Happy Hour Paradise Usually dead in the place Bring them to MN This is a chain that I would definitely like to see in the Twin Cities. It is pretty much Happy Hour most of the time. All day Sunday. Generally make it here every time that I get to town. If you had told me how much time I would have spent in Des Moines twenty years ago, I would have said you are nuts. Rolls range from $6.50 to $10.75 on HH. Had the Cali Roll and Crunchy L.A. tonight. Both great. No cucumber on either. Nothing ruins a good piece of sushi like Cucumber. Glass of Chard for $6.50. Leaving pleasantly full and looking forward to my next visit. read more

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The food is great. The service is awful. The ambience is great. They kicked me out because they said I didn't pay but I did. I was sitting outside and the cash I used blew away because it was a windy day so I used my card and they said I didn't have enough cash on hand and then I'd try to use another card and they said it didn't work read more

Ok, Blue Sushi might just be my favorite Sushi Restaurant. The happy hour menu has lots of great sushi specials, that are affordable. I'm currently obsessed with the Hawaiian roll. It's lightly fried with a delicious mango sauce that compliments it perfectly. I never thought I'd enjoy a mango flavor on a sushi roll but it works. Also, the chicken crunch salad is good although there is a bit of an aftertaste. Not sure what it's from. The service is usually pretty good, food comes out quick and you can usually get waited on pretty quickly. I've been there for lunch mostly though. I like the vibes inside, it's always so clean, with plenty of seating inside and there is even outdoor seating if that's your thing. I am definitely a fan and plan to be back again soon! You have to stop by if you're ever downtown or just looking for a good sushi restaurant in DSM. read more

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Had a reservation and the place was severely under staffed. We arrived 10 minutes early and the hostess asked us to wait for our time. We sat and waited and went up when it was our time. She told us they had so many reservations that we were at the bottom of their list to get sat. So we sat there and they knew we wouldn't get in on time, but said nothing. Half the restaurant was empty. Staff better and do better when it comes to customer service. Many people eating downtown are trying to eat before a show and have time constraints. read more

This place was slow my meal came long after my family was done eating and way over priced for what we got. It wasn't bad but there were more downsides than upsides read more

Great selection of rolls and good happy hour prices. Truffle salmon wasn't cut very well and didn't seem super fresh. read more

Blue Sushi Sake Grill - Truffle Salmon* - Sushi Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Blue sushi has a wide selection of sushi rolls, as well as few other items like soups, salads, and wraps. My server did a great job of answering questions about the menu and giving advice. read more

Blue Sushi Sake Grill - Mochi Ice Cream - Sushi Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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A staple when visiting town. They have the most robust vegan roll menu I've found (especially in Iowa). I mean, look at the vegan caviar! My favorite is their shiitake to me. Love their Cowgirl, and VLT. I switched it up this time and got the spicy Kaluna crunch (delicious, slightly spicy) and umami maki- ok. Salmon rolls are made with quality salmon every time. Their care about the quality of fish and sustainability practices is impressive and a reason we choose Blue. Service has been exceptional, going above and beyond many of our stops: giving us an extra roll on our anniversary, and the most impressive, a birthday dessert, birthday card AND homemade ice packs to help my husband get it to me 3 hours away. We've had excellent experiences at other Blue Sushi chains as well. Great outdoor seating as well as indoor. Intimate. Clean. Run don't walk to this great restaurant. read more

I had my first visit to Blue Sushi Sake last night. Initial impression was good ambiance. Nice decor for a group get together or a nice date night. Kaleb my server was polite and attentive. He had a good knowledge of the menu and was able to make suggestions. Tyler the manager was professional and approachable. His interactions with both staff and customers was impressive. The reason I only gave 4 stars was the ratio of rice to ingredients. My two rolls, the spicy sake and the Hawaiian were both about 95% rice and 5% filling. They lacked the flavor I'm accustomed to at other sushi restaurants. Tyler suggested I try the "cherry bomb" which did have a lot of flavor and spice. For dessert I had the chocolate spring rolls which make a great impression when served. They were delicious. I would definitely go back because of the service and I would attempt pick my rolls more wisely to insure maximum flavor. read more

