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I'm fairly new to the San Jose area so I asked some of my co-workers any good sushi places and they recommended TGI Sushi. So I came in with an open heart and a clear palette. The prices were exceptional for what you get. Indeed, it fulfilled my cravings for the night. =)
With a cold brew of Sapporo beer was a great pairing to a delightful meal. The only thing is that I've never had sushi that just fell apart so easily. I mean I'm an avid sushi eater and trust that was the only down fall.
I tried the Hannah and the Tempura Rolls it was yummO..
Also, the Country Girl and the Deep Fried California was also awesome. I especially liked the Deep Fried CA.
One thing that I actually enjoyed the most though was the exceptional service from the waitresses and the Sushi Chef's. Oh, and to top things off we got an entree on the house it was a bit of a surprise but enjoyed it a lot!
I would most definitely recommend this place a casual and yet enjoyable and comfortable environment.
Very easy to find. Good parking but I never went around lunch or dinner. The environment seems pretty chill and relax and somewhat fun.
Yes, they give you fatty fatty portions. But it's rather big to actually enjoy the roll. They have your normal rolls that you see at other places and some rather new ones. I ordered Captian Crunch and Cherry Blossom because I love shrimp tempura and I love raw. But the main point of sushi is the rice, right? But I couldn't taste the vinegared rice whatsoever even with the cherry blossom since that's pretty much tasteless. I did like the Captain Crunch but it started to become too much especially the sweet sauce. My friend like it a lot but thought in the end it's going to be bad because 1 it's fried and 2 that sweet sauce.
Overall it's okay here but if you like all these flavors in your sushi this place is for you. I'd give it a second shot but man the rice here was so disappointing.
My favorite and go-to sushi place in the area!
For my love of this place, a haiku:
I love the service
I order the Dragon Roll
tum-tum is happy
Whenever I enter the restaurant I get greeted with shouts of "mushi-mushi" from the sushi dudes behind the bar. The following dialogue then follows:
Hostess: "Hello, can I take your order?"
Me: "Yes, I'll have the Dragon Roll and a KC roll"
(and then as usual, she says...)
Hostess: "Ah.....very good choice!"
(cut to mid-meal)
Hostess: "So far, is your enjoyment good?"
Me: (in my mind) "My enjoyment is making my appreciation superstar number 1!"
Despite the first-hand lesson in Engrish, this place is awesome and the service is great!
I highly recommend it! Holla to my favorite server, Jeremy!
I used to LOVE this place (like 4-star love). But I felt like it's gone downhill since. I've also tried more items on the menu, that honestly, I wish I had not...
The last time I had TGI Sushi Campbell was last weekend. The rolls are, overall, still not too shabby, but they managed to kill my favorite roll, Rebecca Roll, with super fishy eel. We also had a few rolls with eel (ie. Country Girl) and it had the same problem. The eel overpowered the rolls and was super fishy. Not fresh at all. Someone should've thrown those eels away.
Another problem is that their sashimi is sliced so thick (good in a way because there's more fish for your money?) that it becomes sickening when you're eating a block of fish called sashimi. I wish they would just give you the same amount of fish but cut it at least half (if not 1/3 as thin).
We also got their fried oysters...oh my gosh, what a mistake. If you want fried oysters, go to the Fish Market on El Camino Real. Their idea of fried oysters is a small piece of oyster drenched in 1 inch layer of batter and deep fried. All we could taste was batter. And then halfway into eating the piece, it's like, oh look, a dab of oyster in the middle.
Service is good though. Service has always been good--at least that hasn't changed. But I don't really rate restaurants for their service. I rate them for their food...
Maybe my 2 star is a little harsh--it's more like a 2.5. Maybe I should've just stuck to the rolls. But even so, I think the eel really ruined it for me. I think the rolls are currently better at TGI Sunnyvale (I've only had rolls there). The eel there is fresh and tasty too, so there's nothing to ruin the rolls with. I used to love this location so much though. Maybe it was an off-night but I'll update if I go there again, although I'm a little scared to now...
