Review Mr Lin's Sushi And Thai - Cape Town Central

As always, great experience. Book ahead of time even on Monday’s as Mr Lins has all the large tables reserved. If you walk in around 4pm you might be able to grab a seat. Small intimate so not a lot of seating, perfect vibe thanks to that. Japanese hot pot’s and sushi here is fantastic. Well priced too. Favorite sushi spot hands down. Oh yes and the sushi is ALWAYS fresh!!

Decided to have supper for my birthday at Mr Lin's. Must say the food was delicious, perfect portion sizes and affordable. Lovely music and beautiful presentation. The only issue was that no one was present to seat us however the staff assisted after I gestured to seat myself. I ordered Shiumai and Traditional steamed dumplings for starters which was absolutely yummy and goes perfect with the complimentary Chilli and Soy. As an extra, I ordered Salmon platter as I've been feeling for sushi and I must say ... it hit the spot. For mains, I had the Classic Japanese soup Ramen ( Pork ) was just divine and so so so filling. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone and I will be visiting again 😊

Food was delicious! Definitely try their sushi (The Bomb was in fact the bomb😊). Ample seating for the tiny space it occupies however I am sure that it gets quite full during peak weekend times and rightly so. Food is affordable and portion sizes are perfect. We've been searching for a place to have a hotpot for ages and Mr Lin offers a delicious one (where you are not required to book in advance). Added a few photos (sorry my Insta-worthy talent was lacking on the day due to the need to stuff my face!)

Mr Lin's never disappoints and is my go-to whenever I have a sushi craving. The quality of the sushi is of a really high standard, always fresh and oh so tasty. The waiting time is a bit long but it is worth the wait. Service is also friendly.

The food was absolutely amazing. I ordered the prawn combo no5 and pork belly spring rolls. Everything was fresh and just pure quality. I am so happy I came here. The service doesn’t compare to a fine dining experience, however they do their very best considering how affordable the food is. Love love love! Thank you for serving great food. Your fellow foodie🙏

Mr Lin’s has restored my faith in the “Hidden Gem” theory. It’s so difficult to find authentic eateries in Cape Town that don’t use said title as justification to overprice their meals. But Mr Lin’s, at incredibly low prices comparatively, served us some of the best Pork Char Sui Ramen I’ve ever had the pleasure of consuming - with house made noodles. My partner, had an equally tasty Pad Thai. 10/10 would recommend

Simply delicious from start to finish. We had the dim sum platter to start. I had pork egg fried rice and my husband had pork belly chilli Tokyo ramen both were full of flavour and perfectly prepared. We can’t wait to go back! FYI - the board outside said “Take-always from 17:00

I found this great place on a whim while scrolling on instragram and I’m so glad I made the choice to go! I had been search for a great local sushi place and Mr Lin’s is exactly! The restaurant is well located in Observatory, the actual setup of the restaurant is great (I would advise reserving a table in advance to avoid disappointment as it get full) and they also do take out. I had the sushi special of the day (there are daily specials) and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and healthy portions of the the food. Price wise is it more than reasonable, I paid an average of R7/ piece of sushi. My friend had the dumplings alongside sweet and sour chicken with rice and quite enjoyed their meal. Service was average (7/10) and the again, the ambience was good. Mr Lin’s also seem unaffected by loadshedding (for those who know the struggle 😂). Overall great place, I’ll definitely be going back and try everything else on their menu :)

Mr Lin was my favourite Sushi and take out place when I was in Cape Town. The quality is so amazing and their portion sizes are very generous. I really do recommend it. I cannot wait to pay them a visit when I go back.

It was such a great pleasure to have visited this restaurant. Everything was beyond expectations, I really enjoyed the real Thai foods. I will surely be back!!!

Wow, what delicious food at a reasonable price. The service is great and the wait staff knowledgeable and helpful. The noodles are made at the shop and you can tell. I would recommend this experience to anyone and everyone.

Outstanding food quality, the only problem is that there is so much to choose from that you can’t decide what to eat first and it will definitely require multiple visits to get to experience everything they have to offer. NB: Check out their daily offers for some great combo deals.

Amazing food! Will definitely be back! They even did a special meal for my fussy 5 year old! Great value for money!

