Dined here last night and was not impressed. I have been to a lot of sushi places and this was forgettable. I live in Danville and see that the same owners are opening a Blue Ginko at the BlackHawk Plaza and thought we would go to Lafayette to see what we may be getting in Danville. I love nigiri and always start with it to see the quality of the fish at the restaurant. Fish was OK but I have had way better. The sushi chef last night really does not know how to even cut fish correctly. He butchered the pieces pretty good, very rough edges and uneven pieces. I even saw him take an end piece of tuna and butterfly it into a very strange shape and use it for nigiri. This piece normally would have gone into a spicy tuna preparation or some other use but certainly not nigiri. The rice under the nigiri was also too large and was not holding together. It just fell apart. Tried a couple of other dishes like the Godzilla roll, fried oysters, and a tuna tartar which were just so so. The staff was Ok but not really up to my expectation for a sushi restaurant to make you feel welcome. I am not sure if the sushi chef on Monday night when we went is the regular chef or if they have someone better but I would not want to have the guy we had as a main chef. Miso soup and edamame were good but that doesn't say much. I know that the owners of this place also run Sasa in Walnut Creek and I love that restaurant. I dine there frequently. I hope that when the Danville Blue Ginko opens up that they do not model it after the Lafayette restaurant. They need to incorporate some of the innovative menu items that has made Sasa a success. If it is just another rendition of the Lafayette location it will not last long in Danville. They need to get excellent sushi chefs with experience, top quality fish that is better than most sushi places, and a warm and inviting staff to make people feel welcome. I was anxiously awaiting the construction to finish at the BlackHawk plaza in Danville so we could go to the Blue Ginko but now I am a bit apprehensive. I will definitely check it out to see what they have to offer but please do not make it like the existing restaurant. I may go back to Blue Ginko Lafayette some day other than a Monday to check it out but I am not sure if they can win me over. read more

Went there for the first time on a Wednesday afternoon and it was not very busy. They were nice enough to sub tofu for the teriyaki and it was really good. We also tried the rice balls which were delicious! The service was great and our waitress was really nice. Will be coming again soon! read more

I am really surprised by all of the horrible reviews. I've eaten here a bunch over the years and while am not totally impressed by the service, I've never had bad service. Plus, I've watched them treat regulars like royalty. It's kinda a small space and it's a tiny bit on the pricey side (for sushi), but the food is worth it to me. I absolutely LOVE the kabocha squash here. Yum yum yum. It's got just the right amount of soy sauce. Sometimes I just order that and a roll and I'm good to go. The dinners are fresh and never greasy. I really appreciate that you can always get fresh greens here. I've always enjoyed the rolls here and the fish is very fresh. The one thing that bothers me is the miso is usually too hot. I hate that. read more

I love Blue Gingko. Ive been going here for 6+ years (or something like that, I cant remember how long!) Its in a crappy location, but gosh darn, the spider rolls are the most amazing things I have ever had when it comes to sushi! I never ate fish, until I turned 29, and my friend pestered me to try the garlic tuna. Id been subsiding on CAlifornia rolls, tempura stuff and vegi rolls for a while, but now im a full on fish lover!! Their oshitashi is amazing as well, and the garlic rice is divine. read more

3 stars though the food was really good (fresh fish, solid miso soup and seaweed salad, and awesome garlic tuna nigiri). But they need to fix this service issue they have here. Only one waitress that keeps forgetting orders, doesn't bring our sodas, and the food takes forever to come. It all seemed a bit too pricy for what you get, but I will be back still because I like the area and it's close to work. read more

Good, fresh sushi and (don't know what was going on with the other negative reviews) I have always had good service. Only complaint is that the menu has so few items besides your usual rolls and Nigiri. Lets add some more real Japanese dishes! read more

Located next to Whole Foods in a shopping center, Blue Gingko is a small Japanese restaurant featuring innovative, fresh sushi. Went for lunch and asked the waitress to select three sushi rolls (about $16 each) for our party of two. She told us the ingredients-scallops, shrimp, avocado, salmon, roe, etc. We gave her the "okay" and we loved every bite. The portions are large so two would have been sufficient. There was enough left over to take a box home. Very casual, quiet atmosphere good for carrying on a conversation, and packed by 12:30. This is a local hang out for people who enjoy quality with efficient, friendly service. Prices are comparable to other sushi establishments. Really delicious and healthy! read more

