Genki Bistro

I was in town on business and was looking for something quick and this place was just down the street. I was hoping for a decently priced sushi joint, but not cheap sushi. This scratched that itch. I've eaten at some of the better sushi joints up and down the east coast and in Chicago. I don't think this can be directly compared to those. It has a decent selection of classics. The california roll is nice with the biggest pieces of crab that I've ever had. I went for the more experimental selections along the likes of reuben, hummus and olive, buffolo chicken, and the like. They were all good, but its hard to say how they rate as "sushi". They were perhaps a little heavy on cheese, but the new textures from olives and fried chicken make it worth the risk. The miso soup was great. It had some very large pieces of tofu in it for miso soup. They have a great selection of salads. They also have option for building your own roll and your own salad. They also have some other hot dishes that looked good. The ingredients are all good and if they don't have what you want, I'm sure they can make you something that you'd like. The shop has a very nice interior and clear menus. I asked if it was a local chain and the counter girl said that they were hoping it would be someday. I hope they make it. Why not a quirky sushi joint? Pros: Good portions, quality ingredients, make your own selections, interesting house selections, good soup, cheap prices Cons: Slow service for a not all that busy restaurant Pros: Experimental "sushi", good ingredients, make your own salads/rolls. Cons: Slow service more

This place is very different from most sushi bars -- they serve mostly sushi rolls and salads, with some Asian-style hot entrees. I had two rolls, a bowl of miso soup and a drink -- 16 pieces of sushi in total -- for only $10. I'm used to spending $10 or more for sushi rolls downtown, so I was surprised at the cost and was a little worried I'd be getting some small rolls, but it was just the opposite. I ended up with so much sushi I couldn't eat it all and had to take almost half home. The staff was very friendly about helping me get it in a take-out box. Some people next to me were having salads, and they looked immense. This place has good, fresh food, with big portions at low prices. They also had the best miso soup I've had in Boise and a unique Japanese caffeine-free barley tea. I'm going back to try some more of the non-traditional sushi rolls and some of the hot dishes, and would recommend it to anyone that wants healthy Japanese food but doesn't want to spend a fortune to get it. more

Service was with a smile, but terribly slow - I waited 15 minutes for a Grilled Ahi Tuna Salad. The tuna was awful, smelling and tasting far from fresh. Beside my bad experience with the food (perhaps the sushi is better) the restaurant itself was clean and roomy, and the menu options very enticing, even perhaps a little too bold (BLT sushi? maybe not tonight). If you're interested in a non-fancy place to grab some fast-food-like (think Baja Fresh) sushi or salad, this is the place for you. Prices are affordable and the quantities are moderate ($5 for a sushi roll, approximately 6 large pieces). more