This is such a great sushi place in UA! Get great quality sushi for a great price! We got the shrimp tempura, spicy salmon, and happy roll. The happy roll was my favorite it came with cream cheese, tuna, avocado, green seaweed on top, and the outside of the sushi tasted like crunchy cheese. It was delicious! read more

Bonsai - I'm not sure what the green stuff was but it was delish!! - Japanese Near Me - Upper Arlington, Ohio

Absolutely delicious!! We popped in on a Friday night and were seated immediately. We ordered 2 hot green teas which hit the spot. I ordered the vegetarian Tofu Jim and my boyfriend got the Nabeyaki Udon soup. Both were fantastic! The flavors were complex and the textures were spot on. The best Korean cuisine I've had in Columbus. I can't stress this enough, give Bonsai a chance!! read more

Bonsai - Nabeyaki Udon - Japanese Near Me - Upper Arlington, Ohio

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Wanted to try this place since I was craving some sushi. We ordered the sushi/sashimi combo and I was satisfied with the sushi. Not really interested in the sashimi since it was too thick and I'm not a big fan of that thick piece. read more

Bonsai - Sushi/Sashimi combo - Japanese Near Me - Upper Arlington, Ohio

I feel like this particular corner of the Kingsdale shopping center is continuously being flipped into something else, so I'm really glad that the owners of Japanese Oriental, a long standing restaurant in Columbus, decided to open up Bansai here. The decor inside is pretty simple, which fine, and the service was pretty good! The lady serving us was quick and super attentive. We started off with a simple spicy crawfish roll that was very tasty. They have almost the exact same menu as Japanese Oriental, so you won't be seeing too many changes here. I love that they also bring out banchan even though much of the menu is Japanese focused. For entrees, we went with the tonkatsu pork, and Gan Pang chicken. I wish I had gone a more adventurous route other than the Gan Pang chicken. It was super tasty, but it reminded me of your typical General Tso's or Sesame Chicken, just in a different sauce. I'm not a huge fan of battered chicken in Chinese food. That being said, the flavor was great, and my girlfriend really enjoyed it. The tonkatsu was good too, even with the pork being a little bit tough. I'm not sure what was in the oriental tangy sauce that comes with it, but it was a flavor I don't think I've ever actually had before. I'm still wondering whether I liked it or not, but I think I did since I couldn't put a finger on what it was! Unexpectedly, we were brought out a simple yet interesting dessert of orange slices with walnuts and cream on top covered in a raspberry sauce. It was incredibly refreshing and probably the least heavy dessert I've ever eaten. I actually really loved it. Overall, if you've been to Japanese Oriental, then you've been to Bonsai. That being said, I loved Japanese Oriental, so I'm definitely interested in coming back here and trying more of the menu. They have many Korean dishes as well that I've had in the past that are great, so I would recommend anyone giving this place a try if you want a great mix of Japanese and Korean. read more

Bonsai - Tonkatsku pork and Gan Pang with chicken. Delicious! - Japanese Near Me - Upper Arlington, Ohio

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This place was awesome. Huge portions even mix of Japanese and Korean. Everything fresh made to order. I'm not a huge fan of miso, want to be but usually never finish all of it, crushed theirs great! The Bok ku ki rice cake appetizer was great along with the Katsu Don! read more

Bonsai - Japanese Near Me - Upper Arlington, Ohio

I am always on the lookout for new Asian spots. Bonsai, though Japanese in name, is decidedly Korean with banchan coming with dishes. They've been open in the old Vietnomnoms spot for about 11 months. The owner is the same of Japanese Oriental Restaurant fame on Campus--currently closed due to construction. Now, the ambiance is really nice--great sushi bar seating on the inside. Parking at Kingsdale kind of sucks but there is a designated lot. It's just pretty much always busy. Service was good and friendly, the owner was walking around and saying hello which I like. And with my boyfriend on a Friday night we ordered quite a bit of food. I got the Japchae (romanized as Chapchae on the menu) which was 13.95, and he got the Sukiyaki, priced at about 19$. Both were excellent; lots of veggies and the japchae had a great meaty flavor. The banchan were great! Potatoes were so good I could eat them forever, and while not my favorite kimchi in town, it was still pretty great :) I was a little thrown by the price--paying $50 for the above and a Bulgogi roll seems a bit much, but the food itself was excellent, and we may be used to chill spots like Arirang. I think we'd go back. read more

