Apple Otaku asks the question "Do Japanese Restaurants in the US Suck?"
I guess it depends where you go. During my time in Seattle, I found it tough finding authentic tasting Japanese food but that doesn't mean it tasted bad - just different.
Its like Chinese food in Japan - doesn't taste authentic but doesn't taste bad either. What do Japanese restaurants in your region taste like?
Via Otaku.fm.
Posted on 2007/12/22 18:20
Director/代表取締役
登録日: 2006/12/11 11:06
uni student
登録日: 2007/11/10 18:19
u can find a authentic taste, not authentic but good, and lastly, cheap but good, it only cost around 133 yen ( after i converted to yen). and of course there are bad japanese food
Tami in Germany - Cologne
WebDesign, Coding, Administration
登録日: 2007/12/16 10:42
Düsseldorf has a few awesome japanese restaurants. One of them is kind of split over a street crossing and very famous among german Otakus. It's called NaNiWa, on one side of the street crossing they have a noodle restaurant and on the other a sushi restaurant. It's pretty modern styled and stuff, the food is really awesome. Usually in the noon-break all the japanese people living and working close by line up in front of the Naniwa and take wait times (outside!) from up to 30 minutes untill they can get in and order, the staff usualy brings out little banks then to sit on and you can order drinks outside too. :)
It's almost hopeless to get in there when Düsseldorf has the "Japan Day" festival, cause TONS of german Anime and Japan fans flood to the city then and hog all the shops/restaurants in little Tokio there.
But compared to the food i had in Japan, yea... it's different. But i supose it's due different water quality and prolly different sources for the indigrients. The food itself was awesome, no matter if in Japan or in Düsseldorf. (Though it's hard for a german town to bring up this Japan-flaire i love so much.)
Recently there was an article in a german newspaper were a sushi master who owns a sushi restraurant in Hamburg did more or less complain that the germans have totaly no clue of "how-to-eat sushi" propperly. He said it made him sad to see the sushi being drowned in wasabi and soja souce. Also he is the only person allowed to take the fish appart at the big local fish market were he buys it.
Oh my, now it got a bit long, but yea that's how it is for me and germany. ;)
Japan is love
Meat Puppet
登録日: 2007/11/04 18:16
Well, it depends on what kinda Japanese food you're lookin for. There are tonnes of sushi restaurants here, and a few ramen joints. Some of them are so-so, and some are outstanding. Considering I'm not surrounded by any water, the fish is not as fresh as it could be. However, lots of places compensate by offering unique menus with new tastes and asian fusion. Although its possible, you'll be hard pressed to find a menu that offers a simple fried pork cutlet anywhere.
Design Consultant
登録日: 2007/08/23 04:44
Its odd you mention the fish issue, because the fish is fresher here than on the coast. They usually freeze the fish, and send it straight here by air so its only 1/2-1 day old. On the coast (example: Cali) it has usually been out for a while. I know this isnt the case everywhere, but It is in AZ. Which is odd, because this is a desert.
fatbastard, really? IMO the best salmon sushi in the world is in Vancouver. Better than anything I've ever tasted anywhere. Including Japan. ^^
Meat Puppet
登録日: 2007/11/04 18:16
@marvin, Absolutely! Vancouver has some of the best sushi around. Very fresh, and taste divine. However, I just talkin about my immediate vicinity which is not Vancouver (Hence I have no water around me as stated). I use to fly out there often on long weekends, and the sushi is always great. Highly recommended.
ひきこもり/Hikikomori. Suits my current state more than a 大学生/University Student. ^^
登録日: 2007/12/04 23:16
I have never actually eaten any authentic Japanese food (since I have never been to Japan), so I can't tell whether Japanese foods here taste authentic or not, but they do taste good.
student
登録日: 2007/06/01 04:39
japanese tempura is far more delicious compare to our japanese tempura.
those greasy shrimp...., i miss "hardened" shrimp in japan
I go to one near fountain valley, CA.
The restaurants name is Shinsengumi. They make really great authentic Tonkatsu Ramen at an affordable price. Wonder if anyone in here go there too =D
VF-25 Pilot. Universariate Scholar.
登録日: 2007/07/06 10:07
mostly hopeless. most of the food doesnt taste japanese enough to me because of the lack of pork in it.
im in despair!!! the tastelessness of localized japanese food has left me in despair!!!!
(no offence to moslems here.)
宅男 Otaku/ 工程师 Engineer
登録日: 2007/06/11 14:57
i have never tasted japanese food other than sushi over here. most of the time i eat at home. ('~')
Design Consultant
登録日: 2007/08/23 04:44
Its good, you should try it.
Full time Student
登録日: 2007/12/19 18:13
The definition of Japanese dishes around my area consists of sushi, ramen and an occasional udon dishes.
