People seem to either love or hate this place, but I'd say I'm in between. Every time I go here it definitely gets better. I've had some questionable rolls (including a huge one that took a lot of effort to eat in one bite) but I ultimately enjoy every experience here. On my last visit, my friend's Godzilla roll- topped with the latest pile of guac I've seen- was absolutely delicious. I would for sure order that again. My burning woman roll was also good, but not as good as that for sure! We also got the tiger roll which was also good. And the edamame was good! So really, no complaints. Service is quick, the staff are usually quiet but efficient. Also, the location is great. Super close to Tulane and Loyola and the walk is bearable on a super hot day. [[HIGHLIGHT]]It's also nicely decorated inside. It feels open, they have a porch you can dine on, and it's overall pretty cute![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

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If I could leave zero stars, I would. My daughter and her friend both became violently ill within an hour of eating sushi here. That is classic rapid-onset food poisoning (although the management insists such a thing doesn't exist)! We called the restaurant out of basic concern for public safety, not to ask for a refund, even though we dropped 71$ on mediocre salmon, tuna, yellowtail, and crab sushi. The response from management was appalling. The manager cut me off, refused to even listen, and made comments to the effect of "these kids always do this, they're grifters." In other words, he dismissed area students as scammers rather than take a legitimate health risk seriously. He then made a veiled comment about "having our credit card number." In the background, I could hear a waitress reading my name from the caller ID, saying "is this the one you were talking about," which made it sound like they were already expecting complaints. The Louisiana Health Department has recently cited Origami Sushi for food protection, sanitation, and garbage/refuse violations. Those reports are public record and verified on Yelp. Add that history to what happened to us and you have a clear picture: unsafe food practices, dismissive management, and outright hostility when customers raise health concerns. This is not just bad service. This is dangerous. If you value your health, your dignity, or even basic decency, avoid Origami Sushi on Freret Street at all costs. read more

This sushi restaurant has been a family favorite for years, and they seem to have recently separated themselves as the purveyor of the freshest sushi in southeast Louisiana. I couldn't believe how tender and on point every seafood item we ordered was. Que ilusión the octopus, the tuna, the crab... Every ingredient on point. Exquisite. Not to mention the staff are polite and attentive. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Very pretty interior with plenty of natural light in the relaxed freret street atmosphere.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

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The service, food, and ambiance were all amazing. Great restaurant and great food! The menu was a little confusing at first but the food was excellent! read more

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Everyone who works here is ABOVE friendly and it's the best omakaze option in the city. The sushi is incredibly fresh. And unlike some other options in the city you can customize your food order. [[HIGHLIGHT]]It can get a little noisy because it's popular and has a lot of weekly regulars.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Try the blind sake option! read more

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Sloooooooow. Don't be in a hurry when you come here. The wait staff is friendly, but not fast at all. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The bathrooms are really dirty. I mentioned to my wife how nasty the men's room was, and she said the women's was horrible.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]I kind of judge a restaurant's cleanliness by the bathrooms. If they can't clean the bathroom, how clean are they keeping the kitchen?[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We had the Godzilla roll, the burning man roll, and the rice cakes for an appetizer (which came out after the entrees). They were ok. This place is slow, way overpriced, and it's dirty. I do not recommend it. read more

My father purchased a gift card online on their website for 75$ to give me for Christmas. Came into eat, and they refused to accept my gift card. Turns out they only accept these cards for online takeout orders, however that is not stated anywhere online. Who gets a gift card just to order takeout. The waitress told me this has been a reoccurring issue. Feels like they need to state the terms of their gift card, or maybe accept their own gift card. I feel like I got scammed. I am a college student, that cannot normally afford to go out and eat, and intended to pay with the giftcard. Now I can't afford groceries for the rest of the month. I attached the photos from where on their OWN website the gift card was purchased. It does not state ANYWHERE that these gift cards cannot be used in the restaurant. Feels like a scam. read more

