This was the most recent place to host a Yelp event, and wow! I'm glad that I now know this place exists, and I'll be telling everyone I can to come here. The staff are incredibly nice and really seem to care about what they're doing. That's also evident in the food. Everything from their own way to make the rice and several types of homemade soy sauce to the great miso soup and sake on offer shows that they really want to make everything extra special for you. The owner/chef was absolutely beaming with pride as he watched people eat his creations. All of the tempura and sushi we got to try was incredible, and I would definitely say this place has the best sushi in Dublin. The locale is great too. It's in its own building along the Liffey near the old docked ship and in view of the harp bridge. the building is all glass so you can catch all the beautiful views around you, including a sunset on the river if you want. read more

went here this evening and it's AMAZING the taste was good the people were nice and the ramen CHEF'S KISS I do recommend this place

Solid sushi and sashimi. Advice: you likely won't need as many rolls here - the rolls are big. I'm by all means a healthy eater and one of their special roles managed to fill each of the 6 people in our group. It's worth sitting on the side closer to the water vs. the street if you happen to be visiting J2 when it's light outside. The staff is friendly an informative. read more

The view has to be the most spectacular view of any of Dublin's sushi restaurants. Right by the liffey in the beautiful docklands area. Since it's almost a glass box, there is an excellent view all around. Of course during a heat wave with the sun belting though, it might be somewhat uncomfortable however there's an outdoor seating area for these situations. Chef Jason spends 10 hours a day making his own soy sauce blend for the following day. He also blends it to make ginger, chilli and sweet soys for dipping tempura. No rubbish kikkoman here. The rolls are well thought out with some signature specials that oare Jason's own recipes so expect something a little different than the norm if you go for one of these. The prices seem reasonable enough to me, though there is cheaper sushi available in the city. The quality of the fish is also excellent. The only reason I'm not giving them 5 stars is the lack of beer. The yamamori chain has Hitachino Nest - Japanese craft beer and as a beer drinker, that might sway my decision sometimes towards them rather than J2. They do have various wines and sake though and not everyone wants beer with their dinner. read more

This place is just PERFECT! Everything is so fresh, he staff is very very nice, and the spot is wow. We sat near the window so it was a really nice experience. I ordered the vegetarian bento box, it was so good! My husband ordered the normal bento box and a California roll and he said it was the freshest sushi he's ever eaten. Don't forget to try their green tea! It's something. Very recommended :) read more

Caveat: I live in California and am often spoiled by decent sushi in a close vicinity. That being said, I thought that the nigiri and sashimi were very disappointing. The salmon sashimi was super thick, cold, and tastless. The tuna nigiri was rubbery and tasted like cheap supermarket sushi. The sushi rice broke apart when I picked it up which is a sign that the rice wasn't very good or packed well. My friend got the chirashi bowl that contained cuts of fish that were similarly unimpressive. The unagi was decent but overpriced. The best part of the meal was the tempura sushi roll. I'd probably stick with mostly sushi rolls next time if I came again. read more

That was very unexpected! Lovely little place close to the ifsc, directly at the Liffey with a fantastic view! This place holds about 30 people I say and has a very relaxing atmosphere, not too fancy! It could be good to bring a date there as you can talk and you have the romantic views in the evenings ;) For me as a Sushi monster, I can only say that I loved every single piece I ordered. The best of everything was the Tuna+Salmon Sashimi - you haven't seen such a big piece of tuna before, it was tender and lean - the best I had so far in Dublin!! Who is their supplier??? Great thing is that they have everything from maki, nigiri and special sushi rolls - everyone should be able to find something. I'd recommend the Alaska roll also, loads of salmon inside and outside of the roll in combo with avocado and asparagus. I must say I am not pleased with the wine list they have - but next time I will just stay with my green tea which I get free when I check in here ;) read more