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3.5 Very interesting rolls - I saw a few had mango and other non traditional items in them. But we went the traditional route with a spider roll and another roll i can't remember the name of, but it was tuna and the whole thing was tempura battered and deep fried. It had a nice texture but didn't really enjoy the tuna being cooked. Chicken tonkatsu was crispy and juicy. And very decent portion actually. I found it to be a tad overpriced for my tastes (I do know a lot of Japanese places are around this price range, but I've been to cheaper/better) but overall good tasting food and nice service so I wouldn't be opposed to going back. read more

If you want to know what a chalkboard eraser tastes like and are willing to pay $20 (after tax and tip) for the experience, try their grilled chicken udon. Decent portion but who wants a decent portion of dry tasteless over priced chicken for $16.95 (before tax and tip)? If I wanted to eat something that tasted like microwaved 2-day old chicken, I can do that at home. Even my baby daughter didn't eat much of it. I think we both took a few more bites than we would've liked because we were so hungry. I wish I read Marie M.'s review before I came here so at least I would've been warned that the quality is only for dogs. The Gyoza was nothing special (6 pieces for $6.95) but she loves that stuff. I got out of there feeling ripped off and still hungry. Would I go if someone invited me and offered to pay? Not a chance. We'll meet up at Yogurt Shack next door for dessert when you're done with your meal. I'll be over at Chipotle where the meat is tasty, fresh and not $16.95. Service was decent after I sat down but I think only because they thought my daughter was cute. Two people passed me by before I finally approached someone to get seated. Waited a bit too long before they took my order but maybe that was just my stomach getting impatient. There's a lot of consistency in the reviews on this place: 1. Slow service. 2. Those giving this place 4-5 stars have either never had their chicken or must be a Lafayette native who can't tell the difference between chicken and a chalk board eraser. 3. Overpriced for what you get. If you're okay with that list, go for it. You won't be disappointed. read more

Complete and utter rip-off. Quality so-so, portions ridiculously small (they should be embarrassed) and prices insultingly high. First and only visit - never again. A far better choice in Lafayette is Kane. read more

The other reviewer is INSANE. This place is an institution in Lafayette. Been in business over 10 years, same family runs it. We bring friends from San Francisco to dinner here and have them compare Blue Ginko to their favorite place in the city. Blue Ginko always gets rave reviews. Great atmosphere, awesome people, family business that's been doing it right for decades. You can't go wrong. You don't stay in business that long and have a packed house every night if your food stinks. Try the: 1.sashimi 2. Mita roll 3. Crunch tropical roll 4. Island roll Each one a home run read more

I used to like this place. I liked it a lot. I would come here with my best friend and her family when they lived in Moraga. Then I moved to Danville where the boyfriend LOVES sushi. We have a place near our house that we like. I wanted him to try this place-as I have had good experiences in the past. This time-I won't be coming back. The sushi was just okay. The rolls were made loosely and too big for one bite. The fish didn't taste as fresh as it should. The service was fair. The miso was fair. The salad is great. The teriaki is good. Not worth the drive over. read more

Great sushi, never disappoints.

Overpriced but tasty, more impressive than nearby Kane's. miso soup here is like $5 wtf?? My gf loves this place more than me, the service is fine, I have not experienced any rudeness here like other yelp'ers have... read more

This is by far the best sushi I've had in the area. Their fish is consistently fresh which is the most important thing in my opinion. The staff is always welcoming and professional. I'm noticing that the majority of negative reviews complain of the priciness of the joint. I don't know about you, but in my world the words "budget" and "sushi" should never be used congruently. I'd rather pay a little more for the quality fish here than save a buck and end up regretting it for the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. If I'm cutting any financial corner it ain't gonna be on the raw fish I'm about to consume. Try the Diablo Roll. You won't be disappointed. Also their garlic rice is delicious and significantly better than its counterpart at Sasa (and they know what they're doing over there, too). Cucumber salad, yum. read more

