I did not plan to go it just happened and it was a pleasant surprise. There is plenty of sushi but I ordered the miso ramen which had a delicious flavor. The staff were super nice and accommodating. It's a cozy little restaurant and not far from the Old Town masses of people. If you want a more quiet break this is a place to go. read more

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On the recommendation of the hotel staff we came here for a late lunch. No problem seating in this cozy restaurant. Thankfully bento boxes were on the menu because I like a little this and a little that at times. With my box came miso soup, which I only drink a taste of due to my sodium issues and then dug into the box. First time having the octopus balls and the were delicious. Light, savory and chewy bits of octopus topped with bonito flakes and a sauce. I could have ate many more of those. The rest of the box was good and overall satisfied my craving for Asian food for the trip. My friend got some special noodle dish that smelled amazing. And I could pick up in the "wok hey" which is an indication of the heat of the wok. It's good! A very cool area to walk around that is not far from the castle and other shops. Please support this local business. read more

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What a great little Japanese restaurant! Kim amazes that I've not been here before. There's not a lot of space upstairs, but they have a good downstairs part that I imagine would be good to reserve for a party. Great choices on the menu, everything from sushi to teriyaki, with bento boxes and a vegan menu to boot. The drinks menu is not huge, but they never s couple of Japanese beers and gins plus hot or cold saki. I'm only giving it 4 stars as the toilets left a bit too be desired. Let's just say that you shouldn't go more than one at a time. From the high proportion of Japanese customers who came in while we were there, I'm guessing that this place gets their approval. Check it out! read more

Bentoya - Japanese Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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We came a little before 6pm on a week night, and they were fairly empty. We were greeted by a friendly waitress who was very helpful during our time here. I was impressed by the variety of food they had to offer. I tried their Tonkatsu ramen with pork belly this time. The pork belly was really good. It even had that grilled/charred flavor to it. Their eggs were perfectly done. I also liked that they added pea tips as a garnish. What I didn't like as much was their pork broth. It tasted like a watered down broth, or it just didn't have as much flavor. The noodles were also cooked just right, but they're not quite the ramen noodles I was expecting. Overall, as a fusion dish I think the dish was quite yummy. I like the decor and layout of the restaurant. Coming in on a rainy day, the ramen really hit the spot. Their wagyu beef also looked really good on the menu. If I were in the area again, I would give that a try. read more

Three of us had an excellent meal. Reservations appear essential. We ordered a wide range of drinks, small apps, sushi, tempura, and dessert. Nothing fell short. Service was quick and friendly. The place is small and a bit loud but comfortable. read more

This is my absolute favourite spot for sushi in Edinburgh. The restaurant is very unassuming from the outside, and I don't think I would have ever noticed it, much less tried it, if I hadn't lived just a few metres away. But it's truly a hidden gem. It's quite cozy inside, just a few tables in the front, a small sushi bar, and an even smaller back room; maybe 10 tables in all, if that. I recommend calling ahead or going at off-peak times to ensure seating, as it does get crowded. The restaurant appears to be run by a family, and everyone is so sweet and accommodating. Service is efficient despite usually only having one sushi chef. Most importantly, the food is excellent. All of the ingredients are always so fresh and delicious. The sashimi is excellent, truly the best way to let the fish be the star of the show and prove its quality and freshness. The sushi rolls are generous, beautiful, and well constructed with perfectly cooked sticky rice so that nothing falls apart. My favourites are the spicy tuna maki roll, Green Dragon roll, Spider roll, or the simple but classic California roll. I also can never eat here without having an order of gyoza, which are some of the best I've tried; it's that perfect combination of crispy, soft, and succulent. If you want a little bit of everything, the sushi sets and Bento boxes are a fantastic deal at around 10 quid or less. read more

Bentoya - Green Dragon roll and tempura maki roll - Japanese Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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Bentoya is outstanding. We've been multiple times; never disappointed. When busy, service can get a little hit-and-miss, but from takoyaki to wasabi prawns, chicken karaage to tempura: all starters are great. We've been so happy with the maki, temaki and special rolls; sushi sets and obento are great value. Have not tried their ramen, poke or -don other than a fantastic hira unagi rice that was brilliant value and delicious. Drinks selection great. Really can't praise enough. read more