I think this place is so authentic. It's situated in the busy lower main road of Observatory, small but packed with character. It can be easily missed but once found, you'll never be able to ever miss it again 😁. The staff, especially James, is so friendly and really offer great service. There is a waiting time but it is so worth it because everything is so fresh and delicious 😋😋😋. My favourite is the pork fried dumpling 🥟 and the sweet and sour chicken 🐔with fried rice 🍚. It's really value for money and great service included. I'd recommend this place highly on any day. Definitely worth a try 👍👌.

I sing this place praises whenever someone asks for good sushi places. The platters are really good value for money and I’m yet to find a place with as good vegetarian sushi, definitely recommend.

such good food. SO tasty and really well priced. also very good, friendly service!

We're visiting from Durban and this is honestly the best sushi ever! Service a bit slow, which doesn't make the buffet deal worthwhile as you wait for orders to come to the table, unlike places with a working sushi bar. But food is yummy 👍

This is a very cute little restaurant and the food isn’t bad. But the service I received on 10/02/2018 was a bit worrying. The waitress was rather rude and didn’t really worry about us waiting 30min+ for drinks and 2 hours almost for food.

Good place food was awesome we had the buffet and we tasted a lot of there dishes was so worth it

Highly recommend this joint if you looking for amazing sushi at reasonable prices .

One Word... #Buffet #Buffet #Buffet Okay said it 3 times but thats because it's worth it. I truly enjoyed the Sushi. Ncebakazi is thee best hostess too. Definitely coming back.

I really enjoyed my time at Mr Lin's Thai and Sushi. The sushi and Thai food is amazing. I loved it. Every bite is worth it �

Pretty much the best Asian spot in Cape Town. I've got love in my tummy ���

Beautiful little corner of Obs. Sushi is out of this world and worth waiting for.

The service is terrible if you're sitting down. Rather call in or do uber eats. Waitress on duty (10/02/2018) has a terrible attitude!

One of my favorite spots. Great service, best sushi and amazing karaoke!

Amaze balls... Egg fried Noodles and Sushi from Mr Lins was the highlight of my weekend.

Wonderful service and the sushi was fantastic, also a lovely vibe towards the evening time! I'll definitely be coming back for more.

The sushi was fresh and amazing! Will definitely come back here again! :)

Food was great and I love the usual so feeling like I was in an Asian Bar was absolutely amazing ♡

Always feel welcomed and love the Sushi fusion thing. Great sushi

Best sushi � in Cape Town!!!

Still the better sushi place in Obs. If you looking for a great vib!

Lovely and fresh food :) Also, very affordable prices. Great for the student budget.

Home away from home!

A true little hidden GEM! Went here on Saturday afternoon. The service was fast and friendly. The atmosphere was light and warm. The sushi was absolutely incredible! I had the number 5 salmon platter. It was ridiculously fresh, delectable and I couldn't get enough! Polished my plate and even had a few bites off of my boyfriend's plate! Very reasonably priced and I will definitely be back very soon!

Absolutely delicious Pad Thai. Although I haven’t been to the restaurant itself, I have had a take away and not only was it quick, the portions were huge and the food was incredibly tasty. I will be back again. No question.

The quality of the service was appalling. It took 15 minutes for a waitress, who was staring at us, to come get our drinks order. The food was average at best. I will definitely not be paying another visit in the future.

Tried a salmon platter and the Crispy Duck. Crispy duck was amongst the best I've had in Cape Town, although the accompanying sauce could be improved. Duck portion is massive, and real value for money. Very small venue, and few staff, so don't get expect instant service, but they are friendly and helpful when asking for recommendations. If you aren't from Cape Town and don't know the area, you might like to know that parking close by might be tricky, so better to park around the corner and enjoy the walk. Sushi was fresh and tasty. A trip to the restrooms will however prove to be interesting, because the back of the restaurant appears to still be part of a house which looks abandoned.

Great food at an awesome price! Sushi is well-made and the rice cooked to perfection. Thai sweet-and-sour sauce is delicious! Restaurant is very scantily decorated, but has a welcoming atmosphere. Give it a shot.

