Great Japanese food in Lexington! Impressed to find high quality sashimi and noodles in Kentucky. I'm Japanese and hadn't seen a single Asian person in my first 4 days in Lexington. As soon as I entered the restaurant, I saw a group on Japanese business men and knew the food would be good. Wish I had discovered School Sushi earlier in my trip. Ate here two days in a row. Everything was good, and my top recommendation would be the mini chirasi bowl and the Tantanmen. read more

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Came here for restaurant week and what a great surprise! The appetizer course let sample differing options. The fried jade dumplings were amazing ! I'd order multiples of these and wished I had a third. The ponzu dipping sauce gave everything that extra kick. The second course was a sashimi platter. It was so good I dove right in and forgot to take a picture. The main course was tantan noodles. Looks were deceiving in this being more filling than the size it looked. The chili sauce really adds the spice. The spice isn't an immediate but more of a body build spice, still delicious. The noodles were a great texture and complimented the spices with it being cold. Definitely coming back here! read more

School Sushi - Seaweed Salad, daikon, fried jade dumplings - Japanese Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

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School has been a favorite for many years. They were first on Old Todds Rd and Richmond Rd. The downtown location is even better.

School has the best brunch in Lexington if you're craving some ramen or sushi! I love the cool venue and the staff is always quick and friendly. Load up that ramen because they are generous with toppings! read more

School Sushi - Ramen - Japanese Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

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I love sushi, so naturally this is is of the first things I search for when going to a new assignment. The reviews for School Sushi were positive and it was a short walk from my apartment. I've been here twice now. The first time I ordered a bento box combo along with "fatty amberjack" and "fatty yellowtail". I don't understand how these pieces can be considered fatty (and they are priced considerably higher than their non-fatty counterparts). I've honestly had fattier pieces at other restaurants when simply ordering amberjack or yellowtail. Also while I appreciate the generous portion, it's simply sliced too thick, making it unpleasant to chew/bite in to. The bento box was overall fine, with a nice variety of items. My only issue was the tempura being a little too greasy. The second time I ordered a Chirashi don. Once again the sashimi is cut too thick with a smaller variety of fish compared to other Japanese restaurants I've been to. My other issue is the pricing, it's just priced way too high considering all the issues. I was surprised to hear that they fly in fish from Japan and that their head chef is also from Japan. If I didn't know this I would have assumed this was an American Japanese fusion restaurant. Unfortunately the search for great sushi in Lexington continues! read more

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I've never been inside the restaurant to eat there food but I noticed that the wife makes homemade Asian style cakes so we ordered one of my moms birthday. It was decorated really cute and it was good. I called ahead and she made it on time and I just went to the restaurant and paid. read more

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The restaurant & service were very good but the food not really. I ordered Curry with pork cutlet for to go, the curry sauce was very good! It's delicious!! But the pork cutlet :( ...... I can smell that pork was pretty old, I cook pork at home everyday and I know that smell when the pork is about to go bad. Also it's super super chewy! I never have the chewy pork cutlet like this before. I think they might cut the pork on the wrong line. If you're going to get curry with pork cutlet, please get chicken instead, I think it might be better. One more thing, it's expensive! Just for curry and pork it's $21! read more

School Sushi - a close up of a meal in a styrofoam container - Japanese Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

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My husband and I have tried nearly every sushi spot in Lexington, so I am surprised it has taken me this long to try School Sushi! My book club met here on a weekday for dinner and we were able to reserve the private room for the 6 of us which was nice. As with most downtown spots, parking can be a bit of a hassle. The service here is SPEEDY. Right after we were all seated, the waiter came to take our orders. We hadn't had that much time to look over the menu by that point, but everyone was able to make a game time decision. I ordered a spicy california roll with some edamame sauteed in garlic and chiles- both were pretty good! I look forward to trying one of their specialty rolls when I am able to eat raw fish again. read more

