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I had no idea Genki existed in Washington until a friend recently told me about it! I was excited to come here for dinner on a Saturday night to see how it compares to Hawai’i Genkis. Since the Factoria Mall isn’t too busy, parking was quick and easy. I was immediately impressed with the beautiful, spacious tables and granite countertops. I thought this could be a great place to come with a bigger group of friends. Many times, sushi places will only offer sake. So I do like how this Genki offers wine. The menu lists a generic “white” and “red.” Since our server never checked in with us, I asked one of the waitresses if I could please order a glass of white wine. She replied, “Chardonnay or Merlot?” I was pretty surprised she didn’t know the difference since that’s pretty basic. The sushi and dessert here is delicious, yet on the expensive side. I’m a sucker for salmon nigiri and spicy tempura rolls. Both were great. However, it’s unfortunate that the service is bad. Our server was curt and not eager to help. He also kept staring at me and it was really uncomfortable. I can say with confidence that Hawai’i Genkis are so much better, and I’ll be skipping this one next time! You just can’t beat the Aloha Spirit.

TANE VEGAN IZAKAYA – Menu with Prices – 2065 S Beretania St, Honolulu

When my friend suggested we have dinner at a vegan sushi place, I was first confused and honestly not that excited. I mean, if I’m not vegan, why avoid the best part of the sushi (the fish!)? I was happily surprised at how tasty each dish was! Nasu Agebitashi ($7): A simple starter for the night. Marinated eggplant served chilled. It has a sweet soy sauce taste to it. Not too salty and bold. Philadelphia Roll ($8): This roll is the vegan version of the usual. They change it up by substituting the smoked salmon with smoked tofu. I was “ok” with this dish. It definitely didnt stick out like the other rolls. The texture was also not my favorite (the tofu was firm, yet mushy.) The smoke was nice though. Sweet Potato Roll ($6): This is probably my least favorite of the night. It was exactly as how it is written, fried sweet potato wrapped in sushi rice. It was too much starch for my taste. Sunset Roll ($13): This roll was obviously inspired by the very popular Spicy Tuna roll. Instead of tuna, they use tofu as the protein! They topped it with avocado and a spicy sauce on the side if you want an extra kick. And for a fun aesthetic, they have a small flame at the end of the dish. This flame is not used to enhance the food in any way (we checked with the server). Half Moon Roll ($15) This roll was loaded with toppings! The sushi is a fried sweet potato roll, but they deep fry the whole roll after that. Then they top it off with smoked bean curd, pickled mango, onion, tomato, and sprinkled of shiso, yuzu, and jalapeno. This wasnt my favorite roll, but one of us really liked it. I dont particularly like sweet things with sushi so the mango threw me off. Eggplant Nigiri ($6/2 pieces): This was such a simple sushi nigiri, but it was so tasty! The eggplant was nicely marinated and the miso was a nice touch. Its definitely not the most inventive sushi, but it was made great! This was probably my favorite of the night. Yuba Nigiri ($6/2 pieces): I love yuba so I wanted to try this sushi. The firm texture of the yuba was great! However, the flavor for me was just a bit short. I wish I could taste the yuba more (maybe the rice took that away? Im not sure). Ambiance: The decor was great inside. Very contemporary and Japanese inspired. You can definitely tell its a Japanese restaurant. Lots of wood furniture and decor. The lighting was not too dim or too bright so it was comfortable. Parking: Passing the restaurant there is a small parking lot. The signs on the stalls are missing the restaurant’s name, but you can park there! We checked with the company and they said it is just not updated yet. If the lot is full, hopefully you can find street parking on Beretania, Young St, or somewhere close. Overall: The service was great! The server was kind and even suggested us to try the nigiri sushi; we almost didnt order any, but glad we did! The food was mostly very tasty and impressive, however the price is a little high in my opinion. Fresh fish is the most expensive part in the sushi, but these rolls excluded them and still priced pretty similarly. Maybe because produce is expensive in Hawaii? I would probably go again!

