On a whim, we came here on a Friday night arriving a little past 6 pm as our intent was to dine at Amani down the street but the 45 minute wait led us to call Gintei and fortunately, they had seating at the 9 seat sushi bar. From the outside, the place is very unassuming and the parking is minimal with only 2 stalls of which one is earmarked for disabilities. Both stalls faced the restaurant. Depending on the time, one should be able to park on El Camino Real or around the block where there is residential parking. The outside entrance can best be described as minimalist as one passes through the white Japanese style drapes at the door. Once inside, we were warmly greeted by an all Japanese staff and were seated at the sushi bar where we soon discovered that the young sushi gen manning the bar was the owner. Since this was our first time, my wife and I were trying to soak in the dining room and get a grounding on what the menu had to offer. I loved the static butcher paper roll mounted on one of the walls where they list the specials for that day. We soon discovered that the owner purchases the majority of his fish from two major fish markets in Japan of which one is the famous Tsukiji Market which is the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world. I was surprised as prior to ordering, I was able to look at the quality of fish and ascertained that perhaps he was purchasing from Kanaloa Seafood out of Santa Barbara or Royal Hawaiian in SSF. We ordered the 10 piece Omakase sushi which came with miso soup (no detection of MSG), live Uni for $25, a spicy scallop roll, a shrimp tempura roll and the Henry Slocumbe Green Tea ice cream with corn flakes. We wanted to try the live uni and prior to ordering the Chef described that our choice might be slightly sweet or on the other extreme slightly bitter. Unfortunately, ours was slightly bitter but we gently gave it a slight dip in some soy sauce and it was okay. This was no fault of the Chef as he had informed us of what the taste might be. Service was 5 star and overall I give Gintei 4+ solid stars out of 5. Definitely a winner in my book. read more

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The sushi here is fantastic and fresh. However over the last year, the prices have consistently gone up. We pay over $200 to get very little. I love this place dearly but inflation will prevent me from returning. read more

Best Japanese food I've ever had in both Bay area and Boston. The sushi chef is a Japanese and obviously very highly trained. Presentation was impeccable and the sushi was so fresh. Got 2 piece of otoro (fatty tuna) for $18 but it was melt-in-your-mouth good. Enjoyed the soft shell crab roll immensely too. It was a dream experience and the ambience is nice. Great date place. read more

Gintei - Soft shell crab roll. So delicious! - Japanese Near Me - San Bruno, California

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This place is amazing!! We had a dinner here and the staff and everyone was wonderful. Sushi is fresh and presented beautifully. We traveled from Hawaii and eating here was a great finish to our evening. read more

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I've been here twice already. Great quality sushi without the line! (shh it's still a secret!) We had the Deluxe Omakase (65$/person) both times. The chef is always very attentive and the sushi is always extremely fresh! There is definitely a variety in what they serve (it's omakase after all) One downside is that I find that I tear up occasionally while enjoying the sushi. There is just a tad more wasabi hidden in some of those gems than I'd prefer. The omakase always comes with an appetizer. The first time I was there it was steamed egg and this time it was a marinated octopus salad (both extremely delicious) There are a few sushi I'd definitely recommend: Amaebi (yes you will get a deep fried shrimp head with it), scallops, and Amberjack. Overall great experience! read more

Firstly, the service is amazing. I had a tough time seeing the prices on the nigiri of the board so they brought it to me (so nice because they didn't need to do it but went out of their way). Secondly, kitchen closes at 11, but they still let you stay there a little bit later if you're still eating. I'd skip the American rolls since this place has great quality nigiri and other menu options! read more

Gintei may be one of the best Japanese restaurants I've been to in the Bay Area--the decor inside is elegant and modern, and the food and service were both on point. Despite not having a reservation, we were seated right away in the small restaurant in the nondescript location. We started our dinner with the omakase sashimi platter, which included cuts of red snapper, salmon, mackerel, and bluefin tuna--everything was fresh and delicious! We also had the delicious miso soup (which included mushrooms for more umami flavor), the short rib, the sauteed local mushrooms, and the somen noodle. All of these dishes were delicious, but the real standouts to me were the grilled mackerel (saba) and the grilled hamachi collar. Both of these were cooked perfectly and had delicious salty flavor that went so well with the meaty texture and aroma of the fish. Overall, an absolutely excellent dinner, and I would definitely come back for more! read more

Gintei - Omakase sashimi platter - Japanese Near Me - San Bruno, California

Great spot for business lunch or dinner. Creative dishes, excellent quality. Tried a few different rolls and apps.

