I want preface my review by saying I'm very picky about sushi. Due to the limited menu, during covid, I ordered a significant amount of their menu. Pickled items are very good. Definitely worth ordering. Fish was all very fresh. While I don't prefer the type of salmon they used it was fresh. All the other fish were fantastic. Brown rice, first time I actually liked it. I prefer it in the rolls and not as much on the nigiri. The rolls were exceptional. Sake selection was good and the bottle we ordered was good for the price. Would order again. I look forward to when covid is over to see an increased selection of fish. The only 5 star sushi I have given is either in asia or kaygetsu in the bay area. This rates a solid 4.2. read more

It amazes me (especially after looking through all the other reviews) that this place has any four and five star ratings. My husband and I were on Alberta and decided sushi sounded great for dinner so in we went. Wow...my gut told me to leave but I guess I felt like since water was put down at our table that I should stay. The male waitstaff was friendly and helpful when you could get their attention but the three females there were pretty much just sitting behind the counter chatting. To be honest I could see coming here just for sake and having a decent go of it - their selection is extensive and well priced. But I went there for sushi and there was a giant freaking SUSHI sign out front so that is where I am going. I nearly fainted just looking at the menu since it was very small and everything was TWICE as much as it is on the west side where there are a lot of really amazing sushi places. The food arrived and the fish was good quality but the rice was not well made so it had that grainy, chewy consistency which is pretty unpleasant when eating nigori - I did not notice it as much eating the rolls. Thank God we do not eat much between the two of us since a small container of sake, two miso, two rolls (VERY small rolls too) and two nigori orders were $47???? I mean seriously.... Do yourself a favor and email me if you want a decent sushi place. Just don't go here - your mouth and wallet will thank you... read more

Decent Omakase experience. They charge $100 for omakase now btw. At least, that's what I got charged. You get 3 tuna sashimis in 1 plate, but no tuna nigiris. They have no uni, no ama ebi, no toro ... basically no premium sushi. Look, they still get 3 stars, but I expected a better experience. For a $100 omakase, it's pretty mediocre. I just had high expectations. I remember reading an article about Kate Koo and Zilla back in the day and I guess I got my hopes up too high. At the least the chefs describe what the fish is as they present it, but dang, could they be more in a rush? I get that the Portland restaurant scene is tough business right now, but this is still a $300+ meal. Zilla is just another sushi bar in PDX. But they parade as a high end spot. Long story short... if you walk in expecting a Nodoguru or nimblefish-esque experience, prepare to be disappointed. read more

I've read quite some good reviews about Zilla sake house on Yelp. But after my visit there, I have to say that I'm not a fan. Here are my reasons. First, when we sit down, they didn't offer hot tea. Which Japanese restaurant does not offer hot tea these days? Instead they gave me a menu with tea, sake and miso soup. I understand that they allow customer to select hot tea by brand/type, but isn't it the courtesy to provide free hot tea? Then, the sushi. From my standard, it's just OK. Not too bad, but definitely not worth the price. The spicy tuna does not give you the kick that it should be, and from the picture you can see that the chef's cut is kind of sluggish. For California roll and cucumber roll, it's OK but they're hard to mess up with. Sake is OK. They have good selection of sakes and I ordered a organic kind. Flavor is good. But again over priced.. I have mixed feeling about the decoration and atmosphere. They definitely have some cool decoration there. Meanwhile, the light is way too dark. I understand low lights fits the atmosphere better but for Japanese food, a brighter light is definitely a better choice. I'm ordering sushi here shouldn't the light be bright enough for me to see the color and texture if my sushi and sashimi? So, here is my conclusion. Overpriced, over rated with average sushi. I sure won't be there again. read more

