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Where to find lobster rolls, oshizushi, and Parisian-style raw bars around Minneapolis and St. Paul
The Twin Cities may be over a thousand miles from the ocean, but that doesn’t mean that local diners have to skimp on seafood. From high-end omakase spots to shore-lunch style lobster menus, here are 10 essential seafood restaurants around Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Note that these restaurants are listed geographically.
Read MoreChef Danny del Prado’s Linden Hills restaurant Martina fuses Argentinian and Italian influences — it also serves exceptional oysters, tuna tiradito, seared scallops, and mussels. The spaghetti fra diavolo with lobster is a highlight. Save room for caramel flan.
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Kyatchi works to keep its menu sustainable by partnering with local suppliers like The Fish Guys. This Kingfield spot serves sashimi, classic rolls, and platters, but is known for its oshizushi, or pressed sushi, made with layers of rice and fish like a cake. Try the battera oshizushi, with mackerel and clear kombu seaweed.
The lobster rolls and crab cakes are more plentiful than ever now that this mainstay seafood option expanded its offerings with a tremendous expansion in the former United Noodles warehouse. The counter-service style offerings are a must-try including the blackened fish tacos, fried calamari, and smoked salmon Reuben.
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The Oceanaire may be a chain throughout the country, but that doesn’t knock its superior raw bar, clam chowder, or happy hour — known here as Admiral’s Hour — with $5 bottles of beer and $9 fish and chips.
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Omakase is the move at Minneapolis mainstay Kado no Mise. This restaurant is actually one-quarter of a collection of Japanese sushi restaurants at 33 N 1st Avenue. There are three tasting menus available at $65, $105, and $145; expect dishes including chawanmushi, nigiri, and Jikasei sorbet.
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An Argentinian steakhouse might not be the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of seafood. But the cold bar menu here should indeed come to mind for Twin Cities’s diners. Bluefin tuna crudo, spicy scallop tartare, and, majestically, enormous seafood platters fit for any feast.
Smack Shack has a casual, shore-lunch vibe. It offers almost every possible preparation of lobster imaginable, like lobster-spiked guacamole, bisque, mac and cheese, poutine, and buttered lobster rolls. There’s a whole lobster dinner on the menu, too, for cracking and dunking the Old Bay-scented meat into drawn butter.
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The Anchor serves Irish classics in a warmly lit, wood-paneled space. The eponymous fish and chips — flaky Alaskan cod and thick-cut wedges of potato, fried until golden — is a must. Pair it with a Guinness or Smithwick’s Irish red ale.
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This 31-year Dinkytown staple known for its top-notch Cantonese menu specializes in seafood dishes, like crab with ginger and scallions and baked lobster in a five-spice salt. The walleye, steamed with black bean sauce, is a favorite.
The oysters at Meritage get all the buzz — try them raw or broiled with tarragon butter and breadcrumbs. But the raw bar offers all kinds of seafood platters, laden with Littleneck claims, Maine lobster, salmon rillettes, and other selections.
Chef Danny del Prado’s Linden Hills restaurant Martina fuses Argentinian and Italian influences — it also serves exceptional oysters, tuna tiradito, seared scallops, and mussels. The spaghetti fra diavolo with lobster is a highlight. Save room for caramel flan.
Kyatchi works to keep its menu sustainable by partnering with local suppliers like The Fish Guys. This Kingfield spot serves sashimi, classic rolls, and platters, but is known for its oshizushi, or pressed sushi, made with layers of rice and fish like a cake. Try the battera oshizushi, with mackerel and clear kombu seaweed.
The lobster rolls and crab cakes are more plentiful than ever now that this mainstay seafood option expanded its offerings with a tremendous expansion in the former United Noodles warehouse. The counter-service style offerings are a must-try including the blackened fish tacos, fried calamari, and smoked salmon Reuben.
The Oceanaire may be a chain throughout the country, but that doesn’t knock its superior raw bar, clam chowder, or happy hour — known here as Admiral’s Hour — with $5 bottles of beer and $9 fish and chips.
Omakase is the move at Minneapolis mainstay Kado no Mise. This restaurant is actually one-quarter of a collection of Japanese sushi restaurants at 33 N 1st Avenue. There are three tasting menus available at $65, $105, and $145; expect dishes including chawanmushi, nigiri, and Jikasei sorbet.
An Argentinian steakhouse might not be the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of seafood. But the cold bar menu here should indeed come to mind for Twin Cities’s diners. Bluefin tuna crudo, spicy scallop tartare, and, majestically, enormous seafood platters fit for any feast.
Smack Shack has a casual, shore-lunch vibe. It offers almost every possible preparation of lobster imaginable, like lobster-spiked guacamole, bisque, mac and cheese, poutine, and buttered lobster rolls. There’s a whole lobster dinner on the menu, too, for cracking and dunking the Old Bay-scented meat into drawn butter.
The Anchor serves Irish classics in a warmly lit, wood-paneled space. The eponymous fish and chips — flaky Alaskan cod and thick-cut wedges of potato, fried until golden — is a must. Pair it with a Guinness or Smithwick’s Irish red ale.
This 31-year Dinkytown staple known for its top-notch Cantonese menu specializes in seafood dishes, like crab with ginger and scallions and baked lobster in a five-spice salt. The walleye, steamed with black bean sauce, is a favorite.
The oysters at Meritage get all the buzz — try them raw or broiled with tarragon butter and breadcrumbs. But the raw bar offers all kinds of seafood platters, laden with Littleneck claims, Maine lobster, salmon rillettes, and other selections.
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