Ginger Sushi has been my go-to Japanese restaurant in recent years, mainly because it is the closest one to my home, it is intimate, and the service is excellent. Nevertheless, I feel that the quality of the sushi is starting to drop a bit.
For example, I stopped in for dinner on Thursday night. I ordered an assortment of ala carte nigiri sushi ($2.50 to $4.50 per piece). The hamachi and mirugai were good, but the scallop ($4 for one piece) did not taste fresh, and the chef left the rubbery "foot" on it, a rookie mistake.
Next time, I may try Mizu in Cranford, or the venerable Daimatsu in Mountainside, where I have not eaten in many years.
Ginger is the best sushi place I've been to here in New Jersey, and it is hands-down the best value. It is in a bright, unpretentious little storefront in Fanwood. While neighboring Westfield has many sushi places, none is as friendly or consistent and most charge a lot more.
Ginger's Sushi is always fresh and well-constructed. What more can you ask for? It's all very flavorful, the rice is fine, the variety of rolls is decent and interesting. The selection of fish is average, but that's wise given the neighborhood.
As for the other Japanese food here, it's good but nothing to write home about. I've had nothing bad, but nothing stood out particularly. It's the always fresh, always flavorful sushi that takes center stage.
The staff is unfailingly friendly and helpful. The sushi chefs are professional. It's BYOB so you save a few bucks on liquor and bring your own sake or beer. On a weekend be prepared for a wait, as there is often a line for an open table.
Ginger works because it is small and can't help but be intimate. It's a small place that punches above it's weight.
Yum!
Came here following kind recommendation from a fellow yelper and SO glad I did. Â The place is quaint ... Maybe 10 small tables, but the longest I ever had to wait was 20 min on a weekend night.
The service is always friendly and more importantly the sushi is fresh and also reasonably priced! The specialty rolls are inventive too and big!
Also a BYO!
They usually give you a little something extra at the end of your meal for free... Mochi or fried Cali rolls or orange. Â I prefer the mochi but definitely appreciate the gesture.
Definitely my new go-to for sushi.
I've been meaning to try Ginger Sushi for some time and finally got around to it-- in fact, I liked it so much I've been there twice in the last week. Â Everything there is fresh and tasty and while it's not quite Sushi Gari in NYC it's close enough and about 20 miles and 45 minutes closer to my house. Â The miso soup is really good and all of the rolls I've tried so far have been excellent. Â So far the crusted kani and mango avocado have been my favorite. Â My wife loves some of the noodle dishes and all in all, both of our visits were tasty and fresh. Â This is a great place for takeout or a casual sit down meal with friends in the small dining room. Â Can't wait to go back.
Review Source:This is my first yelp review! Â I tried Ginger Sushi for the first time for dinner on New Year's Eve. Â Since Wifey wanted sushi for our last meal of 2011, I looked up some local sushi places near Westfield to try something different from our usual hangout, Nagoya (Love the Sushi there!). Â Looking at the Yelp reviews, I narrowed down my choices to Daimatsu and Ginger Sushi. Â Ginger Sushi sounded different so I started combing the online menu for a take out order (2 toddlers usually prevent us from eating out too much).
I called in my order @ 7:40pm and ordered Seaweed Salad, Peppered Seared Tuna (w/ Wonderful Sauce), Eel Avocado Roll, Delight Salmon Roll, Seared White Tuna Roll, 2 x White Tuna Sushi, 1 x Yellowtail Sushi. Â They told me to come pick up the food in 20-25 minutes.
Once I arrive around 8:20p (35 mins later), I was told that they are making my food now. Â I was kind of upset since they told me 20-25 minutes it would be ready, especially since my wife is watching a 1 and 3 yr old by herself at home. Â All in all I had to wait until 8:50p (over 1 hour) for take out. Â At least the woman at the counter gave me a free calendar! Woo! Â When I got home I thought, okay this hopefully will be worth it cause I'm STARVING! Â I then see that they packed everything in deli plastic containers, I would think after spending almost $65 I'd get at least aluminum containers or those nice japanese black containers.
On to the food review, which I'm sure most of you want to read about.....
The Seaweed salad was pretty normal, it had 2 pieces of fake crabmeat along side the salad but on the bottom of the container, there was a lot of liquid, which I don't see most of the time.
I actually requested them to give me White Peppered Seared Tuna instead  of the Peppered Seared Tuna.  I liked the wonderful sauce, it was fairly wonderful as most of the other reviews suggested.  At $10, I thought the price was a bit high.
The Eel Avocado Roll was tasted normal
The Delight Salmon Roll (Spicy Salmon, Avocado, Tempura Flake w/ Fresh Salmon & Spicy Sauce) was pretty good, it came in 10 pieces ($16). Â The big issue was that both of the special rolls weren't cut right, the fish was still attached at the end of each piece of roll so each piece would break apart which was REALLY ANNOYING! Â I couldn't enjoy my rolls too much since I was trying to cobble the pieces back together to form back humpty dumpty, oops sorry...reading too much children's books.
