I'll be so bold as to say that this is the best Japanese restaurant on the Eastside and give this restaurant my first 5-star rating. This isn't fusion like Flo (www.yelp.com/biz/flo-restaurant-and-bar-bellevue#hrid:5ExnnsU5ygLGcw67GjYRXA/query:flo) or Yama (www.yelp.com/biz/yama-bellevue) and definitely not your run-of-the-mill Japanese sushi bar. After enjoying meals there several times, I'll give the following "Great Scott!" comments: - "I've found my people!" - "Pumpkin Fried Rice?" - "Psst, they have ramen here." - "Woah, baby friendly..." - "Free dessert, nice." - "Houbou, need to look that up later..." - "Mmmm...Black Tea Crme Brule..." Confused? I'll explain. As a nisei coming from a little town called Lawai on the island of Kauai in the state of Hawaii to attend UW 15 years ago, I wondered where all those Japanese people were...besides the historical record, Uwajimaya exists after all... Koreans owned Japanese restaurants, which is cool (my wife is Korean), and there weren't any Japanese in my engineering classes. Well, I hit the mother load here. Perhaps the clientle has some indication of a cultural restaurant's authenticity--there are a lot of Japanese-speaking customers. But the good news is that the customer base isn't exclusively Japanese and there is no "secret Chinese menu" (which I get to enjoy in some Chinese restaurants because of my Chinese friends) and the subtitled menu isn't intimidating. Okay, back to Japanese cuisine. The menu at Ginza is extensive. There aren't a lot of Japanese restaurants with ramen and I believe there are 5 types at Ginza. It won't match a ramen-ya in Japan but it's there if you have the craving. But besides that, there are unique items such as Pumpkin Fried Rice, Tea Smoked Pork Belly (mentioned in earlier reviews), and Black Tea Creme Brule that are really must-try items. If the many Izakaya-like menu items aren't enough, try the sushi. Any place can have unique rolls (and this place has its share), but the sushi experience enlightens oneself when one encounters "non-standard" sushi fish. There's definitely nothing wrong with hamachi, maguro, and sake, but when you have a chance to try different fishes like the houbou, or the blue fin robin, your taste palate expands. I believe they also had suzuki and maybe even katsuo. Anyways, there were several fishes available that made the sushi experience unique. The night is topped off with a free fruit dessert. Nothing special but nice. Even if you happen to order a dessert, they bring you their complimentary dessert. When that's topped off with a very accommodating-to-babies atmosphere (free miso soup and rice for the baby, etc.), you've just enjoyed a good night out. read more

The food is sooo damn good, fresh and full of flavor. The staff is friendly except for the kung fu panda look alike guy Ivan, he is always grouchy. read more

Visited this place for the first time on Saturday for dinner. It's kind of tucked away in Old Bellevue but they do have their designated parking area so that was good. We walked in and it was busy but managed to get a table fairly quickly. I overheard another couple that had gotten reservations prior to coming... so that might be a good idea in the future. We ordered a few things off the daily specials menu and the jellyfish and Chef's Choice Regular Sashimi. The bill came out to about $55 and we were very satisfied. This place has decent portions and the quality was pretty high. One of the specials we got had Fried Oysters and that was delicious. The O-Toro that we ordered was so good too! If you get the chance, definitely make a trip here. Skip Blue C Sushi and Sushi Maru and come here. read more

We had a very good meal here, the sashimi was top notch. Definitely order the premium cuts of fish, the wild salmon v the other kind is incomparable. The squid kim chi was a bit too spicy for us, but the chicken terayaki was great as was the red bean and green tea ice cream. Service was excellent, extremely courteous, and fast. Lots of Japanese folk in this place, both making the food and eating it. The only thing I didn't like so much was the lighting and minimal non alcoholic drink menu. The building is cursed with the low quality flourescent feeling american lights that detract from the atmosphere. However this is not going to stop us from going back! read more

Don't miss the pumpkin fried rice. It was the highlight of the meal. Service was slow and the sushi rolls lacked much flavor. All for a premium price. read more

