It happens every time at this place. Before I finish my last bite, the wait staff attempts to take my plate. I have learned to set up a fortress around my plate( using soy sauces, elbows, and napkins) so that the servers get the hint. I don't like my food cleared before I am done eating!! My lord. It's like eating at the Indy 500! Â Where's the fire?? I will go to Mama sushi, only two miles further south. Avoid the indigestion.
Review Source:I knew this place since it was a tiny, narrow restaurant. They've renovated and extended the space to a more chic and city-like venue. If anything, I feel like their food quality and quantity have gotten better since then. Delicious Japanese food! I love the miso soup and salad that come with the entrées. The staff is VERY hospitable and attentive. Its also a Kid- friendly place! I still come here with family or friends.
Review Source:I used to love coming here. Would order my usual miso soup, ginger salad, and spicy crab salad with fried ice cream. When I received my dessert one time, I tasted and saw a shocking thing inside the ice cream. Glass! Yes glass. They even fought me on making my dessert free. They didn't even apologize. They were rude and denied about the fact that there was glass in my ice cream that it was ice... Last time I came there after that incident. But got charged only for the three things out of the four things I ate.
Review Source:Super convenient location and a sizeable menu. The sushi and sashimi platter for 2 was a goood size with yummy offerings. We called the order in for pick up and it took a little longer than they told us, but it was a Saturday night and the order was pretty large. Wasn't a fan of the steamed veggie gyzoa but the rest was good. A solid choice.
Review Source:I don't understand the mediocre reviews. I love this place. It's the only sushi place I will ever call for delivery. Their sushi is fresh; you can pay by charge card over the phone. They have you saved on file so once you give them your number and the last 4 digits of your card you are good to go. No need to tell them  your address because everything is saved from the initial call.  I really enjoy their efficiency and their food. Thumbs up plus on their green tea ice cream too.
Review Source:I took my mom here for a birthday dinner last night and I rarely take time to write reviews but I felt this one was necessary. First and foremost their service was on point. They were very friendly and checked in at all the right times (they weren't excessive and annoying but always checked in to refill my green tea when I was out or needed something, napkins, etc.). I have never gotten service like this at the manhattan sushi joints I've been to (other than Ninja, but that's a different calibre of restaurant).
When we arrived they were very welcoming and brought us warm towels. A minute later another person came to pick them up. Then they brought this small, about the size of your palm, salad with bean sprouts, cucumber, and bits of seaweed in a soy sauce-type dressing. We both ordered the dinner boxes with the shrimp and vegetable tempura: I the salmon teriyaki and my mom the soft-shell crab. Both awesome. I noticed the salmon piece I got was more like a salmon steak cut as opposed to the random pieces I get at other sushi places. Very tender. Miso soup was also very good with a lot of tofu and seaweed bits. We both ordered the creme brulee with berries on top and I secretly asked them to put a candle in it since it was her birthday. They went the extra mile by putting the tacky (but hilarious) birthday music on and sang happy birthday to her. And they gave us both desserts on the house (which they mentioned after I payed the check, not before).
I definitely tipped the waiter accordingly and am definitely planning a return visit.
A note for men, whose wives want them to take them here: they have a gorgeous  flat screen up on the wall and displayed the Knicks game while I was there. So you'll have a good view in a very zen restaurant. I noticed on walking out (I didn't notice it when I first came in) they had a nice fully stocked bar, off to the side, also with a well placed flat screen, where people were just hanging having a drink while watching the game. This restaurant has a strange but good balance of fancy and chill at the same time. Love it.
A note on dress-code: pretty sure it doesn't exist. Before arriving I made sure to dress kind of nice, sort of casual though. It is a restaurant after all. A woman walked in in a pullover sweater looking like she just finished working out. No one looked twice. So, don't think you'll have an issue with dress-code.