Kobe Hibachi, Sushi And Bar – Menu with Prices – 2819 N Division St, Spokane

I’ve only ever had sushi here at lunchtime, so that’s what my review is based on. My favorite thing to get is the sushi lunch of a chef selection of nigiri with a salmon roll. I’m a huge salmon fan, so it’s perfect for me. The seared tuna nigiri is delicious as well.I opted for a few simple rolls this last time. Can’t go wrong with a Philly and I really liked the fish-avocado-cream cheese ratio here. The tuna roll was larger than expected (no complaints there) and had wonderful flavor. The salmon toro was a real treat for me and I’ll order more next time. I also had the salmon skin roll, but I had so many scales in my first two pieces that it completely put me off finishing the roll. Service here is perfectly fine, but for how quiet it is when I’ve been here, it sure takes a long time to get to ask for the check, let alone pay. I’ve heard nothing but wonderful things about dinner service so I will come back for that sometime!

The Sushi Bar at The Mission Inn – Menu with Prices – 3649 Mission Inn Avenue, Riverside

First off, we were surprised that the wine bar we love was now a sushi bar. The wine bar, 54 Degrees, had an extensive wine selection and also allowed us to order food from the menus of the other three Mission Inn restaurants. Customer service was very high-end and the versatility of menus made for a very customized food experience. We normally ordered from Duane’s so it was expensive for us but a treat that was worth it. The wine and food was an experience to which we looked forward and saved for the occasion. That being said, we were open to trying the new sushi bar. Unfortunately, the wine selection is very limited and what they do have is not premium selections. However, they now off more Japanese beers to go with the sushi. The sushi itself was tasty but the choices were limited. We had a garlic hamachi roll and some nigiri. There were no baked rolls or other options for people who don’t want raw sushi. Perhaps they will expand the menu more later. The service was not of the quality to which we are used to. Service was slow and we got our soup before we got our napkins and bread…and it wasn’t busy. The one thing that kept us there a bit longer was the entertainment that we were glad to see they still had. Overall, we were disappointed in this new change in venue as it doesn’t represent the class, service and history that this establishment represents.

Sushi King Fredericksburg – Menu with Prices – 1811 Carl D. Silver Pkwy, Fredericksburg

Chinese owned. College age students work the floor. A coworker of mine told me about this place as its one of the all you can eat sushi places in fredericksburg. I had to give it a shot as my taste jn sushi can get pretty expensive. I will avoid eating rolls because they usually will be filled unproportionately with all sorts of stuff or an insane amount of rice, then are fried or not, but doused with all sorts of sauces. This usually occurs in Chinese “sushi” places as a way to fill you up. Essentially it takes away from what sushi is supposed to be (as with all other Japanese cooking) which is simple and light but the element of each dish executed expertly. Walking in evening time frame, the restaurant was not really busy. There are many booths and seats open but it takes the hostess about 5 minutes to seat the couple in front of me in line, then another 2 minutes to find a seat from me. This is to make it convenient for the servers. Ok fair enough. Upon being seated I ask about the All you can eat (AYCE) Sushi and am told that Sashimi (slices of fish) is not included and is 50 cents a piece. I then ask about Nigiri (slices of fish on seasoned rice), and the waiter was confused. I explained to him what it is, and he finally gets it and yes its included. I think to myself, how typical. Its a Chinese owned place so they’re going to pack it as much rice as possible. I order the most basic of things to test the waters. Tuna nigiri, salmon nigiri, crab stick nigiri, and a seared tuna with ponzu sauce appetizer. So with the tuna and salmon, you get a sliver of fish and mainly rice just as I predicted would happen. They were at least fresh, but it was difficult to tell with how miniscule of a piece I got. The rice was not seasoned very well and as soon as I picked up the pieces, the rice would fall apart. As with other “sushi” pieces ordered, you get more of. You at least get the whole crab stick when you order it. The Tamago (egg) nigiri lacked flavor, and there were a bunch of other meats that typical sushi places offer but were not on the menu. Long story short I was disappointed. This isn’t sushi, its just Chinese trying to make a buck, putting fish on rice and calling it sushi for people who don’t know any better In Fredericksburg. If I could do half stars I’d give it 2.5 stars because I atleast ate my moneys worth. The things the restaurant cooked well were the crab rangoons and the shumai. Surprise, these are chinese dishes.

