Shintaro

I have not written a review about a restaurant before, however, the experience at this restaurant compelled me to do so.
I would like to believe that the experience was a one off, but due to the fact the tables next to us were complaining about the same things, I can only wonder why it is this restaurant is still open.
Upon arrival we were left standing in the doorway by the hostess who, even after we told her we had called ahead and had a table waiting for us, ran around panicking and was not able to tell us if there was a table or not. A little odd, but we blew it off thinking it must be a busy night. We were then escorted into the one quarter full restaurant (yes, 3 quarters of the restaurant was empty, including the bar).
We ordered saki and the cups had lipstick on them (not mine or my husbands)
We ordered an appetizer and it came so quickly we laughed that the plate must have been sitting waiting in the kitchen to be ordered. We laughed until we tried it, and it tasted as though it had been waiting for days. This is sushi! It should be fresh!
The rest of the meal took longer to come, but unfortunately tasted no better.
This is also a restaurant where there are about 3 tables in the window that they like to keep busy so it looks like the whole restaurant is busy. We saw a couple waiting for 15 minutes for one of these tables, even though over half the restaurant was empty. We also heard this couple say the same things about the freshness of the food that we had- obviously this is the standard for food here.
I believe this restaurant stays open due to the business from the guests of the Renaissance hotel just down the street, I cannot imagine anyone that has eaten here would want to go back again.
There are many options for sushi in Hollywood. This should not be one of them. Do yourself a favor and opt for a different restaurant. Unless you enjoy the experience of leaving a restaurant hoping you're not going to get sick.

Posted 01/18/09

We walked in without a reservation and got a table immediately. We had a preschool child with us and the place was kid friendly (we went around 6:30pm though). The food was delivered quickly and was good. Not amazing, but very solid. I would definitely go there again. The only complaint I had was the drinks (soda's) were small and they charged for refills. They had a Japanese movie playing up on the wall which was pretty cool. Also important to note: parking can be tough as it is in a strip mall...

Posted 10/16/08

The sushi here is by no means eyes rolling to the back of your head delicious (there are a few places in LA that can do that) but it's pretty good, especially for the area it's in. Most of the great sushi places in LA are in West LA, Santa Monica, or even the valley, but it's been difficult finding a place farther East that's decent. We tried Shintaro on a friend's recommendation and I'm glad we did. It's the best place I've tried in Hollywood. They have some innovative dishes and the fish was pretty fresh. I will definitely eat here again. The restaurant was surprisingly larger than I thought, it looks smaller from the outside, and it had a good vibe to it. My boyfriend and I eat sushi several times a week, we always stick to the same great places, and we agreed that Shintaro was very decent.

Pros: Good service, good food

Cons: Not the best sushi ever

Posted 10/08/08

This is a good place for an off night (casual, not fancy). Sushi is good, service is good... sit in the main room with the Sushi Bar. The Garlic String beans are a tasteful surprise... so is the Nasu Miso (sweet Eggplant).

The only downside is the parking lot --it is free but spaces are limited so you may need to wait a while. Avoid going when the Hollywood Bowl is on -- you'll get stuck in bad traffic.

Posted 07/22/08

the hostess thinks she's the bomb, which is why she's a hostess at a sushi bar, in a strip mall....

we sat at a table instead of the bar and some of our sushi actually came out... warm....
we told our server who smiled, said sorry, and that was it. we didn't feel like arguing with her to take it off our bill so we paid it and left, probably won't return.

Cons: warm sushi and awful parking lot

Posted 03/30/08

i have been to many so called great sushi restaurants in l.a and in japan
and
shintaro is my favorite for taste and a fun night.
sit at the sushi bar, ask for chef kenny, usually he is off on tuesdays but when he is in he
is usually in the middle section.
try the saba sushi or sushimi, try the ono sushimi or sushi, ask him how the torro is on the night,
he will tell you if its the best , the fattiest or not so fatty..........
i love the fattiest the better, so buttery and creamy........
the miso soup is great too,
i have been to koi and it is just a celebrity hang out .........over priced and bad service........
shintaro is much better than koi and half the price .
it does get packed out , so get there early .
we take a lot of japanese clients there and they all love it .
the green tea icecream is to die for as well if you have a sweet tooth .
i prefer to have another saba .......and wash it down with the green hot tea.
shintaro , one of the best restaurants in l.a.......
(my other favs are , spago and the ivy on the shore )

Pros: GREAT JAPANESE FOOD AND DRINKS AND SERVICE WITH A SMILE

Cons: GET THERE EARLY TO SIT AT THE SUSHI BAR

Posted 02/18/08

The sushi here is awful. I had a take-out order, and from the first bite of my tuna roll could tell the fish was far from fresh. I then inspected the rest of my order, and had I been able to see that the tuna sashimi looked like it had been sitting out for three days (it's usually a bright, healthy red--this stuff was almost brown), and that the yellowtail was dry and looked like rubber, I never would have accepted or paid for it. Raw fish is not something you take a gamble on when it comes to freshness. I even tried to just eat my order of garlic green beans and forget the whole thing, but even those were skimpy and tasted terrible, like the beans themselves had been previously frozen or something.

There are hundreds of other places to go. Don't choose this one.