I felt lucky to live 2 minutes walk away from J2 during my 7-month stay in Dublin. The restaurant itself is in a great spot - right on the bank of the Liffey, with aesthetically pleasing views out across the river, the Jeanie Johnston Tall Ship and the modern developments on the south side. The interior is pleasant and contemporary in its decor, with lots of natural light from the floor-to-ceiling windows. It's basically a glass cube; it is a fairly small building, but it doesn't feel claustrophobic or cramped. The staff are very friendly and attentive, some of the nicest I've ever had the pleasure of being served by. We visited J2 on a weekly basis and quickly became regulars! They recognised us and remembered our specific dietary requirements (my wife and I are vegan), which is always a massive plus in my book. The food was always very fresh and tasty. My personal favourites were the vegetable tempura and avocado rolls, but everything I had there was of a very high standard. I thoroughly enjoyed the food and general ambience of J2 and it's one of the things I will definitely miss about Dublin. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone looking for a place for a bite to eat at lunchtime or an evening meal in the vicinity of the IFSC. read more

I reviewed this restaurant last week, complaining that the sushi was poorly made and expensive. The owner/manager commented on my review, and said that I was funny. According to him, there is a lot of fish on the sushi, and "the soy sauce is cooked for 24 hours", so it is "not expensive". Just to clarify: i do not mind paying a lot for good sushi. What I don't like is to pay 17 euros for 2 poorly made sushi rolls that fall apart when you lift them. They tasted fine, but not great, so the quality was poor compared to the price. If you judge sushi by how long the sauce is boiled (I personally don't care: It didn't taste exceptional) and how much fish you get, this place might be OK. if you judge it on the quality of the product, service and experience compared to the price, I wouldn't recommend it. I initially gave it 2 starts, but now I gave it a lower review due to the owner /manager's unprofessional reaction. read more

Sashimi (especially tuna and ikura) wasn't fresh at all. I was super hungry and it was a 2:30pm lunch. I had salmon and shrimp first when this chirashi was served. It tasted fine. I had to order a beer to rinse the bad taste down when I had the scallop... I turned to tuna, old tuna with a wired taste..... By the time I finally decided to stop I started to have bad feeling that I might get sick. Mom used to say not-the-best-part-of-meat goes to sashimi salad and rolls.... what about the not-so-fresh-ones? Will never come back. read more

J2 Grill & Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Dublin, D

It's hard to know how to describe Jason the owner and head chef's passion for sushi. It's not just the serious demeamour, when he talks about rice varieties, soy-sauce making, and grades of raw tuna (adding with a hint of quiet defeat that what he is serving is the 'best that's available in Ireland' - leading you to wonder after you've demolished your third piece of it where you might possibly get better, and whether Ryanair flies there). It's not just the beauty of how it looks when you are served with half a dozen varieties of it, including sushi tempura. It's not just that he's come up with his own stamp on it, bringing a California-inspired model to Ireland, and creating his range of soy sauces to complement it. It may be partly the shine in his eyes that lights up when he talks about it, or the level of detail that trips effortlessly from his tongue, that leads you to imagine that Jason is to sushi what Cassius Clay was to boxing: made for it. And not afraid to pack a punch. His small restaurant on the river side of the quays - d'oh to the girl who just couldn't think to look across the road as she walked up and down, up and down - is one of those glass cube ones that I have passed and never thought more about many times. Now I have good reason to remember it. I was there as part of a Yelp event, along with around 30 other guests. From the elegant place settings that complement the food nicely, to the food art (ginger rose, wasabi leaf, honestly, after a stretch of collective ooh-ing, aah-ing and how the bloody-hell-ing, it'd make you want to put the whole thing in to your mouth in a single bite if the heat wouldn't actually kill you), to the friendly and polished host, to the wonderfully attentive staff who quietly and gracefully bring course after course of deliciousness, the whole operation reflects Jason's ethos and passion for excellence. Highly recommended for sushi lovers and those who want to try it for the first time, in a top-quality restaurant a short walk from north city centre, away from the bustle, overlooking the River Liffey. Beautiful in every way. Arigatō J2! read more

The best sushi we've discovered in Dublin so far, and probably the best or close to it out of all fancy sushi i had in California. Keep it up guys, and please dont slow down the service even more.. *** UPDATE as of 19/02/16. It's been already over a year we've been noticing a significant decline in quality each time we go there hoping they'll go back the outstanding quality of 2013 - but freshness and taste of the fish are definitely no longer 5 stars at all. Alas. read more

