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Bonsai Teriyaki - Sushi Bar
Categories: Restaurants Japanese Restaurants Sushi Bars Japanese, Sushi Bars [Edit]
2305 Ashland St. #AAshland, OR 97520
(541) 482-2640
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
20 reviews for Bonsai Teriyaki - Sushi Bar
20 reviews in English
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Review from Eping H.
Ashland, OR
10/25/2011
Not much to say other than it's become a quasi regular Sunday lunch spot for my family. The sushi is pretty good, but varies in quality, depending on who is making it. Portions are large. Menu seems to be the fairly standard Japanese/Korean menu that you'll see in many of the Japanese restaurants in the area: sushi, grilled meats bentos, a handful of Korean dishes. Other than that, there's really not much to write say.
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Review from Jamie F.
Medford, OR
9/9/2010
I used to really like this place. The food was good and reasonably priced. I went there a while ago with 3 other people and our last roll literally tasted like soap. When I tried to tell them this in a polite and discrete way as there were many other customers near by, the older lady behind the counter got very defensive, wouldn't let me speak and grabbed the tray from me.
There has always been a language barrier here however, the way this particular experience was handled on their part was not only unnecessary but it made them look very bad for all their other customers present.
We were very disappointed and I knew I'd never be able to look at this place the same way again.
Several months later I was craving sushi and decided to give them another try but didn't have high hopes. I went there by myself and ordered a roll. They had a young american guy working there now so there was no language barrier which made it easier. The roll was good/decent but the waiter and the family that owns the place were all just lingering around looking at us (the customers) while we were trying to eat. It was pretty uncomfortable and I ended up eating quickly so I could leave.
I have no plans on going back. -
Review from Claire R.
Ashland, OR
9/1/2010
2 stars because the sushi was decent.
The service left something to be desired. We had to get up and ask anytime we wanted drink refills. Our waiter brought more water, but completely forgot about the tea. Eventually we gave up and just stuck with water, even though our glasses would sit empty for long periods of time.
My aunt is a strict vegetarian, and she ordered tofu. We reiterated that she was a strict vegetarian, no meat or fish products on it of any kind, please. It came with fish flakes on it. So we asked, hey does this have meat on it? After a bit of discussion, he finally took it back to the kitchen, where it was confirmed that yes, in spite of our asking she got tofu with fish on it.
We asked for no tobiko/masago (roe) on our sushi. Twice. It had roe on it. Twice. We were also brought the bill after our first order of sushi, even though we said we were going to order more later. They also forgot one of our rolls and we had to remind the waiter that we never received it.
No discount or apology, but they did bring us a free orange. I guess that was supposed to make up for it? -
Review from suma k.
Redding, CA
8/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
I stopped here on the way down from Seattle a couple of weeks ago. It was a little hard to find since it's in a shopping center and you can't really see the sign from the road. It's a smaller place, but clean and uncluttered. The menu selection seemed really large for that size of a place. All in all they had fast friendly service and tasty hot fresh food. That about sums up this little joint. I would definitely go again.
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Review from Olma M.
Burlingame, CA
2/14/2007 9 photos
What a great find on our quick rest stop in Ashland, Oregon. We were homeward-bound, from Portland to SF and needed a refreshing late dinner. We figured Ashland would be a good stopping point - It's home to a Shakespeare festival so we assumed we'd find decent dining options here.
One quick turn off of the hwy. exit and we found Bonsai right away. The place was packed and there was a short wait. The sushi bar was vacant, but fully occupied within minutes during the course of our meal.
I had the salmon dish (#14!) and I swear, it was the freshest salmon I'd had in a very long while. Hefty portions all around. Though the plate seemed a bit too much for my appetite, I found myself gobbling it all down because I wanted to savor every bite.
Also, it seems like a mom-and-pop-owned restaurant and they were so very friendly and attentive. I eat better when I'm surrounded by smiley, friendly people!
You can find some of their menu items here (tho it may be outdated):
http://passport2ashlan...Listed in: Portland-bound!
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Review from Bee O O.
Ashland, OR
9/30/2008
Usually Bonsai is one of my favorite places to eat in town. A group of my friends took me here the other day for my birthday dinner. I ordered the yakisoba, and very very specifically and adamantly requested only very minimal broccoli. They wholeheartedly assurred me that it would be made to my specifications, but when it arrived, it looked like they had raided Martha Stewart's vegetable garden and dumped all of it in my noodles. It was still delicious... once I picked out all of the cabbage, sprouts, and carrots.