Pleasantly surprised! A sushi haven in Obs! Hungry and craving sushi, my friend and I were bummed to find that our favorite sushi joint wasn't open on Sundays (Some of you might know where I'm talking about ;-) ). So we decided to try out Mr Lin's for the first time. The sushi was FANTASTIC, we had platter N for R270, its about 44 pieces of different types of s<br/>ushi, it was fresh tasting, very beautifully presented, and the price was super reasonable. the only downer was that our waitress was totally uninterested in us and the place although clean and neat, had a very pungent smell of cooking oil (you get used to it after awhile).<br/><br/>Other than that I'm looking forward to returning soon!<br/><br/>16/7 - Back again last night 4th time since I initially wrote this review, the service has definitely improved, since my 1st visit. The sushi is STILL AMAZING! I've ditched my previous Sushi joint all together. Shout out to Kazi, one of the best waitresses around, she really is a gem!

Had a lovely lunch at Mr Lin's. Waitress was friendly, sushi fresh. And I would definitely recommend the platters. Well worth it price. Far cheaper than in JHB.

Delicious pad thai noodles! We received friendly service with a smile. My boyfriend thought that the sushi mayo was a bit sweet and excessive, but depends on your taste.

So I have a child.A two year old terrorist phenom who's gentle persona and kindred spirit is indescribably reversed the minute his two little feet hit the boundaries of any eatery or establishment of similar stead.Mr. Lins caters for this type of pseudo-lunacy in an extraordinary way. It was a normal Tuesday for myself and my sleep-deprived girlfriend. After changing our sons nappy 12 times, trying to force him to sample a host of vegetables slathered in any substance within grasp to mask the vegetable taste and crying in the shower for 45min (us, not him), we decided to cut our losses and head to lower main road in Obs to attempt to shirk our parental duties to some unwilling server.We popped into mr Lins, whose décor seemed to mimic that eccentric middle-class aunt you so often visit with a strange fetish for oriental furnishings. With a host of Asian finishing's and clashing portraits of mid dynasty peasantry looking individuals, we had a seat in the back room, which was supposedly the "Karaoke room" whereupon the brandished us with two microphones for the singing, both of which failed to operate. The greasy, sorry looking Mic's smelt of deprived pubescent teenagers and drunken middle-aged men's failed dreams, however my son didn't mind and proceeded to wail into this instrument like a thousand dying whales would sound had they been put through a wood chipper.Despite the tumultuous din and erratic behaviour (my girlfriend, not son) the server was friendly and polite, even going so far as entertaining my son by pulling an assortment of grotesque faces and attempting some childspeak which did nothing more than confuse our already bewildered devil child.I opted to go for the Buffet, which although not competitively priced at R159, is still a bargain considering the mass of sushi I eat in preparation for winter months. My son had two vegetable spring rolls ordered for him, and my girlfriend went with her usual 9 x double gin and tonics.The food came out and we were pleasantly surprised. Generous portions and tasty salmon with fresh rice grazed our pallets and most of the floor as my two year old demon child decided to pursue the career of a bowler and equated my salmon roses to cricket balls, which actually improved the décor. Desert was included and my banting, vegetarian, non-carb consuming, gluten-free girlfriend opted for fried banana in pastry and chocolate springrolls, much of which was pawned off to me after only one bite as she was "on a diet" and "cant eat desert" and "why do you always try and make me fat, you don't love me, I need another gin".After letting the dragon rolls and hot-rock salmon sushi settle, we watched our spawn pester and harass the other patrons helping dissuade them from ever having children of their own, we settled the reasonably priced bill and went on our merry way. knowing that the two year old bundle of violence and angst would put his little head asleep and dream of new adventurous ways to torture us in the future.In closing, nice little getaway, good sushi, good pricing and friendly service.Décor still haunts meMy Karaoke still haunts the other patrons

I'm on a mission to find the best affordable sushi in CT, so naturally Mr Lin's inexpensive menu drew me. It's good! The restaurant is clean, service is friendly and efficient, and my tom yum soup and various rolls of sushi weren't bad at all. Such great value for money. I'd recommend it if you're in the area, but would travel specifically to Obs just to go there.

Amazing sushi and Chinese food. I loved the vibe and how fresh the fish used in the sushi are. The prices are reasonable. This little sushi shop is a place that I will often come back to💜

Typical cute little spot at the corner. Service was very quick and efficient. The vibe was relaxed and enjoyable. Food was good although sushi a bit soggy but it was overall a good experience.

