My friend who is Japanese recommended this place and identified it as having the most authentic food out of the ones she's tried in the state. It is small on the inside, but there are plenty of tables and there's a sushi station, where you can watch them make the rolls right in front of you. We got seated next to a wall, so it felt semiprivate. My friend did warn me the food takes a while to come out, so I placed my full order all at once. For sushi, my friend and I ordered the Tempura (8 pieces), Yam Roll (8 pieces), and Umeshiso (6 pieces). We also shared the Shrimp Yakisoba. The sushi came out after about 25 minutes and the noodles about 15 minutes after. The sushi pieces were a lot smaller than what I am used to, but I really appreciated that the ratios were still right and I didn't have to break a jaw to get it into my mouth. The shrimp tempura was the one I was most familiar with and it was very tasty. The yam roll was delicious and almost tasted like a French fry. The Umeshiso was unique. It was very salty and limey with a subtle mint flavor and a sweet after taste from the plum paste. The shrimp yakisoba was incredible. It was very flavorful; the noodles were perfectly cooked, there were lots of fresh vegetables, and about 4 big and juicy shrimp. I enjoyed my time here. Although service is slow, the staff was very attentive, and it felt nice to slow things down. read more

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Unfortunately Ran Zan has closed. You will be missed. Very few master sushi chefs left in rhode island. Most cut slabs of fish and call it sushi. That is cut fish. Ran Zan was the real deal. You could find the same quality in Kyoto or Tokyo. Thank you for years of great Japanese cuisine. read more

Ran Zan is a small traditional feeling sushi bar, family owned and operated with a single sushi chef. As one of the highest rated sushi bars in Providence I have to say I was very disappointed to say the least. The quality of the fish and rice was that of which you would find at most any sushi restaurant, overly saturated fish lacking in texture. Hard stiff sushi rice laking texture and flavor used for the nigiri (possibly due to the quality of fish on top). This was also a first time for me finding a bone in the sashimi or receiving Kani as part of a house sashimi. They also had Maine Uni available, the portion of Uni was the smallest I have ever received just 3-4 gonads atop very stale rice wrapped in a nori paper which all completely overtook the flavor of the Uni its self. As a whole I would judge Ran Zan as a baseline sushi restaurant by western standards for the quality of its ingredients and the quality put into the preparation and presentation of its dishes. 4.8/10 if you want sushi go to your local spot or look further for the real high quality sushi restaurants/bars Providence HAS to have better to offer. read more

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Went here a few weeks ago. Food was very delicious and fast service. The restaurant was kind of small but loved the atmosphere. The menu has a lot of options I am interested in trying. I ordered the Salmon Teriyaki, Nabeyaki Udon, and combination platter. Everything was delicious, only problem was I wish the Salmon was more than one piece. Other than that I loved the flavors of the Udon soup. Will be back to try more traditional styled foods and sushi rolls. read more

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It took an hour and a half to get any of our food. We had 3 people walking in to eat at 6:30 PM on a Saturday... We expected to have to wait for a table and we were OK with the 20 minute wait to be seated. Once we were seated, we were able to place an order within 5 to 10 minutes. While all the tables around us received various items from their order, we did not receive any despite placing orders for appetizers a soup, a salad and items from the sushi bar (so not all items were entrées prepared in the kitchen). We asked for an update after an hour and they told us maybe another 10 minutes and then we had to wait another 30. So in total, we waited an hour and a half to be served any food and all the tables around us were completely finished by the time we got any of our food. Not only that, but the servers did not come and check in on us, they did not acknowledge that we had been waiting for a long time, they did not reassure us that our food was about to come out, they did not check and see if there was anything else we needed in the meantime or let us know that the kitchen was backed up... Nothing. We were hoping that the food would be good enough to make up for the terrible service, but unfortunately, that was not the case. It was right in line with any other Japanese food place. Unfortunately we will not be dining here again. read more

