50 Best Japanese Restaurants in Portland

“You can tell this chef is very passionate about cooking. Each dish is plated so beautifully. The menu is seasonal with high end local produce from the farmers market. The staff is very warm. The interior is very nice, with very nice furniture(eg marble or quartz tables, I believe). It’s not inherently the chefs fault, but at this price point, the food is not what we really crave? Also, we were kind of feeling hungry with such a carb light menu. We just split one medium meat dish, so we do eat less protein than average? But I feel like it’s not enough food for vegetarians fyi. They did GRACIOUSLY make us some handmade tortillas off the menu and essentially didn’t charge us. Plus, we received complementary dessert wine tasting, since we complained about wanting some bread or tortillas. One bummer about this was that no one followed up about our request until we asked three different servers. Overall, I think this could be a great place. But just not for us at the moment.“

“Excelent tapas and coctails.“

“Friendly staff fast service, best sushi I’ve ever had“

“The husband and I were on a ramen rampage, and the weather was our perfect excuse. Then, out of nowhere, we stumbled upon this restaurant. The service was spot-on, the food arrived in record time, and that ramen? Sheer perfection. The broth was a flavor bomb, the chashu was tender and divine, and those noodles? Freshly made and sublime. We left feeling like we just discovered ramen nirvana.“

“Good food!“

“Excellent! Fast, friendly service and absolutely delicious food. We had the tempura udon and curry plate. We also enjoyed the sake flight. Cannot wait to go back.“

“Unquestionably the best katsu curry I've ever had. I seriously had a Ratatouille moment eating this curry; making this their specialty was a brilliant move. The staff is friendly and the food arrives quickly (~5 minutes). The beef katsu curry with a Sapporo was exactly what I needed after a long hike.“

“This place is one of a kind. The food was deliciously balanced and nuanced. Every dish we indulged in was so wonderful. It is a charming intimate spot and will be a go to whenever we visit Portland. The staff was also wonderful and so accommodating. Thank you again for the wonderful experience“

“This is the first place we go eat at every time we visit PDX. Great sushi, great atmosphere, a really great staff- only complaint: bring back the potato killer“

“Everything. This is not just going to dinner. This is a dining experience. It’s a small reserved venue. Yes it’s spendy, but worth every penny. You’ll try food you never thought you try. The mostly seafood menu it so well prepared. Plus you can watch the prepared each course. A fun night.“

“I was looking for a place to pick up an onigiri in the morning from time to time, and this place opens at 9am which is great! Really cute shop, they have taiyaki, musubi, and a nice variety of onigiri, and it is affordable and exactly what you want. There is really nothing quite like this in the Portland area...its a little treasure. The staff are so friendly, i will be sure to recommend this place to all my passengers, friends, and family!“

“The serrano based tequila drink on the menu was amazing! We started with the fresh rolls. Delicious pork belly and sauces with those. The oysters were unique and tasty with a light spice and trout roe. We finished with the duck empanadas which were outstanding! Service was great and the space is nice. I'll definitely visit again some day.“

“We love the food here and always take friends and family when they are in town. The service was extremely slow this time. Ramen came out for those who ordered it way before our sushi was ready. We had an amazing experience over the summer and the last two times have been lacking in service and atmosphere. It was busy, we had a party of 7. Seated pretty quickly, but the rest was slow. Other tables received orders before we did. Hope to continue going and have better luck next time.“

“This place was adorable!! And the food was amazing quality and priced so well for the experience! It may take a bit for things to come out but we got a ton of fried things which take longer! The appetizers come out right away!! Especially because the fried stuff is a type of katsu style. Honestly the best deep fried rolls I’ve ever had!! We got the st. John’s Bridge roll and the fish was so yummy!! I’m a real stickler about fish quality but this fish was so good!! I really hope as they get popular they won’t ever change the quality of their rolls because this will keep me coming back for more!!“

“Sho is our favorite restaurant in the neighborhood. Katsu and his team are awesome.“

“Really delicious, and so happy to have a Japanese sandwich cart in Portland. I loved the Pork katsu!“

“Perfection in the mind's eye in every regard.

Flavor, freshness, execution of literally every single detail (even ones you don't think about until you're made to notice), and the fact it's all accessibly priced kinda made me cry when i tried food from here the other day.

For lack of a quicker comparison, this is like Elden Ring coming out after years of being told the best you can get is sysco-sourced AAA reboots of the same "deliverable" concepts.

