Syun Japanese Restaurant

Totally worth every penny! Leave the little ones with a sitter, unless they love sushi. Get a seat in the corner and watch it all unfold as they prepare your sushi and you munch edamame and drink green tea. Yum. The nigiri is a little expensive, but the servings are really large and the fish is so fresh and so good! We even splurged on the tempura green tea ice cream and tempura banana. YUM! more

This restaurant has excellent Japanese food. Sushi, sashimi and tempura are great. They also make a very delicious Chirashi, which is a bowl of brown rice with assorted sashimi on top. Unfortunately, their service is very poor. Their staff barely speaks English and when you order an item and they don?t understand they pretend that they do leaving room for misunderstandings and bad experiences. I used to go often to that restaurant because the food is so good that I was willing to bear with their staff pitfalls. One bad thing about Syun is that it doesn?t matter what time you go there the staff is always doing things to rush you and make you feel that you have to eat quick and leave. Last time I went to Syun I had a nasty experience. Even though we were still eating we were asked to leave. We arrived at 2:45 pm to the restaurant the staff people were asking us to leave at 2:00 pm. That was very rude. My advise to you: If you like traditional Japanese cuisine you have to try Syun. In my opinion one of the best in town. If you appreciate good restaurant service and want to take your time and enjoy your food slowly in the best Japanese tradition?do not go to Syun, you?ll be disappointed by their staff making you feel that you have to eat fast in order to allow other people to seat. more

This comment is specifically for ""sumdumpkid"": With your ignorance response below, you are not allowed to be on this blog. Just to remind you, this blog is for useful comments/inputs to other, not ignorance ""kids"" for you. Sounded like ""chuck'n cheese"" is your favorite place then that where you should belong, this blog is for educated adults/customers. Grow up!!! Pros: good food Cons: parking, no high-chair for baby, average services more

Syun will be a sight (taste) for sore eyes for any former Japan habitues missing their old neighborhood izakaya. The selection of dishes and their quality is awesome. My only qualm is that last time I went there, they were out of the braised pork (Butakakuni) that I was so desperately craving! Also excellent is the bifun (delicious noodle & veggie dish), asupara-bekon (asparagus wrapped in bacon on a stick), and kinoko bata (mushrooms roasted in butter)! As far as I know, this is the only place in the Portland area where you can order these delicious Japanese mainstays. Go! Pros: Menu, Food, Service Cons: Location (it's way out in Hillsboro) more

I've been in Portland for over 14 years, and it's taken me way too long to discover this place. Weirdly situated in the basement of a plain old building resembling a former library or some other non-ornate public building is Syun - truly the best sushi around. I've tried many places from NE Portland, to downtown, to the 'burbs, and I wished I'd found this place sooner. WOW. Freshest sushi of anyplace around. Funky little atmosphere, and it wasn't at all crowded late on a Sunday. The waitress recommended a few items including this phenomenal baked creation of tuna, salmon, and I-don't-know-what, but it magnificently melted in your mouth with a sweetness and spicy twist that was oh-so-good. I secretly shoveled it as fast as I could while trying not to tip off my boyfriend as to its wonderousness. My only complaint, which was quickly corrected, was the drinking water. We were going through it like mad after a day of home improvements, and initially the service wasn't keeping up. She quickly realized we were guzzling it, and left us an entire pitcher full, nicely sprinkled with lemon slices. The rest of the night's service was some of the most attentive we've experienced in Portland. The sushi was moist and tender and fresher than anyone's in town. The tempura pumpkin was awesome. Our beef dish was ok - too many noodles for me, but I'm low-carb. Had nice flavor though. Our bill was very reasonable, but we're not partakers of the saki. Highly recommend. Pros: Freshest sushi, attentive service, funky atmosphere Cons: Strange out-of-the-way basement location unless you know downtown Hillsboro more

My wife and I have had so many wonderful dishes and sake here! The first time I came here was w ith a Japanese friend of mine. She really liked the place, so I was curious. The sushi is very good, the monkfish liver is awesome, the beef tongue is very good, and the staff is very attentive. Overall, you get your money's worth here and it's worth the travel time to get here. This is not your standard Japanese-American menu; It's much better. Pros: The great food, Sake (so many!) Cons: a little hard to find more

We love eating here and have not been disappointed yet. Best selection of sake. Although sake is pricy, it is well worth trying the higher end ones. Awesome shrimp tempura and soft shell crab. Pros: food, sake, atmosphere Cons: long wait, small tables more

I work close to Syun and have been there a number of times. It is some of the best Sushi I have had. Always fresh and of good quality. The building is the old Hillsboro library and is a great place. There is usually parking close by. I would recommend to anyone who likes Sushi. Pros: Quality, Location, Sushi more

Wow!!!! Got a tip from my Chiropractor to try this place out. Literally the best place for SUSHI in Oregon, Washington and Vancouver, Canada. I have eaten at hundreds of sushi restaurant's and this little place in Hillsboro is simply wonderful. The sushi literally melts in your mouth as a quality piece of sushi should. The rice is cooked to perfection and the freshness of ingredients is paramount! Highly recommend calling for reservations on weekends. The tempura was excellent and very light. Try this place and I am sure you will agree with most of excellent reviews. Pros: great ambiance, Xcellent Sushi, fair price Cons: none so far more

