Ginza Japanese Restaurant

I loved Ginza! They even opened a few minutes early for us to eat. Super fresh and authentic, really make an effort to preserve the flavors and the integrity of the menu.

Very sad ginza is gone, this is one of those places that’s honest and makes you enjoy great food and company instead of being in a stupid fancy Asian fusion restaurant establishment and get cheated.
Talk shit all u want about their food, u know what? Great rice and fish. The chief is underrated and humble.
Curry and fried chicken app for lunch and only $ 8? Plz dont Tell me ur gonna go to a stupid chain Sandwhich place.
Here is the remark, if u loves sushi rolls and think that’s the real shit? Plz dont make a fool of urslef and delete ur reviews.
Plz find a place and relocate!

Easy to miss, great ramen, top-​tier customer service. I used to frequent Ginza when I was in college for their ramen and gave it a farewell tour last week as it appears they are closing down shop soon or relocating.
Seriously, ramen and beer may be one of the greatest culinary combinations of all time. Godspeed, Ginza, godspeed.

Came here on a whim with a craving for noodles and sushi. Meh, was disappointed to say that I’ve had better, although I’ve also definitely had worse. The prices weren’t terrible, but I ordered tempura that ended up being quite soggy and very mediocre. Unfortunately, this type of food tends to be the reason why I avoid Japanese restaurants in general despite the fact that I LOVE sushi… I just never quite get the bang for my buck.
Sorry to see a sign on the door that they’ll be closing their doors for good at the end of this month. Hope to see some new options in River North!

I’ve been curious to try this place and it was very disappointing when I finally did. Right when you came in, there was a weird moldy odor that was present throughout the entire restaurant. We hesitated and thought maybe we should leave but decided to stay and that was the wrong decision. The experience did not get better and the food was not very good. Everything ranged from just okay to disappointing. I expected more from the ramen and it was underwhelming.
What really turned me off from this place is that the items are really overpriced for what you get.
1) They charge you $ 3.50 for a can of pop. Some markup is okay but not THAT much.
2) I got a couple pieces of uni for $ 10, which is the most I’ve paid for, even at «high-​end» sushi restaurants. I assumed I would get high quality uni but when it came out, you could tell it was low grade by the color and texture. The uni was brown and liquidy.
Judging from some past reviews, I believe the food may have been good in the past but unfortunately, that is not the case now.

So when you walk past Ginza Restaurant, you’ll think it is a hole in the wall take out place with menu items like teriyaki chicken and crab-​meat fried rice. I urge you to put aside any reservations you may have (unless you made one for dinner), and go in and eat there. You will like it, if you like authentic Japanese food. If you prefer Volcano Rolls or Godzilla Rolls, please do not take up one or the precious seats in this small restaurant. During weekend evenings, there can be up to an hour’s wait for a table. Hard to believe right?
The entire staff is Japanese (or Japanese speaking). The sushi master is an expert at sushi. But their kitchen also spits out authentic, traditional hot food items like hamachi kama (yellow tail collar), shishamo (fried smelt fish), O-​nigiri (Japanese street food of riceball filled with either salmon, cod roe, or plum paste) and tako-​yaki (egg-​battered balls with tiny octopus in the center). If you are adventurous, order the ika shio kara (which is raw squid fermented in its own guts). You can also order Takowasa (raw octopus in wasabi) which is off the menu.
We often get sushi/​sashimi omakase, where you can tell the chef how much you want to spend ($ 40, for example), and he will create a platter of sushi or sashimi for you.
One other item you can order (which is on their Japanese menu but not the English menu) is Gyutan, which is grilled beef tongue.
When you are done with your meal, tell your server «Agari Oneigaishimas», and you’ll get a complimentary cup of green tea to wash down your food.

I’ve always wanted to try this unassuming, dive-​y looking restaurant located in a pretty touristy area.
Came on a Wednesday night with a gal pal, it was mildly busy. The décor kind of makes you feel like you’re transported to Tokyo. Servers were all very friendly.
I had a california roll (the waitress sold me on the real crab aspect, but there was barely any crab), grilled fish neck? (grilled pretty well and pretty tasty if you’re looking for something different), and the pork broth ramen (not too salty which I liked, but also was a little lacking in flavor).
Overall, it was an OK meal. I don’t think I’d go out of my way to come here again. Just goes to prove again that Chicago really has a sucky authentic Japanese food scene.

