Ba Sho Japanese Restaurant

This place has become a special spot for me where I relax, decompress and eat a homemade food. I’ve been living in multiple places in the States including NYC but hands down I’ve never had anything more authentic than this. Do yourself a favor and go to this place at least once. The food melts in your mouth. literally!

Ok, what they say is true. Service is horrible if you are not Japanese. Definitely did not feel welcome, from the menu delivery to answering questions about dishes. Ordered various appetizers, sushi and the Beef Shabu Shabu. The sushi was the worse — poorly rolled and not fresh. I did the two stars because the Shabu Shabu was decent. But not good enough to make us return.

A somewhat disappointing experience. We just moved to this side of town and were looking for a new place to get our sushi fix. The service was OK, not the friendliest, but polite. The server tried taking away our appetizer while there was still food on it, and I generally just got a sense of feeling rushed and not particularly welcome.
The ika maruyaki (broiled squid) was decent, although a little chewy. We ordered three rolls and a hand roll. The shrimp tempura, hamachi hand roll and alaska roll were fine, but the spider roll was overcooked and dry, and had an «off» taste to it.
I have spoken to others who really like this place, so I am hoping maybe this was an anomaly, and not the norm. I’d like to give it another try, but maybe we’ll just have to keep looking elsewhere…

I have been eating at Ba Sho since I was a child. My family lived in Japan for many years and this is so far their favorite restaurant for sushi and sashimi. I absolutely love the squid sauté and the green tea is amazing. (:

Hands down, this place served the absolute finest sushi that my friend and I have ever had in our lives. But they serve simple, classic sushi offerings. Don’t expect anything with cream cheese in it. Why would you want cream cheese detracting from the taste and texture of the highest quality of sashimi-​grade fish around?
This place is super-​authentic Japanese — almost intimidatingly so if you are not Japanese. But if you want to experience real Japanese cuisine, this is your place. Just make sure that you ask for the separate a la carte (or Osusume?) menu from your server. We tried Saba Ichihara-​boshi (grilled dried mackerel), which was very nice, and Nira-​tama (stir-​fried nira-​leek and egg), which was absolutely scrumptious!
This place gets four stars because the Tuna Teriyaki appetizer was gray and nearly inedible (my friend ordered it, as I suspected that I shouldn’t order anything too American, and rightly so). Also, as is so common with Asian restaurants, the ambience was, um, utilitarian.
Finally, as I mentioned in my Unilocal tip, if your idea of a «full bar» is a bottle of gin, a bottle of vodka, 4 terrible wines, and about 500 varieties is sake, then this place has a «full bar.» Unilocal needs to correct that. But if you love sake, welcome home!
But again, if you want to experience absolutely luscious, simply prepared sushi or sashimi, give this place a try. In terms of the quality of their fish, it has Akai Hana beat by about 100 miles.

I have lived near Ba Sho for about 4 years and I really have no idea why it took me so long to come here! I was always curious about it, so I finally gave it a try! It’s kinda hidden in a strip mall right next to David’s Bridal. It’s small and cozy and the décor, as well as the food, is very authentic Japanese.
The menu is pretty extensive. There’s also an a la carte menu that has tons of small authentic Japanese dishes. You have to ask for this menu though, so if you’re feeling adventurous, go for it!
I ordered the tempura soba noodles in broth, spicy salmon roll, and shrimp shumai. I forgot to ask for the tempura on the side because it gets pretty soggy in the broth– obviously ;) The broth and noodles were great though! Spicy salmon is pretty basic so it was good. The shrimp shumai threw me off a little. It looked and tasted differently than shumai I’ve had before. They were tiny and tasted a little bit sweet actually.
I am definitely coming back soon to try some of the small plates!

This place rocks. It’s completely authentic down to the sometimes grumpy hostess. It’s part of the charm. You can eat off the floors and actually I have. :p I have been to Ba Sho many times over the last two decades. Like another commenter remarked, I have never, ever had anywhere near a bad experience. Period. First generation Japanese immigrants still hold the incredibly exacting dynamics of uncompromising quality as part of their system of honor. It appears someone said in another comment that the sushi was rancid? Hooey. This chef would NEVER put out bad sushi. And if they knew the art of sushi, they would know that. I’ve been to Japan. Not the tourist destinations. Japan. This is Japan.
I’ve been to all of the Japanese restaurants in Columbus. The top four on the west side are all great. You can’t go wrong. This is my favorite. The combination of great prices and exacting quality are simply unmatched IMO. I very much respect Yoshi’s and Aki Hana but give me Ba Sho for the best experience.

