Ginza opens branch in Oceanside

Ginza of Massapequa, Newsday’s top pick for sushi on Long Island, has opened a second branch in Oceanside: It takes over the bi-level restaurant that used to be Unique (and, before that, Umi).

Unique opened last November with an Asian-fusion menu that combined both a sushi and a raw bar with tapas and preparations using French, New American and Japanese techniques.

Ginza, which opened in March 2012, hews more closely to Japanese tradition, while still offering plenty of culinary innovations. Nevertheless, in his 3-star review, Peter M. Gianotti wrote that “uncooked fish is the lure at Ginza, ideal start to finish for purists. You also can put together a meal of more conventional sushi and pan-Asian-fusion cooked dishes. Ginza adroitly prepares them too. But the twain meet on a busy east-west playground, and that's where you should join in.”

The highlight of Ginza's menu is undoubtedly the fish that comes directly from Tokyo’s Tsukiji market, which can be ordered as sushi or sashimi or both.

Ginza Oceanside’s manager, Adi Dhio, said that the sushi menu at the new restaurant is the same as in Massapequa and that the mother ship dispatched sushi chefs to Oceanside. The cooked food, Dhio said, is “more or less the same.”

Ginza is at 3451 Long Beach Rd., Oceanside, 516-442-5513, ginzali.com.