CRAVE

We wanted to sit on a roof top and enjoy the sunset but we where very disappointed with the food and service. We ordered guacamole and it was such a small amount of guacamole you could hardly see it under the chips. It started to get a bit chilly and we asked our server if we could turn on the heat lamp next to our table. He said he had to check with management. Then came back and said it was out of propane cause they used it up the last few days. As we left we saw them move the same heat lamp to another table and light it right away.

Service was terrible. Really terrible. Food mediocre. I had Clients with me and was embarrassed.

Went to dinner with a group of friends. The sushi was quite nice but the service was a bit on the slow side. The servers were friendly but in general the meal process was slow. Pricing was standard for quality sushi.
Maybe would return but not dying to go back.

The rooftop is the best. I only come here for drinks and sushi during HH, everything else is overpriced. Side note– the last 3 times the bartenders have been overheard talking badly about other employees. Very tacky and rude, save it for behind closed doors!
Update: absolutely terrible service on May 6 on the rooftop. Started off ok. Waited 15 minutes with empty waters and drinks, seemed like she was ignoring on purpose, took another 35 minutes to be asked for food, sushi literally all fell apart and you could barely eat it, took over 10 minutes to get a tab, way way way overpriced, did not feel welcome at all.

I’ll give this place a 2* review. Simply because the décor is nice and they have a fabulous patio. Unfortunately I have never had great service here in a very long time, especially on the patio. You will go very long periods of time without seeing your server and the quality of their food/​drinks is just okay at best. I’m not so certain I’m just hitting this place on «off days» anymore. Tonight was no different.
There are many choices for patios and rooftops. And also many choices for pre-​show dinner. Consider other options first but if not, go for the good patio views but don’t expect much else.
TIP: This restaurant commonly has 1,000 point OpenTable incentives which is worth $ 10.00 so make a reservation.

Going to Crave is kind of like going to Vegas. It’s going to be expensive and somewhat obnoxious, but at least it’ll be fun. Everything about this place is gaudy: the food, the décor and the people. It’s for people who think they’re fancy or who want to feel fancy.
I don’t even know what to say about the food. It was actually ok. If you go in expecting TGI Friday’s (as we did), it may beat your expectations. So I’d suggest using that approach. Our biggest struggle was figuring out an ordering strategy. Do you we get a little sushi and then entrees? Do we just get a lot of sushi (they have sushi «boats» you could chose). Or do we just focus on traditional meals? The food prices (all things considered) are actually decent. The drinks can be pricey, but then again you’re on Hennepin Avenue between theaters, so what do you expect, the VFW?
Most of the people at Crave are dressed to the nines. They seem to be suburban/​St. Cloud types who think of this as an exciting place downtown they should go. Which is kind of strange because one would think they would just go to the Woodbury Lakes, Galleria or MOA Crave location. So perhaps what you have here is a suburban type place in the middle of the city catering to suburbanites going to theater shows, concerts, etc. It kind of reminds me of the Redstone.
If Real Housewives of Edina was a real show, they’d go to Crave before the Lorie Line Holiday concert.
So if you like Vegas you’ll like Crave. It’s semi expensive, gold tinted fun. You may not like the way you feel the next day and your wallet may be thinner afterward, but at least you got to wear that dress you got at the Macy’s two-​day sale. You know, the one Patrick your personal shopper said was «fabulous» on you.
Things I have learned today about the restaurant known as Crave:
1. Their website is
. Seriously.
2. Most locations are in MN, including Woodbury Lakes, Galleria of Edina, Mall of America and Shops at West End
3. Their menu is giant.
4. Their drink menu includes multiple sugary, pink drink options
5. The Bethesda location hosts speed dating
6. The downtown Minneapolis location cost $ 5 million to renovate and open.
7. «Shea Architects formulated the layout and structural architecture of the space combined with Kamarron Design Inc., which integrated several trendy and fresh elements, including artisan-​created custom tile made with hand-​blown Italian glass and delicate reflective surfaces, and intricate-​cut velvet European-​made booth backs. Visitors will be welcomed to the bar area by a crocodile-​patterned leather floor and the two VIP chef tables will feature custom chandeliers created by a New Orleans artisan.»

