Fusion

I really like the atmosphere although I liked it when it was Zeno as well. The lounge area is nice, and they have some pretty good specials. The sushi is tasty and the drinks are good.
Service is blah. Definitely nothing special there. I feel like they still need time to figure themselves out.
Good date night deal if you’re looking for good food for cheap.

Me and my boyfriend went to Fusion for an early dinner one day. The place was more or less dead, so I expected prompt service. Boy, was I wrong!
After telling the waitress we would need a minute to decide, she didn’t come back for 15 whole minutes. No exaggeration; we timed her. She «jokingly» said to us, «That should have been long enough, right?» Which I personally thought was a little rude.
After ordering, it took us another 15 minutes just to receive our appetizer. We ordered the Fusion Lettuce Wraps. The chicken itself didn’t taste bad, however, the lettuce it was on was extremely bitter and had an unpleasant, almost gritty texture. The portion was very small considering that it costs $ 9.95, but I hoped that the entrée would make up for it. I was wrong yet again.
Our entrée got to us with a little better timing than the appetizer, although it was still a lot longer of a wait than I’m used to at other restaurants. I was startled when I saw that the $ 12.95 Seven Spice Asian Steak Wraps I had ordered were appetizer sized. I literally laughed out loud when it was brought to me. I thought it was some kind of sick joke. There was no way that the insubstantial portion was going to fill me. I figured, it better be the best flippin’ steak wrap i’ve ever had in my life for it to be so small AND worth my money.
As you may have guessed, it wasn’t. I got lots of rice, and 4 tiny cubed pieces of steak inside my wrap. It was cooked well, but the meat didn’t have enough seasoning on it. The red bell pepper mix (that I thought was going to be IN the wrap based off of what the menu had said) was the best and most flavorful thing on the entire plate. It was a shame that they only gave me a small, artsy drizzle of it to slide my wrap in.
My boyfriend ordered their Three Cheese Mac N Cheese. It also appeared to be sized for a small child. The taste of it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t very impressive either; easily something I could have made at home. Definitely not worth the $ 10.95 price tag.
Overall, based off of my experience I am NEVER going back to Fusion. Bad service and small portions of mediocre food? No thanks!

Oh Kim Kardashian eats here, or so our waiter said… He said her hubby and her loves the ribs. We liked the seaweed salad and ordered two of them.
The flat bread pizza was good but I won’t be craving it anytime soon. The service was good and I liked the bordello themed décor. They were playing Godzilla vs Mothra on loop when I was there… LOL…
Overall the food was okay but I doubt it will be in our regular rotation.

Finally tried out Fusion after passing it by for months…
I rocked their spicy tuna Maki rolls with a gin and tonic and couldn’t have been happier.
The décor/​atmosphere of this place is cozy, slightly romantic, and comfortable. Not over the top but not under done.
Personally, I think their «Date night special» is nearly impossible to beat for the Uptown area. I imagine I will return to further delve into the diversity of their sushi menu.
I’ve been told that their bar is expanding this winter and to expect some other changes… I’m stoked for the updates.

First of all, i think the AC is kinda strong.
Must order fusion roll. Good for happy hour. Decent sushi.

I’ve been to Fusion 3 times now (I don’t know why) and all I’ve got to say is «Strike three, you’re out.»
The ambiance is cute and all – think chic, Sex and the City-​esque seating arrangements and a trendy looking bar – but the service has really never been up to par.
Last time I went to grab drinks with a couple of friends and it took our server an unnaturally long time to bring them to us (and no, it’s not because Kim Kardashian was there to suck up all of the waitstaff’s attention). He seemed generally unphased the entire time and a little too misanthropic to be working in a position that involves frequent human interaction.
I had high hopes for the Mango Chai Martini I ordered, but the only way I can describe it is: cheap-​y vodka with chai and chunky, crystallized cinnamon. It was not good and the white wine my friends ordered was room temperature. I’m no sommelier, but I’m aware that that’s a no-​no. If you’re going to go for drinks, the Red Lotus or a beer would be a safe bet.
One thing I will say is that people-​watching is priiiiime. I’ve never seen more tramp stamped ladies in crazy stilettos!