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We arrived in Des Moines, jet lagged, and in need of nourishment. Having only eaten half of a stale bagel and horrible coffee from the previous airport food court, I went into this business trip thinking all we were probably going to find was beef and corn heavy restaurants, maybe pizza and Mexican food sprinkled in between. Imagine my surprise and delight to find out Iowa not only has a Japanese restaurant, but one that serves really delicious sushi! The lunch special is such a great bargain. Two huge rolls and your choice of salad. I opted for the seaweed salad which was flavorful and fresh. Their water is cucumber infused and extremely refreshing on this unusually hot day. We came here thinking we were going to escape the Florida heat but anyway, back to the food. Their menu is extremely organized. They categorize their sushi so you can easily pick if you want it raw, cooked, even vegan rolls are available. There are your usual Asian inspired dishes like fried rice, stir fry and even ramen if you so desire. Service was friendly, quick, and attentive. I highly recommend this as dining option if you're looking to have some delicious Japanese food. read more

Blue Sushi Sake Grill - Seaweed salad - Sushi Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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5 star Sushi in Iowa? Yeah, that's what I said. If you look at my profile you will see that I have reviewed all levels of Sushi Bars across the country. Based on taste, value for price, presentation, ambience and service... yeah they get the 5 star. Knowing that Blue is about sustainability we went in expecting farm raised but also expected Faroe Island not some Indonesian farmed salmon and that's exactly what you get here. Blue Fin is out but Big Eye is in, Dutch Yellowtail from an aqua farm instead of Japanese etc. But the combinations and preparations are great. One of my favorites is the Cherry Bomb: bigeye tuna on top of rice tempura, topped with serrano, sriracha, togarashi and ponzu sauce. The tempura sushi fresh and hot with ice cold slice of tuna in a puddle of ponzu with a sliced serrano and coated with togarashi... it is an amuse bouche that prepares you for the journey. The ambiance is modern Japanese with an upbeat feel during the day and a relaxed feel in the evening and the service we have had has always been amazing. The one thing that could make it better is that if you need to use the restroom you are leaving the area into plain hallways and generic bathrooms and it kind of takes away from the moment. Coming from bigger cities, we have found a gem in downtown Des Moines. Taste: 9/10 Quality vs Cost: 10/10 Presentation: 9/10 Atmosphere and ambiance: 8/10 (bathrooms) Service: 10/10 46/50=4.6 = 5 Star read more

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The sushi itself was fine. Place was generally dirty and the service was underwhelming. Not near as good as the Omaha location. read more

Fun spot! Great atmosphere and patio! Right downtown so convenient to walk around before/after. The food was good! Nothing exceptional imo but still pretty good and they had some really fun combinations for their sushi. The staff was all very accommodating and friendly! read more

Blue Sushi Sake Grill - Brussel sprouts - Sushi Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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I have dreams about the crispy rice cake and this tuna tower. The flavor that this place has, is unmatched! We were in town for a wedding and my cousin said this is one of their go to spots! Man am I glad we stopped in. We went for happy hour and had great service! read more

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Went to this place in Omaha and was delighted they have one here in Des Moines!! It did not disappoint. Looking forward to coming back on my next trip! read more

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The sushi here is amazing. We had a party of eight sharing lunch and everyone left satisfied and raving about the entire experience. We visited for lunch between Christmas and New Year's and it seemed more quiet than usual, so we had exceptional service and enjoyed chatting with the staff. It is always clean and inviting. read more

Love trying new places while traveling. Blue Sushi Sake Grill is located in DT Des Moines next to the Hy Vee supermarket where there's plenty of free parking. We were there on a Thursday for lunch and went back again 3 days later. My favorite would have to be the red sea bream sashimi which was very fresh, it was served with a delicious chimichurri sauce. Paired with a house salad with ginger carrot dressing, it was a perfect lunch. The rainbow roll was pretty good too. A must have is their chocolate spring roll dessert! The dark chocolate sauce over ice cream and the light crispy crunch of the fried spring roll made for a perfect finish to a light meal. Overall a great place to have lunch. Good quality sushi, nice ambience, good service. The only downside is that the portions are too small. Even with their all day happy hour prices, the portion could've been bigger. read more

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The sushi tasted as good as it looked. It was a great experience, the drinks were creative and delicious.

