I honestly believe I had the best dish I have ever had in my life here. The kodomo tuna is one of the most well prepared and tasty dishes on planet earth. The mojitos are amazing, and the service was outstanding. The only drawback is it is so small wait times can get out of hand, but if you can handle the wait its well worth it. read more

I had a fantastic experience here. I was very well taken care of at the bar and much enjoyed the sushi. I would highly recommend the watermelon mojito and shipiro roll :) read more

My wife and I stopped in for lunch on a Saturday because the place was highly recommended by some friends. The staff was friendly. The sushi was good, but it wasn't as good as I'd hoped. Their sashimi was actually really good... better than many places in town. Their roll selection however, was quite limited and unimaginative. The rolls themselves were okay, but no better than what you would get at your run of the mill Japanese steakhouse. The atmosphere seems more like a cocktail bar than a restaurant, and I imagine that it's a fabulous place to have sushi and wine or cocktails on a Friday night. If your craving great sushi for lunch though, there are better options around. read more

Simply unbelievable. Atmosphere is very comfortable, wait staff incredibly attentive, and the rolls? WOW! Go for the Kobe roll for a splash of "unique" and the Dragon Roll for a comfortable stand-by. SO glad I found this place, thanks to a recommendation from a local colleague. I'll be back! Thanks, Maggie, for taking such good care of us. read more

Always excellent food and the intimate ambiance is wonderful. Sushi is amazing, so is the rock shrimp tempura. Great lunch menu, friendly staff. Perfect for a quiet date night or casual lunch. Love! read more

Yum!! Had the chili miso and a spider roll. Great little place in Homewood/soho. Great atmosphere... Would be a good location to meet for cocktails after work with the added bonus of great sushi! I will definitely visit again. read more

If I lived in Birmingham Alabama I would eat here every night and order the sushi tacos! They were absolutely out of this world!

Wow! Great sushi, amazing Birmingham treat! I had the roll with apples and cream cheese and it was the best sushi I ever put in my mouth. Not even being dramatic. And I also had the miso soup which I did not love but that might be because I ate to go and it wasn't warm. Nevertheless I had the time of my life eating from Jinsei and will definitely take anyone that visits me in the ham! read more

Tried Jinsei for the first time tonight. Great spot with a little outdoor seating out front. Enjoyed the Red Dragon and a glass of Pinot while enjoying the people watching. Great way to enjoy an Spring evening. Will definitely be back on my next trip to Birmingham. read more

I went with friends during Birmingham Restaurant Week last night. The special menu included three of my all-time favorite foods--tempura green beans, kadoma tun and baby bites (a novelty dessert from nearby Pastry Arts). I added on an order of the Jenseviche for everyone to sample, too. Everything was delicious as always, and service great. I've only had good experiences dining at Jensei. read more

the sushi was delicious and the wine selection was vast. Service was very friendly and the nightly specials (1/2 price wine on Tuesdays) are a pretty good deal. If you like sushi, you won't find any better in town. If you don't like waiting, I suggest going on a random weeknight and maybe a little on the early or late side. The place is small and can get very crowded. Also, it is not cheap to eat there, but you get what you pay for! read more

Superb food, very fresh and creative. Highly recommend for those who love quality sushi, nothing conveyor belt about this place.

This is not a place to go by yourself. The best single seating areas are the bar and sushi bar. If you sit at the sushi bar you are going to have waiters constantly reaching around you to grab sushi dishes. Also, I didn't feel the food justified the price. Sushi itself is not as exotic as it once was. I'm not sure what drives the price so high. All of the food was tasty but I didn't think my meal was worth almost 80 dollars not including tip. I ordered two drinks that were on special for $5, a seaweed salad, a Kobe beef dish and two rolls. Heck, maybe I just ordered too much food, but I had been traveling all day and was very hungry. Even dividing the cost by two this would not have been enough food for two people. read more

Great place. Chili miso soup was outstanding. Foie gras was an interesting combo, tasty. Reasonable prices. Seating is scarce.

