I remember hearing about this place years ago, I always wanted to go but the lines were always too long. Recently a friend invited me to eat here; I checked yelp and was surprised by the 3.5 star rating. This place is amazing, everything I tried was fantastic. Far superior to Bamboo Sushi, this is up there with the best I've ever had. The fish is fresh and the portions are huge. Looking at the negative reviews, I see almost none of them criticize the food but are whining about long waits or rude service. This small shop is extremely busy, there was a constant stream of takeout orders going out and they only have a few employees. Don't expect to get your butt kissed, but if you want great sushi at a very fair price I can't recommend this place enough. read more

I wish they had another location. This place offers fresh sushi at pretty affordable prices. I will say it's always super busy and you may end up waiting for a while, but it's worth it. The portion sizes are large so I would try to under order what you typically get. read more

Not sure how this place isn't rated higher! Rolls are big, and you can tell it's popular because the tables are always packed, line at the door, and the to-go orders keep rolling in. We got there right when they opened on a Monday and didn't have a problem getting seated, but when we left there was a line. If you like sushi Saburo's should be near the top of your list of places to check out. read more

Saburo's - Japanese Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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I can honestly say that I always crave Saburo's and their giant sushi. The selection of food is SO delicious. I most certainly recommend the Seared Salmon and Spider Roll the most! It's so big, delicious and very filling! Unfortunately, I am only rating this restaurant a three star because their service is SO bad. The servers make you feel like they don't want to serve you at all. I've been yelled at for trying to get their attention before. That itself prevents me from going more often. The wait line is also really long. Not to mention, you have to wait outside due to the limited amount of space inside the restaurant. If you solely come for amazing sushi, come to this place. But, you've been warned that you may receive really bad service. read more

Saburo's - Japanese Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Had this place bookmarked for when I come down to Portland to finally try it. Honestly? It's actually pretty good! GIGANTIC portions of sushi for really cheap. They're very generous with the thick cuts of fish for nigiri and their specialty rolls were 2 biters for sure lol. We definitely over ordered, not knowing how big everything really was. It's mainly also because there's so much rice used, you tend to get full a little faster. We ended up taking the rest home (good for a full meal later lol) The wait time is a little long...but if you don't mind waiting 30 minutes to an hour, this is the place to go. It makes it easier that you can join their waitlist on Yelp, so you could probably save some time while you're commuting there. Definitely would come back whenever we visit Portland again. read more

Saburo's - Gigantic portions!!! - Japanese Near Me - Portland, Oregon

The food itself has always been wonderful for me. I've been coming here more than a decade. The problem came when I had waited for the rest of my order for over 45 min and had already eaten the rest of the food. After the bill came, I let the server know I had never received one of my dishes. They finally brought out the last roll that I had ordered. I tried to explain that I was more than done and didn't want the final roll as it had been almost an hour. They refused to take it off the bill because it was made (even though it hadn't come to me.) They offered to box it for me but refused to not charge me. This was so disappointing as I hadn't even touched the plate and had waited a really long time with no communication. I'm not that fast of an eater. I may come back at some point because I do love the food but it will be a long time. This was very disappointing from a service stand read more

Saburo's - Japanese Near Me - Portland, Oregon

The portions were quite large but I think I prefer regular sized sushi that I can pop in my mouth. Even the rolls were large which made it difficult to eat. I would bite one side and miss out on flavors on the other side of the roll. The thing that really irked me about this place was the service and the fact that they charge extra for ginger and wasabi. When we packed our leftovers to go, they wouldn't even give us soy sauce. It's these little things that you need to provide for your customers in order for them to come back and appreciate you. read more

The best sushi in all of Oregon! Been going for many many years and the sushi or atmosphere hasn't changed at a bit. read more