Zilla Sake - California roll and cucumber roll. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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I don't like sake. I never have. It's always been one of those drinks that makes me scrunch up my nose and purse my lips and crinkle my eyebrows all at the same time. This is a face that perhaps you recognize as "bad tequila face" or "beer in a can" face. For me, it's my cultivated sake face. I keep trying small sips of whatever my husband orders thinking maybe I'll come around. And then one magical night we went to Zilla... My husband and the couple we were with ordered a bottle of sake. I reached for my typical micro-sip, facial muscles at the ready, and a surprising thing happened. This stuff wasn't half bad. In fact, this stuff was kind of good. Light, crisp, kind of floral. Who knew it could be this yummy? As one of my dinner companions that night said, "I always thought I didn't like sake. It turns out I don't like *bad* sake." So Zilla goes down in my book as a bit of a monumental evening as it has opened a new door of alcohol exploration for me (like I need another one of those). Turns out, their sushi is pretty tasty as well. I love eel and avocado, and their roll did not disappoint. They had a nice sea salt and something a tiny bit spicy on the edamame appetizer, which was a nice change from the run-of-the-mill, salt-only variety offered in most places. We had a fancy roll with seared salmon on top that was seared perfectly. And I can't finish this review without commenting on the impressive lighted carve-outs on the booths, as well as the large and somewhat intimidating lighting fixtures that have been sculpted to set a great mood in the place. Yay Zilla. I'm definitely a fan. read more

It makes no sense to refuse an existing customer a take out order vs dining inside ... cash is cash. You've lost ... and every bad experience is shared 10x PS you might want to dust those light pendants and ceiling fans that are spewing years worth of dust and dirt onto the prep counter before the health dept shows up:) read more

I was craving sushi and looking for a new place to try. Zella is relatively close to my house so I thought I would check it out. Everything was kind of just okay. The prices seem high for the quality and experience. The restaurant itself needs to replace damaged furniture and spruce it up a bit. read more

I'm giving 5 stars because the server and the food were amazing! We started with truffle salt edamame which we all agreed was a hit. I've never seen it offered on a menu before. We ordered tuna and yellowtail nigiri, Tsunami roll, CA roll, and veggie roll. We then ordered a Zilla roll because we wanted more. My husband travels to Japan often and is very particular about nigiri and sashimi. He was impressed with the freshness and quality of ingredients; we all were. Our waiter was amazing! So pleasant and fun to talk to. We didn't know what to expect because some reviews we read mentioned poor customer service. We had a great experience and I wish I had asked for his name. The young waiter was working by himself and handled all diners with warmth and professionalism. We were celebrating my daughter's birthday, so I was pleased everything turned out so well. We will definitely be back! NOTE: There aren't any outdoor heat lamps yet, so dress warmly. It's so hard for restaurants to be open during COVID. Outdoor tents and heat lamps are expensive for any restaurant, let alone a small venue one. read more

Zilla Sake - Yellowtail nigiri, Tuna nigiri, Veggie roll, CA roll, and Tsunami roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Uh oh. Note, I am going to reduce my score level. 5 stars is f/ing amazing EVERY time I indulge. So. That being said, I shall begin with the sake menu. Expensive, elusive, the choices overwhelmed me . I like smoky. Asked for it and fairly decent ! Love the serving method. Food- failure on maki, but score high on seaweed salad, miso soup, hiziki salad. Sadly the maki was meh. The decor is kinda cool and there's another bar area that begs for a few intimate touches to make it the perfect date bar for Sake adventurers. Don't go here hungry for great sushi. I also felt good with the wait staff. Efficient. Clean. read more

Zilla Sake - Sushi Bars Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Unfortunately food is overpriced and portions are small. They were short staffed with sushi chefs, however we waited over an hour and a half for our rolls and that is very disappointing. Our waiter also didn't offer anything extra given the extreme wait. Wouldn't recommend this place given the other good options for sushi restaurants in the city. read more

Amazing deal/bargain for what I pay. Friendly staff & an incredible menu. They were on top of their ordering system from the beginning of shutdowns and made takeout easy to navigate. Happy to help them out during these times and happy they can help me. Would be sad to see them go from our neighborhood. read more

I really liked this place! It has a really cool feel. It's like a traditional izakaiya joined forces with Portland artists to create everything inside. They have a couple sake's from Niigata, the BEST place to get rice in the country. And if you are going to make the best sake, start with the best rice. Sushi was fantastic. The staff proudly knew where the fish was sourced (I wasn't that diva demanding to know where each fish was born, the info was volunteered). The service was also really fast. I was shocked, SHOCKED, to see they had grape fruit chuhai. Chuhai is a fantastic alcoholic beverage that I got hooked on while there. I was bummed that was a mixed drink by in Japan was a bottled drink here. Not bad, cool that they had it. Minor bummer. read more

Zilla Sake - Beautiful woodwork in booths! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Portland, Oregon

