Ando Japanese Restaurant

This place is INCREDIBLE. IT IS TRULY authentic Japanese food. The taste of the food, freshness of the sashimi/​sushi/​sushi dishes, the preparation, the care — all of this you can see and taste that they care for the balance of the food and your experience. It is pricey, but you pay for good food, and at this location you shall receive. The family that owns it is super cute. The daughter creates super beautiful delicious pro desserts! You got to try it when you can! It is sort of busy, and small so making reservations may be wise.

My husband and I had gotten a recommendation from a friend because they knew we were Japanese foodies after calling Japan home for 2 years.
Don’t let the strip mall next to Ursaline fool you! Ando made us feel like we were back in Japan. We ordered nigiri, salad and tea. The fish was delicious! We ordered a few more. Then our waitress told us about the ginger ice cream. Wow! We ordered a few items to take home to our girls.
Another customer mentioned they have a Japanese menu as well.
Will we be returning? Yes and I’m trying to find an excuse to go sooner rather than later.

BYOB so expect the prices to be a little higher. And it’s Japanese food folks, it’s expensive. Ando is the best Japanese restaurant on the north side of Cincinnati. Go with a Japanese person to order off the secret menu. Best sushi in town, but the gems are the little things like Goro.

The real deal here. Family owned and operated, service is great and food quality is top notch. My favorite sushi place in Cincinnati and I have eaten around the world.
They also have a separate Japanese menu with some true gems on it, do not limit yourself to just the sushi/​sashimi, they have excellent prepared food as well. BYOB is a bonus!

This is a highly rated Japanese place, and since DLW and I are fans of Japanese everything, this was a must-​try. It’s an unassuming location in a strip mall behind a Bob Evans, not visible at all from the main road, and maybe 80 seats inside. Nothing very distinctive about the décor, no paper lanterns or tanuki visible. They also don’t serve alcohol, very unusual for a sit-​down Japanese place where beer and sake are usually plentiful. Despite all of this, the place was busy on a Friday night when the weather forecast was dire.
They offer a couple of prized items in DLW’s book, in addition to the usual sushi and rice bowls. Sukiyaki and shabu-​shabu are classics, but not easy to find in American Japanese spots. We saw a couple of sukiyaki orders come out of the kitchen, and they looked fabulous but pretty big for two people to put away, so we opted for individual entrees.
DLW’s go-​to is chirashi, and this one was served in a small but beautiful bowl stuffed with goodies. This is just how she likes it, since she never finishes the rice. I went with yakiniku, a new item for me, which turned out to be grilled beef with scallions in a sauce flavored with garlic and onion, with steamed veggies and a rice bowl on the side. It was quite good, a take on Korean bulgogi I would guess, and a great alternative for diners who may be leery of «ethnic» food but want something besides boring old chicken teriyaki. We came prepared with our own bottle of sake, and they provided cups and a pitcher in an ice bucket with no corkage charge.
The desserts were unusual enough that we chose a couple. Persimmon sorbet came with berries and cream. It seemed a bit overchurned, and tasted mostly like cinnamon, but we still liked it. Brown sugar ice cream is a hit on the menu according to our server, and we loved the caramel flavor and stringy texture.
Not cheap at $ 90 for two people (not including alcohol), but a worthwhile splurge. We must come back for sukiyaki.

Ando is behind Bob Evans in the little strip mall area right off I-​71 and Pfieffer Road heading towards Blue Ash.
I know this restaurant got good reviews, but I wasn’t feeling it all that much, at least not the Sushi, which was my primary interest.
The party I was with shared the Tuna, and Sweet Shrimp Nigiri. 2 piece Nigiri isn’t enough for me, but the Tuna was good.
We also shared the Salmon, Spicy Tuna, and Philadelphia rolls. I also enjoy Salmon rolls, but their Philly roll was lacking. In fact, on most of their rolls the rice wasn’t sticky that evening, so I don’t know what was going on. It happens though.
The servers were nice, the atmosphere was inviting, but my palate wasn’t impressed.
I’d give them another try though. I was eyeing the Flounder, Scallop, and Super California… so I’ll try those next time.
Ando is worth a shot.