Saburo's - Japanese Near Me - Portland, Oregon

If I could give zero stars I would. The food was alright but when it came to customer service I was very disappointed. The location was very sketchy and if you wanted to dine in you'd have to walk through this narrow walk way of the kitchen filled with miscellaneous items. Sitting down the food took almost an hour to be ready. After eating I got a container to take home leftovers and asked the waiter if I could have some spicy mayo as well. He nodded and then told me it would COST $1 per container. You see I'm normally not the stingy type but $1 for a small little container seemed ridiculous especially when other places charged 25-50 cents. When the bill came I paid and decided not to give gratuity seeing that I will not be returning. As I was leaving, an old lady working there stopped me and was furious that I did not tip. Saying things like "because of people like you, my workers don't want to work" and "you're a disgrace". I've never felt more disrespected in my life. To call someone a disgrace? First of all lady it is not my problem if your waiter doesn't want to work for your shitty pay. Tipping is a satisfactory pay. It shouldn't be the customer's job to pay the employee for doing their job. The OWNER should do that. If you want tips so bad why not increase your already expensive prices or include a mandatory tip instead of chasing out your customers for being unsatisfied with your service. Needless to say I will never go here again and I would never recommend it to anyone. read more

Service and quality has gone down since covid hit, but it's really their lack of customer service and their online ordering system which is the reason behind this bad review. When ordering on their website, you don't get an email confirmation whether they've accepted your order or not. So you could possible be waiting half an hour to even know if they accepted your request. Luckily we did see an update online (not an email confirmation like they said) and headed down to pick up our order an hour later. We made sure to check our order was correct and the sushi rolls were as big as we remember! However the tako nigiri i got was not even edible. Since it was too big I couldn't even chew through it which was disappointing. There were so many other people who were waiting outside with no order confirmation as well, and waiting longer than their expected pick up time. Once we got home and finished our meal, I received THREE emails saying our order was confirmed, the expected pick up time, and when the order was ready ALL AT ONCE. Even though the sushi is decent for the price, not worth the effort and quality. read more

Came a week after they reopened with my boyfriend for takeout and they did not disappoint! They said they're still working out the kinks of their new online ordering system, but we didn't have any issues with it. We were able to place our order at 5:25p on a Sunday and was told our food would be ready for pickup around 7:30. We waited at home and got an email at 7:13 that our order was ready, 17 minutes early! They packaged everything very neatly and got our order correct! We are so glad they're back. We were regulars here before they closed and we really missed their sushi the past two months. Their sushi is the best in town! read more

Saburo's - sunset roll, spider roll, tobiko, and seared salmon - Japanese Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Still awesome sushi even when if you can only have it "to go".....large portions of quality fish. Service was good, only waited ten minutes for my order. read more

Saburo's - Close up of rolls - Japanese Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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I might've just found my favorite sushi restaurant in Portland!! They weren't kidding about the wait though - thank goodness for the yelp waitlist! Put my name down for 2 people around 5:30pm on a Friday night and eventually got seated around 6:45-7. The yelp waitlist feature allows you to plan accordingly so it all works out. Love that they have this. Now for the food - we ordered a bunch of nigiri and a spider roll. I saw almost every table walk out with a takeout box of leftover sushi and when our platter arrived at our table, I finally understood why. Their pieces are HUGE! Not only are they huge, but the fish is fresh, good quality, and you will leave with a happy and full belly. The prices, portions, and quality is great! Saburo's is a no frills sushi restaurant and the chefs are actually Japanese! Definitely looking forward to coming here regularly. read more

Saburo's - Japanese Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Probably one of the best places to get sushi that I have tried (besides in Japan!). My group and I got there early to line up and got seated as soon as they opened. Portions are big, food was fresh, service was amazing! Cannot wait to come back. read more

Saburo's - Japanese Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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Amazing food!! It reminds me of a New York style restaurant that is really fast paced and they for sure hustle. The sushi is so delicious and large portions too! We tried the chefs sashimi sampler which was so good and we ordered a bunch of nigiri and the rainbow roll. Everything was large portions and plenty of food. And decent prices also! Would definitely go back. The wait can be hit or Miss but it's so so worth it! read more

