The Atmosphere - Visually, the restaurant is fairly small, with seating that could accommodate roughly 50 guests. The furniture is pretty run-of-the-mill, with the seats being comfortable enough to contentedly settle in for a lengthy meal. The tables that are set up for two patrons may be a little low on surface area if you order too much food at once, so that's something to keep in mind. The music is noticeably geared to young adults, including many progressive house tracks. While this is suitable for my taste personally, others may not enjoy it as much. For those who prefer other genres of music, you can rest assured that the music is kept at an appropriate volume, and is therefore unlikely to take away from your dining experience.
The Service - When I began reading reviews about Diamond Sushi, any controversy seemed to come from people's opinions about the service. Many reviews that I've seen have stated that the service is terrible and that the servers are rude and impatient. Most of these reviews, however, were written in 2011 and earlier, which is before my first visit (mid 2012). I can say that I've never had an unpleasant experience with the wait staff; it has been quite to the contrary, in fact. I find them to be friendly and courteous. Perhaps there was a change of staff before I began attending? While there may certainly be something of a language barrier for English-speaking customers, the system of writing your choices on the provided paper should eliminate most of those issues. Wait times for the food are fairly short, depending, of course, on the complexity of the item. I also have yet to have any missing orders or mix ups.
The Food - I'd like to come right out and say that the food here is excellent. While I haven't yet come close to trying everything on the impressively encompassing menu, I would have a very hard time coming up with something that I haven't enjoyed thus far. The sushi has always been fresh and delicious. Diamond Sushi has even managed to sway my opinion on some items that I didn't care for at other sushi establishments. The rolls are well made, with a very pleasing ratio of rice to filling. While some sushi restaurants try to fill their customers up quickly with densely-packed rice, this has never been the case at Diamond. The tempura is light and crisp, and the teppanyaki dishes that I've had are packed with flavor. For those that are interested, a few of my personal favorite items are the Japanese wontons, the rock'n'roll maki roll, the shrimp handroll, and the garlic sirloin steak teppanyaki.
The Value - The value at Diamond Sushi is incredible. Having finished college fairly recently, I'm certainly not a man of means. As such, I value value, if you catch my drift. Admittedly, I've only eaten at Diamond for weekday lunch, which is the lowest price bracket for their all-you-can-eat menu. To be honest, at $11.99, I actually feel guilty when eating there. The meal is absolutely incredible, and you always leave completely satisfied (sometimes over-satisfied, according to my belt). I find myself tipping very large at Diamond, half because I appreciate the service and half because I feel like I've robbed them blind.
Recommended? Absolutely. I can't recommend it enough, actually. I love this restaurant, and if I lived closer I would certainly dine there several times a week. If you haven't tried it, you should! And if you tried it long ago and weren't impressed, you could always consider giving it another shot. It certainly won't break the bank.
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