Bizen Gourmet Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar — Restaurant in Great Barrington

When I first started eating at Bizen, it was a stand out and always a treat.

About a year ago I went to Bizen on a date. We were thrilled to be seated at a low table with floor cushions. We even had to take our shoes off - neat! About 10 minutes later, after our drinks had been brought to the table and we were deep in the menu, our waiter came back and told us that they needed to reseat us because the table was reserved.

We were too stunned to object, so we sheepishly tied our shoes while the waiter hovered over us. Then we gathered our belongings, drinks, and menus and were led to a dingy back room. With only a vague explanation and no apology for the disruption, I was mortified. Were we underdressed? (We weren’t) Did we not have the “right look” for the front of the restaurant?

Frankly, I was too embarrassed to ever go back. But this week, I was craving their (once) delicious food. I ordered take-out, though, to be on the safe side.

I thought the price was a little high, but I have no problem paying for quality. When the person on the phone asked me how much I’d like to tip before I even gave my credit card number (which they put a $1 hold on…) I was a little taken aback, but these are the times.

After being ignored for a while when I arrived to pick up, a waiter retrieved my order from the back. From 20 feet away I could see my tip percentage written across the receipt stapled to the bag… ooook interesting workflow. After I handed over my card, the waiter came back with my copy to sign. The tip line had conveniently been filled out in pen, saving me from doing any difficult math.

Once home, the decline in food quality was immediately apparent. This was our last meal from Bizen. I was willing to be treated like a second class citizen for good food, but not for this.

For summer travelers, I think it’s important to note that this restaurant is NOT air-conditioned. Just a hodgepodge of fans, so if your basement has ever flooded and you’re feeling nostalgic for that particular ambiance, this is your place!!

Jokes aside, the state of the dining room, the quality of the food, the reviews you’ll see here, and the general “vibe”point to a restaurant that is struggling. I hope to see it return to what it once was, but if you’re in GB and craving sushi, you’re better off at the Co-op grocery store...

Overpriced and subpar on many fronts. Knowing we weren't about to step into the world's best Japanese spot here in western Massachusetts, but thinking you can't go wrong with California rolls and salmon teriyaki, that is what we had in mind when we arrived. The bad news started at the beginning of our lunch when we were informed they were out of salmon (huh?) but could order the sea bass teriyaki instead (for $30 instead of $18 - no thanks). We perused the overly-extensive menu and tried a few other dishes they were out of or didn't serve during lunch/the day of the week we were there before landing on dishes we didn't really want but were stuck with (and were pretty bad). The $11.50 California rolls for the kids weren't what they think of as California rolls. They were made with real crab meat - and not very fresh meat at that - instead of the typical kani surimi imitation crab. This crab meat had a very fishy flavor that my son wouldn't eat. There was also no cucumber present which all of the kids didn't like since its absence meant the texture lacked crunch and was all mushy avocado and old crab. The sushi rice was also off-tasting and starchy, indicating it had not been properly prepared. Interestingly, they were able to include a piece of mediocre salmon sushi in the bento box. Just sayin. Food was expensive and not high quality or flavor, service was friendly but slow and decor was cool with superb downtown location. Kids enjoyed removing shoes and sitting in our own private chabudai area (low sunken dining table), bumping my rating...

We had looked forward to visiting this resturant due to the interesting dining experiences offered and good reviews but we are unsure if we will return.

The food itself was very expensive, but not the issue with our visit. What we recieved tasted fine. We had to change our order 3 times over 20 mins due to items not being available (which isnt surprising considering the menu was about 40pgs long), which we found disappointing. This included multiple appetizers.

Our main issue was the service. It took about 30 minutes to recieve our drinks (one beer, one rum+ coke). After 20 minutes a wine arrived and a coke without rum. We sent back the wine and the waiter apologized and stated they would return with the beer. The waiter came by again 15 mins later and realized the beer never came to the table, and said they would get it. It still never came. The waiter came back a third time and said they would get it which we said to not bother, as we were done eating. We also had asked for spicy mayo 2x with our meal, which the waiter didnt bring to us until we were handing off the check to another waitstaff-entirely after our meal. Our visit was about an hour and a half of mostly waiting for items that never arrived. The resturant prides itself on a high quality experience/food but it doesnt seem to extend to the service. Im not sure if it was an off night, but we spent a lot of money and left very disappointed after poor service and not being able to get most of the items we originally...