I fell in love with the ambience of this establishment. It definitely is a must see to have little…read morelunches with your party or even your other half. It is very mellow and more on the well lit side, so if you want a dim lit restaurant, this ain't for you. Service? Impeccable, I forgot the girl who served us, but sis was always on point. Consider your drinks refilled! When it comes to food, understand that the sushi chef takes his time to craft art on your plate. Like seriously, look at the images I share, it's a masterpiece isn't it? So do expect a bit of a wait time but don't you worry, the fish are fresh! So order an appetizer why don't you, to keep ya tummy occupied whilst you wait. My partner and I started off with the seaweed salad and edamame. The edmame is heavy with the garlic, so do keep in mind that your breath will smell like jarlic ok? You have been warned. You could also make the edmame spicy, but that's an extra charge! The seaweed salad? It has a bit of twang to it, so it's lightly sour. No overpowering though like the ones you'd have at a grocery store. Now the star of the dinner my bae and I had... The spicy yellowtail was not that spicy for me, by partner though? He had to take his break hahaha. He got baby taste buds. It is fresh, and for you texture girlies, it is mushy. So, yeah, you may want to opt out on that if you are not a fan of cold mushy food. The big Mac roll? It was so good. All the flavors combined and dances on your tongue. In a good way though loves. In a good way. This one is not so mushy as the spicy yellowtail, you can tast the blend of different textures of the sushi. And they complete one another. The king lobster roll! Boy was this one good. So for you lobster lovers, this is a must have. There's good chunk of the lobster meet in each bite, so do expect a blend of flavors mt seafood lovers. Expect that.

If you get the happy hour specials thats great, I didn't and ended up spending over $40 for…read morevegetable fried rice, a sweet potato roll, happy hour edemame and a cocktail. HOWEVER, the food tastes me two days because that rice was a MASSIVE portion. The drinks are also very strong so as a lightweight I probably wouldn't get again because I couldnt finish it, but it sure was tasty. Service was great, our waiter was attentive and I would definitely come back, I would just budget better!

The menu is extensive and very good. We recommend taking pictures of your orders as one time we got…read moreanother tables orders. You can order apps, salads, soups and hibachi which is very fresh. This is NOT a buffet so everything is made to order.

Saw this place on the Yelp reels and knew a place was going in because I got to Kung Fu Tea a lot…read more First, let's talk ambiance. It is ADORABLE. the colored umbrellas on the ceiling, the big kitty welcoming you it was so cute. They have an all you can eat option and a regular menu. When you're seated they tell you the process and you get a little piece of paper to fill out what you want to start. The sushi rolls are smaller than average so you can try more items. Everything is made to order so it's fresh. My favorite of the veggie options was the sweet potato. I love the crunch!. Excited to go again.

This was my first time in Gainesville and was staying 3 nights in the area for an archery…read moretournament. I always look for good restaurants and always try to find good venues to brighten my nights on these tournament travels. On my first night I found Arashi Yama, and Oh My Lord was I happy to find this gem. I ended up eating there the 3 nights of my stay. The food is fantastic with flavors so extraordinary you just close your eyes and savor them. As an ex-fine dining chef I try to get the full experience and decided to get different dishes each night. My favorites: Salmon Sashimi New Style, this was an experience on its own. I got that one twice! Carpaccio (I picked the salmon) Tuna Tartare Sexy Lady Roll (Riceless roll) Crispy Bok Choy: This one! OMG!!!! You can not not try it! Tuna with winter truffle The quality of the food is outstanding and the freshest you can find. The food melts in your mouth and the truffle sauce they serve on many dishes is to die for! The entire team is wonderful, friendly, efficient, attentive and very professional; and it's always nice to come back to a restaurant where they remember you by your first name! Being on my own I ate all 3 nights at the bar and got to meet and watch the sushi chefs (John Carlo, Steve, JP, Angelo and Mason) create these beautiful and delicious dishes. It was like watching artists create master pieces! Fannie (owner of the restaurant with her husband Benny) was regularly checking on me making sure I was happy with my experience. When I told her I would come back the next day she surprised me with a reserved the seat at the bar, it was so busy so hadn't't she reserved this seat for me I would not have been able to enjoy watching the chefs work and savor their works of art. Finally I want to thank the rest of the team: Chanel (Hostess) as well as the servers (Carly, Tasha, Annie, Savannah, Josie, Richie, Sophia and Sandy) and the Bar Team (Austin, Naylee, Kaithlynn and Fanny too for the wonderful cocktails). I just can't wait for April 15th when I'll be back for another stay in the area.