Me want my nabe, kakuni and takoyaki now!
There's a Japanese Restaurant in a Hotel in Manila named Tsukiji, they fly Ingredients from Japan. and the Chef is actually Japanese. It's one of the best Japanese Restaurants in town. pretty much the most authentic tasting Japanese food in Manila, but real expensive. but there are two Japanese food Chain that I find absoulutely revolting Kitaro and Tokyo Tokyo.
Time Traveling Esper
登録日: 2007/12/23 00:46
A few more pretty good and authentic tasting Japanese restaurants near Tsukiji are Inagiku at Makati Shangri-la, Seryna at Little Tokyo and Sugi at Greenbelt. All are a little pricey. For value, go to Izakaya Kikufuji or Shinjuku in Little Tokyo.
The best (and most expensive) sushi I've tasted was probably at Sushi Tsumura. They also have pretty good toro, which is hard to find in this country. Seryna has fugu, for suicidal people.
Spellcaster
登録日: 2007/11/24 18:34
Singapore's Japanese food in most restaurants are pretty close and good. The chain sushi restaurants have a range from bad to excellent but taste authentic. I just had Hokkaido crabs! Yummy! The difference is we have wasabi in soya sause with everything.
rapist
登録日: 2007/12/19 11:47
down in texas, japanese food is extemely bad D: coming from japan and having that big transfer, i saw that sushi was never fresh here. other places are better not not one bit authentic.
Web Developer / Photographer
登録日: 2007/06/12 06:34
Finding good Japanese food in Toronto just plain sucks, especially ramen.
Design Consultant
登録日: 2007/08/23 04:44
Agreed, there was a place over in Burlington that was pretty good, but the parking was shyte. I cant even remember any other places that had good Japanese food. There used to be a place in Burlington called Collettes Cupboard you should go try if its still around.
Student
登録日: 2007/11/25 06:34
sushi restaurants are kinda good in Boston, but not ramen. Maybe there is one out there, but I haven't found it.
Grease monkey
登録日: 2007/10/11 13:32
down in my part of town we have a rather large Japanese community here, and lots of really good Japanese resturants are here, including 3 Shinsengumi resturants, Ramen house, Shabu Shabu, and Yakitori...along with a few tokyo style korean bbq places and lots of sushi shops, but in my opinion only three of them are true great...but the taste is right, the texture of the food perfect...just like my last trip to Tokyo...i think it tastes great, but you really gotta hunt these shops out...some of them are kinda hidden away, like some kinda local secret or something...
three shinsengumis eh? around where do you live?
Replenisher
登録日: 2007/12/06 23:29
Most of the places here are your typical American teriyaki shops. Not very authentic at all. But, there are a few that are really close. Ramen-Ichiban and Fuji Rice in Salem are both really good. Sushi world in Tualatin is one of the best around. I just wish I could find a good ramen shop here. Nothing beats the real thing in Japan.
kintaro in Pineville North Carolina
Student
登録日: 2007/04/24 20:19
There's quite a few sushi places around here that make some good tempura, like Sushi 101.
I try to eat good sushi as much as I can, although "california rolls" taste good, they are the cliched American rolls I'm sure. I've never been to Japan to taste real sushi or Japanese food, but I'm 100% certain I'll like it better.
I've never really been to a better Japanese restaurant, last I heard the best Sushi place was Sushi at the Lake or something. (There's tons of terrible restaurants that serve sushi.)
Design Consultant
登録日: 2007/08/23 04:44
I wouldnt say the sushi from Japan is better, just different. I think the sushi here is heavy, and has a extra crap in it.
college student
登録日: 2007/08/16 02:56
i've only tasted it 4 or 5 times and i think it's ok! but if i get a chance to go Japan i'll try everything!!
University Student
登録日: 2007/11/09 05:34
cg artist
登録日: 2007/02/06 21:53
I would not go to Korean resturant owned by other than Korean. I would not go to Chinese resturant owned by other than Chinese.
I m not totally against it, but unless owner is very serious about buisiness, I would not go to Japanese resturant owned by other than Japanese.
All that being said, there are few good Japanese resturants owned by Japanese around my area too.
Sean in San Francisco / Tokyo / London / Dublin
Video Editor / Sound Designer / DJ
登録日: 2007/01/23 17:06
Wow, you're right , especially in San Francisco where there are a lot of "Fake" restaurants.
Dope Korean food has to be "Brothers" on Geray Street.
Good Japanese food in San Francisco? Not really anywhere as far as I can see.... most Japanese seemed to have moved OUT of SF after they returned from the concentration camps during WWII.
Chinese food can be really good in SF, though.
cg artist
登録日: 2007/02/06 21:53
ya~, compare to many good korean resturants and chinese resturants, there are not many good japanese resturants in SF. Maybe more in eastbay or down south.
