolis. When you order the sushi lunch, the five pieces that come are chef's choice, so you never know what you're going to get-just be assured that it's going to be good. I also love their miso soup-as others have said, the miso isn't cut into cubes, but strips, which is a little different. Delicious, though! The only slight negative is that sometimes they take a while to get your order out, which might be a problem if you only have a quick lunch break...in that case, I'd order the meal to-go, which is an option.
(4)Char L.
Service was SLOOOOOOOOW. It's a Monday night and the place wasn't even that busy, so I don't know why the food came out so painfully slow. Seaweed salad - tiny, crisp, with some cucumbers on the bottom. Very standard. Black cod - yuck. Meat was tough, didn't flake. Not much flavor. I don't think this was very fresh. California roll - crab meat didn't taste succulent. Actually, it was quite dry and bland. Avocado made up for the dryness. Sushi - no fishy smell. not impressed, but not bad.
(3)Michael L.
Wow! I never expected I would found the best sushi I have had in my life in a place furthest from the ocean as I have ever been, but here it is. Not really much to say beyond that. Not cheap, but reasonable for the quality, you will get what you pay for with the higher-priced rolls it seems. It's in an old brownstone kinda with small rooms so it's cozy and not much to look at maybe where you are sitting, but really can't complain with sushi like this. Yes, it's fusion not traditional, and as usual, most rolls have tempura something or other which I think masks the flavor of the ingredients but the ones we got did not and were very well-done fusion rolls highlighting the flavor of the fish. I have only been once but can't wait to go back and based on the hype I assume the place keeps a pretty good standard of quality. Place looks empty from the outside but it was not at all, parking on the street with meters not a problem.
(5)Moderate T.
We made reservations for my daughter's 19th birthday - 7 people. Even though we arrived exactly on time, and could see our table - right in front of the window - they kept us waiting in the foyer for a table for half an hour. I can only assume that having a few (sophisticated and well-dressed) teenagers in our party caused them to re-think our table location. Can't let the neighbors see teen-agers eating in our establishment - can we? I could see the hostess's horrified facial expression as we walked in the front door, as she kept looking back and forth from the window-side table to our party, and back again. After I asked for the third time when our table would be ready, they finally gave us an order of edamame to share - hard to eat when you're standing in a cramped foyer. The service was lackluster and less-than-welcoming, and several of the nigiri tasted stale. What a disappointment. Our family eats out frequently, knows "how to behave" in more upscale restaurants, and tips 20+% if the service is adequate. We'll NEVER return to this snobby, only so-so sushi place. Ichiban sushi bar, Saji-Ya and Fuji-Ya - here we come!
(2)Lauren D.
Easy parking and easy to find location. I ordered the udon and some sushi. I was surprised to hear people speaking Spanish behind the sushi bar. The sushi was good, but nothing phenonminal. Pricing was good and they had some nice deals going as well. I had a green tea, and noticed that it was a roasted rice green tea. It was okay, but I was expecting regular green tea, so I was a bit disappointed. Overall, not bad. I'd eat here again, but I'm not running back or making any reservations.
(3)Evva K.
Sashimi is extremely delicious and the maki rolls are well prepared. Definitely try the volcano roll! One of my favorites in Minneapolis but a little pricey. Parking can be a pain since it's in the warehouse district.
(4)Annie D.
I like this sushi so much that I am tempted to write in ALL CAPS. I'll spare you, but hopefully you still feel the enthused tone. As long as I can remember, Origami has been consistently the primo sushi in town. The fish is fresh, the chefs inventive, the service friendly and the atmosphere classy enough for a celebration, but casual enough for jeans. Also, happy hour and lunch specials. So, the first rule of sushi is to always eat at the sushi bar. The chef started us out with a complimentary little taste, a kind of brined tuna. It was aight, but not anything amazing. Luckily, everything else was incredible. Perfect seaweed salad and great spicy rolls. We ordered the Lava Roll (with tempura shrimp, yellowfin tuna, "lava sauce" and green onions), the special P-TNT Roll (yellowtail, spicy salmon inside, cilantro, spicy mayo, jalapeno and avocado... this was my favorite of the bunch) and the traditional Dynamite Roll... which was, dare I say, dyn-o-mite. Washed down with Oroyo white wine from Spain (intended to be paired with sushi.... I'm not in love with it but it is good), and we had ourselves a splurge-worthy fish feast. P.S. There are a bunch of autographed pictures from celebs who ate here. We sat next to Mariah Carey 1999, the year of "Heartbreaker" ( youtube.com/watch?v=UvdS… ).
(5)Christophe V.
This place isn't bad, but nothing special about the food. Typical sushi rolls with Lots of sauces. Prices are higher then they should be. Service was good.
(3)Mollee F.
Someone's got to review the non-sushi offerings at this sushi haven right? Might as well be me. I'm not a sushi fan, but my husband and friends are and since I like them so much, I willingly accompanied them to Origami for dinner. First off, they loved the sushi so it's true what most of the other reviewers are saying about it being among the best in the Twin Cities. I, being the non-sushi eater, ordered the Yuki Naki a wonderfully flavorful plate of sizzling rib-eye marinated in hibachi sauce and served with bean sprouts, broccoli and rice. Loved it. Even my husband couldn't keep his chopsticks out of the meat. It was so tender and delicious. I'd have no hesitation in going back for that alone. The chocolate lava cake was a popular dessert choice at our table and for good reason - it was like hot brownie batter - melt in your mouth amazing. I had the vanilla tempura ice cream (because you always order fried ice cream when it's on a menu). It was different and good. This place has a great ambiance with a number of rooms that keep the noise level low enough to actually hear the conversation at your table. Enjoyed looking at all the celebrity autographs lining the walls from the famous that have also loved Origami. Service was top notch. Servers were attentive without being intrusive which is perfect in my book. Overall, it was a great experience that I'll be happy to repeat.
(4)Sassy A.
Pick them, Pick them! This is top two in the USA, I have had sushi in NY, San Francisco, Long Beach, LA, Portland, BOston, and many other cities. The reasoning I apply to my rating are: Freshness, authenticity, waitstaff (professionalism and personality) and taste (including how the food is cooked). Origami has all 4, and I believe unlike some sushi places, offers it all day, not just around the peak hours. The drink list was pretty good, not mind blowing, but I don't necessarily expect that from a restaurant that serves great food. Price was right also, give them a try, you won't be disappointed.
(4)andy c.
this is my go to sushi place here in the twin cities. One thing i've noticed about origami is their staff. they are mostly japanese and love to share about their cuisine. my favorite is their mackerel appetizer, where they serve you the fish fileted and chopped with minced scallion. When you are done with sashimi, they take the fishbone back and then deep fry it up so you can eat the rest of it. They also serve seasonal soup. We ordered the eel soup with matsutaki(?) mushrooms and it was very clean brothy soup that was served in a cast iron tea kettle. I also enjoyed their various rolls. Their happy hour specials make a wonderful early dinner if you happen to be going downtown for an evening.
(5)Crysta P.
After weighing all of the options in the area and reading a pile of reviews, we decided to check out Origami for a quiet dinner for three while in town for the weekend. We were very happy we had. Our server was sweet and attentive, the food was fresh and delicious, and the variety was interesting. We enjoyed a wide variety of hand rolls and spent $30 per person including sharing a bottle of wine. Good sushi, good prices, pretty on par with what we have seen in other cities. We would visit again.
(4)Abby W.
If I could give 4.5 stars I would. My only complaints are pretty minor, but here's the rundown. I've been in town on business eating supermarket meals in the hotel kitchenette every night and getting awfully sick of rotisserie chicken. This place was walkable from the hotel and had high recommendations so I decided to carry on my normal tradition of Thursday night sushi even though I'm away from home. I ordered miso soup, chicken gyoza, a yellowtail scallion roll and a salmon roll as takeout. That is, once I finally got the right number for the place I was able to place my order- the number on their website and Yelp gives you a recorded message about the restaurant and says press 0 for a host, but when you do the call disconnects. I had to call their other location and ask for an alternate number: 612-333-4599 will route you straight to the host for those who have the same problem. The hostess said it should be about 15 minutes and when I made my way over the order was ready. They package hot and cold seperately, always a good sign. The food was pretty darn good but not perfect. The miso soup broth was delicious but there were about 3 pieces of seaweed, which is my favourite part, and it had strange strips of some kind of tofu rather than the silken cubes I'm used to seeing. Not a fan of that but it's probably more authentic. The bowl was really tiny, although I bet if you eat in it's much bigger with more seaweed, I think I saw some bowls being prepared at the sushi counter when I picked up. Also, $3 for miso soup means it better be the best damn miso soup out there, and it wasn't. The gyoza were tasty enough but a little cold when I got them home. The dipping sauce was pretty meh, not a ton of flavour and not spicy as indicated by the menu. The sushi rolls were great, though. The fish was nice big pieces, sliced cleanly, and very fresh. The rice and seaweed were just right, overall really good sushi rolls. I get the impression that they don't do a ton of takeout but they packaged everything up really well and included a little origami paper square with the chopsticks, a nice touch. The sushi box even had a little flower garnish in it. The total was $25, and I don't know what the deal is with the added 10% for takeout. never seen that before in my life but the company was paying so I didn't really care. All in all this would be my go-to place in Minneapolis for sushi and I'll come back again the next time I'm in town.
(4)Sarah W.
Best sushi in Minneapolis/Saint Paul. Bests Saji-Ya and Tiger Sushi handily. Comfortable, classy, clean atmosphere in a beautiful brick building. This is a place to to linger, to enjoy good drinks, to experience chef's suggestions; service is professional but not time-attentive.
(4)Darshy N.
I'm a sushi enthusiast, so I've been trolling every sushi restaurant in MSP. I'll probably go out on a limb here and say, that the quality of fish, the freshness, the standard, the uniqueness of the rolls are on the same level and on par with Morimoto in New York, except not in the pretentious meat packing district, not in a beautifully designed building and not in New York. But, it's good, down to earth, Minneapolis - The wait staff is attentive and friendly, the restaurant has a "small-town" fell but the food is out of this world good, really really good. I don't really get the ambiance of the place, but hopefully if you're going to a sushi restaurant you're more interested in the food, than the "look" and the "feel" They have happy hour every weekday Mon- Fri from 4-6:30, so go get smashed on those chuhai, these delicious tropical Japanese cocktails Check 'em out
(5)Allison B.
Sushi is one thing, but genuine Japanese cuisine is another. My best friend and I have create a challenge for ourselves. We are on a mission to find the greatest sushi in Minneapolis. Mt. Fuji and Wasabai top our current list. While mentioning this challenge to my mother, she told me a client of hers had rave reviews about this place. So, for my best friends birthday, I booked reservations. (Later we found out, because it was a Monday night, reservations were not needed. They would be, however, on a Friday or Saturday night.) I was unsure what to expect, but very excited. We met there and were greeted with an amazingly warm ambiance. I was blown away by the scenery. The place is on a very cozy corner and is quite small, with just over a dozen tables. The sushi bar is in back and then there are two small rows of tables. A couple booths, the rest table and chairs. It was lit by a few dim lights and candle lights! Just beautiful. The staff were all very welcoming and soft spoken. After we ordered drinks and seaweed salad, we wanted descriptions of nearly everything on the menu. Our server was very sweet and not only described what we wanted to hear, but gave us a bit of history of the cuisine as well. We ordered two sushi rolls and then a dish to share. The only little snag for me was the price. But, we had an app, two sushi rolls, two drinks each, and a dish to share. So, it was a lot of food. And, the service and atmosphere made it worth while. YUM. Not of caution. When you ask someone if they want Origami... specify that it is NOT a paper crane you are talking about.
(5)Joyce L.
4.5 stars For those of you who like sushi/sashimi, this is the place. I knew this place was for real when they brought out the warm towels right off the bat. I felt like we were back in SF dining at a quality Japanese restaurant. They had a pretty good selection and good service. It is pricey but it's worth the cost.
(4)Zehr S.
very mixed feelings about this place my 2 cents: 1) order sushi here, not ramen (the ramen is super salty and bad); comparatively speaking, sushi is a better choice 2) the fish I ordered from the menu happened to be NOT AVAILABLE i can expect that to happen, BUT the salad dressing is super SALTY too, this is a super salty place to promote selling drinks, I would guess :-) friendly people but OK food, but since it is Minneapolis, i guess you pass :-)
(3)Karen F.
OK, I have to downgrade origami for the xcruciating long, slow, laborious service. We waited (I am not exagerating) over a HOUR for our meal. We were so hungry (and had drank all our drinks) we ate soy sauce. The food when it did come was very fresh and tasty. I had an omikase platter (pricey!) and my friends ordered various specialty rolls that looked great. As a jaded out-of-town guest I was looking for a top-quality dining experience whil in Minneapolis. I would not recommend Origami. It simply took for-eh-ver to get our frikkin' food. Oh - and it was not cheap.
(2)Ben D.
Definitely a place that I would go back to, however I think I like the sushi at Sakura in St. Paul better. The ambiance here is fantastic, service is pretty good too! But the place is wayyyyyy too cramped for my taste. I can understand that they are busy, but when it is impossible to get up from your table because they are pushes so close together, that's usually a sign that there is an issue. In all honesty, the best time to go is during happy hour where they have some really good deals on drinks (which are generally overpriced anyways, but thus is downtown for you) and some appetizers. If you can find one, bring a coupon, you will be happy when the waiter comes with your bill if you love sushi as much as I do! :-)
(4)Danielle H.
So i went to Origami for lunch to celebrate my husband's birthday. We love sushi and the reviews for this place were phenomenal so I went for it. I wish my experience was as phenomenal as the reviews. All in all the food was good but the price left something to be desired and the service was sub par. Food: Miso soup was great with nice size chunks of seaweed and the sushi lunch was a perfect portion, very tasty! Price: Maybe I'm spoiled with all of the great restaurants on Nicollet Mall that offer the $10 lunch special for us downtown folk, I kind of wanted something like that but couldn't really find a good option. Service: I made a grave error apparently, I wasn't ready to order when the server came over the first time. This caused me to wait another 20 minutes before we had a chance to order, so 30 minutes into my restaurant experience we ordered food. After that things were good, not great, didn't get a drink refill, but not horrible.
(3)Dan S.
Good sushi, nice location, and a reasonable price. Sit at the bar to get better service and some freebies.
(4)Sakif F.
Happy hour is definitely worth it. Nice, cozy place to relax.
(4)Z K.
Best sushi in MN!
(5)Katherine M.
I live in the neighborhood, so after many times of walking by Origami and thinking "I really should try that place sometime," my husband and I finally made it there last week. We ordered an assortment of rolls, nigiri, gyoza, and ramen. The ramen was super salty and not my favorite, so I would definitely skip that next time, but everything else was amazing. The fish was very fresh and all of our rolls were quite tasty. The only one I didn't care much for was the sari roll - I would say it was pretty bland and just littered with waaaay too many tempura flakes. The other rolls we had and the nigiri were excellent! Our server was great too and very helpful when we were making our decisions. We will definitely be back!
(4)Tori M.
You know, I've always sort of overlooked Origami and the first couple of times I'd gone, I was fairly judgmental. But on Wednesday, I definitely changed my tune. I thoroughly enjoyed their happy hour; the chuhai was tasty and somewhat authentic. The tempura was so-so, but the sushi/sashimi platter was actually pretty awesome for being dirt cheap. Their takoyaki was also effing awesome and had lots of tako in it, with the perfect inside consistency to be comparable to the best I had in Osaka (takoyaki capital of the world) I also think they have the best inari in town. Inari is like my favoritest food ever and they put little bits of oshinko (pickles) in them. It's a refreshing change to just plain sushi rice - a little tart, a little crunchy. Why didn't I think of this before? The waitstaff is also, shockingly, Japanese. Most gringo sushi joints are just that... gringo-ful. But they really know their shit. I will be back, and not just for happi awaa.
(4)Ingrid C.
Charming restaurant near the water in Minneapolis. I was amused that we walked by the Fed on the way here (we walked from Loring Park!) I chatted with our waiter, Tomo (who is charming, by the way), and he informed me he's from Sendai... oops. Sorry man. Origami touts itself as having the best sushi in Minneapolis. I'm inclined to agree. I started with the Aji Sashimi - "Jack mackerel is delicate, mild and buttery tasting fish. Served whole, sashimi style with fresh grated ginger and scallions." They fail to mention that it is garnished with the whole skeletal remains of the fish (so you can see that the flesh was, indeed, from a fish). They fry it for you afterwards and you can eat it all... like fish chips! As I knew that I would be drinking afterwards, I had the una-ju (unagi, freshwater eel) over rice. Fatty and starchy. I hadn't had una-ju in a long time, and it hit the spot. It was a good portion, but I just wished there was more. Dessert was black sesame ice cream. I love black sesame anything. My tiny complaint? Our wait cards were actually directions for fun origami animals - except they ran out of origami paper! Bummer.
(4)Alayna C.
The bento's are tasty (especially the Unagi *tummy grumbles*), the tempura here is my favorite, but the sushi is phenominal. Expensive, but always amazingly fresh and very well presented. I love coming here, but sadly it's a little too expensive for me to be a regular.