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Had some of the worst service here which is such a bummer because the food was actually really good. We were celebrating a birthday with a group and I arrived a few minutes early. I offered to wait at the bar and get a beverage to which they insisted that I just go to the table. They would not take any drink orders until the entire party arrived and then it took over an hour to get our drinks. I wouldn't have even noticed the long wait times and poor service if I could have gotten a drink to start. I had the cucumber and crab salad for my appetizer and sashimi sampler for my dinner which all tasted great. The rest of our group ordered their own sushi rolls which all came out together on a crammed platter, despite the fact that we were not sharing or eating anything "family style" that night. Our server was hardly around all night and whenever she was she would only take half the tables order before jetting away! I really wanted to love this place but the terrible service turned me away. read more

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Seated: 6:45. Order drinks (bottle of beer and: 6:50 Waiter AWOL til 7:05 7:05: order appetizers and entrees. Ask about drinks. 7:15: appetizers arrive. Ask about drinks again 7:25: entrees arrive. 7:30: bottle of beer arrives. Cancel order for old fashioned and decide to go to Cure. It shouldn't take nearly 40 minutes for a beer to arrive. I was excited to try the Ume Old Fashioned and the Tears of Montelobos. Instead I'm trying neither. We've been here many times, but this was sufficiently disappointing that I don't expect we'll return anymore. read more

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[[HIGHLIGHT]]This place is fantastic, always a great place for friends and family.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Only issue is the price, but that's just me. read more

I have been a regular at Origami since its establishment. It was sold a couple of years ago and the quality suffered. I visited it last night after hearing good reviews from family members. Well, the rumors were correct. It has improved and serves good Japanese food again. Miso soup was tasty. The fish was fresh. The chirashi plate was generous with a good variety of ingredients. Rice was nicely sticky and was easily eaten with chopsticks. They had aji mackerel. They prepared the sashimi and the bone properly. There was a very tasty sauce on the aji sashimi, which elevated the taste. The nine was crispy and crunchy. I think serving Aji is one of the important aspects of a Japanese restaurant, and speaks to being a full menu rather than serving various rolls. I will definitely go back. read more

i would give it 0 stars if possible. we waited over an hour and they never even put our order in. the waitresses were definitely not sober

Such an amazing local sushi spot! Even though I don't eat sushi I've been going here for years since I was at Tulane because everyone loves it so much and they make an amazing chicken teriyaki plate that you can see in picture two. And basically no matter how full you are, DO NOT skip out on the banana tempura for dessert! They serve it drizzled in honey and it's just fantastically sweet. You can really see and taste the craft in how they prepare their dishes... and there cocktails! Plus it's such an affordable delicious meal too! Plus, I really enjoy seeing all the staff because a couple of people at the front of the house have been there for years and are so kind and energetic and you can tell they just love running this restaurant. read more

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This is the perfect sushi place. [[HIGHLIGHT]]It has great food great service and really cool atmosphere where the decor is really cool and the music was wonderful.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I really enjoyed that. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The owner had a good mix of some Parliament funkadelic I really enjoyed. It's a funky music playing![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We ordered the tuna avocado, which was incredible and also the tuna sushi was wonderful. We also ordered another roll involving a topping that was made of of spicy tuna with a soy paper. We also ordered tempura, battered vegetables, was really good of vegetables perfectly done as well with a great dipping sauce. read more

We didn't enjoy our dinner at all. $100 for 4 rolls, crispy rice and 2 house salads. The crispy rice was great but steeply priced at $18. The sushi rolls were not great, we felt they were warm with mushy almost minced fish. No real tooth feel. Also our salads had a grittiness to the greens. Lastly, the waiter apologized for an incorrect order but didn't adjust the bill. read more

good food and great service! we were seated immediately and ate Sushi and Tempura which was so good. They were very accommodating to my specific requests and our server was very nice. read more

Origami Restaurant - My bf trying our spread - Sushi Bars Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Not sure if it's covid or seasonal but I wanted to cry looking at the menu last week No eggplant app No squid app All the rolls changed My heart came wanting certain things and definitely left a little sad Nonetheless everything we got was fresh and delicious but the menu changes left me a little depressed Is it covid? Is it seasonal? We will never know read more

