Popped into this place for our last meal before leaving AZ and it did not disappoint! We were the…read morefirst people in. When we walked in it had a very fishy smell, so it kind of made us second guess our choice. But we went for it anyhow. The greeter/server was very pleasant and sat us. It was very clean inside with ample space between seat. We browsed through the menu and started with our usual edamame and pot stickers. The edamame was salted well throughout where a lot of places just put the salt on top only. We ordered a couple varieties of sake which were both good. Out of all of the things we ordered the karange skewer was just a little more oily than were use to, but still good. The spicy salmon roll had really great flavor and the lollipop roll was probably one of the better versions that we have had. The musubi was giant to say the least, it was good, but offered a bit too much rice. Overall the food and service was great and we were very happy that we ended up here!

On a Sunday evening, after checking out the Desert Botanical Garden, I was looking for some food in…read morethe area. I came across Zu Izakaya and it's great reviews as one of the options. I love Japanese food so my decision was made. I drove over and parked in their complimentary lot. Ambiance (3.5/5): I've been to Japan and there are plenty of izakayas there. Think of them as small bars which often serve solid food. Zu fits that bit. It's a relatively small restaurant, probably seats about 30 people. and it's pretty no frills for a Japanese spot. I was seated at a booth in the corner of the restaurant. They have free WiFi which is always a good touch. Service (3/5): Service was friendly, though a bit inconsistent. My waitress wasn't as attentive as I would have liked. The type of service where you have to flag them down to get what you want and to close out. Drinks (4/5): Zu has a nice menu of Japanese and Korean beverages, including sake, soju, Japanese beer, and more. With that being said, I just had an iced green tea. Food (4/5): I got a nice variety. I went with the Japanese sausage off of the grill menu, the OBI mayo roll off of the sushi menu, and the cheese corn off of the appetizer menu. Let's start with the sausage. It's a small item, two small sausages, but absolutely delicious. The sausage was bursting with flavor and basted in a sweet sauce. Minus the portion size, perfection. The cheese corn also hit the spot, but the execution was off. The corn is served on a hot platter, and unfortunately some of the corn on the edges was badly burnt. The type of situation where they should start over. Which they didn't. Lastly, the OBI mayo roll is essentially a California roll with marinated warm shrimp on top in a mayo sauce. I didn't love the hot and cold combo (shrimp and sushi), but outside of the temperature, it was a delicious roll. All in all, a very food meal. My only gripe with Japanese food is that it can get expensive quick. Given that Zu is in Tempe, I was hoping that prices would be a little cheaper. With that being said, they do have a solid happy hour (and reverse happy hour) with both food and drink specials. Next time I stop by, I'd like to check out some of their Korean options. I focused on the Japanese stuff this time (which makes the majority of the menu). Next time around, the bulgogi is calling my name!

I recently had dinner at Kuka Sushi & Izakaya and was immediately impressed by the modern, chic…read moreambience. The space feels stylish and contemporary, with a sleek atmosphere that makes it perfect for both a casual dinner and a special night out. The menu is truly avant-garde! Creative, innovative, and full of intriguing options. That said, I have to admit I felt a little overwhelmed at first and wasn't sure what to order because everything sounded so interesting. In the end, I chose the Omakase Dinner "Buzz," and I absolutely loved the concept. It includes miso soup, 9 pieces of nigiri, a mini poke, and a 5-piece roll -- such a fantastic idea if you're undecided and want to try a bit of everything! I think it's a splendid option, especially for first-timers or anyone who wants a complete tasting experience without having to choose individual items. If I could change one small thing, it would be the roll selection. I wish there were an option to choose from the specialty rolls instead of only the basic ones. That extra flexibility would make the experience even better. Overall, the quality of the food was very good, and the overall experience was enjoyable. It's definitely a place worth visiting, and I'll certainly be back to try the curry and ramen next time!

Made a reservation for 7pm on a Friday night. The location is kind of hard to get to if you've…read morenever been before. Our uber dropped us off in the back of an apartment building and we walked a short distance to the restaurant. The restaurant is very loud, we were sat at a high top table and it was kind of awkward being elevated in the middle of the restaurant with lights beaming directly on you. Ordered a bottle of Sauvignon blanc. It was nice that it arrived in an ice bucket, but was disappointed by the stemless glasses. The service was extremely slow. Had to ask for soy sauce, wasabi and ginger. When someone that was not our server gave it to us, it was basically empty. The sushi was just alright. For the price I would've rather gone somewhere nicer. My roommate and friend did not like their rolls at all (avocado roll and spicy salmon) the spicy tuna was good, pretty hard to mess that up. I would not get the soft shell crab roll again, the roll was big and falling apart immediately. Nobody in our party of 7 finished the food they ordered. Overall not great service or sushi, I wouldn't come back here.