The second special roll, Seared White Tuna Roll (Salmon, Crabmeat, Avocado, Cucumber, Spicy Sauce, Special Sauce w/ Seared White Tuna & Special Sauce) had the same issue of the pieces not cut right, which again was REALLY ANNOYING (sorry for the caps, but you get my point). Â This roll wasn't as good as the Delight Salmon Roll but overall the roll was fairly good.
The sushi pieces were very fresh. Â I liked my white tuna, nice temp and tasty! Â I'd say this was the best part of the meal.
All in all, would I go back...maybe but I'd probably eat at the restaurant. Â I hardly have time to eat out so a restaurant would have to make a good first impression. Â If I go back, I'll update my review.
This is still my favorite sushi place in the area. Â I've been numerous times and have never been let down (aside from the fact that they don't take american express). Â I've worked my way up to the "real" sushi and sashimi since my last review. Â The tuna and salmon are really fresh. There's no "fishiness" like at some establishments. Â I honestly don't believe anywhere else in the area has the same quality of sushi. Â No matter where my friends and I try out, we always come back here. They never disappoint and seem to get me and my friend's money at least once a month.
Review Source:Love this place!!!! Whenever my family comes up this way we make sure we stop in. A very small place but very good quality of food. Everything is great here I think we must of tried most of it. The owners are great people and make you feel comfortable. Love the place and will keep coming back.
Review Source:This is by far my favorite sushi place in the area. Â I have been coming here for years and am usually disappointed when trying a different place. Â While the best sushi meal of my life was undoubtedly the Omakase menu at Sushi Sasabune in Honolulu, Ginger just simply never disappoints and sometimes impresses with new rolls they come up with.
Must try is the peppered seared tuna appetizer with "wonderful sauce". Â When you call something wonderful sauce, you better make sure you deliver...well they certainly do.
I love various rolls they have such as the Martine Roll, Spicy Girl, Green Dragon, etc. Â This place has all of your basics executed very well. Â Their spicy sauce in particular, has the perfect balance of spiciness and mayo.
After you've had a great meal and they bring you a complimentary fried California Roll, you feel like you can't eat anymore, you somehow forget how full you are when they bring you some mochi with the check.
I've been coming here for over 10 years and rarely have I been disappointed. I can understand how those used to New York City standards can call Ginger so-so, but for this area of New Jersey, I've had a hard time finding a sushi restaurant with fish this fresh, staff this friendly and accommodating and so close to my house (a 5 minute drive). The only other sushi place I go to is Taka in Summit but Ginger is just as good in my opinion. My favorites are the Andy, Delight Tuna and Jumbo Spider rolls, as well as their gyoza. Negamaki and teriyaki can be a little too sweet but meats are always grilled/cooked really well. Wish they had more in the way of dessert- I haven't been able to find a restaurant around here that has good yokan. And the parking lot is small, awkward and shared with a Chinese food place and a drycleaners so that's often difficult, but we usually do take-out.
I've always found the quality at Ginger to be outstanding and because I've been coming her for so long, I've known all of the owners very well. They always ask how my family is and even give us extra sushi with each order and hand-carved chopsticks at Christmas. By far my favorite place to go when I'm craving good, fresh sushi.
When this place uses the term "Wonderful Sauce", they are not messing around. Â Both Tuna Tataki and a Yellowtail special were perked up by fresh ginger, garlic, and sesame.
Fried California Rolls are pan fried instead of deep fried. It gives them a crusty toasty accent like onigiri, while keeping the crab stick and avocado from getting oil soaked like most other versions.
Rolls range from well made classics to some truly inventive ones. Â Martin Roll with lobster salad, spicy crab, and shrimp tempura particularly not to be skipped.
Great food and friendly chef & staff. Â We had sushi from many places in NY. Â This is the only one that we tried in NJ that lives up to the standards. Â There are many unique sushi items on the menu. Â You must try the ice cream desert--the ice cream is encased in a delicate and savory dough. Â The restaurant is casual and small in appearance...but don't judge the book by its cover!
Review Source:I have been enjoying sushi for many years in NYC and elsewhere. Living locally I have tried Ginger Sushi several times and each time I am sorry I gave them another shot. The sushi is ok but portion sizes are small. But it was a recent take out experience that has me steamed. Sushi for me and my son, extra rice and an order of teriyaki chicken for the non sushi lover in my house. When i opened the bag at home we were missing  the rice and the not so cheap chicken dish had four small strips of chicken and two small carrots on rice.  I went back and explained to the woman that the amount of food in this dish was not acceptable. Any other place would have apologized and given me a new, more generous dish. I got nowhere. Finally she refunded my money for the teriyaki chicken and I left. Across the street at the Chinese restaurant I got some soup and rice and went home.
