Dismal lack of a clear management of dinner reservations. We arrived 15 minutes before our reservation time, but were not seated until more than half an hour passed after our reservation time. While waiting in an extremely cramped doorway, three other parties came inside. pushed their way to the front of the waiting line and were seated before us. There was no clear orderly attempt by any dedicated host team to first seat guests on the paper wait list nor parties with prior reservations. The "hot pot" was just watery soup with mostly pickled vegetables. The broth had no flavor at all. Every entree plate was filled mostly with a high pile of salad slaw and only tiny portions of main protein. The eel fried rice was stained dark brown with an unpleasant off (not-fresh) fishy flavor. This was a very disappointing first visit. read more

Over the years, quality has changed but still my go to Japanese restaurant in Bellevue.

We were looking for a Japanese place that had more than sushi on their menu and found this on Yelp, the fact that it was in old Bellevue added to its attraction as we love the area. We started with the deep fried oysters, which we liked a lot. I also liked the cucumber and shrimp that they served us initially. We then got the Spicy Tuna roll, Pumpkin fried rice and Black Cod Kasuzuke. I liked the spicy tuna roll a lot, my husband liked the pumpkin fried rice and black cod. It's a simple place with a huge menu, that we will need some help with. read more

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It's not what it used to be. Stopped going after our last visit. Sushi chef served us a piece of tuna belly, stringy and grossly overpriced.

It makes me happy that Ginza is still around and my favorites are still on the menu: pumpkin fried rice, orange roll and taro tempura. The service is also very good! My out of town guests loved it and I need to go back soon! read more

Ginza - Sushi Bars Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

Ok someone must have upped Ginzas game because I've ordered a couple times recently and the food quality is back Up where it used to be for me. I've been Door Dashing it lately so I don't have to deal with the hassle of parking here and much better experience. Dragon roll at Ginza is one of the best in town in my opinion. I've had it at other places and it's just not the same. Ginza wins for best Dragon roll in town. It's a little pricey but just great texture and super tasty. They have excellent sashimi as well. read more

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I love Ginza. Been here a few times now and I don't understand the folks with the one and two star ratings. Ginza is old school: humble, run with love, and has every menu item you would expect at a small Japanese restaurant that has been around forever (the special menu in the back, though, is where all the adventurous small plate goodies are). Always gets full, and the limited space means wait times can be long (which also indicates their success.) read more

Ginza - Hmm. Katsu..... - Sushi Bars Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

Very good sushi when you sit at the bar with Terry-san. Good when you sit at a table in the front restaurant by main. Mediocre to poor when you sit in the back restaurant. Best bet is to get a seat at the sushi bar. BBQ is good but very overpriced - Gyu Kaku or Hae Song is a better bet for both quality and price. read more

Ginza - Order in advance of your arrival as the pumpkin fried rice is to die for! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

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Food was okay but not as good as I expected. Not as authentic as it could be. Ling waiting time is not worth it

My boyfriend and I went to Ginza after a Yelp event around the corner. We were both craving sushi and it was only a three minute walk, so it seemed like the best choice! We ended up getting there like 45 minutes before close. The menu at Ginza has a ton of variety. Fried rolls, speciality rolls, vegetarian rolls, nigiri, you name it! We ended up sitting at at booth but you're able to sit at the sushi bar as well. The service was great and the waitresses were super sweet! We even saw the sushi chef take a shot of sake with one of the diners sitting at the sushi bar - literally the coolest sushi chef I've ever seen in my life. For food, we ended up getting the American Dream, the Garlic Albacore Roll, and the Mini Dragon Roll. The American Dream was super delicious and had lots of tuna and crab. The Garlic Albacore was actually my least favorite and I thought it'd be number one... It was decent but I wouldn't get it again. Our absolute favorite was the Mini Dragon Roll - we ended up ordering a second one! It had a great kick to it, tons of avocado, and spicy tuna. It was sooo good. After all that, our bill only came to $39! Definitely a solid sushi option and I'd love to come back and try more of their menu. read more