(5)Angie P.
Yum!!! This place has some of the best sushi I've eaten in Minneapolis. If it were any fresher, I'd swear I was in Seattle! Some of it is a little pricey, but it is TOTALLY worth it. Oh man, I've been back twice and I fully intend to keep going back. I don't know what else to say about this place to convince you to try this place other than this: You know your favorite sushi place? Well Origami is very comparable to the place you like (unless it is a hole in the wall). The interior is fresh and suavely decorated and the waiters/waitresses are very nice and do a great job recommending sushi!
(4)Bautista R.
Went there during happy hour, got a seat right away. The sushi is not the best i have tasted but certainly good.
(4)Nick M.
I live in New England and want only fresh seafood. Here at Origami you have access not only to fresh, but quality seafood. I regularly dined here at the sushi bar while on business. I let the sushi chef prepare sashimi of his choosing: a good mix of salmon, assorted tuna and a few other selections of what was fresh that day. The Aji is Japanese mackerel and served sashimi, nice and buttery flavor. The hotate gai, mirugai, Tako, hon maguro and uni are exceptionally well prepared; the Japanese chef has excellent knife skills (the others are just average). The spicy tuna is wonderful, a favorite at all my sushi trips. For beer, I enjoyed the Hitachino Birds nest ale-- the white is the best by far. For cold sake, I liked the yaegaki nigori, then the yuki no bosha. Origami can do specialty rolls, but when sushi is this good quality I always go with sashimi. The Japanese chef knows how to cut the fish to bring out the best flavor and textures. Always is on the list when I'm in Minneapolis. World-class fish.
(5)Krista F.
Delicious. Love all of the (very fresh) sushi choices, the expertise and friendliness of our wait staff, the environment and location.
(4)Kelly S.
My boyfriend and I had a hankering for sushi the other night, so we popped into Origami on a recommendation from a co-worker. To say the least, we were impressed. We made it in time for the last few minutes of happy hour and got the benefit of some stellar drink prices (good, $3 beer) and their really reasonably priced HH sushi-sashimi combo ($8 for 3 pieces of sashimi and a 5-piece roll of sushi). Both the roll and the sashimi were delicious! It almost melted in my mouth. We also ordered sushi off the regularly priced menu (my boyfriend has a pretty serious appetite, especially when it comes to sushi) and were pleasantly suprised by the reasonable prices that came with the quality sushi. (Rainbow roll... YUMMM.) The atmosphere was perfect for a dinner date and the service was great. We'll definitely be going back!
(4)Jada M.
Best sushi in Minneapolis, they have a great menu and knowledgeable service. The dining room is small but if your looking for great sushi, check it out! Also, it is a little bit more expensive than others but worth it!
(5)Andrea B.
Great service!! The Never Ending Summer Roll and the Philly Ex roll were DELISH! Happy hour was wonderful- drinks and chefs choice for a small roll;) We will be back!
(4)Marc B.
Great downtown sushi restaurant. I vote it the best in the metro area, not as good as ones you will find in larger cities (NYC, San Fran), but still exceptional. Tasty, very fresh (sit at the bar if you can), and relatively affordable given the quantity, ambiance, and location. If you are ordering Sushi/Sashimi and can afford it, go with the chef's recommendations. It has never led me astray. Highly recommend as a date place or business lunch.
(5)Val B.
Fun fact: Origami is now serving fugu, otherwise known as puffer or blowfish, and is the only restaurant in Minnesota doing so. Not-As-Fun Fact: Fugu is not that tasty. But it's fun to try. I read about the fugu in Metro magazine and was intrigued. I invited boyfriend and a couple friends to come try it. For the unaware, fugu is a "dangerous" dish. If cut / prepared improperly, venom can taint the meat and cause an anaphylactic reaction. People even die from this! Fortunately, we Americans have the FDA and all imported fugu is incredibly safe. Additionally, any restaurant that servces fugu must have a special fugu chef. And then I read an article in Citypages that fugu is neither tasty nor fun, which I decided not to share with my friends. Still interested in the adventure, we went over to Origami on a Saturday night. The waiter didn't give us the fugu menu right away. We had to ask for it - so it felt even cooler. Though I'm guessing he perhaps just forgot about it. Primed with my details about fugu being gross, I suggested the fried fugu dish, since it was the least gross and most economical at $10.95. A healthy appetizer-sized portion arrived, and it was much more delicious than expected. Deep fried, we probably didn't get the entire experience, but it was fun nonetheless. Another item off the nonexistent bucket list! For sushi, we tried several special rolls - the lava roll, philly ex roll, 9.5 weeks roll, as well as a spicy tuna make and a dynamite make roll. The lava roll was good, but I recommend getting it "extra spicy" as we did. Without that, I'm not sure I'd call it a "lava" roll since it had a little heat but not much. The philly ex roll is DEEP FRIED. If you read my reviews, you'll know I have an affliction for fat - and this roll confirmed that. The cream cheese gets soft and gooey, with a crunchy oily outside. Yum. Everything else was great too, but not as comment-worthy as these. I complemented my meal with a glass of Oroyo, which according to the menu was "made for sushi." I'm not much of a white wine drinker, but I have to agree - it was slightly (but not too) sweet, and not dry. Boyfriend had the Riesling, and made fun of me for ordering the wine "made for sushi" but agreed it was great once he tried it. So there. If you're still reading this lengthy review, overall our food was awesome, adventurous, relaxing, and fun. I absolutely recommend Origami for small groups.
(4)amy r.
Best sushi everytime I go elsewhere I compare to the perfection of Origami so why go anywhere else!!!! I hear they are adding a resetaurant in uptown anyways YAY!
(5)Michael N.
Origami is some of the best sushi that I've had in the Twin Cities. They have one roll that incorporates green apples (can't remember the name; any help), which was fabulous. It was so nice/weird to have the crunch of the apple mixed in. Simply stated, there's a reason for all of the Diner's Choice awards that are displayed by the entrance. Their happy hour deal is good by sushi standards (although, Wakame's is better if you are down by Lake & Excelsior). The wait staff was incredibly helpful. As for ambience, it was a little bit lacking, but that is more a function of its space constraints. They do what they can with the space that they have. Note: While some people are casual in terms of attire, I would suggest nothing less than jeans and a button-down. Note 2: If you have a group of more than 4 or 5, this place is not the sushi establishment for you. Some of the other places in town are simply set up better for larger groups that Origami. Once again, this is a function of their space constraints.
(4)Sarah S.
Ok, I'll confess - I'm not a sushi connoisseur. I always like it well enough when I have it, but I don't get excited about it like some people do. I honestly can't differentiate very well between the different types of sushi rolls. I feel like I shouldn't admit that, but it's the truth. Anyway, we went for dinner here with a larger group and split a bunch of different rolls. They all tasted very fresh, and were all equally acceptable (here's the part where if I liked sushi I'd gush about something specific I loved) and I scarfed down many different types without complaint. As always with sushi, I just liked it, didn't love it...and personally, I feel sushi is too pricey if you only like it, not love it. (Not a comment on the prices at Origami specifically, just in general for sushi places.) In sum: I had my annual fill of sushi. It was ok, and fresher tasting than many other sushi places I've been however it didn't change my feelings about sushi from like to love. I did have some kind of Japanese-vodka-mango-juice cocktail which was quite delish though...
(4)Dima M.
Went here in search for a sushi place I can default to when the need arises. Being around the corner from me, made this place a prime candidate. The quality was OK, the price was OK, but they just didn't have the variety I look for at a sushi place. The service was just OK. For the price, I'd except better than average quality, variety, and service. I usually rate sushi places not by the fancy rolls they have, but by the basic ones, you know, the spicy tuna roll and the Philadelphia roll. If you fail at these, you don't have a good chance with me. Not to say this place failed, but it was average. Again, for the price, I expect better. What I don't get is why this place is always super full and busy. But after living here for a few months, I can see it's because of the lack of other options. That's unfortunate, because living in downtown, I should have way more options. All in all, if I'm desperate, I may order from here, but if I'm not, this is certainly not my go-to sushi place. I'd rather drive a little to go somewhere, than to walk the two blocks here.
(2)Dean M.
Excellent Sushi! We had 4 different Special Sushi Rolls and each were very fresh and great tasting. We also tried some Big Eye Tuna and it was melt in your mouth good. I highly recommend this place if you are looking for sushi in Minneapolis. The only detractor was the service was a little slow and inattentive but the food was great!
(4)Carolyn A.
I think Origami is the best sushi in the Twin Cities. While pricier than other sushi options, I think the cost is well worth it. A fabulous secret about Origami is the happy hour. It's from 5-6:30 EVERY DAY and it's complete with $3.50 glasses of wine, appetizers under $5 (including $4 for shrimp shumai or gyoza), and a special sushi combo where you get 3 pieces of sashimi and either a spicy tuna, spicy salmon or spicy yellowtail (the rolls are pretty big) for $7.00. What a steal it all is!!! Another tip is, after 5PM, there's a lot across the street for parking so you don't have to deal with the crazy meters until 10PM.
(4)Keith S.
I was pleased. Went last night after checking around for the best HH deals. This place had $4 house glass wines (red + white) and $3 beers. $4 small plates (including edamame, shrimp dumplings). And three sushi deals (although their "normal priced" sushi rolls weren't astronomical). I ordered the sushi deal where it was your choice of 3 spicy rolls + chef's choice of sashimi (3 cuts), which last night was sea bass. That was only $7 Origami is apparently the only place in MN able to sell the Japanese Fugu (blowfish) where it is poisonous if not cut correctly. They made it clear on the menu that none of the fugu they sell has any poison to begin with, but very cool literature to read when first sitting down. Nice little place. Decorated nicely and I thought the chopsticks presentation was a nice touch -- everywhere you go you get the same chopsticks, in the paper sleeve, but here they are out, resting in a folded piece of paper branded with the restaurant logo. We had very attentive and knowledgeable service. We pinged her with a couple of recommends and she did a nice job explaining the differences and providing us with her recommendation. I'd definitely go back.
(4)Gen L.
Ah, Origami. How I love thee. More reserved then the other sushi spots in Minne. Not trying to be hip but keeps it fresh with their specials. Cannot go wrong with a sake flight and a few rolls! As a Seattleite, my hunt for the best seafood in the Twin Cities has taken me here a few times and the verdict is that this ranks as one of the best!!! Grab a few friends or a significant other and take them here. You will not be disappointed.
(4)Jess L.
I went to Origami yeaaaars ago with a couple of friends, back when I wasn't into real sushi (read: I used to eat a lot of grocery store California rolls). I have since changed my ways. :) I seriously drive past this place every day on my way home from work. The 5-6:30 Happy Hour sign has been taunting me for months! The boyfriend and I finally went after work today for some HH action. We were seated right away, which was nice. The hostess took good care of us, giving us water and menus right away. Our server came over and took our order fairly quickly, which was nice. I ordered the spicy tuna roll, the boyfriend, the yellowtail (fin?) roll, both of which came with three cuts of 'chef's choice sashimi' for $7. Nice! The rolls came out fast, but they were the wrong rolls. I got a yellow(whatever) and he got salmon. The server wasn't even sure what she had ordered for us, or, in fact, what she had given us. Based on the menu choices, we sussed out that he had salmon, and guessed on the yellow fish. We both really like all of the tasty fishes, so we didn't care that much. We ate, and it was delicious. The salmon was to DIE for, and I'm certainly ordering that next time. Salmon was also one of the 'random' cuts of sashimi. Delish! After the rolls and sashimi, I ordered the chicken gyoza, him, the octopus dumplings. This round of food took a while, but it was really good. I have a LOT of texture issues, so I had never eaten octopus. I tried one of the dumplings and was NOT impressed, but it certainly wasn't the chef's fault that I don't like squishy things. :P I would have to say the only complaint is the fact that the server walked past our table about fifteen times before picking up the bill with money in it, and it took her about five minutes to run the cards. Other than that, it was a nice little treat, and a lot of fun. I can't wait to do it again!
(4)Simon S.
The "best" sushi in Minneapolis (considered by many locals) is very mediocre. There's gotta be better places than this. Don't get me wrong, I came with a very open mind, knowing already that there was no Japanese characters on the menu, and rolls that screams fusion at you. But boy oh boy, we walk in to the bar seating and I'm pretty much the only Asian person dining in the place, crap. I ordered various nigiri pieces; starting with the toro and hamachi was OK, but things just went way south afterward. Tamago tasted like egg powder, Ikura came out of a Styrofoam bowl labeled "Ikura" and way too salty, and Mackerel/Saba that was so dry and salty, to name a few. The spicy salmon and tuna rolls that my friend ordered tasted like a salad roll, an interesting way to make it, but I was a little disappointed with the misnomer. Overall, in addition with poor service, very mediocre to reiterate, especially when the best tasting thing of the meal is the Calpico and the cream puffs w/pineapple. I do applaud the Peruvian (I think) sushi chef for trying hard though.
(2)Trou D.
Arrived at Origami with a friend from Denver and we were seated immediately at the sushi bar next to this guy who was on his phone jabbering on about work stuff ....on a Friday night ...reeally! He was lame, however, our sashimi was fresh, well prepared and beautifully displayed for us. Unfortunately we weren't able to take in the atmosphere give the cellphone dude that spoke loud enough to cover anything in ear-shot
(4)Cameron K.
So my fiancee and I live SF and planned a magical weekend with her sister from rural Wisconsin. The sister wanted sushi; our Facebook friends intimated that Minneapolis was more of a burger and beer kinda place. Origami proved our friends wrong. Although Origami is quite expensive for the quality (even relative to Cali) it is tasty and has a funky aesthetic. If I had a craving for sushi while in Minneapolis I would totally return.
(4)Bo T.
You got to love a place that has Happy Hour all week long. Origami is a regular stop for me. One of the draw backs of not being close to the sea is that some times your fish isn't the freshes, but I've yet to be disappointed at Origami. Over the years, I've seen many a place with trendy sushi offering crazy rolls, but somehow that just doesn't do it for me. I like fresh fish with just great rice that is cooked properly - and Origami gets it right. I also love their hamachi kama - just a great piece of yellowtail collar cooked to perfection with grated daikon. Have it with a bowl of good sushi rice and you're set. Delicious!
(4)Elijah C.
I came for the happy hour but wasn't super impressed with the value. It's worth it to get a couple bucks off your drink, but what is still making me give it 5 stars was simply the sushi, specifically the hamachi nigiri, which I ordered separately off the ala cart menu. It was simply a thing of beauty. I would recommend skipping the happy hour food and go straight for the good stuff!
(5)Ronnie G.
I recently moved from Southern California. Currently, I am in search of creamy Korean Soondubu, delicious pho (Pho 79), authentic dim sum (Mandarin Kitchen), and most importantly, fresh sushi that doesn't cost me an arm. Fresh sushi was readily available in So Cal. From Shibucho ($30 a pop) to Urasawa ($300+ a pop), we had some amazing sushi. Moving to the midwest, I dreaded what mid west sushi would taste like. Luckily, we found Origami. We've went to a few places like Fuji-Ya and Midori's but Origami is our pick so far. Here's why. We approached Origami with hesitation, waiting to be wowed. We arrived and was greeted warmly by the hostess during a slower lunch. We sat at the bar, where we would get the best interaction with our itamae chef. He initiated our conversation and we were talking to an old friend fifteen minutes into our meal. I asked him what was fresh and he said almost everything, since it was winter and fish were fresh and plump. I knew this to be true. We ordered some of the most traditional things we enjoyed back west. -Aji Sashimi: Spanish Mackerel. This was our favorite dish of the meal.Our itamae masterfully prepared a young fish and fileted it beautifully. Later the bones were sent back for frying and came back well fried, not too oily and very crispy. rating: 9/10 - Takoyaki: Definitely not sushi but I crave Takoyaki ever since I had some in Oahu on a corner shop. They came out absolutely perfect. Well fried, still gooey on the inside with tender Octopus. I was definitely excited to find a local spot that served japanese Takoyaki. rating: 8/10 - Oysters: We ordered Four oysters, hoping they would taste as creamy as the ones from Neptune's in Boston. While they didn't match the freshness of the coasts, they were done great, with a slight hint of ponzu, grated radish and ginger. Very taste. rating: 7/10. - Amaebi: Raw sweet shrimp. This was the true test of freshness. A sushi restaurant risks a lot putting this dish on the menu. If the ebi is out too long, it becomes mushi and horrible tasting (Midori's is now blacklisted for this very reason). Origami didn't disappoint. The amaebi was sweet and flesh was slightly crunchy. The heads arrived, well fried and crunchy in a different manner. rating: 8/10 We also ordered our standard nigiri (tuna, albacore, etc.) and all of it was well prepared and tasty fresh. Origami is now our go to spot for Fresh sushi. We'll definitely be returning monthly.
(4)Halie S.
As a visitor from Southern California where sushi is abundant and fresh I decided to try out sushi in this land-locked state. I saw a few places that this place is the best sushi Minneapolis has to offer. It was ok, but no comparison to any place in SoCal. The sashimi was just ok, the rolls were very loose and not uniform, a little sloppy - but it all tasted fine. I haven't been to other sushi bars in MN so I can't compare locally. I would say this place was fine but not on my top list by any means.
