OiShii

The seafood udon and lobster dishes were delicious. Each bite of lobster was mouth-watering. The BEST in town.

Very cute restaurant and very kind server. Tried the gyoza miso soup and it was one of the best miso soups I've had - flavor was not too weak, not too strong with very tasty gyoza. I got the Super Duper sushi roll and it was HUGE! I could barely fit it in my mouth, but it was delicious. 10/10 would come again to try more sushi :)

A lovely spot that has been in the area for years living up to its name (delicious). I arrived a bit early and found no wait for seating. Everything was freshly prepared and the staff was both attentive and helpful. The menu is rather large and offers a good variety of tasty things. I've tried the green salad with ginger dressing, eel nigiri, new heaven roll, and veggie tempura and it was all wonderfully made. The veggie tempura tonight included sweet and regular potato, asparagus, broccoli, and onion; the tempura batter was fairly light with a nice crunch. The new heaven tuna was soft and delicious, and neatly made with the cucumber so it kept its structure and didn't fall apart in the chopsticks. The eel portion of the nigiri was generous and larger than at other establishments. Oishii desu!

i used to get the teriyaki salmon bento at least twice a month for like two years when i used to work nearby and it was always delicious, hot, and so friendly!!! i miss it. my favorites now are the veggie roll and tuna sashimi

Great authentic hole in the wall restaurant. We only tried some of the sushi and sashimi and it was very high quality and very filling. They have draft beer and we were given free miso soup while being taken care of very well. Will definitely be going back and would highly recommend.

Great place. Definitely a place where people come again and again. Cozy and no frills. Excellent sushi and great flavors!

Good sushi, miso, and pork katsu curry. Tempura cheesecake was good too. We had a good customer service experience and were able to add cream cheese to our two rolls for only a dollar. Volcano roll had a lot of rice noodles on top, a tad bit excessive since we had to find the roll underneath, but it was especially good, with the cream cheese, probably great even without.

Great experience! High quality and authentic sushi. Salmon nigiri was at a fair price and amazing quality. This was our first time going and we will be back!

I have been wanting to try this place for a bit now and I'm so glad I was finally able too. The food is delicious. The service was great. The place is a lot bigger than I thought. They have plenty of booths and seating area. Also, there's sitting near sushi bar. I ordered the gyoza miso soup, the fried gyoza which came piping hot to the table, a rainbow roll, which was a good portion of rice and sushi (the photo doesn't do it justice and all was delicious. I came in closer to their closing time and they still served me and didn't rush me. Service was excellent. I will definitely be back to try other things in the menu.

Not the best sushi place in town. The restaurant is clearly in the space of an old restaurant. Does not look a sushi place and the space is kind of tired and could use a face lift. Service was fine.

The food was outstanding. Everything freshly prepared and delicious and staff very gracious.

First and last time. The guy you had verify payment through the app. Then asked if I tipped.

We live 35 minutes away and passed tons of sushi spots to get to our favorite! The service is always amazing and every time i go i leave stuffed and happy. Oishii Roll is the best sushi roll you'll ever eat! We went tonight and got pick up (they're closed for dining) and decided to eat at the picnic tables down a few shops. The staff is so incredibly friendly and the wait took about 15 minutes. Please go eat here and support a 17yr old restaurant! The food and staff are amazing!

I have been here 3 times since moving here. I had a good ramen the first time. Then the next time 12/20 Covid--to go order was underwhelming and w/ missing key ingredients that were stated in menu. This next time, 9/2021 we gave it a whirl and the prices had now doubled off the charts. We ate in and the menu was misleading.... what we were served was miserly w/ key ingredients-- then on top of that they over charged us on the bill in the end. It was an awkward dining experience. I think it is ownership not the fault of the staff.

