Zilla Sake — Restaurant in Portland

This restaurant's specialty roll is probably the eyeroll. The raw fish and rice log lumberjacks take their time crafting the most mediocre rolls in the Portland metro area.

In order to avoid the Tuesday night crowd, we made a reservation for the opening time. We ordered from the menu (not omakase) all at once for efficiency. One of the rolls was already unavailable, but it might have been one of the popular ones among the poor preparation crowd, who may have been there before opening time, so that was understandable.

Our first roll arrived with ample pickled ginger and wasabi. Tamari was offered and even poured for us. Then the bottle was taken away. As a proponent of sodium, I was a bit worried that my ankles wouldn't swell properly at night; however, my experience with good service at a sushi place in San Francisco reminded me that I needn't worry. Except I did, as that was the only time my tamari level was addressed.

The second roll came and the server asked if we needed a refill on ginger and wasabi. I wasn't sure if I was expecting it to naturally be refilled because I was a peasant who didn't understand the art and science of consuming sushi rolls without condiments and accompaniments. Was this second roll so full of taste or was this place so full of themselves? It was the latter. The second dish of ginger and wasabi came with a pinky nail sized dollop of wasabi. We overheard the chef say this would be it for now because they ran out. Perhaps grinding this sacred root according to your reservations for the night prior to opening would be helpful.

It's important to note that people were being turned away left and right if they had not made a reservation, so it's not like the Portland Wasabi Committee came to Zilla Sake and demanded the entire stock.

Anyway, we must have been disturbing this socialistic wasabi/ginger ration because we had to, once again, ask for a second refill. Since it want omakase, it wasn't really up to the chef how much he wanted to grind his roots for us. By the end of the meal, I had made a mental list of sushi places that I have betrayed that were simply better in every way.

So if you enjoy things like donating your money, doing nothing with your time, having nothing to look forward to, and begging for more pickled ginger, wasabi, and tamari, then please make a reservation two hours before you plan...

Dined here on 11/23, and was really happy with my experience. The front of house/waiter was really nice and knowledgeable, and the two chefs were heads-down and preparing amazing food at a good clip.

We went with the following: starters: miso soup, cucumber salad, edamame, fresh wasabi (for the nigiri) mains: hamachi nigiri, eel nigiri, nishi futomaki (maybe the best roll I have ever had) and a seasonal dish that was crispy-skinned trout, fingerling (I think) potatoes, chanterelles and a chestnut sauce (amazing small dish) drinks: hiyaroishi (fall) sake sampler, asahi draft, ume highball, one cup cloudy sake

total was $170 including tip.

Service was timely, with each dish coming out when we were done with the previous one, and as mentioned, the wait staff was really great. this is more of a fine-dining kind of spot, so expect to have somewhat small portions that are not cheap, but also expect high quality ingredients. the seasonal dish of crispy trout, nishi futomaki, fresh wasabi and the sake sampler were standouts.

the only thing that kind of bummed me out was that I was hoping the nigir was a bit larger of a portion. for the price, i would have rather ordered the crispy trout two more times rather than grab the nigiri. not that it wasn't delicious, but again, the size of the actual cuts of fish (mainly the hamachi) were a bit on the small side from what I have experienced in the past (granted, i am comparing this to places in japan).

I think I will come back next year for my birthday and take the plunge on the omakase. on that note, I see people in the reviews complaining about how long the service takes for that, but it literally says on the menu to expect a ~2 hour 7 course meal. it is meant to be enjoyed slowly, so if you are tight on time, this might not be for you.

so glad to have finally eaten here, I can't recommend it enough for an elevated japanese...

I have gone to this place for years and always loved it! The food is clean and the environment is low key and friendly. Recently, I went to have dinner around 6:00pm and upon entering there were at least 6 tables open and several spots at the bar. My partner and I were met by a young man who didn’t seem to know what was going on. He was unsure if we could sit at the bar or if any of the tables were available. He seemed flustered and unclear of what his job was. He reluctantly offered a table at the saki bar, but I explained we would like to sit in the main room. I had to repeatedly ask him to speak up because his voice was low and and he was keeping such a distance while talking that I was unable to hear him. His behavior lacked professionalism and awareness. He left us standing while he scurried around an almost empty restaurant talking to other employees. After several minutes of this, he returns and tell us it would be at least a 30 minute wait because they were totally booked for the evening.

Being busy and not having tables available is one thing, BUT this millennial was so rude and unsure of his job it ruined even wanting to sit at the saki bar for dinner. The unwelcoming atmosphere and wildly unwanted feeling present made both me and my partner so uncomfortable that I had to question if they were not seating us for other reasons.

It’s such a disappointment that one of my favorite sushi spots has gone so far downhill. I miss what eating out used to be like in this town. The millennial implants have not richened our home, they have polluted it and made the rest of us feel like outsiders in...