Origami Restaurant - Sushi Bars Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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I rarely write negative reviews but the service here is so horrible. About 2 years ago, we had a bad experience at this restaurant. We were waiting over an hour for our sushi rolls to come out. The waitress asked us if we wanted the check. We explained that our rolls still hadn't come out. She rushed off without saying anything. We waited again until she returned with sushi rolls that we didn't order. We told her that wasn't our order, and she said the kitchen was busy. She asked if we could just eat those rolls because they didn't have time to make ours. We were only given 1 glass of wine free for this horrible experience. We avoided this restaurant after our last time but decided to give it another try. Sadly, the service has not improved at all. We waited over an hour for sushi rolls during our lunch visit. We told the waiter we had to get back to work and he rudely told us the kitchen was busy. No apology or even empathy for our situation. When the food finally arrived, the waiter took it upon himself to box up our rolls which we never asked him to do. Since we walked to the restaurant and we were hungry, we didn't want to carry the rolls back in the heat. As we were leaving the restaurant, we heard the staff loudly complaining about us and how we didn't even take our rolls to go after they went to all the trouble to have them boxed up. We will never again visit this restaurant given the poor service and the rude wait staff. We have never been treated like this before. read more

Origami was an early settler in the Freret Street renaissance, moving into a space formerly occupied by a rowdy bar. Service and sushi are up to par with other New Orleans places, but without some of the heavy glitz in some of the larger places around town. The decor is predominated by light woods and is refreshingly spare and modern, even after nearly a decade. Recently an outdoor deck was installed, but the big hardwood booths and sitting at the bar are somehow more conducive to eating here. For cold weather, the soba and udon noodle bowls are OUTSTANDING choices, with a base salted just right and served steaming hot. Hot tea comes in its own traditional ceramic pot that keeps it warm. If you like bananas, try the eponymous Origami Roll, a basic eel roll with an inch-tall banana slice that's been tempura fried and set atop each piece. I'm not sure how the eel and the banana complement each other, but those little banana cylinders are sublime. The sushi slices serve as the perfect base by keeping the bottom of the banana bits from turning soggy. This is one of my favorite banana concoctions in town--and this is the same town that originated Bananas Foster. Some of the other rolls have names that harken back to when Origami opened. There's a Chocolate City roll that goes back to a controversy three mayors ago and a FEMA roll named for either the "heckuva job" Federal agency or the temporary trailers that were ubiquitous in the aftermath of the 2005 Katrina levee failures. Origami should consider creating a new roll, the "NFC No Call Playoff Roll" where the little piece of yellow tail stays firmly tucked inside no matter what you do to it read more

Origami Restaurant - Origami (banana!) plus California and Crunchy rolls - Sushi Bars Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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So happy this place is in uptown! A new owner currently bought it and the head sushi chef, Matthew, is great and so accommodating. He definitely knows his fish and takes pride in every piece he makes. He recommended the striped bass and hirame. I actually liked it better than the salmon belly and that's a surprise! I loved the scallop as well. The servers I had were really accommodating and paid attention to when I needed a refill. The outside of the place looks like a home. They definitely aren't at full capacity which is great. There's a lot of room to sit and be far away from others. read more

Origami Restaurant - Sushi Bars Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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If this is one of the best sushi places in New Orleans, then New Orleans must have pretty mediocre sushi throughout the city. Tl;dr is average sushi and ambiance, terrible service. We went on a Tuesday night, waited 45 minutes for a table. Service was slow and sloppy start to finish. Our server ignored us for a full 10 minutes without even giving us water, and from then on, every part of our meal took an excessive amount of time. Beers took 10-15 minutes. Our food took nearly an hour. After about 40 minutes, our server placed a large tray of rolls in front of us and didn't say a word. We all looked at each other slightly confused... this doesn't look like what we ordered? Lucky for the restaurant, we were hesitant to start, and wouldn't you know it... another server comes by 2 minutes later and tells us it's not our food! She picks it up and delivers it to another table. Weird! I don't think I've ever seen that happen before. We wait another 20 minutes for our actual food, which is delivered without any explanation of what each roll is. The sushi itself was fine--good, but nothing to write home about. The server mutters something under his breath about having been at the restaurant all day as he refills a water glass. Now we feel guilty being here, apparently making his day unintentionally worse by having dinner with some friends. It seemed like the restaurant may have been understaffed, which I total understand and have encountered many times. I can imagine how stressful that must be. But also... set expectations and tell us that upfront? Or seat less people if you don't have the staff to provide good service? Instead, we had a mediocre time and felt disappointed enough to write a negative review. read more

