Yokoso Nippon

R.I.P. Yokoso Nippon! I’m gonna miss a history in part of my life and my dad’s old job!
Just helping editing my dad’s resume and I was typing this place Nippon and its closed! This place bring great memories for me! My dad worked here in 1985 and my dad would take me here sometimes to work! This place was rockin’ in the 80’s and early 90’s! Since then after my dad left in 1991 both me and my dad haven’t come to this place in more than a decade! The owner was a great man! I love this place and this will always be a part of mines and my dad’s life! I will miss this place!

I’m sad that I feel as though Unilocalers helped cause this place to close. ;(
It’s a Japanese owned restaurant that didn’t do well in the poor economy. It will certainly be missed for the stellar sushi, and great owners!

Goooodbye :(((!
I used to love this place dearly when I was younger. This might have been my first sushi restaurant!!! Back when my parents didn’t let me eat sashimi, and I had endless amounts of California rolls… It was here that I was introduced to unagi by accident! aww the good old days :(
I tried to come here with the boyfriend back in June or July & it was all boarded up. I wanted to cry! :(So sadsadsad. Prior to that, I visited one time with my dad. a LONG LONG LONG time ago. I remember we got a bunch of food, and I ordered a poke roll or something. It was only about $ 4, but it was freaking HUGE. like half a water bottle huge. I was shocked because I had no idea how I would finish it. Well, I took it home. :)
Drove by a few days ago, and saw that it’s about to be 8Sushi. I’m going to miss all the old décor that I used to love looking at!

R.I.P. Nippon Sushi
Thank you for all the great memories and awesome food for dirt cheap prices. From elementary throughout college and till this day you have always been a staple of mine.
… Coming back to the area this weekend I, of course, made my way to Nippon to grab a bite. And to my dismay I saw a ‘boarded’ up place, phone disconnected, and all signs gone. =(
You will be missed, and I wish the sweet old lady that owned it all the best …

Sooooooooo… it looks like they found a new sushi chef. Boy is the newbie slow! I had to wait an hour for my takeout order, and it wasn’t even a big one! Just 5 orders of nigiri, 3 makimono, and one donburi. ONE HOUR!!! The neta was OK, fresh but thinly cut into a very short shape so that there was no mouthfeel. But the shari, it was pretty bad! Oversized, unvinegared, overly sweet, and worst of all: the rice was overcooked and mushy!
The only saving grace was that it was kinda cheap at just under $ 50, and the owner was kinda nice.
Now I remember why I haven’t been back in 8 years, and I know why I won’t be back either.
Technical information for sushi aficionados only (everyone else can skip this part if they like haha!): I believe that they make what’s essentially a poor representation of Kansai-​style sushi here: the lack of vinegar and abundance of sugar in the shari is the most telling sign. I’ve heard that the owner is actually a Zainichi Korean, so I wouldn’t be surprised if she were from Kobe, Osaka, or some other city in Kansai. The sushi chef was named Louis, I believe, and looked Southeast Asian, but spoke with the owner in Japanese! But who cares what he is, all I know is that he’s not the most skilled itamae-​san at all and that he’s SLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWW!!! Ya know, thinking twice about it, considering the lack of vinegar and the size of the shari, it almost seemed like it was less nigiri sushi and more like a musubi with a bit of fish on top instead of inside.

This place is worse than I remember. It was always inexpensive and quality was good, but you knew if you wanted high grade fish you would go elsewhere. Well, now all that is true is the elsewhere.
Friday night at 8 PM with only three other tables should have been the signal. Ends up the three tables already had their food, so we thought we were in for a fast dinner. 20 minutes later we finally got our order in. Our last dish came over 90 minutes after we came in! And only two other tables came in. The fish was okay, but the rice was completely unseasoned. Sukiyaki roll sounded good but was like beef jerky on rice. Vege futomaki was a disgrace.
Tempura udon — tempura arrived 20 minutes after udon. One roll at a time came out of the kitchen. It was not as if there were a lot of to go order either. Had to leave less than $ 1 tip because service was basically non-​existent. Do yourself a favor and avoid.

