Originally Posted by bocastephen

We tried Bentenyama Miyako, I would definitely NOT recommend it for the following reasons:

1. dual menu system - a wider selection of sushi and other dishes for Japanese speaking customers with lower prices for the same menu items that are on the English menu given to foreigners which has a very limited selection of sushi "combo" plates only and no omakase - this was a huge turn-off, and the only reason we did not walk out at this point was 1. it's very rude to do so in Japan, 2. our hotel made the reservation and we did not want to disrespect them, and 3. we didn't realize how far downhill things would go from there

2. dual quality system - I probably eat as much sushi as most Americans eat hamburgers, so I can tell the difference on sight between lower quality, smaller cuts given to foreigners (us, plus one other couple) and the nicer looking pieces given to the rest of the restaurant patrons who were Japanese - a huge turn-off, and of course the chef and staff seem to assume foreigners are clueless and just smile and eat whatever is handed to them - which is what the other foreign couple did, while the two of us sat there and stewed unhappily

3. the fingernails - while we couldn't figure out if it was dirt, injury or stains from sauce, the fingernails of the senior sushi chef looked horrendous and were a huge turnoff, even though he was (thankfully) not the chef serving us. The Japanese ladies he was serving seemed unaffected by this, so maybe it's no big deal over here, but in this case, I can say that a foreign guest would probably be very turned off by this

4. it just wasn't that good - maybe the Japanese guests had excellent sushi, but we didn't - and the point was driven home pretty well a couple days later when we decided to try the small stand-up sushi spot around the corner from the central gate at Shinagawa Station, and for about 1/4 the price, we had a variety of sushi that blew away what Bentoenyama served, and even gave our favorite 'authentic edomae' place in Orange, CA a run for its money.

So, after a few tries of Jiro, followed by a sampling of Zanmai, popular conveyor belt spots and now Bentenyama, my conclusion is there is a huge gap between sub-$200 and over-$200 sushi in Tokyo in terms of quality and experience, and far less of a gap between $25-$150 sushi where you're better off cost-wise to go with the most popular, yet cheapest option and keep your expectations low. I think going forward we will just save up for, and expect to pay $200-300pp for one of Jiro's locations or another restaurant of comparable quality to avoid spending over $100-150 and being very disappointed. For something quick, simple and tasty, we will stop at the Shinagawa stand-up spot.