In North Jersey there are tons of sushi places to try, but if you want something that's consistent, relatively priced and fresh, Aozora is for you. I've gone here a few times for lunch during the week, as it really close to my work. I also recently went on a Saturday night. We arrived early around 6 PM. The restaurant had a few tables open, so we were seated really quickly. We ordered the miso soup, two rolls each, spring rolls to share, and a dessert. Everything came out pretty fast, but I didn't feel rushed at all. Fish was fresh and sauces were delicious. By the time we left at 7:30PM, there wasn't one empty seat in the restaurant. So, if you don't have a reservation, go earlier in the night! read more

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Great sushi ! Service needs some improvement, but giving the benefit of the doubt since it was a holiday. My friend and I came for Galentine's Day last night very last notice and they were accommodating to add us to their 8:00 seating. We arrived a few minutes late because of the parking situation, but gladly sat me until my friend came. The restaurant was full to capacity, a good sign that we chose the perfect sushi spot. We placed our order for 2 miso soups and 4 rolls around 8:40. A half hour rolls around, growing more voracious and wondering how much longer we have to wait. We, both, have worked in the restaurant industry, so we are very patient when it comes to wait times on a holiday like Valentine's Day, but we also knew if tables who sat after us received their food before us, that's not a good sign. We asked the busser if we can find out how much longer we have until our order is ready. She said she'll get our server. She didn't. Waited another 15 minutes and asked who I believe is the manager? She checked and it was evident that our order wasn't placed. She was apologetic and told us 5 more minutes. She sent over edamame on the house because of the inconvenience and shortly after, we received our rolls. Luckily, the rolls were mouthwatering, chopstick-lickin good! We both loved them and were satisfied at the end of the meal. Despite the service, the ambiance and food hit the spot and we left with smiles on our face. I'll be back! read more

Aozora - Edamame - Japanese Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

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Delicious. Everything was delicious. The duck spring rolls were a bit pricey for two rolls (cut in half means four rolls). I believe they were 7 or 8 bucks. Alone, it was kind of bland. Especially for duck. Tasted great dipped in the sauce that the plate was decorated with. Gyoza is cooked to perfection. A bit fried on the bottom and then perfectly steamed. All the sushi rolls were yummy. Though we ordered three rolls with shrimp tempura so I can not speak to more raw rolls. You get a free dessert if you check in. The creme brulee was huge! Big for one person, but perfect to share. read more

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Went to aozora for my birthday dinner with my family. Overall, the atmosphere was pretty nice and our waiter was quick to help us (though he might have been new because he wasn't sure how to answer a lot of our questions). I got the surf and turf and though the steak and scallops were cooked nicely, the steak was under-seasoned and the scallops had a strange burnt flavor to them and were way over-seasoned. The risotto was cooked incorrectly and was very glutinous and sort of congealed. Also undersalted. We also ordered the lobster which came in a delicious curry sauce. However the lobster portion was also very small for the price, and came over that same bland and congealed risotto. The desert was delicious though! The flourless chocolate cake was rich without being overly sweet. We also got the caramel creme brulee which was really buttery and yummy. However the serving was strange, having it in a shallow bowl made it feel a lot less decadent. read more

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I ordered from this restaurant because the spot I usually go to, Momoya in Bloomfield, was closed and the reviews are really good here. I ordered three rolls and I asked for brown rice. I was told it was one dollar extra per roll, which...whatever, fine. Some places charge for brown rice, others do not. (I buy brown rice at the supermarket all the time and it's not much more expensive, but whatever. Hey every dollar out is us as you can....). But then the rolls came, and there were maybe 5 pieces of rice in each piece. No joke. Check the pic. I felt hosed. So I called to say that I didn't think this was right. If you're going to charge extra for rice there should be a decent amount of rice to begin with. Otherwise how are you justifying the extra charge? I was told that the extra charge is NOT because of the brown rice itself, but rather, it is because of all the extra effort the sushi chef has to go through in order to prepare rolls with brown rice. I asked what she meant and was told that the chef has to walk all the way to the kitchen to get the rice and then brown rice falls apart more easily in the rolls. I call bullshit. Don't charge me extra for nothing, on top of already high prices. I won't go back here again even though the food was good. I paid $48 for three sushi rolls including the charge for the brown rice. And that is bullshit. read more

