I typically go into a sushi place with lower expectations, but Kemuri far exceeded my expectations! Our server was super friendly and attentive, and we were overwhelmed by the large menu but the happy hour specials were great and we ended up all ordering sushi. We started with spicy edamame and calamari, I'd highly recommend both! For sushi, I got the crazy monkey roll (a fan favorite, they light it on fire at your table!) and a spicy tuna roll. We shared a cucumber avocado roll, and the others got dragon rolls, crispy shrimp, and shrimp tempura. We were happy with all of our orders and left stuffed! Would recommend to all sushi lovers. read more

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This was chosen by a classmate and a good find. It's a large spot in a cute neighborhood with plenty of seating options -- you can pick the sushi bar, traditional restaurant tables, a regular bar, or another room that is a little bit more mood-lighting than bright/airy. We sat at the bar (different from the sushi bar, which is also an option) and had a very attentive and knowledgeable bartender. I tried the local filtered sake (who knew that Arkansas produces a large percentage of the country's rice?) and it was very nice. We each got a ramen bowl and a sushi roll. I got the wild salmon roll as I generally prefer simple rolls. The roll was very heavy on the rice, less so on the actual salmon. It was still nicely prepared and tasted good, but maybe not worth the price when you consider how little salmon you're getting out of it. I also got the Tonkotsu Ramen Bowl and added duck to it. The bowl was tasty, but slightly mild/bland -- to be fair, I asked them not to include the jalapeno because I'm terrible at handling any amount of spice. It was a generous serving and I happily took half of it home for lunch the next day. Overall, I enjoyed my meal here and I didn't think the prices were outrageous. It's a nice atmosphere that can lend itself to cozy casual or intimate, and I wouldn't mind coming back here even if it doesn't top my list. Definitely worth a visit to decide for yourself. read more

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The food here is always incredible. I have never had a sushi roll I haven't liked and the fried rice is very good with all of the vegetables they add. The inside is nice with two separate rooms that have very different vibes. They also have two patios which I personally prefer over the inside but either is nice. The waiters/waitresses are always super nice and friendly. Only reason for 4 stars is because their sushi rolls can take about an hour to come out and their takeout also takes over an hour. read more

Kemuri - Blackened Ahi Tuna Bowl Chowly - Sushi Bars Near Me - Little Rock, Arkansas

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For the price and the taste? Absolutely not worth it. Hot garbage at best, I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone. I was hoping for a good meal to take to the park but this was a letdown from start to finish. The tuna bowl was bland and when I added the ponzu sauce it tasted like what I imagine cat piss might taste like...truly awful. The sake sauce on the shishito peppers was way too overpowering and for $8, I expected more than just eight peppers. As for the miso soup... I've had miso all over the world and this just wasn't it. If you have functioning tastebuds do yourself a favor and eat somewhere else. The disappointment was overwhelming read more

Kemuri - Blackened Ahi Tuna Bowl Chowly House Miso Soup Robata Shishito Peppers Chowly - Sushi Bars Near Me - Little Rock, Arkansas

Stopped here for dinner on a road trip. The staff is wonderful. The service is amazing. And the food is delicious. read more

Kemuri - Chef's sashimi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Little Rock, Arkansas

I would move to this state just to experience Kemuri again. The rolls- transcendent. The toppings selected from the sea gods themselves. The service- impeccable. When I moved to the south I didn't believe good sushi existed. After 3 years, and traveling through LR- this is it. Kemuri changed my mind. The only thing I didn't enjoy was the edamame. The garlic didn't complement it well but still 5 stars. That's how good everything else was in comparison. read more

Kemuri - I was able to taste test these octopus bites. Hopefully they make their way to the menu because they were phenomenal - Sushi Bars Near Me - Little Rock, Arkansas

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Food was fresh and tasty. I had California Roll and edamame. The Mocktail I ordered was a light, refreshing drink made with grapefruit, pineapple, and club soda. The host and wait staff were all pleasant and welcoming. If you plan on dining here reservations are recommended. read more

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We dined at Kemuri for the first time for a special occasion date night last Friday night. We had a reservation for 6:45 PM and they got us seated pretty quickly (in a dark corner?) and we started to look at the menu. Took 10+ minutes just to get waters and 35-45 minutes to get our appetizer and at that point we were starving. It was busy, but not so busy for us to be ignored for so long. Our server didn't introduce himself and told us to just throw a dart at the menu and order whatever because it was hard to go wrong. We had PLENTY of time to figure out what to order because we sat for so long and the food really was superb, but my partner would be hard-pressed to return because the service was exceptionally bad. Would probably return because it's the best sushi we've had in Little Rock, but would maybe have a snack before :/ read more