So like most sushi places this is a very small venue in Observatory with only 11 small tables.<br/><br/>There was one waiter. I was greeted when I entered. I would say the service was as good and friendly as most places.<br/><br/>They had 2 special menus. The one with discounted rates to the main menu and a all as you can eat special. R129 per person for a group of 8 and more and R159 per person for less than 8 people. The only limitation was only one order of Shashimi which is four pieces.<br/><br/>The sushi was good and I found the fashion sandwiches especially nice!

We have just had the best sushi in Cape Town! Mr Lin's is a small restaurant in vibey Observatory. The staff are super helpful, well spoken and friendly. The all you can ear buffer is really good value for money as it include Thai dishes, sushi and dessert. Parking can be an issue, so come with small change for the car guards down the back streets. But don't let that put you off - it's worth the visit.

...what an awesome find this was! We had the best food I've had in AGES!! Service was excellent, food was awesome :) Cannot find a single thing to fault!

The sushi is fresh and really up to top standard yet the prices are much more affordable than competing outlets, whom I am of the opinion over charge.  I guess Mr Lin's proves my point.<br/>I will definitely be returning to try the rest of the menu.<br/><br/>Been back since. Had some of the Thai options as recommended by our waiter. Superbly balanced dishes that are super tasty and incredibly well priced.

This is the best Asian restaurant in South Africa. I go here every week and have ordered nearly every single dish on the menu. It is so good you will come back weekly, if not daily. Cannot recommend any other restaurant more highly. If you like Asian food or sushi you will NOT be disappointed.

Best Chinese food in Cape Town. Everything is great but I would recommend the soups which are phenomenal. The restaurant has also been recently renovated which sorts out the only issue with the place. A must try in observatory.

I love it. The bottomless sushi deal is amazing they have the freshest sushi. The setting is great & so is the service. I'm a big fan of sushi & trust this is worth it, the best in Obs!

Went with a group of 6 friends(later 7) to Mr Lin's.  Left infuriated and extremely dissapointed. We were told that all of our individual orders of the buffet would come together, not seperately, which we accepted even though with some effort our order could have come seperately.<br/><br/>That was a minor issue though. The real issue was that it took two and a half hours and our full order had still not arrived. Initially we had to wait an hour for some sushi to come, but it was only 2 different dishes of about 10 different dishes of varying portions that we ordered! We had to wait about 40 minutes in between getting small portions of our orders! We kept asking the waiter when ALL of our order was coming, to which he always replied "very soon".<br/><br/>How can a restuarant make people wait over 2 and a half hours for their food, and not even that, but bring their food out in seperate small portions every 40 minutes or so? I have never experienced such bad service at a restaurant.<br/><br/>We still paid in full, recieved no apology, and felt extremely frustrated, dissapointed, and overall, ripped off.<br/><br/>When we looked around the restuarant, hardly anyone had food on their table. This is disgraceful. This place needs new management, and a total rework of their service. Terrible.

This is probably my new favourite sushi place. I know they've been in that spot for aaaages, and in sure I ate there once years ago, but when I spontaneously went to grab some Thai takeout a couple weeks ago (which was FANTASTIC by the way), I learned about their new 'all you can eat' option, and had to go back to try. We went last night, and I thoroughly enjoyed. The sushi was great and super fresh and tasty, with a few variations on the regular combinations, which I really appreciate. I also had Thai again as part of the offer - which was amazing, once again (chicken pad Thai FTW). They also have a back room where you can do karaoke. Definitely going back!

A sushi craving hit late last night and unexpectedly we ended up at Mr. Linn. He was the only one still serving at that time. The sushi was great and we were surprised by a couple of unusual and delicious pieces. Our waitres was fun, friendly & on the ball. Think I might just trade in one of our regular spots for Mr.Linn.

I came to this place on recommendation of a friend - worst idea ever. I was one of 3 customers at the restaurant with 3 waiters serving on the night - it took 15 minutes for them to bring me a menu, a further 20 minutes to bring me a glass of water and 40 minutes to bring me the smallest and most disappointing plate of penang curry i have ever had with only a mere 5 tiny cubes of chicken lost somewhere in the bowl (you also have to order the rice separately, which again came in an amount suitable for a toddler).  I left irritated and still hungry. I wasted so much time waiting around there and thanks to their tiny portions and even more perplexed as to their bad service which was about as useful as snake mittens -  it's not a big restaurant, there were hardly any other customers, what could possibly take that long???

