The food here is actually pretty good. Their sushi was soft and practically melted in your mouth. The lychee martini was really good too. BUT, service was really slow. We physically got up to find a... More

The food here is actually pretty good. Their sushi was soft and practically melted in your mouth. The lychee martini was really good too. BUT, service was really slow. We physically got up to find a waiter to refill our water and grab our check. They came to our table once to see how we were doing. Pros: sushi Cons: service
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The place is cute, and lively on weekends. I think I went on a Saturday night, and there was a live DJ there, not sure if that's a regular deal. Started off the evening by waiting at least 10... More

The place is cute, and lively on weekends. I think I went on a Saturday night, and there was a live DJ there, not sure if that's a regular deal. Started off the evening by waiting at least 10 minutes for our seat, I saw open tables, I'm not sure why the waitress didn't seat us more promptly. Ordered a few bites and drinks from the happy hour menu, it left something to be desired. The waitress spilled a drink on me, and didn't seem genuinely apologetic-what can you do? The drinks lacked flavor. Overall: Service could have been better, and the food didn't shine. And I think I know my sushi pretty darn well. (The best so far was sashimi in Kona, Big Island) Pros: Tried to set thmselves apart Cons: Feeling compelled to tip poorly, so not good
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We recently went to Nijo's to check it out and I liked the atmosphere, however I have to say that the food there was only mediocre. We ordered quite a bit of food so we got to try a variety of... More

We recently went to Nijo's to check it out and I liked the atmosphere, however I have to say that the food there was only mediocre. We ordered quite a bit of food so we got to try a variety of things: panfried gyoza = soggy, bowl of rice = old and hard, tempura= a mound of flavorless food. The sushi was decent and the miso soup was good. We had great service and we were more than full when we left. Happy hour prices were pretty good. I don't think we'd go back unless we were starving for cheap eats. Pros: ambience, happy hour, service Cons: parking, quality of food
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this place has live dj's on certain nights which brings a real flair to ur eating experience b/c the food is not as traditional as some places but the quality is great. The sushi chefs if u sit at... More

this place has live dj's on certain nights which brings a real flair to ur eating experience b/c the food is not as traditional as some places but the quality is great. The sushi chefs if u sit at the bar will sometimes ask what you particulary like and cater a meal that is wonderful balanced and amazing.
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We've been to Nijo twice, once for lunch and once for dinner - a great experience both times. Staff was expedient, friendly and professional. The sushi and sashimi are incredible; lots of unusual... More

We've been to Nijo twice, once for lunch and once for dinner - a great experience both times. Staff was expedient, friendly and professional. The sushi and sashimi are incredible; lots of unusual seafood choices and original nigiri. The sushi chefs are very well informed about the fish and gave us some great new things to try. We got prime cuts of fish in an artful presentation. This place can get busy late at night; sushi bar is recommended for the quickest service. Pros: Sushi, Sushi, Sushi!
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Nijo exceeded my expectations regarding the food, very excellent. I was impressed with the fire sushi roll and taste of the house roll, YUM! Server was friendly but delivery was very slow. There... More

Nijo exceeded my expectations regarding the food, very excellent. I was impressed with the fire sushi roll and taste of the house roll, YUM! Server was friendly but delivery was very slow. There were only a few tables and it took almost 30 minutes for us to recieve our rolls and sashimi. I would definately go back for the creative rolls. Pros: Creative Ingredients, Ambience, Fresh Flavors Cons: Parking, Slow Delivery
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Having worked at a very good sushi restaurant in LA and being from Tokyo makes me admittedly picky. Even then, Nijo disappointed me a bit. I recently had a friend visiting from Tokyo who was... More