Gintei is not your typical sushi eatery. They are more on the upscale side, their menu has a lot to offer. From traditional Japanese omakase, hot foods, noodle soups, tempura and house made desserts, they've got a great menu to suit many. If you've got high standards for your raw fish, Gintei is the place to be because they do import some of their fish from Tsukiji Fish Market in Japan. Please don't hesitate to ask for the price of the fish and what fish selections are in the omakase because they're not listed on the menu. Don't want any surprises like what happened to me when I ordered an obscene amount of uni and then was surprised by the bill, though it was totally worth it! So sweet, creamy and fresh. + Order these nigiris: Uni (sea urchin), Chutoro (medium fatty tuna belly), Hotate (scallop), Mirugai (geoduck), Kinmedai (alfonsino) + Order these rolls: Camino (tuna, salmon, hamachi & avocado topped with wakame), Bruno (Spicy tuna & scallion topped w/ scallops/tobiko) + Order this hot food: Sauteed Foie Gras with Kaikon Radish - Skip this: Wagyu - Japanese Premium Beef. It was chewy and tasted like a cheap flank steak. Their house-made panna cotta flight is also pretty darn good. Came here once with friends and a 2nd time with my family. I wiil definitely come again! Be sure to make reservations, I've seen them turn away walk-ins. read more

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Shout out to my fellow yelpers. I would have never tried this place because I'm usually driving fast down El Camino Real. We made reservations using the Yelp app - easy. Parking hard to find, had to circle the neighborhood once. When we walked in, wow. Great decor and felt that we transformed to a very nice restaurant someplace else. No offense San Bruno. They have a new Thursday night special fixed menu. We opted to try out other items: Really liked: - sashimi off the board - dragon roll #2 - 'I ate the bone!' - amaebi and fried heads - sake - Japanese 'wheat beer' : see the pic So so - service has its ups and downs; water glasses were not filled and we had to ask a few times - although I didn't need a warm welcome from the sushi chef, when we came in he just stared at us, no acknowledgement Overall- really liked the place and would be back. This is definitely on the $$$ side so FYI. read more

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Many items were out of stock. The staff was inexperienced and touched my plate to introduce each of the sushi. They charged me $17.50 my plum wine which was the cheapest Choya available and then served it in small tea cup. The green tea was cold. The omakase had cheaper types of fish than before. The owner asked if we were done 30 minutes into dinner when. I omakase hadn't been served yet. I will no longer come here. read more

Gintei - Omakase starter - Japanese Near Me - San Bruno, California

So searching for Sushi in the bay area is a hit or miss ordeal given that there are so many different options that exist. I continue to search for a portfolio of joints that are worth hitting up and as part of that search we extended down to the San Bruno area as it was close to the airport which would allow for an easy dinner after a long flight in. This joint was packed for a Friday evening when I had just landed at SFO. It is about a 15 minute drive from the airport and parking is up and down the major El Camino Real road. The joint itself is a plain looking building on the outside but once you step inside there is a nice sized sushi bar and multiple tables set up for patrons. They also have a chalkboard on one side of the room which is key as it lists all of the nigiri specials that are flown in from japan. This is KEY because I think many people will revert to the omakase because of its great pricing. I was tossed in between both options but thankfully had a friend sitting in the restaurant oddly enough that told me that omakase was solid but the nigiri looked more enticing. Sure enough the board had some great options flown in from Tsukiji market in japan. After choosing a sake for the dinner, I started to order a variety of nigiri. Those included at the base the Hamachi, maguro, hirame, hotate, sayori, kinmedai, o-toro, uni, and ikura with truffle oil. All of the fish quality was solid and reasonably priced. The ikura with truffle oil was amazing to the point where I had to order another one as the truffle was not overpowering but just the right amount to marry up with the ikura. The uni was fresh and tasted delicious as did all of the other nigiris that were consumed. This is a solid find and definitely a contender that is worth noting within the bay area without a doubt. It doesn't rank as high as a Kusakabe would but the service was friendly, the fish was solid, and the prices were reasonable. All in all, this is a solid joint that I will continue going to whenever I am in the area without a doubt and would even be worth a trip from the city if I was feeling the need for a different joint to change the scenery. read more

Gintei - Nigiri win! - Japanese Near Me - San Bruno, California

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The fish is excellent, the sushi chefs are excellent and the service is outstanding. They also have a wide selection of sake. I would go the every week if I can but i need to check my pocket book to make sure. read more

One of my favorite local places to eat and kind of a hidden gem. Sushi is fresh, food is delicious, and service is great.

