PHX. looking for a good Japanese Resaurant

[twodogs]

Seems like all my old Japanese favorites are gone,like Sukayaki and Osome. I would like to find a good Japanese place,not necessarily a sushi or teppanaki place but a place with a good traditional menu.Any recs?

[firecooked]

How about Sushi Ken? We normally get sushi, but they have a full menu as well.

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Sushi Ken
4206 E Chandler Blvd, Phoenix, AZ 85048

[janeh]

Thanks for suggesting Shimogamo, danieli10. We had a wonderful dinner there after going to the Mesa Arts Center on Friday night - it was possibly the best sushi I've had in Phoenix and definitely will go back. Yes, it's worth the drive!

[johnseberg]

I have no qualms driving there. Thanks for the feedback. I'll check it out.

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Shimogamo
2051 W Warner Rd # 14, Chandler, AZ

[azhotdish]

I'm so glad to hear positive reports about Shimogamo again - I had heard several negative reports, and have not been back for several years. I really, really used to love that spot when I lived in Tempe. Definitely need to get back. Thanks for posting.

http://www.shimogamoaz.com/

[janeh]

Do go and enjoy!

[blair_houghton]

Second for Sushi Ken. Very good sushi and a wider menu of other items than, really, any other Japanese restaurant I've been to here. And Shimogamo, which is narrower in scope but more upscale.

[crsin]

The obvious answers would be Sea Saw and perhaps Roka Akor. I've never actually been to either, so I can't attest to how the fit with your requirements, but both are obvioulsy well-loved places. (Sorry these are both in Scottsdale--not sure where you're coming from in PHX).

[danieli10]

Unfortunately, neither Sea Saw or Roka are anywhere close to traditional. They are also a bit on the pricey side for not a lot of food. Sushi on Shea has decent sukiyaki and pretty good, not great sushi and other basic Japanese dishes.

[danieli10]

Shimogamo is excellent. Besides having some of the finest sushi in the valley that nobody seems to know about, they have excellent food. This is a spot where the Japanese folks in town go who are in the know. Lunch is only on Friday, so don't go looking for lunch M-Thur. Biggest downside is that this spot is in West Mesa but not far at all from Warner and the 101.

[ipsedixit]

Would Yasu count? It has a pretty good robata menu.

[silverbear]

I'll second Hana -- although I'm not quite sure if the menu is traditional by the OP's standards. There's a sushi bar, but also many different noodle dishes and cooked entrees. There are two different white boards for specials: The one on the right is sushi specials; the one on the left is kitchen specials.

Some interesting things we sampled last week during a family dinner at Hana:

-- baked salmon roll
-- cold soba noodles with tempura
-- daikon salad with baby sardines
-- whitefish nigiri

It's interesting because I had been hearing some downhill alerts on Hana recently -- tales of poorly constructed sushi rolls and discombobulated service. Fortunately, I found none of this to be true. Staff were attentive and gracious, and the food was as good as ever.

[hohokam]

Hana has lots of fans here (including me).

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Hana Japanese Eatery
5524 N 7th Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85013