I would recommend tanpopo though. And speaking of korean, i agree with you about brother, but i also recommend tofu house on geary and 10th^^
Earlier, I mean my area as Sacramento. I recently moved there.
Design Consultant
登録日: 2007/08/23 04:44
My Uncle is Japanese and he scounts different restaurants in the area and makes recommendations based on how authentic it is. He says the same thing sometimes as danny "Its not bad, it just taste different". There are a lot of sushi bars out here, but they are pretty weak. My Uncles cousin came to the states and made us all fresh sushi.. damn it was good! She made a couple of bowls full of things too, but she didnt speak english, so it was hard to figure out what was in it.
Neo-Os in San Jose, California
Student/Maniac with Forklift
登録日: 2007/05/10 13:52
We have a Japantown here that has lots of shops for food, altohugh I have yet to try them. But I want to sooooo bad.
Stalker
登録日: 2007/11/10 10:14
There are probably 12-15 here in San Diego, and only two of them arent horrible. One is very expensive, so its fresh but fatty and fully of mayo, cheese, wasabi and salad dressing. The other is actually a Korean food establishment, but they make a few edible sushi dishes. So Sother cali is probably out.
Student, Photographer, Paintballer,
登録日: 2007/10/10 12:39
Gotta tell you something neat Danny. I like this Japanese Food shop by my house. Funny though 'cuz it's run by a Chinese family, and they got a Mexican who's a wiz at making sushi. Maybe it's not like in Japan but very tasty nonetheless.
Non-profit org. volunteering work addict
登録日: 2006/12/31 22:48
Just discovered yesterday that there are quite a few Ramen restaurants in Paris (Where I still am for vacations; by the way, they got a small Japanese quarter there, around the "Pyramides" metro).
I ate in one of them and was really happy with my Gyudon set. My cousin had a Tendon one and didn't appreciate tempura at all in the end. ^^;
Meat Puppet
登録日: 2007/11/04 18:16
Dude, you're in Paris right now? Don't get sick anymore then my good man. Live it up! I wonder what Christmas is like over there. Hohoho... *in nasally french accent*
Non-profit org. volunteering work addict
登録日: 2006/12/31 22:48
Thanks, my friend! Cheers!
Mind Navigator
登録日: 2007/09/04 11:37
I never been to Japan. I wouldn't be able to tell authenticity around here if it hit me in the face. Though my brother surprised me when he returned from his honeymoon in Japan and Taiwan a couple years ago professing a love for sushi. We're talking a guy who you couldn't pay to try sushi and there he was raving to me about how good it was in Japan. You could imagine how long it took me to bypass my stunned stare.
chun in home feeling sleepy LOL
part time illustrationist, doll clothing seamstress
登録日: 2007/01/09 14:33
In Vancouver one of me and my husband's favourite "japanese" restaurant haunt is run by HK peeps, it's yummy tho! And they have the "late night sushi" specials where sushi by the piece and some items on the menu would be discounted until 12 am :) There are also other more expensive sushi restaurants here which are rather tasty -- fresh fish and seafood for those who like the raw stuff ^^
Secondary Student~
登録日: 2007/11/06 14:19
I felt kind of ashame looking at your posts, I didn't really know any good japanese restaurants out here. But I know there are many here just that I didn't check them out.
I've only been to Sakae Sushi, Yoshinoya and Ajisen Ramen. I have never step onto a piece of land in Japan before so I don't really know the difference =/
Hatix in Antwerp, Belgium
IT, Programmer, ...
登録日: 2007/04/25 05:14
Since a couple of years we have a Japanese restaurant from the Wagamama chain. They have all sorts of simple dishes, including ramen. Been there a few times, and it's not bad. Of course, the best ramen you find in Japan ;p.
We also have some other japanese restaurants but they offer a more special menu. Whereas Wagamama has the more simple dishes, which I like more.
There is supposed to be new sushi bar next to the wagamama store here, I'll have to go check it out some time ;p
Student
登録日: 2007/12/08 10:08
I have no basis for comparison since I've never eaten at a traditional Japanese restaurant (in the sense that it's located in Japan). I usually go to Musashi's to gorge myself at the sushi bar and at the hibachi table (where they throw stuff into the air and cook in front of you). I've been wanting to try Fugu (pufferfish) and Nyotaimori (body sushi) but can't find a reputable place in LA. Perhaps it'll have to wait for my graduation trip to Tokyo.
I like japanese food like sushi and ramen. And in my town there is a shasimi restaurant who cook is japanese. i like it but it plain in my tounge and the prize is expensive to me because one set shasimi is around 8335 Yen. I wonder how much shasimi in japan?