Came here for lunch with some of my really good friends. The sushi was rolled well, the ingredients for the most part were tasty. The main issues with this place is that it's small so there is only room for one waitress to work for the entire restaurant. She was busy for most of our lunch and we didn't really get any good service other than our food being handed to us. Other than not getting our water refilled until after we finished eating is the fact that the sushi here is over priced. I guess it's not really a surprise considering the area and lack of good sushi or seafood in general. Location, location, location. So if you are in the area and want some sushi, this is a good option just not a fan favorite, or a must try in my opinion. read more

Blue Gingko - Sushi Bars Near Me - Lafayette, California

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This is one of my favorite sushi places. The fish is always fresh and I love that the rice in the rolls is still warm and has toasted sesame seeds in it. It's usually busy on Friday and Saturday nights so we try and go early before the crowds come in. The two seater tables are really close together and doesn't lend for any intimate conversations unless you like people listening in. Also it gets pretty loud in there when it's full - which seems hard to do considering how small it is in there. Overall, I say go early and enjoy! read more

When approaching Blue Ginko, I was, admittedly, not prepared to be impressed. It's located in a 3/4 vacant mall complex that probably seemed outdated the day it was built. When last I was there there was at least one vacant grocery store building. This combined with the darkened alley-way type design between some of the smaller shops made for a less-than-alluring beginning to a sushi experience. I was open to it though, because I had a long trip ahead of me and needed something light but solid to fill my grumbling gut. I am super glad I ignored the exterior! Blue Ginko put out some of the best sushi I've had in a long time. I worked from the nigiri menu and was rewarded by long, generous cuts of saba, sake, awabi, hamachi, and toro, a beautiful and perfectly crunchy tako, and a mound of tobiko. Excellent all around. The service was caual and friendly. Not a 5-star for me due to the location, and the fact that the bathrooms were way around the corner, in a dimly lit alcove under a concrete stairway. I felt like I was in some Noir film just washing my hands, and kept my guard up. read more

I've been going here since it opened and it has always been outstanding. It's a tiny restaurant in a strip mall and it can get crowded on a Friday or Saturday night, especially when it's too cold to eat outside. The vibe is casual and the waiters are kid-friendly. This is my favorite place to eat in Lafayette and I've celebrated a few birthdays here. For appetizers, get the Kabocha squash, seaweed salad, spicy tofu salad, age-dashi tofu, tempura, or the grilled rice balls. For a main course, get the sashimi sampler, avacado-cucumber roll, or white tuna roll. I never get any of the specialty rolls because the fish is high enough quality that I want to really taste it. It's pricey, but it's a good value for how fresh the fish is. read more

I came here with my best friend for her birthday dinner. Minus one star for basically ignoring us for a good 10-20 mins before I had to flag down a waitress to get seated. They were busy but the service wasn't very courteous. The sashimi (salmon, tuna, halibut) were delicious and super fresh. They only gave us 10 pcs of sashimi when we ordered 12 so we had to point that out and they brought the remaining 2 pcs out. The crouching tiger roll with fried deep shell crab on the inside and salmon/tuna on top was really fresh, lightly crunchy and very good. I will come back again for the food but the service could be better. read more

3.5-4 In the middle of the pack of Lamorinda sushi houses. Their mainstream items are very dialed in and well-executed...balanced in texture and flavor. Excellent produce and seafood utilized. Roll form was so well done, that the children with me were eating with their hands and the rolls were not falling apart. Their pricing as a whole is very reasonable especially for the Bay Area. Food is extremely hit or miss in the region. Blue Ginko is solid all around. A pleasant surprise. The parking lot feeds many restaurants, plus Safeway, Whole Foods & McCaulou's...so take any spot right away or drop off someone to get your table! read more

Poor hygenic practices. Waitresses bus tables and carry dirty glasses with their fingers inside the glasses. They also remove clean glasses from shelves with the same dirty fingers inside of those glasses before filling them up with water for customers. COVID environment! The waitresses also take money, deliver your food with same gloves on their hands. You decide. Sushi can be a bit too room temperature by the time it gets to your table read more