Sushi in Lexington, KY?? Isn't that state landlocked? My wife and I have been to Lexington several times to visit an Army buddy. Know for beef and bourbon, we never considered having sushi there. After all, we get pretty good sushi at home in Pittsburgh. Maybe it was too much bourbon (or tequila at Agave and Rye but that's a different review), but we decided to give this small sushi place a try. First we made sure they served hot sake just in case the food was not adequate. Wow were we blown away. The sashimi selection was none that I've ever seem before: fatty toro, fatty yellowtail, fatty tuna. We tried all of it and each piece was tasty, moist, soft, fresh, and the portion was generous. We learned the owner and sushi chef was Japanese and barely spoke English. He has been in the sushi business for decades before opening his own restaurant. The service here was top shelf. Ask for Joe. And if sushi isn't your desire, they have a large menu filled with cooked options. We will be regulars here whenever we are in Lexington. What a rare find!! read more

If anyone ever asks me where to eat downtown, I tell them to go here. Easily the best Japanese spot in the city. The menu is PACKED with authentic dishes that I have yet to see available anywhere else. One caveat though is the menu doesn't have many pictures so be ready to look up the dishes if you're not already familiar with them. The atmosphere is also extremely modern and in all honesty, just very cool. The building it's in used to be a bank so for larger parties you can sit in the vault! Additionally the owner is so sweet she greets us almost every time we're there. I love this place with all my heart I've been eating here consistently since I moved downtown. read more

School Sushi - E.A.K. Ramen - Japanese Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

We made a reservation just in case it was busy, but we didn't really need to! There was no wait on arrival and the server had us sit wherever we wanted. The vibe was quiet, chill, and easy. Our sushi was pretty dang good... Which really, is what you should go for. It was reasonably priced and fresh! We also ordered the tonkotsu ramen, but meh - their strength is in the sushi (as far as what we ordered). If you're REALLY just jonesing for some noods, the ramen is just fine. All of the ingredients were just really bland and didn't really add anything to the bowl. Gonna give them five stars anyway because they're not a ramen shop and everything else was great. We got away with something like $40 for two people (including a generous tip)! read more

School Sushi - Pan fried gyoza - Japanese Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

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Best sushi I've had since Japan. Not going to say much about this. It's very authentic. Staff is fantastically friendly. If you like Japanese, go here I give this place 5 bellies on my 5 belly scale. Good job. read more

My bf and I went after Lexington Comic Con (Saturday) around 5. Seated quickly even though we didn't have a reservation and can't believe we haven't been before! Everything was phenomenal and the service was great. We shared the Volcano roll and it was huge! We could barely touch our ramen but the flavor was amazing--the perfect post-nap dinner! Will definitely be back soon. read more

School Sushi - Volcano (Soy Paper) roll - Japanese Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

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This is the second time I've been to this restaurant in a few years. The first time I was here the food was pretty good, good enough for me to bookmark it and come back and try it again. This time, I'm not sure if I'd go back. First I ordered the cold udon with the broth on the side and it was just mediocre and then I ordered the cold soba noodles with the broth on the side and that was less appealing. I also ordered a chicken appetizer, looked like fried chicken topped with tatar sauce served with lots of shredded cabbage and that was different. I don't think I'll be ordering that again. The bartender was was the waiter tonight and he did a great job taking care of everyone. I hate to say it but I don't think I'll be going back. read more

OMG come here for the Udon Curry and the Tonkatsu Curry!!! Reservation required but the staff were very accommodating. Came here for my sister's graduation with no reservation and they were able to find us seats right away. They also have a karaoke section for parties and a private area for business meeting (that looks like a BANK VAULT). The place is easy to find, just minutes away from University of Kentucky. read more

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This place is busy so tight it would be great. It was just okay. They have a huge menu with tons of options. The spring rolls seem to be a huge hit. I tried a couple diff kinds and didn't like the meat inside of them and got one order wrong. The pad Thai wasn't bad just a huge portion. Staff was very friendly and the place has quite a bit of seating. The staff was randomly eating pizza behind the bar which I thought could have been eaten in the back out of sight. read more