My first time at Zu Izakaya was a blast! I came in with a group of 5 and were seated quickly. Our…read morewaitress Tiana was very attentive and helpful as we decided our orders. Overall, the place has a fun vibe with lots of string lights and Japanese decorations. They have happy hour twice a day. We came during their 9-11PM happy hour (we love a late night happy hour!) Lots of options for sushi, drinks, and appetizers on the happy hour menu. The spicy tuna roll was a refreshing roll with just the spicy tuna, cucumber and rice. A simple roll that still has a good spicy flavor but not too overpowering that it takes over your meal. The Vegas roll is a classic if you like fried rolls! Can't go wrong with this one. The nigiri was top notch. The yellowtail nigiri quite literally melts in your mouth and the flavors are buttery and soft. It's my personal favorite whenever I want nigiri. The salmon nigiri was also very good. Slights sweet but if you add soy sauce it balances it out. The jjambong pot was so filling. We ate this after the sushi. It's enough to be shared with 2-3 people and includes a mix of some seafoods, enoki mushrooms, onions, and ramyeon with a spicy broth. The noodles were good, the broth was delicious and not too spicy if you're not a person that handles spice well. My only complaint is that we had about 6-7 mussels but only 2 pieces of shrimp. It would've been nice to have a more even distribution of the seafood but other than that the taste was amazing. With the happy hour it was incredibly affordable. Even without the happy hour I would definitely come here again. 10/10!!

I absolutely love this place! The details, especially down to the gold chopsticks is amazing. It's…read morea fantastic date spot!

I came to this restaurant after spending all day at the hospital across the street for my daughter…read moreso I was hungry and emotionally drained. When I walked in, I was promptly directed to where I should go so I could place a takeout order. The genuine courtesy of the staff here was just what I needed after a long day. Lots of great options for sushi but ramen sounded amazing on a chilly winter day. I ordered a couple options and requested for the toppings to be separated so my picky eater could pick out what she didn't like. The food was out promptly and packaged with such care. Once I got it back to my daughter's hospital room, we were able to feast on the best meal we had all day. I will definitely be coming back to this place again and I am grateful for their kindness just when I needed it. Highly recommend!

I have to be honest here. I only recently started trying Ramen. I don't know why, but I always told…read moremyself that I didn't like it. Anyway, this was only the second time I've ever eaten restaurant Ramen. The first time was so-so. And I was eager to see how much better it could be. So my wife started to do a little research and found that Daruma had really good reviews. So we gave it a shot. I have to say that I was very impressed with my Ramen. It was galaxy's better than the first one I tried. I can't wait to try a different one next time. Aside from the wonderful food. The staff there was really nice. They greeted us right away and quickly got us seated. Our server was also very friendly and attentive. The dining area was pretty clean and inviting too!

We had Sora from the crew help us out and she's the nicest person, she made sure to inform us about…read morethe food items with the dietary restrictions I had! Wonderful experience, wonderful food and out of the world service. Highly recommend!

Our server was so nice, the food was delicious, and fast! We were never left without food on the…read moretable and we definitely ate all we could possibly eat!

Great food and great service! Lots of options on the menu and all have been consistently good. The…read morevibe and ambiance of the restaurant are great as well. I don't live in Arizona anymore, but I always come by whenever I'm in the state.

great food and atmosphere. The staff was very nice and service was quick! Would recommend.read more

Guess I've never finished my review! ‍ I really like this…read moreplace for lunch, never been here outside of lunch time. They have good specials, good sushi & clean service. I've been coming for years, if I'm in the south Scottsdale area during lunch I always drop in here for a good deal. Obviously the price has gone up, you get multiple choices. I go with the 2 rolls & soup for $12 always hits the spot.

We were invited to Bei Sushi by a friend of mine who set very high expectations for the place. The…read morelocation is located in a strip mall with lots of parking. We were very sceptical at first but the recommendation was spot on. We were seated right away and our server Bela approached immediately. She was very friendly and went down the menu telling us all about the specials and her recommendations. We needed no recommendations because we were there for one thing the Bei special. The special was an assortment of various rolls assembled beautifully making each piece stand out. The first bite was divine and as we worked around the ring of rolls they got better and better. The sauces brought perfect harmony and complemented the fish. The sushi was incredibly fresh not having the fishy order lingering. The rolls melted in your mouth like butter leaving you satisfied. It was so good we placed a second order. Bela stopped by frequently checking on us and also telling us about the restaurant and the area and provided a friendly atmosphere that you do not often get in northern Midwest. The Spider Roll was very good except for the sauce on top that did not suite our palate but after removing the sauce it was fantastic. The Hot Mama Roll was also amazing. The flavors went well with the Yuki Mango Nigori Sake. We also tried some of their beers and spent a while catching up. Belas service was second to none and made this reunion fabulous. The sushi at Bei was better than 95% of our sushi restaurants in my state and the price was very good. They also have a cute cat robot that delivers food! Thank you Bela we hope to come back again on our next trip to Arizona to try more food.

