Lumi Restaurant — Restaurant in Minneapolis

It was a Monday night, and the downtown restaurant scene was pretty much a ghost town. Finally over my Easter food coma, we weren’t having much luck finding somewhere we wanted to go that was open until we happened across a well-lit place that looked inviting so we took a chance and headed in. With a plethora of tables the place was fairly empty, which is to be expected on a Monday night with not much going on in town. We had our choice of tables and picked one by the front window. We sat down and laughed about how it felt like we would have to send a carrier pigeon back and forth if we wanted to talk to each other so we moved to a smaller table. The staff was overly accommodating and attentive and seemed a little nervous. With that and the menus that resembled a Tchaikovsky novel, I started to get a bit skeptical as i was getting 90’s flashbacks of Babu and the Dream Cafe. But before long our waiter, Sidar, came over and informed us they had just opened yesterday and it all made sense. I told him we would be happy to be their guinea pigs and I asked for an appatizer suggestion. He got very excited about the falafel so much that I didn’t want to disappoint him by turning it down, so we went with it. Well, he had every reason because it exceeded his excitement. It was dense but still light and the sauce was not only creamy and delicious, but would give this tiny burst of flavor and right when you were about to put your finger on what it was, it was gone. Such a saucy little trick to get us to eat the whole thing, which we would have anyways because it was delicious. Like I mentioned, the menu is extensive but they mark their specialty dishes and I annoyingly asked a ton of questions. Our waiter was very informative and patient with me and did a great job at explaining everything. They also brought out some “puffy bread” with a sauce that i initially passed on because I’m not a cucumber fan, but after seeing a look on my dining companions face reminiscent of Meg Ryan’s infamous diner scene, I changed my mind. It was like some jacked-up salsa on steroids with what i believe was pomegranate molasses on top. Well, that was eaten in about four seconds. For our meal i had trouble deciding between three dishes I didn’t even remotely understand, and since i wasn’t the one paying I went with the King Sultun. My dining companion (who was) went with the Turkish Cassarole. I really can’t describe it because I’m not really sure what it was but I’ll tell ya i didn’t care. I think the only thing I uttered while I ate it was, “Holy s*!t this is good!” I was told the casserole was also quite impressive but I wasn’t really listening, as i had escaped to my own little world where I was presiding over my kingdom as the benevolent ruler of Agrabah. Although we were bursting at the seams at this point, I’m never one to pass up a cheesecake (had to turn down the baklava for dietary reasons, but I hear it’s quite good) and this was the cherry on top. Like a Muppet at a Snoop Dogg concert, it was fluffy on the inside yet baked on the outside. The perfect combo we paired with some Turkish tea to top off our meal, and our lovely evening. As with any new place, please be patient while they work out any kinks. I’m excited for this place and I hope it sticks around, as I will most...

I love the welcoming atmosphere the minute I walked into the restaurant. The inside is beautiful with its decorations and layout. It was my first time at the restaurant and my waitress, Gulce was very kind. She walked me through the menu and the way she thorough and descriptive tells me she knows the menu very well. All of the dishes she recommended was very tasty and delicious. The lamb chops very Welles seasoned and moist. I love the grilled marks and it was cooked to my liking. Once I dipped the meat into the “Lucifer” sauce, along with rice, I couldn’t stop my hand and mouth from wanting more. It’s the best combination. The sauce is thick, has little kick of spice and the flavors just absolutely phenomenal. The second entree was grilled chicken breasts over eggplant. I’m super picky when it comes chicken breasts because all the ones I had are plain and super dry. But this, the chef definitely knows how to keep the chicken moist even after leaving it out on the table for some time. One thing I would recommend is to season the eggplant more. It was lack of flavor. Another dish I got to try was this thin fluff is bread with sesame sprinkled on top. The bread is very thin unlike other pita breads. It comes with eggplant “humus” liking dipping. This combination very good. The dipping is not creamy like a normal humus dipping. It still has some pieces of eggplants. Since the bread is thin, you don’t have to worry about being stuff because you will not. You’ll have space to try other Delicious dishes. Gulce gives my table 100% of service and she keeps on recommending other dishes to try caused she knows I will like it, and k DID VERY MUCH! She brought out these cubes of dessert. It’s coated with powder sugar and the outside layer is chewy, sorta like mochi, sticky rice flour tasting. The inside has pistachio fillings and oh man, the minute I took a bite of that, my eyes opened why and “wow wow wow.” It’s not too sweet and just absolutely delicious with little pieces of nuts inside. Ending the meal with Turkish coffee and baklava. The coffee is served in cute cup. There still coffee grounds inside the cup but it settles on the bottom and as you drink, you won’t taste the coffee grounds. Let me warn you, it’s very bitter. The baklava has crispy, flaky, sweet syrup pasty layer. The filling is also filled with pistachios. Again, it’s the perfect amount of sweetness. I’m not a fan bitter coffee but if you take a bite of baklava then a sip of the coffee, the sweetness and nutty of pastry balance out the bitterness. My mouth was burst with flavors as I was doing my happy dance. Thank you Gulce for wonderful service and recommendation! I will definitely come back again and if you have not been to Lumi, please go check it out. I RECCOMENDED 100% and you WOULD NOT BE...

I was looking for a place close to my hotel for dinner when I came across Lumi's restaurant. The reviews and a 4.9 rating caught my attention. Google lists it as Mediterranean, but it actually offers a variety of dishes from many countries. Turkish cuisine seems to have a strong presence, as it has its own section on the menu.

Following our server Gulce's recommendation, I tried the Lumi Special Kebab, but I'll be back to try the "Beyti Sarma" and "Hunkar Begendi" as they also sound intriguing. The Lumi Special was indescribably delicious. Their baklava is imported from Turkey, and I left some room for it by not finishing the Lumi Special entirely, as the portions are quite large. Next time, I plan to try their homemade "Baked Sutlac". The San Sebastian cheesecake has also received many positive mentions in reviews.

The baklava was very fresh and crisp. I was curious about the puff bread I had seen in pictures, but I couldn’t find it on the menu; it turns out it’s served as a complimentary item with certain dishes. The restaurant owner, Seçkin, was very polite and gracious. It was delightful to have the Turkish dishes' names explained in Turkish.

The restaurant’s decor, the music, our server Gulce's service and smile, and the incredibly tasty food all exceeded my expectations. Lumi deserves more than a 4.9; it should be a 5++.

If you don't live in Minneapolis, you might not get another chance to enjoy such amazing food, so don't miss it if you're in the area. Thank you to the Lumi team and the Lumi kitchen staff for this wonderful experience. It's been a long time since I had such an exceptional...