Simply the best sushi in RI - like all fine food preparations, you must start with the finest, freshest, tastiest ingredients and then prepare them faultlessly. Done!! Nowhere better. If you are in a rush - go elsewhere read more

This place came highly recommended and the reviews are pretty high. There's no reservations and it's a tiny place! Tables are on top of each other and mostly two-tops and a few four-tops. We arrived right at 5:00 when they opened. The lighting is very bright! There is a help wanted sign so that said service is slow. It's a minimal decor, green apple painted walls and very simple wooden tables. We ordered steamed soy beans and pork dumplings for appetizers. Both good, simple and small portions. The soy beans were served with simple white table salt that we applied to the beans. The sushi menu showed basic sushi options: salmon, tuna, shrimp, etc. Sea urchin seemed the most interesting choice but they didn't have it. We ordered a mix for $51 which was a sampling of rolls, nigiri and sashimi. While it was a sampling of the menu and quality was very good...presentation was very simple and portions were bite size. There were 3 of us and often only 1 of a type of fish on the boat. We ordered additional rolls and nigiri to have more bites of our favorites and to try fish not included on the boat. They were out of a few selections. Again service was slow and only 1 person making sushi. Sushi portions are very small. The spider roll was probably the smallest I ever saw and didn't have the soft shell crab feel to it that I've had at other places. I'm mentioning the small portions due to how much smaller what we were served in comparison to the pictures posted in other reviews. Shrinkflation?? Possibly as a lot of places have downsized portions. Still it was a little bit of a disappointment as pictures of the past reviews showed portions of what I would expect at a sushi place and it wasn't cheap. Alcohol choice is very limited. I started with a Pinot Grigio- no idea what kind. It was awful so I switched to one of the Japanese beers. It was good and feels like a neighborhood mom&pop place. I don't think I would make the drive again for the experience but if I were in the neighborhood and had a hankering for Japanese, I might try it again and try the other menu options. read more

I've lived in Rhode Island for over 30 years and this is by far the best sushi restaurant in lil Rhody, if you got a problem with that, then please give me other candidates...I'll wait, lol. Well, I won't get into the weeds of all the sushi I've had here, but the Dragon Roll is my favorite as well as the Takoyaki appetizers. The Takoyaki has a crispy outer shell with a creamy octopus filled center, if you enjoy octopus, then I think you'll absolutely love this dish. The Dragon Roll as well as the other sushi always tastes fresh and the key is also having the right rice to fish/veggie ratio. The staff is so nice, friendly and informative. I've been here so many times and I'll keep coming back as long as they remain consistent, it's been 10 years strong for me and it's always BOMB.COM!!! -ODL Follow my IG: @AOEAT read more

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This my favorite sushi spots in Providence. We stopped by late on a Wednesday night, and got counter seats (my personal favorite spot). We tried: - age dashi tofu (friend tofu in a dashi broth) - hamachi (yellow tail) nigiri - sake (salmon) sashimi - unagi (eel) nigiri - spicy scallop roll (off menu) - rainbow roll You get two pieces for nigiri and sushi, and 3 pieces for the salmon. The quality of the fish is incredible. The yellowtail was one of the best cuts of fish I've ever tasted. We went back for seconds! The pricing is incredibly affordable and the staff is the sweetest. read more

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This is hands down my favorite sushi spot in RI...actually in the US so far! It's so authentic, fresh, crave-worthy, and delicious! I can eat at this spot every single day if I could. It's a very cozy and and Japanese style restaurant. It's A bit small and probably has about 8-10 small tables there. But every time we go it's mostly packed! And the staff is soooooooooo sweet! Like I don't even care how long it takes them to get my food out bc they are just so nice. So yes, be patient with them as they tend to be short staff. But their food is soooooooo worth it. I'm a regular and will be going back constantly! read more

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Great value katsudon and fresh sushi, but very slow service. Took over half an hour for a katsudon and sushi bowl at 4pm on a weekday. There was maybe 1 other customer in the restaurant at the time. Not sure what made the wait so long, but definitely one of the longer waits for food.. read more

