TL;DR: Do not go here if you want real sushi. Actually, forget about real sushi; do not go here if you want a SERVICEABLE MEAL. Period. This place ... this is not my kind of place. I've been here more times than I can count, as my autistic son enjoys it, and, it being difficult to find places he actively enjoys, I treat him somewhat regularly. But I could never recommend this joke of a sushi place to anyone. Forget joint, Mizu doesn't enjoy the distinction of being a joint.
Mizu is located in downtown Cranford, which is an utter shande; beautiful Cranford deserves better than this (yes, I know there is Mr. Sushi, but it's no better than Mizu).
I'm just gonna get right into the meat and potatoes: Mizu is run by Chinese people. Nothing against them, but let's be honest - they're not known for their sushi. Regardless, the staff is flat out rude. Despite being a regular who always tips decent, I've never been acknowledged. In fact, I've been ignored during busy hours. The service is appalling. Negative stars.
The food? It's another shande. The sushi is not authentic, and it's made with all the enthusiasm and vigor of an Amazon employee being monitored by Artificial Intelligence to ensure quotas are met.
I'll just relay my last experience at Mizu, which will probably be my last.
I sat across from the chefs, which turned out to depress me greatly. You could tell they were overworked and underpaid. The amount of sushi these guys have to roll during busy hours is enough to boggle the mind and instill a sense of pity. I almost wanted to storm the bar and unshackle them. Clearly, they weren't happy, and it showed in the quality of my rolls, which were unevenly cut to an extreme degree, ingredients spilling out. The avocado was not fresh. My son ate his rolls with gusto, but again, he isn't quite aware of these intracacies. I felt some pleasure wash over me seeing him enjoying his meal, until I looked back up at the chefs.
We decided to skip dessert, and waited 15-20 minutes to be acknowedged by our waiter, who was about as overworked as the sushi chefs and had all the politeness of a wet rag.
I foolishly left a good tip despite the exceptionally poor service I received, mainly because I felt sorry for the chefs.
I should note that before I signed the check, a few orange slices were brought out. I almost always feel tempted to chuckle at the absurdity of this. Needless to say, they went uneaten, as they always do.
I doubt I can return to Mizu after ruminating on my experience sitting across from the sushi chefs; but then again, there aren't many places to choose from in the area. I couldn't recommend this place to my worst enemy. Hopefully in the future my son will discover another place he enjoys so I can leave Mizu in the dust. read more