Lovely little sushi place in the Burgh that seems to be constantly full. Seriously - arrived at 7pm on a Monday night and it was rammed. Monday night! Jeez Edinburgh you know how to live - Dublin would be sitting at home with it's takeaway nursing a hangover, but not you Edinburgh, not you! Anyway I've been here twice and it's always been great. It's by no means the best sushi I've ever had, but it's of a good standard and really excellent value. My favourite thing both times has been the grilled aubergine. Mother of $&%£ it's gorgeous. It has honey or something brushed along the top and is chargrilled. So so soooo good. The service can be a bit hurried but overall they're quite nice in here and you never feel neglected. To sum up, good food, cosy atmosphere, fast service and cheap prices. Win win. read more

Bentoya - Volcano roll - Japanese Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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This is a super sweet Japanese restaurant which has some of the freshest sushi I can remember eating - you just need to make sure that you allow extra time for eating-in at lunch time, as it can be pretty slow. We ordered a few things to share between us - a sushi platter, sashimi platter, seaweed salad, edamame (plain and chilli). The stand out dishes were definitely the fresh seafood dishes - the sashimi was absolutely heavenly and I loved the sushi selection. The downside was that it was all pretty slow - we were there for about an hour and half all up. That being said, there was only one chef in the kitchen and the place was mobbed so it's understandable that it was a little slow. I'd go out of my way to go here next time I'm in Edinburgh, the sushi and sashimi was that good. read more

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Bentoya is definitely in the running as one of the top sushi places in Edinburgh. But if you're running late it might not be your best bet - yet. We snuck in here on Tuesday afternoon with a large party of ten for lunch. First and foremost, the prices made me gleeful. I love some of the other sushi haunts in town, but folks, I can pack away sushi like no one's business and my extreme sashimi habit has proven to be expensive while in Edinburgh. At Bentoya, it's still a dent in the wallet but at least it doesn't leave a hole. Glasgow's own Briony C was in town and so, as good Yelpers do, we went for a whack of share plates: mixed sashimi, the 10 piece sushi platter, seaweed salad and agadashi tofu with a few pieces of unagi to round things off (I told you... appetites.) I can definitely say, it's some of the best sushi i've had since moving to Scotland. The sashimi was fresh, they've got some interesting rolls on the menu and the unagi was well done. I would pass on the agadashi tofu (a little undercooked) and the seaweed salad next time around but all in all, I was a happy sashimi camper. So why am I not wearing the five star bells? Well, though our food hit the table in a timely manner, the rest of our dining partners' did not. I'd like to think they inherently picked out the two local gals to feed first, but even universal karma can only take one so far. By the time we were done eating, half of our table had yet to receive their meals. They came out eventually, but as our fellow diners wolfed down their food (we were now running late), the rest of us twiddled our thumbs and poked through our empty plates. There's obviously some timing kinks to work out here and I suppose that's to be expected with a new establishment but if you're visiting with a large party, take this as a word of warning. But for one, two or three of you? Go forth and be sushi merry! read more

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Bentoya? Umm, BentoNO. We were craving a little flavor and thought this place might hit the spot. We read some decent reviews and decided to come in and give it a try. We came in, were seated. And waited. And waited. And waited. And I know what you're thinking- oh this is some American unaccustomed to a different pace of life, but it wasn't that kind of wait. The staff flew back and forth to the tables all around us. A couple came in 15 minutes after we did and promptly had the waiter talk to them. Eventually I had to stand up, walk over to the bar, and wait until they couldn't ignore me to say: Could we have some water please? ;) We should have left, I knew we should have, but damn we wanted ramen. And so we just dealt with the bad service because we REALLY wanted that ramen. And when at last that bowl of usually delightful fatty broth and noodles came- I felt like they took a cup of ramen from the grocery store and just poured it into a bowl. Broccoli in a pork ramen? The noodles lacked any magic to their texture and the broth was tasteless. So poor service and blah food? Me thinks we should have gone anywhere else but there. read more

Edinburgh is a fantastic place to eat out but it is definitely lacking in amazing sushi places so we were very eager to try Bentoya. We arrived early Friday evening without a reservation. They gave a seat at the bar stools which was fine for us. Being busy is always a good sign in a restaurant! The staff are very friendly and they efficiently took our order. With the reasonable prices we didn't feel too guilty ordering the extra plate of sashimi. I'm getting a little fed up with the the prices in Edinburgh's sushi restaurants and me and David can pack a fair few rolls away! The food arrived quickly and was beautifully presented. For starters we shared the mixed sashimi and the salt and pepper squid. Both were delicious, especially the squid! David went for one of the Bento boxes and I had the seafood udon soup. Dave's box came featured a variety of delicacies. They were very generous with the seafood in my soup but the broth could have packed a bit more of a punch. I'm not totally convinced on this place just yet but I am definitely going to pay it another visit. Cheers, Amy read more

Bentoya - Japanese Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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Tried this new place after a recommendation by a friend and definitely enjoyed our time. Black cod curry -- awesome. Perfectly cooked -- batter on fish crispy, fish delicate, and curry sauce tasty. Sushi was quite nice too, though chirashi bowl a wee bit too wee. Being a new restaurant, it still has some teething pains, but overall enjoyed our time. Will be back! read more

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A hidden gem just off Lothian Road. I had the takoyaki and tonkatsu ramen. Both hit the spot in a cold rainy night.