Kakurega: Sushi Tapas Sake – Menu with Prices – 2574 Newport Blvd, Costa Mesa

I’ve been on the hunt for good affordable sushi in the OC area and as of today Kakurega is the best one I’ve found. My only expectations from a sushi joint is fresh fish, good ratio/portions and reasonable prices. Kakurega meets all those requirements! They serve both traditional sushi/nigiri as well as some more hipster versions of sashimi. We ordered all the usual fish picks: bluefin toro, yellowtail, yellowtail toro, salmon, scallop, eel, albacore. We also got spicy tuna and salmon hand rolls and the bluefin special sashimi thinking it would just be slices of bluefin by itself. Turns out the special sashimi came with the bluefin on a little cucumber “flower” and a little bit of fresh wasabi. I wasn’t a fan of the cucumber presentation or serving method as it took away from the bluefin, but the bluefin was average anyways. After seeing how the special sashimi came out, we asked the server if they had regular salmon sashimi (off the menu) and she was able to get us 4 slices on the side, no cucumbers. I forgot to mention rice here is not very good: quite flakey/hard and falls apart when you pick up the sushi. It was noticeable but not so much that it took away from the fish. Out of all the fish, I think the yellowtail toro was by far the best. I would definitely also ask the server for orders of sashimi off the menu; don’t opt for the special sashimi. In addition to fish, we also ordered the clam appetizer which was very tasty and fresh! The clams (probably 20 or so in one order) came in a salty buttery broth which was delicious. I wanted to drink the broth but it would have been a bad idea, all that butter. Overall I’m so glad I came by Kakurega and found a sushi place I’d return to in OC! 4 stars as the fish was very good, but still not comparable to Little Tokyo.

Kumo Sushi & Hibachi – Menu with Prices – 1251 Jefferson Davis Hwy, Fredericksburg

I went in for the all you can eat (AYCE) sushi. The Chinese hostess came out and asked how many ( I’m starting to think this is the formal greeting in all Chinese restaurants) and proceeds to walk me to the bar. There are empty seats around and rather sitting me in front of the sushi bar, I am off to the side. I looked at the menu and when I asked about the AYCE, the server says theres a separate menu for that… oh great. Lets see what the limitations are to this AYCE. Wow so basically you can choose only 4 basic meats for sashimi, which none include tuna or salmon. Theres more for nigiri, and some other dishes other than sushi. Just as I expected from a Chinese “sushi” restaurant, hardly any meat, on a mound of unseasoned rice. I ordered my food. The lady who took my order said that I could place a bigger order and that I should just place 1 big order. No thank you. I will eat at my own pace. Plus this is a Chinese restaurant secret. You place one giant order, it gets loaded with rice and all sorts of other fillers, it doesnt taste to your expectation, and now you get charged for whatever you dont finish. They have a strict no waste policy here. As I was cutting some of the rice out with my chop sticks, several of the staff walked by and looked at my plate and saw what I was doing and looked very concerned. Attached is a picture of that first dish I ordered. The mound of rice literally has tobiko (roe) sprinkled on top. The squid was very fishy, it was not fresh at all. Who knows how long its been sitting in the freezer. The tuna and salmon were nice slices and were fresh, but way too much rice (hardly even seasoned) were under them. As I ordered more and more dishes, service got slower and slower. I ended up to have to stop the servers as they walk by. The lady who initially took my order stopped walking over to me. Basically, typical chinese “Sushi” restaurant making a buck. Service is always lacking and the sushi is bastardized. 2 stars.

