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Nada
37 reviews
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: Mexican
Jo An Japanese Restaurant
Rating Details »
- Hours:
Mon-Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Mon-Fri. 5:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Sat. 5:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
9 reviews for Jo An Japanese Restaurant
Rated consistently in the top ten restaurants in Cincinnati, Jo An is the best Japanese restaurant in town. Upon going there for the first time, I saw that it was filled with all kinds of people speaking Japanese and looking important. I soon found out that it was a regular watering hole for all the big Japanese car executives that come through town.
It's always a good sign when you see people of the same ethnicity as the food you are eating (I know that sounds awful but I couldn't figure out a better way to say it). The menu was huge and had much more than the regular Udon and Sushi found at American Japanese restaurants. I opted for the Bento Box (meaning lunch box in Japanese) and it offered all sorts of different things for me to try out, including delicious eggs and a delicious noodle dish.
The table also shared edamame and sushi and it was all incredibly good and incredibly fresh. If there was anywhere to go in Cincinnati for authentic Japanese, it would be Jo An.
It wasn't quite as hard to find as I had been led to believe. It's on the first floor of one of those office buildings behind the Courtyard, and it has a neon sign on the outside so we pulled right up to it.
We were told right away before we ordered that there were a couple large groups there and that it would be 30 to 40 minutes to get our sushi. Having looked forward to it for a while and the fact it wasn't exactly close to us, we said that was fine. After we put in our order, about 20 minutes later, the waiter said it was still going to be a bit and asked if we'd like anything from the kitchen as an appetizer. We said we'd get some edamame. Now, here lies my problem...obviously having to wait 40 minutes to get your meal is a long time; I would think that any decent restaurant that wasn't a fast food joint would offer something complimentary to make up for the inconvenience. I mean, that's just good business, right? We assumed that the edamame would be "on the house", that's the least they could do.
Moving on...we received our sashimi salads and sushi about an hour after we ordered them. By the time we got our food, we had drank about seven diet pepsi's each and were ravenous. The sahsimi salad was a seaweed salad served with assorted sashimi. Let me say that this was fantastic. The amount of seaweed was disappointing as there wasn't much at all, but this was more than made up for by the amount of delicious pieces of tuna, salmon, and a white fish (maybe albacore, couldn't decide). We both ordered this and both commented on the quality and quantity of the fish included. At $6, this was a steal. The sushi was also very good. My guest got the rainbow roll and the spicy scallop roll. Both were excellent, especially the scallop. I ordered the spicy salmon roll, the yellowtail crunch roll, and bonito nigiri. The salmon roll and yellowtail rolls were delicious. The bonito was okay, but I expected a bit more since that is what our waiter recommended when I asked if anything looked especially fresh this evening.
When we got the bill, I saw that I had been charged for the edamame. Granted, it was only $5, but it was the fact of being charged for it that really got to me. You can't ask patrons to wait AN HOUR (I'm not exaggerating, it was every bit of an hour) to get their food from the time they ordered it and not offer SOMETHING to try and make it right. Hey, I have an idea: tell everybody who comes in that it's going to be an hour for their orders and watch them order appetizers as they sit and starve while waiting for their food. I'm sure that would be a good way to boost sales!! I was just really disappointed by this. That being said, the sushi was very good, the sashimi salads were excellent, and the service was attentive and polite.
Don't kill the messenger, but I just can't give more than three stars.
A friend and I came in for dinner around 6:45 and was surprised that it's in an office building. In all the times I've been in a sushi bar, I've never seen a Caucasian behind the counter. Ever. This brought out a hint of hesitation, but I kept an open mind.
We perused the menu and I was looking for chicken options for my dining companion. He said he wanted me to give him an introduction to the sushi world, so I got a feel for what he likes and went from there.