Ginza - American Dream, Garlic Albacore, and Mini Dragon - Sushi Bars Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

I've ordered many rolls here and all of them do not disappoint. The portion of the fish compared to the rice is also amazing - they are not stingy with portions. What I also like about this place is the prices to - of course quality fish/sushi will come at a premium, but the 2 shots of premium Japanese whiskey is a solid deal as well for the price. read more

Ginza - Orange Roll and Tuna Albacore. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

Our group of four had dinner on a Wednesday night, having reserved a week before. It was packed! When diners left the rooms with sliding doors, it was clearly company employees. So, be forewarned. We had to try their signature pumpkin fried rice, commented by many others. It did not disappoint. There's a subtle difference to the typical Chinese fried rice. Besides the bits of bacon, the rice was much more moist than fried rice in a wok. We scrapped the sides of the pumpkin to add onto the rice. Each of us had double portions, and there was a bit left over for even triple helpings for a person or two (depending on portion sizes). The waitress recommended the shashimi boat, which was just right for us. The shashimi portions were amply sized, fresh and tasty. We ordered two rolls and the tea leaf roasted pork belly. They were sumptuous. The rolls had the right balance between rice and stuffing. But portion sizes were small. Rolls were cut into six pieces, and the roasted pork belly also had about six to seven small pieces. Latter was more like a sampler. Nevertheless, it was atypical and tasty. Service was not stellar. One of the waitress forgot to top up our pot of tea despite acknowledging the request after clearing our empty plates. But it was a non issue as they were pleasant and not sullen. read more

Ginza - Shashimi boat - Sushi Bars Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

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Ordered the Scorpion Roll, disappointing that there is imitation crab since we are so close to the ocean. Found a hair in my roll buried in the avocado . Charged me 10.00 for 1 short rib. Seriously? I'm let down read more

Ginza - Hair in my scorpion roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

Wow.. this little hidden gem was introduced to me by my friend who wanted to do lunch here and I'm so thankful!! Tucked away behind another building and if you're not paying attention you will never see it like me haha. Upon walking in you get a nice cozy feeling like you walked into a little stall in Japan and it definitely makes the whole eating experience that much better. Anyways my friend ordered something that was not on the menu because he knows the chef I believe and it could be a hidden item on the menu that you need to order a day in advance because of the preparation process. He called it a "Fish hotpot" which had huge fish filets with tofu, sliced yams, Japanese mushrooms, baby bok choy, shrimp, and I believe there was a few more ingredients but it was DIVINE!!! The flavors were great super lite and flavorful broth everything cooked to perfection. We also ordered a mixed tempura platter and a shrimp tempura roll which I cannot remember off the top of my head nonetheless everything was perfect and delicious and I will definitely be coming back for more other items on the menu. Couldn't post a picture because it was too damn good! read more

Had uni sashimi, beef tongue, duck meat, scallops rolls, Chawanmushi and the pumpkin fried rice dish. Uni was average, half fresh half so so; Loved the beef tongue and the duck meat! Scallop roll was my other favorite, even tho it may not be so Japanese; Chawanmushi was delicious but kind of overpriced; Pumpkin fried rice had a very interesting look, and the two tables at the entrance both ordered it, so we decided to try it too. The flavor did not match with its look - just a mediocre fried rice :( We also shared the matcha/green tea cream brûlée for dessert. Loved it! Overall a great Japanese restaurant! read more

Ginza - The pumpkin fried rice - Sushi Bars Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

Whenever I'm craving Asian comfort this place always comes to mind! Their pumpkin fried rice is so unique and tasty with the bits of crisp rice with the unique sweetness of the pumpkin and smokiness of the bacon! Sushi here is ok too, I like my rice a little softer (just a preference) read more

Ginza - Pumpkin fried rice - Sushi Bars Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

