moto-i - Ramen restaurant in Minneapolis - 2940 Lyndale Ave S, USA

This place is really cool, with a trendy laid back vibe. It’s unique for it sake (didn’t partake but it’s a speciality here) My recommendations must haves: Brussel sprouts, the crispy chicken bun (might want two they are so good), the JFC chicken is so crispy and delicious, and the maitake mushroom ramen is fantastic. Shout out to the manager who you can tell puts love into this place, we didn’t have reservations but she went out of her way to give us some options on a Friday night when it was packed.

Came in for happy hour on Thursday. I tried a number of items from the regular menu and one from the happy hour. The karaage impressed me the most with crisp chicken thighs. I was really pleased with the house brewed sakes. I tried three different ones - the omachi was my favourite. I took a bottle of it home with me.

A rare find! I could not partake on this day but this place actually brews its own sake. How very distinguished! Atmosphere has unique lighting and is fairly dark but very nice. Service started off slow. The restaurant was nearly empty when we arrived and we waited some time to be able to place our order. I think the waitress was busy doing prep work but once they finished that they were quite attentive outside of one of the brewers brining out our food. Good team work, our food was piping hot when we got it. Tried a couple appetizers, pork belly and crispy chicken bun. Both good. Everything was plated absolutely beautifully as you can see in the pictures. I’ve hit several Japanese Romen eateries. This one is good and the most attractive to the eyes but there are a couple of places in Sioux Falls that have better Ramen in my opinion, although they are much more generous with their protein in this dish than any other Romen I’ve found. Again, good dish, nothing wrong with it, still recommend! I also tried the Thai Chicked fried Rice. That was really really good! All in all, a good find. On the expensive side but all these Japanese places same to all be the same so it’s on par as far as price point by comparison to other like restaurants I’ve visited. I do look forward to trying sake on my next visit.

Food was decent. My favorite was the udon noodle dish. The drinks were good but not too strong. Service wasn’t the greatest once it got busy but servers were friendly.

We had an amazing meal at moto-i. Incredible vegan options! Everything on the menu is clearly marked for what can be veganized, which i truly appreciate. The ambience is spectacular - inly thing is it made it harder to get great food photos! We have 1 vegan, 2 vegetarians, and 2 meat eaters in our party. We got away for about $40 per person, but would have been $30 except I ordered so many extra things just because I had to try. For appetizers, I ordered the vegan Idaho fries, vegan Brussels sprouts, and the vegan beet salad. For the meat eaters, we got the shishito pepper rangoons, and I am told they were epic. All were delicious. We all tried a steamed bun, and they were so good - the texture of the bun is perfection. For vegans, they have a mock duck bun and an agedashi tofu bun. I preferred the mock duck because the sauce was crazy good (if you like spicy). For my entree, I had the vegan drunken noodles. Both vegetarians ordered the mushroom ramen, and both meat eaters got the classic ramen. I would like to go again and try more! I'd also like to try eating on the rooftop patio!

Really delicious ramen! We’ve tried three total kinds and they’re all great, but the favorite is still the classic pork ramen. It’s hard to beat. I recall enjoying the drunken noodles one time too. 👍🏼 The drinks are great! They even have a full page of non-alcoholic options if that’s your jam. Only “thing” to know: bathrooms are in the basement (they do have elevators for those who don’t love stairs) and they are chillllllly in the winter. 🥶

I came here on 2 separate occasions and each time, service was great! 💖 The food is amazing and look at the Benny buns! So amazing. Ramen was great but I prefer a good mix of vegetables and meat in my ramen. If you like a lot of meat, this is the right place for you. This is the best strawberry lemonade I have ever had. Not just power lemonade. Major con: please put some lights on the stairs going downstairs to the bathroom. Visibility is a big problem. It was too dim going down the stairs.

Ramen soup broth was saturated in oil. Edamame was NOT steamed with salt (traditional Japanese Edamame), it was greasy and saturated in oil (see photos). Food came out and appetizers were forgotten about by waiter. Music was blaring loud. When asked to lower slightly, the waiter said NO because the music is part of the "Japanese" ambiance. Unacceptable and a huge let down !!