Osaka Japanese Restaurant — Restaurant in Town of Rhinebeck

1 review 5.0 star rating 11/1/2017 I had the privilege of visiting Rhineback, NY for the first time and asked the locals for a recommendation for the best restaurants in the area and the most common respond was "Osaka". As an Asian/sushi foodie, I was skeptical at first but decided to give Osaka a try. When I got there I noticed that the restaurant was clean, well decorated, and small so that it created a very intimate atmosphere. I had the pleasure of meeting the owner of the restaurant who was extremely friendly and clearly knowledgeable about sushi. We talked about my sushi addiction and she told me to trust her and she'd recommend me some great rolls that I'd really enjoy. Let's just say the food WELL exceed my expectations! Specifically, I had the Happy Roll, Spicy Scallop roll, Eel monster roll, Salmon Su, Tuna Su and also got to enjoy some delicious miso soup and green salad. I have enjoyed great sushi in NYC, LA. London, San Fran and Tokyo and I can confidently say that Osaka in Rhineback was some of the best sushi I've ever had! And To top it off, I even met some of my favorite celebrities while i was at Osaka, Paul Rudd from Clueless and Hilarie Burton from One Tree Hill! I even got to engaged them in conversation while talking to the owner and they both told me that Osaka was truly a Rhineback's Jem! If you are EVER in Rhineback stopping by...

Sushi joints are not created equal. And because of the bad experiences I've had over the years at bogus sushi places I don't eat sushi unless I know that it is prepared by an authentic Japanese sushi chef or under the direction of such a person. Why? Because authentic Japanese sushi chefs are highly trained, they are first-rate (sanitary) food handlers, and they are people of such integrity that they won't serve fish that they know should be thrown away. Osaka has not such a person. And, to make a long story short, let me just say that I was disappointed even worse than I had been before as the rainbow roll I was served to go at that place looked nothing like the picture and the meager portion of fish placed on the very top of the roll looked so old that I didn't dare to even taste it. Straight to the trash it went. I was just passing through Rhinebeck and had ordered the food to go. I live 45 minutes away; otherwise I would have returned the food for a...

It's nice to find a Japanese restaurant similar to what the experience was 30 years go. It's family friendly as well. The sushi chefs are excellent and had traditional techniques and variety. Hot towels before the meal have been long gone from most restaurants. While there wasn't any particular roll or dish that stood out, the menu was diverse and interesting. The Dashi was savory and had bits of seaweed and that was an interesting change from the usual broth. Saba and Uni were also available and these are generally not found in newer, fast food restaurants. It was a pleasant experience and...