(3)Matt E.
Amazing sushi from chefs that know what they are doing. Wait staff (we had Antonio) was extremely nice, cool, and helped us pick out good sushi and sashimi. The only downside to the entire night was the Uni because I was not expecting it to be what it was. My bad. I got a coke out of it though and we got an excellent desert too. The atmosphere seemed to be modern classy. The music was really interesting there as well. Not what I'd expect, but very good and strangely fitting.
(5)Peter C.
Sushi in the midwest? Yeah I was skeptical. This place sets the record straight though. We live in a globalized economy and there is no reason NOT to enjoy a large selection of super-quality fish and other treats. Come early on Fridays and weekends or be prepared to wait a bit as they do not take reservations. A seat at the sushi bar pretty much guarantees excellent service and quick preparations - though to take advantage of the happy hour sit at a table or the bar upstairs. Some Favorites: All the stuff out of the kitchen is yummy (appetizers and hot dishes et al.), but my favorite so far is the Agedashi Tofu; they prepare and serve it in a lovely bowl resting in a thin sauce that is totally amazing. Tekka Maki - Simple, yet a chef favorite and so delicious. Negihama Maki - Hamachi and Scallions rolled together, oh yeah. PTNT Roll - A new addition and a fun twist on the ubiquitous 'spicy' roll that combines hamachi with a smattering of goodies and gets its burn from jalapeños instead of bottled chili sauce. Uni - Like, seriously. They bring it in from CA, where I got my Sushi chops and it is amazing, though not always available. Sashimi Appetizer - Probably the best deal on the menu at 9 generously sliced pieces of fish (3 each of 3, and you pick 'em) for under 20.00. Hankering for it yet?
(4)Andrew P.
OMG - best (by far) sushi in the Twin Cities - expensive, but I will be back. We went to a political event on New Years Eve, and then went there on a whim to get something to eat - the chef gave us a marvelous meal with Hon Toro and Bachi Toro (oily tuna varieties) - melt in your mouth, like eating butter. Have not had sushi this good outside of Japan. They do have Fugu on occasion, and I would like to get some, even though it will not be still twitching as they serve it in Japan.
(5)Hina K.
Simply the best sushi in Minneapolis. The texture of the sashimi always is supple and buttery soft. What to order? The question is - how do you narrow down your choices? I always start off with a cosmo here because it's not exorbitantly sweet - it's refreshing and complements what I order here. Some of the fave rolls are the Sari roll & NY NY roll. You can't go wrong with the basics, and if you don't feel adventurous, I would order the caterpillar, spicy tuna, Philly, etc. For sashimi, I usually order the aji - After eating the sashimi, send back the rest of the fish to get it fried in the back. It's quite delish. The usual sashimi/nigiri is always fresh here - my recommendations include: sake, toro, bincho toro, hamachi, and my fave - hotate. When I'm feeling adventurous I order the uni, and if I can handle it mentally, I order wasabi tobiko to really cleanse the palate. Once I ordered the wasabi tobiko for a friend, and he literally cried in front of me. His eyes were tearing up, he was clutching the table, and afterwards he held his head in his hands for two minutes. I thought he was going to die in front of me. Maybe he was being dramatic, but i like a dramatic ending after every meal. ;) If you are someone who does not prefer to eat raw fish, not to worry. The chicken teriyaki here is amaze-balls! No joke. it's unusually fresh and light - no excess greasiness so you don't feel like you are walking out of a cheap Chinese buffet. The teriyaki sauce is what makes the dish a winner. For dessert, I order mochi or tempura fried ice cream with ginger ice cream as my flavor of choice.
(5)Nathan L.
I don't doubt that this is the best I am going to find in this land locked state but it still doesn't compare to what is out west. I know it isn't fair to compare this to places that can actually go out and catch their own fish that day, but this is my party and I'll cry if I want to. We tried quite a few including the dynamite, crunchy, philly, sari rolls and a couple pieces of bluefin nagiri. It was all fresh and tasted good but it just didn't wow me. My favorite was the sari roll with the dynamite in a close second. And how can you go wrong with a couple pieces of bluefin... I will say there will be a next time and I would like to try the tempura ice cream and a few more rolls. All in all the best I'll find in a few hundred mile radius I'm guessing and I'm alright with it.
(4)Jennifer W.
I went here on a Saturday night for dinner and was seated right away. It happened to be before 6:30 so we managed to order drinks and an appetizer off the happy hour menu (not available at the sushi bar by the way) I was hoping the inside would be a little more intimate and swank, you know dim the lights, set the mood ha! Overall it was nicely decorated. When I go out to sushi I'm always looking for something different and they had this NY NY roll, which had crab, green apple, and tempura flakes- it delivered, especially with the wasabi it had the hot sweet thing going on- fantastic. We also ordered a lava roll and a caterpillar roll, both were fresh and tasty. Overall it was good- however it still didn't compare to the sushi I've been spoiled with in SoCal and Hawaii!
(4)Sarah Y.
Went here for dinner one night with some family. It seems that no matter what you're going to have to pay for parking in downtown Minneapolis. Luckily there were some metered spots right next to Origami. I strictly went to have sushi/sashimi that night so we ordered sea urchin roe, caterpillar roll, 9 1/2 weeks roll, lava roll, and the sashimi platter. The sea urchin roe was horrible. It was definitely not fresh because it had a strong fishy flavor even with a quirt of lemon juice. The roe sacks were also overly handled to the point where they were just blobs. The caterpillar was good, it's a classic staple. I did enjoy the creativity of the 9 1/2 weeks and lava roll. They were both delicious but the 9 1/2 weeks was my favorite. The sashimi platter was quite fresh and yummy. I remember there being salmon, ahi, red snapper and some other fish. It was a quaint little restaurant with good service that I would go back to.
(4)Liz L.
I was here for work from Chicago and I was really not impressed. Everyone from the concierge to the local people I knew were raving about this place, so I went and I was a little disappointed. Nothing seemed really fresh and as a reviewer before me, all the rolls seemed very very sloppy, un-uniformed and not tightly wrapped. It tasted OK but the flavours were all a bit off. I can't even say I had a faviourite as all of the sushi we had was a bit average. The service however was great! Everyone from the Hostess to the Servers were excellent very friendly and welcoming, I just wish the food was better. The prices were fair and the atmosphere was really great I loved the building that it was in...it is 2 story and very rusticy...I have had better in Chicago and out west. I know there are better place in MN I just need to find them.
(3)No One I.
Came in here on a Friday night when we saw it had a patio so decided to try it. They didn't have any beers on tap, so when we ordered a bottled beer & it was warm it was a disappointment. The patio is very average & our waitress was really awkward. The food was good but not worth the $100 bill that came with it. Probably will not be returning.
(2)Jill H.
Ehhh.. If this is what the twin cities have to offer for "best sushi" in town then I'm very sorry. I took my boyfriend here for his birthday and while we did enjoy ourselves the portions were small and the food was nothing to rave about. The salad that came with my bf's meal tasted like dirt. Did they even rinse the lettuce? It was disgusting. The miso soup was ok, a little sour and almost lukewarm by the time it got to our table. I had the nabeyaki udon and it wasn't anything special. Small amount of udon noodles and an ok broth. The sushi! We both shared the lava and caterpillars rolls. Each roll was about $16-17 for 8 pieces. Lets just say I wasn't impressed with the sushi. For that price and for being known as the best sushi in minneapolis I was expecting amazing sushi. Please don't come here for the sushi. Overall the place has a nice decor with the restaurant spanning three floors (small space, mind you). I thought this was a nice (and lucky) touch to the restaurant similar to Japanese homes. Anyway our waitress was nice and not too pushy or annoying. I give it a 3 stars and won't be going back.
(3)Neal E.
We had a group dinner here one evening for six - we had a reservation upstairs. We asked that the chef surprise us and ordered several platters of sashimi with whatever the chef wanted to give us. We started with Miso Soup - then came the fish: Hon Maguro (Bluefin Tuna), Maguro Toro (Maguro Toro), Maguro Mebachi (Bigeye Tuna), Ama Ebi (Raw Sweet Shrimp), Hamachi (Yellow Tail), Saba (Mackerel), Hotate (Raw Scallop), Spider rolls, and some other stuff that did not appear on the menu and I am not sure just what the heck it was called - some sort of liver - sort of like Foie Gras. I was not thrilled with the flavor of the liver - but I tried it. The Wasabi was incendiary - just the way I like it. We were drinking Sapporo (22 oz silver cans). Service was very good and friendly.
(4)Greg N.
Surprisingly good sushi for MN! I've eaten here twice, thanks to Yelp and haven't been disappointed. Tonight I had miso, a hot sake, a cold Kirin Ichiban beer (my fave Japanese beer), takoyaki (very yummy) and some blue fin that was spectacular. I also had a rainbow roll, very good! In my limited experience, it doesn't get much better than this in MN!
(4)Trin N.
Great HH menu...and it's till 630! Try the Honey green tea cocktail. Bourbon flavoured but light and refreshing.
(4)Ryan L.
Maybe I've become spoiled with my east coast seafood but this place wasn't fresh at all. Everything had that super fishy taste of sitting out. Not a huge fan.
(2)Amigo L.
Love the grilled squid and grilled fish
(4)P X.
After a few fun happy hours at Oragami and with an empty belly, I ordered up some take-out lunch from the Japanese restaurant. I called at 1:20 and asked to place an order, and was met with hesitation because the restaurant stops taking to-go orders at 1:30.....which I was within on the time front and annoyed that the hostess seemed put-out by the request. Strike one Oragami! I arrived at the restaurant 15 minutes later and began an exhausting search for short-term parking so I could grab my order. After locating a spot, I ran into the restaurant to pick-up my order and was shocked to discover that they added a 10% tip to all take-out orders! Um, what?!?! A pretty high tip for no service and having been talked into selling me sushi (plus, I had no idea that this hidden cost was included in my order!). I decided to go home and enjoy my sushi, it was just too hot to argue, and was super bummed to discover that my order was wrong. Overall bust. I doubt that I will be stopping by again.....
(2)Robert B.
The place was very good several years ago; but was there last month and I would never go back. The service was slow, the saki was room temperature rather then ice cold and the sushi was mediocore; sushi rolls were all rice. If this is still rated the best, then go have a steak
(1)Ella R.
Great sushi in the Twin Cities. I was impressed with how FRESH everything was. (I suppose that's something you should expect at a sushi place) The Lava Roll was excellent if you like things a little spicy! Parking was easy and there wasn't a wait on a Friday night.
(4)Sa S.
I'm a bit.. wait, actually, a lot biased because I know some of the chefs here but I still think this is the best sushi joint in TC. I don't understand how it's possible to serve such fresh sushi in Minneapolis, but they sure do it without a fail. I'm not a big sushi eater, but I like Sari Roll and Negihama. What I usually order here are more traditional things like Tonjiru, Hamachi Kama and Halibut cheek. I just checked the menu online and didn't see Halibut cheek - I hope they still serve it! Since I no longer live in TC, my review may not be up to date, but I know those chefs are hard working guys who love great food (and greak sake, hehe), and they are on constant search for creative and authentic menu.
(5)Steve B.
Great sushi, intimate location, couldn't stop ordering. Friendly service, delicious sushi, relaxed upscale environment, expensive bill.
(4)C J.
My favorite sushi place in the Twin Cities. Seaweed salad is very good. Sit and the sushi bar for a greater experience.
(4)Warren C.
Hard to place. I guess it's got a little bit of everything. Very interesting architecture as the restaurant is about four stories tall, but not very big. Lots of memorabilia on the wall for you to look at. It's definitely crowded, so you should think about making a reservation, which is almost a necessity if you're thinking about seating more than a party of four. The one stand out here has to be the service, which is absolutely top notch. They skipped us on the waiting list (increasing our wait by another 15 minutes), but were very apologetic about it and offered a free round of drinks to our party of seven. In fact, 3 different people came to apologize to us which was very thoughtful of them. So being the perennial drunks that we are, we took up their offer to get a few more sake drinks down. I was divided on the food. On one hand, there were some outstanding sushi rolls and sashimi cuts, especially on the more exotic items. On the other hand, some of the more common rolls weren't done very well at all. I ordered the Deluxe Sushi plate ($27), and it came with like 10 different sushi pieces and another small roll. All things considered, I felt it was slightly more pricey than it should've been (judging solely on food alone). As for verifying authenticity, I don't believe sushi in America has very many ties to its counterpart in Japan. It's under it's own brand. But here at Origami, you'll find a nice blend of very traditional Japanese folks as well as more assimilated staff. It's got a little bit of everything. Our server refused to split our bill at the end, which was kind of lame. Other than that, terrific service, some good food, and a unique location.
(3)Erin P.
Best sushi in the city in my opinion. Always super fresh, super delicious, and just on point with everything I have had here. It's rather small, so keep that in mind. There is a cheap parking lot next to this place if you can't find street parking, so that has never been an issue for me. I would recommend this spot to any sushi lover in the city!
(5)Camille L.
This place has the best sushi for the best price and a chic and modern decor! I typically get the same type of rolls every time I come here: Spicy Tuna or Salmon, Caterpillar, Philly, and Spider rolls. The Yellow Tail and Shrimp Tempura rolls are excellent as well. These are some of the best ones in my opinion! There is an Origami in Ridgedale mall too for those of you who are suburbanites like me. If I want good sushi I would come here over Fuji-Ya and Nami since the prices are better (I do like those two places as well though)! The only downside is that service can be a bit slow with a big group on Friday/Saturday night.
(4)Karman L.
SUPER SUPER GOOD!!! I came here for lunch...I had the sashimi and tempura bento box for $16! It was sooooooooo good, fish was fresh and great portion. It also came with this octopus salad! They also gave us fresh pineapple as refreshment! Good deal! I'm coming back tomorrow to try their speciality rolls. Awesome that this is right next to my work! Update on 9/26 - I came back here for lunch...since I had a meeting at 1pm...I just ordered a maki roll to go...I was quite surprise that they charged 10% service charge automatically??? I never really experience that. That's why I'm downgrading this to 4 stars...
(4)Siobhan W.
I love the charming little look of the place. It certainly would be a nice little spot for a romantic date. Very cozy and lovely interior in a cute historical building. My friend and I were sent up to their second floor. It's a sliver of space with a few tables or seating at the bar. It wasn't quite that busy, so our waiter was quite attentive in tending to our needs. For an appetizer, we ordered a sashimi plate which was delicious and really quite fresh! yay! I'm always hunting for unagi-don in Minneapolis, a rare thing to find in the mid-west, and so I was delighted to find it at Origami. Sadly, it didn't fulfill my taste buds. It's not the restaurant's fault I suppose. I have this problem at every sushi place in town. Due to the fact we are located in the mid-west, far far away from the ocean...it results in fish that just isn't as fresh, rich and tasty as I'm used to. The unagi was thin and dry, which is SO sad...it should have been tender, thick, succulent and bursting with fierce flavor. Oh god, I really miss the REAL thing...I'm tellin' ya, unagi is just divine if it's fresh and prepared properly. People in the mid-west are missing out. Despite being disappointed by the main course, I do like the atmosphere and the excellent service. My expectations for unagi is really high, but I'm sure the other fish items on the menu would probably have been fine. And compared to some other rotten Japanese places I've been to in Minneapolis, Origami is by far a much much better choice. For those who are yet uninitiated in Japanese cuisine, I definitely would recommend Origami to try out for your first Japanese restaurant experience.
(3)Mandy C.
I adore Origami! Hands down the best sushi and also the best experience. I have been here countless times and every time is still like that first time "wow" feeling. This last visit, I sat at the sushi bar. If you want a true sushi experience here, I recommend you do this! The sushi chefs were so adorable with such infectious laughter that I couldn't help but laugh with them. We shared the Sushi Deluxe for roughly $28 which was a good value! It comes with choice of soup and salad - both good. The entree came with many different pieces of fish (chefs choice) - nigiri style. Our chef gave us a delicious array of fresh fish (even Octopus)! You also get your choice of a tuna, salmon or spicy tuna roll - I chose spicy tuna of course. In addition to the Sushi Deluxe we also ordered the P-TNT roll (I like other rolls more here). This was the perfect amount of food for two people. Origami is one of the most awesome sushi restaurants around and could compete nationwide. Side note: I felt self-conscious going in here after I had been out running down by the river but none of their staff ever even gave me second look which made me love them even more!
(5)Dana B.
LOVE this place. I go with family every time I'm back in town. We almost always have the same server, and he's knowledgeable and very friendly. The happy hour prices are nice if you're not an actual sushi fan, otherwise there isn't too much raw fish on the HH menu. It does feature a tempura plate, a small roll/sashimi combo, and a chicken and beef teriyaki plate. It also offers the octopus salad which is AMAZING. I tend to avoid the speciality rolls and stick to sashimi platters, but it's always helpful to eye what other diners are eating and ask the waiter if you see something that looks good. Or ask for suggestions based on what you like. FYI - Seating is upstairs or downstairs, and both are nice, but the bathrooms are on the 2nd floor.
(5)Josh L.
