Wakame

Wakame has been our go-to sushi spot in Minneapolis for the last several years. They have a fantastic happy hour from 3-6pm every day, with deals on drinks, appetizers, sushi, sashimi, sushi rolls, etc. We typically order the Hot & Spicy Girl roll (shown in the photo), fresh spring rolls, seaweed salad and shrimp tempura. The lunch bento boxes are also a favorite, for the amount of food, the variety and the price. There’s even a charming little patio space surrounded by plants and flowers. Parking is shared with the other nearby businesses and Whole Foods, but there are always spots somewhere in the lot. The atmosphere/decor is pretty simple and a bit outdated, but the food, value and service definitely make up for it.

Very decent experience all around - I think they deserve a 3.5, but since I can’t round, I’ll go with a 4. The food was pretty good, but the service and pricing were not great. Everything pictured was about $70 after tip, and this was during happy hour. If it were not, it’d be closer to $85 or $90(?). We really enjoyed the mussels, although they were a little small, and the specialty rolls were tasty. I got a few pieces of nigiri just to compare to other places, and theirs was the worst out of all of them. Billy Sushi, AMA, Momo, and New Origami were all superior, maybe even Sushi Train. The fish didn’t taste as fresh and the rice was cold and hard. Would not order again. The specialty rolls were all solid, and food came out quickly (it was also mostly empty inside). Our waiter wasn’t necessarily bad, but it seemed like he was the only one working, and he never checked in on us. Also, all of the water refills were warm… not exactly what you want on a hot day. Overall, I’d come back only for the happy hour, and I’d stay away from the nigiri. Not a bad experience, but I was a bit disappointed, especially because this place was recommended to us by a coworker.

IMO this is the best happy hour in uptown! A ton of the sushi rolls and appetizers are discounted, along with $5 pours of wine! I recommend making a reservation by calling or you might wait in a long line outside. Spring through fall, they do have a patio to enjoy, too. Oh ya, and the sushi is delicious!

After a very long absence from Wakame the kickoff of Leo season saw us getting together with three of our favorite humans to celebrate their birthdays and a delicious Japanese dinner on a Wednesday night. From the great service by Jojo and her associate, and having skipped lunch, we wanted to try everything on the menu. From the customary sake flight and Sapproro (and espresso martini by my wife) to kick things off, we dove into appetizers: spring rolls & shishito peppers. But this was just the kickstart to our meal. I ordered the crispy rice the table beside ours just happened to order it and I needed to have one), green salad ( I'm a sucker for the ginger dressing), and 3 rolls (which I shared with the wifey). My wife ordered the panang curry, and I forget how monstrous the serving sizes were. By the end of the meal parentheses and another bottle sake ( I definitely was in a good spot and will certainly not make my return so dew and far between