This was my first trip to Oishii, and felt a little pressed for time because of a movie we wanted to catch in an hour... and rushed is no way to feel when you step into Oishii. Frankly, I'm relatively new to the world of sushi, and have a lot to learn. I was initially overwhelmed by the menu choices - and that's a good thing, I guess? I can talk about the wait staff - friendly, courteous, helpful, and willing to help us get to the movie on time. The restaurant was clean, and quickly filled up almost to capacity - it seems to be a favorite for the pre-movie crowd. I wound up selecting a wasabi-glazed sashimi that was just terrific. I'm looking forward to revisiting this place when I have more time, and can begin to expand my horizons.

This place has some really good sushi. Dynamite roll was amazing. Servers were polite and attentive. Just wish that the atmosphere was a little better, very cookie cutter feel all around. Doesn't feel like the interior matches the quality of the food. Could use some more color or art all around the walls. Would definitely return for the sushi!

Outstanding Japanese cuisine. Wasabi Tuna is my personal favorite. Salad with orange dressing is delightful.

This is by far the best sushi around. Nice atmosphere. Great little bar area! Service is also really good. Thanks Oishii! I will be back. This place is still great! Best sushi around. Only thing I would change is the no gun sign. Bad guys don't really care about a sign or laws. Only thing you did was keep me from possibly protecting you in a bad situation. Oh well.... maybe y'all have some swords or something back behind the bar. Love you guys!!!!

Two chefs at sushi bar do a really good job offering almost authentic Japanese sushi.

I've been going to Oishii sporadically since 2005 and it's not really changed much since then. The service is definitely hit or miss which is expected considering they almost exclusively hire college-age folks to be servers. As to the non-sushi food: I like the soba ok though the last time I got it the noodles were too al dente and the veggie tempura is fine if a bit over-breaded. The gyoza is also always good and the scallop fry is quite delicious. The seaweed salad is totally adequate and, unlike another sushi place in Durham (*cough* M Sushi *cough*), Oishii doesn't just give you a small serving of marinated seaweed on top of a bowl of filler greens. As to the sushi: the nigiri and sashimi are pretty much hit or miss, though the scallops are always top notch. For any non-maki sushi I would rather go to M or Sansui in Durham or City Market in downtown Raleigh. As to the 'fun' rolls, they definitely know how to layer on some eel, avocado or salmon and the chef has an adept hand with the fryer, so that's really the best strategy here. It's going to cost more than crappy BOGO places like Shiki or Sake Bomb, but honestly if you're looking for a sushi place just on that criterion, you're going to be just as happy eating it out of a grocery store as at Nobu.

As far as Orange Country goes, this place has the most consistent service and solid offering of standard sushi. If someone can recommend a better place to get sushi in the triangle, please tell me - because I don't think it exists (but happy to check it out!). While I agree with the other reviewer regarding the sashimi, I don't believe that it is always 'precut'. My sashimi as I watched was cut from larger pieces right there in front of me. I would advise sitting at the sushi bar, order the chef's pick, and you will get some good stuff. One of the menu items that I do rather like is the bbq eel. Side items and appetizers are pretty standard, not so amazing, but then I don't go here for steamed dumplings or ramen (i wish there was a place for that). Service has always been great, and despite the weird location, over the past 2 years this place has been solidly consistent. Due to how close it is.. hard to beat.

Great prices! They don't hold back on the food! I'm a big fan of their lunch bento box! I can't wait to go back.

My office is near this shopping center and I was too hungry to even think what I wanted to eat. So my coworker asked if I wanted to eat sushi and she will pick it up. I decided to get the sashimi bento. I definitely made a mistake to order from here. When I opened the box, the sashimi did not look fresh at all; however, the presentation looks nice. If I trashed it, then it's a waste of money. I forced myself to finish this and it ridiculous how awful it was. It seems like it's been there for awhile. Good thing for the side salad to help me finish it off. I do not recommend this place at all.