Aozora - Show me the rice. - Japanese Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

Cute place in the dynamic part of town. We walked in about 50 minutes before close and despite being the only people there, they stayed open for us. Staff was friendly and welcome. Atmosphere was attractive. We order 3 sushi rolls, a salad and the pork dumpling appetizer. The roll selection was creative. They looked good and tasted good. We weren't blown away but good. read more

This was one of the only places in Montclair that accepted a reservation for a large group on a weekend, so that was a bonus for us. BYOB My friend and I shared 4 specialty rolls and they were all delicious. I got Tuna Amazing, the fire dragon roll, sexy girl, and the gavin.... i believe those were the names- they could be a little off.. They were the waiters suggestions and they were all on point. The place is modern looking. Parking can be an issue if there is an event at the wellmount theater. We used a free dessert with a yelp check in as the b-day girls dessert. She got the creme brulee and she enjoyed it. I also tried the avocado salad which was amazing. Good place! Service was a little slow but if you call them over, they will assist you right away. read more

Aozora - Japanese Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

We went here for dinner last night prior to a show at the Wellmont Theater, which was right across the street. There were no tables available, so we sat at the sushi bar. This worked out just fine because service was very quick at the sushi bar. Considering how crowded the restaurant was we were in and out of there in 30 minutes! We ordered the dynamite roll, some sushi and the chicken fried rice. The shrimp tempura in the dynamite roll was very well made and the sushi was fresh and tasty. I was not sure about the chicken fried rice, at first, because it seemed dry (I think I was expecting a more Chinese style fried rice), but the more I ate it, I enjoyed it. It was better than the Chinese style, because it was not greasy or oily and chicken was very moist and tender. By checking in on Yelp, we received a free dessert! We opted for the creme brûlée, which was absolutely delicious and huge - not one of those tiny ramekin sizes. The other dessert choices were various ice creams and bread pudding. read more

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Had not been to Aozora for years after the quality dropped so much. Well, high quality and freshness and creativity are back. Delicious cotter fish (squid) appetizer with tasty sesame sauce. Another wonderful tuna app with soba noodles. I also loved the Valentine roll with tuna and caviar. The sushi and sashimi mains were plentiful. Still a very pleasant modern setting. Booths very desirable but all were taken. Real candle light! read more

Aozora - Japanese Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

I can't understand why some places in Montclair flourish while others sort of fly under the radar. Aozora does great sushi, you can always get a res and had no red flags. Their dinner entrees like the sea bass are also outstanding. read more

Best tofu teriyaki I've ever had. Rolls are delicious and reasonably priced. Ambiance is very nice and facilities are clean, staff is helpful. read more

i've never been to this restaurant before and i'm happy to say i had a great first experience! place is byob, which is great. you are able to check off on a piece of paper which kinds of sushi you want to order which i found very convenient. all of the sushi was delicious, and the service was great! i will definitely be back read more

Aozora - the whole table's sushi rolls came on a big platter and they gave us individual plates - Japanese Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

We came in on a Saturday evening, from the time we ordered to receiving our food took 50 + minutes. The whole time waiting for our food, our beverages were not refilled. The kitchen and waitstaff were severely undermanned. Two chefs at the sushi counter making entrees for the entire restaurant. This experience left me berated and I would give it a negative two star. We ordered the chef deluxe to share. The roll it came with was full of taste of texture. The sushi had a house sauce brushed on it that complimented each piece of sushi very well. The sashimi was surprisingly very fresh. This dish deserved a four star. It wasn't that the place was super crowded and busy, it was that they were under staffed which caused an hour wait for the food. If the wait time was minimal, I definitely would return. read more

