Handrolls are on the menu at Minari’s Pikok Lounge in northeast Minneapolis. (DDP Restaurant Group)
Minari, the Korean- and Asian-influenced dining spot that went into the Erte space in northeast Minneapolis, is paying tribute to the restaurant’s former bar and lounge. Starting Friday, Minari’s bar area will roll out as the Pikok Lounge with a different food and drink menu from the restaurant, at 323 13th Av. NE.
Owner Daniel del Prado said the move is meant to pay tribute to Erte’s former Peacock Lounge. It’s also a way to offer more casual fare at lower price points than Minari’s full-service sit down.
“There’s a huge bar culture in Northeast,” he said. “People can come in for a couple drinks and some bites and not spend a lot of money, it’s kind of high-end-low.”
Many of chef/owner Jeff Watson’s menu offerings for Pikok Lounge will range from $5 to $9 with items such as hand rolls (scallop, bluefin tuna, salmon, umeboshi), grilled scallion rice cakes, housemade chicken nuggets and oysters a la carte. Items such as Korean fried chicken, bulgogi salad, Kimchi cheeseburger, pork ribs, caviar nuggets and grilled prawns will run $14-$19. A drink menu, also exclusive to the Pikok Lounge, will feature things such as Korean beers, a shot and a beer and specialty drinks ($8 to $12).
Meanwhile, at their Minari restaurant next door, Watson has been slowly rolling the dim sum carts back into the dining room by popular demand. The carts are available on Sundays, but more days will be added, eventually resuming to seven days a week.