Super disappointed in the food quality. 3 days ago, we drove over an hour for some good sushi and instead got sub-par, dry, "stale" tasting sushi. The nigiri was okay but definitely not fresh. The salmon skin was tasteless with the texture feeling like it had been fried a few days prior and then left out. The viagra, NC, and super duper rolls were also just okay- definitely not worth the prices ($16-$17 each). The worst part was the rising sun roll that was completely botched. The description said it had crab meat and eel. However, my roll had imitation crab inside and outside, without any eel. I emailed them that evening and haven't gotten a response. Yes, it's difficult right now with quarantine and craziness, but if I'm paying for something and trying to support local businesses, I expect the quality to match the price. Hopefully this review will be seen and I can get either a replacement or refund asap.

I decided on Oishii a few months ago for my birthday dinner and was not disappointed.... had the Age Soft Shell Crab appetizer and the Surf and Turf -- both were excellent. It's a little on the pricy side but well worth it in my opinion.... looking forward to trying out the rest of their menu.

Sushi has always been very good as has the bibimbap. Most recent visit was disappointing however. Sushi was good, but came out 20 minutes after the entrees. Beef bulgoki was fatty and tough, and the hibachi chicken was average. The udon soup was good. Quality is not what it used to be.

New head Sushi chef, same great service and awesome sushi. The former head chef was great and the new chef is committed to providing the same level of service and attention to detail. I like to sit at the bar and watch the chef prepare the food, he usually always gives us a free appetizer but make sure you bring a second cash tip just for the sushi chef. He will remember you and it will help the next time you visit on date night, trust me on this. My favorite is the signature Oishii roll with lobster tempura in the center. It also has at least three different types of caviar on top. It is a little expensive at $17 per roll but is great to split with a friend when you have a big sushi orders like we do. I always like to eat here on special occasions and they are great with large parties. This my favorite sushi restaurant in the area.

3-1/4 stars generously rounded up. It's definitely a "neighborhood" sushi place and not a "destination" sushi place, and we don't live in this neighborhood. But we had just seen a great movie at the Chelsea, so we went here for dinner, and the sushi was good not great, it didn't make us sick, and I think it cost about $80 for 2.

Very good sushi and korean bowls. Staff is wonderful. CJ is the sushi chef and he is great!

Do your SO, friends, family and everyone who's afraid to say they don't like sushi, but eat it anyway always want to go for...sushi? Probably. I have this problem too. But I want to be affable, agreeable and not shunned from polite society so I found a place we all can go. Oishi! Aptly named as it means delicious in Japanese. Let me get this out of the way, first. Yes, the sushi is good (so I'm told) and it's not the most expensive shop in town nor is it a BOGO place either but a cool, creative place where we can co-mingle. The non-sushi items are delicious. I had the vegetarian delight and the assortment of vegetables and their preparation were perfect. Not oversteamed nor undercooked and it was served with a delightfully peppy ginger salad as well as Miso soup. The soup was too salty for my taste but it was a nice addition to the meal which my husband devoured. Everyone was so nice and welcoming from the hostess, to the waitress and sushi chef. No attitudes here. They are happy to have you. This place was hopping on a Saturday evening but we got a booth and enjoyed every minute of our time there. It doesn't look like much on the outside. Hey It's Tymberline shopping center after all. But all the store fronts have been redone and the sign is spiffed up not to reflect what once was a decaying strip mall. The inside of Oishi is beautifully modern with a touch of Asian flair that doesn't feel kitschy. It's larger than it looks and includes booths, tables, sushi bar and a back area for groups. Our waitress was awesome. So gracious and patient and was always there when we needed her. She was so graceful I got ASMR from just watching her. Never harried yet efficient. Grace under fire. The bathrooms are pretty funky though which I never like to see in a place where I'm eating but the establishment was clean and organized otherwise. I think I like going out for sushi.