We came in on a Sunday night just an hour or so before closing. Our server Logan was super rad and helped us navigate through the extensive sake list by providing ample small tastings that allowed us to select our perfect glass based on our individual flavor preferences. We came in for the sushi of course, so we ordered all 3 chef recommendation nigiri rolls, the Tombo, plus the Tsunami which is an 8 piece specialty roll, and the Hana which is a 6 piece roll. All were fresh and amazing! We were disappointed they were out of the live scallop, a "must have" when you come to Zilla, but that just gives us another excuse to keep stopping by! The value was exceptional. Although some reviewers seem to be stuck on the above average prices, I believe the awesome service along side super fresh fish is completely worth every penny. We will definitely be back! read more

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I just walk out the place since nobody wanted to serve us. We were there for 15 minutes and we didn't even have our water. The waitress sit us and then she went to do other stuff without coming back to ask us anything. The other thing is the customers who came right after us had their water ready. I went here to experience the great service for my birthday but it came out even worse than I expected. read more

My partner and I left here at 9:06 pm. After walking into a near empty restaurant at 9:05 pm, the 2 sushi cooks/chefs glance us, then the server. The server looks at us, mumbles something awkwardly, to which I ask, "Are you guys still open?" Your website says you are open until 10 pm on Saturdays. The guy replies, "yeaaaah, we just started closing down the kitchen." Wtf? Dude. Do you not know your hours of operation? Do you not know how to pre-close while still accommodating dining guests/customers until your close time? If you close at 9 pm, that's cool. But update your hours of operation on your website so people who live across town don't have to drive 40 minutes for nothing. What a waste of time and an embarrassment in customer service. read more

Go for the freshness! One of the best sushi spots in PDX. They always have chef specials like Japanese Uni and Hamachi collar. I had the eel last time, the collar and the Japanese uni. So good. The uni melts in your mouth, I'm not usually an uni fan but this was fantastic. The collar was beyond and the eel is nice and fresh. Each time I have gone, I had sat at the sushi bar. I like to watch the chefs do their thing. So fun. read more

In my opinion, this is the best sushi in Portland! One of my favorite experiences at Zilla was the day they had fresh Sea Urchin (Uni), which they presented whole, then turned the entire shell into a "serving dish" of sorts and I ended up with a healthy amount of Uni...so much I almost felt compelled to turn the rest away - LIES, I CAN'T TURN DOWN UNI! Enjoy yourself with a very knowledgeable, high-quality restaurant. read more

I called spoke to a nice gentleman said there was no wait and to come on in. Came in seated but the wait was 30 plus minutes and then when asked the waiter st the person was new and it's not working out so well. Great way to throw your co worker under the bus, two it wasn't busy when we placed the order for the three rolls. Which were small as hell. My two I ordered were 12 / 11 dollars. (Ones pictured) my friend complained about the wait they did take her drink off the bill. But 31 for these baby rolls. Never again. I guess that what I get for going to a fufu spot and not authentic place to eat. I want to go somewhat and eat get full and not have to go somewhere else to eat after eating the first time. Nice decor. But I didn't go there for that. So first and last unless I'm hanging and drinking. My friend sd the drink was strong. I like em strong. Lol read more

Zilla Sake - Sushi Bars Near Me - Portland, Oregon

First omakase experience in portland and it was a great experience. I've had omakase across many cities and this one introduced new flavors and dishes that had not crossed my mind before. I'm usually not a big fan of scallop nigiri but their take on it presented well balanced complementary flavors that enhanced the scallop. The rice noodles in yuzu butter was also a wonderful dish that made sense but not often seen. read more

Wow! This place is soooo good! The service is top-notch! Super friendly and very efficient! The food is delicious. We had two rounds of Uni and would have definitely ordered more if I had room in my stomachs! I would definitely come back here! I love it! read more

The food was fine. But the health code violations! So many! A sushi chef was chatting with another and full on sneezed onto the prep counter - didn't even try to cover his nose and mouth - and the chef just kept making the roll that got spittle all over it. There's a sink behind the sushi bar with a large sign, "food prep sink only," but servers were hand washing dirty plates and glasses in it. The toilet had a black ring in the bowl. And we sat at the sushi bar and never once saw any person wash their hands. read more

