Kashiwagi — Restaurant in Portland

Yes. Go. You're looking for a review to vouch for this spot. You found it. GO GO GO. It's SO GOOD!!

This place is the textbook definition of a diamond in the rough. You'd be forgiven for not thinking that the sushi served in this convenience store parking lot would be any good. But you would be WRONG. This is exceptional sushi, lovely service, and an incredible value. My friends and I rolled up for lunch and were pleased to be greeted by a nigiri special that felt like it must be too good to be true. The lunch special was 12 pieces of nigiri and half of a sushi roll for $16.50. At that price point, I honestly wasn't expecting much. I was also starving so I added some eel to my plate. My friends ordered similarly. A few minutes later, plates of gorgeous sushi dropped in front of us, each piece fat and draped over the rice. Each generous piece featured the fish first with the rice a clear supporting player. This was my first visit to Portland and I assumed the salmon would be the star and I was not wrong. Each of the three salmon pieces were big, fat, bright orange miracles and each bite was a melt in your mouth magic show. The whole plate of fish was incredible. As we had lunch, we barely talked about anything other than how happy we were with the food and how incredible the deal was. So, if you're looking for someone to vouch for this spot, you just found one. GO! That ONE caveat I would say is this....if you can't get a spot inside, you will be eating in a parking lot. LOL. But honestly, it was a gorgeous sunny day the day we went, so...no...

I hate to write anything negative about any small business, especially what seems to be family owned. But I would just like to extend my thoughts so that others are aware. I last came to Kashiwagi about a year ago before visiting again today. Last time, they had a bento option, with a small portion sizing, but decent for the price. This time, I came in with the same craving, but was told they don’t have the bento option anymore, so I opted to order the salmon teriyaki, sushi rice, and seaweed salad all separately. I also ordered takoyaki and a Calpico. Service was very quick and order took 15mins to complete. The salmon teriyaki alone was $10. My total order was 30$ total. For a lunch meal, that’s more than i would normally get, but I was treating myself. I arrived back to my office to open my meal and surprised to see how small the portion for the salmon was- it was about 2 inches wide, and a full finger length long. For 10$? Seriously? On top of that, the takoyaki was undercooked and honestly already going cold (it was a very short drive back btw) and just… did not taste like how it should. I didn’t eat sushi this time, and cannot speak about the quality of it, but I would absolutely not recommend veering away from the sushi options. The sushi rice portion sizing was pretty big and tasted good, and the seaweed salad was also good. Restaurant cleanliness was eh- lights were covered in cobwebs/dust and the floor was sticky but when you go to a hole-in-the-wall spot it’s to be expected, so I wasn’t too concerned about it so long as the food...

I was really excited to eat here for the first time last Tuesday because I was craving sushi, plus all the reviews were stellar so I was sold on this place. I ordered several nigiri and a roll and at a glance it looked pretty decent but unfortunately, this was by far the worst sushi I have ever had. The tamago was sweet like custard, way too sweet. None of the seafood tasted particularly fresh and I was certain about this once I got to the uni. Uni is my favorite and it’s rare to find on menus, the color was dull but I still gave it a chance, one taste and it was very bitter, a tell tale sign that it wasn’t fresh at all. Then the final problem, right after trying the uni I found hairs in my rice so I had to stop eating. I was so appalled that I sat there for 15 minutes debating what I should do, and sadly I just paid and left. I can’t describe how disappointing it all was, especially since this place came well recommended and received by so many. It’s also clear that the people running it are doing their best so I preferred to cut my losses than make a fuss. It’s just sad overall. If you’re very discerning about sushi unfortunately I can’t recommend...