The food is excellent. The offerings are both traditional and uniquely adventurous. We enjoyed both. Sake flight was fantastic. 21-day aged salmon was a highlight as well as 7-day aged sea bream. The portions are smaller than most sushi restaurants and more expensive. As many have mentioned in other reviews, the service is slow. Very slow. Having read that, we settled in for a relaxed meal. The pace pushed us beyond relaxed to impatient. We would definitely return when we have plenty of time.
Tim
Feel very misled by the new years dinner “special”. Paid $100 to find out it was a “deposit”. Then had an amazing dinner. Great place. THEN... got our bill! $498. $150/per person just for the food, (which was very minimal).... then we got “add ons” of the wagyu and the Uni.... $30 for a 1/2” piece of wagyu and a 1/2” roll of uni. Feel like they should have advertised more appropriately. Felt obligated to be “ok” with this bill. Then, got home and realized... they charged our card for the full $498... so, still waiting to figure out where my deposit went. Guess the meal was $598. Won't go again.
Richard
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.
Jan
Celebrating daughter's weekend long birthday. Perfect place to start off! The omakase dinner was heaven on earth taste wise. Congratulations on a staff that was truly a pleasure to deal with. The freshness of your ingredients was joyful! Will be back when I'm in Portland. Thank you for your skills and talent!!
Naaman
Zilla was wonderful. The most unique omakase experience. Staff were amazing and took such excellent care with us. 10/10
Matt
Dined here on 11/23, and was really happy with my experience. The front of house/waiter was really nice and knowledgeable, and the two chefs were heads-down and preparing amazing food at a good clip.
We went with the following: starters: miso soup, cucumber salad, edamame, fresh wasabi (for the nigiri) mains: hamachi nigiri, eel nigiri, nishi futomaki (maybe the best roll I have ever had) and a seasonal dish that was crispy-skinned trout, fingerling (I think) potatoes, chanterelles and a chestnut sauce (amazing small dish) drinks: hiyaroishi (fall) sake sampler, asahi draft, ume highball, one cup cloudy sake
total was $170 including tip.
Service was timely, with each dish coming out when we were done with the previous one, and as mentioned, the wait staff was really great. this is more of a fine-dining kind of spot, so expect to have somewhat small portions that are not cheap, but also expect high quality ingredients. the seasonal dish of crispy trout, nishi futomaki, fresh wasabi and the sake sampler were standouts.
the only thing that kind of bummed me out was that I was hoping the nigir was a bit larger of a portion. for the price, i would have rather ordered the crispy trout two more times rather than grab the nigiri. not that it wasn't delicious, but again, the size of the actual cuts of fish (mainly the hamachi) were a bit on the small side from what I have experienced in the past (granted, i am comparing this to places in japan).
I think I will come back next year for my birthday and take the plunge on the omakase. on that note, I see people in the reviews complaining about how long the service takes for that, but it literally says on the menu to expect a ~2 hour 7 course meal. it is meant to be enjoyed slowly, so if you are tight on time, this might not be for you.
so glad to have finally eaten here, I can't recommend it enough for an elevated japanese dining experience.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Pasha
We loved it! And considering it's Celiac friendly, my partner was able to dine without worry.
Stacy
Fresh, quality ingredients. Classic preparation with a modern approach. Amazing as always - thank you!
Cyd Manro
This place is special. I recommend sitting at the bar so you can see the sushi being rolled. The specialty items are delicious. The guy who runs Zilla also makes specialty items like jars of paté. Do yourself a favor and celebrate something special here!
Such a beautiful restaurant with even better sushi. All plates were amazing, and the gluten free menu made it so easy to enjoy what I wanted to. Will definitely be coming back!
This place is among the my top places! Everything was so fresh and high quality and the chefs knew what they were doing. The flavors were well balanced and flavorful. The staff were so kind and very professional as well! If your in Portland and want food sushi this is the place!
Vegetarian options: Had a variety of vegetarian options to choose from!
Dietary restrictions: Were very helpful with things such as gluten allergies.
We ate here for a birthday dinner. The service was friendly and knowledgeable. The food was outstanding. I highly recommend.
Opentable Diner
Great food with great service. The Zilla roll with the aomori and the Paloma (fave) were great. Lobster karaage was so-so. Chef Vance was great company. Would go again!
Adelaide Christenson
While kind, the staff was inexperienced. We were expecting a female chef, as advertised, and not the case that evening. Everybody was nice but the food quality/too slow service didn't match the high price. Another odd moment, the side order of sushi rice is cold -rice vinegar- rice. We thought would be just a side of plain (sushi grade) rice. No, it's literally a cold bowl of vinegar+ flavored rice. And there was a cocktail that had a large salted Ume; the sheer amount of salt was impossible to eat without plain rice.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Stew McMann
It was a great experience. We sat at the bar and got to talk to the chef who was making our food and sushi. The food was excellent, and the service was attentive. The only part I did not like was that the sake was super expensive compared to other times we'd been there. We will definitely go back as it is one of our favorite sushi places in Portland.
