Ran Zan is great, but be forewarned it is going to take some time. Do not go if in a rush or trying to catch a show. It is run by the proverbial old man and his wife. The sushi is very good, traditional, inexpensive for what you get...but it is slow service.

If you want to relax and don't mind waiting, a strong recommend.

Agree. It's rare to find a Japanese place owned and operated by actual Japanese people. Before I moved away from Providence, I used to go almost exclusively to practice casual conversation and even ran into one of Brown's Japanese professors on a few occasions.

That being said, it's usually only Mr. Shimizu at sushi counter so there is almost always a wait.

I've never seen a man work so hard. The guy works like 10 hours a day for decades and has the knee surgeries to prove it. My only fear is that Ranzan won't be open for many more years unless their children decide to move back from Japan to take it over.

I encourage everyone to enjoy their sushi while they can. And also their salad dressing. And give them a pass on their mediocre to slightly above average kitchen foods and glacial service times. Remember that their strength is traditional flavor.

Google says it's temporarily closed...

Love this recommendation and place. The owners are sweet, authentic, and hard-working. It shows in the quality and experience. I wish there were more around here.

Thanks for reminding me of this place! Happy New year!