Vetri roll was delicious!!! Staff was very helpful and service was fantastic.
(4)
Adam B.
I'm giving Zama 2-stars purely because my reasonable expectation was no where near met. We came here a while back (take heed that I hope my observation no longer hold true) for what we thought would be an upper notch sushi experience, and instead were met with something that was probably available for half the price on the other side of Broad. Staff just to be fair were friendly and very nice. This is really a review of the food. Miso Soup: Basic and very average in quality. I think if there is anything all sushi restaurants should learn is that you should put effort into your Miso Soup, it bodes well for the meal to come. Spicy Halibut Tempura: Quite nice actually. Not something we have had before however it was rather pricy as a starter at $15. Mad Dog Roll: As good as it got for the food. Avocado, yellowtail, jalapenos and tuna sashimi all came together nicely. I'm a fool for sushi with a kick. If you are going to go here, order that roll. Sushi & Sashimi Combo: Major let-down. The sashimi tasted awefully like it had been refrozen if not once a few times, and not very well, you know, that day old lacking freshness taste. If you don't know what I mean, go eat what I find to be great sashimi at Fat Salmon or Vic Sushi and compare it to Zama. The Sushi wasn't put together all to well, almost as if they give the intern/new guy the simple sushi. Portions were not very large, and lacked satisfactory flavor. Drinks: I had a lychee fizz which wasn't too bad really. My other half however had the candy cane martini (drink of the season). It made me want to gag but she managed to power through its bitter over mintiness. And for all this... we paid the supreme price of $100. This is the only time I've felt foolish paying a large sum for sushi. I'd have valued it all at $60 MAX and with the quality it wasn't even really worth that. The location is literally just around the corner from where I used to stay and it would have been nice to get a good well valued sushi experience here. I've never minded paying a little more for a restaurant situated in a nice area but you'd be better off saving your money and putting towards a vacation to Japan. Gold star for service. :] They are the best part of this restaurant.
(2)
Ryan N.
Best sushi ever. Coming back again forsure. Get Philly roll! Me and my girlfriend love it
(5)
Chef Becky P.
This restaurant is one of the best in Philadelphia. My first time there was an amazing and rewarding experience as it came highly recommended by my Chair of the Department I was working for who is a Chef as well. I was excited and totally overwhelmed with the level of innovative and creative offerings starting with the appetizer menu. My friend who went with me and who had very little exposure to this level of sushi artistry was totally blown away on the first course so much that they insisted I continue to order for the rest of the evening. It was like being a little kid in a great toy store being teased by all the possibilities wanting to try them all. This IS NOT your average sushi joint by any means. Please be aware of the cost factor if you are on a budget as the menu selections are reflected in the pricing. I have to also include my server who was an outstanding representation to this great restaurant. She was a theater major student whose personality was a great addition to our experience with a very outgoing personality and ability to know how to keep her tables happy. KUDOS to her.....
(5)
David A.
Great knowledgable and friendly service. Some of the best fresh fish I have had in Philly. Creatively prepared rolls. Lose a star based on the price. For 5 people (we ate alot) and had some drinks, it was pricey at about $200. Other wise, loved the food. Everything tasted fantastic and we cleaned the plates. Just not a weekly place at these prices but will be back.
Zama had really really good food. I highly recommend trying the Chef's Chirashi. It is very different from what you expect and I can't really explain it so just try it for yourself. Expect a really long wait if you didn't get reservations and then expect an even longer wait after you order. I guess good food takes a long time to prepare but damn it took a while. I recommend ordering everything you want at one time.
(3)
Katie R.
I went here tonight with two friends for a light dinner. It was the perfect idea. The service was great to start with. The hostess was very welcoming, finding us a place at the sushi bar even though we didn't have a reservation. The waiter was also very flexible, helping us adjust our order partway through the meal. I had the miso soup and the rainbow roll. Both were fantastic, even though I wasn't a fan of the mushrooms in my soup (my friend ate them and loved them - I just don't like mushrooms). My friend had the sashimi sampler, and her boyfriend had the 3-roll Philly special, one of the charity rolls, and this soy-paper wrapped spicy scallop thing that we split between us and was absolutely delicious. With the exception of the octopus in the 3-roll special, we all loved our food. In general, the food is a mix of fusion sushi and some more traditional Japanese food. Everything looked very tasty. It's a bit higher priced than other sushi options in the area, but also has better atmosphere than the other restaurants.
(4)
David J.
Went for lunch on a rainy weekday. Service was pretty slow and the bill was average for sushi. The fish itself was pretty good though. Still waiting for Philadelphia to get an outstanding sushi restaurant...
(2)
Andrew U.
Big sushi fan, and was disappointed by Zama's. Ordered a few maki rolls, including the wasabi tuna. First, each roll is a lot smaller than I expected based on experience in other sushi restaurants, and about 30-50% more expensive. Wasabi tuna roll had 8 pieces, 3 of the pieces were extremely spicy, and the other 5 were more or less bland. Left much to be desired. Not worth the price in my opinion. A shame because I really liked the ambiance. Their service was polite and professional, however, so that was a plus. Will not be returning.
(2)
Jennifer B.
This place is clearly for those who really love sushi. A little bit pricey but everything is delicious and fresh. Took my husband here for his birthday (he is a sushi conesseuir I just prefer a simple California roll). They have two separate kitchens. One for hot food and one for cold. I had the chicken skewer bites and their sauce was amazing. My husband had a wide variert od sushi and loved everything. The ambience ia great and casual but elegant and modern. Definitely a recommended spot but bc of the price I will not go often. I gave it four stars only bc I told them during the reservation that it was my husbands bday and they said they would give a candle in our dessert but did not and also bc of the price. Otherwise food and ambience great and waiters knowledgeable.
(4)
Mark S.
I've been here like 6 times in the past year, sampled the sushi and many hot plates and EVERYTHING is good!
(5)
Kate G.
At the end of my meal, I took the time to announce---loudly and tactlessly---that Zama housed the best sushi I had ever eaten. So, why four stars? Because, in a sushi stupor, I visited Oh Yoko! in Cherry Hill the next day and liked the sushi there even better. Oh Zama---we were so close to maki-ing it wok (a little Japanese humor for ya)... This was my first sushi experience in Philadelphia, and it was a really good one. I made reservations on a Saturday night to celebrate my boyfriend's birthday. I called prior to arrival to ask whether I could bring a cake. When we arrived to the restaurant, the hostess immediately wished him happy birthday. Nice touch. We were seated earlier than our scheduled reservation and we started to look over the menu. Our waiter, who looked exceedingly like Joseph Gordon-Levitt, was extraordinarily helpful. He encouraged us to make certain choices, and also encouraged us to avoid others. Naturally, we didn't take his advice, but it was great to feel like our waiter was so interactively concerned about our overall enjoyment of the meal. He was a real stand-up guy. We started with the Calamari Salad and added avocado. I mean it when I say that every component of that salad was perfect. Spring mix, calamari, and yuzu dressing sang (unfortunately not 'happy birthday') in perfect melodic harmony. I've been missing that salad every day. We ordered a Tuna Roll, a Salmon Roll, a Spicy Salmon Roll, a Smoked Salmon and Fig Roll, a Zahav Roll, and a King Crab Oshizushi. The tuna, salmon, and spicy salmon rolls were delicious. The fish was uber-fresh and the notes of flavor were well received. I absolutely loved the smoked salmon and fig roll; the fig was ripe and sweet and finished as the delightful pop at the end of each bite. The Zahav Roll was interesting. I adore Middle Eastern food, so I was ecstatic when I saw a Mediterranean-inspired sushi roll offered in a Japanese restaurant. What? Kate's culinary fusion heaven? Yes, please! Except--I probably could have said no (Bruno Mars should have locked me out of said heaven!). I loved the moist edamame falafel, but the whole dish was, well--bland. When you see a compilation between Chef Zama and Chef Solomonov, you kind of have Charles Dickens worthy Great Expectations. This dish fell flat. That being said, it still earned major points for creativity. The King Crab Oshizushi was not exactly what we expected. Because of the $21 price point, we were expecting a dish that showcased the crab. Unfortunately, I felt like the rice and the bowl were the featured presentation. The roll, though named king, was more like a waning prince. Next time, we'll opt to load up on the maki and shy away from the specialty rolls. Our service was amazing, and I'd definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for a solid sushi restaurant in Philadelphia.
(4)
Karen B.
zama's environment is livelier and more fancy-pants than most local sushi joints, but that doesn't mean the food is superior (it's not). i've also found that the service is spotty -- was here for a bachelorette dinner this past saturday and our server was flat and unenthusiastic all night long. the bartender was the same ... a friend and i arrived early and sat at the bar for about 10 minutes before he acknowledged us (the bar was not crowded). considering that my drinking companion was smokin' hot, i found his failure to serve us very strange!
(3)
Lavi L.
Cute spot for a casual date. Not intimate as noise level is quite high and the tables very crowded. Sushi was decent with a twist and the cocktails were above average.
(4)
Mayra H.
Went in for lunch and was immediately lured in by the sea bass tempura. Sea bass, broccoli, and cabbage tempura drizzled with a spicy sauce. The veggies weren't overcooked or undercooked in their tempura cacoon - a balance easily overlooked and all-too often failed. Did not have any of the sushi (say WHAAAAT?!), but I will be back soon. Also, don't bother with the miso soup. It's nothing out of the ordinary but priced at the extraordinary (it is broth, with tofu and seaweed afterall).
(4)
Kevin K.
Sat up at the sushi bar and watched the chefs in action. Ordered the chefs choice of sushi and sashimi. May have been the best fish I have had in years. Cannot wait to go back to Philly and dine here again.
(5)
Soyoung K.
I am by no means a sushi connoisseur but the way the sushi rice and the sashimi tastes...it is out of this world! The fish was semi luke warm but still had this fresh consistency and the sushi rice was the most perfect sushi rice I've tasted, like EVER. Not overly vinegar-y or salty or sweet. The rice really perfected the nigiri. I still think about it in my dreams. Yes, this place isn't cheap. However, for the quality, everything they offer is reasonably priced. It's hard to find a place with such perfect sushi anymore. Plus, the staff are all very friendly and attentive. I sat at the bar and had a couple drinks made by Falon, the bartender. It was seriously delicious and everything was great. From the acrylic chopsticks to the view of chef Zama working behind the sushi bar.. I can't wait to go back. Also, the paper fish hanging from the ceiling... love it!
(4)
christina j.
This was my first restaurant to try during restaurant week and I would surely try this spot again for sushi I went for dinner and the fish was fresh as fresh could be. I had a salad, the pork dumplings, maki combo and some of the tastiest desserts ever. Luckily these were bite size otherwise I may have rolled out of Zama. I did try the cucumber martini which was very light and refreshing. The server was friendly and attentive. The space is nice and tastefully decorated. Parking could be an issue, I found spot around the block in lot.
(3)
Barak B.
Way over rated. Average to low quality sushi for crazy price. I am judging the food only. For me food is more important than atmosphere. I had 3 different rolls, sorry I don't remember which ones they were. Maybe they have good food besides the sushi.
(2)
Jonas K.
Just returned to Zama. Not just wonderful superb quality sushi made with the freshest raw fish, but also some very interesting fish I had never before tried as sushi. Branzino for example. And the nigiri sushi is made like in Japan with a slight stripe of wasabi under each piece of fish. That is right, the sushi chef lets you know how much wasabi each type of fish deserves for the best flavor. Then you don't have to add wasabi to your soy making a mess! Now, I will tell you the best sushi at the place is the hand roll tuna with natto. Don;t ask what it is, just try and enjoy this Japanese oddity. The appetizers are so unique. The tofu made table-side is just like a Kaiseki dish I had in Kyoto. I just can't wait t go back! GOCHISOOSAMA DESHITA.
(5)
E T.
A perfect addition to the Rittenhouse Square dining scene. I know, I know- you wonder how many more sushi places can occupy a single zip code- but, this is different. Hiraku and Shiroi Hana were my old standbys for sushi. Then, Morimoto and Raw expanded the selection in town. Zento in Old City curbed my cravings until the prices increased and the portion sizes shrunk. I started getting lazy and went to places within a two block radius- Mizu and Vic's. Both left much to be desired- the former lacked quality and the latter was too small. Zuma is a stylish, modern clean space (formerly occupied by Loie). Limited seating is available at the sushi bar (this would be my first choice)- maybe 8 seats. The long space is broken into different seating zones- some more cozy than others. I love the koi design elements swimming across the ceiling. We were hungry- snow days are hard work- and we ordered from all parts of the menu: generous portion of edamame, super tender and large hibachi scallops, salmon skin salad, lobster tempura roll, a soy wrap bbq eel roll, and the california roll with jumbo lump crab. Edamame- staple of all Japanese eateries- these were different- super large pods with tender beans. Could have chosen a wasabi salt, but we opted for the normal salt. The salmon skin in the salad- crunchy and perfectly executed- dressing was light and tasty. The lobster roll- presentation was amazing- such a delicate flavor- sweet and aromatic- just wonderful. It kind of had to be at $17 for six pieces. The eel roll was a strong contender to be one of our favorite items. We completed the meal with a dark chocolate bomb - super yummy. Not sure if it was made in house, but it was a perfect ending to a delicious meal. Service was very nice- still some bumpy new restaurant mistakes- beer was brought out without glasses. The girl filled my beer glass with water- I still had one gulp left. There was a little tentativeness, but nothing that I am certain will disappear with time and practice. Always attentive - from host to bussers. Will definitely return. No lunch yet. Take out might be available soon. Looking forward to sitting at the sushi bar and putting myself in the hands of the very capable chef.
(4)
Victoria W.
AMAZING!! I go to zama weekly for lunch. Their udon is out of this world & the miso soup is like heaven! I wish they delivered & served udon during dinner. The staff is incredibly friendly & so accommodating !!
(5)
Luke L.
Hands down the best sushi and food in general Ive had in philly. I depended on my waitress for many of my choices as it was my first time and she did a more then stellar job of choosing excellent items. from the drinks i sampled a mixed drink and a beer to the appetizers to the sushi everything was class. Great place for a romantic date or to grab a spot at the sushi bar and have a few rolls and a drink.
(5)
Miah B.
Great location and the decor is awesome. The sushi was fresh and delicious. Best spider roll I've ever had. A little noisy, but still on my top sushi places list.
(4)
Ellen L.
very expensive sushi for very average to below average tasting sushi. We had tried a special scallop roll- very bland taste at best- the waitress asked for our feedback- but it still remained on our bill. The spicy crunch tuna roll was good, but not enough to have me spend that much money on blah food.
(2)
Sean G.
Food: 3.0 Stars Selection of specialty rolls was mediocre. All standard rolls were available for order and priced reasonably but lacked distinction vs. other basic sushi restaurants. While the specialty roll (Wasabi Lobster) was delicious, it was not worth the $17 asking price. In general, the rice was dry and the sushi was not as fresh as expected. Service: 3.5 Stars Service was excellent and the server was knowledgeable and courteous. However, certain other staff members were inconsiderate of the restaurants patrons as they were loud, made inappropriate comments, and seemingly were adhering to their own agenda. Ambiance: 4.5 Stars The restaurants decor is very well done with attention to detail. It has an atmosphere appropriate for both dating and causal dining. The decor embodies a very modern Japanese touch. Price: 3.0 Stars Standard rolls are reasonably priced but specialty rolls are overpriced. Specialty cocktails/beers are in the upper end price range. Location: 4.5 Stars Excellent location right outside of Rittenhouse Park/Square. Easily accessible and near Rittenhouse bars/lounges/restaurants. Miscellaneous/Overall Impression: 3.5 Stars In the cutthroat business of Japanese/Sushi Restaurants, this restaurant will survive mainly on ambiance and locations. The food is only mid-range in quality, variety, and price compared to other Philadelphia Sushi Bars.
(3)
Zachary D.
Given the price, I was underwhelmed. The food is fine, but not great. Rather, everything seems a bit gimmicky. The three salt edamame amused me but did little for my taste buds. The roles were elaborately presented but simple in their taste. On the plus side, we had some really good unfiltered saki.
(3)
Brian S.
At the end of my meal I took time to announce - "Where is Subway? I'm starving!" Man, this place leaves you wanting more. More food and better service. 1 star for zama and 4 stars go to the grilled chicken footlong I scarfed down after this meal.
(1)
Scott F.
I've been getting spoiled by eating the sushi here. Some of the best quality / freshest fish I've had anywhere and some of the most unique creations. Underneath it's humble exterior lies a simple, elegantly designed restaurant, very professional staff, and one of the best sushi chefs in the city. So far my favorites have been the Yellowtail Jalapeno Mango and Wasabi Lobster. Make sure you save room for the Creme Brulee :)
(5)
Alex V.
From a sushi perspective, Zama is just as good if not better than Morimoto, and other places like Zento and Bluefin. The special rolls are really good, and even the basics are excellent. The service was good, but not as good some of the other places in town. The cost was not outragious, but it wasn't a deal either. From an ambiance perspective, Zama is OK, but its nothing like the installation at Morimoto. If I had to take "out of town" guests for Sushi, I would probably go to Morimoto.
(5)
Georgie S.
I just had dinner at this fine establishment tonight for the first time and I must say I am highly impressed! Our server was a very knowledgeable and friendly girl who suggested that we try this rare farm raised tuna that they have. The flavor was like no tuna I had ever had and I am really happy I had the opportunity to experience it. Everything was great from the Eel Omelet roll right down to the miso soup. The menu offers a very interesting take on traditional Japanese flavors with a modern flair. They offer edamame with three unique salts that give a fresh twist to a traditional crowd pleaser. We had the wasabi salt and I am excited to try the green tea salt next time I go in. The entire experience was so enjoyable. The entire restaurant makes you feel like you are the only table in the place. Everyone is very attentive and it shows in the food. Even the staff seems excited and proud to be there. I am so excited to have a reliable sushi restaurant in Philly. I wouldn't hesitate to say that this place beats any restaurant in New York City and heavily trumps overpriced Morimoto. If I were Steven Starr I would be watching my back! I can't wait to go back.
(5)
H M.
The only reason why they are getting two stars is because the sashimi was fresh and our server was named Marc Anthony. Over priced for crap sushi. The eel and avacdo roll tasted like crap and you can never go wrong with an eel roll. The sushi rice was bland and mushy. This place was not good. I should have convinced my party to go to Morimotos... O Philly when are you gona have slammin sushi at decent price??!
(2)
Nana L.
Best sushi restaurant in Philly
(5)
M B.
This was my second time to Zama and my husband's first (for his birthday). The food is impeccable- natural flavors presented in tantalizing combinations with an artist's flair for beautiful presentation!! Lisa was our server (REQUEST HER) and was perfect! Sweet but knowledgeable about all of the items & preparations while also attending to anything we needed promptly. This is for sure, the BEST, most impressive sushi in Philly. If you really want to impress someone who likes sushi, bring them to Chef Zama & he will knock their socks off!!! Clean, attractive decor and no "scene" so if you are loud and obnoxious, please don't ruin it for the foodies!! We can't wait to come again :) Yum!!!
(5)
Robin C.
Went here with my sister and Dad and was seated right away on a busy Saturday night. We got a bunch of sushi, including some specials. It didn't take too long but when we ordered another order to satisfy us a bit more, we were given the small plate special on the house because they said the sushi bar was backed up; we hadn't even noticed that it had been a while! Their sushi was very reasonably priced and very good. They also have a bunch of asian beers which I love so I'd definitely go here again. BTW, if you're going to order the spicy tuna, order it crunchy, it's amazing. Their fish is super fresh too, not fishy taste at all.
(4)
liza c.
I have been meaning to try Zama for approximately 5 years now, but with so many sushi joints in Philly it has been sucessfully escaping me - until this past weekend, that is. I had expected great things considering the location, relatively upscale ambience, and the crowds that swarm this place on any given Friday or Saturday. Perhaps, then, my hopes were a little high? My party of eight quaintly attired and altogether pleasant ladies were greeted (greeted is hardly an accurate word here; accosted is more suited) by a youngish lad with a surly attitude, monotone voice (it's possible he can't help this, so I concede that it is wrong of me to count against him), and oddly forceful instructions about how to order. He practically insisted that we get combo platters of sushi, even though everyone wanted entirely different things and not everyone wanted sushi or sashimi. He also gave us numerous warnings about how the sushi bar might "get behind" and "take a long time" because the sushi is hand-rolled to order and it was a busy night. (Don't all sushi restaurants work this way and manage just fine?!) He was right, of course, and we were there for two hours. He was lax in getting us more drinks even though we were trying to celebrate the upcoming nuptials of one in the party without too much pomp and circumstance. AND he appeared to make fun of us at the end of the meal for eating everything, but one last roll - joking that we might want to take it to go. Had his demeanor been any less harsh that evening, we might not have taken it as an insult from him... All of this might have been partially overlooked if the food had been good, but in truth, it was subpar. The rolls were some of the least impressive that I've had in Philadelphia: unripe asparagus and avocado, fish that seemed to be not-sushi-grade, and disappointing tempura. Plus, my calamari salad was not what I would expect of a higher-class sushi restaurant - the calamari was fried. I thought I was eating at the pub down the street. There were a few more complaints about the food, but I can't even recall them now because the evening was so long and languorous and the experience so dreadful, that we're all trying to block it from memory. For shame, Zama.
(2)
I. S.
If i could give this place 0 stars I would. All I wanted to do was place an order for take-out and I was told by a real arrogant guy that they can't do that and they only want to focus on in-house dining. If that's the case then Yelp should update their profile and say takeout (no). All I wanted to do was order like 10 orders of bluefin tuna to get my bluefin tuna fix, but no god forbid they accept take out orders. What a bunch of snobs at this place.
(1)
eric b.
Upon hearing good things about Zama I decided to give it a try. To begin with, I would consider myself a foodie as well as a huge long-time sushi-nut. Overall I thought the sushi at Zama was very good but there is room for improvement. Freshness was excellent. Presentation was excellent. Selection was excellent. Service was excellent. Prices were in line with a "better" sushi house. Portion size was another story... The size of the special rolls were terrific. The problem is that I eat more sushi than rolls. The size of each piece of sushi was unfortunately minuscule. They can double the size and it would only start to be acceptable. Zama falls way short on this important issue. Let's face it, sushi is expensive. The ratio of cost per piece to size of each piece is way off. For this reason I can recommend Zama but with reservations. After all sometimes size does matter...
(3)
Jeff A.
Was unsure what to expect from this relatively new japanese/sushi place. I was happy to find out it was at the spot Loie was at (and that Loie had gone out of business). It is a great spot close to the park would be good for dates. The food. Honestly the first time I have been excited about sushi for a long time. The rolls were creative and delicious the bronzizzle was like nothing I had tasted before. The toro and some golden eye snapper sashima was some of the best i've tasted. One friend who came got the steak which looked so good we all tried it too. It came with different dipping "salts" was perfectly cooked. Very impressed good sake list too Overall very very good would definitely come back.
(4)
Liz Q.
This is my second time at Zama. The service there is great! My date and I had the fried pork dumplings and the short ribs to share as an appetizer. Short ribs were delicious as usual however the dumplings weren't a favorite of mine. We then split half of the black cod. For the price of the dish, the portions were minuscule. The sides for the black cod were endives and pickled veggies. For a somewhat expensive dish, I would have expected a better quality garnish. For sushi, my date ordered us an eel and shrimp specialty roll, spider roll, salmon roll, one uni sushi topped with quail egg, and two trigger fish sashimi. Although i love their wide variety of fish, their sashimi is much smaller than average. All in all, I would still recommend Zama for the atmosphere and the experience.
(4)
J S.
Fantastic food! Pleasantly surprised - super fresh sushi, artfully presented. Every bite a masterpiece.
(5)
Shelley S.
The black cod here is probably my favorite thing to eat in Philly and what keeps me going back. The prices are a little high, but you're paying for quality of food and for quality of food preparation. My Japanese-Italian friend with peanut allergies visited and I took her here. Being Japanese, she's very picky about her sushi restaurants. Being italian, she's very vocal about her likes and dislikes. She loved it. As a bonus, because she has peanut allergies, she asked about how everything was made, and we learned how thorough they are in the kitchen. They even make their own bread for the bread pudding (which was delicious).
(5)
Garima K.
Great food and lovely ambiance!
(4)
Larissa S.
beautiful restaurant and great sushi. the wasabi lobster is my favorite (lots of lobster on top) and i also love the yellowtail jalapeño mango. zama is really good with gluten free and is knowledgeable about all of the ingredients in the rolls. i love that i can order a spicy tuna roll and not worry about hidden soy sauce. the green tea martini is also delicious!
(5)
Tim P.
Good food. Small portions. Pricey. Horrible service. I should not have to wait 20 minutes for knife and fork so I can cut my now cold short ribs. The waitress also forgot to write down half the things I ordered. I won't go back.
(2)
Ed Y.
Hands down, the best sushi restaurant you can go find in Philadelphia. Sushi here is extremely fresh and well made. Although most people recognize Morimoto as the famous Japanese place in Philly, I'd go on a limb and say that if you're looking strictly for sushi, Zama is the better, less pricey bet. Large selection of ala carte sushi, combination dinners, and huge sake selection. Also, decor of the restaurant is huge plus. It's nowhere near as flashy as Morimoto or any of the Steven Star restaurants, but is neat in its own way. The whole restaurant is covered in flat wooden planks cut to make the shape of waves. The design is simple yet very aesthetically pleasing to look at during dinner. If you're looking for a trendy restaurant to show people who are visiting town, go to Morimoto. However, if you're looking for real good sushi, definitely go to Zama.
(5)
Joseph D.
No thanks, make the trip to Fuji in NJ or stay local with Kisso. Overpriced and overall no so good. Bridge crowd-please enjoy.
(1)
Laura F.
I never complain, but Zama was a complete waste of time and money. The food was bland and texturally off -- I couldn't even finish my Dragon roll, despite still being hungry and its $15 price tag. Also we waited 45 minutes to get our very minimal order. Ridiculous.
(2)
Rocio U.
Sushi is good, dishes are well presented. Service is good. The installation is nice but might benefit from some noise reduction devices. Cost wise it was ok as well. I would recommend it.
(4)
Rose V.
If you are a true sushi lover like eat everything from uni and quail eggs to all types of raw fish then this place is for you. I had a RSVP for 7 girls on a "girls night out" type of dinner and did not realize that the menu was basically all raw sushi. I don't mind but some of my friends faces were like "wtf dude?" The sushi is good, the freshness of them wasn't all too fresh now come to think about it =/ but I do like how the chefs do not put too much rice on the maki's or sushi's. Full bar, we ordered 2 bottles of white wine, which of course is better for larger groups. It is pretty pricey there, our bill for 4 appetizers, 3 entrees and 2 bottles came to $325 (including gratuity). Our server was very helpful in assisting my friends that did not eat raw sushi, she was very nice. The place is small but cozy and very artful designs. --Con's: we drove by the place like 3 times not realizing it because the "ZAMA" sign and the design they picked for it was literally camouflaging, so that was a pain once we realized why we couldn't find this place. Pricey. --Pros: good food (def for sushi lovers), bar, good service and friendliness, nice place
(3)
Preety S.
The sake and maki rolls were great! Great avocado house salad to start with also. I would definitely stay away from the watered down coffee at the end of the night though. The desserts were unique, but they can be skipped also. Really this is a a true sushi place, so stick with what works! The decor was nice. Very, very different from the old Loie.
(3)
Mik N.
Wow - Zama was the most delicious sushi (though priciest) meal I've had in years. Every bite was incredible. Started with a Fugu special. Never had Fugu before. It rocked -- the best sushi house app I've ever had. As other reviews stated, their miso is so far superior to others. The house salad was huge and yummy. All pieces melted in your mouth. At the waitresses recommendation I tried the Japanese mackerel (another 1st time). It was a good choice. Also had 3 of the specialty rolls -- zahav, bronzille, and some salmon one. The presentation was exquisite. I loved them all, my wife less so for the very different zahav. The drinks were excellent. And our waitress fun and very helpful. We'll be back for another special occasion.
(5)
Elizabeth M.
I love this place. I had never even heard of it when a friend invited me for dinner there recently. We got the soft-shell crab appetizer...phenomenal. The sushi was the best I've had in the city so far. I love sushi, had recently moved here and had been searching for a place that's up to par with the favorite restaurant I left behind. Zama definitely takes the title for best sushi in Philadelphia. It is a bit pricey, but I thought well worth it.
(5)
TONY L.
I am new to the area and have not tried many Japanese restaurants, but I believe when you try a restaurant and like it for what ever reason, I go back for that. I feel that Zama compares to Morimoto's. Granted Zama does not have the extensive menu items on a daily basis as does Morimoto's, but Chef Zama has the upmost regards for freshness. I go to Zama now on the regular now and have the omakase everytime. He got to know my palate and when ever he gets something that I know I would like, he will text me. Therefore besides the food, which is great, the personal service tops it off.
(4)
dragon r.
Just went to Zama again and it happened to be restaurant week. And again, it was wonderful. Try the black cod saikyoyaki and the white grape juice cocktail. They are amazing!
(4)
Ange B.
I only sit at the bar, and on a quite night, will have omikase. Zama-san and Kevin is as friendly as ever, and still keeps bringing the freshest and most interesting sushi. The latest omikase I had featured fishes from the Mediterranean . . . very good.
(4)
Daniel b.
Everything is amazing. I lived in L.A. for like 8 years. Because of the shear number of Sushi spots, out there, I've experienced a lot of good (and bad) Sushi. This place, in my humble opinion, is the crown jewel of Sushi establishments in Philadelphia. The only thing they didn't have (surprisingly given their variety) was the scallop or lobster volcano. In any case, I'm never disappointed.
(5)
Pong C.
Though I miss Loie's endless mimosas brunch, after my visit to Zama last Monday night, I'm sure I'll get over it. There's finally a rival to Morimoto for best sushi in town. We sat at the sushi bar, which is definitely the way to go (you apparently get special house soy sauce that's not available at the tables, though I couldn't tell the difference). My friends knew Zama and one of the cooks in the kitchen so we got some extras. To start, we were served the pork dumplings and tuna california rolls on the house. While the dumplings were pretty standard, the tuna california roll was a delight to eat. Nice revamp of a standby roll. We also ordered edamame with green tea salt... it was nice to have the option of salts. We shared an assortment of rolls, including the Wasabi Lobster roll, Eel & Avocado, and Yellowtail & Avocado. The Lobster roll was definitely the star, it was visually stunning and tasted as good as it looked. After that round of food, we decided to order more sushi instead of getting dessert and ordered the special maki tasting. It was enormous and we couldn't finish it despite our best efforts. The yellowtail jalapeno mango roll definitely overtook the lobster roll as the star of the night, it was crunchy and spicy and oh so good. I'm going back just to have that again! In addition to the food, our waitress was good at what she does and the sake and wine selection was better than the other japanese joints in town. Definitely try this place out, you won't be disappointed.
(5)
Jesse R.
This is a fantastic Japanese restaurant and sushi bar right off of Rittenhouse Square. It has a casual yet intimate feel (high-walled booths) and the servers have the perfect combination of spunky and sweet. My parents and I enjoyed the edamame sampler (wasabi salt! yuzu salt!), tempura veggies and spicy tempura halibut. The tempura was great, not too breaded or greasy! We shared the sashimi and sushi sampler, which, with the three appetizers, was plenty for the three of us. Definitely a solid sushi place and reasonably priced - I'd definitely come back!
(4)
Julia F.
Tasty - but expensive. $18 for vegetable sushi? Please. Not a place for vegetarians; even the seaweed salad has dashi in it. Of course, that's the authentic style, so I'm not complaining. The tempura was dreamy; the sea salt on our edamame received no perceptible enhancement from green tea.
(3)
Grace N.
I've been to ZAMA half a dozen times since they opened last year. I love the minimalist decor, true to Zen keeping. I've only had their sushi, sashimi and designer rolls and I've never been disappointed with the consistency of taste, freshness & creativity. I'll come back. But, Umai-Umai is still my favorite, by far.
(3)
Gary S.
Zama might just be my new favorite sushi joint in Philly. Granted I went with someone who knew Zama, the chef/owner. So we probably got some special treatment. But even so, a great all-around experience. Cool decor, friendly professional service, but with personality. But most importantly, stellar sushi - excellent quality fish, creative rolls, unusual sauces. We also had the tempura vegetable appetizer, a scallop appetizer, the wasabi salt edamame - all delicious. Even the desserts were fantastic - way beyond the traditional green tea ice cream: Fuji apple crisp, molten chocolate cake, creme brulee! We will definitely return...
(4)
Carl C.
Seeing the three stars Mr. Laban gave this place I went with the lady friend. The sushi is good. The specialty rolls have a lot of fish compared to other sushi restaraunts in the city and are very unique. I would definitely go back to try something different. The entrees is where the problem lies... Black Cod which the lady loves. Literally you get a piece of fish and two baby carrots and a few drops of strategically placed sauce on the plate to fill up some of the room so we wouldn't think the plate was empty. Now we both like to eat healthy but throw us a risotto or some dumplings. Don't get me wrong the Black Cod was unreal...prob. best I have had but something needs to accompany it. Go here for the sushi....skip the entrees. Total bill with tip was almost $100 and I had to stop at Qdoba for a chicken taco on the way home.
(3)
C T.
The sushi/sashimi/maki weren't that great. The service was great though and the ambiance was nice. I probably will not return. I think the food was over-priced and I can get better sushi at competitors for the same price.
(3)
Kristy L.
Come here for melt-in-your mouth sushi! Extremely fresh and tasty. I was surprised to find that the non-fancy rolls are cheap--I mean $6 cheap! That's a better price than those in mediocre establishments like Mizu and Vics, and the fish is of a much higher grade to boot! I'm no longer dining at other sushi restaurants knowing that Zama's fish are so much better.
(5)
LawVick L.
We had lunch and dinner within a week. Here are my thoughts: Service: Average. Our server at dinner was quite pushy, I wish she can be less opinionated about the menu. She pushed and pushed on several occasions about certain dishes on the menu. We got no service after we settled the bill with a 20% tip. Our server disappeared, we weren't asked to leave but at the same time, she didn't come back to refill our water glasses. Lunch: It was amazing. The beef short ribs was a star. Chirashi was perfect. Rittenhouse Three was quite different. Dinner: House Tofu was very good. Spicy Halibut Tempura was delicious. Black Cod Saikyoyaki was superbly buttery, it was delicious. We had the large Sushi & Sashimi Combination, it was good but not the best, I was a tiny bit disappointed. Also tried the O-Toro and that was sublime. Overall, it was a very good place and I would definitely go back for the lunch Chirashi and the short ribs, I also want to sample other hot food next time.
(4)
luna r.
yeah yeah yeah, it's pricey. but it's very very good. fish quality excellent - very fresh. i was impressed with the wasabi too - doesn't have that overwhelming horseradish burn, but slightly sweet and also very fresh-tasting as well. everyone was friendly, and great at explaining what they were making. very patient with us, as our eyes were bigger than our stomachs! of the rolls we tried, the hamachi tataki was amazing. if you do go, bring a credit card with a nice high limit and expect to splash out some money. but just enjoy; it's a very nice experience. and at the prices you're paying, you might as well get dessert too - the yuzu creme brulee was awesome!
(5)
nausheen k.
I LOVED the sushi at Zama. But I must begin with the disclaimer that I ate here while pregnant so I only had the california roll and veggie roll. I also had the ginger carrot salad as well as the edamame sampler (4 different types of salts to choose from). That being said, as a pregnant gal, for something to 100% satisfy my craving is a BIG deal. of course I wish I could have had my philly roll and salmon sashimi but I plan to go back and try those when I pop. My fish eating friends enjoyed their sushi so I know we will visit again. We sat outside (outdoor seating is always a plus!) but the interior was really nice and we hope to make a reservation next time and enjoy the inside ambiance.
(5)
Paul B.
The only reason I gave this place 2 stars is because of the service. Otherwise a total zero. The sushi was not as good as what you get in a supermarket, the desserts were tasteless, and the coffee was burnt. I won't be back.
(2)
Paul C.
stopped here with friend for some sake and sashimi...I must say...sake was definitely little pricey...but I was very CONTENT. too bad they close at 10pm...
(4)
Dana A.
While the fish may be fresh, the service was not. We went this past Saturday evening and while we had a 8:15 reservation, we were not seated until 8:45pm. Why can't a restaurant that has been around for several months run on time? Why do Philadelphia restaurants that want to be hip think it is cool to make people wait? Don't tell me that you have a "unique opportunity" at the sushi bar (twice!) and think that I am going to not realize the fact that you don't have any tables. Definitely don't blame the customers who are dining - it is your fault! Own up to it, apologize, and offer drinks! Onto the food...there were some standouts like the surf and turf roll and the delightfully fresh sushi in the combination platter. And yet, why would the sushi come out at totally different times? It all comes from the same kitchen... Overall I wouldn't go back. Too pretentious, poor hostess/manager service, and waaaaaay too expensive (esp for Phialdelphia). If you decide to go, don't sit in the back room. It is painted black and there are bars on the window so it feels like a claustrophobic jail cell
(3)
Brian B.
Best I've had in Philly. Try the justice for all roll.
(5)
Jordan L.
Well, I just have to say wonderful. Myself & 3 friends ended up here on a fluke and boy am I glad that happened. We we're told by the staff that it may be a while since they were busy, and he was right but when our food did arrive it was simply wonderful. We all shared a bunch of rolls: The Tuna Ca roll, the shrimp & eel roll, the sa'ki, ma'ki roll and the surf & turf roll and it was all very tasty.I would eat here again in a heartbeat.
(5)
Brittany Y.
This restaurant, it seems to me, is very much over-rated. I hate when reviewers have very specific complaints that seemingly would only bother that type of person so my final opinion of the place discounts my boyfriend's bizarre and extreme reaction to some unwanted spice in a sushi. I will, however, complain about the unusually long wait for sushi between plates. The pork fried dumplings were nothing special, but the Rittenhouse Three rolls were--Exceptionally fresh fish with flavorful fruits and sauces. My Rainbow Roll lacked flavor. Also, funny story: a couple at the far end of the restaurant had a wonderfully looking vertical maki topped with what looked like a stir fried chicken with a dark brown sauce. Delicious! I described what I had seen to our waitress, who asked their waitress what they had ordered. Our waitress was certain it was such-and-such, so we got the such-and-such. That such-and-such arrived 30 minutes later and it was terribly sour (turned out to be the Bronzizzle). I love fish, but I disliked that dish. We try again. It must have been the such-and-such-other-thing. So we get that. Turns out that wasn't what I saw either but I kept my mouth shut. It's too bad the waitress couldn't have figured out from my description what that couple had. The Zahav dish was good, and we especially liked the deep fried edamame balls. We liked the after dinner sake, but, all in all, it was a very mediocre experience.
(3)
Josh L.
Mixed feeling about this place. It's really close to where I live, and its not as overpriced as Morimoto - But, the fish and sushi are not that good. The rolls I ordered were not bad. The uni sushi looked ok (was told they got it from the west coast and price hence raised from $5 a piece to $7) but I couldn't tell how it tasted. It seemed like I might be the first one at that night to order it --- the uni was very cold and tasted like it was just taken out of the fridge a couple mins ago. That definitely killed the rich flavor it should have. I hence didn't bother to try their other nigiri sushi / sashimi offerings. Beer selection was a bit disappointing, as they only had the basic asashi/sapporro/kirin offerings, no japanese micro-brewery beer. I liked their veggie tempura and edamame in addition to the rolls. Service was ok and price was not bad. I'd go back again just for rolls. My searching of authentic japanese food in philly continues.
(3)
ivy b.
First let me say that I love love love good sushi- (No california rolls or spicy tuna for me). I went to Zama for a sashimi lunch and was pleased to see items such as bronzino and kinda blue tuna. However, the sashimi was paper thin and for $5.00 a piece, with a two a piece minimum, it was not worth it. The bronzino was slimy and not very good. I don't mind spending money for sushi (can you say Sasabune in NY), but I was very disappointed in Zama. And I'm not just whining!!!
(2)
Alex F.
Prior yelp reviews complained about the service, but we had no problems. Went on a Tuesday, restaurant was 2/3 full, service was great. Got the tofu app, 3 rolls and the black miso cod for two people. Was actually a bit too much food. For rolls we got eel omelet, wasabi lobster, and brazizzle. Lobster and brazizzle were spectacular. Black miso cod was also great. All in all, excellent. Not mind blowing, but very very good. Best sushi I have had in Philly.
(4)
Vivian T.
Had dinner here with my husband after the hostess at Bibou recommended the restaurant. The decor and atmosphere was very nice and trendy. We ordered one restaurant week dinner (salad, crunchy salmon roll, roll + 7 pieces of sushi, peach bread pudding), and various a la carte items (tofu, hand roll special, sashimi pieces). Overall the food was good. Dessert on the other hand was disgusting. The dessert had a strange texture and was too sweet. In terms of the restaurant menu, our waitress kept insisting it was a good deal but when we did the breakdown, the restaurant cut portions down and did not really offer a 'deal'. I also wished I read the fine print on the menu because each piece of sashimi i ordered was by the piece (I automatically assumed it was 2 piece an order since this is usually the standard in other Japanese restaurants). For two pieces of shrimp, 2 pieces of tuna, 2 pieces of salmon, and one egg omelet, the total rang up to $29.50 (for seven pieces!!). The portions were a lot smaller than what I get at Sagami's. In my early 20's I would have loved the place and not have minded overpaying for pieces of sashimi. But now that I am in my late twenty's and approaching my 30 yr mark (oh god no!), I prefer a more rustic setting where the food is not only good but worth the value. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind spending on a good meal but it's just got to be worth it for me. To conclude, I would not return to this restaurant.
(2)
Rachel T.
Delicious and great service period
(5)
Aaron R.
The best sushi in Philadelphia. Try the Bronzino roll or the mad dog roll for a treat. Beer and cocktail list is good too.
(5)
V F.
Really Good! Some unique rolls many staples all delicious.
(5)
Kathy L.
probably one of the better of the japanese restaurants in philly...(slim pickings people)...but overpriced. the desserts are really good. favorite is the banana chocolate bombe. house made tofu is a little bit of a joke for $9. it's just soft tofu tasting stuff with some mushroom sauce. $6 of the 9 bux you pay for the dish is probably because it gets "cooked at the table" with a little candle underneath. just save yourself the money and don't order it. pork tonkatsu is also decent, but nothing close to what you can get in ny for half the price. philly is missing a solid izakaya type establishment - and no, i don't think stephen starr or jose garces are good candidates.
(3)
maria c.
Excellent sushi. Best in Philadelphia. The fish was so delicious and fresh. Nice atmosphere!
(5)
K E.
Super delicious sushi.
(5)
Samantha T.
Went to Zama last night with a few girlfriends and had a really nice meal. Parking wasn't too bad but I bet on weekends it's awful. We had a bunch of little appetizers, sushi and the dessert sampler. Everything was really tasty and the service and atmosphere were excellent. I will definitely be back for another fab dinner. It's nice to find somewhere to eat that's reasonably priced in the city that isn't a pizza shop.
(4)
David Z.
I ate here Saturday night. It was no problem getting a last minute reservation at 7:30. I can understand why. It wasn't bad by any means, but it also wasn't a place I will make a return to. It was just blah. I tried the hand roll chef's selection. It was 3 different hand rolls that were ok. Nothing special. One was tuna, one salmon and one yellowtail. They did serve a generous portion of fish in all the sushi dishes, which was nice. The spicy tuna roll was the best thing we had. The worst thing was dessert. We had the molten chocolate cake which was a cold chocolate cake. This didn't make much sense to me since the definition of molten is warm/hot. Service was ok. I guess nothing really stood out. They didn't have many interesting rolls or entrees. Some of the things were on the spendy side while there ordinary rolls were quite reasonable. I would rather go to raw, zento, uzu, pod, or morimotos any day before zama.
(2)
renee r.
I went here with my boyfriend for dinner as a recommendation from my boss who had worked with the chef/owner previously when he was at pod. The Sushi was awesome!! So fresh tasting. For dessert i had the tour of japan, it was huge and perfect for sharing. I really enjoyed the lychee fiz cocktail i had and the service was great too. The only complaint i had was that i walked by the place 2 times because the outdoor sign was not visible enough. Definitely a place to check out.
(4)
tiffany h.
Definitely good quality sushi for Philadelphia. It's a different kind of experience from Jay's or Vic's. I would go to those if you want inexpensive but tasty rolls, and I would go to Zama if you want a more authentic experience. The quality of the sushi is infinitely better than Pod, but not quite as good as Morimoto. It's a good middle option. Ordering uni is usually my litmus test, and the uni was very fresh with no after taste. The steak was also excellent if you feel like beef. Despite what some other reviews say, I thought the sushi was excellent quality with a good variety of different kinds of fish (not just the standard yellow tail, salmon, tuna options). As soon as it came out, I noticed that the color and texture were on point. There was a sheen on the top without being too glossy. Desserts were also amazing. We got the yuzu creme brulee, green tea ice cream (which had an authentic macha taste), and sake soaked cake with cooked apples on top.
(4)
Elena S.
What a great new addition to the sushi scene in Philly! My fiance and I stumbled onto zama just after it had opened, and decided to stop in for dinner. The food, the service, and the ambiance was a very pleasant surprise. Although the menu does feature most of the traditional sushi that you may be in search of, where it shines is in its own unique creations. A hand roll, rolled in soy paper, with jalapenos inside--delicious! And something I've never seen before. Our meal was superb from start to finish (be sure to check out the desserts). We have always had exceptional wait staff service. Jana was our waitress on our first visit, and she made the experience all the more enjoyable. She clearly knew the menu well enough to suggest that delicious jalapeno hand-roll, in addition to many other spot-on menu suggestions, and her service throughout the meal lived up to expectations. To be fair, be warned that the prices at Zama are on par with the experience, so don't show up only for the cheap sushi combo, but it is worth every penny.
(5)
Lyndsay W.
My fiance and I just had an excellent lunch at Zama! Our server, Craig, was very knowledgable and helpful. We shared the agedashi tofu bento box lunch to start (which will be what I will eat next time I come for lunch), the bronzizzle which was a delicious roll with a slightly tart yuzu sauce. We also had the hamachi tataki which was out of this world. The sauce was fabulous, the fish was perfectly cooked, definitely a dish I would come back for. We ended with a trio of desserts, of which the yuzu creme brulee and chocolate mousse were noteworthy. Thank you to the Zama staff for an excellent meal!
(5)
Steve K.
Good, but not great Japanese. Ideal location right off Rittenhouse. A creative menu but the dishes don't quite live up to the quality one would expect from the intricate descriptions and the price points. Also the sake drink sizes are way too small for my liking. I did enjoy most of the food and will likely return.
(4)
Kristin W.
I went to Zama with high expectations after hearing rave reviews from a number of people...but found it to be fairly average. We started with the Edamame with Wasabi Salt (more llke wasabi powder that caused an uneven burn due to the distribution) and the Dumplings that tasted overpoweringly of ginger. The sushi (Spicy Crunchy Tuna Roll and Salmon/Avocado Roll) was better, but still not very impressive - I expected much more flavor.
First off, the restaurant is gorgeous. Love the walls, the sushi bar, the booths...love everything about it, it's an awesome atmosphere. Came here for a quick Thursday lunch, which wasn't as quick as I had hoped. Service was a little slow and the restaurant was not full at all - no dings because the food was superb. We both ordered the lunch bento boxes - miso black cod and NY strip stir-fry. The miso soup here is great - not the dinky, watery, way-too-salty stuff you get at most places. The shimeji (beech) mushrooms were a nice touch. And I think if you get miso soup right, then you've come to a good place. As I will leave no shortrib left uneaten, we also ordered the kirin braised shortrib appetizer, although that could have been a meal for a light eater. Delicious, highly recommended. I happened to leave my headphones there and had to come back the next day...and obviously I had to eat there as well because how rude! I sat at the sushi bar for the sushi & maki combo. Everything was amazingly fresh and they gave me a very nice selection of nigiri. The chefs were fun to watch and I liked hearing them speak Japanese - added to the authenticity and refreshed my Japanese lessons from college, even if I only understood every one out of five words. :( Would definitely recommend for a casual lunch (it's moderately priced) or a casual date. Love this place!
(5)
Christine B.
Love the sushi here. I work about a block away so this is my go to spot when I'm craving sushi for lunch. If I go with a friend, usually split the edamame and then get two rolls. Most recently I had the spicy crunchy yellowtail and the california roll with king crab. Both were pretty reasonably priced and were delicious. The fish was very fresh, and although I probably could have eaten one more roll, that's just because I'm gluttonous, they were a good size. The service was good. When its raining they'll take your umbrella for you and hold it at the front, which is a little thing, but its nice because you don't have to get your table wet.
(4)
Megan K.
NOM NOM NOM - holy moly this was fabulous. The decor is beautiful the platings are beautiful and the service was great. My only issue was that I was too eager to show off my chop sticking skill with a steamed dumpling and splashed sauce all over a white work blouse. FAIL. BUT a waitress, who wasn't even ours, saw and brought me clb soda! Bravo Zama, Bravo!! I got the Rainbow Roll, Sesame Salmon, Seaweed salad and the short ribs app. Things were split but that is everything I tasted and it was super yummy!
(5)
Mais A.
Highly recommended! I'm new to Philly and have been making an effort to try as many sushi places as possible. Best one so far!
(4)
L H.
Went back a few weeks ago on a weeknight for our third dinner at Zama, and unfortunately experienced extremely subpar service. Inattentive waiter, took 20 minutes to get a drink order in (despite not being busy) and didn't get to hear the specials for the evening. When this was brought to the manager's attention, we received an apology and a comp'ed glass of wine. Appreciated, but left a bad taste in our mouths for this otherwise enjoyable restaurant. Sad to say we are not moved to go back anytime soon after this.
(2)
Jessica M.
I went to Zama late on a Saturday night with a group of about 15. The decor is simple and clean, but not plain. The slatted walls and the interesting design on the ceiling set it apart from other restaurants with minimalist decor. Our server handled our large party with ease. She was friendly, didn't seem stressed or overwhelmed, and was willing to offer suggestions. Our dishes came out quickly and were all delivered to the correct person. My husband and I shared the fried pork dumplings - perfectly uniform, piping hot, crunchy and flavorful. They were served with a wasabi soy sauce, which was a little spicy for me, but I found it to be an unnecessary flavor addition anyway. Others at our table split the edamame sampler. The wasabi salt became the immediate source of conversation. Of course all the manly men began beating their chests and demonstrating how much of the spicy salt they could tolerate on a single bean pod. A few at my table decided to share one of the sushi combinations. It was presented in a huge jade-colored saucer, what my brother-in-law referred to as a "birdbath of sushi." The entire thing was "chef's selection," but nothing seemed to be too daring; crowd-pleasers like Philly Roll and Crunchy Spicy Tuna Roll flanked the dish, while various pairs of fresh, compact nigiri were scattered between. Everyone seemed to enjoy the variety. I decided to go with the Justice For All roll, one of their signatures. Tempura snow crab wrapped in soy paper, topped with tuna tartare, wasabi mayo and black tobiko provided one of the most perfect unions of flavor and texture I have ever experienced. Not typically a tobiko fan, I was surprised at how unoffensive the black variety was - tiny, not overly salty, no creepy pop in your mouth. Like I said: perfect. I am definitely looking forward to another visit.
(5)
Sara D.
Love this place! Great food and wine for very reasonable prices. Sometimes the service takes a very long time when they are busy, but it's totally worth the wait. We always get the Hibachi scallops for an appetizer, which are the best scallops I've ever had - they practically melt in your mouth. We also insanely love the brussel sprouts, which I think come with chicken skewers. Their maki rolls are delicious as well.
(5)
Paolo G.
A very good sushi place in Center City. Their real strength however, is innovation. It is rare to find a sushi place that get the basics right AND is able to offer consistently good creative sushi with ingredients like fois gras or jamón serrano. I have been here a couple of times and it has been consistently good. Only quibble is that it is a little pricey for a place that seems to pitch itself as more "hip" than "haute cuisine." That being said, the ingredients, like the ones mentioned, are definitely premium.
(4)
J C.
Best sushi in Philadelphia. Creative fusion rolls alongside classic Japanese preparation, awesome small dishes, and amazingly fresh ingredients. Not a bad thing on the menu.
(5)
Lisa H.
First time I've ever tried edamame peas with wasabi salt and it was awesome! The wasabi was not too strong and it just made the edamame super tasty. We ordered the Black Belt sashimi platter. The Chu Toro and Fatty Salmon sashimi pieces were BANGING. The best piece of salmon sashimi I've ever eaten in my life! The waitress was super nice throughout the entire time we were there. She made our dining experience at Zama that much better.
(5)
Aaron B.
I was happy to try Zama after many recommendations and reading some great reviews. A colleague of mine compared it to west coast sushi which really got me excited. I found Zama to be VERY GOOD but I wouldn't rank it with west coast sushi (not a fair comparison anyway). Everything we tried at Zama was delicious. The sushi rolls were packed with flavor and the Nigiri selections we had were quite fresh. My favorite roll was the "Extra Crunchy" Spicy Tuna. After the first two, we immediately ordered two more rolls of this. I don't know what that crunchy goodness stuffed inside the roll was, but it is fantastic! Overall the sushi was very good and I'd put Zama near the top of my list for sushi spots. There was one issue with my Zama experience. The service was incredibly slow. I don't know if it was the kitchen or the front of the house but something was not in sync. Our server mentioned that there were two different kitchens in the restaurants and items would come out once they were ready and at different times. This is to be expected and is normal at any sushi restaurant. What we didn't expect was for it to take a frustratingly long amount of time for the dishes to arrive. Our first round of orders included 4 sushi rolls 5 Nigiri selections, Kirin Ichiban Braised Short Ribs, and a house salad. The salad arrived promptly but then it was about 25 - 30 minutes before anything else arrived. The 4 sushi rolls arrived next and were quickly devoured. We then ordered an additional two sushi rolls and dumplings. The 2 sushi rolls and dumplings arrived next, but what we found odd was that 45 - 50 minutes had gone by and we were eating our 2nd round of sushi but had not received the Nigiri or the Braised Short Ribs we ordered with the first round. The restaurant was busy but didn't appear to be overwhelmed so I find it hard to believe that anything could take 45-50 minutes to prepare, especially Nigiri. Luckily the food was so delicious that this did not ruin our experience and we will definitely be going back!