What we ordered: total about $ 50 CASH ONLY
Hamachi sashimi — 9 thin slices
2 huge deep fried oysters
10 spicy tuna rolls
10 spicy hamachi rolls
BBQ Hamachi fish w/​teriyaki sauce
2 miso soup
The place could be cleaned up a bit, and the two older ladies serving food were nice. The food took a bit long but doable. Loved the miso soup and the fried oysters (they were huge). I would not order the rolls again (too ricey and you could barely see the fish in the middle).
I’ve had much better sushi but this place is close to me and some items are decent. so I may come back again.

This place is toxic. Toxic Japanese food and a toxically dirty facilities. My family chose this dump to get takeout. I Unilocaled and saw it was rated 3 stars (which means so-​so to bad on Unilocal) and so I became wary. The food was awful. The tempura was in a batter better suited to fish and chips and the spicy tuna rolls tasted like the hot came from overused Tabasco sauce. The facilities were pretty shameful — dirty and suspect.
Verdict: stay away, far far away

2.5 stars
As many other reviewers have said, this was my first trip back to Nippon in a long while. After reading so many of their reviews, I returned with more than a little trepidation, and incredibly low expectations.
Location: Nippon is in a small strip mall at the top of Skyline. It’s not in a great neighborhood, but it’s never felt sketchy enough for me to avoid it.
Look and feel: Nippon never looked like a fancy place, but it has really fallen into disrepair over the years. The tables and charis are all pretty beaten up, the «décor» is reminiscent of a shanty town, and the place is just dirty. Seriously, it could really use a good scrubbing.
Menu: It’s a fairly extensive sushi menu. No frilly creations, just standard authentic nigiri and rolls. Tempura, teriyaki, and the like as well.
The food:
Tempura — Since we were there with our two girls (6 yrs and 18 months), we ordered some tempura to start. The vegetables and shrimp were fresh and well cooked to a nice golden brown. The batter was light and crispy. It was a little oily, but then again, most tempura is. This was a very nice sized plate of tempura for the price.
Shitake hosomake, Horenso hosomake — Typically, vegetable sushi doesn’t do it for me, since the dry flavor of the vegetable cannot overcome the blandness of the rice. These two rolls at Nippon do not have that problem at all. They’re very flavorful.
California roll — We ordered these with real crab (they have it as an option.) I thought it was an excellent roll.
Vegetable futomake — Their futomake is different than most in that the vegetables are mostly cooked or lightly pickled. This leads to two distinct differences — it has a much stronger flavor, and the roll is soft rather than crunchy. Overall I really liked it.
Maguro nigiri, Hamachi nigiri — This is the item that has changed the most since I last ate here. The fish on their nigiri used to be exactly the same size as the rice below it. (Given the price, it wasn’t anything to complain about.) I was shocked to receive our orders to find that the fish was at least 3x the size it used to be. That’s a huge improvement, and well worth the price increase on these items. It’s not top-​tier fish, but it’s still pretty good.
Unagi nigiri, Tamago nigiri — Both very good representations.
One thing to note about all of their rolls — the rice is rather loosely packed, so the rolls will fall apart somewhat easily if you dont have a good grip on them. After our first exposure to this, we were able to adjust pretty easily.
Service: There was one old Japanese woman waiting tables, and one or two guys in the back making the food. The place was fairly empty for a Friday night, so service was reasonably paced, and perfectly friendly.
Value: You simply cannot get this quality sushi for this price anywhere else. The dining room is a mess, but the food is quite good.
Will I go back? It’s out of our way, so we won’t get here with any frequency, but we’ll be back again when we’re in the area. We might skip the maguro and hamachi nigiri next time, mainly because I think their rolls are better.