Service was shambolic but the food was excellent. We dropped in for food prior to going to the 3arena. We were seated river side I with a great view but it took 20 min to take our order. Our waitress in my opinion isn't suited for this gig. The tempura sharing plate was really good with lovely tempura carrots. The sushi and sashimi were top notch. Wine very good in a letter creuset chiller. It would be a 5 except for the service. The location and food saves it. read more

I had dinner with a friend here one night, and I was really impressed! The glass cube design of the building and the choice of furniture seems to suit the area well, straddling the feel of a casual lunch to a more reserved dinner. The woman serving us was a bit shy, but altogether very helpful and kind. The sushi (Alaska roll for me, please), tea (jasmine), and dessert (green tea cheesecake?!) were brilliant. Well done, with generous portions for the price. I couldn't finish my meal, and the woman put it in an awesome takeaway container with a little bottle of soy sauce, some wasabi, and ginger (which I had for a filling lunch the next day - still tasty). They were doing a promotion of 20% off the bill when I was there - don't know how often that happens, but I was pleased. Granted, it's a bit chilly inside, but I really enjoyed myself here. Would recommend, defo. read more

It's easy to see why this place is so highly rated. The food is excellent, the service friendly, fast, and attentive and the decor is comfortable and relaxing. Prices were also extremely reasonable. We enjoyed a very late Wednesday dinner of sashimi and sushi. Both were top notch with perfect cuts of fish. Even if I tried I couldn't find fault. We will definitely be back to sample the rest of the menu. Highly recommended read more

Best sushy in Dublin Every time I go there It's a confirmation of amazing food, but today was down on earth. I ordered sushy on fire - spicy salmon - queen dragon and caterpillar. simply devine, congrats read more

I simply love J2. I go there quite often, but just now started using Yelp to rate the places, so I will take advantage today to rate the amazing lunch at J2 today. Very friendly staff, great location (if you go by LUAS, just drop off at NSC stop, cross the square and keep walking straight on for 2 minutes). The food in unbeatable! The best sushi in town, well filled and rolled, very fresh fish, creative and tasty combinations and I highly recommend the SUSHI ON FIRE. There's no Japanese food in any other place around Dublin as we find in this restaurant. Congrats to the chefs and all the lovely staff! read more

J2 Grill & Sushi - Amazing special sushis, mainly the original Sushi on Fire. Yammy!!! - Japanese Near Me - Dublin, D

An acquaintance of mine who also recently moved to this fair city is a big fan of sushi so we started going out to dinner once in a while to try and get to know some of Dublin's Japanese/Asian restaurants. After making my booking I read some of the reviews here and looked up their website, everything seemed so promising and the food is simply photogenic! That's why I was left a bit disappointed with the whole experience at J2. The glass box looks super cool from the outside, but inside it's not so airy. Everyone was sitting somewhat crammed. While we were there a smell of burnt regularly invaded the room coming from the kitchen, lingering for a while, and it got noisy quickly from all the people talking on such a confined space. To make matters worse, the staff was a bit lost, taking too long to attend to the tables (we actually had to wave at them several times after waiting for ages while trying to catch their eye in more than one occasion). I could forget all of this if the food was everything that it was made out to be, but it didn't even get close to that. The miso soup was pretty ordinary and the udon noodles were only slightly better. The vegetable gyosas were really tasty, though. The sushi is BIG, a bit too much really. I was feeling adventurous so I ordered their Sushi On Fire, which is a special that changes daily and apparently is prepared in the grill. That day it was a sort of Alsaka roll with cheese, the fish was cooked and the cheese was melted on top but, unfortunately, it was also charred. I tried a piece of the Fire Island roll, which is very colourful and textured, and tasted better than my "On Fire" choice; not that it means a lot because on both rolls the rice was absolutely bland so there was no real balance between the ingredients. And finally, the desserts. I knew I was going to order the Green Tea Cheesecake from the beginning. And yet after trying it, the best thing I have to say about it is: the strawberries they put on top are so good and sweet. The cheesecake itself was too dense and the flavour quite overpowering and monotonous. In fairness they recognized the sushi was subpar that night, apologized profusely and gave us a 10% discount on the whole meal. I may be back only because this place is really close to home - but then again, Musashi is even closer and considerably better - but I wouldn't go out of my way for it. Ok, maybe for a second chance and a sunny brunch or lunch one of these days. This place got me torn between the 3 or 4 stars, the truth is the food here looks a lot better than it tastes. read more