I want to experience this place's food for the rest of my life.

I just woke up, but this was very much in my dreams last night after yesterday's dinner, so I was compelled to just get something out. I'll come back some other time to detail the experience.“

“Fresh food at a reasonable price, loved my own pot of green tea:). I’ll be back!“

“Atmosphere off the rip, is something that must be noted! Incredible. If you've heard of Janken then you have seen the ambiance and the famous white cherry blossom in the middle. Food was fantastic. Service was phenomenal. I've seen and heard that the portion sizes were small, not my opinion at all. We were more than full leaving this place with leftovers to take home. We ordered an array of items off the menu and we were pleased with every single one. The A 5 wagyu was impressive and the bingsu for dessert would be the highlights for myself. I would certainly recommend this place and would most definitely be back to try other items on the menu.“

“This hands down is one of my favorite restaurants in Portland OR. It the same quality of other top spots in the US like Nobu , O-Ya , and Morimoto . The location is perfect located in the Pearl district. The chefs are high quality and the fish is extremely fresh. They have a great but simple flavor approach. The service is warm, helpful, and appreciative. I always ask for Joy as she is a true professional and loves providing an exceptional experience on every visit.“

“I've been eating here since 2015 and ABSOLUTELY LOVE this place. Top notch sushi with a wonderful staff. This is my 1st choice place for sushi in Portland Oregon“

“Great food, fast service and great atmosphere. Highly recommend.“

“Some of the best sushi in Portland for decades, going back to when it was Sushi Takahashi 2 (at a different location). Highly recommended. Great options for vegetarian sushi as well!

Vegetarian options: Several vegetarian options available, and when they're not too busy, the chef makes fantastic custom rolls as well.“

“The karaage chicken is extremely flavorful and tender, while also being crispy. Mix in some gyoza and you've got the perfect meal. Great portion size, especially for the price. The pickled cabbage could use a bit more pickling to really stand up to the richness of the chicken, but it felt very Japanese in that it was more delicately flavored.This cart pod has tons of seating, booze, and way too many vegan places.“

“Great Sushi.. must eat place.“

“High quality jet fresh seafood from Tokyo“

“Nice little high end food court with craft beer, cocktails, ramen etc.“

“super friendly staff and awesome manager who didn't blink an eye and replaced my mom and aunts order to accommodate their health conditions. bomb food and and super fast serve time. will be back again Special shout out to Damont for being an awesome manager!“

“Soen/Courier Coffee is a small Japanese café. It's one café and one counter for ordering, so there is no functional distinction between Soen and Courier Coffee, I think the coffee menu and small baked goods selection is from Courier Coffee and the rest (norimaki, kakigori, and tea) is Soen. Kakigori is available seasonally - I was lucky that I visited during the last week of kakigori for the year.
It's a pretty small space, a few tables tables inside and a few outside on the sidewalk. There's not much room for standing, but the staff will bring your food to your table so you don't have to stand around waiting after you order. The staff members were very nice!
I got there 45 minutes before closing. They were out of most of the norimaki but had one ume-taku norimaki left, so that was what I ordered, along with an apple cinnamon kakigori and buckwheat tea. I really enjoyed the norimaki even though it wasn't my first choice. The pickled plum and radish gave it a big pop of flavour and the inari added some nice sweetness. Perfect interplay of sweet, savoury, and vegetal flavours. The kakigori looked huge but since kakigori is mostly ice it wasn't heavy or hard to finish. The apple cinnamon flavour came with a creamy sweet potato sauce, a shot of hojicha, and of course baked apples. It was a really interesting and unique combination of flavours. Very good. The tea was a nice warming accompaniment to my meal. I think for the high quality the prices were fair.“

“We've been loyal customers of Yaraimura Maru for the past 3 years, and it continues to be one of our favorite spots! The food is always amazing—this time I had the Abu Udon and Shoyu Ramen, and both were absolutely delicious, as always. Cynthia and Phil were awesome—so kind, welcoming, and attentive. Their warm service really makes the experience extra special. Highly recommend this place to anyone looking for great food and great people!“

“so lovely! delicious mocha latte and macha brownie. shared a salmon and locks bagel with cream cheese too! lovely staff!“

“4 person Omakase experience was exceptional. Well paced, it very much felt as though they intended for our table to be our the whole night. The staff was very attentive. Cocktails and sake selections were wonderful. By far a must try experiance in Portland.“