This 2-star review is based on the poor service I got last Friday. My friend and I went there for lunch and ordered 2 sets of lunch special. We each got a salad as part of the lunch set. Half way through my salad I noticed there's hair mixed with the lettuce. So I asked our waitress to come over and showed her what I found - I never imagined what her response would be... She immediately told me that hair must have belonged to me because the chefs working there do not have hair that thin.... Are you kidding me? That hair absolutely did not belong to me as it was clearly intertwined with the vegetables... but most importantly, that response is by no means the appropriate way to treat customers. Subsequently she walked away and did not even offer to replace our salad. We did not make a scene but in hindsight we really should have asked for the manager right away. Anyway their food is not bad. The green tea cream brulee was pretty good so I will give them credit for the food. But her rudeness spoiled the whole experience. read more

Went here for the first time last night with friends. By far the best sushi we have had in a long time...the cuts of fish were huge and the rolls were fantastic. Loved the little touches like cucumber salad before dinner and fruit after. Squash rice was good, glad we tried it, but next time I would rather just eat more sushi! Didn't try the BBQ but it look interesting, maybe next time. We will definitely go back. read more

Service was very friendly and accommodating. The sashimi was fresh and more than I expected. The ramen my eating partner had was OK, though it was my first time eating real ramen so I didn't know what to expect. Overall, it was an average sushi spot. There are some better options throughout the Seattle/Bellevue area. read more

I should start by saying I don't like sushi. So this was not my favorite place. The noodle dish I ordered wasn't very flavorful, and I had to remind them that I'd ordered a soda. Not really the best. read more

sushi isn't bad here. it was my experience with our waiter that was unfortunately terrible. i asked him about an item on the menu, and after a full 2 minute conversation about similar options, i place my order for the sushi/sashimi individual order. my two friends get their orders, but mine is no where to be seen... mine was also the only order that didn't need to be cooked! anyways, he forgot to put in my order. the place was busy, i get it. so i let him know that i didn't receive my order. he says, "oh, let me check on that", goes back to the kitchen, after 5 minutes (the kitchen is an 8 second walk from our table), he comes back to ask me, "do you still want it?". well, considering i haven't eaten yet and just reminded you of my order, "yes, i still want it!" another 10minutes pass and my no-need-to-cook order still hasn't arrived. i tell another waiter the story, he goes back to the kitchen, and my order comes out within the next 5 minutes. finally! when i'm just about done with my meal, the original waiter that forgot my order comes walking out with what i ordered, sees that i'm just about done with my meal, turns right back around and walks back to the kitchen. *sigh* maybe he was new, maybe he was having a bad day, i dunno... just sucks that it was the day i was there and my order was the one that was forgotten. the food was good, but not good enough if i really had to wait that long to eat it. read more

This place is ALWAYS PACKED! I mean line out the door and people waiting in their cars for a seat! Parking is limited because they have a tiny lot but you can always find a spot on the street close by. Note to you: make reservations. When you come in a large group, hope that you get one of the tatami rooms or else you might be put in the new portion of the restaurant which has yakiniku options which is fine but the tatami room is just more private. I have frequented this restaurant a handful of times and each time it never disappoints. I like coming here with a group because you have the option to get many dishes and share amongst friends. You always start with an oshibori (wet towel) before your meal. I try to branch out and try new items here and there. But my favorites will always be the pumpkin fried rice served in a cute acorn squash shell and the tea leaf smoked pork belly. I typically order from their small plates menu- which is a book of all types of fishes, meats, and veggies- many of which are kushiyaki style. I have yet to try the yakiniku that they offer- maybe next time I'll be back for this menu. read more

Horrible service!!! Waited for 15 minute before even being greeted. Took forever with the order. Different dishes come out in 30 minutes intervals. Will not cancel food when you are sick of waiting. Will not go again that's for sure. read more