I have to give this experience a bad rating. Went to Crave for the first time ever last night. Something I’ve wanted to do for a while after hearing everyone rave about it. Got there around 915 pm last night and my friend and I met up with her friend who was already seated and waiting. Fast forward 25 minutes and NO ONE stopped by to say hello, to ask what we wanted to drink or anything. It felt very pretty womanesque as if we weren’t important at all. Finally after physically turning our bodies and getting frustrated searching for someone to ask about service, a British waiter comes up and takes care of us. We told him how long we had been waiting and he only wanted to try to make up for it. But no free anything was offered. I feel that’s inexcusable to make any guest experience this. Since it was already too late to go anywhere else and we had an event soon we ordered. I got the lettuce wraps they were very good and I would order them again. My friend got a flat bread that was also good. And her friend got the truffle fries which were very tasty. The prices are high for sure but that’s the restaurant and its reputation. I may return but maybe for a date instead.

Very nice restaurant in the skyway, right above Rock Bottom Brewery off Hennepin.
I had the chopped chicken salad. It’s served with a citrus vinaigrette. It was very good. Everything tasted reasonably fresh and light. Lettuce was crisp, avocado was green. Win in my books!
No easy parking, which is expected given the location.
Despite the restaurant being fairly empty, it was really loud. Combine that with the large tables and you end up screaming at your tablemates in hopes that they’ll understand you.
Overall, I left feeling ambivalent. Certainly wouldn’t put up much of a fight to come back.

A group of us in Minneapolis for a convention visited Crave. I was not impressed with the food or drinks. I ordered the Volcano sushi roll. The roll wasn’t properly rolled, so that it was loose and fell apart. The pieces were too big for a single bite. The rice had not been sweetened properly and I could taste neither the crab nor the scallops. Plus, everything inside the roll was a soggy mess, throwing the texture way off. The drizzled Volcano sauce was the only really good thing on the plate, but it overpowered the other ingredients. This wasn’t even as good as sushi in my grocery store’s grab and go case.
A fellow diner ordered a pineapple mojito. She wasn’t able to drink much of it. The mint was as thick as a salad from the top of the liquid to mid-​glass. The pineapple was in thick chunks from mid-​glass to bottom. The drink overall was too sweet.
My Crave starter salad (with candied walnuts and goat cheese topped by a balsamic reduction dressing) was small but good. With sushi, salads are a separate charge.
The décor is fun, contemporary, and warm. But, with so much competition in that area of downtown for dining and drinks, I’d recommend that Crave up its game significantly. Sorry, but I recommend that people go elsewhere.
The street outside is rough, with lots of tough guys walking around, spitting, cursing, begging, and talking to theater and restaurant patrons. Go in a group after dark and don’t linger. The waitress called us a cab, but it did not come. We stood out front quite a long time before poaching a hotel shuttle (not ours), when the driver took pity on us.

I went to Crave last night after a show. It was between shows at the State Theater downstairs (Crave is located on the Skyway level). I have been to the Crave in St. Louis Park countless times but this was my first at the downtown location. Despite a full house, they were able to seat us in just a few minutes.
Almost immediately after being seated, our waiter came up and asked if we had a show to catch. I really appreciated this because even though we didn’t, it shows that they care about people catching their show times and getting service right away. The menu appears to be the same or almost the same of other Crave locations, which isn’t a bad thing. I ordered the Chips and Pico for a quick app and the Chicken Stir Fry for dinner. The Chips and Pico were a generous portion for being under $ 5 and the Pico was very fresh. The Chicken Stir Fry was also very good and had a unique yet refreshing and tangy taste to it.
The restaurant has a somewhat upscale vibe. It was impressive how quickly people were getting served for being a full house. Good food and good service. A great place to eat before or after your show downtown.