Sapporo Sushi – Menu with Prices – 8911 Garden Grove Blvd, Garden Grove

This place is out of my way and honestly one of the more expensive sushi places on my list, but it always hit the spot after a final. I remember coming here more often than it’s neighbors throughout college and the sushi is A1. If I remember correctly, I had my first nigiri here as well, so I blame them for my sushi addiction lol. But yeah, if you’re a college student looking for somewhere nice to eat I highly recommend.

Kiyoshi’s Sushi LLC – Menu with Prices – 6550 Gateway Ave, Sarasota

Everything we had was delicious and the place is small but awesome. The service was incredible; friendly and attentive from as soon as we entered and continued as we left. The restaurant’s decor is really cool; the conveyor belt, when not in use for their sushi plates, has a delightfully awesome array of rubber ducks. Their spicy salmon roll was some of the best sushi I have ever had, the eel was incredible, and the tuna was beautiful. As one of my daughters said, “this place has ruined sushi for me.” We had 2 pieces of nigiri, and 6 sushi rolls with 2 salads (with homemade ginger dressing), 2 bowls of miso soup (homemade on site), and 3 drinks with tip for only $73! I will DEFINITELY be back!!!!

Sake 2 Me Sushi – Menu with Prices – 9205 E 71st St, Tulsa

Wow. What an experience. Small, intimate space with about 15 tables and an eat at bar. Everything was clean and fresh…a great little spot. Staff was friendly and attentive. We stopped in here because I wanted a $12.99 Bento box, which apparently is only for lunches….for dinner they offer some combos, and they run a bit more up to about $20, but are supposed to have larger portions. By the time we looked at the prices, figured on the extra pieces or rolls we would add, we decided on the ALL YOU CAN EAT SUSHI for $29, each. Now that sounds like a lot. For me that’s huge, because I am the advocate of value, and I am frugal, but have dropped serious change at sushi houses before…The last time I had fresh made (not buffet) AYCE sushi was about 10 years ago, was $40 a plate, and they served “white tuna” (swordfish) because it was a cheaper alternative. If you have ever eaten fresh made sushi, you know how expensive it can be, typically $4-6 per order Nigiri sushi and $8-15 per roll… If you are going to complain about a $30 AYCE price for fresh made sushi, this isn’t your bag. That’s ok, just go elsewhere that’s more your speed. If your ready for a feast, this is it. By the time we were done, we had made, and subsequently devoured, 14 orders of Nigiri sushi and 7 different rolls….yeah.. we got our money’s worth. This would have been well over $120 if we had ordered by the roll/piece. But here’s the key…this wasn’t all rice. The Nigiri sushi pieces were HUGE about 1-1/2 times the size expected with small rice portions. The rolls were also not all rice. Many had a generous portion of crab, but this was always offset with ample toppings of everything from fried crawfish to eel to masago. We left stuffed, and weren’t hungry all day the next day… There were times we just sat and enjoyed the flavors. It was that good. We will be back…not tomorrow, still full.

World Gourmet – Menu with Prices – 6010 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont