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J2 sushi used to have a quay side restaurant, which looks to have moved inside to the CHQ building at IFSC. I never tried the restaurant but heard great things. I recognised the brand walking through the IFSC recently decided to venture in for a healthy lunch. The service was both slow and abrupt and the ordering process was unclear. The food was thrown in front of me in a takeaway paper bag despite the fact we were sitting at a table and had taken cutlery. The prices were high. The redeeming fact was the food was nice: fresh and plentiful, however the overall experience was lacklustre and disappointing. I won't be back. read more

I have been to J2 a couple of times, and depending on when you go and what you order you can have different experience of this place. I love the unique glass-box venue by the water. It's quite relaxing at J2, and it can be very nice place to be! it's definitely one of the places with the best green tea cheesecake in the city, so you will not be disappointed in terms of that. However in terms of sushi, and the bento boxes on the menu, I have to say it's quite mediocre which is the reason I am giving it 3 stars. The Gyoza should be softer, but they are quite crispy and little dry which they shouldn't be. The green vegetables in the bento box are not really edible. Either cook them or replace them with something else, but don't serve them raw like that because it's not tasty. J2- You have the potential to be a really great place, but you should work on improving the quality of the food you serve. Spend some time on playing with different flavours and make sure your food is top quality before you serve it. I think you can be something special if you work on that as you are a quite nice place. read more

Ate here on a lazy Sunday afternoon and the view out on to the liffey was so nice. I ordered the vegetarian bento box, absolutely delicious! Staff were so nice too. Will definitely be back! read more

J2 is a classy, small establishment, nicely situated along the Liffey, in a glass cube with beautiful lighting. As you walk in and out, you are greeted by the entire staff. The service is impeccable - orders are repeated to ensure accuracy and is attentive throughout the entire meal. The food itself is fresh and each presentation is gorgeous. Even a starter as simple as edamame was delicious! New favorite Japanese spot in the IFSC. read more

The food here is great, the daily bento has a mix of everything and I've never been disappointed. Their gyoza's are flavoursome and their Spicy tuna roll is HEAVENLY. The miso soup is good too which is always a bonus! The calamari tempura is a treat, it's light, the batter is great and a real easy appetiser to devour. Now my issue is communicating with the staff I've been there a good few times and it has been such a struggle, they either miss something , forget something or don't really express that they know what is being ordered. Got the wrong roll once, never got the edamame I ordered and you can normally get the bento and pay a euro to pick what rolls you would like ( spicy tuna obviously ...) which is REALLY difficult to do since that nearly always never works due to poor communication. Some things on the menu are overpriced but overall it's moderately priced especially if you are sharing. It is a nice place with good food and is definitely a nice way to treat yourself. read more

Came there with my boyfriend today. We got fish tempura bento box, combo sushi number 8 and 4pcs of Salmon, 4pcs of Tuna with 2 bowl of miso soup. And Maccha Chesse Cake and Ice-cream for dessert. It's a nice restaurant with the beautiful view, beside the Liffey river. The foods are good, but the bento box shoud go with a bowl of brown rice. Good price for the lunch menu! Service was good! Lovely waitress! I'd love to back there soon! read more

I came here for early dinner, when it was still light out. The love that the restaurant is basically a glass box on the liffey, creates a nice mood esp when the sun can shine thru. Really like their sushi combos. You get pretty much everything you like there. As usual, I ordered salmon sashimi, and the Fire Island roll (crabmeat roll topped with spicy tuna,spring onion & masago), and my boyfriend ordered the Spider Sushi bento. I was really impressed with the spider sushi (just perfect balance of crunch, sauce and rice) and thought it was good portions for the price. The sashimi was a dream. It was cut the proper thickness and the was fattyyyy! - just melts in your mouth. For the sushi, the texture and the sauces just went together so well, it was incredible, unlike some places that just make generic sauces that are too creamy/ blah. At the end I was stuffed but still wanted more!! I will definitely go back again, esp to try the noodles and ramen. I will review again when I do!! read more

