Golden Gai

We took my mom to Golden Gai for her birthday. She loved it and had a great time.We were happy to find the foods that we loved so much in Japan earlier this year. The shrimp tempura was our favorite. The shrimp were huge and we loved the sauce that went with them. So flavorful! We also really enjoyed the gyoza (dumplings), spicy tuna roll and udon noodles with chicken.While we were dining, we were talking about the dishes we had and asking questions about things that were slightly different. The sushi chef heard us and told us more about the food and why it was done the way they do it. It was very interesting and he seemed like a great guy.There were so many good dishes and drinks on the menu that we'll definitely be back to try more things.

I love an izakaya, so I am glad Golden Gai opened in Bakery Square! I love the atmosphere, very dark and cool and resembles the long alleyways of izakayas in Japan. We tried a bunch of items. The fish pieces on the nigiri were huge, great value and pretty fresh. The drinks menu was gorgeous and I enjoyed the ones we tried. I loved one of the specials, which was a torched hamachi. Also enjoyed the crispy tuna rice and the cucumber. The vegetables dish was so salty it was pretty inedible to me, so I'd skip it. Service was good, though my water glass was left empty for a while and I felt like I had to beg for water, which coupled with some salty dishes was a bit disappointing. I think they could work out some kinks and if so, the atmosphere, drinks, and food could make it one of the top spots in Pittsburgh.

After seeing so many posts on instagram, it was added to my list of places to try in Pittsburgh. I will say I am not a seafood/sushi girl. But they still had a lot of options for me. I went with my friend who loves sushi and she said it was amazing and she will be going back to try more of the sushi. For starters we got spicy cucumbers, ginger salad, and my friend got the miso soup. I was not expecting the ginger salad to come out like it did, but I absolutely loved it. Then I got the gyoza which were amazing, the dipping sauce was good. There is also Japanese spicy mustard and a little goes a long way. My friend got the fatty tube and scallop nigiri. She also got the yakimeshi-fried rice which has pork belly in it. And I got the yaki udon- fried udon noodles with chicken. We sat at the bar and I loved that we got to watch them cook! The service was good. It was small in there so I see why you need a reservation.

Whenever I go to a much-hyped restaurant, I always walk in a little skeptical, but Golden Gai won me over big time. We came here to celebrate my husband's birthday and decided to share several things off of the menu. We started with spicy cucumbers - a dish I order at almost any Asian restaurant that offers - and these were the best I have ever had. The sweet, sour, and spice flavors were perfectly balanced. For sushi, we tried the toro and salmon nigiri, and the rickrolld at the suggestion of the sushi chef. All were excellent - the fish was high quality and fresh, and the pickled jalapeños and wasabi on the roll rounded out the flavor without being overwhelming. Some of the best sushi in the city. We also tried the tuna on crispy rice (delicious!), fried udon noodles (the mushrooms were amaaaazing), and the tempura shrimp which was a unique but tasty take on the dish. We ended with the matcha misu - I loved that the matcha flavor was light and didn't overpower the light creaminess of the dessert. Service was very friendly and knowledgeable. Sexy and hip vibes inside - dim lighting and good hip hop playing. My only wish is that we would have had one of the higher counter seats but we already have plans to go next week, so maybe I will get lucky then!

Golden Gai has the best sushi I've had in Pittsburgh! We ordered edamame, miso soup, salmon nigiri, California roll (real crab!), spicy tuna rice cakes, and pork belly fried rice. The spicy tuna rice cakes were the star of the show!!! We ended up ordering a second round instead of going to dessert. Although the menu isn't marked with allergens, the waitstaff were extremely knowledgeable, willing to double check, and offered to make changes to dishes to accommodate if needed. All of the sauces made in house are gluten free and they have tamari for sushi. The decor is a vibe. A pro of the layout is that you can watch the staff work while you're eating, but you will smell a bit like fried food when you leave. The inside is pretty narrow/small with mostly bar seating. There are a few tables for 4 in the back. Unless you get a table for 4, I wouldn't recommend coming with more than 2 people. Also I would highly recommend a reservation since it's a small restaurant!