I think next time I'll just stick to the tonkatsu. -
Review from Jen F.
Bend, OR
6/4/2007 3 photos
A nice alternative to the busy (and expensive) restaurants downtown.
Seated at the sushi bar, my son enjoyed watching the chef prepare the orders that streamed in at a steady pace. He finally settled on Udon (a noodle soup) and salmon roll. I chose chicken katsu (they were out of pork), spicy tuna roll, and ahi nigiri (a special).
The entrees were tasty and filling. The Udon came with tempura vegies, which unfortunately were soggy and losing their breading by the time the dish was served. (They were still tasty, though.) My katsu had a spicy bbq-style sauce, and came with rice and a green salad.
Sushi is served on a large platter all at once, instead of one item at a time. I prefer all the little plates, especially when dining with a group. Sitting at the bar, our little corner was quickly overcrowded with too many plates.
The sushi rolls were big - close to two inches in diameter. Waay too big for even a "large bite" - they needed 2-3 good bites each. In my opinion they were a bit unwieldy and it made for a pretty messy meal. The sauce on the spicy tuna was pretty good, and in general everything tasted good.
There were no options for sashimi, and most of the rolls seemed to be variations on the basic California Roll. Beer and wine are not served, and it just seems silly to eat sushi without a nice cold bottle of Asahi. (Guess I am a lush... hic!)
Despite the limited options, Bonsai is a good value and we will probably be back! -
Review from Paul R.
Ashland, OR
5/24/2008
Bonsai was a place I avoided for its first year or so - no beer or sake, and no plans to get any. ditto for Uni - on the menu, and when I asked if there was a day they'd have it, the answer was negatory. I went there a few weeks ago though, and evidently new management came in, because there was fresh, creamy, succulent Uni in the cool case, and beer in the fridge. A variety of Sake is available now.
Seating is limited, and the sushi bar is cramped between the cash register and utility shelves for place settings. The decor reeks of the prior tenant - pretty basic. But the sushi is great! Lovely cuts, without too much rice, great hand rolls, and the new chef is focused on making the customer happy. And they've had sweet fresh uni each time I've been back.
Three stars is good. Enjoy. -
Review from Sydney H.
Olympia, WA
11/23/2009
Five bucks for edamame...and there were 13 beans on the plate. That's 38 cents a bean.
Six dollars for tea.
The imitation crab was oozing with mayonaise.
I would not go back if this were the last resaurant on earth. -
Review from Jason C.
2/19/2009
Having experienced sushi in Japan, Korea, China, LA, etc., I'm very picky when it comes to Japanese food. I was visiting a friend who lives in Ashland back in December 08 and happen to see the place, but I did not go. I came back to visit my friend in Feb 09 and I started to miss some 'Asian' food... so I decided to try it - since this was the only Asian restaurant I could find by my friends home.
When I walked in, I was greeted by the lady (most likely the owner). She gave me the menu and looked the license plate on my car and asked me how my drive way from California, but before I could answer, she asked if I was Korean... I said yes, and told her I came from Medford, heading up to Eugene.
I ordered food - my eye's were bigger then my stomach! I ordered Spicy Tuna and Eel, then ordered the bulgogi combo, miso soup. As I got my salad and soup, the owner brought me kimchi. I was so happy! I was waiting until the next day to get my kimchi kick! The service was awesome. I enjoyed the eel and spicy tuna - granted spicy tuna was not really spicy. The bulgogi combo was good, however the quality of the meat was okay, edible. On top of this, the waiter was from my home state, going to school - small world!
If you are in Ashland area, stop by and try the food. The service was great, the owners were always checking upon you, making sure you were okay. I got a good service at Bonsai. The sushi bar is small, may it seats like 6 people, there's about 8 table setting... when I went, it was about 1/3 full, but lot of folks ordered take out. -
Review from Brad B.
Medford, OR
3/27/2011
Definitely not like its counter parts in Medford... The food here is excellent and they give much more portions than they do in Medford. Price was still a little to high but was worth it portion wise. Wait staff was prompt and very helpful. I would recommend this place over any of the Medford Bonsai's any day.
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Review from Delicia S.
Newark, CA
9/10/2009 1 photo
2 words:
Korean Chirashi!!
It is definitely not Japanese, and I don't think it's quite Korean either.