I've been passing by this cosy restaurant for years, but hadn't tried them until last Friday. They were able to seat our group of 7 quickly and ordered a wide variety of offerings. Confusingly, there are several Korean dishes on the menu (is this Korean Japanese food?) but we didn't try these, though perhaps we should, since the Japanese food was not great. My wife's tonkotsu ramen was terrible, the worst we'd tried locally, with the broth tasting more of chicken stock and not great toppings. My tempura udon was so so. The tempura was average and the udon noodles good, but the broth was weak and had odd floaty bits of undercooked veggies such as broccoli. The other dishes at the table did not look very good to me, though I didn't try them. Perhaps sushi is their specialty? Or Korean food? It certainly isn't the soups. The space is nice and service fine, though we likely will not give them a second try.

Best sushi place I've been to in Chapel Hill, though a little bit pricier than the "college town" type places common in the area. Nicer atmosphere than I expected, considering it was in a strip mall. We got the Viagra Roll and Spider Roll, both phenomenal - though on the smaller side portion-wise. We also got the Katsu (fried pork cutlet) which was contrastingly a heaping portion, and it was great! Crispy and tender. I'd go here again.

The service was terrible and the food was below average. I tried this place twice over the past several years nothing has changed. Thought I would give it a second chance. We were sitting at the bar and still received bad service. The server was playing in her phone with her back to us.

I always enjoy the food here. Sushi was fresh. Great service. My family had a great time. Definitely two thumbs up!

If you're looking for good sushi in Chapel Hill, this is not the place. BUT if you want solid Korean/Japanese entrees, try Oishii! M ordered the tempura udon and a Maryland roll--it's like a California roll except instead of imitation crab, it's real crab meat. Her udon was good, tasted as expected with 2 tempura shrimp and veggies on the side. I ordered the tonkatsu and a simple eel roll. So both our rolls were so bad, we didn't finish them. First off, the sushi rice is hard and unpleasant to eat. My eel roll tasted rotten. You know, there's a specific taste when a food is rotting and that was in my roll. But I loved my tonkatsu!! It was a huge portion and had the panko breaded fried pork cutlet (sliced in strips) with the traditional tonkatsu sauce. It came with rice and some veggies but the veggies were boring and the same kind you would get when ordering their hibachi entree. They also have bulgogi and dol sot bibimbap. So if I ever want some basic Korean food in chapel hill, I'll come back here. But I'd never order their sushi again.

Many reviewers seem to enjoy the lunch specials, so maybe that's where this place shines. When I eat sushi, I'm usually going to feast (read: pig out) on a high volume of rolls. We spent $80 on 6 rolls, including tax and tip. $80 can get you a lot more at another local spot (Shiki) and the quality is comparable, and maybe even better elsewhere. A few of these rolls were a bit smallish for my taste, again considering price. There wasn't anything here that was terribly creative, and in fact, I remember seeing tuna in many of the offerings. I love tuna, but again, I want a little more mixing it up when I'm ordering a half dozen rolls or more. I feel like if sushi joints want to seriously compete in this market, but aren't willing to offer BOGO, there should be some kind of quantity discount. Sorry to make this review a comparison, but I can't really help it considering the local competition. When you figure that there seems to be a sushi restaurant in every shopping plaza in America now, you have to do something to stand out. The meal was fine and we ate everything we got, but nothing was memorable and I don't yearn for another visit, especially considering what my money can get me elsewhere in town.

I've been to Oishii a few times on lunch, and have always walked away with that happy sushi feeling in my belly. They really do have GREAT lunch specials - you can get a Bento Box with Salad, miso, tempura, and a california roll (along with the main menu item of your choice - like tonkatsu, tempura, susi, sashimi...) from anywhere between $7.95 and $9.75. I might be a little off on the prices, but you get the gist. ;) The service there is always very friendly, and CJ, the Sushi Chef, gets LOTS of kudos from the locals. I sat at the sushi bar and watched for a while today, and he really does his rolls well. Add to that, the quality of the fish and the tastiness of the regular food, and its a great bet! It can get a little crowded for lunch, so make sure you are prepared for that! The dinner menu seems to be available during lunch as well.

