Well worth the wait. By far the most fresh fish in Pittsburgh. The chefs are insanely creative if you are looking for something different. The sushi pizza is a must. They also offer classic sashimi and sushi. The fresh toro is some of the best I've ever eaten! Don't forget about dessert. The silk chocolate torte is amazing. I have multiple reservations and will continue to go back. Worth the price and wait! read more

Gi-Jin - Sushi Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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We waited for years for Gi-Jin to open and it was well worth it! Each dish was unique and delicious, the servers were knowledgeable, & the space is gorgeous. Inside reminds us of a super special whisky bar we went to once in Kyoto . Had lovely time talking w/ John, the beverage director about our favorite gins & grateful to him for introducing us to a single malt from Taiiwan that we now love. Stand out dishes were hamachi crudo; and open hand rolls especially beef tartare w/ truffle egg; shrimp tempura w/ lemon coulis; and the pork belly tonkatsu which is so clever bc it is a mouthful of fried pork belly w/ cabbage and rice that will remind you of the best authentic tonkatsu in Tokyo! read more

Gi-Jin - Shrimp tempura hand roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Thank you for creating such a unique and special dining experience. The ambiance is warm and cozy - The food is surpassingly satisfying - and the toilets... well that's for you to discover Seriously - the cocktail program / the small plates and the desserts 100% 10 out of 10 pure greatness read more

If you can get a reservation in the next couple months, DO IT. This is an elevated sushi experience you don't want to miss. From the time walked in until the time we walked out...WOW Nestled in, right beside Tako, it is already attractive from the outside. The intimate setting with 5 4-top tables and 5-2 space seating areas as the bar is very inviting .The dim mood-lit lighting is perfect with the open window front. Shout out to Heather an incredible server. This place does not rush you and wants you to have a great experience. We started with a few drinks - cocktails and sake, none of which disappointed. The gamera was especially tasty. For starters, we had the edamame tartare, otoro tartare, spicy tuna ricecake, tuna pizza and himachi crudo. Everything comes out "as it's made" which somehow happened to be a balanced timing where we would finish one and the next was sat down. Favorites in (my) order: Tuna pizza: very small six cut with ample amount of tuna. The pesto and Parmesan base was bonkers and the velvety tuna paired perfectly on the thin crispy crust. Otoro tartare: newly added to the menu, otoro is their fatty tuna. It's served in a bowl with Siberian caviar, alongside a piece of Japanese milk bread. Not sure what this means, but the bread was to die for. The already buttery, thick slice of bread, gets the tuna smeared on top, with the caviar serving as a salt component, is mouth watering. It might not be the most pleasing to the eyes in the bowl or scooping it onto the bread, but it is a must get! I wanted a loaf of the bread! Himachi crudo: subtle, sweet, with a bit of spice from the jalapeño...can't go wrong. Spicy tuna rice cake: rice was the best part, SO crisp and delicious that offset the creamy spicy tuna on top. It was great because it was already semi sliced in 4 for consumption. Edamame tartare: don't get me wrong, this was great, and a new take on edamame. Served in a wooden bowl with super crunch chips. Yum. Our server was very attentive throughout the apps and we ordered our mains during. I had a chance to try the sashimi eel, scallops, and tuna - all presented beautifully (in orders of 3). We liked the eel the best - hefty piece with a nice grilled flavor, then the scallop - light and buttery, and the tuna was pretty standard. I also had three handrolls - they come either rolled or open. The rolled ones are smaller than a typical roll you would expect, more like a cigar, and you can get 3-4 bites out of it. The open ones come un-rolled, still 3-4 bites, but you eat it more like a taco. I had the scallop and spicy tuna rolled handrolls - both were very good, but I enjoyed the scallop one more. These are not the most friendly eat, since some of the filling might squeeze out of the ends, but both still good calls. The open roll I had was the mushroom roll- I am no vegetarian, but this one was packed full of flavor and texture, so if you are a mushroom fan or vegetarian, highly recommend. For dessert, we split the pavlova and the matcha tiramisu. The Pavlova, served a top a cherry compote was alright - light and airy, but would pass next time. The matcha tiramisu is the must get. It was cream and smooth, and even those that don't like matcha enjoyed this one. It was an overall wonderful experience - the atmosphere, service, food...and THE BATHROOM - what a special touch! Everything was hands-free including the flushing, the toilet sanitation, the soap dispenser, hand dryer. I only had to touch the faucet to turn it on. Also the toilet seats are heated! Could've eaten the entire dinner in there! Would highly recommend to anyone for a night out read more