SUSHI HURT.
A phrase coined by Jen W. after she told me about her experience in Hawaii with eating way too much sushi. I feel like I always over eat when it comes to sushi. Not sure why... maybe because it is so darn delicious!
We sat @ the bar and ordered too much but too much goodness. We shared the fried tofu: Age-dashi Tofu, seaweed salad... in addition to the James Special and the Brian roll... oh yes, and you get edamame and a sprout salad on the house too.
OMG. So much food. But we finished it! We were troopers :) It is super tiny and seems to attract locals. But a good place for a good meal.
Fish is fresh. Yes I will be back. Next time, with sweats.
Possibly the worst sushi I've had since I've moved to the Bay! I'm not sure why people rave about this place, except maybe it's the American notion of getting a bang for your buck.
But while the rolls are big, they taste awful. We had the Catepillar Roll and the Kevin, and both were oversauced to the point where you couldn't really taste anything else in the roll and too big to eat properly. The fish was not fresh, and I felt a bit naseous after finishing half of my roll. This ISN'T sushi or even fusion sushi, its some sort of bastardization of the concept.
Fresher sushi can be found down the street at Sushi Zono for the same price. I love cheap sushi, but this place is just gross..
This review is beyond long overdue... I've been going to TGI Sushi since 2004. I have my chopsticks behind the bar, my picture on the wall, and the Rachel Roll?? Yeah, I created that. Unagi, salmon, cream cheese, and avocado, all rolled up and deep fried and served up in all its awesomeness. It started out as a post-it on the wall, and thanks to all the Rachel Roll fans, it eventually made its way onto the menu. Score!
TGI makes some monstrous and crazy delicious rolls. I'm not always in the mood to eat that much food, but when I am, TGI is the spot and I damn sure leave happy.
Other personal favorites: Campbell, Mr. Netscreen, Spider, Jackson, Tommy, Hannah, Jeremy's Miso... roll. And the Chirashi.
My friend and I walked up to TGI's door, not sure what to expect. We spent a couple minutes or so, staring inside at the neon signs and waitresses in bright pink shirts, weighing the atmosphere against our want to try something new.
A stranger outside approaches.
"Have you been here before?"
"No, no..first time.."
"You have to try it - amazing"
Convinced. I mean, you can't ignore the recommendations of a tall, dark stranger.
I was pretty happy with the meal. Service was fast. Edamame appetizer on the house. Had the Geisha Roll (I loved it, sweet and crunchy), Philly Roll and Chris Roll. Would not get the Chris Roll again - no picture, went out on a limb and it ended up being A LOT of crab meat, mehhhh. My only complaint with the Philly Roll was the fish was kinda warm and I typically like it pretty chilled. The menu overall had an amazing selection (with pictures that I need to help me decide ha!) and pages and pages of rolls.
The atmosphere is very quirky - upbeat techno music, several chefs behind the sushi bar constantly shouting out things, tables so close together that you all of the sudden can be having an uncomfortable meal, listening to your neighbor's conversation without any effort (a minus, but I'm easy going and looked past it). If you are in the mood for a nice, quiet dinner this is NOT the place to go, but for something a bit more atypical and for a flexible diner, this place can be quite satisfactory.
Either way they offer their menu to-go and I'll definitely be stopping by again to get some sushi if I don't have the energy to keep up with the atmosphere.
In the time period of my last review and now, the rolls there have made me fall in love.
They changed their menu so instead of just the name and description, they all have pictures next to it.
Peter, Rachel, Johnny. You all are so delicious.
Peter is spicy but the right amount of spicy
Rachel is a philly roll but deep fried, oh my.
And oh Johnny. Classic fav.
Seating still sucks elbow to elbow. But people don't mind because they want the rolls.
Upped the rating!
Like everyone said. This place is TINNNNYYY.
