Basho Restaurant & Lounge

Not sure why the reviews are so high here because our dinner was absolutely terrible. For starters, what kind of fine dining restaurant uses a QR code for their menu? We were served watery martinis with ice cubes floating in them and a random shot glass of weak miso soup and burnt sweet potatoes to start. Next, we shared a plate of sushi which was decent - but not worth the price. For our main, we ordered the filet mignon and what we were served was a beautiful filet mignon with a disgusting wad of cream sauce!! There was no sake in it, it tasted sweet and putrid. It completely ruined the meat. To top it off, we had about about pound each of broccolini on our plates for some reason - no one could possibly eat that much and it was such a waste. And then we had random rice balls and a cold sweet potato croquette on that plate. Honestly, I would not recommend this place. There are plenty of better restaurants that you can go drop $250 on and this isn't one of them.

Amazing food!! Highly recommended the foot, the dining room could make some upgrades, but overall definitely recommended!

Great recommendations by the staff, food was amazing! I feel the interior could get a lifting to match the quality of the food! But overall still a great experience!

The food was really good but it's on the expensive side. The overall experience is wonderful. We loved the drinks and fusion in between Japanese and western is just wow. Definitely will visit again

This was our first time visiting Basho. We frequently visit St. John’s and very much enjoy the restaurant/food scene in town. This was one of my favourite meals I’ve had ever! The filet mignon was the best steak I’ve had in St. John’s hands down, the flavour was amazing and it was cooked perfectly. My husband had the special of the night which was the seafood steamer, which was mussels, scallops and shrimp in a Cajun cream sauce.. unreal!! He also had the spicy scallop roll which was so fresh and tasty. I can’t wait to visit again!

My partner and I have visited this restaurant at least once a month for the past year and the only thing that keeps us coming back is the food. The sirloin dinner is exceptional and their mojitos are fresh and light. However, our views of the restaurant become tainted with each interaction due to the lack of professionalism. They are less than accommodating when trying to make a reservation- not once have we been able to make a reservation, yet we show up to an empty restaurant after deciding to walk in. Staff check on their patrons much less than expected and then proceed to act snob when they hand you the bill. Tonight, as we finished our meal and paid our bill, we thanked our waitress for their service and were merely shrugged off with the words “alright.” On the way out the door, we again thanked another waitress for their service and again were left unacknowledged. We beg the manger of this establishment to reconsider their staffing choices. Looking at these reviews, it is disappointing that time and time again entitled staff overbear the high quality food that is provided.

This place was a mixed bag. The atmosphere was pretty nice, though we came without a reservation and were accommodated, which was nice. However, I'm not sure if that was a good thing. The service was slow, though friendly. However, it definitely felt a bit condescending, which was unfortunate. To be fair, we had come directly from a show with no time to change. Ultimately, we were hoping for some nice upscale sushi and fusion, which the menu promised. The mixed bag continued. Our crab croquets were next level, but the sushi was midling at best. The duck was delicious but the carrot that came with it tasted like it was boiled in soy sauce. The asparagus that came with it was pretty inedible. Poorly cooked and seasoned. All in all, I'd give it a pass. Although their rice lager was a delightful perk that was a fantastic pallete cleanser between bites. Like I said... mixed bag.

Have been going here for myself and my partners birthday for 3 years now. Last time we went, our server Steve gave the worst service I’ve had at Basho. Spent no time at all at our table, flew through the specials so fast I could hardly understand him, and didn’t explain what rolls we were given with our sushi platter. The food and drinks were great as usual but the service was abysmal.

Cool atmosphere! Loved the food, not all you can eat but the quality shows so I prefer to pay per roll! Would go back again! The bathrooms are kinda dive barish and could use an update, but doesn't change much.

Came to this establishment looking forward to a good time. Will, that was an understatement. When we arrived, we placed our orders for our drinks and appetizers. Which we had to wait an hour for, when we finally got our drinks and appetizers. The appetizers were cut down in size by 3/4 from what you would normally get. So we questioned the size, with that the server ( who's name is Steven ) gave us a lecture on inflation. Then we placed our orders for our main course, 4 orders that were placed were for 4 beef tenderloins cooked medium with the sauce on the side. Came back raw. My wife and I orders 2 striploins cooked medium rare, I asked for no salad. And extra fries. And my wife, she ordered hers with less salad. And a few extra fries. With my wife's order, she was told that they couldn't do less salad and a few extra fries. She was told by the server that we can't do that because it's to busy, and that your going to get whatever we give you. Now at this point after placing our orders of a table of 6. A table of 16, and 4 tables of 2 which came in and placed their orders after ours were served, and done. So another hour later our server starts to bring our our food, and it was wrong. So before placing it on the table, he takes it away. Leaving us having to wait even longer. Another half hour later our food is brought out, and it too was all wrong. 4 orders of beef tenderloin that were ordered came out as Striploins that were raw. My wife's came out as a well done striploin, with 3 times the amount of salad. And mine came out as a raw beef tenderloin with no sauce. And half the amount of fries. When we questioned our server ( Steven ) he flew off his head cursing and swear on all of us, loud enough for the entire restaurant to hear. And accusing all of us of being there all the time complaining about the food. And just looking for free meals. As this point we all got up and left.Now my family an I have been there multiple times over the years, and we have never complained. But this time, we had 2 others with us that this was their first time there. Needless to say that this has left a very sour taste of a 5 star restaurant in all of our mouths. I DON'T RECOMMEND THIS RESTAURANT TO ANYONE. Unless our wish to be yelled, cursed and sworn on. And also, when it was brought to the attention of the manager, she just stood there with a smug look and smile and her face. And wished a Happy New Year. Worst experience ever.