Saburo's - Chef Choice Sashimi Various nigiri and rainbow roll - all amazing! - Japanese Near Me - Portland, Oregon

We love good sushi at a good price meaning we love Saburo's! I am glad they are now doing takeout so we don't have to stand in line for hours anymore. Their huge nigiri is definitely worth the price so that is what we usually go for- seared salmon is our favorite and we have ordered full meals of just that. The rolls and everything else we have tried have been good too. It's fresh, yummy, and affordable so we will keep coming back! read more

I personally don't care for this place much.......I usually only come when my friends want to come here. The wait time here is usually terrible.....on a busy night you might have to wait over an hour...they don't have a big waiting area inside so you usually have to wait outside.......it's the worst when it's raining cause there really isn't any cover.......they don't take reservations so when you arrive you have to put your name on the clipboard. Your whole party has to be present before they can seat you.....the staff here isn't really nice.....they don't come back to check on you after you order and when you ask them for things they make it seem like a burden....it doesn't feel like a welcoming environment when you eat there..... The cool thing is the sushi's they serve are huge, but bigger isn't always better since it is much harder to fit the whole thing in your mouth and the sushi just fall apart. The sushi is pretty good, but keep in mind you can only order once so order more than you think you can eat and you can always take the rest to go. Food is good, but the service is terrible, the place is small and the wait time can be terrible.... read more

As a long time patron I feel that things are taking a turn for the worse. Our most recent order had unseasoned, flavorless rice and the cuts of sushi seemed like they were ripped apart by hand. Prices have actually doubled on many items. While in friendly in-person customer service had never been their strong point, they've apparently figured out how to extend this tradition to to-go orders. At times their ordering system pickup time estimates can be a hour off and now they've began a ridiculous policy of needing to see ID to pick up an prepaid order in spite of having having the confirmation email in hand. They're trying to blame their messing up of orders on customers allegedly "stealing" meals, I'd expect. They kind of remind me of the "Soup Nazi" from Seinfeld these days. No sushi for you!!! read more

This place go crazy with their portions, definitely a must try here in Portland. To start off, really small place so expect there to be a line to wait in. I'd recommend going during the start of when they open bc it really is packed and I don't blammeee them! Fat ass sushi pieces, nice & quick service, and I'd say the price is reasonable for their quality and quantity of food they provided. Great place, down side is small parking & waiting in line, but it's worth it in my books. read more

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HUGE PORTIONS!!! That's it right there. Haha. Looking for a great sushi place? I definitely recommend this spot. Great for family and friends! Hang out, drink a few beer, eat great quality seafood, and just have an amazing time!! Parking: street and the a little parking lot next to the restaurant itself. Service: you can save a spot through yelp! Which is super convenient, especially during dinner time. Staff is friendly and fast! Food: amazing! Like I said, huge portions. The nigiri comes in sets of 2 but they serve the entire order on one plate so it looks HUGE. Smart! Haha. I think my only complaint would be the ahi. It's not as fresh as I hoped. Everything else was spot on!! read more

I reject the 5 star max and am giving this place 50 stars. Is Saburo's super authentic? Probably not. But is the sushi here gigantic, with you leaving with a happy wallet and happy tummy? Yes. What's good: -Nigiri! The nigiri here is truly gigantic. You're taking multiple bites with these nigiris. You're gonna be satisfied. -Rolls. These are equally large. -Yelp waitlist. Line gets long here, but you can totally just pop your name on the waitlist before heading over. -Easy ordering. You mark the menu with a dry-erase marker. No need to guess pronunciation. What's meh: -Parking lot is a bit small, but there's lots of parking in the surrounding areas. read more