This place is FAT TY!! Menu alert if you like fatty tuna maybe you should branch out and try their fatty, salmon, fatty yellowtail, fatty amberjack and fatty snapper!! Never thought in the middle of bourbon country would I find such a cool sushi spot. Oh and the bourbon menu is pretty fat too, if u like Weller 12 that is!!! read more

School Sushi - My order - Japanese Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

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Loved this place! Only place Japanese place in Lexington with Okonomiyak. - a Japanese savory pancake dish consisting of wheat flour batter and other ingredients cooked on a teppan. Common additions include cabbage, meat, and seafood, and toppings include okonomiyaki sauce, aonori, katsuobushi, Japanese mayonnaise, and pickled ginger) - Google Tasted just like it did when we visited Japan. Their curry as well was on point. They have tons of other amazing menus items but these two items to me make it my go to spot for Japanese in the area read more

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I will preface this review with the fact that I lived in Japan, but the person dining with me didn't and he also hated this experience. There's a reason why you can get a rez so easily. Despite the claim of having a chef from Japan, 90% of what we ate was terrible. Sashimi was not sliced in regulation... way too thick to eat. Sushi was boring, over priced and one note - spicy mayo. Yakitori was delicious but the Yakisoba was way too greasy. My $20 cocktail was served in what looked like a hotel bathroom glass. Servers were confused, completely frazzled. No one knew what food belonged to us or another table when it came out. Our food was placed on other another table several times. Music was jazz or some combo and it was loud, as were the lights (way too bright). Sushi, no. They need to go back to school. read more

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Unfortunately, our carry out order was not very impressive and this was largely due to the packaging I believe. When our sushi arrived it was in a pile in the styrofoam container. My salmon sashimi was sitting on top of crunch and eel sauce... took away from the experience and opportunity to actually appreciate the rolls. Plus my tempura shrimp with avocado roll was predominately rice. We also had the eggplant appetizer which was nice. Can taste the miso in the sauce and it was not overly sweet. The beef curry was good, too, surprised that is came with a pork cutlet! Overall we were disappointed but will give the restaurant another chance in person. In the mean time they should invest in sushi containers for their carry out business. read more

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Have you ever wondered what happened to the Chef Sugano, after the Lexington favorite, Sugano's closed? He's here! So why only three stars? I just wasn't impressed. This is actually the second School Sushi to open in Lexington. The first, had a different concept, using a conveyor belt and wasn't open very long before closing it's doors. This location is in downtown Lexington, in the old Shortie's building. We were attending an Art Walk, which ended here, so we decided to follow the crowd. When we walked in, it wasn't crowded with other patrons at all. The first impression of the menu was, that the prices match the location... downtown/uptown. We ordered a few rolls, and I absolutely hate to say it, but they weren't anything special. I also ordered ramen, after the waiter mentioned that he's been told that they have the best ramen in Lexington. Lies. I liked the fact that I was able to choose the texture, but that only set me up for disappointment after I ordered soft noodles, and they arrived far from soft. Then the price on the check was different than what was on the menu... only by a dollar or two, not a huge deal. Overall, if you're constricted to downtown and want sushi, this is your place. Is it the best sushi in Lexington? Sadly, no. read more

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Great sushi spot! But be warned, parking downtown is such a hassle. Went for Comfort Food Week and it was phenomenal! I definitely need to go back, especially since they have sparkling sake and takoyaki! read more

School Sushi - Takoyaki! - Japanese Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