Bonsai - Japanese Near Me - Upper Arlington, Ohio

First timers and we loved it! Started off with some miso soups and vegetable tempura - the chicken pad Thai was full of flavor! Very thankful for the service, the lady was very sweet and attentive to us, as well as a few other tables. Cute dining area inside and nice, chill vibes.. Can't wait to be back and try new things! Thank you Bonsai :-) read more

Bonsai - Chicken Pad Thai - Japanese Near Me - Upper Arlington, Ohio

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Not bad at all. Family feel & cozy. Slightly different Korean fare - like a homemade spin on popular dishes. I liked the overall feel of the space & quiet enough for a good conversation. Jiam Pong (Seafood Noodle Soup) has been my fave Korean food item. They did a decent job at that. Pricing is a little more reasonable compared to others. read more

Bonsai - Jiam Pong. - Japanese Near Me - Upper Arlington, Ohio

A friend and I came to this restaurant looking for a good sushi place to try. It's in a little plaza tucked behind OSU internal medicine in Upper Arlington, and it's a little hard to find if you're not familiar with the area. Despite the fact I came for sushi, I ended up getting a bigger entree because I was hungry and sushi often leaves me wanting for more. The dish I got was the Nabeyaki Udon, with udon noodles and veggies served with deep fried shrimp and crab in a broth. This was pretty good, though I'd probably eat the meat sooner next cause it got a bit soggy in the broth. The thing I liked most about the dish was the broth. I also ended up getting California rolls on the side and had no complaints there. I tried sake for the first time (the waiter described it as kind of like a weak vodka but I didn't think it was weak at all lol) and enjoyed that as well. All in all good experience. read more

Bonsai - Nabeyaki Udon - Japanese Near Me - Upper Arlington, Ohio

Great food great service, super friendly. Nice calm atmosphere and some regulars came in and it was so nice to see how everyone liked each other. They seem to go often which is a great sign !! read more

My daughter and I met up with a friend and her daughter at Bonsai this evening. A hot, spicy Korean dish was exactly what was needed for this snowy and dreary Saturday night. The reason why this review is not a five star is because of the service. When I arrived, we were immediately given our menus and seated. However, although we were the only ones in the restaurant, we sat there for close to ten minutes before someone approached us for our drink orders. I seriously counted more than six employees that walked in and out of the kitchen or that stood at the kitchen entrance door looking off into space. After getting our drinks, we waited another ten minutes before our waiter decided to take our meal order. Before our food came out, we were all served with some hot miso soup and our Korean side dishes. They were all really good! Our meals were absolutely great too! I ordered the kimchi dol sot which is just hot stone veggie bibimbap with kimchi and pork belly added on top! It was SO delicious! I absolutely loved it! After our food came out, our waiter and all of the employee disappeared into the kitchen except the sushi chef. I had to wait for more than fifteen minutes for a water refill. While we were wrapping up our meals and paying for our checks, I noticed a family who had come in during our meal that was experiencing the same issues that we had been experiencing - a non-existent waiter. The mother kept trying to grab the attention of the wait staff, but no one was noticing nor paying attention. The mother then spoke up in which the person whose attention she grabbed stated that they would grab the waiter versus assisting her. I definitely want to return to Bonsai to explore more of the menu. I just hope that the service will be much better the next time around! read more

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Lovely setting and an excellent selection of Japanese and Korean dishes. Service was excellent and fast. We enjoyed our experience and highly recommend the Appetizer Platter and the Bulgogi. This is a great place for KDrama fans to come and try the various Korean dishes they see on the shows! read more

Came for lunch on a weekday, there was plenty of seating and they were prompt to serve us. The food was affordable and great! They didn't have as many little apps as other Korean spots but that was okay with me, service was so quick we wouldn't have had time to eat it anyway. The bulgoki beef box was great, large portion. Really enjoyed the mussel and interesting things in there to try, even came with some tempura, a piece of salmon nigiri and a miso soup. I'll definitely be coming back! read more

