Sanjusan

“Sanjusan was such a fun dinner and definitely lived up to the hype. I had never really had a menu like this before outside of the usual ramen and sushi spots, so it was cool trying something different. We sat on the 4th floor by the window, the restaurant had such a great vibe, and even the music was perfect playing Drake and J. Cole and it somehow fit so well. We started with the Hiramasa Crudo, which was super fresh and really good. I love raw fish and ceviche, so I liked it a lot, even though after just getting back from Mexico I personally would want a lot more lime. But the real star of the night was the Arancini and wow… that was easily the highlight of the whole meal. Honestly one of the best bites I’ve had in Minnesota, maybe from any restaurant here. I didn’t fully understand what it was going to taste like from the description and pictures, but it completely blew me away. The crunch, the sauce, the flavors all working together, it was unreal. I don’t even really like ginger like that but it worked perfectly here. I seriously thought about ordering a second round of it for like 20 minutes I could have eaten 3 orders myself. Wow it was so good, dipping it in the egg too 🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤 It was amazing thank you for creating those balls of happiness. We also got the yakitori chef’s order and that was delicious too. Super tender, flavorful chicken and really good sauces with it. We tried the spring special yakitori wagyu too, and that was probably the only thing I wouldn’t order again since it was way chewier than I expected. The chicken skewers were honestly more tender. The chicken was cooked to perfection, can’t wait to try more options in the future. We split the Mentaiko Lumache, which was a great size for sharing since we ordered a lot. My girlfriend loved it. I’m not huge on pistachio in pasta, but it was still really good and I get why people recommend it. Also have to shout out our waiter Austin, who gave us great service the whole night and made the dinner even better. Super nice guy, attentive the whole time, and was running up and down all those stairs the whole time! Overall, amazing experience. Great atmosphere, great prices for the quality, and the Arancini alone is worth coming back for. Already excited to go back and try the Duck Tataki, pizza, more skewers, and obviously another order of arancini. For real that arancini was amazing, please make other versions!”

“Amazing, delicious, Cyrus and Dreyon were the best seriously such a pleasure to spend our anniversary here!! Highly reccomend the Mentaiko (coe-rod, pistacho, basil situation we were reccomended) and the Verdi pizza. We had also a dessert I can't remember the name of (squash puree, candied nuts, apples). Insane. 10/10”

“Dining here was a sensory delight. The pasta dishes were exquisite, especially the Mentaiko Lumache with pistachios. Our pizzas were excellent; true Napoli style. Being seated at the kitchen counter allowed us to watch the chefs ply their art. That itself was almost as enjoyable as the tasty desserts. Strongly recommend.”

“We have been here about 7 times over the years - and have brought many friends along for the fun. It is truly a great experience every time, food amazing, attentive staff and slightly updated dishes to make it interesting. Be ready for an adventure and open to new flavor combos! You will not be disappointed. I started with a Hana Hachi drink which is so fun - I usually get 2, very mezcal smokey, but sweet-ish. So great. We went with another couple so we ordered more for the 4 of us. We started with the gem salad and all agreed it was not "just a salad" - so bright, light and tasty. Crispy brussels were a special and fantastic - lick the plate great. Duck tataki was our adventure choice and really great - duck was perfect and mango made it light and sweet - what an amazing combo of flavors. That was the winner of apps and easy to share. I got the dungeness crab fettuccine - this is actually the 3rd time i've gotten this dish and just want more. Big chunks of crab, buttery creamy sauce with slices of seaweed on top. Fresh pasta is just my favorite and they did this dish perfect. Had to get the Isaac Becker pizza for my friends (their first time there) and it was awesome. Definitely mid-spicy level, but with cabbage and lime it was so dreamy - light and perfectly cooked. We all loved it. Friend had the Mentaiko Lumache pasta and he was so happy - so savory, fun flavors (basil and pistachio?). My husband always gets their GF pizza and there was a special for the spicy pepperoni. He was thrilled and said they do this perfectly. We have also gotten the squid ink pasta in the past and loved that - it's different than normal pasta, but really great. Prices were also pretty good - each couple paying about $150 (with wine and drinks). Highly recommend Sanjusan!”

“- Fettuccine pasta was very disappointing. The amount of crab you get for $40+ is shocking and the crab isn’t even that flavorful. The noodles have good consistent texture but is overpowered by the butter. The citrus notes and seaweed can’t save this dish. Would not order again - Squid ink pasta was the best. A perfected blend of Italian and Japanese culture in one bowl. It consists of a black unique pasta noodle that is easy to eat, strung along with orange clumps of flavor - Mentaiko lumanche pasta was okay, my sister really liked it - The brick-oven Margarita pizza was good, very nice dough texture but the portion could be bigger - Maitake karaage had a good crisp, chewy texture paired with a decent sauce and refreshing seaweed - Gyoza had a neat appearance but nothing special taste-wise, same with the mushroom - I tried their non-alcoholic drinks- Kosho, Royal and Akai Senshi. Both taste good but overpriced for the amount of drink you get. Especially for the Royal, $12 for a small milk tea you is egregious. Even for the Kosho, you get 4 tablespoons worth of juice in a huge wine glass. I’m not a wine lover so I can’t really say I enjoyed the Akai drink but if that’s part of your palate all I can say is that it tastes like red wine - Service was stellar, they’re quick on taking orders and replacing plates/culinary. Staff are all friendly - Interior can be a bit loud and cramped. The narrow hallway design forces the noises of the kitchen and other patrons to condense. The music they play is R&B but the volume could be turned up”