Gintei

So I only gave this place a two star rating because the sushi was decent. So me and my girlfriend come here for dinner and they take 15 min to even take our order. Okay, so we get our order which is only two rolls and tempura. I asked the lady if I could keep the menu because I wanted to order more but she didn’t let me keep it… weird. So we eat our rolls and want to order more but no one comes to our table for 30 minutes! I wanted to order mounds of food but I was so fed up I just asked for the check. Me and my girlfriend both noticed that every other table was getting served but ours. I don’t mean to be one of those people who call out things like this but we are a gay, interracial couple and we didn’t get the service that everyone else was given. I won’t be back, mainly because I live in Los Angeles and the sushi restaurants out there are far better and give better service.

I tried this place based on Unilocal reviews because my regular go-​to Japanese place is closed on Saturdays. I had to wait a bit because it was prime time Saturday evening, reservations are advised (but they don’t reserve singles.) Got the $ 50 omakase sashimi and it was absolutely great, but it is just sashimi — no extras like salad or rice. (Also got a bowl of rice and some seaweed salad.)The chef’s selection was way above the usual teka/​hamachi/​salmon combo that most places serve on the Penninsula — ten good sized pieces of somewhat unusual, high quality fish! The mackerel was not salted and had an almost sweet taste. All of the other pieces were also wonderful, and no plastic garnish — they use pieces of tasty seaweed.
I also got a few Japanese fresh oysters — a bit small for the price, but very good quality. That put me over the $ 61 level.
I have been trying all of the many Japanese restaurants in the San Bruno/​Millbrae/​South San area over the last 3 years — this is the best one I have found so far! Not the cheapest around, but still lower than San Francisco prices for the same high quality.
Parking is on street, had to walk a block or two to get there. Being next door to a BBQ place made for interesting aromas as I approached. It is almost invisible from the sidewalk — just look for the hanging cloth door covers. Closed Mondays.

A very solid 3-​star sushi restaurant, bordering on 4, by virtue of being probably one of the best sushi options in the area.
The fish was quite fresh, and there were solid specials flown in fresh from Tsukiji, Japan. Their short ribs were also quite delicious.
The staff were all very friendly, and the interior décor was simple but charming.

Recently added this restaurant as one of my go-​to spots for lunch. Ordered the Japanese curry with pork tonkatsu on my first visit and came back 2 days later to have it again. The curry has the perfect amount of heat. You will def notice the spiciness but it’s not overwhelming or mouth numbing. Portion size is just right for lunch so if you work nearby… you don’t have to worry about going back to the office with food coma. Need to come back and try the sushi. That is if I can stop myself from ordering the delicious curry again.
Oh, and the curry also comes in a mini Le Crueset pot. Super cute presentation!

Gintei’s a cute little spot to get your sushi fix. It would also be a very nice place to take a date!
The interior is very clean and minimalist looking. This is emphasized by the style of the sushi bar, which is designed to give a more up-​close-​and-​personal interaction with the chef. Whereas most sushi bars have a refrigerated case that goes up to head level when you’re sitting at the bar, Gintei’s refrigerated case stops short of one’s chin. While I personally didn’t sit at the bar I’d imagine it’s a real treat, especially if you get omakase.
The sushi was all fresh and delicious. I would say this is definitely more of a nigiri/​sashimi type of place. The roll selection is kind of limited. However, the rolls they do have here are pretty cheap! I got the hamachi tasting plate (5 different types of hamachi/​similar fish nigiri), and I really enjoyed it! I can’t wait to come back and try the salmon plate and the omakase! Bonus: these guys have Humphrey Slocombe ice cream in Asian flavors you won’t always find at their shop. My personal favorite is the oolong tea. The dessert menu at Gintei is quite appetizing :)
Service was pretty good here. Servers were polite but not overly involved, great for intimate conversation and those who don’t like to be interrupted. Downside is that you may have to wait if your water is empty.
In terms of price, it is easy to go overboard here. Especially if you’re a big eater or if you’re particularly hungry that night. My wallet was not happy after this meal (but my mouth was). However, it is good quality sushi, so I’d say it’s worth it once in a while.
Can’t wait for another occasion to come back!

