Jinsei Sushi

The kadoma tuna is my lifesblood. All of the rolls and hot dishes are excellent. Great service! ;)

One of my new favorite Birmingham spots! This has been around for a little while now and I just recently had the pleasure of going for the first time. The experience was amazing in many ways. The food is incredible– I recommend ordering 5 – 6 different menu options since the portions are pretty small (other than the sushi) and you get to try more things this way as well! The atmosphere is pretty neat. It’s very clean and comfortable; although I hear on weekends it’s hard to find a seat. The service was great– Autumn was our server and was attentive and helpful! Only con is it is somewhat pricy since the quality of the food is so great, but if you know that going into it then it’s no problem! Highly recommend– Great date night spot!

I have to admit this was our fourth stop on a busy Saturday night in downtown Birmingham. Seems like everybody had a 2 hour wait. We came here based our sons suggestion and were pleasantly surprised. While we were initially told the wait was 30 – 40 minutes, we were seated after 15. Just enough time to look over the cocktail menu and get some tasty creative cocktails. Their specialty drinks are variations of mojitos. I had one with mango and ginger; Paul had the blackberry. Both were smooth and flavorful but not too sweet. After we were seated, we started with the tempura platter app — an assortment of tempura battered vegetables including sweet potato and zucchini with a nice dipping sauce. I had the black miso cod entrée. It was broiled and moist and flaky. Paul had the spider sushi roll and a tempura vegetable roll. Meredith tried the Kobe burgers. It was a pleasant experience — crafty cocktails, nice small plate dining, sophisticated décor. We will be back!

Classy, upscale, and very hip sushi restaurant in Birmingham!
We were visiting Birmingham for the weekend and were told that we could not miss Jinsei! In fact, we were told to go to Jinsei and to order the Kadoma Tuna.
It seemed like the kind of place that would get really crowded, so we had a very early dinner at Jinsei. We showed up around 5:30, and there were still quite a few tables taken!
We decided to share several dishes between us. We started with the Kadoma Tuna, which I liked, but I have to say that the tempura rice cake was quite chewy and sticky. Not my favorite texture. And I think the eel sauce was a bit too sweet.
We also had the black cod miso — marinated black cod broiled in sweet miso. The texture of the cod was amazing.
We also tried a couple of rolls: the Jinsei special, the New Style with white fish, and the Bangkok.
All the food was good — the cod got the closest to blowing my mind, but didn’t quite make it. There were several other items on the menu I’d love to try, so I would definitely go back if I visit Birmingham again!
(Biggest con? The sushi wasn’t AS GREAT as I thought it would be, but it was just as expensive as I thought it would be.)

Really yummy sushi., melts in your mouth… good atmosphere, great service. Will be back.

If I lived in Birmingham Alabama I would eat here every night and order the sushi tacos! They were absolutely out of this world!

Jinsei is one of my wife’s favorite sushi restaurants in town, but we don’t get there that often. We went last night for their Sunday evening specials — $ 9 rolls and $ 6 Saketinis. It was very crowded due to the holiday season and good weather. We were quoted a 30 minute wait, but it was probably more like 15 minutes. The service was good throughout the meal even though it was so busy. The food did take a little longer than I expected though. We had the grilled edamame for a starter which was awesome. For rolls we chose the Jarijari and Spiro which were both good. Be aware the sushi rolls are not as large as other sushi restaurants in town, so be sure to order enough so you won’t leave hungry.

We love this place! Great sushi! Make sure to come and try them out on a Sunday! Sunday’s all rolls are $ 9! Yep you heard right! It’s a small place but really trendy and great atmosphere! The quality of fish is brilliant and the rolls are pretty unique some are standard but no california or to generic. I enjoy sitting outside the best because it’s not so stuff and lots of people bring pets and it’s just really fun out there. David is normally our sever! The service there is outstanding! They create a great experience every time.

