sen zushi

quality sushi. the food, service, and atmosphere are allqualityaspects. the sushi is the best i have tried [in victoria], and you can tell they put a lot of effort into making your experience a good one because of all the little details in the food presentation. the dining room is cool too, it really feels like a classic "japanese" space, i suppose; i like the skylights. our waitress was kind, and even offered to teach me some japanese; only drawback to the place is that it's expensive; you're not wasting your money if you want some good eats though.

best sushi in town.. this is by far the best sushi in town. the atmosphere, waiting staff, andqualityof food sets the bar for other sushi bars around. although slightly more expensive i would gladly pay the difference to eat here.

a++ recommended!

overpriced and going downhill with quality. i have had ok sushi at sen in the past, but i echo the sentiments of the previous reviewer in wondering if they have changed ownership/kitchen chefs.

the last few times the food is nowhere near thequalityi would expect, despite the price still being much higher than any other sushi place in town.

the last experience i had with them was recently when i ordered a kitsune udon with steamed vegetables to go. when i got home and opened it up i was shocked to see that unlike every other place in town, their kitsune udon consisted of only two tiny pieces of tofu pocket. the veggies i had paid extra for turned out to be some sprigs of green onion. the broth was too fishy.

go somewhere else.

do not go there! warning. sen zushi used to be our best japanese foods spot for years. i've recommended this restaturant to many friends of mine. until last night, i will never ever go back to that restaruant!!!! being a old customer of sen, i can tell you they've changed their kitchen chefs recently!!! the prices are still the same, expensive, but thequalityof foods and ingredients are terrible and horrible. the services are getting worse too. we had to stop our waitress many times while she walked by our table just for refilling our teapot! we ordered beef undon and kazudo (the dish i always ordered at sen for years). the beef slice were way too tough, i can't chew them! i swallowed them, no kidding, i swallowed! the deep fried breaded pork chop were overcooked too. it was dry and tough. i can cook better breaded pork chop than sen now at home. besides those 2 dishes, we ordered mackeral sashimi (i loved this dish so much before, i had it everytime when i was at sen). at that night, both my husband and i got food poisons because of this dish. my tummy was hurt like i had colon disease. my mouth was full with smell of that mackeral. we also had to return one of the dishs, vegetable tempura. i was speachless when i saw that dish. the dish costs $8plus tax, 7 pieces vegetables. and last night, that dish had 1 brocoli, 1 green pepper, 1 zucchini , 2 lotus roots (1 inch small). that wasn't even the point to return the dish. the brocoli was plain, no batter at all! yes, no batter, plain green brocoli. i asked the waitress to look at the dish by herself, she said to me, "well, it is sometimes like this." we returned and cancelled that dish. i'm not going to pay $8 plus tax for those 'steamed' vegetables! and, its soy sauce, which is on each table, is no longer japanese soy sauce. it's more salty now. before even it was little pricy, thequalityof foods was worthy of the prices. now, sen zushi is foolling its customers and destroying its good reputation that was built up for so many years.

never disappointed!. this is the place i never get disappointed.

people are so great and reminds me of japan and how highqualityjapanese customer service is. although i order exactly the same things, it's always great and consistent.

sushi is very fresh. i love bbq eel sushi and i can taste the freshness, not like frozen one at fake japanese restaurants in downtown.

only thing they can improve is waiting time. sometimes it takes quite long to be served, but it's not a really big deal because i know it's worth waiting:)

we love senzushi! i believe this is the only real japanese restaurant in victoria. don't waste money going to the fake one!

my absolute favourite, most authentic in town japanese place. i cant believe i havent written a review for them yet. i've been coming here for years! highqualitysashimi and well made sushi rolls. even my dad enjoys the donburis and he's quite critical on food. the people are long time servers, it's nice to see familiar faces and they all look happy to be working there. i generally get the same server and he's always pleasant with a smile on his face.

outstanding sushi and fresh japanese. very friendly and helpful staff. the restaurant underwent changes and making it fancier than before which is nice. it is not stuffy. it was busy and noisy on the last two occasions we went with the family but i prefer a quieter environment. the menu is very large making it hard to choose. however it does not compromise thequalityof the excellent sushi is served. the rice is always super fresh and tasty, cooked to perfection. the fish is the freshest and you can see the care put into the sushi and nigiri. i also like the chef recommendations, the starters and the wine was very good. i would recommend sen zushi for families and couples looking for an authentic japanese experience.