So after braving the negative wind chills my BF and I arrived at Ba Sho cold and hungry. The restaurant is a little hard to find. It is tucked away on the south side of the strip mall behind Davids Bridal on sawmill, across from BDs Mongolian. The restaurant is small, but they utilize the space very well. My BF noticed that they have a stocked bar. There was a great sake selection and they even have Japanese craft beer.
At Ba Sho the real delicacies are on a separate, orange a la carte menu that we had to ask for. It is in English, so do not fret. These small dishes are as authentic as anywhere I have tasted and has a huge selection. From this menu we ordered the Miso-​Grilled Beef tongue, Monkfish Liver, Atsuyaki-​Tamgo (sweet-​mirin rolled egg), and Salt-​Grilled Salmon Collar. From the regular menu we tried the Ten-​Zaru Soba (cold buckwheat noodles and tempura shrimp with dipping sauce).
First off, everything was delicious and tasted authentic. The Monkfish liver tasted fresh, silky, and rich. Reminded us of fishy quail eggs. The tamago came with two pieces and grated daikon (Asian radish). It was slightly sweet and tasted great with the liver actually. The salmon collar was grilled perfectly and had a great fat content that literally melted in our mouths. The beef tongue came thinly sliced on a bed of lettuce with a miso sauce. The sauce was great, but the tongue itself was a little chewy. The soba was good too, we’ve had better, but it was still solid. The shrimp were fried great, but I think the dipping sauce is darker than normal. It could have also used more wasabi.
Pros: There are so many positives! Cute and cozy décor, reasonable prices, large a la carte choices, unique and authentic selection, fresh ingredients, attentive service, large alcohol variety, separate party room available, traditional dining table available too!
Cons: have to ask for the A la carte menu, small space so it may get crowded
Overall, Ba Sho has a very large variety of authentic dishes. These dishes range from good to excellent but take comfort in knowing that they are prepared skillfully and with fresh ingredients. We will definitely be back to try their expansive menu.

My boyfriend and I found Ba Sho through Unilocal randomly one time when we were turned down from a reservation at Kihachi. We ended up loving Basho and have come back several times afterwards! The prices are very reasonable, and all the food is delicious. We opted to order several of the small side dishes and then one of the udons. I haven’t had their sushi though, so I can’t comment on that. The dishes came out as they were prepared, cold dishes first and then hot dishes, and then our udon last. Our waitress was very nice and kept us up to date about when our dishes would be arriving. We also thought that the environment was very welcoming, and it’s located in a random strip mall in Dublin with plenty of parking. We will be back!

A few new friends who happen to be fairly recent Japanese immigrants recommended to me 4 Japanese restaurants in the area: Ba Sho, Kihachi, Tora, and Yoshi’s. Ba Sho was the favorite of many due to its convenient location in Asiatown (aka Bethel/​Henderson area) and the good & fairly priced food.
This is located in a small strip mall. It’s in a pretty safe part of town. Plenty of parking. I found the restaurant to be very clean. The place was full of Japanese customers but didn’t feel too crowded or noisy. The server was very police and attentive.
There were many things we wanted to try off the menu. For this trip, we decided to start with the agedashi tofu, grilled squid, gyoza, sashimi combo, tempura, spicy shrimp tempura roll, katsu curry udon, salad/​soup, and mochi ice cream. The food was authentic and just as good as the popular casual Japanese restaurants we usually ate at in San Francisco and Hawaii.
Someone complained earlier about the sashimi being old and rancid. I didn’t have that experience today. It tasted fine to me. Actually, every single thing tasted quite good. I can’t complain about any of it.
If this were the Bay Area, I might give Ba Sho 4 stars. The price seems a tiny bit high to me, but this appears to be the norm for ethnic restaurants in Columbus. Overall, it is a very solid restaurant that will definitely be getting more business from me in the near future. I look forward to trying all their other dishes.