Crave is one of my fave places to go dancing in the summer! Downtown rooftop patio with great DJ’s and no cover? Why yes I will happily throw my body around here and drink like I can still handle hangovers.
The rooftop is well-​lit with decorative string lighting, and once it gets later in the night, there is a mini lightshow and I swore there was a fog machine once (it was a long night). I’ve never felt annoyed with the other clientele they attract, even when it’s packed, which is really saying something when I’m all drunk and judgy.
I also like to stop by Crave for a snack and drink before going to a show downtown. And by snack I mean those sinful bacon and cheddar tots. They are house-​made and plump with meat and cheese. They are pillowy on the inside and crispy (not not greasy) on the outside. The $ 5.50 price tag is reasonable. I haven’t been here for a sit-​down dinner, but I’ve liked what I’ve sampled so far. Though I am unsure of their theme, it’s a huge cultural fusion of things like guacamole, sushi, and Italian flatbread. I’m confused. Screw it, let’s dance.

We went for a happy hour and what this place has is a great roof top patio. Truly a wonderful way to get some sunshine in the middle of the city. Our first waiter was great and made suggestions as far as cocktails, but shortly thereafter he had to leave and he transferred us to another waiter. Our second waiter was not very attentive. we had a couple more people join us seperately and each one had to wait for what seemed like forever for him to come over and get their drink order. We ordered the pork wontons as an appetizer. There were 5 very small wontons.
There isn’t much to write about the place. Location was great, but the service, not so much. If we come back it will be because we love a rooftop patio. We hope to get better service the next time.

Had dinner here between shifts at work. We arrived at the bar early enough for happy hour and started with cocktails. They were weak and nothing special. My coworkers were unimpressed and went elsewhere for dinner, but I was willing to stick it out. It took a while to flag the server down, as business was picking up, but I got a couple of sushi rolls ordered.
My two friends were meeting me there, and one arrived shortly after I ordered dinner. He was given a water and nothing else — no hello and no drink offer. After ten minutes of catching up, my second friend arrived, and he immediately got greeted and offered a drink. We were taken care of by several different people. The service just seemed chaotic. I know my group situation had people leaving and some arriving later, but no one ever asked if we wanted food — we had to keep catching them in the middle of their walk past us. All we needed was a little eye contact and it was a tough commodity to acquire.

Meh, I’m not a huge fan. I stopped in for lunch on a Friday afternoon. For having such a wonderful location and having an awesome rooftop downtown I was not impressed. The food was very mediocre. I had their lunch special, which was a personal pizza with a side of fries on the lunch special. My total came to $ 15.00. I understand that the location would be a little more spendy being downtown however for a lunch with no drink I really didn’t want to spend $ 15 on something I didn’t love. The only thing I liked was the ranch seasoning on the fries.
Overall, I don’t think I will be back unless my friends are set on going there.

Okay, this review is for their festivities on the Sunday of Pride parade. I’m not sure how the restaurant on a normal day compares.
First of all, big props for being FREE cover charge. Woot!
There was a fantastic DJ playing on Pride Sunday, I had so much fun dancing with my friends.
We did eat while we were there. I split the hummus platter with a friend. It was fantastic! we devoured every bit of it. The price didn’t seem bad. I think $ 12-​ish?
I would really like to stop by again when I’m out with friends, so see if it’s just as fun as it was that weekend.

