Origami

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Fold yourself into a chair at Origami if you want to try what many agree is the best sushi in the state, and order the omakase. What's that? It's when you establish some kind of rapport with the sushi chef, and give him carte blanche to put together a meal for you. (You can specify a price range, usually between $15 and $30 a head.) What follows will be the height of the fishy arts: cubes of tuna like dark rubies, elegant little strips of translucent horse mackerel presented sashimi style, fresh hotate (scallop) rolled in a spiral with black seaweed paper, and more, more, more. Insider's tip: There are often baigai (Japanese escargot), sea cucumbers, and other oceanic rarities on the premises, so if you want in, ask. Hot dishes, too, are now some of the most original and best in town. Bargain weekday noodle lunches and late-night celebrity sightings round out the package. Who knew Elvis Costello, Tony Hawk, and Al Roker had anything in common? The Ridgedale Mall location is not as star-studded, but just as good.

Cuisine(s): Japanese, Sushi

Hours: Sun 5pm-9pm, Mon-Thu 5pm-9:30pm, Fri-Sat 5pm-10:30pm
Price: $$, $$$

Features: Patio/Sidewalk Dining, Takeout, Private Party
Parking: Meters, Street

2011 | Best Sushi

Sushi is an exemplary Japanese cuisine that has flourished in international markets with great success. Globalization is not a bad thing, but with sushi, tradition is essential not only in understanding how to choose and cut seafood but in... More >
2009 | Best Sushi

Origami makes the freshest, most elegant sushi in town—the kind you want to eat slowly, with your eyes closed. Sushi purists will be gratified by simple fresh preparations of nigiri and sashimi—buttery hamachi, sweet unagi, and tender maguro—all... More >
2008 | BEST SUSHI

Sushi rises and falls based on the fish, and in terms of serving up some of the freshest, most vibrant eats in the Cities, Origami comes through again and again. That, however, is only half the battle. One of the real beauties of sushi (or, more... More >
2007 | BEST SUSHI

The last time we went to the downtown Origami we made a rookie mistake: We showed up at 6:30 on a Friday night, which, as everyone knows, means cooling your heels for an hour in the bar, waiting for a spot to open up. (Darn no-reservations... More >
2006 | BEST SUSHI

Just sitting at the sushi bar in Origami is a lesson in grace and courtesy, as well as in how to taste the most delicate and sublime gifts from our seas. Each of these classically trained, articulate chefs understands that his duty is not merely... More >

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City Pages Reviews and News

Origami vs. Tanpopo in a battle of noodle soups

By Lisa Gulya | Wed, August 4, 2010

If you've seen the Japanese film Tampopo, you know the power of a perfectly prepared bowl of Japanese noodles. Heck, even if you've never heard of Tampopo, you probably know someone who subsis More >
Death by dinner: Burger Jones' Meat Your Maker, Origami's blowfish, and more

By Rachel Hutton | Wed, February 03, 2010

So what are the odds that this will actually, uh, kill me? I wondered as I sped downtown to make my 7:30 dinner reservation. I consoled myself with the fact that there was a certain risk of death associated with eating spinach—greater still with g... More >
Origami, Westward Ho!

By Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl | Wed, December 03, 2003

The last time I was at Origami I had the aji, a pint-sized silvery horse mackerel served in two courses. The first preparation presented the fish as sashimi, the taste of it so very flowery, herbal, and meaty that I was forced to do a spontaneous ... More >
Fresh Fish Phoenix

By Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl | Wed, June 04, 2003

Origami 30 N. First St. Minneapolis, 612.333.8430 www.origamirestaurant.com I have never before seen fish batter piped into a lattice, deep-fried, and cut into ribbons, so that strips like a doll-house fence could be fashioned into fa... More >
Fresh Fish Lowdown

By Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl | Wed, September 25, 2002

Dear Dara, Why do people sit at the sushi bar in a sushi restaurant? Should I? Is there better fish there? How can I get the best fish in the restaurant? How and whom should I tip? --Befuddled O'Bemused, Bemidji The above isn't a real letter... More >

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User Reviews

2 User reviews

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citypagesbestof

| Wed, May 06, 2009

Sushi rises and falls based on the fish, and in terms of serving up some of the freshest, most vibrant eats in the Cities, Origami comes through again and again. That, however, is only half the battle. One of the real beauties of sushi (or, more broadly, fine Japanese dining in general) is the potential for the chef to connect with the customer through an order called "omakase"�literally, "trust the chef." Origami's ability to dazzle customers with an assortment of improvised creations highlighting the day's freshest and most interesting ingredients is nothing short of magical. Put in your request for omakase and wait for a tide of amuse bouches, hand rolls, nigiri, and other tidbits to roll out from behind the bar. If sushi's your thing�and why shouldn't it be?�Origami's your place.

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Irene P

| Thu, November 13, 2008

Hands down, best sushi in town! Their bentos are also fab and don't forget the bar upstairs for some crazy drink concoctions!

What do you think of this review? 0 0

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Dinner

Soup & Salad

Regular $3.00
Large $6.95

Miso Soup
regular– with tofu, wakame (seaweed) and green onion. large– with new zealand green mussels and vegetables.