Ran Zan is the most authentic Japanese restaurant in RI. This is coming from a very picky LA- native of Japanese descent. Their more traditional dishes are really the highlight, like the Japanese pickles and ume plum shaved ice during the summer. They are so kind and the inside is really quaint and reminds me of Japanese restaurants I grew up going to. It can take a while to get food when it's busy, so I'd recommend picking up. They don't often pick up the phone, so you have to order in person. read more

Ran Zan Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

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Everyone around me hyped up how this is their go to Japanese restaurant especially for sushi. I don't know if I would say it's the first choice or completely agree. I think the quality and the taste was great but it seems like there weren't many things on the menu available. The service was amazing and super friendly. I think there must be things that are must get here and I didn't get it, so I'm not particularly in love with this place. I'll be back so they can prove me wrong! read more

Ran Zan Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

I soooooo wanted to love this restaurant because it's small family business and is definitely the most traditional Japanese restaurant that I've found in Rhode Island. Unfortunately, the quality of my experience did not even come close to expectations. I ordered the sashimi deluxe, which was only so-so. The fish quality was not very fresh and tasted slightly fishy. The unagi nigiri was okay, and probably the best part of the meal. I went with a group of 4 people. My friends ordered the pork katsu, udon, and unaju. The sushi bar dishes came out relatively quickly (about 30 minutes), but the cooked dishes took around 1.5 hours to come out. We came right when the restaurant opened so we were surprised that it took so long. The restaurant itself is pretty typical for a standard traditional Japanese restaurant (dining area and sushi bar seating). The noise level was quiet-moderate. I really loved all the art on the walls. Overall, was okay for a one-time try, but I probably wouldn't come back. read more

Ran Zan Japanese Restaurant - Sashimi Deluxe - Japanese Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

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I'd give this place 5 stars on the great service, unpretentious vibe and affordability alone, but the food also happens to be excellent. Top notch Gyoza, really tender nigiri and no-frills rolls that let the fish do the talking. I've only been here once and Ran Zan already has a place in my heart. read more

Authentic Japanese sushi. Rare to find in Rhode Island. The restaurant is pretty small, kind of like " Music for a Sushi Restaurant " by Harry Styles vibes. Cozy. I ordered the Sushi & Sashimi combo and chose miso soup as an appetizer. For an appetizer, I had the takoyaki. The takoyaki definitely had a good amount of octopus pieces. I was surprised that it wasn't drenched with kewpie mayo compared to other restaurants Ive ordered it from. The sashimi was prepared fresh and I was definitely full with everything in the end. It was cool to be able to try different pieces of nigiri -- my favorites being the salmon and the tobiko. Their spicy mayo was also house-made instead of sriracha mayo and had a good amount of spice to dip my Spicy Tuna roll in. I think Ran Zan is definitely good to check out for traditional prepared Japanese food as a a light lunch or a small group dinner. The owner/head chef and wait staff were also really friendly. I'd definitely return to try their hot dishes! read more

When I want authentic Japanese food that I grew up in Tokyo, Ranzan is where I go. It is not a "trendy" fusion Japanese/Asian place that pretends and looks like Japanese. This place is the real thing. If you prefer the subtle seasoning and delicate presentation of real Japanese food, then go there. It is a small joint with very simple decor. Nothing fancy about it but the food is why you want to come here. The Japanese owner couple has been running this place for over 17 years. This is a timeless expression of passion for the authentic food prepared the way I know them to be true. You will not find stupid "hibachi" tricks that you will in so many fake Japanese restaurants like Ichigo Ichie. read more

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so so so delicious!!! amazing food and atmosphere. they work so hard for only having 2 servers and 1 chef. it's worth the wait and it's my go too for sushi. I love this place and it couldn't be better. read more