I've always loved the food - no issue there. The problem is their rigid policy to not seat a party until all people have arrived - even if one person only wants to join you later in the meal for a drink. To quote the manager 'if you have another person who shows up, we'll LET them join you if there's room." (It was prime time for dinner and there were over half a dozen open four-top tables available.) If he was worried about table turn - we clearly stated our friend would not be eating and wouldn't slow the meal down. Did they really think we wanted to hog a table for four instead of two just to please ourselves? The brain trust that owns this place should reconsider either their policy or the non-customer oriented hostess & manager or all three. Sad to say I won't be going there again. Had a much, much better experience at the place that welcomed us with flexibility and a smile. read more

This place is pricey! That said, it's worth it if you are on a date or wanting a nice meal. I stayed at the Aloft across the street from this place on a recent visit and went there based on a recommendation from a coworker. Amazing ambiance (I sat at the sushi bar area given I was a party of one) and I really enjoyed my experience. The guys behind the bar were focused but friendly, and the servers were attentive and professional. More importantly, the food was great! Highly recommend....if you are ok with the high -- on par with New York City -- prices. read more

Lee S.'s review sounds like the owner or an associate of Jinsei Sushi wrote it... The atmosphere was that of a night club. Which I'm not faulting that, however the food left a lot to be desired. The sushi is overpriced for the amount of sushi that you are served. Costing $2+ dollars per bite, with the average roll size being divided into 6-8 pieces. Each piece is only about the size of a quarter. Very small. I'm not sure what all of the hype is about. It's average sushi and I've had much better for a lower price. I spent $55 dollars on 4 tiny rolls. You definitely don't get the bang for your buck!!! read more

Best quality Sushi in town, but at a price point! Décor and atmosphere is very out-of-place for Birmingham. Tables are at a minimum, which elevates its "exclusivity"; so, don't expect to arrive without a reservation and get seated with a party of 8. They do have a small lounging area with bench seats and stools where you can order food as well as drinks. I actually think this is the best bet. I would go and loosen up in the lounge with a drink and order a couple of rolls and sashimi to snack on while enjoying a conversation. Not expecting to get "full", just lounging.... Good for couples, dates, and a cocktail. Also, if you want the best quality fish available and don't mind paying for it, this is it. So, get dressed up and enjoy. Try the kobe beef which comes out with a heated rock for searing. Just a quick sizzle on both sides and you're good to go! ...oh, not a nic on the restaurant, but SoHo?? Really?? Way to be original....I am betting that a new development will going up between 280 and 459 and it will be called TriBeCa, or Triangle Below Cahaba. read more

Absolutely amazing!!! Everything from the sushi to the entrees. The Kobe Wrapped Asparagus was delightful and wine selection was great. Our server was friendly and informative. It was busy and had to wait a while for a table but that didn't matter because of they have their waiting area. The best part is that the outside dining is smoke free. This is truly one of the best restaurants in Birmingham and definitely the best sushi. Will be going back and bringing friends!!!! read more

The sushi is both innovative and incredibly tasty. Service is very good, busy at 7 on a Sunday and they don't take reservations. Only negative is the hostess is ill suited to deal with the public and as the first interaction with the business, highly off-putting. read more

I have to admit this was our fourth stop on a busy Saturday night in downtown Birmingham. Seems like everybody had a 2 hour wait . We came here based our sons suggestion and were pleasantly surprised. While we were initially told the wait was 30-40 minutes, we were seated after 15. Just enough time to look over the cocktail menu and get some tasty creative cocktails. Their specialty drinks are variations of mojitos. I had one with mango and ginger; Paul had the blackberry. Both were smooth and flavorful but not too sweet. After we were seated , we started with the tempura platter app - an assortment of tempura battered vegetables including sweet potato and zucchini with a nice dipping sauce. I had the black miso cod entree. It was broiled and moist and flaky. Paul had the spider sushi roll and a tempura vegetable roll. Meredith tried the Kobe burgers. It was a pleasant experience - crafty cocktails, nice small plate dining, sophisticated decor. We will be back! read more