Overpriced for the quality of sushi that they're producing but if you're in Lafayette and need to fulfill a craving, this would be the place I go to. read more

After a really bad experience minutes earlier at Oyama, we sauntered over here in hopes of better, or at the very least, edible food. The service was FANTASTIC!!! One of the friendliest servers I have ever had considering the place didn't have an empty seat in it. Food was pretty good, but the Crouching Tiger roll was stupendous, although I did find my Neghihama roll to be a bit messy considering it to be a basic roll. Only knock on the place is the price. It's up there considering the quality and ambiance of the restaurant. Some rolls in the $16 range and no small salads available, only an $8 version that was nearly a meal itself. But still, super friendly and speedy service with very enjoyable food is worth coming back easily. PLUS, outside seating for those warm 925 nights? Shazaam! read more

I've been there several times for lunch. I've attached a photo of the great sake. There is a waitress there who is incredibly gracious and the sushi is very good. read more

Blue Gingko - Sushi Bars Near Me - Lafayette, California

I haven't worked in Lafayette in over a year and I still come here when I have the money to. Brief Summary -- BEST Chicken Teriyaki I've ever had -- Excellent Customer Service -- Friendly Staff -- Gets VERY BUSY and it's very SMALL -- Not for the cheap sushi people I've ate a lot of sushi in my life. Recently, I haven't ate ANY sushi due to the fact that I got food poisioning from an all you can eat sushi buffet in davis, sorry davis sushi but nevertheless Blue Ginko has some of the BEST sushi and entree's I've ever had. And you're paying for QUALITY not quantity here. So expect to spend more. I almost always order the Chicken Teriyaki with Brocolli substituted instead of the cabbage. The chicken is high quality chicken breast NOT random pieces of chicken chopped up. This is my favorite thing to get. I've also had the Salmon Teriyaki which is also very fresh. It seems like every time I go here, all of the ingredients are fresh and tasty. I've tried a few of their rolls. The California roll is the best I've ever had. I know it doesn't count as real sushi for the sushi diehards but in general everything I've ordered has been delicious. The Spider Roll was good from what I remember. I've only been here during the lunch hour and early dinner hours. I like to avoid the rush and I'm sure if you do, you won't be disappointed. It is by far the best sushi I've had in Contra Costa County. read more

Great sushi for takeout and for dine in. I wish they had their own website so that I could check their menu for take out, but other then that I haven't had any issues. I would definitely recommend a stop if you are nearby. Also, I recently tried their vegetarian udon noodle soup in the broth. SO GOOD. read more

Defiantly best sushi in town just wish it was bigger and they had more staff. Place is always slammed and wait is always long but I have to say it is still worth it. YUM! read more

Blue Gingko - Sushi Bars Near Me - Lafayette, California

Please, blue ginkgo mgmt, don't accept so many take out orders for the same pick up time... For the sake of your dine-in customers. Or have your sushi chef come in earlier, to get a head start on the most commonly ordered items. I am a fan, but this week we went for dinner, and something was not working. It took us 45 minutes to get our food. We had a great view of order after huge order being delivered from the kitchen to takeout customers by the door. The Food is great, but don't come at 6:15 on a weeknight - the sushi bar may be prioritizing the take out orders. I would be happy to try it one more time. But if there is a similar issue, I'll have to find a new sushi spot. read more

The only reason I'm not giving this 5 stars is the price. This is the best sushi around -- and I don't think I've ever had better hamachi on a consistent basis. If you sit at the sushi bar, you can watch them create special dishes for others and request your own. My favorite personal creation is spicy surf clam with a dab of Japanese mayo mixed in and tobiko. They also have a spinach salad with a sesame dressing my family goes crazy over. read more

Dined here for lunch today. Was asked to check out the place and take pictures for a potential second location in another nearby city. Like many reviewers, I have to agree the space is quite limited here...very tiny. I felt a little bit cramped even with barely half the restaurant filled. I guess there's something to be said for intimacy but I can't imagine what it's like when its at capacity! That being the ONLY issue I had, the sushi was fresh and tasty...I wasn't terribly hungry so I sampled only one sushi roll but I witnessed others at the sushi bar thoroughly enjoying the sushi chef's creations. I also sat directly in front of him so I had a birds-eye view of his handiwork! I definitely will come back for more because everything looked fresh and delicious! The decor is simple but tasteful, the table/chairs very nice and the service was just fine. I'll definitely stop in when in the area again! read more