(4)
Justine W.
I actually really enjoyed myself at Zama's. The host was really friendly and our party of 2 was seated quickly without any reservations. Our waiter was also super nice and friendly. My friend had an allergy to shellfish and dairy and the waiter was VERY on top of making sure what ingredients was used in which dishes. He even cautioned my friend from ordering a dessert because there was some butter used in it and he wasn't sure if my friend could eat it. I've never met a waiter who was so careful and friendly, so I was very impressed. The reason why I took off a few stars was because I wasn't really that full after ordering an appetizer, entree, AND dessert. Maybe I'm just a pig so it's my own problem, but I just wish that the portions were a bit bigger, at least for the entree. I got a Nigiri 7, so I knew that it would only come with 7 pieces of nigiri. However, I've worked at a sushi restaurant before and so I just felt like there wasn't enough rice used in the nigiri. Also, they used wasabi to stick the fish to the rice. I know a lot of places do that, but there was a lot of wasabi, and so it was very spicy to me and I couldn't scrape it off because it was inside the sushi! The service and the presentation of the food was all really great, and my only complaint really is the food portions.
(3)
Kate M.
Four Seasons concierge strikes again! I was sent to Zama when I asked for good sushi within walking distance. Got to Zama about 7 and was told they were totally booked for the night, except for the tables outside. We sat outside. I felt a little like the tables (all three of them) outside were a bit of an after thought. However, the way the restaurant is designed if you were sitting at an outside table and a woman in a skirt or dress walked near the front of the restaurant you could see up her skirt, so, you've got that goin for ya. The sushi was good, creative, and pretty. I wasn't totally blown away though. It definitely left something to be desired. The Bronzizzle roll was so spicy I had to stop eating it. It didn't mention any ingredient on the menu that was spicy. The banana bomb desert was delicious. If I could I would have had just that (or two of them perhaps) as a meal. Our server was ok, although he seemed a little rushed and I had to flag him down a few times. Seemed like the whole experience probably took longer than necessary. All the meals didn't arrive at the same time either, which was a little strange.
(3)
John C.
Nestled just off of the Rittenhouse square, away from the buzz, is one of my regular lunch spots, Zama. Excellent sushi, though it tries not to push the envelope too much. These days, sushi joints are creating these seventeen ingredient special rolls, but Zama keeps it pretty straight laced that specials that keep the focus on the fish, not hide it in sauce. Oddly enough though, my favorite item is not the sushi . . . but the Udon Noodle Soup. It's the best I've ever had. Even though it's offered as an appetizer, its easilly a meal, featuring pork, spinach, and crab on top of Udon noodles, set in a balanced broth. It's excellent, and will be sure to please even the pickiest of eaters. I wish I was having some now. So go forth, grab your favorite pair of chopsticks, and have a tasty experience
(4)
Grace S.
This place has gone downhill in the last year. Not only do they place you on hold for ridiculous amounts of time when you call, (what are they possibly doing???) but their portion sizes have significantly diminished. The last two times I got pick up, they made me wait nearly 30 minutes even though I arrived after the time they said the food would be ready (and it was clear that they hadn't even looked at the order, let alone start preparing it). I wouldn't mind the wait so much if the sushi/sashimi was still good value and the food actually tasted good. I used to love their unagi, but what I've gotten lately is old and 'stale' eel. Their spicy crunchy rolls were always a favorite, but they are about half the size they used to come in. The last sushi combination I ordered was extremely underwhelming, besides the usual tuna, yellowtail, shrimp and salmon, the other 5 nigiri were tasteless or not tasty. It's just not worth the price tag anymore, sadly, so I guess we all just need to suck it up and dish it out at morimoto.
(1)
Abby W.
Based on the distribution of my reviews, you'd think I eat nothing but sushi, but in reality my boyfriend and I just like it a lot and are always looking for great new sushi options in the city. It seems patently unfair that the suburbs have better sushi than most of what you find in Philly. We were supposed to try Zama ages ago but I wasn't feeling well that night, so we decided to give it another go last Thursday to celebrate my return from the vast and depressing stretches of Iowan prairie where I ate exactly the same thing for every single meal (the Midwest is hell on earth for people with food intolerances). We were seated promptly at our reserved time in the faaaar back of the restaurant. Seriously, we passed like 5 empty tables on the way to the very back. Service was competent. We started by sharing the seaweed salad with octopus, which is definitely not worth the extra $5. There were only 4 small slivers of chewy, flavorless octopus on top of a really delicious seaweed salad with more varieties of seaweed than I've ever been served. I also got a lychee cocktail which was yummy but could have used more booze and less lychee. Sushi-wise we got the shrimp tempura and Bronzizzle rolls from the ala carte menu and then got the huge maki & sushi combo for $65. The shrimp tempura roll was really excellent, I ate half and I don't even normally eat that roll because it's not my fave. The Bronzizzle was out of control good. The combo platter arrived after we finished these items and it was very nicely presented, but I have a few nitpicks. A) our server should have asked the chef to adjust the roll selection so as not to duplicate one the we had already ordered, and B) albacore tuna does not really work well as nigiri, the texture just wasn't right. All of the sushi was perfectly prepared- excellent quality fish, great rice, tightly rolled. I knocked off one star for the octopus and the repeat-roll action, but we would go back in a heartbeat. Total damage was around $125 or so including a cocktail and a beer. You know, though, that for about half that you can get a nearly-as-epic sushi feast at Sushi Planet over in Queen's Village. Just sayin'...
(4)
Seth H.
My wife and I both love sushi and this place opened our eyes to what quality ingredients and creativity can do with it. We loved everything we ordered. Some of the highlights were the flash fried peppers and shallots as an appetizer. I never expected something that sounded so simple to be so delicious. This came out at the same time as the short ribs and the spiciness of the peppers complimented the sweetness of the ribs perfectly. My favorite plate was the snapper that came out with a salt block. you placed the fish on for the desired amount of time. There was an assortment of other items to season the snapper with such as olive oil and mint. The server (or possibly manager) who brought it out gave perfect instructions on the options for seasoning along with his preferred method. Such a simple dish but each bite of fish was amazing. I had several Orion's (Japanese Rice lagers) that they add a little yuzu juice to and they went great withe the sushi. Our waitress was attentive but what made the meal was several employee who might have been managers (they wore suits) brought our dishes out and did a fantastic job of explaining each one. They dropped in several times when our waitress who was obviously busy was not able to. That is great service especially for a busy Saturday night! We made reservations using Open Table and had to call in about 2 hours ahead of time to see if they could push the time back which they did. It wasn't a cheap meal but it was special and totally worth it.
(5)
Anna M.
Dinner was great. Service was great. My husbands favorite roll was the kennett square roll (mushroom one). I ordered the spicy super crunch tuna roll which instead of being fried was rolled in sesame seeds for the crunch.
(5)
Sarah L.
I went to Zama with my boyfriend, a sushi afficianado on January 22,2013. He was so excited to go here for restaurant week. While the food was excellent, the service was EH! Our waitress was very sweet but was not attentive. We waited for our drinks to be refilled for maybe 15 minutes. Our food finally came and it was delicious. My boyfriend raved about the cod and the salmon and avocado sushi. I have no idea what kind of sushi roll it was because I am not a sushi fan. Our meal finished without any major fanfare. I paid the somewhat expensive bill and was on my way home to give Zama a 4 star review on Yelp until it happened. What happened is something that should NEVER happen in a restaurant. As I was putting my jacket on, i looked into the kitchen and witnessed one of the sous chef's LICKING HIS FINGERS WHILE COOKING. I was so happy that I had already finished my meal but couldnt help but wondered what happened when I wasnt paying attention. In summary, Food was above average, but the service lacked. When I tell my friends about Zama, I will be including how the meal ended.
(2)
Lady L.
This used to be my favorite sushi in all of Philly. The rolls, while slightly overpriced, are excellent and the service used to be fantastic. However, I've tried to order takeout for the past 2 weeks and each time I call, they tell me "sorry, we are not doing take out today". Well now you just lost a customer and a $50-$60 takeout order each time. Some of us work and don't have time to come sit down and enjoy a nice long dinner, unfortunately. Thankfully, Raw always has takeout available. Even on New Year's Eve. Goodbye Zama, it was nice knowing you.
(2)
Helen A.
I ate outside at there side walk cafe. I thought the Sushi was good, however a little pricey. I might go back to check the inside out.
(3)
Hannah M.
The food is very good and the ambiance is great, but my orders are continuously messed up and it's just not consistent, so I have to go with a 3. Sorry, Zama!
(3)
Kathy C.
I'm changing my original 4 star rating to 5. We are at the end of our long weekend trip in Philly and after eating out every meal, this restaurant was our favorite. Original post: We had dinner with our kids. Overall a fantastic place. Service was great! The meat dishes from the kitchen were wonderful. Oh the mini trio desserts were SO delicious. It's hard to choose our favorite bc we got to try almost all of them. The only reason I'm not giving 5 stars is that the sushi was ok, not great. We would definitely go back. Our kids want to go back tomorrow!
(5)
Willy B.
I had the best roll of my life here- but only after asking the waitress for recommendations. My advice is to ask before ordering a bunch of run-of-the-mill rolls. I wish I had saved room for more!
(5)
Eunsun K.
Alright. I've heard good things about this place so I decided to give this place a try. My friends and I went in for the restaurant week but ended up ordering the regular menu. One of my friends ordered veggie tempura and rittenhouse three, my other friend got two different specialty rolls (one of which was vetri roll), and I got yellowtail nigiri and chirashi. To be fair, veggie tempura was perfect. But that was about it. The food wasn't even mediocre... it was just downright horrible. First, the rolls. Oh, they looked pretty. And they were small enough that you can just pop them in your mouth w/out making a mess... These rolls were held together with a thin slice of daikon and that was where everything fell apart.... daikon had an odd taste that lingered on my tongue before it went away.. and that just really bothered me. Second, Zama uses their ingredients sparingly (and I am putting it nicely by saying that....). We could barely see eels in the rolls. The same happened for the other rolls my friend ordered. Daikon had a pungent taste to it.. and there was barely anything to prove that these rolls had eels in them. Second, the chirashi. This quite expensive chirashi was literally a thin layer of chorizo fried rice topped with two small octopus, two pieces of scallops and two slices of sashimi, oh yeah and a shrimp. But that was not the worst part. If by "drizzled with an espelette pepper aioli" means "flooded with alioli" then, yeah that's what I got. It was overwhelmingly salty, sour, and sweet that I choked over my food and ended up leaving more than half untouched. I swear, it tasted as if they poured lime juice all over the rice. I can't believe they even dared to call this chirashi. I am never going back to restaurant ever again.
(1)
Trang N.
Again, considering it was Restaurant Week, the food and service wasn't that bad. The restaurant ambiance was very minimalistic, but it set a nice mood. Our server was very attentive and a great help with the Sake selection. My friend and I decided to share the RW menu and add on to it. We started off with the edamane which was, warm salty and delicious, we moved on to the spicy crunchy salmon roll with was a nice portion in relation to some other rolls, I have seen around town lately, we added the sashimi roll. We then split the sushi combo, which is 7 nigri pieces as opposed to the 9 pieces, as on the regular menu, I have to say that the slivers of fish were sliced very thin, but the selection was fresh. We finished with some green tea ice cream and the bread pudding, both refreshing, not too sweet. I would be inclined to go back on a normal night and see if the portions are a bit bigger. It was a nice evening out.
(4)
Sugar S.
I LOVE Zama - the food is just so good and always top-notch in terms of quality. I have been there a couple of times now and eating there always makes me satisfied. The lunch sets are really good for the price too - you get edemame, udon (which was delicious!), salad and a choice of sushi. Definitely a winner for me!
(5)
Jessica C.
Restaurant is very beautiful and the service is fantastic! Try the tuna california roll and the lobster wasabi roll; both are delicious. I came here with my boyfriend and the entire staff was extremely welcoming and made our night extra special. Keep up the great work! =)
(5)
LaLaLa Lynda L.
Love Zama! Bestest sushi in the city.
(4)
Barrett L.
Zama, the tony Rittenhouse sushi bar, is one of the few restaurants in town that comes close to replicating a hot NYC-style joint: sleek modern decor, creative cocktails, and expensive eats. With a focus on creative sushi rolls and eye-catching presentation, Zama's dinner program has its higlights (and lowlights), and the sheer amount of variety would be enough to draw me back. However, some service blips and a hefty price tag may also serve as barriers to revisiting. We arrived last night at 9 and were promptly seated with our reservation. We perused the menu: soups and salads, appetizers, small plates, big plates, sides, special rolls, and sushi a la carte. After gathering some recommendations from our server and from Foursquare, we decided on six dishes for the two of us: the salmon skin salad, the calamari salad, the short rib appetizer, the black miso cod dice, the Bronzizzle Roll, and the Vetri Roll. And two Yuzu Gimlets. The salmon salad was better than the calamari. The former salad had big crispy strips of salty salmon that contrasted nicely with the otherwise bland, underdressed lettuce. My calamari salad was a little disappointing: mixed greens with virtually no dressing with fried tempura rings on top (unclear if there was actually any calamari inside). The next course, featuring the short rib and cod, fared much better. The short rib was tender, juicy, and fell right apart when pulled with chopsticks. The sauce was also pretty tasty, and I enjoyed the mouthfeel of the soft shortrib and crispy ramen noodles together. However, the miso cod was by far my favorite dish of the night. A perfectly cooked and seasoned cod with a delicious miso glaze on an endive wedge with pickled cucumber. I could have eaten that all night and nothing else. As for the sushi rolls, they were certainly creative, but not nearly as tasty as they looked. The much hyped Bronzizzle roll (topped with bronzino) tasted bland and flavorless. The Vetri roll was better but not by much. The daikon wrapper (as opposed to seaweed) was refreshing and the eel was fine, but perhaps a bit too much truffle and uni sauce for my taste. Maybe we shouldn't have been so starstruck about the fancy rolls and stuck with the classics, but then again these are items that are unique to Zama, so go figure. Otherwise, the service was fine with some minor blips. Our server was definitely a little over-enthusiastic at first, and when we asked him for recommendations, fired off a list of dishes that somehow included the most expensive items in each section of the menu. But perhaps I just felt that this guy was trying too hard at his job. Zama, for what it is, is also heinously expensive, and although I really wanted to try some of the Japanese microbrews off the drink menu, I couldn't get myself to pay $12 for a beer. Even if it was special. Overall, it's definitely the go to place for innovative and contemporary takes on sushi and maki, but it's certainly out of range for daily dining. If I come back, chances are I'll be sitting at the sushi bar, eating classic sushi and black miso cod, and probably not much else.
(3)
Danan R.
This is a solid sushi place with good offerings and great service. For lunch, the short ribs sandwich on brioche is very tender and nicely marinated. The chu toro is very fresh, and melts in your mouth. They don't have too many original rols but the standards, like the spicy salmon and eel/avocado are all pretty good. I love that they have a california roll made with actual lump crabmeat. The agedashi tofu is nicely seasoned, and the braised short ribs are very flavorful. The servers here are very friendly and attentive,and the ambiance chill. A nice place for a quick and casual meal.
(4)
Geet M.
Zama, you've got impeccable service. A late dinner here during restaurant week and the place was quite a buzz of activity but even with that the service was great. The emphasis here is definitely the quality, never before had I been asked if I wanted to black belt my sushi (to get better cuts of fish). The food is certainly tasty but pricey for sure. Miso soup: amazing and I LOVED the bowl this came in Salad: decent portion as a starter and leafy greens. Would have loved just a touch more dressing Sushi: great cuts, solid sushi, no fake wasabi (yay!) Mochi: thought this was just mochi and didn't realize it was mochi ice cream! Bread budding/apple crisp: small portions (during restaurant week) but good Japanese 75 (drink): excellent Warm sake: meh, next time I'd spend a bit more to get a better quality sake They have a few green tea selections, love it! So if youre looking for a place to black belt your sushi (get your mind outta the gutter), try Zama!
(4)
Hiya R.
Best sushi in Philadelphia. The quality of fish is incredibly and everything is so fresh. The Zahav roll, Kennet square roll, and shrimp and eel fiesta are some of my favorites. Our service was decent but could have been better.
(5)
Elena E.
We had a very positive experience at Zama. Originally wanted to come for Omakase menu, but it needs a special reservation on weekdays only, we settled for a chef tasting menu and haven't regret it. The service by Sam also was very attentive with explanations of dishes and enthusiasm. The sake selections were great and reasonable. The atmosphere is cozy and hip at the same time. The dishes were very well and freshly prepared and nicely served. From big eye tuna to black cod, to nigiri combination, all 6 dishes made us feel very satisfying and interesting. Will definitely come again, maybe try omakase next time
(4)
Elaine M.
I LOVE THIS PLACE. I was first at Zama about 4 years ago for dinner with a group of friends. My beau (at the time) and I shared a lot of delicious designer rolls, unfortunately we sobered up from our sushi high when the bill came. We vowed to return to indulge again for the next special occasion. I dined at Zama twice recently and I was equally impressed with the service and fare. The waitress that we had was extremely informative. She gave us a full run down of all the fish they currently had for a la carte sushi and sashimi. We ordered one of the sushi combinations but declined the $20 upgraded for all of the freshest local selections. It sounded amazing, but just wasn't in the budget that night. That night we also had the sushi bar sashimi sampler. The sauces that accompanied the sashimi were absolutely delightful; the dish was small and left me wanting a double order. Moving on, we had Yellowtail Jalapeno Mango Roll and the Bronzizzle. I remembered how fresh and delicious the Jalaepno roll was from my first visit to Zama several years prior. The Bronzizzle came as a recommendation from our server and did not disappoint. Though I have never tried them, Zama also has 4 Chef Inspired Charity Rolls. I plan on trying one of them next time. Writing this review is making me crave more sushi, I must return to Zama ASAP.
(5)
Peter C.
I was ready to give Zama 5 stars until we got our bill. The experience and food were great, but I'm not sure the price the was right. First, I want to give a shout-out to our server, Brian. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of the menu, and a great personality and demeanor to boot. The highlights were the kurubota pork dumplings, Zahav roll, and the bronzizzle roll. The dumplings had an awesome taste of ginger that I wasn't expecting. The creativity of the Zahav roll was really cool to bear witness too, and it tasted amazing as well (especially the creme fraiche). Lastly, the bronzizzle roll blew me away. I could taste it before it hit my tongue, and really thought the citrus taste matched the texture perfectly. I probably don't understand sashimi, but the sashimi combo (black belt) we ordered left something to be desired. The texture of the albacore was the shining star, but the other 8 pieces were just OK. I would definitely come back here, and recommend it to anyone. I just may order more rolls next time and less sashimi/small plates (might be a better deal). Overall, pricey but definitely worth a try.
(4)
Sarah A.
Zama has a very nice decor, and of course its location is prime. That said, I was not blown away by its food. The lunch special is a good deal: udon soup (with shrimp and vegetable tempura), edamame, dressed salad greens, and a standard maki roll (NB: anything crunchified is not standard). I would label the sushi as perfectly adequate. The spicy tuna maki, usually one of my favorites, was not particularly spicy or flavorful in any way. There is certainly tastier sushi for a lower bill in Center City.
(3)
Spurti R.
Great service... Our hostess was the best part of the visit. An extra star for the quality of fish and seafood here but the food was very poor in Flavors n texture! All I could taste was rice from sushi to hand rolls which masked the beautiful seafood. And it wasn't cheap by any means.
(2)
Therese M.
Compared to my usual sushi spots in the city, Zama is definitely trendy and the menu options/prices reflect that. My favorites were the Wasabi Tuna roll and Japanese 75 martini. The roll was super tasty, but not as spicy as I expected from something with wasabi in its name. I'd been here for lunch in the past, but this was a first for dinner. Their specialty rolls all sounded good, but I'm not sure they were worth the higher prices when there are so many other awesome sushi places in the area. You're paying for the atmosphere here which was fine for our girls night out.
(3)
Monica H.
Hostess greeted us with a smile and wished my husband and i a happy anniversary = PLUS. Waitress was as happy as can be.. smiled, knew what she was talking about.. explained the menu in detail, didn't rush us at all = SUPER PLUS... I was really worried about this place not being authentic and given some reviews about customer service, I wondered if I wanted to risk my anniversary here... Glad we did... The food is incredible.. Get the Black Belt selection.. It's a must! The types of fish they serve are AMAZING... Everything came out in perfection, can't really find anything negative to say..
(4)
Reem C.
Thank goodness for Restaurant Week. For some reason, Zama was never on my radar, but after browsing through the list of restaurants on the Restaurant Week guide, I decide to try Zama. We made a lunch reservation, just to be on the safe side. There was a decent amount of people in the restaurant around 1:00pm for lunch. There were only a few open tables, which must be good. The restaurant itself is fairly small, so making a reservation is probably a smart choice. We ordered the salmon teriyaki bento box and maki with shrimp tempura. The salmon teriyaka bento box came with rice and a small salad. Before our meals were brought out, we received a healthy serving of edamame and miso soup. For our third course (dessert), I have apple crisp and my wife had the chocolate cake. Both were very small servings, but were delicious. Overall, lunch was okay, but I wasn't wowed. I know it can be said that trying a restaurant during Restaurant Week won't provide the full picture, but one would think the whole purpose is to get you into the restaurant to try the food with the hopes that you will return. I've tried other restaurants during Restaurant Week and knew I had to return because I enjoyed my experience. Zama was just okay and with all of the other Asian fusion restaurants in Philly, I doubt I'll return.
(3)
Walter K.
Zama excels in nearly all aspects of the dining experience. The are at the top level of restaurants because of creativity in each dish. The combination of flavors achieves excellence, especially in a dish like the Black Cod Dice. As our fantastic Steve put it, "The bitterness of the endive, the savory cod, and the acidity of the pickled vegetable creates a fundamentally perfect dish." Service was truly stellar. I was having a particularly indecisive evening. After a few quick questions, Steve took our menus and then proceeded to bring out an array of dishes that highlighted complex flavor profiles, complimented each other, and perfectly satisfied our desires. Another favorite was a jalapeno tuna roll, topped with crab. Each dish had brought different flavors and textures together in a culinary delight. For drinks, there is a small beer list, a decent sized cocktail menu that is well thought out, and an extensive wine list. One beer, Japan's Asahi, is on draft. For dessert, don't miss the fried banana spring roll. Sounds a little weird, tastes awesome. Bottom Line: Maybe I'm being a bit over zealous. But when service and food are this good, it's hard not to rave. Zama goes beyond the desire to have a good meal. Eating here is a true experience, and I am already anticipating my next visit.
(5)
Kasia P.
This place is good for food and for conversation. I tried some of the sushi options as well as the NY Strip Strip and was satisfied by all of the dishes. Zama does a nice job marrying the American and Japanese food options. However, what makes it stand out to me, is the well maintained balanced between traditional Maki rolls and specialty rolls, an aspect of which some up-and-coming places tend to loose sight. I would especially recommend this place to those looking to grab dinner with a companion who may or may not be a sushi lover, as both sides of the menu are equally remarkable.
(4)
Scott H.
With all due respect to Iron Chef Morimoto, the best sushi I had during our recent Philly vacation was from Zama. The Iron Chef gets some credit for leading us to Zama however ... the wife and I were still craving sushi after the amazing omakase we had at Morimoto the night before. We considered returning and sitting at the sushi bar for a full Morimoto sushi experience, but it was late, we were tired, and thus we decided to eat near our hotel in the Rittenhouse Square area. After some analysis via the handy dandy Yelp app, I settled on Zama and made a reservation via Open Table for 9PM. Upon arrival we were seated at one end of the sushi bar and our server promptly brought us menus and helped to guide us amongst the vast options. For starters the wife got her standard miso soup, which was a very good miso soup. I was feeling a bit more adventurous and tried the sawagani, aka Japanese River Crab. These are tiny crabs that are just slightly bigger than a pea/oyster crab. They are cooked and then eaten whole. I'd never had anything like it. The server described it as eating "Old Bay Chips" - I'd equate it more to crab seasoning chips, but he was conveying the right concept. It was fantastic. We ordered the 16 piece sashimi and went for the "black belt" upgrade, which offered cuts of more exotic, pricier fish. I convinced the wife, who isn't a huge sashimi fan, to try almost everything, and she loved everything she tried. We had both Hawaiian young yellowtail and king yellowtail, salmon toro, chu-toro, sea bream, bonito, and a couple of others I can't remember but I promise were amazing. We ordered a few rolls, including a specialty mushroom roll that had various types of mushrooms, and the Vetri roll that many others have raved about. However, for us it was the Philly Style roll that stood our for us. Getting a roll inspired by a Philly cheesesteak may seem like a cop-out and touristy thing to do but trust me, you want this roll. It comes, of course, wit or wit out (we ordered witout) and features premium waygu, provolone, spicy mayo and bibb lettuce wrapped in soy paper and served wrapped in a newspaper. We ordered it more for the novelty of it, and it turned out to be the our favorite of all of the rolls. I like the way they do dessert here too, offering a variety of mini-desserts and serving them as a trio. They were generally good but we agreed the weak part of the meal. The rice krispy maki is basically, well, a rice krispy treat, and not quite as yummy as mom makes. I liked the banana spring roll and the the eclair with green tea cream. We both agreed the yuzu creme brule was a bit weird. The vanilla mochi ice cream was my wife's favorite. I think next time we come, we'll skip the desserts and stick with the fantastic sushi. We both were blown away with the variety of fish, the fish quality, and the sharpness of flavors. I'm going to have a hard time going to Philly and not having at least one meal at Zama.
(5)
Monica L.
PROS: Good sushi, spacious, decent/fast service CONS: Expensive! The sushi here is solid. It's not blow-my-mind amazing, but the prices are a bit higher than I expected for the quality and portion size. I'd say Zama is your typical better-than-average-albeit-pricey sushi spot.
Zama seems like an authentic fancy sushi restaurant. First of all, compare with the quantity of food, the price is a little expensive. But the sushi was awesome. We had a sushi&sashimi combi and it didn't feel enough, so added a roll. I expected the Combi would come with miso soups... Overall, foods here are more artistic than delicious. Every plate just looks so good.
(4)
Mary P.
Always liked this place but since I had the bronzizzle I am looking for opportunities to come here as often as possible. Very knowledgeable staff.
(5)
Justine J.
Natalie (bartender) is amazing. It has been a while since I got service this awesome where I leave over 20% on a dinner bill. She was just so nice and helpful and kind and just the sweetest thing on earth. I did not like the drink that I got, and she insisted on taking it away and taking it off the bill.... even though there was nothing wrong with the drink itself (which was yuzu gimpchi). I just didn't like it due to personal preference. Oh, yuzu is this powerful citrus fruit - just FYI . And no, I do not know her personally, so this is completely unbiased - pinky swear. One of the top services I have ever experienced. Very rarely do I leave 25%. Bill was 86 but was split half and half. That's how good she was. New things I tried today: Avocado salad was amazing. We were each going to get one, but Natalie told us that they were big so one would be enough for us to share. See, she was honest too on top of that. Anyway, the veggies were fresh and crisp and the slice of avocado were just great. There were about 6 generous slices of fresh avocado. And by fresh I mean pretty much perfect: Not mushy like supermarket California rolls avocado, not too hard like the unripe ones, but was juuuust right like baby bear's. Not too much ginger dressing where it drenches the salad and makes it soggy, but tossed perfectly where it coats every leafy green evenly. The Braised Short Ribs and Tuna Usuzukuri still did not fail to satisfy. The Bronzizzle (specialty maki) was soooooo tasty. Even with the cilantro/parsley topped on it, which I hate. So I just picked t off. It was nice and crisp with the fresh cucumber and a sooth texture from the avocado The rolls were topped with generous slices of Bronzino, a Mediterranean white fish. Give it a go. Yes, that was an imperative statement. Hamachi ponzu? Great! Thick slices of yellowtail tuna marinated in soy pickled jalapeno ponzu. It was so good. And it wasn't too spicy either. My friend can't eat spicy stuff, but the kick was just right for her. The green tea and strawberry ice cream cake (though I forget the official name) was amazing. It was solid as a rock so it was hard for my buddy and I to dig in to it to share. It's also more of a bite size kinda thing, But it was so good. The yuzu creme brulee did not fail to impress, once again. And the chocolate cake with white sake was amazing as well and I am not a chocolate fan. It's not too chocolatie, which is perfect for me. I just wish the 3 for 10 desserts weren't so tiny - it's such a tease. I think I found a new one-of-my- favorite places.
(5)
Aaron L.
Service for a busy weekend evening was very good. The recommendations were strong and the night was highlighted by the Vetri roll. Eel isn't usually what I believe to be the strongest base for great sushi roll but combined with some truffled uni and it was delectable. Chef Zama again did not disappoint!
(4)
Louis K.
Hands down the best sushi in Philadelphia. If you want to vear off from sushi try the black cod. It's delicious.
(5)
Karl M.
They have the smallest nigiris I've ever seen. Me and my wife spent $450 and left hungry.
(1)
Michael F.
An amazing, four and a half-star experience. I'm not kidding, a few small details landed Zama just below perfection, but high enough on my list that it will be getting another shot at glory soon enough. JJ and I arrived Saturday evening for dinner. Since it was snowing, we hoped the lack of reservation might not be a problem (hint: book a reservation). Luckily, they were able to seat us at the sushi bar quickly. Turns out, the sushi bar is a great place to sit since you get to see all the menu options come to life. A little gun shy about a recent chef tasting experience, we decided to make our own tasting experience. First up, the Kirin Ichiban Braised Short Ribs. I wondered how I might eat such a dish with chopsticks, however, the meat was so tender that was not a problem. It was probably my favorite. Next, a simple Oshinko. It helped clear our palate and prepare us for item three, the Sufer roll (yellowtail jalapeño roll topped with tuna sashimi, avocado salsa, and crispy rice cracker). I lied, this roll had to be my favorite. It was fresh and delicious with a variety of textures which really helped enhance the flavors . Item four, a refreshing Tuna Usuzukuri, to no surprise, also made its case for my favorite. It was sliced into 6 pieces for easier enjoyment which ensured eat bite delivered the chef's intentions. Our last main of the night was the Jose Garces Chirashi. It is a rice dish with various fish on top. It was good, but not the way to end our night. It just didn't seem well balanced (although the dish itself was setup nicely to split between two). We also tried three small desserts, since they have a sampler 3x$10 dessert option. While all enjoyable, none blew me away. For the complete picture, we had the Yuzu Crème Brulee, Banana Springroll, and Apple Gyoza. Make sure to ask about the desserts, as the menu is a bit nondescript. To end where I began, Yay! I'm a fan nearly Woohoo'ing. I'll be back and recommend you plan a visit as well.
(4)
Jianna E.
Zama is one of my favorite restaurants in the city. They have a great menu, though it's pricey, it is certainly worth spending a few extra dollars on your meal. My favorite thing to get is the calamari salad, it has great flavors, the calamari is in a tempura style and you could share it if you wanted, but after one bite you'll be hooked. The food comes out as it is ready. They also have the second best sushi I've had too.
(4)
Jeremy F.
Overwhelmingly underwhelming. Where to start, just about every aspect of this place was just not up to par. The layout of the restaurant itself and atmosphere....not great. The menu - needlessly confusing, poorly designed, hard to read. Our waiter - weird, awkward and clumsy. They have a nice selection of great sake, but entirely overpriced. for 8 bucks and up, you get about a 3 oz serving of sake....needless to say this will add up quite quickly if you enjoy a drink. The food....meh. We ordered the kaiso salad - which was probably about the best thing we had - I will give them credit for that - a nice take on the traditional seaweed salad. The steamed pork dumplings - soggy and waterlogged, completely flavorless. We tried a few of the specialty rolls, overall nothing special....lacking in flavor and imagination, and pricey. Standard rolls, not bad, but nothing great. Strip steak - gristly and too salty. Overpriced, not great....not even good. This place is a joke. I've had better sushi, walked away fuller and utterly satisfied from many places for half the price. Regretting not just going to Morimoto and spending a little more (or perhaps the same amount) for something truly fantastic.
(1)
Won S. L.
This is my first review and I feel bad to write about the bad experience. If you only want to have a high quality food, you will be satisfied. If you are not okay to be treated like a dog, you will not be happy. Service was bad. Server was worse. Manager was the worst. I have gone to this restaurant so many times over years and enjoyed quite a bit. This time, it was my first time since last sepetember, I ordered una-don with bites and it took 30 minutes to get food. It was busy day and I understand the fact. But even the dish I got wasn't even what I ordered. And of course, I didn't feel good about it. And the server named Trevor was like "Oh, you want una-don? Okay. Fine." I wasn't really happy with his response and I called manager. I don't know the manager's name because I didn't ask. But he came with the food and say, "Okay here is food, eat it. Our policy #1 is eat. if you don't want to eat it, Fine, leave. If you are hungry, eat it" I couldn't believe what just happened. I was really shocked and left right after. It isn't even the best sushi I've ever had. There are so many places I can go for better experience. Now I have no reason to go back to that restaurant.
(1)
Eunni C.
Fresh sushi/ sashimi is my favorite meal. I can literally eat 3 times per day! I was so eager to find my favorite Japanese restaurant once I came to Philly. Zama was my first try. Location is good and ambiance is typical Japanese restaurant. Tried uni, tuna, fatty tuna, salmon, salmon roe sashimi. Those are my favorite so I get them wherever I go. They were good but not outstanding. I thought price was little high for what it is.. But I still go there for quick lunch since location is so awesome for me and I do like that intimate ambiance to chat with my friends. If price was little lower I would give 4 star.
So consistently great. Creative rolls. Great drinks menu as well. Favorites are the SCS and bibou rolls. Really fast service which is a big plus given the extreme cravings that start post-ordering. :)
(5)
Christina V.
This place is SO DELISH! Right in the middle of Rittenhouse this sushi joint is servin up some amazing fusion rolls. I came here last night for a pre-bday celebration with a girlfriend. We wound up getting 4 rolls to start and a bottle wine. We had the Sesame Salmon roll (Cucumber ,Mango, Salmon tartare, creamy sesame sauce) the Wasabi Tuna (Snow crab tempura, Tuna tartare, wasabi mayo) , Surfer (Yellowtail, Jalapeno Tuna Sashimi, Avocado salsa), and a basic spicy salmon roll. The wasabi tuna roll was SO tasty and was the chosen favorite (it also came highly recommended by our server as her top pick!) The basic spicy salmon roll ($6) was also at the top of the list- it was fresh and the fish wasnt minced inside. After we were finished our first order, we ordered another smaller roll, and this time got the spicy tuna roll, which also hit the spot. The service was great and our waitress was helpful. I'll def be back!
Sometimes the entire experience at a fine restaurant comes down to the excellence of a server. Steve was that for us at Zama. I've been before, but I would have not awarded it my elusive five-star mark, if not for him. Knowledgeable but not pretentious or pushy; present but never intrusive. I should also note that the entire Zama staff was gracious, because on a bustling Friday night, we were running fifteen minutes late for our 8:30 reservation (getting out of the house is impossible these days, what with a 16-month-old to put to bed and so on) and they were quite understanding. We started with two drinks: the Yuzu Gimlet, a nice Japanese take on what I thought tasted like a G&T. I kept asking if it had gin in it! It was great. My perfect, Cucumber Saketini just whet my appetite further. Compliments to the bartender, who made it with a perfect layer of crushed ice. Our wasabi-powdered edamame came next; a crisp and refreshing starter. Followed by what I didn't expect that evening: a hot app. Hibachi scallops. Perfectly cooked and seasoned, I might have been happy with my night after this. Next came our rolls. All were absolutely magnificent. Both the Tuna Wasabi Roll, a beautiful soy-paper wrapped roll, and the Wasabi Lobster, this time and inside-out roll topped with lobster salad, were delightful. Perfectly balanced, salty, tangy, creamy, crunchy. I could have ate 100. The Bronzizzle didn't fail to disappoint either. Every bite was like ecstasy. I think I told my wife while eating, "this helps me believe in God." And I am already deeply convicted about that! I finished off the night with Zama's dirty martini--dirty with white soy sauce. And we shared the three-for-$10 dessert. Green tea mochi ice cream (delicious, but a little freezer burned?), the Yuzu creme brullee, and a molten chocolate cake (great throwback to the '90s). Absolutely great. Steve was the pilot of our ship and our voyage was amazing. I might not ever eat at another restaurant again. A few more notes: beautiful interior, a little loud, but that still made it fun. Waiting for the bathroom a few times was a drag, but I get that too, given its location.
(5)
Christy W.
My friend insist on going there and it's a lovely place. I like the food and decoration.
(4)
Thomas R.
Zama is a well decorated Japanese restaurant conveniently located in. center City. The inside of the restaurant is small but they overwhelmingly use the space well and well. The lines are clean and the seating is warm and inviting. When we arrived we were quickly shown to our seats. The menu is large featuring appetizers, tasting plates, entrees, and a wide array of sushi bar options. We started our meal with the seaweed salad and the salmon skin salad. Each salad was loaded with Asian flavors like sesame and ginger. The salmon skin was representative of the same texture that bacon would add with that bite that only salmon skin could provide. Both salads were very tasty. Next we had the hibachi scallops. This small plate paired scallops alongside cherry tomatoes and red onions in a wonderful Asian drizzle. The scallops were perfectly seared with a soft center and the drizzle complemented the components well. For our main course we sampled four different sushi rolls including the surfer roll, the crab and shrimp fiesta roll, the black spider roll, and the dragon roll. All four rolls were fantastically prepared and it is difficult to highlight any one that shined above the rest. Overall the fish was stunningly fresh and that is obviously the most important component of quite sushi.The surfer was fantastic due to the change in texture from the crunchy topping and the heat from the avocado salsa. The crab and shrimp fiesta was really flavorful and the soy wrappers were different than I was used to. The row atop of the black spider simply took the entire roll to another level. Although a dragon roll is common, this one was uncommon in the fact that all of the ingredients were so fresh. Overall our experience at Zama was great. There was a hiccup with our initial sushi orders and it was quickly remedied but the house. From the environment to the components of the food everything was fantastic. Would without question recommend especially in the very crowded sushi scene in Philadelphia.
(4)
Julie C.
This place makes me think of that song "If I had 1,000,000 dollars". I'd go HAM at this place if I could!!!!! I don't even normally eat sushi and I think this place converted me into a sushi lover. For appetizers I had the braised short ribs, nasu dengaku and pork dumplings (fried). All were delectable, the only thing I wish is that the portions were bigger! For sushi I tried the hamachi tataki, tuna tataki and the spicy crunchy scallop of the Rittenhouse three. My favorite of those was the hamachi tataki. Pair it with the yellowtail and it is extraordinary.
(5)
A B.
Within the Philadelphia area, it's not bad, but I've been spoiled eating much better. The prices are on par for 'good' sushi, but I would sooner point my car in the direction of NYC to eat really killer chirashi.
(3)
Ali W.
The restaurant seems to be a hit for business workers on their lunch break. The food was good, especially the udon soup. Sushi was fresh. The restaurant week menu was a great deal. Good for lunch or dinner!
(4)
Erica M.
Our experience at Zama was disappointing. While the fish itself was quite good (great quality), we found the specialty rolls to be overpriced and lacking flavor. We started with the seaweed salad with octopus, which was only OK. The seaweed was chewier than usual and the octopus had absolutely no flavor. Probably would've been happier if we had ordered sans octopus. Our favorites of the night were the toro and scallion and eel and avocado rolls, which were also the least expensive. The surfer roll (which came out fried, without any indication on the menu) was OK, but didn't have much flavor. And we explicitly said we didn't want anything tempura, so to find our roll fried was quite a bummer. The lobster wasabi roll was OK, but had no flavor of wasabi! The lobster salad on top was mayo-heavy as well. All the rolls had 6 pieces, and I could've easily had another roll or 2. The service was very good (though we did have to ask for water refills) - we sat in the bar area so the bartender was our server and he did a very good job. Again, the fish itself was delicious and excellent quality. But it just wasn't worth the price for us. Maybe we would've been happier if we had just ordered simpler rolls that highlighted the fish quality, but we thought Zama was known for specialty rolls. Seaweed salad with octopus, 4 rolls, and 2 drinks was $90. And I definitely didn't leave full.
(3)
Jen H.
Although this place is one of the more expensive spots for a sushi lunch, I have to say that the extra couple dollars are really worth it. A lot of places charge around $12 for 3 rolls for lunch, and the sushi is just okay. This is not the case at Zama. The price for 3 rolls is around $16, but the quality is so much better!! The suhshi bento boxes looked amazing and had so much variety! I ordered the maki combo, which included a spicy tuna roll, yellowtail jalapeno mango roll, and a salmon avocado roll. The ingredients were very fresh, and the three rolls were more than enough to fill me up for lunch. I can't wait to go back. I think I'll order the bento box next time because the udon noodle soup just looked too good! Totally worth the money!
Wow i am glad that I found this place. I used to go to Genji in the center city and have been disappointed since it was closed. This place is a modern version of Genji with more options of rolls. Really enjoyed the meal.
(4)
Cindy B.
Wow. Maybe it's because I was hungry, but I had an excellent experience at Zama. We arrived early for our reservation and were immediately seated. They have a complimentary coat check so my bulky winter coat would not take up space. Our waitress was prompt and efficient and very accommodating as we poured over the extensive menu. The decor was clean and light. I loved the ceiling!! Cocktails were great. Appetizers were great. Highly recommend the calamari salad with avocado. Tempura battered anything was a home run! Truffle chicken teriyaki - yes please! Chocolate cake small size was ah-maz-ing!! If there could be any negative I would say we felt just the tiniest bit rushed, so efficient was the service. I wouldn't recommend this place for a super romantic evening, but a great date option. I even saw children there. Thank you, Zama for a fantastic dinner.
(5)
Karen F.
Uh Oh. For the first time ever sub par service and a big mistake (likely all my fault and I acknowledge this) that I caused. Long story short? I will not order chirasi here ever again. (I got the blackbelt kind). It had an uni on the top (and I forgot to tell them I don;t eat Uni) and usually features eel. Luckily I remembered to tell the guy "no eel". The fish was gorgeously fresh - but there were lots of things I don;t like to eat. Next time I will just order sashimi and specify the fish types I like. Server (young male - Chuck??) seemed downright annoyed with me (I was on my phone alot on business related calls over lunch). Probably a fluke (no pun intended). I will be back again as I truly love it here. Next time I'll put the damned phone down. Sorry. Apologies. Oh - and I can't wait to try the new spot on 33rd Street.
(3)
Sherry L.
Terrrible bad sashimi and entree just not up to the price we paid $46 and didn't get fresh sashimi
(1)
Harry L.
Best sashimi in Philly.
(5)
Julie H.
Went for an early birthday dinner and was pleasantly surprised. I had avoided Zama for such a long time because I had the impression that it was just another overpriced fusion restaurant, but after hearing good things from close friends, I decided to give it a try. My boyfriend opted to get the $55 tasting menu while I chose to order the scallops and tofu to start, and the Zahav roll and the cod for my entree. The tofu is cooked at the table and is a little gimmicky. The mushroom sauce that accompanied this was delicious, but I probably wouldn't order this again. The scallops was delicious. We cleared that off in about 2 minutes. The sauce might be too heavy for those looking for subtle flavors. The cod was delicious but nothing too out of the box. The Zahav roll was fine but reminded me of something that I would find at a mid-level Stephan Starr restaurant. With the traditional options being done so well, I think I'll probably stick to them in the future. My boyfriend was pleased with everything on the tasting menu but there's nothing that we went crazy over. It's a safe option for dinner. The space was upscale but comfortable, and the service was quick and friendly. Overall, I would recommend this place as a nice date spot or for when you're feeling a little fancy.
(4)
Alison S.
Food= fantastic Service= craptastic I have been to Zama about 10 times over the course of its' life. My best experiences were early on, and recently I had two bad experiences in a row. And it wasn't the food that was bad. Their servers have attitude, give pushback if you question them, and are downright rude when you ask for something specific. I have severe food allergies. I would like my server to write my allergies down because I have so many of them. Don't tell me you're sure you have it, because if you don't, I have to go to the hospital. The word "snotty" is how I would describe our server. After the second visit being this way, I asked for the manager. I told her that this server's attitude will make me never come back to Zama. Her reply indicated that she didn't seem to care at all about this. She did not do anything to try to retain us as customers. I was shocked that the bill came and every last thing was on there because at the very least, show me that you care even the littlest bit and comp a drink- show me you care about me as your customer. But the truth is that they don't. I overheard a coworker talking this week about a bad experience at a sushi restaurant the night before, and I asked where. Not at all surprisingly, she said Zama. Apparently my coworker (who also has food allergies, different from mine, but just as severe) had the VERY same attitude given to her by a male waiter. And the manager? Also as uncaring. This tells me what I need to know: Not worth the overpriced meal for what it is. Go to Fat Salmon or Fuji Mountain instead.
(2)
Barbara D.
After deciding to skip the original spot, we ended up walking a few blocks to Zama. Such a great decision. With it being Restaurant Week, the only tables available were outside, but considering the Indian Summer evening, it was perfectly fine. Ordered a selection of items including the garden salad (nice size), pan-fried pork dumplings, and hamachi with ponzu. Then ordered a bunch of rolls and sashimi sushi. Everything was coursed nicely and perfectly delish!!! My only complaint was that the dessert was TINY, as in only 2-3 bites. But, the server did warn us that it was very small, and it ended up being perfect, since we were already full. Our server was attentive and perfectly friendly. My wine was nice and crisp. The host was happy to greet and seat us, despite no reservation. It was a great choice and I would definitely return or recommend it to anyone with a hankering for sushi. It looks like it would be a nice date spot, as we noted many couples out together.
(4)
Alan G.
Best sushi in town. You can't go wrong with the black belt platters and red miso soup!
(5)
Nicole O.
It was good but nothing outstanding. The rolls have mango or steak in them. Not my type of sushi. I like the fresh fish to be the focus and that doesn't seem to happen here. I Will give them points for their hot food though. That was excellent. I had the short rib which was delicious, and the fries cod in some sort of sauce tasted exactly like bang bang shrimp from bone fish grill (aka YUMMY)! Also, the Yuzu Mule is perfect, and the desserts were pretty good (get the banana egg rolls)
(3)
Lea L.
TLDR: ABSOLUTELY ABHORRED SERVICE. MEDIOCRE FOOD. Server John was awful....If I could give this place zero stars, I would. I almost never complain and I have a lot of waitressing experience, so I consider myself to be pretty reasonable when it comes to dining out....However, I've never had service this bad before in my life. To sit inside was a 45 minute wait, which was expected on a Saturday night, so we chose to sit outside. Our waiter didn't come to our table for over 15 minutes and seemed irritated from the start that he had to take outdoor tables. He started off not by introducing himself or saying anything besides "Any questions guys?" Didn't try to take our drink order and didn't come back for another 15 minutes. Sent the hostess out for him multiple times. Which I understand if you're busy and to give him he benefit of the doubt, it did appear as though he was possibly the only server/bartender for the entire restaurant...However, if that's the case then you should communicate that to your tables and also awful planning on management's side....Once we finally got drinks and gave our order, it had been about 40 minutes. We ordered appetizers and entrees. The appetizers were the only thing that came out timely. Out of 4 people, only one entree came out in a timely fashion. We all waited another half an hour, not even spoken to by our waiter. When the hostess came out, we asked her to check on her food and someone brought out one more entree and the sushi was warm, as if it had been sitting on the counter for a while. It was another 20 minutes before my boyfriend asked to speak with the manager who didn't care about our complains and tried to refute our claims. He offered no explanation about the slow and rude service of his staff and tried to have them bring out our food as soon as we complained. I understand being busy but the service was negligent and uninformative. If you are having problems, communicate with your customers....We ended up paying for the drinks and appetizers, but they gave us an attitude about not wanting to pay for the warm food that we received and didn't eat....The waiter was frustrated with us when we were still dissatisfied and then said, "I'll pay for your food that you don't wanna pay for and just don't tip me and that'll hopefully make it better." Overall, just a really terrible night out while we were entertaining friends. We chose this place because it had a 4 star review and I can't imagine how or why.
(1)
Abraham T.
EXCELLENT FOOD BUT DRINKS ARE WAY OVERPRICED The food here is simply AMAZING. The kitchen caters to both the sushi aficionado and the lover of fine Japanese cuisine. However everything is quite expensive. When you order, items are brought the table as soon as they are ready. There are classic stand-bys, like really savory thin sliced meats, as well as more inventive, modern dishes. The beer list generally leaves something to be desired, but occasionally, this restaurant is able to bring in really rare kegs of beer from Japanese craft brewers. I had Hitachino Nest Anbai here, when the first three kegs were sent over to the US, and the beer was still extremely rare and delicate. Unfortunately, beers were also extremely expensive - like $18 for a pint of Hitachino Nest Anbai.
(4)
Ficha D.
How could a simple bar transaction go so wrong? My boyfriend enters Zama ahead of me. I plan to meet him there in five minutes. Five minutes later I enter the restaurant, turn to the bar where I see him seated. I sit down. Bartender is having conversation with a couple. The only other people at the bar aside from us. I join him. I lean over and ask "What did you order?" "Gin and Tonic" he replies. Bartender has glass of ice in front of her. She's conversing, conversing, conversing. I get handed a menu. No 'hello', no 'welcome', no 'i'll be with you in a moment'. She finally asks what I'll have 'Tito's and Soda". She makes my drink, all the while having my boyfriend's glass of cold ice sitting on the bar waiting to be made. She serves me my drink and then makes his. He was there at least five minutes before me. We waited for awhile and he still got his drink last. We were there for about 35 minutes. The bartender ignored us the entire time while she doted on her couple of regulars. I get it, I'm a regular other places and I like the special attention that I'll get. But its no excuse to ignore and delay new customers when your bar isn't busy. But she never even checked in to see if we needed anything. Once we told her we weren't eating dinner there she couldn't care less about our time. Won't be back ever.
(1)
Lili W.
I went to Zama recently for restaurant week with a few colleagues. It was 3 of us total -- too bad one of my coworkers couldn't make it because, boy, did we have a fabulous time. Upon entering Zama, we were brought to the private back room -- this room looks like a great place for a dinner party. We ordered off the restaurant menu and this is what i got: - udon noodle soup with shrimp and vegetable tempura - salad with an amazing ginger dressing - spicy tuna roll + 4 sushi pieces - decadent chocolate rice pudding For the $20 restaurant week deal, it was totally worth it. Actually, the food was so top notch, this may become a regular lunch spot. Too bad my one coworker couldn't make it -- he missed out on great food, not to mention a great bonding experience with his team!
(4)
Cameron P.
I really dislike Zama. The restaurant itself is nice and has a slick, trendy feel. The service is slow and a bit inattentive. The sushi is ok-not great but not bad. But for the prices I expect far better food and service. Really feels like you are paying for the location. So if you are able to expense an overpriced underwhelming meal this may be your spot.
(2)
Atul G.
Came during the week to check out our neighborhood upscale sushi restaurant. Sushi was very fresh (but pricey) but I would say the more interesting dishes are the cooked appetizers! Yums: -Black cod dice: served on endive, like a taco! -Hamachi ponzu: super fresh, melts in your mouth -Wasabi tuna -Sake flight: nice choices and get to try a few things instead of just one Okays: -Short rib appetizer: nothing too special about this, can't usually mess this dish up too much Overall, very delicious, yummy meal. Would definitely come back to try other interesting stuff on the menu (like the rolls named after Philly chefs!)
(4)
Zoe P.
The only thing that's fun about being alone for a few days while my bf is at a conference is that I can eat WHATEVA I want, from WHEREVA I want. And I've been dying to try out Zama's sushi since they opened. We had peeked at the menu but never followed through on our interest, mostly because we love trying special rolls, but Zama's prices are way higher than other CC sushi places. But after what has been probably the crappiest past two weeks I've had in a very, very long time, I needed something wonderful and amazing to soothe my soul - and sushi for dinner sounded absolutely perfect. I ordered their "Justice for All" roll (inside: spicy tempura snow crab, shishi-toh pepper wrapped in soy paper; top: tuna, scallion, wasabi stem mayo, black tobiko), two pieces of salmon roe sushi, and the kaiso salad (assorted seaweeds, sesame seeds, tosazu) for my personal feast. The special roll was delicious, perfectly constructed and a subtle yet fantastic combination of flavors. The fish here is so amazingly fresh, thank god I ordered two pieces instead of one salmon roe sushi. And the seaweed salad was my ideal version: not saturated in oils and a wonderful mixture of different types of seaweed. This was a truly wonderful meal - I have to bring my bf here! It's clear that Zama cares about providing a quality experience of their ingredients. It's a great place to bring a date to since the interior design provides a soft, warm ambiance, and the staff here is lovely. Too bad I live so close by, I'm going to be very, very tempted to return for more sushi soon!
(4)
Jonathan S.
I had a nice dinner here with a friend and we had to wait over an hour to get a table. In the end we ate some sushi rolls and the black cod and enjoyed the meal and atmosphere. If you're after some great Japanese food in Philly this is one of the places to go, but don't get your hopes up, the food isn't that different to other Japanese places and you're going to be paying a premium for sushi in Philly for some unknown reason. The service was pleasant and professional but for the price tag and the wait you could catch a bus to New York and eat a better meal!
(2)
john c.
great experience. food is amazing. if you don't like to relax and dine, go on the early side. we found the bartender and our waitress to be as good as they come. knowledgeable, kind, professional in every way. and then there's the best fish in philadelphia. i will be back.
(5)
Jessica S.
I joined two friends at Zama's tiny 8 seat bar for celebratory birthday drinks, appetizers and dessert on opening night. Penne, the new to Philly bartender, was friendly and professional. With her help we decided to indulge with a green tea liquor flavored drink (sweet), sake punch, lychee/ champagne flute (bubbly + mild) and a kettle 1 citron/ yuzu gimlet (tart + delicious). We shared a tuna roll, avocado roll, vegetable tempura appetizer and kurobuta (pork) dumplings. The rolls were made with fresh chewy seaweed and the dumplings looked like beautiful little purses. The potato in the tempura was hard and undercooked but the rest of the dish was enjoyable. Our dessert was beautiful - and more than enough for 3 people to share. The creme brulee was served in a traditional soup spoon - very clever and cute. I also loved the green tea flavored cake. Overall it was a classy, relaxing evening. I can't wait for the Spring so I can enjoy the warm weather with a yuzu gimlet.
