SHIN

The food quality did not live up to a Michelin star or the price point. The first half of the menu was somewhat interesting, but the second half was quite dull. It was neither authentic Japanese nor a true omakase experience. I didn’t see any creativity in the dishes. That said, the service and ambiance were fine. However, I will not be returning.

Shin in Zurich is a true hidden gem. It used to be a sushi omakase spot, but has now evolved into something even more special — a creative journey through Huaiyang, Cantonese, and modern Asian flavors. Every dish was thoughtful and surprising. What really made the night unforgettable was Lin, the owner. She’s one of those rare people who makes you feel completely at home the second you walk in. Warm, passionate, and so present — she hosted us like we were guests in her own living room. The star of the menu? 100% the Peking Duck – Two Ways. I’ve had a lot of duck in my life, but this was next level. The crispy duck with caviar was rich and indulgent, and the pancake roll was classic but elevated. Truly the best I’ve ever had. Can’t wait to come back. Thank you, Lin, for such a beautiful evening.

We came with high expectations but left disappointed. The menu was not what we anticipated — mostly raw dishes and no sushi, which was unexpected. For the price point, we expected far more in terms of both variety and quality. The host’s manner felt dismissive and inflexible, which made the experience uncomfortable. While the ambiance and service were decent, the overall experience fell far short. We won’t be returning.

We did not know what to expect reading the mixed reviews. It is admittedly expensive, but it is Zurich and very premium experience. Each piece of food was fantastic, we needed to repeat 3 courses how good they were. We loved the chef and young service lady who made the experience very nice. Do not expect traditional „french“ style fine dining routine. It is about the amazing food and do not come if you are not ready to pay the price for high quality food and drinks.

Mesmerizing and unforgettable dining experience. Made our anniversary even better. Arigato! :))

Oh how should I begin this one…. I never had such an experience in any Michelin stars restaurant before; and believe me, between Thailand, Singapore and EU, I’ve been to many ( Possibly as many as 45). That’s saying something! As of February, 2023, I’ve had Approximately reviewed 200 restaurants on google and none is as bad as this (service wise). First off we got there at 6.30 (the time of our reservation). We were told by the lady owner that we were late, as she has emailed us that she changed our reservation time to 6.10 (that’s an odd time considering that the restaurant has not open for business yet). Ok, so a rough start. So this restaurant has 8 seats at the sushi bar and five tables. I was like ok? Why do you need tables at Omakase restaurant, maybe it’s for A la Carte. I don’t know. But I’ll soon find out. So once we were sat at the sushi bar, the food started coming. I would say that the courses were well placed and paced; as to be expected from restaurant of this calibre. However, when we got to the 13 out of our 16 courses, the lady owner promptly kicked us out of the sushi bar to the table…. I was left puzzled. Who does that?; let alone Michelin star restaurant. We ate the remaining of our food at the table covered with some art paper. Not exactly Michelin star is it? So why the two stars? The food was undeniably good, so I have to be fair to the Japanese (who was very polite and friendly. He was the reason why this establishment get the star in the first place). And the other star was for the waiter, which was a young Swiss gentleman who tried his best to serve the customers. As for The lady owner, well she isn’t a bad person or anything. However, I don’t think she’s right for the hospitality industry. She has no understanding whatsoever how to serve a customer, let alone this kind of Omakase dinning. She tries too hard to sell customers drinks and alcohol. She also only focused on those who ordered alcohol and she missed the part that every customer has the right to enjoy the evening. And I saw the owner reply to one review with a threatening message to take legal action? I mean that’s not a great idea. You should take the criticisms and improve on it. You are on the right path, you have great chef, great food and great waiter. You just need to focus on improving the customer experience. Sometimes, it isn’t about maximizing the profit. If you think you cannot finish the courses on time before the second serving, do something about it; perhaps hire more staff or extend the business hours. Removing the customers from the sushi bar isn’t the ideal solution. Worse yet, blaming the customer for being late when they weren’t was another horrible solution. Overall Food - Great Hospitality - Poor Recommendation - Definitely not

Amazing Restaurant and experience! Was there with my wife in the beginning of 2023, felt like I was being received in Lin’s home, we got there and sitted on the counter, chatted for a few moments while the chef was preparing everything, got a recommendation on an amazing sake and then started the Omakase. Amazing and fresh fish, awesome presentation. For sure one of the best sushis I had! Can’t wait to be back :)

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of dining at Shin, and I have to say that it was an exceptional culinary experience. The omakase menu at this restaurant is a true masterpiece, with each course carefully crafted and presented with the utmost attention to detail. The chef and his team take great pride in their craft, and it shows in every bite. Also, Lynn the owner of Shin is great person that without exception knows how to make their guests feel welcome. Overall, I highly recommend this restaurant as it was by far the best Sushi experience I had in Switzerland. The food is truly top-notch, and the atmosphere and service are equally impressive. The only thing that is unfortunate is that I didn‘t discover Shin earlier. Will definitely come back as often as I can. Down below I have added some of yesterday‘s pieces.