I absolutely give a big thumbs up for Gintei. Every time I visited Gintei, I am always very impressed by its the highest quality and freshest fish ingredients that Gintei offers. As soon as I sat down at the Sushi bar, chef Cole san always gives me a warm welcome, the handsome waiter brought me a cup of hot tea. I felt like I am coming home. The Gintei restaurant itself is so beautiful and neat! Most of the time, I ordered Chirashi bowl. The bowl fills with the most fresh, high quality fish which they just flying in from Toyosu market Tokyo Japan. When I first bite into the Japan bluefin tuna , I told myself ,this is like food heaven. I also tried Gintei's OMAKASE course which is best picked by the Chef, they are all so delicious . The Hokkaido Uni on top of the rice wraps by the nori seaweed, it totally fills with umami, the sushi kept coming to me even with Japanese A5 wagyu! It is so unforgettable and graceful dinning experience ! Also I was so surprised that, it is very affordable. Definitely I will come back again and again to Gintei restaurant , also I will bring my family members. read more

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Echoing the other reviews about the omakase and the quality of the fish. Nothing about Gintei is *bad* per se, but in the last five years the number of very good Bay Area sushi options has increased, and Gintei is on the wrong side of the bell curve with respect to quality and price. It is very easy to hit a $150+ check here for two if omakase is involved, which should entitle a customer to a very pleasant experience with virtually nothing to complain about, even with the prices in the Bay Area as high as they are. Sushi Maruyama is all from Tsukiji in Japan, is 1/3 cheaper ($50 omakase), and blows this out of the water. If this was a $50 omakase, it still wouldn't be top-of-mind when someone asks for the best sushi in the Bay, but I would not really have any serious complaints. At $80, this needs to be arguably some of the finest omakase on the Peninsula, which it isn't. This is a minimalist, no-frills sushi restaurant, not the Ritz, so you aren't paying for anything other than the food and service. It's *good*, it's just not *that good*. read more

Food is ok, I guess. But the food is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to long to be ready. Almost ONE hour with no food coming.... Not sure what happened in the kitchen. The waiters all looked super busy, but most of the tables are empty.... read more

Gintei is so delicious. I'm almost hesitant to write a review, because I don't want it to get overrun with diners. Of course, it's over near the airport and really out of the way, so that's good. You don't wind up at Gintei by accident. We've been here several times now, and every visit has been really great. Made a reservation at 5:45 pm for 6:15 pm that same Saturday night. No seats at the sushi bar available, but snagged a table for 2. I got a cup of hot green tea (could be hotter, really) and the husband ordered the 3-sake variety flight (which comes with a 4th glass of your favorite of the 3 ... nice touch!). We ordered ... * ankimo (so rich and creamy, ponzu not overly sweet) * aji tataki (I LOVE those fried aji bones) * shirako (cod sperm sacks ... so creamy and fresh. You don't eat these every day!) * ikura (nicely marinated) * amaebi (really sweet, soft shrimp with hot fried heads delivered crispy) * hamachi sushi * iwana sushi (artic char ... so good) * salmon skin hand rolls * torotaku sushi (blue fin toro marinated with bits of pickled vegetables ... what a nice combo of textures, and great flavor) All of the fish is so fresh and of the best quality. The wait staff is friendly and pretty attentive (not perfect but good enough). Super yummy. read more

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This place rivals the best sushi places in San Francisco (sushi snob here). I once had a Miso soup here with my date and we completely stopped talking, it was so good (something about the seaweed being especially fresh that day). Just excellent food all around. Get the omakase. read more