Sushi here is superb. Hot food not so much. We came here on a Saturday night with a reservation and sat down at a big table in the middle. We tried some specials as well as a variety of sushi and were all really impressed. It was fresh and delicious.
We ordered a plain rice for my daughter and found a bug in it. We didn’t complain. We just picked it off. But then we found an ant in our somen. Whenever i find bugs in my food at restaurants i just get queasy. Kitchen needs to be clean. Sushi area is separate so i can recommend the sushi but not the hot food.

Came here on a whim because Amami had a 2 hour wait. We just got back from a girls trip to Los Cabos and was craving sushi, so we found our way to Gintei down El Camino Real. High prices for extremely mediocre sushi and sashimi. Shared a bunch of rolls, and most were basic and lacking flavor. Some rolls only came with 5 pieces? Strange. The only thing that was good was the sashimi omakase, but for $ 50, the fishes only came with 2 pieces, which made it hard to share in big groups.
18% gratuity included in the bill for our 7 person dinner. Not impressed with the food or slow service. Won’t be returning. Go to Amami instead and make a reservation to avoid the long wait times.

Ambience:
–Clean
–Loud, no music
–Cramped seating slightly
Food:
–Monkfish Liver: it was good, presentation was nice, but nothing special — $ 8
–Veggie tempura: not overly breaded, good selection (prefer more crunch!) — $ 7
–Omakese sashimi: presentation was nice, selection was good, fish fresh, on top of ice. Had about 12 – 14 pieces (including baby tako!) -$ 50
–Daniel roll: (only!) 6 pieces, not sure why — but fish kept sliding off the sushi (never have had this problem!), lightly sauced, nothing that really stood out — $ 16
–Oyster shooter: literally sake + piece of oyster, and some garnish (green onions + roe). Not the type of more flavorful ones you’d see at other restaurants — $ 8
–Sake tastings: Waitress comes out w/​a cart of the sake bottles & told us about each. Tastings were good. 3 tasting with generous pours — $ 13
Service:
–Super slow, even when it wasn’t that busy! Even with a reminder, they still forgot our order (Omakese) until 45 min later when they asked us what we ordered.
–Waitresses were nice and energetic, but not too responsive and barely checked in.

My review is mainly targeting at their lunch and I would not recommend anyone to waste their money to go here for lunch. I’ve been to this place for dinner three times and thought I would give their lunch a try.
Chirashi sushi was way too expensive for what you get. I was there this Tuesday and had chirashi ($ 20.00) for lunch. First we (three people) had to wait for half an hour before any dish came to our table (yes edamame too). Being a sushi restaurant it’s by far the worst chirashi I ever had, from the presentation, to the temperature and the taste of the rice, the choice of fish, and most importantly the freshness of fish (felt I had their left over cut parts from nights before). It was a disappointing lunch experience!

Michelin’s review guide lured me here.
Probably the best omakase I’ve been to so far. At $ 45, you’ll get your first 10 pieces, best pricing in the bay. The fish they serve you, I don’t think I’ve ever had it before. It is definitely not the regular salmon, albacore, or tuna. Each piece is quite exotic to me, maybe I’m just new to the game of nigiri. After the 10^th course of chef’s choice of fish, we opt for more and ordered whatever the chef recommended as «special» of the night as well as a few order of Hokkaido uni, and the geoduck. These are not on the menu but available that night.
All in all, the fish is VERY FRESH and most pieces have the melt in your mouth affect — the omg moment. Though, service can use some improvements (–1) at the price tag we paid. What a great find, would definitely return when time permits.