I have been to Palace of Japan many times and am always impressed. The food is consistently great as well as the service. I can always count on my food being on time even when the restaurant is packed. Also, the sushi dishes that I usually order, (salmon avocado, cucumber avocado etc.) are filled with flavor and fresh ingredients. The prices are not too expensive and you really get what you pay for. Overall, Palace of Japan is a great place to relax and eat.
Tip: Bring a FLASHLIGHT! (It is pretty dark inside.)
Tip: Hard to understand servers. (Some of them can barely speak English.)
Hope this helped! Enjoy!
As a former (and lifelong) Manhattanite, this place is on par with any of the popular spots in the City. It is consistently fresh and nicely prepared sushi and other typical Japanese dishes. The service is great and it's cool looking. I'd say it's a bit more expensive than it should be, but in a culinary wasteland, they are king and so, I pay up with regularity.
Review Source:The people here are outstanding, it's a pleasure to see them work. Â The food is above average for average prices. Â The place is well run, quick and efficient, despite a lot of care being put into the food. Â I have had the occasional uninspired roll or entree, but it's a pleasure to be in the place so I don't care. Â Most of the time the food is excellent. Â The specialty rolls can get expensive, but there are downright cheap options as well.
Review Source:GREAT SUSHI. I've been here several times and always enjoyed myself. Â Went there with family, a group of 5, and ordered two bottles of sake, appetizers for all, main course for all and dessert for all and did not hit $120. Â Great atmosphere and full bar. Â Go here and enjoy yourself.
Review Source:Wow, I am amazed at the not so nice reviews of this place. Â Having lived in the UWS and having a ton of Japanese restauarnts to choose from, I think this place is fabulous. Â We've been here 2x and both times the food, service and value have been wonderful. Â
I love how they start your meal with warm towels. Â Then a mini cucumber salad, then with all of their main meals, a wonderful salad with ginger dressing and miso soup, a win-win in my book. Â Our boys like to order the chicken and beef teriyaki and both times their mean portions were more than ample with great fresh vegetables. Â I have ordered the chirashi both times and it is fabulous and ample as well. Â
I love our little hidden gem, a mere few streets from home!
I have been ordering sushi from two other spots in the neighborhood for ten years, but decided to give Palace a try this evening.
The first word that comes to mind is "disappointing." We placed a takeout order for delivery... A Spicy Girl roll, an eel/avocado, California, king crab California, and two other standard rolls. Two people... we were starving.
The Spicy Girl was small and offered nothing special. The California rolls were small and bland. The eel/avocado was tasty, but smaller than from other places.
Normally three rolls each is more than enough, not to mention the other goodies that our usual places give us... delicious fried rice from J Jade, shumai from Nagoya, the miso soup or salad from Planet... we usually have leftovers!
Tonight, $47 later, we're digging through cupboards looking for a snack.
Menu for Palace is going into the recycling bin.
Great Japanese place, good sushi, diverse menu, great service and nice ambiance. Â Check the pictures its nice and dark, and large enough that you are not on top of the table next to you. Â We started with a couple of drink specials, a bit over priced for the area at $10, however they were good. Â Nobody seemed to like the amuse bouche, a few bites of sprouts, fake crab, seaweed and a few others things.
They were out of the steamed monk fish liver, which was a disappointment since it was on the specials menu. Â The miso soup and salad was standard, although there was quite alot of the powerful ginger dressing, tasty salad. Â The soft shell crab was drenched in a sweat sauce that was tasty but left the crab not as crispy as it should have been. Â They should serve that on the side. Â Still, good flavors. Â I had the sushi combo for my dinner. Â About $5 more than my usual place in Astoria and not quite as good, but still an enjoyable plate.
I usually order the sushi mix when I get Japanese, so the chef  can give me whatever is good that evening.  This was a good spread, no undesired California roll, no fake crab.  Thicker than usual pieces of fresh fish.  Mostly Tuna, Salmon, and Yellowtail with a bit of Fluke, Red Snapper, Tobiko and a tuna roll.  The shrimp tempura dinner was massive.  Must have been about 6 very large shrimp with a variety of vegetables prepared the same way.  Only complaint is that everything on the plate was deep fried, but that's what your expecting with a tempura plate I guess.  Well fried, very crunchy.  Recommended dish, if your into that kinda thing.  The shrimp and scallop habachi I did not try, but my dinner guests enjoyed it very much. Â
A tad overpriced for the area, but its very nice inside, the service is great and the food is tasty. Â Recommended for sure.