This place is great if you have some extra time on your hands and aren't in a hurry! Really authentic - the couple who owns it actually do all the cooking. The sushi chef prepares all of his fish and makes fantastic nigiri. The wife prepares most of the cooked foods. This place basically reminds me of home. The sushi rolls are small, just like mom makes them. Nigiri is fresh, and atmosphere is chill. There's Japanese TV in the background (like a TLC channel) that the sushi chef turns louder for me when I sit at the sushi bar :) Only complaint really is slow service when there are a few tables occupied. Some of the bento boxes aren't as high class, but as I said before this place is more like a home-place. I will always come back to this restaurant. Great lunch deals too! read more

Ran Zan Japanese Restaurant - Sushi small lunch - Japanese Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

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They are the best Japanese place in the state in my opinion. Best chicken katsu I have EVER had. Great salmon sashimi, great service, they remember my name which melts my heart. I love these guys. read more

A pretty satisfying meal I had for my first time eating at this restaurant. The waiter was a very nice young man whom seated my wife and I promptly. The place is smaller than your everyday restaurant, but that's just how it is in Japan. I did order the Tako Yaki, but it seemed like they didn't have any left, which was a downer of course, but the sushi made up for it. The Mrs. and I ordered a small meal to share between the two of us since the prices for the nigiri was a tad much. When the meal arrived in a shorter waiting period than expected, it came neatly organized on a wooden board type structure. Enjoyed every bite! There was a misunderstanding when it came to paying for our meal, but that didn't hinder the overall experience. read more

Ran Zan Japanese Restaurant - Dragon Roll Crab Nigiri Etc. - Japanese Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

Great food. Excellent Service. Cool, relaxed atmosphere. My child loves watching the Japanese television feed at the sushi bar.

Had the sushi dinner, it's passable the sushi chef is very slow but didn't turn out refined nigiri sushi. This restaurant is off my bucket list. Staffs are very sincere and hard working.. plenty other Japanese restaurant in the area to dine other than this one read more

Really really good sushi! Fresh, buttery salmon sahimi and tangy, crunchy seaweed salad never miss. Service is always so kind and attentive too. Definitely a good place to go for lunch or dinner! read more

Highest quality sushi I've had in the area. The staff is really nice, too. Super cozy, casual atmosphere. Not a place for diners in a hurry. Come here to relax and enjoy a few drinks before having an amazing meal. read more

There seem to be some reviews from other restaurants here. Ran Zan does NOT serve hamburgers. They are simply the best sushi restaurant in Rhode Island, bar none. I've eaten at many sushi bars around the country, and this is in my "best" category. read more

Small place on Hope St...sat at sushi counter for lunch. Got Sushi lunch for $13...salad was very small with decent dressing... Sushi portions were small albeit fresh. Had to order 2 more nigiri portions to feel like I had eaten. Fish stock was low and noticed chef pulling out frozen portions to defrost for case--probably done all the time. These folks are Japanese--unusual. Haruki is one of the only other real "Japanese" owned sushi restaurants that I know of. Nothing special. Wouldn't go back. read more

This is a small restaurant without a lot of space between tables. Even the wait staff had difficulty weaving between them to serve the folks in corners. Service was super slow, but when a server came to us on a rare few occasions we got full attention, if not speed in response.. We were left untended so long that it was past time when Early Bird specials were accepted. Maybe because the staff knew they'd forgotten us, they still let us order the Bento boxes, which we really appreciated. And I was pleasantly surprised by the food! Portions were on the small side, and the miso soup seemed a bit watered down to me (my companions didn't think m it was). Those dumplings, though?! On point, and all three were gone in a flash. My salmon teriyaki was delicious too, and with a perfectly cooked crunchy skin even though I wasn't sure just looking at it. Oddly, some of the rice was hard. It was a nice treat to get a small ice cream for dessert too, and the ginger scoop was good enough to make me wonder if it came from Three Sisters right next door. I'm walking here often when the weather warms up. Next time, maybe we'll order some sake too. read more

Can't imagine so many people give 4 stars! It is the worst sushi I have ever had. The service is slow my family waited for an hour and a half. The sushi is small and taste normal. Not worth it at all! read more