I started with a hot sake ($4.00, which is about right). For him, I ordered the Futomaki, a tuna roll, and a vegetable roll (asparagus, avocado and something else...can't remember now). I ordered salmon sashimi, a natto roll and a special roll with yellow tail, green onions, spicy mayo, and the tempura "crunchies". When my platter came out I knew that my "special roll" wasn't so special. I flagged the server down and let him know I didn't get the right roll. He said I did, and I politely explained that the roll I ordered said it had green onion and spicy mayo. He said that the chef would make the correct roll for me. A minute later, a woman comes to my table to ask if there was something wrong with my order. I explained what happened and she said she would take my plate back to the kitchen and bring it when the correct roll had been prepared. I looked at her and said, "I'm eating right now. Why don't you go get a plate, take this roll with you since it's not the one I wanted, and bring the right roll when it's done?" Bitch, please. I'm not giving up my food.
The guy (our server) came back a few minutes later and voila, new roll correctly done. I asked if he wanted to take the one on my plate (I hadn't touched it). He said no, and that I could eat it if I wanted.
The quality of the salmon sashimi was meh. I've had much better quality and this one was not as fresh as it could have been. The slices were a good size, but the quality could have been a bit better. The natto roll was great; I was pleased with it. The "special roll" in it's right form was better than good, but less than excellent. I tried a piece of the one that was incorrectly prepared, and it paled in comparison to the correct one. The incorrect one was missing green onion and spicy mayo, so what a difference two ingredients make!
My friend, by the way, ate everything, so I guess I made some good choices for him.
I applaud them for letting us hang out and chat well after we finished our dinners. We hung out and talked til 9pm, so lucky for us they didn't ask us to leave.
I'd return (and may even do so again this week), but I just couldn't see it garnering more than 3.5 stars.
Parking is in the office building's parking lot.
Always ask what is on the Japanese Menu
My travels take me all over the Country and usually I enjoy cuisine that is indicative of the area, which not only makes it fun, but very interesting. However, tonight was different.
Toyota is a big employer here so it is no surprise that good sushi is here also. Japanese executives have to eat somewhere, right? I heard that it was those executives that backed the opening of this place so that they would have somewhere to eat. The restaurant is in the lobby of an office building in a industrial park and very hard to find if you don't know its there.
Great sushi, really as good. As the good sushi bars back home in LA, maybe even better that most. So if you are ever in Erlanger, Kentucky and have a craving for sushi, you are covered. Highly recommended.
Domo arigato mister toyoto, er Toyota, for bringing these amazing sushi chefs to the likes of Northern Kentucky!
If you love sushi - not like it but NEED it in a survival kind of way - exit Minneola Pike in Erlanger to feast your tentacles on these fishful delights.
Tastes like Los Angeles, looks like midwest - but you'll be closing your eyes in scrump-dilly-ildum anyway, Danielson. Wax on, wax off, five pairs of chopsticks way up for JO AN's -- keep the saki hot for me until next time.
Best Sushi I ever had and I live in DC and am from NYC. All I can say is apparently Toyota is based here and they imported chefs and invested in this place (something like that), but the Sushi is AMAZING. In the middle of no-where, in a small office building, 5 miles from the airport is the best Sushi I have ever had. You have to go to believe it, but go hungry because it's outstanding.
what is a place like this doing in this part of the country?
first let me explain. Jo An is an authentic Japanese sushi bar and restaurant. Food quality is wonderful and dishes are artfully presented on small Japanese ceramic plates. Very pleasant servers and a simple Japanese minimalistic decor. A very big part of the clientele here is the locally based Japanese management and the visiting executives of nearby Toyota auto plant. You could easily be dining in a SF Bay Area or So Cal Japanese restaurant until you notice the prices. most items are under $10; with a few items tipping the scales at $11 and $12. Jo An also has a nice selection of sake. Simultaneously catering to traveling Japanese clientele and adventurous middle American gourmands in Kentucky.
KENTUCKY!
You have got to dine here to believe it!
This was an awesome sushi place. It is in a league of it's own. I have no idea what gourmet sushi is, but this has to be it.