First thing, I did not have food here. I just went from drinks/​happy hour:
Décor: Inside is def different from outside. They have a few high tables ouside to sit on, but inside it’s dark, trendy and they have a lounge area and a table area. There are about… 3 booths on one side, I think and the back room seems to be some nice exclusive area with a TV in it. They also have a bar. So all in all, very diverse choices of seating. The music is loud, so I warn ya. But I think it adds to the environment. We went in at 11PM and there were people still eating, so good sign!
Service: So, we went at 11 PM and their HH starts at 12. We still got our drinks and we got a bit… loud. But the greatest thing is that the waitress did not hurry us up and out of there or anything. She instead came back every now and then for drinks and looked beyond it. She was courteous, polite and fantastic. Thanks!
So, although I can’t judge for food, their drink prices and HH is def not something to miss

Terrible. I’ve been to Fusion twice, and both times I experienced terrible service.
The first time I went to the restaurant around 6pm on a Friday. The restaurant wasn’t packed, and we were seated right away. After we were seated, we probably waited about 15 minutes for anyone to notice us! The service moved like this the entire evening. Too way to long to get waters, sodas, any kind of attention from our server. The food was alright, but it really didn’t stand out to me. The rolls are expensive, too.
The second time I went I ordered take out. I placed my order with plenty of time, and arrived at the restaurant. The hostess seemed frazzled, was running all over the place trying to locate my order. FInally she told me it was at the bar and pointed her finger over. I went to the bar, picked up my sushi and was on my way. After the 20 minute drive back to my condo, I excitedly opened the take out box. I was given the wrong order! I was so upset. Plus, the sushi looked like it had literally been thrown in the box, it kind of grossed me out.
I’ve given this place two tries. To me, your restaurant is nothing if you can’t give out at least mediocre service. I will NEVER go back.

Very cute place to go for a date, or just for a cozy closing to an evening out. If Stella’s, Slim’s & Drink is too crowded for you and you just wanna zone out, listen to good lounging music, and munch on delicious late night appetizers– this place is the place to go.
I love their late night happy hour, their Tuesday date night special, and the sushi is actually good. Mmmm! I would definitely go again.
Although, now it has gotten more popular so you might want to call ahead and make reservations if possible.

This place has the talent to establish the most comfortable and relaxing ambience while maintaining its classy image. True to its name, its menu offers a variety of deliciousness from spinach salads, truffle Italian artichoke dip, and chicken satay skewers, to Asian BBQ ribs, three cheese mac and cheese, and crabby dragon rolls.
If crabby dragon rolls are what you get when one crosses a crab and dragon, what do you think you’d get if one morphed a white tiger and dolphin?
On top of your 2-​course entrees options, the Fusion selection of desserts and apertifs/​digestifs are fabulous ranging from white chocolate raspberry cheesecake to banana cream pie and french press coffee drinks to sake galore.
Now details on the meal we devoured:
The Tuna Tataki appetizer was good, but not as good as the app offered at Eli’s on Hennepin. Their speciality rolls were a decadent mouthful, though the Envy Roll easily outranked the Fusion Roll. The tomato basil flatbread was mediocre — nothing too special and slightly on the dry side. The Fusion Lettuce Wrap was tasty with a nice kick.
Our best (exploratory) find on the menu is the «Omakase» aka chef’s choice. You name the price and the chef creates something original, just for you. We opted to put in $ 40. What did we get?
1. Fried Shizo — w/​Avacado + Spicy Tuna + Tobiko
This was essentially spicy tuna on a fried leaf. Nice. Can’t say I’ve ever had tempura leaf before, haha. It was quite original and crunchy, though I think it needed a slight something else — spicy or sweet; perhaps chilli pepper sauce? Remind me to tell the chef next time. ;)
2. Hamachi w/​cilantro, + wasabi robiko in a spicy Ponsu sauce
Fish with a fresh kick.
3. Shrimp Tempora Roll w/​cucumber, gobo, crab + spicy mayo topped with tempera flakes, avacado and shrimp with maguru + sake nagiri
Awesome experience. Sushi is good, but when you have it nearly every week as I do, you really appreciate the places that can shine in originality and that can peak your senses in a new way.
Aside from delicious sushi, they have lots of fun events. For example, every Tuesday, they have Fusion Date Night, where from 5PM — 9PM, you can get Appetizer, Two Entrees, and a Bottle of Wine for just $ 30 with the option to add 2 Movie Tickets for just $ 10.00.
They also have Happy Hours Specials (everyday 4−6pm) and again late night (Sunday and Tuesday 10pm-​close, Thursday-​Sat midnight-​close) where they offer:
½ Priced Drinks
½ Priced Select Beers
Buy 1 appetizer, Get 1 FREE!
$ 4 Select Signature Martinis
$ 10 Bottomless House Wine
$ 20 Bottomless Premium Wine
$ 4 & $ 5 Maki Rolls