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This is a chic place specializing in hand rolls. But their nigiri is also good and my wife says their desserts were good (I was at the counter because our party was split so couldn't try it). Very fresh fish. Unlike some other places their non-sushi offerings are pretty limited and probably not great for groups above 4 but otherwise recommended. read more

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So...I will begin by saying that Gi-Jin is definitely a vibe, and it's a great place for a certain kind of person. Unfortunately my dining partner and I are not that kind. Arrived on time for our reservation, he was parking, and I was seated at the first seat at the bar, by the door. I was starving - I'd barely eaten all day - my fault - and was hoping to get some food pretty fast. Host told me that I could access a menu with my phone. I asked them could I please have a paper menu? My partner is very uncomfortable looking at phone menus, and I knew this would immediately turn him off. No, host replied, we don't have paper menus - it's phone or no menu. That was very surprising to me. What if diners chose to leave their phones in their cars or didn't have a smartphone with them? We often only take our Apple Watches with us when we dine out. I guess we would have had to leave? So anyhow, my partner arrived and yes, he was annoyed because he was excited to try their gin menu and was trying to review a list of dozens of gins on the small screen of his phone. Our server was lovely (as was the bartender) and recommended one for him based on other gins he liked. I got a yummy cocktail and we ordered two shared plates to start. The first one, shishitos, came out promptly. Delicious but a really small portion - maybe 12 peppers? And I think it was $15? Then we ordered a second round of cocktails and waited a half an hour for the other starter we had ordered. Sashimi - again, delicious, but $30 for a very small portion of fish. One bite of I think five (?) different selections for each of us plus some pickled veg. We were now an hour into our reservation and we'd consumed a lot more alcohol than food. The host had told me how long we had our seats when we arrived and I wasn't too confident that we'd get enough food to constitute a meal in the time we had remaining so $130 later we packed it in and walked over to Capital Grille and ordered a seafood tower at the bar. :/ I think this is probably a great place to go with friends for drinks and nibbles (if you're not super hungry and feeling flush cause it is pricey) but not a place I'd return to for dinner. I'd been looking forward to this reservation for months and I was, frankly, super bummed out when we left. read more

Really great service, ambiance, and incredibly fresh food! A great first-time experience! read more

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Food was okay but service was pretty bad, had to ask four times to get a sprite and food was not put in so we ran out of time since it is allotted per table read more

I really enjoyed my food at Gi-Jin I believe some people commented that you may be hungry after this meal but I am not sure how. The menu is small but focused. The drinks selection is absolutely extensive especially in Sake and cocktails. Although they didn't have my preferred Saki they easily recommended a comparable bottle. From the sushi, nigiri, rolls and other delectables I had a wonderful time. I recommend this over Umi in Shadyside. I haven't been to other sushi restaurants in Pittsburgh since the pandemic so I won't comment on that. Thank you for a very good meal. read more

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I made a reservation about 3 months ago just to be able to get an early dinner time seating and it was totally worth it! The sushi was fantastic and the fish tasted fresh. I'm a big sashimi/raw fish kinda gal, and it definitely satisfied my cravings. I got the sashimi platter with all the upgrades for myself. The fatty tuna (toro) is a must! I got the uni, but I wasn't too much impressed by it. I will say though, if you like traditional sushi style rolls (long roll cut up into smaller pieces) then this might not be the place for you because their concept is hand rolls. My husband got the tuna pizza which was delicious, but definitely not filling enough for a hungry guy. The drinks were spot on and the bartenders/waiters were super helpful and kind! I loved the ambience and vibe. It's the perfect place to come with a small group of friends (smaller space) and enjoy some fresh fish. Would definitely come back for more sashimi and drinks/desserts! read more

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Amazing drinks and tuna pizza. And sushi. Delicious. Go there if you can get in. Beef Tartare

I'll make it short. Best restaurant in Pittsburgh at the moment. Everything from sashimi plate to A5 to the hand rolls are great. A5 especially is excellent. read more

Go-Jin One of the Best sushi restaurants me and my family have ever enjoyed. I recommend this restarting to anyone who loves good sushi... read more

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The experience overall is fantastic, as being someone who is very familiar with Japanese cuisine, the place is magnificent. Prices are reasonable and the food is fresh. I will say, my favorite dish was the Miso Soup ... it was beyond magnificent! Patrick, the bar tender, amazing to talk to and super enjoyable my time there. This place takes time to book, but the experience is incredible. read more

This place is a small and quaint place. The food is amazing and is similar to tapa sizes. The dessert was my favorite. The matcha misu is worth ordering! read more