I really miss this place. Absolutely the best sushi place in the twin city area and no other Japanese restaurant in the area comes even close. I am saying this after trying most if not all recommended sushi restaurants/bars in the metro area. I had been going to origami 3-5 times a month for 3+ years and I will try to summarize my thoughts about this place below. 1. The location is next to the federal reserve bank, so if you work in downtown or live around U of M, its probably within walking distance (within 30 minutes walking). 2. The place is not very fancy when it comes to inner decoration compared to other places like morimoto or nobu, but is still very comfortable to dine in and good for party. 3. The chefs are very, very attentive and friendly. Unless you want to take advantage of their happy hour menu which is only available for dining at tables, I'd suggest you sit at the bar (to watch the chefs making sushi, ask for specials, and get free appetizer teaser and after dinner fruit :-) 4. Their sashimi and nigiri sushi are on the traditional side which I prefer over morimoto et al kind of fusion style. The fish is very fresh and many are imported from Japan (via chicago i think). Try the blue finn meat and belly (toro) as they are really good. They some days have fresh oh-toro, which is not guaranteed even at more expensive places. I like their uni (sea urchin) and ama ebi (sweet shrimp) too. The tako sonomono is good most of the times (there were a couple of times I didn't like it though, as the slices were too thick and tasted a bit too sour). They even occasionally have hamo which from my own experience is hard to find in the states. The fish/rice ratio is not high, but as much as you can get in places out of japan and not in places like Honolulu. 5. I am not high on their fugu offerings but would try it at least once every winter when they have it in just for fun. This is not specially for fugu at this restaurant, but generally I dont like fugu as I think its taste is kind of bland. I guess the attraction comes more from the danger from eating it (when its not prepared in the correct way). 6. They have matsutake in season. Nothing spectacular but I was thrilled to find it in the US. 7. Their beer selection was particularly good. They have a few japanese microbrew beers to choose from and have new offerings from time to time. They used to have the kuronama (asahi black) that I really liked. Then i switched to hitachino classic. Some special offerings they got from time to time were good as well. 8. Their rolls were just about average as I feel. Being mainly a fan of nigiri sushi and sashimi prepared in traditional way, I could care less about the rolls but for your information I dont think their rolls are particularly good. I have had better rolls at places where sushi/sashimi was way below origami's level. 9. Try their lunch offerings, mainly the ramen which is not available for dinner. No tonkotsu broth, just some simple shoyu ramen. But still would be the best choice in the twin city area when your really craving for ramen. If you are from the west coast or NYC etc, forget about it. This is not comparable to Santouka or Ippudo, just simple home made ramen. (sarcastically, its still better than some other place in the area who claims to have good ramen). 10. Their sukiyaki is good, but not spectacular. Tempura is OK. 11. Their dessert offerings are weak. No house made brulees, no green tea ice cream desserts except for some super market mochi ice cream. 12. Oh I often would order their takoyaki. Not spectacularly good either, but I was just happy to eat it from time to time. Their kakuni was good when they firstly offered it, but later the quality apparently fell down (I guess this was due to slow sale?). TBH i liked it better than Morimoto's so called 10-hour cooked kakuni. I will go there again when I visit twin city.
(4)Michael C.
I was very happy with this restaurant. The service was attentive and friendly. My tempura platter was tasty and large. A great combination of top quality Japanese fare and Midwestern portions. While I didn't have any sushi on my first visit, my dining partner told me it was superb. OK. Just came back to Origami for the second time. This time I had sushi. And boy am I glad I did. I am even a little sad I didn't have any sushi the first time because it is the best sushi I have had in Minneapolis. No...I have not gone to every Japanese restaurant in Minneapolis, but now that I have been here, I don't need to go anywhere else.
(5)John G.
great little happy hour spot with a smaller, quieter crowd. Good food specials and drinks. Upstaris bar is small so get there early. Friendly staff and bartender...............try the smooth Japanese vodka drinks
(4)Mike C.
Although most people goto Origami for the sushi, my favorite item on the menu is the Chicken Teriyaki. It comes on a sizzling hot plate with bean sprouts. Their sushi is probably the freshest in Minneapolis, but i'm partial to the teriyaki sauce. Also, you're bound to run into a japanese baseball player, if you frequent this restaurant when one is in town. I've ran into Ichiro and Hideki Matsui on several occasions here.
(4)David R.
I lived a few blocks from Origami for about a year so I've been here about a dozen times--not because I like the place but because I didn't know any better. The sushi at Origami is not amazing, in fact I wouldn't even call it good; the fish at Origami is average and gets served up at a premium price in exchange for a somewhat swanky interior. I've sampled most everything on the menu here and nothing is a standout. Go for happy hour if you must and stick with the specials. Nothing on the menu is worth shelling out full price for--believe me, I've tried it all. And really, the quality of the sushi and rolls might not even be Origami's fault because I've never been that impressed by the Japanese/Sushi scene in Minnesota. Sadly it's one of those cuisines that the North Star state hasn't quite nailed down yet and if you're hoping to find the same quality food that's available on the coasts you're going to be sorely disappointed. Even though Origami doesn't have any phenomenal competitors, I still feel fine giving it a low rating because of the sometimes-atrocious level of service. Hate to interject race here, but the Asian servers are generally pretty competent, polite and nice. Unfortunately the white hipsters who work here can be pretty hit or miss. I've been forced to wait an hour for my order, had my drinks horribly botched, and been lectured about the difficulty of splitting a check by some of the less than stellar members of the staff here (dividing a bill in two does not require a phenomenal mastery of math). If Origami wanted to justify the premium they charge, I advise them to step up the service a little bit. Finally, Origami is one of *those* restaurants that refuses to take reservations, preferring to make its clientele sit around sipping overpriced cocktails during the wait for a table to open up. This is wrong, inefficient, and worst of all, could be easily corrected if only Origami cared.
(2)Brooke S.
aaah origami...your eclectic servers, delicious and inventive rolls and fresh as can be sushi get me every time. except this time, bored idiots from the city also got into my car. well, my boyfriends car. Note to self - park DIRECTLY in front of restaurant or in garage when visiting the apparently gritty intersection of first and first. that said, DEFINITELY hit up Origami for some of the best sushi in the twin cities in the most laid back, non yuppie (think nami) atmosphere.
(4)Becky L.
As good as it gets!
(5)Kelsey K.
Yum. Who wants to take me to dinner here? or even just bring me sushi to go? Love it. Every meal I have had here has been fairly perfect. We usually sit at the sushi bar. I could eat sushi rolls here for days and be uber happy. I really like the #9 roll with crunchies added. Soft shell crab is super good too.
(4)Maria S.
Went back to Origami for happy hour the other day. Definitely reinforced the 5-star rating for the following reason 1) Cheap drinks: $2.50 beers, $3 wines, cheap sake. 2) Still the best sashimi I've had in the twin cities 3) EXCELLENT service. Best I've had in a while. My friends and I were doing happy hour on the cheap and lingered longer than we probably should have, but the wait staff didn't bat an eye. Gracious, friendly, just the right amount of checking up and leaving us alone. Note: this has a "good for groups" tag. It is much better suited for groups 4 and under.
(5)Jen B.
Philly EX Roll = salmon + cream cheese + avocado + tempura flakes + spicy mayo. yes Yes YES!
(5)John C.
I eat sushi all over the country. Sushi hound. This is very good, fresh sushi. Been there 3-4 times and it is consistently good. Couldn't tell you what the non-sushi menu looks like let alone whether the food tastes any good, but everyone I have been with always seems pretty satisfied with their food. Not a real rocking place, but more of a place for locals, sushi fans and people traveling for business. Give it a shot. You'll like it.
(4)Ninja S.
A note on fish. Most fish is brought on planes no matter where you are. "Oh but I live in a coastal--" NO. WRONG. So actually, Minneapolis has some of the freshest fish in the country since a lot of the cargo flights go through the MSP airport. Origami is not the most traditional of places. You can have sake mixed with liqueurs, you can have unconventional and nontraditional menu options. There is also a bar upstairs where you can wait for a table, if you were not prepared with a reservation, that has some ridiculously good sake. I would almost suggest not making a reservation and waiting in the bar for however long is required. It'll make the meal that much better having had to wait for it.
(5)Dan B.
This is the best sushi I've had. The fish is as fresh as it gets, and the itamae we had was very friendly. If you're into sushi, the obvious place to sit is at the sushi bar. Here, you can watch the artisan work at his craft. There is not one negative thing I can say about my experience here. Those of you who are impatient won't like eating at a real sushi restaurant; "this isn't fast food" is as their website states. Bring some friends, buy a round of sake or tea, and just relax, the sushi really is worth waiting for.
(5)Drew R.
I've got a tough time reviewing Origami because my second visit was every bit as horrible as my first visit was fantastic. It's a little pricey, but for where it is you expect to pay a little bit more. My first visit was great. We were seated quickly, our server was great, the sushi was delicious, and the service was phenomenal. No complaints. The second? Not so much. There was a bit of a wait, but for a Saturday night it was about what you'd expect. Once we were seated our server didn't stop by to ask for drinks for 10 minutes or so. Not horrible, but longer than you'd hope for. I guess they brew the beer there, because it took a while for those to come out, too. Finally we were able to order. 45 minutes later we still had no food. We ordered a roll, some dumplings, and a few pieces of nigiri. Meanwhile the tables near us who had been seated after us had been served. We hadn't had a visit from our waitress yet. Finally, she stopped by and noted we hadn't gotten our food yet. She said she'd check. A few minutes later she came by and put a roll down our table. It wasn't what we'd ordered. She was nowhere to be found for a few more minutes so we told the hostess what had happened. She said she'd look into it. Meanwhile, our waitress rushed past our table another couple times before disappearing in the back. We left some money on the table and walked out hungry. I'm a reasonable person, a simple visit to say things would take a bit longer than usual would've solved the problem. We never got it.
(2)Paul K.
The food and service were fine. I didn't think it was the best sushi I have ever eaten, but it was fine. I was a little shocked when I asked for extra wasabi and was told there would be a charge for it. The charge was minimal and the waitress was very embarrassed to tell me about it, but the whole thing came off as sort of offensive. I will go somewhere else next time.
(3)Sherria M.
Origami continues to be one of my favorite sushi places in the Twin Cities. Not only is the staff always friendly but the food/drinks are top notch. If you are trying to decide between destinations, I would choose this location over the one in Ridgedale.
(4)David M.
My favorite place for sushi and sushi happy hour in Minneapolis, and probably yours too.
(5)Lisa K.
Who could have guessed I'd have some of the best sushi ever in the Midwest? I was in town for work for a weekend and my fiance and I were looking for somewhere for lunch and Yelp directed us here. I ended up going once for happy hour and once for dinner while I was in town. Happy hour has a limited menu but you can't beat the prices -- $3 for a cocktail, $7 or so for a plate of sushi/sashimi. When you order off the regular menu the prices can get steep in a hurry, as I learned when getting a special roll that was about $16. But cilantro! In sushi! Brilliant! Everything tasted incredibly fresh, and if you sit at the bar the bartender is friendly and attentive. If I'm ever in town again I will definitely make a return trip.
(4)Nishy P.
Best sushi place in town. The end.
(5)Kendra R.
The best sushi in Minneapolis, let alone Minnesota. I would say this is the best sushi I've ever had. My friend and I didn't have reservations, so we patiently waited at the bar. Sake was amazing, but pricey... I think it was worth. I hope he believed so too. Patrons were either dialed in to style or appeared to have just left the house without looking in a mirror. Origami is completely chic. For our meal we were seated at the sushi bar. I really enjoyed watching the chef at work, and peeking at what others were ordering. After the sake that I consumed happily upstairs at the bar, and the plum wine that was ordered to go along with our sushi selection, I was on my own high. Thankfully my friend is well versed in the creations and types of sushi so I didn't have to order once. Everything was sensational yet delicate. Just a great evening overall.
(5)Rockit O.
I was in town for a trade show, and this place seemed to be the place to go. My sushi chef was Hispanic. That being said, this place was pretty darn good. I had Ono sashimi, which is not a common fish in California...it was extremely well cut and very tasty. They also served us a whole Aji, cut into cubes with some other light spices. I thought this was a little too much, but nice presentation. All in all, while not very authentic, I did enjoy the food very much.
(3)Jason C.
4 stars for an awesome Origami Martini an Lava Roll. May bump to 5 after a few more great visits.
(4)Stu M.
The blue fin and big eye tunas were excellent. Age dashi tofu and the mushroom appetizers were also great. The anago and uni were not horrible, but not that great either. Good sake selection. guess, stick with the high volume fishes and you'll be ok here...
(4)Kandace G.
Fantastic sushi! The chefs are friendly, more than willing to create omakase platters, and very original with their creations. It all depends on what you are seeking: if you want unoriginal sushi, order the California Rolls. If you are seeking originality, take some risks with your order. Its that simple. Service is average; I have had to wait longer than necessary at times, however, during peak hours, it is usually very busy, so the wait is somewhat expected. I would rate this the best sushi place in Minneapolis.
(4)Henry H.
My friend and I sat at the sushi bar and ordered directly from the sushi chef, who is Japanese. Not that a non-Japanese cant make a good sushi, but it does add to the authentic experience. The 3 nigiri sushi I ordered were very well made and the fish cut seem to be good (but a bit on the small size), however, I was surprised to see the price was for only 1 piece. For the same price and quality at home in Los Angeles, I would have expected 2 pieces. The spider roll was more appropriately priced, was superbly made, and came with 2 additional pieces of the soft shell crab on the side. Lastly I ordered a plate of lightly seasoned mushrooms, which I have never seen in served before. It was delicious, and included multiple Japanese mushrooms - a mush if you are a mushroom lover, but the price is once again a bit steep at 12.75. The waiting staff was pleasant and attentive, but then it was late and the restaurant wasnt too busy at the time. Overall, an enjoyable experience, just wish the prices were a bit more reasonable.
(4)I W.
Their cooked items are actually their strong suit. Too bad most people feel like they shouldn't order cooked food when they go to a Japanese restaurant, or that they should be embarrassed if they don't just get sushi. Actually, the perfect meal should be a nice balance of both. In any event, I recommend their noodle bowls, the broiled tuna collar, and vegetable dishes. All worth trying out. Their sushi is also solid, too. Best in Minneapolis, which has a real derth of quality sushi/Japanese options.
(3)Meaghan N.
I was disappointed. Perhaps I shouldn't have gone in with high expectations, but from what I heard from others, I was ready to be wowed...and I wasn't. The service was great, but the food was average. The Origami at Ridgedale is actually even more disappointing. Again, great service, nice restaurant, but the food was average. I do have an appreciation for the gyoza, seaweed salad and the edamame, but they aren't exactly difficult dishes. If I choose to eat Sushi in Minneapolis, I do not go to Origami.
(2)Monica H.
I was in Minneapolis for business recently, and I got together with some friends for sushi on a Friday night. I like sushi occasionally, but I don't eat it so often that I could consider myself an expert. Either way, the fish tasted fresh and the presentation and decor was nice, but nothing very inventive. Overall, everything was pretty serviceable but it seemed a little overpriced and nothing to write home about. They were pretty tolerant of our large group who stated for 2+ hours, so I'll move then from 3 up to 4 stars for not rushing us out.
(4)Samantha L.
great consistent sushi. i've come here after work and directly after working out (oh i know, classy) and they make a mean caterpillar roll every time. delicious!
(4)Adam O.
Ate here Saturday, had a few sushi rolls, a few hours after started feeling terrible. Ended up with food poising which I won't explain details of. WILL NEVER EAT HERE AGAIN. Hopefully you haven't ruined my love for sushi, Origami.
(1)Sona P.
In the Twin Cities for work, I found this place via Yelp and had to throw in another stellar rating. Had the sushi lunch special, 5 pieces of assorted nigiri and a good sized roll, with miso soup and salad for $14.95. Very generous portion and fresh. Wish I could have done dinner there!
(5)Terry Scott N.
This is a four star review solely because of the quality of food and drink. I won't go into specifics but the courses were great; appetizers and entrees, were amazing; fresh and visually appealing (of color). The drinks were exceptional (sake and Sapporo), and the setting within the restaurant (placement right in the front window) was, as Ferris Bueller says, "choice". The reason this is not a five star review is because: I frequent sushi restaurants in town (mpls), and I would have gone for a five star review at Origami except for the poor quality of service. We came as a group of six, we had made reservations, and we were with friends from out of town. Our reservations were for 8 pm. Upon arriving minutes before 8 pm we were told to walk up to the bar, we would have to wait 'some' time. After arriving at the bar somewhat cramped we realized that our reservations were backed up for other tables and other patrons. One of our party spoke to a host and after some conversation, back and forth, we were taken to a table, 20 minutes later a bit dishevelment. We took our seats and that is when all of the inattentive service began. -we felt as though our waitress knew -we were a party of six- that she was automatically going to get gratuity, even if she was not providing optimum service.- I was surprised at the lack of support and assistance we received from the staff. I felt as though our group was on an island; we were waving SOS for service. We would have purchased more drinks, and possibly dessert, but by the time the waitress came back we were asking for our checks. I enjoyed the food, but for the price I expected a bit more from the staff. Also, be mindful of the "stuffy"* atmosphere, I think it's a North Loop thing, but IDK. Otherwise the sushi is quality, and they did play some very interesting music. Go for quality sushi, but be mindful of the aloof service. *JLD
(4)Tian Q.