I don’t know that I’d come here for dinner, but it’s a good spot for post dinner drinks and dessert, though only if you can sit in the lounge-​y area.
The sushi was not bad, the red velvet cake was good and they have Old Benson.

I have to say that this is definitely a restaurant I would return to.
We ordered 3 items and, in general, they were superb. The first item we got was the Baked Penne with chicken. The pasta was amazing! It was very cheesy and the bread they pair it with is a very good compliment. The chicken was the only bad part of the meal. I found it it be a bit bland and dry, so I would say get the pasta plain.
The next two items we got were both sushi. The first roll was called Envy. This was probably one of the best rolls I’ve had. I’m not really sure how to describe it except as delicious! The other roll was the Fusion Roll, which I take to be their signature roll. It was pretty good, just not at the level of the Envy roll. I would say be careful if you don’t like spicy as when they say spicy tuna, they mean it!
In addition to the amazing food, I found the staff to be very helpful and attentive. I never had to ask for more water and our waiter had excellent recommendations for dinner!
All in all, a wonderful experience that I would recommend to my friends.

I’ll preface the review by saying that I’ve only been to Fusion once, and because I had a gift card to use. I had an idea of what to expect walking in, and they delivered on just that.
The lighting was dark, to the point that I could hardly read the menu and music just loud enough to fringe on annoying.
The service was slow, as also expected. The food however, was alright. My wife ordered a pasta dish that was very tasty, and I, a wrap that was alright.
Overall, worth visiting if someone buys you a gift card. I wouldnt spend my own money there though.

Oh dear. Fusion, you need some direction. Our experience was one big cluster.
I think it took 3 visits by our waiter before I figured out what cocktail to order, as they were «out of» the only one that appealed to me (the Strawberry Rhubarb mojito). I finally went with the Black Sun martini, which was just as I feared: a sickeningly sweet girly drink, like everything else I saw listed. I don’t know why I didn’t just call for a Manhattan and toss the cocktail menu away.
There’s the food menu. Is this a small plates type of restaurant? Is this a destination for entrees? Is it a sushi joint? Flatbreads… is this also a pizza alternate kind of place? Are you Asian, are you American, are you some flavor of Italian? Fusion can’t seem to decide — and doesn’t «fuse» these ideas together, either. This left things difficult for us to try and figure out exactly how we were going to plan out our meal approach.
My husband and I shared a Mediterranean plate, which was actually pretty good. But he followed with the Asian BBQ ribs and was terribly disappointed at their distinct teriyaki sweetness and none-​too-​noteworthy meat underneath. I had a Crabby Dragon roll and a spicy tuna roll; the latter was fine, but the specialty roll was decidedly meh.
At least for dessert, we shared the banana cream pie, and that was definitely spot-​on.
I’m in no hurry to head back. If I get caught with a group that’s all deciding to go there, I wouldn’t scream at them to change their mind. But I’m pretty sure I still won’t have a clue what to order.