Saw this spot while exploring NoPo and had a very satisfying dining experience. The restaurant has a sharp, modern interior with a loungey atmosphere and attentive staff. Their drinks menu is quite thorough and I had the pleasure of trying one of their classy cocktails. The food was quite good - surprising in terms of flavor but delicious. I love Ikura and order Ikura nigiri almost every time I have sushi, and it almost always tastes the same. Zilla's, however, serves a house-cured Ikura with a much bolder flavor. A welcome deviation from the norm. I also ordered one of their albacore tuna rolls which contained delectably fresh and tender fish. Sadly I wish I had ordered their omakase to get the full experience but I'll save that for another time. Oh and they have real wasabi which is always a plus. read more

Waited 35 min for our sashimi order, and 30 min for three kinds of nigiri. (6 pieces). The fish tasted fine and the seasoning was good, but the nori on the Kani nigiri was chewy and soggy by the time in got to our table. Overall, the sushi is overpriced considering the overall quality, service is slow, but the sake flights are actually really enjoyable and a good deal. On top of that, they didn't give me my credit card back at the end of the night. When I came back in to politely ask for it, they told me to leave my number but that it would probably show up in one of my pockets. Also, we sat next to a couple that got omakase, and they were served pork belly as one of the courses. Omakase.... with pork belly read more

Delicious fish, served with something resembling contempt. We got the omakase at the bar along with some unfriendly attitude from the chef, who seemed to abhor our presence. The food is fine-- but the service will keep me away. read more

Awful. Waited over an hour for the food to come and did not receive what we ordered. Drinks took way to long. Along with the nigiri and other rolls we ordered one of the two most expensive rolls and it had no taste. I ended up cancelling my drink order because after 25 minutes of waiting for it to show up we just wanted out. The staff said they they were new and apologized but everything about this experience was bad. We were given 50% off our bill but we left disappointed and hungry. We will not be returning read more

We ordered sushi through GrubHub from this restaurant. The bill was $165. When it came we got two small takeout containers with a few pieces of sushi in it and two containers of some of soy sauce. They had called me to tell me that they were out of salmon Unagi and they offered to substitute Skalit. There was no scallop in our order no seaweed no anything. It was a pedestrian roll of tuna and a few pieces of nigiri. At the end of eatingWe had to break out the cheese and crackers because we were still starving after it took 2 1/2 hours to get our order to our house. I will never order from this place again. I do not recommend it. The fish was fresh but hey, you could catch a fish yourself for what it cost to have this one put on a little bit of brown rice how do you read more

My favorite sushi place! Wonderful, friendly staff and fresh rolls. They have a number of tasty vegetarian rolls, not just avocado / cucumber... which is nice for a vegetarian who still enjoys sushi. read more

Not taking into consideration that it was an incredibly long wait due to staffing issues because it happens. Service was nice but judging solely based on price and food, which is already taking a lot of negatives away.., for me this is a one star restaurant. It's just such a price gouge for the quality and food and experience when compared to other local sushi choices available. If I was craving sushi and this place was the only place open, I would get tacos instead. read more

Brought an out of the country friend here who read about Zilla on an article and wanted to try their omakase style menu. We made reservations for 6 two days in advance and when we got their, they sat us at a table (wasn't asked upon reserving). We then noticed that omakase dining had be be served at the bar. We waited for a party to leave but he said he would serve us he appetizer salad at the table while we waited for that bar.. salad took about 45 mins and we actually got seats at the bar before they even served the salad. Btw small omakase meal is 45$, "double" the sushi is the larger option which is 75$. We ordered the larger option. All 6 of us were still hungry by the last dish and went somewhere else to get food after. Service was good other than waiting forever for our first dish. Fish/sushi was decent. Some exceptional dishes, some mediocre. read more

This is the second time I've written a review on Zilla. I go there whenever I'm in need of a sushi fix and when my wallet permits. I've eaten at all the "best" in Portland, but nothing rivals Zilla. Always the freshest, always the largest variety of exotic seafood, and if you're into sake, there is just no place that comes close. There are places with fancier and more expensive sushi, and if flash is what you're after, try Bamboo Sushi up on NW 23rd (Trendy Third, as we call it). But that's not what I prefer. This place is all about the fish and the sake, and its expert preparation. Pricing is moderate to high, but this is not your sushi train restaurant. The food is prepared by sushi masters with the very best product, including fresh wasabi grated in front of you. The ambiance is relaxed, quiet enough to enjoy your food and conversation. Dress is casual, of course. After all, it's Portland, and it's Alberta. read more