I been coming to this restaurant for a long time everything is so fresh made to order this is my…read morefavorite restaurant here in Mesa. This is my spot to come and eat and chill service can be a bit slow for some people but this is not fas food is quality food so it might take a little. I don't have nothing bad to say about this place I love it.

First and foremost, this place had just I was looking for--casual/relaxed atmosphere, reasonable…read moreprices, and above all great food. The dishes we ordered were all seasoned very generously and the garlic edamame (a must-order for the table) had a little heat to it. My hamachi Kama came out first and was cooked beautifully through and again, seasoned well. The ponzu and ginger were a nice dipping sauce. The sunrise roll had great flavors and cool presentation. Our scallop and chicken yakitoris were great too. I didn't get to try it but the table next to us got agedashi tofu that looked great. Side note, every table was full--always a good sign for a restaurant when there's lots of competition. As someone from the SF Bay Area I'm pretty picky about landlocked sushi places, but this one knocked it outta the park for our spring training visit. Go Giants!! Sorry for not photographing anything it all looked so good we just dug in.

We stopped into Makitto Sushi and I'm already planning my next visit--and telling everyone about…read morethis place! It is magic. We tried two rolls: The Birdgang Roll - unique, super flavorful, and had the perfect little zing. I didn't even need soy sauce, which never happens! The Fire Dragon Roll - the kick combined with the eel sauce was incredibly well balanced. So good. We also ordered sashimi and nigiri, and this is where Mikito really won me over. I don't normally eat sashimi because I usually find it too fishy, but the quality here was on another level. * Bluefin Sashimi: melt-in-your-mouth delicious. * Yellowtail Sashimi: super light and clean. * Salmon Nigiri: not fishy at all--just buttery and delightful. Everything tasted unbelievably fresh. We sat at the bar and chatted with Jay, the owner and chef, and he was fantastic. Great conversation, clearly passionate about what he does, and the service overall was friendly and prompt. HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend!! If you love sushi--or even if you think you don't--give Makitto a try. It's truly a standout.

We were looking for somewhere to eat in the Mesa Riverview area and I didn't know this was back…read morethere, right next to the movie theater. Reviews are very good and so we gave it a try on a Saturday evening. When we arrived there were 2 people eating at the sushi counter, otherwise it was empty. During our time there another couple came in, so it was not busy and easy to get a table. The server was very friendly and service was great. For that I'll push my rating to 4 stars. For me, this place is personally 3.5/5. Everything was decent but nothing I would rave about. And that might just be me, because people love this place in other reviews. It was possibly just a bunch of little things that made me think it's just okay. I thought the texture of sushi rice was a bit too soft, I know it's sticky rice but I felt like it was a little over cooked and too soft. I also thought both of my rolls tasted exactly the same. Which thankfully I thought were good tasting. The stuffed jalapeños were definitely a miss, they were so under fried so mostly a mush of ingredients in a jalapeño. And initially I liked the karaage but had a couple of tough pieces, so overall that was just okay. Miso soup was solid. And I realize that the appetizers are cooked in the back and not by sushi chef, and people rave about the chef. However like I said, both rolls seemed pretty similar tasting and one was supposed to be more spicy. All very standard flavors, like I would expect from AYCE sushi. I think I'm just looking for more delicate flavors with higher quality pieces of fish. I likely should have tried some of the special items listed on the rotating items board near the sushi bar. Next time we go back I'll try sitting at the sushi bar and trying some speciality items. People have said this is the best way to enjoy this place. We will likely come back during a lunch or happy hour special, if I like it better and I can upgrade my review I'd be happy to give this small, local family run business all the stars.

Great sushi! And fast service! My boyfriend and I love going here and it's so close to our home.read more

I enjoy going to this place occasionally, and will definitely be back. I vacillated on how to rate…read morethem, but ultimately landed on three stars. Let's get into it. What they do well: cheap and fast. When I was there for lunch, it was AYCE for $19.99. You really can't beat that. The service is solid, though not stellar. The selection is pretty good, too! The restaurant is also well maintained. It's always clean and the decor is exactly what you'd expect for Japanese cuisine. Opportunity: the sushi has been falling apart all three times I've been there. It reminds me a little of what it might be like if i made it at home myself and didn't get the sushi rice right. That doesn't adversely affect the flavors, but it's annoying that I can never seem to dip it into the soy sauce and get it into my mouth without losing half the roll. Their service model also makes it so items from the fryer or other appetizers sometimes come out after the sushi rolls. There's no effort to synchronize the back kitchen staff and the sushi bar. This isn't necessarily an issue for me. I'm happy when there's food in front of me. But I could see others feeling like it's a disjointed approach and experience. Like I said, I'll be back. But if you're going to this place, make sure you're managing your expectations.