We waited about 15 minutes till we were able to be…
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The best thing about TGI Sushi is the fact that you don't need to know how to read to order a fantastic sushi roll. I LOVE how they list all their special rolls with pictures, so you can just point. My fave is the City Boy Roll...but, really everything's delish.
You may have to wait a long time... or you may have to sit at a four-top alongside a couple of complete strangers... but it's part of the atmosphere and the food's worth it. :)
I met up with a couple of my friends after my 22 mile run and was starving. Not the most ideal recovery meal, but I wanted to check this place out.
When I came in, they gave me a small sprout salad, edamame, and miso soup. All for free! I really liked the dressing on the salad and the soup was good as well. I'm not the biggest edamame fan, so I gave my share to my friend.
I decided to get the Lion King roll and 2 piece sake nigiri. Damn, the Lion King roll was huge and delicious! I even thought the sake was slightly larger than other places I been to. I was so full!
We went on a Saturday during the day, so it wasn't too crowded. I could see this place being a long wait on the weekend nights. Come early!
After recently watching Duff Goldman eat a plate of fried shrimp heads on an episode of "The Best Thing I Ever Ate," I had to have some. I asked about ordering off-the-menu, the waitress asked the sushi chefs but was declined. If you've never had them, they're the shrimp heads that are deep-fried and served on the side when you order amaebi (sweet shrimp). I'm not so crazy about the sweet shrimp, just wanted the fried shrimp heads. So much for flexibility and pleasing the customer. Disappointing.
Another good meal at TGI's in Campbell. We did have at least a 30 minute wait in the cold. One of the servers brought out hot cups of tea. A very thoughtful touch. The tempura here is excellent. I also love the spinach served in a light sauce with sesame seeds. The setting is a low point, and the rap music while dining is not an asset, but the food is very
good.
I certainly enjoyed my food here. I especially liked the tempura. I also liked the gyoza. I was… Read more »
This is my favorite sushi place in San Jose. If you're squeamish about raw fish, at least try the Country Girl. A-mazing. Great staff, and awesome music (the techno gives it character).
+/- signs represent intensity of positive/negative sentiment
+++ super range of rolls, from mainstream hits to more experimental stuff, all of them bomb-diggity flavorful. sashimi cuts are generous & there's also a few uncommon appetizers well-worth trying (beef-wrapped asparagus, pretty damn good garlic-fried chicken.)
++ hearty portions (for a sushi-bar.)
++ although silent & vaguely standoffish, service is on point. wait time is minimal & you typically end up getting all kinds of small appetizers on the house. personally, i'd rather get free stuff to eat than smiles.
+ all kinds of imported sake & beer available, if you're into the whole alcohol thing.
-- place feels cramped, less-than comfortable seating both @ the tables & the bar.
- prices skew a bit expensive, although it varies from roll to roll. nothing outrageous, but eating here is not a value proposition.
- smallish, street-side parking lot shared w/ a bunch of other strip mall spots, pulling in & out of it can be a needlessly exciting adventure.
summary: very good sushi for non-stupidly expensive prices, served by efficient ladies dressed up in tight-fitted pink shirts--i can't imagine NOT being sold on that idea, tiny interior & vaguely jenky location notwithstanding. more of a hang/eat-out spot than a destination for formal outings, but the food itself is well-worth the money.
Wow, it's been 2 years since I've been here! What was I thinking before?! After coming back here, I pretty much fell in love! This place is packed on weeknights and you're so close to the person next to you, but it's okay! You know that everyone is here to appreciate and enjoy some good sushi, yum, yum, YUM!
Seriously, the tuna is so fresh and cut so generously! I was really surprised because most places are stingy but not here! The maggy special roll was our favorite of the night. We also tried the flying duck roll but it had way too much going on! Best to keep it simple with sushi. =) We definitely be back here again!
This place was good, but not great. The service was slow, the servers were walking around and didn't… Read more »
Korean Sushi at its finest. no Kim bap here. Very good rolls and Sashimi too.
Unfortunately this place has gone downhill a little in my book. Service has gotten kind of rude and the presentation is not what it used to be. I've noticed that their business had gone down significantly, so maybe this is taking a toll on the place.