My mom and I visited Ba Sho a few weeks ago after being turned away from Kihachi. We did not have a reservation and they were completely booked without any open spots. I was a bit surprised, since this was on a weekday. A quck Unilocal search steered me towards Ba Sho.
As compared to Kihachi, Ba Sho is located in an equally random strip mall. However, there were only a handful of customers at Ba Sho, as opposed to the full house at Kihachi. After getting the runaround, I enjoyed being able to sit down and order right away.
We were hungry and ordered up a storm. Even the waitress looked surprised and maybe even a bit terrified. The first thing I noticed was the number appetizers that you don’t normally find at the typical American Japanese restaurant. We ordered the Soba Salad, Ika Maruyaki (broiled squid with ginger sauce) and Beef Negimaki (grilled sliced beef wrapped around scallions).
The soba salad was refreshing and tasty. Cold buckwheat noodles topped with chopped tomatoes, sesame and vinegar sauce. The perfect appetizer for a hot summer day, surprisingly simple and delicious. My guess is that the soba probably is not made in-​house, but they were still good and served with the correct firmness.
The squid dish was also good. It was cooked nicely, crispy and not too chewy. The large portions surprised me. The interesting thing about the dish was the accompanying ginger sauce. It was seemingly hand grated and homemade, it added a punch of complexity to the dish.
The Beef Negimaki was just okay. It was flavorful, but the meat was a touch overdone. Once again, large portions, coming with 8 pieces. We also ordered a Spider Roll (soft shell crab and vegetable with spicy sauce) and Philly Roll (smoked salmon, cream cheese and avocado). They were simple, but good.
Finally, I ordered a chirashi bowl and my mom got the the simple sashimi dinner. My chirashi came with 8 pieces of sashimi, 2 pieces of tamago, 2 «crab sticks» and a serving of ikura. The fish was fresh, however I could have used a bit more sushi rice. Not a bad deal for $ 21, but I was expecting a bit more for that price. In comparison, Akai Hana’s chirashi is better for $ 4 more.
The shrimp sashimi was surprisingly sweet and delicious. The only thing I didn’t like from the sashimi platter was the tako (octopus). It was a late dinner, so i’m not sure if they were in the process of putting items back in the fridge, but the octopus was very cold and spongy in texture. No bueno. Everything else was fine.
I didn’t really mean to write an essay, but it just happened. Overall, I still give Ba Sho a ⁴⁄₅. I think the attentive service, low-​key atmosphere and the diverse menu are reasons to return. I’ll have to come back to try their noodle dishes. They seem to have a variety of soba, ramen and udon dishes, which is uncommon. Based on my initial visit, I think Ba Sho excels in their non-​sushi dishes. As far as sushi and rolls go however, there are probably better options in Columbus.

Ba-​Sho is my favorite Japanese restaurant in Columbus. My parents and I have been coming here for a good part of the past 10 years. Admittedly, I’ve never been to Kihachi, which some reviewers seems to prefer. They’re definitely on my short list of new restaurants to try in Columbus, but up until now, I’d never felt the need to stray from Ba-​Sho as the food here is excellent, authentic, and fairly priced.
First, I like the atmosphere of this restaurant. It’s about as close to a Japanese izakaya (their version of a pub) as you can get in Central Ohio. I would say that Ba-​Sho and Yoshi’s are the two Japanese restaurants in Columbus that most closely emulates what you can actually get at a restaurant in Tokyo.
Their menu is fairly extensive, especially if you get into their small dishes (appetizer) menu. I’d be perfectly content just ordering 5~6 of their small dishes (generally between $ 4~$ 9 each) and calling it a night with a tab of around $ 30~$ 35. However, I usually end up getting their sushi or sashimi as well, so my tab here tends to run higher. The quality of the food here is consistently good. I’ve never been disappointed with any of their dishes.
While raw fish like sushi and sashimi should be fresh at any given Japanese restaurant, the freshness of a grilled fish dish isn’t always commented on in a review of a Japanese restaurant. The grilled fish dishes like the grilled mackerel at Ba-​Sho are also top notch. Waaaay better than what you’d get at popular Japanese restaurants in town like Akai Hana.
One of the reviewers complained about their supposed $ 35 sushi platter. I am not sure what they are talking about. I ate here on 7÷12÷14 and their sashimi platter was $ 18.50 and their sushi platter was $ 23. This is actually a pretty good price compared to other sushi restaurants in town.
And while it’s unfortunate for the restaurant, Ba-​Sho is nowhere near as busy/​packed as Akai Hana is. It does however allow for a more relaxed dining experience. The next time you want some sushi but the wait at Akai Hana is over an hour (which is basically every weekend), maybe you should make the trek over to Ba-​Sho instead.