Ran Zan Japanese Restaurant - Spicy tuna/ soft shell crab - Japanese Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

If you are looking for great, traditional Sushi - this is your place. No frills, no bells and no whistles. Straight up FRESH fish, fantastic sashimi, and great tempura. When I say no frills, I mean it. Dining room is small, tight and barely decorated. It can get busy, as there are many diehard regulars to compete with for tables. But once you are seated, you are in for a treat. If you are into Toro, and they have it, it won't disappoint. Inexpensive drink prices, and friendly (albeit sometimes lax) service. This is a spot you come to for the food, and the food is 5 stars. I rarely base reviews on food alone, but when it comes to Sushi, there are just far too many places that serve mediocre fish in a nicely decorated locale. Here you have almost the opposite, and that beats all in my book when raw food is involved. read more

Ran Zan Japanese Restaurant - Bento lunch box!! - Japanese Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

My favorite place in RI for authentic Japanese sushi! The quality of fish is great. Not mushy, has resistance when you bite into it. A great roll to try is Ume Shiso. It's plum paste, shiso leaves, and cucumber. It's a light refreshing roll that goes well with sashimi and nigiri. The sushi chef is very nice and you can tell he's been doing this for awhile. The service may be slow at times, but it's worth the wait in my opinion. read more

Worst dining experience ever. We stayed in the restaurant for three whole hours, mostly waiting. The service is extremely slow and just messed up, we had to ask three times for plates, and the waiters had to be constantly reminded what our order was. So we stayed in there for THREE HOURS and they even DARED to charge us a 32$ "automatic service see gratuity" PLUS tip!!! So the dinner cost us 234 dollars and I barely ate anything because the portions were so small. I'm never returning to this restaurant again and will tell everyone I know never to come. read more

Wow this was some fantastic sushi! The shop is small and minimally decorated, just like an authentic sushi din. An adorable elderly Japanese couple prepares the food at the counter, and it's served by friendly and accommodating waitstaff. My boyfriend and I ordered the arashiyama sushi boat, agedashi tofu, and uni nigiri a la carte to share, which was enough to fill us up. The tofu is silky on the inside and tempura fried to crunchy perfection on the outside, but the bottoms get soggy after sitting in the sauce. It pairs deliciously with the briny bonito flakes sprinkled in the sauce. The sushi boat came with a plentiful assortment of rolls, nigiri, and sashimi. The tuna was so ON POINT. It was melt in your mouth tender and didn't have a strong fishy flavor at all. I've never been the biggest tuna sashimi fan, but Ran Zan tuna was definitely my favorite bite of the night. The uni was also very fresh, but it was a little too pricy at $4.50 for 2 pieces. In general though, prices here are very reasonable given the superb quality of the food. The sushi boat is cheaper than Sakura's! Ran Zan is likely the best sushi place in Rhode Island. I can't wait to come again! read more

Ran Zan Japanese Restaurant - Arashiyama - Japanese Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

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I found this place on yelp and my friends also recommended me. Finally I had chance to try the food here. I wasn't comfortable that time, thus I didn't order any sashimi. I would rate the food is okay, however the service was awesome. It's a quiet place to go read more

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Impressive selection and will come back! Have not went to a single sushi restaurant that served authentic food like this one. The folks were Japanese and the décor made me feel like I was in a jolly grandparents house in Japan. I ordered uni, toro, sake, hamachi and it was amazing. Started with a deep fried fresh soft shell crab and hamachi kama. Only one man is on the sushi line and he works slow. But the anticipation is worth the wait. I cannot wait to come back. I was so impressed by the toro and it was super fatty. You don't really find that around the area. I highly recommend this place to any adventurous and beginner eaters. Great experience!!! read more

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Small place but nice that it's a traditional family owned Japanese business. Their sushi rolls are small but good, got the tuna rolls and sake maki. Slightly hard to figure out how to order online from their menu, only sushi and deluxe combos are evident. Also their nabeyaki udon is not available for take out. Overall good place to dine in. The people are super nice as well. Would recommend this place to anyone nearby. read more

