Tour Details 
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| Banzai Japanese Restraunt | |
| 6409 Riverside Blvd. Sacramento, California 95831 | |
| Details: TESTIMONIALS: Banzai is in the strip mall behind the Shell station on the corner of Florin and Riverside. It's contemporary inside as well as clean. They have the typical Japanese cuisine at a moderate price and they have just about the best Tonkatsu I've had in a long time.. and it's quiet-er than other japanese restaurants. This place is great and the staff is really friendly! There's nothing too special about this place though, it's like an average Japanese restaurant. Their food is fresh and there's a lot of flavor though. The prices are pretty average-not too expensive/cheap! This place is just 5 minutes away from my house so if I want Japanese that won't fail me I usually think of this place. Finally, I have made the trip to Banzai and I have seen the light! Went with my wife (vegetarian) and a friend to try out the neighborhood sushi bar. We were hoping to sit at the sushi bar but the place was packed (packed is about 8-10 chairs around the bar and about 10 tables) so we found a table. Very laid back and unpretentious atmosphere (which is a nice break from so many other sushi places). The dry-erase board when you come in the door lists the "fresh catch" of the day and all of them sounded appetizing so I ordered 4 nigiri (halibut, Spanish mackerel, extra-white tuna and salmon; each $5 for 2 pieces). My wife ordered a veggie roll and some tempura veggies. Our friend ordered a couple of their specialty rolls so her and I were sharing the seafood portion while my wife went after the veggies. The rolls that came out were massive! Traditionally I eat the sushi in one bite and these rolls were quite a large bite. The presentation was nice and the flavor was fresh and well balanced. I usually stay away from rolls because the fish can be overpowered by someones idea of the "right amount" of sauce but not on these. Both rolls we received were well balanced with ingredients, rice and sauce. My nigiri had great pieces of fish for the money and all four were fantastic. I'd never had the super-white tuna and I really liked it because it tasted like fresh tuna but had more of a steak-like mouth feel. The Spanish mackerel was also a nice sized portion (I've ordered this in other places and payed more for way less fish) and had just that hint of "marine" flavor I love in mackerel. The halibut was good however the flavor was too delicate for my palate so I probably wouldn't order it again. The salmon was a beautiful, rich pink/red color and had great flavor. All four also had just enough wasabi holding the fish to give some spice but again, not overpower the fish. My wife enjoyed the vegetarian dishes but, there's not a lot of separation you can make with a veggie roll and tempura vegetables. The tempura wasn't greasy and the roll was well put together so that's all good. The service was prompt and courteous, however they don't have fountain pops so everything comes in a can (FYI). No dessert and no drinks so we just ate and ran. I drive by daily and I'll definitely be stopping by and checking out the specials board on my way home when I have the need for some sushi. If you want to eat good sushi in a relaxad, low key, NON-trendy mikuni type setting, this place is excellent. I have eaten at Banzai at least 5 times and always wondered why more people are not eating here. I've eaten at Banzai on Saturday and Sunday nights and the place has been virtually empty. There is also a big flat screen tv in back if you want to watch the game while dining. The stuffed mushroom appetizer is delicious!! I also like to get the chicken katsu don. It comes out very hot, is so tasty and the portion size is quite large. The rolls I have tried have also been good, very fresh fish and nice presentation. The service is great and very accommodating. There is a coupon in the Pocket/Greenhaven advertisement that comes in the mail, but even if you don't have the coupon, that's okay because Banzai is scrumptious!! One of the better and more authentic sushi places in the Sacramento area. At first glance it is easy to look past this place, because it is located in a run down strip mall, but once inside, it is an entirely different story. The chef and staff are friendly, and I have had nothing but good food here. I have not been disappointed with anything that I have ordered. Their rolls are good and they use fresh fish. The creations are pretty creative. The baked scallops here are really good. Worth a try if you like good sushi. Seems like one person had a bad review about this place and their rice, but don't let one bad experience prevent you from eating here, otherwise you'd be missng out. Banzai has been on our list of places to eat since reading Ally D's review. Thank you Ally! After being seated, we were handed TWO menus -- one for rolls (4 pages), and one for everything else (6 pages). And BONUS, the menus had photographs of their offerings! What sounded good on paper was even better as a visual. Didn't make our choice any easier...hence the need for more stomachs. The place was much bigger than we expected -- it looks like the place has been remodeled since earlier reviews were written. There are 4 tables for 2, 4 tables for 6, and 6 tables for 4, and they were all filled tonight. Last night (yes, hehe, we ate there two nights in a row), K had the gyudon (great flavoring), and I had the double hamachi roll (nice and fresh). Tonight K had the niku udon (perfect), I had the hamachi kama (a little too salty), and we shared a plate of sea steak (muah!). Jason kept us stocked with rice, and brought us our food within 10 minutes of our order. I'm just dittoing what everyone else has said -- the good news is there are more tables to ensure you too can get seated and enjoy the chow. A whole-in-the-wall of an almost deserted strip mall - but what GREAT sushi! We found this place on Yelp and decided to check it out based on the good reviews. We sat down and knew we were in the right spot. Six (or more?) pages of menu with PICTURES and reasonable prices ($7-14 per roll)! The food was awesome! The fish was fresh and the combo of ingredients in the rolls were very tasty. They have basic rolls along with tons of special house rolls. My favorite of the night was the Pink Lady. : ) There's also tons of dishes for those who don't love sushi as much as I do - ramen bowls, teryaki bowls, tempura plates, and probably more - I just didn't get the chance to look. The service was good when we were there on a Sunday night at 7. They were friendly and reasonably fast with bringing out the food. They even thanked us from "coming ALL the way from Davis." For two people we ordered 2 appetizers, 3 rolls, and 1 beer. The total came out to be just under $54. Great deal for the quality you get. I would definitely come back here again. |
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| Last Tour Update: May 15, 2012 |