Stopped in for dinner on a Monday and thankful they were open. The staff was very helpful and gave us some great recommendations. Awesome sushi, awesome sake selection. Very comfortable seating and open bright restaurant. We really had a nice relaxing enjoyable time and lots of tasty sushi. I recommend the Moonstone Coconut lemongrass sake! Enjoy! read more

Always found sushi best right from the kitchen so eat in is the only way to go HOWEVER had to have delivery tonight due to an injury and everything was perfect. All the subtle flavors still wowed and temps were right on. We'll totally do this again! read more

My daughters first experience with sushi. We came on a Sunday early evening and were seated promptly outside in the shade. Waitress took our drink order and appetizers immediately and gave us time to pick our main meal. Food was prepared and plated beautifully. Food was delicious. Great flavors and experience for our novice experience level with sushi. read more

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The restaurant was mostly empty on Monday afternoon; however the service was super slow. Our waitress was very friendly and said there were new workers in the kitchen. We enjoyed trying the interesting combinations listed and were happy to have inadvertently come right between the lunch special time and the happy hour time! The more traditional stuff was fine- the Ikura, salmon skin roll, and chocolate torte were items we had had before other places. They were good, but I don't know if we would order them again. My husband liked the coconut crab soup. I LOVED the miso soup, which can often taste quite bland with little dehydrated cubes of tofu at some restaurants. Not here though! It was delicious. The mango crab rolls were pretty good and their wonton wrapping was well made. However, the real stars were we the shiitake to me and cowgirl rolls- oh my gosh! Blown away. Neither of us are vegan but I think we would have given 5 stars if we had specifically Stuck to the vegan fare! We will probably come again to try more of the vegan offerings, and definitely on a day when we aren't in such a rush! read more

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Blue Sushi never disappoints! Tonight's service was exceptional thanks to Becky S and Jed! The place was hoppin' as usual but we were quickly seated in a corner table that was perfect for date night conversations. Upon Becky's recommendation I tried something new, the lettuce wraps with tofu instead of chicken, it was fantastic! My husband even ate the edible flower on his plate. Becky and Jed were attentive to every part of our meal from the edamame and hot tea to the mochi dessert We love the positive energy and "happy you are here vibe" Blue always brings! read more

Blue Sushi Sake Grill - We'll be back! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Attentive server which was the bartender. He provided great service and fast and i noticed he had several tables. The sushi and drinks are amazing. Would love pictures on the sushi online or on the menu. read more

I love the food here. I think it's some of the best sushi in Des Moines. I prefer cooked fish to raw fish but everything I've had here is great. I had the crunchy red, tidal wave, and thriller last time I went, all are so good. Everything I've had here is good, I hope to try the whole menu at some point. Also they have fun drinks! read more

Blue Sushi Sake Grill - Crunchy Red, Tidal Wave, Thriller - Sushi Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Well I am extremely sad to update. I had my birthday dinner planned to be at blue. Reservation was at 6:30, and we were sat immediately. My biggest complaint was the food taking forever to get to our table - we ordered appetizers, they arrived at 6:51. Wonderful! Next comes the funky part - my husband ordered the Hawaiian roll & the River Rock beef as his entree) arrival time? 7:05. Next, my moms bento box arrived at 7:15. We sat around thinking we would be served our food & they held off for a bit. Our sushi arrived at our table at 7:56. 50 minutes apart from when my husband ordered his food, were we able to eat together. We were later told the kitchen was short staffed - I truly wish I had known this ahead of time, as I would've been more respectful of the time of those who I had invited. Our server was incredible. The wait staff was incredibly kind & tried to be as accommodating as humanly possible. If it was based solely off of how we were treated I would stand by my usual 5 stars. She was lovely & the table next to us were super rude - so, I can understand it having been a rough evening. We were compensated & it was extremely appreciated. read more