The quality of the sushi is still satisfactory though.
The most decent sushi for the most decent price!
And I can say that after crawling all over San Ho…
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Two more visits since my original review, and a precipitous two-star drop from my original rating. Not without reason.
1. The place is much smaller than I'd thought. I don't mind the wait, which is an understandable nuisance. I mind being seated right on top of another group. I mind having to climb over strangers to get to my seat. I mind having to pretend I don't totally hear the conversation going on just inches from my face.
(As a general rule, if the waitress needs to contort herself to get close enough to take your order or refill your water, there's a problem with the table arrangement. And how in the world does this place pass the fire marshal's inspection?)
2. The rolls are much smaller than I'd thought. A year ago, each tempura roll piece was too large to fit in the wasabi dish or my mouth. No longer the case. Value goes from above average for sushi to average or below, in part because...
3. The prices are up. Said tempura roll (I have inexpensive taste) was $5.25 less than a year ago. Now it's $6.25 or $6.50. That's in increase of about 20%, so paired with #2 above... not acceptable.
The kicker: On the most recent visit (this past Wednesday), we had to ask for the wasabi dishes.
Food: 4
Value: 2
Service: 3
Being seated right on top of other guests: -19
Final score: 2.25
P.S. "The Greatest Investment is Sushi" may be the dumbest and most nonsensical restaurant slogan I've ever heard. The greatest investment begins with not dropping bills to be packed in like sardines here.
Reasons to come to Campbell:
1. TGI's Sushi
2. ... ... that might be it.
Food: 4 stars
Value: 3.5…
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TGI is in my top two favorite sushi places in the bay area! Tiny seating area, but the music makes us for it ;) If you go on a Friday night plan to wait a little bit. The sushi is always fresh and you never-ever leave hungry. Love this place!
This place was packed yesterday at around 1:30p.m. I had to wait at least 20 minutes for a takeout order. All I got was tempura and a roll. The food looks fantastic and the presentation is flawless. The people sitting next to me ordered a bento box and they're definitely not stingy with the portions. Or perhaps the plate was just big?
I didn't want to stare too long, besides, the guy next to me was giving me weird vibes. I think he was there with his g.f but kept on looking at me quite a bit sideways. Ugh! And I had no makeup on and my hair was a mess since I just had my skin taken care of nearby. If it weren't so packed, I would've sat as far as I could from them, lol! I wonder if his g.f noticed his skeevy behaviour?
Other than that, I noticed there was a fishbowl with dollar bills folded in origami style in it along with a $100.00 bill. I wonder if someone thought it was a $1.00 bill after too many sake shots and left it there or if they're just a very generous tipper, hhmmm. I would not leave it there even if it is the tip jar. You can't trust some people and that's a lot of temptation to leave it out in the open like that for some.
Also, there are a ton of Polaroid pics on the walls of customers that covers almost the whole wall on one side. This place is one of those uber popular places. I guess one of the reasons for that is because there are very few sushi places in Campbell.
Anyways, when I finally got my order, I went straight home. I had the vegetable tempura first. I was OK, but they need more variety in the vegetables they serve. I got one piece of string bean with one piece of broccoli and the rest was sweet potatoes.
The sauce that came with it was in two very tiny cups and terrible. One piece of tempura was undercooked. The sushi rolls were huge. I got six VERY big pieces. I ordered the Hannah Roll that came with soft shell crab, cucumber, unagi, and avocado.
It was OK, but not worth the $12.95 I spent for it. The tempura was $5.50 for about 6-7 pieces. One part of the sushi tasted bad, I think the fish was undercooked as it tasted funny. It was a little portion of one piece. I might go back here for the bento box. If the bento box doesn't wow me, then I probably won't be coming back here.
I'd heard really great things about this place so I was a little disappointed with my experience. Maybe it was what I ordered??