(4)
Rose F.
Decor filled with clean lines while the food is filled with familiar yet complex flavors. You must eat here (I can only speak about lunch - cause that's the only time I've eaten here)!! Let's talk about the: Food: The portions of the bento boxes look like a lot, but to the tummy are just right and satisfying. The sushi taste clean and fresh while still having distinct flavors. i recommend the udon bento. Service: not too intrusive and helpful enough. Dining Experience: I'm only able to eat here for lunch and during that time it feels like i've spent over an hour there, when really it's just been 45 minutes. I love it.
(5)
Scott S.
Great Sushi -- Make Sure to Visit Thank you to a California sushi-holic who recommended Zama. It's great and make sure to go here. It's small but very nice. The service is welcoming from the beginning and attentive throughout without rushing. We knew things were going to be good when the seaweed salad was more than the standard. We loved everything we ordered, but I'd be remiss if I didn't highlight the Wasabi Tuna. This was 6 pieces of heaven. It was the perfect mix of ingredients and texture with just enough wasabi mayo to spice perfectly without making it heavy. the Rittenhouse Three was fun and delicious. I'd probably order 1 or 2 of the individual items ONLY so we could try more of the menu. We'll be back the next time I visit my daughter.
(5)
Vanessa L.
Incredible, delicious, very accommodating. Entrees and sushi much better than appears in photos.
(5)
Marie-Claire M.
Zama is one of my go-to spots in the city for sushi (others are Fat Salmon and Morimoto). I only gave it a 4 out of 5 because they have raised their sake prices to the point it feels very excessive. Other than that though they classic rolls are great and they always have great specials (often some great yellowtail). My husband and I typically get a few basic rolls and the sashimi platter for 2 and are more than satisfied.
(4)
Joelle B.
Hands down my favorite sushi place in the city. Consistently good sushi as well as other dishes, great drinks and interesting beers. Love the staff and make it over there whenever I'm in a sushi craving mood. My favorites are some of the more simple items:spicy crunchy tuna, any sashimi...I even love that huge cheesesteak roll. Last time I was there I ordered this amazing fish cured over a rock of salt with olive oil dipping stuff...so yummy, so fresh. Washed it right down with my staple lychee fizz...
(5)
Matthew H.
Art for mouths. Not only are the plates aesthetically satisfying, but the balance of rich flavors & varying textures entertains your palette like Bob Ross paints happy little trees. HIGHLIGHTS: Rice Martini (dangerously drinkable), Nasu Dengaku (MUST TRY), Kirin Braised Short Ribs (no knife necessary, just chopsticks), ANY Charity Roll (i.e. Mad Dog Roll: Yellowtail, jalapeno and avocado, topped with tuna sashimi and an avocado salsa. Vetri Roll: Crunchy eel roll with scallions and shiso, wrapped in daikon, drizzled with a truffle eel sauce and topped with cucumber noodles, and dressed with a bruleed uni sauce... WHAT?! )
(5)
Tim P.
i have been to Zama a couple of times and the first time was terrible and the second was worst. I only went back as it was a friend's birthday but never again. Food was ok, not sure what everyone here is raving about. Staff are average and the management is plain rude. While we were there another table we leaving with yelling between the guests and what looked like the owner. We waited over two hours for some pretty basic sashmi and on more than one occasion they got mixed up with tables and brought us the same course twice. Checking the bill they had infact charged us for the mix up and we had to wait 15 minutes for it to get resolved. If the food was exceptional the chaos and poor service could have been overlooked but I have had better sushi from fast food joints in 30th street station
(1)
Phyllis G.
I have a lot of sushi eating experience all over the US and this place needs to get over itself. The fish is top notch, I will give it that but the management could learn a few things in customer service. It is one thing to over charge for tiny, tiny portions but then to insult by charging double for a hand roll (not listed on the menu) than anywhere else on the planet without telling you? Not cool. Unfortunately the manager does not care if you ever come in again. Reading the other reviews, this seems like the case as well. He offered apologies and poor excuses why they charge so much without telling you before hand, but did not offer any resolution to us, the unhappy customer. Here's a message to the owner: Teach your manager that the customer is always right. We were not looking for our meal to be paid for but perhaps a little relief from the $26 dollar charge for 2 teeny handrolls. Somebody please tell me that customer service is not extinct?! Certainly it is not something they care about here.
(2)
J C.
Hands down, Zama is one the best restaurants I've ever been to. Zama boasts amazing short ribs, wasabi flavored edamame, delectable sushi, and my boyfriend's all-time favorite drink, the Yuzu Gimlet. The Gimlet is the perfect blend of citrus and alcohol. Well worth the cost. If you frequent this restaurant, you are given 'golden chopsticks'' and will be seated expeditiously. The GM Brian and the bartenders I have met are all exceedingly friendly and polite. Subdued, lovely atmosphere as well to further enhance the dining experience
(5)
Gordon T.
Good restaurant with nice atmosphere. I really enjoyed the edmame with wasabi salt. Their food was very good and very creative with an excellent service staff that was friendly and attentive. I thought their sushi and rolls were good; however, I was surprised at the size if the slices of sushi. Much smaller than I would have expected; however, I really enjoyed the choice of fish the chef prepared. Overall, a good choice for sushi restaurants.
(3)
Linda T.
Favorites were: yellow jalapeno mango, bronzizzle, and the calamari salad. Cozy, clean atmosphere. Service was ok, but a bit slow.
(3)
M P.
Came here for restaurant week, so may not have had the most adventurous items on the menu, but was quickly disappointed. Sushi was boring, small, and not very flavorful. I'd honestly prefer Mizu over this any time, and Mizu is like 1/2 the price. Also - clean your bathrooms!
(2)
Sara L.
Hmm - I just had a perfectly fine lunch at Zama, but I am honestly not sure what all of the fuss is about. My lunching partner and I were seated quickly towards the rear of the largely empty restaurant. Our table vibrated noticeably throughout the meal, which was not a huge deal but was distracting enough to mention. The decor was nice and simple, with a lot of light wood and whimsical touches. We were quickly provided with water, menus and an explanation of some special items by our waiter. Between the two of us, we had miso soup, assorted sashimi, and three rolls (spicy crunchy tuna, smoked salmon and fig, and yellowtail mango jalapeno), and everything was good to very good. The yellowtail roll was, by far, the best. The smoked salmon and fig worked better in theory than it did in execution. We also had some Japanese beers, and were tempted into assembling a trio of mini desserts (yuzu creme brulee, fig and brown sugar tart, and a chocolate bread pudding). The desserts were surprisingly outstanding, and almost tempted me to up the review to four stars. However, I just can't do four stars for this experience. For a ~$100 lunch for two, I was not particularly full when I left and the only food item that really made me ecstatic was the yuzu creme brulee. The beer list was uninspired, and the by the glass wines were arguably overpriced. They were also unwilling or unable to accommodate the fairly simple request of having a few pieces of sashimi brought out at the same time as the soup. At the moment, I would rank Zama behind Fat Salmon and Umai Umai for my mid-range sushi needs. That being said, I would have no problem giving Zama another shot, and will update if i do.
(3)
Ashley J.
I really enjoyed my meal at Zama. I ordered the $55 omakase, and I enjoyed every dish but one (the miso egg custard). The sushi was amazing, and the starters we ordered (tempura vegetables and spicy shrimp) were phenomenal. The server we had was excellent and gave great recommendations. I'll definitely be back!
(4)
Stephen S.
Best sushi in Philadelphia! The quality of the fish here is amazing! But this place is not just a great sushi restaurant but it has all the accompaniments to make the meal fantastic, edamame with wasabi salt so de-lish! The eggplant with tofu and mushroom sides are amazing, order them!
(4)
Shereen C.
Zama is a great-looking restaurant that serves pricey but solid sushi. I tried a selection of raw seafood and it was all quite fresh. One highlight was the Tuna Usuzukuri which was served with wasabi greens and truffled sauce. Desserts were mixed. I enjoyed the pumpkin bread pudding but the Yuzu Crème Brulee was just okay. I don't remember the other dessert we tried. I've only been here once so I'd say Zama's worth a try if you're flush & in the mood for sushi, though I'd go somewhere else for dessert.
(4)
Maggie C.
Came here for Valentine's Day Dinner with the boyfriend and the customer service was amazing. Arrived at the restaurant 15 mins before reservations and they seated us right away. The beef brisket was unforgettable plus the desserts. There are a choice of 3 dessert samplers per order and the portions were just perfect for my tummy after the all the appetizers and sushi!
(4)
Ilan M.
This was a tough rating (debated between 3 and 4, ultimately a 3.5 becomes a 4). On the one hand, the service was great (both the hostess and waiter were very friendly and extremely informative; the waiter put for a great effort to upsell, without coming across as pushy), the atmosphere was comfortable and cool (I also liked that they provided non-wood chopsticks, placed on a holder, and replaced out plates with every app/starter/dish we had) and the location was convenient (close to the office/hotel we were staying at). Furthermore, I must say the miso soup rates as one of the 2 or 3 best miso soups I've ever had (only complaint is that it was too small!) which is a great compliment for something so commonplace as miso soup - it's hard to stand out from the crowd. Their dumplings were decent - not as thicky/doughy as traditional gyozas, but a bit thicker than Chinese dumplings. The waiter actually described them quite accurately so I cannot fault him/the restaurant for that. As for the sushi - we split the sushi/sashimi regular combo (great size for 2 people, but wildly overpriced) and had the middle eastern hand roll (4 small hand rolls with falafel and tzatziki sauce). As a middle eastern cuisine connoisseur, I must say their falafel was quite disappointing (definitely soft and easy to eat, but not crunchy and lacking substance as traditional falafels have). I guess you can't fault them too hard for screwing up a dish from a cuisine in which they aren't pros, however if it's on the menu, you better rock it. Their hand rolls were quite nice and light, but for the price it was lacking. On the negative side, the price was a bit outrageous for sushi (but the area is overpriced to begin with, and since the company paid, I didn't bat an eye). The sushi, while tasting average, was cut quite thinly and lacked substance. The wasabi, soy and ginger were fine, nothing to separate it from any other sushi joint. We skipped dessert, but it looked like standard fare, although their tasting menu seemed intriguiging, especially because it gets a bit cumbersome when eating 1 single large dessert when what you really want it to try bit of multiple desserts, so I appreciated that. Coming from New York, where sushi is abundant, high quality and comes at a great price, I cannot justify paying for this place out of my own pocket. Perhaps my standards have been set too highly. All in all, I'd come here again if on a business trip and wasn't paying for it. Definitely worth a try, at least once.
(4)
Rockit O.
Red snapper is a great litmus test for any sushi connoisseur. The skin should be left on, but it should be flash boiled (skin only) leaving the flesh raw and delicious. Zama did get this right. it is a technique that takes some care to achieve. I was not able to really try the whole sushi experience , as I was with a large group of people ordering rolls. What I did eat was good, and is worth another visit if I ever get back to Philly.
(4)
Jenn S.
great place for a traditional sushi roll or something funky and unique. ambiance is good for catching up with friends/ meeting (not too dark/ romantic-ish), the rolls are pretty well done. I especially liked the escargot roll (very interesting blend of rich taste/butteriness/ with rice/sushiness). would come back to try some of the other interesting rolls.
(4)
Justin C.
To start things off, I literally signed up to Yelp to make this review. Now, I know you're probably thinking well it must have been so horrendous that it was a one time experience.. but no instead it was just such a mediocre restaurant that people should know that. Visiting Philly from New York, and on my company's expense, I decided on this place due to its proximity to my hotel and other reviews I read on here. Restaurant itself fine, service was good, but the food is just not acceptable. I ordered a sashimi combination which to start off with is not cheap. $29 for what they advertise as 16 pieces of sashimi. No soup or salad included which I found to be strange. My dish came out and immediately I was struck by how small each piece of fish was. I mean, literally one piece of fish was maybe the size of a bottle cap (My mind is escaping me for comparisons, sorry). For that price and the quality (which I'll get to later) is outrageous. Then i realized as they advertise 16 pieces, it's only 6 different fish (including 2 of which are tuna) which is so disappointing. Give a little more variety! Don't give me 3 tiny pieces of mackerel. I would have rather them offer it as 10 pieces and give me bigger cuts of fish! Also they didn't serve it with any ginger which I had to ask for on the side. Albacore tuna (really?) was not flavorful and I didn't even want to eat. Yellowfin tuna was mealy and also bland. Salmon was extremely fishy, salty and was also difficult to eat. The yellowtail (usually my favorite) was so meh. Overall I can't wait to go back to New York where even the places I consider "bad" are light years away from this place. Maybe the rolls or hot entrees are better, but don't order the sashimi. Also the sushi bar, which people like because they see the chefs prepare the food is awful since they block all view to watch the chefs.
(2)
Sabrina M.
While staying in Philly last week, a friend recommended that my mother and I make reservations for this sushi bar, and we did. Our waitress was very nice and SO helpful and the food was the best I've ever had. Our Wasabi Lobster Roll was by far the best, (I'm not a big fan of anything really out there or of the fishy taste/ texture so I tend to stay more towards lobster and crab) surprisingly not spicy if you take off the small jalapeno pepper on top, despite having wasabi in the name, and after eating that I don't think I could ever go back to eating my plain old California Rolls.
(5)
Felix J.
Went for lunch mid-week. Hostess was not very welcoming. Sushi chef had no personality (we usually sit at the bar expecting some interaction). I asked the server about the Ginger Martini and after he brought it, he did not bother to follow up on how I liked it... it was not good. My wife's cucumber martini was another disappointment. Braised short ribs.... fell short! All that aside, I'd be willing to be forgiving if the sushi knocked my socks off..... Well, grocery store sushi has better, softer rice than what we experienced. If this place really deserves the ratings it's gotten, then I guess it was my bad luck to come from out of town and visit Zama on the day they dropped the ball.... BIG time!
(1)
Mansi S.
Overall, we had an excellent experience at Zama. The service was very good. We had some wine while waiting for our table, and the transition to the table was seamless. The edamame sampler was interesting, each of the salts has a unique taste. The sushi was amazing. The super spicy crunchy roll is a must try, you can get it with salmon, tuna or yellowtail (had mine with tuna). We also had two special rolls. The special rolls are on the pricier side, but worth it. The chef has mixed very unique flavors into the rolls, very different from anything I've had before. There were a lot more options aside from sushi on the menu. I will definitely be back to try some of the other menu items and cocktails!
(4)
Rachelle C.
The upsides: the decor is very nice and feels trendy and fun. It is very clean and the service was excellent. I sat at the sushi bar and enjoyed watching the chefs make the sushi. The sushi was fresh and very tasty. The minor downsides: the nigiri sushi was a bit small, but the fish quality was high. I ordered what I usually order (small sashimi appetizer, miso soup, and a hand roll), and had to order more to feel full. But overall, I would recommend it.
(3)
M H.
4 stars should do it. I think it's either the number 2 or 3 sushi bar in philadelphia by my rankings. Number 1 is Morimoto, Number two is either Zama or Raw. Go here and check it out.
(4)
Katie M.
I went for restaurant week last night, and it was pretty decent. Atmosphere: cozy, get used to hearing other people's conversations, once it died down, it was better. Staff: have to admit, this was the most disappointing.. our waiter couldn't seem to get anything right. My boyfriend ordered the miso soup, and got a salad, so we sent that back, then someone else's dinner came to my table, and we had to send that back (turns out it was for the table next to us) and our waiter kept saying, "oh i must have misunderstood".... but the guy wrote it all down, so i'm not really sure if he was having an "off" night or he was just swamped. Food: pretty great actually, house salad was yummy, veggie tempura was great (2 sauces), the maki and sushi combinations were really tasty. I wish i had ordered the sushi combination, i think i would have liked that more, but everything was really good. **the waiter redeemed himself a little when things calmed down and began explaining some of the other delicious sushi rolls, etc, which was nice to learn about** their desserts were pretty great also. the mochi treat was spectacular. i wish i could eat another right now. Drinks: didn't get any, but they seemed a little overpriced, it would be great it this was a BYO spot. Overall: i'd definitely go to this place again, despite the not so great service, because i'm intrigued by the different types of rolls they have, it was easy to get to, parking wasn't difficult in the area (street or lot). there seemed to be a lot of theater and comedy spots so maybe a show and sushi?
(3)
Candace C.
yum!!!! my favorite sushi joint in philly... im still salivating over the thought of the delicious and meticulously made sushi. i came for lunch, so i can only speak about my lunch experience. my favorite roll was the shrimp and eel fiesta roll. it was such a powerful kick to add a little mexican twist to sushi. the lunch sushi and nigiri special was good. the hand rolls are really spectacular because they are wrapped in this non-seaweed wrapper. i want to say it is soy based but i am not sure. i think the roll and the hand rolls were the best. one of the handrolls was alright, but the other two was very flavorful (one of the good ones was the spicy tuna). and this place has low sodium soy sauce (yay!) i hear the cod is amazing, but ill have to try that next time! the decor was beautiful! minimalist and clean, yet the place did not feel cold or uninviting.
(5)
Stuart W.
Nothing but good things to say about Zama. Everything from the food to the service was top notch. It has a cozy central location that is easy to get to, but beware, parking is tough, although we were fortunate enough to have our pick of spots in one of the adjacent lots. Just a heads up, if you're looking to do lunch or dinner during a busier time of the week. We enjoyed the quirky ?uestlove Philly cheesesteak roll, which is a nice gateway roll for those a bit shy with giving sushi a go. The bento boxes as well as the tempura dishes were quite tasty; the spicy crunchy tuna, and the yellowtail jalapeno mango were out of this world. Give it Zama a go, and bring your sushi averse buddy while you're at it- everyone will have a wonderful experience, and the waitstaff will do a tremendous job of taking care of you all the while.
(5)
Beth R.
Zama is as good as they say. I had a delicious dinner here last night, and each course of food that came out was fabulous. We started with the pork dumpling appetizer, and they were deep fried with ginger paste and scallions on top, and a spicy soy sauce on the side. A nice, subtle variation on the usual gyoza. Next we shared a mix of rolls and sashimi. The yellowtail, tuna, and salmon I tried were all amazingly fresh. Really high quality fish that melted in my mouth. The sashimi is a little pricey ($s are per piece, so each bit of fish adds up) but the quality was there. The ambiance here is great too. It's a nice date place. The prices are in line with the Rittenhouse location. I still think Doma is my #1, but this comes highly recommended.
(5)
David T.
I keep saying I'm going to revise my earlier review, and now I am finally getting around to it. When Zama first opened, the food was exceptionally good, but the service left much to be desired. Now the food is still great, and the service has improved dramatically. Somehow they got the message, and the waitstaff they have makes a great team. It is pricey, but that's the deal with top-level sushi in a major city. It's really one of the best restaurants in Philadelphia.
(5)
Andrew K.
NEVER GOT OUR SUSHI!!!!! So if breathing is to life as delivering an order is to a restaurant' s livelihood this place is on life support. We had some basic apps like edamame, seaweed salad, and pan seared scallops. They were decent. Then my son, daughter, and I received our sushi plates (four in all). Portion sizes were not great, but now I understood why the price looked half way decent. Only problem was we ordered 5 plates in total...one for my wife. We waited 5 minutes before we started eating so we could have a family meal together, before she insisted we start. So we did, along with a friendly reminder to waitress. "Should be right out" 10 minutes....we're almost done, and no 5th plate. 15 minutes, we are done. My wife is still food-less. Now the waitress is just rushing by our table to avoid us. 30 minutes after we've all been served our food, we are done except my wife, and have reminded one of the managers...we have decided to leave and ask for the bill....irate of course. As I sign the check, they have the nerve to say "If you want to wait one minute will give it to you to go?" Huh? Are you kidding me, we just waited 30+ minutes??? On my way out I talk to the manager to let him know he's ruined what should have been a great family night out. He gives excuses that he's sorry, he claims they were "short one person"....I asked if there policy was to deliver one less plate to each table then? I also asked why they could deliver 4 plates of food but not the fifth. My response was a bumbling idiot. So even worse than not getting served (which I still can't believe happened) was there response. They took off one measly appetizer from the bill. The only chance I had at going back there (and not writing this review) would have been if they offered me a free meal for my family next to time to try and erase this terrible memory from our mind. This place would be best off to market to ten foot poles, because that's about all I'd touch it with.
(1)
jennifer F.
Sushi was excellent and not overly loaded with rice (I hate that). Seaweed salad was different then what I was used to but it was still good. Desserts were to die for - we chose the sampler (3 mini selections/$10). I also had some lemony after dinner drink (similar to limoncello but not as sweet), also very good. The place was reasonable and if you're vegetarian, they have a large selection for you too! I'd return in a minute.
(4)
Yuri R.
FISH CANDY. If that choice of words doesn't induce your gag reflex, but just the opposite - makes you salivate at the thought of clean, tender, succulent, beautifully fresh sushi - then you're an aficionado. And Zama is where you should be. I took my brother, fellow sushi lover, here for lunch - he's one of the newly coverted, I'd say; I'd recommend the sushi and sashimi chef's selection lunch for a sampling of Zama's offerings. The details are all right, down to the ginger, and the mysteriously tasty salad dressing. Soothingly toned-down lighting and minimalist pale wood dominated decor complete the ideal experience. Appropriately priced for food this good on Rittenhouse. Mmmmm, like fish... candy.
(4)
Greg R.
Host was rude. Waitstaff pushed us to order quickly. They were cleaning the floors as we walked out 10 minutes prior to the restaurant closing. Food was decent nothing spectacular. Not what I had hoped to experience for a romantic valentine's day dinner.
(2)
Rachel G.
I got a few recommendations to try Zama recently, so I went finally and enjoyed it very much. The service was a little slow (for sushi), but still, with the help of my waitress Roxanne, they were able to customize sushi rolls for this gluten-free gal more than any other place I've been to. Very very cool. Oh, and heads-up - Roxanne let me know that all of the specialty rolls that usually have fun sauces that are not GF will soon be available for GF'ers! Redics! I love it! They have gluten-free soy sauce, so just ask for it. For starters, the cocktails are darn good. I had the lychee fizz, which was a delicious take on sparkling wine (cava) with a kick (peach bitters). From the starters menu, the hibachi scallops came with two large scallops and a nice cherry tomato/onion salad. This was pricey for what we got (two scallops, $12), but quite good. The edamame sampler was fun for the sake of trying some flavored salts (but nothing too special to make it cost $10). Wasabi salt was the most remarkable - it had a real kick! We also tried yuzu and green tea variations. On to the maki rolls...all of which seemed reasonably priced (more so than the starters). There were some specials on the menu that sounded interesting, but I wanted to taste sushi. I tried four rolls - the spicy tuna, salmon/avocado, yellowtail/mango/jalapeno, and the bagel roll (lol) - aka Philadelphia roll. All were very good - nice-sized rolls, six pieces per roll, with fresh fish. The yellowtail/mango/jalapeno was cool - would definitely get that again! When I go back, I would definitely like to try some of the prepared entrees...they look better than your average chicken teriyaki-type dish! Two thumbs up for ambiance - there is cool wood paneling on the walls and the booths are cool. There is a private room in the back - perhaps for larger parties?
(4)
Benjamin S.
WOW! Finally made it to ZAMA! a friend has been telling me about it for the past few months and it did not disappoint! BY FAR the best miso i have ever had...also had a piece each of salt water eel(one of my sushi favs). It was reaaly good! actually some of the tastiest i have had. Salmon Roe, Flying fish roe-both really tasty, and branzino. the two rolls i had were the yellowtail w/ jalapeno and mango! GET IT! and the salmon avocado roll. The salmon was so soft and fresh! Even the soy sauce here is top notch! The only reason i did not give it 5 stars is because i need to be swept off my feet to give a full 5, but Zama is as good as it gets! I am excited because i am going to Morimoto tomorrow night for the first time in a few years(i moved away for a minute)! so i am excited to put these two places side by side! Keep you all posted! Happy eating!
(4)
Charlton M.
My new favorite place around the Rittenhouse area. Excellent Quality Sushi and the Decor is fantastic.
(5)
Brittini S.
Such a great modern menu! My mom and I went here and had such a delicious meal. The service was paced nicely, the edamame were just divine (perhaps rinsed in a sugar broth because they were as sweet as can be) and I always order the hand rolls which never disappoint. The rice paper rolls are really great too! A staple for Rittenhouse.
(4)
Stephanie P.
#2 Quick summary: Friendly and personable staff, nice ambiance and interior decor, tasty spicy halibut tempura, terrible sushi, sashimi, and cocktails, much too expensive for its own good For New Years Eve, my boyfriend and I decided to get sushi for dinner. We searched around on Yelp and found favorable ratings for Zama, so I called about 2 weeks ahead of time and made a reservation for 7:30PM that evening. The staff was friendly on the phone and they called a couple of days before to remind me of our reservation, as well as the day of. We showed up that night in the outfits we were going to be wearing to 12Midnight at the Crystal Tea Room and immediately felt overdressed. The staff was nice though, complimenting my dress and nails. They took us to our table and our waiter came soon after. Unfortunately, I did not get his name but he was pretty casual, giving us plenty of time to make our ordering decisions. We did ask him for some suggestions, but he didn't have much to offer us. =\ We ordered the following - 1) spicy halibut tempura, 2) mad dog roll, and 3) sushi & sashimi combo. We didn't have to wait too long for our food, but there was really nothing to get excited about. The miso soup was of average quality, not too salty but not paired with the best broth. The spicy halibut tempura was actually pretty tasty and there was plenty of it, however, I feel that $15 for a starter is on the expensive side. The mad dog roll had yellowtail, jalapenos, avocado, and tuna sashimi and it was a great combination of flavor. If I went back, I would definitely order the roll again. The sushi & sashimi combo, unfortunately, was what pushed my score down from a 4 to a 3 (I'll explain how it went down even further to a 2 in a sec). The sashimi tasted a day old and the sushi was haphazardly rolled together. The portions were small and there was absolutely no flavor. I could very well have been eating rolls of tofu. We had water to wash it all down, but we had also ordered the lychee fizz and candy cane martini - both TERRIBLE. I expected the candy cane martini to be slightly sweet and minty, however it tasted bitter and WAY too minty. The lychee fizz was sweet and tasty, but had an incredibly strong alcoholic taste for a fizz. So, my score dropped from a 3 to a 2. Altogether, we paid $100 for a subpar experience so, all in all, I would rather not return to Zama, despite the staff's friendly and casual service.
(2)
Ashley G.
Let me begin by saying, I always get the food to go. I have never actually eaten the food in the restaurant so I can't really speak to the ambiance of the place....just the quality of the food. I get to go here often because my office is located down the block. (I work long hours and get dinner paid for after 8:00). My typical go tos are edamame and the philly roll. The edamame is top notch. I am a HUGE edamame fan. I always have and always will get it. I hate it when restaurants serve cold edamame. Zama, however, serves nice and warm, perfectly cooked edamame. It's also just as cheap as it would be not as nice sushi restaurant. The Philly roll is also delicious and still relatively cheap. I think it's around 6 or 7 bucks. I have ventured occasionally to there other more extravagant roles which are also very good. Overall the sushi is very good and it's not super pricey. I will continue to eat here.
(4)
Rosa V.
Zama is a little pricey for my student budget, but is quite delicious! They have a whole bunch of unique specialty rolls that are sooooo freakin tasty. Service was great and the restaurant also has a cozy feel to it. P.S. Their sake selection is BOMB YO!!!
(4)
Mum D.
Well, where to start, where to start. Ok, ok, here it is. Went there for lunch . Wooden interior not unlike Swedish spa surrounds you in this sterile plantless enviroment. Oh, wait, there was a plant. Or was it the hostess? This lifeless( but friendly )creature overdosed on tattoos wasn't showing much promise but...then...the food came out. Great! I mean it. Bento box exploding with yammy eel and rice, side of salad and edamame. Superbly cooked rice, great compliment to a good sushi place, many others overcook it out of pure laziness. Not here. Bronzino roll a bit pricey, but well worth the money. Delicious. Had a beer and a cocktail! Loved the place, good atmosphere and service, especially when one does bother to check on you while taking a book-reading break. :-) Will go back.
(5)
Ryun H.
Oh, the weather outside was very, very frightful. Those of you that even took a step outside during that huge snowstorm on January 26 know what I mean. Snow + wind is a deadly combination, but for my friend's birthday (and since it was Restaurant week!), we decided to brave the snow to come down to Zama. We were greeted at the door and checked in our coats and umbrellas, and seated right away (we did have a reservation AND it was snowpocalypse). I suppose I'll take some time now to go over the dishes I had. Mostly good but not all were great. House Salad: Nice mix of veggies, and the dressing was lightly sweet and not in the least overwhelming. We were eating it with chopsticks, though, which isn't really strange but definitely different for a restaurant. I suppose sushi bars are different, though? Not bad but it's not an amazing salad. Spicy Crunchy Salmon: I wasn't really expecting a sushi roll, it didn't say anything about a roll. But it was good, lots of crunch inside (I wonder what it was...), could have been a bit spicier but that's nothing wasabi can't handle. Nice appetizer. My friend and I shared the tonkatsu (breaded pork chops) and the black cod saikyoyaki. The cod was amazing! So tender, so juicy that it should be called saikouyaki (grilled awesome...bad joke haha). The skin was crunchy enough but still fatty enough to enjoy properly. The lightly picked veggies were ok too. The tonkatsu was ok. I've never had really amazing tonkatsu in the U.S., the pork wasn't so juicy, the breading was heavy, and the cabbages were just wrong. I miss Japan's tonkatsu... Dessert was green tea ice cream on a cookie (good) and hazelnut bread pudding (meh). When the bread pudding came out, I didn't really remember what I ordered. It was too mushy to be like regular bread pudding, and I didn't really taste hazelnuts. I like bread pudding so I guess I hold it to a high standard... Drink: Yuzu Gimlet, although expensive at $11, was delicious. It's sour, and if you like that, you will like this drink. There was a lychee fritz drink my friend got...ok but I didn't really taste the lychee. All of the drinks had nice presentations, though. So it's not a place I'd go to often, but definitely worth trying for yourself. I haven't tried the sushi rolls but I wonder how those are.
I wavered between 4 and 5 stars, and for now it's 5. Had the bento bites lunch here. The first dish was one of the better miso soups I've had. It had a rich, full body, and came with some fried tofu - a tasty and novel touch. Next was a plate of edamame; tasty, though nothing special. Then came the entree -- black cod with salad and a california roll (a $2 upgrade from plain rice as a side). The black cod was delicious, accompanied by some sauce whose name I forget and perfectly steamed bits of carrots and broccoli. The california roll was nicely assembled and all the ingredients tasted fresh. The greens were good, though, again, not remarkable. Additional nice touches were the noticeably better-than-average wasabi and ginger. Freshly made on the premises? Maybe. A bit pricey for lunch, but not unreasonably so. I'd come back.
(5)
Julie H.
Beautiful restaurant and GREAT food!!! Loved the spicy tuna roll, will be going here again soon!!!
(5)
Melissa P.
Aside from the fishy fishy fish smell, it was pretty good! I think the smell would subside with more people in the restaurant.... I ate at an odd hour of lunch with close to no one there. The sushi was good for Philadelphia standards, which kind of means nothing. It satiates, I guess. The prices are good for lunch.
(3)
Anna Marie C.
the girls and i went on a friday night for a casual GNO. although the shape is still loie, they've made the place much lighter and air-ier with the bamboo covered walls. the sushi is fairly standard, but i did get the california roll sans rice (great for those of us who watch our white rice intake)...and i adore the wasabi salt that came with the edamame. the 4 roll deal ain't so bad--and the rolls were pretty darn fresh and tasty in the mix. oh dessert... the creme brulee wasn't quite firm enough, although the plating was quite inventive, and the mango salad that came with it was perfect. the mont blanc in the taste of japan was also quite delightful and not overly sweet. and i thought the service was awesome. granted, a girls night out involves much much talking and so even if things were slow, i probably didn't notice. but i'll be happily back!
(4)
luke m.
IF YOU GIVE A MAN A FISH... I just ate at Zama with my gf and had a great experience... definitely gonna go back An aside... One thing I like about sushi is you can order an array of smaller dishes and sort of set your own price range.... anyway... My girlfriend and I ended up ordering A LOT... I got the tempura spicy tuna maki- something I haven't seen before and it was excellent. The batter wasn't too heavy and the tuna was perfect. The plate was a work of art in itself. I guess when they tempura it the tuna gets a little warmed up....made for an interesting twist on what is normally cold. My vegetarian (for several years) girlfriend even tried some. She was swayed by the fact that the tuna was sustainably fished. Our waitress, Roxanne, explained that Zama is moving towards using sustainable fish for everything on it's menu, the only spot in the city to begin taking that step. I also had the jalapeno and mango yellowtail roll....MMM sweet and spicy my favorite combo. And some salmon nigiri. I would definitely recommend going buckwild with the sashimi and nigiri 'cuz thats where you really taste the flavor of the succulent, oh so fresh fish. As far as ambiance, the place is all decked out Japanese style with wood everywhere. There's a modern spin on it though. The ceiling had this cool graphic on it radiating around coy fish silhouettes. It's nice to be in a space where everything is considered down to the last detail. The music was a little loud but I guess they caught on and turned that down. I could go on and on... We had some killer ice cream too, green tea peach, a combo made in gastronomic heaven. Afterward we strutted through nearby Rittenhouse Square where an old man was playing the accordion. Some random passerby had joined him in a rendition of Finiculi Finicula. I felt like I was in some great cosmopolitan international city...wait..maybe I was ;)
(5)
Christian L.
Zama is consistent and offer traditional Japanese rolls if you are looking to try something new and they also offer very good fusion roles. The Maddog Roll is very good, has an avocado salsa, some crunch, its hot and different. The restaurant has a comfortable feel and is located in a very nice place of the city and the service is very good.
(5)
pracheta t.
Wow, they really transformed Loie into something different. Zuma has great lighting, sweet ambiance and great service. We were promptly seated and our drinks came out fast (5 points) and the sushi was tasty. the spicy mayo kind of have a bbq flavor to it which was weird, but not bad. anyway, we had a really good experience here and def plan on going back.
(4)
Payal P.
went here twice last week and both times were steller! some of the best sushi i have had. once was for restaurant week and i felt i got great items and not restaurant week sizes...the next time we went for regular dinner. to echo everyone else's words, the wasabi salt edamame are really unique and delicious and i like that the actual sushi pieces are not all rice, there is just enough and the rolls are excellent. some faves were the tempura'd spicy tuna roll and the insanely good spicy salmon - they add fried shallots and something else in there that is just mmmmm! both times we had no reservations so they told us we could sit on the outside tables or the sushi bar, we choose sushi bar and i was with groups of people who were really good at taking their time and the waitresses didn't seem to mind which was very nice. place is a bit pricey (even for sushi) but definitely worth it!
(5)
Geoffrey M.
Sorry, Morimoto, but Zama has the best sushi in Philadelphia. Three friends and I ate at Zama the other night and all four of us were very impressed. From the sea bass tempura to the selection of rolls we ordered, the flavors were great. The California roll, which has no rice, instead wrapping tuna around real crab, and the bronzizzle, which uses branzino, yuzu, and hot sesame oil, were my favorites. The surf-and-turf (shrimp tempura wrapped in torched kobe beef) drew additional raves from others. Perhaps the most shocking thing was the final bill: 2 appetizers, 5 special house rolls, a dessert, and 2 bottles of wine for less than $60/person. I can't wait to try the chirashi for lunch today.
(5)
Priscilla L.
OMG. Best Japanese in awhile. Debated trying Zama because we order in sushi a lot and we were worried it would be overpriced generic food in a glitzy setting. How wrong we were! Amazing, original food. Nothing like it in Philly. Great experience all around. Hamachi Tataki is heavenly. Worth every penny. You know when they offer $4 yuengling they aren't trying to gouge. The expensive menu items are worth it.
(5)
Everett R.
So far, probably the best Sushi experience I've had in Philly. Really nice atmosphere and cool sushi bar that's carved out of a solid block of (maybe) teak. But more importantly, the sushi was really high quality, excellent (borderline over-attentive) service, the owner is one of the sushi chef's behind the counter and was talking to us making sure things are OK. The maki combo and the wasabi lobster roll was the perfect amount for two hungry dudes. Everything just seemed to be a bit fresher and unique than what I've experienced so far in Philly.
(5)
Bill H.
Great for sushi. Good for traditional sushi and some creative options as well. Wait stuff are attentive.
(5)
Joy C.
This is not somewhere I would go just to have "sushi". Make it a special occasion and be prepared to spend the $$$ to try the good stuff. I went for a friend's birthday dinner and the moment I saw that the chopsticks were set horizontally Japanese-style I knew it was going to be good. The menu was really creative and everything we tried was both unique and delicious. A few comments on food we tried: - Bronzizzle - both delicious and well portioned. - Hamachi Tataki - a very small portion for the price, but so rich in flavor. The hamachi just melts in your mouth. - House tofu - the mushroom sauce that came with the house tofu was amazingly savory, and the silky tofu cooks at the table! - The desserts were great too, and you get to try three different ones for $10. Overall I was really impressed with the food, and the service was attentive. Next time I'm ready to seriously splurge I would definitely consider Zama.
(4)
Eve G.
I just love coming to Zama. Bento lunch boxes are delicious and inexpensive. My favorite is bbq eel, it comes with the best miso soup around and tossed spring salad. Not sure why they change they bronzizzle, it used to come with a slice of hot chilli pepper on each roll, now its just sprinkled with hot sesame oil, and its not the same. all in all a great place with nice atmosphere, great decor, beers are great as well, service is consistent (i have literally lunched there like 20 times), will try for dinner!
(4)
Jason F.
Cool Japanese place we've been a few times, partially before/after a show at Helium or something close. I'm a beer fan (untapped!) and Zama has a nice selection of Japanese micro brews that are surprisingly diverse and tasty. Dinner wise, we typically go towards sushi which has always been fresh and comes quickly. I recommend starting with some miso soup and trying something with roe on it, its better than you might expect. I've never had one of their platters, but when I see them on an adjacent table, they look pretty appealing and whatnot. Recommended if you are in the area.
(4)
Gina V.
I liked Zama. (It's sushi, and you can never go too wrong there) The sushi was fresh and quite delectable, but the rolls were a little small. For the price we paid, I imagined the rolls would be a little more...hearty, I suppose. When I order rolls that small anywhere else, I pay about half the price. My trusty dining companion and I shared a miso soup, salmon sesame roll, tuna and avocado roll and snow crab California roll. We also ordered two beers from the Japanese microbrewery Hitachino Nest, which was a pretty cool find. Overall, the ambiance was neat, the food was fresh, our waiter was extremely friendly and accommodating and our food was made pretty quickly. I just wish my mind was slightly more, ya know, blown.
(3)
Leslie W.
It has been hit or miss for me here. I live around the block so when I want a more upscale sushi meal I will go here. The prices are still much higher than I would like and I don't think the final product is worth that inflated price. I like the feel of the restaurant and usually I eat at the bar. Most of the time the service is great though my last trip in there was pretty disappointing. The bartender was on his phone with his back to me the entire meal, so no one ever asked if the meal was alright and I never got any water to wash down the salty soy sauce. The meal itself was pretty good, but again not worth the $40 I dropped on two rolls and a glass of wine.
(3)
Anthony G.
Food was very good. The service? Not so good. Arrived at noon for lunch for a 7 person lunch. We ordered in a timely fashion. Four of us ordered lunch specials, and our food came out in a reasonable amount of time. The other three dishes did not come out with the four lunch specials. 5 minutes later, two of the three received their food. However, they each ordered a roll, and the rolls were served on the same small plate, not at the request of the two individuals. Not a big deal, we would just ask for another plate. 5 more minutes go by, and nobody returned to our table to check on us. We started wondering what was going on, especially since the final person still did not receive her meal. 5 more minutes go by, and we still have no extra plate, and the final person still did not receive her food. I got up to find the nearest staff member, which happened to be a gentleman at the kitchen window. Here was the conversation: Me: "Excuse me, I know you are busy, but we're looking to get an extra plate and some forks at our table over there. Nobody is coming by to check on us." Him: "Do you see what I'm working with over here? I'm a little busy." I was surprised by his reaction so I went back to our table. Within the next few minutes our waitress returned and helped get plates and forks. But the final person's meal was still not delivered! I have zero experience with running a restaurant, and the place was crowded. But I do feel like our service was below average, and warranted a review on this app.
(2)
June N.
(4.5) I had a pleasant experience. Everything here was so delicious. Sashimi app black belt was really fresh and tasty, the black cod dice was so perfect. Service was great. I highly recommend this place. Enjoy!
(4)
Sumita R.
So glad I found this spot! They have the most options I have ever seen for vegetarian sushi rolls! I love how creative their menu is in general but I totally loved their Kennet square mushroom roll. I I also tried the spicy vegetable tempura roll which was also great. They have an option for a multigrain rice. Again a first that I have ever seen for sushi and I loved it. It made my meal much heartier and gave it a depth of flavor that I enjoyed. I tried a vodka based cocktail with yuzu juice. I can't remember the name but I had two as a martini and they were so smooth! Service was great and we went very early for a fri night happy hour. But I would definitely make a reservation. Overall, a great experience and can't wait to go back!
(4)
Virginia E.
I can't stop thinking about Zama! My date took me there at the beginning of August and it totally knocked my socks off. Our waitress, I can't remember her name, was so cool. Very helpful and knowledgeable. We didn't know which bottle of sake to get, so she directed us towards 2. We ended up picking the Drunken Whale b/c of the name. B/c we're sophisticated like that. The Drunken Whale sake was perfection. Exactly what he and I were looking for. He then suggested just having the chef make us whatever, which is what happened. I can't even. All of it was mind-blowingly good. We had these oysters that were so fresh and briny and amazing. We had a superb take on carpacchio made w/ tuna. The rolls were scrumptious. All the seafood was so incredibly fresh. I just want to go back there RIGHT NOW and eat everything!! People, you must eat here.
(5)
Joanna C.
Oh my GOD. AMAZING. I remembered how delicious the food was the last time we were here (over four years ago), and also how terrible the service was. I'm so glad the food has stayed the same level, and the service has vastly improved! What BLEW our MINDHOLES: Pork dumplings - these are homemade and SO flavorful. We had ours pan seared and they were insanely hot (temperature wise), and had fresh ginger grated on top. Burst of flavor in my mouth. House Tofu - still one of my favorite things on the menu. Silken tofu served tableside with umami rich mushroom broth. I could eat this every day! It's comfort food at its finest! Hamachi Ponzu - incredibly tender yellowtail dressed in a citrusy Ponzu soy sauce with pickled jalapenos - SO YUM. The jalapenos are a bit spicy but it was so good!! Tuna Usuzukuri - everything in life should taste like this. Super thin tuna with TRUFFLE ponzu. Oh my GAWD. I thought the tuna was just a little too cold (while my friend thought the tuna temp was perfect), but that truffle ponzu was incredible! Live scallops - this was a special today, they had fresh live scallops in the shell!!!! If this is ever available while you're there - you MUST get this. It was the freshest scallop I'd EVER had, and it didn't even need any soy sauce or wasabi, it was DELICIOUS. I can see why they were PACKED on a Monday night (seriously, every table was taken and there was a wait - so glad we had made reservations)! Their dessert was also on point, which was surprising since the dessert at Japanese restaurants tend to disappoint! We had the tofu beignets which were the lightest and airiest beignets ever (and served with a sake caramel dipping sauce - I could DRINK that, it was SO GOOD), green tea mochi, and fried banana eggrolls (which were also filled with chocolate). It was YUM. Would LOVE to come back and indulge in some seriously good food again! Our water glasses also stayed full (yay!), and that FOOD. INSANE.
(5)
Manzana Z.
Love their cod fish, very special and yummy. The sauce is sweet but good, the fish skin is crispy. I m not crazy about Their dessert,too little.
(3)
Drew B.
Excellent sushi and a nice wait staff. The only thing was the prices. Don't get me wrong, the sushi was great, but I have also had great sushi at much better prices elsewhere. Take that with a grain of salt though because this was my first trip to Philadelphia and maybe these are standard prices in the area. Either way the food and service and ambiance were great.
(4)
JB Y.
Easily the best sushi place in Philly because it's god damn delicious but also not blow your head off expensive, especially when you bring a secret weapon: Shmuel. The Kennet Square mushroom roll is excellent, as are all the creative sushi rolls and calamari salad. Amazing. Also the server Mercy was 10/10.
(5)
Ely Nurse R.
In the mood for a philly cheese steak roll Made with wagyu beef and provolone cheese alongside a horseradish sauce for dipping for lunch? And go back for dinner for a seared salmon with steamed bok Choy. All experiences at this Japanese gem have been a true delight.
(5)
Paloma M.
Everything was so fresh and amazing. I just loved the experience. I can't wait to be there again.
(5)
David D.
Upping this review. Kiyo Ikeda-San served me an omakase last night and it was a five-star dinner! The restaurant in general however has a few things that hold it back from five stars across the board. Positives: - Kiyo-San is the man. He's from Japan and he selects only the best, freshest fish. Not too much not too little. He's really great with textures too - The live scallop with Santa Barbara uni was inanely delicious. You have the contrasting textures from the crunch of the scallop to the creaminess of the uni. Kiyo-San added a smoked soy sauce on the side, which raised the bar big time - sashimi cuts from Kiyo-San are perfect, artful, and add a touch of flavors such as marinated sea grunt guts to saba, etc - finally have fresh wasabi (and ginger)! - have some grilled or broiled items such as kampachi kama which is delicious and hearty -clean and tasty tamago they make on site Negatives: - servers can be clueless about Japanese culture or etiquette - unless you ask, you'll get fake wasabi and fake ginger - some other veggies are not so strong. Their seaweed salad is about 75% cheap-o seaweed and 25% the good stuff. Grated carrots could be the same as you'd find pre-packaged bags - other sushi chefs are not classically trained So definitely a very good sushi spot that can be a five-star experience if you're discerning.
(4)
Sharon M.
Always fresh, always delicious, the fish is always cut, cleaned and sliced properly, brought up to temperature by the books. So you get just right temp fish with warm high end rice. No skimping on cheap rice that fills your tummy. The nori is always fresh and crispy. The fish is always very tasty and full of flavor. Good buyer, great chef who knows what to do to make the food consistently delicious. Lunch deals are very affordable. Dinner is expensive. You get what you pay for. Hard to park though if you're driving in from the burbs. Unless you have rockstar parking karma like me!
(5)
Amber C.
The sushi here was unforgettable. I am a sushi lover and came here on my previous and first time trip to Philly from New York ( where I've definitely had some interesting food). The Bibou Roll was UNBELIEVABLE. I found myself sitting and tasting an amazing blend of flavors that I never had before. It was absolutely perfect. The Philly style roll was also something special. I cant see how anyone would give this place anything less than 5 stars.
(5)
Vicki H.
I had a major sushi craving this week and decided to indulge on payday. I got the maki combination lunch special with the salmon and avocado roll, spicy tuna roll, and the yellowtail, jalapeno, and mango roll. While they were all very good, the yellowtail, jalapeno, and mango was a standout-- a great mix of flavors and the jalapeno lent some crunch and heat. I also appreciated that the spicy tuna was a whole piece of fish, rather than the finely chopped fish combined with spicy mayo that you get at some other places. Yes, it was more on the expensive side (especially for a lunch), but I understood it for the quality of the fish. I'd definitely come back.
(4)
Amy T.
I was really excited to try this place. I took my friend here yesterday, and I didn't exactly leave happy. Although we came here for restaurant week, we ended up ordering from their regular menu. My server forgot an order we made so we had eaten everything else, still waiting for it, but never came. Then he came over and asked if we wanted dessert.... No, we wanted our food. We both had the Miso soup, love it. But we also had the calamari salad, and that was okay. Neither of us really liked but we were hungry so we ate it anyway. Our sushi came out, but not all of it. I had one roll that was $16, and as I expected, it was good, but not really worth the money for 5 pieces. The other 2 rolls were $8-$9 for 6 pieces each. They were satisfying, but I've had better somewhere else. Overall, I didn't like my experience here and I was really disappointed. Maybe I'll try it again another time.
(2)
Rose N.
4 stars for the food... 3.5 for the service. Beautiful, from the design of the restaurant to the presentation of the food and innovative combinations of ingredients and flavors. I was drawn to Zama because of chef inspired specialty rolls. Zama collaborated with local celebrity chefs to come up with extremely unique sushi with a portion of the profits going to charity. The one that caught my eye was Vetri roll because I basically love anything that incorporates uni (sea urchin). Tell me this doesn't sound amazing : crunchy eel roll with scallions and shiso wrapped in daikon drizzled with a truffle eel sauce and topped with cucumber noodles tossed in sweet uni sauce, served with uni sauce that is bruleed on the plate. We also ordered the Zahav and I can't say I've ever had falafels with my sushi; it was quite interesting. Salmon skin salad is also a dish I thoroughly enjoyed. (on a side note) Disappointment: the fact that the cucumber noodles on our Vetri roll was lacking any uni sauce. I asked my friend to make sure I wasn't delirious and she also confirmed there was no sauce on it. So when I asked the server about it, she pointed out the uni brulee sauce on the plate. When I redirected her to my original question about the lack of the sauce on the cucumbers, she told me it was there and that I just can't taste it... Really? That's your answer to a customer? She did apologize and brought me a small bowl of the sauce, but after she made me feel like I had no taste buds.
(4)
Jennifer R.
My friend and I came here for a celebratory dinner on a Monday evening. The service was fantastic and I love the atmosphere of this place. It is super cute for dinner with the open windows (when it's nice out). It has a pretty intimate vibe although there is a bar and larger booth tables for groups as well. We ordered the Nasu Dengaku appetizer and a couple rolls - Sesame salmon, Hamachi Tataki and Wasabi Tuna. They were all unique and absolutely amazing. The eggplant appetizer was interesting and had such a rich flavor - never really had anything like it and would definitely recommend. The rolls were also unique, extremely rich and tasty. Definitely would recommend asking the server about portions because the Hamachi Tataki though very delicious was just three sushi pieces and two fish pieces. The other two rolls were both eight pieces and great for sharing. Would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for amazing, reasonably priced sushi in Rittenhouse! In terms of service I think they don't understaff at all so it felt like our server had a lot of time to explain things about the menu to us and paid a lot of attention to us. She gave us great recommendations on what to order. Was a very lovely dinner and I'll definitely be back!
(5)
Joanne T.
How was it possible that i've never been here before?!? I'm sorry Mr. Morimoto, this place has you beat in my opinion. I mean no disrespect but they just have more to offer. Chef Zama brings out all the flavors of the ingredients in his dishes. I knew walking in this place spot seems familiar. Thanks fellow yelper, Michelle, for reminding us it used to be Loie (I miss thee). For drinks we had the kumquat cocktail (it was delicious, i've never had kumquat in a mixed drink before and this was a nice treat), the warm sake for the night was delightful, next was the sweet potato sho chu on the rocks (can't go wrong with this one), and last was the warm hazelnut sake. This sake is awesome. I am going to find this and enjoy at home if i can. In fact the entire flavored warm sake list looking amazing. I would definitely come back here just for some sake! Now for the food. We started with the edamame and sampler of salts. Our favorite was the wasabi salt. I suggest you keep it aside throughout your meal. It's a great palate cleanser in between dishes. The bf opted for the chef tasting menu at 55$. It was enough for if your not extremely hungry. His dishes for the night included: Chawan Mushi Egg, Hamachi Tataki, Black Cod Dice, a hand roll (can't remember what kind, but he loved it), a salad dish with fish, and dessert. I might have missed another dish but everything that was served for this tasting menu was just great. No complaints! His dessert included green tea mochi. I ordered the Japanese Crudo--it was fun to do your part before eating this. The best thing i ate for the night was the Vetri roll. I don't ever order unagi (eel) but this was an exception. The daikon wrapper adds great flavor to the roll. The uni sauce is to die for, i wish there was more on my plate. I also ordered a couple sashimi pieces including, bronzino, king yellowtail, octopus, and snapper. I could have done without the octopus, it was a bit tough. The spider roll was quite tasty. The yuzu creme brulee was nice dessert that definitely cleanses your palate. Be cautious: you will want to try a lot of items, you will end up sharing things to let the other person taste the awesomeness, and lastly your bill can easily add up so plan on stashing some cash before coming here. I can't wait to come here again!
(5)
Trisha G.
I wish I could understand the hype for this place. I was expecting so many wonderful things from Zama and after leaving, I couldn't think of anything that was mind blowing or even satisfactory. The restaurant itself is small - you will def need reservations. The restaurant is pretty noisy especially if you are by the kitchen (which many tables are). Food took FOREVER to come out so they offered us a free appetizer complimentary which they picked. I appreciated the effort but this must have been the most horrible appetizer I've ever had. Specialty rolls were disappointing and strongly lacking any kind of taste - or trying far too hard to merge different tastes together. I will never go back - there's plenty more sushi restaurants with better service and fresher, more tasteful rolls.
(2)
Neil K.
Had the $75 Omekase Wens night. Severely unimpressed. I would have been better pressed to order 7 different rolls off the menu. Will not be coming here again.
(2)
Dounia Alexandra N.
I was in philadelphia for the weekend and a friend recommended this place for dinner. The interior of the place is really modern and elegant. I can't eat sushi for different reasons so I ordered the Black Cod Saikyoyaki even though everything on the menu looked delicious. My friends got sushi and they said it was really good (we all live in New York and it's really not easy to find good sushi here) and we shared edamame. My cod was delicious.. really succulent, crispy and well seasoned. The portion is not big so if you have a big appetite I don't recommend it, or get an appetizer with it.
(4)
Divya V.
This place deserves 10 stars.... I'm a sushi snob and have had a lot of great sushi all over the country, and still vow by Zama to be my favorite. My fav dishes... ever: -The Vetri Roll. Probably my favorite sushi roll ever, ever. It is absolutely delicious, with crispy noodles and no rice. Comes with its own sauce on the plate, so please don't ruin it by dipping in soy sauce. If I could, I would eat this for every meal every day. -The Super Crunch Rolls.. take your fav fish, and add tempura flakes around the outside so every bite is a party in your mouth... I've never had a roll like this anywhere My usual order between 2 people is 1 vetri roll, 2 super crunchy rolls, wasabi edamame, and usually a roll of the server's choice.... we've never gone wrong. Pair this with the Cotes du Rhone by the glass (I don't do white wine, even with sushi), and it's always one of the best meals ever. It's definitely not the cheapest sushi restaurant, but given the uniqueness of the rolls, it's not the most expensive either.
