Takahashi

This would normally be a 5 star review as the food is the best and the prices can't be beat. This is/was my favorite restaurant, but I'm on the fence now. The service has truly gone down hill. The white woman with dark hair is just a lousy waitress. I've been served by her three times now and all of those times she was very slow, lacked basic waitress skills (Don't take a plate without asking, don't reach across, don't tell someone what you think they want, etc...), and was awkward to boot. more

Excellent food! Great bang for your buck. High quality.\r \r Don't go for a quick meal, it's always busy and the food takes a while but it's well worth the wait!!!\r \r This is the only place I go for teriyaki chicken, nothing else compares. more

Thank you so much for the great service, the warm welcome and the best sushi and tempura. We will definitely be returning very soon. more

I've been going here since 1999, and it is one of my favorites. Prices are very reasonable, so it can be a regular indulgence. I am not a very adventurous sushi eater, so I tend to stick to the basics--maki and handrolls. The Caterpillar Maki (tempura shrimp and unagi roll with avocado slices on top) and Original Lani Maki (shrimp tempura, avocado, cream cheese, radish sprouts and onion) are my favorites. I also like the Alaskan Handroll (smoked salmon, asparagus, lettuce). The sushi I've ordered has always been excellent. Be aware that Wednesday is 40% off sushi night, so it tends to be extremely busy. Either arrive right when they open, get there later in the evening or be prepared to wait a while. They run discounts on other nights from time to time, so if you are trying to stretch a dollar you can call and find out. Note that they are closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Sushi is hand assembled, so speed of service varies greatly with the size of the crowd. If there is a birthday party with 20 people all ordering sushi there is not much anyone can do but be patient. The salad rolls have saved us from starving more than once. Most of the wait staff has been there for years so they are helpful and friendly. The building is an old strip mall, so it looks rather shabby outside. Inside the restaurant is nice though. The front room has an eclectic collection of antique Japanese detritus, with an electric train circling the room high up on the wall. We usually sit at the sushi bar unless we are there with friends and get a table. The back room is more simply decorated. more

Horrible service. Period. We arrived at around 6 pm and were told we would have a 20-30 minute wait for a table. For the next two hours we watched the hostess seat couple after couple that had just arrived (WITHOUT reservations) at tables that were large enough to seat our 4 person party. Before we gave up and left we asked why we we're being treated this way, and were simply told that they were busy, then ignored for another 20 minutes. On our way out we looked at the waiting list and there were at least 10 groups of people who had arrived after us, but were seated first. The food smelled great, but with service like that, I will never return. Pros: Food smelled great, atmosphere was very festive. Cons: Very bad service, not in the best neighborhood. more

I love tempura so when I saw the little slips to order both a la carte sushi AND tempura I was very excited (2 peices in each order, as usual). Their tempura banana is terrific, everything we tried was and there are lots of vegitarian and meat options to satisfy everyone. I'm not a very adventurous eater but my friend ordered the vegitarian ramen and after 1 taste had to order one for myself despite already having lots of food and being pretty full already. The broth was amazing, perfectly savory and full of flavor with lots noodles, veggies and tofu as well. I am not normally a broth person, I usually leave most of it in the bowl but this broth I couldn't stop drinkng. I am now on the look out for delicious ramen where I live in Seattle and so far nothing compares (not even close). I will be making the trip to Takahashi every time I visit Portland from now on! Pros: Amazing ramen, lots of al la carte options Cons: Far(ish) east side location more

The sushi is awesome and very fresh.The broiled salmon is probably one of the most savory dish and yea the sauce does have both VINEGAR and lemon . New male server was most likely right about the vinegar as being part of the reason why it was sour. I actually like pouring that sauce on my rice. Pros: Fresh Salmon Cons: Busy more

I've read the reviews about the miso soup being luke warm, and this is true. Seiji is a delightful host, if you should be lucky enough to get a seat at the bar. Elizabeth is a beautiful treat if she happens to be there, which is RARE enough. There have been times I have found the red tuna to be less than fresh and there have been peculiarities in the portions at times. I order the salmon with the lemon sauce, which is just heavenly. However, you never know if you are getting a piece or a huge meal of a filet. If you read the description, it says ""lemon"", and you can taste lemon, but the new male waiter swears it's vinegar. I avoid him. The sukiyaki is good, although once it had old tofu (we presume) and it tasted sour. Another time, it had an extremely thick and fatty piece of beef which is very uncommon in sukiyaki. The menu seems cluttered, is misspelled in places, and seems a bit unequal in prices. It also appears to repeat some dishes but at a different price. Be sure to ask for clarity.\r \r But, despite the problems, I just love this place. The tempura is delicious, and a good value on the sushi, if you can get it fresh. I often order too much, as it's good. The country style potato in the complete meal, and the salmon a la carte with the very wonderful lemon sauce is just heavenly. It isn't a corporate franchise restaurant, but a small friendly family owned venture with delicious food, so I often overlook the flaws. You will too. \r \r Oh, and Seiji loves to talk baseball, for those so inclined. more

I might have caught this restaurant on a bad night, based on the other reviews, but I was not impressed. Service was terrible, miso was luke warm, food came extremely slow, and the flavors of the rolls were on the blander side, The spicy tuna maki was especially flavorless. Even the shrimp tempura roll was bland. The nigiri was of a better than average quality on the whole, but the shiro maguro (albacore) was absolutely unacceptable in quality. It was tough when it should have been buttery. The tai (red snapper) was really good as was the hamachi (yellowtail). Pros: Price is pretty good more

