Sukiyabashi Jiro Roppongi Hills Restaurant

I’m really curious why the chef needed to be this rush. There were four sashimi dishes, 17 sushi bites and a tamagoyaki as the last menu. Everything was served in 42 minutes (exact from my first and last photo timestamps. The next bite is served right before I can swallow the one in my mouth. When I slowed down a little bit, to have a slice of pickled ginger, the chef suddenly asked me to quickly eat the next bite and stop watching him making sushi. (This is a restaurant, not a show. Please eat! — kinda like this). About the sushi. I really think the vinegar and soy sauce are way too strong. I cannot enjoy the taste of the fish. Hirame was served twice, as sashimi and as sushi. The sashimi one was really good as the chef didn’t add the sauce on served. However, the sushi one turns to be a rubber dipped in sauce on vinegary rice. From a person who has had many omakase experiences, I’m not quite sure how this place became so popular and got two stars from Michelin. To me, this is not really worth it.

This is the worse omakase experience I ever had. Chef are so rude when talking with us. He told me to eat the next sushi when I haven’t finish last bite. The course took only 40 minutes and no dessert. Rice are too heavy on vinegar. It’s super sour that I couldn’t taste the ingredients at all. The soy sauce also too much giving too salty flavor. I would recommend going to other omakase store that will worth 80k jpy.

Chef was really nice and accommodating! I was a small eater and was trying my best to keep up with everyone on the speed of eating. Chef saw that I was trying and told me to take my time and not to rush, and that he will accommodate to me instead. At one point, I wanted to give up and he helped make all my sushi to a petite size so that I could still enjoy the freshness of the food. We had a very small seating and was able to make casual conversations and exchange thoughts etc with the chef. It was honestly wonderful! It's really important to understand the Japanese culture before coming to this place. Sushi eating in the first is meant to be fast and finish at one go, something you focus on the food for.

Best Akami and Tamagoyaki I’ve ever had. The Akami was incredibly tender, almost like chutoro but more flavorful, chutoro itself was fantastic too. Normally don’t like Tamagoyaki but this one was a great mix of sweet and savory while having a moist cakelike texture. The chef was friendly and explained each piece to us in English, including recommendations for how to eat each.

In all honesty, I’m not sure how this restaurant got 2 Michelin stars. We got a call from our hotel who had made the booking for us because we were 10 mins late telling us that the restaurant was going to cancel our booking, we told them we were just outside but trying to locate the hidden restaurant given there are no clear signages. When we arrive and are ushered in, I go to sit and the main sushi chef looks at me and instructs I take my coat off. I begin removing my coat and he says: not here go there and points at the entrance. Rudely I felt told off like a little child. He was in a bad mood, perhaps because we were late but the atmosphere was grim. He had two young sous chefs by his side that looked rather intimidated by him. They directly start the course and we felt very rushed. In less than 30 minutes it was over. I asked for sparkling water they didn’t have it. Before serving us the egg dessert he showed us a plate of raw fish asking if we wanted anything extra as these would be an extra charge and that these were the premium cuts. Clearly given that we didn’t enjoy the meal we politely said no. The bill arrived as the total amount hand written on a small piece of paper. Now the food: Ginger has too much sugar for Japanese standards. Out of the sushi course, we got 2 marinated sardine like tasting fish which you could get anywhere. We got 1 boiled shrimp which had no taste. We got sub-par scallops and uni. The presentation of the sushi was also poor, the ikura had fallen off on the plate by the time he had placed them on it, and the sashimi always had pieces sticking out and didn’t look pretty. Terrible atmosphere, sub-par sushi, and $200 per person. We are going someplace else to have an enjoyable meal now.

We came from the U.S. with high expectations, but our experience here was deeply disappointing. A truly magical dining experience is about more than just food quality--it's also about exceptional customer service and making every guest feel valued. Unfortunately, we felt treated differently because of where we came from. When we asked if hot sake was included in the dining menu, instead of answering our questions, the chef responded rudely, asking where we came from instead of answering our question. Upon hearing we were from the U.S., he remarked, "Americans would ask questions like this. A lot of Chinese people too." After this exchange, his behavior changed--he barely explained the dishes, only stating their names, while being chatty and engaging with other guests. Midway through the meal, he asked again about my ethnicity like "where I'm really from", despite us already stating where we came from. His attitude remained dismissive and uncomfortable for the rest of the meal. While the sushi quality was decent, we've had better elsewhere in Japan. More importantly, no level of food quality justifies such prejudice and bias. It's 2025. Discrimination towards guests based on nationalities or skin color should never be tolerated in any dining experience, regardless of how good the food may be.

Food was great even though a few dish has more acidic taste. Overall food experience would be terrific if Chef did not spend too much time with Taiwanese customer and made others feel being neglected. He even skipped to ask what i wish for my last sushi piece, assuming that I was too full.

There was an insatiable aura of edgy, borderline trepidation, of sublime exuberance as I arrived prematurely to my long awaited reception at Jiro-san. I had found another lad, casually dressed, and who was from Spain, sitting casually nearby. Ever since I was a young lad watching Jiro dreams of sushi, I knew then and there that I had to experience the best example of Edo-mae Japan had to offer. And today was the day. “You must be here for Jiro-san.” the lad said. “How do you know?” I inquired, somewhat dubiously. “You look tense, and your belt buckle is buttoned just a hole too tight.” he smiled, smugly. I feigned a smile as I nodded and muttered under my breath, but the second hand on my 1957 Stainless Steel International Watch Company Schaffhausen Calibre 89 finally ticked for me to step inside the shop at the very precise second to the dot. I stepped in. My olfactory senses heightened from the sushi vinegar, wafted with smoked kombu. It was a delight. The rice beckoned me inside. The smell of history. And as I sat down, we were seated as students in a dojo, awaiting their master’s instruction. “Hai! Sensei!” …was the harmonious hum from the staff as their hands trembled with fear from their grand master. Make one mistake and they were out, or so it seemed. As the Kamotsuru Tokusei Gold Daiginjo poured out to symbolize our covenant of friendship before the first fish lathered itself on my tongue, I already drizzled out of my pants. My Goodness! That was good. The history of Japan lies within the fish, the rice, the water, and the hands that crafted the very word Edo-mae. Each fish thereafter became a life lesson, as Jiro-san had disciplined my contemporaries as they were not paying enough attention to him. My friend whispered that he’d rather starve than be trapped inside with him. Facetiously, of course. I took a bite of the O-toro. (………………………….) (I’m speechless. I can’t open my mouth. I…… Aaaaaaahhhhhhh). I needed to order one again. Another served and I….. (………. Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhh). No time for photos. Just plop them inside my mouth. So good. So resiliently good that I felt two thousand years of history from one sitting. All in all, I can say that this is worth the try. If you are a meticulous perfectionist like myself, attention to detail is key in enjoying the moment. Become indifferent with the way you are served, and you will be like water that envelopes the fish. Do or do not, you must forego all past experiences and come here with an open mind. If I had to describe the best rendition of Edo-mae, I would say, “Jiro-san.” Arrigato gozaimasu, Sensei.