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Love this place! One of my favorites in Little Rock. Sushi is always fresh and I've never had a roll I didn't like. The spicy edamame, ribs, crispy rice are all delicious appetizers. I personally love their spicy rolls (crazy monkey, volcano, poison)! Service is always good and staff is all great. Ambiance is wonderful for a birthday dinner or date night. read more

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This was my first trip to Little Rock, Arkansas. Since we were only here for 1 night we decided to go for sushi. This restaurant was fantastic! I was so hungry I didn't get pictures of the starters. We had the edamame, mussels, and tuna tataki, which was absolutely delicious. The edamame had just the right amount of garlic salt, the mussels were in a coconut lime sauce which was perfect, and the tuna had a thin crust of spice but it was not overwhelming. I had the princess roll with the jalapeños on the side and my husband had the Chefs Sashimi plate. JD our server and he did an excellent job of explaining the menu., which is extensive. Great ambience throughout the venue. Highly recommend this restaurant for great sushi dishes read more

Kemuri - Chefs Plate and Princess Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Little Rock, Arkansas

It is a pricey meal, but let me just tell you it's also one of the best sushi experiences I've had in a long long time!! The service was perfect. The ambiance is pleasant and upscale. I'll definitely be back! read more

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Food was great, for those of us who got it!!!! The "kitchen" sent out the wrong sushi order for one of us. Waiter took it back. The other 3 of us were totally finished and our friend still had nothing!!!! So she cancelled because she didn't want us to wait on her!!! And don't make your bartender wait tables!!!!! Especially on a Friday night!!! Hire more servers!!! read more

Online ordering from the website returns an error. Ordinary takeout via yelp just spins. I know the food is GREAT! read more

Always fresh and so so good. I have tried several of the sushi rolls and they are always fantastic.

Was very good, but also a little pricey. The service is fantastic and I really like the feel of the restaurant.

Kemuri has a wonderful atmosphere--relaxed yet elegant. The staff is friendly, and the food is delicious and fresh, with a lovely presentation. A favorite go-to. read more

Went back for a date night and unfortunately, it was super disappointing this go around. This was a super calm Tuesday night with very few customers in the dining room. We were sat and not even looked at by a server for 15 minutes. We kept trying to make eye contact with people with no luck when finally a server came to take our order. The server apologized for the wait and said there was a miscommunication, which is totally understandable. He was a delight so this is not a knock on him. The sushi was almost inedible. Not sure if this was a fluke, but we were shocked by the drop in quality. Hopefully it was just a bad night. read more

We were there for over an hour and had to leave without getting our main entrees. The service was slow and it wasn't crowded. The manager was rude and did not apologize for the fact that we had to cancel our order because of how long we had been waiting. The waitress could never give us a time frame of when our food would be ready. Very disappointing experience. We had dine here many times before and had loved our experience but we will not be back. read more

I'm sad to be writing this because in the past I've had amazing experiences at Kemuri. But last night I had a horrible experience that makes me not want to return. I had a reservation at 6:30 for 5 people for a birthday dinner for my mom. We arrived on time and promptly ordered drinks and food. First of all, the waiter said they only had one beer glass (?) so the rest of the party had to drink beer out of the can. Which, by the end of the night, was honestly the least of our worries. Our appetizers arrived and were delicious (would recommend the ribs). But it was downhill from there. Our waiter, DJ, was nice but nowhere to be found half the time. I ended up having to get up from the table and go to the sushi bar to order drinks after many failed attempts to flag him down. At this point, it was nearly 2 hours since we had ordered our entrees and rolls. Keep in mind this was only a party of 5 so it's not like we had a huge order being put in. After 2 hours, we finally got our waiters attention and asked where our food was. He said the kitchen was backed up and there were still 4 tickets in front of ours. Not sure how that was possible as it felt like the whole restaurant had turned over in the time we were sitting there. We told him to please cancel the food and just bring us the bill for what we had already gotten/drank. They brought us the bill and didn't comp a single thing, which i know we were not necessarily entitled to but would have been nice considering how bad they fumbled what was supposed to be a nice birthday dinner. The manager came over and was honestly very unpleasant and hostile towards us. After a lot of back and forth, they ended up comping the few apps that had come out which again feels like the least they could do especially after we had racked up a $200 alcohol bill from sitting there for so long waiting. All this to say, very disappointed in 1. The crazy wait time (we know shit happens but at least come by our table and let us know the kitchen is behind instead of ghosting us ???? ) and 2. The way we were treated by management after communicating our frustrations. Believe it or not, I'm not usually a review-writing Karen like this, but this experience was so egregious that it drove me to Yelp. Would give .5 stars if I could, with the .5 coming solely from the fact that the ribs were fantastic. read more