The soup and bean salad they serve during the lunch hour was good. No complaints there.. But my sushi was lacking. I ordered a deep fried roll, which was mistake number one. It was huge- but not because it was packed with yummy fish- it was packed with RICE : ( Wayyy too much rice, if you ask me. I could really barely taste the fish. Next time maybe I'll stick to something simple and ask them to only use half the rice.
I'd go back if it was with a group that really wanted to go but I probably wouldn't otherwise.
THIS PLACE IS THE BEST SUSHI PLACE EVER HANDS DOWN!
My first time here at TGI's was only something you could DREAM of. I skipped school with my best friend because we were both feeling pretty down about life, and we figured--"hey, you know what? salmon will make this all better... " So we arrived at about a quarter til 12, not even realizing that we beat the lunch crowd. We were greeted by VERY VERY ecstatic and friendly servers who acted like we were the Queens of England or something. They catered to our every move and were just so gosh darn sweet. I wanted to hug them and possibly even take one home with me. So it was a great beginning towards recovering from feeling like shit.
My bestie and I ordered the Johnny Luv roll, Eric's Special roll, Peter's Special roll, and Salmon Skin roll. Oh my god. I should have been given a disclaimer that the rolls are FREAKING HUGE! (that's what she said). They are soooo big but so delicious. I didn't think we were going to finish it, but have you seen two depressed girls eat? Tch, yeah. We cleaned the plates (not without wanting to roll over though) spic and span. And would you want to guess what happens next?? They gave us free green tea ice cream out of no where!!!!!! Now, Pauline and I were in awe. We didn't order the ice cream (but it is our favorite!), and we were wondering if they were charging us for it. Later, when the bill came out, we saw that we weren't charged for it. So we looked around to see if anyone else got any free green tea ice cream...*looks around* nope, we were the only one!
My theory is that since we didn't waste any food we were rewarded with green tea ice cream. Pauline's theory is that they secretly somehow knew we were having a bad week and wanted to make us feel better.. haha. I guess we'll never know why ! But I guess it doesn't matter, because they will always have an A+ in my book.
I've been back numerous times with other friends and have tried and can recommend the the salmon sashimi, salmon lover, sweet suzy, and lion king roll. What can I say, I'm a salmon FIEND, and this is one of the few places that appreciates salmon in their rolls! They also appreciate BIG slices of FRESH fish in their sashimi and on their rolls. It's the softest, freshest, cleanest, best melt-in-your-mouth raw fish you'll ever have in your life!
The only con is that this place is VERY popular and the restaurant is VERY tiny and so the wait can be long. Avoid the crowd if you can, but you HAVE GOT TO TRY THIS PLACE!
♥ thank god it's sushi!
Portions are huge at this Korean-run restaurant and there are a lot of rolls unique to the restaurant inspired by customers. Their rolls are gigantic and most are less than $10. Chirashi's usually come in a bowl. Their deluxe chirashi for less than $15 comes in a platter and the rice is completely covered by sashimi. Although the quality of the fish is fine, the rice in every one of our order was more than warm, to the point I fear that my fish was being cooked on the rice. The temperature of the rice in their sushi is really bad for me to knock it down from a 3-star to 2.
Long waits.
I think they forgot the G as in TGIG Sushi, "Thank God Its Giant Sushi."
I believe I can't eat the whole thing. It's more food than I expected. My Bento box order was ginormous. I had ordered a salmon Teriyaki and tuna Sashimi Bento box which comes with a side of rice, soup, and salad according to the menu. But when my order also included a Gyoza, potato pancake, shrimp and veggie tempura, and two pieces of fruit I was pleasantly surprised. The four pieces of Tuna Sashimi was big and thick. It makes me wonder if there is a standard to what size a Sashimi fish should be cut. My God, across from me was Derrick's order of Chirashi Sushi. It's the biggest order of Chirashi Sushi I've ever seen. It was nicely served on a huge plate like an appetizer platter. Next to me was Norine's colossal entree order of Teriyaki Chicken. Witnessing the size of these orders, the pricing is in line with the food portion.