(5)
Eric P.
I would have given Zama 4 stars, but the service really didn't do it for me. The food in itself was delicious. The main highlights were the Spicy Paiche Tempura, the Bronzizzle Roll and the Vetri Roll. The star of the night though was the Wasabi Tuna roll. Definitely the best thing we had that night. Cocktail and Wine Selection is so-so. Nothing to rave home about. It's a shame because the food certainly was delicious, but the whole time we were there we felt like we were being rushed. Our waiter was very intense and basically didn't allow us to have a relaxing meal. Because of that alone, I don't know that we will return to Zama. For better sushi, I recommend going over to Vic Sushi. Completely different atmosphere (more casual), but the sushi is definitely better.
(3)
David S.
I really enjoyed my dining experience here. Food was excellent as was the service. I particularly liked that we never felt rushed throughout the meal and our server was particularly gracious, friendly and helpful. Prices are reasonable and I would def. recommend!
(5)
Ryan L.
This was an insane sushi experience. The server recommended all of our rolls (wasabi tuna was my favorite) and the scallops were amazing. Definitely a great place to grab a meal.
(5)
Cisco G.
As a highly rated sushi restaurant in Rittenhouse House area, I had good expectations for their menu. The sashimi and sushi was fresh and they have a modern twist to the traditional Japanese cuisine. If you like to branch out and try different tastings of sashimi and other, this is a great place for just that! The Salmon Roe was a favorite of mine!
(4)
Clara G.
I thought this place was great but the more and more I ate here I realized there is really only a few selections that I enjoyed and started to become a little bored with the selection. Sashimi pieces are small. Portions - small Waiter Service - good when not busy, average when moderately busy and a tad below average when busy. Decor - very nice Vibe - can be pretentious at times The wait time for them to prepare your food can be long at times. They are not always fast. Zama is overpriced for what you get in terms of originality, taste and portion, this becomes obvious after you have eaten at other sushi places downtown (kidari, Vic, crazy).
(3)
Ron H.
I have been six times now, the last two we did the chef's tasting. The flavor combinations are amazing, and a little unexpected. I went a little outside of my usual comfort zone and tried everything that was placed infront of us, and was not disappointed. For sushi, the fish was perfectly cut and seasoned with wasabi, the rice was the perfect temperature and preparation. We had this soft boiled/poached egg with some kind of Uni sauce (sorry, but at this point we were a full bottle of sake in so i don't remember how it was described exactly), but it was delicious. The most surprising dish though was dessert. Too often, sushi houses give you the generic green tea tempura fried ice cream, but here the desserts are worthy of any fine dining establishment. Overall, thus is an excellent restaurant for dates and business meetings alike, I can see why they were awarded 3 bells!
(5)
Melissa H.
I've dined at Zama twice and decided to give its Yelp review a go. My first visit to Zama was very positive where we were seated quickly, gorged on delicious maki rolls, and felt that the price was worth the dining experience and food. A little over a year later, the experience was a little different. We stopped in on a weekend evening for dinner. We were seated quickly and ordered drinks before diving into the menu. The damage for a party of three (the bill came out to a little over $110): house salads (perfectly dressed with crisp, fresh mixed greens), hamachi ponzu, akadashi soup (red miso), maki rolls, and sashimi. The fish, overall, was fresh but it wasn't anything special per se in terms of creativity or presentation. Of the maki, there wasn't really anything that impressed us, even for the price. The atmosphere was trendy with a modern fusion vibe. Well designed interiors, clean, just the right amount of lighting and appropriate noise level. The server was good about checking back with us throughout the dinner, but we got a mixed annoyed and hurried move-it-along-quickly-now vibe that didn't sit well. Overall, trendy vibe with an extensive food and beverage offering. But prepare yourself for a pricey meal that may not wow you and slightly disinterested service.
(3)
John M.
Best sushi I've had in quite some time. First time at Zama with a party of four. Server was awesome, she made some great picks and effectively guided us through their monstrous menu. Drinks were excellent, try the gimlet. Must have soft shell shrimp and pan fried pork pot stickers. Can't even begin to recall all the rolls we had, but definitely try the Zahav roll. Somehow the best falafel I've ever had? Fresh wasabi. All the rolls were beautifully made to order. Just awesome. Everything was as it should be. Great selection of sakes. Goto Zama & thank me later.
(4)
Robert F.
Awful service and major attitude. Never again. The people working here are in their own little worlds with no clue how to treat a customer. I went there by myself and sat at an empty sushi bar. It took 10 minutes for anyone to even acknowledge me and take my drink order. Since it took so long I decided to order one two-piece order of sushi as well. That all came out fine but no acknowledged me for another 20 minutes. The sushi chefs wont even look at you and you have to order from the clueless waitress. This last fact I found totally inane as the reason I sit at the sushi bar is so I can order directly from the chef. Not sure how this place gets the stars it does - I can only imagine that Philadelphians are so starved for a good sushi experience that they think attitude and being ignored are cool. This place is a total fail.
(1)
Jung K.
Clearly, I'm a sushi snob. But with good reason (my parents own a sushi restaurant as well - spoils of the trade, I'm afraid). Zama is great. Not too overpriced, a funky space (loved the decor and ceilings), and they have a variety of sushi/sashimi to offer. This includes the toros, as well as the basics. Went for date - super fun! Menu selections: - agedashi tofu (tofu was delicious, light and crispy, although they give you a huge bowl of ponzu sauce) - sashimi sampler (hamachi jalapeno, tuna with honey miso glaze) - wish I had more, but it was nice. - sushi and sashimi sampler, black belt, which ultimately just means that there was a lot more toro, including that of the tuna, salmon, and hamachi included. - yellowtail roll for dessert. I thought all of the food was delicious, although we strayed away from the tasting menu, due to my indifference to tempura rolls and things that were included. fish on fish on fish. The only sort of downside was that the server wasn't on his A-game that night. It took him forever to just greet us with water. Also took forever, and seemed impatient everytime he came over to the table. However, the food was good, and the sake was cold. Obviously returning for when i need a sushi fix!
(4)
Valentina L.
We went for lunch again. I love the tuna rice bowl. It was more like sushi over rice that similar to Chicken over rice concept. This one is exquisite and upscale. I love the rice bowl which is unique.
(4)
Juls P.
Great restaurant for vegetarians! I love the Edamame Sampler, Miso Soup, Spicy Vegetable Tempura Roll and To-philly Roll! My favorite drinks are the Yuzu Gimlet, Lychee Fizz, and Cilantro Daiquiri. Always had great experiences dining at Zama and also getting take-out.
(5)
Meredith B.
There are such great sushi places in Philadelphia it almost makes the bar too high and unfair. Vic's? Zento? Raw? Fat Salmon? I found Zama to have a great atmosphere but the food was not up to the same level as the above Philadelphia stars.
(2)
Tony L.
Great sushi. Can't go wrong with this place. I will say it's pretty consistent and you'll love all the rolls. Atmosphere isn't the best as far as size but it's good
(4)
Lea T.
I'm sorry to give this rating, but you simply cannot have this kind of customer service and expect any patron to want to pay your high prices for the menial portions of food you serve. Rittenhouse Square is a lovely area, but there are many sushi restaurants nearby that offer superior sushi and I CANNOT return to this restaurant for these reasons. NEVER in my life have I been shown such little respect and now this is on 2 separate occasions at this restaurant. I don't know if it is the management or the fact that I am in my mid-20s and perceived as not having the money to spend but let me assure you- I live in the Rittenhouse are and there is a very good reason I have only dined at Zama once (on my second visit I had to walk out of the restaurant before I had a chance to even place an order). It seemed like a stroke of luck that on the last Friday of Restaurant Week there was availability for dinner at Zama-- however this was not luck, I am sure other patrons have been just as displeased with the service and food here because at 6:30 pm on the last Friday of Restaurant Week there was not ONE PERSON in the entire restaurant. Despite the place being entirely empty my guest and I were asked to sit at the bar when we arrived a few minutes early (really? every single table was empty). Upon sitting in the bar there was no bartender or waitress who ever approached us to take a drink order and we subsequently left after waiting 15 minutes. Also I cannot understand why every time I call the restaurant I am put on hold for 5 minutes- clearly there isn't much business here so I cannot imagine who is tying up the phone. Save yourself the time and hassle, try Vic's Sushi, Raw, Fat Salmon, or Zento because this is the type of restaurant that ruins your dining experience.
(2)
Nina W.
Okay sushi but worst service I have ever had. Waiter was rude. Did not squeeze any word unless we ask him to explain something. No hello no self introduce no smile
(1)
Vanessa T.
I came here for lunch and had the bento meal as well as 2 sushi rolls. Their sushi is good but not great. I didn't order special rolls tho. As far as the bento lunch goes, i had the eel with rice, it was pretty good. They also have the udon noodle soup where they put shrimp tempura inside the soup which doesn't really make sense to me because it makes the tempura soggy and the soup was bland. As far as service goes, it was good, no complaints. But there are so many other sushi restaurants in the city to choose from, this place is only satisfactory.
(3)
Doug B.
Zama is a sushi restaurant in Center City, right in the heart of the Rittenhouse Square district. We stopped in here last night on the recommendation from a friend. Very happy with the freshness of the Sushi ingredients. The Sushi chefs made everything right in front of us, and you just can't get better than that. They have a Sushi bar too, or you can order off the menu, which we did. I thought the prices were reasonable, considering I love sushi and I'll pay more for better food anytime. Very glad we went here: The food was good, service was good - I would recommend you try it yourself.
(4)
Matt W.
We've been here about five times now. Consistently amazing food. Everything we've ever had is phenomenal. Do yourself a favor and try this place.
(5)
Donald D.
The wasabi tuna roll ($17) is definitely the best maki roll I've ever had. I've had it a few times over the past 2 years, and its flavors are consistently more subtle and exciting than any other maki roll I've had (and I'm a sushi fan). The bronzizzle roll is also good. Maybe 4.5 stars; the discount is due to the pricing and service. Though the pricing is to be expected when the location is factored in. I've been here a few times over the past 2 years, and most of the maki rolls are pretty good. Service has always been borderline rude. Every time I've visited, it has been with a business dinner (so people dressed well and prepared to spend), but we were often treated like hoodlums. For example, when we were taking our time (maybe 5 minutes) to order $300 of sushi, the waitress expressed her frustration with a "Do you know what you're doing yet?". Nothing she did was clearly rude, but it didn't feel very classy either. It's a shame since this place would be a really classy sushi joint if the service were stepped up a bit. Works for groups (with a backbone) if a reservation is had.
(4)
Jo L.
My boyfriend and I came here yesterday as a last resort but glad we did. We've never heard of this place and was going somewhere else for sushi. Turns out, 1 place does not open on Mondays and another does is closed from 2:30PM - 5:00PM. It was about 4:00PM and we were already in the area so he Yelped some sushi places and this was the one he chose. There was only 1 other table eating when we got there but from the looks of it, I am sure this place is probably pretty busy at night. My boyfriend ordered the Chicken Katsu from the lunch menu and we also got the Rittenhouse Three, the Dragon Roll, and the Double Shrimp Dragon. The Chicken Katsu came out in a cute 2 layer box and also came with soup. I didn't try these so I can't comment on them but the boyfriend said it was really good. The Dragon Roll and Double Shrimp Dragon I tried and totally approve of. I've had Dragon Rolls at other places before so I wasn't expecting anything new. It was good. The Double Shrimp Dragon was new. It came with Cocktail Sauce that you would dip with shrimp anywhere else too. The Rittenhouse Three was something I did not expect. I thought it was going to be three rolls for sushi which it kind of was but in a wrap looking form. But it doesn't matter what form it was in because it was still yummy! Our waiter was nice. The boyfriend asked for lemonade that they did not have so our waiter made him one. We also asked if we were hungry cause we ordered that much for just the 2 of us. And I like their ceiling art.
(5)
Rob T.
Very good sushi, very nice waitstaff, beautiful restaurant, great dessert. Lost one star because it was extremely expensive; dinner for two was $150 including drinks & tax/tip.
(4)
Shariq H.
Mediocre food and terrible service. They take customers for granted. Try Fat Salmon instead. Waited 35 minutes for two pieces of sashimi...give me a break.
(2)
Rachel C.
This may have been one of thee best lunch deals I have EVER had. Seriously folks, if you have time on your lunch and are hankering for some good food at a seriously good price, this should be your jam! For $15 you get edamame, house salad, udon noodle soup with shrimp tempura, plus your choice of maki AND 3 pieces of shitake maki. I mean for realz. I'd be all over this ish in the Burgh. I honestly looked over it once and thought... ehhhh, I'm a pig, maybe I could use one more roll. So I ordered one extra to split with the hubby. But you know what? Not needed! Not to mention all of it was delicious! I loved the spicy yellowtail and mango maki I ordered. I loved the edamame. I loved the udon noodle soup. I mean, LOVED it! Super tasty with the shrimp tempura and large fried mushroom with an incredible broth. The salad wasn't too shabby itself. Service was excellent and the ambiance is very chic. If you're in the area, get there asap!
(4)
Bill A.
Great sushi! Cool atmosphere! The house salad is big enough to share and their ginger vinaigrette dressing is top notch! The sushi chefs are the real deal and their fish is super fresh! Loved it all including the King Yellowtail! We did not stray beyond simply sushi! We will be back for sure! Thanks again to YELP for making our get-a-way to Philly very worthwhile on the culinary front! Love YELP!!
(5)
Nathan M.
The sushi rolls are great here. I don't know that I'd say it's the best, but it's in a great location.
(4)
Nam N.
If i never tried their omakase i would give this place a 4 stars. I took my parents here for mother's day dinner. We had their omakase $75/each. My dad and i left with an unsatisfied stomach and hungry!!! Ok so you say that's because we're men and we eat a lot. Well my mom, who would say she's really full if she had the whole BK Whopper, left with a "i'm ok" answer when i asked if she's full. This is after a bunch of "filler" courses like egg wrapped uni roll (you can barely see the uni let alone taste it) ,and egg custard soup (cooking technique, well there was none because the egg "custard" was not smooth at all), and typical nigiri pieces. The only WOW course and unique was sashimi with block of Japanese Salt course. Bottom line... DO NOT GET THEIR OMAKASE!!!! The positive about this place... Their ingredients are FRESH and their service is good. Do make reservation or else you'll probably won't to be seat or even get turn away because they know you will not get to eat :) I will come back to this place but only to order their combination platters. I ordered their Black Belt Sashimi, and that was a hit for me when they included the KING SALMON sashimi.
(3)
Jonathan M.
My favorite sushi restaurant in Philadelphia! Bronzizzle is amazing. Can't wait to come back!
(5)
Christopher D.
I recently had lunch at Zama, and found everything here to be just a little bit better than your average sushi restaurant. The salad was made with better lettuce and had a good dressing. The soup rather thaniso was udon with shrimp tempura, the meal included edamame and a choice of sushi sashimi or maki. I chose a salm skin roll which was perfectly done. A dining partner had a churashi bowl that had more than just tuna on top. All in all a very good meal.
(4)
Chris M.
Had lunch at Zama recently and thought it was good, but not particularly commensurate with the praising reviews it seems to be receiving. In fact, it was one of the priciest lunch checks I've seen in awhile, and it didn't feel worth afterwards. Much of the pricey check came from the beers we were drinking. They have a very good selection of Japanese beers, particularly from Hitachino, which you can't find other places. On the downside, small bottles of beer are $12. There were four of us at lunch and we each at 2 beers, for a grand total of $96 worth of beer! They have cheaper options like Asahi Dry on draft, but those are not great and also bear a hefty markup. The food was good. I had a few different rolls. The fact that I can't remember what they were should speak for a commentary in itself. My friend ordered the fatty tuna (Oh Toro) sashimi as a side dish, and in the process won the Guinness Book of World Records award for most expensive side dish, at $12.50 per piece of sashimi, for a grand total of $25 for 2 smal rectangles of fish. At least it was exciting when Guinness burst in to take his picture! So $200 for lunch for 4 people later, I'm not really looking to run back. I feel like there are better options for sushi, including Yanako in Manayunk.
(3)
Gauri G.
This is the most amazing sushi place in the entire world and I am a sushi obsessed person. I come here all the time and love the sesame salmon roll and the rittenhouse three. Everything I have had here is amazing and every time I come here I am blown away and try something new and amazing on the menu.
(5)
Tyler L.
I enjoyed the sushi and the atmosphere. If I was paying (parents paid), I would choose a different place, as you can get the same quality for much cheaper. The people are a little Rittenhouse-ie, but not terrible terrible (just not people I would choose hang with regularly). Overall a trendy restaurant from a food and decor perspective, just more expensive than sushi should be. Hence, three stars.
(3)
Nico D.
Mediocre service, mediocre food (Americanized sushi and rolls: lots of deep fried stuff, sauces overwhelming the delicate fish), pretty pricey. The only redeeming factor was that the fish was not fishy. Enough said. Not coming back.
(2)
Andrew T.
I believe this place is a 5 star restaurant for several reasons. My group sat down fairly late for dinner and our server was more informative and attentive than some of the most high end places I've dined at. The miso soup was irresistible to put down, cubed tofu, baby spinach, tiny Enoki mushrooms and a wonderful savory flavor. Salads were in the heaping portion category which everyone liked. Hendrick's Cocktail was comprised of gin, cucumber water and celery bitters; summer in a glass. Whitetail and Scallion roll, my least favorite of the set, but ultimately a light exchange of nice flavor. Spicy Tuna had the nice deep red pieces of tuna I like to see in a roll, only thing I didn't prefer was the cucumber in the roll. The crunchy spicy salmon was my last roll and the crisp of tempura flakes taking in all the elements of the sushi flavor will be dreamed about. Recommended for daters, friends, and people that just want a good sushi roll. Go, I can't endorse this place more.
(5)
Kelli M.
Went here for lunch with a group of co-workers. Had the spicy veggie roll and avocado roll. Very good and very fresh. Their lunch prices and portions are very reasonable! The only thing not giving this 5 stars was our server; he was nice but not very attentive and our food came out at different times. Several of us had to wait until we were all served to begin eating. Other than that, definitely a great sushi spot!
(4)
Negin N.
Best sushi in town. Fresh creative and consistent food. The service is impeccable! I go there at least once a week and have never had a bad meal!
(5)
Alie A.
Finally made it here. Nice relaxed interior and a bamboo feel. Fantastic sushi..one of the best spots I've found in Philly thus far. The servers were eager and helpful in steering us through the menu; the Rittenhouse Three was fantastic if you enjoy a little spice and crunch to accompany your sushi experience. Another small foodie note: the salt on the edemame was fantastic for some reason unexplainable to me, and all the food preparation was really very elegant. I'm a fan.
(4)
Annie N.
I ate here for lunch with friends the other day and we were not impressed. Overall the food was just okay, and the service was probably the worst service I have ever received in my life! I am not much of a complainer, but the waitress pretty much took our order and plopped water in our cups, never bother to greet us or make eye contact, and never really returned after that. (she had a cold stone expression on her face the entire time) Our waters were left empty and we had to stare her down to get our cups refilled. Food was brought out by other staff members, and she never came back to check on our table. After sitting for a while (maybe almost an hour) without ever checking on us, I think she finally got the hint that we wanted our check and we were done eating. For a week day during restaurant week at lunch is was dead slow, there was maybe one other table and that was it, and we could see our waitress just standing around.. so to have extremely bad service was unexplainable. The atmosphere was nice, but for being in Rittenhouse and for the price I expected better. If you are going to eat here, I would just get the chirashi bowl, nothing else is appealing. For lunch it's $21/bowl. And lunch deals for rolls is $15.00, you get to chose one simple roll which is in the section for rolls under $6.00, and it comes with bland noodle soup, edamame, and wilted salad. Just saying.. but I've had better food and better service else where for cheaper..so do yourself a favor and save the agony by going elsewhere.
(2)
Lauren J.
Great sushi place. The tuna was delicious. The calamari salad and cod were also yummy. I went with a group of six and had a good time. Loved the ambiance and wooden booths. The waitress was slow, unaware and unfriendly. The one-star off is for the wait staff who rarely checked on table and barely welcomed the new guests (my friend's mother and aunt) that arrived to our table & took forever to get the bill despite the fact that they weren't busy.
(4)
Shannon R.
It's so much easier to get a delicious veggie roll in Philly than it is in LA! Outside of Shojin (vegan sushi mecca), we're usually only left with a sad cucumber or avocado roll. But I've been to 3 joints in Philly and have had an array of options, which is all very exciting for me. I tried the umeshiso, shiitake, and vegetable roll. I was intrigued by the "To-Philly" and if you're not adverse to dairy cream cheese, it sounds amazing. It's a Philly roll with fried tofu. Zama, you are crazy cool - just bring in Tofutti and I will eat that monster like I have something to prove. Gluttonous desires aside, I had a super healthy meal that was delicious. The umeshiso surprised everyone at the table for its herbal aftertaste. Very complex, I loved it! I could eat a hundred shiitake rolls and never tire of them. Pennsylvania might not have great avocados, but oh man, do they have mushrooms. The vegetable futo maki did that annoying thing with a huge leaf and a stalk of asparagus - if I wanted to munch on a leaf, I would've ordered a salad - but otherwise it was a standard veggie roll. I'd pass next time and try something else. One complaint - the menu fails to describe quite a few items that definitely need a description. A lot of googling happened at the table, and we often couldn't find an answer. One of my dining companions had to ask the waiter to describe about 6 different rolls before she found one she liked. Save us all the time and just tell us what it is in the menu. The ambience is trendy, the waitstaff was friendly, and my man who's hard to please was digging his spicy crunchy mango I-don't-know-what rolls, so all in all, I'd call it a success.
(4)
Coreen P.
I've been eating vegetarian sushi for years. I chose Zama to finally delve back into the world of eating meat. What a wonderful surprise! The Spider Roll, Philadelphia Roll, and California Roll were all delicious. We even got a second California Roll. The drinks were a bit expensive - over $30 for two glasses of Malbec and one glass of cheap champagne. The service was also a bit slow. However, I look forward to going back.
(4)
G C.
Not really sure what all the hype is over this restaurant. It's decent but certainly not nearly as good as everyone says. The service was impeccable, I will say that, but as far as food goes, definitely not all that. The salmon skin rolls were very tough and chewy, and while the veggie roll was served in lovely presentation, it was quite bland.
(3)
Karen C.
All my friend we raving about this place, i had to go check it out. Not bad,,,, i ordered miso soup, a little salt, but good Kaiso seaweed salad, gotta have a seaweed salad, very nice. Bronzizzle, ehhh... i was a little disappointed, it was a really messy roll, it kept falling apart and drenched in soy sauce, very salty. however, their sashimi was excellent, it very fresh. i liked.
(4)
Christine N.
Zama definitely prepares fresh and delicious seafood. While their Makis are pretty standard, I gave them a 4 because of the freshness of their fish and service. I ordered the House Tofu, and while the dish is interesting in preparation, I wish there was more flavor to it.
(4)
Minh C.
For starters I'm a little hesitant to try other sushi restaurants in Philadelphia since Raw Sushi and Sake Lounge set the bar so high. Zama is one of the best dining experiences I have ever had. I had made reservations on the Saturday night and had to make some last minute adjustments and they were more than accommodating. The Service: 5/5 The waitress we had gave excellent suggestions and was very prompt and helpful. The Food: 5/5 I started the evening with the Salmon Skin Salad. The portion was very generous, and the salty crisp salmon skin went well with the greens and it was not drenched in dressing which was great. The dressing on the salad was light and complimented the salmon skin well. I ordered the Vetri roll and I enjoyed that the Philadelphia chef inspired rolls gives a portion to charity. EVERYBODY WINS! Anyways, the roll itself had a very satisfying crunch. The uni sauce was absolutely delicious! The cucumber noodles I thought were alright, nothing too exotic about them but it made for great presentation. The Atmosphere: 5/5 The interior design and architecture of the restaurant I thought was very appropriate and suited the restaurant well. I did think the restaurant was rather smaller so I wouldn't necessarily say it would be a wise selection for larger parties. Acoustically it was great, I could hear my guest and the waitress with ease. I really enjoyed my dining experience at Zama. I thought it was excellently priced especially considering the quality of the meal. I would definitely recommend Zama especially if you are hesitant on trying out another sushi establishment in the city.
(5)
Shushmita M.
One of the most stuck up places I've been too. Not very friendly. Sushi is different and offers unique flavors. So, it was great to try different types of unusual sushi. However, considering this is an upscale restaurant, I wasn't particularly a fan of it.
(3)
Taimi A.
Great service and great food. The servers are very well educated. It is a restaurant that I went already twice.
(5)
Catherine L.
Three years ago, when Zama opened, I couldn't wait to go, and so as soon as it did, I went there quite often for a sushi treat. The food was great and fresh, the sushi inventive and well-cut, I had no complaints. I had few meals that definitely scored at the four star mark, nothing that ever hit out of the park, but solid sushi all around. In the last couple years, I find myself going to Zama more for lunch than dinner, and every time I've gone, I've been really disappointed. Who knows who is in charge for lunch, but they're not serving it at the level of where it should be (and especially for the price that they charge). The last couple times, their mixed greens have been totally wet, and far past their serving prime date. Anyone working the salad station would be able to see this and should know better than to serve it. Unacceptable. The sushi and rolls themselves are below average and the food has been nearly below mediocre. After sub par experiences also at Morimoto, I am really finding Philly to be hurting for good sushi spots. Either way, avoid the place at lunchtime, below par kitchen and absent-minded service too.
(2)
Bobbi B.
The sushi here is so delicious that I pondered moving to Philadelphia after my first few bites. I will not need to move as the Acela Express is only a one hour train ride away from NYC. It would be worth the trek back just so I can eat here again. Especially when you sit in first class and can order free drinks on the way. I used to sit in the parking lot otherwise known as the 405 or 5 North Freeways for longer than that on trips from OC to LA to visit places I loved as much as Zama. And driving sucks compared to taking the train. There's no friggin waitress or comfort on the freeway. I'm lucky if I don't get cut off while being flipped the bird. That settles it. I'm going to start plotting my next trip. It's really that good! Plus, Philadelphia is a fun city. I'm addicted to the Spicy Chirashi which consists of various chef's selection of sashimi over a bed of seasoned spicy rice. It's only available at lunch but the sushi chef (Kevin) was nice enough to make it for me anyway on an evening visit since I liked it so much. I also really enjoyed the Kumamoto Oyster Shooter with Chili Daikon, Scallions, Masago, and Ponzu with Tabasco. I opt for a version without sake because I prefer it that way. And speaking of sake... I ordered the Koshi No Junmai Ginjo Sake and I recommend it if you like sake that is sweet but not too sweet and a smooth finish. Here's the other stuff I tried, all of which was excellent: Yellowtail Scottish Salmon Kindai Bluefin Tuna & Japanese Unagi Five star service provided by Mary and the sushi chef Kevin. Extra shoutouts for them because they made my sushi experience first class all the way.
(5)
Michelle C.
I put off trying Zama for far too long. I'm not sure why, but it was a foolish decision in hindsight after two fantastic meals at the hands of this very talented chef. My first experience took place a couple weeks ago at a Cook class. The several course meal was impressive, and I quickly requested a venue change for my upcoming birthday dinner with my boyfriend. Saturday was the big night. I entered the new (to me) incarnation of my former stomping grounds (Loie, RIP). The lighting was dim and the blonde slats adorning the walls made for an attractive atmosphere. I requested a martini with olives and stressed that I wanted it just the teeniest bit dirty. It seems that every time I ask for this, my drink comes back too salty ninety percent of the time. But our server was listening and, more importantly, the bartender was listening, and the two martinis I ordered during our evening were perfect. We started off with pan fried dumplings, which were great. What's not to love about a dumpling? These were better than average. Next, Kirin braised short ribs over crunchy noodles. Damn this dish was good. Things were off to a great start. The hamachi tataki had been a feature at our Cook class, and it was just as delicious a second time. My favorite of the night, a dish that I will lust over until the next time I have it, was the king crab oshizushi. Words fail me in trying to describe this buttery, delectable delight. Just trust me. After that, the maki paled in comparison but it was still very good. The surfer roll and the wasabi tuna roll were both very tasty and I'd order either again. We passed on dessert and went off into the night. In the days since, I've had Zama on my mind like a new crush. I'm thinking threesome.
(5)
Samantha B.
I've been to Zama a handful of times, and there just isn't anything that is pulling me back. The decor is clean and modern, and the service is always great. There is no denying that the sushi is fresh and delicious, but to me it has no personality. Zama as a whole feels like a standard joint with good sushi, albeit expensive sushi. Eating at Zama isn't really anything to talk about. In a neighborhood with a million and one sushi joints, Zama feels the least personal. I would happily go a little further to either Doma or Umai in Fairmount, or Vic right down the street, over Zama. Nothing negative about the place or the food, but it's just not my favorite. If you happen to be in the area, stop in. Zama seems to be a cult favorite among the people of Rittenhouse with no true basis for cult status. Fitting that it's right next to La Colombe.
(3)
Vinny P.
Finally, after many months of waiting (not on purpose mind you) I was able to make my way to Zama. I've tried a few sushi restaurants around the area and this one seems to be a cut above both on service, design and of course, food preparation. I really like the interior of the restaurant. The main dining area has wooden slats surrounding it which made me think of bamboo. I basically imagined a giant sushi rolling mat (with more space between the slats) surrounding the area. It's a really cool detail and for me, reinforced that I was in a Japanese restaurant. We started with the fried brussel sprouts and the seared salmon. I thoroughly enjoyed both of these and the flavors popped and the plating was awesome. Each dish that came out looked like art here which of course made me want to eat it quicker. Their presentation is excellent. Our meal consisted of the surfer roll, the negi toro scallion and the salmon and fig roll. The surfer roll had a ton of fresh flavors and was a hefty roll which helped provide the substance of my meal. The negi toro was fatty and delicious and the salmon fig was on the sweeter side so it paired very well with a dash of wasabi and a quick swipe through soy sauce. Finally, my piece of Hawaiian yellowtail was cut perfectly so it basically didn't require chewing. Our waitress was particularly helpful in guiding us through the menu to avoid those items containing dairy. Not only was she knowledgeable but was also able to offer modifications to one or two items to suit our tastes. This meal was very enjoyable and definitely one of the better if not best sushi places I've been to in Philly.
(5)
Candice B.
Zama had been on my to-try list for some time, and when Boyfriend suggested we go somewhere nice for our anniversary, it seemed the perfect opportunity. Our server enthusiastically recommended the $55 chef's tasting, which includes 6 courses and dessert. That he was so excited about the food told me immediately that this was going to be a memorable meal. Each course was enough for a taste, and ranged from a plate of nigiri to a savory egg custard. Everything was delicious. The standout for me was the marinated black cod served with pickled vegetables and endive. It's a regular item on the menu, and I would recommend it for sure; we were instructed to make a lettuce wrap out of the ingredients, and the flavor combination was to die for. We ended our meals with mochi ice cream and left satiated but not stuffed. I look forward to a return visit so that I can order from the sushi menu, but I would definitely recommend the chef's tasting.
(5)
Jeanne S.
The specialty rolls are a must!!!
(5)
Danny C.
This is by far one of my most favorite dining experiences. I've had sushi of all caliber, from $7 rolls in midtown Manhattan, to $200 prix fixe tasting menus. I was super surprised as the quality of the food and the exceptional service. I really wish I got the waitress' name. She was blonde and I believe I overheard her saying she's been at the location for over a year. Well, she was probably one of the most exceptional servers I've ever had. As for the food: The sushi was fresh, well prepared and delicious. I am not the sushi eater that drenches his food in soy sauce. I enjoy the subtle flavors of fish and the sauces as prepared by the chef. So, with that in mind, I have to admit that the balance in flavor profiles of the dishes that I had ordered was quite exquisite.. We had ordered the Branzizzle Roll, which had a nice citrusy flavor that really brings out the branzino used in the roll. The drinks were top-notch too. Please, if you are ever in the city of Philadelphia, you have to come here and try this place.
(5)
Cat P.
Personally, I don't think sushi gets much better in the Philadelphia area. Zama has the uncanny ability to make excellent traditional rolls as well as some truly wonderful, cutting-edge sushi. Dinner started for us with the fried brussels sprouts, which had such an amazing crunch to them. We also grabbed the seared salmon with bok choy; this was not my favorite dish of the meal, but it was still a great piece of fish. For sushi, we ordered the negi toro (tuna belly) and the surfer roll (yellowtail with jalapeno, tuna sashimi, and avocado). The highlight of the meal for me, though, was the salmon with dried fig roll. The roll was breathtaking and the sweet/salty combination from the soy sauce really made it sing. I also want to say that our waitress did a phenomenal job tonight. I told her about my food allergies and she was extremely conscientious. She made sure to talk to the chef about my issues and they tailored a few of the dishes to fit my needs. She was very attentive during our meal and was a great resource when we asked her about several of the menu items. If I had to complain about anything here, I would say that the menu does seem to gloss over some ingredients. I was surprised to find out the one dish I wanted had butter in it and that the other dish was tempura-battered, even though there was no mention of this in writing. This made me glad that I had mentioned my dietary restrictions to the waitress because she was able to alert me of these problems. In short, I will gladly return to Zama in the future. The food here is excellent and the wait staff is incredible. I would recommend asking about dish ingredients if you suffer from food allergies like me; your wait person will happily assist you and guide you through the menu.
(5)
Amy A.
We came here for Valentine's Day (no special menu or anything). It was good food - not quite Japanese though. would not say it was worth the price paid. For two people, including drinks, it came out to $125 including tip. We ordered the: Braised Beef - good for portion and price ($8!) NY Strips - typical, would skip this Black Cod - one of my favorites, very unique Sashimi Appetizer - small portions, very fresh Jose Garces Chirashi - Delicious, nice because it donates to charity, a bit too much on the lemon. I got the Sake Sangria (very yummy) and my bf got the microbrew. Overall, good dining but I think other Japanese places might be worth the money.
(3)
Donyale R.
Such a disappointing dining experience last night that I had to share. Besides not being able to offer any sushi rolls that were not pre-prepared and thus could not have been served gluten-free for some reason, the black cod arrived smoking hot, but with a taste and texture of having been recently microwaved from a scandalous state of frozen not-freshness. Great decor though. I'll close with one final thought: If sushi rolls arrive with a food court sushi appearance and taste, then they should be sold at food court sushi prices.
(2)
Fallonious F.
If you want Americanized over sauced sushi, there are plenty of "sushi" joints out there that can accommodate you. But for those of you that appreciate the super fatty oh toro and fresh boat-shucked Uni. This is the place for you. Whether you enjoy the more traditional side to Japanese cuisine or you crave the adventurous, Zama will satisfy you. Highly suggest the short ribs, the Vetri roll and any of the desserts. Oh and stop by for lunch. Once you have had their Chirashi, you'll be hooked.
(5)
Michele R.
I waited a bit long to write this review, but our experience at Zama was memorable: top notch service, phenomenal food, cool vibe. My husband ordered the tasting menu, and I just got an appetizer and sampled each of his choices. Every single plate was outstanding. But even better, our server was just one of those genuine, friendly, put-you-at-ease kinds of people that make eating in a finer establishment absolutely worth it. Nothing is worse to me than going to a highly rated restaurant for great food only to find the service off-putting, making for a stiff and uncomfortable experience. This is one restaurant that absolutely lives up to its reputation.
(5)
Tanya C.
I came here for a sushi with my husband and friend. Reservations were easy through open table and were were seated promptly when we arrived. Service was decent and the atmosphere is suited for the young professionals crowd. I ordered the super crunchy tuna, spicy crunchy tuna x2, and the salmon skin roll. Rolls were rather small (6 pieces each). The only roll i really liked was the spicy crunchy tuna, though the others were pretty good. Prices were okay, not as good as my favorite place in Maryland. Overall, a pretty good place to get sushi when I'm in PA.
(4)
Ricki K.
I had lunch at Zama last week. I am a frequent diner there and the food is always excellent. Very fresh and delicious. Unfortunately, I had a terrible experience with the service, and the general manager, Bryon, in particular. I tried to redeem an opentable dining cheque and was unable to redeem the cheque. Zama's "personal policy" is not compliant with open table and this is not noted on their website or anywhere else. Bryon was extremely rude and angrily tore up the bill in front of other diners. I will not be going back after that experience. This is a shame because the sushi is some of the best in Philadelphia.
(1)
Phi N.
my favorite sushi in the city. it is so expensive and it is so good!!! I go here for delicious, fresh, melt in your mouth sushi. if you want something else...well I am sure it will be good. The chirashi bowl with spicy rice? OMG so amazing. you won't regret it if you go here!
(5)
Vee V.
Stop in the name of sushi - the reviews of this place are as inflated as that giant fish hanging from their ceiling. We had a reservation here on a Friday night. After being seated we ordered some hot sake and the edamame with flavored salt to start. For dinner, I ordered the vegetable tempura and umeshiso (Japanese pickled plum) and my husband ordered the sushi platter. The sake arrived and then the edamame. We got yuzu, wasabi and plain sea salt. It was fine and seemed fresh but definitely a lot of edamame for two people. The waiter came over to tell us to eat slowly because the sushi bar was backed up and it might take a while to receive our meal. (Huh? The restaurant, on a Saturday evening had several tables open, plus, there was a better way to deliver this message). After the edamame had been cleared, a plate arrived with my rolls, which the waiter placed in the middle of the table. We waited, 5, 10, then 15 minutes, and finally the waiter came over to let us know they had forgotten to make my husband's food and they were working on it now. So we picked at my very tiny plate of vegetable rolls. The tempura rolls were good, small, but flavor was well balanced. The umeshiso was also fine, but nothing to write home about. Finally, my husband's platter arrived. There they were, tiny pieces of sashimi on rice. All of them had been dotted with globs of wasabi, so every bite was overwhelmingly flooded with this flavor. If you have a master sushi chef, he or she would never let this happen. Ultimately it was over priced for mediocre service, meh ambiance and food that was really not finer dining.
(2)
Ira H.
Incredible Sushi! I've been to a lot of sushi restaurants all over the county and this one takes the cake. Congrats Zama, the food was delicious. I was very impressed with everything. We orders lots of rolls and the chefs sashimi. Our server was very polite and she made some great recommendations. We went there for dinner and I would recommend this place to anyone.
(5)
Caroline J.
My favorite sushi places in Philly!! I highly recommend Black Belt sushi and sashimi combo. The fish is super fresh and yummy. There're many impressive rolls too. Vetri Roll is my favorite. Even the Maki rolls, which are usually simple and nothing special at other restaurants, are creative and tasty. It gets a bit crowded at 8-9 pm, but waiters and waitresses are attentive.
(5)
Emily P.
Be warned. I just called them to order pick-up. Their response: we cut it off for the evening, might re-open it later. Might re-open it later? Ridiculous. Have never heard of cutting off pick-up.... It's over 2 hours until they close. I'm mystified.
(1)
Robert B.
Clean, modern, good service, healthy food. What else could you want? Well, maybe lite Asian beer. I'd like to see Sapporo lite, etc on the drink menu. Otherwise, highly recommended for a date or meetup with colleagues.
(4)
Andrea H.
As a Japanese girl who grew up in Hawaii, I know good sushi. This place is unreal. Try the spicy crunch roll and hibachi scallops. you won't be disappointed!
(5)
Tina T.
I came here on a Friday night and loved it so much, I came back the next night. Unfortunately, I had two opposite experiences. Friday: Since it was just me, I was fine with sitting at the bar in front of the chefs. The girls in the front offered to check my coat and scarf which was really nice. My server (pretty girl, with black, really curly hair) greeted me immediately. After she answered some of my questions about the sake, I went with an unfiltered sake. Reading the menu, I was intrigued with the Bronzizzle (a roll with cucumber, avocado, fried scallions on the inside, topped with bronzino fish, ponzu and a hot sesame oil). The server told me it was one of her favorites, so I tried it. Wow! I ate it and wished I had more. It was fantastic. Throughout the meal, my server was very attentive. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Saturday: Because of Friday, I was excited to come back. The restaurant was packed and the hostess offered to sit me at a table in the corner in the bar. No worries, I am flexible. After being seated awhile and seeing servers and the bartender come and go for a bit, I ask the hostess if I had a server. They went and talked to the bartender who was my server. He came over and apologized and brought over some menus. When he came back after a few minutes, I ordered a drink, an app, and the Bronzizzle. And that was the last I saw of the bartender. Other staff brought out my drink, food, and refilled my water. I saw the bartender make SEVERAL trips to a table in the dining room and on his way back behind the bar, it would have been easy for him to check on me. I watched as he chatted with the staff, patrons at the bar, and the table in the dining room. But he NEVER checked on how my drink was or the food. I couldn't believe it. After 45 minutes or so, one of the managers came to check on me and I asked for the check. I told him how the two experiences were and how upset I was about being neglected that night. He said he would take responsibility because of how busy the bartender was and they still chose to sit me in the bar. I think that is bullshit because I watched the bartender tend to everyone else the whole time. The manager assured me he would remember me the next time. And what good will that do if I never come back? My mantra is that it doesn't matter how good the food is, if the service is terrible I won't go back. So disappointing. Although the second time was a 1 star experience, I gave this plave 3 stars overall because of how great the first time was.
(3)
Ben P.
Spectacular. Certainly more than your average sushi bar, Zama offers some very well done sushi-related entrees to compliment the standard selection of rolls and some really fun specialty rolls. Fantastic cocktails, excellent service, presentation that is good looking with out sacrificing function. After 200 or so reviews, I don't want to be redundant but I will say that Zama, though not cheap, is a great alternative to some other upscale (maybe a little tired) sushi places.
(5)
Elizabeth S.
The sushi rolls here are quite pretty to look at it, but the flavors don't match up to the appearance. I enjoyed my meal here, but for the price, I can get sushi that's just as good, if not better, elsewhere, and for less money.
(3)
C T.
Went here for a friend's birthday with a party of 6 or 7. Most of the table ordered the tasting menu which was solid but not mind blowing or particularly memorable. The atmosphere was nice in the way that trendy restaurants that are consciously trying very hard to be trendy look. It's good if you like that sort of thing (I'm personally pretty neutral about it). I also ordered the Bibou specialty roll with escargot which was very good but partly boosted by the taste memory that I had had of going to spectacular Bibou earlier in the month. Now where points get taken off for this review is the service. What a bunch of whack jobs. At one point of the tasting menu, there was a huuuugeee gap of time between the last course and the upcoming course. I'm a great lover of leisurely paced meals and we had all been talking, drinking, and enjoying ourselves but it was nearly an hour between a small app and another small app. During this time, the waiter had to be flagged down to take another drink order and then finally to be asked when the next course was. At that point he was totally unapologetic and told us he'd check back. Finally they brought the course and the chef apparently decided to skip the course listed and advance to the next one after. Then when most of us weren't even done with the course they gave us, they brought over the one they skipped. Instead of enjoying one plate at a time, we had two in front of us like it was some race to the end of our meal now that the servers/chefs decided that we should be finishing. I thought I was at a relatively nice restaurant but I'm mistaken, what is this Applebee's? It didn't even make sense to rush like this seeing that we still had courses left after the two they brought out nearly simultaneously. The worst part is that after we finished our meal and were enjoying our drinks, the staff turned on the lights and started cleaning. No warning, no check-in to see if we enjoyed our meal. In the very least we're civilized people, so we asked for our check. OBVIOUSLY they had put in the gratuity in advance because of our party size otherwise I wouldn't have tipped them at all. Back to Umai Umai for me if I feel like excellent sushi and good service. F these suckas.
(2)
Maya M.
DELICIOUS!!! The sake quenches your thirst, the sushi is fresh and unique and delicious, the service is attentive and friendly. This is one of the best sushi restaurants I've ever been to. I don't think you can go wrong with anything on the menu. We ordered the brussel sprout appetizer, wasabi lobster roll, wasabi tuna roll, and the bronzizzle... thinking about it is making me drool all over again. My one critique is that the narrow structure of the restaurant makes it feel a little claustrophobic - and it's compounded by the wall design, which made me a little dizzy (or maybe that was the sake)... also, a couple of times I thought the waiter had forgotten about us because it was such a busy night... but he always came back, and was very friendly!
(5)
james c.
Mostly everything is good. I got the omakase which was divine but I think it was because I went with someone who knew the chef. It was less spectacular second time around when I went by myself. Been there 3 times and quality of rolls are consistently good. Definitely best sushi in Philadelphia.
(4)
Erin K.
The hostesses at Zama need some interpersonal skills. Last time I was in there, I was meeting my boyfriend who was running late. I asked to be seated so that I could start ordering for the both of us. The hostess refused, despite the fact that the restaurant was 80% empty, it was a Wednesday night at 8:45, and it was pouring down raining. I tried to give them another shot, but again, they failed miserably. We recently went in there without reservations and, instead of being told how long we would have to wait, we were told that nothing was available. Nothing. We had to ask "until when?" before the hostess decided to check when the next available seating would be. The sushi is NOT worth that kind of treatment.
(2)
Fred S.
Great Service. A little expensive, but that's how most good sushi spots are. Make sure to try the tuna sashimi and the philly cheesesteak roll!
(4)
Erin C.
Quality and well priced sushi. I strongly recommend going for lunch. You get an excellent and filling meal. Also, they offer one of the best restaurant week menus. Definitely a lot of bang for your buck. 2 starters, 1 large entree and 2 dessert options. All mouthwatering and filling. My husband isn't a huge sushi lover but he found other non sushi dishes and was very satisfied.
(5)
Carla F.
This is a beautiful space with high end and inventive sushi. I can't complain.
(4)
Timothy D.
Wowza. This place is doing it right, which is no surprise given the pedigree. Hamachi Kama was PERFECT, Kennet Square roll was delicious, and even the spicy tuna handrolls were spot-on. Our server, Lisa, was excellent and knew exactly what she was talking about. Good wine list and plenty of Japanese beers to choose from. We eat at Izumi pretty often and Zama is right up there in terms of creativity and solid flavors.
(4)
BJ W.
This is a solid sushi restaurant. It was nice hidden gem until it got featured in Philly Magazine. The inside is typical size for Rittenhouse and you should make a reservation on the weekends. This is my second favorite sushi in Philly and the rolls are consistently excellent. Their lunch special isn't that great, but this is a good date night sushi spot with a descent wine menu. The service is great and prices are fair.
(5)
Dinah W.
I came here twice already and I think the sushi is delicious and would definitely come back for more because of it. The service however, leaves more to be desired. The first time I dined here was during dinner time. My server was pretty aggressive throughout my dinner. I don't think i was ever given an adequate amount of time to choose what I wanted. I am a server myself, and so I am conscious of timing during busy service hours. The second time I came here was during lunch hours and so there were only 3 other diners. The server was not attentive and was also impolite and abrupt whenever addressing anyone at my table. For the prices at this restaurant, I would hope for more quality service. The servers overall will not deter me from coming here again, but it is just a note to keep in my mind when dining here.
(4)
Regina F.
The sushi chefs at Zama seem to understand that roll creativity does not mean sacrificing flavor. They understand that it's not optimal to load a roll with mango, coconut, soybeans, eight types of fish, uni and some roe for it to be sufficiently interesting. Unlike most spicy tuna rolls that offer an all too generous dose of Kewpie blended with Japanese red-spice blend, the Double Spicy Tuna Roll at Numa let the acidity of the red tuna melt with the creaminess of the white tuna and avocado, expertly spiced by chili oil. A few bites into this roll, and your mouth might be craving a fire extinguisher save for the balancing sweetness of the eel sauce. Zama receives a full five stars because although the restaurant does not standardly offer regular soy sauce (HEY YOU WHITE PEOPLE, GUESS WHAT? LOW SODIUM SOY SAUCE IS LIGHTLY FLAVORED...THIS MEANS YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO DOUSE YOUR ROLL IN THE STUFF. AND I'LL BET IF YOU USED SOY SAUCE PROPERLY YOU WOULDN'T MAKE THE REST OF US SUFFER BY FORCING RESTAURANTS TO ONLY SERVE THE LOW-SODIUM LOW FLAVOR CRAP.), the waitress kindly brought over a mini dish of her personal regular soy sauce. Many thanks.
(4)
Christina L.
If you book a reservation here, ARRIVE ON TIME. We got some very sassy messages on the phone telling us 15 minutes past the reservation our table would be given up. Otherwise, food was amazing and server was very kind with great recommendations.
(4)
Eliza D.
Pros: -Great fresh fish. -Excellent cocktails (my 2nd favorite gimlet in Philly thus far) -Superb and inventive rolls. -"Charity" rolls, a portion of the proceeds go to charity. -Excellent music and atmosphere. Cons: -When we over ordered food due to our excitement at the options I asked our waiter to cancel one or two items. He seemed reluctant to do so and his energetic demeanor had faded. Shortly after he returned with the items and said that the kitchen would not allow the cancellation. I found this to be in very poor taste. I'm not sure if it was him or the kitchen not approving the return. -While I'm very much a fan, I think the prices are a tad steep. I have had equally amazing sushi in many other cities at near half the price. I will probably look for another spot to make my "regular" go to sushi house. Minus 2 stars for the steep overcharges and so-so staff.
(3)
Joanna D.
I like this place! I often come here when I feel like a little treat. My "go to" items are: *Salmon skin salad *Soft shell shrimp *Live scallop Yum!
(4)
Shreyas Z.
nice food with decent prices.
(4)
Brett T.
This was the best sushi I've ever had. WOW! For comparison, I've had sushi in DC, Northern Virginia, and at that really expensive place at the Bellagio. This was better than all of them. The Tuna tasted like fresh ocean (not like nasty ocean). Some sushi rolls looked like works of art and tasted even better. We will be back to Philly and definitely come back to Zama!
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Street Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : No Good for Kids : No Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Trendy Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Dogs Allowed : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Gina B.
Vetri roll was delicious!!! Staff was very helpful and service was fantastic.
(4)Adam B.
I'm giving Zama 2-stars purely because my reasonable expectation was no where near met. We came here a while back (take heed that I hope my observation no longer hold true) for what we thought would be an upper notch sushi experience, and instead were met with something that was probably available for half the price on the other side of Broad. Staff just to be fair were friendly and very nice. This is really a review of the food. Miso Soup: Basic and very average in quality. I think if there is anything all sushi restaurants should learn is that you should put effort into your Miso Soup, it bodes well for the meal to come. Spicy Halibut Tempura: Quite nice actually. Not something we have had before however it was rather pricy as a starter at $15. Mad Dog Roll: As good as it got for the food. Avocado, yellowtail, jalapenos and tuna sashimi all came together nicely. I'm a fool for sushi with a kick. If you are going to go here, order that roll. Sushi & Sashimi Combo: Major let-down. The sashimi tasted awefully like it had been refrozen if not once a few times, and not very well, you know, that day old lacking freshness taste. If you don't know what I mean, go eat what I find to be great sashimi at Fat Salmon or Vic Sushi and compare it to Zama. The Sushi wasn't put together all to well, almost as if they give the intern/new guy the simple sushi. Portions were not very large, and lacked satisfactory flavor. Drinks: I had a lychee fizz which wasn't too bad really. My other half however had the candy cane martini (drink of the season). It made me want to gag but she managed to power through its bitter over mintiness. And for all this... we paid the supreme price of $100. This is the only time I've felt foolish paying a large sum for sushi. I'd have valued it all at $60 MAX and with the quality it wasn't even really worth that. The location is literally just around the corner from where I used to stay and it would have been nice to get a good well valued sushi experience here. I've never minded paying a little more for a restaurant situated in a nice area but you'd be better off saving your money and putting towards a vacation to Japan. Gold star for service. :] They are the best part of this restaurant.
(2)Ryan N.
Best sushi ever. Coming back again forsure. Get Philly roll! Me and my girlfriend love it
(5)Chef Becky P.
This restaurant is one of the best in Philadelphia. My first time there was an amazing and rewarding experience as it came highly recommended by my Chair of the Department I was working for who is a Chef as well. I was excited and totally overwhelmed with the level of innovative and creative offerings starting with the appetizer menu. My friend who went with me and who had very little exposure to this level of sushi artistry was totally blown away on the first course so much that they insisted I continue to order for the rest of the evening. It was like being a little kid in a great toy store being teased by all the possibilities wanting to try them all. This IS NOT your average sushi joint by any means. Please be aware of the cost factor if you are on a budget as the menu selections are reflected in the pricing. I have to also include my server who was an outstanding representation to this great restaurant. She was a theater major student whose personality was a great addition to our experience with a very outgoing personality and ability to know how to keep her tables happy. KUDOS to her.....
(5)David A.
Great knowledgable and friendly service. Some of the best fresh fish I have had in Philly. Creatively prepared rolls. Lose a star based on the price. For 5 people (we ate alot) and had some drinks, it was pricey at about $200. Other wise, loved the food. Everything tasted fantastic and we cleaned the plates. Just not a weekly place at these prices but will be back.
(4)Irina L.
What is going on with sushi restaurants in Philadelphia? I am looking for a new gem, and keep coming across the a-ok and so-so.... My hubby and I were in the city catching a movie, and it was a gorgeous summer Sunday early evening - we did not feel like letting the week-end come to an end. On a spur of the moment, we decided to jump into our fave sushi "dive" near Rittenhouse Square area: alas, it was closed on Sundays... So we Yelped for suggestions, and came across Zama. Off we went, less than 5 minutes' walk. We sat and perused the menu: asked for a few "spicy" recommendations, but I decided the best way to check the sushi restaurant's worth is to go simple: because with basic maki the chef cannot hide or disguise the quality of the ingredients and work. So, I went with the spicy salmon and spicy yellowtail with jalapeno and mango; my hubby ordered the spicy trifecta: tuna, salmon and yellow tail, along with a salmon skin roll. I won't go too deep into details: bottom line - way too much rice, which was cooked a bit too crunchy for my taste, and too many fillers in the rolls... The quantity of the fish in proportion to the cucumbers and jalapenos and rice was miniscule - honestly, I could barely taste the essence of the fish in these rolls. It was all very average... dare I say "supermarket quality", the difference being this was made to order and did not sit in the fridge for hours. On the plus side, the service was prompt, pleasant, courteous: everyone from servers, to bussers, to sushi chefs, to hostesses, said good-bye and wished us a nice evening. The interior is sleek, modern, clean vertical lines of the light wood wall paneling pair perfectly with the dark door and window trims, and carry the lightness into the depths of the restaurant. The front "room" is the home of the large sushi bar, next to the alcohol bar, with seating at all perimeters. The middle section is smartly laid out to separate the tables from the servers' busy working area, with a lovely half-round ceiling décor; the upper rear section houses more tables. But the charm of the staff and the ambience of the restaurant cannot compensate for the lack of sushi enjoyment. They say you must kiss many frogs before you find your prince charming - same appears to apply to sushi. How many mediocre sushi do I need to eat before I find the next "WOW"? Someone, anyone - tell me where the goods are hidden.
