Shimogamo

The BEST in the Valley. Another great Friday lunch! Fresh fish, fantastic selection, great service. We just love this place!

My husband called shimogamo to order a take out order (4 rolls to be exact) on a typical Thursday evening around 6. The person he spoke to told him that they were «too busy» to do take out orders. He proceeded to tell them that it was his wife’s birthday and she really wanted sushi from shimogamo (which was true). They shot him down and no they are «too busy» I have NEVER experienced a restaurant denying a customer. Especially one that will not come into the restaurant and take up a table and their wait staffs time. I’m so perplexed and bothered by this situation. They have definatly lost a sushi obsessed customer. Plain and simple shimogamo needs new management so they are not «too busy» to take take out order.

Loved the experience. Tried two specials: White truffle Amberjack and some fancy Oysters. Also had their Shishito peppers, beef tongue, a special lightly torched roll, the black cod, some tobiko w/​quail egg and two things of hot sake.
Zach/​Erin great time.

Came in on a Monday night and wanted to order a soup to take out. There was about maybe 7 customers inside and there was a lot of empty seats. Walk in the door and an older guy smiled and I said I wanted to order something to go, right away he said they cannot accept take outs for they are busy (which it doesn’t look like they are busy at all). Hate to give a bad review but I am disappointed :(

Must be a HOT SPOT… I tried calling for take out, serving for a party of 10ppl, but the person who answered said «sorry, we’re so busy, we can not take your order at this time» KABUKI is our normal GO TO, just found this place was closer to home and would give it a try… NOT HAPPENING! (Wouldn’t even give 1 star, since we didn’t get to try)

This place is awesome. Been here several times. Get there early because it fills up. They have great happy hour prices. I have had jellyfish on their specials menu and it was great. Also, I forget the name of them, but they have a Japanese Oyster that it awesome. This is my favorite place for sushi in the Phoenix Valley. Never had a bad experience, but I have shown up a little late without a reservation and been told that they are full for the rest of the night.

How nice to have such an elegant Japanese restaurant so close to home. The food and ambiance was five star. I took my son who loves all things Japanese and who has recently been to Japan out to dinner for winning first place at the 9^th grade science fair (Yay!!). This was a night we will remember. He ate a disturbing amount of food and loved all of it: spicy potstickers and 3 kinds of sushi along with Mochi vanilla ice cream for dessert. I had tofu vegetable soup and green tea. So nice on a cold rainy night. Don’t miss out!

Came here with the family while on vacation in AZ. We love Japanese food, especially sushi. The food was GREAT, service was GREAT and it was a quiet little restaurant which is always a bonus. We were a party of 6 and we got our own little area that was a little more isolated, which I loved. I’d recommend this place to all Japanese food and sushi lovers!

This has been a staple for our sushi fix for the past few years however we were basically turned away this evening because they were full and had several table reservations.
This leaves a little sour taste in our mouths as we recommend this place often to our friends.
The food is great and decently priced especially during happy hour, but beware, you may be turned away, so have a plan B.
We came back another day and it was closed. There was a paper sign stating that it was closed for the day (Jan. 24)

Service was quick and speedy. As soon as I finished a dish, another one immediately on its way to my table. The sushi (spicy tuna, salmon, crazy roll) was excellent, and I noted how the rice was shorter and plumper than normal. Delicious.
The tofu dish we received was also excellent. A good balance of sweet and salty, with a nice soft center.
Interiors are nice, dim ambient lighting. The place is intimate with not many tables and seats.
I would definitely come back for my second meal.

Best place I’ve eaten at in a long time. Found this place last minute and I’m glad we took a chance. The happy hour menu is great I ordered a fried chicken thing and it was tasty. Coming back for more very soon.