This location has a fabulous and large rooftop perfect for nice summer evenings but be prepared to wait a long time for your food and drop some mad $$ since most items on their roof top menu seem overpriced.
We got seated pretty quickly since there were only two of us and got a nice high top along the edge with a great view. Check out my pics!
Here’s my experience with their rooftop menu drinks and food:
Drinks: The pineapple mojito that my boyfriend ordered was tasty. The Angry Dragon cocktail I ordered was decent but pretty sweet. We ordered beers for our next round since we didn’t want to spend another $ 10-​$ 12 on a cocktail.
Food: The Tuna Poke starter had good fish but the taco shells were not very good since some were chewy and not crispy. The steak salad was delicious but they used too many beets. They did a nice job cooking the meat at least. The fish n chips had good tarter sauce but at $ 20 I would say they were overpriced!
We got the bill and it was more expensive than we expected since the sales tax is 12% which is ridiculous since it’s downtown.
I would come back to experience the rooftop in the summer but it probably would not be my first choice for dinner.
This place does have a great happy hour though! We sat inside during the winter months and they had a great selection of food for decent prices.

This is the worst place on the planet. Stay away. I cannot put into words my contempt for this place.
Also, do yourself a favor and read the other reviews. Most of them are from suburban moms who don’t get out enough and they’re trying to be nice about things. They usually say «I want to like this place» or «I don’t usually like this place but they folded the napkins well tonight». Remember this is Minnesota, not Chicago, and people are trying to be nice.

Girls, make sure you wear the tightest outfit you own! Show them what you got!
This place is packed with well-​dressed people looking for well-​dressed people, or underdressed people looking for well-​dressed people… I don’t know.
Anywho, when you are out on a Saturday night in downtown Minneapolis, this is one of the spots to hit. Their rooftop is freakin amazing with an awesome DJ. A great place to dance and have a good time.
Ok, let us talk about their food here. I highly do not recommend their food. First time I tried their sushi it was garbage. Felt something sandy in mouth and I couldn’t order more. They put too much lettuce in my sushi and I couldn’t taste the tuna:(I had a steak here, too. It was alright. The only thing I love is their COCONUT CAKE! To die for… get it please! They do have late happy hour on the second floor, no rooftop. Drinks are ok, nothing special. Prices are expensive for this place but hey it is in downtown after all.
I do see people bringing their dates here. I would not suggested. This place is better to have a group of people for birthday parties or something. The space is good for that.
So if you are out and about on a weekend, check out this place and make sure to go to Union or Seven Sushi afterwards. Dress up!:)

Had a great dinner here with some of the other moms from my daughter’s dance studio, before heading to see Shaping Sound at the State Theater.
Loved the calamari and edamame. And the crunchy roll and salmon sashimi were delightful. Of course, the salty caramel mousse was heavenly.
Great location off Hennepin… I highly recommend before a show at one of the local theaters.

I keep trying Crave in hopes I like it because everything sounds so good on the menu! Today’s experience was a little «meh», my usual experience but there were a few bright spots!
I ordered the sushi lunch combo and the waiter let me sub out miso soup for tomato basil. That was quite herby, topped with something that tasted like yummy crushed pistachios, and more filling that miso.
The sushi roll that I chose (of the limited options) was spicy salmon and it was very good with the exception of the seaweed paper. It’s my pet peeve when restaurants use old paper and it’s tough to chew. I had to peel the paper off and eat it without it.
The nigiri pieces were good in flavor but a little tough to bite into so I cut the fish in pieces with a fork and then found them tasty.
The staff were nice enough to provide an unexpected chocolate cake with candle to celebrate my birthday which I appreciated very much!
All around it was acceptable but not much more, which is consistent with my past lunches at Crave.

Diner au comptoir un jeudi soir. Le cadre est plutôt sympa, quoique traditionnel, avec la vue sur toutes les bouteilles de vin et de saké qui né demandent qu’à être dégustées.
J’avais envie de manger sainement et ai donc commandé l’Ahi Tuna dans sa version épicée. La cuisson était parfaite, en revanche, c’était tellement salé que j’ai été obligé de gratter la croute d’épices pour que ce soit mangeable. Deux verres de Chardonnay (plutôt chers et pas exceptionnels) ont également dû y passer pour tenter d’adoucir l’excès d’assaisonnement, en vain.
C’est à mon goût une vraie faute professionnelle qui aurait mérité une seule petite étoile si le service n’avait pas été très agréable et attentionné.