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Ratings and reviews

RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere

Details

CUISINES
Chinese, Japanese, Sushi, Asian
Special Diets
Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options
Meals
Lunch, Dinner, After-hours
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meals, features, about
Reviews (293)
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290 results
Traveller rating
123
79
37
29
22
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Time of year
LanguageEnglish
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Traveller rating
123
79
37
29
22
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All reviews sushi pineapple chicken crab rangoon great menu an appetizer roll bing combo
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Reviewed 4 September 2023 via mobile

We used to love this place years ago. The sushi has really taken a nose dive sadly. I was scared to continue eating, just didn’t seem fresh. The service is always great though and the atmosphere is cute!

Date of visit: September 2023
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Reviewed 14 January 2023

I wrote a review for Shinbashi in 2011 when it first opened. We loved the place. The food was fresh, beautiful and delicdious. The Sushi was very good! But we've noticed over the last 3 years that our take-out quality sliding to disappointment. And, the...prices are extraordinarily high for the dismal quality of the food. Our take-out order this last Thursday was so bad that I felt I must tell you about this horrible food before you spend your hard-earned-money. We had take-out: house special rice, orange chicken, CZ roll sushi (1) i and large egg drop soup. The tab came to $63.50. The egg drop soup ($6.95) had a funny smell. It was very greasy and there were peas and carrots floating in it (?). We threw out most of it. My husband, who always orders the house fried rice, ($16.95) said his rice also smelled funny and the shrimp was actually a fake seafood substitute (threw out half the order). The CZ roll, which in the past was colorful, fresh, and tasty, was bland, drab and cost a wopping $17.95, We ended up throwing out the last two (of 8). And then their was the Orange Chicken ($16.95) which you must avoid at all costs. It was bright orangey red. The chicken pieces were long, thick, coated, deep fried, and swimming in the orangey gluey liquid. It was very tough, chewy with large strands of giristle or stringey stuff coming off in your mouth as you chewed it. The flavor was mysterious. There were a few broccoli pieces arranged around the edges of the container and not cooked with the sauce. The broccoli tasted like old broccoli should: revolting. This chicken dish was not fresh and sweet and tender as orange chicken promises but stringy, hard like a taffy with some pieces being harder to chew than others. I spent a good 20 minutes flossing after. We threw out half the order. I did have indigestion and was sick the next day. The whole meal left a very bad aftertaste .... It was like eating terrible food in a bad dream. The food that Shinbashi serves today is not the beautiful food that Shinbashi served in 2011. I swore I would never go back after we ordered sushi take-out last year, paid $95 and ended up trashing most of the order. But Shinbashi is the only Asian food around and so, suckers that we were, we had take-out again but tried to avoid the sushi. This is the worst review I've ever written about a restaurant. It makes me sad because it used to be so good. So long, Shinbashi. Cutting corners on food quality and freshness is cuttig you out of the market.More

Date of visit: January 2023
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Reviewed 6 December 2022 via mobile

We had read mixed reviews about Shinbashi, so wanted to try it for ourselves. The three of us enjoyed the atmosphere of the restaurant and the decor, and the service was good. We ordered the crab Rangoon for an appetizer (6 good-sized pieces) and the...Sushi Regular entree with salmon, all of which were delicious. The Pineapple Chicken tasted good, but the meat was a little on the dry side. The chicken lo mein combo (pictured) was very good. We were all pleased with our first visit here, and will definitely go back.More

Date of visit: December 2022
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Reviewed 12 June 2022 via mobile

Very good food. Quality was very good, quantity was very good, attractive & creative atmosphere. Staff very friendly & helpful. Our waitress was Bing, she was funny, sweet, efficient. She shaped our drink straws into a heart, even on refills.

Date of visit: June 2022
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Reviewed 8 November 2021

Good atmosphere & food. Our waitress was always in a rush, so service wasn't the greatest. Good thing the food was good. Even the drinks were excellent and different.

Date of visit: November 2021
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Reviewed 3 September 2021 via mobile

Went here on my way home from work for takeout. I ordered general tso’s and pork fried rice. I asked for extra duck sauce and received none. I live 35 minutes away so couldn’t just go back. Chicken was pretty good. Rice had too many...other things in it besides rice and pork. Plus it was bland without the duck sauce. Prices were high and portions average. Unfortunate. Will go to China hill next time.More

Date of visit: September 2021
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Reviewed 28 August 2021 via mobile

Have been coming here for years when we come up to Bar Harbor. We came in as soon as they opened at 3 with their shorter hours. Had a wonderful waitress and quick service. We started off with FRESH SPRING ROLLS with shrimp and Kani...which were out of this world…..Husband had Happy Family and 8 I had Spicy Lamb Kung Pao… Hungry now!!!!More