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Almost a perfect sushi place the only place in Birmingham where i would recommend eathing sushi. Again people write about prices but everything here is moderately priced. If you travel and have lived outside the state these prices are a bargain for sushi. read more

Very nice location. Very Clean and service was very professional. Sushi was a bit colder than what I had expected for a roll that had some fried elements, but it was tasty and presented very well. The music was a bit loud but the venue was completely full with a wait. I would definitely recommend this resturant to anyone. read more

While the atmosphere is chic and trendy (albeit small) I just didn't see the bang for my buck here. My husband and I got one sushi roll each, I got one bowl of miso soup and 1 cocktail. He drank a coke. Our bill: over $60. The food itself was just alright. Meh. read more

Amazing. Every time. Exquisite. The food is very high quality and never seems to fall short of amazing. Their wine menu is exceptionally great as well. read more

I have never had a bad meal at Jinsei, best sushi in b-ham.... Great service as well

Really yummy sushi., melts in your mouth.... good atmosphere, great service. Will be back.

Favorite over the mountain sushi!! The bartender named Mitchell was so friendly and accommodating. Wine was fantastic can't wait to go back

The kadoma tuna is my lifesblood. All of the rolls and hot dishes are excellent. Great service! ;)

Very fresh food that was well presented, a very nice, modern atmosphere, and great service.

IMHO this is the best sushi in the Metro area. Nice ambiance, great staff. It's a pretty tight spot, but once the kadoma tuna makes its way out to the table all is well. I would also highly recommend the mojitos. read more

I had the Kadoma Tuna and the Bubblegum Roll - on two consecutive nights - because in my opinion, it really was that good. Service was excellent, would highly recommend. read more

The meal would rate a 5. The 3 rating is due to our server David. He was rude and dismissive. He acted like he was too good to be there. He forgot items that had been ordered and was quick with a smart comment. I will not hurry back. read more

Love the atmosphere and the layout of the place. The quality of the fish and meats is also amazing. The reason for the 3 stars are 1. the sushi rice is not up to par. A few times the rice was undercooked, and the seasoning is just not right. 2. Service is extremely extremely slow, and good luck having your server come back for refills. read more

Their atmosphere is adorable. BUT. THEY NEED TO EXPAND! A tiny 700 something square foot restaurant with crammed tables. But. I give their food 5 STARS! Amazing, innovative, FRESH, refreshing, perfectly paired for flavor. This place has the potential...to be the greatest in the southeast. With some work on the structure and expansion, it can be amazing. read more

Referred by a friend and it's good really fresh! I loved those cucumber drinks but get them with no Ice because it ruins the taste. My husband enjoyed our date night. Good food, good drinks but expensive 100.00 bill easy! read more

One of the best Sushi bar in the US. We have eaten Sushi from Alaska to Florida, Maine to California. Innovative approaches expertly presented. The bar has perhaps the best Margarita anywhere. The floating lime with Grand Marinier is incredible. The waiters remembered our name on the second visit. But it is the quality of the fish. Best of Birmingham/Alabama easily. Great champagne by the glass. Quality is decreasing read more

I LOVE Jinsei! My favorite time to go is on Sundays because the rolls are discounted and they have $5 saki, booya! Wonderful way to end Sunday Funday! The Kadoma tuna and Bangkok rolls are my fav and I always start off with tempura green beans. They could def. work on the deserts but last I head they had Babybites?!?! Would have given 5stars but I think it is a little over priced considering we are in B'ham...but I will gladly pay it for the kick ass atmosphere! read more

Great food! Good mojitos! Small inside area which leads to a more intimate experience. Music was great at times and awful at times. Overall good experience! read more

My first time there. Ambience was good. Good sushi, wouldn't call it outstanding. The experience was bad mainly because of the subpar service. Too much delay in taking the order and then our drinks came after food!! I would recommend Abhi in Summit or Bamboo on 2nd instead of this place. read more