The food is delicious and the service is always great here. I do wish that the lighting was a little bit darker but other than that the ambience is definitely conducive to a fun night out. read more

We just did sushi, apps and robata on our first trip so I'll have to review the entrees later on, we do plan to return. Decor was nice and staff was polite and helpful, they have a lot of staff so there's wanderers that can help you as well. We tried traditional and signature sushi rolls and the traditional rolls (Cali/Philly/Crunchy Shrimp) are perfectly on point, I felt the signature rolls are mostly "big & spicy" - not really my thing but my wife loved their take on the dragon roll. The appetizers were good, portions are pretty small though, same for the robata, everything was tasty but we wish there were two more bites on each plate for what we're spending. Wine selection was solid, cocktails were good. We'll go back for our next special occasion but a bit pricey to be a monthly spot for us. read more

Disclaimer: I have always adored Kemuri sushi and have eaten at their Hillcrest location since they opened. I never will again. I called and placed a to go order here on Sunday and the hostess said on the phone that it would be ready in 1 hour. I arrive 1 hour later and myself and 7 other people are left standing at the hostess table for 15 minutes without being addressed by anyone in the restaurant. After walking to the bar and requesting assistance for myself and the 7 other folks, we are prompted to pay for our meal. I pay my $90 bill and ask the shorter blonde hostess if she can check to see how much longer the wait should be and she said she would check. She then says there's no way for her to know, in a rude tone, and she just didn't seem to care at all for the 7 of us just waiting around for 15 minutes to be seen. Another woman asked the hostess if she could check on the status of her Togo order since she had been waiting for over 35 minutes just to pick up her food. The hostess said "she would get in trouble" if she asked her manager or the sushi chefs for an update. The woman and myself later told the manager about the hostess treatment and they didn't seem to care at all either. What changed at Kemuri to employ folks with such poor customer service skills? This is an expensive restaurant and I expect decent treatment. I understands delays happen, I've worked at several restaurants in my past, but to be treated so rudely after having to wait 35+ extra minutes for a $90 to go meal is wrong. All in all, such a disappointing experience for a restaurant that seemed to have it together. It seems they don't prioritize or care about their Togo customers at all. I won't be coming back. None of the staff cared and I'm still waiting at the restaurant while I type this. Update: I got home and my calamari tasted like cardboard. Maybe they're skimping on food quality just like employee quality too. read more

Had such a great dinner here! Beautiful area of town. Great outside patio that is dog friendly. Absolutely delicious sushi, ceviche, and cocktails. Service by Jason was top notch. Best restaurant I've been to in a hot minute. Must visit. Thank you thank you! read more

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I went in for dinner my first day after arriving as a recommendation from a friend who did marketing for the area. The restaurant was clean and very modern. They have an aquarium with live fish to observe too. There were so many yummy options, I had a hard time choosing. I eventually settled on the pork belly bibimbap, which hit the spot. My server, Jimmy, was awesome! He was super patient with my indecisiveness and was so fun! Thanks for the great service and yummy food! read more

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This is a small neighborhood restaurant and reservations would probably always be a good idea though we went on a Monday and didn't have any. It's laid out well and has an upscale feel without being overpriced. There are many food options as well as lovely cocktails. I don't drink but my granddaughter in law ordered the pearl orchid and lived it so much she had another to share with the grandson. I had the Robosta? Which is the Japanese equivalent to tapas Just small bites And I am still thinking about the truffle mushroom dish. My husband had bibimbap and it was so delicious. There was salmon cooked properly and then tofu coconut curry dish which was delicious according to the grandkids. Yes we will go back read more

We ordered 3 raw sushi rolls and it took an hour and a half to get it, while we had to set outside in the heat.... Wasn't impressed

The food was great and the our server was nice, however we made the reservation for our daughter's 21st birthday. He did tell her happy birthday but was kind of disappointed they didn't bring a dessert for her after dinner. It was a big birthday and we could have gone anywhere to celebrate her special night. read more