As the old saying goes, don't judge a book by its appearance because this restaurant is definitely a restaurant that you will 90% miss from passing by. Judging from the plain exterior shop in a somewhat old neighborhood to the fact that it's between a laundromat and a smokehouse to go restaurant, it doesn't seem much. But once you step inside, the slight high class, modern, family-esque appeal shines all the way through. The interior gives off a modern high-class feel, with drapes covering the windows to dim outside lights and display their intricate ceiling display to the 4 chefs behind the wooden glass counter creating fresh sushi right in front of you. Staff here are kind and welcoming to all who come into their humble abode, making sure you are seated accordingly. They serve authentic Japanese dishes ranging from sashimi and sushi to larger dinner dishes such as udon. The seafood here is fresher than it can ever be, with colors so vibrant that it looks like it was caught and prepared right away. We ordered the Silver Fish Sashimi, Miso Soup, Noodle (can't remember the name...), and 4 types of sushi rolls. Presentation of their dishes was BEAUTIFUL, they do an excellent job setting up the dish to draw your eyes. Taste was also amazing as well as I highly recommend ordering anything sashimi or sushi base to taste the freshness of the seafood. The sushi rolls (dragon roll, california roll, eye of the dog, chachi (need to recheck)) were probably some of the best rolls I've had from a Japanese restaurant. The noodle dish, which was thin noodles in a pork broth topped with tempura flakes, was also amazing as well! I highly recommend ordering that dish if you are a big fan of ramen, noodles, or a broth dish in general. To top it off, they have an excellent dessert assortment, from matcha creme brûlée to panna cotta. In the end, would I recommend coming back here? For a modern appeal that's perfect for taking a birthday dinner or date for, I highly recommend checking this place out with no hesitation. Come here for dinner is the best! read more

If you've got standards for the raw fish you consume, Gintei should be on your radar. I'm no sushi sommelier, but the fish here tastes fresh and is full of flavor. The fact that they run out of things by dinner time is encouraging and backs up my theory of fish freshness! Waiters are very knowledgeable and can tell you exactly which body of water the fish you're ordering comes from! My dining partner and I ate a Rock & Roll roll, Daniel roll, "I ate the Bone" roll, six-piece tasting plate, and a Panna Cotta Flight for dessert. It was all really fresh and tasty. I enjoyed the Daniel roll the most. read more

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Hidden gem in San Bruno! Sushi and fish are good quality. Restaurant inside is clean and lovely. The waitstaff is friendly and pleasant. Only challenge is finding parking as there is only really street parking. read more

My friend and I came here on Friday night at around 520pm. The store is kind of empty. Besides us, there's another table with a group of 5 ppl. Parking: street parking Food: * nigiri: We ordered otoro, scallop, Japanese uni nigiri. All of them are pretty good. The rice is a little bit too much compared to traditional nigiri. * hot plate: we ordered tofu, beef steak. Tofu is tender inside but not that crispy outside. Probably won't order it next time. The portion is pretty big compared to other stores. Beef steak is super awesome Overall, food and service are pretty good. But it's kind of pricy. read more

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Amazing experience; from my one visit there, everything felt so fluid--seating, ordering, serving, check. Perhaps the night I attended had the right staff to customer ratio. Service was timely at each phase, tea got refilled, waitresses were cheerfully attentive but not intrusive. Food was delightful--all gems in color and playing without garish dressings any sacrifice to tasteful enjoyment. Four orders for two people felt adequate. Tacked on a very cute creme brûlée. Beef tongue was well marinated and was thoughtfully chewy. The grilled mackeral was my favorite, two small fillets that lasted the whole meal. The sushi: I Ate the Bone, note is slightly fried but a fun change up in our mix of traditional dishes. Camino was really pretty, tightly wrapped. read more

Very pleasant omakase experience with reasonable price. I am impressed with the amaebi and hokkaido uni. Also recommend the gyutan, which was grilled perfectly. Definitely will come back when I need to fix my sushi craving. read more

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Came here on a saturday with a reservation and was seated right away. The restaurant was pretty big and had about 5 other parties when we got there. The service was a little slow but everyone was pretty friendly. We wanted to sit at the bar but was told that it was all reserved. 3 spots of the bar stayed emptied during the whole time we dined there. We ordered 2 of the deluxe omasake for $65 each. The pieces came out way smaller than expected. Although everything was yummy, I will not be coming back. For about half the price, I can get a 10 piece sushi set from Amami. But the quality of fish, is definitely better than Amami. For the same quality and even MORE food and TASTIER omasake, I can go to Hinata for about $15 more. BUT, i guess the location of gintei is a lot better than going into the city. With that said, it was a great experience but it did not satisfied my cravings. read more