(3)Ken L.
Zama had really really good food. I highly recommend trying the Chef's Chirashi. It is very different from what you expect and I can't really explain it so just try it for yourself. Expect a really long wait if you didn't get reservations and then expect an even longer wait after you order. I guess good food takes a long time to prepare but damn it took a while. I recommend ordering everything you want at one time.
(3)Katie R.
I went here tonight with two friends for a light dinner. It was the perfect idea. The service was great to start with. The hostess was very welcoming, finding us a place at the sushi bar even though we didn't have a reservation. The waiter was also very flexible, helping us adjust our order partway through the meal. I had the miso soup and the rainbow roll. Both were fantastic, even though I wasn't a fan of the mushrooms in my soup (my friend ate them and loved them - I just don't like mushrooms). My friend had the sashimi sampler, and her boyfriend had the 3-roll Philly special, one of the charity rolls, and this soy-paper wrapped spicy scallop thing that we split between us and was absolutely delicious. With the exception of the octopus in the 3-roll special, we all loved our food. In general, the food is a mix of fusion sushi and some more traditional Japanese food. Everything looked very tasty. It's a bit higher priced than other sushi options in the area, but also has better atmosphere than the other restaurants.
(4)David J.
Went for lunch on a rainy weekday. Service was pretty slow and the bill was average for sushi. The fish itself was pretty good though. Still waiting for Philadelphia to get an outstanding sushi restaurant...
(2)Andrew U.
Big sushi fan, and was disappointed by Zama's. Ordered a few maki rolls, including the wasabi tuna. First, each roll is a lot smaller than I expected based on experience in other sushi restaurants, and about 30-50% more expensive. Wasabi tuna roll had 8 pieces, 3 of the pieces were extremely spicy, and the other 5 were more or less bland. Left much to be desired. Not worth the price in my opinion. A shame because I really liked the ambiance. Their service was polite and professional, however, so that was a plus. Will not be returning.
(2)Jennifer B.
This place is clearly for those who really love sushi. A little bit pricey but everything is delicious and fresh. Took my husband here for his birthday (he is a sushi conesseuir I just prefer a simple California roll). They have two separate kitchens. One for hot food and one for cold. I had the chicken skewer bites and their sauce was amazing. My husband had a wide variert od sushi and loved everything. The ambience ia great and casual but elegant and modern. Definitely a recommended spot but bc of the price I will not go often. I gave it four stars only bc I told them during the reservation that it was my husbands bday and they said they would give a candle in our dessert but did not and also bc of the price. Otherwise food and ambience great and waiters knowledgeable.
(4)Mark S.
I've been here like 6 times in the past year, sampled the sushi and many hot plates and EVERYTHING is good!
(5)Kate G.
At the end of my meal, I took the time to announce---loudly and tactlessly---that Zama housed the best sushi I had ever eaten. So, why four stars? Because, in a sushi stupor, I visited Oh Yoko! in Cherry Hill the next day and liked the sushi there even better. Oh Zama---we were so close to maki-ing it wok (a little Japanese humor for ya)... This was my first sushi experience in Philadelphia, and it was a really good one. I made reservations on a Saturday night to celebrate my boyfriend's birthday. I called prior to arrival to ask whether I could bring a cake. When we arrived to the restaurant, the hostess immediately wished him happy birthday. Nice touch. We were seated earlier than our scheduled reservation and we started to look over the menu. Our waiter, who looked exceedingly like Joseph Gordon-Levitt, was extraordinarily helpful. He encouraged us to make certain choices, and also encouraged us to avoid others. Naturally, we didn't take his advice, but it was great to feel like our waiter was so interactively concerned about our overall enjoyment of the meal. He was a real stand-up guy. We started with the Calamari Salad and added avocado. I mean it when I say that every component of that salad was perfect. Spring mix, calamari, and yuzu dressing sang (unfortunately not 'happy birthday') in perfect melodic harmony. I've been missing that salad every day. We ordered a Tuna Roll, a Salmon Roll, a Spicy Salmon Roll, a Smoked Salmon and Fig Roll, a Zahav Roll, and a King Crab Oshizushi. The tuna, salmon, and spicy salmon rolls were delicious. The fish was uber-fresh and the notes of flavor were well received. I absolutely loved the smoked salmon and fig roll; the fig was ripe and sweet and finished as the delightful pop at the end of each bite. The Zahav Roll was interesting. I adore Middle Eastern food, so I was ecstatic when I saw a Mediterranean-inspired sushi roll offered in a Japanese restaurant. What? Kate's culinary fusion heaven? Yes, please! Except--I probably could have said no (Bruno Mars should have locked me out of said heaven!). I loved the moist edamame falafel, but the whole dish was, well--bland. When you see a compilation between Chef Zama and Chef Solomonov, you kind of have Charles Dickens worthy Great Expectations. This dish fell flat. That being said, it still earned major points for creativity. The King Crab Oshizushi was not exactly what we expected. Because of the $21 price point, we were expecting a dish that showcased the crab. Unfortunately, I felt like the rice and the bowl were the featured presentation. The roll, though named king, was more like a waning prince. Next time, we'll opt to load up on the maki and shy away from the specialty rolls. Our service was amazing, and I'd definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for a solid sushi restaurant in Philadelphia.
(4)Karen B.
zama's environment is livelier and more fancy-pants than most local sushi joints, but that doesn't mean the food is superior (it's not). i've also found that the service is spotty -- was here for a bachelorette dinner this past saturday and our server was flat and unenthusiastic all night long. the bartender was the same ... a friend and i arrived early and sat at the bar for about 10 minutes before he acknowledged us (the bar was not crowded). considering that my drinking companion was smokin' hot, i found his failure to serve us very strange!
(3)Lavi L.
Cute spot for a casual date. Not intimate as noise level is quite high and the tables very crowded. Sushi was decent with a twist and the cocktails were above average.
(4)Mayra H.
Went in for lunch and was immediately lured in by the sea bass tempura. Sea bass, broccoli, and cabbage tempura drizzled with a spicy sauce. The veggies weren't overcooked or undercooked in their tempura cacoon - a balance easily overlooked and all-too often failed. Did not have any of the sushi (say WHAAAAT?!), but I will be back soon. Also, don't bother with the miso soup. It's nothing out of the ordinary but priced at the extraordinary (it is broth, with tofu and seaweed afterall).
(4)Kevin K.
Sat up at the sushi bar and watched the chefs in action. Ordered the chefs choice of sushi and sashimi. May have been the best fish I have had in years. Cannot wait to go back to Philly and dine here again.
(5)Soyoung K.
I am by no means a sushi connoisseur but the way the sushi rice and the sashimi tastes...it is out of this world! The fish was semi luke warm but still had this fresh consistency and the sushi rice was the most perfect sushi rice I've tasted, like EVER. Not overly vinegar-y or salty or sweet. The rice really perfected the nigiri. I still think about it in my dreams. Yes, this place isn't cheap. However, for the quality, everything they offer is reasonably priced. It's hard to find a place with such perfect sushi anymore. Plus, the staff are all very friendly and attentive. I sat at the bar and had a couple drinks made by Falon, the bartender. It was seriously delicious and everything was great. From the acrylic chopsticks to the view of chef Zama working behind the sushi bar.. I can't wait to go back. Also, the paper fish hanging from the ceiling... love it!
(4)christina j.
This was my first restaurant to try during restaurant week and I would surely try this spot again for sushi I went for dinner and the fish was fresh as fresh could be. I had a salad, the pork dumplings, maki combo and some of the tastiest desserts ever. Luckily these were bite size otherwise I may have rolled out of Zama. I did try the cucumber martini which was very light and refreshing. The server was friendly and attentive. The space is nice and tastefully decorated. Parking could be an issue, I found spot around the block in lot.
(3)Barak B.
Way over rated. Average to low quality sushi for crazy price. I am judging the food only. For me food is more important than atmosphere. I had 3 different rolls, sorry I don't remember which ones they were. Maybe they have good food besides the sushi.
(2)Jonas K.
Just returned to Zama. Not just wonderful superb quality sushi made with the freshest raw fish, but also some very interesting fish I had never before tried as sushi. Branzino for example. And the nigiri sushi is made like in Japan with a slight stripe of wasabi under each piece of fish. That is right, the sushi chef lets you know how much wasabi each type of fish deserves for the best flavor. Then you don't have to add wasabi to your soy making a mess! Now, I will tell you the best sushi at the place is the hand roll tuna with natto. Don;t ask what it is, just try and enjoy this Japanese oddity. The appetizers are so unique. The tofu made table-side is just like a Kaiseki dish I had in Kyoto. I just can't wait t go back! GOCHISOOSAMA DESHITA.
(5)E T.
A perfect addition to the Rittenhouse Square dining scene. I know, I know- you wonder how many more sushi places can occupy a single zip code- but, this is different. Hiraku and Shiroi Hana were my old standbys for sushi. Then, Morimoto and Raw expanded the selection in town. Zento in Old City curbed my cravings until the prices increased and the portion sizes shrunk. I started getting lazy and went to places within a two block radius- Mizu and Vic's. Both left much to be desired- the former lacked quality and the latter was too small. Zuma is a stylish, modern clean space (formerly occupied by Loie). Limited seating is available at the sushi bar (this would be my first choice)- maybe 8 seats. The long space is broken into different seating zones- some more cozy than others. I love the koi design elements swimming across the ceiling. We were hungry- snow days are hard work- and we ordered from all parts of the menu: generous portion of edamame, super tender and large hibachi scallops, salmon skin salad, lobster tempura roll, a soy wrap bbq eel roll, and the california roll with jumbo lump crab. Edamame- staple of all Japanese eateries- these were different- super large pods with tender beans. Could have chosen a wasabi salt, but we opted for the normal salt. The salmon skin in the salad- crunchy and perfectly executed- dressing was light and tasty. The lobster roll- presentation was amazing- such a delicate flavor- sweet and aromatic- just wonderful. It kind of had to be at $17 for six pieces. The eel roll was a strong contender to be one of our favorite items. We completed the meal with a dark chocolate bomb - super yummy. Not sure if it was made in house, but it was a perfect ending to a delicious meal. Service was very nice- still some bumpy new restaurant mistakes- beer was brought out without glasses. The girl filled my beer glass with water- I still had one gulp left. There was a little tentativeness, but nothing that I am certain will disappear with time and practice. Always attentive - from host to bussers. Will definitely return. No lunch yet. Take out might be available soon. Looking forward to sitting at the sushi bar and putting myself in the hands of the very capable chef.
(4)Victoria W.
AMAZING!! I go to zama weekly for lunch. Their udon is out of this world & the miso soup is like heaven! I wish they delivered & served udon during dinner. The staff is incredibly friendly & so accommodating !!
(5)Luke L.
Hands down the best sushi and food in general Ive had in philly. I depended on my waitress for many of my choices as it was my first time and she did a more then stellar job of choosing excellent items. from the drinks i sampled a mixed drink and a beer to the appetizers to the sushi everything was class. Great place for a romantic date or to grab a spot at the sushi bar and have a few rolls and a drink.
(5)Miah B.
Great location and the decor is awesome. The sushi was fresh and delicious. Best spider roll I've ever had. A little noisy, but still on my top sushi places list.
(4)Ellen L.
very expensive sushi for very average to below average tasting sushi. We had tried a special scallop roll- very bland taste at best- the waitress asked for our feedback- but it still remained on our bill. The spicy crunch tuna roll was good, but not enough to have me spend that much money on blah food.
(2)Sean G.
Food: 3.0 Stars Selection of specialty rolls was mediocre. All standard rolls were available for order and priced reasonably but lacked distinction vs. other basic sushi restaurants. While the specialty roll (Wasabi Lobster) was delicious, it was not worth the $17 asking price. In general, the rice was dry and the sushi was not as fresh as expected. Service: 3.5 Stars Service was excellent and the server was knowledgeable and courteous. However, certain other staff members were inconsiderate of the restaurants patrons as they were loud, made inappropriate comments, and seemingly were adhering to their own agenda. Ambiance: 4.5 Stars The restaurants decor is very well done with attention to detail. It has an atmosphere appropriate for both dating and causal dining. The decor embodies a very modern Japanese touch. Price: 3.0 Stars Standard rolls are reasonably priced but specialty rolls are overpriced. Specialty cocktails/beers are in the upper end price range. Location: 4.5 Stars Excellent location right outside of Rittenhouse Park/Square. Easily accessible and near Rittenhouse bars/lounges/restaurants. Miscellaneous/Overall Impression: 3.5 Stars In the cutthroat business of Japanese/Sushi Restaurants, this restaurant will survive mainly on ambiance and locations. The food is only mid-range in quality, variety, and price compared to other Philadelphia Sushi Bars.
(3)Zachary D.
Given the price, I was underwhelmed. The food is fine, but not great. Rather, everything seems a bit gimmicky. The three salt edamame amused me but did little for my taste buds. The roles were elaborately presented but simple in their taste. On the plus side, we had some really good unfiltered saki.
(3)Brian S.
At the end of my meal I took time to announce - "Where is Subway? I'm starving!" Man, this place leaves you wanting more. More food and better service. 1 star for zama and 4 stars go to the grilled chicken footlong I scarfed down after this meal.
(1)Scott F.
I've been getting spoiled by eating the sushi here. Some of the best quality / freshest fish I've had anywhere and some of the most unique creations. Underneath it's humble exterior lies a simple, elegantly designed restaurant, very professional staff, and one of the best sushi chefs in the city. So far my favorites have been the Yellowtail Jalapeno Mango and Wasabi Lobster. Make sure you save room for the Creme Brulee :)
(5)Alex V.
From a sushi perspective, Zama is just as good if not better than Morimoto, and other places like Zento and Bluefin. The special rolls are really good, and even the basics are excellent. The service was good, but not as good some of the other places in town. The cost was not outragious, but it wasn't a deal either. From an ambiance perspective, Zama is OK, but its nothing like the installation at Morimoto. If I had to take "out of town" guests for Sushi, I would probably go to Morimoto.
(5)Georgie S.
I just had dinner at this fine establishment tonight for the first time and I must say I am highly impressed! Our server was a very knowledgeable and friendly girl who suggested that we try this rare farm raised tuna that they have. The flavor was like no tuna I had ever had and I am really happy I had the opportunity to experience it. Everything was great from the Eel Omelet roll right down to the miso soup. The menu offers a very interesting take on traditional Japanese flavors with a modern flair. They offer edamame with three unique salts that give a fresh twist to a traditional crowd pleaser. We had the wasabi salt and I am excited to try the green tea salt next time I go in. The entire experience was so enjoyable. The entire restaurant makes you feel like you are the only table in the place. Everyone is very attentive and it shows in the food. Even the staff seems excited and proud to be there. I am so excited to have a reliable sushi restaurant in Philly. I wouldn't hesitate to say that this place beats any restaurant in New York City and heavily trumps overpriced Morimoto. If I were Steven Starr I would be watching my back! I can't wait to go back.
(5)H M.
The only reason why they are getting two stars is because the sashimi was fresh and our server was named Marc Anthony. Over priced for crap sushi. The eel and avacdo roll tasted like crap and you can never go wrong with an eel roll. The sushi rice was bland and mushy. This place was not good. I should have convinced my party to go to Morimotos... O Philly when are you gona have slammin sushi at decent price??!
(2)Nana L.
Best sushi restaurant in Philly
(5)M B.
This was my second time to Zama and my husband's first (for his birthday). The food is impeccable- natural flavors presented in tantalizing combinations with an artist's flair for beautiful presentation!! Lisa was our server (REQUEST HER) and was perfect! Sweet but knowledgeable about all of the items & preparations while also attending to anything we needed promptly. This is for sure, the BEST, most impressive sushi in Philly. If you really want to impress someone who likes sushi, bring them to Chef Zama & he will knock their socks off!!! Clean, attractive decor and no "scene" so if you are loud and obnoxious, please don't ruin it for the foodies!! We can't wait to come again :) Yum!!!
(5)Robin C.
Went here with my sister and Dad and was seated right away on a busy Saturday night. We got a bunch of sushi, including some specials. It didn't take too long but when we ordered another order to satisfy us a bit more, we were given the small plate special on the house because they said the sushi bar was backed up; we hadn't even noticed that it had been a while! Their sushi was very reasonably priced and very good. They also have a bunch of asian beers which I love so I'd definitely go here again. BTW, if you're going to order the spicy tuna, order it crunchy, it's amazing. Their fish is super fresh too, not fishy taste at all.
(4)liza c.
I have been meaning to try Zama for approximately 5 years now, but with so many sushi joints in Philly it has been sucessfully escaping me - until this past weekend, that is. I had expected great things considering the location, relatively upscale ambience, and the crowds that swarm this place on any given Friday or Saturday. Perhaps, then, my hopes were a little high? My party of eight quaintly attired and altogether pleasant ladies were greeted (greeted is hardly an accurate word here; accosted is more suited) by a youngish lad with a surly attitude, monotone voice (it's possible he can't help this, so I concede that it is wrong of me to count against him), and oddly forceful instructions about how to order. He practically insisted that we get combo platters of sushi, even though everyone wanted entirely different things and not everyone wanted sushi or sashimi. He also gave us numerous warnings about how the sushi bar might "get behind" and "take a long time" because the sushi is hand-rolled to order and it was a busy night. (Don't all sushi restaurants work this way and manage just fine?!) He was right, of course, and we were there for two hours. He was lax in getting us more drinks even though we were trying to celebrate the upcoming nuptials of one in the party without too much pomp and circumstance. AND he appeared to make fun of us at the end of the meal for eating everything, but one last roll - joking that we might want to take it to go. Had his demeanor been any less harsh that evening, we might not have taken it as an insult from him... All of this might have been partially overlooked if the food had been good, but in truth, it was subpar. The rolls were some of the least impressive that I've had in Philadelphia: unripe asparagus and avocado, fish that seemed to be not-sushi-grade, and disappointing tempura. Plus, my calamari salad was not what I would expect of a higher-class sushi restaurant - the calamari was fried. I thought I was eating at the pub down the street. There were a few more complaints about the food, but I can't even recall them now because the evening was so long and languorous and the experience so dreadful, that we're all trying to block it from memory. For shame, Zama.
(2)I. S.
If i could give this place 0 stars I would. All I wanted to do was place an order for take-out and I was told by a real arrogant guy that they can't do that and they only want to focus on in-house dining. If that's the case then Yelp should update their profile and say takeout (no). All I wanted to do was order like 10 orders of bluefin tuna to get my bluefin tuna fix, but no god forbid they accept take out orders. What a bunch of snobs at this place.
(1)eric b.
Upon hearing good things about Zama I decided to give it a try. To begin with, I would consider myself a foodie as well as a huge long-time sushi-nut. Overall I thought the sushi at Zama was very good but there is room for improvement. Freshness was excellent. Presentation was excellent. Selection was excellent. Service was excellent. Prices were in line with a "better" sushi house. Portion size was another story... The size of the special rolls were terrific. The problem is that I eat more sushi than rolls. The size of each piece of sushi was unfortunately minuscule. They can double the size and it would only start to be acceptable. Zama falls way short on this important issue. Let's face it, sushi is expensive. The ratio of cost per piece to size of each piece is way off. For this reason I can recommend Zama but with reservations. After all sometimes size does matter...
(3)Jeff A.
Was unsure what to expect from this relatively new japanese/sushi place. I was happy to find out it was at the spot Loie was at (and that Loie had gone out of business). It is a great spot close to the park would be good for dates. The food. Honestly the first time I have been excited about sushi for a long time. The rolls were creative and delicious the bronzizzle was like nothing I had tasted before. The toro and some golden eye snapper sashima was some of the best i've tasted. One friend who came got the steak which looked so good we all tried it too. It came with different dipping "salts" was perfectly cooked. Very impressed good sake list too Overall very very good would definitely come back.
(4)Liz Q.
This is my second time at Zama. The service there is great! My date and I had the fried pork dumplings and the short ribs to share as an appetizer. Short ribs were delicious as usual however the dumplings weren't a favorite of mine. We then split half of the black cod. For the price of the dish, the portions were minuscule. The sides for the black cod were endives and pickled veggies. For a somewhat expensive dish, I would have expected a better quality garnish. For sushi, my date ordered us an eel and shrimp specialty roll, spider roll, salmon roll, one uni sushi topped with quail egg, and two trigger fish sashimi. Although i love their wide variety of fish, their sashimi is much smaller than average. All in all, I would still recommend Zama for the atmosphere and the experience.
(4)J S.
Fantastic food! Pleasantly surprised - super fresh sushi, artfully presented. Every bite a masterpiece.
(5)Shelley S.
The black cod here is probably my favorite thing to eat in Philly and what keeps me going back. The prices are a little high, but you're paying for quality of food and for quality of food preparation. My Japanese-Italian friend with peanut allergies visited and I took her here. Being Japanese, she's very picky about her sushi restaurants. Being italian, she's very vocal about her likes and dislikes. She loved it. As a bonus, because she has peanut allergies, she asked about how everything was made, and we learned how thorough they are in the kitchen. They even make their own bread for the bread pudding (which was delicious).
(5)Garima K.
Great food and lovely ambiance!
(4)Larissa S.
beautiful restaurant and great sushi. the wasabi lobster is my favorite (lots of lobster on top) and i also love the yellowtail jalapeño mango. zama is really good with gluten free and is knowledgeable about all of the ingredients in the rolls. i love that i can order a spicy tuna roll and not worry about hidden soy sauce. the green tea martini is also delicious!
(5)Tim P.
Good food. Small portions. Pricey. Horrible service. I should not have to wait 20 minutes for knife and fork so I can cut my now cold short ribs. The waitress also forgot to write down half the things I ordered. I won't go back.
(2)Ed Y.
Hands down, the best sushi restaurant you can go find in Philadelphia. Sushi here is extremely fresh and well made. Although most people recognize Morimoto as the famous Japanese place in Philly, I'd go on a limb and say that if you're looking strictly for sushi, Zama is the better, less pricey bet. Large selection of ala carte sushi, combination dinners, and huge sake selection. Also, decor of the restaurant is huge plus. It's nowhere near as flashy as Morimoto or any of the Steven Star restaurants, but is neat in its own way. The whole restaurant is covered in flat wooden planks cut to make the shape of waves. The design is simple yet very aesthetically pleasing to look at during dinner. If you're looking for a trendy restaurant to show people who are visiting town, go to Morimoto. However, if you're looking for real good sushi, definitely go to Zama.
(5)Joseph D.
No thanks, make the trip to Fuji in NJ or stay local with Kisso. Overpriced and overall no so good. Bridge crowd-please enjoy.
(1)Laura F.
I never complain, but Zama was a complete waste of time and money. The food was bland and texturally off -- I couldn't even finish my Dragon roll, despite still being hungry and its $15 price tag. Also we waited 45 minutes to get our very minimal order. Ridiculous.
(2)Rocio U.
Sushi is good, dishes are well presented. Service is good. The installation is nice but might benefit from some noise reduction devices. Cost wise it was ok as well. I would recommend it.
(4)Rose V.
If you are a true sushi lover like eat everything from uni and quail eggs to all types of raw fish then this place is for you. I had a RSVP for 7 girls on a "girls night out" type of dinner and did not realize that the menu was basically all raw sushi. I don't mind but some of my friends faces were like "wtf dude?" The sushi is good, the freshness of them wasn't all too fresh now come to think about it =/ but I do like how the chefs do not put too much rice on the maki's or sushi's. Full bar, we ordered 2 bottles of white wine, which of course is better for larger groups. It is pretty pricey there, our bill for 4 appetizers, 3 entrees and 2 bottles came to $325 (including gratuity). Our server was very helpful in assisting my friends that did not eat raw sushi, she was very nice. The place is small but cozy and very artful designs. --Con's: we drove by the place like 3 times not realizing it because the "ZAMA" sign and the design they picked for it was literally camouflaging, so that was a pain once we realized why we couldn't find this place. Pricey. --Pros: good food (def for sushi lovers), bar, good service and friendliness, nice place
(3)Preety S.
The sake and maki rolls were great! Great avocado house salad to start with also. I would definitely stay away from the watered down coffee at the end of the night though. The desserts were unique, but they can be skipped also. Really this is a a true sushi place, so stick with what works! The decor was nice. Very, very different from the old Loie.
(3)Mik N.
Wow - Zama was the most delicious sushi (though priciest) meal I've had in years. Every bite was incredible. Started with a Fugu special. Never had Fugu before. It rocked -- the best sushi house app I've ever had. As other reviews stated, their miso is so far superior to others. The house salad was huge and yummy. All pieces melted in your mouth. At the waitresses recommendation I tried the Japanese mackerel (another 1st time). It was a good choice. Also had 3 of the specialty rolls -- zahav, bronzille, and some salmon one. The presentation was exquisite. I loved them all, my wife less so for the very different zahav. The drinks were excellent. And our waitress fun and very helpful. We'll be back for another special occasion.
(5)Elizabeth M.
I love this place. I had never even heard of it when a friend invited me for dinner there recently. We got the soft-shell crab appetizer...phenomenal. The sushi was the best I've had in the city so far. I love sushi, had recently moved here and had been searching for a place that's up to par with the favorite restaurant I left behind. Zama definitely takes the title for best sushi in Philadelphia. It is a bit pricey, but I thought well worth it.
(5)TONY L.
I am new to the area and have not tried many Japanese restaurants, but I believe when you try a restaurant and like it for what ever reason, I go back for that. I feel that Zama compares to Morimoto's. Granted Zama does not have the extensive menu items on a daily basis as does Morimoto's, but Chef Zama has the upmost regards for freshness. I go to Zama now on the regular now and have the omakase everytime. He got to know my palate and when ever he gets something that I know I would like, he will text me. Therefore besides the food, which is great, the personal service tops it off.
(4)dragon r.
Just went to Zama again and it happened to be restaurant week. And again, it was wonderful. Try the black cod saikyoyaki and the white grape juice cocktail. They are amazing!
(4)Ange B.
I only sit at the bar, and on a quite night, will have omikase. Zama-san and Kevin is as friendly as ever, and still keeps bringing the freshest and most interesting sushi. The latest omikase I had featured fishes from the Mediterranean . . . very good.
(4)Daniel b.
Everything is amazing. I lived in L.A. for like 8 years. Because of the shear number of Sushi spots, out there, I've experienced a lot of good (and bad) Sushi. This place, in my humble opinion, is the crown jewel of Sushi establishments in Philadelphia. The only thing they didn't have (surprisingly given their variety) was the scallop or lobster volcano. In any case, I'm never disappointed.
(5)Pong C.
Though I miss Loie's endless mimosas brunch, after my visit to Zama last Monday night, I'm sure I'll get over it. There's finally a rival to Morimoto for best sushi in town. We sat at the sushi bar, which is definitely the way to go (you apparently get special house soy sauce that's not available at the tables, though I couldn't tell the difference). My friends knew Zama and one of the cooks in the kitchen so we got some extras. To start, we were served the pork dumplings and tuna california rolls on the house. While the dumplings were pretty standard, the tuna california roll was a delight to eat. Nice revamp of a standby roll. We also ordered edamame with green tea salt... it was nice to have the option of salts. We shared an assortment of rolls, including the Wasabi Lobster roll, Eel & Avocado, and Yellowtail & Avocado. The Lobster roll was definitely the star, it was visually stunning and tasted as good as it looked. After that round of food, we decided to order more sushi instead of getting dessert and ordered the special maki tasting. It was enormous and we couldn't finish it despite our best efforts. The yellowtail jalapeno mango roll definitely overtook the lobster roll as the star of the night, it was crunchy and spicy and oh so good. I'm going back just to have that again! In addition to the food, our waitress was good at what she does and the sake and wine selection was better than the other japanese joints in town. Definitely try this place out, you won't be disappointed.
(5)Jesse R.
This is a fantastic Japanese restaurant and sushi bar right off of Rittenhouse Square. It has a casual yet intimate feel (high-walled booths) and the servers have the perfect combination of spunky and sweet. My parents and I enjoyed the edamame sampler (wasabi salt! yuzu salt!), tempura veggies and spicy tempura halibut. The tempura was great, not too breaded or greasy! We shared the sashimi and sushi sampler, which, with the three appetizers, was plenty for the three of us. Definitely a solid sushi place and reasonably priced - I'd definitely come back!
(4)Julia F.
Tasty - but expensive. $18 for vegetable sushi? Please. Not a place for vegetarians; even the seaweed salad has dashi in it. Of course, that's the authentic style, so I'm not complaining. The tempura was dreamy; the sea salt on our edamame received no perceptible enhancement from green tea.
(3)Grace N.
I've been to ZAMA half a dozen times since they opened last year. I love the minimalist decor, true to Zen keeping. I've only had their sushi, sashimi and designer rolls and I've never been disappointed with the consistency of taste, freshness & creativity. I'll come back. But, Umai-Umai is still my favorite, by far.
(3)Gary S.
Zama might just be my new favorite sushi joint in Philly. Granted I went with someone who knew Zama, the chef/owner. So we probably got some special treatment. But even so, a great all-around experience. Cool decor, friendly professional service, but with personality. But most importantly, stellar sushi - excellent quality fish, creative rolls, unusual sauces. We also had the tempura vegetable appetizer, a scallop appetizer, the wasabi salt edamame - all delicious. Even the desserts were fantastic - way beyond the traditional green tea ice cream: Fuji apple crisp, molten chocolate cake, creme brulee! We will definitely return...
(4)Carl C.
Seeing the three stars Mr. Laban gave this place I went with the lady friend. The sushi is good. The specialty rolls have a lot of fish compared to other sushi restaraunts in the city and are very unique. I would definitely go back to try something different. The entrees is where the problem lies... Black Cod which the lady loves. Literally you get a piece of fish and two baby carrots and a few drops of strategically placed sauce on the plate to fill up some of the room so we wouldn't think the plate was empty. Now we both like to eat healthy but throw us a risotto or some dumplings. Don't get me wrong the Black Cod was unreal...prob. best I have had but something needs to accompany it. Go here for the sushi....skip the entrees. Total bill with tip was almost $100 and I had to stop at Qdoba for a chicken taco on the way home.
(3)C T.
The sushi/sashimi/maki weren't that great. The service was great though and the ambiance was nice. I probably will not return. I think the food was over-priced and I can get better sushi at competitors for the same price.
(3)Kristy L.
Come here for melt-in-your mouth sushi! Extremely fresh and tasty. I was surprised to find that the non-fancy rolls are cheap--I mean $6 cheap! That's a better price than those in mediocre establishments like Mizu and Vics, and the fish is of a much higher grade to boot! I'm no longer dining at other sushi restaurants knowing that Zama's fish are so much better.
(5)LawVick L.
We had lunch and dinner within a week. Here are my thoughts: Service: Average. Our server at dinner was quite pushy, I wish she can be less opinionated about the menu. She pushed and pushed on several occasions about certain dishes on the menu. We got no service after we settled the bill with a 20% tip. Our server disappeared, we weren't asked to leave but at the same time, she didn't come back to refill our water glasses. Lunch: It was amazing. The beef short ribs was a star. Chirashi was perfect. Rittenhouse Three was quite different. Dinner: House Tofu was very good. Spicy Halibut Tempura was delicious. Black Cod Saikyoyaki was superbly buttery, it was delicious. We had the large Sushi & Sashimi Combination, it was good but not the best, I was a tiny bit disappointed. Also tried the O-Toro and that was sublime. Overall, it was a very good place and I would definitely go back for the lunch Chirashi and the short ribs, I also want to sample other hot food next time.
(4)luna r.
yeah yeah yeah, it's pricey. but it's very very good. fish quality excellent - very fresh. i was impressed with the wasabi too - doesn't have that overwhelming horseradish burn, but slightly sweet and also very fresh-tasting as well. everyone was friendly, and great at explaining what they were making. very patient with us, as our eyes were bigger than our stomachs! of the rolls we tried, the hamachi tataki was amazing. if you do go, bring a credit card with a nice high limit and expect to splash out some money. but just enjoy; it's a very nice experience. and at the prices you're paying, you might as well get dessert too - the yuzu creme brulee was awesome!
(5)nausheen k.
I LOVED the sushi at Zama. But I must begin with the disclaimer that I ate here while pregnant so I only had the california roll and veggie roll. I also had the ginger carrot salad as well as the edamame sampler (4 different types of salts to choose from). That being said, as a pregnant gal, for something to 100% satisfy my craving is a BIG deal. of course I wish I could have had my philly roll and salmon sashimi but I plan to go back and try those when I pop. My fish eating friends enjoyed their sushi so I know we will visit again. We sat outside (outdoor seating is always a plus!) but the interior was really nice and we hope to make a reservation next time and enjoy the inside ambiance.
(5)Paul B.
The only reason I gave this place 2 stars is because of the service. Otherwise a total zero. The sushi was not as good as what you get in a supermarket, the desserts were tasteless, and the coffee was burnt. I won't be back.
(2)Paul C.
stopped here with friend for some sake and sashimi...I must say...sake was definitely little pricey...but I was very CONTENT. too bad they close at 10pm...
(4)Dana A.
While the fish may be fresh, the service was not. We went this past Saturday evening and while we had a 8:15 reservation, we were not seated until 8:45pm. Why can't a restaurant that has been around for several months run on time? Why do Philadelphia restaurants that want to be hip think it is cool to make people wait? Don't tell me that you have a "unique opportunity" at the sushi bar (twice!) and think that I am going to not realize the fact that you don't have any tables. Definitely don't blame the customers who are dining - it is your fault! Own up to it, apologize, and offer drinks! Onto the food...there were some standouts like the surf and turf roll and the delightfully fresh sushi in the combination platter. And yet, why would the sushi come out at totally different times? It all comes from the same kitchen... Overall I wouldn't go back. Too pretentious, poor hostess/manager service, and waaaaaay too expensive (esp for Phialdelphia). If you decide to go, don't sit in the back room. It is painted black and there are bars on the window so it feels like a claustrophobic jail cell
(3)Brian B.
Best I've had in Philly. Try the justice for all roll.
(5)Jordan L.
Well, I just have to say wonderful. Myself & 3 friends ended up here on a fluke and boy am I glad that happened. We we're told by the staff that it may be a while since they were busy, and he was right but when our food did arrive it was simply wonderful. We all shared a bunch of rolls: The Tuna Ca roll, the shrimp & eel roll, the sa'ki, ma'ki roll and the surf & turf roll and it was all very tasty.I would eat here again in a heartbeat.
(5)Brittany Y.
This restaurant, it seems to me, is very much over-rated. I hate when reviewers have very specific complaints that seemingly would only bother that type of person so my final opinion of the place discounts my boyfriend's bizarre and extreme reaction to some unwanted spice in a sushi. I will, however, complain about the unusually long wait for sushi between plates. The pork fried dumplings were nothing special, but the Rittenhouse Three rolls were--Exceptionally fresh fish with flavorful fruits and sauces. My Rainbow Roll lacked flavor. Also, funny story: a couple at the far end of the restaurant had a wonderfully looking vertical maki topped with what looked like a stir fried chicken with a dark brown sauce. Delicious! I described what I had seen to our waitress, who asked their waitress what they had ordered. Our waitress was certain it was such-and-such, so we got the such-and-such. That such-and-such arrived 30 minutes later and it was terribly sour (turned out to be the Bronzizzle). I love fish, but I disliked that dish. We try again. It must have been the such-and-such-other-thing. So we get that. Turns out that wasn't what I saw either but I kept my mouth shut. It's too bad the waitress couldn't have figured out from my description what that couple had. The Zahav dish was good, and we especially liked the deep fried edamame balls. We liked the after dinner sake, but, all in all, it was a very mediocre experience.
(3)Josh L.
Mixed feeling about this place. It's really close to where I live, and its not as overpriced as Morimoto - But, the fish and sushi are not that good. The rolls I ordered were not bad. The uni sushi looked ok (was told they got it from the west coast and price hence raised from $5 a piece to $7) but I couldn't tell how it tasted. It seemed like I might be the first one at that night to order it --- the uni was very cold and tasted like it was just taken out of the fridge a couple mins ago. That definitely killed the rich flavor it should have. I hence didn't bother to try their other nigiri sushi / sashimi offerings. Beer selection was a bit disappointing, as they only had the basic asashi/sapporro/kirin offerings, no japanese micro-brewery beer. I liked their veggie tempura and edamame in addition to the rolls. Service was ok and price was not bad. I'd go back again just for rolls. My searching of authentic japanese food in philly continues.
(3)ivy b.
First let me say that I love love love good sushi- (No california rolls or spicy tuna for me). I went to Zama for a sashimi lunch and was pleased to see items such as bronzino and kinda blue tuna. However, the sashimi was paper thin and for $5.00 a piece, with a two a piece minimum, it was not worth it. The bronzino was slimy and not very good. I don't mind spending money for sushi (can you say Sasabune in NY), but I was very disappointed in Zama. And I'm not just whining!!!
(2)Alex F.
Prior yelp reviews complained about the service, but we had no problems. Went on a Tuesday, restaurant was 2/3 full, service was great. Got the tofu app, 3 rolls and the black miso cod for two people. Was actually a bit too much food. For rolls we got eel omelet, wasabi lobster, and brazizzle. Lobster and brazizzle were spectacular. Black miso cod was also great. All in all, excellent. Not mind blowing, but very very good. Best sushi I have had in Philly.
(4)Vivian T.
Had dinner here with my husband after the hostess at Bibou recommended the restaurant. The decor and atmosphere was very nice and trendy. We ordered one restaurant week dinner (salad, crunchy salmon roll, roll + 7 pieces of sushi, peach bread pudding), and various a la carte items (tofu, hand roll special, sashimi pieces). Overall the food was good. Dessert on the other hand was disgusting. The dessert had a strange texture and was too sweet. In terms of the restaurant menu, our waitress kept insisting it was a good deal but when we did the breakdown, the restaurant cut portions down and did not really offer a 'deal'. I also wished I read the fine print on the menu because each piece of sashimi i ordered was by the piece (I automatically assumed it was 2 piece an order since this is usually the standard in other Japanese restaurants). For two pieces of shrimp, 2 pieces of tuna, 2 pieces of salmon, and one egg omelet, the total rang up to $29.50 (for seven pieces!!). The portions were a lot smaller than what I get at Sagami's. In my early 20's I would have loved the place and not have minded overpaying for pieces of sashimi. But now that I am in my late twenty's and approaching my 30 yr mark (oh god no!), I prefer a more rustic setting where the food is not only good but worth the value. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind spending on a good meal but it's just got to be worth it for me. To conclude, I would not return to this restaurant.
(2)Rachel T.
Delicious and great service period
(5)Aaron R.
The best sushi in Philadelphia. Try the Bronzino roll or the mad dog roll for a treat. Beer and cocktail list is good too.
(5)V F.
Really Good! Some unique rolls many staples all delicious.
(5)Kathy L.
probably one of the better of the japanese restaurants in philly...(slim pickings people)...but overpriced. the desserts are really good. favorite is the banana chocolate bombe. house made tofu is a little bit of a joke for $9. it's just soft tofu tasting stuff with some mushroom sauce. $6 of the 9 bux you pay for the dish is probably because it gets "cooked at the table" with a little candle underneath. just save yourself the money and don't order it. pork tonkatsu is also decent, but nothing close to what you can get in ny for half the price. philly is missing a solid izakaya type establishment - and no, i don't think stephen starr or jose garces are good candidates.
(3)maria c.
Excellent sushi. Best in Philadelphia. The fish was so delicious and fresh. Nice atmosphere!
(5)K E.
Super delicious sushi.
(5)Samantha T.
Went to Zama last night with a few girlfriends and had a really nice meal. Parking wasn't too bad but I bet on weekends it's awful. We had a bunch of little appetizers, sushi and the dessert sampler. Everything was really tasty and the service and atmosphere were excellent. I will definitely be back for another fab dinner. It's nice to find somewhere to eat that's reasonably priced in the city that isn't a pizza shop.
(4)David Z.
I ate here Saturday night. It was no problem getting a last minute reservation at 7:30. I can understand why. It wasn't bad by any means, but it also wasn't a place I will make a return to. It was just blah. I tried the hand roll chef's selection. It was 3 different hand rolls that were ok. Nothing special. One was tuna, one salmon and one yellowtail. They did serve a generous portion of fish in all the sushi dishes, which was nice. The spicy tuna roll was the best thing we had. The worst thing was dessert. We had the molten chocolate cake which was a cold chocolate cake. This didn't make much sense to me since the definition of molten is warm/hot. Service was ok. I guess nothing really stood out. They didn't have many interesting rolls or entrees. Some of the things were on the spendy side while there ordinary rolls were quite reasonable. I would rather go to raw, zento, uzu, pod, or morimotos any day before zama.
(2)renee r.
I went here with my boyfriend for dinner as a recommendation from my boss who had worked with the chef/owner previously when he was at pod. The Sushi was awesome!! So fresh tasting. For dessert i had the tour of japan, it was huge and perfect for sharing. I really enjoyed the lychee fiz cocktail i had and the service was great too. The only complaint i had was that i walked by the place 2 times because the outdoor sign was not visible enough. Definitely a place to check out.
(4)tiffany h.
Definitely good quality sushi for Philadelphia. It's a different kind of experience from Jay's or Vic's. I would go to those if you want inexpensive but tasty rolls, and I would go to Zama if you want a more authentic experience. The quality of the sushi is infinitely better than Pod, but not quite as good as Morimoto. It's a good middle option. Ordering uni is usually my litmus test, and the uni was very fresh with no after taste. The steak was also excellent if you feel like beef. Despite what some other reviews say, I thought the sushi was excellent quality with a good variety of different kinds of fish (not just the standard yellow tail, salmon, tuna options). As soon as it came out, I noticed that the color and texture were on point. There was a sheen on the top without being too glossy. Desserts were also amazing. We got the yuzu creme brulee, green tea ice cream (which had an authentic macha taste), and sake soaked cake with cooked apples on top.
(4)Elena S.
What a great new addition to the sushi scene in Philly! My fiance and I stumbled onto zama just after it had opened, and decided to stop in for dinner. The food, the service, and the ambiance was a very pleasant surprise. Although the menu does feature most of the traditional sushi that you may be in search of, where it shines is in its own unique creations. A hand roll, rolled in soy paper, with jalapenos inside--delicious! And something I've never seen before. Our meal was superb from start to finish (be sure to check out the desserts). We have always had exceptional wait staff service. Jana was our waitress on our first visit, and she made the experience all the more enjoyable. She clearly knew the menu well enough to suggest that delicious jalapeno hand-roll, in addition to many other spot-on menu suggestions, and her service throughout the meal lived up to expectations. To be fair, be warned that the prices at Zama are on par with the experience, so don't show up only for the cheap sushi combo, but it is worth every penny.
(5)Lyndsay W.
My fiance and I just had an excellent lunch at Zama! Our server, Craig, was very knowledgable and helpful. We shared the agedashi tofu bento box lunch to start (which will be what I will eat next time I come for lunch), the bronzizzle which was a delicious roll with a slightly tart yuzu sauce. We also had the hamachi tataki which was out of this world. The sauce was fabulous, the fish was perfectly cooked, definitely a dish I would come back for. We ended with a trio of desserts, of which the yuzu creme brulee and chocolate mousse were noteworthy. Thank you to the Zama staff for an excellent meal!
(5)Steve K.
Good, but not great Japanese. Ideal location right off Rittenhouse. A creative menu but the dishes don't quite live up to the quality one would expect from the intricate descriptions and the price points. Also the sake drink sizes are way too small for my liking. I did enjoy most of the food and will likely return.
(4)Kristin W.
I went to Zama with high expectations after hearing rave reviews from a number of people...but found it to be fairly average. We started with the Edamame with Wasabi Salt (more llke wasabi powder that caused an uneven burn due to the distribution) and the Dumplings that tasted overpoweringly of ginger. The sushi (Spicy Crunchy Tuna Roll and Salmon/Avocado Roll) was better, but still not very impressive - I expected much more flavor.
(3)Bonnie J.
I went to Zama last night with 2 other friends as was impressed. It definitely isn't your run of the mill sushi place. We all started off with the sangria and a bowl of miso soup. Man, was that sangria deceptively strong. The miso soup was good but nothing to call home about. The mushroom made it a little heartier which was nice. $3? Can't complain. We each got 2 rolls and I will only speak for my own. I got the super spicy crunchy tuna roll. Which was more crunchy than spicy. Fine. Throw some wasabi on top. The nice thing about the spiciness was that it wash't made from a spicy sauce thrown on top. The roll itself actually had some bite to it. I also had the vetri roll which was delicious and unlike any roll I've had before. I was wrapped in some sort of noodle-y thing and had tuna and eel and some sort of truffle sauce that was out of this world. Truffles and sushi are my two favorite things and I would have never thought that the two would work together. Leave it to a collaboration with renowned chef Marc Vetri to figure it out. We topped off the meal with dessert and got the strawberry moshi (delicious but weird consistency), a citrus creme brûlée (divine), and this pumpkin pie type dish. All were great and perfect to share. I look forward to coming back and trying some of the other chef inspired rolls. Zahav roll, I'm coming after you. Sesame hummus? I'm sold. As far as service, it was fine. We were in the back room so sometimes it felt like we were forgotten about for a bit but we weren't in a rush so it didn't bother us too much. The waitress gave us good suggestions and explanations of what the various dishes were.
(4)Claire O.
First off, the restaurant is gorgeous. Love the walls, the sushi bar, the booths...love everything about it, it's an awesome atmosphere. Came here for a quick Thursday lunch, which wasn't as quick as I had hoped. Service was a little slow and the restaurant was not full at all - no dings because the food was superb. We both ordered the lunch bento boxes - miso black cod and NY strip stir-fry. The miso soup here is great - not the dinky, watery, way-too-salty stuff you get at most places. The shimeji (beech) mushrooms were a nice touch. And I think if you get miso soup right, then you've come to a good place. As I will leave no shortrib left uneaten, we also ordered the kirin braised shortrib appetizer, although that could have been a meal for a light eater. Delicious, highly recommended. I happened to leave my headphones there and had to come back the next day...and obviously I had to eat there as well because how rude! I sat at the sushi bar for the sushi & maki combo. Everything was amazingly fresh and they gave me a very nice selection of nigiri. The chefs were fun to watch and I liked hearing them speak Japanese - added to the authenticity and refreshed my Japanese lessons from college, even if I only understood every one out of five words. :( Would definitely recommend for a casual lunch (it's moderately priced) or a casual date. Love this place!
(5)Christine B.
Love the sushi here. I work about a block away so this is my go to spot when I'm craving sushi for lunch. If I go with a friend, usually split the edamame and then get two rolls. Most recently I had the spicy crunchy yellowtail and the california roll with king crab. Both were pretty reasonably priced and were delicious. The fish was very fresh, and although I probably could have eaten one more roll, that's just because I'm gluttonous, they were a good size. The service was good. When its raining they'll take your umbrella for you and hold it at the front, which is a little thing, but its nice because you don't have to get your table wet.
(4)Megan K.
NOM NOM NOM - holy moly this was fabulous. The decor is beautiful the platings are beautiful and the service was great. My only issue was that I was too eager to show off my chop sticking skill with a steamed dumpling and splashed sauce all over a white work blouse. FAIL. BUT a waitress, who wasn't even ours, saw and brought me clb soda! Bravo Zama, Bravo!! I got the Rainbow Roll, Sesame Salmon, Seaweed salad and the short ribs app. Things were split but that is everything I tasted and it was super yummy!
(5)Mais A.
Highly recommended! I'm new to Philly and have been making an effort to try as many sushi places as possible. Best one so far!
(4)L H.
Went back a few weeks ago on a weeknight for our third dinner at Zama, and unfortunately experienced extremely subpar service. Inattentive waiter, took 20 minutes to get a drink order in (despite not being busy) and didn't get to hear the specials for the evening. When this was brought to the manager's attention, we received an apology and a comp'ed glass of wine. Appreciated, but left a bad taste in our mouths for this otherwise enjoyable restaurant. Sad to say we are not moved to go back anytime soon after this.
(2)Jessica M.
I went to Zama late on a Saturday night with a group of about 15. The decor is simple and clean, but not plain. The slatted walls and the interesting design on the ceiling set it apart from other restaurants with minimalist decor. Our server handled our large party with ease. She was friendly, didn't seem stressed or overwhelmed, and was willing to offer suggestions. Our dishes came out quickly and were all delivered to the correct person. My husband and I shared the fried pork dumplings - perfectly uniform, piping hot, crunchy and flavorful. They were served with a wasabi soy sauce, which was a little spicy for me, but I found it to be an unnecessary flavor addition anyway. Others at our table split the edamame sampler. The wasabi salt became the immediate source of conversation. Of course all the manly men began beating their chests and demonstrating how much of the spicy salt they could tolerate on a single bean pod. A few at my table decided to share one of the sushi combinations. It was presented in a huge jade-colored saucer, what my brother-in-law referred to as a "birdbath of sushi." The entire thing was "chef's selection," but nothing seemed to be too daring; crowd-pleasers like Philly Roll and Crunchy Spicy Tuna Roll flanked the dish, while various pairs of fresh, compact nigiri were scattered between. Everyone seemed to enjoy the variety. I decided to go with the Justice For All roll, one of their signatures. Tempura snow crab wrapped in soy paper, topped with tuna tartare, wasabi mayo and black tobiko provided one of the most perfect unions of flavor and texture I have ever experienced. Not typically a tobiko fan, I was surprised at how unoffensive the black variety was - tiny, not overly salty, no creepy pop in your mouth. Like I said: perfect. I am definitely looking forward to another visit.
(5)Sara D.
Love this place! Great food and wine for very reasonable prices. Sometimes the service takes a very long time when they are busy, but it's totally worth the wait. We always get the Hibachi scallops for an appetizer, which are the best scallops I've ever had - they practically melt in your mouth. We also insanely love the brussel sprouts, which I think come with chicken skewers. Their maki rolls are delicious as well.
(5)Paolo G.
A very good sushi place in Center City. Their real strength however, is innovation. It is rare to find a sushi place that get the basics right AND is able to offer consistently good creative sushi with ingredients like fois gras or jamón serrano. I have been here a couple of times and it has been consistently good. Only quibble is that it is a little pricey for a place that seems to pitch itself as more "hip" than "haute cuisine." That being said, the ingredients, like the ones mentioned, are definitely premium.
(4)J C.
Best sushi in Philadelphia. Creative fusion rolls alongside classic Japanese preparation, awesome small dishes, and amazingly fresh ingredients. Not a bad thing on the menu.
(5)Lisa H.
First time I've ever tried edamame peas with wasabi salt and it was awesome! The wasabi was not too strong and it just made the edamame super tasty. We ordered the Black Belt sashimi platter. The Chu Toro and Fatty Salmon sashimi pieces were BANGING. The best piece of salmon sashimi I've ever eaten in my life! The waitress was super nice throughout the entire time we were there. She made our dining experience at Zama that much better.
(5)Aaron B.
I was happy to try Zama after many recommendations and reading some great reviews. A colleague of mine compared it to west coast sushi which really got me excited. I found Zama to be VERY GOOD but I wouldn't rank it with west coast sushi (not a fair comparison anyway). Everything we tried at Zama was delicious. The sushi rolls were packed with flavor and the Nigiri selections we had were quite fresh. My favorite roll was the "Extra Crunchy" Spicy Tuna. After the first two, we immediately ordered two more rolls of this. I don't know what that crunchy goodness stuffed inside the roll was, but it is fantastic! Overall the sushi was very good and I'd put Zama near the top of my list for sushi spots. There was one issue with my Zama experience. The service was incredibly slow. I don't know if it was the kitchen or the front of the house but something was not in sync. Our server mentioned that there were two different kitchens in the restaurants and items would come out once they were ready and at different times. This is to be expected and is normal at any sushi restaurant. What we didn't expect was for it to take a frustratingly long amount of time for the dishes to arrive. Our first round of orders included 4 sushi rolls 5 Nigiri selections, Kirin Ichiban Braised Short Ribs, and a house salad. The salad arrived promptly but then it was about 25 - 30 minutes before anything else arrived. The 4 sushi rolls arrived next and were quickly devoured. We then ordered an additional two sushi rolls and dumplings. The 2 sushi rolls and dumplings arrived next, but what we found odd was that 45 - 50 minutes had gone by and we were eating our 2nd round of sushi but had not received the Nigiri or the Braised Short Ribs we ordered with the first round. The restaurant was busy but didn't appear to be overwhelmed so I find it hard to believe that anything could take 45-50 minutes to prepare, especially Nigiri. Luckily the food was so delicious that this did not ruin our experience and we will definitely be going back!
(4)Justine W.
I actually really enjoyed myself at Zama's. The host was really friendly and our party of 2 was seated quickly without any reservations. Our waiter was also super nice and friendly. My friend had an allergy to shellfish and dairy and the waiter was VERY on top of making sure what ingredients was used in which dishes. He even cautioned my friend from ordering a dessert because there was some butter used in it and he wasn't sure if my friend could eat it. I've never met a waiter who was so careful and friendly, so I was very impressed. The reason why I took off a few stars was because I wasn't really that full after ordering an appetizer, entree, AND dessert. Maybe I'm just a pig so it's my own problem, but I just wish that the portions were a bit bigger, at least for the entree. I got a Nigiri 7, so I knew that it would only come with 7 pieces of nigiri. However, I've worked at a sushi restaurant before and so I just felt like there wasn't enough rice used in the nigiri. Also, they used wasabi to stick the fish to the rice. I know a lot of places do that, but there was a lot of wasabi, and so it was very spicy to me and I couldn't scrape it off because it was inside the sushi! The service and the presentation of the food was all really great, and my only complaint really is the food portions.
(3)Kate M.
