Sotarol Asian Kitchen Uptown — Restaurant in Minneapolis

Decent but disappointing.

Ordered ramen, the chicken teriyaki bowl, and potstickers for delivery via DoorDash; it took some time (about 5 minutes) for our order to even be confirmed but the food arrived warm, well-packaged, and as expected after that. I understand miso is pretty simple flavor-wise, but the broth of the miso chicken ramen was very lacking in flavor, almost like plain water, and neither soy sauce nor chili oil made it much better. I found myself wishing it had come with more chicken. I wouldn’t order it again it was so bland. In comparison though, the spicy pork ramen had much more depth of flavor. It had richness but still seemed a bit watery. The chicken teriyaki bowl came with raw broccoli, not cooked as I was expecting and it came with an overly spicy sauce that I didn't think went well with the bowl. I’m glad I ordered the vegetable potstickers because those were a saving grace, but even those didn’t quite hit the spot. For how much money I spent, I found the food was decidedly not worth it.

I hate to leave negative reviews, but I don’t think my experience with Sotarol deserves more than 2 stars. The ramen is passing but you’ll be disappointed if you’ve had better ramen at restaurants that are dedicated to it.

Sotarol’s specialty is their sushi burritos and poke bowls which admittedly I did not order so I can’t factor them into my review. However, I’m against sushi burritos as a concept since they clash with the importance of balance that characterizes sushi, and I just find they are too excessive and not really appetizing. Just my opinion.

In general, my impression of this place is that it’s an Americanized money grab that meets the bar of “good,” but not "great." I think you’re better off dining at a dedicated Japanese restaurant (e.g Ramen Kazama, Tenka Ramen, Ichiddo, Zen Box, Gyu-Kaku), especially if you want something heartier that doesn't give off the sense of mass produced and convenient like it does at Sotarol, which feels like it's simply capitalizing on "Asian" flavors (their words) and the concept of fast casual dining but without really delivering a worthwhile experience. It is on the healthier side though, I'll give it that.

I probably...

My wife has severe reactions and allergies to soy, dairy and gluten, so we normally love SotaRol as they are good at accommodating us. That's the one in Edina though. This one still put soy sauce in our food after we specifically asked, multiple times, on the phone and in person, telling us to our face there was no sauce. We checked it, couldn't see any sauce, then first bite my wife tastes the tamari(soy sauce). I called expecting an apology and maybe an offer to replace the dish, and the manager just said, "Sorry that's just something we make our vegetables with." Unacceptable service. What if someone had the same situation, and went into anaphylaxis? Ridiculous. Go...

Awesome food and employees :) Always in a good mood and food is always delicious and ready pretty quick. The only thing I can say, is not about the food or employees, but about how hot their store is. Not only is it unsafe for the employees to be working in that hot of a restaurant, but the lobby on hot days is hotter than it is outside. Have mentioned to the employees when I've been there, so hopefully whoever owns the store will be able to get the AC fixed and/or blinds for the lobby would probably help the heat. Otherwise love the food and the employees. 5...