past glories can't keep working. sen zushi was possibly the best sushi in victoria before a kitchen fire forced them to renovate and relocate. i happily recommended it, and it was first recommended to me by my japanese professor.

but since opening their new location, they've been forced into a new business model. smaller location, less atmosphere, poorer product. we went for the first time since they re-opened a couple weeks ago, and they used imitation crab meat, lacked some victoria staples like salmon & avocado rolls, and charged 40-50 cents more per roll than the now-nearby shizen sushi.

what was kind of sad to me was that the chef is still the same, and i could tell the care put into each dish. perhaps it wasn't the best day for ingredients, but the imitation crab begs to differ. cuts were thin with slight gristle. everything was still fine, good even. but no longer better than other options. and at inflated prices, not worth recommending.

a sad day. i hope they can go back to their former business model of a semi-formal atmosphere with a dimly light dining room, larger space, and a push for the samequalitythey once had.


-----20 jul, 2014-----

best sushi in victoria, and i don't say that lightly. i've tried almost every place in town, and i have 3 places i would recommend. ebizo, shizen and senzushi. by and far, senzushi is consistently the tastiest, the freshest, and the most enjoyable sushi in town. they also have a great variety of hot food for non-sushi eaters, and probably the best oyako don in town to boot. but almost everything here is just awesome from their salmon to their unagi. the only reason i don't go here all the time is because it is a tad bit pricier than other places. but thequalityis well worth it. i was enthralled to hear they've re-opened at a temporary new location after the devastating kitchen fire in april 2014. if you're looking for a nice dining experience with a group of friends or just a significant other, senzu is a great place to go.


-----10 aug, 2010-----

i'm writing this review to dispell the myth that the last two built. i was recommended sen by my japanese teacher back in the day, and it's been a regular evening out whenever we go for sushi. tonight we have visited to confirm it's state, and the chefs are still here. the sushi is wonderful and though a little more expensive, well worth it. though i'll admit the service has always been a little slow. overall, highly recommended.

my last review was edited?? i'm a sushi snob and really not sure why this place is rated so highly. the first time i was here the service was awful, the food was over priced, small and flavorless, and nanban chicken was still raw when it was served to us. i swore i wouldn't ever come back, but a couple weeks ago i was dragged back with a friend who really wanted to check it out. once again the service was terrible and food is just not that good, certainly not at these prices. i have had better sushi at late night all you can eat places. i guess most of the positive reviews of this place are by people that really don't know what good sushi is... because this place is not good.


-----26 oct, 2013-----

the atmosphere is nice, the service was good but the food was marginal at best. as a vancouver sushi snob, i liken the foodqualityhere, to a late night all you can eat sushi joint in vancouver. however, here the food is very expensive for what you get.

for $5, california roll better be 10 piece or made with real crab, not here. the negitoro roll was very fresh but didn't even have a straws thickness of tuna in it, and certainly not worth the $5 i paid for it. the agadashi tofu was undercooked, lacked batter and tasted like it was sitting in brine for much of the day, not to mention the five t be coming back.

the worst part is we were served raw, not like a little undercooked, but blue-rare raw chicken!! there was a thin cooked layer followed by 80-90% of the meat being completely pink. when we presented it to the wait staff, they were oblivious the the problem. it was almost like the server had no idea serving undercooked chicken, let alone raw chicken, was a serious health code violation. then the server asked if we wanted another one or something else, to which we said no and had lost our appetite. to our shock they brought over the bill with the cost of the chicken still on it. when confronted about this, they said, "it is not our policy to discount food, customers dislike." wtf!? sure i can understand that if someone didn't like the food and was just being fussy... but they served us raw frickin chicken!?!! at any other restaruant in town, our entire meal would have been free and at the better places they would have given us gc's for 1-2 more dinners to try and win us back... this place, "the best we can do is a 50% the item in question."

i have never dined and dashed before, but we just walked out!

this place is/was a joke. we will never go back!

good sushi, surprisingly traditional. we chose sen zushi based on several reviews and blogs listing it as victoria's best sushi. made a reservation in advance for a saturday evening. based on reviews, we had incorrectly expected a more contemporary atmosphere. it was very traditional japanese, decor reminiscent of 20 or more years ago, but the food was solid. we were told it was japanese owned and operated. (other reviews note that the sushi chefs trained in japan. only place i've ever been with an anglo female behind the sushi bar, but the results were excellent, just an amusing observation.)