Generally I don’t feel inclined in writing reviews while currently being seated at the restaurant in discussion. Gintei is an easy 3 stars. 3.5 stars for food and 2.5 stars for service.
We ordered the Omakase ($ 45 for 10 pieces), Agedashi tofu (which we never received and eventually didn’t care to remind), hamachi Kama-​salted, shiro maguro ($ 7 for 2 pcs) and the sake flight ($ 3 for $ 13/​$ 15). Our total was roughly $ 160 after tax and tip. Overall the fish was decent, the Omakase wasn’t spectacular — the only ones that stood out were the Chu toro, salted mackerel and sardines. But the remaining 7 nigiri pieces were OK. They also had the Hokkaido scallop available, fresh never frozen; it wasn’t my cup of tea though incredibly fresh and sliced like butter!
Maybe I’ve been spoiled with other restaurants known for their Omakase. Gintei, I noticed, had wasabi in each nigiri piece and didn’t sauce them appropriately (in my own opinion). Decent fish, overpriced, and don’t get me started on the service…
If you have money to spend for average sushi, by all means, go here. Otherwise head into the city for something well worth it!

Sitting at the bar at sushi restaurants has become a must for me. Gintei has a beautiful bar that is modern and clean with some traditional Japanese touches.
The freshness of the fish here is unquestionable and the rice here is perfectly cooked and served at the right temperature.
What was excellent:
1. 10-​piece Nigiri Omakase ($ 40) — Great variety of fish flown in from Japan. They definitely serve you exotic /​expensive pieces from the premium menu and not just from the regular menu. I loved the amberjack, chu-​toro (medium fatty tuna), horse mackerel, and the sagoshi (baby spanish mackerel). You’ll definitely need to order more to get full, BUT it is still a great deal considering some of the nigiris were that were part of the mix definitely cost more than $ 4/​piece a la carte.
2. Tempura — Lightly battered fried goodness. The fried fish was definitely the best part. So tender I could melt!
3. King Salmon (farmed/​from Scottland) — OMG. Velvety smooth heaven. Just the way I like it. I chose this over the Canadian farmed king salmon because I was told this was fattier. Amazing!
4. Dragon Roll — The eel was tender with just the right amount of sauce drizzled over it. Not your typical American roll overload drenched in sauce.
5. Miso soup — Loved the mushrooms! Gave the soup another layer of flavor.
The head sushi chef here isn’t a man of many words so don’t expect too much interesting chatter from him. There were definitely a few times where we had to ask him what was being served to us. It would have been a better dining experience if explanations were offered freely. He did, however, serve us some squid sashimi on the house.

Amazingly fresh sushi. We’ve sat at the bar twice and like to watch the chefs work. The first time we came they were pretty new, so the chef let us sample some items and talked to us the whole time, educating us about some sushi secrets. It was pretty cool.
Let me just say, sushi aside, I could eat an entire pot of their rice. It has the perfect amount of vinegar in it to make great consistency and flavor.
It is definitely on the pricier end, but worth it every once in a while!

I went here yesterday; booked with OpenTable. Took a client and my daughter (5 years old) here for lunch and it was quiet and easy to talk.
We ordered the Humble Guy roll (tuna, Hamachi, roe, avocado)
Spicy Tuna Roll
Tempura Shrimp Roll
Salmon Sashimi Bowl
and Two Miso Soups
Total was $ 54 (including tax). Not too bad — but the rolls are a small 6 pieces FYI.
The quality was better than average but not mind-​blowing. The presentation was beautiful, and the staff was very gracious. I’d definitely return.