We made a reservation for a Friday evening, and we were glad to have done so! The restaurant was pretty busy when we arrived at 7:30PM. Our table was set and then we were seated and given menus, and they kept coming back to our table to take our order even though a person hadn't arrived yet (parking was hard). I didn't really know what to order as there were too many items on the menu, and we ended up getting: - baked oysters: I don't eat oysters but had a bit of the burnt top which had a nice smokey flavor - agedashi tofu: delicious broth, big pieces of tofu, not very flavorful though - American dream roll (shrimp tempura inside with tuna, avocado, and jalapeno on top) and another roll with soft shell crab and cucumber inside with tuna outside: quite standard, nothing to rave about - sashimi (3 pieces of tuna, 2 pieces of salmon, 2 pieces of a white fish that I didn't know what it was): fish was tasty, didn't have a fishy taste, definitely fresh - tempura (large): shrimp was not crispy and overly battered, had lotus root?!, other vegetables were good and lightly fried, had white fish as well - mackerel and salmon cheek: fish was fresh but lacked flavor - tempura combo which came with tempura, miso soup, bean sprouts, rice In general, portions were small, food was fresh but in general not very flavorful. All of this was about $150 post-tax, and it didn't really feel like I ate much at all. Service was fine, they kept coming by to pick up empty plates. read more

So in general not very high quality food. The materials are not as fresh. Otoros are way too fat. If anything order Chutoro. Pumpkin fried rice is creative. One of their signatures. Decent flavored. 3 read more

The food and ambiance was next level. Good sushi wit friends and family. Highly recommend coming here for dinner. The food is consistently good and a local food staple. read more

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A cute little restaurant that's located in old Bellevue. This little place is known for their pumpkin fried rice which is served in a little squash! The pumpkin is nice and creamy which pairs well with the fried rice and since this is a Japanese restaurant, we couldn't resist and got sashimi as well. The fish quality was really fresh and tasted amazing! Love coming to this place and will come back again. read more

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Disclaimer.... I have only been to Ginza once. I went with 2 of my friends and everything we ordered was delicious! I loved the salmon salad, we also ordered a couple rolls, teriyaki chicken (which was HUGE), miso soup, and edamame. The portions are generous and everything was fresh. Prices were decent and the service was speedy and attentive. I will definitely be back. read more

Ginza is a wonderful sushi shop located in downtown Bellevue and I would totally come back again! I came in a person of 8, without a reservation, and we were seated within 5-10 minutes at one of their private rooms - one of the nice traditional ones with a low tables. It felt very authentic and the waitresses were so nice about it! Not only was the atmosphere great, but the service and the food. The waitresses came back to check on us periodically and answered many questions about the menu, even offering suggestions (one friend overestimated the portion size of an item but the waitress made sure they were clear about it before ordering). I ended up sharing a sushi boat with a friend for only $48 which is an amazing price. The waitress told us what each piece of fish was and you could absolutely tell that the pieces were fresh. Hands down, my favorite were the sushi pieces. I'd love to come back and try out other items on their menu, but would definitely recommend getting fresh sushi here. read more

Ginza - Sashimi Boat - Sushi Bars Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

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Two for lunch. SERVICE: 4.5. The waitress was very attentive and prompt. FOOD: 3.0. Characterized mainly by volume. Filling. - Saba lunch: Mackerel was quite good. - Chicken Katsu with Salmon lunch special. It was ok. Pickles forgettable. AMBIANCE: 2.5. Tired and worn. read more

Typical Japanese restaurant with a little flair. They have a great selection of sushi and other Japanese selections. They have a specialty pumpkin that the table loved, slightly odd when you are coming for sushi. They have a more formal side to casually dress up for, and a walk in side that jeans are perfect. Atmosphere: 3 Service: 3 Value: 4 Food: 4 Drinks: Typical read more

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What a gem! I came in with no expectation, and walked out with a full belly, feeling happy. We ordered mostly fried food, and also tried the soba. Portion was huge, and we were delighted how much vegetables were paired with each dish we got. At the end, we were served with some free fruit. Will come back to try sushi next time. read more