Pros: -Good happy hour deal, $4.75 for 5 standard-sized takoyaki -Great mango hi-chew drinks, I ordered like 4 of those, couldn't taste any alcohol at all when I chugged all of these like a goldfish, then I started seeing rainbows and unicorns Cons: -Very underwhelming sushi, caterpillar roll had negligible amount of eel, the rainbow roll tasted very much like the sari roll and both were mediocre, not to mention sloppily put together I had high hopes for the sushi here, but they left me unimpressed :(
(2)Sarin M.
Nice atmosphere and food looks good, but was not worth the price. Soy sauce was for some reason way saltier than usual.
(3)Rich T.
Consistently delicious. Origami has delivered tremendously tasty fish, great service and hot sake every visit. One of the better sushi spots in town
(5)Amanda M.
Our male waiter was a DIVA! The worst service that we have had in Mpls so far. We asked him to take a photo of us on our date night (rare opportunity for us) and he refused!!! We ordered our food, he chose not to write it down and he got my order wrong. I told him and he said "I HEARD YOU SAY......" Ummm...what? Last time I checked, *I* was the customer. Sushi was mediocre-go to Crave for excellent sushi AND customer service.
(1)Sho N.
My wife and I love both locations. I am a huge fan of Han Toro( Tuna Bacon), its oily and wonderful, I don't find it on too many menu's but when I do, sold! We have tried many of their signature rolls and have yet to find one that didn't taste fresh and great. Highly recommended.
(4)Abdalrahman A.
Best sushi bar in the twin cities. Tuna is super tender, the fish is very fresh and the presentation is great. Rolls are carefully rolled and the the sashimi is fantastic
(5)Shawn S.
From the authentic greeting when you walk in, to the hot towel you get when seated, to the cozy sushi bar, Origami is still going strong. The sushi is top quality. Over the years, they have survived increased competition and they have the celebrities signatures to substantiate their longevity. They do have some specialty rolls and appetizers that don't rotate all that often, and a standard roll/nigiri list. But that's because they stick to the basics and deliver quality vs relying on gimmicks. I prefer to sit downstairs but for some reason when I do not sit in the sushi bar I end up upstairs. Love the authentic origami about the space that help decorate. I also love their green tea - there is some roasted rice in the brew that gives it an awesome unique flavor. Shawn's tip - free parking after 5 in the lot across the street.
(4)Melissa S.
I wasn't super impressed with the vegetarian sushi options but I left my purse there and they stayed after they were closed so I could come pick it up. They didn't know I was a tourist here for 2 days, but it meant a lot to be able to come get it before leaving town. While I was at the restaurant the staff was very attentive and nice. Cute place nice atmosphere and they were one of the only places open on Memorial Day.
(5)Mark B.
This is the best sushi I've had in MSP. They are very courteous. The sushi chefs were normal American dudes if that matters to you.
(5)Z L.
It's a good place for a small date since it is a little vintaged and cramped inside. I like their rice sake, very smooth and aromatic. I usually go happy hour for takoyaki and edamame with drinks.
(4)Sarah Z.
Origami serves the best sushi in the Twin Cities. The fish is as fresh as it (can) get. The venue is quaint and fits with the traditional Japanese focus (or so I feel). The service is gratuitous and kind. I highly recommend the mackerel appetizer. It first comes out and, "omg photo op!" it's so beautiful. You eat the delicate sashimi and admire the fish skeleton that provided it. Then, as usual, your server comes and takes the dish away. But you're not done with it yet... They bring the fish carcass back after it has been deep fried. You can eat the bones--and the eyeballs if you dare. It's a really cool experience! All of the rolls and sashimi at Origami are delicious. Desserts are also a good way to end the meal. Origami is an institution. A great place for a date, too ;-)
(5)Sway N.
My husband and I love sushi. Let me clarify that- we love and appreciate deliciously-made sushi and all things fishy. So we're critical of it wherever we go. This place was an abomination to sushi. I am shocked that so many people gave this 4-5 stars. I don't know if it was the rolls we ordered or if the sushi chef was having a bad day, but we tried an array of different foods, hoping that at least one of them would be good. They weren't. Very disappointing, considering the lack of flavor in any of the food. (I am still finding it difficult to believe that so many people love this place...)
(2)Josh S.
Before moving to the Twin Cities we hadn't really had much experience with sushi. Up until a few years ago the mere thought of it made me queasy. I always pictured sushi as disgusting, raw, non-edible pieces of fish that were just cut up and thrown on a plate, similar to what I would consider bait. However, we made some really good friends that are Japanese that live just down the block from us that invited us into their homes and actually made sushi for us. I've been a huge fan since and now eat Japanese cuisine on a fairly regular basis. Amazing how far an open mind will take you... We've tried a few places in Minneapolis, but my favorite thus far is Origami (30 N. 1st St.). They have beautiful decor, friendly staff, fast service and really, really good sushi. I would recommend practically anything off of their menu. Whatever you do, start with the miso soup - top notch. Despite some unfair reviews given by others on here, Origami is actually quite good. Don't forget that most people in the Twin Cities are Midwesterners and our viewpoint on sushi is based on what we have available. From the selection of Japanese restaurants, I feel Origami passes the test. Hey, our Japanese friends down the block have been there with us many times and they seemed to enjoy their visit. Overall, I like it.
(4)Kate B.
Great sushi. Best I've had in the area. Server forgot to bring us our appetizers - but aside from that we had a great time.
(5)Dan H.
I've been here 19 times according to Yelp check-ins now (!). I generally always sit at the sushi bar unless I'm there with more than 1 other person. I have been to some of the best sushi places in Southern California and visited Japan in April 2013 and had some great sushi there. None of those experiences soured me on Origami's sushi, it isn't on the level of those places but it can play ball. it's like the Twins playing the Yankees... unfair match-up, but we win some of the time. Just to add something for this re-review -- I don't know anywhere in the cities that has better sushi (actual sushi, not rolls), than here. Nigiri and Sashimi are frequently top notch. They have off days with some of the fish but overall it's the best I've had here. Masu in NE has good nigiri but they have limited selection and their focus seems to be elsewhere. Origami just wins on the quality of the fish. I can't speak to the rest of the menu a lot because I've only had a few rolls and some of the Japanese food. This review is strictly about sushi. This isn't the cheapest place in the cities, but if you live here or are visiting and want the best sushi bar that the cities has to offer, this is the place. Oh, and if you're feeling adventurous, sit at the sushi bar, ask for Sari (the chef) and do omakase!
(5)Mark A.
Best sushi in town. Whatever you want from rolls to sushi they have it. The wine selection is average. They have the normal beer selection. They take reservations so you don't have to wait. There is good street parking.
(5)John T.
6 people - $40/pp - 3 small plates of sushi. $342/to leave hungry with a few drinks. Run from here if you are hungry!
(1)Sue S.
Thus far, Origami is our favorite sushi restaurant in the Twin Cities. Does that mean there isn't a better one? No. But so far it's as good as it gets for us. Here's what I can say -- whenever we crave sushi, we talk about options, look for new places to try and then wind up at Origami :-) The sushi is fabulous -- everything you want it to be... perfect rice, generous amount of fish, nice buttery sake and fatty fatty tuna. Mmmmm. Rolls -- we like a bunch of them, especially the Neverending Summer Roll. It's not on the menu all the time, but if you see it, snag it. We also love the appetizers, especially age dashi tofu. So delicious! We really enjoy the upper level dining room if it is open, though downstairs has the added benefit of being able to watch the sushi chefs. Service is very good, and I appreciate the little touches like the hot hand towels to start your service and the fact that your server wipes down your table for you if you've made a mess (not that I would ever do that, of course). I also really enjoy that the staff always makes sure to thank you profusely for coming in. It's nice as a customer to be appreciated, especially when you're splurging on sushi. Origami isn't cheap -- no really good sushi place is. But it's worth the money and the trip for sure. I just wish we could afford to eat there every week! One last tip-- check out the walls. They are covered with signatures from famous people who have dined there. Lots of fun to see who has been to visit.
(5)Abe L.
OMG!!! I can't believe this place has such a good rating and amount of groupies. Now, I've got to disclose the fact that I'm from California, and I've got to say, I know what a good sushi joint is. I'm more than positive that any place in my area that has 3 stars, if compared to this one, should have 7 of them. Wife and I went here for a dinner after flying in into MN. After a quick search of nearby places, this one had the highest rating and off we went. When we've got there, we were the only people there and we were quickly seared. Service in this place is great, that's it!!! Service and decor those are the only things that stood out. Everything else is eh, I've had wayyyyyyy better. We've ordered there rolls and two drinks and one veggie dish. When our bill came, it was 90 dollars. Now, I'd like for reader to understand that this review is not motivated by money in any way, it is purely on sushi rolls and freshness of the fish. It was not worth it!!! I've paid half of this amount for much fresher fish and more rolls that 3. With that said, if those two things are not important to the reader, by all means, bring your wallet and enjoy. Definitely not coming back to this place, i'd rather buy sushi from whole foods instead (and that's coming from the guy that never purchased sushi anywhere but a sushi restaurant!)
(2)Brit B.
Great sushi! We had excellent service and the food we excellent. I would highly recommend the shrimp dumplings as starter! I had a California roll and a rainbow roll and they were both good. Price was a little high.
(4)Steven H.
I read a lot of reviews and noticed there's a big difference in opinion. This was recommended by a friend who's really into sushi, but I have to say it was disappointing. The rolls were average, and the selection is sad. If you're into tempura shrimp you're set - many rolls have the same basic ingredients. I had two rolls, both of which were very presentable - living up to the name of origami. But neither had great flavor or a combination of flavor from their ingredients. Overall very basic and average.
(3)Aaron G.
Origami is a beautiful restaurant with great sushi! The atmosphere in the restaurant is very clean and elegant. The service is exceptional although sometimes bordering pretentious. I was once told what I ordered had too much tuna in it... The Never Ending Summer Roll and the Sari Roll are both great! I really don't care if they both have tuna in them... The Nigiri and Sashimi are always ultra fresh. This place is worth the price but only wear your Ferragamo shoes...
(4)Tom C.
Food was absolutely delightful. Service was nearly non-existent. Server was at the table about once every 20 to 30 minutes. First drink arrived a full 15 minutes after being seated. No help with the menu even after mentioning we had never been there before. PLEASE train your staff to be worthy of your food!!!
(4)Rose F.
Great food and cocktails! Service was excellent and we would definitely go back next time we're in MN!
(4)Riasat K.
Great sushi. Reasonably priced. I recommend. 4 star!
(4)Kate M.
I should preface this by saying I'm not a nigiri type of girl. When I go out for sushi, I tend to stick to the rolls. I get too caught up in omg raw fish when I try nigiri and it never ends well. I've been to Origami a handful of times and it's really a lovely place to go. Rather than doing the usual run down of what we ate, how we liked it, and blahblah. Some pros/cons Pros Delicious sushi. They have a pretty good selection of rolls and then non-sushi stuff if you're so inclined. The brocollini appetizer is amazing with the Japanese mayo. Drinks! I adore the chu-hi cocktails. Some of the flavors are a miss (hibiscus tea). My last visit the flavors didn't seem as vibrant (white peach and strawberry) but maybe they had less mix and more booze. Cons No reservations on the weekends. We went Saturday at 630 and didn't have to wait an unreasonable amount of time, but we had an evening planned where a reservation would've made us more relaxed. It's also another place with limited seating while you wait. Jam in the bar or a little waiting area by the door. The service can be kinda spotty, which I think can be the servers covering a lot of tables at once. I wish the specials menu actually rotated. They add the blowfish and around the Japanese Tsunami, they had a special roll to raise money, but the little special menu insert has been more or less the same (at least for the rolls) for 3 years.
(4)Takashi S.
I would say this together with Tanpopo is the only Authentic Japanese food left in twin cities. Variety of small entry plates and dashi and seasoning of soup and sauce etc. we, Japanese expatriates in town really depend on these restaurants to survive!!! Thank you !!
(5)Adam A.
A little overpriced I know it's the Midwest and all and fresh fish is hard to get ... Uptown has better sushi restaurants
(2)ginger y.
food quality was okay, quantity was mediocre for the price you pay. Paid too much for the satisfaction received. service was pretty good but felt rushed, must have been close to closing time .
(3)Jonny G.
i'm from out of town & was recommended to this place by a friend of my girlfriends, needless to say...this place was great! authentic menu, half the items i had no idea what they were prior to visiting & thanks to the descriptions in the menu, everything was very clear & straight forward! a definite return from my gf & i, next time we're in the city!
(5)Andrea H.
I had high hopes given the reviews, but in the realm of sushi, it's mediocre. Don't come looking for great quality/tasty sushi/nigiri or sashimi. While the rolls were good, they were way over priced. We left spending $110 and wondering why. I have high standards, but also know it's possible in a land-locked state to have an amazing product. Oh, and they get toro in on Thursday and they were already out for the weekend (we dined on Friday). Big disappointment.
(2)Tasha C.
What more can I say? Tomo keeps us coming back. Impeccable service, exceptional drinks and...um...OH! The best damn sushi in the Twin Cities. In the timeless words of David Alan Grier, "Dee. Li. Shuss. And I'm through."
(5)Risa Y.
I'm native Japanese, so people ALWAYS ask me where the best sushi place in the Twin Cities is. In case you're wondering what does being Japanese has to do with sushi, well, sushi originated in Japan, before it exploded world-wide...who would have thought...! So I grew up with sushi, and I have had sushi at the great largest fish market in the world, Tsukiji, Tokyo...which is sushi to die for...anyways, where do you think my answer to the best sushi is in the Twin Cities? You guessed-it. Hands down, it's Origami. No other place in the Twin Cities compares! This is the sushi I always recommend and I feel confident about the recommendation. Not that it matters, but Origami is also a Japanese restaurant where the chef, including the sushi chef is native Japanese. I've gone there for years and the ambience is so nice and the service is always top notch and consistent, whether you're going with a group or with a friend or two, at the table first floor or second floor or sitting right at the sushi counter in front of the sushi chef.
(5)Jenny L.
I ordered the Yaki Nuki and a speciality roll. The speciality sushi rolls are priced decently, but are a bit on the expensive side. The yaki nuki is a rib eye beef with rice dish and although it was tasty, I did not find it to be as good as Korean kalbi or bulgogi I've had before. The service was pretty good and the server even gave us hot towels to wipe our hands before we began our meal. Overall this was a decent place but not worth the $30 I spent on dinner.
(3)Dani S.
Wow, what happened to this place? Last experience was terrible! Due to my previous great experiences, I brought a bunch of people here to dinner recently and it was a HUGE disappointment! Food took 45min to arrive, service was extremely spotty, drinks not refilled, plates not cleared. The food was less than average this time also. All the sushi was not of quality cut like it used to be, rice was hard and not mixed well with vinegar. Tofu dish was over-cooked and completely ruined the texture of the soft tofu. Tempura had too much tempura mix, thick coat of batter on small pieces of veggie. Super pricey! $80pp for dinner!
(2)Beverly V.
Favorite sushi spot in downtown Minneapolis. Happy Hour menu is decent and goes until 6:30 every day! Check out the stairwell wall with signatures of all the celebrities that have eaten here - pretty cool.
(4)AJ J.
Had the teriyaki chicken and shrimp bento box for lunch. It was beautiful to look at, but not the tastiest. It wasn't bad, just not something I would eat again. The miso soup and rice were extremely salty and the chicken was a bit dry. The service was great and ambience was very nice. I will probably go again at some point to try the sushi.
(3)Brian N.
Oh man. I love me some sushi, and I had been excited to try this spot. Thankfully they did not disappoint. I took my boo here on a date and I was pretty excited. Now I could order a ton of different rolls and not look like a pig cause I was sharing them all. Well, mostly. The server we got was pretty friendly, very knowledgeable and super helpful with her personal recommendations. Yes, I'm that guy. I ask the server for recommendations and I like to hear the truth. My BS meter is strong, and she was being honest. So with that we decided on a few of the special rolls like the Rainbow Roll, Neverending Summer Roll, 9 1/2 weeks roll, the Crunchy Roll, and the Philly. Boom. Bang. Bing. Satisfaction. Combine that with the Japanese beers and aged single malt whiskeys from Japan. Man, I love this place. I will be coming back soon my folded paper art.
(5)Na Da L.
Best sushi in Minneapolis since I've moved here and I've tried about 10 different places within Minneapolis. I love sushi and have had superb sushi in LA, California so I feel like my opinion is valid. Service at Origami is great. The quality of the fish is great. Most importantly, it tastes good. Definitely pricey but we'll worth it if you like quality sushi. It's a small restaurant but I wouldn't have it any other way. Nice and cozy. Hope you enjoy it as much as my boyfriend and I did!
(4)Randy H.
Crap!!!!! $340 for six people!!!! Still hungry.....food was good but not even enough for six..........
(1)Jessica L.
