Walking into Bamboo Sushi, you are greeted with a great restaurant. When I walked into Bamboo , the lights were dim, candles and cucumber water were on the table; it was the most relaxing restaurant I have ever visited.

However, you’re not greeted with a nice hostess. Whether or not you have a reservation, they still make you wait for a table. However, the wait isn’t more than 15 minutes during their peak hours. 

When you get seated at the table, you feel very relaxed due to the dim lights and lit candle. Right when you are seated, you are automatically greeted with an extremely nice waiter who pours you their famous cucumber water. I heard about this water from my neighbor when I asked her what sushi restaurants I should go to when I was new to Portland. My neighbor told me that I should go to Bamboo because of their cucumber water.  The cucumber in the water makes it extremely refreshing and helps to add to the flavor of the sushi. In addition, the cucumbers stay crisp in the water. Before you place your order a complimentary small appetizer of lightly salted edamame is presented on the table.

I prefer going during happy hour because it is cheaper compared to Bamboos’s regular menu, which can be a bit pricey.  On the regular menu green machine is 11 dollars compared to the happy hour menu, the roll is only nine dollars.

On the happy hour menu, some of the best rolls are the Green Machine roll and the Northwest Philly roll. The Northwest Philly is salmon, cream cheese and avocado. In addition, this roll is tempura fried and has a special eel sauce. Even though I love the Northwest Philly Roll, my favorite is Green Machine. Green Machine contains tempura fried long bean and green onion and a delicious cilantro sweet chile aioli sauce.  This roll is a good combination of sweet and savory between the sweet chili sauce and avocado.

I have heard Mio Sushi compared to Bamboo all the time, but Mio Sushi doesn have the relaxing setting like Bamboo, and the sushi at Mio is not as good as the sushi at Bamboo, because Mio does not have the special sauces. Furthermore, the rolls at Mio are just your typical traditional sushi compared to the ones at Bamboo.

If you are looking for a “go to” sushi restaurant, I would highly recommend Bamboo Sushi. Even though it can be a little on the pricier side, the dining experience, quality of food and variety of food is worth it.