Considering I’ve lived in Japan for a while, I’m always skeptical when I walk into a Japanese restaurant state-​side. I never expect to get a very authentic taste and assume the restaurant will cater to the American standards of Japanese food. With Ginza, I was not disappointed.
Though the location is tiny and the food is pricier than most places, things just taste… right and I always leave pleasantly full. I usually go here for meals and not sushi. That is to say, you’ll find me ordering some kind of donburi before a sushi set. This is also the only Japanese restaurant I’ve been too that offered takoyaki (one of my favourite foods). So while I can’t speak for their sushi, their other dishes are very authentic and the place is conveniently located downtown.

Mediocre sashimi, Oily miso soup, greasy kaki fry, burnt unagi. Service extraordinary as everyone is Japanese but I wouldn’t come here again. Great location and huge space but they are definitely not utilizing it properly.

Stopped here for lunch on a ramen kick day. After years of walking/​driving by this place, I was excited to try it out. Even more excited seeing that the majority of staff and customers were Japanese (always a good sign when the ethnic restaurant is populated by the same ethnic customers).
Gave the ramen a whirl, and tamago sushi.
Ramen: Nice simple pork broth, good flavor, with springy noodles to back. The pork was overcooked (IMHO) as it lacked tenderness, and definitely lacked fattiness that I’ve come to enjoy with ramen. But the noodles were definitely enjoyable and the broth/​ingredients had simple but enjoyable flavors.
Tamago: Not bad, not great either. A nice sweetness, and the egg was layered well, but something was lacking in the presentation… the yellow just wasn’t very bright/​eye-​popping, but the flavor was good.
Verdict: All in all, a nice place to eat with some great traditional Japanese options. Enjoyable homemade food that’s satisfying and tasty. It won’t be the best you’ve ever eaten, but it’s solidly good food. (And the prices are reasonable, especially for the area!)

I’ve been to this small restaurant for 3 times.
The first 2 times were good. Friendly service, affordable price…
But this time – their food nearly killed me and my friend that night, I almost spent my whole night in my bathroom… The funny thing was we didn’t order any sashimi or nigiri or any raw fish/​seafood, only few small bites (chicken skewer, gyoza…) and two ramen noodles.
Horrible food quality!!!

What a neat little place. I have to admit that I don’t know much about the history of the Tokyo Hotel and its relationship with this place, but I do know they make some killer sushi.
Simple, unadulterated ingredients and chef’s choice combinations that are outstanding.
For $ 30, I ordered 10 pieces of «high quality» nigiri and a maki roll. Each piece was fresh, delicious, and I couldn’t be happier with the quality.
No crazy specialty maki here. No caterpillar rolls, rainbow rolls, nothing jam-​packed with cream cheese then thrown into a deep fryer. None of that. Just a really solid miso soup followed by some nigiri, some simple maki, and finished off with a cup of tea.
If they had real wasabi, they’d be my #1 go-​to sushi place. Either way, they’re a solid choice if in the neighborhood.

We (include my hubby) will give this place 4 stars for sushi. The old Japanese cook can make sushi pretty well. Our standard is pretty high that we love sushi and we eat out for sushi very often in NY.
Their other dish — appetizers, udon… are not as good as sushi. that’s why I remain at 3 stars.

The food is very decent, but overpriced. A simple maki roll will run you about $ 9 when typical prices are around $ 5 – 6. I will say that their fish is very fresh and of high quality. Their izakaya options are okay, but I’ve had better takoyaki elsewhere.
Ramen bowls here run about $ 12 a pop which isn’t bad, but considering you can get a decent ramen bowl in Chinatown (by a Japanese ramen chef) for half the price… it makes you feel a bit ripped off. I suppose it’s all in the location of being in convenient River North, but I’ll take advantage of free parking and cheap, authentic Asian food in Chinatown or Argyle instead.

This is actually the first Japanese place we’ve tried since moving to Chicago and I’m hoping the city can do better than this.
+ very quaint shop for such a busy area, and far larger than it looks
+ offers all your usual Japanese dishes
= ramen was acceptable but not great. may be as good as it gets here?
= service was fine, and they did tell us when we ordered that the kitchen was behind so we knew we’d be waiting 20 minutes
— tempura was soggy, defeating the purpose of the dish
— pretty paltry portions (whoo alliteration!)

