Jo An Japanese Restaurant

3940 Olympic Blvd #135, Erlanger, KY 41018, USA

Address:	3940 Olympic Blvd #135, Erlanger, KY 41018, USA
Phone:	+1 859-746-2634
Site:	joanjapanese.com
Rating:	4.3
Working:	11AM–2PM 11AM–2PM 11AM–2PM 11AM–2PM 11AM–2PM 5:30–10PM Closed

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 17

Aaron Esparza

Walk in and seated promptly by the only person dressed as a server. I ask him for water and a small bottle of cold sake. Another gentlemen who I assume is the manager (based on clothing) asks me what I would like. He brings the sake after a few minutes and I order gyoza. He says he is not familiar with the menu so I point to gyoza and tell him I would like this to start. Fast forward 30 minutes...he finally comes back over and I inform him I would like sushi also. I give him my order and inquire about the gyoza. He assures me it is on the way. Fast forward another 15 minutes, I am still without food and he informs me the rolls are coming soon. I again inquire about the gyoza. He is dumbfounded. After another 10 minutes I put a 20 on the table and leave after never receiving any food. There were two tables paying out when I arrived. A man with two children came after I put my roll order in and he received his food first. There is no reason for this to have gone so poorly other than incompetence.

Keyser Soze

This is far and away the freshest sushi Ive tasted in the Cincinnati area. FAR and away. The restaurant is located in an office building, which some might find odd but which gives it a great hidden gem quality IMHO. The sushi was so good that I expected the cooked food to be terrible (in the tradition of great sushi restaurants) but it was also fantastic. Reading through some of these reviews it seems like the reviewers went to a different restaurant, but Im wondering if it depends on what chef is working. Speaking of staff, the one drawback of the place is that at dinnertime on a Friday night they had one server for the whole restaurant, and service was remarkably slow. But if youre looking for genuine sushi (mild, subtle flavor, not the fishy taste many might be used to) this is your place.

Lauren Beck

I just completed my dinner here, sitting by myself at the sushi bar, on a quiet Wednesday night. I am impressed, the service was quite exceptional. Im an outgoing person but eating alone in public is very uncomfortable for me. The sushi bar chef took the time to make me feel welcomed. He engaged in conversation with me and even laughed when I had to ask for a fork. The server was also warming and answered all my silly naive questions. As for the food, it was all quite tasty, especially the ginger dressing! Yum! My only negatives are the sushi was overly salty and the spicy shrimp roll was hardly a roll with just a 1/4 piece of shrimp wrapped in rice. However, I wouldnt hesitate to come back and I would definitely recommend it!

Nathan Furrh

Could be great...needs a new Chef. The good: The server Erik, Gyoza, seemed fresh, not sure if house made. Spicy Tuna roll; not spicy, even a little, the Tuna however appeared and tasted to be of decent quality. The bad: Ordered the grilled Yellowtail in Ginger sauce; the fish appeared to be pan fried, not grilled, and was so over done that I would have needed a steak knife. The Yellowtail was so fishy, I had to get new sticks to eat with. Sent the Yellowtail back and figured I could not go wrong with Terriyaki Chicken. I was wrong, again super over-cooked and tasted of nothing but black pepper in a watery sauce that did not resemble even a good handmade Terriyaki. Major let down.

A Private User

When I moved back from Japan to the U.S., I craved good, authentic Japanese food. Jo An is where I found it. Their sushi is excellent, their lunch boxes are perfect, and if you are in the mood for kaiseki, I highly recommend the shokado bento. The owner is busy but friendly. The wait staff has always gone out of their way to accommodate me, even if they do seem to expect customers to follow the Japanese tradition of flagging them down rather than following the American tradition of checking in (sumimasen!). The menu is a bit pricey, but the food is worth it. 5 Stars!

A Private User

Love going here for sushi and everything is always delicious but seems to always have super slow, inattentive servers. Tonight was no exception and the place was practically empty. It took our server a good 10 minutes to notice the rest of our party had arrived, we were asked if we had received one of our dishes yet (we had not), water never got refilled, we accumulated dirty plates, bowls, and empty bottles. They have so many great items available but unless you know what they are, you will never get told or "sold" them by the staff there which is a shame.

Wenyu Zhao

Hands down the best Japanese restaurant around the tri-state. Udon noodle there just cant be topped, not to mention sushi and sashimi and all the "typical" Japanese food you know. Service is great as well, only had problem once. The waitresses were kind enough to explain how different sushi were originated and named, give suggestions on how to match different dishes you order. Very good experience!

Brittany Garry

My husband and I were visiting the area and ended up here late in the evening. It was until after we had ordered we realized they were closing in 15 minutes. The staff was wonderful and treated us great despite our timing. The food was top notch and the service impeccable. I would recommend this restaurant as a must-have if you are passing through!

Alvar Heyerdahl

Not the best Japanese restaurant in the area but its pretty good. Love most of their lunch specials. Except the Shio ra-men (塩ラーメン). It tasted ok. Somewhat bland. Awful bamboo shoots in it. Rather skimpy and had a horrid swampy murky smell to it. Love their tendon, soba, sushi is ok (there is better in the area).

Eva Reiter

I had high expectations coming in for take out given the reviews. I was completely unimpressed with the quality of the sushi I received. The tuna was questionable, the avocado wasnt ripe to the point of being almost crunchy and it lacked the freshness/quality of a decent sushi joint. Its such a shame. :-(

A Private User

JoAn is hands down the best sushi in Cincinnati, and quite possibly best in Ohio Valley. Ive visited Japan more than 20 times find no difference between Tokyo sushi restaurants and JoAns. I also work with many Japanese here in Cincinnati and they all recommend JoAns over other local Japanese restaurants.

A Private User

It might have been the best sushi for the best price in Cincinnati, but the setting (an office) was odd. Were wondering why they havent opened a location with better ambiance closer to greater Cincinnati. The sushi was pretty good.

Brett Goss

This hidden little gem is authentic and very good. Although my special rolls were a little heavy on sauces. We sampled quite a bit of the menu within our group and all was very impressive!

cris cheek

First time we went a year ago this place impressed. But what happened???? We went back November 2013 and it was pretty Beatles Muzak old rice dead tempura bad . Sorry just gone.

Zackary Johnson

Sushi is more expensive than other places nearby but the quality is better as well. You will see a lot of Japanese expats here regularly if that tells you anything.

Aidan Palazzolo

Last time we went, the food was okay. I used to love this place but it is slowly starting to not be as good as it once was.

Tom Hachiya

A proper sushi bar (Oshibori, formal service, good cutter, etc.) with an excellent sake selection. Form balances function.