sen zushi

past glories can't keep working. sen zushi was possibly the best sushi invictoriabefore 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 somevictoriastaples 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 same quality they 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 the quality is 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.

i am sitting in zen sushi, in their newly renovated premises on fort street 🤗, and it's great, a different layout, more tables, many of the old staff back, with some new ones too. this my second trip and so far the food is excellent - just as before!


-----01 sep, 2011-----

a favourite. this to me is the best japanese restaurant in town. their sushi can be sublime, and many of the kitchen dishes are really good too. but what makes it better than other japanese places that i have been to invictoriais that they are always trying out new dishes and sushi - not all of them are successful, but many of them are, and this is what nudges it above other places that serve mostly teriyaki and tempura dishes in plastic bento boxes, or are really korean restaurants in disguise.

best japanese food i've had invictoriato date.

service from maiko was excellent. we were made to feel welcome as soon as we entered the restaurant.

i had the sen zushi lunch special plus tuna sashimi. each course was fresh, to temperature and well presented. i ordered my steak rare and it was cooked perfectly.

my wife was equally impressed. it was so good we will make the trip to town again tomorrow just to eat at sen zushi.

i still think this is the best sushi in town, but service has been inconsistent during my visits over the years. last night it took an unacceptably long time for our food to arrive. and the room was far from full or busy. the problem is the dining room is too big for a small sushi bar to keep up with. i've found that when going just for sushi, sit at sushi bar for faster service. sit at the far reaching tables at your peril. in addition to slow sushi service, the table servers, while many of the are japanese, lack the training and skill needed to cover a large room. the best sushi places in japan are very small, intimate affairs, often no more than a dozen seats at the sushi bar. for a look at how a real sushi master operates, see the film jiro dreams of sushi. i've eaten at places like that in japan, but nothing invictoriaor vancouver comes even close.

reliably great. my go-to place invictoriafor sushi and japanese food. after living in japan for some time, i'm pretty hard to please when it comes to sushi, but sen zushi really is great. i like the atmosphere, i like the staff, it's all good. the only thing i'd change is the hours - it's closed at really odd times, and i've gone there and found it closed more times than i can count. now i call ahead to make sure! :)

very good restaurant. i live 2 blocks away from this restaurant and i go there very often. i strongly recomend this restaurant for all my friends especially if they want to eat sashimi or nigiris, the size of each piece of sashimi is gorgeous and the ones on the nigiri as well. it costs a little bit more then some other places but it is really worth it. in my opinion it remain the best sushi restaurant invictoriaif you are planing to eat sahimis, nigiris or sushis, but especially sashimi and nigiri.

a little disappointing.. the exterior of this restaurant led me to believe that i would be traveling back in time to the high-rolling 1980s, when japan was the darling of the asian economies. nintendo, bullet trains, private booths, slippers, and an overvalued yen all came to mind.
upon entering, i was disappointed. no private booths. no slippers. no business men in gray suits sipping sake. nevertheless, the food was okay, but quite greasy. service was good and prompt. the menu was robust, and i wondered perhaps, if this restaurant isn't trying to be all things japanese to all people.
whatever the case, like contemporary japan, this place could use a thorough overhaul, and some fresh ideas. as the number of japanese restaurants invictoriacontinues to burgeon, sen zushi could find itself slipping into stagnation if it doesn't adapt to this ever-changing, highly competitive market.