Four Seasons concierge strikes again! I was sent to Zama when I asked for good sushi within walking distance. Got to Zama about 7 and was told they were totally booked for the night, except for the tables outside. We sat outside. I felt a little like the tables (all three of them) outside were a bit of an after thought. However, the way the restaurant is designed if you were sitting at an outside table and a woman in a skirt or dress walked near the front of the restaurant you could see up her skirt, so, you've got that goin for ya. The sushi was good, creative, and pretty. I wasn't totally blown away though. It definitely left something to be desired. The Bronzizzle roll was so spicy I had to stop eating it. It didn't mention any ingredient on the menu that was spicy. The banana bomb desert was delicious. If I could I would have had just that (or two of them perhaps) as a meal. Our server was ok, although he seemed a little rushed and I had to flag him down a few times. Seemed like the whole experience probably took longer than necessary. All the meals didn't arrive at the same time either, which was a little strange.
(3)John C.
Nestled just off of the Rittenhouse square, away from the buzz, is one of my regular lunch spots, Zama. Excellent sushi, though it tries not to push the envelope too much. These days, sushi joints are creating these seventeen ingredient special rolls, but Zama keeps it pretty straight laced that specials that keep the focus on the fish, not hide it in sauce. Oddly enough though, my favorite item is not the sushi . . . but the Udon Noodle Soup. It's the best I've ever had. Even though it's offered as an appetizer, its easilly a meal, featuring pork, spinach, and crab on top of Udon noodles, set in a balanced broth. It's excellent, and will be sure to please even the pickiest of eaters. I wish I was having some now. So go forth, grab your favorite pair of chopsticks, and have a tasty experience
(4)Grace S.
This place has gone downhill in the last year. Not only do they place you on hold for ridiculous amounts of time when you call, (what are they possibly doing???) but their portion sizes have significantly diminished. The last two times I got pick up, they made me wait nearly 30 minutes even though I arrived after the time they said the food would be ready (and it was clear that they hadn't even looked at the order, let alone start preparing it). I wouldn't mind the wait so much if the sushi/sashimi was still good value and the food actually tasted good. I used to love their unagi, but what I've gotten lately is old and 'stale' eel. Their spicy crunchy rolls were always a favorite, but they are about half the size they used to come in. The last sushi combination I ordered was extremely underwhelming, besides the usual tuna, yellowtail, shrimp and salmon, the other 5 nigiri were tasteless or not tasty. It's just not worth the price tag anymore, sadly, so I guess we all just need to suck it up and dish it out at morimoto.
(1)Abby W.
Based on the distribution of my reviews, you'd think I eat nothing but sushi, but in reality my boyfriend and I just like it a lot and are always looking for great new sushi options in the city. It seems patently unfair that the suburbs have better sushi than most of what you find in Philly. We were supposed to try Zama ages ago but I wasn't feeling well that night, so we decided to give it another go last Thursday to celebrate my return from the vast and depressing stretches of Iowan prairie where I ate exactly the same thing for every single meal (the Midwest is hell on earth for people with food intolerances). We were seated promptly at our reserved time in the faaaar back of the restaurant. Seriously, we passed like 5 empty tables on the way to the very back. Service was competent. We started by sharing the seaweed salad with octopus, which is definitely not worth the extra $5. There were only 4 small slivers of chewy, flavorless octopus on top of a really delicious seaweed salad with more varieties of seaweed than I've ever been served. I also got a lychee cocktail which was yummy but could have used more booze and less lychee. Sushi-wise we got the shrimp tempura and Bronzizzle rolls from the ala carte menu and then got the huge maki & sushi combo for $65. The shrimp tempura roll was really excellent, I ate half and I don't even normally eat that roll because it's not my fave. The Bronzizzle was out of control good. The combo platter arrived after we finished these items and it was very nicely presented, but I have a few nitpicks. A) our server should have asked the chef to adjust the roll selection so as not to duplicate one the we had already ordered, and B) albacore tuna does not really work well as nigiri, the texture just wasn't right. All of the sushi was perfectly prepared- excellent quality fish, great rice, tightly rolled. I knocked off one star for the octopus and the repeat-roll action, but we would go back in a heartbeat. Total damage was around $125 or so including a cocktail and a beer. You know, though, that for about half that you can get a nearly-as-epic sushi feast at Sushi Planet over in Queen's Village. Just sayin'...
(4)Seth H.
My wife and I both love sushi and this place opened our eyes to what quality ingredients and creativity can do with it. We loved everything we ordered. Some of the highlights were the flash fried peppers and shallots as an appetizer. I never expected something that sounded so simple to be so delicious. This came out at the same time as the short ribs and the spiciness of the peppers complimented the sweetness of the ribs perfectly. My favorite plate was the snapper that came out with a salt block. you placed the fish on for the desired amount of time. There was an assortment of other items to season the snapper with such as olive oil and mint. The server (or possibly manager) who brought it out gave perfect instructions on the options for seasoning along with his preferred method. Such a simple dish but each bite of fish was amazing. I had several Orion's (Japanese Rice lagers) that they add a little yuzu juice to and they went great withe the sushi. Our waitress was attentive but what made the meal was several employee who might have been managers (they wore suits) brought our dishes out and did a fantastic job of explaining each one. They dropped in several times when our waitress who was obviously busy was not able to. That is great service especially for a busy Saturday night! We made reservations using Open Table and had to call in about 2 hours ahead of time to see if they could push the time back which they did. It wasn't a cheap meal but it was special and totally worth it.
(5)Anna M.
Dinner was great. Service was great. My husbands favorite roll was the kennett square roll (mushroom one). I ordered the spicy super crunch tuna roll which instead of being fried was rolled in sesame seeds for the crunch.
(5)Sarah L.
I went to Zama with my boyfriend, a sushi afficianado on January 22,2013. He was so excited to go here for restaurant week. While the food was excellent, the service was EH! Our waitress was very sweet but was not attentive. We waited for our drinks to be refilled for maybe 15 minutes. Our food finally came and it was delicious. My boyfriend raved about the cod and the salmon and avocado sushi. I have no idea what kind of sushi roll it was because I am not a sushi fan. Our meal finished without any major fanfare. I paid the somewhat expensive bill and was on my way home to give Zama a 4 star review on Yelp until it happened. What happened is something that should NEVER happen in a restaurant. As I was putting my jacket on, i looked into the kitchen and witnessed one of the sous chef's LICKING HIS FINGERS WHILE COOKING. I was so happy that I had already finished my meal but couldnt help but wondered what happened when I wasnt paying attention. In summary, Food was above average, but the service lacked. When I tell my friends about Zama, I will be including how the meal ended.
(2)Lady L.
This used to be my favorite sushi in all of Philly. The rolls, while slightly overpriced, are excellent and the service used to be fantastic. However, I've tried to order takeout for the past 2 weeks and each time I call, they tell me "sorry, we are not doing take out today". Well now you just lost a customer and a $50-$60 takeout order each time. Some of us work and don't have time to come sit down and enjoy a nice long dinner, unfortunately. Thankfully, Raw always has takeout available. Even on New Year's Eve. Goodbye Zama, it was nice knowing you.
(2)Helen A.
I ate outside at there side walk cafe. I thought the Sushi was good, however a little pricey. I might go back to check the inside out.
(3)Hannah M.
The food is very good and the ambiance is great, but my orders are continuously messed up and it's just not consistent, so I have to go with a 3. Sorry, Zama!
(3)Kathy C.
I'm changing my original 4 star rating to 5. We are at the end of our long weekend trip in Philly and after eating out every meal, this restaurant was our favorite. Original post: We had dinner with our kids. Overall a fantastic place. Service was great! The meat dishes from the kitchen were wonderful. Oh the mini trio desserts were SO delicious. It's hard to choose our favorite bc we got to try almost all of them. The only reason I'm not giving 5 stars is that the sushi was ok, not great. We would definitely go back. Our kids want to go back tomorrow!
(5)Willy B.
I had the best roll of my life here- but only after asking the waitress for recommendations. My advice is to ask before ordering a bunch of run-of-the-mill rolls. I wish I had saved room for more!
(5)Eunsun K.
Alright. I've heard good things about this place so I decided to give this place a try. My friends and I went in for the restaurant week but ended up ordering the regular menu. One of my friends ordered veggie tempura and rittenhouse three, my other friend got two different specialty rolls (one of which was vetri roll), and I got yellowtail nigiri and chirashi. To be fair, veggie tempura was perfect. But that was about it. The food wasn't even mediocre... it was just downright horrible. First, the rolls. Oh, they looked pretty. And they were small enough that you can just pop them in your mouth w/out making a mess... These rolls were held together with a thin slice of daikon and that was where everything fell apart.... daikon had an odd taste that lingered on my tongue before it went away.. and that just really bothered me. Second, Zama uses their ingredients sparingly (and I am putting it nicely by saying that....). We could barely see eels in the rolls. The same happened for the other rolls my friend ordered. Daikon had a pungent taste to it.. and there was barely anything to prove that these rolls had eels in them. Second, the chirashi. This quite expensive chirashi was literally a thin layer of chorizo fried rice topped with two small octopus, two pieces of scallops and two slices of sashimi, oh yeah and a shrimp. But that was not the worst part. If by "drizzled with an espelette pepper aioli" means "flooded with alioli" then, yeah that's what I got. It was overwhelmingly salty, sour, and sweet that I choked over my food and ended up leaving more than half untouched. I swear, it tasted as if they poured lime juice all over the rice. I can't believe they even dared to call this chirashi. I am never going back to restaurant ever again.
(1)Trang N.
Again, considering it was Restaurant Week, the food and service wasn't that bad. The restaurant ambiance was very minimalistic, but it set a nice mood. Our server was very attentive and a great help with the Sake selection. My friend and I decided to share the RW menu and add on to it. We started off with the edamane which was, warm salty and delicious, we moved on to the spicy crunchy salmon roll with was a nice portion in relation to some other rolls, I have seen around town lately, we added the sashimi roll. We then split the sushi combo, which is 7 nigri pieces as opposed to the 9 pieces, as on the regular menu, I have to say that the slivers of fish were sliced very thin, but the selection was fresh. We finished with some green tea ice cream and the bread pudding, both refreshing, not too sweet. I would be inclined to go back on a normal night and see if the portions are a bit bigger. It was a nice evening out.
(4)Sugar S.
I LOVE Zama - the food is just so good and always top-notch in terms of quality. I have been there a couple of times now and eating there always makes me satisfied. The lunch sets are really good for the price too - you get edemame, udon (which was delicious!), salad and a choice of sushi. Definitely a winner for me!
(5)Jessica C.
Restaurant is very beautiful and the service is fantastic! Try the tuna california roll and the lobster wasabi roll; both are delicious. I came here with my boyfriend and the entire staff was extremely welcoming and made our night extra special. Keep up the great work! =)
(5)LaLaLa Lynda L.
Love Zama! Bestest sushi in the city.
(4)Barrett L.
Zama, the tony Rittenhouse sushi bar, is one of the few restaurants in town that comes close to replicating a hot NYC-style joint: sleek modern decor, creative cocktails, and expensive eats. With a focus on creative sushi rolls and eye-catching presentation, Zama's dinner program has its higlights (and lowlights), and the sheer amount of variety would be enough to draw me back. However, some service blips and a hefty price tag may also serve as barriers to revisiting. We arrived last night at 9 and were promptly seated with our reservation. We perused the menu: soups and salads, appetizers, small plates, big plates, sides, special rolls, and sushi a la carte. After gathering some recommendations from our server and from Foursquare, we decided on six dishes for the two of us: the salmon skin salad, the calamari salad, the short rib appetizer, the black miso cod dice, the Bronzizzle Roll, and the Vetri Roll. And two Yuzu Gimlets. The salmon salad was better than the calamari. The former salad had big crispy strips of salty salmon that contrasted nicely with the otherwise bland, underdressed lettuce. My calamari salad was a little disappointing: mixed greens with virtually no dressing with fried tempura rings on top (unclear if there was actually any calamari inside). The next course, featuring the short rib and cod, fared much better. The short rib was tender, juicy, and fell right apart when pulled with chopsticks. The sauce was also pretty tasty, and I enjoyed the mouthfeel of the soft shortrib and crispy ramen noodles together. However, the miso cod was by far my favorite dish of the night. A perfectly cooked and seasoned cod with a delicious miso glaze on an endive wedge with pickled cucumber. I could have eaten that all night and nothing else. As for the sushi rolls, they were certainly creative, but not nearly as tasty as they looked. The much hyped Bronzizzle roll (topped with bronzino) tasted bland and flavorless. The Vetri roll was better but not by much. The daikon wrapper (as opposed to seaweed) was refreshing and the eel was fine, but perhaps a bit too much truffle and uni sauce for my taste. Maybe we shouldn't have been so starstruck about the fancy rolls and stuck with the classics, but then again these are items that are unique to Zama, so go figure. Otherwise, the service was fine with some minor blips. Our server was definitely a little over-enthusiastic at first, and when we asked him for recommendations, fired off a list of dishes that somehow included the most expensive items in each section of the menu. But perhaps I just felt that this guy was trying too hard at his job. Zama, for what it is, is also heinously expensive, and although I really wanted to try some of the Japanese microbrews off the drink menu, I couldn't get myself to pay $12 for a beer. Even if it was special. Overall, it's definitely the go to place for innovative and contemporary takes on sushi and maki, but it's certainly out of range for daily dining. If I come back, chances are I'll be sitting at the sushi bar, eating classic sushi and black miso cod, and probably not much else.
(3)Danan R.
This is a solid sushi place with good offerings and great service. For lunch, the short ribs sandwich on brioche is very tender and nicely marinated. The chu toro is very fresh, and melts in your mouth. They don't have too many original rols but the standards, like the spicy salmon and eel/avocado are all pretty good. I love that they have a california roll made with actual lump crabmeat. The agedashi tofu is nicely seasoned, and the braised short ribs are very flavorful. The servers here are very friendly and attentive,and the ambiance chill. A nice place for a quick and casual meal.
(4)Geet M.
Zama, you've got impeccable service. A late dinner here during restaurant week and the place was quite a buzz of activity but even with that the service was great. The emphasis here is definitely the quality, never before had I been asked if I wanted to black belt my sushi (to get better cuts of fish). The food is certainly tasty but pricey for sure. Miso soup: amazing and I LOVED the bowl this came in Salad: decent portion as a starter and leafy greens. Would have loved just a touch more dressing Sushi: great cuts, solid sushi, no fake wasabi (yay!) Mochi: thought this was just mochi and didn't realize it was mochi ice cream! Bread budding/apple crisp: small portions (during restaurant week) but good Japanese 75 (drink): excellent Warm sake: meh, next time I'd spend a bit more to get a better quality sake They have a few green tea selections, love it! So if youre looking for a place to black belt your sushi (get your mind outta the gutter), try Zama!
(4)Hiya R.
Best sushi in Philadelphia. The quality of fish is incredibly and everything is so fresh. The Zahav roll, Kennet square roll, and shrimp and eel fiesta are some of my favorites. Our service was decent but could have been better.
(5)Elena E.
We had a very positive experience at Zama. Originally wanted to come for Omakase menu, but it needs a special reservation on weekdays only, we settled for a chef tasting menu and haven't regret it. The service by Sam also was very attentive with explanations of dishes and enthusiasm. The sake selections were great and reasonable. The atmosphere is cozy and hip at the same time. The dishes were very well and freshly prepared and nicely served. From big eye tuna to black cod, to nigiri combination, all 6 dishes made us feel very satisfying and interesting. Will definitely come again, maybe try omakase next time
(4)Elaine M.
I LOVE THIS PLACE. I was first at Zama about 4 years ago for dinner with a group of friends. My beau (at the time) and I shared a lot of delicious designer rolls, unfortunately we sobered up from our sushi high when the bill came. We vowed to return to indulge again for the next special occasion. I dined at Zama twice recently and I was equally impressed with the service and fare. The waitress that we had was extremely informative. She gave us a full run down of all the fish they currently had for a la carte sushi and sashimi. We ordered one of the sushi combinations but declined the $20 upgraded for all of the freshest local selections. It sounded amazing, but just wasn't in the budget that night. That night we also had the sushi bar sashimi sampler. The sauces that accompanied the sashimi were absolutely delightful; the dish was small and left me wanting a double order. Moving on, we had Yellowtail Jalapeno Mango Roll and the Bronzizzle. I remembered how fresh and delicious the Jalaepno roll was from my first visit to Zama several years prior. The Bronzizzle came as a recommendation from our server and did not disappoint. Though I have never tried them, Zama also has 4 Chef Inspired Charity Rolls. I plan on trying one of them next time. Writing this review is making me crave more sushi, I must return to Zama ASAP.
(5)Peter C.
I was ready to give Zama 5 stars until we got our bill. The experience and food were great, but I'm not sure the price the was right. First, I want to give a shout-out to our server, Brian. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of the menu, and a great personality and demeanor to boot. The highlights were the kurubota pork dumplings, Zahav roll, and the bronzizzle roll. The dumplings had an awesome taste of ginger that I wasn't expecting. The creativity of the Zahav roll was really cool to bear witness too, and it tasted amazing as well (especially the creme fraiche). Lastly, the bronzizzle roll blew me away. I could taste it before it hit my tongue, and really thought the citrus taste matched the texture perfectly. I probably don't understand sashimi, but the sashimi combo (black belt) we ordered left something to be desired. The texture of the albacore was the shining star, but the other 8 pieces were just OK. I would definitely come back here, and recommend it to anyone. I just may order more rolls next time and less sashimi/small plates (might be a better deal). Overall, pricey but definitely worth a try.
(4)Sarah A.
Zama has a very nice decor, and of course its location is prime. That said, I was not blown away by its food. The lunch special is a good deal: udon soup (with shrimp and vegetable tempura), edamame, dressed salad greens, and a standard maki roll (NB: anything crunchified is not standard). I would label the sushi as perfectly adequate. The spicy tuna maki, usually one of my favorites, was not particularly spicy or flavorful in any way. There is certainly tastier sushi for a lower bill in Center City.
(3)Spurti R.
Great service... Our hostess was the best part of the visit. An extra star for the quality of fish and seafood here but the food was very poor in Flavors n texture! All I could taste was rice from sushi to hand rolls which masked the beautiful seafood. And it wasn't cheap by any means.
(2)Therese M.
Compared to my usual sushi spots in the city, Zama is definitely trendy and the menu options/prices reflect that. My favorites were the Wasabi Tuna roll and Japanese 75 martini. The roll was super tasty, but not as spicy as I expected from something with wasabi in its name. I'd been here for lunch in the past, but this was a first for dinner. Their specialty rolls all sounded good, but I'm not sure they were worth the higher prices when there are so many other awesome sushi places in the area. You're paying for the atmosphere here which was fine for our girls night out.
(3)Monica H.
Hostess greeted us with a smile and wished my husband and i a happy anniversary = PLUS. Waitress was as happy as can be.. smiled, knew what she was talking about.. explained the menu in detail, didn't rush us at all = SUPER PLUS... I was really worried about this place not being authentic and given some reviews about customer service, I wondered if I wanted to risk my anniversary here... Glad we did... The food is incredible.. Get the Black Belt selection.. It's a must! The types of fish they serve are AMAZING... Everything came out in perfection, can't really find anything negative to say..
(4)Reem C.
Thank goodness for Restaurant Week. For some reason, Zama was never on my radar, but after browsing through the list of restaurants on the Restaurant Week guide, I decide to try Zama. We made a lunch reservation, just to be on the safe side. There was a decent amount of people in the restaurant around 1:00pm for lunch. There were only a few open tables, which must be good. The restaurant itself is fairly small, so making a reservation is probably a smart choice. We ordered the salmon teriyaki bento box and maki with shrimp tempura. The salmon teriyaka bento box came with rice and a small salad. Before our meals were brought out, we received a healthy serving of edamame and miso soup. For our third course (dessert), I have apple crisp and my wife had the chocolate cake. Both were very small servings, but were delicious. Overall, lunch was okay, but I wasn't wowed. I know it can be said that trying a restaurant during Restaurant Week won't provide the full picture, but one would think the whole purpose is to get you into the restaurant to try the food with the hopes that you will return. I've tried other restaurants during Restaurant Week and knew I had to return because I enjoyed my experience. Zama was just okay and with all of the other Asian fusion restaurants in Philly, I doubt I'll return.
(3)Walter K.
Zama excels in nearly all aspects of the dining experience. The are at the top level of restaurants because of creativity in each dish. The combination of flavors achieves excellence, especially in a dish like the Black Cod Dice. As our fantastic Steve put it, "The bitterness of the endive, the savory cod, and the acidity of the pickled vegetable creates a fundamentally perfect dish." Service was truly stellar. I was having a particularly indecisive evening. After a few quick questions, Steve took our menus and then proceeded to bring out an array of dishes that highlighted complex flavor profiles, complimented each other, and perfectly satisfied our desires. Another favorite was a jalapeno tuna roll, topped with crab. Each dish had brought different flavors and textures together in a culinary delight. For drinks, there is a small beer list, a decent sized cocktail menu that is well thought out, and an extensive wine list. One beer, Japan's Asahi, is on draft. For dessert, don't miss the fried banana spring roll. Sounds a little weird, tastes awesome. Bottom Line: Maybe I'm being a bit over zealous. But when service and food are this good, it's hard not to rave. Zama goes beyond the desire to have a good meal. Eating here is a true experience, and I am already anticipating my next visit.
(5)Kasia P.
This place is good for food and for conversation. I tried some of the sushi options as well as the NY Strip Strip and was satisfied by all of the dishes. Zama does a nice job marrying the American and Japanese food options. However, what makes it stand out to me, is the well maintained balanced between traditional Maki rolls and specialty rolls, an aspect of which some up-and-coming places tend to loose sight. I would especially recommend this place to those looking to grab dinner with a companion who may or may not be a sushi lover, as both sides of the menu are equally remarkable.
(4)Scott H.
With all due respect to Iron Chef Morimoto, the best sushi I had during our recent Philly vacation was from Zama. The Iron Chef gets some credit for leading us to Zama however ... the wife and I were still craving sushi after the amazing omakase we had at Morimoto the night before. We considered returning and sitting at the sushi bar for a full Morimoto sushi experience, but it was late, we were tired, and thus we decided to eat near our hotel in the Rittenhouse Square area. After some analysis via the handy dandy Yelp app, I settled on Zama and made a reservation via Open Table for 9PM. Upon arrival we were seated at one end of the sushi bar and our server promptly brought us menus and helped to guide us amongst the vast options. For starters the wife got her standard miso soup, which was a very good miso soup. I was feeling a bit more adventurous and tried the sawagani, aka Japanese River Crab. These are tiny crabs that are just slightly bigger than a pea/oyster crab. They are cooked and then eaten whole. I'd never had anything like it. The server described it as eating "Old Bay Chips" - I'd equate it more to crab seasoning chips, but he was conveying the right concept. It was fantastic. We ordered the 16 piece sashimi and went for the "black belt" upgrade, which offered cuts of more exotic, pricier fish. I convinced the wife, who isn't a huge sashimi fan, to try almost everything, and she loved everything she tried. We had both Hawaiian young yellowtail and king yellowtail, salmon toro, chu-toro, sea bream, bonito, and a couple of others I can't remember but I promise were amazing. We ordered a few rolls, including a specialty mushroom roll that had various types of mushrooms, and the Vetri roll that many others have raved about. However, for us it was the Philly Style roll that stood our for us. Getting a roll inspired by a Philly cheesesteak may seem like a cop-out and touristy thing to do but trust me, you want this roll. It comes, of course, wit or wit out (we ordered witout) and features premium waygu, provolone, spicy mayo and bibb lettuce wrapped in soy paper and served wrapped in a newspaper. We ordered it more for the novelty of it, and it turned out to be the our favorite of all of the rolls. I like the way they do dessert here too, offering a variety of mini-desserts and serving them as a trio. They were generally good but we agreed the weak part of the meal. The rice krispy maki is basically, well, a rice krispy treat, and not quite as yummy as mom makes. I liked the banana spring roll and the the eclair with green tea cream. We both agreed the yuzu creme brule was a bit weird. The vanilla mochi ice cream was my wife's favorite. I think next time we come, we'll skip the desserts and stick with the fantastic sushi. We both were blown away with the variety of fish, the fish quality, and the sharpness of flavors. I'm going to have a hard time going to Philly and not having at least one meal at Zama.
(5)Monica L.
PROS: Good sushi, spacious, decent/fast service CONS: Expensive! The sushi here is solid. It's not blow-my-mind amazing, but the prices are a bit higher than I expected for the quality and portion size. I'd say Zama is your typical better-than-average-albeit-pricey sushi spot.
(3)Clare D.
I was majorly disappointed that Chef Zama wasn't present to prepare my birthday omakase, especially since my partner Robyn made our reservation well over a month ago. Still, the chef de cuisine of the night did a fantastic job with the upgrades in the $75 Tasting Menu. My first course, Nambanzuke, a seaweed salad with fried fish marinated in soy, dashi, and vinegar, was a very nice starter and very similar to the first course of my previous Zama omakase. My second course, a Yuzu Lobster roll filled with shrimp, yuzu creme jelly, crispy shallots, and yuzu tobiko was wrapped in thinly sliced Daikon radish and topped with a fresh lobster salad and sliced kumquat. The roll was accompanied with small drops of yuzu miso sauce. I loved the intricate flavors of this roll and it was refreshing to taste something so progressive. My third course, Japanese Crudo, was four kinds of sashimi (bluefin tuna, yellowtail, red snapper, and salmon) with lime, shiso, olive oil, and Himalayan salt. This was an upgrade from the usual three kinds of fish in this course. My fourth course, Mixed Tuna Tartare, was a cylinder of tuna made with blue fin, big eye, and albacore with ponzu and wasabi inside and topped off with paddle fish and golden caviar. Crispy shallot chips served as an accompaniment. Especially noteworthy are the specks of gold flake in the caviar. This was an absolutely delicious dish. Zama took the tuna tartare concept to a whole new level here. My fifth course, Miyazaki Beef Steak Tataki, two prized cubes of Japanese Wagyu beef topped with ponzu jelly, chili pepper, and micro cilantro, was a melt-in-your-mouth delight. The crispy bed of shallots beneath the Wagyu were infused with bamboo charcoal salt. Robyn and I found ourselves wishing for more pieces of this delicious beef. My sixth course, Nigiri, was a five piece Chef's selection of nigiri sushi. Our host made sure the chef included sea urchin in the course. As luck would have it, fresh sea urchin, shucked that day, was included in two of the five pieces. One of the pieces also had tobiko (black fish eggs). Wow! All five selections were delicious. My seventh course, Truffled SST, a handroll filled with spicy shrimp tempura, eel, scallions, and truffled eel sauce, was a fantastic end note to the savory part of our meal. I've had this wonderful "sushi dessert" in the past and it was absolutely delish back then as it is now. My eighth course, a dessert trio of yuzu créme brûlée, tofu beignets with caramel sauce, and banana and chocolate spring roll was a very nice ending to a fantastic meal. Robyn was enamored with the spring roll. I enjoyed the créme brûlée. A carafe of Ozeki Junmai Nigori, a California sake, was a nice wine pairing to our meal. Zama still deserves 5 stars even after the reservation flub-up.
(5)Flora W.
Zama seems like an authentic fancy sushi restaurant. First of all, compare with the quantity of food, the price is a little expensive. But the sushi was awesome. We had a sushi&sashimi combi and it didn't feel enough, so added a roll. I expected the Combi would come with miso soups... Overall, foods here are more artistic than delicious. Every plate just looks so good.
(4)Mary P.
Always liked this place but since I had the bronzizzle I am looking for opportunities to come here as often as possible. Very knowledgeable staff.
(5)Justine J.
Natalie (bartender) is amazing. It has been a while since I got service this awesome where I leave over 20% on a dinner bill. She was just so nice and helpful and kind and just the sweetest thing on earth. I did not like the drink that I got, and she insisted on taking it away and taking it off the bill.... even though there was nothing wrong with the drink itself (which was yuzu gimpchi). I just didn't like it due to personal preference. Oh, yuzu is this powerful citrus fruit - just FYI . And no, I do not know her personally, so this is completely unbiased - pinky swear. One of the top services I have ever experienced. Very rarely do I leave 25%. Bill was 86 but was split half and half. That's how good she was. New things I tried today: Avocado salad was amazing. We were each going to get one, but Natalie told us that they were big so one would be enough for us to share. See, she was honest too on top of that. Anyway, the veggies were fresh and crisp and the slice of avocado were just great. There were about 6 generous slices of fresh avocado. And by fresh I mean pretty much perfect: Not mushy like supermarket California rolls avocado, not too hard like the unripe ones, but was juuuust right like baby bear's. Not too much ginger dressing where it drenches the salad and makes it soggy, but tossed perfectly where it coats every leafy green evenly. The Braised Short Ribs and Tuna Usuzukuri still did not fail to satisfy. The Bronzizzle (specialty maki) was soooooo tasty. Even with the cilantro/parsley topped on it, which I hate. So I just picked t off. It was nice and crisp with the fresh cucumber and a sooth texture from the avocado The rolls were topped with generous slices of Bronzino, a Mediterranean white fish. Give it a go. Yes, that was an imperative statement. Hamachi ponzu? Great! Thick slices of yellowtail tuna marinated in soy pickled jalapeno ponzu. It was so good. And it wasn't too spicy either. My friend can't eat spicy stuff, but the kick was just right for her. The green tea and strawberry ice cream cake (though I forget the official name) was amazing. It was solid as a rock so it was hard for my buddy and I to dig in to it to share. It's also more of a bite size kinda thing, But it was so good. The yuzu creme brulee did not fail to impress, once again. And the chocolate cake with white sake was amazing as well and I am not a chocolate fan. It's not too chocolatie, which is perfect for me. I just wish the 3 for 10 desserts weren't so tiny - it's such a tease. I think I found a new one-of-my- favorite places.
(5)Aaron L.
Service for a busy weekend evening was very good. The recommendations were strong and the night was highlighted by the Vetri roll. Eel isn't usually what I believe to be the strongest base for great sushi roll but combined with some truffled uni and it was delectable. Chef Zama again did not disappoint!
(4)Louis K.
Hands down the best sushi in Philadelphia. If you want to vear off from sushi try the black cod. It's delicious.
(5)Karl M.
They have the smallest nigiris I've ever seen. Me and my wife spent $450 and left hungry.
(1)Michael F.
An amazing, four and a half-star experience. I'm not kidding, a few small details landed Zama just below perfection, but high enough on my list that it will be getting another shot at glory soon enough. JJ and I arrived Saturday evening for dinner. Since it was snowing, we hoped the lack of reservation might not be a problem (hint: book a reservation). Luckily, they were able to seat us at the sushi bar quickly. Turns out, the sushi bar is a great place to sit since you get to see all the menu options come to life. A little gun shy about a recent chef tasting experience, we decided to make our own tasting experience. First up, the Kirin Ichiban Braised Short Ribs. I wondered how I might eat such a dish with chopsticks, however, the meat was so tender that was not a problem. It was probably my favorite. Next, a simple Oshinko. It helped clear our palate and prepare us for item three, the Sufer roll (yellowtail jalapeño roll topped with tuna sashimi, avocado salsa, and crispy rice cracker). I lied, this roll had to be my favorite. It was fresh and delicious with a variety of textures which really helped enhance the flavors . Item four, a refreshing Tuna Usuzukuri, to no surprise, also made its case for my favorite. It was sliced into 6 pieces for easier enjoyment which ensured eat bite delivered the chef's intentions. Our last main of the night was the Jose Garces Chirashi. It is a rice dish with various fish on top. It was good, but not the way to end our night. It just didn't seem well balanced (although the dish itself was setup nicely to split between two). We also tried three small desserts, since they have a sampler 3x$10 dessert option. While all enjoyable, none blew me away. For the complete picture, we had the Yuzu Crème Brulee, Banana Springroll, and Apple Gyoza. Make sure to ask about the desserts, as the menu is a bit nondescript. To end where I began, Yay! I'm a fan nearly Woohoo'ing. I'll be back and recommend you plan a visit as well.
(4)Jianna E.
Zama is one of my favorite restaurants in the city. They have a great menu, though it's pricey, it is certainly worth spending a few extra dollars on your meal. My favorite thing to get is the calamari salad, it has great flavors, the calamari is in a tempura style and you could share it if you wanted, but after one bite you'll be hooked. The food comes out as it is ready. They also have the second best sushi I've had too.
(4)Jeremy F.
Overwhelmingly underwhelming. Where to start, just about every aspect of this place was just not up to par. The layout of the restaurant itself and atmosphere....not great. The menu - needlessly confusing, poorly designed, hard to read. Our waiter - weird, awkward and clumsy. They have a nice selection of great sake, but entirely overpriced. for 8 bucks and up, you get about a 3 oz serving of sake....needless to say this will add up quite quickly if you enjoy a drink. The food....meh. We ordered the kaiso salad - which was probably about the best thing we had - I will give them credit for that - a nice take on the traditional seaweed salad. The steamed pork dumplings - soggy and waterlogged, completely flavorless. We tried a few of the specialty rolls, overall nothing special....lacking in flavor and imagination, and pricey. Standard rolls, not bad, but nothing great. Strip steak - gristly and too salty. Overpriced, not great....not even good. This place is a joke. I've had better sushi, walked away fuller and utterly satisfied from many places for half the price. Regretting not just going to Morimoto and spending a little more (or perhaps the same amount) for something truly fantastic.
(1)Won S. L.
This is my first review and I feel bad to write about the bad experience. If you only want to have a high quality food, you will be satisfied. If you are not okay to be treated like a dog, you will not be happy. Service was bad. Server was worse. Manager was the worst. I have gone to this restaurant so many times over years and enjoyed quite a bit. This time, it was my first time since last sepetember, I ordered una-don with bites and it took 30 minutes to get food. It was busy day and I understand the fact. But even the dish I got wasn't even what I ordered. And of course, I didn't feel good about it. And the server named Trevor was like "Oh, you want una-don? Okay. Fine." I wasn't really happy with his response and I called manager. I don't know the manager's name because I didn't ask. But he came with the food and say, "Okay here is food, eat it. Our policy #1 is eat. if you don't want to eat it, Fine, leave. If you are hungry, eat it" I couldn't believe what just happened. I was really shocked and left right after. It isn't even the best sushi I've ever had. There are so many places I can go for better experience. Now I have no reason to go back to that restaurant.
(1)Eunni C.
Fresh sushi/ sashimi is my favorite meal. I can literally eat 3 times per day! I was so eager to find my favorite Japanese restaurant once I came to Philly. Zama was my first try. Location is good and ambiance is typical Japanese restaurant. Tried uni, tuna, fatty tuna, salmon, salmon roe sashimi. Those are my favorite so I get them wherever I go. They were good but not outstanding. I thought price was little high for what it is.. But I still go there for quick lunch since location is so awesome for me and I do like that intimate ambiance to chat with my friends. If price was little lower I would give 4 star.
(3)Bryce B.
Still my favorite sushi place in the city but can struggle with consistency. Reasonable corkage, friendly and knowledgeable staff, and a fun, modern, yet somehow intimate-feeling ambiance make this place a winner aside from the food. Best fish selection you'll find outside of Manhattan, and a great saké list. A definite winner.
(4)Kaivan S.
So consistently great. Creative rolls. Great drinks menu as well. Favorites are the SCS and bibou rolls. Really fast service which is a big plus given the extreme cravings that start post-ordering. :)
(5)Christina V.
This place is SO DELISH! Right in the middle of Rittenhouse this sushi joint is servin up some amazing fusion rolls. I came here last night for a pre-bday celebration with a girlfriend. We wound up getting 4 rolls to start and a bottle wine. We had the Sesame Salmon roll (Cucumber ,Mango, Salmon tartare, creamy sesame sauce) the Wasabi Tuna (Snow crab tempura, Tuna tartare, wasabi mayo) , Surfer (Yellowtail, Jalapeno Tuna Sashimi, Avocado salsa), and a basic spicy salmon roll. The wasabi tuna roll was SO tasty and was the chosen favorite (it also came highly recommended by our server as her top pick!) The basic spicy salmon roll ($6) was also at the top of the list- it was fresh and the fish wasnt minced inside. After we were finished our first order, we ordered another smaller roll, and this time got the spicy tuna roll, which also hit the spot. The service was great and our waitress was helpful. I'll def be back!
(5)Roger A.
Great sushi just north of Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia, I went with two of my best buddies for an early dinner at 5pm. We had the place to ourselves and got a nice wooden booth towards the back of the restaurant. However, it was almost full by 7pm . There is a sushi bar on the left as you walk in, then seats for about 100. We were promptly seated and given drink + food menus. Two of us ordered berry- themed cocktails which were sooo good. The third had a tasty Asahi dry. Yum. We later had a bottle of sake for around $60 which I thought was of high quality. Service here was great. Prompt, friendly, and menu-informed = of the highest quality. Edamame four stars, pork dumplings four stars, sushi four stars, dessert (creme brûlée, chocolate tart, blueberry tart) four stars. All uniformly very good. I was impressed. The bill was $340 for three persons with tip, expected for solid sushi + drinks.
(4)Jonny R.
Sometimes the entire experience at a fine restaurant comes down to the excellence of a server. Steve was that for us at Zama. I've been before, but I would have not awarded it my elusive five-star mark, if not for him. Knowledgeable but not pretentious or pushy; present but never intrusive. I should also note that the entire Zama staff was gracious, because on a bustling Friday night, we were running fifteen minutes late for our 8:30 reservation (getting out of the house is impossible these days, what with a 16-month-old to put to bed and so on) and they were quite understanding. We started with two drinks: the Yuzu Gimlet, a nice Japanese take on what I thought tasted like a G&T. I kept asking if it had gin in it! It was great. My perfect, Cucumber Saketini just whet my appetite further. Compliments to the bartender, who made it with a perfect layer of crushed ice. Our wasabi-powdered edamame came next; a crisp and refreshing starter. Followed by what I didn't expect that evening: a hot app. Hibachi scallops. Perfectly cooked and seasoned, I might have been happy with my night after this. Next came our rolls. All were absolutely magnificent. Both the Tuna Wasabi Roll, a beautiful soy-paper wrapped roll, and the Wasabi Lobster, this time and inside-out roll topped with lobster salad, were delightful. Perfectly balanced, salty, tangy, creamy, crunchy. I could have ate 100. The Bronzizzle didn't fail to disappoint either. Every bite was like ecstasy. I think I told my wife while eating, "this helps me believe in God." And I am already deeply convicted about that! I finished off the night with Zama's dirty martini--dirty with white soy sauce. And we shared the three-for-$10 dessert. Green tea mochi ice cream (delicious, but a little freezer burned?), the Yuzu creme brullee, and a molten chocolate cake (great throwback to the '90s). Absolutely great. Steve was the pilot of our ship and our voyage was amazing. I might not ever eat at another restaurant again. A few more notes: beautiful interior, a little loud, but that still made it fun. Waiting for the bathroom a few times was a drag, but I get that too, given its location.
(5)Christy W.
My friend insist on going there and it's a lovely place. I like the food and decoration.
(4)Thomas R.
Zama is a well decorated Japanese restaurant conveniently located in. center City. The inside of the restaurant is small but they overwhelmingly use the space well and well. The lines are clean and the seating is warm and inviting. When we arrived we were quickly shown to our seats. The menu is large featuring appetizers, tasting plates, entrees, and a wide array of sushi bar options. We started our meal with the seaweed salad and the salmon skin salad. Each salad was loaded with Asian flavors like sesame and ginger. The salmon skin was representative of the same texture that bacon would add with that bite that only salmon skin could provide. Both salads were very tasty. Next we had the hibachi scallops. This small plate paired scallops alongside cherry tomatoes and red onions in a wonderful Asian drizzle. The scallops were perfectly seared with a soft center and the drizzle complemented the components well. For our main course we sampled four different sushi rolls including the surfer roll, the crab and shrimp fiesta roll, the black spider roll, and the dragon roll. All four rolls were fantastically prepared and it is difficult to highlight any one that shined above the rest. Overall the fish was stunningly fresh and that is obviously the most important component of quite sushi.The surfer was fantastic due to the change in texture from the crunchy topping and the heat from the avocado salsa. The crab and shrimp fiesta was really flavorful and the soy wrappers were different than I was used to. The row atop of the black spider simply took the entire roll to another level. Although a dragon roll is common, this one was uncommon in the fact that all of the ingredients were so fresh. Overall our experience at Zama was great. There was a hiccup with our initial sushi orders and it was quickly remedied but the house. From the environment to the components of the food everything was fantastic. Would without question recommend especially in the very crowded sushi scene in Philadelphia.
(4)Julie C.
This place makes me think of that song "If I had 1,000,000 dollars". I'd go HAM at this place if I could!!!!! I don't even normally eat sushi and I think this place converted me into a sushi lover. For appetizers I had the braised short ribs, nasu dengaku and pork dumplings (fried). All were delectable, the only thing I wish is that the portions were bigger! For sushi I tried the hamachi tataki, tuna tataki and the spicy crunchy scallop of the Rittenhouse three. My favorite of those was the hamachi tataki. Pair it with the yellowtail and it is extraordinary.
(5)A B.
Within the Philadelphia area, it's not bad, but I've been spoiled eating much better. The prices are on par for 'good' sushi, but I would sooner point my car in the direction of NYC to eat really killer chirashi.
(3)Ali W.
The restaurant seems to be a hit for business workers on their lunch break. The food was good, especially the udon soup. Sushi was fresh. The restaurant week menu was a great deal. Good for lunch or dinner!
(4)Erica M.
Our experience at Zama was disappointing. While the fish itself was quite good (great quality), we found the specialty rolls to be overpriced and lacking flavor. We started with the seaweed salad with octopus, which was only OK. The seaweed was chewier than usual and the octopus had absolutely no flavor. Probably would've been happier if we had ordered sans octopus. Our favorites of the night were the toro and scallion and eel and avocado rolls, which were also the least expensive. The surfer roll (which came out fried, without any indication on the menu) was OK, but didn't have much flavor. And we explicitly said we didn't want anything tempura, so to find our roll fried was quite a bummer. The lobster wasabi roll was OK, but had no flavor of wasabi! The lobster salad on top was mayo-heavy as well. All the rolls had 6 pieces, and I could've easily had another roll or 2. The service was very good (though we did have to ask for water refills) - we sat in the bar area so the bartender was our server and he did a very good job. Again, the fish itself was delicious and excellent quality. But it just wasn't worth the price for us. Maybe we would've been happier if we had just ordered simpler rolls that highlighted the fish quality, but we thought Zama was known for specialty rolls. Seaweed salad with octopus, 4 rolls, and 2 drinks was $90. And I definitely didn't leave full.
(3)Jen H.
Although this place is one of the more expensive spots for a sushi lunch, I have to say that the extra couple dollars are really worth it. A lot of places charge around $12 for 3 rolls for lunch, and the sushi is just okay. This is not the case at Zama. The price for 3 rolls is around $16, but the quality is so much better!! The suhshi bento boxes looked amazing and had so much variety! I ordered the maki combo, which included a spicy tuna roll, yellowtail jalapeno mango roll, and a salmon avocado roll. The ingredients were very fresh, and the three rolls were more than enough to fill me up for lunch. I can't wait to go back. I think I'll order the bento box next time because the udon noodle soup just looked too good! Totally worth the money!
(5)Samantha B.
My boyfriend and I chose Zama for our anniversary lunch during Restaurant Week due to the great reviews on Yelp and we were not disappointed! The steamed edamame was fresh and topped with the perfect amount of sea salt, the miso soup and the udon noodle soup were full of flavor, and the entrees were just as amazing. I ordered the New York Strip stir fry which included sautéed peppers and onions, a sweet sauce, and sesame seeds all served over a bed of rice. The side salad was fresh and perfectly dressed and comprised of leafy green lettuce, carrots, onions, and radish slices. My boyfriend ordered a sushi combo and the fish looked fresh and beautiful. For dessert, we both ordered the ginger chocolate bread pudding which was phenomenal. The portions at Zama were perfect, the atmosphere is very hip and warm, and the service was unbeatable. Zama handled the rush of the last day of Restaurant Week incredibly from seating us a couple of minutes before our reservation time, timing the serving of each of the three courses fantastically, and being extremely attentive to our table despite the lunch rush hour. We will definitely be back!
(5)Sujung S.
Wow i am glad that I found this place. I used to go to Genji in the center city and have been disappointed since it was closed. This place is a modern version of Genji with more options of rolls. Really enjoyed the meal.
(4)Cindy B.
Wow. Maybe it's because I was hungry, but I had an excellent experience at Zama. We arrived early for our reservation and were immediately seated. They have a complimentary coat check so my bulky winter coat would not take up space. Our waitress was prompt and efficient and very accommodating as we poured over the extensive menu. The decor was clean and light. I loved the ceiling!! Cocktails were great. Appetizers were great. Highly recommend the calamari salad with avocado. Tempura battered anything was a home run! Truffle chicken teriyaki - yes please! Chocolate cake small size was ah-maz-ing!! If there could be any negative I would say we felt just the tiniest bit rushed, so efficient was the service. I wouldn't recommend this place for a super romantic evening, but a great date option. I even saw children there. Thank you, Zama for a fantastic dinner.
(5)Karen F.
Uh Oh. For the first time ever sub par service and a big mistake (likely all my fault and I acknowledge this) that I caused. Long story short? I will not order chirasi here ever again. (I got the blackbelt kind). It had an uni on the top (and I forgot to tell them I don;t eat Uni) and usually features eel. Luckily I remembered to tell the guy "no eel". The fish was gorgeously fresh - but there were lots of things I don;t like to eat. Next time I will just order sashimi and specify the fish types I like. Server (young male - Chuck??) seemed downright annoyed with me (I was on my phone alot on business related calls over lunch). Probably a fluke (no pun intended). I will be back again as I truly love it here. Next time I'll put the damned phone down. Sorry. Apologies. Oh - and I can't wait to try the new spot on 33rd Street.
(3)Sherry L.
Terrrible bad sashimi and entree just not up to the price we paid $46 and didn't get fresh sashimi
(1)Harry L.
Best sashimi in Philly.
(5)Julie H.
Went for an early birthday dinner and was pleasantly surprised. I had avoided Zama for such a long time because I had the impression that it was just another overpriced fusion restaurant, but after hearing good things from close friends, I decided to give it a try. My boyfriend opted to get the $55 tasting menu while I chose to order the scallops and tofu to start, and the Zahav roll and the cod for my entree. The tofu is cooked at the table and is a little gimmicky. The mushroom sauce that accompanied this was delicious, but I probably wouldn't order this again. The scallops was delicious. We cleared that off in about 2 minutes. The sauce might be too heavy for those looking for subtle flavors. The cod was delicious but nothing too out of the box. The Zahav roll was fine but reminded me of something that I would find at a mid-level Stephan Starr restaurant. With the traditional options being done so well, I think I'll probably stick to them in the future. My boyfriend was pleased with everything on the tasting menu but there's nothing that we went crazy over. It's a safe option for dinner. The space was upscale but comfortable, and the service was quick and friendly. Overall, I would recommend this place as a nice date spot or for when you're feeling a little fancy.
(4)Alison S.
Food= fantastic Service= craptastic I have been to Zama about 10 times over the course of its' life. My best experiences were early on, and recently I had two bad experiences in a row. And it wasn't the food that was bad. Their servers have attitude, give pushback if you question them, and are downright rude when you ask for something specific. I have severe food allergies. I would like my server to write my allergies down because I have so many of them. Don't tell me you're sure you have it, because if you don't, I have to go to the hospital. The word "snotty" is how I would describe our server. After the second visit being this way, I asked for the manager. I told her that this server's attitude will make me never come back to Zama. Her reply indicated that she didn't seem to care at all about this. She did not do anything to try to retain us as customers. I was shocked that the bill came and every last thing was on there because at the very least, show me that you care even the littlest bit and comp a drink- show me you care about me as your customer. But the truth is that they don't. I overheard a coworker talking this week about a bad experience at a sushi restaurant the night before, and I asked where. Not at all surprisingly, she said Zama. Apparently my coworker (who also has food allergies, different from mine, but just as severe) had the VERY same attitude given to her by a male waiter. And the manager? Also as uncaring. This tells me what I need to know: Not worth the overpriced meal for what it is. Go to Fat Salmon or Fuji Mountain instead.
(2)Barbara D.
After deciding to skip the original spot, we ended up walking a few blocks to Zama. Such a great decision. With it being Restaurant Week, the only tables available were outside, but considering the Indian Summer evening, it was perfectly fine. Ordered a selection of items including the garden salad (nice size), pan-fried pork dumplings, and hamachi with ponzu. Then ordered a bunch of rolls and sashimi sushi. Everything was coursed nicely and perfectly delish!!! My only complaint was that the dessert was TINY, as in only 2-3 bites. But, the server did warn us that it was very small, and it ended up being perfect, since we were already full. Our server was attentive and perfectly friendly. My wine was nice and crisp. The host was happy to greet and seat us, despite no reservation. It was a great choice and I would definitely return or recommend it to anyone with a hankering for sushi. It looks like it would be a nice date spot, as we noted many couples out together.
(4)Alan G.
Best sushi in town. You can't go wrong with the black belt platters and red miso soup!
(5)Nicole O.
It was good but nothing outstanding. The rolls have mango or steak in them. Not my type of sushi. I like the fresh fish to be the focus and that doesn't seem to happen here. I Will give them points for their hot food though. That was excellent. I had the short rib which was delicious, and the fries cod in some sort of sauce tasted exactly like bang bang shrimp from bone fish grill (aka YUMMY)! Also, the Yuzu Mule is perfect, and the desserts were pretty good (get the banana egg rolls)
(3)Lea L.
TLDR: ABSOLUTELY ABHORRED SERVICE. MEDIOCRE FOOD. Server John was awful....If I could give this place zero stars, I would. I almost never complain and I have a lot of waitressing experience, so I consider myself to be pretty reasonable when it comes to dining out....However, I've never had service this bad before in my life. To sit inside was a 45 minute wait, which was expected on a Saturday night, so we chose to sit outside. Our waiter didn't come to our table for over 15 minutes and seemed irritated from the start that he had to take outdoor tables. He started off not by introducing himself or saying anything besides "Any questions guys?" Didn't try to take our drink order and didn't come back for another 15 minutes. Sent the hostess out for him multiple times. Which I understand if you're busy and to give him he benefit of the doubt, it did appear as though he was possibly the only server/bartender for the entire restaurant...However, if that's the case then you should communicate that to your tables and also awful planning on management's side....Once we finally got drinks and gave our order, it had been about 40 minutes. We ordered appetizers and entrees. The appetizers were the only thing that came out timely. Out of 4 people, only one entree came out in a timely fashion. We all waited another half an hour, not even spoken to by our waiter. When the hostess came out, we asked her to check on her food and someone brought out one more entree and the sushi was warm, as if it had been sitting on the counter for a while. It was another 20 minutes before my boyfriend asked to speak with the manager who didn't care about our complains and tried to refute our claims. He offered no explanation about the slow and rude service of his staff and tried to have them bring out our food as soon as we complained. I understand being busy but the service was negligent and uninformative. If you are having problems, communicate with your customers....We ended up paying for the drinks and appetizers, but they gave us an attitude about not wanting to pay for the warm food that we received and didn't eat....The waiter was frustrated with us when we were still dissatisfied and then said, "I'll pay for your food that you don't wanna pay for and just don't tip me and that'll hopefully make it better." Overall, just a really terrible night out while we were entertaining friends. We chose this place because it had a 4 star review and I can't imagine how or why.
(1)Abraham T.
EXCELLENT FOOD BUT DRINKS ARE WAY OVERPRICED The food here is simply AMAZING. The kitchen caters to both the sushi aficionado and the lover of fine Japanese cuisine. However everything is quite expensive. When you order, items are brought the table as soon as they are ready. There are classic stand-bys, like really savory thin sliced meats, as well as more inventive, modern dishes. The beer list generally leaves something to be desired, but occasionally, this restaurant is able to bring in really rare kegs of beer from Japanese craft brewers. I had Hitachino Nest Anbai here, when the first three kegs were sent over to the US, and the beer was still extremely rare and delicate. Unfortunately, beers were also extremely expensive - like $18 for a pint of Hitachino Nest Anbai.
(4)Ficha D.
How could a simple bar transaction go so wrong? My boyfriend enters Zama ahead of me. I plan to meet him there in five minutes. Five minutes later I enter the restaurant, turn to the bar where I see him seated. I sit down. Bartender is having conversation with a couple. The only other people at the bar aside from us. I join him. I lean over and ask "What did you order?" "Gin and Tonic" he replies. Bartender has glass of ice in front of her. She's conversing, conversing, conversing. I get handed a menu. No 'hello', no 'welcome', no 'i'll be with you in a moment'. She finally asks what I'll have 'Tito's and Soda". She makes my drink, all the while having my boyfriend's glass of cold ice sitting on the bar waiting to be made. She serves me my drink and then makes his. He was there at least five minutes before me. We waited for awhile and he still got his drink last. We were there for about 35 minutes. The bartender ignored us the entire time while she doted on her couple of regulars. I get it, I'm a regular other places and I like the special attention that I'll get. But its no excuse to ignore and delay new customers when your bar isn't busy. But she never even checked in to see if we needed anything. Once we told her we weren't eating dinner there she couldn't care less about our time. Won't be back ever.
(1)Lili W.
I went to Zama recently for restaurant week with a few colleagues. It was 3 of us total -- too bad one of my coworkers couldn't make it because, boy, did we have a fabulous time. Upon entering Zama, we were brought to the private back room -- this room looks like a great place for a dinner party. We ordered off the restaurant menu and this is what i got: - udon noodle soup with shrimp and vegetable tempura - salad with an amazing ginger dressing - spicy tuna roll + 4 sushi pieces - decadent chocolate rice pudding For the $20 restaurant week deal, it was totally worth it. Actually, the food was so top notch, this may become a regular lunch spot. Too bad my one coworker couldn't make it -- he missed out on great food, not to mention a great bonding experience with his team!
(4)Cameron P.
I really dislike Zama. The restaurant itself is nice and has a slick, trendy feel. The service is slow and a bit inattentive. The sushi is ok-not great but not bad. But for the prices I expect far better food and service. Really feels like you are paying for the location. So if you are able to expense an overpriced underwhelming meal this may be your spot.
(2)Atul G.
