Japanese Restaurants near University Heights

“I recently dined here, and I must say it exceeded my expectations! The prices were incredibly reasonable, especially considering the quality of the food. The sushi was fresh and flavorful, and the Ramen was absolutely delicious. The menu offered a great variety, catering to sushi lovers, and Ramen enthusiast alike. The ambience was cozy and inviting making it the perfect spot for a casual meal or special night out. I highly recommend it to anyone craving a delicious sushi or Ramen and an affordable price.“

“Every delivery order through here was a breeze. The tuna onigiris are warm, fresh, and slap all the time. The hot spicy tonkatsu ramen is too good to pass on. The gyudon Japanese beef rice was tender and slap. Korean cheese hot dog is close to authentic and worth the price. Chicken nuggets were lowkey mid with no flavor, could be battered a bit more.“

“First time here and will definitely be back! Affordable and the portions are beyond huge and delicious! We had the Hibachi chicken/steak and Hibachi scallops - all cooked to perfection. Not one gristly bit of steak either! There were surprise noodles in there too that we were happy to try ? Friendly service w a smile, even from the chef in the back! Clean and pleasant atmosphere.“

“Very accommodating and great food!“

“Wonderful food as always. I can here for either the third or fourth time with my husband and my mother and grandmother. The food is always amazing. This is easily the best hot pot place in all of the Cleveland area, at least out of all the ones I have gone to. The only thing is that the service wasn’t that great today. We had to ask for utensils, plates, bowls, etc. Our server would disappear for 20-30 minutes at a time even though we were the only people there. At one point we had to go up to the front to ask the sushi chef for things because our server was nowhere to be found. The amazing quality of the food more than made up for the subpar service though. We will definitely be back.“

“A completely wonderful experience! My wife and I were exploring the area and decided for a quick bite. Great owners, very friendly and attentive. Food was fast and very fresh. Pork belly was out of this world! Noodles were excellent. Cannot wait to go back.“

“This place rocks! Favorite Korean spot I’ve found in Cleveland. Staff was friendly and went above and beyond. It’s small and cozy, which makes the experience feel so personal. Plus, the food was delicious. We tried the seafood pancake which contained various seafood delights, and the hot stone bibibap bowl, which was also amazing with how the rice crisped up. Also, make sure you get the hot tea! Will definitely be coming back soon.“

“Pacific East is our very favorite sushi restaurant overall. The quality of the fish is incredible and the food is so authentic. We are so excited that they are reopening soon, we will be in the get some delicious sushi as soon as we can!“

“I was going to a concert with my companion and I'd read about and been recommended to this place by someone in a Facebook group. I was pretty excited to try what was billed as "Authentic Japanese". Anyone who's familiar with actual Japanese cuisine knows the struggle. The atmosphere was nice, service was great, food was a bit of a miss. They certainly appear to try to be "authentic", and they come close, closer than most any non familiar with Japanese food person would be able to tell, but just not quite. One of my favorite dishes is Agedashi Tofu. I cannot tell you how hard it is to find this dish prepared right. Nearly all of the non Japanese owned or operated "Japanese" restaurants don't come close and many offer what is actually Korean or some other form of "fried tofu", with the Korean version being my least favorite, fried portions of tofu that are very dry and bland, in my experience. This place came close but there were issues. First there were two huge blocks of fried tofu, and it was actually prepared right, but never have I had such large chunks. They're usually several small cubes. They did get the bonito flakes right but I found them not nearly as smokey as they should have been, almost non existently smokey and didn't add to the dish as they should. There was absolutely no greenery, scallions, nothing. The sauce was very almost watery tasting and not very flavorful. Needless to say I was disappointed. Second would be the "giyoza", which was actually the topic of the Facebook group post on someone looking for authentic Japanese prepared giyoza. This place is definitely "not it". The "dumplings" we got were deep fried, in a shell that was thick and powdery tasting to eat. Just not in any way remotely like actual giyoza. The sushi nigiri we ordered was fine, much like any other decent sushi place, so no complaints there. Lastly the Nabeyaki Udon took forever to come out, the tempura to go with it even longer, and the broth was different tasting than expected. At that point we were pretty full, pressed to get to our concert as the wait for our food had set us back. We took the Udon to go but later found the noodles had soaked up all the broth and it was pretty unappetizing. The Yakitori was ok, not the best but not the worst. Lastly, the place is a bit hard to find. The frontage from the street looks like office buildings or something residential and you have to go around that and down a slope to the back bottom of that to get to the actual restaurant and even then we weren't sure we were at the right place until we entered. Overall, while most people will probably enjoy this place, someone who knows Japanese food, may not.“