This is a decent place to get sushi... not the best and not the worst. I arrived around 6:30 on a Saturday and had to wait about 10 minutes for a table for 3. The host and waiters/waitresses were all pleasant. You get warm, steamy towels to wipe your hands on, which I always appreciate. For drinks I got a small serving of chilled sake. I don't remember which sake it was, but I enjoyed it. It was in the middle concerning sweetness. For food I ordered the miso soup, the California roll (the one with real crab) and the poke roll. The miso soup was pretty standard... I just wish it were a little hotter temperature-wise, but at least I didn't burn my tongue. Everyone received a small dish of sweet vinegar sesame cucumber slices with the miso as well. I enjoyed the refreshing cucumbers. The California roll was pretty normal. There was a decent amount of crab. The poke roll was supposed to include tuna, avocado, scallions and sesame oil, but I did not detect any scallions or sesame oil. Perhaps a mistake was made? The roll was topped with a chili powder perhaps? Which I didn't particularly care for. The roll was pretty bland. I also had a few pieces of my sister's sweet vegetable roll, which includes avocado, cucumber, kanpyo (dried gourd), inari (deep fried tofu pockets?), and tempura flakes. It was good but I wouldn't order an entire roll. At the end of our meal we all received a small plate with a piece of chilled pineapple, honeydew, and orange. The interior was a bit chilly (concerning temperature) and needs a little updating. I would come back, although it's not one of my top choices for sushi. read more

Service is decent, sushi is pretty good. Parking can be a struggle at busy times. It's not a restaurant I think of though when I'm trying to figure out where to go for sushi. It's the sort of place that if a friend said that they wanted to go, I wouldn't mind. read more

I wouldn't consider myself a sushi expert or anything, but their sushi was really good. You could tell a lot of time and effort went into making it. It wasn't just thrown together. The gyoza are to die for and I love that they make it sort of like a mini 3 course dinner with the little cucumber salad and fruit. I didn't try the pumpkin fried rice, which apparently is the bomb (yes I used the phrase "the bomb) and I fully intend on going back soon to try it. The only reason they aren't a full 5 star rating is that it is a but spendy. But if you want great sushi, it's worth it. read more

Great Japanese restaurant in old Bellevue. Small parking lot in the back. It is pricy, but good food. Get there early or make an appointment because this place gets busy. read more

impressed with their expansive izakaya-like menu. butter yaki's, shishamo, grilled ika, yakitori, beef tongue, sea turtle?! , jelly fish. a lot of interesting little appetizers. surprised to see matsutake on the menu in the summer since the mushrooms grow in the fall.. so im guessing its dried . but anyhow - kinda cool if you're craving dobinmushi in the summer :D Dishes ordered- Enoki butteryaki (sauted with butter) - pretty basic dishes. just enoki ,butter, and a slice of lemon. could have used a dash of salt , pepper for a hint of flavor. a little too bland for my taste. Akami/blue fin tuna- a little pricey. 8.50 for 2 piece of nigiri. normally i see akami for 6.50 at other restaurants in seattle.. Still, fish was fresh and good. chicken yakitori- a taaaddd bit on the dry side but my bf liked it. crunch veg tempura roll- I was craving pumpkin and sweet potato tempura at the time so this roll seemed like an excellent choice. pretty good . just a basic roll with pumpkin,sweet potato, and broc tempura . ika with chopped uni- sort of like ikura somen with just a bit of uni mixed in. a dollop of seaweed salad on the side . yum~ I think this would be better with a bit of ponzu or ikura or natto added to it. next time i'll have to try the pumpkin fried rice . sounded delish. service was attentive and good. servers / food runners seem to work together to get food out and refill waters. :) *thumbs up. read more

Ginza was our family go to Japanese restaurant in the past. But last night, it was the day before Thanksgiving, two of us ordered three dishes, fried oysters, crunchy salmon rolls, and veggies teriyaki. Two out of three were terrible. The oysters were not fresh, we can taste the fishy bad oysters in our mouths. The teriyaki fried noodles was the worst quality we ever had compared to any restaurant. The broccoli was in yellow color, cabbage and carrots were cut in big chunks, all of the veggies were over cook. Only the sushi was in okay quality, but the rice was a bit over cooked too. We didn't complain in the restaurant, but we felt so disappointed and didn't understand why our favorite Ginza had degraded to this level. A carry out meal would do much better than Ginza. read more

Great hole-in-the-wall place for yaki and sushi. Have to be very sneaky to find it in Old Town Bellevue though. wish they had more seating during the rush mealtimes as the secret it sadly out. The best sushi option on the eastside read more

Ginza has some good fresh fish. My only complaint is they had pre-seared albacore. Albacore is one of my favorite fish and would prefer it raw, or if they were to sear it they can do that immediately after cutting the fish. Service was good, and I like that it's a small place and more personal than some larger sushi chains. read more

We were visiting from out of state and went here based off of previous Yelp reviews. My husband thoroughly enjoyed his sushi. I got the veggie platter which was great! read more

Simply put, the best Sushi on the east side. The Ginza plate makes for a fantastic lunch, probably one of my favorite in town.