Came during the week to check out our neighborhood upscale sushi restaurant. Sushi was very fresh (but pricey) but I would say the more interesting dishes are the cooked appetizers! Yums: -Black cod dice: served on endive, like a taco! -Hamachi ponzu: super fresh, melts in your mouth -Wasabi tuna -Sake flight: nice choices and get to try a few things instead of just one Okays: -Short rib appetizer: nothing too special about this, can't usually mess this dish up too much Overall, very delicious, yummy meal. Would definitely come back to try other interesting stuff on the menu (like the rolls named after Philly chefs!)
(4)Zoe P.
The only thing that's fun about being alone for a few days while my bf is at a conference is that I can eat WHATEVA I want, from WHEREVA I want. And I've been dying to try out Zama's sushi since they opened. We had peeked at the menu but never followed through on our interest, mostly because we love trying special rolls, but Zama's prices are way higher than other CC sushi places. But after what has been probably the crappiest past two weeks I've had in a very, very long time, I needed something wonderful and amazing to soothe my soul - and sushi for dinner sounded absolutely perfect. I ordered their "Justice for All" roll (inside: spicy tempura snow crab, shishi-toh pepper wrapped in soy paper; top: tuna, scallion, wasabi stem mayo, black tobiko), two pieces of salmon roe sushi, and the kaiso salad (assorted seaweeds, sesame seeds, tosazu) for my personal feast. The special roll was delicious, perfectly constructed and a subtle yet fantastic combination of flavors. The fish here is so amazingly fresh, thank god I ordered two pieces instead of one salmon roe sushi. And the seaweed salad was my ideal version: not saturated in oils and a wonderful mixture of different types of seaweed. This was a truly wonderful meal - I have to bring my bf here! It's clear that Zama cares about providing a quality experience of their ingredients. It's a great place to bring a date to since the interior design provides a soft, warm ambiance, and the staff here is lovely. Too bad I live so close by, I'm going to be very, very tempted to return for more sushi soon!
(4)Jonathan S.
I had a nice dinner here with a friend and we had to wait over an hour to get a table. In the end we ate some sushi rolls and the black cod and enjoyed the meal and atmosphere. If you're after some great Japanese food in Philly this is one of the places to go, but don't get your hopes up, the food isn't that different to other Japanese places and you're going to be paying a premium for sushi in Philly for some unknown reason. The service was pleasant and professional but for the price tag and the wait you could catch a bus to New York and eat a better meal!
(2)john c.
great experience. food is amazing. if you don't like to relax and dine, go on the early side. we found the bartender and our waitress to be as good as they come. knowledgeable, kind, professional in every way. and then there's the best fish in philadelphia. i will be back.
(5)Jessica S.
I joined two friends at Zama's tiny 8 seat bar for celebratory birthday drinks, appetizers and dessert on opening night. Penne, the new to Philly bartender, was friendly and professional. With her help we decided to indulge with a green tea liquor flavored drink (sweet), sake punch, lychee/ champagne flute (bubbly + mild) and a kettle 1 citron/ yuzu gimlet (tart + delicious). We shared a tuna roll, avocado roll, vegetable tempura appetizer and kurobuta (pork) dumplings. The rolls were made with fresh chewy seaweed and the dumplings looked like beautiful little purses. The potato in the tempura was hard and undercooked but the rest of the dish was enjoyable. Our dessert was beautiful - and more than enough for 3 people to share. The creme brulee was served in a traditional soup spoon - very clever and cute. I also loved the green tea flavored cake. Overall it was a classy, relaxing evening. I can't wait for the Spring so I can enjoy the warm weather with a yuzu gimlet.
(4)Rose F.
Decor filled with clean lines while the food is filled with familiar yet complex flavors. You must eat here (I can only speak about lunch - cause that's the only time I've eaten here)!! Let's talk about the: Food: The portions of the bento boxes look like a lot, but to the tummy are just right and satisfying. The sushi taste clean and fresh while still having distinct flavors. i recommend the udon bento. Service: not too intrusive and helpful enough. Dining Experience: I'm only able to eat here for lunch and during that time it feels like i've spent over an hour there, when really it's just been 45 minutes. I love it.
(5)Scott S.
Great Sushi -- Make Sure to Visit Thank you to a California sushi-holic who recommended Zama. It's great and make sure to go here. It's small but very nice. The service is welcoming from the beginning and attentive throughout without rushing. We knew things were going to be good when the seaweed salad was more than the standard. We loved everything we ordered, but I'd be remiss if I didn't highlight the Wasabi Tuna. This was 6 pieces of heaven. It was the perfect mix of ingredients and texture with just enough wasabi mayo to spice perfectly without making it heavy. the Rittenhouse Three was fun and delicious. I'd probably order 1 or 2 of the individual items ONLY so we could try more of the menu. We'll be back the next time I visit my daughter.
(5)Vanessa L.
Incredible, delicious, very accommodating. Entrees and sushi much better than appears in photos.
(5)Marie-Claire M.
Zama is one of my go-to spots in the city for sushi (others are Fat Salmon and Morimoto). I only gave it a 4 out of 5 because they have raised their sake prices to the point it feels very excessive. Other than that though they classic rolls are great and they always have great specials (often some great yellowtail). My husband and I typically get a few basic rolls and the sashimi platter for 2 and are more than satisfied.
(4)Joelle B.
Hands down my favorite sushi place in the city. Consistently good sushi as well as other dishes, great drinks and interesting beers. Love the staff and make it over there whenever I'm in a sushi craving mood. My favorites are some of the more simple items:spicy crunchy tuna, any sashimi...I even love that huge cheesesteak roll. Last time I was there I ordered this amazing fish cured over a rock of salt with olive oil dipping stuff...so yummy, so fresh. Washed it right down with my staple lychee fizz...
(5)Matthew H.
Art for mouths. Not only are the plates aesthetically satisfying, but the balance of rich flavors & varying textures entertains your palette like Bob Ross paints happy little trees. HIGHLIGHTS: Rice Martini (dangerously drinkable), Nasu Dengaku (MUST TRY), Kirin Braised Short Ribs (no knife necessary, just chopsticks), ANY Charity Roll (i.e. Mad Dog Roll: Yellowtail, jalapeno and avocado, topped with tuna sashimi and an avocado salsa. Vetri Roll: Crunchy eel roll with scallions and shiso, wrapped in daikon, drizzled with a truffle eel sauce and topped with cucumber noodles, and dressed with a bruleed uni sauce... WHAT?! )
(5)Tim P.
i have been to Zama a couple of times and the first time was terrible and the second was worst. I only went back as it was a friend's birthday but never again. Food was ok, not sure what everyone here is raving about. Staff are average and the management is plain rude. While we were there another table we leaving with yelling between the guests and what looked like the owner. We waited over two hours for some pretty basic sashmi and on more than one occasion they got mixed up with tables and brought us the same course twice. Checking the bill they had infact charged us for the mix up and we had to wait 15 minutes for it to get resolved. If the food was exceptional the chaos and poor service could have been overlooked but I have had better sushi from fast food joints in 30th street station
(1)Phyllis G.
I have a lot of sushi eating experience all over the US and this place needs to get over itself. The fish is top notch, I will give it that but the management could learn a few things in customer service. It is one thing to over charge for tiny, tiny portions but then to insult by charging double for a hand roll (not listed on the menu) than anywhere else on the planet without telling you? Not cool. Unfortunately the manager does not care if you ever come in again. Reading the other reviews, this seems like the case as well. He offered apologies and poor excuses why they charge so much without telling you before hand, but did not offer any resolution to us, the unhappy customer. Here's a message to the owner: Teach your manager that the customer is always right. We were not looking for our meal to be paid for but perhaps a little relief from the $26 dollar charge for 2 teeny handrolls. Somebody please tell me that customer service is not extinct?! Certainly it is not something they care about here.
(2)J C.
Hands down, Zama is one the best restaurants I've ever been to. Zama boasts amazing short ribs, wasabi flavored edamame, delectable sushi, and my boyfriend's all-time favorite drink, the Yuzu Gimlet. The Gimlet is the perfect blend of citrus and alcohol. Well worth the cost. If you frequent this restaurant, you are given 'golden chopsticks'' and will be seated expeditiously. The GM Brian and the bartenders I have met are all exceedingly friendly and polite. Subdued, lovely atmosphere as well to further enhance the dining experience
(5)Gordon T.
Good restaurant with nice atmosphere. I really enjoyed the edmame with wasabi salt. Their food was very good and very creative with an excellent service staff that was friendly and attentive. I thought their sushi and rolls were good; however, I was surprised at the size if the slices of sushi. Much smaller than I would have expected; however, I really enjoyed the choice of fish the chef prepared. Overall, a good choice for sushi restaurants.
(3)Linda T.
Favorites were: yellow jalapeno mango, bronzizzle, and the calamari salad. Cozy, clean atmosphere. Service was ok, but a bit slow.
(3)M P.
Came here for restaurant week, so may not have had the most adventurous items on the menu, but was quickly disappointed. Sushi was boring, small, and not very flavorful. I'd honestly prefer Mizu over this any time, and Mizu is like 1/2 the price. Also - clean your bathrooms!
(2)Sara L.
Hmm - I just had a perfectly fine lunch at Zama, but I am honestly not sure what all of the fuss is about. My lunching partner and I were seated quickly towards the rear of the largely empty restaurant. Our table vibrated noticeably throughout the meal, which was not a huge deal but was distracting enough to mention. The decor was nice and simple, with a lot of light wood and whimsical touches. We were quickly provided with water, menus and an explanation of some special items by our waiter. Between the two of us, we had miso soup, assorted sashimi, and three rolls (spicy crunchy tuna, smoked salmon and fig, and yellowtail mango jalapeno), and everything was good to very good. The yellowtail roll was, by far, the best. The smoked salmon and fig worked better in theory than it did in execution. We also had some Japanese beers, and were tempted into assembling a trio of mini desserts (yuzu creme brulee, fig and brown sugar tart, and a chocolate bread pudding). The desserts were surprisingly outstanding, and almost tempted me to up the review to four stars. However, I just can't do four stars for this experience. For a ~$100 lunch for two, I was not particularly full when I left and the only food item that really made me ecstatic was the yuzu creme brulee. The beer list was uninspired, and the by the glass wines were arguably overpriced. They were also unwilling or unable to accommodate the fairly simple request of having a few pieces of sashimi brought out at the same time as the soup. At the moment, I would rank Zama behind Fat Salmon and Umai Umai for my mid-range sushi needs. That being said, I would have no problem giving Zama another shot, and will update if i do.
(3)Ashley J.
I really enjoyed my meal at Zama. I ordered the $55 omakase, and I enjoyed every dish but one (the miso egg custard). The sushi was amazing, and the starters we ordered (tempura vegetables and spicy shrimp) were phenomenal. The server we had was excellent and gave great recommendations. I'll definitely be back!
(4)Stephen S.
Best sushi in Philadelphia! The quality of the fish here is amazing! But this place is not just a great sushi restaurant but it has all the accompaniments to make the meal fantastic, edamame with wasabi salt so de-lish! The eggplant with tofu and mushroom sides are amazing, order them!
(4)Shereen C.
Zama is a great-looking restaurant that serves pricey but solid sushi. I tried a selection of raw seafood and it was all quite fresh. One highlight was the Tuna Usuzukuri which was served with wasabi greens and truffled sauce. Desserts were mixed. I enjoyed the pumpkin bread pudding but the Yuzu Crème Brulee was just okay. I don't remember the other dessert we tried. I've only been here once so I'd say Zama's worth a try if you're flush & in the mood for sushi, though I'd go somewhere else for dessert.
(4)Maggie C.
Came here for Valentine's Day Dinner with the boyfriend and the customer service was amazing. Arrived at the restaurant 15 mins before reservations and they seated us right away. The beef brisket was unforgettable plus the desserts. There are a choice of 3 dessert samplers per order and the portions were just perfect for my tummy after the all the appetizers and sushi!
(4)Ilan M.
This was a tough rating (debated between 3 and 4, ultimately a 3.5 becomes a 4). On the one hand, the service was great (both the hostess and waiter were very friendly and extremely informative; the waiter put for a great effort to upsell, without coming across as pushy), the atmosphere was comfortable and cool (I also liked that they provided non-wood chopsticks, placed on a holder, and replaced out plates with every app/starter/dish we had) and the location was convenient (close to the office/hotel we were staying at). Furthermore, I must say the miso soup rates as one of the 2 or 3 best miso soups I've ever had (only complaint is that it was too small!) which is a great compliment for something so commonplace as miso soup - it's hard to stand out from the crowd. Their dumplings were decent - not as thicky/doughy as traditional gyozas, but a bit thicker than Chinese dumplings. The waiter actually described them quite accurately so I cannot fault him/the restaurant for that. As for the sushi - we split the sushi/sashimi regular combo (great size for 2 people, but wildly overpriced) and had the middle eastern hand roll (4 small hand rolls with falafel and tzatziki sauce). As a middle eastern cuisine connoisseur, I must say their falafel was quite disappointing (definitely soft and easy to eat, but not crunchy and lacking substance as traditional falafels have). I guess you can't fault them too hard for screwing up a dish from a cuisine in which they aren't pros, however if it's on the menu, you better rock it. Their hand rolls were quite nice and light, but for the price it was lacking. On the negative side, the price was a bit outrageous for sushi (but the area is overpriced to begin with, and since the company paid, I didn't bat an eye). The sushi, while tasting average, was cut quite thinly and lacked substance. The wasabi, soy and ginger were fine, nothing to separate it from any other sushi joint. We skipped dessert, but it looked like standard fare, although their tasting menu seemed intriguiging, especially because it gets a bit cumbersome when eating 1 single large dessert when what you really want it to try bit of multiple desserts, so I appreciated that. Coming from New York, where sushi is abundant, high quality and comes at a great price, I cannot justify paying for this place out of my own pocket. Perhaps my standards have been set too highly. All in all, I'd come here again if on a business trip and wasn't paying for it. Definitely worth a try, at least once.
(4)Rockit O.
Red snapper is a great litmus test for any sushi connoisseur. The skin should be left on, but it should be flash boiled (skin only) leaving the flesh raw and delicious. Zama did get this right. it is a technique that takes some care to achieve. I was not able to really try the whole sushi experience , as I was with a large group of people ordering rolls. What I did eat was good, and is worth another visit if I ever get back to Philly.
(4)Jenn S.
great place for a traditional sushi roll or something funky and unique. ambiance is good for catching up with friends/ meeting (not too dark/ romantic-ish), the rolls are pretty well done. I especially liked the escargot roll (very interesting blend of rich taste/butteriness/ with rice/sushiness). would come back to try some of the other interesting rolls.
(4)Justin C.
To start things off, I literally signed up to Yelp to make this review. Now, I know you're probably thinking well it must have been so horrendous that it was a one time experience.. but no instead it was just such a mediocre restaurant that people should know that. Visiting Philly from New York, and on my company's expense, I decided on this place due to its proximity to my hotel and other reviews I read on here. Restaurant itself fine, service was good, but the food is just not acceptable. I ordered a sashimi combination which to start off with is not cheap. $29 for what they advertise as 16 pieces of sashimi. No soup or salad included which I found to be strange. My dish came out and immediately I was struck by how small each piece of fish was. I mean, literally one piece of fish was maybe the size of a bottle cap (My mind is escaping me for comparisons, sorry). For that price and the quality (which I'll get to later) is outrageous. Then i realized as they advertise 16 pieces, it's only 6 different fish (including 2 of which are tuna) which is so disappointing. Give a little more variety! Don't give me 3 tiny pieces of mackerel. I would have rather them offer it as 10 pieces and give me bigger cuts of fish! Also they didn't serve it with any ginger which I had to ask for on the side. Albacore tuna (really?) was not flavorful and I didn't even want to eat. Yellowfin tuna was mealy and also bland. Salmon was extremely fishy, salty and was also difficult to eat. The yellowtail (usually my favorite) was so meh. Overall I can't wait to go back to New York where even the places I consider "bad" are light years away from this place. Maybe the rolls or hot entrees are better, but don't order the sashimi. Also the sushi bar, which people like because they see the chefs prepare the food is awful since they block all view to watch the chefs.
(2)Sabrina M.
While staying in Philly last week, a friend recommended that my mother and I make reservations for this sushi bar, and we did. Our waitress was very nice and SO helpful and the food was the best I've ever had. Our Wasabi Lobster Roll was by far the best, (I'm not a big fan of anything really out there or of the fishy taste/ texture so I tend to stay more towards lobster and crab) surprisingly not spicy if you take off the small jalapeno pepper on top, despite having wasabi in the name, and after eating that I don't think I could ever go back to eating my plain old California Rolls.
(5)Felix J.
Went for lunch mid-week. Hostess was not very welcoming. Sushi chef had no personality (we usually sit at the bar expecting some interaction). I asked the server about the Ginger Martini and after he brought it, he did not bother to follow up on how I liked it... it was not good. My wife's cucumber martini was another disappointment. Braised short ribs.... fell short! All that aside, I'd be willing to be forgiving if the sushi knocked my socks off..... Well, grocery store sushi has better, softer rice than what we experienced. If this place really deserves the ratings it's gotten, then I guess it was my bad luck to come from out of town and visit Zama on the day they dropped the ball.... BIG time!
(1)Mansi S.
Overall, we had an excellent experience at Zama. The service was very good. We had some wine while waiting for our table, and the transition to the table was seamless. The edamame sampler was interesting, each of the salts has a unique taste. The sushi was amazing. The super spicy crunchy roll is a must try, you can get it with salmon, tuna or yellowtail (had mine with tuna). We also had two special rolls. The special rolls are on the pricier side, but worth it. The chef has mixed very unique flavors into the rolls, very different from anything I've had before. There were a lot more options aside from sushi on the menu. I will definitely be back to try some of the other menu items and cocktails!
(4)Rachelle C.
The upsides: the decor is very nice and feels trendy and fun. It is very clean and the service was excellent. I sat at the sushi bar and enjoyed watching the chefs make the sushi. The sushi was fresh and very tasty. The minor downsides: the nigiri sushi was a bit small, but the fish quality was high. I ordered what I usually order (small sashimi appetizer, miso soup, and a hand roll), and had to order more to feel full. But overall, I would recommend it.
(3)M H.
4 stars should do it. I think it's either the number 2 or 3 sushi bar in philadelphia by my rankings. Number 1 is Morimoto, Number two is either Zama or Raw. Go here and check it out.
(4)Katie M.
I went for restaurant week last night, and it was pretty decent. Atmosphere: cozy, get used to hearing other people's conversations, once it died down, it was better. Staff: have to admit, this was the most disappointing.. our waiter couldn't seem to get anything right. My boyfriend ordered the miso soup, and got a salad, so we sent that back, then someone else's dinner came to my table, and we had to send that back (turns out it was for the table next to us) and our waiter kept saying, "oh i must have misunderstood".... but the guy wrote it all down, so i'm not really sure if he was having an "off" night or he was just swamped. Food: pretty great actually, house salad was yummy, veggie tempura was great (2 sauces), the maki and sushi combinations were really tasty. I wish i had ordered the sushi combination, i think i would have liked that more, but everything was really good. **the waiter redeemed himself a little when things calmed down and began explaining some of the other delicious sushi rolls, etc, which was nice to learn about** their desserts were pretty great also. the mochi treat was spectacular. i wish i could eat another right now. Drinks: didn't get any, but they seemed a little overpriced, it would be great it this was a BYO spot. Overall: i'd definitely go to this place again, despite the not so great service, because i'm intrigued by the different types of rolls they have, it was easy to get to, parking wasn't difficult in the area (street or lot). there seemed to be a lot of theater and comedy spots so maybe a show and sushi?
(3)Candace C.
yum!!!! my favorite sushi joint in philly... im still salivating over the thought of the delicious and meticulously made sushi. i came for lunch, so i can only speak about my lunch experience. my favorite roll was the shrimp and eel fiesta roll. it was such a powerful kick to add a little mexican twist to sushi. the lunch sushi and nigiri special was good. the hand rolls are really spectacular because they are wrapped in this non-seaweed wrapper. i want to say it is soy based but i am not sure. i think the roll and the hand rolls were the best. one of the handrolls was alright, but the other two was very flavorful (one of the good ones was the spicy tuna). and this place has low sodium soy sauce (yay!) i hear the cod is amazing, but ill have to try that next time! the decor was beautiful! minimalist and clean, yet the place did not feel cold or uninviting.
(5)Stuart W.
Nothing but good things to say about Zama. Everything from the food to the service was top notch. It has a cozy central location that is easy to get to, but beware, parking is tough, although we were fortunate enough to have our pick of spots in one of the adjacent lots. Just a heads up, if you're looking to do lunch or dinner during a busier time of the week. We enjoyed the quirky ?uestlove Philly cheesesteak roll, which is a nice gateway roll for those a bit shy with giving sushi a go. The bento boxes as well as the tempura dishes were quite tasty; the spicy crunchy tuna, and the yellowtail jalapeno mango were out of this world. Give it Zama a go, and bring your sushi averse buddy while you're at it- everyone will have a wonderful experience, and the waitstaff will do a tremendous job of taking care of you all the while.
(5)Beth R.
Zama is as good as they say. I had a delicious dinner here last night, and each course of food that came out was fabulous. We started with the pork dumpling appetizer, and they were deep fried with ginger paste and scallions on top, and a spicy soy sauce on the side. A nice, subtle variation on the usual gyoza. Next we shared a mix of rolls and sashimi. The yellowtail, tuna, and salmon I tried were all amazingly fresh. Really high quality fish that melted in my mouth. The sashimi is a little pricey ($s are per piece, so each bit of fish adds up) but the quality was there. The ambiance here is great too. It's a nice date place. The prices are in line with the Rittenhouse location. I still think Doma is my #1, but this comes highly recommended.
(5)David T.
I keep saying I'm going to revise my earlier review, and now I am finally getting around to it. When Zama first opened, the food was exceptionally good, but the service left much to be desired. Now the food is still great, and the service has improved dramatically. Somehow they got the message, and the waitstaff they have makes a great team. It is pricey, but that's the deal with top-level sushi in a major city. It's really one of the best restaurants in Philadelphia.
(5)Andrew K.
NEVER GOT OUR SUSHI!!!!! So if breathing is to life as delivering an order is to a restaurant' s livelihood this place is on life support. We had some basic apps like edamame, seaweed salad, and pan seared scallops. They were decent. Then my son, daughter, and I received our sushi plates (four in all). Portion sizes were not great, but now I understood why the price looked half way decent. Only problem was we ordered 5 plates in total...one for my wife. We waited 5 minutes before we started eating so we could have a family meal together, before she insisted we start. So we did, along with a friendly reminder to waitress. "Should be right out" 10 minutes....we're almost done, and no 5th plate. 15 minutes, we are done. My wife is still food-less. Now the waitress is just rushing by our table to avoid us. 30 minutes after we've all been served our food, we are done except my wife, and have reminded one of the managers...we have decided to leave and ask for the bill....irate of course. As I sign the check, they have the nerve to say "If you want to wait one minute will give it to you to go?" Huh? Are you kidding me, we just waited 30+ minutes??? On my way out I talk to the manager to let him know he's ruined what should have been a great family night out. He gives excuses that he's sorry, he claims they were "short one person"....I asked if there policy was to deliver one less plate to each table then? I also asked why they could deliver 4 plates of food but not the fifth. My response was a bumbling idiot. So even worse than not getting served (which I still can't believe happened) was there response. They took off one measly appetizer from the bill. The only chance I had at going back there (and not writing this review) would have been if they offered me a free meal for my family next to time to try and erase this terrible memory from our mind. This place would be best off to market to ten foot poles, because that's about all I'd touch it with.
(1)jennifer F.
Sushi was excellent and not overly loaded with rice (I hate that). Seaweed salad was different then what I was used to but it was still good. Desserts were to die for - we chose the sampler (3 mini selections/$10). I also had some lemony after dinner drink (similar to limoncello but not as sweet), also very good. The place was reasonable and if you're vegetarian, they have a large selection for you too! I'd return in a minute.
(4)Yuri R.
FISH CANDY. If that choice of words doesn't induce your gag reflex, but just the opposite - makes you salivate at the thought of clean, tender, succulent, beautifully fresh sushi - then you're an aficionado. And Zama is where you should be. I took my brother, fellow sushi lover, here for lunch - he's one of the newly coverted, I'd say; I'd recommend the sushi and sashimi chef's selection lunch for a sampling of Zama's offerings. The details are all right, down to the ginger, and the mysteriously tasty salad dressing. Soothingly toned-down lighting and minimalist pale wood dominated decor complete the ideal experience. Appropriately priced for food this good on Rittenhouse. Mmmmm, like fish... candy.
(4)Greg R.
Host was rude. Waitstaff pushed us to order quickly. They were cleaning the floors as we walked out 10 minutes prior to the restaurant closing. Food was decent nothing spectacular. Not what I had hoped to experience for a romantic valentine's day dinner.
(2)Rachel G.
I got a few recommendations to try Zama recently, so I went finally and enjoyed it very much. The service was a little slow (for sushi), but still, with the help of my waitress Roxanne, they were able to customize sushi rolls for this gluten-free gal more than any other place I've been to. Very very cool. Oh, and heads-up - Roxanne let me know that all of the specialty rolls that usually have fun sauces that are not GF will soon be available for GF'ers! Redics! I love it! They have gluten-free soy sauce, so just ask for it. For starters, the cocktails are darn good. I had the lychee fizz, which was a delicious take on sparkling wine (cava) with a kick (peach bitters). From the starters menu, the hibachi scallops came with two large scallops and a nice cherry tomato/onion salad. This was pricey for what we got (two scallops, $12), but quite good. The edamame sampler was fun for the sake of trying some flavored salts (but nothing too special to make it cost $10). Wasabi salt was the most remarkable - it had a real kick! We also tried yuzu and green tea variations. On to the maki rolls...all of which seemed reasonably priced (more so than the starters). There were some specials on the menu that sounded interesting, but I wanted to taste sushi. I tried four rolls - the spicy tuna, salmon/avocado, yellowtail/mango/jalapeno, and the bagel roll (lol) - aka Philadelphia roll. All were very good - nice-sized rolls, six pieces per roll, with fresh fish. The yellowtail/mango/jalapeno was cool - would definitely get that again! When I go back, I would definitely like to try some of the prepared entrees...they look better than your average chicken teriyaki-type dish! Two thumbs up for ambiance - there is cool wood paneling on the walls and the booths are cool. There is a private room in the back - perhaps for larger parties?
(4)Benjamin S.
WOW! Finally made it to ZAMA! a friend has been telling me about it for the past few months and it did not disappoint! BY FAR the best miso i have ever had...also had a piece each of salt water eel(one of my sushi favs). It was reaaly good! actually some of the tastiest i have had. Salmon Roe, Flying fish roe-both really tasty, and branzino. the two rolls i had were the yellowtail w/ jalapeno and mango! GET IT! and the salmon avocado roll. The salmon was so soft and fresh! Even the soy sauce here is top notch! The only reason i did not give it 5 stars is because i need to be swept off my feet to give a full 5, but Zama is as good as it gets! I am excited because i am going to Morimoto tomorrow night for the first time in a few years(i moved away for a minute)! so i am excited to put these two places side by side! Keep you all posted! Happy eating!
(4)Charlton M.
My new favorite place around the Rittenhouse area. Excellent Quality Sushi and the Decor is fantastic.
(5)Brittini S.
Such a great modern menu! My mom and I went here and had such a delicious meal. The service was paced nicely, the edamame were just divine (perhaps rinsed in a sugar broth because they were as sweet as can be) and I always order the hand rolls which never disappoint. The rice paper rolls are really great too! A staple for Rittenhouse.
(4)Stephanie P.
#2 Quick summary: Friendly and personable staff, nice ambiance and interior decor, tasty spicy halibut tempura, terrible sushi, sashimi, and cocktails, much too expensive for its own good For New Years Eve, my boyfriend and I decided to get sushi for dinner. We searched around on Yelp and found favorable ratings for Zama, so I called about 2 weeks ahead of time and made a reservation for 7:30PM that evening. The staff was friendly on the phone and they called a couple of days before to remind me of our reservation, as well as the day of. We showed up that night in the outfits we were going to be wearing to 12Midnight at the Crystal Tea Room and immediately felt overdressed. The staff was nice though, complimenting my dress and nails. They took us to our table and our waiter came soon after. Unfortunately, I did not get his name but he was pretty casual, giving us plenty of time to make our ordering decisions. We did ask him for some suggestions, but he didn't have much to offer us. =\ We ordered the following - 1) spicy halibut tempura, 2) mad dog roll, and 3) sushi & sashimi combo. We didn't have to wait too long for our food, but there was really nothing to get excited about. The miso soup was of average quality, not too salty but not paired with the best broth. The spicy halibut tempura was actually pretty tasty and there was plenty of it, however, I feel that $15 for a starter is on the expensive side. The mad dog roll had yellowtail, jalapenos, avocado, and tuna sashimi and it was a great combination of flavor. If I went back, I would definitely order the roll again. The sushi & sashimi combo, unfortunately, was what pushed my score down from a 4 to a 3 (I'll explain how it went down even further to a 2 in a sec). The sashimi tasted a day old and the sushi was haphazardly rolled together. The portions were small and there was absolutely no flavor. I could very well have been eating rolls of tofu. We had water to wash it all down, but we had also ordered the lychee fizz and candy cane martini - both TERRIBLE. I expected the candy cane martini to be slightly sweet and minty, however it tasted bitter and WAY too minty. The lychee fizz was sweet and tasty, but had an incredibly strong alcoholic taste for a fizz. So, my score dropped from a 3 to a 2. Altogether, we paid $100 for a subpar experience so, all in all, I would rather not return to Zama, despite the staff's friendly and casual service.
(2)Ashley G.
Let me begin by saying, I always get the food to go. I have never actually eaten the food in the restaurant so I can't really speak to the ambiance of the place....just the quality of the food. I get to go here often because my office is located down the block. (I work long hours and get dinner paid for after 8:00). My typical go tos are edamame and the philly roll. The edamame is top notch. I am a HUGE edamame fan. I always have and always will get it. I hate it when restaurants serve cold edamame. Zama, however, serves nice and warm, perfectly cooked edamame. It's also just as cheap as it would be not as nice sushi restaurant. The Philly roll is also delicious and still relatively cheap. I think it's around 6 or 7 bucks. I have ventured occasionally to there other more extravagant roles which are also very good. Overall the sushi is very good and it's not super pricey. I will continue to eat here.
(4)Rosa V.
Zama is a little pricey for my student budget, but is quite delicious! They have a whole bunch of unique specialty rolls that are sooooo freakin tasty. Service was great and the restaurant also has a cozy feel to it. P.S. Their sake selection is BOMB YO!!!
(4)Mum D.
Well, where to start, where to start. Ok, ok, here it is. Went there for lunch . Wooden interior not unlike Swedish spa surrounds you in this sterile plantless enviroment. Oh, wait, there was a plant. Or was it the hostess? This lifeless( but friendly )creature overdosed on tattoos wasn't showing much promise but...then...the food came out. Great! I mean it. Bento box exploding with yammy eel and rice, side of salad and edamame. Superbly cooked rice, great compliment to a good sushi place, many others overcook it out of pure laziness. Not here. Bronzino roll a bit pricey, but well worth the money. Delicious. Had a beer and a cocktail! Loved the place, good atmosphere and service, especially when one does bother to check on you while taking a book-reading break. :-) Will go back.
(5)Ryun H.
Oh, the weather outside was very, very frightful. Those of you that even took a step outside during that huge snowstorm on January 26 know what I mean. Snow + wind is a deadly combination, but for my friend's birthday (and since it was Restaurant week!), we decided to brave the snow to come down to Zama. We were greeted at the door and checked in our coats and umbrellas, and seated right away (we did have a reservation AND it was snowpocalypse). I suppose I'll take some time now to go over the dishes I had. Mostly good but not all were great. House Salad: Nice mix of veggies, and the dressing was lightly sweet and not in the least overwhelming. We were eating it with chopsticks, though, which isn't really strange but definitely different for a restaurant. I suppose sushi bars are different, though? Not bad but it's not an amazing salad. Spicy Crunchy Salmon: I wasn't really expecting a sushi roll, it didn't say anything about a roll. But it was good, lots of crunch inside (I wonder what it was...), could have been a bit spicier but that's nothing wasabi can't handle. Nice appetizer. My friend and I shared the tonkatsu (breaded pork chops) and the black cod saikyoyaki. The cod was amazing! So tender, so juicy that it should be called saikouyaki (grilled awesome...bad joke haha). The skin was crunchy enough but still fatty enough to enjoy properly. The lightly picked veggies were ok too. The tonkatsu was ok. I've never had really amazing tonkatsu in the U.S., the pork wasn't so juicy, the breading was heavy, and the cabbages were just wrong. I miss Japan's tonkatsu... Dessert was green tea ice cream on a cookie (good) and hazelnut bread pudding (meh). When the bread pudding came out, I didn't really remember what I ordered. It was too mushy to be like regular bread pudding, and I didn't really taste hazelnuts. I like bread pudding so I guess I hold it to a high standard... Drink: Yuzu Gimlet, although expensive at $11, was delicious. It's sour, and if you like that, you will like this drink. There was a lychee fritz drink my friend got...ok but I didn't really taste the lychee. All of the drinks had nice presentations, though. So it's not a place I'd go to often, but definitely worth trying for yourself. I haven't tried the sushi rolls but I wonder how those are.
(4)Thor T.
I went with a group of sushi-loving friends for dinner here and at the end of the night, we all felt we found an excellent, if pricey (but then, that is to be expected with quality sushi) place in Philadelphia. First, we shared a series of appetizers, all good. I loved the Kaiso salad, different types of seaweed with tosazu and was equally enthralled by the juicy, flavorful braised boneless ribs and the grilled scallops. A special treat was the table-cooked house tofu, richly tasting of soybean. Highly recommended if you love tofu. Among the main dishes we shared, the miso marinated black cod with root vegetables was very good and the same can be said for the Tonkatsu of Berkshire pork. It was aggressively fried, with a good amount of fat, a plus in my book, not necessarily for other, more fatphobic eaters. Now to the sushi. Both the sashimi and sushi items we ordered that evening were impeccably fresh and superbly cut (the rice for the sushi pieces was also exceptionally good and well cooked). The sea urchin (uni), kept fresh in salt water, was sweet and creamy. We tried some rolls, including a unique tuna California roll, all delicious and making for addictive eating. We did not try the interesting sounding special cocktails but drank across the fine sake list, including a fragrant Nigori and several Ginjo and Junmai varieties. As a crowning treat, we ordered the Junmai Daiginjo, complex tasting and worth every penny. A Yuzu Crème Brûlée was all we managed for dessert, it was good. The room aesthetics are vaguely Japanese (lots of wood) with soaring ceiling of swirly patterns, broken up by shark silhouettes - cool. The service was attentive and tried very hard to convey a basic knowledge of Japanese food, and of sushi in particular. Zama is a fine addition to the burgeoning Philly restaurant scene.
(5)Arin S.
Very fresh sushi, the rolls were great. Salmon skin salad was not the best I've had but the hibachi scallops were great and sautéed mushroom, fantastic! Very good service. Can't wait to go back!
(4)Edward M.
I wavered between 4 and 5 stars, and for now it's 5. Had the bento bites lunch here. The first dish was one of the better miso soups I've had. It had a rich, full body, and came with some fried tofu - a tasty and novel touch. Next was a plate of edamame; tasty, though nothing special. Then came the entree -- black cod with salad and a california roll (a $2 upgrade from plain rice as a side). The black cod was delicious, accompanied by some sauce whose name I forget and perfectly steamed bits of carrots and broccoli. The california roll was nicely assembled and all the ingredients tasted fresh. The greens were good, though, again, not remarkable. Additional nice touches were the noticeably better-than-average wasabi and ginger. Freshly made on the premises? Maybe. A bit pricey for lunch, but not unreasonably so. I'd come back.
(5)Julie H.
Beautiful restaurant and GREAT food!!! Loved the spicy tuna roll, will be going here again soon!!!
(5)Melissa P.
Aside from the fishy fishy fish smell, it was pretty good! I think the smell would subside with more people in the restaurant.... I ate at an odd hour of lunch with close to no one there. The sushi was good for Philadelphia standards, which kind of means nothing. It satiates, I guess. The prices are good for lunch.
(3)Anna Marie C.
the girls and i went on a friday night for a casual GNO. although the shape is still loie, they've made the place much lighter and air-ier with the bamboo covered walls. the sushi is fairly standard, but i did get the california roll sans rice (great for those of us who watch our white rice intake)...and i adore the wasabi salt that came with the edamame. the 4 roll deal ain't so bad--and the rolls were pretty darn fresh and tasty in the mix. oh dessert... the creme brulee wasn't quite firm enough, although the plating was quite inventive, and the mango salad that came with it was perfect. the mont blanc in the taste of japan was also quite delightful and not overly sweet. and i thought the service was awesome. granted, a girls night out involves much much talking and so even if things were slow, i probably didn't notice. but i'll be happily back!
(4)luke m.
IF YOU GIVE A MAN A FISH... I just ate at Zama with my gf and had a great experience... definitely gonna go back An aside... One thing I like about sushi is you can order an array of smaller dishes and sort of set your own price range.... anyway... My girlfriend and I ended up ordering A LOT... I got the tempura spicy tuna maki- something I haven't seen before and it was excellent. The batter wasn't too heavy and the tuna was perfect. The plate was a work of art in itself. I guess when they tempura it the tuna gets a little warmed up....made for an interesting twist on what is normally cold. My vegetarian (for several years) girlfriend even tried some. She was swayed by the fact that the tuna was sustainably fished. Our waitress, Roxanne, explained that Zama is moving towards using sustainable fish for everything on it's menu, the only spot in the city to begin taking that step. I also had the jalapeno and mango yellowtail roll....MMM sweet and spicy my favorite combo. And some salmon nigiri. I would definitely recommend going buckwild with the sashimi and nigiri 'cuz thats where you really taste the flavor of the succulent, oh so fresh fish. As far as ambiance, the place is all decked out Japanese style with wood everywhere. There's a modern spin on it though. The ceiling had this cool graphic on it radiating around coy fish silhouettes. It's nice to be in a space where everything is considered down to the last detail. The music was a little loud but I guess they caught on and turned that down. I could go on and on... We had some killer ice cream too, green tea peach, a combo made in gastronomic heaven. Afterward we strutted through nearby Rittenhouse Square where an old man was playing the accordion. Some random passerby had joined him in a rendition of Finiculi Finicula. I felt like I was in some great cosmopolitan international city...wait..maybe I was ;)
(5)Christian L.
Zama is consistent and offer traditional Japanese rolls if you are looking to try something new and they also offer very good fusion roles. The Maddog Roll is very good, has an avocado salsa, some crunch, its hot and different. The restaurant has a comfortable feel and is located in a very nice place of the city and the service is very good.
(5)pracheta t.
Wow, they really transformed Loie into something different. Zuma has great lighting, sweet ambiance and great service. We were promptly seated and our drinks came out fast (5 points) and the sushi was tasty. the spicy mayo kind of have a bbq flavor to it which was weird, but not bad. anyway, we had a really good experience here and def plan on going back.
(4)Payal P.
went here twice last week and both times were steller! some of the best sushi i have had. once was for restaurant week and i felt i got great items and not restaurant week sizes...the next time we went for regular dinner. to echo everyone else's words, the wasabi salt edamame are really unique and delicious and i like that the actual sushi pieces are not all rice, there is just enough and the rolls are excellent. some faves were the tempura'd spicy tuna roll and the insanely good spicy salmon - they add fried shallots and something else in there that is just mmmmm! both times we had no reservations so they told us we could sit on the outside tables or the sushi bar, we choose sushi bar and i was with groups of people who were really good at taking their time and the waitresses didn't seem to mind which was very nice. place is a bit pricey (even for sushi) but definitely worth it!
(5)Geoffrey M.
Sorry, Morimoto, but Zama has the best sushi in Philadelphia. Three friends and I ate at Zama the other night and all four of us were very impressed. From the sea bass tempura to the selection of rolls we ordered, the flavors were great. The California roll, which has no rice, instead wrapping tuna around real crab, and the bronzizzle, which uses branzino, yuzu, and hot sesame oil, were my favorites. The surf-and-turf (shrimp tempura wrapped in torched kobe beef) drew additional raves from others. Perhaps the most shocking thing was the final bill: 2 appetizers, 5 special house rolls, a dessert, and 2 bottles of wine for less than $60/person. I can't wait to try the chirashi for lunch today.
(5)Priscilla L.
OMG. Best Japanese in awhile. Debated trying Zama because we order in sushi a lot and we were worried it would be overpriced generic food in a glitzy setting. How wrong we were! Amazing, original food. Nothing like it in Philly. Great experience all around. Hamachi Tataki is heavenly. Worth every penny. You know when they offer $4 yuengling they aren't trying to gouge. The expensive menu items are worth it.
(5)Everett R.
So far, probably the best Sushi experience I've had in Philly. Really nice atmosphere and cool sushi bar that's carved out of a solid block of (maybe) teak. But more importantly, the sushi was really high quality, excellent (borderline over-attentive) service, the owner is one of the sushi chef's behind the counter and was talking to us making sure things are OK. The maki combo and the wasabi lobster roll was the perfect amount for two hungry dudes. Everything just seemed to be a bit fresher and unique than what I've experienced so far in Philly.
(5)Bill H.
Great for sushi. Good for traditional sushi and some creative options as well. Wait stuff are attentive.
(5)Joy C.
This is not somewhere I would go just to have "sushi". Make it a special occasion and be prepared to spend the $$$ to try the good stuff. I went for a friend's birthday dinner and the moment I saw that the chopsticks were set horizontally Japanese-style I knew it was going to be good. The menu was really creative and everything we tried was both unique and delicious. A few comments on food we tried: - Bronzizzle - both delicious and well portioned. - Hamachi Tataki - a very small portion for the price, but so rich in flavor. The hamachi just melts in your mouth. - House tofu - the mushroom sauce that came with the house tofu was amazingly savory, and the silky tofu cooks at the table! - The desserts were great too, and you get to try three different ones for $10. Overall I was really impressed with the food, and the service was attentive. Next time I'm ready to seriously splurge I would definitely consider Zama.
(4)Eve G.
I just love coming to Zama. Bento lunch boxes are delicious and inexpensive. My favorite is bbq eel, it comes with the best miso soup around and tossed spring salad. Not sure why they change they bronzizzle, it used to come with a slice of hot chilli pepper on each roll, now its just sprinkled with hot sesame oil, and its not the same. all in all a great place with nice atmosphere, great decor, beers are great as well, service is consistent (i have literally lunched there like 20 times), will try for dinner!
(4)Jason F.
Cool Japanese place we've been a few times, partially before/after a show at Helium or something close. I'm a beer fan (untapped!) and Zama has a nice selection of Japanese micro brews that are surprisingly diverse and tasty. Dinner wise, we typically go towards sushi which has always been fresh and comes quickly. I recommend starting with some miso soup and trying something with roe on it, its better than you might expect. I've never had one of their platters, but when I see them on an adjacent table, they look pretty appealing and whatnot. Recommended if you are in the area.
(4)Gina V.
I liked Zama. (It's sushi, and you can never go too wrong there) The sushi was fresh and quite delectable, but the rolls were a little small. For the price we paid, I imagined the rolls would be a little more...hearty, I suppose. When I order rolls that small anywhere else, I pay about half the price. My trusty dining companion and I shared a miso soup, salmon sesame roll, tuna and avocado roll and snow crab California roll. We also ordered two beers from the Japanese microbrewery Hitachino Nest, which was a pretty cool find. Overall, the ambiance was neat, the food was fresh, our waiter was extremely friendly and accommodating and our food was made pretty quickly. I just wish my mind was slightly more, ya know, blown.
(3)Leslie W.
It has been hit or miss for me here. I live around the block so when I want a more upscale sushi meal I will go here. The prices are still much higher than I would like and I don't think the final product is worth that inflated price. I like the feel of the restaurant and usually I eat at the bar. Most of the time the service is great though my last trip in there was pretty disappointing. The bartender was on his phone with his back to me the entire meal, so no one ever asked if the meal was alright and I never got any water to wash down the salty soy sauce. The meal itself was pretty good, but again not worth the $40 I dropped on two rolls and a glass of wine.
(3)Anthony G.
Food was very good. The service? Not so good. Arrived at noon for lunch for a 7 person lunch. We ordered in a timely fashion. Four of us ordered lunch specials, and our food came out in a reasonable amount of time. The other three dishes did not come out with the four lunch specials. 5 minutes later, two of the three received their food. However, they each ordered a roll, and the rolls were served on the same small plate, not at the request of the two individuals. Not a big deal, we would just ask for another plate. 5 more minutes go by, and nobody returned to our table to check on us. We started wondering what was going on, especially since the final person still did not receive her meal. 5 more minutes go by, and we still have no extra plate, and the final person still did not receive her food. I got up to find the nearest staff member, which happened to be a gentleman at the kitchen window. Here was the conversation: Me: "Excuse me, I know you are busy, but we're looking to get an extra plate and some forks at our table over there. Nobody is coming by to check on us." Him: "Do you see what I'm working with over here? I'm a little busy." I was surprised by his reaction so I went back to our table. Within the next few minutes our waitress returned and helped get plates and forks. But the final person's meal was still not delivered! I have zero experience with running a restaurant, and the place was crowded. But I do feel like our service was below average, and warranted a review on this app.
(2)June N.
(4.5) I had a pleasant experience. Everything here was so delicious. Sashimi app black belt was really fresh and tasty, the black cod dice was so perfect. Service was great. I highly recommend this place. Enjoy!
(4)Sumita R.
So glad I found this spot! They have the most options I have ever seen for vegetarian sushi rolls! I love how creative their menu is in general but I totally loved their Kennet square mushroom roll. I I also tried the spicy vegetable tempura roll which was also great. They have an option for a multigrain rice. Again a first that I have ever seen for sushi and I loved it. It made my meal much heartier and gave it a depth of flavor that I enjoyed. I tried a vodka based cocktail with yuzu juice. I can't remember the name but I had two as a martini and they were so smooth! Service was great and we went very early for a fri night happy hour. But I would definitely make a reservation. Overall, a great experience and can't wait to go back!
(4)Virginia E.
I can't stop thinking about Zama! My date took me there at the beginning of August and it totally knocked my socks off. Our waitress, I can't remember her name, was so cool. Very helpful and knowledgeable. We didn't know which bottle of sake to get, so she directed us towards 2. We ended up picking the Drunken Whale b/c of the name. B/c we're sophisticated like that. The Drunken Whale sake was perfection. Exactly what he and I were looking for. He then suggested just having the chef make us whatever, which is what happened. I can't even. All of it was mind-blowingly good. We had these oysters that were so fresh and briny and amazing. We had a superb take on carpacchio made w/ tuna. The rolls were scrumptious. All the seafood was so incredibly fresh. I just want to go back there RIGHT NOW and eat everything!! People, you must eat here.
(5)Joanna C.
Oh my GOD. AMAZING. I remembered how delicious the food was the last time we were here (over four years ago), and also how terrible the service was. I'm so glad the food has stayed the same level, and the service has vastly improved! What BLEW our MINDHOLES: Pork dumplings - these are homemade and SO flavorful. We had ours pan seared and they were insanely hot (temperature wise), and had fresh ginger grated on top. Burst of flavor in my mouth. House Tofu - still one of my favorite things on the menu. Silken tofu served tableside with umami rich mushroom broth. I could eat this every day! It's comfort food at its finest! Hamachi Ponzu - incredibly tender yellowtail dressed in a citrusy Ponzu soy sauce with pickled jalapenos - SO YUM. The jalapenos are a bit spicy but it was so good!! Tuna Usuzukuri - everything in life should taste like this. Super thin tuna with TRUFFLE ponzu. Oh my GAWD. I thought the tuna was just a little too cold (while my friend thought the tuna temp was perfect), but that truffle ponzu was incredible! Live scallops - this was a special today, they had fresh live scallops in the shell!!!! If this is ever available while you're there - you MUST get this. It was the freshest scallop I'd EVER had, and it didn't even need any soy sauce or wasabi, it was DELICIOUS. I can see why they were PACKED on a Monday night (seriously, every table was taken and there was a wait - so glad we had made reservations)! Their dessert was also on point, which was surprising since the dessert at Japanese restaurants tend to disappoint! We had the tofu beignets which were the lightest and airiest beignets ever (and served with a sake caramel dipping sauce - I could DRINK that, it was SO GOOD), green tea mochi, and fried banana eggrolls (which were also filled with chocolate). It was YUM. Would LOVE to come back and indulge in some seriously good food again! Our water glasses also stayed full (yay!), and that FOOD. INSANE.
(5)Manzana Z.
Love their cod fish, very special and yummy. The sauce is sweet but good, the fish skin is crispy. I m not crazy about Their dessert,too little.
(3)Drew B.
Excellent sushi and a nice wait staff. The only thing was the prices. Don't get me wrong, the sushi was great, but I have also had great sushi at much better prices elsewhere. Take that with a grain of salt though because this was my first trip to Philadelphia and maybe these are standard prices in the area. Either way the food and service and ambiance were great.
(4)JB Y.
Easily the best sushi place in Philly because it's god damn delicious but also not blow your head off expensive, especially when you bring a secret weapon: Shmuel. The Kennet Square mushroom roll is excellent, as are all the creative sushi rolls and calamari salad. Amazing. Also the server Mercy was 10/10.
(5)Ely Nurse R.
In the mood for a philly cheese steak roll Made with wagyu beef and provolone cheese alongside a horseradish sauce for dipping for lunch? And go back for dinner for a seared salmon with steamed bok Choy. All experiences at this Japanese gem have been a true delight.
(5)Paloma M.
Everything was so fresh and amazing. I just loved the experience. I can't wait to be there again.
(5)David D.
Upping this review. Kiyo Ikeda-San served me an omakase last night and it was a five-star dinner! The restaurant in general however has a few things that hold it back from five stars across the board. Positives: - Kiyo-San is the man. He's from Japan and he selects only the best, freshest fish. Not too much not too little. He's really great with textures too - The live scallop with Santa Barbara uni was inanely delicious. You have the contrasting textures from the crunch of the scallop to the creaminess of the uni. Kiyo-San added a smoked soy sauce on the side, which raised the bar big time - sashimi cuts from Kiyo-San are perfect, artful, and add a touch of flavors such as marinated sea grunt guts to saba, etc - finally have fresh wasabi (and ginger)! - have some grilled or broiled items such as kampachi kama which is delicious and hearty -clean and tasty tamago they make on site Negatives: - servers can be clueless about Japanese culture or etiquette - unless you ask, you'll get fake wasabi and fake ginger - some other veggies are not so strong. Their seaweed salad is about 75% cheap-o seaweed and 25% the good stuff. Grated carrots could be the same as you'd find pre-packaged bags - other sushi chefs are not classically trained So definitely a very good sushi spot that can be a five-star experience if you're discerning.
(4)Sharon M.
Always fresh, always delicious, the fish is always cut, cleaned and sliced properly, brought up to temperature by the books. So you get just right temp fish with warm high end rice. No skimping on cheap rice that fills your tummy. The nori is always fresh and crispy. The fish is always very tasty and full of flavor. Good buyer, great chef who knows what to do to make the food consistently delicious. Lunch deals are very affordable. Dinner is expensive. You get what you pay for. Hard to park though if you're driving in from the burbs. Unless you have rockstar parking karma like me!
(5)Amber C.
The sushi here was unforgettable. I am a sushi lover and came here on my previous and first time trip to Philly from New York ( where I've definitely had some interesting food). The Bibou Roll was UNBELIEVABLE. I found myself sitting and tasting an amazing blend of flavors that I never had before. It was absolutely perfect. The Philly style roll was also something special. I cant see how anyone would give this place anything less than 5 stars.
(5)Vicki H.
I had a major sushi craving this week and decided to indulge on payday. I got the maki combination lunch special with the salmon and avocado roll, spicy tuna roll, and the yellowtail, jalapeno, and mango roll. While they were all very good, the yellowtail, jalapeno, and mango was a standout-- a great mix of flavors and the jalapeno lent some crunch and heat. I also appreciated that the spicy tuna was a whole piece of fish, rather than the finely chopped fish combined with spicy mayo that you get at some other places. Yes, it was more on the expensive side (especially for a lunch), but I understood it for the quality of the fish. I'd definitely come back.
(4)Amy T.
I was really excited to try this place. I took my friend here yesterday, and I didn't exactly leave happy. Although we came here for restaurant week, we ended up ordering from their regular menu. My server forgot an order we made so we had eaten everything else, still waiting for it, but never came. Then he came over and asked if we wanted dessert.... No, we wanted our food. We both had the Miso soup, love it. But we also had the calamari salad, and that was okay. Neither of us really liked but we were hungry so we ate it anyway. Our sushi came out, but not all of it. I had one roll that was $16, and as I expected, it was good, but not really worth the money for 5 pieces. The other 2 rolls were $8-$9 for 6 pieces each. They were satisfying, but I've had better somewhere else. Overall, I didn't like my experience here and I was really disappointed. Maybe I'll try it again another time.
(2)Rose N.
4 stars for the food... 3.5 for the service. Beautiful, from the design of the restaurant to the presentation of the food and innovative combinations of ingredients and flavors. I was drawn to Zama because of chef inspired specialty rolls. Zama collaborated with local celebrity chefs to come up with extremely unique sushi with a portion of the profits going to charity. The one that caught my eye was Vetri roll because I basically love anything that incorporates uni (sea urchin). Tell me this doesn't sound amazing : crunchy eel roll with scallions and shiso wrapped in daikon drizzled with a truffle eel sauce and topped with cucumber noodles tossed in sweet uni sauce, served with uni sauce that is bruleed on the plate. We also ordered the Zahav and I can't say I've ever had falafels with my sushi; it was quite interesting. Salmon skin salad is also a dish I thoroughly enjoyed. (on a side note) Disappointment: the fact that the cucumber noodles on our Vetri roll was lacking any uni sauce. I asked my friend to make sure I wasn't delirious and she also confirmed there was no sauce on it. So when I asked the server about it, she pointed out the uni brulee sauce on the plate. When I redirected her to my original question about the lack of the sauce on the cucumbers, she told me it was there and that I just can't taste it... Really? That's your answer to a customer? She did apologize and brought me a small bowl of the sauce, but after she made me feel like I had no taste buds.
(4)Jennifer R.