We checked this place out about a year and a half ago, so we wanted to come back and leave an…read moreupdated review. We arrived later on a Saturday night craving hibachi and sushi, and it definitely hit the spot. I ordered the steak hibachi with fried rice, and my husband went with the lobster roll. My meal started with a cup of miso soup and if you follow our adventures you know I love miso. They did not disappoint. It was hot, flavorful, and tasted freshly made with good ingredients. For a drink I ordered a Long Drink. We first tried these at a local festival and fell in love, so when we saw a citrus flavor we had never tried before we were excited to order it. My hibachi came out hot and smelled amazing. The steak was cooked perfectly and the sauce mixed into the rice was really good. I do wish they gave just a little extra sauce for the rice. The rice itself was a bit stiff, but the sauce helped a lot. We also came about an hour before closing, so we were not too bothered by that. Our waitress was good, and her coworker stepped in to help when she was busy, which we appreciated. I also liked that you can see the sushi chefs working right there, and my husband really enjoyed his roll. The restaurant was very clean, including the bathrooms, which always matters. I also have to mention the water because it actually tasted good. If you know, you know how rare that can be. They also have plenty of parking, which makes things easy. Overall we had a great experience and it was the perfect spot for a much needed date night.

The food is always delicious and the staff is always courteous & goes out of their way to make…read morethings as requested. They did a great job making the place a nice place to dine & like their lighting. Keep up the good work! We will be back soon!!

I got the Kasai Roll and the Lobster Roll, and my gf got the Sex on the Moon Roll and i'm not sure…read morethe other one lol. Adam, the owner, is a local and his restaurant is remarkable. The food was just perfect. The presentation was stunning, the service was 10/10 (per usual) and we had a great time. HIGHLY recommend the above mentioned rolls. not pictured is the miso soup i downed (BIG BACK I KNOW), and the steamed dumplings. We had a great time!! Check it out!

I'm from Atlanta and have had some of its finest sushi but this place is a 5 star plus. Leo our…read moreserver and staff were spot on. Their quality of fish absolutely the best I've had anywhere. Chu toro, uni, salmon,scallops, & real wasabi root. Could be best in the South. Try it's fabulous. Cheers.

The restaurant is clean and inviting. The staff is super…read morenice. It was our first time there but it will not be our last. Our waiter was awesome and he answered all of our questions and was patient. We had 3 sushi rolls, one was the Explosion roll, and it was tasty. I ordered the pineapple fried rice with shrimp and it was delicious. Spouse ordered the curry and it was so good, had a little sweetness to it. At first it seemed a little pricey but once we saw the serving size, we were okay with the price of the dishes.

I've been to Dragonfly a few times now. It lives up to the hype! The space is large, dimly lit, and…read moreperfect for a date night or special evening out. Every time we've visited, we have tried something new. For their appetizers, we always order the Brussels sprouts, Shisito peppers, and tuna fried rice. For rolls, we have really enjoyed Kobra Cai and Bomb. All of their drinks are also delicious. Our servers have been so friendly each time and always provided great service! The food comes out quick and they always check in periodically to make sure we don't need anything. I would highly recommend visiting!

We've only left Yelp reviews for drinks before, but we finally decided to grab a few bites at…read moreDragonfly Sushi, and wow, this place fully deserves 5 stars! I ordered the Steak Skewers, and anyone who watches our YouTube channel knows we LOVE steak. Honestly, this is some of the best steak we've ever had, so fresh, fat-free, and flavorful that I had to order a second round. They might just become my new Free Music Friday snack! Our server was amazing, super cool, knowledgeable, and you can tell he genuinely loves his job. We also tried his recommendations, and let me tell you, our socks were completely blown off. My drink, the Gangster and the Geisha, had me laughing because of an inside joke from when I dressed as a geisha in high school in Cosmo! Everything about this place is great, Colby loved his sushi rolls, perfectly fresh, and even the bathrooms are decorated and spotless. Nothing disappointed us, and we will definitely be back! Stop second-guessing and just go, Dragonfly Sushi is a hometown favorite for a reason.