I went to Bonsai for sushi a while back and was definitely impressed. This time I got the beef dolsot (add fried egg) and it was delicious! I was so full but couldn't stop eating. I also got their dumplings which were good as well. I will definitely be returning. read more

Bonsai - Dolsot with fried egg - Japanese Near Me - Upper Arlington, Ohio

WOW! So after being told we had a 50 minute wait at another local sushi restaurant we saw Bonsai. Relatively new, we hadn't been there so we gave it a shot. I have to say, the experience is one of my best with Asian cuisine here in Columbus. The sushi was fresh and perfect, very authentic. They served it in a boat for us! The katsu don and the kimchee Dol Sot were incredible. Highly recommend the Kimchee Dol Sot. And lastly as we were giving our compliments to the chef we had ice cream for dessert and, it too, was freshly made ice cream and had floral notes that was very refreshing. WE'll BE BACK! read more

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Chicken Pad Thai was delicious! Service was great and accommodating and the overall atmosphere was pleasant. Cant wait to visit again

Delicious and such beautiful presentation! Stopped in on my lunch break today and will definitely be back! read more

Bonsai - Japanese Near Me - Upper Arlington, Ohio

Jam Poong: Seafood Noodle Soup.....SUPER SALTY! But to be fair, the noodle was delicious and cooked to perfection, and ratio of seafood n veggies were equal. But I couldn't really taste the broth since it's salted to raise someone's blood pressure. I mentioned it to the male server, n his response was just, "Oh!". Banchans/side dishes were ok, I had better elsewhere. Price were a bit on the higher side, considering the quality n service received for this experience. I also bought a Seafood Pancake to go.....we'll see, n I'll definitely put my comments here. read more

Bonsai - Japanese Near Me - Upper Arlington, Ohio

WOW (and I mean WOW)!! This was our first visit here, because we saw the rave reviews. My husband is Korean, so we are very particular when it comes to Korean cuisine. This restaurant seems to be a Korean/Japanese fusion type but it is seriously incredible! We ordered Kalbi (Korean short ribs), and they came out sizzling and crazy tender! We also ordered a variety of sushi-- Kahiki roll (sweet but AMAZING), maki, and spicy crawfish. They were all fabulous! The service was impeccable during dinner hours too! We can't wait to return! read more

Bonsai - Kalbi and banchan - Japanese Near Me - Upper Arlington, Ohio

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I was disappointed for the food and the service today. Got the spicy tofu soup, it was really average, the egg was not even stirred, with a big piece in the soup. Sushi was not properly made, it was supposed to be tightly rolled. Most importantly, their credit card machine has a problem and I have been waiting and waiting, not even a single apology, from the beginning to the end. and then I gave them some cash cuz I don't want to wait any more, I gave them all the cash i had but it was one dollar short, I said you can take one of the sushi roll back cuz I don't want to owe your any money, I have been waiting too long. and then the woman, just said it is ok, one dollar is not a big deal, like I took advantage of this situation. Really made me speechless. I just moved from other state and live two mins away and really want to love this restaurant. But I would say the first time experience is not great. read more

This is one of my favorite Japanese restaurants period. I actually came to this part of town to visit another restaurant establishment but I was not particularly pleased with anything that I got there. So as I walked out of their establishment. I happened to see this place and decided to go in. I was not disappointed. I got the mackerel dish. That's one of my favorite Japanese dish's to get but a lot restaurants here do not sell it here. Anytime that I have gotten it anywhere. The portion size was really small. This one here however seems like it can feed two people with no problem. It was grilled and seasoned to perfection. The service was great. The staff made sure that I was very comfortable and attended to my needs in a timely manner. They even went as far as to educate me on some of the dishes that I wasn't familiar with. read more

Okay, so we gotta talk Bondai!!!!! I don't know if you use crack to make your food or not but that Jamb Bong is to die for. Lots of flavor, perfectly seasoned, and generous/equal amounts of broth and meats/veggies. Okay so only complaint is that it would be fabulous if the shrimp came without a shell. Almost chomped on one with a shell. But that's your fault, isn't it? Making food so delicious that I'm barely paying attention. I sorta feel like I have to take you out to dinner now, geeze. Let me know if you enjoy simi warm hot pockets. read more