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I'm giving this restaurant one star. Yesterday, I had a reservation and I tried calling, messaging and eventually left a voicemail because basically all they have is an answering machine. I was in New York for work and my flight ended up getting delayed delayed and delayed because of weather there so I was trying to cancel my reservation so that someone else could snag it. Instead, the restaurant decided to charge my credit card this morning $100. It is not my fault for inclement weather, delayed flights that eventually ended up being canceled all together. I have screenshot the messages I sent through Open Table and how many times I tried to call. This seems very unprofessional that it is impossible to get a hold of someone at the actual restaurant. I will be disputing this charge as I tried to cancel several times!!!! read more

I ordered miso soup, salad, sashimi plate and add on Uni and Toro, Toro nigiri, scallop nigiri and 6 different hand rolls. Toro is so good it's my favorite. read more

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This was my first time. I was pleasantly surprised since Downtown Pittsburgh doesn't seem to have a great number of very good restaurants that are comparable to NYC or San Francisco. This place had the quality and inventiveness. I liked each dish a lot. I decided on 4 stars since the prices were pretty steep and the lady's restroom didn't appear cleaned just after the restaurant had opened. read more

The waitstaff at Gi-Jin is great, just lovely and really accommodating. I liked the ambiance, though the chair made my backside fall asleep. LOVE the full service Toto toilet, takes me back to Japan. The food is overpriced and mainly just ok. I had a steak dish and a piece of uni that was great quality and taste. However, the tuna pizza, hamachi crudo, and hand rolls were meh. The tuna pizza needed a bit of saltiness and or heat. The hamachi crudo was bland and cut too thick for my taste. It felt one note and strangely sweet. The hand rolls (steak tartare and scallop) were forgettable. The steak had "zany" potato sticks on it, which was where the flavor stopped. The scallop was overly sweetened by god only knows what. To add injury to insult, the prices were just ridiculous. Glad I tried it, but won't be returning. read more

Outstanding food, very knowledgeable and friendly staff. I'm now a fan of sake! Can't wait for another visit, highly recommended!!

Fresh and delicious, Japanese style with a reasonable price. Nice and friendly. Simple and clean. read more

Patrick our server was outstanding, personable and knowledgeable!! Food was terrific. We had the Sushi and Sashimi plate so fresh! Hubby ordered miso soup said it was good. I had the salad it was large for a house salad. Cannot wait to return!! read more

Best sushi I've had in Pittsburgh. The fish was so fresh and delicious. The sake selection was vast and the waitstaff was super friendly.

Two words, food therapy. So much so we were hypnotized by the atmosphere, food & drinks that I did not take any pictures. You'll just have to use your imagination and trust this review. Check them out, you will leave happy and full! read more

Outstanding food and service. The food is fresh and excellent quality. The atmosphere is amazing.

Drinks: great selection of spirits, roku high ball is a fantastic summer drink. Food: better than run of the mill fast food sushi joints but definitely not umi or chaya (r.i.p). Overall disappointing. Service: server forgot to enter our orders and had not idea until reminded 30 minutes later. 1/5 Great spirit selection, food and service is lacking read more

Super disappointing dinner experience. Service was terrible. Our waitress had vocal fry and a serious attitude. Rarely was our food placed in front of the correct person. Music was way too loud, seriously not the vibe. Although the fish was decent, how it was prepared was not. Massive chunks of fish that were too big to handle, let alone consume. Also this sushi restaurant doesn't serve tea....WTF?! what sushi restaurant doesn't serve tea??? Not everyone wants to drink alcohol at dinner and the lack of options was disappointing. Cocktails weren't good. It's no Umi, that's for sure. If you want bad service and bad vibes, then gi-Jin is your spot! Never coming back and wish I had tipped less looking back on the atrocious and disinterested service. read more

We secured a reservation for this very popular restaurant just as their calendar rolled over. They are located in downtown Pittsburgh and are a part of the Richard DeShantz Restaurant Group which are all very top notch and unique restaurants. Hubby and I went there to celebrate our 33rd wedding anniversary and we weren't sure what to expect- a hand roll and gin bar ‍? Let me start by saying that the service was incredible. The servers, bartender (aka general manager) and chefs were super helpful and attentive. We started with edamame and a salad and Larry had the sashimi appetizer feature. Because they specialize in fun we had to start with some special recommendations...FANTASTIC! We then moved on to hand rolls! I do not eat raw fish so I was super conservative and selected tempura and California options and Larry picked options like eel. We finished up our meal with the apple spice cake for dessert. It was a phenomenal experience from start to finish and I can't wait to go back. read more