I’ve had many of the small dishes here, and they’ve all been great. I also love the nabeyaki udon, very hot and delicious udon noodles. You can find ankimo here (monkfish liver) if you’re adventurous or if you want to stick to something less intimidating, grilled squid is good. I’m pretty adventurous with food so I liked the more uncommon things they offer (if you’re like me, definitely check out
, they’re awesome!) Ba Sho’s sushi is fresh, but they don’t have a lot of the more Americanized options if that’s what you’re looking for, since it’s an authentic Japanese place. I also had the beef shabu shabu once, and while it was a lot of food, I don’t think it was worth it simply because of the price and hotpot concept. It’s more cost effective in the long run to do it at home by buying the ingredients you want and the portable stove with friends/​family.

One of few places in Columbus with a Japanese sushi chef, rather than Chinese or Korean. Yes, it makes a difference. Much of their clientele are drunken Japanese businessmen, so you know it’s gotta be good.
Stick to their sushi.

Like Kihachi, Ba Sho features both a standard menu and a special menu, the latter containing hard-​to-​find (in Columbus, at least) specialty dishes intended principally for Japanese clientele (unlike Kihachi, the special menu is available in English).
Unfortunately, however, the food on both menus pales in comparison to Kihachi. Some will argue that the comparison isn’t quite fair, given that Kihachi is decidedly more expensive. This is a fair point, but I’ll counter that there are many other restaurants in Columbus at the Ba Sho price point with better regular fare, and if you really want the special stuff I think you’re better off spending a few extra dollars and doing it right at Kihachi.

Listen, because I am going to tell you something right now. I have been going to this establishment for almost 15 years, and never once! Never once have I, or anyone that I know, had a bad experience. The service and chefs here are always beyond polite, friendly and respectful. Anyone who says otherwise is a liar. Yes, the food has gone through a certain evolution during times, but it has never been of poor quality, ever.
You can’t get authentic Japanese food at these prices anywhere in Columbus and it’s outer Burbs. Pay close attention to this establishment’s hours. They are only open during certain parts of the day and night, why? Because they are preparing fresh food, that is why. They would rather take the time to do things right for their customers, than rush garbage out.
I have to be real honest with you, anyone who would give this place a bad review… doesn’t know jack from Japanese.
Highlights IMO, are as follows: Lobster Roll, Wasabi Shu Mai, Aged Tofu, Spicy Tuna Roll, Beef Sashimi, Pork Katsu, Seaweed Salad, Spider Roll, Ebi and Miso Soup.
Ba Sho is one in a million. Me, my Wife, friends and family all love it!!!
P. S. One reviewer had the audacity to give Basho 1 star for not being able to be seated. I have an idea… MAKE A RESERVATION!
P. S.S. Another reviewer also claimed that Basho discriminates against white people. This restaurant is in the heart of Dublin, a predominantly white area. You should be ashamed for such lies.

Best Japanese food in Columbus.
This is authentic Japanese, exactly like what you get in Japan and they even serve foods I have never found anywhere else in America like myogi or takenoko tempura. I live in The San Francisco Bay Area where there are LOTS of Japanese people and restaurants and it took me awhile before I found a place that was as good as Basho (for those close to me check out Gokako in Cupertino).