Great place for authentic Korean comfort food. I know they sell sushi too, but this is really a Korean place. The kalbijjim is delicious -- haven't been able to find this in Columbus until we stopped by Bonsai. Cozy, convenient, and great service. read more

Bonsai - Kablijjim and seafood pajeon - Japanese Near Me - Upper Arlington, Ohio

First experience was disappointing: I Doordashed two orders of katsudon to work, my favorite Japanese dish and one I also make at home. I account for delivery time, and to their credit, both bowls were still steaming and piping hot. I expect the shiru(broth) to be soaked into the rice because it is delivered, no problem. The flavor could have been better, seeming slightly weak. The quality control was non-existent. The first bowl had almost no egg, like they were afraid to use it. The second was a normal amount. Where are the onions? I know not everyone puts bamboo shoots in, so that is fine, but ONIONS please. There could have been a bit more broth, particularly with a weaker flavor. There were no green onions, offsetting an otherwise muted visual appearance with some brightness. No sesame seeds, as displayed in their own photo of the dish. While I don't expect food to mirror pictures, I DO expect it to include the same ingredients. To give a comparison of this dish, it was like expecting a Burger King Whopper or Dave's Classic from Wendy's and getting a Rally's Cheese Champ. Underperforming, but this was actually not the worst part.... No chopsticks. I received forks, like some uncultured amateur. It may seem minor, but my feelings on this are so strong because it changes the experience. Perhaps I am a bit elitist when I say "Who goes to Japanese and uses forks?" but this is Bonsai, not Pete's Teriyaki(actually a real place, good Americanized teriyaki over rice). The very name Bonsai drips so much of culture, patience and attention to detail that if I entered the establishment, I would be expecting to hear a koto playing, with falling water in the background. Bonsai, named after a refined art that captures both Japanese spirit and refinement, steeped in harmony, and I GET FORKS. The more I ate, stabbing at my dish, one resentful impalement after another, the more I realized how much it upset me. I genuinely hope that everyone has a much better experience than I did, and I hope that this lapse in attention to detail does not represent what Bonsai has to offer. read more

Who knew there was another restaurant worth going for korean food. The portions are small for some and big for others. The rabokki was smaller than the pictures led on. The flavor was predictable but the noodles they use here is different. It tastes like japanese ramen noodles. I was surprised it went well with the dish. The katsudon and donkatsu were big portions and although the four of us shared there were still a lot of leftovers. It might be due to the rabokki too. I ordered the kalbijjim! Great portion and there are a lot of ingredients present! It was delicious but some people might think it is too sweet~ thats how i like mine with some kimchi as a side dish! I took some home for leftovers and it was still good!! My friends and i talked about coming back to try the other dishes too because they have a lot of choices. read more

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Love everything this restaurant has to offer. Like the chef said, everything was so well crafted and all the dishes we had today was prepared with lots of skills and care. Definitely the best Korean cuisine we've had in Columbus and we would recommend Bonsai to anyone who enjoys an authentic and delicious meal. We are also very honored to be served by the owner, Kim, who is wonderful and we know how much dedication she's put in for this restaurant. She has three decades of running this restaurant. That says a lot by itself. Go and check it out! read more

Delicious sushi and ramen. Also very good Korean wine. The best service I've had all year!

For a hidden restaurant you can miss it, but go inside. You'll understand when you get served your food. Definitely worth checking out! read more

Bonsai - Nabeyaki Udon + 6 Piece Boston Roll - Japanese Near Me - Upper Arlington, Ohio

I'm sad to say that I did not have a good experience here. When I arrived at 8:30 pm on a weekday, there was only one other party there, and they got their food by the time I put in my order (bulgogi and two sushi), so my table was the only one being served at that point. Yet, it took over 30 minutes for the food to come out. It took so long I seriously wanted to cancel my order since it was overpriced anyway. The portion was tiny! One bulgogi and two sushi did not fill two people up at all here because the portion was so small. We were both still really hungry after that we had to go somewhere else to eat. The only nice thing was the decorations. I'm not sure why the reviews for this place are so great. I don't know if I'm missing something here, but everything I tried was small, mediocre, and overpriced, and I'm not a picky eater at all. read more

