Shinsen Sushi

Loose mushy rolls and definitely overpriced for how cheap the ingredients are. Not good quality at all.
Rule of thumb for sushi restaurants:
–If they serve pickled ginger (pink) with the sushi, they most likely serve poor quality sushi.
–If they serve fresh ginger (light brown) with the sushi, it’s usually very good quality sushi.

Food is not good, just ok. They have the smallest rolls in the universe. I have never seen sushi rolls so tiny. Chicken bento box was overcooked and dry, taste like it was cooked earlier and warmed up. Again, very small portions. My 4year old finished the bento box. Dragon roll was very very fishy, and the baked salmon roll was also over cooked.
I will never come here again. Overpriced and small portions. I’d rather go to Happy sashimi and deal with their long lines.

Ordered chicken teriyaki, so dry I cod not eat. First time getting food their and sorry to say but other distanced Japanese restaurants excel over this experience.

I have been going here for lunch since I started working in Hercules in 2013, I am surprised at the bad reviews, I have always gotten good service and excellent sushi. They are definitely a much better sushi place than many I have been to over the years, fish always tastes great. The rolls are not small I have not seen any rolls that were smaller than 99% of the sushi places out there. They are spendier than the cheap mediocre Sushi spots but then if you want cheap sushi what do you expect? Have yet to be disappointed here with anything I have ordered.

The hubby and I have been here several times for lunch and dinner and have always had good experiences. The menu is pretty standard Japanese restaurant fare, nothing overly fancy but they’re pretty solid offerings nonetheless.
Hubby and I have gotten the bento boxes several times. Great value for the price with good food. Their beef teriyaki is actually short rib with a delicious teriyaki sauce, yum. Their tempura is good — nice coating, very crunchy — and a good assortment for the price. My daughter was pretty happy with their udon soups.
Their appetizers are a teeny bit more varied than I’m used to seeing at Japanese restaurants. Their salmon spring roll is probably the most innovative thing on their menu. It’s good to try if you’re craving something different. The takoyaki were deep fried and served just with a bit of tonkatsu sauce. They were okay but if you’re looking for something more traditionally served with okonomiyaki sauce, mayo, katsuobushi, and aonori, you’ll be disappointed.
We have never had any problems with the service which is attentive without being overbearing. I’m not sure why so many of the recent reviews seem to be so unhappy but I’d take them with a grain of salt because somehow I doubt they’re real. All in all, Shinsen Sushi is a solid Japanese restaurant for Hercules.

Poor service and Racist too, the waitress will stare at your credit card n id for 5min if you’re black!!!

Terrible! Probably the worst sushi I’ve ever had. The bento box meat wasn’t seasoned and the teriyaki sauce could barely be identified as such. Not going back!

Had early dinner here yesterday April 30, 2015. Ordered bento box and among the choices I had was calif roll but when I got my order I didn’t have the calif roll. But since I’m in a hurry and hungry I just ate and left. Super pricey and a 3 $ for ice tea that’s too much and it doesn’t even taste good. Not coming back here. And I don’t recommend this place. I like happy shashimi better. Not even one star!

Nice clean place, yummy sushi, attentive customer service. Good experience. We will be back.

My sister used to work here almost ten years ago when it first opened, so I decided to try this out again. The place is completely different, the menu doesn’t have all the same stuff I used to love which is a bummer.
The food is still good and a lot better than other sushi spots around Hercules, however their sushi seems to be overpriced. That may be the common theme of this place; overpriced food.
The people that work there are nice and it doesn’t take too long to get your food. They always make sure you have plenty of water or hot tea. I enjoy good service and they offer that.
I like this place: it is local to me, has good food, good service, and quiet. If you don’t mind spending a little more, then give this place a try.