Bentoya is a little Japanese restaurant close to Usher Hall with cash only and no licence to sell alcohol, therefore guests are welcome to bring their own. The place is busy, so it is highly recommended to book in advance. We booked a table for two on a Saturday night but still had to wait for some time to get seated. We brought a bottle of wine with us and the cork fee was only 2 pounds. The food is nice, the menu offers typical starters and sushi sets served with miso soup. Overall it is a good value for money with good customer service - the waitress quickly comes over to pour you some more soy sauce once she sees that you start to run out. read more

Bentoya - Salmon sushi set (comes with miso soup) - Japanese Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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I wish I could award 3.5 stars, because this is better than 3 stars. I had the tuna Bento box. What I liked: Three decent sized and very fresh pieces of tuna sashimi The spicy tuna makki was very good What was OK, but not great: The tuna tempura was a little fishy tasting (nothing like the fresh raw tuna) The tuna nigiri pieces I received were fresh and tasted great, but they are very small compared to what I receive in the US. The nigiri were also 'inexpertly' assembled. There was no wasabi on the rice under the fish. What really needs improvement: Sanitary process I was somewhat disturbed when my server stopped cleaning a table with a wet rag and picked up customer food for delivery without washing her hands first. Speedy service is important, but not at the risk of public health. read more

When the Yelp UK team get together there are a few things guaranteed... 1) Fun, 2) Loud chats and 3) Sushi. We're a team of fish fanatics it seems and we tend to go out together to get ourselves some tasty Japanese eats whenever we can. For the latest instalment of team UK fun, we headed to Bentoya for lunch. I actually really liked the decor of this place! It wasn't super sophisticated, but I really liked the star ceiling and the cute decor touches around the place. Their Bento box lunch deal is AMAZING! £7.50 for Miso and a choice of Bento which included a couple of starters. I had a Sashimi Bento, but ordered a cheeky helping of chicken Gyoza to start (which, to be fair, I hadn't of needed to). The Gyoza were excellent. Flavourful, soft and tasty - I am a sucker for Dim Sum and these were top rate! The fish used for the Sashimi was clearly very good quality and was fresh and delicious. It came with the aforementioned Miso (which was nice) and a gyoza dumpling, as well as some other bits and pieces. My only complaint was that as everything is made to order - it can be a little slow to get the food, but the quality was excellent. I would recommend a trip to these guys for lunch, but maybe not if you're in a hurry. I would definitely check them out for dinner too as their prices were very affordable, but the quality was above and beyond. read more

Bentoya - Green tea - Japanese Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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What started out as a nice dinner quickly went bad. Staff were very nice. One of the servers came over and talked to us about a red snapper dish that was supposed to be really nice and the way she made it sound we thought it was complimentary ... nope. Sushi was very nice but then came time for our dinner and that wasn't nice at all. The server brought out my husband's meal and it was warm at best and there was enough rice for two people and the Chicken Katsu wasn't enough for one serving. Figuring my meal would be right out, I told my husband to go ahead and eat but a good five minutes had passed and my miso ramen was nowhere to be seen and I had to ask one of the servers to find out where it was. When it was brought out it was the strangest thing, the one side of my soup was luke warm and the other side of the bowl was steaming. Not once did any of the servers who were so accommodating when we sat down bothered to apologize for the delay and by that point I was too annoyed to eat. Pre-lockdown I used to come to this restaurant weekly for lunch and it was really good. Guess they're better at lunch than they are at dinner. Very disappointed and won't be coming back. read more

Noticed at the start of the week that this place (on the site of Meadowwood) had now opened so was ripe for trying out. Dinner tonight therefore consisted of some of the best sushi I've had in the city, coupled with very attentive service. At £7.90 the mixed sushi selection was very good value, as was the spicy tofu starter and my companion thoroughly enjoyed her bento box. Tea comes in good sized tea pots and is bottomless. As we were sat by the door we couldn't help but overhear the compliments that practically everyone who left before us was showering on the place so it would appear to have a (deserved) bright future. The large main window may prove a problem in terms of the mean temperature in the coming couple of months but that I imagine can be tastefully dealt with. read more

