Minako Sushi Odenplan — Restaurant in Stockholm

Let me begin by saying that I am a sushi enthusiast. I was told by many that this is regarded as one of the best sushi restaurants in Stockholm. Naturally my hopes were very high. I was utterly disappointed.

First impression when entering the restaurant was quite positive. Clean looking place, by first glance. However, service staff was hanging in the back room and took a while to observe me and let me make an order. I chose the 13 piece mix (lunchtime), which included fish nigiris and rolls with shrimp.

When going to the toilet, I noticed that there was a lack of proper ventilation in the kitchen as well as the staff not maintaining proper hygiene and order on surfaces. This was an obvious red flag. Toilet door was broken, which also tells about sloppyness and improper attention to detail.

After a while, I received my first plate, the fish nigiris. To my shock, the waitress said: ”no need to worry about soy sauce and wasabi, it’s all put in the nigiris”. The idea of sushi is that it should be clean and simple. You should be able to taste the rice and fish separately, not drown them in seasoning. I also wonder if this was a way to cover the lack of fresh ingredients for lunch sets.

The rice was of good taste, however consistency was terrible and the pieces fell apart due to the pre-added sauce, making the appereance seem awful. The worst nightmare was about to start. Never in my whole life, have I experienced what I am about to talk about next, before. Not cheap or expensive places. The pieces of fish had bones in them, as well as slimy non-clean parts. The tuna tasted like it had almost gone bad.

It is absurd to even have to dream about a sushi place, especially a reputable one, to have bones and poor quality cuts and ingredients in their food.

I mentioned this to the waitress, who just said: ”you can get new ones”. Obviously I did not want more poor quality sushi. The next plate with the shrimp was even worse. It was a mushy mess covered in some sauce and spicy chili covering and ruining the whole taste of the rolls. I stood up and left the table.

And for those who think I’m just trying to badmouth them, please read the review by Liyan Zou. He had the exact same problem with bones in the sushi. The fact that this happened again even after such a review is just crazy. Very unprofessional.

I don’t talk bad about sushi on purpose, this is the first negative sushi-related review I have ever given. But never have I been as disappointed as with this place. Minako, the best sushi bar in Stockholm?...

We booked the omakase style lunch experience here at Minako and had a great time. It’s short, about 1 hour or so. The room is small and intimate and both the chef and server will tell you about the food during the serving. Expect delicious several courses and obviously mostly fish style food wish sashimi and sushi.

When we booking a week before we mentioned that I cannot consume lactose or gluten.

They stil forgot even though they had a post it note on my seat about my allergies. They forgot 3 of my courses and they just freestyled it by chopping up some tuna and mango. I was like oooh ok…that didn’t feel professional or elegant. And then during the dessert they forgot me as well do they just gave me an orange which they cut in half and chopped the insides and put honey on it. 🍊

It didn’t feel fair that they forgot about me so times and didn’t give me a proper dish considering I paid the same price as everyone else. They do have a delicious drink selection though but if I remember correctly this place do not service alcohol❗️

That sadly bring the stars down but I still recommend the place. They’re otherwise nice but quite stressed because I can imagine there’s a lot to coordinate.

Food was well prepared, amount is okay but I did leave slightly hungry. I love the ambience and that it wasn’t loud or messy. It’s a good place for a lunch if you want a calm oasis and peace. Great for a lunch date perhaps?

Price was 500 Swedish kronor :- 💲

Omakase is by reservation but you can arrive and just get a table instead, personally him highly recommend the omakase experience even though it costs more, that is why we chose omakase lunch which is half the price of the omakase dinner serving.

More info is on their web page.

I have not tried their dinner service yet, I might do it if they will be more accommodating to my allergies because even though my lunch experience was lovely, I didn’t feel quite happy or satisfied. I suppose this small touch of quality was missing (in no talking about the food) but rather the allergy thing, the stress and worry on the staff (I know they wanted to do their best which they did and they did very well!). I hope they’ll grow more confident and problem solving oriented in the future. 🌸

I’d like to thank the restaurant, the chef and the servers for trying their best, and good luck!

/your favorite food reviewer in...

Absolutely incredible sushi and service! My biggest complaint with Sushi in Sweden is that it's always just salmon, sometimes tuna, and then a few veggie options. Minako blew me away with fish selection, and it was the first time I'd seen Otoro in Sweden!!

Each and every single piece of fish had a story, had love behind how it was prepared, and so much care put into the entire process. You could tell that each and every person working there loved what they were doing

And that brings me to service. Best service I've had probably anywhere in the world, and I'm not exaggerating. We felt like we were the only ones in the restaurant just because of how dedicated our waiter was to us, and he was able to do this for the other tables as well without delay. Granted, there were only a total of like 5 tables not at the sushi bar itself. He loved what he did, and you could tell. David if you read this, thank you so much for the thought and care you put into serving us. We weren't expecting it and left so happy. You made my daughter's day and she can't wait to come back.

My girlfriend and I did the omakase style tasting menu while my daughter had her favorite salmon nigiri. So fresh, so delicious, and I had fish that I haven't had before. The Swedish arctic char became my favorite, and sadly I'll probably never get that anywhere else.

I got to show my girlfriend something she'd never had before, and that was an experience. It was the chance to show her that experiences matter so much more than just things you buy at the store, something foreign to her given her background in a low income family with several kids in it. Minako let me do that (albeit along with several other life opportunities, but I digress).

Amazing sushi, amazing atmosphere, amazing service. If this place doesn't have a michelin star, it...