We were recommended to come here and it met our the high standards. So this restaurant is not regular Japanese restaurant it is Omakase which means meals selected by chef. Food quality and selection is top. If you are looking for exceptional experience for authentic Japanese cuisine it is the right place. My taste buds were satisfied with every meal

I see many of the reviews have negative things to say about the owner. She was there and chatted with us throughout our entire meal. I can see how some people would find her to be defensive with regard to her food. I think she is very passionate about her product, and that may come off the wrong way. She is definitely verbose, which can be a bit overwhelming, but her heart is in the right place, and she truly cares about her business. Let me tell me you about the what she did for us. My wife wrote her an email at about 10 am asking if there was any availability for lunch that same day. She responded immediately and allowed us to book the omakase. We were unaware of this, but it's actually a holiday in Zurich and the town is quite desolate. We showed up and were the only people booked for lunch. Mind you, this is a Michelin star restaurant (deservedly so), so they weren't anticipating any walk-in diners. She opened the restaurant to us, and she and her chef personally waited on us for a 2 hour omakase meal as the only guests. Most owners would not have responded and stayed closed for lunch. She took the route of being a good proprietor and gave us one of the best meals I can recall. The first dish was a corn tofu in a wasabi broth. It's the best thing I have eaten in my 10 days in Switzerland. It was followed with a delicious fresh oyster in ponzu, and then a tartare of bluefin tuna. Exceptional in quality of the ingredients and technique on every dish. The sushi courses featured a creamy miso soup, more blue fin, mushrooms, and kingfish. The kingfish was my favorite, but every one was a delight. The squid tempura with shiso was perfect, served with green tea salt on the side. I could have eaten that alone and been happy. Fatty tuna and wagyu finished out the savory dishes, with a black sesame ice cream and fresh strawberries. There were no missteps on this menu. While I have certainly had everything on that menu in one form or another, none had ever been prepared with that level of skill and quality of product. I have eaten in several Michelin starred restaurants this week, including a 2 star in Geneva. This restaurant is far superior to all of those, easily the best food I have had in Switzerland, and probably the best sushi in Europe. The owner seems to play down the interior of the restaurant as not being worthy of a Michelin star. I disagree. It's sleek, elegant, and serene. Based on the reviews, you might not like the owner, I do, but either way the product that is being put out is second to none. I cannot recommend this restaurant more.

DO NOT GO HERE. The worst Michellen star experience I've ever had. I usually do not write reviews, but this food experience was so underwhelming that I felt obligated to let buyer beware. Food - Not fresh at all. The oyster to start was very fishy, but I was optimistic that the rest of the meal would turn a corner (spoiler alert, it didnt). The sushi chef put the pieces together with more haste than I have ever seen, even compared to a fast food restaurant. Also, the fish for the other pieces were equally not fresh. The consistency of the fish was mushy and the chef added way too much sauce, seasoning and wasabi to cover try and cover it up. Ambiance - Sub par. We sat at the bar and the curtain to the kitchen was left open most of the time to give a not so pleasant view of the kitchen sink. Otherwise, cutlery and place mats felt very cheap and not what I would expect for a prefix price of 300 USD a person. Service - Most of the wait staff was attentive and pleasant, but the owner/manager was extremely defensive whenever hearing any chatter regarding the food. Customer is always right doesn't apply here. I can be almost assured if this review gets a response, the response will be combative and defensive. Please take this review as my experience from eating at multiple fine dining establishments across Zurich, New York, Japan, Hong Kong, etc. Cost - By far the most expensive meal I've had in Zurich at around 300USD per person and 11USD for green tea (inflation is real?). I've eaten at Nobu, Sushi of Gari, Sushi Nakazawa, Megu, Masa, Yasuda and I've always been happy to pay the price for quality. This isn't one of those places. Dont be fooled by the Michellen Star or the price tag. If you are looking for fine dining or quality sushi, look elsewhere.

This is the best Japanese food I have had in Europe.Every dish is unique.The drinks are also very good.Will eat again next time I come to Zurich.

We bypassed shin several times before it open and thought we must give it a try- what a great choice that we have made! There are two menu, one keseiki, one sushi, each of them come with authentic Japanese setting. My favorite is the crab soup which really reminds me of the Kyoto cushions! The menu varies by season as in the traditional setting, and the host is very friendly and charming. It is definitely at the league of Sala of Tokyo- even also in the same neighbour of the Zürich old town! We love the food and concept, and definitely would love to come back and try their sushi menu soom! PS. For dinner, it is around CHF 200 per head with sake- and definitely worth it! prepare to dig into a great adventour!

We tried to go to that place three times. They put in their Instagram account that they close at 11pm and when we called at 9 they didn't receive us. Same happened the day before when we called for lunch. The third time we arrive at the place at 2.10pm (they told that they are opened until 2.30) and they didn't receive us. They were unkind and just told us that they won't serve omakase so for what we are going to a omakase place if is not for omakase? What a disappoint with the place and more with the BAD service. Never try to be there again.

Owner was rude. And there's no service what's so ever. Owner and employee gossiping out loud in the restaurant the entire time we could hear everything. Food was not good quality I had to spit out the wagyu beef because there was so much tendons. How dare they charge $300 CHF per person that's more than the La Rotisserie the real water front luxury hotel Michelin restaurant who offered more courses, real exotic and fresh sea food and knowledgeable sweet service. This is a scam. Michelin has to take their star away to avoid misleading advertisement.

By far the best japanese food in zurich. Outstanding quality, service and experience! Definitely a restaurant to promote zurich to play in the global league of japanese gourmet cuisine!

Please understand the fact this is the least expensive Michelin-starred restaurant I've come across in my world travels. I've read some poor reviews on here, ones that don't describe my personal experience. Some reviews on here aren't even from customers, just people that failed to get a last-second seating (lol). There were a handful of folks that would come in the door expecting it to be a normal sushi restaurant, so I can understand why the price tag can be baffling to some; which can be annoying to the owner of a restaurant of this class-level. I could tell that the owner is very proud of her work and of her chefs in the kitchen. She made sure to make conversation with us as well as the other pair of customers whom she seemed to know very well. It felt like she actually cares to form a relationship with her patrons and cared to share about her personal life. I thought the tartare and nigiri dishes were fantastic and some very unique in flavor. I liked the artistic choices regarding the decor and design of this place. I'll definitely stop here every time I'm in Zurich.