Super cute, yet small place down that is serving up high quality sushi and a more upscale atmosphere. Cute interior with a few bar seats, patio and dining tables. Most patrons were on the dressy side — something different than the other sushi places we have tried in the area. We didn’t make a reservation and for a Saturday night around 8:30p the place was pretty dead. My party of three was seated promptly at a low dining table — two dining chairs and a bench that was not the same height as the chairs. It was weird. You would think they would add a cushion or something to make it the same height.
Our Waiter wasn’t overly friendly, actually he wasn’t personable at all — but our order was correct, everything came out timely and our drink glasses were never empty. We started with grilled shishito peppers, edamame, & six tebasaki wings. The portions were larger than I was expecting, but overall all good choices to share. The wings were outrageous — super flavorful and crunchy! We then moved onto a Spider roll, Red Dragon roll and the Shirohama roll. All were a good size, rolled well and included a good combo of ingredients. Their menu includes apps, specialty sushi rolls (no basic, ie, spicy tuna, but maybe you can ask?), hot entrees and cold entrees. Full bar, decent wine choices and a fun cocktail menu.
4 stars for the atmosphere, and good food — could have been 5 if the waiter had a personality. This may be a little pricier than other spots in the area, but the food is high quality and well prepared so you’ll end your meal feeling satisfied with both the amount you spend and the delish food.

I’m not a big sushi fan (a once a month kinda gal), but my date insisted that we visit Jinsei Sushi, as he claimed it was the best sushi in Bham. We arrived at 7:00PM (Wednesday night) and the place was packed. We walked in, and I was overcome by the small space and the number of people! It was still hot (and humid) outside, but we could at least hear each other if we grabbed one of the few remaining tables on the patio. Within 10 minutes, all of the other tables were occupied, so I don’t know where folks were sitting or how long the wait was. We started off with drinks — I had the blackberry mojito (not sweet at all, which I like), and my date had the strawberry margarita (too sweet for my liking). We ordered two appetizers: the grilled edamame, and the tempura fried green beans. The edamame arrived fairly quickly, but the green beans never made it out. It was fine since we had ordered plenty of sushi, but our waitress never acknowledged that it was left off of the order (minus 1 star). The edamame was steamed and grilled, which gave it a nice, distinctive flavor.
After our appetizer, we waited almost 30 minutes for our 3 rolls to arrive: It was disappointing how slow service was. We ordered the Bangkok, Jarijari, and Madori rolls. They were flavorful (and all very different), and we enjoyed all three, but the price seemed a little steep for the amount of food (minus one star for slow service and price).
I could see myself visiting Jinsei again for special occasions, but I don’t see this as my regular go-​to spot for sushi in Homewood.

I hate to give bad reviews. In fact, I don’t think I ever have. I prefer to let the management know if I have a problem (which I rarely do), so they have the opportunity to fix the issue without pulling down a rating. But my last experience at Jinsei was pretty awful, and I just could not believe our server David.
We were there for hours for a friends birthday and spent hundreds of dollars (which is pretty easy to do at Jinsei, even if it is the Sunday special), yet David was constantly annoyed at us and would walk away while in the middle of trying to order food and drinks. I was a server for years, as was everyone at our table, and we could not believe how rude he was, while we were continually cheerful and respectful to him. At the end of the night I wanted to order 2 rolls to go to take to my husband at work. When I received the bill, the 2 rolls were not included at the Sunday special price, and when I asked about it, he said, «That’s not for to go orders.» While we had just eaten there and spent over $ 300! It’s not as if I had called in a to go order and come to pick it up. And if that’s the policy, ok, but at least tell the customers that when they ask for the last 2 rolls to go, not once you bring the rolls and the bill. I would not have ordered them had I known (they were almost $ 20 more when not on special).
For the amount you pay at Jinsei, I was shocked to get this kind of service. And what a disappointment for my friend’s birthday! I’m not expecting a free dessert with a song or anything, but to at least have someone treat you like a paying customer would be nice.
I will say, their ambiance is nice, and their Kadoma Tuna is amazing. I may order that to go someday (not on special), but other than that, I will take my busines elsewhere. I recommend Sushi Village instead, where the sushi is great and very affordable, and the servers are always friendly.

I had a fantastic experience here. I was very well taken care of at the bar and much enjoyed the sushi. I would highly recommend the watermelon mojito and shipiro roll :)

I signed up on Unilocal just to write this review.
Came by for the sole reason of knowing they were serving toro, but unfortunately only sake and hamachi toro. The excitement faded; five dollars for one piece of thin cut sashimi. Fifteen for single rolls. The rolls themselves, though description put them as fresh and exciting, are nothing but pretentious. The flavors and ingredients blended very well, but putting them in a blender and eating the outcome would have been the same experience. Nothing robust, nothing savory, and nothing that could stand on its own. Paid a very generous amount for next to nothing, but thank God for the atmosphere being lovely! Very upscale and fitting ambiance — made the hour long wait, cramped quarters, and slow service feel less like I was in Birmingham and more like I was in the ritzy part of NYC. But at least in NYC I can get a corner hotdog and feel like a person again afterwards.

