Shinsei Restaurant
(214) 352-0005
7713 Inwood Rd
Dallas,
TX
75209
32.8496
-96.8215
Neighborhood: Greenway Park
Reviews & Ratings for Shinsei Restaurant
33 reviews
What users are saying:
Showing 1-10 of 33 reviews
Worst Customer Service
by ajhaveri
August 27, 2007
Going to Shinsei will be the biggest mistake, I would not recommend this restaraunt to anyone it is a small over-crowded restaraunt with the worst service I have ever experienced. I went there this past weekend and even after making reservations had to wait for over an hour, and even at that time they didn't have enough room for our whole party. Yet when we had made reservations over three weeks ago we were told that they could accomodate us. So after going through so much effort and even pre-ordering our food on there request the service was horrible while we were standing around for over an hour the owner didnt even offer her apologies nor did she try to make things better. After waiting for an hour and half we left and went somewhere else to eat. Worst restaraunt experience I have ever had would NEVER EVER go there again!!!
Great ambient
by Nancy0000
March 13, 2009
Rolls were very good and fresh. I tried severals, but the one that I liked the most was the "Pressed Sushi" (spicy tuna, bid eye tuna, salmon and avocado).
Attention and design are great
- Pros: Example: best croissants in town
- Cons: What are the drawbacks?
Good but not good enough
by AaronHorton
February 13, 2009
My husband and I are very loyal to a certain sushi restaurant in town. Over ten years and at least 100 dining experiences, and it has not failed us. However, on a recent Thursday night, we decided to branch out and try Shinsei. I've heard that the starpower (Owners are celeb chef wives of Kent Rathburn & Dean Fearing) doesn't overshadow the focus on food. On our visit, this much was true. The food was creative and very fresh, and the wine list offers good pairings. Unfortunately, that is where it stops. The service was neglectful and obligatory. Also, the chairs at the sushi bar aren't the right hight. They are too low, making you feel as if you're eating at the kids' table at Thanksgiving. Add to that the hide-n-seek service, and the analogy is complete. The "big people table" has all the condiments and tea refills while the kids' table settles for mismatched chairs and no butter knife. We decided against dessert since the sushi chefs and servers were so focused on getting their sidework done (C'mon HP and PH folks, not even you go to bed at 9p on a Thursday). Plus- in my opinion, cleaning rags and sushi rolls just don't mix. A good restaurant has fantastic food, but also the gift of hospitality. Shinsei, you should learn a lesson from Teppo and Tei Tei. Certainly "Chef Elvis" should have learned hospitality at his former stomping grounds. Won't be back- there are just too many good sushi restaurants who have earned my loyalty.
- Pros: creative sashimi, good wine list by the glass
- Cons: service, sushi bar chairs, ambience
Love this place!
by froco
February 05, 2009
When this place first opened the wait was long and I think they were still trying to work out the problems. I love this place and I am a "baby" sushi eater...my sushi consists of cooked pieces...but I have tried some of the rolls that my husband gets and I LOVE it. They have expanded their restaurant and wait isnt bad if you go early. I have never had a bad waiter always have great food. I did have a party there once and they do make you order from a pre set menu and I did not like that..i dont like not having your own meal. The food was still good you just had to share...
- Pros: Great Food and atmosphere. Must get the volcano roll
- Cons: I never leave here without spending a lot of money
Best sushi in Dallas by Irene B. at InsiderPages
Contributor
December 08, 2008
Great atmosphere, great sushi! The chef is a former contestant on Top Chef, so the restaurant has gained in popularity of late, but it has always been worth a visit.
The fried ice cream is especially good!
horrible service
by scarletmars
June 18, 2008
I was a big Top Chef fan and my sister loved the chef at Shinsei, Casey. I decided to go there for my birthday and emailed the owner for reservations. She never replied. When I called, she said she thought the co-owner had called me. She recommended to have a set menu since it was a large party (12). She was supposed to email me the menu but it never came even with further request for it. As luck would have it, the reunion show for Top Chef was airing that nite. My husband asked if Casey was in and if she could come out to say hi since it was my birthday and were big fans. He said she was too busy. The waiter was also very snobby. When two friends had come late and asked what were the specials, he said "oh it's not like i haven't said this a million times tonite" Then when Casey won "fan favorite" on the show, she surprisingly wasn't too busy to come out and get congratulations from the staff. the kitchen was right next to us so she actually passed our table. the waiter then came up to me and said "oh there she is" didn't even offer to ask her to come over. I was very disappointed in the service especially from the owners whose husbands own excellent restaurants in dallas. one of the owners walked passed us early on and just glanced at us and never said a word. Food was ok, but bad service always ruins a meal. Last thing, on the menu they state they add 18% to parties 6 or more but on our bill it was 20%.