I’ve always wanted to check this place out because I’ve heard such great reviews from everyone I know. So I finally decided to go…
As we walked in I remember saying to myself, man I expected this place to be bigger, but it had a nice cozy feel to it in my opinion and the décor was nice. Never being here before we just kind of stood by the door til someone finally greeted us and took us towards the back, a lonesome 2 top. Lol As much as I can eat I was thinking this table definitely isn’t going to be big enough but guess we will see!
I ordered for us,
BBQ Beef tongue– pretty delicious for being a tongue off an animal esp with the sea salt and lemon juice they give you.
UNI sashimi– super delicious and sweet, melted in my mouth.
Big and spicy roll– pretty yum but not my favorite
Baby Lobster and Crab salad– super delicious and pretty decent amount of meat.
White Truffle Amberjack– mild flavor, not fishy
And a few other things I can’t remember…
Service was nice and friendly, but definitely kind of slow, but I was too busy eating to really notice for the most part.

Excellent sushi, clean cut and friendly staff, clean & warm environment. a hidden gem. Perfect for a date.
Prices are on the higher side. Service? Asi asi. Please refill my iced green tea

Well, 473^rd meal at Shimogamo… Chef Zach and Chef Aaron continue to surprise me with their creation. Last night Chef Aaron delighted me with his version of Chirashi as well as the best Ankimo I’ve had there in it’s eleven year history (the texture was exquisite)…& unfortunately they ran out. Today at lunch Chef Zach surprised me with Pompano prepare Karage style with perfect blend of seasonings as to not overpower such a delicate butterfish. It was superb, with each meal always better than the next!
If you’ve never tried it then you are missing out on this hidden sushi gem of the best in North America. But don’t believe me, let your taste buds decide for you!

The sushi chef Aaron made my trip here one of my fondest sushi experiences. He created 2 masterpieces that I won’t forget — seared tuna with butter garlic sauce. And. Yellowtail sushi handroll filled with lime juice. Perfection.
Great little restaurant.

I LOVE this place, the sushi is awesome! Go here for happy hour and get a great deal on some awesome sushi. If you order the happy hour specials you can have a nice meal for about $ 20 but it is easy to get tempted and spend more.

I’ve heard it said that there’s no such thing as good seafood in Arizona. While I can certainly understand the logic behind this reasoning, a worthy and notable exception has been found in Shimogamo.
Shimogamo has carried my personal label of «Best Sushi in Arizona» for well over a year now. I’ve tried plenty of other sushi restaurants, including a number that have been touted as «the best» by friends, but Shimogamo consistently wins out in my personal opinion.
The restaurant wins a five star review across all relevant categories of scoring, too: it’s not just the food that’s outstanding; it’s the service, the consistent quality, the ambiance.
I could still recount every detail from the very first time I ever stepped foot in Shimogamo. I fact, it was Unilocal that led me there! VERY rarely does ANY place make such a distinct and pleasurable impression.
Every time I’ve ever walked through the front door, I have been calmly and kindly greeted by the owner. He is quiet and polite and seems somewhat disaffected, but in a very gentlemanly sort of way. You can tell that he takes his business very seriously.
The interior is small but classy; quiet, but in a calming way. All surfaces are consistently pristine and dirty dishes are removed from your area almost as quickly as you can create them.
The sushi chefs are consistently cheerful and talkative, humorous and professional as well. Tonight I saw my favorite, Zach, as usual (I think he might live there), but also had the good fortune of meeting and being served by Josh, a four-​day-​young addition to the chef team.
As always, the food was superb. Josh was fun to talk to, very funny, and a very capable sushi chef as well. I’m sure he’ll be around for a long time. Zach came over to make conversation occasionally, too. Point being: Shimogamo feels like home.
If there is one place that I am consistently EXCITED to tell people about and introduce friends to, it’s Shimogamo. I honestly can’t believe I haven’t reviewed it sooner!
The food is somewhat pricey, but I have never been happier to fork over some $$$ for anything. Besides, they have a great Happy Hour menu for not-​rich people like myself! ;)
If you haven’t been to Shimogamo, you need to check it out for yourself. If you HAVE been, I don’t know why you’ve read this far, because you already know all this first-​hand!
Well done, Shimogamo (Zach, Josh, and the rest of you)! Thank you for always being SO well worth the drive, the time, and the cost. Keep it up! And I’ll keep sending new customers your way.