I have been here a few times in the past couple years because well, there aren't many sushi places around Bellevue besides cheap, conveyor belt sushi attractions. There a a couple mediocre, over-priced sushi places I will not name, but that's besides the point. On to rating Ginza.. The sushi is decent, but like others have echoed, you don't really get what you pay for. The quality, portions, etc. don't justify the cost. I guess they can charge the premium because it's Bellevue and sushi is hip and you get to eat raw fish with chopsticks. I have tried a lot of their Japanese tapas plates and they are tasty, but small. A lot of people enjoy the pumpkin (squash?) fried rice, it's good, but not life altering. It's cool because the fried rice comes inside the shell of the squash or whatever. Try it for yourself people. Everyone has different standards for sushi. It sure as hell beats conveyor belt sushi. read more

First of all, I grew up in Japan and still visit there a couple times a year. So, I think I know what to expect when it comes to Japanese cuisine. I tried Ginza a long time ago and didn't like it there simply because the food wasn't good. They even microwaved my miso soup, which I still cannot believe. And then this new yakiniku establishment came along so I thought I'd give them another shot because this would be the only Japanese-style BBQ restaurant in Seattle. And .... I regretted it. Meats are way too over priced and the quality isn't as high as they are expected to be. Some of the cuts were showing clear oxidization because they were part dark brown so that means they aren't that fresh and not properly stored. We were also told that the meats were never frozen but I'm not sure if it was true given the texture. It also took quite a while for them to just bring cut pieces of meats to the table. I would probably not go back here again. I'd just wait until I visit either Vancouver or Japan for my next yakiniku meal. read more

Honestly the food might be good, but the service is SO slow. I've been here almost and hour, after being told there was a ten minute wait. Servers are unapologetic and hostess keeps disappearing. read more

The food is delicious. From their super 100+ Asian appetizers from the "specials" menu (peppered gizzards, broiled beef tongue slices, duck, etc.) to their more "regular" American/Japanese rolls (Cali-rolls, Alaskan, Seattle rolls) you really can't go wrong. I would definitely recommend staying away from the "play it safe" options however and try something new, because it's so much better. Even if you're not into raw fish or some of the more eclectic cuts of an animal, try their pumpkin fried rice or their sukiyaki. They also have a sashimi boat which as the name suggest, a giant boat that's decked with different sashimi -- definitely sized to share for the table. The only two downside is A)their ramen is not the best in town; B)they can get backed up really quickly. With all the new ramen places that has opened in Bellevue and all around, it's easy to tell that ramen is not their specialty. I'm not sure who is more authentic and what not, I'm just saying that I like the flavors at the ramen shops better. That said, it's not terrible if you want ramen but the rest of your party wanted to go get sushi instead. Their organization is also somewhat on the lacking. Before their expansion, the wait was awful during prime-time simply because they lacked space. However, since their expansion, they have the space, but not the organizational skills to effectively manage the flow. there are a lot of waiters/busers running around but none of the new hires (read: younger staff) are training to properly host (i.e. greet/take down names and manage reservations) so prepare to wait a little still. That said, the little old Japanese woman that's always there is the sweetest waitress ever. Definitely my go-to sushi/sashimi restaurant on the east-side. read more

I live in West Seattle and have made the trek to Bellevue time and time again for Ginza sushi fix. Their fish is always fresh, generous portions, and fairly priced. You can tell the restaurant is family owned and has a great sushi atmosphere. I have been putting off writing this review because I don't want it getting too popular... But I need to give respect where respect is due! read more