My friend and I came here for a celebratory dinner on a Monday evening. The service was fantastic and I love the atmosphere of this place. It is super cute for dinner with the open windows (when it's nice out). It has a pretty intimate vibe although there is a bar and larger booth tables for groups as well. We ordered the Nasu Dengaku appetizer and a couple rolls - Sesame salmon, Hamachi Tataki and Wasabi Tuna. They were all unique and absolutely amazing. The eggplant appetizer was interesting and had such a rich flavor - never really had anything like it and would definitely recommend. The rolls were also unique, extremely rich and tasty. Definitely would recommend asking the server about portions because the Hamachi Tataki though very delicious was just three sushi pieces and two fish pieces. The other two rolls were both eight pieces and great for sharing. Would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for amazing, reasonably priced sushi in Rittenhouse! In terms of service I think they don't understaff at all so it felt like our server had a lot of time to explain things about the menu to us and paid a lot of attention to us. She gave us great recommendations on what to order. Was a very lovely dinner and I'll definitely be back!
(5)Joanne T.
How was it possible that i've never been here before?!? I'm sorry Mr. Morimoto, this place has you beat in my opinion. I mean no disrespect but they just have more to offer. Chef Zama brings out all the flavors of the ingredients in his dishes. I knew walking in this place spot seems familiar. Thanks fellow yelper, Michelle, for reminding us it used to be Loie (I miss thee). For drinks we had the kumquat cocktail (it was delicious, i've never had kumquat in a mixed drink before and this was a nice treat), the warm sake for the night was delightful, next was the sweet potato sho chu on the rocks (can't go wrong with this one), and last was the warm hazelnut sake. This sake is awesome. I am going to find this and enjoy at home if i can. In fact the entire flavored warm sake list looking amazing. I would definitely come back here just for some sake! Now for the food. We started with the edamame and sampler of salts. Our favorite was the wasabi salt. I suggest you keep it aside throughout your meal. It's a great palate cleanser in between dishes. The bf opted for the chef tasting menu at 55$. It was enough for if your not extremely hungry. His dishes for the night included: Chawan Mushi Egg, Hamachi Tataki, Black Cod Dice, a hand roll (can't remember what kind, but he loved it), a salad dish with fish, and dessert. I might have missed another dish but everything that was served for this tasting menu was just great. No complaints! His dessert included green tea mochi. I ordered the Japanese Crudo--it was fun to do your part before eating this. The best thing i ate for the night was the Vetri roll. I don't ever order unagi (eel) but this was an exception. The daikon wrapper adds great flavor to the roll. The uni sauce is to die for, i wish there was more on my plate. I also ordered a couple sashimi pieces including, bronzino, king yellowtail, octopus, and snapper. I could have done without the octopus, it was a bit tough. The spider roll was quite tasty. The yuzu creme brulee was nice dessert that definitely cleanses your palate. Be cautious: you will want to try a lot of items, you will end up sharing things to let the other person taste the awesomeness, and lastly your bill can easily add up so plan on stashing some cash before coming here. I can't wait to come here again!
(5)Trisha G.
I wish I could understand the hype for this place. I was expecting so many wonderful things from Zama and after leaving, I couldn't think of anything that was mind blowing or even satisfactory. The restaurant itself is small - you will def need reservations. The restaurant is pretty noisy especially if you are by the kitchen (which many tables are). Food took FOREVER to come out so they offered us a free appetizer complimentary which they picked. I appreciated the effort but this must have been the most horrible appetizer I've ever had. Specialty rolls were disappointing and strongly lacking any kind of taste - or trying far too hard to merge different tastes together. I will never go back - there's plenty more sushi restaurants with better service and fresher, more tasteful rolls.
(2)Neil K.
Had the $75 Omekase Wens night. Severely unimpressed. I would have been better pressed to order 7 different rolls off the menu. Will not be coming here again.
(2)Dounia Alexandra N.
I was in philadelphia for the weekend and a friend recommended this place for dinner. The interior of the place is really modern and elegant. I can't eat sushi for different reasons so I ordered the Black Cod Saikyoyaki even though everything on the menu looked delicious. My friends got sushi and they said it was really good (we all live in New York and it's really not easy to find good sushi here) and we shared edamame. My cod was delicious.. really succulent, crispy and well seasoned. The portion is not big so if you have a big appetite I don't recommend it, or get an appetizer with it.
(4)Divya V.
This place deserves 10 stars.... I'm a sushi snob and have had a lot of great sushi all over the country, and still vow by Zama to be my favorite. My fav dishes... ever: -The Vetri Roll. Probably my favorite sushi roll ever, ever. It is absolutely delicious, with crispy noodles and no rice. Comes with its own sauce on the plate, so please don't ruin it by dipping in soy sauce. If I could, I would eat this for every meal every day. -The Super Crunch Rolls.. take your fav fish, and add tempura flakes around the outside so every bite is a party in your mouth... I've never had a roll like this anywhere My usual order between 2 people is 1 vetri roll, 2 super crunchy rolls, wasabi edamame, and usually a roll of the server's choice.... we've never gone wrong. Pair this with the Cotes du Rhone by the glass (I don't do white wine, even with sushi), and it's always one of the best meals ever. It's definitely not the cheapest sushi restaurant, but given the uniqueness of the rolls, it's not the most expensive either.
(5)Eric P.
I would have given Zama 4 stars, but the service really didn't do it for me. The food in itself was delicious. The main highlights were the Spicy Paiche Tempura, the Bronzizzle Roll and the Vetri Roll. The star of the night though was the Wasabi Tuna roll. Definitely the best thing we had that night. Cocktail and Wine Selection is so-so. Nothing to rave home about. It's a shame because the food certainly was delicious, but the whole time we were there we felt like we were being rushed. Our waiter was very intense and basically didn't allow us to have a relaxing meal. Because of that alone, I don't know that we will return to Zama. For better sushi, I recommend going over to Vic Sushi. Completely different atmosphere (more casual), but the sushi is definitely better.
(3)David S.
I really enjoyed my dining experience here. Food was excellent as was the service. I particularly liked that we never felt rushed throughout the meal and our server was particularly gracious, friendly and helpful. Prices are reasonable and I would def. recommend!
(5)Ryan L.
This was an insane sushi experience. The server recommended all of our rolls (wasabi tuna was my favorite) and the scallops were amazing. Definitely a great place to grab a meal.
(5)Cisco G.
As a highly rated sushi restaurant in Rittenhouse House area, I had good expectations for their menu. The sashimi and sushi was fresh and they have a modern twist to the traditional Japanese cuisine. If you like to branch out and try different tastings of sashimi and other, this is a great place for just that! The Salmon Roe was a favorite of mine!
(4)Clara G.
I thought this place was great but the more and more I ate here I realized there is really only a few selections that I enjoyed and started to become a little bored with the selection. Sashimi pieces are small. Portions - small Waiter Service - good when not busy, average when moderately busy and a tad below average when busy. Decor - very nice Vibe - can be pretentious at times The wait time for them to prepare your food can be long at times. They are not always fast. Zama is overpriced for what you get in terms of originality, taste and portion, this becomes obvious after you have eaten at other sushi places downtown (kidari, Vic, crazy).
(3)Ron H.
I have been six times now, the last two we did the chef's tasting. The flavor combinations are amazing, and a little unexpected. I went a little outside of my usual comfort zone and tried everything that was placed infront of us, and was not disappointed. For sushi, the fish was perfectly cut and seasoned with wasabi, the rice was the perfect temperature and preparation. We had this soft boiled/poached egg with some kind of Uni sauce (sorry, but at this point we were a full bottle of sake in so i don't remember how it was described exactly), but it was delicious. The most surprising dish though was dessert. Too often, sushi houses give you the generic green tea tempura fried ice cream, but here the desserts are worthy of any fine dining establishment. Overall, thus is an excellent restaurant for dates and business meetings alike, I can see why they were awarded 3 bells!
(5)Melissa H.
I've dined at Zama twice and decided to give its Yelp review a go. My first visit to Zama was very positive where we were seated quickly, gorged on delicious maki rolls, and felt that the price was worth the dining experience and food. A little over a year later, the experience was a little different. We stopped in on a weekend evening for dinner. We were seated quickly and ordered drinks before diving into the menu. The damage for a party of three (the bill came out to a little over $110): house salads (perfectly dressed with crisp, fresh mixed greens), hamachi ponzu, akadashi soup (red miso), maki rolls, and sashimi. The fish, overall, was fresh but it wasn't anything special per se in terms of creativity or presentation. Of the maki, there wasn't really anything that impressed us, even for the price. The atmosphere was trendy with a modern fusion vibe. Well designed interiors, clean, just the right amount of lighting and appropriate noise level. The server was good about checking back with us throughout the dinner, but we got a mixed annoyed and hurried move-it-along-quickly-now vibe that didn't sit well. Overall, trendy vibe with an extensive food and beverage offering. But prepare yourself for a pricey meal that may not wow you and slightly disinterested service.
(3)John M.
Best sushi I've had in quite some time. First time at Zama with a party of four. Server was awesome, she made some great picks and effectively guided us through their monstrous menu. Drinks were excellent, try the gimlet. Must have soft shell shrimp and pan fried pork pot stickers. Can't even begin to recall all the rolls we had, but definitely try the Zahav roll. Somehow the best falafel I've ever had? Fresh wasabi. All the rolls were beautifully made to order. Just awesome. Everything was as it should be. Great selection of sakes. Goto Zama & thank me later.
(4)Robert F.
Awful service and major attitude. Never again. The people working here are in their own little worlds with no clue how to treat a customer. I went there by myself and sat at an empty sushi bar. It took 10 minutes for anyone to even acknowledge me and take my drink order. Since it took so long I decided to order one two-piece order of sushi as well. That all came out fine but no acknowledged me for another 20 minutes. The sushi chefs wont even look at you and you have to order from the clueless waitress. This last fact I found totally inane as the reason I sit at the sushi bar is so I can order directly from the chef. Not sure how this place gets the stars it does - I can only imagine that Philadelphians are so starved for a good sushi experience that they think attitude and being ignored are cool. This place is a total fail.
(1)Jung K.
Clearly, I'm a sushi snob. But with good reason (my parents own a sushi restaurant as well - spoils of the trade, I'm afraid). Zama is great. Not too overpriced, a funky space (loved the decor and ceilings), and they have a variety of sushi/sashimi to offer. This includes the toros, as well as the basics. Went for date - super fun! Menu selections: - agedashi tofu (tofu was delicious, light and crispy, although they give you a huge bowl of ponzu sauce) - sashimi sampler (hamachi jalapeno, tuna with honey miso glaze) - wish I had more, but it was nice. - sushi and sashimi sampler, black belt, which ultimately just means that there was a lot more toro, including that of the tuna, salmon, and hamachi included. - yellowtail roll for dessert. I thought all of the food was delicious, although we strayed away from the tasting menu, due to my indifference to tempura rolls and things that were included. fish on fish on fish. The only sort of downside was that the server wasn't on his A-game that night. It took him forever to just greet us with water. Also took forever, and seemed impatient everytime he came over to the table. However, the food was good, and the sake was cold. Obviously returning for when i need a sushi fix!
(4)Valentina L.
We went for lunch again. I love the tuna rice bowl. It was more like sushi over rice that similar to Chicken over rice concept. This one is exquisite and upscale. I love the rice bowl which is unique.
(4)Juls P.
Great restaurant for vegetarians! I love the Edamame Sampler, Miso Soup, Spicy Vegetable Tempura Roll and To-philly Roll! My favorite drinks are the Yuzu Gimlet, Lychee Fizz, and Cilantro Daiquiri. Always had great experiences dining at Zama and also getting take-out.
(5)Meredith B.
There are such great sushi places in Philadelphia it almost makes the bar too high and unfair. Vic's? Zento? Raw? Fat Salmon? I found Zama to have a great atmosphere but the food was not up to the same level as the above Philadelphia stars.
(2)Tony L.
Great sushi. Can't go wrong with this place. I will say it's pretty consistent and you'll love all the rolls. Atmosphere isn't the best as far as size but it's good
(4)Lea T.
I'm sorry to give this rating, but you simply cannot have this kind of customer service and expect any patron to want to pay your high prices for the menial portions of food you serve. Rittenhouse Square is a lovely area, but there are many sushi restaurants nearby that offer superior sushi and I CANNOT return to this restaurant for these reasons. NEVER in my life have I been shown such little respect and now this is on 2 separate occasions at this restaurant. I don't know if it is the management or the fact that I am in my mid-20s and perceived as not having the money to spend but let me assure you- I live in the Rittenhouse are and there is a very good reason I have only dined at Zama once (on my second visit I had to walk out of the restaurant before I had a chance to even place an order). It seemed like a stroke of luck that on the last Friday of Restaurant Week there was availability for dinner at Zama-- however this was not luck, I am sure other patrons have been just as displeased with the service and food here because at 6:30 pm on the last Friday of Restaurant Week there was not ONE PERSON in the entire restaurant. Despite the place being entirely empty my guest and I were asked to sit at the bar when we arrived a few minutes early (really? every single table was empty). Upon sitting in the bar there was no bartender or waitress who ever approached us to take a drink order and we subsequently left after waiting 15 minutes. Also I cannot understand why every time I call the restaurant I am put on hold for 5 minutes- clearly there isn't much business here so I cannot imagine who is tying up the phone. Save yourself the time and hassle, try Vic's Sushi, Raw, Fat Salmon, or Zento because this is the type of restaurant that ruins your dining experience.
(2)Nina W.
Okay sushi but worst service I have ever had. Waiter was rude. Did not squeeze any word unless we ask him to explain something. No hello no self introduce no smile
(1)Vanessa T.
I came here for lunch and had the bento meal as well as 2 sushi rolls. Their sushi is good but not great. I didn't order special rolls tho. As far as the bento lunch goes, i had the eel with rice, it was pretty good. They also have the udon noodle soup where they put shrimp tempura inside the soup which doesn't really make sense to me because it makes the tempura soggy and the soup was bland. As far as service goes, it was good, no complaints. But there are so many other sushi restaurants in the city to choose from, this place is only satisfactory.
(3)Doug B.
Zama is a sushi restaurant in Center City, right in the heart of the Rittenhouse Square district. We stopped in here last night on the recommendation from a friend. Very happy with the freshness of the Sushi ingredients. The Sushi chefs made everything right in front of us, and you just can't get better than that. They have a Sushi bar too, or you can order off the menu, which we did. I thought the prices were reasonable, considering I love sushi and I'll pay more for better food anytime. Very glad we went here: The food was good, service was good - I would recommend you try it yourself.
(4)Matt W.
We've been here about five times now. Consistently amazing food. Everything we've ever had is phenomenal. Do yourself a favor and try this place.
(5)Donald D.
The wasabi tuna roll ($17) is definitely the best maki roll I've ever had. I've had it a few times over the past 2 years, and its flavors are consistently more subtle and exciting than any other maki roll I've had (and I'm a sushi fan). The bronzizzle roll is also good. Maybe 4.5 stars; the discount is due to the pricing and service. Though the pricing is to be expected when the location is factored in. I've been here a few times over the past 2 years, and most of the maki rolls are pretty good. Service has always been borderline rude. Every time I've visited, it has been with a business dinner (so people dressed well and prepared to spend), but we were often treated like hoodlums. For example, when we were taking our time (maybe 5 minutes) to order $300 of sushi, the waitress expressed her frustration with a "Do you know what you're doing yet?". Nothing she did was clearly rude, but it didn't feel very classy either. It's a shame since this place would be a really classy sushi joint if the service were stepped up a bit. Works for groups (with a backbone) if a reservation is had.
(4)Jo L.
My boyfriend and I came here yesterday as a last resort but glad we did. We've never heard of this place and was going somewhere else for sushi. Turns out, 1 place does not open on Mondays and another does is closed from 2:30PM - 5:00PM. It was about 4:00PM and we were already in the area so he Yelped some sushi places and this was the one he chose. There was only 1 other table eating when we got there but from the looks of it, I am sure this place is probably pretty busy at night. My boyfriend ordered the Chicken Katsu from the lunch menu and we also got the Rittenhouse Three, the Dragon Roll, and the Double Shrimp Dragon. The Chicken Katsu came out in a cute 2 layer box and also came with soup. I didn't try these so I can't comment on them but the boyfriend said it was really good. The Dragon Roll and Double Shrimp Dragon I tried and totally approve of. I've had Dragon Rolls at other places before so I wasn't expecting anything new. It was good. The Double Shrimp Dragon was new. It came with Cocktail Sauce that you would dip with shrimp anywhere else too. The Rittenhouse Three was something I did not expect. I thought it was going to be three rolls for sushi which it kind of was but in a wrap looking form. But it doesn't matter what form it was in because it was still yummy! Our waiter was nice. The boyfriend asked for lemonade that they did not have so our waiter made him one. We also asked if we were hungry cause we ordered that much for just the 2 of us. And I like their ceiling art.
(5)Rob T.
Very good sushi, very nice waitstaff, beautiful restaurant, great dessert. Lost one star because it was extremely expensive; dinner for two was $150 including drinks & tax/tip.
(4)Shariq H.
Mediocre food and terrible service. They take customers for granted. Try Fat Salmon instead. Waited 35 minutes for two pieces of sashimi...give me a break.
(2)Rachel C.
This may have been one of thee best lunch deals I have EVER had. Seriously folks, if you have time on your lunch and are hankering for some good food at a seriously good price, this should be your jam! For $15 you get edamame, house salad, udon noodle soup with shrimp tempura, plus your choice of maki AND 3 pieces of shitake maki. I mean for realz. I'd be all over this ish in the Burgh. I honestly looked over it once and thought... ehhhh, I'm a pig, maybe I could use one more roll. So I ordered one extra to split with the hubby. But you know what? Not needed! Not to mention all of it was delicious! I loved the spicy yellowtail and mango maki I ordered. I loved the edamame. I loved the udon noodle soup. I mean, LOVED it! Super tasty with the shrimp tempura and large fried mushroom with an incredible broth. The salad wasn't too shabby itself. Service was excellent and the ambiance is very chic. If you're in the area, get there asap!
(4)Bill A.
Great sushi! Cool atmosphere! The house salad is big enough to share and their ginger vinaigrette dressing is top notch! The sushi chefs are the real deal and their fish is super fresh! Loved it all including the King Yellowtail! We did not stray beyond simply sushi! We will be back for sure! Thanks again to YELP for making our get-a-way to Philly very worthwhile on the culinary front! Love YELP!!
(5)Nathan M.
The sushi rolls are great here. I don't know that I'd say it's the best, but it's in a great location.
(4)Nam N.
If i never tried their omakase i would give this place a 4 stars. I took my parents here for mother's day dinner. We had their omakase $75/each. My dad and i left with an unsatisfied stomach and hungry!!! Ok so you say that's because we're men and we eat a lot. Well my mom, who would say she's really full if she had the whole BK Whopper, left with a "i'm ok" answer when i asked if she's full. This is after a bunch of "filler" courses like egg wrapped uni roll (you can barely see the uni let alone taste it) ,and egg custard soup (cooking technique, well there was none because the egg "custard" was not smooth at all), and typical nigiri pieces. The only WOW course and unique was sashimi with block of Japanese Salt course. Bottom line... DO NOT GET THEIR OMAKASE!!!! The positive about this place... Their ingredients are FRESH and their service is good. Do make reservation or else you'll probably won't to be seat or even get turn away because they know you will not get to eat :) I will come back to this place but only to order their combination platters. I ordered their Black Belt Sashimi, and that was a hit for me when they included the KING SALMON sashimi.
(3)Jonathan M.
My favorite sushi restaurant in Philadelphia! Bronzizzle is amazing. Can't wait to come back!
(5)Christopher D.
I recently had lunch at Zama, and found everything here to be just a little bit better than your average sushi restaurant. The salad was made with better lettuce and had a good dressing. The soup rather thaniso was udon with shrimp tempura, the meal included edamame and a choice of sushi sashimi or maki. I chose a salm skin roll which was perfectly done. A dining partner had a churashi bowl that had more than just tuna on top. All in all a very good meal.
(4)Chris M.
Had lunch at Zama recently and thought it was good, but not particularly commensurate with the praising reviews it seems to be receiving. In fact, it was one of the priciest lunch checks I've seen in awhile, and it didn't feel worth afterwards. Much of the pricey check came from the beers we were drinking. They have a very good selection of Japanese beers, particularly from Hitachino, which you can't find other places. On the downside, small bottles of beer are $12. There were four of us at lunch and we each at 2 beers, for a grand total of $96 worth of beer! They have cheaper options like Asahi Dry on draft, but those are not great and also bear a hefty markup. The food was good. I had a few different rolls. The fact that I can't remember what they were should speak for a commentary in itself. My friend ordered the fatty tuna (Oh Toro) sashimi as a side dish, and in the process won the Guinness Book of World Records award for most expensive side dish, at $12.50 per piece of sashimi, for a grand total of $25 for 2 smal rectangles of fish. At least it was exciting when Guinness burst in to take his picture! So $200 for lunch for 4 people later, I'm not really looking to run back. I feel like there are better options for sushi, including Yanako in Manayunk.
(3)Gauri G.
This is the most amazing sushi place in the entire world and I am a sushi obsessed person. I come here all the time and love the sesame salmon roll and the rittenhouse three. Everything I have had here is amazing and every time I come here I am blown away and try something new and amazing on the menu.
(5)Tyler L.
I enjoyed the sushi and the atmosphere. If I was paying (parents paid), I would choose a different place, as you can get the same quality for much cheaper. The people are a little Rittenhouse-ie, but not terrible terrible (just not people I would choose hang with regularly). Overall a trendy restaurant from a food and decor perspective, just more expensive than sushi should be. Hence, three stars.
(3)Nico D.
Mediocre service, mediocre food (Americanized sushi and rolls: lots of deep fried stuff, sauces overwhelming the delicate fish), pretty pricey. The only redeeming factor was that the fish was not fishy. Enough said. Not coming back.
(2)Andrew T.
I believe this place is a 5 star restaurant for several reasons. My group sat down fairly late for dinner and our server was more informative and attentive than some of the most high end places I've dined at. The miso soup was irresistible to put down, cubed tofu, baby spinach, tiny Enoki mushrooms and a wonderful savory flavor. Salads were in the heaping portion category which everyone liked. Hendrick's Cocktail was comprised of gin, cucumber water and celery bitters; summer in a glass. Whitetail and Scallion roll, my least favorite of the set, but ultimately a light exchange of nice flavor. Spicy Tuna had the nice deep red pieces of tuna I like to see in a roll, only thing I didn't prefer was the cucumber in the roll. The crunchy spicy salmon was my last roll and the crisp of tempura flakes taking in all the elements of the sushi flavor will be dreamed about. Recommended for daters, friends, and people that just want a good sushi roll. Go, I can't endorse this place more.
(5)Kelli M.
Went here for lunch with a group of co-workers. Had the spicy veggie roll and avocado roll. Very good and very fresh. Their lunch prices and portions are very reasonable! The only thing not giving this 5 stars was our server; he was nice but not very attentive and our food came out at different times. Several of us had to wait until we were all served to begin eating. Other than that, definitely a great sushi spot!
(4)Negin N.
Best sushi in town. Fresh creative and consistent food. The service is impeccable! I go there at least once a week and have never had a bad meal!
(5)Alie A.
Finally made it here. Nice relaxed interior and a bamboo feel. Fantastic sushi..one of the best spots I've found in Philly thus far. The servers were eager and helpful in steering us through the menu; the Rittenhouse Three was fantastic if you enjoy a little spice and crunch to accompany your sushi experience. Another small foodie note: the salt on the edemame was fantastic for some reason unexplainable to me, and all the food preparation was really very elegant. I'm a fan.
(4)Annie N.
I ate here for lunch with friends the other day and we were not impressed. Overall the food was just okay, and the service was probably the worst service I have ever received in my life! I am not much of a complainer, but the waitress pretty much took our order and plopped water in our cups, never bother to greet us or make eye contact, and never really returned after that. (she had a cold stone expression on her face the entire time) Our waters were left empty and we had to stare her down to get our cups refilled. Food was brought out by other staff members, and she never came back to check on our table. After sitting for a while (maybe almost an hour) without ever checking on us, I think she finally got the hint that we wanted our check and we were done eating. For a week day during restaurant week at lunch is was dead slow, there was maybe one other table and that was it, and we could see our waitress just standing around.. so to have extremely bad service was unexplainable. The atmosphere was nice, but for being in Rittenhouse and for the price I expected better. If you are going to eat here, I would just get the chirashi bowl, nothing else is appealing. For lunch it's $21/bowl. And lunch deals for rolls is $15.00, you get to chose one simple roll which is in the section for rolls under $6.00, and it comes with bland noodle soup, edamame, and wilted salad. Just saying.. but I've had better food and better service else where for cheaper..so do yourself a favor and save the agony by going elsewhere.
(2)Lauren J.
Great sushi place. The tuna was delicious. The calamari salad and cod were also yummy. I went with a group of six and had a good time. Loved the ambiance and wooden booths. The waitress was slow, unaware and unfriendly. The one-star off is for the wait staff who rarely checked on table and barely welcomed the new guests (my friend's mother and aunt) that arrived to our table & took forever to get the bill despite the fact that they weren't busy.
(4)Shannon R.
It's so much easier to get a delicious veggie roll in Philly than it is in LA! Outside of Shojin (vegan sushi mecca), we're usually only left with a sad cucumber or avocado roll. But I've been to 3 joints in Philly and have had an array of options, which is all very exciting for me. I tried the umeshiso, shiitake, and vegetable roll. I was intrigued by the "To-Philly" and if you're not adverse to dairy cream cheese, it sounds amazing. It's a Philly roll with fried tofu. Zama, you are crazy cool - just bring in Tofutti and I will eat that monster like I have something to prove. Gluttonous desires aside, I had a super healthy meal that was delicious. The umeshiso surprised everyone at the table for its herbal aftertaste. Very complex, I loved it! I could eat a hundred shiitake rolls and never tire of them. Pennsylvania might not have great avocados, but oh man, do they have mushrooms. The vegetable futo maki did that annoying thing with a huge leaf and a stalk of asparagus - if I wanted to munch on a leaf, I would've ordered a salad - but otherwise it was a standard veggie roll. I'd pass next time and try something else. One complaint - the menu fails to describe quite a few items that definitely need a description. A lot of googling happened at the table, and we often couldn't find an answer. One of my dining companions had to ask the waiter to describe about 6 different rolls before she found one she liked. Save us all the time and just tell us what it is in the menu. The ambience is trendy, the waitstaff was friendly, and my man who's hard to please was digging his spicy crunchy mango I-don't-know-what rolls, so all in all, I'd call it a success.
(4)Coreen P.
I've been eating vegetarian sushi for years. I chose Zama to finally delve back into the world of eating meat. What a wonderful surprise! The Spider Roll, Philadelphia Roll, and California Roll were all delicious. We even got a second California Roll. The drinks were a bit expensive - over $30 for two glasses of Malbec and one glass of cheap champagne. The service was also a bit slow. However, I look forward to going back.
(4)G C.
Not really sure what all the hype is over this restaurant. It's decent but certainly not nearly as good as everyone says. The service was impeccable, I will say that, but as far as food goes, definitely not all that. The salmon skin rolls were very tough and chewy, and while the veggie roll was served in lovely presentation, it was quite bland.
(3)Karen C.
All my friend we raving about this place, i had to go check it out. Not bad,,,, i ordered miso soup, a little salt, but good Kaiso seaweed salad, gotta have a seaweed salad, very nice. Bronzizzle, ehhh... i was a little disappointed, it was a really messy roll, it kept falling apart and drenched in soy sauce, very salty. however, their sashimi was excellent, it very fresh. i liked.
(4)Christine N.
Zama definitely prepares fresh and delicious seafood. While their Makis are pretty standard, I gave them a 4 because of the freshness of their fish and service. I ordered the House Tofu, and while the dish is interesting in preparation, I wish there was more flavor to it.
(4)Minh C.
For starters I'm a little hesitant to try other sushi restaurants in Philadelphia since Raw Sushi and Sake Lounge set the bar so high. Zama is one of the best dining experiences I have ever had. I had made reservations on the Saturday night and had to make some last minute adjustments and they were more than accommodating. The Service: 5/5 The waitress we had gave excellent suggestions and was very prompt and helpful. The Food: 5/5 I started the evening with the Salmon Skin Salad. The portion was very generous, and the salty crisp salmon skin went well with the greens and it was not drenched in dressing which was great. The dressing on the salad was light and complimented the salmon skin well. I ordered the Vetri roll and I enjoyed that the Philadelphia chef inspired rolls gives a portion to charity. EVERYBODY WINS! Anyways, the roll itself had a very satisfying crunch. The uni sauce was absolutely delicious! The cucumber noodles I thought were alright, nothing too exotic about them but it made for great presentation. The Atmosphere: 5/5 The interior design and architecture of the restaurant I thought was very appropriate and suited the restaurant well. I did think the restaurant was rather smaller so I wouldn't necessarily say it would be a wise selection for larger parties. Acoustically it was great, I could hear my guest and the waitress with ease. I really enjoyed my dining experience at Zama. I thought it was excellently priced especially considering the quality of the meal. I would definitely recommend Zama especially if you are hesitant on trying out another sushi establishment in the city.
(5)Shushmita M.
One of the most stuck up places I've been too. Not very friendly. Sushi is different and offers unique flavors. So, it was great to try different types of unusual sushi. However, considering this is an upscale restaurant, I wasn't particularly a fan of it.
(3)Taimi A.
Great service and great food. The servers are very well educated. It is a restaurant that I went already twice.
(5)Catherine L.
Three years ago, when Zama opened, I couldn't wait to go, and so as soon as it did, I went there quite often for a sushi treat. The food was great and fresh, the sushi inventive and well-cut, I had no complaints. I had few meals that definitely scored at the four star mark, nothing that ever hit out of the park, but solid sushi all around. In the last couple years, I find myself going to Zama more for lunch than dinner, and every time I've gone, I've been really disappointed. Who knows who is in charge for lunch, but they're not serving it at the level of where it should be (and especially for the price that they charge). The last couple times, their mixed greens have been totally wet, and far past their serving prime date. Anyone working the salad station would be able to see this and should know better than to serve it. Unacceptable. The sushi and rolls themselves are below average and the food has been nearly below mediocre. After sub par experiences also at Morimoto, I am really finding Philly to be hurting for good sushi spots. Either way, avoid the place at lunchtime, below par kitchen and absent-minded service too.
(2)Bobbi B.
The sushi here is so delicious that I pondered moving to Philadelphia after my first few bites. I will not need to move as the Acela Express is only a one hour train ride away from NYC. It would be worth the trek back just so I can eat here again. Especially when you sit in first class and can order free drinks on the way. I used to sit in the parking lot otherwise known as the 405 or 5 North Freeways for longer than that on trips from OC to LA to visit places I loved as much as Zama. And driving sucks compared to taking the train. There's no friggin waitress or comfort on the freeway. I'm lucky if I don't get cut off while being flipped the bird. That settles it. I'm going to start plotting my next trip. It's really that good! Plus, Philadelphia is a fun city. I'm addicted to the Spicy Chirashi which consists of various chef's selection of sashimi over a bed of seasoned spicy rice. It's only available at lunch but the sushi chef (Kevin) was nice enough to make it for me anyway on an evening visit since I liked it so much. I also really enjoyed the Kumamoto Oyster Shooter with Chili Daikon, Scallions, Masago, and Ponzu with Tabasco. I opt for a version without sake because I prefer it that way. And speaking of sake... I ordered the Koshi No Junmai Ginjo Sake and I recommend it if you like sake that is sweet but not too sweet and a smooth finish. Here's the other stuff I tried, all of which was excellent: Yellowtail Scottish Salmon Kindai Bluefin Tuna & Japanese Unagi Five star service provided by Mary and the sushi chef Kevin. Extra shoutouts for them because they made my sushi experience first class all the way.
(5)Michelle C.
I put off trying Zama for far too long. I'm not sure why, but it was a foolish decision in hindsight after two fantastic meals at the hands of this very talented chef. My first experience took place a couple weeks ago at a Cook class. The several course meal was impressive, and I quickly requested a venue change for my upcoming birthday dinner with my boyfriend. Saturday was the big night. I entered the new (to me) incarnation of my former stomping grounds (Loie, RIP). The lighting was dim and the blonde slats adorning the walls made for an attractive atmosphere. I requested a martini with olives and stressed that I wanted it just the teeniest bit dirty. It seems that every time I ask for this, my drink comes back too salty ninety percent of the time. But our server was listening and, more importantly, the bartender was listening, and the two martinis I ordered during our evening were perfect. We started off with pan fried dumplings, which were great. What's not to love about a dumpling? These were better than average. Next, Kirin braised short ribs over crunchy noodles. Damn this dish was good. Things were off to a great start. The hamachi tataki had been a feature at our Cook class, and it was just as delicious a second time. My favorite of the night, a dish that I will lust over until the next time I have it, was the king crab oshizushi. Words fail me in trying to describe this buttery, delectable delight. Just trust me. After that, the maki paled in comparison but it was still very good. The surfer roll and the wasabi tuna roll were both very tasty and I'd order either again. We passed on dessert and went off into the night. In the days since, I've had Zama on my mind like a new crush. I'm thinking threesome.
(5)Samantha B.
I've been to Zama a handful of times, and there just isn't anything that is pulling me back. The decor is clean and modern, and the service is always great. There is no denying that the sushi is fresh and delicious, but to me it has no personality. Zama as a whole feels like a standard joint with good sushi, albeit expensive sushi. Eating at Zama isn't really anything to talk about. In a neighborhood with a million and one sushi joints, Zama feels the least personal. I would happily go a little further to either Doma or Umai in Fairmount, or Vic right down the street, over Zama. Nothing negative about the place or the food, but it's just not my favorite. If you happen to be in the area, stop in. Zama seems to be a cult favorite among the people of Rittenhouse with no true basis for cult status. Fitting that it's right next to La Colombe.
(3)Vinny P.
Finally, after many months of waiting (not on purpose mind you) I was able to make my way to Zama. I've tried a few sushi restaurants around the area and this one seems to be a cut above both on service, design and of course, food preparation. I really like the interior of the restaurant. The main dining area has wooden slats surrounding it which made me think of bamboo. I basically imagined a giant sushi rolling mat (with more space between the slats) surrounding the area. It's a really cool detail and for me, reinforced that I was in a Japanese restaurant. We started with the fried brussel sprouts and the seared salmon. I thoroughly enjoyed both of these and the flavors popped and the plating was awesome. Each dish that came out looked like art here which of course made me want to eat it quicker. Their presentation is excellent. Our meal consisted of the surfer roll, the negi toro scallion and the salmon and fig roll. The surfer roll had a ton of fresh flavors and was a hefty roll which helped provide the substance of my meal. The negi toro was fatty and delicious and the salmon fig was on the sweeter side so it paired very well with a dash of wasabi and a quick swipe through soy sauce. Finally, my piece of Hawaiian yellowtail was cut perfectly so it basically didn't require chewing. Our waitress was particularly helpful in guiding us through the menu to avoid those items containing dairy. Not only was she knowledgeable but was also able to offer modifications to one or two items to suit our tastes. This meal was very enjoyable and definitely one of the better if not best sushi places I've been to in Philly.
(5)Candice B.
Zama had been on my to-try list for some time, and when Boyfriend suggested we go somewhere nice for our anniversary, it seemed the perfect opportunity. Our server enthusiastically recommended the $55 chef's tasting, which includes 6 courses and dessert. That he was so excited about the food told me immediately that this was going to be a memorable meal. Each course was enough for a taste, and ranged from a plate of nigiri to a savory egg custard. Everything was delicious. The standout for me was the marinated black cod served with pickled vegetables and endive. It's a regular item on the menu, and I would recommend it for sure; we were instructed to make a lettuce wrap out of the ingredients, and the flavor combination was to die for. We ended our meals with mochi ice cream and left satiated but not stuffed. I look forward to a return visit so that I can order from the sushi menu, but I would definitely recommend the chef's tasting.
(5)Jeanne S.
The specialty rolls are a must!!!
(5)Danny C.
This is by far one of my most favorite dining experiences. I've had sushi of all caliber, from $7 rolls in midtown Manhattan, to $200 prix fixe tasting menus. I was super surprised as the quality of the food and the exceptional service. I really wish I got the waitress' name. She was blonde and I believe I overheard her saying she's been at the location for over a year. Well, she was probably one of the most exceptional servers I've ever had. As for the food: The sushi was fresh, well prepared and delicious. I am not the sushi eater that drenches his food in soy sauce. I enjoy the subtle flavors of fish and the sauces as prepared by the chef. So, with that in mind, I have to admit that the balance in flavor profiles of the dishes that I had ordered was quite exquisite.. We had ordered the Branzizzle Roll, which had a nice citrusy flavor that really brings out the branzino used in the roll. The drinks were top-notch too. Please, if you are ever in the city of Philadelphia, you have to come here and try this place.
(5)Cat P.
Personally, I don't think sushi gets much better in the Philadelphia area. Zama has the uncanny ability to make excellent traditional rolls as well as some truly wonderful, cutting-edge sushi. Dinner started for us with the fried brussels sprouts, which had such an amazing crunch to them. We also grabbed the seared salmon with bok choy; this was not my favorite dish of the meal, but it was still a great piece of fish. For sushi, we ordered the negi toro (tuna belly) and the surfer roll (yellowtail with jalapeno, tuna sashimi, and avocado). The highlight of the meal for me, though, was the salmon with dried fig roll. The roll was breathtaking and the sweet/salty combination from the soy sauce really made it sing. I also want to say that our waitress did a phenomenal job tonight. I told her about my food allergies and she was extremely conscientious. She made sure to talk to the chef about my issues and they tailored a few of the dishes to fit my needs. She was very attentive during our meal and was a great resource when we asked her about several of the menu items. If I had to complain about anything here, I would say that the menu does seem to gloss over some ingredients. I was surprised to find out the one dish I wanted had butter in it and that the other dish was tempura-battered, even though there was no mention of this in writing. This made me glad that I had mentioned my dietary restrictions to the waitress because she was able to alert me of these problems. In short, I will gladly return to Zama in the future. The food here is excellent and the wait staff is incredible. I would recommend asking about dish ingredients if you suffer from food allergies like me; your wait person will happily assist you and guide you through the menu.
(5)Amy A.
We came here for Valentine's Day (no special menu or anything). It was good food - not quite Japanese though. would not say it was worth the price paid. For two people, including drinks, it came out to $125 including tip. We ordered the: Braised Beef - good for portion and price ($8!) NY Strips - typical, would skip this Black Cod - one of my favorites, very unique Sashimi Appetizer - small portions, very fresh Jose Garces Chirashi - Delicious, nice because it donates to charity, a bit too much on the lemon. I got the Sake Sangria (very yummy) and my bf got the microbrew. Overall, good dining but I think other Japanese places might be worth the money.
(3)Donyale R.
Such a disappointing dining experience last night that I had to share. Besides not being able to offer any sushi rolls that were not pre-prepared and thus could not have been served gluten-free for some reason, the black cod arrived smoking hot, but with a taste and texture of having been recently microwaved from a scandalous state of frozen not-freshness. Great decor though. I'll close with one final thought: If sushi rolls arrive with a food court sushi appearance and taste, then they should be sold at food court sushi prices.
(2)Fallonious F.
If you want Americanized over sauced sushi, there are plenty of "sushi" joints out there that can accommodate you. But for those of you that appreciate the super fatty oh toro and fresh boat-shucked Uni. This is the place for you. Whether you enjoy the more traditional side to Japanese cuisine or you crave the adventurous, Zama will satisfy you. Highly suggest the short ribs, the Vetri roll and any of the desserts. Oh and stop by for lunch. Once you have had their Chirashi, you'll be hooked.
(5)Michele R.
I waited a bit long to write this review, but our experience at Zama was memorable: top notch service, phenomenal food, cool vibe. My husband ordered the tasting menu, and I just got an appetizer and sampled each of his choices. Every single plate was outstanding. But even better, our server was just one of those genuine, friendly, put-you-at-ease kinds of people that make eating in a finer establishment absolutely worth it. Nothing is worse to me than going to a highly rated restaurant for great food only to find the service off-putting, making for a stiff and uncomfortable experience. This is one restaurant that absolutely lives up to its reputation.
(5)Tanya C.
I came here for a sushi with my husband and friend. Reservations were easy through open table and were were seated promptly when we arrived. Service was decent and the atmosphere is suited for the young professionals crowd. I ordered the super crunchy tuna, spicy crunchy tuna x2, and the salmon skin roll. Rolls were rather small (6 pieces each). The only roll i really liked was the spicy crunchy tuna, though the others were pretty good. Prices were okay, not as good as my favorite place in Maryland. Overall, a pretty good place to get sushi when I'm in PA.
(4)Ricki K.
I had lunch at Zama last week. I am a frequent diner there and the food is always excellent. Very fresh and delicious. Unfortunately, I had a terrible experience with the service, and the general manager, Bryon, in particular. I tried to redeem an opentable dining cheque and was unable to redeem the cheque. Zama's "personal policy" is not compliant with open table and this is not noted on their website or anywhere else. Bryon was extremely rude and angrily tore up the bill in front of other diners. I will not be going back after that experience. This is a shame because the sushi is some of the best in Philadelphia.
(1)Phi N.
my favorite sushi in the city. it is so expensive and it is so good!!! I go here for delicious, fresh, melt in your mouth sushi. if you want something else...well I am sure it will be good. The chirashi bowl with spicy rice? OMG so amazing. you won't regret it if you go here!
(5)Vee V.
Stop in the name of sushi - the reviews of this place are as inflated as that giant fish hanging from their ceiling. We had a reservation here on a Friday night. After being seated we ordered some hot sake and the edamame with flavored salt to start. For dinner, I ordered the vegetable tempura and umeshiso (Japanese pickled plum) and my husband ordered the sushi platter. The sake arrived and then the edamame. We got yuzu, wasabi and plain sea salt. It was fine and seemed fresh but definitely a lot of edamame for two people. The waiter came over to tell us to eat slowly because the sushi bar was backed up and it might take a while to receive our meal. (Huh? The restaurant, on a Saturday evening had several tables open, plus, there was a better way to deliver this message). After the edamame had been cleared, a plate arrived with my rolls, which the waiter placed in the middle of the table. We waited, 5, 10, then 15 minutes, and finally the waiter came over to let us know they had forgotten to make my husband's food and they were working on it now. So we picked at my very tiny plate of vegetable rolls. The tempura rolls were good, small, but flavor was well balanced. The umeshiso was also fine, but nothing to write home about. Finally, my husband's platter arrived. There they were, tiny pieces of sashimi on rice. All of them had been dotted with globs of wasabi, so every bite was overwhelmingly flooded with this flavor. If you have a master sushi chef, he or she would never let this happen. Ultimately it was over priced for mediocre service, meh ambiance and food that was really not finer dining.
(2)Ira H.
Incredible Sushi! I've been to a lot of sushi restaurants all over the county and this one takes the cake. Congrats Zama, the food was delicious. I was very impressed with everything. We orders lots of rolls and the chefs sashimi. Our server was very polite and she made some great recommendations. We went there for dinner and I would recommend this place to anyone.
(5)Caroline J.
My favorite sushi places in Philly!! I highly recommend Black Belt sushi and sashimi combo. The fish is super fresh and yummy. There're many impressive rolls too. Vetri Roll is my favorite. Even the Maki rolls, which are usually simple and nothing special at other restaurants, are creative and tasty. It gets a bit crowded at 8-9 pm, but waiters and waitresses are attentive.
(5)Emily P.
Be warned. I just called them to order pick-up. Their response: we cut it off for the evening, might re-open it later. Might re-open it later? Ridiculous. Have never heard of cutting off pick-up.... It's over 2 hours until they close. I'm mystified.
(1)Robert B.
Clean, modern, good service, healthy food. What else could you want? Well, maybe lite Asian beer. I'd like to see Sapporo lite, etc on the drink menu. Otherwise, highly recommended for a date or meetup with colleagues.
(4)Andrea H.
As a Japanese girl who grew up in Hawaii, I know good sushi. This place is unreal. Try the spicy crunch roll and hibachi scallops. you won't be disappointed!
(5)Tina T.
I came here on a Friday night and loved it so much, I came back the next night. Unfortunately, I had two opposite experiences. Friday: Since it was just me, I was fine with sitting at the bar in front of the chefs. The girls in the front offered to check my coat and scarf which was really nice. My server (pretty girl, with black, really curly hair) greeted me immediately. After she answered some of my questions about the sake, I went with an unfiltered sake. Reading the menu, I was intrigued with the Bronzizzle (a roll with cucumber, avocado, fried scallions on the inside, topped with bronzino fish, ponzu and a hot sesame oil). The server told me it was one of her favorites, so I tried it. Wow! I ate it and wished I had more. It was fantastic. Throughout the meal, my server was very attentive. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Saturday: Because of Friday, I was excited to come back. The restaurant was packed and the hostess offered to sit me at a table in the corner in the bar. No worries, I am flexible. After being seated awhile and seeing servers and the bartender come and go for a bit, I ask the hostess if I had a server. They went and talked to the bartender who was my server. He came over and apologized and brought over some menus. When he came back after a few minutes, I ordered a drink, an app, and the Bronzizzle. And that was the last I saw of the bartender. Other staff brought out my drink, food, and refilled my water. I saw the bartender make SEVERAL trips to a table in the dining room and on his way back behind the bar, it would have been easy for him to check on me. I watched as he chatted with the staff, patrons at the bar, and the table in the dining room. But he NEVER checked on how my drink was or the food. I couldn't believe it. After 45 minutes or so, one of the managers came to check on me and I asked for the check. I told him how the two experiences were and how upset I was about being neglected that night. He said he would take responsibility because of how busy the bartender was and they still chose to sit me in the bar. I think that is bullshit because I watched the bartender tend to everyone else the whole time. The manager assured me he would remember me the next time. And what good will that do if I never come back? My mantra is that it doesn't matter how good the food is, if the service is terrible I won't go back. So disappointing. Although the second time was a 1 star experience, I gave this plave 3 stars overall because of how great the first time was.
(3)Ben P.
Spectacular. Certainly more than your average sushi bar, Zama offers some very well done sushi-related entrees to compliment the standard selection of rolls and some really fun specialty rolls. Fantastic cocktails, excellent service, presentation that is good looking with out sacrificing function. After 200 or so reviews, I don't want to be redundant but I will say that Zama, though not cheap, is a great alternative to some other upscale (maybe a little tired) sushi places.
(5)Elizabeth S.
The sushi rolls here are quite pretty to look at it, but the flavors don't match up to the appearance. I enjoyed my meal here, but for the price, I can get sushi that's just as good, if not better, elsewhere, and for less money.
(3)C T.
Went here for a friend's birthday with a party of 6 or 7. Most of the table ordered the tasting menu which was solid but not mind blowing or particularly memorable. The atmosphere was nice in the way that trendy restaurants that are consciously trying very hard to be trendy look. It's good if you like that sort of thing (I'm personally pretty neutral about it). I also ordered the Bibou specialty roll with escargot which was very good but partly boosted by the taste memory that I had had of going to spectacular Bibou earlier in the month. Now where points get taken off for this review is the service. What a bunch of whack jobs. At one point of the tasting menu, there was a huuuugeee gap of time between the last course and the upcoming course. I'm a great lover of leisurely paced meals and we had all been talking, drinking, and enjoying ourselves but it was nearly an hour between a small app and another small app. During this time, the waiter had to be flagged down to take another drink order and then finally to be asked when the next course was. At that point he was totally unapologetic and told us he'd check back. Finally they brought the course and the chef apparently decided to skip the course listed and advance to the next one after. Then when most of us weren't even done with the course they gave us, they brought over the one they skipped. Instead of enjoying one plate at a time, we had two in front of us like it was some race to the end of our meal now that the servers/chefs decided that we should be finishing. I thought I was at a relatively nice restaurant but I'm mistaken, what is this Applebee's? It didn't even make sense to rush like this seeing that we still had courses left after the two they brought out nearly simultaneously. The worst part is that after we finished our meal and were enjoying our drinks, the staff turned on the lights and started cleaning. No warning, no check-in to see if we enjoyed our meal. In the very least we're civilized people, so we asked for our check. OBVIOUSLY they had put in the gratuity in advance because of our party size otherwise I wouldn't have tipped them at all. Back to Umai Umai for me if I feel like excellent sushi and good service. F these suckas.
(2)Maya M.
DELICIOUS!!! The sake quenches your thirst, the sushi is fresh and unique and delicious, the service is attentive and friendly. This is one of the best sushi restaurants I've ever been to. I don't think you can go wrong with anything on the menu. We ordered the brussel sprout appetizer, wasabi lobster roll, wasabi tuna roll, and the bronzizzle... thinking about it is making me drool all over again. My one critique is that the narrow structure of the restaurant makes it feel a little claustrophobic - and it's compounded by the wall design, which made me a little dizzy (or maybe that was the sake)... also, a couple of times I thought the waiter had forgotten about us because it was such a busy night... but he always came back, and was very friendly!
(5)james c.
Mostly everything is good. I got the omakase which was divine but I think it was because I went with someone who knew the chef. It was less spectacular second time around when I went by myself. Been there 3 times and quality of rolls are consistently good. Definitely best sushi in Philadelphia.
(4)Erin K.
The hostesses at Zama need some interpersonal skills. Last time I was in there, I was meeting my boyfriend who was running late. I asked to be seated so that I could start ordering for the both of us. The hostess refused, despite the fact that the restaurant was 80% empty, it was a Wednesday night at 8:45, and it was pouring down raining. I tried to give them another shot, but again, they failed miserably. We recently went in there without reservations and, instead of being told how long we would have to wait, we were told that nothing was available. Nothing. We had to ask "until when?" before the hostess decided to check when the next available seating would be. The sushi is NOT worth that kind of treatment.
(2)Fred S.
Great Service. A little expensive, but that's how most good sushi spots are. Make sure to try the tuna sashimi and the philly cheesesteak roll!
(4)Erin C.
Quality and well priced sushi. I strongly recommend going for lunch. You get an excellent and filling meal. Also, they offer one of the best restaurant week menus. Definitely a lot of bang for your buck. 2 starters, 1 large entree and 2 dessert options. All mouthwatering and filling. My husband isn't a huge sushi lover but he found other non sushi dishes and was very satisfied.
(5)Carla F.
This is a beautiful space with high end and inventive sushi. I can't complain.
(4)Timothy D.
Wowza. This place is doing it right, which is no surprise given the pedigree. Hamachi Kama was PERFECT, Kennet Square roll was delicious, and even the spicy tuna handrolls were spot-on. Our server, Lisa, was excellent and knew exactly what she was talking about. Good wine list and plenty of Japanese beers to choose from. We eat at Izumi pretty often and Zama is right up there in terms of creativity and solid flavors.
(4)BJ W.
This is a solid sushi restaurant. It was nice hidden gem until it got featured in Philly Magazine. The inside is typical size for Rittenhouse and you should make a reservation on the weekends. This is my second favorite sushi in Philly and the rolls are consistently excellent. Their lunch special isn't that great, but this is a good date night sushi spot with a descent wine menu. The service is great and prices are fair.
(5)Dinah W.
I came here twice already and I think the sushi is delicious and would definitely come back for more because of it. The service however, leaves more to be desired. The first time I dined here was during dinner time. My server was pretty aggressive throughout my dinner. I don't think i was ever given an adequate amount of time to choose what I wanted. I am a server myself, and so I am conscious of timing during busy service hours. The second time I came here was during lunch hours and so there were only 3 other diners. The server was not attentive and was also impolite and abrupt whenever addressing anyone at my table. For the prices at this restaurant, I would hope for more quality service. The servers overall will not deter me from coming here again, but it is just a note to keep in my mind when dining here.
(4)Regina F.
The sushi chefs at Zama seem to understand that roll creativity does not mean sacrificing flavor. They understand that it's not optimal to load a roll with mango, coconut, soybeans, eight types of fish, uni and some roe for it to be sufficiently interesting. Unlike most spicy tuna rolls that offer an all too generous dose of Kewpie blended with Japanese red-spice blend, the Double Spicy Tuna Roll at Numa let the acidity of the red tuna melt with the creaminess of the white tuna and avocado, expertly spiced by chili oil. A few bites into this roll, and your mouth might be craving a fire extinguisher save for the balancing sweetness of the eel sauce. Zama receives a full five stars because although the restaurant does not standardly offer regular soy sauce (HEY YOU WHITE PEOPLE, GUESS WHAT? LOW SODIUM SOY SAUCE IS LIGHTLY FLAVORED...THIS MEANS YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO DOUSE YOUR ROLL IN THE STUFF. AND I'LL BET IF YOU USED SOY SAUCE PROPERLY YOU WOULDN'T MAKE THE REST OF US SUFFER BY FORCING RESTAURANTS TO ONLY SERVE THE LOW-SODIUM LOW FLAVOR CRAP.), the waitress kindly brought over a mini dish of her personal regular soy sauce. Many thanks.
(4)Christina L.
If you book a reservation here, ARRIVE ON TIME. We got some very sassy messages on the phone telling us 15 minutes past the reservation our table would be given up. Otherwise, food was amazing and server was very kind with great recommendations.
(4)Eliza D.
Pros: -Great fresh fish. -Excellent cocktails (my 2nd favorite gimlet in Philly thus far) -Superb and inventive rolls. -"Charity" rolls, a portion of the proceeds go to charity. -Excellent music and atmosphere. Cons: -When we over ordered food due to our excitement at the options I asked our waiter to cancel one or two items. He seemed reluctant to do so and his energetic demeanor had faded. Shortly after he returned with the items and said that the kitchen would not allow the cancellation. I found this to be in very poor taste. I'm not sure if it was him or the kitchen not approving the return. -While I'm very much a fan, I think the prices are a tad steep. I have had equally amazing sushi in many other cities at near half the price. I will probably look for another spot to make my "regular" go to sushi house. Minus 2 stars for the steep overcharges and so-so staff.
(3)Joanna D.
I like this place! I often come here when I feel like a little treat. My "go to" items are: *Salmon skin salad *Soft shell shrimp *Live scallop Yum!
(4)Shreyas Z.
nice food with decent prices.
(4)Brett T.
This was the best sushi I've ever had. WOW! For comparison, I've had sushi in DC, Northern Virginia, and at that really expensive place at the Bellagio. This was better than all of them. The Tuna tasted like fresh ocean (not like nasty ocean). Some sushi rolls looked like works of art and tasted even better. We will be back to Philly and definitely come back to Zama!
(5)