Great sushi. Very unfriendly wait staff. Always an interesting combo. The deluxe bento box was very simple for the price but what was included, was very tasty.

Tasty, but service and price are a little off. I came out here for dinner recently. As a Japanese restaurant/sushi place, it's pricier than most of the other places in Chapel Hill. However, it still feels way too pricey for what you get. My sushi sandwiches (sorry, I've been watching a little bit too much Adult Swim) were decent, and while they filled me up, didn't feel like were worth $14 for 7 pieces. The individual orders (primarily the spicy crab one) were very good. That was a nice touch, but those are the only things I'd order in the future. On top of that, the service was slooooow. Yes, I showed up a little late, but it was still crawling, with the food coming out a bit after we ordered. In fact, we got really worried about missing our chance to go to Orange Leaf (Amanda was really worried about this, and after trying Orange Leaf, I was retroactively). So, if you want Japanese, it's a good place. But be ready to wait.

GREAT lunch specials! You get sushi, soup, and salad for a low, low price (woah, that came off kind of car salesman-ish, but it really is a good deal!). It's a pretty small space so go early (or late) for lunch. I also like the edamame, (though I confess, it's probably pretty hard to mess that one up). Haven't tried it yet for dinner, so I can't weigh in on that. As far as sushi goes, there's better and worse in the Triangle. But the proximity to my office and the bang-for-buck ratio score well in my book.

One of the worst sushi places I have been to in my life. I ordered a side of sea weed salad and received a plate with one spoon of sea weed, this is disgraceful. The fish and sushi didn't have a fresh taste and hubby and kids who ordered udon soup were really upset. Never going back,

If your thing is rolls, check this place out -- lot of variety, friendly service, decent taste. For example, we had a roll with tempura shrimp, avocado, asparagus, etc and found it pretty enjoyable. However, if you're a purist, the nigiri is just alright. The cuts were on the thin side (probably more authentic that way), the rice didn't have enough vinegar to it in my opinion. Actually, the tuna I had tasted a bit fishy, which makes me question the freshness of the raw materials. Fortunately, one day later, as I write this review, I can attest that I wasn't hit by any GI bugs. This place would be good if you're having a group gathering, and again, as I said, the service was friendly and pretty prompt and attentive.

In my continuing attempt to find good sushi in the durham-chapel hill area, a friend and I went to Oishii to check it out. I really wanted to like this place after all the good reviews I had read, but sadly my dining companion and I both walked away disappointed. On the positive side, the prices are right at Oishii. They are very reasonable and fair, you will not feel like you got ripped off here. The sushi was just ok. we had 6 different rolls, both the standard stuff and some of the more creative rolls. Sadly, the shrimp tempura was the only one I really liked and thats probably more a result of the tempura than anything else. so long story short, the sushi is ok, not great. you certainly won't be remiss if you don't eat at Oishii.

Solid lunch for a restaurant that does not get much attention. I recommended to my guest the Oishii Roll, which I consider great but too messy to eat in public. They enjoyed it but the chef forget the multiple types of caviar that really make the meal picturesque. I had a very nice shrimp tempura bento box with a lot of shrimp, also included some CA roll, salad and miso soup. A very solid meal.

The hibachi shrimp was alright. I thought it would be fried rice and it was white. The shrimp was overall really good, however. Though, for $23, you don't get a fair amount of food. Places like Miyabi and Kanki will give you double that amount for the same price.

The food is mediocre. We had a takeout order and got home to discover we did not get an entree we ordered but a vegetarian soup. We called the restaurant and The restaurant offered to remake our order but at that point at home and everyone ready for dinner we asked for a refund on the missing entree. The restaurant said they had no way of crediting a credit card over the phone and we would have to go back to the restaurant to get the credit. Finally they offered to remember our name and give us a credit next time we ordered. When do you think we will be going back?!