The staff behind the counter welcomes you with a Japanese greeting as you enter door. The wait staff was attentive. The establishment plays Korean rap music which if you don't listen to the lyrics can sound like any other rap music.
The good: The is parking in the mini strip mall.
The bad: It's an itty bitty place with gigantic portions which is not really bad.
What I want most when I enter any restaurant, but especially a sushi place, is to feel comfortable. The people working there are actually quite nice and give off a positive feeling. I find the search for what you want, whether it is sashimi or a roll, to be easy because of the pictures in the menu. Going here for lunch I can always be sure of one thing, that I can grab some good quality sushi for an affordable price.
By the way, they give out free adamame when you are seated, but the second order is not!
I always finish my sushi rolls. Well until I went to this place. I can now say that I threw away food at a sushi place or any place for that matter. There was so much rice on those rolls that I could not finish it. I cannot understand how people can rate this 4 stars. The fish was all-right at best. I like sushi rolls that can fit into my mouth not bigger than my head. I would not come back to this place ever.
One of our go-to places! We've been coming to TGI to fulfill our sushi cravings for the past two years or so, so we have seen the prices increase-- but seriously, for the (huge) amount of food you get and the (delicious) quality of everything that we've ever tried there, it still amounts to a pretty great deal. The servers and sushi chefs are all very nice, and willing to customize just about whatever you want-- I have seen at least a few customers simply rattling off ingredients to nodding servers!
Our favorites include the Kevin Special, Mr. Netscreen, and Cherry Blossom rolls, and they have plenty of non-sushi alternatives for the less adventurous. If you're heading there for dinner (even midweek), either arrive between five and six or be prepared to wait for a bit. Seating is fairly limited, but they are willing to split the bigger tables between smaller parties (so be friendly, and mind your elbows!).
Rice to fish ratio is critical. Unfortunately, TGI's tend to load their rolls with rice, so much so that I often scrape the excess onto my plate. What a waste. And the fish in the rolls have been getting skimpier too -much thinner slices.
Looks to me like TGI's is really trying to cut back in places that matter.
Overall, good place for rolls more than sashimi. You'll get full, but it'll probably be bc of the excessive rice they stuff into the rolls, as opposed to the fish. It's a tiny place, so you're often literally elbow-to-elbow at the sushi bar or sharing tables with other customers.
3 stars - as yelp defined it - just "A-ok"
Well, TGI'S Sushi
(why not TGI Sushi instead of TGI'S Sushi? So it isn't Thank Goodness It's Sushi, maybe it is Tom, George and Ian's Sushi?)
Well, TGI'S Sushi has got all t figure out, don't they?
What do Americans love?
Is it high quality food in small, exquisite portions to savor the taste?
Hell No! Leave that to the French!
Perhaps bite size morsels of culinerary delights to tantalize the taste buds and linger on the palette?
No way! That is for you California Cuisine wusses!
Maybe it is masterfully prepared fresh seafood delicacies, perfectly presented with attention to every detail?
No Effin way! Leave that to the Japanese!
Then what do Americans love in a restaurant?
HUGE fricking portions of everything regardless of the quality, at a cheap enough price that they can brag about the HUGE fricking portions regardless of the quality at a cheap enough price to their friends!
THAT"S what Americans LOVE!!!
Be it steaks, hamburgers, and now SUSHI!
This allows them to scream superlatives like "Awesome!" and "OMG!" and "Food Orgasm!" and "To Die For!" to their friends, just like braces wearing tweens screaming at each other over a JoBros concert! (That's Jonas Brothers)
At this TGI'S Sushi, it is sort of like a JoBros concert, except they have J-Pop blaring away. The place is small, and it is packed, mainly with Gaijin Sushi Eaters (those Americans who love this place!)
And true to the formula, they serve MONSTER SIZE sushi and a gazillion HUGE rolls that would make a Korean owned Sushi-Ya Roll Specialist green as seaweed with envy!