Wonderful place to enjoy some Japanese real food in Pittsburgh. Nice ambiance great customer service and unique options for Japanese Sake by the glass. Great dinner menu a definitely a come back...C.

Very cool feel to this restaurant. Had a late night dinner that started with drinks, we got the kappa. The drink was a nice creamy rum and coconut drink. Next we sampled some of the rolls. For a main dish, we split the miso cod. It was amazing. Delicate, crispy, flaky, moist fish and excellent savory and sweet flavo. Service was a bit odd, we spent a good amount of time waiting and it seemed based on the layout (long rectangular bar and few tables) that they take orders at random rather than who got there first. Overall would return again as all of the dishes we had were delicious!

One of the best meals I've had in a while! The vibes of Golden Gai are unmatched, it doesn't even feel like you're in Pittsburgh. It gives a really exclusive feel, I love it! It's all counter seating facing the bar & kitchen so you get to watch all of the action which was really entertaining. There are about 30 seats in total. Our server was awesome and was really knowledgeable about the menu, especially since this was only their fourth day open for dine in service. We started with steamed soybeans and cocktails. I can't remember what my cocktail was called but it was delicious. Next, my husband and I each ordered a sushi roll. I had the spicy tuna and he had the spicy scallop. We both agreed this was probably one of the sushi rolls we've had in Pittsburgh. The seasonal fried rice was incredible - I loved the pork belly and the runny yolk egg. We also had the fried chicken - amazing. Perfectly battered and fried. It comes with a gravy that I could drink LOL. We ended the evening with the soy brownie topped with miso caramel. I could smell it cooking and it smelt so amazing that I knew I had to order it. Absolutely fantastic. It's topped with freeze dried vanilla ice cream that I have never had before and it was almost like whipped cream. Overall, absolutely incredible experience at Golden Gai and cannot wait to return!!!

I had been waiting for over a year to check out this place and I couldn't wait to go for my anniversary dinner recently. Before I dive into my review, I'd like to preface that with my experience working in top Japanese restaurants and growing up with Japanese cuisine for almost every meal, I had high expectations for a place selling itself as a high-end Japanese Restaurant. My partner and I had a great time and our service was amazing. The interior and drinks are a solid 10/10 but it was the food that fell short for me. It felt weird to have my favorite dishes growing up westernized, such as the Karaage tasting like boneless wing bites than authentic Karaage. There was way too much breading, seasoning, and it was served with a a southern gravy (?). The Wagyu was really pretty but the sauces from different Asian flavor profiles tasted off. For the price, I was expecting the fattiest cuts of Otoro and got one of the lower, leaner cuts instead. The best dish of the night was the Izakaya MP fish which was delicious. Again, I liked my experience but the gentrification of most of the dishes is what fell flat for me. It might be because I was looking forward for such a long time to try Pgh's first high end Japanese restaurant but I'll stick to the Mom and Pop shops around here instead. Also for such high prices I was expecting authentic foods but these dishes were good as American Japanese dishes. We had fantastic service thanks to our server Julie. All in all, definitely check it out but if you're looking for a Nobu style experience, I fear we are still miles from that. I would highly recommend their drinks though!

We went yesterday on their opening day for dine in. The space inside is primarily taken up by bar seating with two little tables for four in the back. We ordered basically half the menu and family styled it all. While the sushi was pretty good, especially the Golden Roll, the real standouts to me were the hot dishes! That miso cod was one of the best things I ate all year and that rock shrimp was delightful. We had to order all three desserts on the menu, of course. I do wish the matcha miso had a stronger matcha flavor but absolutely adored the chocolate brownie and the tropical fruit parfait tasted like summer. The service was lovely and various members of the staff stopped by to see how we were doing and how we liked everything.