Review Source:2.5 years since my first review and I still adore Ginger Sushi. My husband and I go here at least once a month and we've never been disappointed. We've become good friends with the sushi chef and offer him a glass of wine every time we're there (even gave him a bottle for Christmas!). This will remain the BEST sushi experience I've ever had (and will continue to have). Every time I eat sushi somewhere else, I feel like I'm cheating on Ginger. I love you Ginger!!!
Review Source:I used to work in a rival sushi restaurant in the area (Nagoya) and even though I was given free meals, I kept (and still do!) going back to Ginger because it is THE best sushi place in the area. It is hard to find truly fresh, melt-in-your-mouth sushi and sashimi in New Jersey.
Although this place is slightly more expensive than some of the other joints in the area and although its sushi entrees do not come with soup or salad (a real disappointment because there homemade ginger dressing is AMAZING and NOT ONE BIT WATERY), Â Ginger merits the splurge. Â It is such a clean and relaxed place to share a quiet meal with friends. Because it is so small, it is never obnoxiously crowded ...which means intimate service and no waiting around for meals. I've come here well over 20 times and I have yet to have a back experience.
Here is a quick story: There used to be a family that came into the old japanese restaurant where I worked. The father of the family was of 100% Japanese descent and while I always spotted him with his family, he never came in alone like his wife and daughter often did. One day while I was picking up an order from Ginger, I spotted him alone at its sushi bar ...he gave me a wink and smiled! From then on, the best sushi in town was "our little secret."
Even if you have your go-to reliable sushi place, I encourage you to give Ginger a try ...I am confident that it will become your new favorite.
P.S.: ASK FOR THE AWESOME SAUCE!
We went here based on recommendations from locals.  We've tried other sushi restaurants in  the area, and so far Ginger Sushi is our favorite.  The sushi was great and the service was so friendly.  The chef sent over a special treat which was really appreciated.  Also, the prices were more than fair and overall the whole experience was exactly what we were looking for.  I can't wait to head back.
Review Source:meh. If you truly know good sushi, you will agree with "meh".
The service was good and staff were very friendly. The food was only so-so. Just not what I expected after seeing all of the 4 star ratings. I had some sort of spicy tuna and a salmon roll and they were both kind of mushy. Not worth a 4 star rating but not anything terrible.
Great sushi, and an extremely nice staff. Â The menu is really varied, but not cluttered with odd westernized sushi-like items. Â The spicy rolls actually have a flavorful spicy taste.
The staff really remembers guests after a visit or two, and the chefs will send over random creations to regulars.
Ginger is by far my favorite sushi place ever.
I love Ginger. Â I make everyone I know come with me there, and they are never disappointed. Â I have no problem recommending that someone go there because I know it will be good.
It has the standard fare, but their special rolls are what make them stand out, for me. Â While they may be a little on the expensive side, they are well worth it. Â The special rolls are GIANT! Â But fantastic and delicious.
I don't think I've ever had a bad roll. Â The fish is always fresh and it's always delicious. Â The only problem I have is that the ginger dressing can sometimes be too onion-y. But since it's sushi, who cares about the salad dressing!
They are so nice here, and always include a couple, depending on your order size, pieces of fried California roll.
If you dine in they give you chilled orange and mochi.
This little place is a great place to pop in for a quick dinner. My husband and i have gone there twice and the service is good and the food comes out fast. It seems like a place locals go and they do good take out service.
We like to get the sushi there, the fish on rice and some simple rolls. The first time we went we got a bunch of fancy specialty rolls and we found that they did not have the 'pop' factor that we were looking for, especially at that price($10-15). So the second time we stuck with the simple stuff and really enjoyed it. The fish is fresh and sweet. They also give a 4 piece deep fried california roll and for dessert, half an orange and mochi ice cream on the house. Overall a great place for a quick casual sushi dinner
I went here after the gym one day (what other food can you eat guilt free after a workout?) and it was perfect. The quality was good, the fish was fresh. The Sashimi is slamming, the spicy crunch salmon (forgot the name) is reallllly good! The staff was great, they close from 3-4:30 though, for some family meal time, which is nice.
Review Source:Most importantly, the sushi was delicious. Â The service was prompt despite the fact that I was there with a large group, and the waitstaff was friendly. Â Costwise, it was about what one would expect in New Jersey, so no complaints there. Â Also, the fried California roll that they threw in is still inspiring random admiration from one of the guys in the group. Â All in all, a quality dinner.
Review Source:My girlfriend and I have been here about 10 times and it is by far our favorite place in the area, and probably ever. The sushi is as fresh as I've ever tasted and the staff is extremely friendly, polite, and attentive. Â They have many special rolls as well as all of the standards. The spicy shrimp is a favorite (a bit more spicy than other sushi places) as well as the spider roll. The prices are good for the food you're getting. When you consider the free fried cali roll that you get 9 times out of 10 and the complimentary mochi (ice cream wrapped in a rice dough) with the check, its well worth it. If you're there on a slow night, the sushi chef will start making your order as you're speaking it. We passed the place many times and talked about going inside before we actually tried it out. I only wish we had started coming here sooner. Don't forget to BYO.
Review Source:
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