Syun Japanese Restaurant

Simply the best. I have had sushi up and down the west coast. Syun is the best. Great setting, knowledgeable and friendly staff. Their Sake selection is out of this world and the food is off course as well. I have eaten here 3 times and I can't wait for the next! more

if you want sushi and willing to pay the top price, don't bother with any downtown places (chances are, I've already been there, and I like Syun's sushi better), go to this place, their sushi is the best in the state. That said, here's why I can't give this place 5 stars: - service: the servers are busy without accomplishing much. Hard to get their attention and when you do, they seem like you're bothering them. Whether you go with 2 others or 6 others, the food ALWAYS show up SLOW, very SLOW. - space: this is a teeny tiny place. - mediocre food: other than sushi, everything that's not sushi here is mediocre at best. Especially their tempura is particularly and always bad (I know it cuz someone at my table always has to order tempura and every time it's the same) - its breading/batter is VERY thick and oily, doesn't taste like the airy tempura batter one would expect and definitely not worth the price. Pros: sushi is incredible Cons: how about everything else? more

Make reservations if you can because this place gets really crowded on weekends. We love going on weekdays. We order about 5 rolls, that comes with an amazing salad and Miso soup all for under $25! Pros: high quality sushi and wonderful dinners Cons: too many people know about it so it is busy! more

My friends and I went over to this place to grab some great sushi and drinks with not a huge expectation. This place is hidden off the street and doesn't look like much from the outside but I was ashamed by my observation because the food and staff are wonderful. We had light beer, sushi, and desert. From start to finish, this place was wonderful. The server was sweet and funny. She was on top of getting whatever we needed. The food was delicious and gorgeous when it made it to our table. I can't say enough. I have already tried to figure out when I can go back and I just went last week :) Pros: Excellent sushi Cons: Not a big enough stomach to eat everything more

they have very quality and good taste and traditional japanese style sushi. I couldn't complain with any food that day we order several dishes. that was great food. only one thing, food portion was little small. Pros: great food. Cons: pricy, street parking more

I have tried many sushi restaurants in portland and surrounding areas. Syun serves the best sushi in my opinion. The ingredients are always very fresh and are presented beautifully. There is always an interesting sushi special to try. The service is excellent and very friendly. The atmposphere and decor is also wonderful. The price is a little more expensive than others, but there is a good reason for that. Whenever I visit another sushi restaurant I judge them against Syun. I have yet to find another restaurant that does a better job than Syun. I simply love it. Thanks! Pros: Excellent Service, very fresh, great atmosphere Cons: I only wish they were open for lunch on weekends. more

This is authentic Japanese at its best, and you don?t have to travel to Tokyo! Pros: Great service, the best place for food and atmosphere more

My friends talked us into this place on New Years eve and from the outside, I honestly was not expecting much. How can you expect good sushi inside of an old library? Well, what I found was a menu full of offerings not found elsewhere and some of the most phenomenal sushi I have ever had. That night we tried Wild Salmon (beautiful), Geoduck (interesting but not for me), Amberjack (outstanding), Scallops (perfect), Braised Pork (Tender), crab, shrimp, chicken, a rice ball, the most perfect tempura I have ever eaten, a great sake menu, seriously, I could go on for hours about the flavors and quality of the food. You have to try it! Pros: Amazing sushi, broad spectrum of Saki Cons: Passing business costs on to customers (minor issue) more

I'm from Japan and have tried numerous Japanese restaurants in Portland, (a majority of which are surprisingly good!), but I never would have known that the best Japanese restaurant in Oregon would be tucked away in the basement of a small building in Hillsboro. Although the location is nothing like the fancy Pearl District where Hiroshi and Sinju are located (both of which are wonderful restaurants), Syun offers an ideal menu based solely off of authentic Japanese izakaya food - food that is, for the most part, fried or grilled with the exception of sashimi. Izakaya food also is designed to go well with sake and beer for izakaya means, 'drink place'. Tempura and lightly fried fish, vegetables and meat thrive here but the difference between Syun and other Japanese restaurants is that Syun's menu features a wider array of delicious, beautiful and, often times, funky dishes for diners. Another fun and convenient aspect of Syun is that the menu is full of dishes designed to be shared in a more hors d'oeuvre like fashion as opposed to each person ordering one thing for themself. If in a group, try ordering six or seven different dishes to sample, and as for me, I have confidence in anything that comes from Syun's kitchen, so I order that day's specials. Specials are always a treasure, featuring delectables such as grilled saltwater fish with lemon and daikon, or wild shiitake sauteed in butter. The sashimi at Syun is always a knockout too. Well above everywhere else, Syun's food tantalizes the senses and will make you feel as though you are in Japan, if only for an hour or two. more

Like others here we made the 40 minute drive from Portland and it was so very worth it! Their wide selection of dishes makes ordering and sharing a really fun and interesting experience. I was floored by the fatty tuna nigiri, it was some of the best I have ever tried. Other standouts included the delicate and delicious chawanmushi (egg custard with prawns and shiitakes) and the chicken with pumpkin. The rainbow roll, while not the most unique dish on the menu, was really fresh and beautiful. Their sake selection is impressive, and their service was wonderful. Can't wait to go back. Pros: chawanmushi, fatty tuna, service, value, ambience Cons: a bit of a drive more

The food is great but try to avoid the young male server he will strongly steer you away from items that you want to order. Listen dude, your Job is to serve people what they want; if we want your opinion we will ask for it, trust us. Pros: sooosh Cons: Burns a huge hole in pocket more

