Blue Fin 2

I think the sushi here is great. I'm not an expert or foodie snob, but I've never had a bad experience here. Last time we were here, we had reservations for 9 pm. We showed up and they profusely apologized that they didn't have a table yet. It was obvious that the reason was because there was a group of about 10 people who had been there for quite some time. It's a BYOB and they had 2 bottles of Grey Goose on the table...that's pretty much taking advantage of a BYOB as a place to drink for cheap with your friends. We waited about 15 minutes and then got a table, no big deal. The staff was sincerely apologetic and gave us 2 full appetizers for free for ""making us wait"". I was almost full before ordering. I really couldn't believe the below comments about the rude staff...I've never seen anything like that at this place! more

This place serves up some decent sushi, but nothing like some of the finer center city establishments as is espoused. The popularity of this place seems akin to the stock market or housing bubbles. Like sheep in a heard people are drawn to the crowds and assume it is the best. This all has apparently gotten to the staffs heads, as they act as if you are privileged to be there not the other way around.\r \r Had an outstandingly hilarious experience last night... When we arrived we were coldly asked if we had a reservation. We replied that we did not and were told ""we'll see what we can do"" (the place was not crowded) as if we were privileged to be there. After being seated, my friend and I ordered up about $100.00 dollars in sushi and sashimi, part of which was an order of Kanpachi sashimi. The order came to the table and we began eating when I noticed not more than a minute later that the Kanpachi was not on the plate. I called over the waitress and explained this to her, at which point she apologized and went over to the Sushi Chef to explain. That is when the fun started!\r \r In the middle of this tiny restaurant, the sushi chef shouted out for all to hear ""you have got to be kidding me!"" Pompously stating that the Kanpachi was in fact on the plate... He then proceeded to loudly ask, in front of the entire crowd at the restaurant, how many beers we had drank, insinuating that we were drunk and must have eaten it and forgot!\r \r We laughingly shrugged it off and continued to eat our meal, curious as to how they were going to handle it in the end. As soon as we were finished they quickly came over and cleared our plates as if to rush us out the door. We received the check and noticed the Kanpachi was still on the bill. We quietly called over what seemed to be one of the managers or owners and stated that we did not want to make a big deal out of it but that we genuinely did not receive the Kanpachi. \r \r She proceeded to tell us that that she herself had seen the Kanpachi on the plate and that it was in fact there! Obviously she does not watch every order being served and was not present when our order was served and therefore was blatantly lying about her ""witness"" to the presence of the Kanpachi.\r \r We just had to laugh at the whole escapade. We were made to feel like Kanpachi thieves! We normally tip well over twenty percent, so we reduced it to 15% and therefore were not out our $5.95 so we did not end up paying any more than usual and the money is no big deal. It was just the whole reaction from the staff at the restaurant that was uncalled for and unprofessional.\r \r I woke up this morning and sent out an all points bulletin to my friends as follows:\r \r It was reported that last night two men in the mid 40’s of Mediterranean descent attempted to steal 2 pieces of Kanpachi Sashimi from the Blue Fin Restaurant in Plymouth meeting…. The men were last seen fleeing down Germantown Pike after the Sushi Chef chased them out of the store with a Samurai Cleaver… If anyone sees these two men please contact the authorities immediately… They are considered armed with chopsticks and dangerous…\r Pros: White Tuna Habanero Cons: Drab, Expensive, Overrated and Arrogant Management more

My first experience at Blue Fin was exciting to sayb the least. It was a Thursday in February and the place... more