I stopped for a late lunch on my birthday and really enjoyed it. They have a nice selection of dishes, including some that don't show up on the other Korean menus in town. The banchan was wonderful, probably the best soy sauce braised potatoes I've had. The raboki was fantastic and will be on my repeat list. I'll definitely be back! read more

Bonsai - Raboki and banchan - Japanese Near Me - Upper Arlington, Ohio

Amazing!!! We got takeout during the pandemic and everything was packed really well. More importantly, everything was extremely delicious! I didn't know what to expect from a place with so many different kinds of Asian food, but each item was so yummy. Definitely try the fried appetizer sampler. The hot wings were also delicious. read more

Service was excellent, quick, and portion size was large. Have had great experiences with both delivery and in person dining!

Get their huge bowl of spicy, seafood noodle soup......... Great service and food. Everything was fresh and there was an abundance of seafood in there. You will enjoy it. read more

Bonsai - A bowl of seafood noodle soup. I couldn't finish it..... - Japanese Near Me - Upper Arlington, Ohio

This place is simply amazing. It is high quality and as such expect around a $$$ range. But well worth it. Probably some of the best sushi in Columbus. Great atmosphere. And cute sushi bar. Has really good parking in a great area. The menu also includes a lot of authentic options and very good service. Would be a great date or family event. A lot of fun and very tasty. @thebenrl read more

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Stopped in for a quick lunch.... Fried dumplings, egg rolls and Bulgogi sushi roll. All rate as some of the best we have ever eaten! Will definitely revisit to try more of their dishes. Also love that the owners are present and preparing/serving some the dishes. Bravo! read more

We decided to change up our usual fulfillment of sushi cravings (which tends to be -- let's order from Sushi Time even though it's like two blocks away and we should probably just walk there) and came to check out this place on a weeknight. It's in the old Tot location in Kingsdale, and I kind of miss the old decor with the long benches along the sides. It seemed pretty quiet when we got there around 7 on a Tuesday. There seemed to be only two people working (which contributed to the "leisurely" pace of the food). We ordered edamame and an assortment of sushi rolls, including sweet potato and the ichiban roll (in which they had to substitute seaweed since they were out of soy wrap). The sushi menus are laminated and they give you a dry erase pen, which I thought was a neat idea. The food was pretty good and there's definitely a good variety of rolls. Service was friendly and the waiter checked up on us a few times and kept beverages refilled, but the sushi took a while to come out. There were quite a few take-out orders so perhaps this contributed to the long wait (fortunately we didn't have anywhere we needed to be afterward). The lunch boxes in the menu looked good, but are only offered M-F, so I'll have to wait for a holiday to come back and try those! read more

I concur with the wow. We came here for sushi but ended up getting Sol Dot and It did not disappoint. My worry about going to a restaurant that makes food from multiple countries was happily unfounded. As far as we can tell they make excellent sushi with perhaps the best miso soup perhaps I've ever had as well as fantastic Korean food. Needless to say we will be back. The service was amazing. We brought our two toddlers and our waitress was very attentive to their needs and brought them out extra accompaniments. She also gave me extra kimchi to take home. The sushi chef was a very nice and engaging fellow. We ordered a crunchy tuna roll and he made us two pieces of his new experimental Louisiana roll which I feel should definitely make the cut to be on the menu. read more

This is a great lunch spot! My friend and I came to try out a new place we had never been before and they did not disappoint! The lunch specials were great. I got the sushi box and it was the perfect amount of food for me. I was extremely satisfied with the quality and variety of items included in the box. I recommended coming here for lunch and some good deals! read more

My favorite sushi in Columbus. I suggest Oishii Roll - shrimp and mango topped with shrimp, crab stick, mango sauce and shredded seaweed Shogun Roll - Fried shrimp tempura, spicy crab mix, avocado, cucumber and cream cheese topped with tuna, eel sauce, tempura crumbs, and spicy mayo Sunday Morning roll - salmon, masago, cream cheese and avocado lightly fried and topped with a wildberry sauce. read more

Good food but why the fuck is chicken curry 18 dollars? A bit much for rice and chicken in ohio