I've never had a bad meal here. I travel to Bellevue for work a few times a year and I typically go to Ginza multiple times every trip. I've only ever had the sushi, but I've tried most of the nigiri and rolls on their menu. If you like eel, their super dragon roll has over a 1/4 lbs of eel (5 oz.) on top. I mean where else can you find that!?! I've ventured to a few of the other sushi places in both Bellevue and Seattle, and while they've all been good, Ginza is with out question my favorite. read more

Been looking forward to try their ramen for a week and finally got around to try it last night. The ramen selection was limited, VERY pricy and not as good compare to what you get from Samurai and Fu Lin. ($11 vs. $7-8) Also tried their Agedashi Tofu and Chicken Swings, again disappointed. Wouldn't recommend this place particularly for the food and price you're paying. read more

I am a big fan of this little restaurant in Bellevue. I'm vegetarian and usually, Japanese restaurants don't offer much of a choice for us meat-haters. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this place offered a separate vegetarian menu. Our waiter was also willing to make a few sides without the meat, although we decided not to go that route. I absolutely LOVE their tempura sushi (vegetarian version) it's a beautiful balance of crunchy and chewy, and the tempura grits taste just right. I enjoyed it so much that I tried their tempura the very next day, but was a little disappointed. It was a bit oily and soggy, unlike their sushi, which tasted fresh. We (my bf and I) ordered the vegetarian sushi platter - which meant we tasted 3 different rolls (The Ocean salad roll, tempura roll, and the Inari roll) I personally didn't care for the ocean salad roll, but the tempura and Inari rolls were excellent. Most other reviewers recommend the pumpkin fried rice, and that's what we wanted to try, but the rolls were too tempting and a great deal too! The cucumber salad and miso soup were pretty good too. We ordered the fried ice cream for dessert, and while it wasn't very well made, it wasn't very bad either. Overall, I would heartily recommend this place for vegetarians who want plenty of options in a sushi bar, in a cosy setting. Oh, and the place tends to get very noisy so may not be the best option for a date :) read more

The food was good, nothing too special. The problem was the service. It took 3 of us 45 minutes to be served. I felt as if there was no server. Overall, bad experience and I would choose another spot for sushi in the future. read more

This place is pricy with little portion. The food is just okay and does not worth the price.

If you want a decent sushi on the east side this is the place. Fresh fish, good rice and decent customer service. What more can a person ask for from a Chinese run sushi place . Try it out , I did, and I wasn't disappointed. read more

Solid ramen, particularly if Hokkaido down the street has a long line. The sushi chef looks on point.

Pretty damn good Japanese food at a fair price. You have to try out the pumpkin fried rice with BACON! At first I didn't like the idea of pumpkin in my fried rice but damn it was good! Also if you are in sushi mood, I would recommend the "white express roll." read more

I'm not a sushi eater, or a squash eater...but when I was here I KILLED da pumpkin fried rice! Say WHAT? Indeed! I ate it all by myself... (well, mostly) The wait is atrocious, seating is quite limited and the parking is even worse! If you can, get here during off peak hours if you want to try. Don't even think about it on a Friday night read more

My coworker and I were craving sushi and yelp lead us here. I ordered the scorpion roll and the tuna poke salad. Delicious. The fish was fresh, there was a ton of soft shell crab in the roll, and the servings were good sized. Our waiter was awesome - totally friendly and gave us a ton of suggestions. They have their own parking lot and the restaurant is very relaxed. If I lived in the area, I would visit this place frequently. read more

Amazing sushi! Some of the best Toro I've ever had. I sat at the bar and watched them create the sushi it was beautiful.

It's a little bit overpriced, but I think most of their dishes worths the price. But, some dinner dishes are way destroy their good image to me. Their thick sashimi, pumpkin fried rice and hot fish sets are all delicious, but their dinner menu needs some adjustment. Ramen is too normal and some dinner dishes are too small to share. read more

Great food and service! The sashimi pieces were fat and rolls were unique. If you sit at the bar the chef will roll you up something new to try. Again, great service. However, seating at the bar is limited to about 6 seats. Fish was well prepared and well cut. Good quality, so no worries about salmonella. Love the ambience as it makes you feel like you're in japan the moment you step in the restaurant. read more

Ginza - Scallops, yellowtail, tuna, and salmon. Special rolls! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Bellevue, Washington