Ginza Sushi is like a shy girl in a fancy party. Located among all the fancy restaurants in the neighborhood, it looks shabby outside, but it is a very comfy place.
Besides Itto Sushi, Ginza Sushi is one of the few places owned and run by Japanese in Chicago. The staff is always friendly and helpful.
While Ginza Sushi’s food portion tends to be very small, it is very authentic. The gomae here can match with Sushi Wabi’s. While Sushi Wabi’s gomae is like a hot sorority girl whom you would dance with in a party, Ginza Sushi’s gomae is like a girl whom you would date and may even marry. Ginza’s version is relatively healthy.
Ginza, you go girl!
P. S. Ginza does not add msg in its food. Props!
Food: 3
Décor: 3
Service: 5

Went for dinner with the husband, daughter the younger, and her boyfriend.
Their treat, hooray!
We had a very enjoyable meal. I had grilled salmon in teriyaki sauce which was delicious.
The husband found that his grilled mackeral in the soy option was far too salty. I suggested if we return he try the teriyaki option.
The service was attentive without being intrusive.
We ate in the middle room (up the stairs in the back) and it was fine for visiting, not too loud, and the other tables were not too close to us.
Washrooms were very clean.
Full bar is available.
Parking was a disaster. The Standard lot around the corner charged about $ 30 for a couple of hours. Don’t drive if you come here. Use the CTA or cab it.

My friend told me I had to try this place because it will be the best sushi I will have in Chicago. He’s been all over the world (up and down both US coasts, Hawaii, Japan, Korea, and more) so I trusted his word and was very excited to dine at Ginza. This was until I saw the outside of the restaurant (those who have been here will attest to this). Now as someone who eats a lot, I know you’re not supposed to judge restaurants’ by their outside décor as the best restaurants are usually the hole in the walls, but you would assume an elegant Japanese restaurant that serves the unproven-​but-​proclaimed best sushi in Chicago would be somewhat stylishly decorated to attract higher class clientele.
I stepped in not knowing what to expect but as soon as I entered I felt like we were in the right place. The aroma and ambiance matched perfectly with what I was expecting.
The sushi was the freshest sushi I’ve had this far from a coast. Most times when fish tastes «fishy,» it’s because it is not as fresh as it should be but the fishiness I tasted in this sushi was completely different. It was like the fish had been recently caught and sliced moments later by the head chef. This was quite the pleasant surprise as the fish did not have to masked in spicy mayo or gobs of soy sauce to hide the fact that it was not fresh.
Pairing this sushi with the Nabeyaki Udon was a match made in heaven. The heat from the soup on a cold winter night was comforting and prepared me to go back into the single digit wind-​chill temperature of Chicago. Although I wish there had been more shrimp/​clam/​noodles in the soup, the flavor was spot on.
When the check comes, you may be taken aback by how expensive it is for such a small amount of food, but you will eventually come to realize that the food you just ate was worth that price.
Recommendation: Chef’s Special (sushi) and Nabeyaki Udon or Ramen

I came here for dinner based on a recommendation from my best friend. She said she always orders ramen here. But I was really craving some sushi. I got seated at the bar right away. I asked the woman next to me if she came here often, and what she would recommend. She highly recommended the sashimi here because she said they’re really fresh.
I started with a sashimi appetizer. It consisted of 3 white fish, 3 tuna, and 2 salmon. It tasted fine. Then I got the Uni. It tasted good. Then I was watching the chef skin, cut, and prepared this fish. I asked him what it was (I forgot it what he said it was), but I asked for an order of that in nigiri form. It was fine, but not my thing. I wasn’t full so I kept ordering. I ended up with a salmon handroll, mackerel nigiri, sweet shrimp nigiri. They all tasted pretty good. I decided not to get the miso ramen because it didn’t come with an egg. And besides, I already ordered some sushi from the start, so I didn’t want to get overly stuffed, so I just kept ordering sushi.
This is a cute local hole int he wall sushi joint. If I were to come back to Chicago, I’d definitely come here again. The sushi chef spoke Japanese, and fluent in English– that’s pretty hott. I love that this place is owned and operated by legit Japanese people. I’m so tired of finding Japanese restaurants being run by non-​Japanese Asians in the DFW area.

Apparently drinking induces my craving for good Japanese food, and thus we wound up here…
My friends and I ordered the green tea soba, tonkotsu ramen, a random assortment of nigiri, and a chirashi bowl. The majority of the fish was fresh and well-​cut, which is nice. The noodles seem to be up to par, though my colleague would contend it is not the best ramen in the city. The chirashi was fine, except the rice was especially sweet, too sweet after a few bites.
The service was nice, despite the hits and misses.