This sushi restaurant is nestled in the hip part of town near the university. The food there was great and the service was fairly quick. As far as the quality of the sushi cut is concerned, the quality and size is great! We enjoyed everything we ordered and left completely satisfied. read more

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I absolutely live this place. I came here several times. Every single time their sushi was delicious, exceptional service. Always clean. This time I brought some out of town guests who are sushi lovers and can be really picky with their food. They asked our server what her favorite rolls were. I find this question awkward since we all have different tastes. She recommended is 3 rolls. We ordered them (Burning Woman, Rainbow and I don't remember the name of the 3rd one). All the were fantastic. I also came here for lunch on other days. Normally lunch portions in other places are tiny. I never felt that way at Origami. I strongly recommend Origami Sushi. I will most definitely come back! read more

Do not go there Friday night! They make their dining guests wait for an hour because they are so busy delivering take-outs. We were not even informed that the service time will be that long. We waited 1 full hour with kids before we were served our food. It was mediocre. They lost a customer forever. Good luck with the takeout business! Based on the most recent reviews, they are on their way out. read more

Such a disappointment. This place USED to be amazing. We should have left when we saw they'd completely changed their menu. Now their sushi is overworked and over sauced. We will never go back and hope you others save yourself the trip and money. read more

Origami Restaurant - Tastes like grocery store sushi. (Rice Kristy) - Sushi Bars Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

I find Origami is truly so dependable. Great service. Spacious booths (I love a booth). And fantastic sushi. My go to is the Baby Mama Roll. Essentially, a vegetable roll topped with spicy guacamole. Hey, don't knock it till you try it. Seriously it's fantastic. The guacamole also comes ontop of the Funky Margarita Roll. The enoki mushrooms are the best I've ever had. Large menu and I've never eaten one item and haven't liked it. Love this place. read more

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I LOVE Japanese cuisine and love to give new joints a try. Origami is an above average sushi establishment that I certainly wouldn't mind dining at again. The interior decor was new, clean, and stylish. It was a welcoming environment that has a clear view of the sushi bar and kitchen, both being very clean along with the rest of the restaurant. The waitress was attentive and knowledgeable of the menu. I kept it traditional with the lunch roll combo which comes with 3 rolls, a miso soup, and a ginger dressed salad. The side salad wasn't my favorite, I've had better for sure. The miso was above average but lacking in tofu and there was no seaweed at all. The rolls were filled and rolled tight and tasted fresh. My only other minor complaint was that I couldn't get tuna avocado rolls yet there is a salmon avocado roll on the menu which was confusing to me since the rolls are made to order. It was odd but I ended up getting spicy tuna rolls instead and they were actually fairly spicy which came to my surprise since I don't find spicy rolls to actually be spicy. Overall great experience, just good luck in attempt to find parking! read more

Origami Restaurant - Sushi Bars Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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Food was delicious. I love anything tartare. Fried shrimp was crispy and delicious. Love the "feel". I'll be back very soon...want to sit at the bar area. Servers courteous and to the point. read more

This place was a long-time favorite of mine, mostly because of the lunch menu prices and the salad dressing balance that favors the ginger over the sweet more than many other locations. Like many eateries, this place was affected by the pandemic, but because of an increase in prices, I'm forced to re-evaluate the value of this location. It has previously been the best valued location for years, but the price of my favorite meal increased by 5 dollars per plate. In light of the approximately 35% increase of charge and the recent decrease in quality, I am forced to think that the price is horribly average or even slightly high for sushi in NOLA. It will hurt since this location has been a staple of my sushi needs for so long, but it's time to part ways Origami and find a new location to regular. :(   Value is 7/10. I would suggest going here if you are in the area, but not going much out of your way to visit. read more

The 3 roll lunch special was filling and reasonably priced. Pretty crowded at lunch time on a Friday, but there was plenty of space. They were understaffed with only one waitress so she was extremely busy. My friend got the poke salad which also looked good. A solid sushi option for good value. read more

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The food was incredible. Highlight was this roll. I ordered a to-go order but then decided to sit in and eat. The staff immediately set up all my food on plates, brought me water, and constantly checked in to see if I needed anything else. They were amazingly attentive even though I inconvenienced them by deciding to eat in. The staff was all friendly and I couldn't have been happier. Will definitely go again! read more