We came here on a Friday evening . Ordered some sushi and chicken and rice plates to share . Every thing was excellent . Most importantly my kids and his fronds loved it too . This place gets busy as it's good and it's down town Bellevue . read more

Ginza - Sushi Bars Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

Their signature pumpkin fried rice is always great but their sashimi are the best! (We ordered sashimi and tempura combo) Tempura are also great!! I mean, everything tastes good. read more

Excellent. I've been to every sushi place on the East Side and Seattle. If not all, almost all. I've eaten here for years but my most recent visit sealed this place as one of the best quality sushi houses in the puget sound area. Their chefs know what they are doing and the quality of the fish is second to none. A+ highly recommend. read more

Love the sweet shrimp crunch roll and spicy salmom roll. So delicious and their food just makes me happy thanks for the great quality food! read more

Ginza - Spicy salmom roll, sweet shrimp crunch roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

To me, Ginza is one of those special places I go when I want sushi rolls, hand rolls and miscellaneous dishes I can't order anywhere else. I have made numerous visits and have learned to go as early as possible when they open so I don't have to wait in agony. They have a large assortment of food items that really amount to a tapas (small plates) type menu for anything outside of sushi/rolls. The prices are higher than the average Japanese restaurant. However, this should be expected as all the fish and meats I have eaten thus far reflect their commitment to using the freshest and best cuts available. Oh yes, the PUMPKIN FRIED RICE was so mouthwateringly scrumptious as other yelpers have experienced! On one occasion, the beef tongue was too tough and they immediate offered to replace it with a different item with no issues! Service is great: the water and tea is always refilled constantly and they respond quickly to additional orders. Ginza has just improved their parking lot by repaving it though I don't understand all the wasted space in the center where they could possibly fit more cars in if they striped it right. As an FYI, they will be expanding their business to the side facing Main St. The owner has indicated to me that they will have a Japanese Grill similar to that of a Mongolian Grill set up. I look forward to trying that side out as well. read more

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Ginza is a Japanese restaurant in Bellevue that offers a number of traditional Japanese dishes along with some additional pan Asian influenced cuisine. However, if there is one reason to visit this restaurant, it is to try out their pumpkin fried rice. It is a truly a unique and delicious dish. My Overall Rating - 3 Stars (Atmosphere, Food, Return) Atmosphere - There appears to be to separate entrances for Ginza, and the restaurant itself appears to be split into two. One side has table dining in the other side here to have the booths. Some of the booths also have those built-in grills for those who want to cook Korean style barbecue at the table. However, the restaurant is quite forgettable it seems to be a little older and in need for a makeover. 1/2 Star. Service - Unfortunately for us on a visit, the service was pretty slow and not that great. While we were seated right away, the restaurant was hardly packed. Then, in a period of about 20 minutes, the restaurant got full, and our waiter forgot about us. It took almost 35 minutes to place our order. We also requested the "omakase" or chef special. Our server told us that they do it by dollar amount, and at first we chose $50, but our server told us that would not be enough and recommended that we do $65. We did, but this turned out to be way too much and we discarded about a quarter of what we ordered. No Stars. Food - I'll begin with the "omakase" sashimi special. It was excellent, containing fresh slices of assorted sashimi. My favorites were the uni, seared ahi, and tuna belly. The portions were large and generous, and our order was more than enough to share with our group of four. Also, the pumpkin fried rice is as good as advertised. The fried rice comes served in a hollowed out pumpkin. It contains bits of soft pumpkin along with traditional fried rice ingredients. I've never had anything like this before it was truly a unique dish and one that I would return to the restaurant to eat again. The pumpkin added a mild flavor and the fried rice was not greasy. 1 1/2 Star. Will I Return? - Yes. Even though the service was off, the sashimi was high quality and the pumpkin fried rice is a very unique dish. There were several other Asian fusion dishes on the menu that I wanted to try; however, we just did not have enough people to help us eat. That is why I will certainly be back. 1 Star. My Yelp Rating Scale (Sum of all parts): 1 Star - Atmosphere - Is it a cool dive? Perhaps an upscale place? No matter the type, atmosphere plays a big part and I'll give a star if I like it or thinks it has great charm. 1 Star - Service - You can have a great meal with bad service. But that's also what can make a five star joint drop to four. It's important to the dining experience that service is great and on point. 2 Stars - Food - I'll award up to two stars for the food, since this is the main reason we dine out. Sometimes the extra star is given for value, but it's really all about the food. 1 Star - Will I come back? - If I know for a fact I'll return, I'll give this a star. A place has to make an impression for me to return. Each Category can be given up to 1 star except food (2 stars) because I consider all these categories important to the overall dining experience. I will sum them up to provide my final Yelp score. read more