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BYOB is always the best. Lol. This was a great dinning experience as Covid started to rise again this was one of the only sushi restaurants who had indoor seating available. Quite & cute. Great service. I tried something called a seafood udon stir fry I didn't get a picture but if you are looking to try something new try this. read more

Aozora - Salmon enteee - Japanese Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

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Loved this sushi!!! So fresh! Best in town! The owners are so sweet! We will keep coming back to this one! read more

Came here on a Friday night before a show across the street at the wellmont. Only had about 30 min so we where in kinda a rush. This was the only place with no wait so we decided to check it out. Great call because the food was fantastic and the service was great. I had my beer in hand and I ordered a salmon sampler dish. I've never seen that on a menu at other sushi places so I decided to order it. It was amazing. It had salmon prepared 6 different ways, very impressive. Each piece of fish tasted better than the rest, and all tasted very fresh. At 25$ I felt this was a great price for what you get. I would definitely return to this place. read more

Aozora - I got the salmon lover. Cause I love salmon. - Japanese Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

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I have always enjoyed the food at Aozora, especially when Nick owned it. He was hospitable and always aimed to please . Disappointment disappointment disappointment However, after ordering on numerous occasions from Aozora, my last order of surf and turf was a real disappointment. Previously to the last order, they always had two sauces, which were very delicious. My last order was a real disappointment. Instead of the previous sauces that were always part of the order, they sent a teriyaki sauce. When I called them up about it, they tried to tell me that it was what they always did. I knew they were wrong because I dislike teriyaki sauce tremendously and as mentioned previously, I loved the sauces that they sent. They tried to tell me I wrong. You don't get mixed up with something that you really don't like compared to something that you liked very much. Instead of listening to me, they cut me off and told me not to order anymore. I couldn't believe their rude and deceitful response to my questioning why the original sauces were not part of the orders I had always received in the past! They actually did me a favor by refusing my business. There is no telling what else they would've done if they were as deceitful as they were. You could not get something so wrong as getting a teriyaki sauce, which you truly dislike instead of their original sauces which were excellent. If they were that deceitful with something so minor, there's no telling what else they would be deceitful about. This is my first review of a restaurant. I have never written a review before, but this one warranted it. Greatly, greatly disappointed With the present owner of Aozora. read more

Delicious and unique! My date and I were unaware we could make a reservation ahead of time, but the staff was gracious and found us a table. The servers and kitchen staff were working well together, and bringing out dish after dish of delicious looking food. We opted to try their miso soup and seaweed salad, in addition to shrimp gyoza. We were both impressed with the flavors in the miso soup and seaweed salad, they had a pleasant though mild kick to them that made them stand out. The shrimp gyoza was prepared well, but didn't have a lot of flavors going on when compared to the knock outs that were the other two dishes. For sushi there were a lot of salmon, tuna, and shrimp based rolls to choose from with some noteworthy rolls we had never had before. Our favorite of the evening was the caviar roll, hands down, followed closely by the sushi sandwich, and the dynamite roll. I'm looking forward to going back and trying out more hot dishes from the kitchen! They have a wonderful fusion flare to them, and all sound delicious, but was more in the mood for sushi than anything else when I went. read more

Went here around 930 on a weekday and the guy asks us if we have reservation. As if they get busy 30 mins prior to closing. Place was dead, just like their sushi. Right there I took 2 stars out. Service was very slow. Food was not that great. Not going again. read more

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Enjoyed a dinner for 2 for sushi. Sexy girl was our favorite roll! It's BYOB, so be sure to bring your pleasure

I probably eat at Aozora once a week. Their sautéed udon and udon soup are delicious. Great lunch specials with good portions. Sushi is good and a decent Miso soup as well read more