- Pros: nice decor
- Cons: bad bad service, snobby staff
Go early, it gets crowded quickly!
by pelliott99
June 12, 2008
What a treat! This place is filled with the beautiful people, with absolutely no snobbery from the
owners, managers, or staff! Cool bar upstairs, scrumptious sushi at the sushi bar, and a saketini
that will knock your socks off. We will be back!
- Pros: Great people watching, friendly service, and delicious sushi
- Cons: Sake is pricey compared to other sushi bars we've tried.
Great Atmosphere
by wannabechef69
February 03, 2008
This place ROCKS! We went this weekend and it was crazy. It was a long wait...but the place was hopping. the upstairs was packed and we had such a great time! By the time we sat down, we were ready to eat. The sushi was fresh and we had Elvis (the sushi chef, you gotta see this guy) make the decisions for us. Perfect evening. Try the sashimi and don't miss the Cod entree. The service was not rushed, but they didn't take their time either...understood when a place is this busy. Check out their chef on the cover of D magazine this month, too. We loved it, but it is a very, very busy place. The chocolate cake was a perfect finish. Ask for Tammy if you can, she worked at this place when it was Yamaguchi. Great Experience!
- Pros: Food, atmosphere and service
- Cons: a little loud, you almost have to valet
Extremely Poor Service
by ekroche
January 12, 2008
We went to Shinsei Friday night for my girlfriend's birthday. We had an early reservation, and when I made the reservation a week prior, I had special circumstances for the birthday celebration that the hostess said they would be more than happy to accomodate. Not only did they forget the special arrangements, but we sat for 15 minutes before our drink order was taken, and another 15 before our appetizer order was taken. They forgot to bring the appetizer, and the server could not even keep our wine glasses filled. Bus boys repeatedly tried to take our plates as we were obviously still eating. Our table was consistently rocked and chairs bumped by servers and guests because there are two many tables for such a small space. The sushi was average and the food was okay, but unenjoyable due to the poor service. Upon leaving I mentioned to the hostess that they had forgotten the birthday and she checked the computer, confirming it was actually on the reservation, and then offered to perform the birthday ritual as we were walking out the door!!! Unbelieveable, we won't be back... The owners should keep the kitchen, fire the entire front of the house, and move to a bigger space.
- Pros: Well Prepared Entrees
- Cons: Worst Service in Dallas
Loved, Loved, Loved It!
by burnit1966
January 10, 2008
This is a great place to have a fun dinner. It is a little loud, but it is also really busy. Loved the Kona Kamachi Special. Try the Miso Cod and the stuffed jalapenos, but they are hot! Very fun, very lively. The sake list is outstanding. We tried it for the first time and I never write reviews, but this was so great. Chef Casey (from Top Chef) was in and came by and visited with us. She was really pleasant and even better looking than on TV. Our ser vice was prompt and we never had to wait on anything. I will go back every week.
- Pros: great atmosphere
- Cons: wish it were closer to my house
HOW VERY DISAPPOINTING!!
by foodsampler
November 25, 2007
We are guessing that if your husband is a well known chef in Dallas, then you can serve terrible food at VERY UNREASONABLY HIGH PRICES, and get a good review (way ahead of schedule) from the now gone food critics of the Dallas Morning News. What a lousy meal we had. The only thing that was worse than our food, was the choice words that we could hear coming out of some females mouth in the kitchen!! Our friends who paid for our check, probably won't return either. They told us that the place was going steadily downhill, but we had not been in and wanted to try it. They were right. We wont be back there again.
- Pros: Valet car parking.
- Cons: The food, the service, and the prices.