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Went to there again because I thought I should try their food and then leave a honest review. The environment was pretty bad. The interior looks outdated and kind of dirty. There was a smell that made me a little bit uncomfortable. There was two big sections. We were seated in the room that is close to their kitchen. It's kind of cold. I could feel the cold wind whenever the door at the main entry opens. The food actually came pretty quickly. The creamy scallops sushi was actually pretty good. The seared salmon was about average. The unagi was the way too sweet. I could not taste anything else other than sweetness. I was very disappointed in Torosake. The fatty albacore was chowey. Never had chowey toro in my whole life. Sabu roll was okay but the unagi roll was not tasty. Overall, I would give 3 out of 5 for the food. The freshness was okay but the qualify of the fish was not good. I have been to Tokyo for vacation and the sushi I bought from their super market is 10 times better than the sushi here. They do have big portion. I just feel that I had three bowls of rice after I ate the sushi and rolls here. lol Anyway, if you are looking for a high qualify, real Japanese Sushi, you probably want to try somewhere else. If you want something to fill you up, this is not a bad place. (of course, you probably want to call first to make sure they are open before you come.) read more

4.5 stars - it's everything you can want in generously proportioned, fresh sushi. The online ordering is a hassle- but we got in and were able to order after about a half hour of trying... ' nuff said about that. Had the salmon belly, creamy scallops nigiri, tuna poke and Hawaiian & Sabu rolls, with fried oysters to start. All as good as I remembered and kudos for the oysters not being greasy. The tuna poke was also flavorful and fresh. We will be ordering again. read more

Saburo's - Hawaiian roll, tuna poke, fried oysters, salmon belly and creamy scallop nigiri, sabu roll.... - Japanese Near Me - Portland, Oregon

You are losing me, Saburo's! Disappointment each time I come here. If it wasn't for a special occasion, we would have picked a different place. Today, it was the rice. The rice was soggy. Like whoever cooked it, added too much water. Rolls were not the same as I remembered it. What HAPPENED?! I am super sadddddd. ugh! Btw, they tried to add gratuity on our bill for a table of 4. Beware! Check your bill before handing them the card! They should only charge a 15% gratuity for parties of 6 or more! Tip: ask for tea, it's complimentary :) read more

Best sushi in town; my favorite is salmon belly!! The service is also excellent. Recommended read more

Saburo's - Japanese Near Me - Portland, Oregon

BEWARE WHEN ORDERING FROM THE ONLINE WEBSITE. Unless you liked being scammed. I was never a fan of their customer service in the first place, but the sushi is decent. I was initially excited to see that they have opened again for take-out during this time. But they do things a bit differently. You do not get the option of ordering from other online sources/websites such as postmates or grubhub, but instead, you have to order directly from their website. They do not answer their phones so you are not able to call in a phone order. Their website only limits 20 active orders at a time. I had to try multiple times before my order actually went through. I also had to try multiple different credit cards because I kept getting a credit card error. I didn't receive any email confirmations regarding my order or emails telling me when my order was ready for pick-up until 3 hrs later (by that time, my food had already been picked up and consumed). I basically showed up around the estimated time to check on my order since they do not answer their phones. The food was good, however, I noticed that two of my credit cards were both charged twice (two different fees on both cards). I did wait a few days for these to clear up and get out of the "pending" phase. After a few days, these charges were actually posted to my accounts, and I was charged a total of FOUR times on two different cards for one order. I tried calling the restaurants multiple times, but nobody answered my calls (no surprise). I had to drive there in order to speak to somebody about these charges. I showed them my order receipt and both credit card statements. They said they needed more time to investigate so I was sent home and told that I would receive a call the following day. I did not receive a call but did receive an email stating they do not see these additional charges and to pretty much take it up with my bank. And it looks like I am not the only one who experienced this, according to the comments on their Facebook page. read more