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Had a great date night here yesterday and really enjoyed ourselves. I wish I'd taken photos of our food to add but can say it was absolutely delicious! We had several rolls and some nigiri as well as a few cocktails. The espresso martini was and the Lion King roll is one of my favorite rolls from any sushi place. Great service and the gal who had our table was really nice and attentive. So glad my friend recommended this place a while back, it's one of our favorite spots for sushi! read more

This is definitely the spot if you just want sushi and drinks. They also have soup and appetizers but no main type dishes like some of the other Japanese restaurants around. Still good though. Sushi fresh and the restaurant was clean, calm, and welcoming. Service was pretty good. Our server was polite and did a great job. The guys who brought out our food was also really friendly. Unfortunately we couldn't give them a higher rating due to their hostess. She tipped over the soy sauce bottle on our table when handing us out food and didn't assist to help us clean it up. We understand things happen but we also asked her for extra napkins since we had used ours to clean it up, and she acted as if we had asked her to do surgery. She also didn't bring us napkins so we had to ask our server to bring us some. Maybe a little more customer service training would help her. Maybe we'll be back and try it out again. read more

Blue Sushi Sake Grill - Tuna tower - Sushi Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Sushi here amazing, drinks here amazing, Ethan is amazing, decor is very cute. I vibe with the Godzilla art, very cool. Service was wonderful, super fast and friendly! Can't wait to come again! read more

Sunday is all day Happy Hour. Start with the spicy edamame and mango crab Rangoon. The kids bento box had fresh salmon and sesame noodles. They have a large variety of vegetarian sushi. The sushi is delish. Service was fabulous. read more

I cant stop coming out here for sushi. Wonderful and tasty!! Cloud Nine 2.0 is my absolute favorite. Order the Charred Edamame- - spicy for a kick!!! I always order calamari and I love how they fry it in panko and with veggies. I've had the vegan rolls and they are nice. I just love fish, shrimp, and crab more. Service is always on par. They know how to keep us chill here. Very welcoming and don't mind us staying a little longer. Outdoor seating is fantastic. Probably one of the best patio seating in downtown. Come here for sushi and to see and to be seen. Drink specials are always yum. Happy hour is 2-6pm. Worth it. All I have to say is I love this sushi spot and it's a place that vegans and traditional sushi lovers can meld together for good food, drinks, and views. read more

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Staff were quick and polite. Atmosphere was nice typical downtown restaurant Food came out fast. Quality and presentation was okay. Taste was below average. Only order four rolls not impressed at all. read more

It's been a few years since I was last here. I was vegan then, and now I'm pregnant! I was excited to try some of their cooked rolls. All the food came out fast, which is great since in the past I've experienced longer waits here. My waitress was really great- friendly, super helpful, and got me to decide on the Tidal Wave roll, which has tempura crab, shrimp, and a couple delicious sauces. I also got the Hawaiian roll, which i was worried would be too sweet with mango, crab, and a mango sauce, but she assured me that it's delicious. It was my favorite of the two so im really glad I tried it :) it's completely tempura fried, very balanced, and sooo yummy. Thanks to checking in here on Yelp, I got a free order of spicy edamame, and a miso soup to start. Blue is definitely a top contender for best miso soup in town, even though I'm still partial to Haiku's. The broth is flavorful and has plenty of green onion and fresh shiitake mushrooms, served beautifully. I love the decor, it was a fun afternoon spot today. I didn't know that they have happy hour all day on Sundays, so I lucked out on great prices for everything. I'll definitely be back soon! read more

