Pinku - Saint Paul

Drawn in by the beautiful decor, I decided to stop by Pinku for something different since it was still relatively new to MSP. The karaage was very well made. It had really crispy coating and was so flavorful when dipped in the sauce provided. The poke was a little lackluster. The dish overall was a little bland. The highlight of the dish was the pickled cucumbers, which added nice acidity and saltiness to poke. The portions were smaller than what I'm used to at other restaurants , so I would recommend getting at least two items per person for a filling meal. More improvement was needed for the service. I'm not sure if it was the lack of adequate staffing or what, but everything took a long time from ordering to getting the food.

Stopped by here for a quick bite on the way to baggage claim and it was delicious. I had the Karaage and my wife had the creamy crunchy shrimp. Portion size was about what I expected for the price and cuisine.

My daughter Recommended Pinku at MSP airport. Not a big fan of airport food until now. Wow, great service, freshly prepared food and the gyoza was excellent as was the poke bowl.

Decided to relax at PinKU while waiting to get picked up from the airport. Got a Mule and a Tuna Poke bowl. The drink and the bowl were both the same price-10 bucks. There was more than enough seating to sit at the counter and have a place for all of your luggage. Service was pretty relaxed, so I will say if you are in a big rush, maybe choose a different spot to grab food. The mule was okay. Not much liquor in it and the very tall glass was completely full of ice. I also thought that plum wine was supposed to be an ingredient, but the clear color of my drink suggested otherwise. The poke bowl was decent-I wouldn't say it was some of the top sushi I've ever had, but I wasn't too suspicious of it, either. For airport Minnesotan raw sushi, it was a-ok. The portion was definitely more snack sized than a full meal, so keep that in mind. It was a decent treat, though. I don't know if I'd be back to this spot if I eat in MSP airport again, but it wasn't bad at all.

I was expecting a full sushi restaurant but was disappointed. Very few selections and no sashimi or nigiri. Had the yellowtail roll and it was decent though. I should have reviewed the menu beforehand. So it seems what they do offer is good, they just don't offer much....