it was crowded when we arrived at 7:30pm, but had cleared out in about 45 minutes. it closes at 9pm, and the kitchen made last call at least 30 minutes in advance, so plan to go early. we were tourists in victoria, but, in general, we were surprised at how early people ate and restaurants closed.

the menu was not sushi focused, with lots of traditional main courses, appetizers, etc. that said, the sushi was quite good, with a wide variety of options, many contemporary specials. some of our crowd needed some quick calories, so we started with both pork and prawn gyoza (pan fried dumplings), which were excellent. one in our crowd went traditional and had a braised beef donburi dish with egg, she said it was quite good. the rest of us ate sushi, all were pleased. we focused on sockeye salmon, given the region and time of year. traditional nygeri sushi and sashimi were both quite good, larger than the normal pieces we were accustomed to, but who's complaining? a nice variety of rolls, and they volunteered to customize, since i don't like cucumbers.qualityof fish was excellent and preparation showed attention to detail.

service was not polished, but trying hard, willing, with a great attitude.

wine list is very limited, but focus was on premium sakes, so we drank the recommended bottle. i'm not experienced enough to provide an informed review, but we enjoyed it.

i would recommend this restaurant without reservation. willing service and sound cooking/food preparation,qualityingredients.

love love love. food 10/10
atmosphere 10/10
service 10/10
prices (bento box) 10/10
including tax, my bill was just over 12$ and i was stuffed!
the bento box with sashimi had everything i wanted, and i was shocked at the quantity andqualityof the fish.
at that price i figured i would either get less than desirable food or they would just give me lots of salad and soup.
not the case at all. there was lots of everything including fish.
fantastic! i will be definitely be back soon.

enjoyable and tasty. having enjoyed sushi and other japanese specialities up and down the west coast, sen zushi ranks in my top 10. i've literally been to over 150 different places in the past 15 years of traveling. now that i live on the island i've finally found one that i care to return to. cozy, albeit slightly dated atmosphere, friendly service and ok portions. nothing stands out as stellar, but sometime it's just ok to find a reliablequality& friendly service. will be back for more!

not that impressed.... what can i say about sen zushi? it's a basic sushi restaurant, slightly overpriced for the mediocrequalityof their dishes. it's a nice enough restaurant on the inside, but truth be told, there are simply better japanese restaurants in victoria!

the top of its class. sen zushi has always been a popular japanese restaurants among locals, and foreigners (ex japanese, chinese). i have been a loyal sen zushi customer for 3 years, and i was never dissapointed with thequalityof food, and service. the kitchen staffs are constantly creating new dishes to put on the special (seasonal menu). for example, the chefs introduce seasonal fresh seafood, new japanese tapas (shrimp dumplings, takoyaki), and other special regional dishes. the decorations resemble the traditional and contemporary japanese culture. although i think the ambience and decorations can be changed as these decorations had remaind the same for three years, thequalityof food is just simply amazing.

despite the price of katsu don (pork cutlet rice) changed from $9.00 to $9.95 to $10.95 now, this dish has remained my favorite dish. the pork is cooked perfectly, where other japanese restaurants in vic (shizen, shiki) would always overcook the pork cutlets. the sashimi are very fresh, and the decorations on the sashimi dishes showed the culinary skills of te main sushi chefs. although most people would realize that the sashimi and sashimi combos in shima, osaka or shizen sushi are cheaper, thequalityof the sashimi is simply amzaing and well worth the price.

although some patrons think the service is slow and poor, i have nevered expeienced a poor service day and i am always happy with the service. when others see japanese people who like sen, you know this place is the best in victoria.


-----11 aug, 2010-----

great as usual. i agree with the recent post that there is nothing wrong at sen zushi. i beleive the reason why the food was not good during april and may (according to the two previous posts) was that the main chefs were on holiday. i have eaten at this place for 3 years, and mostly i come once or twice a month or once every two months. i do notice food was not so good during april/may for the past 3 years. i have tried about 2/3 of the items on the menu, and the menu is really extensive. i went there yesterday, and the sushi and oysters were great. although the price of sushi is slight more expensive than other sushi places, it is definitely worth the place.

best salmon in victoria. bestqualityfish i've had in victoria.