I'm very surprised this place has so many stars... my experience was not great. I will definitely not be returning. So I came on a Thursday night for dinner with a few friends. I actually recommended the place, I went last year for my birthday and it wasn't terrible.. It is BYOB, like most places in montclair. Appetizers - 2 orders of the veggie spring rolls (5.50 each) So plain, no flavor. Had to dunk it into soy sauce to have somewhat of a taste. So disappointing. I mean they came in decent sizes, so there's that ! Dinner - vegetable fried rice ($10) This was the most disappointing! It looked very good. But literally I had less flavor than white rice. And it was just warm, not even hot. It was so horrible. - stir fry vegetable udon ($11) They first brought chicken udon... which I couldn't eat cause I'm a vegetarian. They replaced it in a good amount of time. This actually had some flavor but it wasn't that exciting. My friend got the chicken Teriyaki, she enjoyed it at least! Maybe the good reviews were just for sushi.... which I didn't get. Will never be returning. As there are many good restaurants in Montclair. read more

Aozora - Veggie spring roll - Japanese Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

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As always one of my favorite go to restaurant. The chef continues to produce best French classical technique inspired kitchen dishes. I know a l ot of people come here for sushi rolls but you guys are missing out on the kitchen menus. The sea bass the lobster the red snapper to name a few and then there are deserts........ will be back soon. read more

Celebrated a birthday in September with our friends here.  My first time here and the food was outstanding.  Everything was fresh and so delicious. The vegetable sushi was wonderful. I can not wait to go back again.  If i had one complaint it would be how long it took to get our food but I know all restaurants are struggling with this now. read more

Be sure to read several reviews before reading this one. Several people (including those who gave 4 stars) noted the long wait time for food. If you're having just sushi you're fine. But if you're ordering anything that must be cooked skip this restaurant. I tried dining there tonight with two friends. When we entered the restaurant there was an angry woman waiting at the door who said she'd waited an hour for takeout. We sort of stumbled on this place by accident out of extreme hunger. It was nearly full. We got a table right away, but we weren't in the mood for sushi. We ordered vegetable tempura, sushi rice, a tuna roll, a bowl of soup, and a side of fries. All sides. I kid you not we waited an hour then I demanded they bring out something. Sushi rice is pre-made at most restaurants as is soup and those tiny appetizer tuna rolls. We watched plate after plate full of sushi and sashimi pass us. Even two bowls of steaming soup. They finally brought out the tempura and the rice. 15 minutes later still no fries. I was so hungry and so angry I canceled the fries saying it "doesn't take an hour to make fries". I apologized to my friends, walked out and drove home where I microwaved a bowl of homemade soup. 90 minutes from the time I originally ordered my friend texted me a photo of the fries that just arrived. French fries. Really! My girlfriends told me the fries were taken off the check but this is nothing special. A guest left angry. They had no choice to remove the cost of the fries. If you visit this restaurant skip the hot meals or just dine elsewhere. read more

It's probably one of the best sushi places that we visited in New Jersey. We really enjoyed 'salmon lovers' and 'tuna madness', extremely fresh selections and very reasonably priced. Also we're able to bring our own wine and had an amazing dinner with friends! read more

Aozora - Japanese Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

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Sushi here is sooooo good and fresh. The service was very slow though, which is unfortunate. The waitress took forever to take my order and rarely checked in on my table. When it came time for the check, I had to ask another team member to ask her for the bill. Other than that the restaurant is clean. Great atmosphere. BYOB like most places in Montclair, which is a plus. Overall great food and would return. read more

I was in the area and was craving sushi so my husband and I decided to try this place out. However, when we walked in, we weren't even acknowledged or greeted. There was no one dining in the restaurant, and all the staff were seemingly working on to go orders. They seemed busy, so I stood waiting to get seated for 5 min or so. Still nothing. In my life, I've only walked out of a restaurant for this reason once before. It's very uncommon. I would've appreciated a "welcome, we will be right there" vs me standing there feeling stupid. For the sheer amount of employees that were working, it was disappointing to say the least, very unprofessional in my opinion. I walked over to Kai Yang, where I was instantly greeted and seated in a full restaurant with maybe 2 waiters. Take your business here instead. read more

Very good fresh sushi. I got the dynamite roll and the spicy tuna roll, which I wish was spicier, but I would still get it again. Both rolls came out to $13. The wait to get our food was very long considering there was only two other tables. The cream brûlée was ok but kind of weird at a Japanese restaurant. read more