As good as it gets for traditional Japanese food. This is one of my favorite restaurants in the area. You can’t go wrong by choosing to eat here. The prices are reasonable and the food is excellent. The dining room could be a bit larger to allow a little more space between tables and I don’t care much for the store front location, but none of this is enough to reduce the 5 star review.

Ando was my go-​to treat back when I lived in Cincinnati and it’s still something I look forward when I come back to visit the city. This restaurant’s small and cozy. so be prepared with a reservation during dinner on the weekends or you may be waiting a while for a table.
You honestly cannot go wrong with whatever you order on the menu. They’ve got all your standard Japanese dishes including tonkatsu, ramen, and soba noodles. Their appetizers are a little more adventurous and they’ve even got a «secret» menu that you can ask for which I highly recommend if you can read Japanese since none of it is in English. Their sushi and sashimi is, hands down, the most fresh and best prepared in the city. Sitting in front of the sushi chef is a great experience as you get to see him effortlessly cut through all the fish.
Every once in a while when I’m really starving I like to get the omakase which which translates to «I’ll leave it up to you.» It’s a little less traditional as you do get to choose parts of your dish from a limited amount of choices but it’s still atypical from the regular menu and amazing nonetheless.
If the price range is too steep for you, stop by during their lunch hours when they have cheaper deals!

I do not know why this place is rated so high. The goyza dumplings were 5 pieces for 6 dollars is pretty over priced. The soft shell crab was also a 3.5÷5 in taste but way over priced because a piece of crab for $ 12 is ridiculous. 9 dollar for ramen was pretty cheap until you realize they give you one small piece of meat and the ramen tasted like soy sauce and seaweed no pork flavor and really salty.

We have been coming here for a few years and it is one of favorites. The owners Ken and Keiko are some of the nicest and most welcoming people we have ever met. They have a wonderful wait staff that has been there since we began going and they are always on point. They know the menu inside and out and are always happy to answer any questions. The inside is a little small but very cozy. It is always a comfortable temperature in there. In the winter is warm without being hot and in the summer it’s cool without being cold.
The food is always fresh and wonderful. It shows that they take a lot of pride in serving the best that they can. There is not the variety of rolls like at a lot of the other sushi places but they do not have the quality that Ando does. Ando also has a least a few featured specialty fishes that are write in’s on the sushi menu. The prices are a little on the high side but you get what you pay for and since it’s BYOB it all balances out. The staff is always very accommodating when it comes to alcohol. they will gladly take any that needs to be kept cold and put them in the refrigerator and grab one when you need and they always bag up our leftovers for us to take with us if we don’t finish what we brought. We usually bring beer so I’m not sure how it works with an open bottle of wine.
All of the different menu items we have tried were always great. Everything is always cooked perfectly and comes out steaming hot.
This is one of my favorite restaurants to always go to in the area. Parking is never an issue, the food is always amazing and I feel like I get my money’s worth and the owners and staff always make me feel welcome. What more could you ask for when dining out?

Fantastic. It’s BYOB as many of the other reviews have mentioned but can’t say that enough. Also, no corkage fee. Freshest fish and sushi I’ve ever had in Cincinnati. Our order had a mistake which they corrected in minutes despite a surprisingly large Sunday evening crowd. Service was a little slow but understandable due to the crowd. Will definitely be back for more.

Excellent authentic cuisine!
Accommodated us including little guy even though they were already full! Kid-​friendly!
Favorites so far:
Chicken katsu-​don
Nabeyaki udon
Grilled squid
Unagi & salmon nigiri
Gyoza
Black sesame ice cream
Will definitely be back! Call ahead for reservation!