Yum, yum, yum! This was super impressive sushi - so good in fact that it was well worth the fairly long wait at lunch time (their kitchen is small and our table of 10 all got our food at different stages 40 mins after ordering!) Spicy tuna rolls were excellent, as was the California roll and the volcano ones with some tempura would be highly recommended by myself. The real extra bonus of this place was that it wasn't just the taste that was amazing - the textures and appearance of each dish were also very special, really well thought out and an added delight on top of the flavours on offer. Very friendly staff and some of the best sushi I've had in the UK, make sure you check it out (good value prices too) read more

I'll definitely be back for takeaway. The food was excellent and well priced. I had a veg set Bento box which included a generous portion of veg tempura, more miso than I could eat and beautiful fresh avocado maki. I received a complimentary tea while waiting which I thought was a nice touch but it was underbrewed and smelled of fish. Service was a bit odd there was a lovely young girl serving me but it seemed the woman in charge was stressing out and ordering her about the place even though there were few customers who all appeared happy. That really irritates me so between that and the fishy tea I don't think I'd eat in the restaurant. Definitely check it out for good value takeaway. read more

Loved Bentoya! Definitely looking forward to my next visit. Busy wee place too so I'd advise booking. We had booked for 5.30 as we had theatre tickets and I was glad we did. It is small - about 4-5 tables at the front and then about another 3-4 out the back. Being gluten free I knew there was some stuff off limits but I managed to get some tasty sushi here. The maki and california rolls were delicious and pretty filling and lovely and fresh. The rest of the gang had things like the bento box (about £8 and a good dinner option) or a selection of various things from across the menu. Everything looked so tempting. Bentoya is byob - corkage is £2 which is also good value compared to some other places and there is a Coop and Sainsbury on/just off Lothian Road for grabbing your wine. I hope to go back soon :-) read more

My family and I were craving some noodles and rice dishes and Bentoya was conveniently located across from our hotel so we decided to give it a try! It's a cute, quaint restaurant with relatively fast service and wait time, but the food was less than satisfying. The "udon" didn't taste like udon noodles at all and was rather chewy. The prawn katsu don that my mother ordered was also dry and one dimensional. Hopefully with more time and better ingredients, it can taste like more authentic Japanese food. read more

We were a group of 8 on a busy night, so we did have the food delay problems that other reviewers mention, but even that isn't going to sway me from giving Bentoya five stars. The high quality of the food paired with the incredibly reasonable prices make this a stand-out sushi restaurant by Edinburgh standards. I am already looking forward to my next visit. read more

Bentoya - Japanese Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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Ordered chirashizushi and rice tea. The raw fish ranged from very fresh (salmon, tuna, scallop, yummy), to just not (everything else). The rice was not to my taste. The tea is either low quality or has been sitting around for a very long time, it was quite bland. But the meal came with miso soup. It's clearly a popular local place. It gave me a quick and urgently wanted fix for Japanese at a weird time of the day and wasn't terrible value for money, so it has four stars from me. read more

Love this place- delicious, affordable, excellent. The staff are nice and they don't really seem to mind how long you stay. I recommend the spicy tofu starter and the bento box- both amazing read more

This place was recommended by a friend & it definitely lived up to expectations. The sushi was great - well prepared & tasted as good as it looked.The menu caters for non-sushi lovers too & we fell in love with their spicy edamame!! Relaxed atmosphere & great value. We went on a very busy Saturday where the service was rather slow but if you aren't in a hurry it is definitely worth the wait. read more

Hmmm...the place was packed which I always see as a good sign but I'm just not sure about this place. Some have mentioned that it rivals Kanpai but I genuinely can't see it... We'd booked a table for 3 at 8. Granted I was 20 minutes early so the table wasn't ready yet so I had to wait outside until it was. To be fair to one of the women they did come outside at about 8pm and ask if I wanted to wait inside in a recently vacated seat. Our table wasn't ready for another 10-15 minutes after that and when we were seated it took another 20 minutes to have our order taken. IT'S BYOB! Doh! By the point that I realised I really couldn't be bothered to hop over to the Costcutter across the road so I settled for some lovely Green tea. The food arrived in drips and drabs which was a little frustrating as it was all mostly mine and the Bento boxes arrived right at the end so it was completely out of sync. I enjoyed some elements of the food...the Dragon Roll was excellent and I enjoyed the Miso Aubergine but have had better (at Kanpai..). My black cod was greasy and as it was the first thing that arrived it left me with a heavy feeling for the rest of the meal. It was an awful place to go eat but I've had better elsewhere in town. I can't see myself coming back... Be prepared to put your silly hat on in order to get the attention of the staff! read more