Kemuri is one of those restaurants that you don't expect to find in the middle of Arkansas. It is an upscale Japanese restaurant that probably has the best sushi in town. We decided last minute to try and do a walk in to Kemuri for dinner and were lucky enough to get a larger table, albeit outside on a fairly warm day. I would definitely recommend reservations. The restaurant itself is fairly upscale inside, but still family friendly. Our group mainly came in for some sushi, so that's the only menu we looked at. As someone that grew up in Arkansas, I know sushi around here can be hit or miss. This is especially true after tasting what fresh sushi is like when I visited the coast. I ended ordering the Smoked Hamachi, yellowtail appetizer, roasted pork belly, and 24K Gold roll. The food took a little longer to get out as we were told the kitchen was backed up due to a large party, but our waiter was very nice and checked on us often. Once the food started to roll out, I was fairly surprised. The fish slices had decent taste and my roll was very good. The gold pieces were a little gimmicky, but you gotta justify the highest priced roll on the menu somehow. Kemuri is a restaurant that I will definitely be back to. If you are a sushi lover, then there probably isn't a better place in town. read more

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The food was a pleasant surprise. A wonderful recommendations by some friends. If you are in Little Rock you must stop by. The service was top notch, Grace was the most attentive server. The atmosphere was perfect for winding down after a long day. read more

Kemuri - Drunken noodles - Sushi Bars Near Me - Little Rock, Arkansas

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Wonderful place and the best fish "fresh" you can get in Little Rock period. This place is amazing. read more

Sushi was the best i ever had! Service was very professional, patient, even the sushi chef was very nice! Whole restaurant was quite and clean. Will visit again! read more

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The food was great, but it was a bit long of a wait. Not a problem for date night, but you don't want to be in a rush! read more

Kemuri - Nigiri plate and the summer girl roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Little Rock, Arkansas

After having 3 underwhelming meals in Little Rock we decided to give Kemuri a try. Very disappointing. If you're a fan of this place, rock on. If you've never been, maybe save the disappointment. The service was fantastic, but the food was just terrible. The sushi was way too warm and the portions were too large. They should be half the size they were. Also, dial back on the amount of rice a bit. Honest comparison in quality would be one of the sushi plates you can get from Kroger. The prices we paid just didn't align with the quality of food we were served. I also ordered the fried rice as a backup in case the sushi wasn't great. Do not order this item, you will be disappointed. This place was packed so maybe we were the only ones in the whole place to get bad food. I suspect that people eat here because there are no other options. Message to the kitchen: Catch up to the level of service your waitstaff gives if you want to stay in business. read more

Kemuri is definitely a Neighborhood Gem! Misty, our Server, was delightful, very knowledgeable about the menu and food preparation and extremely helpful with our sushi ordering. We enjoyed the Salmon Roll, Yellow Tail Roll, Spicy Salmon Roll, and Spicy Crawfish Roll. Two days later, my wife is still talking about Kemuri and Misty. We will definitely be back! read more

We took a group for my sister's birthday, and had an amazing time. The sushi was so fresh and absolutely delicious. Definitely recommend. read more

Kemuri - Sushi Bars Near Me - Little Rock, Arkansas

Amazing food and Great service. This place is a gem. The food tasted very good and was very good quality. Everything was so well balanced. The atmosphere was very inviting and relaxing. The staff was very kind. We definitely will be going back. read more

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Outstanding food and service! Attentive servers and wide variety of sushi. Definitely worth a try

Fantastic restaurant if you want to get your ramen fix in Little Rock, AR! I ordered the shrimp tempura plate and the ramen tonkontsu! It was 10/10! The waiter was great with his customer service and attentive with my food allergies on Xmas Eve! Parking is available across the street with a lot. On street parking is available as well. Must visit if you are in Little Rock! read more

Kemuri - Kemuri Tonkotsu Ramen Bowl - Sushi Bars Near Me - Little Rock, Arkansas

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Awesome food, great service. You will need to call ahead for a table if dinning in. Take out is a plus. read more

My wife and family have been going here for a while. The last several times, however, the service was lacking. Took forever just to get food etc. Well, they very much ruined my wife and I's Valentine's Day lunch. We had a reservation and arrived on time. We waited for an hour and half, with our 7 month old. We were patient and told our waiter after an hour. At the hour and half mark was when the waiter apologized. We had to get it to-go, and they comped us $25... we get into the car to go home and eat to realize the portions were so small we have to stop and get food on the way home.. my chicken robota was 2 very small skewers... we will not be returning and neither will my family. read more