I've been here several times and would recommend without hesitation. Definitely go for lunch as it is MUCH cheaper for sushi. Love the crab salad & the Riverdale roll.
This place has a nice bar and drinks menu. You also get the trendy atmosphere here that you don't find many places in Riverdale.
Read a couple of these reviews...I just want to say yahhh...Ofcourse everyone has had better sushi else where in the city but for Riverdale you arent going to find much better. Â It is also rare that you have locals drinking at a Japanese place on a regular basis.. Go see T and Tina at the bar they will take care of you.
Review Source:Sushi was mediocre and rubbery. Tempura was enh. Pad thai (why they offer this in a Japanese restaurant I don't know) was horrible. Service was dismal. Had to wave down the waitress multiple times for water, check, etc.
The best part was getting the heck out of there. Go to Planet Tokyo across the street instead, you'll thank me later. Dog wouldn't even eat the leftovers, of which there were a lot.
I've had better sushi elsewhere, but I really like the ambiance of the place. When you're in the Bronx, and you crave sushi this is one of the few sushi restaurants that comes to mind. If I wasn't lazy, I would've ventured out to West Village for better and inexpensive sushi. Otherwise, Palace of Japan would do if you just wanted to 'whet' your appetite.
Usually I get the party platter with my friend which includes soup and salad. The waiters and staff are friendly and efficient. It tends to get packed here in the evenings, since the restaurant isn't all that big. Aside from the green tea dessert which I love, everything else was a hit or miss.
Riverdale is known for its lack of good restaurants? What? As compared to which other section of the Bronx...?? Ok previous reviewers. Someone seriously enlighten me here. I don't know how it gets better than Johnson Ave. Am I really that naive?
Anyway, on to the restaurant... I was surprised that this place had a 3-star average. I got takeout today because my regular joint, New Zanzibar, I mean, New Planet Tokyo, was closed for the snow day. So although I felt a little like a traitor, I gave it a shot.
First of all, the employees who greeted me were very friendly. They let me sit and wait for my order and even gave me complimentary tea! I usually find tea bitter and boring but this was neither. Not sure what kind it was but maybe I'll ask next time.
I was persuaded to try the lunch box special. I don't usually get those because they always have some weird or unappetizing thing in them. However, I was happy with the result. In this case, I was exposed to two new foods. One was a tuna tartar with seaweed salad, and the other was a spicy crab salad. I was afraid it was going to be too spicy but it was a very mild spice and very yummy. There was some kind of dressing on it which was very good.
In general this place seems a little fancier than their competition across the street. The rice was a little more delicate, as opposed to being on the sticky side. Of course, rice can taste good in any number of ways. Also, I liked the spicy tuna here better than Tokyo, because it wasn't overwhelmingly spicy. The lunch box was very well-priced and included 4 large pieces of nigiri, a crab salad, a roll, 6(?) slices of tuna tartar on top of seaweed salad, and a soup. Um yeah, that's a lot of food. I was full.
I hope NPT and POJ keep doing their own things, because there's a lot of variety between the two. I will say that POJ is a larger and also fancier affair, which would be good for formal occasions and large groups. The interior decoration is beautiful and really worth checking out if you're passing through Johnson Avenue.
Riverdale is an area that does not have the best restaurants. Palace of Japan is the best restaurant in the area with the same quality sushi you could find at an upscale Japanese restaurant in Manhattan. Palace of Japan recently completed a major renovation of the restaurant to include a bar and lounge. The staff of the restaurant, especially the owner, Kevin, are so warm and friendly.