Tonight my gf and I decided to try the local sushi restaurant. We were very happy we made our decision.
First off the place was very clean. The host sat us quickly. The menu is awesome because all the different rolls are pictured. Our server was very nice and the food came out quickly. We ordered a few rolls and some nigiri. Everything was excellent especially the nigiri. The fish was fresh and delicious.
Overall I would most definitely recommend this restaurant. The food was great and the service was excellent. I am happy I only live 2 minutes away.

So it was my first time here an it was pretty good. When I came with my gf about 6p on a Friday an it was empty. We almost didn’t go in but we said screw it an went in.
We ordered a number 25, 11 & 30 and I must saw it came out pretty quick even with people arriving. The food was good but I can’t say it’s the best I’ve had because I’d be lying :) but it was good. The service was decent greeted when we entered and with smiles. Last but not least would I go back? Yes I would

This place continues to go downhill each day, month and year since ownership changed. Menu is pricey for the amount of food you get and lacks freshness. In addition, the lady who was our hostess and waitress gave us crappy service and seemed like she was rushing for us to leave. Um hellooooo, there was us (hubby and I) and another couple who came as we were about done with dinner! Our queue to turn around was when we noticed that we were the only patrons about to have dinner at 7pm. We used to frequent Shinsen A LOT when Gigi was the owner, and it was always packed! Too bad it’s come to this. We, along with some of our family and friends, will not be back. If you want good Japanese food, go to Happy Sashimi in Pinole. Their service and food is great!!!

We just moved to Hercules and was hoping to find a good sushi place by our house. Instead we found the WORSE sushi place. My husband described our dinner as «punishment». Our sushi was NOT fresh. It was grey colored. Sushi should NEVER be grey. Tables were sticky. The wine was spoiled. Someone should tell them not to put the wine in direct sunlight or it spoils. I didn’t bother with anything because it is a place I will never return to.

This place is not what it used to be. Ever since Shinsen switched owners the food and the service have gone done drastically. My boyfriend and I decided to order to go and when we placed the order they didn’t bother to ask for his name, number, or even the time it was going to be ready for us to pick up the food. We ordered three rolls of sushi which was the new york roll, crunch roll, and unagi roll, and garlic noodles with salmon. The fish in the rolls didn’t taste fresh at all. As for the garlic noodles with salmon it was horrible. The salmon was OVER COOKED and hard and the noodles were over cooked as well. It was probably the worse garlic noodles I’ve ever ordered from anywhere. The only reason we decided to give them a chance is because they are in Hercules and are close to home. Next time we think of sushi we will definitely will not be coming here.

Gross

Below average sushi at an above average prices. Both of my rolls tasted stale, and were half the size I usually get at most sushi restaurants. The service was decent so I’ll add a star, but probably the last time I go here.

After trying several near by sushi restaurants for lunch, I decided that this is my favorite.
That is one of the reasons I am updating my review to 4 stars. The other reason for the update is the delicious gyoza. The lightly fried wrappings are thin and delicate. I could eat a plate of them.
A bento box that includes gyozas and sashimi is a perfect lunch, Now, if I could choose my sashimi I would eat at this small, hometown restaurant several times a week.

Not very impressed or happy. I went in for lunch and there was 1 person there at 1:00pm. That was the first red flag. 2^nd issue is no happy people here. The greeter was nice but not engaging whatsoever. It was like walking into a morgue. 3^rd problem is no lunch special… or at least I didn’t see any. So I decided to take the 2 item bento box and a small 6 piece roll and a coke. $ 22.50!!! Worse part is I’m still hungry. Extremely small portions and the roll at $ 7.95 was a joke.
Not once did anyone ask if I wanted anything, I had to ask for my bill and all that with just 1 other person there. I’m being generous on 2 stars here… so if you are hungry and want over priced food, then hey… come here!

Good sushi selection, including some hand-​rolled items, plus bento and plated lunch and dinner specials. Seating consists entirely of counters and two-​person tables, perhaps making it a bit awkward for larger groups. Service at lunch hour, with the restaurant less than half full, was prompt.