My husband and I found this gem 2 years ago and have always been impressed by the quality of the sushi and sashimi. My husband particularly likes the option of storing his saki there. We bring family and out of town guests here, always with rave reviews afterwards. However, when we visited recently, we were disappointed in the service (this was fairly early in the evening and they were not busy) and the quantity of the servings were on the light side. It may be a while before we give it another try. Pros: Freshest sashimi/sush Cons: uneven service more

I have been coming here since it opened and absolutly love it. Great atmosphere is toped off with good sushi and an amazing variety of saki. This is a good place to come relax with freinds. The atmosphere is light and traditionally Japanese. The only complaint I could make would be the selection of sushi rolls is a little small. If you sit at the sushi bar the chefs are talkative and informative. I highly recomend this place to anyone who likes sushi with atmosphere, especially if you have actually been to Japan, it reminds me of many of the local sushi bars all around there. Pros: atmosphere, variety of saki, good sushi nigri Cons: limited sushi rolls more

Tucked away in an old library bldg, this place does have nice ambience ... providing that ""authentic"" Japanese flair that other places tend to lack. The sake selection is quite impressive, and the sushi is fresh and some menu items unique. However, the accolades cease here. Even for high quality sushi, the prices aren't warranted and we left with a significantly lightened wallet while our stomachs were still feeling light as well. Service wasn't exactly warm from the hostess or the sushi chefs and it took us a while to flag down the server whenever we needed anything. Because of the quality of sushi (although small), it's given a ""recommended"" but everything else is average. Might be a good place to bring a date, but not a regular place to dwell for sushi hounds ... unless you have a nice bank account. Pros: Fresh Sushi, Ambience Cons: Too Expensive, Not for families, Parking more

I think quality of food was quite good. They had many authentic Izakaya food like real Japanese Izakaya. However, it was just too expensive. Believe or not, 2 pieces of Uni Sushi were $8!!! I had never seen such a expensive Uni in the U.S. You can spend $50 per person easily in this place although they took only two credit cards per table. So if you are with many freinds, you NEED TO BRING CASH. Even though you spent $50 per person, they will kick you out as soon as you finish the meal. I was not comfortable there at all. You can enjoy authentic atmosphere of Japanese Izakaya; noisy Japanese bussinessmen. If you are going to drink Sake, just give up your car and take MAX because it's in front of the hillsboro police department! Pros: authentic food, many kinds of Sake, few kids Cons: too expensive, unfriendly service, tiny tables more

If you want quality both in the food and sake, this is the place to visit. If you pair your wine with your meal, then you will really like Syun. They have some of Japan's best Sakes (non-mainstream manufactures) in their menu. When you enter Syun the first thing you will notice is the larger number of Japanese nationals eating here (your first sign of authenticity). The second is the ambience and third a sake menu that would make Ginza resteraunts envious. Pros: Sushi/Sashimi, Sake, Ambience Cons: location more

the line was to the door, but worth the wait. the best sake i have ever tasted. i recommende numerous appetizers and sushi. bamboo atmosphere. more

I've now been to Syun 5-6 times over the past five years, most recently a week ago. I'm pleased to say the sushi is every bit as good as I remembered from past experience. I went for a late lunch, around 1:30 on a weekday. The place was pretty empty, so the service was fairly fast. Sushi was excellent--the best I've had. In particular their mackerel (saba) is fantastic, but all of the selections on the 5-6 piece lunch with the tuna roll were top notch. Service can be slow if you're in ""peak"" dining hours. Try to arrive for dinner 5:30-6:00 if you're in a bit of a hurry. Any later, and you should plan to hang out for a while. Pros: top-notch sushi, good "other" items, huge sake selection more

It was my anniversiry so we went out to the Syun. We have been there before, and we knew it offers quality sushi( I thought it is the best in town). I work for japanese restaurant as a sushi chef; therefore, I am able to see what the qualities are. We ordered $40 sashimi platter ( for 3~4 ppl), but it was little; it was like $20 sashimi platter in the other place. I went out a lot, and ate lots of kinds of sashimi so I can tell it was too small. Second, there was no special kind like toro, uni, or avalone. (personally i do not expect avalone in Portland) There were just tuna, salmon, octopus, squid, yellowtale, and mirugai. We were really disappointed, and I recommend you to order small portion sashimi platter because they were great before. The service was not good too. Pros: expensive, quantity, not friendly more

One of the best sushi places I've ever been too, and I lived in japan for 4 years. The servers are always polite and mellow. The menu is large with good variety. And if you don't like the serving sizes of sake just bring your own bottle. A great place to go with friends that appreciate good sushi! Yes , it can get a little pricey, but you get what you pay for! Highly recommended! Pros: good sevice, fresh sushi, good sake! more

The quality of the food here has been going up. Its one of the best Japanese places in the Portland Metro area. Price is reasonable for Japanese dining. They are a little chincy on the Sake servings. Pros: reasonable price, good food quality Cons: small sake servings, away from city more

Great place to take a few friends and feel like you are in Japan. The food is great and is the kind of thing you will actually find in a real Izakaya (sort of a bar/restaurant hybrid where you go to sit, chat, eat and drink for several hours) and the atmosphere is dead on. The service has always been a bit shaky, in fact, on a couple of occasions perfectly awful. I still go there when I have the money, and I simply try to ignore the bad service. You can't get the food or atmosphere anywhere else. Also, anybody making reservations for a big group, they will probably put you in the back room, and I find that room distinctly less fun. Go with 4-5 people and stick it out to sit in the front room. more