Decor: Modern and young. It's kind of like that hip place where the 20-30 year olds come to look more mature and the older people come to look more hip. It's a little more cramped than what I expected. We sat at one of the tables, but I did note the booths and bar seating (With a TV!) that was available (so if you want to eat alone, you can!) Service: Good, I went with a large group of people and she didn't miss our orders. Thanks! Food: So I cannot remember specifically what we got, but we got about 8-10 different things of sushi (I told you, big group!). I'll comment on things that stood out on my mind: - Rainbow Roll: This is usually my favorite roll, but I was very disappointed as I did not think the pieces of fish were very large. I felt like it was a bit skimpy (as were the other rolls) - While most of the rolls were fine, some pieces of sushi I had weren't packed as well as I would have liked or the rice wasn't as sticky. Something was a little off. - My favorite roll was the Sari roll because of the flavour blast. - For the Philly experience, just be prepared for cream cheese... fried cream cheese - The tempura rolls (We had 2 of them) were pretty good and crispy, not bad. - Starting salad was decent, as was the miso soup Overall: I was pretty stuffed after this meal, but I'm still not planning on going back here for sushi. While the prices were decent, I did not think they were a steal. I have hope that there's a better sushi place in this city.
(2)Clint B.
Another lesson learned. When people rave about the sushi items at a restaurant, stick to said sushi items. We made the mistake of wandering away from the sushi menu and tried some appetizers that disappointed. Crab croquettes ($9.95) - Deep fried snow crab served with creamy lemon white sauce. 3 to an order. The meat was stringy, small, no large chunks, didn't taste or smell particularly fresh... meh... Wontons ($9.25) - Deep fried cream cheese and shrimp wontons, garnished with tobiko. I should have known better than to get wontons in a Japanese restaurant. Way too much cream cheese and not enough shrimp. Tuna tataki ($12.95) - Lightly seared slices of yellowfin tuna, topped with garlic, ginger, lemon, green onions... bland and not the freshest tasting cuts. Tuna Tartare ($12.95) - chopped, marinated maguro with avocado and spicy tobiko. Served with fried wonton. This was a mushy, stringy mess. Kinda like they grabbed all the nasty tuna scraps they had, diced it up then dropped it into a martini glass. Yeah... I'm not a fan. P-TNT roll ($16.99) - Spicy yellowtail, cilantro and cucumbers inside, wrapped with yellowtail, avocado, sliced jalapeños and spicy mayo. Finally, something good! The roll was large with generous cuts of hamachi. It was a good combination of heat and sweetness along with the smooth texture of the fish. I'd recommend getting it. The hamachi sashimi ($8 for 3 pc.) was decently cut and, more importantly, tasted very good. The tuna sashimi ($8 for 3 pc.) were 3 sizable slices with a vibrant red color and a silky smooth texture. Other people in my party ordered three rolls that I didn't try (Philly roll, crunchy roll, and a spicy salmon roll). They all agreed that they were decent but not spectacular. It was a Sunday night so maybe many of their fish were several days old. At least it wasn't busy. We walked in without reservations and were seated promptly. Our check, for a party of 6 where they add in 18% gratuity, averaged out to about $40 per person, including tax and alcohol.
(3)Alexandra H.
I'm with City Pages' voters on this one: Best Sushi in Minneapolis! Good sushi, service and drinks in a relaxing atmosphere...what more could you ask for? (Free/abundant street parking, but that's it!) I also love that the restaurant spans two floors. If the main floor looks busy, you might get a spot upstairs. I don't eat fish so it's nice to have a few veggie sushi options. I really love the avocado rolls. I pick up 6 of those for about $5 and call it lunch!
(5)Helen C.
After a long day of traveling and shopping we were hungry for some sushi and decided to try this place out since it got so many good reviews. The restaurant staff were friendly and attentive and our food was good. We had an assortment of sushi (mackerel and scallops) and rolls (eel, rainbow, dynamite) which were all delicious and served the right temperature (slightly above room temp). I felt like the rice to sushi ratio varied per roll with the rainbow roll having a tad bit too much for my taste. I struggled between ordering udon or ramen noodles versus sushi because I saw a lot of tables eating it. You know it has to be good if a table full of Asians were slurping away! I'd definitely try it next time to get my inner Asian noodle fix :)
(4)L. D.
Warning: If you are from the West Coast, don't have high expectations. The bad: The tuna sushi was tasteless. The tuna was tasteless. The tempura was flat. The takoyaki did not have enough octopus and was mostly batter. My daughter makes better takoyaki. The best takoyaki I've had was from a Japanese festival in Beaverton, OR. It was full of octopus and piled high with flavorful toppings. The restaurant takoyaki had fancy swirled shavings which had no flavor. The mayonnaise was tasteless. The parking is downtown and limited. It's about $1 per hour. You can only use quarters or a credit card. The good: Being this is the midwest, this is expected, the beef was the best part of the meal. The octopus salad was good. The drinks were so-so. We came to this restaurant because of the yelp reviews. One thing I have realized is never trust a sushi review from Midwesterners. I'm not sure if we would return to this place because I would only get soup or a non sushi entrée. Not sure if it's worth the trip and hassle of coming downtown. If you are from the West Coast and visiting, then skip sushi and wait to get back home. Go to a restaurant that specializes in beef while you are here. The beef here is probably the best in the country. If you are a West Coaster and stuck here because of work, family, friends whatever, you're screwed sushi wise. Go for the soups and anything beef. I gave this joint 3 stars because the service was excellent, the happy hour not only includes the bar but the whole restaurant so my daughter was able to get happy hour prices with a soda drink. We went on a Friday night and it wasn't busy at all. We got there 10 minutes before the end of happy hour and the waitress was great giving us an initial order of happy hour and then a last call. Service means alot to us.
(3)Reed G.
This is the best sushi in MN. I was tempted to give them four stars because the service isn't always consistent (which can be annoying at times), but the quality of the sushi demands five stars. I've eaten here dozens of times and it's always great.
(5)Susannah H.
best happy hour. best sake selection. CHU-HI. best cuts of raw fish for me to stuff into my face.
(5)Liz A.
Humm, had some high hopes for this one. Perhaps the quality has fallen over the years? 1st: do NOT get ramen here. It's not their thing and they are not good at it: bland with heavy noodles. Zen Box has the best ramen. 2nd: yes, the fish was very very good. HOWEVER, as bizarre as this statement is, the fish was too thick. Plus, the rice was still a bit too hard and with no su (rice vinegar) flavor. Did they forget it this day?!? There needs to be a balance between these things with sushi and even though they have great, amazing fish, it broke our hearts that it was still not great sushi. The potential is there though.... All that being said, not worth the price. I recommend Obento-ya for sushi instead and Zen Box for ramen (sorry Origami!)
(3)Jason Y.
Origami is not the best sushi place in the country ( compare to some top notch Japanese Restaurants in NYC), but definitely is on the top list in MN! Their food is not as fancy as those fusion Japanese food, but very solid! Sushi and sashimi are very fresh, clean cut, nicely presented. They have varieties of fishes. A good selection if you are a fan of raw fish! Sometimes, you can even find blowfish. It requries a sushi chef an official certificate and years of practice to serve blowfish! Rare in MN! One nice little thing about origami is that they pay a lot of attention to the details. Like the origami style chopstick wrapper, the way of pouring the sake to show the traditional Japanese generosity, the way they prepare the food. Japanese really pay attention to the details! That is why I enjoy dining in origami, you will notice the Japanese culture there! Downtown location is preferred. Nice decor, great ambiance, great place to go for high quality sushi !
(4)Patrick L.
Heard this place had the best sushi in town, was excited to try it out. All in all, disappointed in the food. Our server did a good job with our sauce requests and was knowledgeable regarding different foods and toppings. Our table ordered 4 premium rolls and a few other things. Nothing was even mediocre. Sushi was loose, dry and flavorless. The dynamite roll seemed to come without sauce. I wouldn't recommend this place and wont be back.
(2)Swaha P.
Such an awesome place, with such a chic and stylish seating and decor. Also, we'd a very friendly waitress who was very cordial and patient while taking the order. Yes, the restuarant is expensive but the food is worth it, and I recommend for a date night/ special occassion.
(5)Jordan O.
After reading many great reviews, I thought I would give this place a shot. As an avid sushi lover, I was very excited. We happily waited 35 minutes for a spot on a Saturday night, which I thought was acceptable - they were busy. Our group of 4 started off with a small appetizer of edamame. It was over cooked - I had never had it like this in my life. I didn't think it was that hard to get right. But when you would bite the peas out with your teeth the whole outer shell would flake off into your mouth and you would be chewing on the skin. It was not good. Very soggy. We informed the server that we thought it was not cooked well; he replied that "that is how edamame is" and didn't apologize or take it off the bill. We each probably ate 3 pieces thinking it would get better, but then just gave up and left it to waste. Then we each ordered about 3 rolls of sushi. We don't know if it was a new sushi chef or what, but it was not good. A few of the rolls were pretty decent, but nothing worth calling it the best sushi ever. A few of the roles we actually asked if it was cooked correctly because it had very hard pieces of some type of vegetable in it and couldn't even chew it. Again, he said "that's how its supposed to be" and walked away. We took out the vegetables and just continued to eat. After that, the only time he came back to check on us was to bring us the check. He just set the check down and then came back after we put our credit cards in it. Having ordered about 12 rolls of sushi and 3 drinks each, you would think he would have treated us better. Our servers name was Brian. Make sure you never have him. Maybe our experience would have been better with a different server, who knows. None of us will go back.
(1)B C.
Origami restaurant is a well-known Japanese sushi restaurant in town. It depends on where you are come from, you might be surprised or disappointed (as you come from West Coast). However, knowing that this restaurant is located in Minneapolis MN, they do serve pretty good fresh sushi. They offer large selections of Japanese foods along with sushi. Some of the dishes are more tailored to western culture or more instant style (if you are looking for a very traditional Japanese style hand-made u-don or Ramen noodle, you may be disappointed), but their sushi are well made and nicely presented. Also if you like active crowd and want to enjoy Friday night atmosphere, this restaurant is definitely one of your potential candidates. Hostess and waitress are friendly but they need to improve their service * Service: Slightly below average (wait staff are a bit slow and less responsive) * Price: Slightly over average (as this restaurant can be considered as a fine dining place in Minneapolis, their price range might be right on for targeted customers) * Atmosphere: Good (their location might be little odd - 30 North 1st street) * Food Quality: Above average (considering they are located in Minneapolis not somewhere in West Coast) * Parking: Good enough (street parking, sometimes you might have to walk one or two blocks from the establishment) * Avoid factor: Might have a long wait on weekend dinner time * Recommendation: Call ahead of time and make a reservation, try out their happy hour menu (50% off) - That should save your $$$ and give you the great sampling experience what Origami restaurant can offer.
(3)Ngoc N.
I've gotten over my terrible experience at Origami after a few more good trips recently. In addition, my former sushi staple, Fuji-ya, is no longer 1st on my list. It's still there, but it leaves a sour taste in my mouth after our table of 6 all felt sick for awhile after a meal there in September. Sorry, I digressed again! --- The best place to eat here is that the sushi bar. Forget sitting at a table and whatever. Get service directly from the chefs and your experience will be lovely. Fish is fresh as can be. Good fish = happy me. I go odd hours to eat so I don't run into the dinner crowd much. I get what I need to fill my tummy and leave. Not more to it for this place for me. Parking still sucks around that area if it's busy. Wait staff isn't always perfect. I have't been sick from their fish so hi-5 to them! :)
(4)Colin M.
Great sushi!! I would highly recommend their lunch special because you receive a salad and multiple types of sushi! If you don't go during their lunch specials, then it can be quite expensive. Only complaint is that the building is a bit small.
(4)Johanna C.
happy hour 7 days a week from 5:00 - 6:30pm! get the tempura $7.25 and sushi/sashimi combo $7.95 (both spicy salmon & salmon skin roll were good). we also tried the green tea honey cocktail which was ok (6/10). we sat outside so service wasnt that great (not sure if it's better if you sit inside). service rating = 2 out of 5 stars.
(4)Nate H.
The case of the missing server. Origami is arguably one the best sushi restaurant in Minneapolis. I went there with lunch with a friend and we sat at the bar. No wait at 12:15. Both of us were interested in the fugu as Origami is one of only 14 places to serve it in the USA. I've had fugu before in Japan and actually liked it "Kara-age" (which is similar to a tempura fried preparation). Unfortunately they were out of kara-age so we ordered the sashimi to split: $30 for 7 pieces. Honestly, don't waste your time as it tastes like chewy gummy rubber. Most types of clam would be an upgrade. I had a standard sample of nigiri for lunch: hamachi, maguro, uni, bonito, a scallop finished with a never-ending summer roll. All of these were excellent. The meal was good but here is where things start to fall apart. I rarely complain about service but our server asks if we are done, we reply yes, then they take about 5 minutes to return with the check. We review the bill, then just decide to split it, then proceed to wait.... and wait... and after 10 minutes we give up and head to the host stand to run our cards. 4 stars for the food minus 1 star due to service. I like Masu and Midori's Floating World Cafe better but Origami beats Nami and Fujiya (IMHO). Origami is also more expensive than many places; when ordering nigiri you pay per piece. On average this ends up costing 25 cents - 75 cents more per item. A clear example is $8.50 for two uni at Origami vs $7 for uni at Masu.
(3)Jennifer S.
This place remains my favorite sushi restaurant in or around the Twin Cities. Now, I have not been to all the sushi places around town. Over many years, I've been to, maybe, 6 or 7 different places around town. But after a long absence, I returned here on NYE because we were already in the area and had the car parked down the street. We then had the absolute delight of eating some of the finest tuna available. When we asked our Japanese sushi chef where they get their fish from, he told us it comes from Chicago, IL. We also learned that they serve Blow Fish, although it's not available all the time. This restaurant is 1 of only 18 in the USA that are licensed and certified to serve this delicacy, and the only restaurant in MN to do so. We ordered oily Blue Fin and regular Blue Fin tuna and also their Sari roll. All items were exquisite. The unfiltered saki we enjoyed was a little on the sweeter side. Service was very good. And final price was expensive, but well worth the treat.
(5)Emily O.
We tried Origami for the first time w/ another couple on a weeknight. It was a great experience from start to finish. We sat upstairs & the ambiance was beautiful & comfortable @ the same time. Somewhat upscale casual. I ordered my standby, a saketini, named the Ichitini: shaken to perfection & garnished with a fresh cucumber = YUM! Our table also enjoyed a sake flight, & a few Sapporos. The miso soup was hot & plentiful & the seaweed salad was fresh & flavorful. The sushi we ordered was just as wonderful The Sari roll was my absolute fave w/ spicy tuna, tempura flakes, burdock, & kaiware wrapped in tuna & avocado. Super delicious! We also had the P-TNT roll with yellowtail, spicy salmon, cilantro, & avocado which came in @ a close second. :) At the close of our meal, we shared a pot of green tea; authentic green tea w/ roasted rice & green tea leaves. BEST GREEN TEA I have ever had @ a sushi restaurant. Yum, yum, yum! Definetly give it a try! Not to be missed! Side note: The happy hour menu looked fantastic, although we were not able to make it in time.
(4)Kristin H.
Origami Sushi is located in the Market Hotel building which was constructed in 1867 and was later rebuilt into a hotel in 1880. The Market Hotel functioned as a Hotel until 1960. Eventually, it was purchased and made into a restaurant serving Japanese cuisine, including sushi. November of 1990 Origami officially opened it's doors to the public and has remained one of the best Sushi restaurants in the area. The prices at Origami are very affordable. House wines $3.75/glass, beers ranging from $3-5, cocktails $5 and $6, and sakes from $3.25 all the way to $7.55. Here's the quick rundown: Atmosphere A trendy restaurant in an old building. It's a great place to go for a fancy dinner or a quick bite. Service Friendly and efficient. Presentation Plated beautifully, each dish luring you into sneaking that first bite. Taste Delicious. The sushi has been voted some of the best in the city, I'd have to agree. Value for Dollars Great Happy Hour prices. Can't beat $26 for a meal and drinks for two.
(4)Breanne K.
I had THE best roll of sushi here last night! For me, NY NY Roll is as good as sushi can get. Fresh crab and apple combo rolled with tempura flakes, tastiest fusion I've ever had. This roll is one of their specials that is (I can only say for certain) Friday night. $8.50 for a creation like this is quite a steal. I like this place because they seem to have some great rolls for reasonable prices. Their basic rolls are some of the cheapest that I've eaten in this city! Sushi not quite your cup of tea, they have plenty of other options. Miso soup and the seaweed salad were also top notch! The only reason I'm not giving five stars is because their tea is horrible. Tasted like bad, hot water. No real flavor. Major let down because I love tea.
(4)Jeremy K.
Best sushi I have had. Great sushi bar and awesome chef. Happy hour specials were phenomenal.
(5)Travis H.
My absolutely favorite sushi place here in the Northern Plains and possibly Midwest. When I am in Minneapolis visiting my husband, this is the place on my must visit list. The atmosphere is absolutely welcoming with the lighting, customer service, and the feel, Origami is a great place for a couple or group of friends to eat absolutely great food and enjoy conversations.
(5)M W.