Origami Restaurant - Sushi throw me something mister roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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Big fan! In my opinion, this place is one of the best sushi restaurants in NOLA. Everytime I go, the fish is always fresh and excellent. Service is always on point. Also, the portions are decent for the price. My go to things: Chirashi, Salmon Carpaccio, Spicy Tuna Tartare.. Don't sleep on this place. Check it out! read more

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The NOLA roll is great!! Also interesting selection of Japanese beers which was nice. A little pricey, but worth it IMO. Service was very nice as well. Definitely recommend for some high-quality sushi. read more

**Stellar lunch specials** But first let me remark on the chandeliers that appear to be dripping with swan feathers. Now, I'm sure they are not actual swan feathers, but how gorgeously Josephine Bakeresque! On a similar note, while Origami may not be as disco-sushi- fabulous as Sake Cafe (read: trendy), I like their ambiance a great deal more. It's half way between authentic Japanese minimalism, with a more sleek & modern appeal. The long sushi bar is more inviting and less intimidating than at most Japanese restaurants I've been to, with young, friendly sushi chefs behind them (one female! So awesome). On to our meal. There is a lunch menu with reasonable prices for Bento boxes and sushi/sashimi plates. I got three vegetarian rolls (choose from avocado, cucumber and asparagus) for 11.95 which included soup *and* salad. Everything was fresh, flavorful and the sushi chef arranged my wasabi in a leaf and carrots in the shape of blossoms. How lovely can you get? Our waitress was as sweet as pie, speedy (much appreciated at crunch, I mean lunch time) and our water glasses were never empty. Note that there are a fair number of vegetarian options. I look forward to returning regularly. Tofu steak, here's looking at you! read more

Origami Restaurant - Vegetarian sushi lunch special - Sushi Bars Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

A nice sushi spot tucked a little further down Freret. I really loved the atmosphere inside, it was a little unassuming from the outside but the inside was refreshing and light. We ordered the edamame and 3 rolls: spicy tuna, salmon and avocado, and vegetable. Each was delicious and the vegetable roll was delightful! It was a little pricey but delicious nonetheless and I'm sure we'll be back. read more

Origami Restaurant - Edamame, spicy tuna roll, salmon and avocado roll, and vegetable roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Food is extremely mediocre. I ordered 2 sushi rolls for takeout. They put both rolls in one box. My co-worker and I do not eat from the same plate, so one person ate, the other went to nearby Rouses to get lunch. Pretty ridiculous for them to pack 2 orders into 1 plate. BTW, they charge a "take out" fee!!! I've never seen anything like this. Bad food, bad service, very overpriced. read more

Clean modern decor. Homemade gyoza:) yummy poke salad and that gets extra points because not everybody offers it. Yellowtail AND salmon hamachi kama- impressive. Warning- they hide wasabi under the fish in their sushi. Now I know- no more surprises. Theres nothing like a surprise wake up call to the sinus cavity! Overall we enjoyed ourselves and I highly recommend if youre in the neighborhood. read more

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The absolute best dessert ever! The tempura was crispy with the banana being warm. The honey adds a subtle sweetness. I need to go back for seconds. read more

Origami Restaurant - Martini - Sushi Bars Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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This spot was pretty average, nothing too special but nothing too horrible either. Crunchy rolls had fried onions on the *inside* which was very interesting? They weren't that crunchy and were hard to discern from the regular California roll. We also tried the Rock n Roll which had shrimp tempura and it was good! But was definitely more of the type of sushi you'd get from the grocery store than a specialty sushi place. I think the prices were pretty decent though! And if you're feeling yakisoba, they were also pretty average. read more

Origami Restaurant - Top is supposed to be the "crunchy" roll, bottom is the Rock n Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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Been here five times. Very typical sushi, but cute decor. Wait staff is always rushed. Food is fine but nothing special. It's often freezing to the point of discomfort. I asked 3 different servers to please increase the temperature. Another customer heard me and said it was always too cold in there. When we left I noticed that the decreased the temperature during our dinner, making it even colder. It's a cute restaurant but not worth being cold to the point where you can't enjoy eating. read more