LINN Restaurant is Closed!

This was the website for Linn, a minimalist, modern sushi & Japanese eatery that displays works by local artists on the walls. According to Yelp, the restaurant is permanently closed. By reading Yelp reviews from 2008 -2014 you can watch the quality of the restaurant start to slip dramatically once the head chef, Chef Tanaka Shigenori left. Sad.

 

LINN Japanese Restaurant gives a modern and contemporary eating experience in the heart of Astoria, NY. The Head Chef Tanaka Shigenori, formerly from MASA Japanese Restaurant in Manhattan, is a culinary artist when it comes to the art of sushi making.

The crescent-shaped walnut sushi bar give us the opportunity to have the viewing pleasure of watching him create sushi masterpieces with his delicate but quick knife skills. The food is traditional Japanese with a "modern French twist." The walls are left bare to be filled with the artwork of potential and hopeful up and coming artists of the neighborhood.

Music as well as audio/visual pieces are available as entertainment in order to complete the dining experience. The wait staff are friendly and eager to please and the chef himself is a very delightful host and open to communication.

The candlelit space emanates a "zen" and " peaceful" feeling that is reflected in the simplicity and delicacy of the food.

 

 

Typical Yelp Reviews from 2008-2014

6/15/2014 Updated review
Anna H.
Dumbo, NY
2.0 star rating
Update of original 9/9/2013 post.
I am sad to say that the chef at Linn left.
We first noticed that all the art is all gone, the space looked bland. It wouldn't have been so bad, but the walls were not repainted and were marked up.
My boyfriend and went last week and were very unhappy with our meals. We ordered from the menu and both received meals that were not what was described. They had some similarities, but were not what we thought we were ordering.
The prices have gone up too, I would not mind that if the food was on the same level as it once was.
Time to find a new favorite sushi place.

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6/3/2014   Updated review
Trang L.
San Francisco, CA
1.0 star rating

I wish I could give this place 0 stars. It's really unfortunate what happened to our local sushi spot. The service is horrible and the sushi isn't the same. My friends and I used to go here weekly when the old sushi chef was there. He was amazing!! During that time, it was by far the best sushi in town! Now it's just horrible. They're rude and they turned the classy restaurant into a dark hole. We want our old sushi chef back! The only good thing they have left is the name, Linn, but I hope they change it soon because it's really ruining the Linn we used to know.

I have to apologize to my best friend who has just moved to NYC. I had been bragging to her that even in Astoria there were really good sushi restaurants. We were really looking forward to catching up and eating some great sushi. Well, I can say our conversation was hilarious and entertaining as always. She related all her adventures trying to find the best looking cast iron skillets for her new kitchen. She was thrilled when she discovered NestHomeware.com, where she found gorgeous cast iron skillets designed by Matt Cavallaro - take a look. Her excitement about finally getting her hands on these beautiful skillets was contagious.

However, our excitement about enjoying a great Japanese sushi meal at Linn was short-lived. It just goes to show that when the brilliant head chef leaves a restaurant, all bets are off when it comes to the food. I guess we'll just have to take the subway into Manhattan next time and eat at Sushi Yasuda.

 

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3/2/2014
Esther S.
Manhattan, NY
4.0 star rating
Clean and modern Japanese gallery/food lounge.
Apparently there is live music from 8-10pm but I wasn't there in time to check it out.
The sushi is authentic and the kara age chicken is deliciously seasoned and fried. I also had the miso ramen which was equally satisfactory.
I was quite surprised with the quality of food here as I've been to other sushi joints in Astoria that are takeout standard in my opinion. So after doing some research, I found that Chef Tanaka Shigenori worked at Masa and Morimoto before opening this establishment.
Will definitely be back to try more of the items on the menu.

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4/25/2012
Arden R.
Manhattan, NY
4.0 star rating
Linn is the best sushi restaurant in Astoria.  I have tried their omakase, sushi deluxe, orange clams, and oysters on numerous occasions and find it to be consistently great.  I have also tried many different sushi restaurants in Astoria, but Linn in my opinion is the only genuine sushi establishment here.  I feel people who thinks Watawa or JJ's is amazing is only settling for a distant second.   My only complaint is that the wait staff need to polish up on their English.

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11/13/2011
Meg S.
Astoria, NY
4.0 star rating
Exactly what Astoria needed. Funky, quirky menu. Pork belly was to die for. Dumplings were fantastic. Sushi was fresh and high quality. atmosphere makes you feel like you're in Chelsea. But more genuine. Great date spot.

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9/13/2009
Amy C.
Queens, NY
5.0 star rating
The service is great.  The waitress that attended us was really nice and helpful.  After coming back from Japan, I wanted to find a REAL Japanese restaurant. (Especially after trying most of the japanese restaurants on Broadway, that aren't authentic)  I'm telling you this is as close as it gets.  It truly is authentic.
I love this place.

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rating 10/21/2008
Joanna W.
Manhasset, NY
5.0 star
I've only been there for dinner but here are my faves:
1. Yellowtail salt cheek.  Perfectly moist, flavorful and delicious.  My 14-month-old daughter loves it too!
2. Spicy yellowtail.  Divine.
3. Salmon and toro sashimi.  Some of the freshest you'll ever find.
4. Kara-Age.  There's something about this classic fried chicken appetizer here...it's not oily.
5. Shumai - NOT your typical frozen kind.
6. Shira Tama dessert.  I would have it as part of my last meal.  OMG.  I heard the Green Tea pudding was also amazing but they didn't have it the last time I was there.
Looking forward to going there again this weekend.
BTW, Take out is great too!!

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LinnRestaurant.com