Nice atmosphere and kinda spacious. It was nice to be in a place NOT cluttered with tables to accommodate as many people as possible.
Food portions were kinda small compared to price. I left hungry. The place felt more like a tapas bar. Small portions… The hot apps were good but my husband and I found ourselves ordering 4 between the 2 of us, edamame, lamb chop, steak, and chicken.
I did order the sashimi, it was delicious! But pricy, I wasn’t in the mood for rice so our options seemed limited. My husband ordered the tempura. He didn’t seem too excited about it. Actually, he really enjoyed the sake tasting. That alone would make us come back. Food was good but like I said… It all adds up.
Service seemed distracted. When we first arrived, we stood for a while before we were seated and the place was fairly empty. They must be short of staff because I had to keep looking for someone to fill my water.
This place should actually be a 4.5. Great quality but not equal to value. I don’t like leaving hungry.

If you don’t want to make the trip into the city for a good omakase and Amami/​Sushi Sam’s has a long wait, I think this is your best bet (haven’t tried the new place in San Mateo).
bf and I sat at the bar and ordered the Sake flight. It was my first time trying sake so I wanted to try a variety of dry and sweet flavors. For people who like me who: do not like the taste of hard alcohol and are lightweight, I wouldn’t recommend it. It may not look like a lot but it’s very strong! I think I ignorantly thought it would be like soju (lol). But the lady brought out each bottle and presented it to us and it felt really personal and she was so sweet.
To accompany our drinks, we got the omakase. We both agreed that while the fish given to us was delicious and fresh, it felt rushed. The chef has the other chef slice all of the pieces and lines them up. As soon as we finished the previous one, he had already placed the next one on our plate. Compared to our dinner at Maruya, it wasn’t paced well. They have a longer and more diverse omakase on thursdays (?) I believe, so I’d like to come back and try that.
After that was done, we asked the chef what he would recommend. We added kohada, ikura and wagyu nigiri. I wouldn’t get the kohada again. Although i’m glad I tried it, it had a really fishy taste and the skin was hard to chew. The ikura and wagyu were good.
I’d skip the chicken karaage, it wasn’t crispy and it seemed like they used the wrong kind of cut.
Our meal ended with miso soup, and humpry slocombe black sesame ice cream and panna cotta.
Overall, again, I would come here if I was too lazy to go to any of the aforementioned places. The people who work here are so sweet and the sushi was pretty good.

Came by the other day for dinner with a reservation via OpenTable. We were seated immediately upon arrival. Restaurant is rather upscale and there’s parking for 1 vehicle outside the restaurant…
Service by the staff was courteous throughout the meal.
Miso Soup
— Decent with a few mushrooms.
Black Truffle Wagyu Beef
— Flavorful Black Truffle in the sauce
— Wagyu beef was slightly over-​cooked.
Chicken Karaage
— Lightly fried Chicken Breast with a side of Japanese Mayo
Lamp Chops
— Mediocre. (Try Evvia in Palo Alto instead.)
Daniel Roll
— Decent with bite-​sized rolls and very fresh fish.
— …rice was slightly mushy…
Mixed Seafood Tempura
— Lightly battered with fish, scallops, shrimps, and green chili pepper.
Panna Cotta Trio
— Light and not too sweet.
~$ 45/​head after tax and tip for dinner.