I don’t know why this place has such bad reviews. Maybe I didn’t notice a lot of things. My experience was not bad- this isn’t fine dining, but it’s serviceable and the food wasn’t gross or anything. Also the staff was quick and I felt pretty friendly. I didn’t feel rushed and they weren’t rude to me. I came here for lunch with my mom and it’s $14 a person. Their sushi/nigiri selection is pretty decent! They had most cuts of fish, even squid, octopus, and surf clam. What I thought was kind of strange was they they were serving regular salmon nigiri, but had smoked salmon nigiri which was not as delicious in my opinion. But the options were decent! They had a lot of rolls too, a variety of different fishes on top and fillings on the inside. My biggest complaint about the sushi in general was that it had SO MUCH RICE. Like they could easily cut the rice portions in half and it would probably be fine. There was SO MUCH RICE. That’s probably how they get people full. There was dim sum and standard Chinese dishes. They had stir-fry vegetables, chicken, beef, pork, you name it. Their potstickers were decent. I also helped myself to the crawfish which was not too salty and actually some of the biggest crawfish I’ve seen at a buffet! Some of them were, dare I say, huge! They had salt and pepper crab too which most people piled into their plates. Temper your expectations. Come here for lunch, pay $14, and enjoy a variety of pretty safe and standard food. They even have a whole Mongolian BBQ grill station! What more could you ask for, other than no food poisoning I guess.

Hana Yori Sushi & Grill – Menu with Prices – 12226 Beach Blvd Unit#3, Jacksonville

Last night I had the pleasure of trying Hana Yori Sushi and Grill. I’m not a huge sushi fan, but my friend suggested I try them out. We were seated close to the sushi bar. Our server was very friendly and attentive. She was also a big help with my sushi order as I’m very picky lol. The only raw sushi I will eat is smoked salmon. All the others are too strong and fishy smelling to me. The smoked salmon was superb! Although I’m not a huge fan of the seaweed wrap but I still enjoyed it. I also had the onion soup and salad with ginger dressing. I do not like ginger, however I make an exception as the combination of ginger and I think some type of citrus is perfect! I didn’t realize when I ordered my sushi they had some cooked sushi options on the menu. I tried my friends fried sushi and it was great! I also tasted the steak he ordered for his daughter and it was cooked so nicely that it was like butter melting in my mouth. If you like sushi or hibachi style cooking this is the spot for you!

Sing Sing Sushi – Menu with Prices – 2476 Pleasant Hill Rd, Duluth

I was hoping I could find a sushi spot with decent sushi who open later afternoon. I decide to try this place, but something didn’t really work out much. Sushi: 2 stars: it was a typical lunch time, t they didn’t have a lunch menu. I ordered a sushi roll and nigiri combo. It was $14 with 2 regular rolls and 6 pieces of nigiri, and miso soup and salad. But their nigiri was 2 pierces or salmon, 1 pieces of squid, 1 piece so shrimp and 2 pieces of some white fishmonger as posed to most of sushi places offer, tuna, yellow tail, salmon and so on. They just slammed whatever the cheapest, probably. Rolls were Ok. Nigiris were over squished typically seen in non-authentic sushi restaurant. Ambience: 2 stars: it’s a small family owned mom & pop style restaurant. Most of time, I usually like small places, but I felt a bit uninviting. Service: 2stars: They didn’t even take our drink order. BTW, we were the only customers at the time. When I ate my sushi half way through, a lady came back to our table. So I asked her if they had green tea. She said “Um, the iced one in a can is $2. …Hot one is free.”, as if she really didn’t want to tell me about the free one. She gave me an extra complimentary miso soup though. At the end of my dining experience, they started putting their employee lunch on one of those tables. I personally don’t like restaurants that their employees eat their meals as the same dining room as customers eat in. Prices: 1 Star: I think it’s way overpriced for what they serve both amount and quality of food. They have this marketing gimmick like other Yelpers mentioned, all the rolls are 50% off all day. Then why don’t they list the real prices, a half of what’s listed on their menu in the first place? I hate the feeling that they obviously they try to trick you or confuse you in a way they are actually insulting your intelligence. Who would think they actually got a good deal on sushi rolls? Do we have to calculate how much the sushi should be in our head every time we order something?? I don’t see any honesty in their business, Summery: I spent $17 including the tips, but if I had to pay $17, I could have gotten way way way better sushi lunch at elsewhere like Sushi Yoko, Sushi Avenue, and Waraku. Unfortunately, I can’t deny the feeling I wasted the money here.