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The old fashion pictured was one of the bests I have ever tried, it was well I can't say what I really want to say. The old bag and chain and I have been here multiple times and it never disappoints. Alcohol, sushi, and great service. What is not to love? Not to mention the ambiance is what every resturant should strive to be. We felt comfortable and not rushed at all. Wish the old bag and chain didn't make plans with her friend as I could have stayed here all day. But that is life. Two drinks and gone... read more

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Second visit. Eden roll was fantastic s tried the cowgirl and it was different. Spider mail was also good. Needed sauce. Miso was salty! read more

Blue Sushi Sake Grill - Coconut Crab Soup and Cucumber Sunomono - Sushi Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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We stopped here on a whim to have a light snack. We sat ourselves at the bar and had attentive service. As first timers, we had excellent and patient help making decisions on their extensive menu. I am looking forward to a visit back as I loved my choice and anxious to try more read more

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Was visiting Iowa for work and was recommended this spot! Coming from California, the sushi was good. I usually prefer rolls with fish on top but I couldn't really find those options. Tuna tower was good too! Originally wanted to share with my table but I ended up eating it by myself ‍ Lunch special was good value, but outside of it was a little pricey for a college kid like me. Also nice decorations inside, cool date spot but I have no date so read more

Blue Sushi Sake Grill - Lion King* - Sushi Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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The food was very presentable, and I am an iffy person towards sushi so it depends. We got Tidal Wave, Rainbow Roll, and Godzilla bomb. The Godzilla bomb would be perfect for someone who loves spicy seafood, and the rainbow roll didn't really taste like the others I had from other places and the Tidal wave wasn't bad but not something I wouldn't order again. The service was not good at all, we waited 1.5 hours. After we asked for the check we had to wait another 20 minutes when it wasn't even busy. The vibes of the place were good, and was a very clean place. read more

Blue Sushi Sake Grill - Left was Rainbow Roll* and on the right was Godzilla Bomb* - Sushi Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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My new favorite sushi spot in Des Moines! The moment I walked in I could sense how detail oriented the staff was. The atmosphere was upbeat. We were seated right away with our server summarizing their mission statement. This was a unique way to introduce the menu and keep our interest. Water with cucumber slices was brought out and refilled throughout dinner regularly. We ordered the river rock beef and spicy edamame for appetizers. The tender beef was brought out on sizzling on rocks. Super flavorful dish with an awesome presentation. It was still happy hour and they have a nice sized happy hour menu to order from. We ordered a Philadelphia roll with raw salmon and soy paper, Hotel Cali roll, South Pacific Roll, and the Roja roll. All were very flavorful! The mochi of the night was coconut. We ordered coconut, lychee, and matcha mochi as well as chocolate spring rolls. Coconut mochi is harder to find in restaurants so we were excited to grab some! Dessert was on point just like the dinner! We enjoyed a sake bomb as well. The cups brought out for the bombs were a little too narrow at the bottom which made it difficult to pull the sake cups out of. That would be the only change we would recommend. We loved Blue and will be back soon! read more

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We came here near the tail end of the Des Moines marathon. The location is literally at the finish line. Thus today it can be moderately challenging to navigate around the barricades. But it will be worth it. This is an excellent sushi restaurant with expertly prepared dishes with unique flavors. My wife loves garlic edamame, and we happily allowed the knowledgeable waitress to talk us into the spicy version with CHAR! Wow. The char reminds me of the wok flavor on a beef chow fun. Sooo good. Pro tip/warning: all the food comes out family style and in random order. Appetizers don't necessarily come out first. We didn't care since we were hungry and appreciated that our meaty rolls came out first. We like everything we ordered except (1) the crispy rice cakes, which were bland, and too large to pop in as a single bite so it cut our gums, and (2) the tuna tataki which was seared visually beautifully, but their torching process left it tasting of kerosene. The must get items are (2) chicken lettuce wraps, which come with enough for 5 people to have a taste, and the edamame with spicy garlic char. Overall the experience was good, but be prepared for small portions, and a hefty bill. The service is knowledgeable and attentive. read more

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