Posted 10/31/07

While i have gone several times and often, for my business meeting, i was surprise one evening, upon leaving the restaurant, to realize that the manager of the restaurant, had had my car towed.
He just didn't know i was inside his restaurant, and refused to pay the $280, to get the car back, and other fees, to recover the vehicle.

Since then, i have learned from the local residents, that it didn't happen only to me.
Party of 4 + car towed= $435

Since then, i go to a great sushi restaurant on Venture Blvd.
Bad nusiness moto.

Cons: New managements practices, and non cooperations, parking

Posted 04/16/07

So i randomly chose this place out of this City Search and it turns out to be a pretty nice place. The Food was decent and the drinks were good... on top of that Vince Vaughn was there... I would recommend this place if you are with friends but not for an intimate dinner as tables are practically on top of each other... you can completely hear everyone's converstation...

Parking was a hassle and even got my door dinged up... construction is going on on the side street so it only leaves one entrance and exit which is a big hassle on Highland...

Pros: Ambience... Service

Cons: Parking... Seating...

Posted 03/08/07

We love it here... the staff are friendly and the fish is as fresh as any we've had in Los Angeles.
A little more fancy with the dishes than the closest comparitable competition, Sushi Ike, but Shintaro still does the basics as good as anyone. The expertise and artistry are appartent on every plate and Chef Kenny is a true master at cutting fish and even minature sushi (ask and see).

Pros: great food, great service, consistency

Cons: parking

Posted 11/10/06

I wasn't sure if I liked sushi when I first started eating it, but after going to Shintaro, I love it. Their albacore tuna just melted in my mouth and the premium chilled saki's are incredible. The priced are about the same as any other sushi joint but the quality is superior. It's not much to look at from the front and the hobos may have scared you away before, but I recommend you brave past the neighborhood and try their sushi.

Pros: Good fresh sushi and saki

Cons: The neighborhood

Posted 11/01/06

My husband and I frequent Shintaro at least once per week and are alway more than happy with the sushi and service. The first time we went in we were a little worried since the location and exterior leave something to be desired. Once we walked through the door and saw the atmosphere inside we were hooked. This is a perfect spot to go if you don't want to have a long drawn out "Hollywood" sushi dinner. EXCELLENT!

Pros: great local spot, sushi, service

Cons: parking can be tough - but no valet charge!

Posted 10/08/06

this is a great hole in the wall... a must for the service and a must for sushi. They try hard and give your taste buds a great delight.

Pros: service

Cons: nothing

Posted 08/19/06

I love Shintaro! I recently held my birthday dinner there with approximately 10 people and everyone loved it! The wait staff was very friendly and eager to serve. The prices are extremely affordable and the sushi/sashimi was some of the best I've ever had! The albacore sashimi was to die for and the spicy tuna rolls were perfect. Everyone from the group had different tastes and wants and everyone was more than satisfied! We also were drinking, and the waitress had sake bombs happily served to the group. All in all a very pleasant experience!

Pros: fresh fish, service, pricing

Cons: parking, atmosphere is bleak

Posted 08/02/06

Staff is nice; restaurant is nice (much beter than what you would expect from the street.) The sushi is good. I do not know what else to say. Not the freshest in LA, but still pretty good. I might try it again for take-out, but that is about it.

Pros: Nice portions, good price

Cons: no WOW factor at all

Posted 06/29/06

being from the east coast, it did take a few months to muster up the courage to try strip mall sushi, but, oh my, am i glad i finally did. while the decor is simple, we always sit at the sushi bar and our view is full on fish. they have melt-in-your-mouth torro and my favorite, red salmon. the portions are generous and the prices are more than reasonable. you get each order fresh as it's made and the sushi chefs are friendly, attentive and artists in their own right. enjoy!

Posted 06/19/06

I was looking for a good local sushi spot open for lunch and I found it in Shintaro. The fish is top quality and the sushi chef we had known from an old haunt, so we had a delicious lunch and choice of draft Japanese beer or some above average sake. A good alternative to Ike if you are in Hollywood.

Posted 09/01/05

This restaurant, you cannot easily find by just driving by on the busy Highland Ave. But once you are inside, you will find this dark but very nice restaurant a one of your favorite restaurants. Sushi is fresh. There is a brilliant sushi artist behind the counter! Food is tasty. Friendly service. Love the music they play. They have nice stock of Sake, and hard ones too. Parking might be a bit challenging.

Pros: Great food, great drink, fun time

Cons: parking

Posted 05/18/05

we ordered a special dinner deal (tempura, teriyaki chicken w/rice and soup) and the waitress kept asking us if we will order sushi or more drinks/desserts. they cleared our plates super quick and wanted us to leave right after we finished eating, when they found out that we are not ordering more. food was avarage, but the bad waiting made it very restless dinner. they will just exploit tourists and people who don't know how to order japanese food.

Posted 12/26/04

I found this place by searching using CitySearch. The location and ratings convinced me to try it. I made a reservation for eight people and told my friends the location without ever seeing it. I was a little worried when seeing the outside of the place but it turned out to be the whole "judging the book by its cover" deal. Inside was very well appointed and the food was great. My table for eight was ready and waiting and EVERYONE in the group loved it. Try it!

Pros: GREAT VALUE, Friendly, Quality food

Cons: Externally ugly, but, don't let it fool you, you will love it

Posted 11/17/02

Totally down to earth, great atmosphere, delish sushi AND entrees, all reasonably priced. Love it.

Posted 07/29/02