Having worked at a very good sushi restaurant in LA and being from Tokyo makes me admittedly picky. Even then, Nijo disappointed me a bit. I recently had a friend visiting from Tokyo who was staying at W Hotel, so we thought we'd try something within walking distance. We both had "omakase", which stands for chef's choice menu, one with the "premium sake collection" to go with it. Having had a fair number of omakase's, this one is relatively cheap - $50/pp ($75/pp with sake). In my mind this is the way to eat sushi, since they will try to showcase what's freshest. We later found out the executive chef had "just come off vacation and been taking care of odds and ends which went haywire in his absence", and that he didn't cook our food - which in my mind is no excuse for not overseeing omakase, since the restaurant was not that full, being Tuesday. The menu had a promising beginning with fresh approach, with thin daikon wrapped rolls with different flavored house cured tobiko. The tataki - sheared albacore- was decent, but I wouldn't pair it with a bed of cheap seaweed salad. The flavor was fine. Another appetizer had fresh king crab meat and house-cured ikura (salmon roe), which is notable, since so many places would buy already cured roe in a tub from a supplier, which is not as fresh and plump. Things went downhill when chawanmushi (Japanese hot egg custard with dashi) came out. The surface was overcooked and the inside undercooked, due to too much sake in the mix, which there shouldn't even be. Chawanmushi's are supposed to be soft, smooth custard with no hardened parts. So they took those back and presented us with another dish, which was a tempura fried rolls of sorts, except done with panko (Japanese bread crumb) on the outside of nori. The material in those rolls, such as cucumber, is not suited for flash-frying (too much moisture seeping out). So "the fresh idea" wasn't based on good education about ingredients IMHO. Also at that point in the meal the dish was too heavy. Eager to please us, they tried to get us what we might like, but they kept missing the mark. For example, fearing "maccha tiramisu might be too heavy", they brought us green tea ice cream with strawberry sauce on top (eek) and fruit (ok), despite the fact I mentioned I was lactose intolerant. The sakes paired with the meal was decent, but it was more like a couple of big cups (chugs!) of sake, plus nigori to go with dessert - if it were me I would pair smaller samplings in ochoko (those tiny sake cups - nice little sips!) with each dish. That would make the experience a little more special. To give them some credit, they do try to please and ingredients are relatively fresh. So if you are looking for just a regular sushi fare, this place could fit the bill fine. I just wouldn't expect a fine Japanese dining experience, and chefs (at least the ones we had) are not particularly skilled. Our server was lovely and had a great sense of humor, very charming and service oriented, so she gets high marks. They did take a percentage off our meals, since they want you to be "nothing but delighted" for omakase, and the executive chef came out and chatted with us some, seeking improvement. So they're trying. Having been in the hospitality industry, I know how hard restaurant business can be, and I think we could nurture this place to be better (if you're so inclined). The dining would not be seamless if you expect fine entertaining, but the convenient location and relatively fresh ingredients will serve them well for now.
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I went here a while back but I agree with the previous reviewee. Though it's been a while and nothing particular stood out, I do remember very clearly how slow the service was. We were even... More

I went here a while back but I agree with the previous reviewee. Though it's been a while and nothing particular stood out, I do remember very clearly how slow the service was. We were even literally the only ones in the entire restaurant and it took forever for everything from taking orders, getting our food, etc. The waiter was in back most of the time. Though it had potential with the ambiance if there was better service and more people. Haven't been back since, maybe if it wasn't so slow we would've given another shot at the food. Pros: decor Cons: service
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I love the food at Nijo. The imaginative rolls and high quality fresh ingredients are worth putting up with the snobby, too hip-too-care, and discourteous staff. Sure they're cute and all, but I... More

I love the food at Nijo. The imaginative rolls and high quality fresh ingredients are worth putting up with the snobby, too hip-too-care, and discourteous staff. Sure they're cute and all, but I mean really, forgetting my drink order to hang out in the bar and chat or letting me wait 15 minutes for the check is not made up for by your high fashion hairdoes or your low-rise conversation. Still the food is amazing, my favorite sushi in the greater seattle area! You gotta try the franks-n-beans!! I crave the food at Nijo so much that I go back again and again dispite the luke warm service. If you want to go with no regrets, sit at the bar (the sushi bar) and eat it up! Pros: super tastey, very fresh, original rolls Cons: poor service, bad service, unfriendly service
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surprisingly inexpensive (for the combos), great attention at the sushi bar, very cute waitstaff Pros: inexpensive, fresh sushi

surprisingly inexpensive (for the combos), great attention at the sushi bar, very cute waitstaff Pros: inexpensive, fresh sushi
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