I love going to sit down hibachi where they cook it in front of you and haven't been in a long time…read moreso this was super fun. The hibachi show itself was so fun and the chef was really nice and did all the normal things like the onion volcano and the rice tossing. He had a sense of humor and loaded up our plates. Right as we sat down, they gave us our salad and soup - the salad dressing was very flavorful and I liked it. The soup was a little salty but the fried onions were good. I got the chicken hibachi and my total came out to be a little over $20 after tip which for the amount of food we got, was definitely worth it in my opinion. The food itself was good, my only complaint would be it was a little too salty for my taste. Everything was still really good! Just a little too salty in my opinion. From the time we sat down to the time we got our food, we were not waiting that long at all and the servers were very nice. We made a reservation in advance and went around 7PM so it also wasn't super busy. The inside was like a regular hibachi place, and it was fun to see other parties have their hibachi show too.

I love hibachi restaurants for the experience and this one gave us just that. The food was pretty…read moregood, I wouldn't say it was anything special and the chicken was a little overcooked, but it was pretty much what I expected from this type of restaurant. The prices were also pretty good for the amount of food you get (I got three meals out of this for about $16!) The service was great, our chef was funny and entertaining (though I was sad that he didn't do the onion volcano!) and our waiters were nice. The restaurant itself had a weird vibe and some of the workers seemed to not want to be there, but the hibachi tables were big and there's an option to sit at a regular table as well. Overall I was happy with it for the dinner and a show aspect.

The black dragon roll is amazing as well as the volcano roll. I loved how they give you an orange…read moreat the end to clean your palate. The service is outstanding and the prices are great.

I loveeeeee this place. My favorite sushi spot in Gainesville. Service is always amazing, staff is…read moreso sweet and attentive. It's a cute little quiet spot. Highly highly highly recommend! Food is always so fresh and comes out fast

A beautifully designed restaurant with great art, a light-filled room and kind, welcoming service…read moreawaits you at Mattari. We stopped by for lunch this week and enjoyed a delicious curry with udon, salmon hand roll and the fried tofu with tomago sansai. The tofu literally melted in my mouth. All of the ingredients were top notch - the rice and miso soup were especially good. We can't wait to come back to try more of the menu.

My wife and I came in for dinner at MATTARI - Japanese Dining House & Sushi, and honestly, it was a…read moreletdown from start to finish. For the prices they're charging, you'd expect quality and portion sizes to match--neither did. The plates were small, and the food was mediocre at best. My wife ordered the Japanese curry rice, and the beef was so tough it was basically inedible. That's not a minor issue--that's the main component of the dish. I had the seared yuzu kosho steak, and it didn't feel freshly prepared. In fact, most of the food tasted like it had been reheated. At one point, it genuinely felt like the hardest working thing in the kitchen was the microwave. We also tried the edamame, which somehow managed to be the least offensive thing on the table hardly a compliment. At this price point, this just isn't acceptable. There are too many places doing it better to justify coming back.

Overall, our experience was great! The inside has a very nice ambiance, with cute wooden "huts" for…read moreseating that made it feel private but not crowded. The service was also great, friendly, and the food came out super fast. I ordered the pork ramen (pictured). The ramen was cooked well, and it was seasoned nicely. It has the "spicy" tag, and as someone with a decently low spice tolerance, it was not overly spicy. It left a bit of a tang on your lips but that was all. The pork itself was ok - a bit fatty and hard to break apart.

The place was really cute and the tonkatsu ramen was fine. However, I felt very rushed by the…read morewaitstaff. Initially, one thing that had drawn me to this place is the buttons at the tables where you can call the waiter, as I expected that this would allow me and my partner to take our time eating and enjoying each other's company. However, the check was placed right on the table as soon as I finished my ramen despite no one pressing the 'pay'/ waiter call button. I wish they would have let us take our time. Even after paying my partner wanted to rush to leave because of the " hostile atmosphere" (his words not mine). So if you want great photos this is your place! However, if you want to enjoy a leisurely dinner I would not recommend this place. Edit: I should also mention that we got there at open and maybe 2 other tables were in use- there was no reason to rush us out. Also, I was disappointed that there were no meat substitutions as my partner wanted to switch the beef for tofu because he is Catholic on a Friday, but this was not allowed.