Aozora - Japanese Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

We came here on a Thursday night for a late dinner. The food and atmosphere are excellent. The restaurant wasn't busy at all, so we felt the severs could have been a little more attentive, but this wouldn't deter us from returning. My husband and I shared the pumpkin and shrimp soup, tuna poke special, tuna amazing roll, and salmon lovers entrée. We got a free bread pudding by checking in. The sushi was amazing. The tuna poke special was my favorite. It was light, refreshing, generously portioned, and we loved that it was served inside of a fresh orange. What a fun presentation! The bread pudding and the chocolate sauce that it came with were melt in your mouth good. But the white chocolate sauce was spoiled, so we couldn't eat it. The dessert was free, so I can't really complain too much. We'll definitely be back when we're in the area. read more

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The best sushi everrrr!!! Been coming here for more than 5 years...and keep coming back...everytime I come here I get good quality sushi, and apps..you wont be disappointed...I promise!! read more

Aozora - Japanese Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

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After passing this place for Ani Ramen a few times it came time to finally give it a try. The setting is very nice and the presentation of food matches this as well. To start we had the special pork dumplings with peanut sauce appetizer. There are 6 of. Them, not bad for 2 or 3 people to share. They were pretty good. To pick them up with the chopsticks were a bit tricky though. The thing that stuck out was the presentation - fancy plates and glasses and even the chopsticks which aren't the usual wood kind. decided to try the shrimp teriyaki which came once again with nice presentation, but also a good amount. I was impressed with the amount of shrimp in the entree. The actual food was good, delicious sauce which there could've been more of but was still great. It's especially good to see other choices on the menu since I'm not a sushi Conisseur. read more

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I think more people should have the pleasure of knowing this place!!! In all of Montclair this is my most favorite place to go when I feel like sushi. My family likes other things and when sushi is available I'll take sushi!! Since 2003 --- always fresh, always delicious and always pleasant. They try just as hard if you are the only one and early as if it's crowded. Thank you for being such a staple of awesome in a constantly changing Bloomfield Avenue!!!! read more

I'd like to say that it's really rare for me to find a GOOD sushi place anywhere in NJ. This place probably beats most of the places I've been to in Edgewater/Fort Lee. Keep in mind that my husband and I got here at 845pm, just a little over an hour before they close. There was no one in the restaurant except a small group of friends and we were the other party that night. The restaurant is really cute and modern. Large booths along the right side of the restaurant and enough dining tables throughout. The decor was modern and the ambiance was great! The place was clean and well-presented. Since there was only one other party when we walked in, we were obviously greeted immediately. Waters were filled and green tea was offered. The waiter was extremely friendly and engaged in conversation the minute we sat down. We ordered pretty quickly, not because we were rushed, but because I felt bad we walked in so late. Food: Ah-maze-balls! I ordered a shrimp shu Mai which is probably one of the best I've tasted, and this is coming from someone born in Hong Kong and having eaten Shu Mai from the motherland. All my worries about the food not being edible due to the late night walk-in went away. There were four pieces of Shu Mai which was enough to hold us over until the entree. For the entree, I ordered the tofu teriyaki and my husband ordered a roll (I forgot the name of it, but it was shrimp tempura and spicy tuna on top). My tofu teriyaki was beyond delicious. The presentation of the food was great and the tofu itself was fried perfectly. Lightly fried and perfectly cooked, the tofu literally melted in your mouth. If you're a tofu lover like I am, I HIGHLY recommend this dish. This dish came with shredded vegetable over a pile of rice. This is definitely a great choice for vegetarians. For dessert, we got the free dessert for checking in at Yelp! (Thanks Yelp!) and we decided on the banana bread pudding (?)with vanilla ice cream. It. Was. fantastic. The banana bread came out warm on the inside and it mashed so well together with the vanilla ice cream! Service: our guy was the bomb! He was SO nice and accommodating and we NEVER felt rushed at all to leave, even when they were closing down the place. He kept asking if we needed more tea/water and made sure everything was ok. One thing I was really worried about was the service and food quality being that we were there so late, but they definitely proved me wrong when the food came out hot, fresh, and presentable. Please note that I'm basing the food and service quality on a very slow Tuesday night right before they close, so their services maybe change. I will update my review when I return at a busier time! I will DEFINITELY come back to this restaurant (with a bottle next time since its BYOB) and try the other options on the menu! Side note: Ani Ramen is right next door so if you're tired of waiting in line for Ani Ramen, Aozora is the place to go! read more