Ando is my happy place of sushi in Cincinnati. It’s absolutely the best quality you will find around and sushi aside, they have a fantastic and expansive menu of legitimate Japanese food on a menu written in Japanese. My advice is when you come to eat there, pull up the restaurant’s site on your phone — all of the Japanese dishes are translated there (though for some reason not available to view printed in the restaurant).
Hamachi collar is awesome when available and the brown sugar ice cream is ALWAYS a must. And I never leave without an order of nabeyaki udon. GO GO GO!

Fresh sushi right off 71 in Cincinnati. I enjoyed my lunch but it just didn’t knock my socks off. I’ve only eaten here once and it was fine. I guess that’s as much as I can say.
I had chef choice sushi lunch. 5 pieces of nigiri with a spicy tuna roll miso soup and a salad. The nigiri choices were pretty safe. Tuna, white tuna, shrimp, mackerel and salmon. Eel would have been nice or maybe scallop or hamachi.
The spicy tuna seemed like it had been made ahead. I don’t think it was but the rice seemed a little dry.
The miso was ok the salad was also ok. I might stop again because it’s right off of 71 but I think I will map out some other cincinnati spots first.

The word on the street is true– Ando is the best Japanese restaurant around in the Cincinnati. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to try to raw fish since I’m pregnant right now, but everyone says it is delicious! I certainly plan to get a platter of sashimi as soon as I can. Service is great! I love the nabeyaki udon– the broth is flavorful, and it warms me up inside. The bento boxes are decently sized. I know lots of people, including those who have lived in Japan, that agree that this is the best Japanese place around, so you should take the time to check it out!

安心して日本の料理を楽しめました。ラストオーダーが9時なので、注意が必要。日曜のランチも開店していたら、嬉しいです。
I recommend sashimi with wasabi. They do not open after 9PM and Sunday lunch, you should check opening time in advance.

Extremely disappointed. I dont know why people are rating this place so high. It is AN OVER PRICED SUSHI place. Extremely overprice & nothing different than anywhere else. Sushi is expensive but there is an average and an accepted plus or minus. $ 16 for a dragon roll $ 9 for a spicy tuna roll & $ 10 for a vegetable tempura that literally has 5 minuscule pieces is a disgrace. Not ever coming back here when there are places around the corner like Kanpai which is fabulous.

Agree with previous reviewers. This is the best sushi that I have had in Cincinnati — fresh and well made. They also offer certain types of fish that one is just not able to find at other locations. Their menu is quite extensive with a lot of ethnic Japanese food that looks delicious (I will have to come back to try this since we focused on sushi).
Tip: BYO, need I say more.

I first went to this place after watching the documentary «Jiro Dreams of Sushi» on Netflix and I must say, this is probably as close as you’d get to that in Cincinnati, right down to the sushi chef’s motions.
I’ve been here for sushi, ramen, and bento boxes. I thought the ramen was average, but the bento boxes and sushi was definitely very strong and extremely well considering lower expectations in Cincinnati.
Service is attentive, though as busy as they were, I can forgive one or two empty tea cups which weren’t refilled. The menu is quite busy, and gets even busier if you get a bento box like I do, as then you get the hand-​written sheet with all the entrée selections. That said, I appreciate the variety of seafood offerings they had on the menu. The preserved vegetables feel like the weak link in the bento box for me, but the presentation of the meal makes up for that in my opinion.
This reIt feels like sushi made here is done right — the classic way. If you don’t believe that statement, just spend some time watching the sushi chef work his magic. It just feels like a scene from a particular documentary on a sushi chef…
It might as well be a 5 star selection in Cincinnati or if I was just rating it on sushi, though there is room for improvement on some parts of the menu. I will say that this is my favorite Japanese restaurant in Cincinnati.

5 star sushi in Cincinnati? I surprised my self on this one. The locals gave it excellent review so I had to try it.
GREAT service and very fast preparation of order. The only negative is the BYOB policy as I usually enjoy hot saki with my sushi.
I had miso soup to start and it was perfect. I then ordered a smoked salmon skin hand roll, salmon sashimi and a spicy tuna roll. All were excellent and the salmon was top grade and cold.
I look forward to returning and trying some of the more traditional dishes they offer.