Best sushi in town!  And we have tried all over!  Most definitely the best kept secret in town!<br/>I could eat sushi from here for dinner every night!  We travel past at least eight other sushi spots to get take-aways from Mr. Lins.<br/>I want the world to know about this amazing food but on the other hand don't want too many people to know as the less commercialised a place the better it seems!<br/>It's our go-to place for all celebrations these days!<br/>And anytime I need a lift-me-up my boyfriend knows he will get top marks if he brings me prawn inari from Mr. Lin's!<br/>And first class service too!

Mr Lins is myself and my boyfriend's new favorite spot for well priced Thai food. The portions are generous and the meals are very tasty. They take quite long to prepare, but the staff are always friendly and accommodating.

Mr Lin's is a cosy little restaurant just off of lower main St. The atmosphere is clean and semi modern. Our server, Ruby, was entertaining and polite, as well as speedy and efficient. Our sushi was fresh and well presented. The rice just slightly bland but that isn't a huge issue. Mr Lin's is definitely worth a try.

My new favorite sushi stop over! Loved their food and their service was good. Buffet available all day for sushi and Thai food. I ordered salmon hand roll and salmon crunch roll and followed by two more portions because it was super good quality food I experienced and the price was perfect!

This place offers very solid sushi (makis and nigiris). Based on my first look (interior, if is a real Japanese restaurant or not, etc.),  I am very familiar with the Japanese cuisine and based on my first opinion, I was really sceptical about Mr Lin's restaurant. Therefore, I was positively convinced about the sushi; it was freshly made and the taste of the rice was really sushi-like. The portions are normal and the prices are really fair.

The sushi is better then I expected, but it is pretty average. The rice is on the soft side... the wasabi was ON POINT though! <br/>The service needs some improvement, but I didn't have much expectation to start of with, at least it was friendly. <br/>The price is affordable, 16pcs combo (Californian rolls, rainbow rolls, tuna and salmon sashimi, prawn nigiri) = R135I didn't have anything hot, so I can't comment on the Thai dishes.<br/>Given it was a hot day, my tummy didn't feel too lekker that evening... so I am not sure if it was from the sushi... or what...?...? :(

Dined at Mr. Lin's with my boyfriend this evening.  We had tom yum soup, coconut soup, sushi & stir fried pad thai.  Food was awesome, particularly the soups!! They are vegan friendly even if it's not on the menu :D.  Service was great as well.  If you are looking for great food & value for money, don't hesitate, go to Mr. Lin's!!

Mr Lin's makes pretty good veggie sushi and a damn good tom yum soup. There are a number of vegan options on the menu: the noodle dishes are deliciously smoky and they use fresh tofu. It's a small restaurant, and the music is sometimes very odd, but it's really reasonable and I'll keep going back. Tables near the windows are best.

Time and time again we have returned. Their service and food impresses us each time. Charm, care and the vegetarian sushi platter is what makes the commute to observatory worthwhile.

A quick and convenient little spot. Nothing fancy in the decor but comfortable enough. <br/><br/>The staff are accommodating and friendly. The sushi was great and the atmosphere pleasant. We really enjoyed it.

Their salmon sashimi looks amazing,other sushi are high quality and fresh,deserve everyone to try!!!<br/>good service ,great vibe!!!<br/>will be back as soon as possible!!!

I love it here!!!! The service and food is impeccable!!! I will always go back for more! I applaud the staff for their quick service and beautiful craftsmanship!

Best sushi.. best vibe... good service..... no better place to go... was just there for an easy laid back time. Could not have been any better. Easily the best place in Cape Town

I wanted to have a quick take away and decided to try somewhere different to my usual sushi spots. <br/><br/>The sushi was fresh and tasty, my favourite was the deep fried salmon roll and the salmon sashimi. <br/><br/>The prices are also very affordable and they have specials every day. The service however was a bit slow.

as I heard from my friend who recommend me Mr lin ,so I tried their red curry chicken with egg fried rice  of their today special<br/>The food was so impressed!!!!<br/>I would get back to them to try some other food as soon as I can!!!