TGI'S Sushi has figured this out so well, what Americans LOVE, that they now have 3 locations, in Campbell, Sunnyvale, and now Newark!
The sushi is just too large! I have a big head, and a big mouth, and I cannot get any single piece in my mouth like sushi should be eaten. It takes a couple of passes. More like a Musubi or Onigiri Rice ball.
The sushi isn't terrible, it just isn't sushi in these Ginormous sizes. Plus the rice isn't right. It doesn't have the right taste, and as Julie stated, the rice is still hot! Isn't it supposed to be at room temperature?
The staff is all Asian, with 3 young chefs and 3 waitresses and about 10 tables packed together like Unajyu. And the service was decent, if hurried and lacking a little grace. And they served a lot more than Sushi, with a full menu, Lunch, Udon, Donburi, Deep-Fried, Grilled, Nabe, etc. And the Sushi (nigiri) is all about $5 for two, reasonable for the size. Our Toro was 3 LARGE pieces, for $17.95.
Meh!
Now I know how women feel.
Sometimes getting all that into your mouth all at once is just too hard to do to really enjoy it. It really is more about the quality of the entire experience. It is hard to have that "Food Orgasm" and really get off on it when you're gagging on what's in your mouth.
Its not the size that matters, its how you prepare things, to eat it and savor it lovingly and with joyful enthusiasm, and use the most of what you've got to bring it to a full climatic finish! Then you can revel in complete bliss, after saying OMG! (more than once!)
Connie C. has a good point: Why no Yelp roll?
TGI's is the closest sushi restaurant to my house, but I've never been a regular. I used to order to go--until I decided I don't like sushi made with rice so hot it cooks the fish on top of it. I know they're always super busy and probably trying to hurry on takeout orders, but come on: Do not make sushi with hot rice. I've watched my mother make sushi enough times to know that cooling the rice while seasoning it is an integral part of the sushi-making process.
But when a fellow Yelper was in town the other night and we wanted something light to eat, I decided to introduce him to TGI's. Now, W. is definitely more knowledgeable about sushi than I am, and certainly more adventurous, so I should have known I'd be trying some new things.
We ordered the live scallop and various nigiris: maguro, toro, uni, and Spanish mackeral. The live scallop was sliced thinly sashimi style and garnished with tobiko. This had a delicate sweetness, and I loved both the meltingly soft and firmer, almost crunchy textures of the different parts of the scallop. I had to confess to W. that I'd never tried toro (because even hamachi is usually a little too fatty for me) or uni (because I haaaaaaate roe of any kind). Now I'm a toro convert, and the uni was better than I expected, almost like foie gras. I just wish the fish had been a little colder, instead of room temperature (it was a hot evening).
As usual, the portions here were humongous. The slices of fish on the nigiri were huge. As I watched the sushi chef making the (non-Yelp) special maki rolls, I wondered how people eat them. Sushi is supposed to be small and bite-size, not as heavy as your head and as big as your forearm.
I'll probably start coming back here on a more regular basis, but mostly for take out. There's no way I'm going to try eating a giant maki in the restaurant. I need to save that for the privacy of my own home. ;)
This has to be my favorite sushi place in the south bay. Ok, so I haven't been to many sushi places in the south bay, but still. I didn't even know it existed until I came here with my brother.
It's a hole in the wall place with very limited seating. There's a sign up sheet outside by the door in case you don't get there early and the place is full.
They are known for their rolls here, and they are huge! Each piece is about twice the size of a regular size sushi. It usually takes me two bites to finish once piece. I've tried a handful of their rolls and have not had a bad one yet.
Just a note, they are not open for lunch on Sundays.
TGI's Sushi: constant quality of food and service.
Ordered the Country Girl Roll, the Deep Fried California Roll, and the California Roll.
Honestly, they've got the best California Rolls I've ever had. The quality is something else, and the Deep Fried California Roll was wonderfully fried and drizzled with sauce, too! And it's easy to see why the Country Girl Roll is a crowd pleaser.