Man I love this place. Probably my favorite sushi place in Oregon. If you don't like sushi roles the size of your arm, or negiri that's a 3rd of the fish on each piece you might not like it. Trust me though, it's really good flavorfully and filing. Order 1/4 what you would at a normal restaurant or you will walk away with a ton left over. This place gets busy so come early and be prepared to wait. Service is quick so you won't wait long once seated. It's a small restaurant so seating is tight, but they can accommodate larger groups. read more

Saburo's is my go to place for sushi with good value. I have only had Saburo's in the take-out setting since I didn't learn have a chance to try it until the pandemic started. Prior to this experience, I tried to go to Saburo's but it was a 3 hour wait. In a sense, I'm thankful for the easy take-out situation that came out of pandemic times. They are currently not doing dine-in during the pandemic. Order online, and they will let you know if your order has been accepted and an estimated ready time. This is communicated via email. You eventually get a 4 character code which is what you use to pick up your order. There is often a line of people to pick up, as there is only one customer allowed inside at a time (it's a small space). There is a small parking lot to use when you go in for pick-up. The fish is fresh and generous. The rolls and nigiri are exceptionally large compared to other sushi places I have tried. It's not the fanciest sushi, but it is fresh and it hits the spot for me! Because the portions are huge and the pieces are large, don't go too crazy! Usually a roll and maybe a nigiri are plenty for each person. The prices have increased, but that's not unexpected with inflation, and I am happy to support Saburo's to keep them going! My go to orders: Sabu-roll, Spider roll and for nigiri, we usually get Ikura, Salmon Belly and Seared Salmon. Tried the Karate roll the other night and that was delicious as well, though I think i'll stick with my usuals (: read more

I've been there many times. I just didn't Yelp back then haa. I did noticed that the servers changed and they were much nicer and polite to us. I know they want more customers go in and out in such a small restaurant but they were still nice (unlike some servers in the past). Food: fresh and delicious. TBH, I think that the rolls are much cheaper than other Japanese restaurants! Average was just $8! However, we came here mainly for creamy scallops, salmon/sashimi...and uni but they had none. I was super sad about that...next time! It was fresh and the cuts were thick so I think it's worth it. Side note, Im usually one of the earlier customers so I arrived at around 4pm and get in at 4:30pm. Also! I think they grind their own wasabi so the flavor was very different and fresh! read more

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They haven't had dine-in for awhile, but if you want some high quality and generously large portion sizes, get ready to wait awhile for your pickup order. Some times they are like 30 to 45 minutes late depending on the day or hour. Instead of waiting out front or getting in line repeatedly, make sure you have your confirmation email and 4 letter code that your order is ready! This place has been a long time Japanese sushi staple in the area. It might not be as fancy as the newer spots popping up everywhere, but if you want straight up great sushi without all the flare and crazy smothered sauces, this is the place. read more

Fresh fish with generous portions at an affordable price? What more can you ask for? There's a reason why there is a long line at Saburo's each and every night. And let me tell you, the wait is worth it! Within 10-15 minutes of opening, they already have a waitlist for 45 mins-1 hour. Don't forget to use the Yelp waitlist so you don't have to wait outside in the freezing cold! If you come here a little earlier and have some extra time, there are some small boutiques you can walk through, but they closely relatively early (around 6pm). My friends and I ordered the roasted salmon skin salad, the alaskan crunchy roll, the hawaiian roll, the shogun roll, and different assortments of nigiri. You must get the seared salmon nigiri! The alaskan crunchy roll and the seared salmon nigiri were my favorite. The food comes out relatively fast and they are very generous with their portions. You can also order more food at the end if you're still feeling hungry. I thought I could've eaten more, but I was STUFFED by the end of dinner. I will definitely come back here when I come back to Portland! read more

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I've been here about 40 times over the last twenty years. It's exact what I look for in a restaurant: great food and simplicity. They consistently serve the best fish at the most frugal price point. Costs have moved up considerably since the start of the pandemic but still a bargain for what you get. Portion size is phenomenal! Expect a long wait to get in unless you time it right. Don't come here looking for ambience or romance-that's not what you will find. But if you want excellent sushi at an affordable price, this is it. read more

