Ginko - Cleveland

Were visiting Cleveland for an event and decided to try this based off my sisters recommendation, who is a local here. Started with some spicy scallop chips and some cocktails. Then when my sister arrived we let her call the shots from there. Spicy tuna roll was the best we?ve ever had! Salmon belly was delicious and fresh. Everything we tried was delicious and best sushi I?ve had from anywhere! Portion sizes are a bit small so plan to spend a decent amount, but you?re getting quality over value so it?s worth it! 10/10 can?t wait to go again!

It's SO hard to find LEGIT Japanese food in Cleveland (or Ohio for that matter? and not like.. Americanized Japanese food... THIS place is the closest I've found to REAL Japnese food ??? Their Miso Soup reminds me of the miso soup I had for school lunch every day when I lived in Japan. And their sushi/sashimi ? selection is pretty extensive??? I'm just sad that they don't provide any other Japanese dishes... Like pickled vegetables, egg-drop soup, ??????????????????????????????????? ??? Why don't you serve these basic, traditional, Japanese dishes??? There's so much more to Japanese food than sushi and ramen ? (well.. ramen is Chinese.. but.. w.e I was impressed by the list of JAPANESE SAKE! ?????? They had cold AND hot sake????? Amazing! They were playing my favorite anime on TV: NARUTO!??? And the friendly STAFF cozy, shwanky AMBIANCE alone is enough for me to keep coming back!???? I love this place! Oh, and hot towels are only used in the winter ? when it's cold outside.... Cold towels are used in the summer when it's hot outside?? I'm just being nit-picky ?haha.

We couldn't get a reservation, so we took a chance and went right when they opened. That's when we understood why. The restaurant is tiny with just a few tables, but with a decent amount of seats at the sushi bar. We loved the ambiance. The vibe was very sexy. We started with the oyster trio, and they were possibly the best oysters I?ve had. The sushi tasted very fresh and was delicious. The service was on point, and you could tell the staff worked as a team. We highly recommended it for a more intimate dinner. I wouldn't recommend large parties.

After reading a review of Ginko and the mention of directly importing fish from overseas we were anticipating an above average meal: however, I wouldn?t say we were disappointed but at the same time, not overly enthused and ultimately learned that products are sourced at local wholesale providers conflicting prior information that indicated they personally had products directly delivered via air. The sushi was just average at best, the environment was stuffy with very little air flow due to the underground location and it was very hot, needed AC or outside air exchange of some sort. On the service end, I?ll give it a 6.5, somewhat slow and not paying attention to beverage refills, we had to ask someone other than our server, Nick, for refills. Drinks/wine expensive with average pricing on popular rolls, some selections on the menu at a extremely high price point. We are pleased that we at least made the visit, however, we will not be returning. Some of the best sushi we?ve experience is at Pacific East in Cleveland Heights.

The mixed sashimi plate and Horseradish Ponzu raw oyster plate (fried is an option) are pictured below from today. The menu was designed by the world famous chef of Nobu. To me, Ginko is still the premier sushi destination in Cleveland.