Decent sushi but nothing spectacular. I felt that the prices high for what I ordered. In all fairness I customized my own roll so I am sure that came at a premium. The positive was the sushi chef. I sat at the sushi bar and he was great. Showed me a few things and was very helpful and personable read more

Wow...who would have thought this gem was there? Loved, just loved the sushi. We ordered a few of the specialty rolls and were quite full when we left. Fresh and nicely arranged. Just know it's a small location.....very small. read more

Be careful. I took my family of 4 here in November and had a fairly good meal for $138.10 which included our 20% tip. Then almost a month later in December I noticed another charge on my bank card for the same exact amount $138.10. We had not been back to the restaurant. I called the store 3 times and spoke to Alice and explained the situation that we were charged twice for the same meal. Each time she said she would take care of it and that Phil the manager would call us. Nothing. I went in person and got the same no response with a promise to take care of it and apologies. Alice was polite. My wife went in person weeks later, same thing. My wife then noticed on the counter there were notes from other people complaining and for the manager to call them. It makes one wonder if they are doing this on a regular basis hoping people will not notice. If I ever returned, I would pay cash only. Very disappointed with their non-response to our legitimate issue. Thankfully our bank issued us a credit. read more

Awesome place! Always leaves me feeling satisfied and perfectly full! It's a bit on the expensive side but I'd rather pay more for quality food. Miso soup has mushrooms in it...I love mushrooms! Yummmm. Def worth checking out! Ive been here 3 or 4 times during their slow hours. Tonight my waitress was Kelly, she was really attentive and nice! She had a smile on her face the whole time :-)! read more

Dinner out at Blue Ginko with my beautiful wife. Great outdoor seating and tasty sushi& Nigiri. Only suggestion is we wish they would describe their rolls better on their menu, not too clear how they are put together before they arrive. Overall a nice sushi choice in the center of Lafayette. read more

This is actually my favorite sushi place in the area. I usually take Philly rolls, Miso soup and edamame and I've never been disappointed. I've tried other things on the menu (which offers a great amount of choices and is very clear) and everything just tastes great. There's a couple things that make me give it four stars instead of five, though. The first one is the slow service. It happened to me more than once to find myself waiting for almost an hour before getting my food, which I honestly think is unacceptable. Of course that happened during rush hour, but still. All the waiters are really nice, but unfortunately that's not enough to call it a good service. The other thing is that the bathroom is located several shops away and the key doesn't really work. I understand that at this point there's nothing to do about the location, but I think the lock should be somehow fixed in order to have it work better. Overall I really like Blue Ginkgo and I eat there all the time. Not the best sushi I've ever tried, but definitely the best in the Lamorinda area. read more

Yum! I took my parents here to give them a more authentic sushi experience than what they've had on their own. It's a tiny place and it was a Friday night- luckily we went on the early side... by halfway through our meal the line was out the door and we were getting vulture looks from the couple at the front of the line. The folks had miso to start and I had the seaweed salad- all very good. We ordered four rolls: the mita, the rainbow, the volcano, and a lafayette. Really delicious- I think the volcano and the mita were the favorites, then the rainbow, then the lafayette- but it was all quite good. You can tell that the fish is fresh and the staff was doing their best to keep a busy restaurant happy. The only thing that was a bit out of the ordinary: the number of kids that were there. I have no issue with exposing kids to all sorts of different foods while they're young, but it seems in Lafayette, this is THE sushi restaurant to bring your children. There were at least eight or more kids under 10 years old in the place, and since it's so small that's a pretty significant percentage- it definitely changed the feel of the dinner to have that many kids there. read more

My favorite sushi spot in Lamorinda - good food and great service. I love their pine-nut seaweed rice especially when paired with the chicken skewers. They also offer Tamari (a GF soy sauce alternative), just ask! read more

I really like coming here for lunch and it is becoming one of my go to places for sushi. Lots of gluten free options.