For our dinner club, we chose Ba Sho this month. There were about 8 people and we weren’t sure is they could accommodate larger groups. When we arrived, we noticed they had 3 sections set aside that could seat larger groups. One section were just tables that could be pulled together; another section was booth-​like; and the third section was seating on the floor. There was a middle section with tables.
They seated up pretty quickly, within 1 – 2 minutes, which was great. There were 2 servers working and it looked like there was maybe 1 – 2 people in the kitchen. Our server was really great, she asked if we wanted separate checks, which is sometimes an issue with large groups, and we said yes. She was perfectly willing to provide separate checks.
The only challenge was when we asked for recommendations… it was like a deer in headlights and that she had never been asked before. It took her a little bit to provide a recommendation, but in the end, her recommendations were wonderful!
As a table we ordered the following:
Appetizers: edamame, chicken wings, agedashi tofu, Atsuyaki-​tamago (rolled omelette), and Iwashi kara-​age (fried Sardine)
Main dishes: katsu curry udon (with chicken instead of pork), sansai udon, nabeyaki udon, chicken teryaki (comes with miso soup, salad, potatoes, and veggies), tempura soba, and a couple sushi rolls
The chicken wings were the only thing that wasn’t good. They were dry and just not good, but who would even think a Japanese restaurant had good chicken wings?
The agedashi tofu was soft tofu (fried) and in a sauce — different, but good. Atsuyaki-​tamago was quite different. It was light/​fluffy and a little sweet — sort of an omelet with sweet bread in the middle. Although I didn’t try the sardines — those who did really liked them.
Everyone LOVED their main dishes and it was the first time ever that everyone’s plate was cleaned. I’m not sure you can go wrong with one of the main dishes. I personally had the curry, which was fantastic. I had it with chicken (fried), instead of pork. The noodles were difficult to eat with the «spoon» and chop sticks, but when we asked the server the traditional way of eating the dish she said they usually have the bowl close to their mouths and «slurp» the noodles.
Ba Sho is fantastic! Our entire table would go back again. Check out the pictures of the dishes we had.

Ba Sho is the third in what I’ve come to think of as the trinity of good-​quality Japanese restaurants in Columbus, the other two being Kihachi and Yoshi’s (I’m excluding Freshstreet Yakitori because I consider it in a category of its own entirely).
One of the great things about Ba Sho is how surreal an experience it is, in a good way. You’re in the nondescript parking lot of a generic strip center in an unremarkable part of the Columbus suburbs, and then you walk through the door — bang! — you could be anywhere in Japan. Well, if NCIS wasn’t showing on the television, anyway.
The food here isn’t as good as Yoshi’s (and certainly not as good as Kihachi), but it’s a good place to come for the equivalent of Japanese comfort food. There’s a broad selection of izakaya-​style dishes, as well as dependable favorites such as ramen and curry rice. Most of the izakaya-​style menu has been translated into English, fortunately.
Way to go, Columbus. Three good Japanese restaurants is a heck of a showing for a mid-​sized mid-​western city.

This place is perfectly fine. The staff is very friendly, the menu small and traditional. I love the focus remaining on sushi rolls (nothing crazy or uberAmericanized), sashimi and noodle offerings. This is more in mold of Akai Hana or Sapporo Sushi company, not Haiku, Blue Ginger or Two Fish. The place is small and very «mom and pop.» I’m a big fan of the hot cloth towels before the meal.
The service, though friendly and attentive, left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. When ordering the zaru soba (which was very good), the waitress made sure to ask me if I understood the noodles were cold and whether or not I had had soba before– letting me know in no uncertain terms that most white folks don’t like the soba as much as the udon. I eat Japanese food at least once a week and I get she had no way of knowing… While I appreciate her wanted to make sure I would enjoy my meal– there are better ways to go about this… like perhaps asking if I had had Japanese food before, instead of mentioning my race… yeah, I get it… I’m the only non-​Asian person in here.
Additionally the quality of the tuna in my roll maguro roll was sub par. The rice was well prepared, but overall very «meh.» I’ve had better, much better and not too far away from where I was sitting.
I don’t feel I can be completely fair to this place because I find myself having to compare it to the other fantastic Japanese and/​or sushi spots in town. Compared to other restaurants in town, I would give Ba Sho a 4 star rating, but next to the stellar restaurants offering the same food at the same prices, Ba Sho just falls short.