Partner brought me here for my birthday dinner. It was an incredible experience purely based on the fact that I have never had that quality of sushi before. We definitely paid top price for it, but if you're willing, it's worth it.Later on in the meal a group came in that was way too loud, which was unfortunate cause the restaurant had a quiet, zen like atmosphere to it prior. Even so, great spot.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
Michael Chavez
Highly recommend! Sushi was fantastic, fresh and tasty. So were the appetizers. Loved the gluten free options. Very Celiac safe for me. Place was small, cute and cozy. Service was very kind.Dietary restrictions: Celiac
while the fish was good quality and tasted great, basically just disappeared in your mouth because portions were quite small. even spending almost 200 (including tip) we were still hungry..thicker cut of fish and rice would make a difference.
Food: 5
Service: 3
Patricia Madrid
While the sushi restaurant had friendly staff, the overall experience was disappointing due to the tasteless food. Despite the nice ambiance and attentive service, the lack of flavor in the sushi left much to be desired. Additionally, the staff seemed distracted, which affected the overall dining experience.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
Heather
We came for the Valentine's Omakase and it was delicious. We drove over an hour to come here!Everything on the menu was so, SO good! We've been before and we wanted to come back because of how unique and delicious their Omakase is.The last time we were here, we spent 2 hours at the bar for Omakase and we thought THAT was long. When booking for the Valentine's omakase, we were fully prepared to lose 2 hours as the food is delicious, but it ended up being over 3.5 hours!! I saw another reviewer comment about the same time duration for the Valentine's omakase and was surprised it was not just us that had that experience.Unfortunately, we will not be returning as we simply do not have over 2 hours to spare for a dinner. Everything came out in small pieces VERY spaced in-between. It really felt like we were being teased the entire time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 2
John Farley
My partner and I dined at Zilla Sake on Valentine’s Day for their omakase tasting. We had reserved seats at the sushi bar, but when we arrived were told that the previous party was still eating and wouldn’t be finished for some time (this should have been a sign). Luckily they had an open table, so we decided to take that instead of waiting for the bar to open.After waiting for 15-20 min, a server came to take our drink order. Then after another 15 min, our first course came. A cabbage salad with crab, that was great. Then another 45 min passed before our next course. This trend continued until, 3.5 hours later, our final course (a matcha whipped crème) arrived. All in all, the food was exceptional, and portion sizes were reasonable. However, the wait times were absurd. Unless you have 4 hours to spare, I’d look elsewhere for quality sushi.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 1
Matthew Allen
Always delicious. Value per $ is questionable as the dishes are quite small. Awesome sake selection.
Brittany B.
I was excited to try omakase at Zilla and while the atmosphere was cozy and laid back, I can't help but feel ripped off by the omakase service. Unfortunately, Zilla doesn't provide menus on their website, so we arrived expecting omakase to be $75/person (older Yelp reviews mention this price point). We were shocked to see the price had doubled and was $140/person. We swallowed the shock and tried out the experience anyway with high hopes for an outstanding menu at that price point. We were underwhelmed. There were a maximum of 10 dishes served, and while a couple were fantastic (Isake nigiri and the chanterelle mushrooms), some dishes were as simple as miso soup and agedashi tofu. At this price point, I don't see how you can get away with serving so little fish and so many inexpensive dishes. I've had omakase many times. Most recently, in Manhattan at Sushi by M for $100/person and enjoyed 18 dishes, all of them containing high quality sushi fish. Overall, we're really bummed out by this experience and left feeling hungry.
Chelsea C.
A Fine dining experience with amazing service and food. The light alone made the ambiance.
Jamie Horner
Delicious, great service dedicated gluten free! 10 out of 10 will be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: California Roll, Edamame, Miso Soup, Spicy Hamachi
Did the Omakase at Zilla last month. Menu says allow for two hours, it took almost four. Service was terrible, each course (six total) was tiny and spaced out every 30 minutes. We left hungry. Nigiri was high-quality but lacked originality and overall the tasting was light on raw fish and went heavier on the cooked food. In dining room, there was a small fryer without proper venting, the entire place smelled like day old oil (including our clothing) which took multiple washes to return back to normal. Overall, one of the most underwhelming sushi experiences I've had in Portland with mediocre service and food.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Mariko K.