This was my first experience at Bluefin, and I'd been eager to try since it recieved rave reviews from anybody who's been there. I was NOT impressed. I've been to sushi places so I have plenty of benchmarks. \r \r I'll start at the beginning:\r \r -The place is very popular, although I was a bit surprised to have a 45 minute wait for a table on a Wednesday night at 8:30 PM. I decided to get some take out, since I live 2 minutes away. Reservations recommended.\r \r -Looking at the menu, the sushi was expensive. I figured the sushi must be good for that price. \r \r -I should have checked the order before I left. I got home and the order was missing the edamame and miso soups.\r \r -They didn't forget any of the sushi, although maybe they should have. I ordered some salmon and yellowtail sushi. Against these two fishes I measure the quality of a sushi restaurant. I also ordered a lobster hand roll, a tuna avocado roll, and a dragon roll. (my fiances company was paying so..:) The salmon should have melted in my mouth. It did not. The eel in the dragon roll should not have had bones in it. It did. The rolls were small for the price. The yellowtail was average.\r \r Needless to say, I was/am not happy about the experience. First impressions go a long way!\r \r I can think of two other places within 5 minutes of this place that have better sushi, service, and prices:\r \r The Stonewell on Ridge Pike has better quality fish, lower prices, larger rolls, fantastic servce and they never forget my miso or edamame. They also have fantastic Korean food in addition to the Japanese offerings.\r \r Lai Lai on 202 is also better for the same reasons as Stonewell, minus the Korean food, plus Chinese food, but I'm partial to the Stonewell b/c of the service and casual atmosphere... Pros: BYOB Cons: Parking, BYOB, below average sushi, high prices, small portions more

This is by far the best sushi in the Philly area. Forget about the fancy center-city places - this small restaurant in the middle of a strip mall in Plymouth Meeting is the best place to get any kind of sushi. Reservations are a must almost any day of the week. Friends who have moved out of town insist on going there whenever they come back to the area. Pros: Great sushi!! Cons: Always crowded and need reservations more

I've been to this restaurant three times so far and if you're looking for great rolls, this is the place to go.\r \r The staff are very friendly and I noticed that 80% of the people in the restaurant are people that come there on a regular basis because the sushi chefs and the wait staff greeted the customers by name.\r \r If you're someone who's travelled to Japan and had authentic sushi plates that costs over $100 per person, then I'd say you have the right to criticize this place. But as someone who's been to most of the sushi places in Philly and the burbs, this place is a great BYOB with definitely great food... it has to be, it's crowded every single day and night it's opened!\r \r As far as the comment left by ""lulu08"" or whatever that person's screen name was, I'd rather have my sushi be made by sushi chefs who've had adequate training then have it made by mexicans who probably were trained for 3 weeks at Genji.\r \r \r So make sure to pick up some wine or if not, pick up some Sapporo beer next door at the dive and enjoy the marlee roll, davitch, and some of the wonderful rolls they have to offer. more

I've been to many sushi places but never has one place drawn me to it time and time again. This place seems to have done right - always expect the sushi to be the freshest sushi you'll ever taste and the always expect your servers to be pleasing and friendly. They remember you even if you haven't been there in ages! The pricing is great although there is this one place that I had sushi in Portland, OR that has HUGE servings which this place doesn't compare to - but I think it?s the quality that you are paying for. Try the tuna sundae - it looks gorgeous and tastes wonderful ? imagine tuna and avocado just melting in your mouth! Pros: The best sushi you'll ever taste Cons: Expect to have to wait for a table on a Friday/Saturday night more

Be sure to make a reservation a day or so in advance at this incrdible sushi spot in an unlikely strip shopping center in Plymouth Meeting. Perhaps the best sushi I have ever had, including Phila, NY, London and Paris. Absolutley superb! Yong is the best! more

Bluefin is an amazing sushi restaurant. It's by far the best that I have had in the Philadelphia area. That Lulu person is way off because Bluefin usually has specials and everything is always so fresh. I have never had a bad meal there. The chefs and waiters are all very nice. I recommend getting reservations though because they are always packed and they don't really have a waiting area since it's so small. They have great specialty rolls---marlee, davitch, and rosnov are all so good if you like rolls. Pros: rolls Cons: location more

