Hot Rice

Locally sourced ingredients

Vegan friendly

The. Best. Japanese. Restaurant. Ever. We tried their…read moreOmakase and everything served was very good! I even ate the soba noodles which is the best, even if I am on the ketogenic diet! Can't wait to go back!

Apparently at lunch they only have outside seating on their patio with a limited menu which was a…read moresurprise to our party of four. The seating included camp chairs and bamboo folding tables, and the "kitchen" was basically a permanent food truck, so the experience didn't really meet our expectations. Also...flies. The tan-tan mazesoba was very good, though the Pinot noir was not. Don't think we'll be returning.

2.2 mi•Alphabet District, Northwest

Join us on our outdoor patio for lunch, happy hour, or dinner.

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We use a live fire grill for many of our dishes during dinner service. Enjoy our Black Cod, Salmon, Ribeye, and more from the hearth.

Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya

4.6(200 reviews)

Locally owned & operated

10 years in business

The ramen was amazing. The broth was excellent. Beautiful decor…read more The wait staff were welcoming and attentive. Such a great find, parking being available is such a plus.

I always had a wonderful experience with Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya. Plus the service is fast. I get my…read moreramen nice and hot just the way I like it. Arigato !

1.9 mi•Alphabet District, Northwest

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Bamboo Sushi

4.2(919 reviews)

Got the Setto curated sushi set and had no complaints! Everything was fresh from the sashimi to the…read morerolls. Honestly wasn't expecting much from this place but was highly recommended by a friend of mine. Savannah our server was great! Bonus points for how good our drinks were.

Solid experience here. I came here a friday evening and sat at the sushi bar. It was fun to be able…read moreto watch the chefs make the sushi right in front of me. The service was quick and staff was very kind. I had the Friday the 13th. This was fresh and tasty. solid sushi, but nothing exceptional. would consider coming back!

2.2 mi•Alphabet District, Northwest

Clean and beautiful entry way

Nut Topped: (Crispy Cauliflower In A Delicious Tangy+ Spicy +Sweet Sauce)

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Fish & Rice

4.5(291 reviews)

Simple menu. We had dumplings, poke, sushi, sake, and Japanese gin. Excellent food. The staff were…read morewelcoming. Highly recommend.

Ordered their salmon fire bowl. Overall very tasty. I do have to say it was a bit expensive for how…read moremuch you got and half of it being rice. I did add seaweed salad and crab salad on top and it was $26.

2.7 mi•Downtown, Southwest Portland

Seating area, and cute doggo!

Chirashi with additional uni

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Salmon poke bowl

Akizawa Japanese Bistro

4.8(82 reviews)

Fish is top notch - very fresh, cut was generous. Service was great. Rice seasoned excellently…read more Ambiance is cozy and comfortable. Only thing that could use some improvement is that some of the nigiri rice were bit loose. But overall very good experience and would recommend.

Quaint Downtown spot with bar seating and a very small dining room. Seats fill quickly right after…read moreopening. The Plum Sake was one of the best I've had, not sugar-laden, but sweet. A generous pour too. Apologies to the purists, but I ordered the California Roll as it consisted of real crab. Roll slices were small. Taste was par for the course. The shrimp croquettes were my favorite item of the night. And I concur with another Yelper that the Chicken Katsu was excellent, and also good portion to price. The Miso cod on special was tasty, but, small. We also ordered eel nigiri, one of the special hand rolls, and yummy sliced duck. Our experience ended with a somewhat unmemorable flan. Service by the lone server was very friendly and efficient, she's a pro. Usually it's points off for a Downtown spot and no parking, but all the inconveniences actually add to the vibe of this must-do Japanese restaurant.

