Ginko Restaurant — Restaurant in Cleveland

I just want to start by saying that I never ever ever write reviews, no matter how good or bad my experience is. However, I could not leave Ginko tonight without writing a review. I am a server and am especially sympathetic to fellow servers and other people in the service industry in general during this time. Things are weird and times are hard. However, I don’t think that excuses lack luster service. My fiancé and I visited Ginko tonight for dinner. We had heard nothing but great things and were super excited! We were greeted by the manager, at which time he took our drink orders. Upon dropping off the drinks, we ordered three appetizers, of which we only received two out of the three. We told the manager we needed about five more minutes for dinner, but no one returned for maybe twenty minutes or more. When the server, who never introduced herself finally did come, we told her we were ready to order two more cocktails as well as our dinner. We waited probably another fifteen minutes for cocktails. When she finally brought them, I informed her that we never received our third appetizer which was the scallops chips. In my opinion, we waited entirely too long for drinks, and the server, whenever she finally made it to our table was not friendly or personable at all. It seemed the restaurant was terribly understaffed tonight and we were the ones who paid the price from it. When we finally received our check, I noticed I was charged for two of the scallop chip appetizers. I shouldn’t have even been charged for the one that I ordered since it was forgotten about in the first place, much less two. Seems to me, there was a miscommunication between the manager who took the appetizer order and the server. We had already waited so long and had an unpleasant experience, that I didn’t bother to wait around to get the charge taken off my card. The manager was the one who brought the check and didn’t even let me look at it before picking up my card and walking off. I definitely wasn’t going to wait another twenty minutes or more to dispute the charge. We love Dante but had the worst experience at Ginko. For $222.76, it definitely wasn’t worth it and I left very upset with the...

SO DISAPPOINTED!! I highly recommend this place to my sister because of my experience in the past; delicious food and drinks, great service, cool atmosphere... My sister and her husband decided to take my sushi-loving 9 year old niece for her birthday at 5 pm on a Thursday. They were seated in the almost empty restaurant and the server stood by and impatiently waited for them to scan the drink menu. My sister, sensing the server's irritation rushed to place an order and unknowingly ordered a drink that contained alcohol for my niece. Instead of politely pointing out her mistake and suggesting a virgin drink, the server told her with distain that the beverage was inappropriate for my niece and that she needed to order something else. My sister, embarrassed, rushed to place another order. The server delivered the drinks and waited another 20 minutes to deliver my brother in law's, no explanation given.

The server's attitude improved slightly when it became obvious that they were planning on ordering a significant amount of food, but my sister and her husband felt uncomfortable throughout the rest of their dinner. They would have left following the drink debacle but my niece was so excited to try some new kinds of sushi and they didn't want to ruin her birthday dinner.

I worked in the service industry for years and know that a few important things create a great experience for a patron- be patient, deliver drinks in a timely manner and have some sort of communication skills. Oh, also.. I didn't think I would have to add this, but don't embarrass your guests and WATCH YOUR ATTITUDE. So disappointed in one of my favorite...

We had dinner at Ginko this past Tuesday night. This was our first time there. Since the entrance is not "standard," we weren't quite sure where to go, and someone who was leaving pointed the way for us. He told us he thought Ginko offered "the best sushi in Cleveland." We commented on his continual smile, and he said "That's because I just ate at Ginko."

We were expecting something either more formal or glitzy, but we were delighted to discover that the atmosphere there is very cozy and comfortable. Somehow the mood of the restaurant fits the food perfectly.

Our server, Mary S, was outstanding in every way. Server doesn't seem to be quite the right word. She was more of a guide to the wonders and delights of Ginko. She readily gauged our level of knowledge about sushi, and used that as her starting point to guide us through the menu and the meal. When we asked, she offered excellent advice. Her knowledge of the the food offered there is extensive. What a treat to have such a good guide!

Following our dinner we also had a nice chat with the sushi chef. This is someone who is clearly committed to offering the best possible food for anyone eating at Ginko.

Our meal included excellent sake and a beautiful mixed drink, genmaicha tea, chilled oysters, truffled miso soup, a wide selection of seafood-based small plates, and mango cheesecake. Everything was wonderful! The seafood was fresh tasting and perfectly prepared. The special treat for me was something I had had never eaten before, uni with seared scallop.

We are very much looking forward to our next...