But who cares, what really matters is that it is absolutely satisfying and delicious (check out the photo). I also applaud to the fact that a Japanese restaurant in Ashland, Oregon is willing to take a chance and invent a special dish of their own.
I will make sure to stop by again next time I am in the area. -
Review from Susanne R.
Ashland, OR
12/22/2009
Turns out one of the better places in Ashland to get Sushi is also one of the least expensive. If I need to order a platter for a party, this is where I come (bring your own party plates in advance and they'll arrange it all pretty-like for you ;-)
This can sometimes be a point-at-what-you-want-on-the-menu kind of place, in that the amount of english spoken isn't quite enough for your server to translate for you if your pronunciation is off. I have never - ever - had a bad meal here, even when what was brought to my table bore no resemblance whatsoever to what I thought I'd ordered.
Tucked into the Albertson's shopping centre at the South end of town, you'll have to drive round a bit to find the place (hint: it's near the Bank of America). -
Review from Ed S.
Henderson, NV
4/29/2008
Bonsai is unusually good for a sushi place in a strip mall. Moving from Orange County, I am somewhat disappointed at the food in Ashland. Bonsai is an exception.
The people are exceptionally friendly and always trying new things for their customers to try. And the prices are very reasonable.
I am a big fan of their Las Vegas and Rainbow rolls. If you're looking for a quick, non-pretentious place for good sushi in Ashland, this is it. -
Review from Nastassia Lena G.
Ashland, OR
5/23/2008 4 photos
Okay, okay, let me update this review and say that this is my favorite place for sushi in town. It has a nice neighborhood feel and I like restaurants like that. And tell me if there's any other restaurant around here with lucky kitty noren hanging in the window and JPOP playing over the speaker! So cool!
My favorites are tamago, unagi, inari, sake, maguro, pickled vegetable roll, postickers, salmon teri, and chicken teri to name a few. But pretty much everything is yummy (besides tonkatsu, which I don't seem to have a taste for) and there's always a few neat sushi rolls on the specials board. -
Review from Lenny G.
Ashland, OR
3/31/2008
Bonsai is part of a local chain of three restaurants, all a little different. The Ashland branch is great for a fast yummy meal. Most dishes are great, especially the spicy pork and yakisoba, or both together! The fish tempura is a terrific appetizer, and the sushi is fresh and delicious. One of their sushi rolls is named after Harry Potter, though, pretty tacky. They lose a star for that. On the bright side, they now serve beer and wine; some odd choices of brands though.
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Review from kathy m.
1/7/2010
We're big sushi fans and we felt like sushi and came here and it was tasty. It was good, but didn't knock our socks off or anything.
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Review from Carole F.
Ashland, OR
11/6/2010
We ate at Bonsai Teriyaki for the first time tonight, and we can hardly wait to go back. Everything we had was delicious. I had a Bento box and everything in it was fresh tasting and attractively presented. My husband ordered the Yakisoba and loved it. I don't know if the management has taken to heart previous reviews, but we couldn't have asked for nicer, more attentive or more thoughtful service. We sat in a booth near the sushi bar, and the rolls we saw being prepared and served to other tables looked fabulous. We're hoping tonight wasn't just a fluke, because this could easily become one of our favorite restaurants in Ashland!
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Review from Raisin S.
Ashland, OR
3/31/2010
Bonsai is a great place for fresh sushi that is actually cheap, even though the location isn't very good. But it's always packed in there, especially for lunch. I always get the Bonsai roll, which is a California roll with tuna with a spicy sauce and the orange fish eggs (not sure what it's called - sorry!). The crunchy roll is much better than the deep-fried roll and my kids love sharing the Bento box. My husband sometimes gets the salmon teriyaki or the chicken teriyaki and he loves them both. The tempura is never soggy, and the service is always friendly. It's owned by Koreans, so they also offer some Korean dishes on the menu. I'm only giving it 4 stars because I ordered the udon once and the noodles were a little old (it was hard in places and looked like it had dried out) and I ordered the eel and it wasn't skinned all the way once. But when we want sushi, we always come here and avoid the other sushi place downtown. I highly recommend the miso - very tasty and not watered down like it can be sometimes.
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Review from Jake F.
Ashland, OR
1/7/2009
I've only had sushi from here, but it was great! Although the inside is small, it feels more personal than it would at bigger restaurants. The bar is great, you can see the chef prepare your food subway style. The workers were also very friendly and catering. This is definately someplace I will go back to for a quick lunch or sushi to-go.
