Cafe Yoto — Restaurant in Minneapolis

After Chef Yo's successful run of Yo Monday Cafe at Kado no Mise in the summer of 2024, he has now expanded to Cafe Yoto. Though they were supposed to open around October of 2024, they finally opened today. The menu is also a much more expanded version of the Yo Monday Cafe menu as well.

Menu focuses on udon, donburi, temaki, and various "street food items" in their small bites sections. No soba [yet?], unfortunately. Drink menu is generous and impressive, and mostly nonalcoholic. Alcohol is also offered.

Order at the counter. Food comes out very quickly.

Ordered unadon (eel donburi), karaage, and mentaiko scallop temaki. The uni is tender, and the sauce goes very well with the uni and rice. Really satisfying. Karaage is very tender and juicy and well marinated. Hits all the right flavors and notes. Lemon gives it additional freshness. Spicy Kewpie was forgotten, but didn't matter. Still delicious. The mentaiko scallop temaki was also delicious. Dipping it soy sauce brought the roll to the next level with regards to depth of flavor and savoriness and was probably the best of the three items. Honestly, I'm still thinking of the temaki and how awesome it was hours after eating it.

Top quality food, good portions for the quality. I can easily find myself coming back here on the regular.

Future things to definitely go for next time is the udon, as it was easily the best item on the menu for Yo Monday Cafe. No other place in town offers udon at this quality, to my knowledge. Udon noodles are also made in-house. Donburi is also very hard to come by in the Twin Cities as well. Also recommend trying the spicy miso in the future. I do hope the soba makes a comeback, especially cold soba for the dog days of summer coming up.

Chef Yo (now Hasegawa-sensei?) is an amazing guy and came out to personally greet just about everyone on opening day despite being so busy. He has certainly made a very special place. Well worth the wait for Cafe Yoto to open.

5/5

Edit: Please help the staff and bus your own table when done. The dishes and waste can be dropped off to the left of the kitchen before hitting the restrooms. That section, is, unfortunately, not visible to most of the...

Yoto, the much-anticipated Japanese street food concept by Chef Yo, officially opened its doors today, and it did not disappoint. From the moment you step in, the vibrant yet intimate atmosphere transports you straight to the bustling food stalls of Tokyo—where flavors are bold, and every bite tells a story.

The menu is a celebration of Japanese street food at its finest, offering everything from perfectly crisp tempura to rich, Niku Ufon, Yakiniku Donburi. Each dish reflects Chef Yo’s deep understanding of flavor balance and technique, with high-quality ingredients shining through in every bite. The temaki Mentaiko Scallop and the Ebi Shoso was a standout—crispy on the outside, soft and flavorful inside, just as it should be.

Service was equally impressive. The staff was attentive, knowledgeable, and genuinely passionate about the food they were serving, adding to the welcoming and energetic experience.

To top it all off, dessert was a revelation. Created by pastry chef Marc Hue, the sweet offerings provided the perfect finish—a delicate fusion of Japanese tradition with modern artistry. Whether it was the matcha Ispahan Cream Puff and the Matcha Cream Cake, every bite was a masterclass in texture and taste.

Yoto is more than just a restaurant; it’s an experience—a place where Japanese street food is elevated yet remains true to its roots. With a flawless debut, Chef Yo has undoubtedly brought something special to the dining scene. This is a must-visit spot for food lovers, and I can’t...

My experience at Cafe Yoto was...underwhelming to say the least and the price was a big factor for that.

Let me start by saying that Cafe Yoto is not what you may commonly think of as a cafe. They don't specialize in drinks such as tea or coffee. They are a Japanese restaurant that mainly serves Udon, Donburi, Temaki, and small selection of desserts. The drinks they serve are mainly bottled and canned drinks of various brands.

I ordered the "Karaage Udon" and nothing else and it rang up to $19.04. When I got the food, I felt underwhelmed by what I got. I was hoping for $19 it would get a large bowl of udon with plenty of toppings and vegetables and nice pile of karaage, but I ended up getting less than what I had hoped. Instead, a very minimal and bare bone udon and 5 small pieces of karaage. Did it taste good? Yea. The broth was flavorful, noodles were bouncy and chewy, and the chicken was tender and juicy. But I have gotten the same thing, from other restaurants, with similar taste and quality, for much cheaper. For a "fast casual Japanese restaurant", I was expecting something quick, simple, easy, and relatively cheap and while it did fill those other boxes, it was not cheap. I simply cannot justify spending that much for what I got and many of the other things are menu are just as expensive if not more for something that's honestly...