Izakaya Minato

One of my favorite restaurants in Portland. Great comfort Japanese food. The restaurant itself is a really cozy and has expanded from when we first visited many years ago. The staff did a great job and were very attentive. We’ve done both the omakase and gone a la carte. Both after great options. We love the uni spoons and can eat them forever. The omakase is a great option if you’re not sure what you want. They do a great mix of all their heavy hitters. Overall this is one of our favorite stops when we come up to Portland and hope you try it out!

This was one of the best meals I have ever had! The oysters?! AMAZING. incredible. perfect. Those alone are worth the 2 hour drive from massachusetts. We also really loved the daikon salad, uni spoon, sashimi, and scallop special among everything else we ate! I was also very pleased that there were enough high-protein options to satisfy me, though I don't eat carbs/rice/noodles.

A very cozy Japanese small plates and cocktail joint. I would recommend a reservation unless you’re in the area. It was a 50 min wait for my party of 1 on a Wednesday evening. The wait was worth it, however. They have a rotating list of specials. I tried a squid dish off that list which was fantastic. I also got the JFC, which was okay and probably my least favorite of the food options, but still good. The udon was perfect. As far as the cocktails, the green vodka based one was great - super light and refreshing. I did not care as much for the Polly Pratt because the plum wine element of it was a tad heavy. The atmosphere is great and the service is prompt and efficient. Please note that they do a 3% service fee added onto the bill to the hourly waged back-kitchen staff. Spent $64 on 2 cocktails, 3 small plates which was super filling and a bit of a splurge. It’s better as a treat kind of meal than a regular place.

Can't get enough. Highly recommend if you're on Washington ST in Portland Maine and your craving small Japanese plates in a small cozy setting, including creative cocktails, and different flavors of sake, then go here. I asked my husband to make sure I get the sake I ordered for Xmas :) it was that good. Definitely order the fried chicken, shichimi tuna, and any special they have going on. If you're on a wait list, go right across the street and order a cocktail outside while you wait.

If I could give somewhere a 6/5, this would be the place. Izakaya is a small plates, Japanese inspired restaurant with a western flair. Just a warning, it is a small restaurant and you need to get there before 5pm to get a table when they open otherwise you could wait for 2+ hours you can put your name down however and they will text you when your table is ready. For the food, I will say that you should just get their Omakase as it is 5-7 dishes all curated by the chefs for you to enjoy. It's a bargain for the quality of food you get sitting at about $48 per person. I have had many Omakase dishes and courses but this one takes the cake. Caution, these are not sushi dishes but rather a curated menu of beef, fish, vegetables and other foods to make an incredible journey through food.