Ginza - Pumpkin Fried rice - Sushi Bars Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

Went for the first time for lunch last Friday and I don't have anything negative to say! No reservations were needed, staff wore masks, friendly and courteous... our varying rolls were delicious and we were in and out within an hour. Thank you Ginza for a great dining experience! We will be back! read more

Ginza - Sushi Bars Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

I could not have been anymore satisfied with my experience at Ginza! It is located in downtown Bellevue (Old Bellevue). There is a small parking lot in the back with spots designated just for Ginza. All of the spots were full on a Monday evening at 8pm, so I can't imagine how bad it gets to find a spot on weekends. There wasn't a wait for a table, so my boyfriend and I got seated quickly. They asked if we wanted a table or to sit at the bar and we chose a table. We ordered the shoyu ramen which has bbq pork and no bean sprouts, a crunch seattle roll and a california roll. They served us the ramen first, and it was delicious! In the ramen is an egg, fish cakes, and seaweed on top. It took a little long to get the sushi so I wished they served it closer with the ramen (I felt like I devoured the ramen bowl so fast), but it was worth the wait! The rolls are big and they were both really good. The meal was super filling! The service was five stars alone. We never had to ask for a refill of water, someone was there to refill our water whenever it was looking low. Our waitress was very nice and answered any questions I had about the dishes with a positive attitude. Can't wait to go to Ginza again! read more

Ginza - BBQ pork Ramen... Amazing - Sushi Bars Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

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My 100th Review!! I visited on a Saturday at 5:00 pm and the restaurant began filling up quick. Definitely arrive early to ensure parking behind Ginza in their private lot. For the most part, we had a good first experience but I did notice a few minor inconsistencies: - Up until receiving our food, the service was great...but after our food arrived, we were never checked on again until ready for the bill. However, the waitstaff was courteous when they did interact with us. - They served my dinner entree about 10 minutes before everyone else....not necessarily bad, but was just a bit awkward. - Three of our entrees included salads. Mine was dressed pretty liberally, however the salad on the other two were barely dressed. ** TIP: Look out for the dinner special of the night, which is a reasonable $15.50. A combo of teriyaki halibut and four fried oysters (w/ salad, rice, and fruit) was featured during our visit. As for the food: ** Red Trio Roll (lobster, shrimp, crab) & Ginza Roll (lobster, shrimp) - Both rolls were pretty small for the price and unfortunately didn't have much flavor. The wasabi in the Red Trio was rather strong. I'm not a sashimi person but looking around, the sashimi was very popular and may be the way to go. ** Tonkatsu Dinner Entree (w/ salad, rice and fruit) - I'm sure that this is the BEST TONKATSU I have ever had. The breading was perfectly thin and crisp and the pork was extremely tender. It's served on a mountain of salad, which tasted and looked fresh. Sadly, the dressing was very thin and really wasn't too flavorful other than a hint of sesame. For $16.50, the portion size was perfect for me. I'm glad to have tried Ginza as it's a comfortable and clean restaurant. Although I was a little disappointed with our sushi, the dinner entrees provide a great variety at a fair price. read more