I came here after not coming for a long long long long time. The bf and I arrived on a weeknight which used to be really busy during the dinner rush; we should have known when we arrived and parked we noticed there were only 2 parties in there.
none the less, we sat down, browsed the menu and ordered the usual (chirashi, ten don, and 1 roll usually california or salmon & avo) and waited. The service was horrible like usual and I kept staring at the little japanese lady’s fake hair. Food came. Some of the rice was undercooked. The sushi was warm. The chirashi had a strange taste. My tempura was probably the only thing remotely edible. We were in and out within ½ hour and *shudders* will never be back ever again. My stomach will thank me.

Nippon Sushi is one of those local restaurants that I support and continually order from because
1) They are actually run by Japanese people
2) My family has been ordering food from them for years and we’ve never had any complaints
3) It’s a local mom and pop restaurant that has lots of options, and its REALLY CHEAP!
True, the restaurant could be much cleaner. Sure, the staff sits around and they watch tv and aren’t attentive like a fine dining restaurant. But come on, its a recession and business hasn’t been as great. The food is still really good, I get water when I need it, and all you have to do is say excuse me and they’ll come over and help you out.
Plus, they give you soo much sushi for a great price. I feel like they are a part of my family tradition since we used to order from them every Friday. They used to give us a free plate of sushi because we were such great customers and my dad is Japanese =)
I will continue to order from here until they close. Support your local restaurants!

I always get pretty good sushi when I come here. So for the most part this place is very consistent. An old Japanese lady owns this place I believe. The last time I came, she had Latino workers making the sushi. This time around, they were Chinese workers. This is place is good, just don’t let the interior of the restaurant fool you.
I ordered all nigiri. Salmon, tuna, yellow-​tail, eel, and shrimp. Everything was very good. Pretty delicious for tonight’s dinner. For sushi, the prices were very reasonable. I definitely will be coming here more often.

Maybe the worst place to get Sushi in the USA — yes I am serious. Here are the things you need to be very aware of if you opt to come here:
1. Restaurant is not in the best of neighborhoods
2. Restaurant is dirty and yes you can actually see garbage in the corner near the seats where you wait for take out — I should have take that as a sign.
3. California Rolls were sour as in the fish had clearly been in the fridge for days and they were just using every bit up.
4. Staff is not happy or nice — sorta just sitting there taking orders and slinging the food at you.
5. Restaurant needs to be cleaned so much so I am shocked the heath inspector hasn’t closed this place down yet!
Very disappointing. Poor quality sushi at any price (yes even cheap) is never okay. I recommend staying away from this spot.

I used to go to Nippon Sushi once every month or two for good, cheap sushi. I liked the hamachi nigiri, fresh salmon and avocado don, and tempura. However, a couple years ago the quality started going down hill. So, I went here less and less often (and went to Sushi Koko more and more often, although pricier) and eventually stopped.
Today, I got take-​out for the first time in about a year. Unless I’m desperate for sushi and no one else in the neighborhood is open, I don’t plan to come back. Not only had the quality of the fish deteriorated, but it was sliced so thinly the rice was visible below the fish. Even the rice wasn’t the same — too dense. Even something as simple as chicken kara age was overcooked, dry and flavorless. Oh yeah, and the chicken kara age took … 45 minutes! The sushi was ready in 20 minutes.

What you need to know about Nippon
— Great, cheap sushi made by Mexican dudes with Japanese waitresses, many of which both do not have wonderful English skills.
— Service is bad. They get a lot of takeout, so your food comes slower. Along with the fact in two times I’ve been there they’ve given my order to somebody else. *Cue sad music*
— It’s in the ghetto. Protect yoself.
— You’ll probably not be able to get a space in the lot, as there’s limited parking in the strip it’s in.
— The décor is supposedly «for sale.» Looks like they took an armoire out of a traditional Japanese home and put it in the restaurant in the least convenient place possible
There you have it, folks! If you’re willing to risk hell for decent food, my luck be with you.

I’m kinda disappointed that they changed some of their signature items. The tempura is not longer what it used to be, now it’s fried to a crisp and the breading is kinda hard. The old chef used to always give you a few extra pieces but this time around, it just felt like half the usual portions i got. The rolls were always quite disappointing as it was almost all rice and barely any filling. What happened? I guess it’s just the signs of the times, economy bad so they had to cut back on the fish?
The two remaining stars are for the price of course, where else can u get 16 pieces of sushi for under 5 bucks?
I guess you get what you pay for.

