I love JPan. I kinda wanna marry it.
I could go on and on about JPan, how it compares to the other sushi places in the neighborhood (including the 3x more expensive Blue Ribbon across the street), how it trounces most of the places I used to frequent in LA, blah blah.
BUT I will try to keep it succinct this time, by utilizing bullet points. 4 things really stand out about Jpan:
1) Freshness.
Their seafood, meats, vegetables, and fruits are always *noticeably* fresh. Not merely fresh enough that you don't notice a lack of freshness, but *noticeably* fresh. SO good.
2) Value.
JPan is NOT a discount sushi place. It is, rather, a high-end sushi place, but at the cost of a regular sushi place. We usually spend about $30 for the pair of us, and one of us will be lucky enough to have leftover teriyaki chicken for lunch the next day. When we stick to sushi only and don't order an entree, or when we are around to take advantage of their $8 lunch special (which, I'll iterate, they will DELIVER), we can get outta there for $20. That's for two people, not just one. On the other hand, when we feel like celebrating with some of the wilder house rolls and who knows what else, we have the option to drop paper like big ballers too - which, in my humble opinion, is perfection.
3) Creativity.
I won't harp on this too much as it's gone into in great detail in virtually every review below. Let me just emphasize that their menu is full of delectable surprises, and the fabulous waitstaff will happily explain each and every one to you in loving detail. Which brings me to...
4) Service.
Literally and unconditionally, some of the kindest, most attentive and detailed service I have ever had anywhere, at any level of eatery, in any city in the world. We eat here an average of two to three times per week now, and we've received the same kind of service since the beginning when we were all strangers. In that period of time, we've had ONE experience where the food was less than satisfactory (chicken, btw, which I brought back after picking up due to its simply seeming and tasting less fresh than I'm used to from there - they've spoiled me). The entire staff of the restaurant descended upon me to apologize, brought me delicious tea while I waited for the re-made meal that THEY offered without my having to request or demand it, chatted with me while I waited, and (haha) paid me compliments. Damn! They're good. While I commiserate, I thumb my nose at the commenters below who didn't get the freshest of fare for whatever reason and threw it in the trash. If those unfortunates had bothered to let the fine folks at JPan know, I can guarantee that they would have gone above and beyond to make it right.
However, I want to point out that this level of attention on their parts isn't limited to the occasion when something might not be right and they want to make up for it. It is simply, wonderfully, consistently good service, EVERY TIME we visit, take out, or get delivery. Honestly, in New York, as in any big city, this can be very hard to find.
We heart u, JPan. Keep 'em comin'. read more