I have been there a couple of times<br/>Their daily specials are sooooo amazing!!!!!<br/>you cannot even imagine they sell salmon roses as special for only R22 <br/>and their seared tuna salad, so beautiful<br/>I would highly recommend them!!!!

When I first moved to Cape Town in mid 2015, this place was a go-to for me thanks to its proximity to my apartment and the great specials they had during the week. Never mind the fact that the quality of their Thai curries and sushi was very good! Sadly, as time has gone on, I've found they've gotten more and more expensive and the quality of food has gone down. I don't think I'll be rushing back.

One of Observatory's many hidden gems! We had originally decided to get a take-away but after walking into the traditional and cosy restaurant we ate in instead! Started with Salmon California Rolls off the sushi belt which were fresh and had the Chicken Egg Noodles with Chili for mains! The food was flavourful and came in generous portions at a very reasonable price ! A must try when you are looking for a quick and simple Chinese meal!

Tucked away in Obs, this very affordable beaut of a place offers Thai and sushi. Great sushi prepared in front of you, very well priced. Well priced daily specials, R40 per serving for meals such as sweet and sour pork & various green/red curries. The phad thai is great and well priced, personal best: the prawn Tom Yum soup is amazing, out of this world - better than oriental countries I've visited/tasted! Nice and friendly staff to boot!

As an ex- sushi chef, I really appreciate the food here. I admit I was a little unsure at first ("Thai AND Sushi?! Why?!) but the food is fresh, good quality, and well priced. Worth checking it out if you're anywhere nearby.

I can only call myself a regular. Besides the reasonable priced sushi, the Thai dishes always has me coming back for more! The food is great, the staff interesting and friendly and the doors are always open! See you soon

Been going here for a few years now, always had their sushi however on Sunday, I felt like having a curry cause it was so cold. We had the Thai green prawn curry, very spicy but really tasty and had so many different flavours. Don't be fooled by the look of this place, do yourself a favour and tag their Thai prawn green curry. The portion size is enough for two people.Jesse Rhys Rinquest

I am very pleased with the food I had today from Mr. Lin's - the daily lunch special :) Well priced, great size portion and good flavour. Made me feel like I was in Thailand all over again. Will definitely be buying from there again to see what the other meals are like to hopefully increase the rating

This place has decently fresh and tasty sushi at a reasonable price--each roll will typically run you about 40rand give or take. Their pad thai is also tasty and made fresh to order. However, their service is painstakingly slow. Allot yourself two hours to eat there, even at lunch time.

Had the sushi from the conveyor belt, wasn't too bad, but the rice fell apart quite easily, but awesome environment, the lady that served us was super friendly, will have to go back to try the food

Quite average. I had the sushi buffet which wasn't bad but there is a lot of competition in the same street. Service was good. It's probably my third favourite Observatory based sushi place. Their Thai/Chinese meals are quite reasonable and would recommend them.

I would highly recommend this restaurant. Love the food and friendliness of the service staff. I'll admit that the decor is not great; think plastic chairs and cheesy Asian trinkets. The food however, is good quality and freshly prepared. <br/>My SO and I recently had lunch at beluga and we were so so so disappointed! Nothing compared to Mr lins.<br/>If ever in the larny area that is observatory, do stop by.

If your looking for Asian, it's the place to find it. Affordable specials with the best Thai curries in Cape Town and fresh, flavorsome sushi. Don't expect good service but the food is worth it. <br/><br/>Cash is advisable, had some problems with the card machine.

So I'm making my hungry way down the street in Obz and I come across Mr. Lin's. Every evening, they have a special where all the sushi on the conveyor is R18. I think this is a pretty sweet deal so I slip into the restaurant. Just like all sushi joints, this one is suitably dodgy with an array of hip and unhip looking clientele. I hear that in the back is a karaoke bar. I don't check it out and head straight to the conveyor where a couple of sushi plates still go round and round. My friend knows Mr. Lin and Mr. Lin comes out with a hearty smile and greets him. I reach out for the salmon roses which I am quite surprised made the conveyor. These are usually really expensive but I count myself lucky. The sushi is good. Fresh and well flavoured with some good rice being used. Not the best you've tasted but you could do far, far worse. I gulp these down and then catch some sandwiches which were also great. A few minutes later, I wake up and leave. Quick, fast, satisfying food. I definitely will be back.