I honestly don't see why Yelpers are complaining about too much sushi, are you serious? What the duck do you want?
Good service, free side dishes, big portion and high quality. This is as good as it gets.
Off the bat, this place is TEENY! No elbow room whatsoever.
Service was awesome, maybe cause there…
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What happened to this place? I use to be a huge fan.
I stopped by yesterday and price were raised from 11.95/12.95 to 13.95/14.95 for my rolls and they used way too much rice.
I was hungry, but could only eat half as usual. Too much rice. Even my neighbor left half of her handroll which was all rice.
Sushi is still great tasting so I'd give it 3/5
4 super sushi stars for TGI's. They have a huge variety of specialty rolls here that are so big you can just order one and be full. Love the Sexy Sexy Roll (spicy tuna wrapped in cucumber).
But what's up with having an overall 4 star rating based on 361 reviews and not having a Yelp Roll?! Yelpers definitely give them more love than eBayers!
oh man what a find!! i love this place!!! its small and cozy and the sushi is always tasty and delicious! Not to mention a little sake bombs with my sushi is always makes a perfect compliment to any meal! ;) GOTTA TRY THE COUNTRY GIRL!!! There are so many roll varieties its very hard to choose just one, so go with some friends and order a bunch! =)
Actually, 2.5 stars. Came across this place after trying to yelp a sushi place close to home.
What we had:
salmon skin roll - good if you like salmon skin
johnny luv - baked roll, spicy, and filling
garlic chicken - didn't have any garlic flavor
extra bean sprouts (for $2.50 extra)- piglet's favorite
The food is filling for 2 and pretty good, but the service wasn't that great. It's the type of service where the waitresses think they're giving good service, but they're really bad (so much worse than the ones that who are bad and they know they're bad) Example: the table next to us spilled their soup so they asked for extra cloth (napkins?). The waitress, not offering any help, gave them an extra cloth as the customers apologized profusely as if they were children who just spilled milk. The customer had to ask the waitress to pick up the soiled cloths, and the waitress picked it up as if she was doing them a favor. For our service, they kept wanting to take back a menu when they had a packed house and everyone already ordered. They also gave us the check before we finished and the place was half empty.
Bottom line: food is decent, but take it to go.
Giving it 4 stars because:
1) Very authentic (even if it's a little Korean)
2) LARGE portions, you get your money's worth!
3) Johnny Luv Rolls ('nuff said)
4) The owner is friendly, all smiles and teeth
5) It tastes pretty damn good, too!
6) When I think sushi, I go TGISushi
Amen.
"Thank goodness it's sushi"
This place is probably the best place in San Jose. Huge portions for the price and the selection of rolls is huge. And I mean HUGE, they add more throughout the year as chefs and customers invent new ones. Probably not the best place if you just want sashimi and maki rolls but for speciality rolls, this is the place. Not just the selection but the portions you get are huge as well. You can say they are almost the size of hockey pucks. Very friendly staff, you get the usual miso soup while you wait for your food. Also you get Edamame to snack on as well.
This place gets pretty crowded on weekends and at night so be willing to wait. It's a small place so the wait is pretty long and parties of 6+ will be very hard to fit. I would say 6-7 will be pushing it.
Quick Summary
+ Huge selection of speciality rolls
+ Generous portions (one order of rolls is too much for one person)
+ Friendly staff
+ Plays current kpop
- Crowded at times
- Very small restaurant
- Hard/Impossible to accommodate huge parties (over 6)
I LOVE the sushi. Very fresh fish and HUGE rolls. Complimentary miso soup and Edamame is served. The only thing I would complain about is the seating arrangement and that it feels rather crowded. Other than that, delicious rolls. I recommend the Eric's Special. I have yet to try the bentos but I will update my review when I do.
Campbell, CA
Category: Japanese
Los Gatos, CA
Category: Japanese
Sunnyvale, CA
Category: Sushi Bars
Santa Clara, CA
Category: Japanese
Campbell, CA
Category: Sushi Bars
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