Big aaa sushi, good beer, good time! Would recommend the grilled salmon and budokhan roll read more

Saburo's - Lots - Japanese Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Sure the rolls are big. But sometimes... But most of the time, quality matters more. Although they are bigger pieces of fish, the taste and freshness just isn't the same as other. There is not much cost savings either. An unagi roll costs twice as much as other sushi joints. Here me out. Saburo's has 2 unagi pieces per nigiri. If you ordered two unagis at the other places, you would get the same amount, and it would be very similar to price. Sure, its big. But is size all that matters? read more

First time here, it was very good! For six people, we ordered about $300 worth of food. Obviously, they tell you that you can only order ones. I do enjoy that they allow you to take things to go unlike other places I have been. The vibes are chill, everyone is relatively quiet, the place is so packed and so busy all the time. If everyone in your party is not outside, waiting, they don't let you go in. read more

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So disappointed tonight. Prices increase by about 40% from before, but the quality has decreased even more! Look at the photo of this hand roll. It's loose and not even formed fully. Winco sushi or any other grocery store has sushi that are made with more care and pride than this. We order 4 rolls and 2 chef special sashimi - about $100 worth for the meal, and they gave us one little thing of ginger and wasabi. I had to ask three times before the staff reluctantly gave me another set. It's ok if we need to pay more for extras, but is it really extras if we were deprived of the proper amount of accompanying condiments to match the amount of sushi we actually bought? Stingy and totally nickel & dime us! The female server was also sick. She kept coughing and touching her chest. I feel bad for her, but also concern that she's handing food when she's not feeling well. I considered having my bday meal here next week, but now I decided to not come back. The quality keeps dropping each time. read more

Saburo's - Spicy tuna hand almost roll. A 10 year old kid can roll better than this!! - Japanese Near Me - Portland, Oregon

I would like to give zero stars really, but there is no option to do so. First, their food is good. However, their customer service and online ordering system is horrendous!!!! Recently, we ordered online, but we received no confirmation email. We called, but no one answered. We went to pick up believing the order went through, but the front person refused to talk to us unless we had a confirmation number. We had to come home without our food. We checked the credit card company, and to our dismay, Saburo took our money!!!!!! This is not the first time that we had problems with their lousy online system. Clearly, Saburo doesn't care about their customers. read more

Did some take out here on Nov 1, 2021. No indoor seating during Covid. Parking lot is small. Best to order online. Sushi quality is a 4.0-5.0. Factoring in the price and quantity of food received, this place is clearly a 5.0 sushi bar. It's easy to over order based on eating at other sushi bars. Quantity here is 2-3 more than other places for the same item. I come here every time I'm here in Portland. Highly recommended. read more

Saburo's - Spider roll and some salmon. - Japanese Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Closed when it said it should be open, no explanation no sign on door, third time this has happened in a few weeks. Also smelled terrible outside, I'm assuming something went wrong with refrigeration and they had to dump everything outside but honestly don't know. read more

I have tried just about every highly rated sushi joint in Portland and it irks me that this isn't number one! Bamboo sushi honestly doesn't even compare to Saburo's, but people like to rate on ambiance, location, and service. Granted other sushi joints are fancy, but to me, the key to authenticity is hole in the wall, a bit dingy, busy, inexpensive, and amazing quality food! How do people expect to be served in actual Japan? I will continue to come here 20 min before opening, and I will always order: salmon belly, mackerel, shogun roll, mt hood roll. Sadly, my boyfriend and I were served old salmon that had black wiggly lines all over them. We got food poisoning and just know, we were suffering for about two days. Dingy it sure is, but tastes great. Now I know why other restaurants are ahead of this-perhaps the fish isn't as fresh! However, that was one bad experience vs 30 great ones. I will still be coming back-I'll just be more careful next time... read more

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