This place is terrible. Has the worst customer service on Alberta. Luckily there are much better spots down the street I would go to Sushi Hana or Bamboo read more

Best sushi experience in Portland. They're experts at what they do, without being uptight. Caring service, brilliant textures of fish, great sake. I missed this spot during the pandemic. Glad I went back. read more

Best sushi in PDX! The interest in quality fish here is apparent. Bravo Zilla! Keep it up. read more

We got water! That was a good start. Unfortunately the over cleavage'd chick behind the bar was more interested in chatting to the person next to us (who'd already been served) than doing something that would support us giving money to this place. Leaving without being served, say it with me, ALWAYS ONE STAR!! Plus "substitutions respectfully declined" is not only irritatingly overlong, but impossible. There's nothing respectful about saying "screw you, eat it the way we make it." read more

Talk about a 1 liter can of Asahi beer. It is deceiving from afar, specially if you are not wearing your glasses. They have extensive sake list in which they graciously included local Sake companies from Forest Grove. I almost got lost and fell asleep just by reading at an almost 30 page book list (the book is the size of a pocket book, so it's not really that big). What they have for their sake lacks for what they can offer for the table. Their sushi selections are limited. However, there is not a bad food there. The fish is fresh and all rolls are of topnotch quality. Best of all, a lot of their items are OR-GAAAA-NIC. Tasty. So, you'll see a lot of people wearing glasses with no prescription, plaids, skinny jeans and body odor. read more

We did Omakase and it wasn't quite up to my expectations, not good variety of premium sushi, however what they presented was fresh. Sake flights were great, it was busy so we had to wait for a while between foods. I'd not recommend it for authentic Omakase experience but it's a good sushi place to try. Also I didn't like that they require vax cards, my medical record should be private. read more

Omakase is amazing here! Omakase requires bar seating. They're new to yelp reservations so be sure to call them (Emily) and let them know you want to be seated at the bar if you want omakase. $45 is the base version, $75 is the upper version with extra sushi and some the day's specials thrown in. While we enjoyed the premium sake flight, we didn't find the differences between the sakes to be very distinguishable but it was still fun. read more

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nice and cozy space. Massive sake selection. That's the positive. Service is slow and 'too cool for school'. We went in last night and sat waiting for menus and water. We realized the 'queen of all hipsters' was the server. it brought back sour memories of our last experience there (over a year ago). We changed our mind, got up and walked out. This place is too expensive to offer such poor service. I'm not coming back. read more

This is what Americans think a sake bar should be like...shi shi with mood music and sushi. Sushi=poorly made, amateurish, nothing special Sake=great selection but very high prices Service=saaaaaalooooooooooooow. We're on hipster time here. You definitely get the idea that they have spent a lot of time thinking about how people will think about their place and not very much time finding tangible ways for people to really enjoy it. I am unlikely to return. read more

Atmosphere... at first I loved the feeling of being in this space. Some of it is nostalgia: looking at the bar and seeing the bottles of sake with Japanese writing, smelling delicious Japanese smells, etc. There are fun touches like the Godzilla statues and the Japanese toriis above the door that hint at the background. Upon deeper inspection, I began to get a Gothic feeling. There are these gorgeous iron and glass lights in the shape of scary flowers. The booths are pointed and dark. The paintings by themselves have a stark Asian feel, but the materials--leathery canvas tied to silver frames--make me feel like I'm in a biker bar or a Gothic dream. I was never a sake expert--I used to drink Southern Japan's stronger, less delicate potato alcohol called Shochu. We wanted a fruity version to start and a smoky or dry version at the end. The fruity one recommended was very nice--it had subtle flavors of mochi and honeydew. The first few we wanted to try of the smoky or dry sakes were out. The waitress recommended something that was not listed as dry on the menu, but she said it was in that category. It did not taste dry at all to me, but rather very sweet. Maybe my palate is not ready for that much subtlety. Next time, we will try the sampler that comes with four or five flavors for $16. I tried two food items, both wonderful. The first was the hijiki salad, which I loved and felt nourished by (hijiki has super-high iron content). The second was Maguro nigiri sushi. It was melt-in-your-mouth delicious, and I would come back for more. I guess the sushi route was chosen because it pairs well with sake, or perhaps because it's what most Americans expect and want when they think of Japanese food. Either way, it's very good. read more