The food is excellent. The offerings are both traditional and uniquely adventurous. We enjoyed both. Sake flight was fantastic. 21-day aged salmon was a highlight as well as 7-day aged sea bream. The portions are smaller than most sushi restaurants and more expensive. As many have mentioned in other reviews, the service is slow. Very slow. Having read that, we settled in for a relaxed meal. The pace pushed us beyond relaxed to impatient. We would definitely return when we have plenty of time.
Feel very misled by the new years dinner “special”. Paid $100 to find out it was a “deposit”. Then had an amazing dinner. Great place. THEN... got our bill! $498. $150/per person just for the food, (which was very minimal).... then we got “add ons” of the wagyu and the Uni.... $30 for a 1/2” piece of wagyu and a 1/2” roll of uni. Feel like they should have advertised more appropriately. Felt obligated to be “ok” with this bill. Then, got home and realized... they charged our card for the full $498... so, still waiting to figure out where my deposit went. Guess the meal was $598. Won't go again.
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.
Celebrating daughter's weekend long birthday. Perfect place to start off! The omakase dinner was heaven on earth taste wise. Congratulations on a staff that was truly a pleasure to deal with. The freshness of your ingredients was joyful! Will be back when I'm in Portland. Thank you for your skills and talent!!
Zilla was wonderful. The most unique omakase experience. Staff were amazing and took such excellent care with us. 10/10
Dined here on 11/23, and was really happy with my experience. The front of house/waiter was really nice and knowledgeable, and the two chefs were heads-down and preparing amazing food at a good clip.
We went with the following:
starters: miso soup, cucumber salad, edamame, fresh wasabi (for the nigiri)
mains: hamachi nigiri, eel nigiri, nishi futomaki (maybe the best roll I have ever had) and a seasonal dish that was crispy-skinned trout, fingerling (I think) potatoes, chanterelles and a chestnut sauce (amazing small dish)
drinks: hiyaroishi (fall) sake sampler, asahi draft, ume highball, one cup cloudy sake
total was $170 including tip.
Service was timely, with each dish coming out when we were done with the previous one, and as mentioned, the wait staff was really great. this is more of a fine-dining kind of spot, so expect to have somewhat small portions that are not cheap, but also expect high quality ingredients. the seasonal dish of crispy trout, nishi futomaki, fresh wasabi and the sake sampler were standouts.
the only thing that kind of bummed me out was that I was hoping the nigir was a bit larger of a portion. for the price, i would have rather ordered the crispy trout two more times rather than grab the nigiri. not that it wasn't delicious, but again, the size of the actual cuts of fish (mainly the hamachi) were a bit on the small side from what I have experienced in the past (granted, i am comparing this to places in japan).
I think I will come back next year for my birthday and take the plunge on the omakase. on that note, I see people in the reviews complaining about how long the service takes for that, but it literally says on the menu to expect a ~2 hour 7 course meal. it is meant to be enjoyed slowly, so if you are tight on time, this might not be for you.
so glad to have finally eaten here, I can't recommend it enough for an elevated japanese dining experience.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
We loved it! And considering it's Celiac friendly, my partner was able to dine without worry.
Fresh, quality ingredients. Classic preparation with a modern approach. Amazing as always - thank you!
This place is special. I recommend sitting at the bar so you can see the sushi being rolled. The specialty items are delicious. The guy who runs Zilla also makes specialty items like jars of paté. Do yourself a favor and celebrate something special here!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chef’S Selection of Nigiri, Zilla, Sake -Salmon Sashimi 5pc
Such a beautiful restaurant with even better sushi. All plates were amazing, and the gluten free menu made it so easy to enjoy what I wanted to. Will definitely be coming back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Zilla, Spicy Tuna
Restaurantji Recommends
This place is among the my top places! Everything was so fresh and high quality and the chefs knew what they were doing. The flavors were well balanced and flavorful. The staff were so kind and very professional as well! If your in Portland and want food sushi this is the place!
Vegetarian options: Had a variety of vegetarian options to choose from!
Dietary restrictions: Were very helpful with things such as gluten allergies.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tsunami, Spicy Tuna, Lobster Karaage
We ate here for a birthday dinner. The service was friendly and knowledgeable. The food was outstanding. I highly recommend.
Great food with great service. The Zilla roll with the aomori and the Paloma (fave) were great. Lobster karaage was so-so. Chef Vance was great company. Would go again!
While kind, the staff was inexperienced. We were expecting a female chef, as advertised, and not the case that evening. Everybody was nice but the food quality/too slow service didn't match the high price. Another odd moment, the side order of sushi rice is cold -rice vinegar- rice. We thought would be just a side of plain (sushi grade) rice. No, it's literally a cold bowl of vinegar+ flavored rice. And there was a cocktail that had a large salted Ume; the sheer amount of salt was impossible to eat without plain rice.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
It was a great experience. We sat at the bar and got to talk to the chef who was making our food and sushi. The food was excellent, and the service was attentive. The only part I did not like was that the sake was super expensive compared to other times we'd been there. We will definitely go back as it is one of our favorite sushi places in Portland.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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