$6.95

Ton-jiru
(pork miso soup) pork and vegetables with hot chili pepper served in a large soup bowl

$5.75

Asari Miso Soup
manila clam with asparagus

$13.95

Nabe Yaki Udon
udon noodles cooked in ceramic pot, shrimp tempura, shiitake mushrooms, spinach, sunny side egg and fish cake. a meal in itself.

$3.50

Green Salad
with house dressing

Octopus $8.25
Shrimp $8.50
King Crab Meat $8.95

Sunomono
marinated cucumbers with octopus, shrimp or king crab meat

$6.50

Seaweed Salad
healthy seaweed with sliced hydraid cucumbers, a touch of sesame seed oil and ponzu sauce

$6.95

Tako Sansai
(octopus and mountain vegetables) marinated octopus, warabi (bracken), kikurage (dry fungus mushroom) with refreshing spicy sesame dressing and ponzu sauce

A La Carte - Chicken & Beef

$16.95

Yaki Niku
marinated rib eye beef grilled with hibachi sauce and bean sprouts served with steamed rice

$11.95

Yaki Niku Spring Roll
thin slices of marinated rib eye beef with avocado and yam noodles rolled in rice paper. served with a homemade sweet bbq sauce on the side

$8.95

Kushi Katsu
two skewers of pork loin cutlets deep fried and served with flavorful miso sauce

$14.50

Grilled Chicken Teriyaki
chicken breast with teriyaki sauce and bean sprouts served with steamed rice

A La Carte - Fish

$9.50

Saba Shioyaki
the most popular grilled fish in japan, mackerel is and excellent source of d.h.a., served with ground daikon radish

$12.95

Salmon Shioyaki
grilled sashimi grade salmon, lightly salted and served with spicy teriyaki sauce

$10.75

Hamachi Kama
grilled yellowtail cheek garnished with ground daikon & red ginger root. the cheek is a very tender and flavorful part of the fish

$13.95

Black Cod Miso Yaki
marinated black cod with white miso sauce

A La Carte - Mushrooms

$12.75

Mushrooms
portabella, enoki, oyster, and fresh shitaki mushrooms sautéed with garlic butter, soy sauce and a splash of sake. finished with ginger sauce.

A La Carte - Shrimp

$11.50

Origami Shrimp
broiled shrimp wrapped with bacon and served with spicy sweet sauce

$13.95

Spicy Shrimp
jumbo shrimp sautéed in spicy garlic chili sauce

$13.95

Ama Ebi
deep fried whole ama ebi shrimp with sea salt, pepper and origami salsa

$11.95

Ebi Fry
jumbo shrimp deep fried with japanese panko. served with flavorful miso sauce

A La Carte - Mussels & Clams

$10.50

Asari Clams
eight ounces of manilla clams steamed in sake, finished with asparagus, lemon & a light tasty soy-vinegar dresing

6 Pieces $9.50

Green Mussels
oven baked with origami's special sauce

Japanese Entrres

$19.75

Una-ju
grilled fresh water eel over rice in a ju-bako (box container). served with miso soup and oshinko

Served With Rice $24.95

Sukiyaki
a very popular one-pot meal in japan. contains thinly sliced rib eye beef, tokyo onion, fresh shitaki mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, sweet onion and yam noodles and gobo (burdock roots).

$29.50

Makunouchi Bento Box
makunouchi is a popular japanese bento. the word makuno- uchi bento (between-act bento), dates back to the edo period (1603 to 1867), when they were served during the intermissions of noh and kabuki theater performances. shrimp tempura, three kinds of sashimi (chef’s choice) grilled fish, egg custard, kamaboko (fish cake) vegetables and marinated seaweed. served with miso soup and rice

$18.25

Tempura Shrimp And Vegetables
japanese style fried food that is light, crisp and fresh tasting. served with rice and miso soup

$28.50

Sashimi Platter
5 variety assortment of fresh fish and shellfish (chef’s choice) served with salad, miso soup, and rice

Regular $23.95
Deluxe $27.95
Chirashi Zushi $23.95

Sushi
served with miso soup, salad, and varieties of fresh seafood on sushi rice. (chef’s choice-substitutions extra). regular – seven varieties of fresh seafood on sushi rice and your choice of one spicy tuna roll, spicy yellowtail roll, spicy salmon roll or california roll. deluxe – ten varieties of fresh seafood on sushi rice and your choice of one spicy tuna roll, spicy yellowtail roll, spicy salmon roll or california roll. chirashi zushi – imaginative combination of fresh seafood and vegetables on a bed of sushi rice. extra gari (sushi ginger) 50¢ complete sushi menu

Deserts

Deserts
deserts change regularly.

Looking for another city?

30 1st St. N.
Minneapolis, MN 55401

612-333-8430 | Website

More Minneapolis (Downtown) Japanese Restaurants >

2011 | Best Sushi

2009 | Best Sushi

2008 | BEST SUSHI

2007 | BEST SUSHI