I've been going to The Takahashi for the last 6 years, and it never fails to impress! Seiji, Ruth, and Elizabeth Takahashi (owner, wife, and daughter) all work hard at keeping it on top of it's game. The sushi is the freshest he can get, some of the fish shipped halfway around the world in less than a week! The gyoza (pan-fried potstickers) are absolutely excellent! The beer & sake selection is remarkably broad for a small restaurant! The salmon entree is some of the best in the world, in a spectacular, light lemon sauce! The waitstaff is like family, always smiling, always friendly, and always accommodating. On the outside, it looks a little sketchy, but walking into the restaurant is like walking into Japan itself! The decorations, highly authentic, are fun and absolutely add to the ambiance of the restaurant. Food is quick, especially considering how crowded it gets! You may have to wait 15-30 minutes for a table, but it's worth it! If you don't have the time, try the sushi bar, where you watch the sushi chefs (including owner Seiji Takahashi) make your food--it's as fresh as can be!! If you want menu items other than just sushi, no worries! They have a waitress to help you with that at the bar, too! This really is an amazing find! more

Tried Takahashi for the first time the other night. The potstickers, tempura and sushi were all top quality, and 2 of us ate quite a bit for $32 including a tip. Prices would be double or more in many other places that aren't as good Pros: large selection, low prices, discount days more

He is, no doubt, the master. As a Chef who enjoys a great meal, what better a place than at Takahashi? Its still the time honored tradition of ""hand rolled"", ""hand formed"" in the sushi preparation. And not some roller machine that cheapens the art of sushi. Great Ikura, taco, and tobiko. The cone rolls are the best! And my favorite item? Miso soup. The staff is busy busy but always smiling and so helpful. I reccommend this place to everyone. And they have discount nights Wed and Sunday, a really good deal. more

I went with a friend of mine tonight for the first time since hearing really good things about this restaurant. It was better than I expected. We got there just as they had closed and they still seated us. The service was impeccable and they were very friendly and attentive, but they never once made us feel rushed. The food was fantastic!!! I highly recommend this place and can't wait to go back! Pros: Food and service. Cons: Parking more

I absolutely love this place! I bring all my friends and family here, and would highly recommend it for a fun and unique date night! Go here if you want authentic, fresh sushi or a traditional meal... I've been to Japan several times, and the food tastes exactly how I had it in Kyushu. Go to Saburo's if you want rude service rolls so big you can't try a variety... Takahashi has just the right size nigiri and maki so that you can have a variety on your plate but still not break the bank. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!! Pros: A great experience every time! Cons: Sometimes a wait to be seated, but that just means the secret is out on this place. Excellent! more

My Japenese friend first took me here when I moved to Portland 7years ago and I have yet to find tastier, more consistant, fresh sushi. SE Holgate location is the best by far, I have gone there at least once a week since the first time I visited. The staff is friendly, the atmosphere cozy and the prices low. My first choice for birthdays, a night on the town or take out for a nice night at home! Pros: Yummy! Cons: parking when it is packed more

Takahashi is one of my favorite sushi restaurants of all time; the service is usually warm and friendly, the quality of the sushi is outstanding. Even better is the 50% off Wednesday nights special-which I reccomend taking advantage of because the prices seem somewhat high. However, the place is fun for dates or for family outings, there is plenty of toys & decor from Japan to keep your eyes ooccupied. They don't take reservations, so be sure to arrive early to get a seat. The Rainbow Roll, Hamachi, and Unagi there are my personal favorites. Pros: Quality of sushi, discount nights Cons: Closed often, closes early! Call ahead! more

I've been going to The Takahashi for 16 years now and I still absolutely love it! My favorite is the King's Dinner on the last page of the menu. You get a lot of food at a good price. I love the fried, rice, yakisoba, pot stickers, miso soup, great tempura, and I love the pork on the skewers, it's really good. And, they have good ice cream. Most of the time the food comes very quickly (even when busy) and it's very fresh. Although sometimes the service is a little slow, they're friendly. They do get busy on the weekends, but I usually don't have to wait too long. The decorations are very interesting to look at- so at least you'll have something to do while you're waiting. My 6-year-old always asks to go there. Pros: food, decorations, good prices Cons: close fairly early more

You can't go wrong with anything on the menu. All of the food from miso to sushi is great. They have a sushi and tempura checklist menu on each table. Choose your favorites and enjoy. Large portions. I prefer to sit at the sushi bar if space is available. I have eaten here for years and never had a bad meal. Pros: Great Food, Good Prices Cons: Parking more

Me and a few friends went for dinner later on a sat. evening. It was busy, so it took awhile to be seated. Understandable. My friends food came out way before mine did. I realize we put in seperate tickets, but we were at the same table! Our waitress left us in the middle of our dinner. We never got the drinks we ordered, so I got up to get them. I found out or waitress had left for the night! Come on people!! Oh yah, and I had to get up to get our bill! And then, the girl at the front desk was too busy talking to a coworker about her weekend plans then to help us and the line forming behind us! Maybe a staff meeting is in line!!Good Luck! more

I was very disappointed by this restaurant. The ramen was overpowered by brocolli and bean sprouts and the broth tasted like watery chow mein sauce. The donburi was soupy and the rice that was used tasted day-old. The maguro used in the maki was flavorless. I wouldn't recommend this place. more