I have been looking for a decent Japanese restaurant that wasn't catered only towards those looking for weird combination rolls for an all you can eat price. I have heard from my fellow yelpers over and over again that the freshest catch around will be found here. Located at on the side of Hope Street that is past Cook and Brown and beyond the park where they have the farmer's market, Ran Zan is an unassuming establishment that may be easy for you to miss if you aren't already looking. Looking for parking? plenty on the street or you can pull into the gas station area and keep going to the back of the restaurant where there is more free parking. They have a 5-6 seater sushi bar but many tables around for you to choose. You are addressed quickly and sat quickly. The menu isn't extensive but it has your staples! I believe they must have one of the longest appetizer menus around so you can almost do a tapas order! We ordered the Yakitori chicken which was chicken marinated on skewers with scallions in between. If you've never had this before, you're missing out. The chicken is tender and flavorful. The sauce is not overbearing and just enough for you to want to devour the rest of the skewer... yes the skewer and all. The scallions add an extra umph in between. Pull the chicken off then eat it lest you pierce yourself! The Tako Su was also VERY tender and flavorful with octopus slices on a bed of seaweed (the octopus is cooked). If there was anything to remind me what the sea tasted like, that was it! Had a Chuka Salad which was crunchy fresh and refreshing. It's a bowel full of seaweed with vinegar and some spices on top. Quite lovely to have to start the meal. The soft shell crab was appropriately crunchy, seasoned and soft all at the same time. be careful not to burn your mouth! Miso soup was, well, miso soup. How can you go wrong? (It came with the entrees). We also had a sushi deluxe and a sashimi deluxe as well. I think that if you have 2 people who are just in to have a taste, you can have one to share. We came in with large appetites... and of course I was on a low carb diet. Let me preface by saying all the fish I had was fresh but my favorite by far was the tuna. Succulent lush pieces of fish cut perfectly as you would want to have it so that you can take small bites and savor the freshness of the fish! A great place to be. Nice cute place with really excellent fish. After all... that's what you want with your sashimi isn't it? read more

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My favorite Japanese restaurant in this state!! Or at least in 60 miles radius. I already wrote a review about this place under my old account.. you might see fabulous pictures of food from this place under that account :P (i really gotta delete it but can't figure out my pw). So i won't say much. You wouldn't want to read same review twice right? Lol. Anyways, try gatsu don, it's not on the menu but it tastes just so great!! Sushi takes a little longer time to make but it's worth it. The old man you'll see on the counter makes all the rolls and shshis by himself - which is why it takes longer if the place is crowded. But it is the best sushi you can get in town. Oh must try the potato goroke or koroke (i don't know how to spell it). It's really crisp and soft.. Tuna don tastes just awesome but the portion isn't so great so don't be disappointed by the size of it. Still the best japanese place in town yum! read more

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I've been to a lot of different Japanese restaurants and this is by far the most traditional and fresh. No fancy plating or any blinking lights on your plate. it's just straight up fresh sushi! Their Katsu-don is super delicious and potato korokke is a "must order"! I always get a mix of ikura& salmon rice bowl even though it's not on the menu. They can customize it for you if you ask. If you're looking for authentic udon, their nabeyaki udon is the best in town! It doesn't get any better than a big bowl of nabeyaki udon during the winter season!!! read more

Ran Zan Japanese Restaurant - Nigiri! - Japanese Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

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Want to go to a Japanese restaurant that makes you feel like you are at your friend's mom's house? This is your spot. Growing up on my mom's home style Japanese cooking. This totally hits the spot. The service can be a bit slow and the seating is limited to 30ish people including the bar seats. I got the sashimi sushi combo large, agedashi dofu and green tea. The agedashi dofu is amazing! The perfection of the delicate tofu fried with fish flakes and mentsu is to die for. The sushi and sashimi is so fresh! I am quickly becoming a regular here! read more

Ran Zan Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island