Great ambiance and service. Sushi is delicious. I especially love their lava, 9 1/2 weeks, and rainbow rolls. I also really like their avocado and salmon maki. A little on the pricey side, but the sashimi lunch is a good deal. Their appetizers are also tasty!
(5)Craig R.
Excellent - excellent - excellent. What a great crew they have working here- service is absolutely top-notch, and the sushi is some of the best, AND I am in Japan every other month. Great sushi in Minneapolis = ORIGAMI. Bless you guys- you made my week! I had to come back and add information- they make their own Red Wine Sorbet- it was incredible- never had this anywhere else. Check this place out if you have not already done so.
(5)Vivian N.
Food is good. In my personal opinion, the sushi can do with a bit less sauce. Restaurant ambience is nice and would be good for a date night. Service is fast, friendly, and know about the food. They have happy hour that you may want to check out. Would come back.
(4)Russel A.
An attractive restaurant with a courteous staff. The sushi chefs were professional, and friendly. I ordered 8 pieces of nigiri sushi, and was pleased by the quality of everything. The tuna was delicious in the traditional way, but the real standout items were scallop (hotate) and salmon (sake), which were amongst the tastiest I've ever had. I was pleased, and might return in the future just for those items. The major downside is the price. Expensive sushi, but very good. I ate here on 9/14/15 at 7:45pm.
(5)Cendy C.
This sushi bar here definitely owns up to its reviews! I visited this cute restaurant on a Thursday evening and they were happy to take me in as a walk-in. The venue is three floors and it looks like it was renovated from a house. The first two floors are for the restaurant with a sushi bar on each floor and the third floor is their personal office. I was offered a warm hand towel for my hands as soon as I was seated and was pleasantly surprised by this! It was nice especially being outside for a good part of the day. The sushi here is priced individually or a set of three if you're ordering sashimi. Rolls are also based off sets of 6 or 8 depending on what you order. I had two pieces of Ikura, an order of the salmon sashimi and the salmon avocado roll (not on the menu but they gladly made it for me when I requested it). The salmon was fresh and delicious and definitely worth the price! I also had the miso soup and noticed that their tofu was the crispy kind where they deep fried it first then added it into the soup. Overall, I'm satisfied with my experience here I just wish that their service was a bit quicker. It seemed like they were very well staffed but it took a while to place my order and receive my check, etc. I would love to visit again whenever I'm back in Minneapolis!
(4)Erin G.
I came in here for happy hour sushi and we arrived right as it opened and sat outside. Our server was friendly and knowledgeable. We selected cucumber saki martinis and a sushi platter and sushi bowl off the happy hour menu, which were inexpensive. Food came out really fast and were beautiful and delicious. Zero complaints. We also ordered some sashimi tuna and it was great. The server was just the right amount of attentive. Definitely a winner. Top notch.
(5)Cindy W.
This is supposedly the best sushi in Minneapolis but I've definitely experienced way better. Their hamachi was good but I ordered a $18 roll that is DEFINITELY not worth $18... The roll was mediocre at best. The rice wasn't very great nor was the quality of the fish and the avocado was turning dark green.. Eeks me thinks not...
(1)Kat P.
Clean, friendly, and great food. I'm from New York City and we have our choices in Japanese food. This was the best gyoza, shumai, and teriyaki I have had in a very long time. The wait staff is quick and they provided great service. Even the rice was delicious! Perfectly salted and perfect amount of vinegar. I recommend the crab croquettes. You can taste the fresh prep. Thanks for a great dining experience!
(5)Lydia M.
Excellent food but the service was rough. They seem to have tables spread out across multiple rooms and outdoors and the sushi bar got hit hard as we arrived, even though the room we were in was sparsely peopled. It was a long wait for items from the sushi bar (other tables who ordered from the kitchen after us were already done before we got ours) but the rolls and sashimi made up for it: fresh fish, vegetables and creative combinations. They have a good happy hour deal too, with discounted food and drink available before 6:30pm.
(4)Louise M.
When I heard the name, "Origami," I thought of something intricate, fragile, artsy, and difficult to make. Like the paper folding meaning of origami, it sounded simple but it is hard to do. Same thing with sushi. Serving raw fish - how hard could that be? However, how many reviews have you read of bad sushi restaurants? Yeah, good sushi is not that easy to find. I was here last week for a drink during happy hour with several of the coolest Yelpers I know. It was super fun and the prices weren't bad at all. Yeah, I know it's happy hour but that was a good value for the delicious drinks we received. I was famished and I was salivating on sushi while I was there. However, we were going to The Bachelor Farmer for dinner that turned out to be not so stellar. Wish we would have just stayed at Origami. I should have been a psychologist as I've been the go to person for a friend of mine who is going through a hard time, and a sister who is also having similar issue. I wanted to go back here for dinner and I thought I dragged my sad friend to cheer her up. Plus, I.... Me, I need a treat too. Let there be alcohol and let's start smilin'!!! We caught the last five minutes of happy hour. I asked if we could still order a couple of things, the hostess said we may. The server came and she took our order but she made sure to let us know that the chef wouldn't be too happy about it. She came 10 minutes after we sat. When we asked about happy hour it was definitely before 6:30 and it should have been last call and we understood that. She took care of it but I could do without the editorializing. I ordered the Lychee Martini I had last week. It was too sweet I thought last week but I wanted it again today. Go figure. I don't know.. Whatever. I'm a girl. Things just can't be explained sometime. My friend got a plum wine. I shit you not she started laughing and smiling and talked about the unagi she had in Japan and the guy who sold it cut off the head and strip the skin and roast it within minutes. The way she described it looked like she got some aggression out as well. We also ordered salmon and avocado roll and the takoyaki. I was pretty impressed with my first bites of our appetizers. Salmon tasted fresh and the takoyaki was succulent and creamy and squidy. What's not to like? I ordered the holy shit expensive bento box, and my friend got the Una-ju, which was the bento with unagi/eel. After the unagi story, she got to have herself some eel. The eel was damn damn good! I stole a piece and kept on stealing. My bento box was overpriced for what I got. The sashimi was well portioned with 6 slices of beautiful and delectable fish. The tempura tasted good but they gave me too much filler crap. The saba shioyaki was tiny. It was nicely cooked but it was tiny. Then, just some other fillers like sweet egg omelette, fish cake, a shu mai, and some veggie mixture I didn't care for. So the verdict is... The sushi was fantastic. The una-ju was too. I wouldn't order the bento box again; however, I would order a la carte of things I want or like. The service was ok. She got everything right but she looked like she was working extra hard or stressed out. The free parking across the street after 5 PM is nice. I like this place. It's not perfect but unless you are a master in origami, most of the time the bird or the flower you created usually looked a bit deformed too. This restaurant is not a master piece by any means, however, I am a fan of paper folding. Well, not literally.
(4)Caroline A.
I was in the North Loop area heading out for drinks when a friend suggested we stop by Origami for a bite. I was hesitant after having a mediocre experience at their Uptown location, but the service and freshness of their seafood far exceeded my expectations. The waitress was really helpful for us when picking out our rolls. Everything came out fast and had generous portions. Tip - Check out their late night happy hour menu offered 9 to close on the weekdays and 10 to close on the weekends.
(4)Jennifer N.
Limited sushi roll options, prices a little high. Ambience was nice! The chu hi drink is amazing! I got strawberry and mango and I loved it!!!! Got the "never ending summer roll" that comes with an amazing garlic sauce! I gave 3 stars for the roll option and prices. We also had to park 2 blocks away because there were no parking spots available near the building. The sari roll was also tasty!
(3)Ken C.
Good food, good service, long waiting time during rush hours. Must try its amazing "UNA-JU". I also tried "NABE YAKI UDON" which turned out a little above average. The "caterpillar roll" was good.
(4)Yue L.
I went there after viewing so many pics of yummy food, especially the sushi bowl on happy hour menu. Sushi bowl: sashimi were fresh but only one piece per kind. Worthy the price though $9. Avocado salmon roll: worth trying for $5. Bibimbap: just ok Beef don: made with beef slices/small chunks and onions. Loved it but not really a big portion.
(4)Zarina M.
Had another wonder all day happy hour brunch here. The service here is impeccable. You think Minnesota nice is great? Why don't you check out asian hospitality... Think warm moist hand towels to clean your hands before dinner... What you should order: chef's daily nigiri special chicken gyoza cripsy seasoned octopus These sushi chefs know their art!
(5)Jerice A.
Great service, awesome sushi, love the outside seating in the summertime. Sushi is high quality, decent service
(4)Ron P.
First time here. I have to say, I am no sushi expert. There were many people there that were ! They open at 5:00pm on weekends. There were people waiting at that time. On the weekends, this place opens at 5pm. Happy Hour is 7 days a week. 5 -6:30pm. Huge beverage menu and menu for specials and a menu for Happy Hour. Cool old building. Was a meat market, then a hotel. Built in 1867. Parking at meters, nearby even on Sunday! We had mostly happy hour offerings of sushi rolls and shashimi plates. Salmon,Yellowtail and tuna. The spicy tuna was excellent, The yellowtail was good. The Wontons were amazing but, overpriced at $9.50 I am not a Saki guy but, they have a good selection of sake here and Japanese Whiskeys Menu was extensive, server was only slightly helpful. I would return for Happy Hour !
(4)Rich A.
Amazing! Went all by myself and sat at the sushi bar, which is definitely the way to go if you've got the option - sitting there means you get to have a chat while watching the sushi chefs do their thing, and if there's a spare piece of maki floating around, it gets tossed to you. Staff was friendly, the decor was cool and interesting without being pretentious or annoying, and the sushi rolls were amazing - AND there were well over 20 different rolls available for less than 10 bucks. I am not a particularly cultured/knowledgable sushi consumer, but I've eaten a hell of a lot of it and this was definitely among the best by comparison... plus some of their rolls have some funky twists (granny smith apples? lettuce?) that made it interesting. Would definitely recommend.
(5)sam a.
Took my wife her for a birthday sushi feast last night and was blown away by quality of the fish. I'm originally from Seattle so I'm probably a bit spoiled when it comes to access to quality sushi and unsurprisingly I have been disappointed with many of the Minneapolis area sushi joints. Not the case with Origami! We sat upstairs on a weekend, the bartender was our server. Not only was he extremely knowledgable on the menu he also recommended and crafted tasty cocktails and Japanese whiskey pairings. We ordered a variety of dishes and some of the stand outs were the blue fin sashimi, eel sushi, shrimp tempura, soft-shell crab and the all of the rolls. Also the complimentary green-tea icecream with a candle in it was an added bonus. This menu may sound similar to most sushi places but what stands out is the quality of the fish, I haven't had fish this good anywhere else in the twin cities. It's not cheap but getting excellent fish this far from the ocean is worth it.
(5)Josh B.
Great atmosphere! Try the philly X it was amazing....cucumber, cream cheese, warm!!!! Try it out.
(5)Matt L.
This was definitely the best sushi I've had in a long time. It was flavorful, fresh (flown in daily), and authentic. I've eaten sushi fresh from the water in Hawaii (worked/lived there), in the bay (multiple trips), in Miami, along the pier in SoCal, and you can trust my tastebuds when I say you will definitely enjoy whatever you order from Origami. The price point is set a bit high but I believe it's worth it. We had the unfiltered saki with our meal, and that rounded out the whole experience. Ignore the one-off negative reviews of this place. Do yourself a favor and treat your pallet to Origami.
(5)Kelly B.
Fantastic and elegant experience! I came into Origami by myself so I sat at the sushi bar. The whole dinner felt like a private dining with the sushi chef. I ordered a dinner plate that came with seven different types of fish and my choice of a roll. Before my meal came out, I got a salad and Miso soup. The salad was delicious! They make their own dressing, and it was excellent. The miso soup tasted like miso soup should. The dinner was excellent because of the atmosphere, friendly waiting, and good food. It was a bit on the pricey side, but it was worth it. Following the meal was a surprise dessert. :) I'm not sure if that is something that is offered at the end of every meal, but it was for me and it was very palatable.
(5)Jason L.
This place was great. For fish, I can't recommend the Saba shioyaki and the salmon shioyaki enough. The hamachi Kama was ok, but a little dry. Tasted a little too much like chicken. The broccoli was a great starter!!!
(4)Linda L.
This is also my favorite Japanese Restaurant in the Twin Cities! Foods are very fresh! Small place but they have two levels. It's worth of waiting! Service is good! Been going there since I moved to Twin Cities many years ago. The only thing is no parking lot. But there's always meter parking near by.
(5)Nick H.
Love it here. Always look forward to visiting. Great quality - everything on the menu is good. Ideal if you want to be in & out in less than an hour. Sitting at the sushi bar is best I find. Good value.
(5)Layan A.
Came for a visit to Minneapolis with my husband and in-laws. I must try sushi at every city I'm in so yelp brought us here. The place is perfect, lofty and trendy. We were there around 7ish and it was packed, make sure you call ahead, we did. Service was very slow but friendly. Miso soup was ok, it was cold and the tofu was fried which I find gross. When I told the waiter it was cold, he shrugged and said it was because the ingredients were frozen. Ew. The seaweed salad was good, and veggie gyoza was delicious. The sushi rolls were decent. The problem i had was it was mostly rice and there was hardly any filling! The place is way too overpriced though for what you got. Don't know if I'll be coming back again.
(3)Kimi H.
I've always enjoyed Origami and, prior to Kyatchi, considered it the best sushi place in Mpls. Went there last night for probably the 27th time. We had a bunch of gift cards and decided to go whole-hog and order anything we wanted, regardless of cost. Food was good. I really liked the oysters, and the Neverending Summer roll had some interesting flavors (it really did taste like summer! And it came with a delightfully zesty garlic ponzu sauce!). The nigiri was perfectly fresh and melt-in-your-mouth delicious, as usual. I especially loved the salmon. Service was good. There was one time when we waited an unforgivably long time for a drink refill, but it was busy and our server was clearly working hard to ensure the best experience for all her tables, so I decided to not care, especially when my second $12 martini finally arrived and it was everything I love in an overpriced cocktail (fruity, but not too sweet, adorned with flowers and exotic fruits. Yes, I'm a basic bitch. Deal with it). My one complaint is that we were unable to use our gift cards to pay for the tip. Every other restaurant I've ever used a gift card at allows the customer to include the tip with payment. I've worked at restaurants that allow customers to tip with the gift card. I know it's not an outlandish expectation. Origami, why won't you let your customers pay the tip with their gift cards? The gift card is essentially money, money that was gifted to us, that we would prefer to choose how to spend in your establishment. We didn't have cash on us, so we had to tip with a credit card, and to do so the server had to run a tab of .01, so we could have something to add a tip to. How dumb. And time-consuming for the server, who was too busy too deal with this shit. But now I have $35 remaining on a gift card to spend at your restaurant, so I guess you win.
(3)James L.
Order: NY NY roll, California roll, Rainbow roll. Strawberry soda (hand made) Best sushi in the mid west, I will be back! California roll and rainbow roll were well executed. I used the basic rolls to see if the place is worthy of moving to more complicated rolls. The NY NY was ok at best, just not my palate. Service was awesome!
(5)Lyn C.
The place is very modern-looking and a bit semi-formal/formal-casual atmosphere. The waiters give you warm wet towels which is a nice touch. Albeit the quite expensive menu, I was satisfied with my order. I got the philly-x and tempura maki. While both were delicious, I do believe it's slightly over-priced here. The batter was also not as crispy as I thought it would be. The sashimi was good, but you can find the same quality at other places for a lower price. I normally don't like pickled ginger but I found myself quite fond of theirs. The miso soup was also tasty. Soba was all right. Overall, I would only come to this place again if I wanted to treat myself and dine in a fancier ambience.
(3)Marianne G.
First off, we didn't try the sushi. I made the mistake of looking at Origami Uptown's menu and then making the reservation with the downtown location. I had ramen. Their ramen selection is pretty much non-existent. They just have roast pork and you pick between soy and miso for the base. No pork belly. No poached egg. It was very boring ramen. My husband ordered the Yaki Nuku-Don which is a rice bowl dish. It was very dry - you can't see the hibachi sauce (the rice was completely white and not topped with sauce like we hoped) and they didn't give him enough ribeye beef. He had plenty of rice left over. Service that night was also on the slow side. I would try the uptown location next time.
(2)Lisa P.
Origami won my vote for best sushi in Minneapolis. I went here last night for Happy Hour before the Timberwolves game. The Happy Hour menu had a great value sushi, but still had many options for non-sushi lovers. My group ordered most of the items on the Happy Hour menu to split. Our favorites were the sushi/sashimi combo (one roll and 3 pieces of sashimi for about $8) and the ebi shumai (4 pieces for around $4). The edamame and chicken gyoza were close seconds. There were a few cocktails on the Happy Hour menu, and lots of choices for beer (some Asian, some not). I enjoyed my "chew-high" with the hibiscus tea because it was not too sweet. Service was attentive, without being over the top. Our entire bill came to $80 with tip for 3 people, and we left full and happy. You can't beat that when it comes to sushi!
(4)Amy R.