Date of visit: August 2021
Helpful?1  
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Reviewed 20 July 2021

Read till the end!!!!! The food and atmosphere was great as well as the wait service . Although we asked for small changes in the food like no chicken in the rice and the waiter came back to inform us that they had yelled at...him that the food was as is on the menu for a reason very disappointed. The blame is not to the waiters but to the chef’s.More

Date of visit: July 2021
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Reviewed 23 May 2021

My husband and I decided to visit Acadia off season in early May to avoid the crowds during the pandemic. We found that not many restaurants were open that early in Bar Harbor but that we could find good restaurants in Ellsworth. That was certainly...the case. Thanks to the owner of the motel we stayed at, we found Shinbashi and ordered Teriyaki chicken as take out. There was a huge amount of chicken and it came with rice and a big salad. Neither of us could finish it so we enjoyed the leftovers the next day. You can also get sushi, Japanese food, Chinese food, and Thai food. Enjoy!More

Date of visit: May 2021
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Reviewed 4 February 2021

Sometimes the food is good...other times...not so much. Order the same thing a few times and you never know what you'll get. I go there occasionally for sushi and one or two other menu items. Quality seems to vary quite a bit. It's very inconsistent....I usually get take out. They have online ordering, which works well....until you go to pick your order up. Last time I went to pick up my takeout order it was extremely disorganized. I realize that there are issues because of Covid, but there were folks ahead of me who were there to pick up their food and had been waiting for over 20 minutes for someone to come to the counter and give them their order which was sitting behind the counter getting cold. I had to wait about a half hour before someone came over to finally hand me my order. They are also pretty expensive for the inconsistent quality or their food. "Why do I go there?" you might ask. Sometimes I just need a sushi fix.More

Date of visit: January 2021
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 10 November 2020 via mobile

We had several meals and appetizers, all were delicious. The lobster stew with sweet potatoes was unique and tasty.

Date of visit: November 2020
Helpful?2  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 4 October 2020

Shinbashi is only offering take-out service due to the COVID19 restrictions, but they handled it well with almost no direct interaction with the staff. Phone in and they phone you when the order is ready. They bring your order out in a sturdy paper bag...and take care of the credit card transaction inside while you wait on their porch. Once signed, you deposit your slip in a slotted box while the clerk then hustles back inside. We ordered two meals and both were not bad, but nothing special. My General Tso's chicken dish was packed with plenty of chicken, crisp broccoli and a few pieces of green pepper. But the expected "kick" from the sauce was all but absent and the chicken was all stuck together in one welded unit that you had to pick apart with a fork and knife. The white rice was packed in a small cardboard container and it all came out in one welded lump. OK meal, but nothing out of the ordinary with a lot of room for improvement. My wife's House Special He Fun (Lobster, shrimp, chicken, beef and vegetables) was packed full and not bad at all. Again, the overall impression as one of blandness rather than a medley of wonderful flavors. We both felt Shinbashi's was a notch or two above the abysmal China Hill, the other Asian food spot in town. Ellsworth is not known for its Asian cuisine and probably won't be unless either China Hill or Shinbashi steps it up a few notches.More

Date of visit: October 2020
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Reviewed 4 August 2020

We ordered take out from this restaurant, got hot and sour soup, Vietnamese spring rolls and a house combo. The soup is the very worst I have ever tasted, and the spring rolls had some mush inside that was tasteless, the inside was like no...spring roll I ever ordered. The dinner combo was sweet and sour chicken with a pork egg roll on rice and some boneless ribs and fruit! Now this part of the order was good and edible! The fruit is a delicious touch.More

Date of visit: August 2020
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Reviewed 29 May 2020

Yup. Reliably good experience. Varied menu from Sushi to Bento Boxes to Pad Thai and everything in between and good drinks too. We eat there several times a year. One of the longer lasting establishments in Ellsworth.

Date of visit: January 2020
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Reviewed 27 May 2020

Arriving late in the evening in Ellsworth during the pandemic, we were delighted to find that Shinbashi was doing a contact free take out service. The food was ready when we arrived and the portions were plentiful. The fried rice tasted very fresh, and they...threw in a few extras like fruit and a salad on the house. The sweet-and-sour chicken was nice and crunchy and the sauce was on the side, so the chicken wasn't drowning in it. Thanks for being there for some essential workers who were on the road.More

Date of visit: May 2020
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SHINBASHI, Ellsworth - Restaurant Reviews, Phone Number & Photos - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about Shinbashi

Yes, Shinbashi offers takeaway services.

Shinbashi is rated accordingly in the following categories by Tripadvisor travellers:
  • Food: 4
  • Service: 4
  • Value: 3.5
  • Atmosphere: 4.5