As I mentioned in my last review, I used to come here every week. I’ve been to Nippon for around 4 – 5 years now and boy the quality has gone down.
The consistency of the dish is not always the same. Nippon is kind of like a wild card sometimes. Sometime it can be good but sometimes it can be bad. But the last few times that I went, it has been bad. They give you a few fish less for the chirashi and the rolls are very sloppy made.
I don’t think I will be coming to Nippon as often anymore unless I want a cheap chirashi togo. As I mention its only a little over $ 5.

This is a place where its numerous flaws are excusable.
Small place. Slow service. Horrible parking. Wobbly chairs. Sticky tables.
Don’t set your expectations high, son. You will fall… hard.
Décor: collection of disarrayed tables, mismatched chairs, old children’s toys, nik-​naks, and colored papers of special menu items written in magic markers
Menus: collection of papers typed in the 80’s covered in sheet protectors that have been spilled on many times
Despite all that, people always come back. They come back for the food.
This place has the most extensive menu a hole-​in-​the-​wall can offer. (nigiri. sashimi. maki. rolls. handrolls. tempura. udon. sashimi bowls. futomaki. specialty rolls…) Possibly more selections than a typical japanese place.
Quality: surprisingly good. not great or of the highest quality. but not bad at all.
Price: I rarely have to spend more than $ 10 a meal here.
Portion: bang for the buck. always filling.
Do not dismiss this place.
It deserves at least one try.
Remember, sloooow service.
So be patient.
Check your standards at the door.
And maybe you will come to enjoy this place as others do.
You have been informed =D

Cheap… cheap is an understatement. We’re talking 16 pieces of california roll for 4 bucks. My parents brought me here first, maybe 12 years ago? The prices haven’t changed so dramatically that you don’t think it’s worth it anymore. Oh this baby’s worth checking out.
You will wait in line for a long long time if you go on a busy night (which is every night, by the way). Try and go early or late in the evening. Or, call ahead and order out. Trust me. You don’t want to wait for an hour and half.
… also a testament to how worth it a trip is!!!

I’m damn embarrassed I came here!
I used to come here all the time with my mom and sisters, and it was such a find! Lots of sushi rolls for such a cheap price, and it was good quality sushi too!
So, I decide to try it out again in hopes that they hadn’t changed too much. The majority of the Unilocal reviews held promise and so we headed southbound.
After being seated at a stickier than sticky table and being served lukewarm team on a cold night, I was getting nervous. The worn out washed out menus were overwhelming and just a mess. We started out with the seaweed salad and the hijiki seaweed salad. The green seaweed salad was standard, but the hijiki had some funky sauce overpowering the whole thing. Very disappointing.
I ordered an array of sashimi and nigiri and a couple of maki rolls too — a salmon one and a spicy tuna one. Well, the salmon one was average if anything and the spicy tuna one was doused in Tabasco sauce. Yuck. That’s not what I would usually call a spicy anything when I’m talking sushi. The nigiri had huge balls of packed rice under each piece that I had to break the rice up and split it up among my sashimi. The sashimi was average and not laid out very aesthetically pleasing. We were still hungry and ordered a few more pieces of sashimi and it was all very low-​grade fish. They were out of uni as well. (Which in retrospect, I’m glad I didn’t get b/​c that might have been low grade too and you don’t want food poisoning from low grade uni.)
Service was average if any. With only one waitress running around, she was busy and it took awhile to get her attention. We asked for hotter water for our tea, and it still came out the same. (I almost want to guess that she turned on the faucet to the highest setting and got the water from there!) I would have been happier if she microwaved the water at this point.
A lot of young people were dining here on this Thursday night — as in high school, early college young. And yes, it’s super cheap but not super great either. I guess you definitely get what you pay for here. Sadly, things have gone downhill at Nippon’s and you won’t find me dining there again.