So we were regular customers at basho until last night. We started our evening very well and thought we were about to have a amazing supper. Oh boy were we wrong. The server was just out right rude and belittling and the manager did nothing why he cused on our dinner party. The food took 2 hrs to get and when it arrived it was all wrong. As we told this to the waiter Steven, he blew up at our party and humiliated us. This is unacceptable behavior in any customer service industry. We were treat like scum in a place we have made a regular visit. We feel that we were targeted from the start and this should never be a experience that anyone has to endure.

I recently went here with a group of 6 people and it was phenomenal. I was told they have the best steak in town and they truly do, it was delicious as were the cocktails and sushi. Our server and the hostess were friendly as well, all around a great experience!

The food here looks fantastic. We arrived as walk-ins on a Saturday night with our fingers crossed. Unfortunately, after the cold shoulder of the gum chewing hostess, the perfunctory greeting by the self-absorbed waitress and the bar seating which turned out to be more of a work station where various staff talked among themselves and unanimously refused a hello, give a slight smile or any other sort of warm greeting, we decided to brave the darkened steps down and out into the street again. Ended up at Portage which, though much busier, provided a great meal that started with a very warm and welcoming greeting!

I stopped by here to grab a California roll and tempura prawns at the recommendation of a st Johns local. I was informed at the door that the chef took off for the evening to attend a wedding and there would be "no sushi available tonight" So I opted for an Avocado Greens salad ( it was a little heavy on the dressing and kinda salty) and Tempura veggies with a couple extra prawns. So the dipping sauce was a little off (tasted like the chef was off for the night) but the prawns were good. The tempura veggies were missing yams and adequate tempura coating but I was hungry and scarred them down. I did really like the scallops though. The tempura broccoli was a little strange and seemed like it was freeze dried. Strange but interesting tempura treatment. So that would be 3 stars because the chef was really "off for the night." But the hostess Danielle was a delight and warranted an extra star along with the very tasty Goat Cheesecake with cranberries and graham crumbles. Can you spell OMG? I'll go back there just for that ! Don't miss this one, even if it's just for dessert! Maybe the chef will be back from the wedding

Had a birthday dinner here with the wife. St. John's is a very small town (I'm from LA and the Mrs. is from Chicago), but this is definitely one of the nicer establishments for food and drink. The upstairs had a full bar and lounge area. We came for dinner as they opened at 6pm, but I can imagine this place to be a nice spot for nightlife. Food was very good. Non of the menu is cheap, but in St John's it seems to be only opposite ends of the spectrum.. Where food is fast and inexpensive, or much more upscale. Do come visit if you want a "night out."

The server was rude, loud and arrogant. Ruined the night for us as a family. We enjoy the food but the server was just not meant for a high end restaurant.

I had the strip loin beef with a surf-n-turf starter...(yes in a Japanese restaurant) Best beef I have ever had (Colby beef) in a restaurant - the Prosciutto cream and truffle fries were a nice compliment - a little too much oil on the salad - Rick had the tempura seafood and veggie appetizer then had the spicey scallop roll (X2) and Tuna roll - safe but delicious - we will be back - waiter was amazing Oh and the drinks made us drunk

I had always been told that the sushi at Basho was the best in St. John's. I've heard this comment repeated over the last couple years and finally had a chance last night to see what the hype was about. Me and my gf went to Basho solely for the sushi, so my comments will be based on sushi alone. For starters, I will say that the sushi was good, but not amazing. The sushi was pretty standard and was on par with many other sushi restaurants in the city. This restaurant has always had a lot of hype around sushi but for me, it didn't live up to the experience. The nigiri on the other hand, was superb. I can safely say that it was the best nigiri I have had in the city. Overall, it was an okay meal and for the money, wasn't great value.