I've finally found one sushi restaurant that I would go to more than once (maybe every week) here in Philadelphia. I've been to many good sushi restaurants in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Seoul, Boston and New York, but it was really hard to find any good sushi restaurant in Philadelphia.\r \r I've tried many sushi restautants with good reviews in Philadelphia for six month and found out that most of the reviews were based on the roles, not sushi. Sushi is totally different from rolls. \r \r Even though it was pre-cut ( not recommended but not unusual at the same time), it was still much fresher and tastier than any other restaurants. \r \r The only thing that I was not satisfied with Blue Fin was the quality of Toro. It was not real Toro Toro - it was half toro half maguro. I hope they serve better Toro next time.\r \r So, do not hesitate to try Blue Fin - especially their Unagi and Uni! Pros: sushi Cons: location - the address on the web is not correct. more

I realized the people who think Bluefin has great sushi, they don't know what ""sushi"" is. They've never experienced ""real"" sushi, so they think Bluefin is the best.\r Their sushi is as good as you can get from ""all-you-can-eat-sushi"" places. \r \r After I got too many good reviews about Bluefin, I couldn't wait to visit and try ""good"" sushi. I went there last week, and I was so disappointed. \r I sat at the sushi bar and I could see all fish in their sushi-neta case, and I was soooo surprised that they already pre-cut all fish which sushi chef never should.\r Because of the pre-cut, all fish were very dry and lost flavor already. \r Who said their sushi is fresh????? \r They don't even know how to cook right rice for sushi. The seasoning of sushi rice was off. Rice tasted very bad. Cutting of the fishes was wrong too. It was obvious that their sushi chefs were never trained as sushi chef. None of sushi chef said hi to us. Usually when I sit at sushi bar, it's a fun part to communicate with sushi chefs and get the best fish of the day at sushi bar, but what can I expect from them? They didn't even have any special fish. All I could get were only tuna, yellow tail, white tuna. salmon...all sushi places have those. They had no shell fish, sweet shrimp, uni, snapper, mackerel ...what's wrong with them?\r \r Bluefin was definitely over rated and over priced. Their sushi was not the sushi, but something ""look like sushi"". Even their green tea was bad. They probably don't change tea leafs through the night. It was green but didn't taste anything. Could somebody tell them you suppose to change tea leafs every time you make a tea, PLEASE!\r \r I don't mind spend a lot of money as long as I get good sushi, but I don't wanna pay even a penny for bad sushi. I stick with only Genji and Sagami. They are the only places which have real sushi.\r \r I will never go back and recommend Bluefin. I can't believe people wait to get in there. They have no restaurant in that area, or what???? more

This restaurant seems bland from the outside, but one step inside, and the bustling, Japanese style restaurant will surprise you! though small, blue fin is beautiful and well organized, the staff will have you seated in less time than is said, and you will enjoy sushi made from the highest quality ingredients, so fresh that you have to wonder if they have the fish still swimming in a tank in back. The selection is amazing to begin with, anything you get will be magnificent, and even trying things you may have not liked in the past, you are very likely to change your mind and love it in this place. even people who don't typically like roe on their sushi will love it here for the quality. There are also non sushi items on the menu, and there are many typical sushi choices as well, but I recommend trying some of the more expensive items on the menu that will surprise you with their wonderful flavor combinations!\r I highly recommend this restaurant for any sushi lover! more

Ever since my friend introduced it to me sometime last year, we've loved it so much my friends and I do ""Sushi Thursdays"" here at LEAST once a month, if not more often. We love the BYOB, I can't even name my favorite because I like everything. They do give away freebies every now and then, the chef and waitstaff are excellent, they do remember their returning customers. And in response to the person who suggested that the waitstaff has favorites, the reason they keep certain tables empty (reserved obviously) is because returning customers usually make reservations when they realize that this restaurant is regularly packed. Best sushi I've had in the area. Pros: Food, service, food Cons: parking, $$ - but i guess most sushi is. more

I drive 1/2 hr for bluefin sushi! it is so fresh and delicious and the chef is so friendly, he remembers you and what you like right away! Pros: fresh, delicious sushi more