What can I say? This is a brilliant Japanese restaurant that does really good food and amazing sushi. I work in the IFSC so I eat here often and have yet to be disappointed. I have sampled pretty much the entire menu and am happy ordering any dish they have as everything is done to perfection. Like a proper sushi bar, you can watch the chefs prepare you meal while you wait. Added bonus, they have a great selection of sake as well including some really good nigiri sake which you may have a hard time finding at some spots in Dublin. read more

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* Wasabi was weak flavored and not fresh * When I asked about Uni the waitress didn't know what Uni was (what kind of Sushi place doesn't know about Uni?) * The sashimi selection is very limited and the fish is not fresh (try smelling the sashimi before eating it, it shouldn't smell "fishy") * This restaurant is more about a Western sushi, no comparison to authentic Japanese sushi restaurants. read more

Very good Japanese food. I love Japanese food and J2 is my usual go to place if I'm craving. Nice decor and friendly staff.

This has to be one of the best sushi restaurants in Dublin! I eat here at least twice a month and keep coming back for more. The guys who work here are fantastic - friendly, helpful and knowledgable. Ask for recommendations! The spider crab bento is my favourite, but you can't go wrong with any of their special sushi rolls. Make sure to get some delicious Japanese beer to wash it all down. read more

Nothing quite makes me as happy than Japanese food. I was away from home, just got off a plane, and needed to find food not too far from the hotel. J2 is situated in the Financial area of Dublin, opposite the Spencer Hotel, and in a kind of cube by the river. It's tiny, but friendly, and actually really good! I didn't go for sushi, since I already had some for lunch, but it did really look delicious. Since I have a thing for Udon and chicken, I went for chicken Udon. Decided to start off with some gyoza - and well - gyoza are a side and not a starter. Meaning I got 2 small tiny gyoza - they were really nice, but felt that they should have precised that - would have taken 2 portions :) The Udon was really tasty - nothing exceptional, but just what the doctor order. I did have to restrain myself from devouring some of the deserts, that also looked really nice. So in short: cosy cute japanese restaurant, all the food looked fantastic, I want to go back - but I need to be sent to Dublin 1st. Tip: If you check in on Yelp, you get a free pot of Green Tea. Win! read more

I came for dinner here on a Friday and it was packed! We had made a reservation though, so it was ok but very cramped inside. The food however is excellent! I ordered the Chirashi Zushi which is like a sushi bowl with fresh tuna, salmon, masago and ikura (fish eggs), tako (octopus), hotate (scallop), egg and nori seaweed. It came with wasabi sauce. As a sushi fan I loved it, but if a bowl of raw fish on rice isn't for you, then there's plenty of cooked dishes on the menu too, like udon noodles, grilled fish, meat, tempura etc. Although this is a sushi restaurant, vegetarians are catered for as well with a few dishes like vegetable tempura, gyoza, fried tofu and udon. My mom had the crispy salmon dish which was like an Irish x Japanese fusion meal (i.e. Salmon on top of wasabi mashed potato!). The miso soup here is particularly good too! A lot of the things on the menu are more fusion style as opposed to pure Japanese, so there's some really creative and unusual sushi in the J2 Special Sushi section of the menu as well J2 specials. Also, if you check in via Yelp, you get a free pot of Japanese Green Tea! The service was average at best I'd say, but very efficient. The restaurant is like a glass box, so the view of the Liffey is really nice. The prices are not too bad, the same as most of the other sushi restaurants but cheaper and much better than Yamamori. The only negative point is that it's really cramped and small inside. Overall, extensive menu that caters for all, quick service and a great place for more creative Japanese food, even if your not a sushi fan. read more

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I love their restaurant on the quays, great view out over the river Liffey combined with very comfortable and spacious premises makes it a really nice place to meet people. Food is good too, really nice tempura prawns and fresh sushi. read more