Review Source:As other reviewers before have noted there was a time not so very long ago when The Palace was the ONLY edible sushi north of 96th St. I have had really excellent rolls here, some above average sushi and the service is always first class. There are several newer Sushi bars in Upper Manhattan/Riverdale and I have tried most of them but the Palace remains the most reliable and the most reasonable. Hey folks, this is not
Chelsea or Soho so set your expectations more realistically and you will not be disappointed.
When people complain about food in the Bronx, they're thinking of a place just like this. I got a bento box... salty sauce from a bottle, small portions, vegetbles from the freezer, no soup, salad or roll in the box, all at Manhattan prices (over 30 bucks with tip for the delivery guy.) Planet Tokyo across the street ain't Nobu, but it's better food and a better value. Either way, this place is a "pass."
Review Source:I had a very very full meal here, for like $30, which is quite cheap for a japanese restaurant. The seafood soup was delicious. The sushi was tasty, and staffs are very friendly (too quick at points where I hadnt finish my dish yet lol) and keep asking how I'm enjoying myself. The sushi chef was very funny :)
Review Source:I enjoy eating here. I have been eating at the palace for many years. The  owner stops by everyone's table to check on them and has done so for many years. He occasionally shares a story which just endears you to the place.
The sushi and rolls are good. I'm a big fan of the JB Roll and the party platters.
sushi/sashimi party platters-The prices are reasonable just a little on the high end but I try and take advantage of the lunch specials.
What a waste. Of time. Of money. Of food.....
What a terrible restaurant. Which baffles me, because they were just as bad before the renovations, and no better after. But they were still able to afford it, which tells me they're not doing too bad.
People of Riverdale, mostly the older, more affluent type, although they can AFFORD to eat better, just don't know any better, or are too lazy.
Harsh, I know.....but seriously. I bothered to post, more so for the people reviewing, not so much for the restaurant. Here's my point.
What did you expect? - Riverdale is infamous for its lack of good places to eat. And to borrow another reviewer's term, "fake-anese" should be a clue to how fake the food would be.
I don't have anything against non-japanese sushi, but the reality of economics should alarm you.
Academic studies on sushi have shown that a major reason for it's sudden and global reaching popularity is: it's expensive and exotic. Â For many, it's not the taste, but the feeling of eating grand, if only for a moment. Frankly if, a few coats of new paint and new seat covers (renovations) can alter your perception of your overall dining experience, it doesn't say much about the review, or they're food. Sushi is supposed to be expensive. The logistics alone of getting "fresh" fish from the sea to your plate before spoiling, raises costs.
SO, that delectable fatty-tuna you just ordered at $10 a serving may very likely been frozen and thawed a dozen times, with more stamps in its fish passport to make any traveler envious. And you better believe everyone's favorite (aka convenient) corner sushi spot will do whatever they can to sell every last piece of fish they buy. (In the economics of a sushi business, the material costs (raw fish) are higher than any other restaurant business.
So, you may have made a wise choice when opting for the Grilled Salmon Terriyaki over the Salmon sushi.....same fish, but if it begins to spoil, they can grill it, and drench it in sugary soy sauce to mask the taste.....and everyone in Riverdale will stay satisfied.
Nothing personal, Palace of Japan, but both food and service were terrible. But I expected it, and only went to help celebrate a friend. Now, the true tragedy is how places like this continue to open and prosper.
Don't we know any better by now?
Though I am not a big fan of the Fake-a-nese (fake Japanese sushi joints obviously NOT run by Japanese people) craze that has swept the NYC are in the last 5 or so years, I will say that there are a few such restaurants that at least offer decent sushi in a good atmosphere. Â Palace Of Japan is such a place. Â I have to admit that the sushi here is solidly good, but not exellent. Â I must say that every dish I've ever ordered here - from the gyoza to the J.B. rolls has been fresh.