“I would love to give this place five stars. They're are often not open during their scheduled business hours. I've been here multiple times in the last few weeks at 12:00, which is when they say they open yet they are closed. I'm sitting here right now at 12:15 and their food truck is closed.“

“THE FOOD! Excellent service. Fabulous food. Wonderful vibe. 🔥🔥🔥“

“There was no line at 10:30am on a Wednesday. I got the Oregon roll. They were done in less than 5 minutes. It was really good, but for 6 pieces, $13 is too expensive. 4 instead of 5 star for the price. The to go boxes in the refrigerated section seemed to be a better deal. I'd go back to try those. The ladies working were nice and fast. The area was clean, and there's limited countertop seating inside, but there were lots of tables in the hallway with plenty of availability and a great piano player nearby.“

“Food was super yummy! Me and my friend got the chicken katsu sandwiches, one classic and one spicy. Both delicious. Strawberry sandwich was a perfect sweet treat and the DONUTS!! The consistency of the bread was everything. I recommend the special ranch for the sandwiches. I personally didn’t like the dirty fries. Service was mediocre at best. It was completely transactional. No smile, no greeting, just “what would you like. ok, we’ll have it out.” I just think customer service should be more meaningful or at least—friendly? Also, the seating is convenient only for a quick bite, not meant for groups or a party over 2. Worth trying once for brunch/lunch. Will probably not return for the price.“

“BIG SUSHI!!! It’s a hole in the wall location, but once found you won’t forget it!“

“Yama is our favorite spot for sushi. Great sake menu too.“

“We came here for my daughter’s bday and she had a great time. There’s so many choices of maki and nigiri sushi along with lots of desserts on the sushi train conveyor belt. It’s a lot of fun just watching my kids pick whatever they’d like and chow it down with a smile. The staff is quick and fine about ordering any sushi not on the sushi train or straight from the non-sushi options on the menu. It’s a fun place for a birthday or happy hour!

Vegetarian options: Good selection of asparagus, tofu, cucumber, avocado and tempura options.

Parking: There’s a good amount of spots available about a block away.

Kid-friendliness: Kids have a great time picking from all the options on the sushi train.

Wheelchair accessibility: Roll right on in!“

“Absolutely delicious! One of our fav places in Portland to get sushi. The fish is fresh and tastes good every time. We tried another location and it just wasn’t the same as the Barbur one. They always have a promo going on/prices are already very reasonable for the quantity and quality. I highly recommend Momiji!“

“So yummy! And walking distance. :)“

“Amazing food and service!“

“Tried this place during an ice storm and they were extremely happy to see us and were open for business. We came back again 4 days later and the food was even better.“

“Quaint no frills Japanese restaurant serving home made udon. You must come during lunch hours and try the Teisho lunch set which offers a rotating fish dish depending on what's in season alongside an assortment of side dishes including sashimi. The quality of food here is just as good if not better than what you can find in Japan and don't forget to get a pint of Kirin on draft served in an ice cold mug. The waitresses are also very kind and will make sure you feel welcome and enjoy your meal.“

“The staff here is fantastic! It’s your “average” teriyaki, nothing special but not bad at all, decent price for the portions and you get potstickers with your dish if you’d like for an additional $1-2. Not my favorite sauce and the spicy version isn’t spicy at all.“

“A Japanese restaurant run by someone from Osaka. While there is some so-called American-style sushi, there is also a lot of Japanese sushi, and perhaps because it is near the sea, the ingredients are very delicious. The sushi I brought home (tuna, sea urchin, salmon roe, somehow dragon) was also great ?
I will stop by again when I come to Portland.“

“I don’t how this nigga Ricky make his sushi but ever since I decided to try it on DoorDash one day I get sushi from here at least 1-2 times a week. I’ve never been there as I’ve only ordered through DoorDash but the consistency it has and the fact that it tastes better than most places when ordered online def says something. The dragon roll is my go to, best I’ve had for the price. I usually don’t spend more $15 on food but Ricky got me spending at least $30 and I’m happy every damn time. I have never left a food review but I ordered some tonight and got some amazing free miso soup, cheers to all the people there“

“The food is great, the staff are extremely nice, the service is amazing. Overall 10 out of 10. And the ramen is really good! As someone who doesn't go out to eat often and going there for the first time, I would go again if I had another chance to go.“

“Great service, friendly staff and very delicious, fresh fish at a fair price. Plus they are celiac friendly! We will definitely be back.“

“best salmon and squid salad ever!“