First time to visit and very impressed. A small, intimate space. Interesting interior. Great service from Alex and Dakota at the bar. I ordered the black cod miso as my meal and it was delicious. A relatively small portion but delicious. Will go back. I recommend.

Best sushi in Birmingham. The rolls are very fresh and light. Also all the mojitos are very refreshing (especially blackberry and grapefruit). Great hangout spot with lovely food!

Definitively one of the best sushi in town!
In my only partially acknowledged idea on the matter, the sushi shouldn’t come freezer cold at your plate, so you can appreciate in full the actual taste of the fish, and indeed here they care about such things.
Service is professional, all the wait staff is superb!
Atmosphere is nice, but here it comes the missing 5 stars… the place is too small for the number of table they packed in!
The place is overweeningly full, and you can hardly enjoy the great food unless you manage to get an actual table instead of the boots or the bar seating.
Great place where to eat great food, not so optimal for a relaxing or private dinner

Great little option for sushi in Homewood. My friend and I were staying at the Aloft hotel down the street and decided to dine here. Unfortunately, it was super packed for a Friday night and about a 30 – 40 minute wait. It was super chilly outside but we decided to brave it and dine outside under one of the heated lamps. I was skeptical because I have always had the experience of being forgotten when dining outside. But at Jinsei, I can say that they seemed to go out of their way to check on us.
I didn’t get a chance to really peek inside but it looks very cozy and swanky. Definitely looks like a place where the young local college crowd goes to when they want to get dressed up!
We ended up ordering several «Hot dish» appetizers to start. I had the rock shrimp tempura which comes out on this big boat platter and was way more than I anticipated. It was more citrusy in taste than I expected even though on the menu it states that it comes with a «spicy aioli». My friend ordered the river rock kobe which is cool to order on a chilly night. They bring out a hot black rock and you can sear cuts of flank steak to your liking. It comes with a ponzu dipping sauce.
As for sushi, I ordered the Red Dragon which had a combination of spicy tuna, seared tuna, cucumber and spicy dressing. It comes out on a long white plate and was plated beautifully. And it was really good. I’m so glad I didn’t order more as I was full at that point.
There were so many creative rolls on the menu and if I was in the area again, I would venture back to. The service was very attentive and our glasses were always full. There is really nothing to criticize — it was a pleasant dinner.

Sleek place in a nice shopping part of town.
I really wish the shops around this restaurant didn’t close at 5 p.m. (although a couple do stay open till 7 p.m.). This is a really cute area that I would direct all out of towners to.
This is your modern, sleek, Japanese restaurant. All dark colors and simple lines. I sat at the sushi bar. There was a nice size crowd on a Tuesday night, not too empty that you wonder what is wrong with the place, but not too crowded that you don’t get a seat.
I got the Shag Roll and the Lobster Roll. Both were solid choices. I would suggest trying either.
Overall, this is a sushi place that will not disappoint.

Just a quick dinner and I was trying to be somewhat healthy. I think I did that here at Jinsei.
I started with the Chilli miso soup. This was strange. Not bad, just very different from any sort of expectation I might have had. Sure it was spicy but it had all sorts of stuff in it. Almost like a vegetable soup with a miso base.
Different and creative rolls, I don’t recall the name of the one that I chose, but I think it was tuna and salmon and avocado and maybe a tempura asparagus with a crunch on top. It was good. Decent size, but two of these would be needed to ensure of fully tummy.
This was a fancy place. Quite high end. If you’re looking to impress a date, I think you’d be hard challenged to do better than Jinsei. Because maybe not everyone likes raw fish and for those folks, there are quite a few cooked options.

This place is a $plurge. Even with their promotions, you won’t be spending less than $ 40. It adds up somewhere somehow. Get the outdoor seating because it’s just lovely. The service here is fantastic and the waiters here take great care of you.
The tuna kadoma is an appetizer you have to get. The ingredients sound unremarkable. with avacado and jalapeño peppers on top of some tuna on top of a rice cake. This combination sounds disgusting but it’s not. The sushi is fantastic. It’s about the same price as a lot of other sushi places so anything is a safe pick.