Let me tell you how this fiasco started. I wanted to celebrate the New Year with sushi. And its my fault totally but I didn't think ahead to pre-order a sushi platter. I assumed most of the sushi places I usually go to would remain open on New Year Eve. Wrong. I looked on UberEats and a limited amount of places offered delivery. This is where I saw Honolulu Sushi.
I've never gotten sushi from here before, but I have ordered sushi from numerous other places through both DoorDash and UberEats that have been delivered within the quoted time frame, as pictured or exceeding expecations, presentable, and at the correct temperature. All of which was failed with this order unfortunately.
It was 5 something PM by the time I placed an order in. I was charged at 5:49PM. I was quoted about an hour of wait time for food delivery. We ordered the 'Aloha Platter'. It consisted of unagi, ahi, salmon, Hamachi, shrimp and Hokkigai clams. I saw an image of it on their Yelp page and it looked promising.
When it was near 6:34PM I noticed that it said the food still wasn't ready? Which was kinda weird as it should've been delivered by now. But I assumed because it was New Years Eve so it might've been busy? We were getting really confused and frustrated. So I tried to look for a help option through UberEats. And clicked on "My order is taking longer than expected" and the automated support system told me that they were waiting for a delivery person. So the food was ready. Just no one to deliver it, which I get is beyond the control of the restaurant. This isn't the part I'm holding them liable for. But it would've been nice to be notified of this by the restaurant? Instead of being in limbo not know what's up. Yenno?
Then the delivery time got pushed to 7PM, 7:15PM. And then I was quoted 7:25PM. At this point we looked at each other like "LOL WHAT?" *confused slowpoke Pokémon face*. That's a full hour and 45 minutes since we ordered.
(I've read the tip amount affects delivery time in certain cases. If no tip or less tip, the time is extended to make sure the worker makes adequate pay from the delivery. I was confused because I always tip 10, 15%+ when I order food. It's not like I'm stingy. And I get that it's pouring rain and NYE, so I was tipping more.)
Finally someone was assigned to deliver it and I watched as they got closer to our location. There was probably traffic going into Waikiki. It wasn't until 7:09PM that they got to us and called me. I was happy when I finally got the food. It seemed the delivery person tried their best so I don't blame them. It was pouring rain and they were on some sort of bike, whether moped or motorcycle. Not a car. They had a helmet on. Which may explain why the food looked so hammer jank. When I opened the Aloha Platter I was pretty disappointed... the sushi was in disarray. All over the place. I sadly showed it to my guy like "Happy New Year :/ I guess... sorry it looks junk." I was embarrassed as I told him to eat.
When eating we both noted that the sushi was oddly warm. And that the portions seemed super skimpy? Like the size of the rice on the nigiri was like half of the normal size. If didn't even seem like enough food to share between the 2 of us. Imagine bringing this to a party. YIKES ON TRIKES. It's listed on UberEats for $57. I was charged almost $65 plus tax. So it wasn't cheap... which made it even more of a let down. I don't think sushi ever made me sad before. This was heartbreaking.
We tried to make the best of it. That was the only thing both of us ate for dinner. Unfortunately it gets worse... this is the part I'm holding them accountable for. Within an hour my guy was puking his guts out. He said there were sushi and bits of seaweed from the unagi all over. He puked a few more times. I also didn't feel well. The sushi felt like it wasn't going down. Caught in my throat like I also needed to puke. I forced myself not to as I hate puking. Then later that night I had an upset stomach. The flood gates opened. We spent NYE and the New Year unwell. Free detox I guess?
We suspect the Aloha Platter was left out after it was done being made from 6:34PM or earlier, (as I have no idea when it was actually completed) and until we got it... that's a good half hour maybe sitting out and not in a fridge. What other reasons would the sushi make us sick? Unless there were more improper storage or food handling procedures conducted?
I brought up "I had a food safety issue with my order" with UberEats and was refunded the cost of the Aloha Platter. But I'm traumatized and it really ruined NYE for us. I will probably never order sushi from here. You can get better quality sushi without the problems, at the same price, ELSEWHERE. I wanted to spread public awareness when ordering takeout from Honolulu Sushi. It may not be stored properly or safely. You may get sick. If you're okay with that, proceed. read more