Had a birthday dinner at Basho last night. The eel was delicious, and so was the raspberry martini, hence the two stars. The rest of the sushi was so so (and we waited an hour) and the seafood tempura was overly fishy/soggy. The service was rushed and I had to actually chase down the waiter to get him to explain what was on the chef's choice sushi plate, which was unceremoniously plunked down. The tuna tar tar was mostly avocado (?) and was pretty tasteless. When this place first opened it was great. Gone downhill. The prices are too high to be this mediocre/disappointing. Won't be going back.

This place is filthy, the menus are covered in food and dirt, carpets are dingy. There's an awful painting in the lower dining room. I'm no art connoisseur but this painting irritated me 5 years ago when I last visited Basho and and it still does today. The food was ok, but but not $40 ($45?) entree ok. I had the steak and it was good not great. There was far, far, too much spinach salad in proportion to everything else on the plate. The best part of the meal were these really nice fries and a garlic aioli. The only problem was that fries came in a paper bag which they placed right on top of the aioli and it just made a huge mess and made me feel uncomfortable eating the aioli after having a paper bag placed in it. The only beer on the menu was Sapporo and Asahi, so I had a Sapporo which I'm pretty sure is just Labatts Blue repackaged. However, my beer came in a Quidi Vidi glass which had I known was an option I would of gladly preferred. Overall this place is overpriced and underwhelming. I think it was once a trendy restaurant in St. John's but now has now fallen well behind some of the other fantastic options in the city.

I'm not really sure how this place gets such good reviews. Maybe the people that review it haven't really been to other places. I've been to several other "upscale Japanese" restaurants and Basho sadly didn't make the cut. It's nice for the area but the food was way over-priced for the portions that were offered. I got the tuna tartar for an appetizer and got MAYBE 2 tablespoons of tuna with about 4 tablespoons of guac surrounding it. Not very flavorful and for $18, I would have passed if I saw it first. The drinks were delicious and I'd recommend those but as far as the food, I have experienced MUCH better (albeit outside of St. John's) at a much better price value.

Fantastic. This has long been one of my favourite establishments in St. John's, with a consistently delicious, nourishing and healthy menu and great staff. Every time I go, I so much enjoy and appreciate seeing the owner working his magic in preparing authentic Japanese and Asian cuisine. The cocktail menu is to die for, meal portion sizes are great, and there simply is nowhere to go wrong in your menu choice. I think I have had everything by now, and flavour and presentation across the board are amazing. Whether you're in the mood for fine or casual dining, this is the perfect place. They're a mainstay in the sometimes fragile restaurant industry, and they prove their success time and again.

Not quite Japanese....it's more like Newfoundlasian food. The sushi was decent. There was a clever surf and turf appetizer (although the size of an entree) that consisted of beef and scallops. Delicious! The cod entree was ok but would have been better with halibut but unfortunately the shipment was diverted to another establishment as part of the volatile fish market underground. As part of the dessert platter, the cheesecake was quite good. Met the owner...super nice guy. If you get tired of fish and chips, not a bad option for something a bit different.

I had the surf and turf appetizer and the salmon tartar dish. It was amazing! I will definitely come back on my next visit to St John's!

First time trying and I will return. Service was a little off but the great food made up for it. Fantastic evening with food and drinks. I had the filet and my husband had the cod special. We started with tuna tartare I believe it was, absolutely delicious. Love this place. Mainstay for us.

Not much can be said about Basho beyond the fact that the sushi is incredible. The soft shelled crab sushi, alongside the reinvented spicy salmon sushi (wasabi alongside a bit of red chili!) was a great addition to the regular menu. Also enjoyed the tuna tartare, beautifully nestled on small toasted baguette slices with avocado and a tomato salsa. Unique and incredibly special... Basho challenges in the most agreeable way.

Wanted to bring some people in for dinner. No menu online. They don't even have a website. What is this 1996?

A great Japanese restaurant in little old St. John's. Whodathunkit? Tak, the proprietor, is a first-generation Canadian whose Japanese roots show strongly throughout the menu at Basho. The sushi is very good and the lobster with ginger and scallions is great. I have also heard good things about the steak, but I cannot comment on its quality; I don't go to great Japanese restaurants to eat steak. Try Basho for something different.

This fish steamer with mussels and shrimp and scallops was the best dish I ever had ! Love this place !the sushi was good but a little too salty for my taste .

Great place. Love the redone bldg. Excellent atmosphere for a night out.

Doesn't get any better then this..really. I've had sushi in TO, Montreal, Van, NYC, Cali, and nothing compares to this. Great atmosphere and amazing service. Highly recommend.