Sushi rolls for the connoisseur (if there is such a thing). Shimogamo’s home in an Asian focused strip mall is a good indication that this place is the real deal. Another indication is the need for a reservation, its a good idea to call ahead. The only thing that did not feel authentic was the service with a smile, the service was impeccable.
The food:
— The pan fried dumplings are obviously made in-​house to order. The flour dough wrapping had crispy edges and tasty filling. Yum!
— The Big N’ Spicy Roll was delicious and the spiciest roll I have ever had. I am pretty hardcore when it comes to heat and I would call this medium.
— The Salmon Skin Roll is a little off the beaten path, again these were the best I have had anywhere bar none (e.i. Japan/​Hawaii/​CA/​FL…). I don’t know if they shaved the skin, but it was crispy and oily (omega-​3) almost like bacon (not-​omega-​3).
The table also shared a Roasted Roll, California Roll and a Futomaki Roll. All of which were well made with fresh ingredients. If you are going to try sushi once, try it here. Just call ahead!

I love sushi. And not that trendy americanized sushi that seems so popular these days. I like fresh fish that’s not drowning in sauce, which hides its flavor, that is true to Japanese style sushi. The vast majority of sushi places I have tried are americanized.
Not this place. I am so glad I read thru the reviews of this place and that it’s only a few miles away from me now.
Tucked into the corner of a strip mall, sharing a bathroom with the C-​Fu Gourmet, this place is very unassuming looking and simple. We were surprised to show up at 515pm on a Tuesday (they open at 5) and already most tables were filled.
The décor and ambiance was perfect. Music was a jazzy fusion feel and it was nice and dark colored with light accents.
We sat in the back room, feeling like mobsters doing a business deal. The center of this room has a huge family style table with a classy beaded drape that could be used as separaters.
On the wall was a classy sign showing their specials. When I asked our server about it, she explained, without prompting, which fish was freshest and how a couple specials are cooked. Just with that, this place got 5 stars from me and I hadn’t even tried their food yet.
Side note for people with dietary restrictions: I have Celiac Disease and I am 100% gluten free so everything I ate or drank is gluten free. See the end of the review for my glowing gluten free/​cross contamination review.
I ordered a plum wine that came in a beautiful little glass that forces you to enjoy the wine, not suck it down. In other words, you refill this tiny thing from a carafe that holds the full glass.
I also tried some of my husbands house sake he got with the expectation that it would be the normal bitter taste, like usual, and no. It wasn’t bitter at all! It actually had a sweet ending! I was blown away.
We started with a nice fresh seaweed salad.
We ordered what was inherently gluten free, staying away from any imitation krab or breaded/​fried items.
We ordered:
Alaska roll — snow crab was used and copper river salmon — smoky, awesome crab with a slightly citrus taste. Not jam packed with a ton of ingredients or sauce. SO AMAZING. Expensive but damn worth it.
Spicy salmon — smoky and spicy
Philly roll — strong cream cheese but good like that
Citrus roll — very good balance of acidity and spice with a fresh ending
Uni was super fresh and creamy. Uni is normally creamy, but this was the ULTIMATE creamy. I don’t think I’ve ever had such fresh uni.
We ended the evening with green tea ice cream for myself and red bean for the hubs. Excellent as usual.
I have held off on writing this a couple days… I typically go to sushi with the expectation that I likely will get some sort of glutening due to how many places that use non-​gluten free soy sauce in their sauce mixes.
I was never glutened at all. No reaction. This could mean 2 things: 1) they use gluten free soy in their mixes or 2) they don’t use soy sauce at all in their sauce mixes. I’m betting on that they don’t use soy sauce at all and leave it to you to add it when eating if you wish.
Add all that together… amazing food, amazing ambiance, not getting glutened… I would give this place 10 stars if I could.
Totally worth the cost. Go here if you love sushi.

Goodness. I can’t understand what took me so long to find this place. The sushi is remarkably good. The rest of the food is visually stunning and delicious. The décor is nice for the limited size of the restaurant and the service was excellent. Pricewise you’re going to spend more than your typical sushi place but when you factor in the quality you’re getting a great value.
I’d recommend the gyoza for an appetizer and as much sushi as you can handle. I look forward to coming back here multiple times to have a full sampling of the menu.