**4.5 Stars**
Gintei is a very welcome addition to the Bay Area sushi scene. For the longest time, Sushi Monster’s Big List of Peninsula Sushi (from 2008) served as my guide to Bay Area sushi as there were so few new high and mid tier openings in the Bay Area.
Stalwarts like Sakae, Sushi Sam’s, Sushi Tomi, and even relative newcomer Jin Sho were all covered in the guide and there wasn’t much movement among the top establishments.
People would always say go to SF for top quality sushi establishments and with the Michelin star duo of Kukusabe and Maruya, they seemed right.
Gintei shows there’s quality sushi outside SF. Hidden in San Bruno, off busy El Camino Real, Gintei has challenging parking but the effort is worth it.
Once inside, you’re treated to a modern, clean restaurant with a ~9 seat sushi bar and a modest amount of 2, 4, and 6 person seatings. It reminded me of Sushi Ran (remote location, zen interior) or even Shiro’s in Seattle.
What has sushi aficionados excited though is not so much the décor, but the fish selection and variety. Up to my meal here, the most variety I’d seen was at Burlingame’s Sakae and they charged heavily for the privilege. Gintei has variety to match and the traditional edomae sushi, while not flashy with oversized pieces or sauces, is super fresh.
On my visit, their specials featured 3 types of uni, 4 types of ikura, and more varieties of white fish than I’ve seen anywhere. I like fan favorites toro, uni, and sake as much as the next person but I also love variety and clean, simple preparations. My order:
Omakase Sushi with Miso Soup — $ 40. A 10 piece chef selection that’s a great starting point (or meal for a light eater). Many were fish I’ve never had and I appreciated the variety.
A la carte nigiri — Sagasha, Aomori Scallop, Kamashu, Sanwa, Shigoku oyster. All novel and delicious. I was disappointed that the 3 uni types sold out after the first seating (just like Shiro’s!), but the Hokkaido scallop and crab made up for it. I tried 3 ikura varieties and liked the soy based one best. The truffle was highly touted but while I enjoyed both parts I’m not sure the match is as good as uni and ikura. One mild disappointment: seared Wagyu beef — at $ 16 for two pieces, it’s not as expensive as Sakae’s $ 38, but nowhere near as good.
Humphry Slocombe ice cream — $ 4. The sushi is great but the dessert is memorable too. They have four custom HS ice cream flavors (black sesame, oolong tea, matchadoodle, white miso). We were recommended the oolong tea and its great.
Panna Cotta — $ 5. As awesome as Humphry Slocombe ice cream is, the Panna cotta is divine. Smooth, delicious and not overly sweet. Blueberry was fantastic.
Caramel Pumpkin Cake — the owner Alfred recommended we try this new dessert and it’s great. The caramel has a delicious burnt flavor and the pumpkin is perfect for the holidays.
We had a great meal at Gintei. It’s fantastic to see new, quality Japanese in the Bay Area and Gintei is definitely one of the top additions this year. Service is great, décor is modern, and selection is impressive.
Gintei accepts credit cards including American Express.

I’ve been to Michelin star restaurants, and restaurants that have cost me upwards of $ 500 per person and still haven’t received the kind of stellar service I received here.
Several waitresses were like Superwoman when it came to clearing plates, and filling up the green tea.
Before you could blink, BAM, everything was done.
Amazing service.
Came here with my coworker and we felt welcomed and not at all rushed.
We felt like we were in a quaint, cozy Japanese restaurant that really cared about each customer.
The food was fresh, and reasonably priced for the quality.
I got the $ 80 omakase that came with sashimi, a small steak, hot starter, some nigiri, and dessert.
Of course I’m a big eater so I tacked on an additional roll and the truffle steak appetizer from the regular menu.
Each dish was paced well, tasted amazing, and was presented with simple flare and decorations.
I was highly impressed by this place, and it just goes to prove that you can’t judge a restaurant from it’s outside simple and small appearance.

I had friends staying in San Bruno, and of course I did my homework on restaurants. And of course a sushi restaurant with Omakase would have a review by Cherylynn.
That said, I was really impressed with this restaurant — minus having to walk through a curtain before you get to the front door, which in a windy night catches you. You walk into a stylish, but basic restaurant, with smooth jazz playing. This place definitely doesn’t fit with the area, which is a pleasant surprise. The sushi bar is to the left corner, to the right written on paper and chalkboards are the special fish and other items of the season.
It was late, so I went with the Omakase and got an extra thing of mirugai. For $ 40, I definitely got my money’s worth, but had the slices of the fish been larger this would have been 5 stars. My Omakase included red snapper, black snapper, blue fin tuna, salmon, amberjack, a white fish belly, a few other things I didn’t catch and chu toro. All of it was really good, but as you could expect, the chu toro stole the show.
I would gladly comeback here. Not sure how often I’ll ever be in San Bruno, but this place is definitely a must go if you are there.