By Lauren H. Dowdle
Photos by Untold Imagery
From its decorative trees and artwork to the authentic ingredients used in every dish, Ginza Sushi and Korean BBQ has been serving up a unique atmosphere and meals for nearly two decades. Owner Don Shin brings his background and culinary skills to the table, but it’s the relationships he builds with customers that truly creates the family-like atmosphere.
“We get a lot of compliments from customers about the atmosphere and what it offers,” Don says. “It’s a pretty natural tone that helps create a calming and relaxing environment.”
When Don moved to Birmingham more than 30 years ago, he says he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do as a career. A Korean native, Don studied at UAB and had the opportunity to work at Ichiban, a Japanese restaurant, which is when he discovered his calling to become a chef.
He went on to work at other restaurants across the city, and in 2006, he became the chef for Ginza when it opened. In November 2017, Don took over the restaurant from the previous owner and continued to bring the tastes of Korea and Japan to Inverness.
Whether he’s preparing Korean barbecue or sushi, Don uses authentic ingredients to create unique dishes that are sure to wow customers and their taste buds. The restaurant offers an array of menu items including sushi, bento boxes, Korean barbecue, teriyaki entrees, salads, noodle entrees and more. The restaurant also offers a children’s menu for less adventurous little eaters, ensuring there’s something for the whole family.
For sushi, they have classics such as the California, Philly, spicy tuna, yellowtail, crunch shrimp and spider rolls. Their specialty rolls include ones such as the panko roll that’s tempura fried with panko and has eel, crab, avocado, cream cheese and roe. They also have a Ginza special roll, which features Korean bulgogi, lettuce, pickled daikon, cucumber and Korean hot sauce.
One of their most popular sushi rolls is the yummy yummy roll, which is tempura fried and features tuna, salmon, crab, cream cheese, avocado and has a sauce on top. The volcano roll is another one of their top sellers and includes a baked spicy crab and scallop mix on top of a California roll.
“Customers always say we make our volcano rolls differently than any place else,” Don says.
Another way they stand out is with the ingredients they use. In addition to well-known ingredients like salmon, tuna and yellowtail, Ginza also incorporates rarer menu items.
Ginza is one of the only restaurants that offers ingredients such sea urchin, Japanese snapper, young yellowtail and other specialty options. The edible part of the sea urchin, known as uni, is one of Don’s favorite items on the menu.
“It’s unique by itself in that you don’t get the same type of flavor from any other type of food,” he says.
Ginza’s Korean barbecue menu includes meat options such as marinated beef short ribs, ribeye, marinated chicken, pork belly and shrimp. The chefs marinate the meat with ingredients such as a soy-sauce base, kiwi and Asian pear, which helps tenderize the meat to give it a unique flavor. There’s also a spicy option customers can choose with Korean red pepper flakes and ground-up jalapeños for those who want to ramp up the heat.
It’s not only the food that sets Ginza apart, however. Some of the tables in the restaurant feature a built-in grill, providing the perfect space for customers to relax and engage with friends and family while preparing their own food.
Guests are given marinated meat such as short rib and chicken to cook over the gas grill to their liking, and servers are also available to help. An exhaust under the table ensures guests don’t take home the smell of cooked meat.
In addition to providing them with a special cooking experience, Don says it’s also important to him and his team to create a welcoming environment. Building those relationships with customers has been the most special part about working at the restaurant through the years, he says.
“I’ve gotten to know a lot of people and their friends and family members, and I like serving people,” Don says. “Our servers also make them feel like they’re at home and being welcomed. We treat them like family.”
While the restaurant has been a staple in the community for years, there are still residents who have yet to hear about Ginza, Don says. He encourages both new and existing customers to come give their food a taste and experience all this unique spot has to offer.
“Over the years, I’ve gotten to know a lot of customers, and I want to create a family-like experience for them,” Don says. “Now, they’re bringing their kids and grandkids in. I’ve been through a lot of graduations and weddings through our customers. That’s the best part.”
Don says they want to keep adding special menu items and continue serving the favorites that customers have grown to love to keep their doors open for many years to come.
“We don’t want to get too comfortable, and we want to continue getting better about preparing for what’s coming ahead,” Don says.
Ginza Sushi and Korean BBQ is located at 5291 Valleydale Road. The restaurant is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. For more information, visit ginzabham.com.
Customers-turned-Cooks
Though Ginza’s menu has mostly stayed the same through the years, how some of the food is prepared has changed. As Korean barbecue has become more mainstream across the country, people have become more familiar with this style of cooking and what to expect, says owner Don Shin.
“When we first opened, we used to cook everything for them,” Don says. “The server would stand by them and cook the food, but over the years, customers said they wanted to cook it by themselves.”
Now, guests can cook their own marinated meat at the table just the way they like it. Part of the reason for that shift is because they like to try different portions and cook at their own pace, he says.
“They enjoy coming in with groups to talk and try and share different meats,” Don says. “The tables can fit four to six people at them.”
Even the way customers view sushi has changed and evolved, he says.
“People have become more open minded about trying new things and learning new things,” Don says. “As a chef, that’s a big plus.”