Gintei - Japanese Near Me - San Bruno, California

Awesome fresh and tasty sushi. But my GOD, my wife could have given birth faster than the service. A total of seven rolls took three hours. I strongly suggest take out!! read more

Love the chirashi on the lunch menu although it is a little pricey. Sashimi was very fresh and delicious. Will definitely be back again if I feel like splurging a little ;) read more

Stopped by for lunch this time - this place is consistently great. This time I had the deluxe chirashi. Many different types of fish, a good size for lunch. But I always over order when I come here, so I had the deluxe and the normal chirashi. The normal one had your typical popular fish - salmon, yellowtail, unagi, tuna, ikura. The deluxe is pictured below, almost the amount and variety of fish you'd get in a nigiri order, but presented differently. read more

Gintei - Japanese Near Me - San Bruno, California

One star for the terrible and slow service! Was overcharged because of their mistake on the order, and when we wanted to communicate, they were rude and just wanted to blame on us for why we could not find out the order was wrong. What's worse, they insisted on the overcharge, and told us "we will NOT correct it, if you want, go to dispute, and good luck!" Last but not least, the sushi quality is over rated IMO. read more

Came here on a Friday night for their omakase. Called day-of and was able to make 7:30pm reservations with bar seating. Overall, their omakase is pretty solid. They no longer have the 20-piece option that a lot of the photos on here show. Now, their omakase is 10 pieces, $45 for the regular option and $60 for "deluxe." We felt a bit uncomfortable when the waitress tried pretty aggressively to upsell us on the deluxe omakase, which, from what we could discern, is only differentiated from the standard option by an additional side salad. We were also given the option of miso soup before or after our meal, chose to have it afterwards, but were given it first anyway. Other than that, the experience was enjoyable. The chef was friendly and clearly told us each piece as he gave them to us. Accompanying ginger was okay but didn't taste homemade -- was most likely purchased. The pace of the meal was also a bit off -- we were given 2 pieces basically back-to-back (the chef almost had to wait for me to pick the 1st one up before putting down the 2nd) and then had to wait 20 minutes for the next piece. We also ordered 2 additional orders, 1 uni and 1 amaebi. Both were pretty good, but the uni was pricey -- $28 for 2 small pieces. The amaebi was $14 for 2. Gintei definitely isn't the same experience as other omakase restaurants in SF, like Sasaki, for example, but overall, it's a decent place to have a more affordable omakase. Stick to the menu if you don't want to be surprised by the bill. read more

Very nice spot that you would not expect in the area. Went late evening for dinner and it was great sushi. We had the seafood tempura, CaminoI at the bone, dragon and spider rolls. Also had barracuda nigiri. For dessert could not pass on the caramel, strawberry and mango panna cottas. They also have lots of other nigiri imported from Japan and an omakase selection. If you are looking for a nice/modern atmosphere, attentive service and great food check out. Gintei! It is a spot that is good for a date night, other special outing, or if you want good Japanese food. read more

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I love gintei and the fish!! The fish is so fresh and some come straight from the tsukije market in Japan. People flock here and you have to catch that Japanese freshness in time before it is all gone. Lunchtime is my favorite time here and love getting the chirashi bowl and a side of sweet amaebi... Heads and all. If I could afford to eat here everyday I would buy it is pricey... If you really want the best quality fish for sushi... This is where I xome read more

We tried the Omakase here (3 $65 ones and 1 $50 one) and also the chicken karaage, the chicken was very good but I felt the Omakase, while good did not live up to the price tag, the octopus and squid were not my favorite and had way too much wasabi in them, the rest of the fish were fresh and pretty decent but I just felt they had too much wasabi in all their susi, it didn't complement the taste of the fish it pretty much masked the fish taste. I will say the service was excellent and we were very pleased with that. I'm glad I tried this place and it was great but I felt that it was a bit overpriced for what you get when there are plenty of other omakase places that are cheaper and have equally good sushi read more

