Ziki Japanese Restaurant — Restaurant in Portage

Let me paint you a picture. You're sitting at home, hungry, wondering where you can get some quality sushi without the hustle and bustle of downtown. You search "The BEST DARN sushi near me" and Google doesn't even hesitate. Ziki Japanese Sushi & Steak House is your first result so you think "Well what the heck, I'll give it a try."

Now you have the option of a easy-to-use and attractive website to place your order on or you could even call ahead and order your food for pick up if you're in a hurry but you decide that you're a person of luxury and taste, you'd like to dine in this evening. As you drive to the store, your belly rumbles a mighty roar as you think about the different kinds of sushi you're going to try and maybe you'll even have some miso soup to warm up your pallet.

As you arrive, you're greeted by an inviting yet well designed store front and you think "Well that is just pleasant, doncha know." You exit your vehicle and walk through the clean, well maintained parking lot up to the door. As you swing the first door open, you see a beautiful display of culture and art in their breezeway. An overwhelming feeling of calm and mystery surrounds you. As you pull the second door open, your senses are titillated on every level. First, and most immediately, you are greeted by smiling faces and gorgeous scenery. Fantastic artwork stretched across the well lit walls. Second, your skin feels the soft breeze of a perfect temperature. Cool but not cold, warm enough to take off your jacket but not so warm that you have to. Its then that you hear beautiful oriental music dancing by your eardrums at the perfect volume. Just a moment later, your nose takes its turn. Delicious aromas waft through you, leaving your mouth watering and your stomach screaming for sustenance. A kind, beautiful hostess shows you to your well place, not crowded, and comfortable seating.

This next part is perhaps the most divine part of the experience. You open their menu to a simple yet elegant display of delectable appetizers and courses, each named cleverly and the ingredients listed plainly to make your decision easy. No guessing, no grilling the waitress for answers. Even more amazing, is that each course is offered at an extremely reasonable price. When you finally make your decision, the wonderful waitstaff wastes absolutely no time in getting your order to the experienced, capable hands of the chefs. Its there that absolute magic happens. I can't tell you how it happens but those wizards are able to create the most savory, delightful Japanese cuisine on American soil. Not only is it done in an extremely timely manor but the display of the food is unparalleled.

I had to start a whole new paragraph for the taste. I am sure that there isn't a good enough word to describe it. I typed delicious into a Thesaurus and some of the words that came up are appetizing, distinctive, enjoyable, etc. I am not confident that any of these words do the flavor justice. It is as if each bite was made specifically for you. An eruption of flavor, variety, and texture will envelop each one of your taste buds in a loving, gratifying embrace and leave you mystified by this pure magic. As you scarf down perhaps the most brilliantly crafted sushi you could have ever imagined, the wait staff are quick to refill your glass and make sure everything is to your liking at a pleasant and thoughtful frequency.

I would confidently give Ziki Japanese Sushi & Steak House a 10/10 on every level and then some. This is a hidden gem and you will not leave...

This review is from my first experience at Ziki back in 06/2015. Updates at the bottom.

A friend and I decided to check out Ziki when our regular place was closed at 2:30p. I figured, at very worst, we'd experience something different.

It is pretty unassuming looking on the outside but very inviting once you step inside. There is no alcohol served here, so the main attraction in the restaurant is the sushi chef (and oddly, a large television behind him). The decor is clean, classy and comfortable. We were sat promptly and crisps with a sweet sauce were brought out.

I decided to try their signature sushi since that is what I was in the mood for so I went with the Godzilla roll (Fresh tuna, salmon, yellowtail & white fish, deep fried w/ spicy mayo, eel sauce, masago on top) and the Magic Salmon roll (Fresh salmon, avocado & cucumber rolled in spicy salmon w/ chef's special sauce)

I won't lie, I am not a sushi purist. I can go a little overkill with the condiments at my usual place but I decided I needed to try this "as is" to experience it properly. This was probably some of the best sushi I have had. Everything was very clean and fresh tasting. The Magic Salmon roll had a fantastic flavor that ended on a citrusy note and the Godzilla roll was very enjoyable (and was enhanced by just a little soy sauce). Also, while the Godzilla is a fried roll, it was very light and crispy, not oily or heavy tasting. Even the presentation was top notch. Another point worth mentioning is that I am a huge fan of gari (pickled ginger) and it was nice to see that theirs didn't have the typical food dye coloring.

As we wrapped up our meals, a small bowl of cut pineapple was brought out for us, which I thought was great. It was a fresh and sweet (literally) way to finish off the meal.

I have been back one time since and while I did the Magic Salmon roll again, this time I also went for the Dragon Roll (Eel, cucumber, topped with avocado and eel sauce) but I also decided to try the Tuna Tataki (seared black pepper tuna with special sauce) appetizer.

The plating of the tataki was very interesting, all the pieces of tuna rested on the side of the bowl which contained a smaller bowl that had a shredded cabbage or something over a little LED lit bauble. It was a charming little display and while this $6 app wasn't going to fill you up, is was full of flavor and very enjoyable.

The Dragon Roll was as good as anything else I had already tried. (Eel is amazing, if you haven't).

What I haven't mentioned is that the pricing is fantastic. I would be tempted to eat here even if the food wasn't as good as it is. Their signature rolls range from $6.99, most are 8.99 and tops out at 10.99. With two rolls and water, I can eat here for under $20 easily (before tip).

Fantastic food, great service, enjoyable setting, I hope Ziki is around for a very long time... and I plan on doing my part to keep them going :)

UPDATE: I have since been to Ziki more times than I could count and I never fail to enjoy it. My regular tends to be the Magic Salmon Roll, Sweetheart Roll, and the Kani Salad. Even after changing sushi chefs a couple times, I've never noticed a change in flavor or quality. I recommend Ziki to anyone and everyone that...

As far as japanese food goes in the Kalamazoo area, it's all sub-standard to me. However, when evaluating that same food with each other or "peers" I think that is more fair and a proper way of eating local establishments

Ziki finally has their liquor license and can serve beer (and other libations). I went at lunch and it was not busy. Ordered the shrimp tempura bento. It came with two shrimp, some tempura fried veggies, some rice, two gyoza, and four pieces of California roll in the bento and then a salad and miso soup.

tempura. The shrimp were either premise or from a frozen product as you could tell that they were different from the veggies. The veggies were thickly coated in batter and very greasy. If you know how tempura should be, this is not good. It should be very lightly battered and never be overly greasy. I also would like to see them serve grated Daikon with the tempura sauce for dipping. It's standard. 2/5 Stars

California rolls were very tasty but were made ahead of time and not fresh at all. Additionally they were tiny, like they were in a miniature display!! 3/5 Stars

Gyoza. Really tasty. Could have been warmer but I enjoyed them. 4/5 Stars

Rice. It's not hard to screw up rice. It was good, warm and tasty. The problem is that they could have at least filled up that portion of the bento box. Rice is SUPER CHEAP! DONT SKIMP ON THE RICE. 3/5 Stars just due to poor portion.

Salad and miso soup. Both adequate and good. What I expected. 4/5 Stars.

Overall, with the decreased quality of Asian and specifically Japanese good around here it would be really easy for this place to EXCEL at what they are serving and have to potential to be a go to destination but unfortunately like all the other establishments they have taken short cuts which leads to...