I've tasted sushi in Philly, and many other cities in the States - this is THE best sushi and I've yet to find anything even comparable anywhere else. The fish is always fresh, the menu is creative, the service is excellent, and the food is consistently delicious - never a disappointment. It's worth making reservations ahead of time or even waiting, and the drive out to Plymouth Meeting. My recommendations - spicy crunchy tuna roll and Davitch roll! I don't eat tempura anywhere else but here as well. A Bluefin in Center City would crush any competition. more

As expected, we enjoyed our sushi--fish was fresh and tender, and pieces were large. The one thing that may keep us from going back is the spotty customer service. We called for reservations, specifically requesting a table (and were told there would be one available). When we arrived (on time), we were told that no tables were open, even though we could see three empty tables. Instead, we were seated at the sushi bar. We pointed out the empty tables and were ignored. Five minutes later, another couple came in and was seated at one of those tables, while the other two remained empty all night. We were never sure who to ask for assistance, and we sat for quite a while until our order was taken. This in itself is not a problem--we weren't in a hurry, but we saw many tables around us getting their water refilled w/o having to ask,and generally being well taken care of. The yellowtail was especially delicious, but it was awkward to feel like we weren't at all valued customers. We were barely spoken to all night, so we quietly finished what was not an inexpensive meal and left. We weren't even offered the option of dessert, just presented with the check. I don't know if we have to be older or wealthier to get better service, it just seemed odd to elevate all the long-time customers while alienating the new ones. Pros: fresh, delicious sushi Cons: uncomfortable environment in which to eat it more

Driving along Germantown pike in Plymouth Meeting the last thing you expect to find in a strip mall, wedged between a dry cleaners and a townie bar is a great sushi restaurant. But Bluefin is it!! You'll find a friendly staff led by Young (owner) who greets everyone personally from behind the bar. The fish is always fresh and prepared well. The specialty at Bluefin is definitley the maki rolls. I personally recommend the Marlee, Davitch, and Dragon rolls, the complexity of flavor literally explodes in your mouth. I have not had better rolls anywhere. This place is legit and worth the drive out of town. Pros: The Sushi!!!! Cons: The location. more

I have had sushi in every major market on the east coast and the midwest and Bluefin is by far the BEST. Yong is very friendly and personable and makes your visits pleasurable. The sushi is super fresh and tasty and the rolls aren't skimpy like some places. The servers are a delight. My husband and I go there at least 2 times a month. I dream about the Spicy Tuna Sundae! Trust me, the prices are worth it. Make reservations to insure quick seating. Enjoy! Pros: Super Sushi, Yong, Quaint and Quiet more

I liked Bluefin. It wasn't THAT far from Philadelphia but it could be hard to find. My fiance and I joined two friends for dinner. The restaurant and the parking lot were a little small but we didn't care, we wanted sushi. We made use of the BYOB aspect of Bluefin. Our server was very polite and prompt. We ordered for appetizers: edamame, yakitori, salad, 2x miso soup, & 2x spicy noodle soup (avoid them). Entrees: two sushi dinners. I loved the sushi. It was high-quality sushi. Most importantly, it was FRESH. We had banana tempura and honeydew melon as ""dessert"". Total bill came to around 100 dollars exc. tip for four people, which is quite reasonable. Pros: Fresh sushi, Polite staff, Atmosphere? more

When I drove up tp Blue Fin I almost pulled right out of the strip mall location. However, the recent positive reviews of fresh fish peeked my curiosity. Thankfully, the inside decor of Blue Fin is simply stylish and the sushi held up tp the ""highly receommended"" rating. Tender yellowtail that melts in your mouth and reasonabley priced Toro were a delight. I particluary enjoyed the Wasabi Shumai. Wait staff is superb and the young sushi chefs entertaining - even with a packed house. I can see this place being a downtown hit to rival any existing sushi establishment in Philadelphia. Pros: inexpensive, great service, creative maki Cons: , BOB more