We loved Gi-Jin! It's been a years long wait for me and totally worth it. The cold plates (hamachi crudo is a standout) and rolls (both hand rolls and open rolls) really shine. Any of the nigiri or sashimi is also a solid choice, especially the tuna options. Of course be sure to not sleep on the sake menu. We really enjoyed the bottle we got to share. Lastly our server was fantastic and had so many enthusiastic things to say about the menu. I can't remember the last time we had such fun, knowledgeable, and approachable service while dining out. Thank you! read more

In authentic experience The restaurant is loud The music is awful the service is the worst part, truly awful The food is mediocre, if I'm being generous Go somewhere else there are much better experiences in the area read more

Simply amazing. Every bite of food was on point. As expected from Tolga and Deschantz, the food, service, and experience were top notch. Totally amazing experience. read more

Best sushi in town! Creative, authentic and absolutely delicious. The staff is knowledgeable, and the restaurant gives off high end Japanese sushi bar vibes. New go to in town for high end sushi! read more

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If you're looking for a quiet, fine dining experience this is the wrong place to do it. Expected more from such a hyped restaurant. It's more of a bar with expensive sushi. Hard to talk to your partner intimately because it's incredibly loud. Service was very friendly but that's about it here. Best sushi in town is Tokyo Bistro in South Side - better value and you can talk inside. Also the real transcription of 外人 from Japanese to English is "gaijin". read more

After going there, I understand why it takes three months to get it. It's insanely delicious. I'm pretty sure after every first bite, I said, "omg, this is amazing." The beef tataki is an absolute must if you go there. We made our next reservation the day after being there. I can't wait to go back next month--definitely my new favorite restaurant in Pittsburgh. read more

Gi-Jin - Beef tataki - Sushi Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Got lucky without a reservation on a weeknight. The food, drinks, service, and atmosphere are all phenomenal. I can't wait to go back!

We waited for maybe 3 years for this restaurant and it did not disappoint! We tried to get a little bit of everything on the menu while we were there. One of the things we started with was the scallop Crudo. This was very good and presentation was great however it was probably not one of my favorites. That being said it was still a very delicious dish. One of my favorites was the spicy tuna rice cake. The spicy tuna was amazing, so flavorful! And the rice cake itself was served warm and had the perfect amount of crisp. One of my favorite dishes we had gotten was the A-5 wagyu beef. This was a very decadent dish, extremely tender and rich. We also tried most of the nigiri offered, all of which were great. In particular I loved the toro! We also tried several different drinks while we were there. My husband loved all of the different sake options and I really enjoyed the grand lotus aviation. This place was great from the food, to the service, to the atmosphere! We can't wait to go back and definitely would recommend making a reservation if you're in the area! read more

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Very cool place. The drinks are amazing and the food was top shelf. We got the dynamite crab, beef tataki, and the spicy scallop, spicy tuna, and tempura shrimp rolls. If the food was given a rating like in the Madden video games, then each would be 100 overall. #yummy read more

My friend and I had a reservation yesterday, and I was looking forward to it all week! Ciana was an awesome bartender who not only made amazing drinks, but educated us on some gin, and Japanese whiskey I had never heard of. Heather, our server, was very friendly and definitely helped us through the dining experience to make sure we ordered something we would enjoy most. All in all, it was a great success and I look forward to going back soon! read more

Sad what this place has become... the food is still very good. The chefs are definitely creative and do a great job. BUT, the service is ridiculous! Our blonde hair server was completely pretentious acting. She literally talked down to our party the whole evening. The woman Manager was even worse. The Manager was literally staring at us most of the time. It was very uncomfortable. I saw the Manager say something to the table next ours, and they were talking about how unprofessional the manager was... I guess the bad service here starts from the top. Unfortunately, I will never be back. I will sure miss the food. I do feel bad for the hard working chefs. The chefs work so hard to only have it ruined by the front of the house service. read more

This is yet another successful restaurant from Richard Deshantz. This small hand roll, Gin, and Sake bar was a nice treat as my spouse and I re-enter the world of indoor dining. We enjoyed sake for the first time and loved it. The Yuzu75 is refreshing and delightful. The onion scallion could have more onions in it. The taste was barely noticeable. However everything we ordered was delicious. We ordered several open hand rolls including mushroom (I knew it was going to be great because the mushroom taco they used to serve at Tako was to die for (bring that back)), shrimp tempura rolls, Spicy salmon (the spice and nutty crunch were amazing) and finally the California roll made with real crab. Of course, having a sweet tooth, my favorite was the pavlova. I love it at Poulet Bleu so I knew I would love it here as well and they didn't disappoint. The Yuzu was tangy and creamy and the pavlova was perfect. Way to go!! read more

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