This place was so good. The servers were all so nice and helpful. Portions are huge. Vegetable tempura and veggie gyoza are delicious !! I would definitely go back there! read more

We were a table of 5 and they left one of us without lunch! Incredible!! They were coming with the orders 15 minutes one from another, and the last order didn't even make it. There were 2 other tables with the same issue. It was a huge shame. Can you imagine a person sitting there seeing the others having lunch and waiting for a whole hour to have his lunch and then having to leave with an empty stomach?? We are DEFINITELY not going back, ever. read more

i feel a bit sad to do this, but after my last visit to Bentoya i couldn't leave a 5 star rating. i'd suggested the place when my my friends and i were needing a restaurant for dinner. having been multiple times before my response was bentoya is great let's go there! sadly it did not live up to such greatness... first off we'd booked a table for 8pm, we didn't get a table until 20 minutes after this time. and no apologies when we walked in or an acknowledge that we were still waiting a good ten minutes after arrival. second when we finally sat down it took over 15 minutes to flag someone down to take our order. the table next to us were sat down and got drinks almost right away so not sure why our table was ignored. although service remained poor throughout our whole visit where we actually questioned just getting up and leaving when it seemed next to impossible to get someone's attention to get our bill. after ordering we did receive some food fairly quickly, but having all ordered different things one friend's dishes came out before most of the rest of ours and the bento boxes came out almost half an hour after ordering so one friend was sat watching us eat after having all her dishes first thing. i know that dishes come out as they're ready but timing could have been a bit better. lastly and possibly the saddest part forcing me to drop two stars was that the quality of the food was not very good. before anything i had was very tasty and fresh and really enjoyable. this time food seemed to lack freshness, my spicy tuna roll had raw chopped chillis in it instead of the usual spicy sauce. the tuna nigri in my bento box was a bit on the chewy side to the point i questioned its freshness and didn't eat it. the miso aubergine felt a bit underdone and tasteless although the mixed tempura was actually quite good. so really dissapointed in Bentoya and may actually avoid coming here in the future due to this poor service and less than top notch food. read more

Bentoya makes some pretty awesome bento boxes and this really is a 3.5 star review rather than a 3. I can highly recommend the food, and I get envious stares when I kart a takeout back to the office. Only reason for 3 starts is that the bento box comes with a meat gyoza - no option unless requested. Once surprised, lesson learned the second time around. read more

The first time we came there was no one here and it was lovely- the food was perfect. The second time was busier- my prawn fried rice came out practically raw. The third time and last time I'll ever step foot into Bentoya- my dish came with a raw egg on top. Like, it was supposed to be a fried egg and it was completely uncooked- even the white of the egg. Unacceptable. This place is terrible if it's busy. Staff is rushed and food becomes inedible. read more

Great value and never had any issues with the quality of the sashimi/sushi. Portion sizes are generous and they're bento boxes are a real deal. Plus BYOB. Service can be a bit haphazard, but always courteous, as the place is small and can really fill up but I think this just adds to it's charm. The kitchen is right in the heart of the restaurant which isn't to everyone's taste but gives it a real luxury street stall feel. One of my regular go to any time of the week haunts when I need some clean comfort food. read more

Having read many positive reviews I was hoping to find a good Japanese restaurant. Unfortunately my experience was quite terrible. The place is a Japanese/Chinese fusion restaurant, which usually means Chinese chefs and substandard Japanese food. This turned out to be the case. The fish was flavourless and felt like it had just been defrosted. To make everything worse, the service was slow and forgetful. I probably won't be going back. read more

Quite cheap for the Edinburgh sushi scene £7.90 for a vegetarian dinner bento just off Lothian road! It is supposed to come with vegetable tempura, gyozas, avocado sushi, rice and miso soup but I swapped the gyoza for cucumber sushi (didn't want too much fried food). I found the prices quite honest here, and hopefully this place will help lower the price bar for sushi in Edinburgh, as it's usually quite overpriced. Taste-wise, not the best but reflects the price. There are Chinese and Japanese options on the menu. Service is reasonably fast. read more

outstanding. got seaweed salad and chirashi combo, soooo delicious. cant wait to go back and enjoy this place again.