I love Oishii! You've got to go for Lunch and get a Bento Box. For a very cheap price (I think $7) you get teriyaki chicken and vegetables, rice, sushi, ginger salad, soup and even some gyoza. For dinner the sushi and meals are more expensive but I still think it's worth the cost. The iced green tea is disgusting, just FYI

Pricier and not as tasty as Akai Hana in Carrboro. Atmosphere not as nice, either. That's really all you need to know.

If the sushi rice was better seasoned I might have given this place four stars. The service was attentive and friendly. The fish was fresh and well-portioned in the nigiri. But oh the bland rice! So bland I ate the fish off the sushi. This could be a great neighborhood sushi spot but please season the rice!

Better, but still far from what I would like from Oishii. Came in a few days ago with my parents to have some sushi. I ordered some Chicken Teriyaki first because I needed to eat some protein. However, the chicken was dry and too bland. The sauce was overpowering as well. The sushi, though, was better than last time. My family ordered the V.I.P Boat and all the fish was cut just to the right thickness. Plus, the fish melted in my mouth rather than being somewhat frozen like last time. Definitely will be visiting again for some good, convenient sushi but definitely recommend avoiding the teriyaki chicken.

Food was delicious. Dining room is clean and the service was quick. The menu has something for everyone at the table of all ages. It's definitely worth coming to.

Ok sushi. Bento box was a bit disappointing, service was average. Overall experience was ok. A lot of Korean dishes on the menu. Some good, some bad.

Best sushi I've had in Chapel Hill. Plus, the chef is extremely friendly and accommodating. He'll get you what you ask for!

I don't like to give low ratings especially for small restaurants- they have it hard enough. At the same time, folks should know what they're paying for. Service was excellent. I got nigiri and maki. The fish in both was fresh enough but it wasn't that smooth delicious texture that I expect in raw sushi. If you want to support a local small business, go here! Just know you're not getting very good quality fish. Maybe try the teriyaki or the ramen! I can't eat either unfortunately.

It took awhile to find a good sushi place... but I finally found it. I ate at the sushi bar on a Saturday night. Bar was unoccupied... the tables were filled, so it was busy. I chatted a bit with the waitress and chef to get a bigger picture of what I was getting. The sushi chef was hired from the DC area months ago... since DC and the surrounding parts are very culturally diverse (and have one of the highest Asian populations on the East Coast), this guy clearly knew what he was doing. The server was also very pleasant and made sure I was well taken care of. The sushi is VERY good here and for a reasonable price. The miso and green tea were perfect. The service is prompt and outstanding. What makes this place a major plush for me is that the Japanese beer is on TAP. I have never been to a Japanese restaurant where they served Japanese beer as drafts; they're mostly bottled. I had the freshest Kirin ever. This will be my sushi hangout spot for sure.