Sake was on point. I had a lot of fun trying a flight, it had an interesting variety of flavor profiles. Dishes were hit or miss. Highly recommend both karaages. Service is super slow. I would come back just for drinks.
Bill D.
Amazing experience!! As a lover of good food I've had my fair share of excellent meals. Recently I visited Portland and went to Zilla Sake. I ordered their Omakase option so I could sample a wide variety of the offerings. This meal ranked as one of the best I've ever had. It included approximately 7 dishes and each one was delicious. Although, I liked everything, I wanted to mention, in my opinion, the top three. If I had to rank the them number 3 would be the Salt Water Eel. Number 2 would be the 7 day dry aged pan seared Kurodai with mushrooms, potatoes and a persimmon purée. These ingredients worked so well together and the Kurodai skin was incredibly crispy. As I come to the number 1 spot I need to preface it with this, occasionally in life you come across a bite of food that makes you stop and say "What the hell!" You slowdown and attempt to savor the morsel you know will sadly soon be gone. The piece of 21 day dry aged New Zealand salmon nigiri was one of those bites. The fish was buttery with an amazing texture. The perfectly seasoned rice and the salt sprinkled on top elevated the this dish to perfection. Lastly the service was top notch. Servers and chefs were attentive, polite and impressively knowledgeable/informative about the food they served. Additionally, Kate, the owner personally provided my wife and I with specific knowledge on the making of Sake, making our future choices when ordering it, not so daunting. Looking forward to my next visit when I return to Portland.
Kris D.
My world has just expanded. This was our first Omakase experience and I am filled with the gratitude. I had no idea that I had the capacity to experience flavors like what this experience offered. A true savoring experience.... And the Saki . Also just a tip: sit at the bar a little closer to the door as the fryer used for the tofu is a little spicy on the eyes.
Nathan Alexander
Everything we tried was delicious. The rolls took a while to come out but the service was attentive and friendly.
Partner brought me here for my birthday dinner. It was an incredible experience purely based on the fact that I have never had that quality of sushi before. We definitely paid top price for it, but if you're willing, it's worth it.Later on in the meal a group came in that was way too loud, which was unfortunate cause the restaurant had a quiet, zen like atmosphere to it prior. Even so, great spot.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
Highly recommend! Sushi was fantastic, fresh and tasty. So were the appetizers. Loved the gluten free options. Very Celiac safe for me. Place was small, cute and cozy. Service was very kind.Dietary restrictions: Celiac
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Garlic Edamame, Zilla, Spicy Tuna, Edamame, Miso Soup
while the fish was good quality and tasted great, basically just disappeared in your mouth because portions were quite small. even spending almost 200 (including tip) we were still hungry..thicker cut of fish and rice would make a difference.
Food: 5
Service: 3
While the sushi restaurant had friendly staff, the overall experience was disappointing due to the tasteless food. Despite the nice ambiance and attentive service, the lack of flavor in the sushi left much to be desired. Additionally, the staff seemed distracted, which affected the overall dining experience.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
We came for the Valentine's Omakase and it was delicious. We drove over an hour to come here!Everything on the menu was so, SO good! We've been before and we wanted to come back because of how unique and delicious their Omakase is.The last time we were here, we spent 2 hours at the bar for Omakase and we thought THAT was long. When booking for the Valentine's omakase, we were fully prepared to lose 2 hours as the food is delicious, but it ended up being over 3.5 hours!! I saw another reviewer comment about the same time duration for the Valentine's omakase and was surprised it was not just us that had that experience.Unfortunately, we will not be returning as we simply do not have over 2 hours to spare for a dinner. Everything came out in small pieces VERY spaced in-between. It really felt like we were being teased the entire time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 2
My partner and I dined at Zilla Sake on Valentine’s Day for their omakase tasting. We had reserved seats at the sushi bar, but when we arrived were told that the previous party was still eating and wouldn’t be finished for some time (this should have been a sign). Luckily they had an open table, so we decided to take that instead of waiting for the bar to open.After waiting for 15-20 min, a server came to take our drink order. Then after another 15 min, our first course came. A cabbage salad with crab, that was great. Then another 45 min passed before our next course. This trend continued until, 3.5 hours later, our final course (a matcha whipped crème) arrived. All in all, the food was exceptional, and portion sizes were reasonable. However, the wait times were absurd. Unless you have 4 hours to spare, I’d look elsewhere for quality sushi.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 1
Always delicious. Value per $ is questionable as the dishes are quite small. Awesome sake selection.