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Came in for dinner prior to heading over to the Wellmont. We placed an order for soup, salad an appetizer and a few rolls as we figured it shouldn't be an issue to get all of this in an hour since the restaurant was only half full. We were wrong. It took nearly 15 minutes just to get soup and salad and whenever we tried to flag down one of the inattentive servers they just blew right past us. Once we got the salads we told them to just bring everything else all at once but it still took an interminable amount of time. The presentation on all the food was very good but I felt the flavors were lacking, especially on the rolls which were all listed as spicy, but had very little heat. Prices, for the subpar service and bland food was more than I would care to pay here again. Too many good restaurants in Montclair to be this mediocre. read more

Great atmosphere, Sushi was okay. Service was extremely disappointing and it took over an hour for us to be served dinner. read more

I had a really positive experience here in regards to food. One thing kinda rubbed me the wrong way though... When I walked in I was asked if I had a reservation... Yeah I wasn't expecting that. Your located on Bloomfield avenue by a smoke shop, a bike shop, and a liquor store. I wasn't expecting to make a reservation. I'm shopping and want some food. Don't get me wrong, the place is beautiful, the ambiance was great, and the food was wonderful My husband ordered the chicken fried rice and the chicken teriyaki. He said the chicken wAs great. I tried the fried rice myself and it was very good. I ordered the pumpkin shrimp soup and the sexy lady roll. The sexy lady roll was one of the best shrimp tempura rolls I ever had. It's topped with a spicy crab salad that was perfect. My pumpkin shrimp soup was surprisingly good. I almost regretted ordering it thinking that it was too much of a risk but I'm so glad I did. It was a simple pumpkin soup with two shrimp on top. I would of never anticipated the combination of the two main ingredients to Come together so nicely. Food does take a little while here, it takes a little Longer which definitely results in higher quality food than the average Japanese restaurant in the areA. I would go again. read more

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Great lunch specials. Delicious seafood. Friendly service. Cute atmosphere. The avocado salad is delicious. They were plantiful with the avocado. Some other favorites are the dumplings, surf and turf and salmon entree. read more

This place was excellent! Glad I decided to give it a try. The service was very friendly and helpful. We had a delicious pork dumpling in peanut sauce which I recommend. I also had a miso soup, seaweed salad, and eel roll which was really good. The ambience was very nice as they had some cool lighting. The booth did have a very straight back which was a bit strange so just watch out for that. The best part was getting a free dessert for checking in on Yelp! We got the special vanilla bean creme brûlée and it was enormous. Very tasty too. read more

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Awesome food, Montclair you never seize to disappoint me! We arrived around 9:30pm on the Monday of Memorial Day and I felt so bad, as the restaurant was pretty dead and the poor woman looked like she was dying to go home, but she sat us down and gave us excellent service and even better food. I asked her which seared tuna appetizer we should start with and she came out with this beautiful dish of large chunks of raw tuna in red pepper flakes, fresh pieces of avocado, and cut up orange slices. The food presentation itself was enough to wow me. They cut out the inside of the orange and packed it with tons of tuna and avocado. The plate itself was pretty large and everything was very fresh. I told the waitress to pick out two other specialty rolls and she did not disappoint. (I would highly recommend just asking the waitress what to order there are so many rolls!) Again, the presentation was outstanding and the sushi was exceptional. My thoughts are, I can have sushi just about anywhere, why should I come here and I'll tell you what, I will certainly choose this place over other sushi places next time! The specialty rolls were only $16 too, I've been to places where they charge you $18+ and the rolls aren't even as good! read more