This food reminds me of home - truly authentic Japanese! I get the okonomiyaki every time I come because it's so good and impossible to find anywhere else. The tempura is always fresh and crispy, the sashimi is fresh and delicious and their sushi is top-quality. The sake selection is wonderful and their sake specials are not to be missed if you are a sake lover or just want to try something new or different. Pros: Excellent food, Great sake selection, Authenticity Cons: Inconvenient location and occasionally slow/difficult service more

I've eaten around at a lot of other sushi restaurants... and a lot of japanese restaurants and can honestly say, this is the best place around. The staff can get a little rushed... and the food can get to your table a little on the slow side on a busy night... but, when you look around the room, you can understand why. I've sat and talked to the sushi chefs, and they make all of the sushi by hand. The sushi rolls are made with the best nori I have ever had. They use real crab which is hard to find. Fresh fish arrive almost daily and it shows in the quality of the fish. The best dishes they offer from the kitchen are Butasyoga (stir fried ginger pork), and the very simple ZaruSoba (cold buckwheat noodles with a cold dipping sauce). For those who love Sake`, this place is the best place for the best selection. There isn't a bad sake` on the menu! I wouldn't recommend the Sake` Sampler... $12 for three 2oz glasses is a little too steep for my tastes. But, when the small sizes for almost every sake` they have cost between $6 and $12 you can afford to try many different kinds. Keep the kids at home as the small restaurant only amplifies screams. The staff are all knowledgeable about sake` and the food, and if your server doesn't know the answer, one of the other employees will. I've eaten there many many times and I haven't found a single qualm about the place. I find that if you ALWAYS ALWAYS make a reservation, there will never be a problem getting in. I've seen this place busy on every different day of the week-- a testament as to the authenticity and success of this restaurant. I recommend it to everyone I see. Pros: Authentic Japanese feel, Amazing Sushi, Great people! Cons: Friday and Saturday nights between 6:30-8:00-- make a reservation lol. more

I've been in so many sushi restaurant in the northwest and syun is the best so far fresh sushi and good service add a good selection of sake, EXCELLENT!!!.... Pros: Fresh and lots of SAKANA (fish) from japan Cons: ""NADA"" more

I just moved to Oregon and need to find ""my"" sushi bar. This was my first experience with Portland sushi. After reading so many positive reviews of how authentic and wonderful this place was I had to go. However I wish I hadn't. The restaurant has a dreadfully slow and unfriendly waiting staff and chefs. Maybe if you sit at a table versus the bar your experience might be better. However I had to sit and look up at an unhappy, unsociable sushi chef. I tried many different types of fish sashimi and sushi. Perhaps I went on a bad day because the majority of the fish was not fresh. The hamachi was hard. The uni was runny. The atmosphere is unique and interesting. I enjoyed the ambiance of the restaurant but that?s about it. I?ve since tried Hiroshi and Hakatamon and enjoyed them. Pros: Cool atmospere Cons: The food and service. more

Syun is the most authentic japanese restaurant in town, Murata and Hiroshi and Sinju in Pearl are the rest of the good sushi restaurant. Beer on tap, blue fin tuna, two grades of Toro and they made killer curry katsu, tasted just like the one I had in Osaka and Tokyo. Service sometimes can be slow, but totally worth the wait. Pros: Sushi, curry katsu, Nihon beer on tap and huge Sake menu! Cons: Service sometimes can be slow, location middle of nowhere more

I didn't like the restaurant because the service was terribly bad. The waitress is unattentive; super slow food and drink services; the retaurant is not organized at all. The restaurant looks obviously severely short handed. The other customers who had waited for their orders also had the same opinion with me. I won't go back to this restaurant again. It totally doesn't worth it to visit when you live far. They make us feel uncomfortable. It's not the place to have a fine dine for sure. Cons: just don't want to pay to eat out there more

I went to Syun last night. i have eaten sushi for about 20 years. This place is the best by far. things were nice and fresh. Atmosphere was great. Friendly staff. They do want you to eat and run but thats because there are so many people wanting to get in. I will go back as soon as i can. Prices i thought were high tell i tried the sushi. Maybe i'll go for lunch today. Pros: Sushi,price sushi,sushi and yes the sushi more

As far as sushi goes, I would rate it a 5 on a scale of 1-10. Nothing special about the nigiri or rolls. Adequate but certainly not impressive. The Hamachi Cheek was very good, the seaweed and tomato salad was fairly bland. The Sake selection is excellent, albeit pricier than most Japanese restaurants. Our waiter was attentive and knowledgeable. We were seated right away, as we had made a reservation. It was a Thursday night so probably not quite as busy as the weekend. The atmosphere was quaint. We sat in the back room, which was fine. However, the front room looks like it has more character and it's where all the action is, as the sushi bar is up front. They do have an extensive menu and the presentation is quite nice. Since there were only 2 of us, and we weren't starving, we didn't try a lot of different things. Some of which sounded fantastic. Overall, it may be worth trying again, simply for the other menu items. But for sushi alone, I'll stick with places closer to home in Portland. Pros: Extensive menu, good service, eclectic atmosphere Cons: Marginal sushi, expensive sake more

I enjoy sushi but only go out for sushi when my dining partners are picking the place. We went to Syun on Friday night and had a fantastic meal. It was probably the best sushi I've had. Fresh, good value (big roll with 8 pieces was around $8) and excellent presentation. Pros: Dragon Roll, ginger salad dressing Cons: Bit cramped more