“Really liked the miso ramen! Great service too!“

“We just had a fantastic sushi experience at Youngs. Really fresh, well crafted and beautifully presented. The crunchy roll is worth coming back for. Service at the bar was super friendly and efficient. Add a bottle of Sayuri and it was a really perfect lunch date.“

“The food is delicious, but they are missing out on thousands of dollars in profit by being closed between 2pm to 4pm. This is prime time, right after school! I've gone to other restaurants plenty or times due to them being closed during these hours, even though they were my first choice. They probably need to hire more staff to accommodate, so that everyone doesn't have to leave at the same time.“

“Great food!!! Friendly staff and quick service!“

“Strongly recommend! This is your Chinese uncle. Only he can prepare you any dish from the menu for 500 sku in a small kitchen in five minutes. The food is great. Very good price! The owner does not cut portions or hide the meat in a giant dough shell. Unfortunately, I didn’t recognize the hero’s name. On your next visit, I will definitely say “THANK YOU” in person! Long life and prosperity!“

“They were handing out samples of the seasme chicken and teriyaki chicken! Both were very tasty so I went for the teriyaki chicken! Food was fresh and hot off the grill. Good price too! I will definitely go there again. I liked this food choice over the other options they had in the food court.“

“They have a few tables outside but we always eat in, because my husband likes to sit at the sushi bar ! Friendly staff very good food and reasonable prices! Their Mahi Mahi is very good and tempura if you don’t eat sushi .“

“Called in the order. It was ready for me when I went to pick it up 12 minutes later.Parking: Though parking is acceptable stairs down to restaurant are somewhat dangerous. Access to the railing isn't safe for someone who may have difficulty walking without help.“

“So yummy. I've been going here for years and quality never disappoints. Family owned and operated . Everyone's always been so nice too. Home made Asian dressings and yum yum sauce. Price for your portions are also great. I get the steak hibachi meal but all the hibachi and sushi is exceptional. One of my all time favorites.“

“First time, and this was exceptional. Hidden in the back of Golden Gate Plaza, Otani's is worth the visit. At 7:30 on a Monday night the restaurant had several full tables, and several people were eating at the sushi bar. The walls were decorated with waves, reminiscing of the great artist, Katsushika Hokusai. The manager, Marco, was an excellent waiter and very attentive. Checking into Yelp we ordered an app of Crab Rangoon using the $5 offer. The sushi roll was fresh and good. I ordered my first Ramen Bowl called Shrimp Tempura. A bowl full of ramen, broccoli, scallions, seaweed, and more in a Miso broth was very good. I took half home. On the side were four large Tempura Shrimp. Very nice. Son ordered the Steak & Scallops Hibachi. Salad, Miso soup, rice and vegetables were included. It was delicious. I bragged that we came for my son's birthday, and Marco surprised him with a bowl of ice cream and Tempura Oreos. Oh, my, those Oreos were worth having after the entire meal. Totally recommend. If you want the Habachi experience, make a reservation.“

“Delicious and has volume for a great price love it! Recommend to everybody“

“Delicious and has volume for a great price love it! Recommend to everybody“

“Chicken and shrimp were over cooked and dry. Also they charge almost 5.00 extra to use a credit card and a 18 tip is added to the end of the bill. They don't tell you so watch out you don't double tip.“

“Wow! I haven't been here since the new owner took over - what a difference! I liked their food before, but omg, every bite I took I found myself telling my husband how amazing the flavor was! Everything is just a little bit "extra". It was "extra" enough that I ran over here to wrote a review before I forgot. Mind you, it costs quite a bit more, so it's but something I could afford on the weekly for my family of 4, but I'll sure be trying to make it here at least once a month“