1.6 mi•Northwest, Alphabet District

Looking into the sushi bar

Uni hand roll

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Chawanmushi

Afuri Slabtown

3.9(119 reviews)

Very cool modern Japanese spot in Slabtown…read more AFURI has a slick, contemporary feel -- large, open space with a younger, hip atmosphere, but still relaxed and casual. The huge rolling doors open the restaurant onto the patio when the Portland weather cooperates, which gives the whole place a great indoor/outdoor feel. The food was very good across the board, fresh and well prepared, and the service was equally good -- friendly, competent and attentive without hovering. Everyone we dealt with seemed genuinely pleasant and knew what they were doing. Overall, a really enjoyable dinner in a great-looking space. Good food, good people, good energy. Definitely a place we'd come back to. Solid 5 stars.

The only reason this isn't 1 star because Afuri's Tsukemen is really delightful! However, everytime…read moreI come here, the service is truly abysmal (honestly both locations). I did recently experience something that was really frustrating. I went in to order a to go order, the lady said it was going to be 15 mins but I had a meeting to get to, and I was trying to be a good customer by not rushing them and saying, hey, let me come back to it in about an hour- so no rush! The girl said that wasn't possible. What?? What's the difference if I got it the second it was done vs if I got it a little bit later? She said they only do that for phone orders... ok, can we pretend this is one? Anyways, she was nice enough to ask the kitchen if they can speed it up, which they did. Great right? Now, I don't know if it was out of spite or just truly forgetting but my tsukemen (noodles you dip in sauce) didn't have the tare (the sauce)- which of course I only find out when I was back home and far away from the restaurant- so it was a really frustrating surprise to come home having just bought $20 + tip noodles that I couldn't really eat since I didn't have any sauce to go with it. I don't think I'm gonna come here again

1.5 mi•Northwest, Alphabet District

Restaurant

Yuzu-Tsuyu dipping sauce on the side

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Inside

Langbaan

4.4(321 reviews)

•$$$$

Had long been looking for a good opportunity to give Langbaan a try and finally had the chance to…read morepay them a visit. The food itself was delicious across the board but there were some things to keep in mind for those attending. Let's start with the food itself. Everything was tasty and clearly cooked with great care. The scallop dish was definitely my favorite bite of the night and has been on the menu since day one which I now understand why. We wound up getting the upgrade for the aged wagyu which I thought was good but maybe not quite justified for the price. I also think without the wagyu I may have still been a little hungry. End of day the flavors were great and dishes were interesting. Now to drinks and service. The service itself was good. Every server was knowledgeable about what was being served and presented the dishes well. Was hoping for a few more fruit based tequila drinks but that all comes down to personal preference. I think the one thing that surprised me about the experience was the atmosphere. Typically for a fine dining meal you'd be in a quiet, intimate space, and this didn't quite have that feel. We were up at the bar next to another couple and meanwhile the folks not partaking in the Langbaan experience are still enjoying food around you from the standard restaurant. It felt a little odd to see both getting served at the same time when one is this fine dining experience and the other is more casual eats. At the cost I just assumed it was a little more of a unique and special atmosphere.

We went here with lot of excitement and anticipation since it was our first time trying out a…read moretasting menu. We knew the price beforehand but did not know how expensive it would be with alcoholic drinks that were supposed to be paired with each item. We went there in August 2025 to celebrate an event. The experience in a nutshell was not mesmerizing enough. The first few appetizers (Miang Som, Kanom Krok) were flavour bombs and amazing but the taste deteriorated with us marching into entrees unfortunately. For example in Lon Pla Ra Nio Pi-rab the squab and dill didn't go very well and the bird was too chewy. The wait staff was polite and nice and very knowledgeable of the food. The ambiance was too dark and the location was hard to find since the sign outside doesn't say Langbaan so it was confusing. The fish in all dishes were flaky and nicely done. The tamarind sauces were pretty different and unique as well. The meat in other dishes was not too good.

2.7 mi•Downtown, Southwest Portland

Watching things come together on the other side of the counter

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Panag gam wua, or beef brisket curry.