We love Basho! It's our de facto place to go to for a celebration... you know those milestones in life that are worthy of a good cocktail? Well, Basho has the best cocktails in town! I adore the Orange Creamsicle... adore! It's not sweet and milky as the name would suggest, but refreshing and delicious. Moving on to the food, it has always been solid and doesn't disappoint. We order the sushi, the sashimi salad, the seafood tempura, and often the surf and turf appetizer. Basho also has interesting desserts but I haven't been blown away by one of them yet... I'll keep trying though!

We had a great time with a lovely meal in a lovely classy setting. The sticker shock wore off and we enjoyed great startera mains drinks and dessert. Top notch service and quality for sushi on the ocean! They did not charge us for the roll I couldnt eat ( when it arribed it turned out I was allergic to one ingredient )... In fact they comped us a replacement! Expensive but a great night out!

I recently visited Basho again and was not disappointed. Our group started with a large platter of sushi which was fresh and delicious. Sashimi was next and was equally tasty. For a main course I ordered the steak which was perfectly cooked and so tender it felt like it melted in my mouth.

This place is fantastic! I'm from Vancouver and know the sushi there well and the sushi here is as good. You can get the same premium sushi for cheaper in Vancouver but hey for St John's this is a great place to have. This place has one of my favourite ambiances in the city. Get one of the cocktails as the menu is really good. The beef carpaccio was excellent as well as the sushi. Our server was really friendly too.

An amazing experience! The deco of the restaurant is very fancy. I suggest going with a group of people that are willing to share their food just so you can get a taste of more than one dish. We ordered 7-8 meals between us all at the table, which gave us the opportunity to sample many of their delicious dishes. I highly recommend the melon wrapped in prosciutto.

After hearing great things about Basho's sushi and general restaurant ambiance, I was extremely disappointed upon arriving, and my experience kept continuing to go downhill throughout the whole time I was there. The staff seem to have no sense of professionalism or general courtesy, and this was displayed immediately when we walked in and the hostess was wearing tights and a black tank top with her hot pink bra hanging out. When we were seated, our server came and asked us what we wanted to drink no more than 30 seconds after we sat down (and hadn't even opened our menus yet). After asking for more time, she arrived back to take our orders, but did this by merely say "So...?" and staring at us. Her general demeanour, along with the other FOH employees, was that of an apathetic, slightly hung over server with no previous experience in the industry and no desire to improve her skill. We placed our drink and food orders (they were completely out of all of their sake, which doesn't really bode well for a sushi restaurant). While waiting for our drinks to arrive we noticed that there were wine stains covering the wall behind us, and our menus were covered in old food splotches and sticky alcohol stains. It wasn't until after we had had our appetizer (the Surf 'n' Turf dish, which was pretty tasty and we had no complaints), that we overheard our server explaining the multiple dishes that were being featured for the night to another table (she never bothered to tell us about these). Later in the evening when we had been given our sushi, I asked for more soy sauce and when she dropped if off I looked at her and said "thank you" and she ignored me and just walked away. After we had finished all of our food for the evening we waited about 25 minutes for our server to return to clear our plates. We asked for the bill and waited another 10 minutes, and was told to go pay downstairs because her machine wasn't working. We tipped 10 dollars on a 105 dollar bill. This is rare for us. If you want to go out for overpriced decent tasting sushi that is slightly different from what you would find at Sushi Island, then go here. Maybe our expectations were just too high, but the owner needs to work on properly training his staff, or at least hiring people who care about working there, as well as dedicating some time to updating the general ambiance and cleanliness of the space. A truly disappointing experience.

I ate at Basho as a part of a group of 7 last week. It had been a long while since I had eaten there, and in the past I was always quite satisfied. But I have to say this most recent experience was disappointing and gave me the sense they have become complacent- which is rather odd, given how many great new restaurants have emerged to compete directly with Basho in recent years. Importantly, the food was still pretty great, although the menu seems a bit stale. My major complaint is that our meal took ages to arrive and when it did, the food was cold. Everyone agreed on this. And the place really wasn't very busy- I really can't imagine how they don't know how to handle a large party after all these years. Also, several items on the menu were unavailable- including seafood dishes for which the place is well known. It should also be noted that the place just seems pricey, given how tired the menu and decor is becoming. My main point is that we always loved this place, but given all the new offerings in St. John's, they're going to have to work harder to keep my business in the future.

I've been here many times and never disappointed. Best place for sushi in downtown St. John's...I've tried them all.

Poor service. Waitress seemed irritated that we were there. Some people in our party had special requests and our waitress was extremely unhelpful, unfriendly and rude. Our orders were messed up, we didn't say anything because our waitress was already treating us like crap. Used to love basho, but this is the second time I've had this waitress and second time I've been disappointed, especially considering its a higher end place. If you want a nice dinner out, I'd recommend somewhere else.