I'm a sucker for good atmosphere (I won't go back to eat at a restaurant with a lame atmosphere because I believe that half the reason I eat out is to enjoy a nice atmosphere), so was I ever happy to see that Palace Of Japan had renovated! Â We had gone there once before the renovations and were so unimpressed with the atmosphere that despite the fact that our meal was decent, we had decided not to return. Â The renovations have really made a difference. Â The lighting is dim and adds a peacefullness to the dining area. Â The decor is modern and chic. It makes for a nice, relaxing dining experience.
The owner / manager is friendly and welcoming. Â The staff is pleasant, though a bit rough around the edges in the sense that they have not been well trained on pacing their approach. Â They need to understand that people dine out for a reason - to relax and enjoy their meal with family and or friends. Â Generally, people do not like to be rushed through each course and have dessert served to them 2 seconds after their dinner plates have been whisked out from underneath them and they haven't even finished enjoying their wine yet! Â That being said, the staff is attentive.
Overall, this is a good, reasonably priced and convenient neighborhood place that has won me over.
The "happy and delicious" sign has been replaced with an exterior as sleek and modern as its interior. They have done a complete and thourough renovation. Russian hostess, dim lighting, modern decor, and peaceful ambience are all part of the new design. I really didn't recognize this place when I came here!
The menu, however, has stayed the same, which I am quite happy about, because I have been coming here and ordering from here since I was a kid, and I love the food here. The seth salad is delicious. The maki is great. The Johnson avenue roll is my favorite! The presentation of the food was much more sophisticated than it used to be.
It's no Haru, but not bad for a japanese joint in Riverdale.
Total and utter nonsense! Those are my words to Maria W., the reviewer who panned Palace of Japan. This is a wonderful neighborhood sushi place, with staff who are more than eager to accommodate your wishes.
Like all good sushi places, the place to be is at the sushi bar, where head chef Tohie will make up whatever you order from the menu. Better yet, just tell him, "feed me", and relax, because you  are in good hands.
This isn't a five star restaurant in an absolute sense, nor does it pretend to be. It is a neighborhood place better than any neighborhood place I have visited in Manhattan, without Manhattan prices.
I have been going to Palace of japan for many years and i have always left satisfied. My wife, who lived four years in Okinawa, Japan, says it's one of the best sushi restaurants she has eaten in since she left that Japanese prefecture.
So, while some might prefer licking the sidewalk in front of  Palace of Japan, I prefer taking a seat at the sushi bar.
hello. you don't know me because i don't exist. i am a cyberthought with no face and no friends and no reviews and i don't know how i got here on yelp. i may have a vested interest in this restaurant but can you prove it?
those were my thoughts when i read the D A. review of Palace of Japan.
Maria, i may not agree with your review but at least i know you're real. D A., i definitely do not agree with you and i suspect you are only there to try to neutralize maria's review.
but who can really say.
i'll say this: i more or less lived in the north bronx for 5 years recently and Palace of Japan was the only sushi place within my delivery range that was at all edible. for that matter, it was the only sit-down restaurant that could pass as being minimally ok. so that is something, especially if you are sushi starved in the bronx.
but it is not the highest quality, it is not a 4 or even 3-star, it is not one of the best sushi restaurants outside of Okinawa, which is a ludicrous thing to say, and the vibe in there is cold and  businesslike, not eager and accommodating. more like a typical low-grade Chinese restaurant than a Japanese one.
I've had good sushi here and bland sushi here. it's never great and never terrible. it's just the usual fare. if it was in manhattan it would not even be on the radar.
HOWEVER, the one saving grace is a crazy drink called an uni shooter that has a piece of uni in the glass. that's worth trying.
Bleech. Yuk. Ugh.
If you need a small doorstop to hold your door open, come on down to Palace of Japan and pick up some sushi. It should do you fine for that purpose. If you try to eat it and actually relish the meal, ask yourself why you bothered to hit up a restaurant when you'd likely be perfectly satisfied with that roll sitting in the refrigerated section of the supermarket.
I gave this place a second chance. I tried the tonkatsu. Eh. I would have gotten a more flavorful mouthful if I licked the sidewalk outside.
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