The best sushi I've had in Dublin ! Their Udon is also delicious and tastes like authentic Japanese food. Really good quality & affordable. I like the decor as you're tucked in a glass box overlooking the Liffey, nice view to enjoy day and night. The staff is also very friendly. read more

Very, very good. Had an excellent lunch here one day courtesy of a colleague who works nearby in Citi (Thanks Aman!). Had low expectations, for no particular reason. Boy was I wrong. the food was great, Miso delicious, and the overall quality very high. We both had different bento boxes (always a good way to take a tour across the menu), and mine included delicious sushi, tempura vegetables, edamame, and the aforementioned Miso. Simple (but hard to get right) and brilliant. Will go again! read more

From the food to the service and also the great value, J2 is a little gem :) miso soup is free and also on the table they serve little jars of ginger,wasabi and homemade soy sauce. Himself and I ordered waaaay to much but they let us takeaway so now I have my lunch tomoro ;) .. Starters was the spider crab tempura that I forgot to take a photo of it was so good we didnt wait one second to dive into. Too good to wait any longer!! amazing flavours and crispy tempura. The crab was so soft and the sauce they served with it went really well. I never tried miso it was a bit tastless for me but I wouldnt no good miso as it was my first time to have some :) the salmon main my boyfriend had was ten stars!!! Im going back to order it all to myself the asparagus tempura with it was so good. The bento box for 13euro is great it comes with edameme,miso,gyoza,salad..and you can pick sushi it comes with (i chose spider crab again). Then to share we had tempura spicy tuna rolls. They were good but not fried enough to be tempura. To top it all off we had some rasperry and white chocolate brownie. Again..amazing!! Really different to your normal brownie nicest ive had. the matcha tea cheesecake looked so nice too. With two Asahi japanese beers two wash down everything came to €70 euro exactly.! Yay. For portion size,ambience, flavours, great value, service etc..i cant wait to return again and again! read more

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This place ticked all the right boxes. Sitting at a window seat beside the river in the sunshine doesn't get much better than that. The menu itself is perfect, so many options and choices and for such good value. I also really like that they recommend dishes on the menu. i had to go for the spider roll so i could compare it to yamamori, but i would of defo picked something else otherwise. the spider roll was delish and not overpriced. i also got chicken gyozas which were crunchy and yum. Here you get free miso soup whwn you order sushi, something id never order but was tasty. This has potential to be given a rare 5 stars from me, i will be back with freedom to order what i want and i can not wait!! read more

My husband and I went there yesterday for dinner. The food was nice which is what the one star is for. However, for anyone who wanted to feel welcomed, I would recommend you to walk out of this place without hesitation. The service here was RUDE!!!!! The waiter was slow, unwilling to communicate and inattentive. At the end, when we were trying to pay for the bill, the waiter said that they don't accept Amex credit card. My husband politely asked why (there are places that don't want to deal with high fees from Amex and we have a habit of know why just for our own educational purpose). That when the manager-ish lady came and asked in a very irritated way "what do you mean?" That was sooo unexpected. read more

Good Japanese food with fast and friendly service. I eat here about once a week, usually get the bento box which is great. You can get take-away as well. Staff are v good. Currently doing a good discount, 20% off for Jan 2013. Great addition to the IFSC area. read more

The best sushi place in Dublin! The food is amazing, the view of the Liffey is beautiful and the staff is very nice and helpful. My favorite place in town and it is definitely recommended for all sushi lovers. read more

YOU GUYS. There is seriously nothing bad I can say about this restaurant. I know my Sushi and have eaten cheapy M&S takeaway stuff as well as proper Japanese high class Sushi that left me financially crippled for the rest of the month. J2 does amazing, high quality Sushi with a moderate price tag. The restaurant is on the RIGHT side of town (Northside, ha!) and right by the Quay. It's not huge and I have trust issues, so I always make reservations and ask for a window seat. At night you can look out and see the beautiful Samuel Beckett bridge illuminated. I think by now I tried almost everything on the card and have not found a flaw. The only thing I never eat is the Green Tea Cheesecake, and it's because I am stuffed to the brim with delicious raw fish! Try it now and thank me later! read more