Cafe Yoto
Japanese restaurant · North Loop
548 N Washington Ave Suite #105, Minneapolis, MN 55401
Highlights
Japanese cafe serving udon noodles, rice bowls, and desserts
Japanese cafe serving udon noodles, rice bowls, and desserts
"This Japanese fast-casual cafe from chef Yo Hasegawa is finally open in the North Loop. The chef made a splash in 2024 when he collaborated with longtime colleague Kado No Mise chef Shigeyuki Furukawa on a two-night, walk-in-only pop-up called Yo Monday Cafe. The menu is a mix of bowls of springy udon noodles made with a machine on-site and topped with options like karaage chicken or rib-eye, as well as rice dishes like the Kado don topped with sashimi and pickled radish. Other specialties include temaki, a hand roll available with fillings like spicy tuna. Desserts come from Marc Heu Patisserie Paris; Heu was a 2024 James Beard Award semifinalist. The space offers a minimalist, clean look and has seating for about 65 visitors." - Serena Maria Daniels
"A fast-casual Japanese cafe by chef Yo Hasegawa specializing in fresh udon and rice bowls, positioned as a modern, casual option for Japanese comfort food." - Stacy Brooks
"A highly anticipated Japanese fast-casual cafe from chef Yo Hasegawa that opened Tuesday, March 4 in the North Loop. The menu mixes bowls of springy udon made with an on-site machine topped with options like karaage fried chicken or rib-eye, rice dishes such as a kado don topped with sashimi and pickled radish, and temaki hand rolls (fillings include spicy tuna). Desserts are supplied by Marc Heu Patisserie Paris; the minimalist, clean space seats about 65." - Serena Maria Daniels
"The udon is the specialty of the house; they’re made using a machine from Yamato Manufacturing, a Japanese company with a branch in Houston, which ensures consistency so that every noodle has the right chewy texture. Hasegawa uses a combination of two flours for the noodles, accounting for the Twin Cities’ turbulent weather so the mixture is perfect. "It all depends on the temperatures and the humidity," Hasegawa says. "It changes everything, the water ratio to the flour. So it’s kind of complicated." He would have to fly in a technician from Houston if the machine breaks, a scenario he’s wary of after finally opening following construction delays—the 65-seat counter-service restaurant was announced in August 2024. Hasegawa draws on fond memories of his mother’s cooking in Sendai, Japan; after high school he moved to the U.S., took ESL courses and began his career at Origami. "This wasn’t my dream to be a chef or restaurant owner," he says. "It just came about... I’ve always loved to make things with my hands." He has worked with chef Shigeyuki Furukawa, head chef at Kado no Mise (a 2025 James Beard Award semifinalist), and the two launched a Yo Monday Cafe pop-up at Kado in 2024; the new spot expands on that pop-up’s commitment to quality ingredients. For the summer, Soto will serve cold dipping noodles with a different broth alongside the hot noodle soups that customers have praised. They use a filter imported from Japan to triple-filter the broth (a combination of water, salt, kombu, and bonito flakes). Hasegawa sums up the approach simply: "It’s basically: simple, flavorful, I mean — it’s just the best." Noted as one of Eater Twin Cities’ most anticipated restaurant openings of 2025, Hasegawa hopes to pioneer counter-service noodle shops in the Twin Cities: "Not yet, but I’m sure they’ll be here soon," he says." - Ashok Selvam
"A casual, counter-service spot focused on takeout from chef Yo Hasegawa has been teased for months and may open once construction delays clear; the project follows a two-night, walk-in-only pop-up (Yo Monday Cafe) with a menu of sautéed ribeye bowls, assorted sashimi, and soba noodles crowned with fried tofu, which 'may offer a hint of what’s to come' at the permanent cafe. The opening timeline has slipped, so patience is advised." - Serena Maria Daniels