I discovered this gem on OpenTable, and drove down from SF on a weekday to try it. Absolutely delicious, fresh sushi, and wonderful service. Would go again in a heartbeat. I had the deluxe Omakase, 10 pieces of chef's choice nigiri + an appetizer and miso soup. I was pretty hungry so added a spicy tuna/scallop roll, also great read more

Omakase $60 (not the 12 max per day option with more offerings) Fair in price Quality was sufficient Portion was ok, cut was not as thick so lacked the meaty texture Variety is good Service was friendly Overall Thoughts For now, an ok spot, perhaps down the road I'll be back for the full omakase to see if that changes my experience read more

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I've only been here for lunch and it's delicious! I've had the chicken tempura and the chirashi here. I highly recommend the Gintei chirashi here. It's delicious and for $20, you get that and a miso soup too. Plus, something about they're tea is great on a rainy day. Service is good too. Will be coming back for sure. read more

The place is packed but I'm not sure how it got overall 4 star review here. The food is so overrated and their chef top choice sushi is not something really fancy. I don't recommend this place at all. read more

Gintei - Japanese Near Me - San Bruno, California

authentic fine dining and real japanese food. our server is May, all smiles since we entered the place and even the rest of crew including the sushi chef. we appreciate them making customized salmon for my son who finished 2 salmon and sushi rice. celebrating my birthday here was worth it... very upscale.. read more

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**4.5 Stars** Gintei is a very welcome addition to the Bay Area sushi scene. For the longest time, Sushi Monster's Big List of Peninsula Sushi (from 2008) served as my guide to Bay Area sushi as there were so few new high and mid tier openings in the Bay Area. Stalwarts like Sakae, Sushi Sam's, Sushi Tomi, and even relative newcomer Jin Sho were all covered in the guide and there wasn't much movement among the top establishments. People would always say go to SF for top quality sushi establishments and with the Michelin star duo of Kukusabe and Maruya, they seemed right. Gintei shows there's quality sushi outside SF. Hidden in San Bruno, off busy El Camino Real, Gintei has challenging parking but the effort is worth it. Once inside, you're treated to a modern, clean restaurant with a ~9 seat sushi bar and a modest amount of 2, 4, and 6 person seatings. It reminded me of Sushi Ran (remote location, zen interior) or even Shiro's in Seattle. What has sushi aficionados excited though is not so much the decor, but the fish selection and variety. Up to my meal here, the most variety I'd seen was at Burlingame's Sakae and they charged heavily for the privilege. Gintei has variety to match and the traditional edomae sushi, while not flashy with oversized pieces or sauces, is super fresh. On my visit, their specials featured 3 types of uni, 4 types of ikura, and more varieties of white fish than I've seen anywhere. I like fan favorites toro, uni, and sake as much as the next person but I also love variety and clean, simple preparations. My order: Omakase Sushi with Miso Soup - $40. A 10 piece chef selection that's a great starting point (or meal for a light eater). Many were fish I've never had and I appreciated the variety. A la carte nigiri - Sagasha, Aomori Scallop, Kamashu, Sanwa, Shigoku oyster. All novel and delicious. I was disappointed that the 3 uni types sold out after the first seating (just like Shiro's!), but the Hokkaido scallop and crab made up for it. I tried 3 ikura varieties and liked the soy based one best. The truffle was highly touted but while I enjoyed both parts I'm not sure the match is as good as uni and ikura. One mild disappointment: seared Wagyu beef - at $16 for two pieces, it's not as expensive as Sakae's $38, but nowhere near as good. Humphry Slocombe ice cream - $4. The sushi is great but the dessert is memorable too. They have four custom HS ice cream flavors (black sesame, oolong tea, matchadoodle, white miso). We were recommended the oolong tea and its great. Panna Cotta - $5. As awesome as Humphry Slocombe ice cream is, the Panna cotta is divine. Smooth, delicious and not overly sweet. Blueberry was fantastic. Caramel Pumpkin Cake - the owner Alfred recommended we try this new dessert and it's great. The caramel has a delicious burnt flavor and the pumpkin is perfect for the holidays. We had a great meal at Gintei. It's fantastic to see new, quality Japanese in the Bay Area and Gintei is definitely one of the top additions this year. Service is great, decor is modern, and selection is impressive. Gintei accepts credit cards including American Express. read more

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