I was excited to try omakase at Zilla and while the atmosphere was cozy and laid back, I can't help but feel ripped off by the omakase service. Unfortunately, Zilla doesn't provide menus on their website, so we arrived expecting omakase to be $75/person (older Yelp reviews mention this price point). We were shocked to see the price had doubled and was $140/person. We swallowed the shock and tried out the experience anyway with high hopes for an outstanding menu at that price point. We were underwhelmed. There were a maximum of 10 dishes served, and while a couple were fantastic (Isake nigiri and the chanterelle mushrooms), some dishes were as simple as miso soup and agedashi tofu. At this price point, I don't see how you can get away with serving so little fish and so many inexpensive dishes. I've had omakase many times. Most recently, in Manhattan at Sushi by M for $100/person and enjoyed 18 dishes, all of them containing high quality sushi fish. Overall, we're really bummed out by this experience and left feeling hungry.
A Fine dining experience with amazing service and food. The light alone made the ambiance.
Delicious, great service dedicated gluten free! 10 out of 10 will be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: California Roll, Edamame, Miso Soup, Spicy Hamachi
Restaurantji Recommends
Did the Omakase at Zilla last month. Menu says allow for two hours, it took almost four. Service was terrible, each course (six total) was tiny and spaced out every 30 minutes. We left hungry. Nigiri was high-quality but lacked originality and overall the tasting was light on raw fish and went heavier on the cooked food. In dining room, there was a small fryer without proper venting, the entire place smelled like day old oil (including our clothing) which took multiple washes to return back to normal. Overall, one of the most underwhelming sushi experiences I've had in Portland with mediocre service and food.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Sake was on point. I had a lot of fun trying a flight, it had an interesting variety of flavor profiles. Dishes were hit or miss. Highly recommend both karaages. Service is super slow. I would come back just for drinks.
Amazing experience!! As a lover of good food I've had my fair share of excellent meals. Recently I visited Portland and went to Zilla Sake. I ordered their Omakase option so I could sample a wide variety of the offerings. This meal ranked as one of the best I've ever had. It included approximately 7 dishes and each one was delicious. Although, I liked everything, I wanted to mention, in my opinion, the top three. If I had to rank the them number 3 would be the Salt Water Eel. Number 2 would be the 7 day dry aged pan seared Kurodai with mushrooms, potatoes and a persimmon purée. These ingredients worked so well together and the Kurodai skin was incredibly crispy. As I come to the number 1 spot I need to preface it with this, occasionally in life you come across a bite of food that makes you stop and say "What the hell!" You slowdown and attempt to savor the morsel you know will sadly soon be gone. The piece of 21 day dry aged New Zealand salmon nigiri was one of those bites. The fish was buttery with an amazing texture. The perfectly seasoned rice and the salt sprinkled on top elevated the this dish to perfection. Lastly the service was top notch. Servers and chefs were attentive, polite and impressively knowledgeable/informative about the food they served. Additionally, Kate, the owner personally provided my wife and I with specific knowledge on the making of Sake, making our future choices when ordering it, not so daunting. Looking forward to my next visit when I return to Portland.
My world has just expanded. This was our first Omakase experience and I am filled with the gratitude. I had no idea that I had the capacity to experience flavors like what this experience offered. A true savoring experience.... And the Saki . Also just a tip: sit at the bar a little closer to the door as the fryer used for the tofu is a little spicy on the eyes.
Everything we tried was delicious. The rolls took a while to come out but the service was attentive and friendly.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Edamame