Tanaka

3.9(351 reviews)

don't come here for the matcha, it's not good at all, but the sandwiches were good and great…read morebreakfast! a little pricy though

Loved the overall vibe at Tanaka, and the toys for little kids were such a nice touch, got my…read moretoddler stay occupied while eating. The staff were also very nice. My SIL and I really enjoyed the chicken katsu sandos with spicy katsu sauce. However, my husband was kinda disappointed with the curry rice. The pork was tasty and good amount, but the curry sauce was only in a corner of the plate. For Japanese curry rice, you normally expect a much more generous amount of curry served with or over the rice, so it felt pretty skimpy which we find odd because curry is probably the cheapest ingredient in that dish. The drinks looked great but were underwhelming. My ube matcha was bland, and my SIL's matcha latte was just okay. Overall, great atmosphere and sandos, but the curry and drinks could be better.

Inside

Ube Cream Doughnut. 5/5

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Latté. I can't remember which one. 5/5

Soen

4.8(17 reviews)

2.6 mi•Downtown

I have been a fan of small Courier Coffee. Now I'm a fan of their Japanese residency, Soen. In…read moreparticular curry Tuesday on their current schedule was my quest. They had 2 curries, chicken and lentil. The later is vegan. Both had Japanese curry flavors with a lot of turmeric. It is served over white rice, with some added vegetables, Summer squash and asparagus on my visit and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. It had a mild hotness, when I make it at home, that is not there is the off-the-shelf Japanese curry spice. I did not try, but a popular item, especially in Summer is Japanese shave ice dessert. Seating is small inside, there are several cafe tables on the sidewalk, and the food can be take out, though doubt the shave ice will travel far. The new park soon to open nearby would be a good spot for outdoor eating, as it was for a brief period in its old incarnation.

I went here primarily for their Dango Mochi which unfortunately weren't being offered when we went…read more They said they usually bring them on the menu in the fall months. So instead, we got a hot matcha and a hot mocha. Both were extremely milky and totally unsweetened. I did add some extra sugar to make it more palatable for my taste but honestly the drinks were too milky (could barely taste the matcha or mocha in it) and adding sugar did not make them any better.

Kakigori

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Matcha hojicha kakigori

Momoyama

4.3(242 reviews)

2.2 mi•Pearl District

•$$$

We came here for dinner for a nice date night option. The restaurant has moody lighting and nice…read moreprivate booths with tall partitions, which we liked. We ordered the Portland Timber, Rainbow (w/real crab), and the Big Easy. All amazing. Super fresh fish, good portions, didn't skimp on the good stuff. The miso was also delicious. The boyfriend also said their old fashioned was the best he's ever had. Which is saying something, because he orders those almost everywhere we go....he loves those things. We stayed for dessert, which we don't normally do, but good thing we did because the Matcha crème brûlée was a surprising combo that we loved. Staff was friendly and service was timely. I wish I had pictures but we eat before the cameras unfortunately for yall Would very much recommend!!

We sat at the sushi bar, and immediately a server came over to introduce himself and try to assist…read moreus. Maybe the idea is to help with any language barrier -- the server spoke fluent English, while often the sushi chefs do not -- but we found him way too attentive. We sat at the bar so we could interact with the sushi chefs. We did talk with a chef, but his advice wasn't very specific. So...despite plenty of suggestions from the server, and some advice from the chef, and a long time perusing and discussing the extensive menu, we still weren't sure what to order. We finally went with a combo and were disappointed to see it served in a boat! That just seemed like a gimmicky, touristy thing, we would have preferred a plate. The fish actually was very good, and so were the salads. A shrimp nigiri was the only misstep, as the shrimp was overcooked. I guess I would return to this place -- hopefully on that server's day off! And make sure my order is not coming on a little boat. And skip the shrimp.

Unagi nigiri

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Takoyaki

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Jim P.

10 years ago

Always the best food and price............................................. .. .... .................................................................... read more

Soren W.

12 years ago

Good food at great prices. Fast and friendly service. Since I work on Swan Island, I usually eat lunch three times a week on average.

Terry J.

126

191

15 years ago

$5.95 for lunch special. Lots of rice. Low priced. Loud and busy at lunch. Less so other times. read more

Hot Rice - japanese - Updated September 2026

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