Pssst. I'll let you in on a little secret - there are a plethora of sushi places in the US that are *not* owned/run by Japanese. My parents grew up speaking Japanese under Japan's WWII occupation of Taiwan and we still have family ties to Japan on my dad's side. As a Taiwanese-American raised in the limelight of my parent's Japanese-influenced culture, I grew up in Houston knowing where to go and where not to go for good authentic Japanese food. That being said, two well-known cultures that were historically (and heavily) influenced by Japan were Korea and Taiwan during that time. Why do I bring this up? Well, one of the best places we used to go to for sushi and sashimi back in Houston was owned by one of our family friends and he was Taiwanese. We always had some of the freshest fish served up to us and the authenticity (at least according to my parents) was spot on. Oiishi reminds me of that place. I can't say for certain, but I suspect the owners are Korean. Why? B/c they serve a small smattering of Korean dishes on their menu. FWIW, I only bring this up b/c it's a good thing in Oiishi's case. We ventured out here the other day for lunch and I was quite impressed. While we didn't order any rolls, sashimi or nigiri, we stuck to the lunch menu instead since someone had a craving for a brothy soup. Looking over the lunch menu, I was impressed at the authenticity and variety of some unexpected lunch menu items here - In particular, the chirashi (sashimi over a bowl of rice) looked appealing to me. Perusing further, my eyes strayed to the handful of Korean items in the lower right hand corner of the menu. With surgeon-like precision, my eyes immediately honed in on the bibimbop. At $7.95...I *had* to try this out for the sake of Yelp, of course. My wife ordered the large serving of tempura udon for a measly $8.95. The verdict? While not the absolute best bibimbop, I've ever had...at this price point, it was elevated to legendary status - esp. for the area. Good flavours w/out the MSG and the egg on top was done perfectly (for me that means having the egg yolk runny - perfect for adding that bit of "fat" into the rice and different components of the dish). The beef was seasoned well and the veggies were done equally well with carrots, and sauteed soy sprouts and zucchinis on top. The one complaint was that they didn't serve it with any of the usual pickled dishes. In fact, I had to specifically request kimchee from them (def. out of a jar). The rice was warm and had just the right amount of sweetness in it. I should also note that they do substitutions of tofu instead of beef if you're vegetarian. Overall a great bargain at less than $8 for lunch. As for the tempura udon, the tempura was a bit doughy, but tasted good with the exception of the shrimp which seemed a bit old based on the mealy texture (possibly frozen?). The broth itself was actually quite good, but the noodles seemed to be a bit of the packaged variety. Again, not the best udon I've ever had, but respectable. I know, I know....what the hell am I doing ordering bibimbop from a sushi restaurant? Well, I guess the moral to this story is context. Knowing the history of Japan and Korea helps understand the close ties between these 2 cultures much like Taiwan and Japan. To that end, it's worth knowing b/c if I hadn't known....I never would've tried that delicious bowl of rice in the first place. Word to the wise, don't overlook this place if you've got a craving for some cheap Korean food *as well* as Japanese....in Chapel Hill, this is definitely one place not to be missed - esp. when that craving hits. Now, if only I had remembered to see if they served ramen. I guess I'll have to return back for some more helpings!

2.5 stars. So here's the deal, folks - the fish is pre-cut. The rice happens to be excellent, so it's a step up from your supermarket-bought sushi, but the fish is not great at all. This is disappointing, as the itame clearly has stellar knife skills and is able to work quite quickly. Given the low to moderate volume of sushi orders and the skill & speed of the chef, there's really no excuse for pre-slicing fish. If you're craving fresh sashimi and need anything other than a quick fix, look elsewhere. Some of the rolls looked appetizing, but I'm really a sashimi & nigiri type of guy, and always stick with these when trying out a sushi place for the first time. I feel bad giving only 2.5 stars because the itame was so nice. He offered us a free appetizer consisting of a roll of hollowed out cucumber filled with crab stick; unfortunately, what could have been a refreshing opener was ruined by the oily, cloying sauce that he proceeded to drown the roll in. Upon seeing that my lady friend was vegetarian, he was nice enough to give her some free seaweed salad as well. At the end of our meal, he served us an orange, the peel of which he used to cleverly carve out a very cute mouse. The kitchen didn't fare much better, unfortunately. Our miso soup was standard and thus delicious (pretty hard to screw up, although Akai Hana manages to), but my lady friend's vegetable yaki udon, although a huge portion, consisted of mostly cabbage, with the occasional piece of zucchini, broccoli, and shredded carrot thrown in. The noodles were cooked well, and the sauce was nice (not overly gloopy) but too sweet for my tastes. I saw some nice (and huge) looking entrees emerge from the kitchen, including some large noodle bowls and a ginormous serving of chicken katsu, but my impression leads me to believe that the focus is quantity rather than quality. Aside from the sushi chef, service was scattered and fairly disorganized, although not for lack of trying. Our waitress had the unfortunate skill of showing up exactly when we didn't need her, and disappearing when we did (after giving her our credit card, we waited for ten minutes to have it returned - by another server who noticed we were ready to leave). Probably won't be back.