I'm a fish fanatic and a sushi lover who views California rolls with disdain and will eat everything exotic right down to the fish's eyeballs. But this review isn't about me and my tastes (who gives Origami 5 stars, anyway). Rather, I'm writing this review to assist the vegetarian who's not had any sushi experience because that very person was my luncheon companion recently. Five stars all the way! I took a dear friend here for her first time. Bright eyed and adventurous, she was ready to dive in and have fun but had no idea what in the world she'd be able to eat. We started with an appetizer to share... the Asparagus, "sauteed in butter with garlic, soy sauce, and a splash of sake," and it was delicious with just enough bite, but still tender and not overcooked. We found plenty of vegetarian sushi goodies on the menu, and my friend lit up like a Christmas tree when the beautiful and colorful plate arrived. She actually giggled with delight. I'm referencing the online menu as I write this so I can include what she ordered: Inari ("sweet tofu pocket"). This is a lovely and generous rice filled roll of gently fried tofu. Futo Maki ("the original Fat Roll. Cucumber, Takuwan, Shiitake mushrooms, squash, spinach and egg custard"). This is an amazing blend of flavors that anybody would enjoy, vegetarian or not. Avocado roll - a basic roll filled with plump pieces of avocado. And Tamago Yaki ("sweet egg custard") delicious square-inch size slices of velvety custard. My friend loved her meal and we were both impressed with all the options. There was much more on the menu for a quartet of vegetarians to share. What made the meal even more enjoyable for me, while savoring my salmon, clams and scallops, was watching my pal's joyful reaction each time she tasted something new. It made that lunch very special indeed.
(5)See X.
This place is overrated. The sushi's not bad but it's not THAT great. & it's pretty pricey. I've tried this place a couple of times but I'm just not wow'd by it. And it's always packed so make reservations.
(3)Jessica S.
Did my taste buds take the night off? Supposedly the cream of the crop when it comes to sushi in the Twin Cities, but I was far from impressed with the sushi. We ordered 3 rolls (rainbow, caterpillar, and spicy salmon). All 3 rolls sure looked handsome, but I found the fish to be fairly tasteless and nearly undetectable leaving me feeling like I shelled out $15 a pop for white rice. For dessert, we ordered the only non-ice cream on the menu: turtle lava cake, a traditional Japanese sweet of course... Scanning the room that evening, this appeared to be a popular choice and for good reason. The most spectacular lava cake I've experienced, particularly in the Twin Cities. The cake was extremely moist and dense and soaked up the oozy chocolate and caramel sauce. Paired with a scoop of vanilla ice cream leads to perfection. This cake alone warrants another return to Origami, as the sushi sure doesn't. The space itself was intimate and relaxed. Unlike many other sushi restaurants, Origami doesn't strive for a trendy modern appeal as it has long ago won over locals for its top notch sushi (again, I disagree with this) and doesn't need sex appeal to earn its stay in the North Loop. We arrived around 7:30 on a Friday. The space is not very large with two very narrow dining areas, upstairs and downstairs. Expect to get cozy with your neighbors here.There were only 2 open tables, though there was some room at the sushi bar. Sidewalk seating was also available, but it seems like the summer nights are behind us for the year and the chill in the air forced me inside. Unfortunately, the a/c was still on high inside making the air just as undesirably cool (bring a jacket!). We were seated upstairs immediately. I think generally a party of 2 should not have a long wait, but larger parties may struggle a bit. Reservations are taken but only for parties of 5 (?) or more and limited to certain times of day. Service was very professional. Prices were expensive but standard for sushi. Origami has become somewhat of an institution from a foodie perspective. However, the sushi was tasteless and I've had far better at spots that many a sushi snobs would likely scoff at.
(3)Kamil B.
I am a native Minnesotan who's been living outside MN for more than 10 years. I haven't had many chances to come back, but in 2012, I was able to attend one of my science conferences in downtown Minneapolis. Saturday night I was looking for some excellent sushi and stumbled across Origami. Didn't feel like waiting for a table, so I sat at the sushi bar. The tea and miso soup hit the spot. Loved the nigiri and sashimi, which were very fresh. The chef was very nice and the atmosphere was ultra chic. This a great place to start your evening right.
(5)Rhett P.
I have sushi at least once week and I rely on yelp to guide me for the best Restaurants.. This was likely the least impressive sushi I have every had. I will try some where else next time. Crave is 100 times better!!
(1)Harsimran B.
Awesome sushi.. Lomi lomi salad a must!
(4)Susie A.
Went for dinner early enough to have the happy hour specials. Great value! Had both specials offered from the sushi bar and enjoyed them. $7.95 Sushi/Sashimi combo (spicy yellowtail- our choice) $7.95 Sushi bowl and Miso soup. Husbo loved his refreshing $6 Ichitini cocktail of sake, vodka and cucumber. In addition to the happy hour specials mentioned above I had the Japanese micro beer Hitachino Real Ginger Brew. Nice! We also ordered more sashimi: salmon and Amberjack. The Amberjack was pasty or gummy. Not pleasant. The salmon was good. For dessert I had the green tea ice cream wrapped in poundcake and tempura batter and fried. All I could taste was the oil. I wish I could remember what they called it. Husbo had the chocolate lava cake which was so bittersweet it took the saliva right out of our mouths. Our server was attentive and helpful and we liked our table on the main floor by the window. We got there right when it opened, which means we got to pick our table. Bad news is, with an empty restaurant I noticed they are in need of new chairs. The bottoms of the legs are wrapped in layers of black duct tape. Probably wouldn't have noticed if the tables were full...
(3)Chad T.
If I was reviewing sushi places worldwide, I might give Origami 4 stars. But because it is excellent sushi and hands down the best place in Minneapolis I am giving it that extra bump. Fresh fish, great quality options, and if you're with someone who doesn't want raw fish there are other options like tempura or tonkatsu or udon/ramen options as well. Also, they have a great sake selection. I was surprised to see a yamahai nama genshu on the list (most places in NYC don't even have something like that) as well as a nigori junmai ginjo. I could stay here all afternoon just tasting the sake selection, all of which is available by the glass, 500 mL, or 720 mL bottles.
(5)Rick G.
Great sushi, cool atmosphere, and excellent service. I've been all over, and Origami is a consistent performer.
(5)Daniel O.
OK. So my review is a little tempered because: a) I didn't try any of the Japanese dishes, and b) I am rating this solely on the quality of the sushi. So we had the crunchy roll and a roll that was something like 9 Weeks Of Summer. Don't quote me on that one. I have been to SO MANY different sushi places around the country. I'm not kidding. I have had crunchy rolls from almost all of them and I have never had a crunchy roll like this one. This isn't a compliment. It wasn't very good. It didn't have any type of flavor or taste that I would normally enjoy in a sushi roll and I was very disappointed. Next up: 9 Weeks Of Summer (or something like that!). So this one was about a half step above the crunchy roll. It did have avocado and unagi and shrimp as well, but there wasn't really too much flavor. I was kind of taken aback because I was excited to try this 4 star sushi joint in downtown Minneapolis but clearly many people that come here either come for something different or they may have not tried high quality sushi before. I would give it more stars if it was less expensive due to the quality of the sushi. Oh yeah! We also had the miso soup. Very interesting. I wouldn't get it again honestly. It's too bad because there are so many times that I go into places like this one and I'm so excited to maybe find my new sushi place. I've had better, and it's not even close. Sorry, I try not to be so negative, the service is what bumped it up to 3 stars. Service: 5 stars Food: 3 stars Price: 1 star Ambience: 4 stars
(3)Wendy B.
I have to give 3 stars. This fish was fresh, but it didn't appear to be at te right temperature...a little on the limp (not firm) side. Miso soup was comparable to the kind you would buy in a chinese supermarket that is 'instant'. People were pleasant. Bar was very tight and crowded---not a lot of elbow room. Locals rave aboutt this place.
(3)Nue L.
Don't get me wrong, service was great but I was TREMENDOUSLY disappointed with the sushi. Granted it was fresh, but quite bland. I wouldn't come here again and I don't understand all the rave reviews.
(2)Jeffrey O.
Slow service average sushi.
(3)R E.
my husband and i are sushi fans. we have tried most of the places around here. this was the best one. highly recommend the sushis, the fish is great, very fresh
(5)Ms. B.
HAPPY HOUR !!! okay, so i am from a city where sushi is always very good, so i have struggled in minneapolis. origami does a fantastic job with their specialty rolls and their sashimi. their fish is some of the best you ccan find in the middle of the country. however, we cannot all afford such things on a daily basis. that is why i go to their happy hour. i recommend the happy hour sushi bowl - you get some good cuts of several kinds of fish for very cheap ($6 or so). they have cheap appetizers as well. and some of the best sake around about half price during happy hour! it seems most complaints are about their service. sit upstairs in the bar - the servers there are fantastic (see, e.g., shari).
(5)Jackie L.
I work in downtown Minneapolis, very close to Origami, so I've been here many times. Origami's sushi is consistently good and fresh, the best sushi I've had in the Twin Cities area. Gotta love the ancient brick warehouse it's housed in, too.
(5)Morriss P.
A friend of mine in Boston recommended this as THE place to go for dinner while we at a conference in Minneapolis. So a group of four of us made reservations for a weeknight, and we ordered a delightful assortment of sushi recommended by our Origami veteran. I tried some varieties that I would never have otherwise, and none disappointed. If you come to Origami, be bold, and order sushi that is outside your comfort zone. You won't regret it! I had a terrific experience with good food, good drinks, and good friends. A fairly intimate venue, it was perfect for four, would be great as a date place, but I don't think good for a really large group.
(5)JAZON L.
On the corner of a 4 way intersection this place can draw in a crowd. They have great sushi and it simply amazed me regarding the freshness of the fish and the presentation. We are talking about midwest sushi. The fish must be flown in daily b/c it compares with the likes of SF and Boston. Simply stunned that I was able to find not only a good but a GREAT sushi joint. Made my stay in Minny even more enjoyable. Well done.
(5)Josh M.
3.5 stars. This is decent Sushi, not great, but good for the twin cities. It's right by the Federal Reserve Bank. Definitely worth a visit if you need a Sushi fix.
(3)Kristi G.
Unfortunately, I was here on a bad date, but the restaurant, from the food to the service to even the prices, was well worth putting up with it for the short time that I was there. The service was spot on and very helpful. This restaurant boasts a lot of different types of sushi that are not normally found in other (at least local) sushi places in teh Twin Cities, and the servers were very knowledgeable in explaining each type. The service was prompt and very pleasant. The sushi - it was easily the best sushi that I have eaten in this country, with the exception of San Fran. Very innovative, but without deterring too far from the classic sushi style. Very fresh fish and many options for both die-hard sushi fans (or addicts, like me) as well as those just beginning to venture into that territory. They also had a wide variety of vegetarian sushi, for those still not comfortable or interested in fish sushi. Overall, I would rate this as a fantastic gem in the Twin Cities and an establishment that I would happily go to again and again. I have been told that their lunch specials are amazing, as well, so perhaps that will be my next time!
(5)L. T.
Excellent sushi! All of the rolls were incredibly fresh. We went to Origami on a visit from SF and were very impressed.
(5)sherzy b.
After being told this is "The place" in Minneapolis to get sushi we went to try it out. So, so disappointing. Fish was not fresh, presentation was lacking, service was lacking, ambiance was non-existent. But the check was not lacking, it was very over-priced. Go to Nami, you will be much happier.
(1)Kelly S.
Excellent sushi in an ultra-cool setting. The prices, however, are sky high and especially so for any kind of libation.
(3)Dizzle T.
What was i doing in Minnesota?! I'll get back to you when I find the answer... Well i had my doubts about this place, but after living off burgers and fries for the past 3 days, i would've eaten at Yo-Yo (see review below). Ok maybe not, but i was 'feenin for something other than the typical mid-west menu. I ordered a sushi platter for the heck of it, and was pleasantly surprised by the flavors and freshness of the fish. Nowhere near as good as Sasabune in Hawaii, but not everybody can have their fish flown in fresh from Japan. The lady-friend had the thin-sliced beef plate which was very tender and juicy. Ambience is dark and cozy. They have little notes and 'thank-yous' from famous people who've stopped by plastered all over the walls which is kinda cool (ah so Bruce Hornsby DID play the piano!) Service was a bit rough, but i think it was just our particular waitress who was serving the entire 2nd floor by herself. I got agitated when she didn't bring us any dishes for the soysauce/wasabi. But who can blame her being an african-american in a japanese restaurant in the middle of a predominantly caucasian state?!
(4)T.S. M.
The atmosphere was enjoyable, the service was good, and the sushi is the best I have had in the Twin Cities to date.
(4)Nate K.
Absolute best sushi in Minneapolis! This is MPLS first real sushi bar and it does everything well.
(5)Nick K.
Nice atmosphere and friendly bartenders and servers. Great food, ordered so much don't remember what was ordered.
(4)Mike G.
Not that inspiring, not that classic. I feel like you need to do one of those well. Ya know? This place had slightly unfresh, not well cut sushi. We had 4 rolls and loved none of them. The ginger was sliced too thick. I was however really impressed with their beer selection. I had a great white beer from Japan--totally great. I am sure there are some better spots in MSP for Sushi.
(2)Jason K.
Enjoyed a late Sunday dinner with two friends at Origami and was incredibly happy with the meal! We sat at the sushi bar, so had the pleasure of watching the chefs work...and believe me when I say it was impressive to behold. Very courteous and knowledgeable, the chef handling our order served up a fantastic "chef's selection" of 30 pieces of sashimi, some of which I had never had before (which says something considering how much I love sushi)! The highlight of the 30-piece-chef's-selection had to be the Uni...but the sweet shrimp and good ol' Toro were a close 2nd and 3rd! Prices may be a little higher than some of the other sushi places in and around downtown, but I would still say it was worth every penny! If you love sushi, I'd definitely recommend Origami!
(4)Lara B.
Origami has been consistently the best sushi restaurant in Minneapolis for years. When we lived in the warehouse district this was our Wednesday night. We even had a favorite server who always recommended items that weren't necessarily on the menu (see below). I'm also a fan of the Sushi Lunch. It's saved my waning attitude during nasty work days many a time. The atmosphere could stand to be updated, but the best place to be is at the sushi bar. When in Rome . . . Recommended: in addition to la carte sushi (pay close attention to the specials), start with the Aji Sashimi. It's presented beautifully; sliced thin with scallions and shaved daikon, arranged artfully on the posed, whole fish (hard to describe but trust me) and served with a light, tangy sauce on the side. Once you've finished the sashimi they take the fish away and flash fry it. It's nothing short of the best crispy fried goodness you have ever tried -- bones and all.
(4)Ankit J.
If you happen to be a vegetarian but like trying different foods, this is the place to be. The age dashi tofu and futo maki are great. Do get the green tea.
(4)Dee T.
I'd been on a bit of a sushi embargo, due to some disastrous encounters with rice-happy super-maki-making sushi chefs at various places around the country. But my first experience at Origami succeeded in turning me back on. I found everything very fresh and clean, simple and not over-constructed. I do believe that I have found my go-to sushi place in the cities!
(4)Betty H.
This is the best place to get sashimi in town, The fish is so fresh and buttery.
(5)Karina T.
totally legit sushi joint in downtown minneapolis. had unagi sushi, tuna & sockeye salmon sashimi, spicy tuna roll, great seaweed salad, miso soup had tasty mushrooms in it & a great plate of veggie tempura - all A+
(5)nicole l.
Sushi is my new pizza! I crave it. This place is always consistantly delicious! I love the philly rolls! Salmon, Cream Cheese, Avacado, Wasabi, and some other delicious but not to crazy ingrediants.
(4)Dainty P.
Great sushi! We went during happy hour so it was not ridiculously expensive!
(4)Dan B.
This is it. If you are a sushi fiend, it just doesn't get better than this... at least within a few hundred miles. We have hit every sushi place in the cities, and keep coming back to Origami time and time again. I recommend sitting at the Sushi bar, as the experience is always rockin. The chefs are amazing and interact with you throughout your meal. The sushi is always right on, drinks are great, and the price is right in line with the quality.
(5)Liz B.
It was just OK. Decor was nice. Food was good. But it was a little overpriced for me.
(3)ty f.
Origami is another Japanese stand-by in Minneapolis, having been around almost as long as Kikugawa. Jin-san and A-san are the owner/chefs, and very cool guys. They usually man the Sushi bar, and you can BS with them all night without any hassle and they will feed you some of the best seafood you can get in a land-locked state. I wouldn't recommend going on a weekend, as they can get very very busy and nobody seems to be having any fun. And sundays, well, lets just say some people seem to be still recovering from Saturday when they roll into work (or down the stairs, what have you). The bar upstairs is very nice too, although the bartender/host they have up there can crap diamonds he's so uptight.
(4)Victor M.
We went to Origami a few months ago and we had a great experience. Was a small group of us and we went to try the blow fish. It was a great experience the Sake with blowfish fine. Tasted baddddddddd but i forced it down to get the full experience. Every one in the group was pleased by the service. The bar had a large selection of things and the bar tender was very prompt and skill full. I have been to Origami in the past and i will continue to go. We ended up closing down the restaurant and even though we were way past closing they kept the place open for us and did not rush us. The only thing i noticed was the eel sauce is not as good as fuji ya in downtown saint paul. that location is still my all time favorite.
(5)