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its so hard to find parking but its worth it trust it's right off the main old bellevue street, which is usually pretty busy so of course it's hard to find parking. they've got a pretty wide array of japanese food, but my personal favorite - any of the katsus. they give you a steaming hot bowl of rice, a bed of crispy katsu, and a heap of cabbage + delicious sauce. the sushi is good and all, but let's be honest, there's tons of sushi places in this area of washington. i've found far less places to get good japanese food in general, so i would tell you to try as much as you can. BUT!!!!! be sure to call ahead and make a reservation because the place is teeny tiny!!! it's very cozy inside but also cramped. they have two "traditional rooms" but those are only used for big parties. have fun!! （＾＾） read more

I heart Ginza! The menu already has tons of options, but they also list over 100 Izakaya items too! Additionally, they recently added the yakiniku! I haven't tried it yet, but at some point I will. OK, so I'll +100 for the pumpkin fried rice (bacon and shrimp in a kobacha, just dig in and mix it all up). Their sushi and sashimi are super fresh! My husband's favorite dish is the tonkatsu, I tend towards any of their bentos or sashimi combo dinners. Also check out their specials listed on the dry-erase board as you walk in. Service can suffer at times, but generally, we've had no problems. At least they have their own private parking lot. read more

Pumpkin fried rice! Order it! It's amazing. My go to dinner is the beef teriyaki. It's the best steak teriyaki I've had locally. Their dinners come with small side dishes like pickled vegetables and cabbage salad. Their tempura is really good and crunchy as well without being greasy. Highly recommend reservations. They have private traditional rooms to dine in, which are really cool for special occasions. read more

As a friend had warned me before, my life really changed after I had the pumpkin fried rice at Ginza! Honestly the fried rice was amazing. The pumpkin was sweet and tender, and the fried rice itself was perfect. The veggie portion was perfectly balanced with the rice portion and the veggies were crisp and flavorful. Just enough seasoning and herbs to make this easily one of the best fried rice I have ever had. AMAZING AMAZING! It's not easy to make someone WOW over something so simple. So I agree that once you try this Pumpkin fried rice, your life will change! The rolls were great as well, we had the Poke Roll, Spider Roll, Something-Bomb Roll (basically the spiciness challenge roll) and then a Dragon Roll. I thought the Poke roll was the best. The tuna was very fresh in my opinion. The Spider roll and Dragon roll were OK but nothing out of the ordinary. The Something-Bomb roll we ordered for fun to see who would cry first ( we all claim to take spice very well) and it definitely delivered the spice. I mean, I don't really know if I even know if the rest of the roll tasted good, because that pepper that was sitting in the middle of the roll took over almost immediately. It made for a fun night though! Aside from the food, I thought the restaurant was very adorable, nicely decorated and very clean. The wait staff was also very cordial and efficient. Parking wasn't bad on a Thursday night either. Plus you get a small salad and dessert before and after your meal. It's not much but it definitely sets you up for the whole experience. PS. Don't waste the pumpkin! Carve that meat out after you have finished the rice! read more

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Since Fuji-san left, Ginza has gone WAY DOWN HILL in all categories! Service, quality of fish, handling of take out orders, cleanliness, etc. - very, very disappointing. We decided to give Ginza one more (last) try on Friday night...it was not a good experience. One of the young servers/bus staffer did not pick up our used dishes and got into an argument literally over our heads at the sushi bar with the lead sushi chef. It was quite disturbing. It seems like the ownership of Ginza does not respect the lead sushi chef or give him the power to lead his team. If you miss the former fish quality of Ginza, you can find Fuji-san on Mercer Island. read more

I used to have a very up-and-down relationship with Ginza, but after my 7th visit I'm finally solidifying my opinion. Nestled in Old Bellevue, Ginza isn't your trendy sushi bar but it offers all the essentials, and then some at a reasonable price here on the Eastside. What to try: anything sashimi, orange roll, spider roll, hamachi kama (broiled fish) Quality, large assortment, and price are what's keeping my business. Parking is their biggest downfall; just a small lot for about 10 cars. read more

Ginza - Sushi Bars Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

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