The food and the drinks are fine. They have really great drink/​food specials so check those out.
The problem with the place is the music and the DJ– they both have got to go! Nothing like going out with your other or a friend and hearing annoying, loud club music in your ears. The speakers are everywhere, even outside and it gets louder as the night goes on. I actually love dance music but not while I’m eating dinner.
We asked our waitress to turn it down and she said the owner likes to have it cranked up. Dear Owner, you are losing customers. Get rid of the music, please!

Zeno is now being called Fusion.
I was there for a friend’s b-​day celebration and my tarded brain decided to ask the waiter if he previously worked for Zeno. Of course my geographically-​challenged-​and-​slightly-​tipsy self didn’t realize that we are sitting right in Zeno/​Fusion. Durgh!
They now serve some sushi rolls, salads, panini, etc. The food tastes pretty good and their $ 4 martinis are hard to beat. I would have given them 4 stars, but they gave out confusing $ 15 gift cards at the food & wine expo. You can only redeem one per visit per table even though it doesn’t explain any restrictions on the card. Boo for misleading deals. But do try them for cheap martinis and decent HH food.

As Oprah (or another wise, motherly, master of the universe type) would say, «To be yourself, you first have to know who you are.»
Fusion (formerly Zeno) just re-​opened last Monday and doesn’t know thine self yet.
The atmosphere is cozy, romantic and lounge-​like — Zeno with a sushi bar. We went for the Tuesday date night special ($ 30 for a bottle of wine, appetizer, salad, dessert and two movie tickets to Lagoon/​Uptown/​Edina Theater — AMAZING DEAL!).
We tried the tuna tataki, baked clams, spinach salad and raspberry-​almond tart and everything was lovely. The service could use a lot of ironing and their menu and specials are impossible to decipher, pages and pages of ½ price this and happy hour that.
I think they’d benefit from editing the hell out of their concept. They are trying to do too much with the menu (sushi, Mediterranean, American contemporary…). Even though everything we had was tasty, it’s a bit of a mess.
Be who you are, Fusion. And keep it simple — simpler, at least.

What a sorry excuse for a dessert bar.
I don’t consider having a bar topped with a scoop of ice cream and some sauce good dessert. I don’t know if a pastry chef was even part of the development of that menu.
The location is all that it has going for it.
My wine that we order is suppose to be chilled, but it wasn’t chilled. We had to sit and wait for it to chill and got it later than our dessert. Too bad it was still warm when it came out.
Waitress didn’t give us any attention.
Sigh. Ick. 2^nd time I’ve been here and probably going to avoid it from now on.

The décor screams «I’m modern and trendy, bitch!» and the music is screaming too. Why do they feel the need to play Pink at such high volumes? I could barely hear anyone at the other end of my table. There was a guy proposing to his girlfriend when we were there, so I wonder how they could hear each other. «You want to get BURIED, what?!»
The artichoke dip was good, but that was about it. Their martinis are cheap during happy hour — four dollars as opposed to eight — and it’s as much as I would pay for. I ordered a sidecar and it was way too sweet. Since Zeno seems to be geared for girls to drag their dates in, that would make sense. But what about the girls who don’t want frou-​frou sugar drinks?
Beer is available, but in bottles only. Limited selection and overpriced if it’s not happy hour. Service was ok, but mostly on the slow side.
Cheap Date Night looks interesting. Thirty bucks for an appetizer, a salad, dessert, bottle of wine, and movie ticket vouchers. There is a limited selection of appetizers and desserts you can choose — obviously they want to make a little money — but you better like edamame and bread. Still, it’s a good deal for a night out.
Overall, I prefer to go else where for a night out.

I can’t get enough of this place. The dessert are glorious, the wine and drink list impressive, and the French Press coffee’s just right. My favorite is the carrot cake – the best around in my opinion.
Minneapolis needs more Zeno-​type restos… no matter the season, it’s always appealing because the ambiance, and more importantly, lighting, make it a comfortable and intimate way to spend an evening. A great place to end a first date…