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Revisiting the hallowed halls of academia might be a smart move when considering the School Sushi restaurant at 163 West Short Street in downtown Lexington, Kentucky. The interior is designed with lively schools of fish. The windows, walls and lighting fixtures of this former bank literally shimmer with oceanic ambiance. The menu boasts a wide variety of appetizing choices to answer those particular cravings that only fresh sushi and other traditional, made from scratch Japanese specialties can satisfy.   We settled on three handcrafted rolls for our dining pleasure. Paired with a delectable honey mayonnaise, the Honey Bee Roll consists of tender shrimp and tempura crunch inside with savory tuna and salmon on top. Fire and Ice Roll is a delectable, spicy tuna roll crowned with zesty orange and green flying fish roe. The Crunch and Munch Roll combines a shrimp crested roll filled with a peppery crab, garnished with tangy mayo and that tantalizing tempura crunch. Seated at the prep bar we observed the fresh selection of fish and seafood used in the creation of our rolls. A consensus could not be reached in debating our favorite, as every one was delicious! The owner, Tomoka, ensures that the service at School is exceptional with friendly and knowledgeable staff presenting beautifully plated entrees. Close attention is paid to detail, right down to the sculpting of wasabi paste into tiny fish. I'm delighted that School has moved to its downtown location where I feel they have found their true home. For a unique and flavorful experience, be sure to add the School Sushi restaurant to your A+ list of Lexington's many fun and tasty activities. read more

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The strange and obscure history of sushi in Lexington, thanks to Toyota and the Japanese population it brings in, is concentrated here in downtown Lexington thru the continuity of Master Sushi Chef Sensei Sugano, who initially worked at Tachibana's when it opened way back in the day, went his own way after some time to open his own sushi place named after him in the commercial ghetto off Winchester Rd. and New Circle--there never was and never has been since a sushi experience like it in Lexington. Alas, it closed, and he seemingly went into retirement. But then the owner of School Sushi convinced him to work here, even sparingly, and the legacy lives on... In this vein, my 5-star review is very conditional to whether chef Sugano is working. My experience with the quality of the sushi is subpar when he is not here (he is apparently only here Tuesdays). I don't know if he sources differently than the other chefs or what, but he's doing something that sends the quality thru the roof. When Sugano is here, it's very well the best sashimi experience in Lexington. A beautiful meal. Highly recommend going chef's selection for freshest choice cuts. Sugano is a true gem to Lexington's culinary scene and any lover of sushi should get as much of him as possible before he retires for good. He also sometimes works at Mei in Cincinnati if you want to catch him there. read more

We scheduled out the karaoke room at 7pm tonight (7/8/23) for a bachelorette party of 7. We were told karaoke was $35 an hour and were charged $45 for one hour. We also had to wait 2 hours for any kind of service or instruction with karaoke. Additionally, the first person received their meal after about an hour and 15 minutes and the last person didn't get their meal until about 2 hours. Also, no refills on water were given until 2 hours in and we had to ask for refills. Lastly, the service from our waitress was a problem. We were told she was new and from Russia and were kind in accommodating and repeating things for her. This was totally understandable, but the attitude we were given was not. She asked us if we wanted the check together or separate and we replied separate if possible. She audibly sighed and stared at us so we immediately said it's okay just put it on one check and we can Venmo each other! They did end up giving us separate checks after a third person came to our room to figure out who had what because it was not written down in the beginning, but we would have totally been fine on one check. Overall, we were left virtually completely neglected for almost 2 hours with no karaoke to hold us over as we waited for our food and any refills. At no point did a manager come to help out the situation and we were sent a different server to talk to when we asked for a manager after 2 hours. As this was my best friend's bachelorette dinner, we were optimistic for a fun dining experience with good service, but unfortunately this was not the case. We were charged a 20% gratuity fee for a group, but definitely did not receive service that warranted this amount. read more

Legit sushi! They have an extensive menu, and their prices are not too bad. I enjoyed every roll that I ordered. Their portions are smaller than the average sushi place here in Lexington. But, we enjoyed being able to order various rolls and appetizers. The waiter was really slow and the restaurant was not busy. We kept asking the waitress for things and we felt bad because she was picking up his slack. Otherwise, perfect place to have a get together as they have event seating in the back, great for a date, catching up with friends. The interior's really interesting as it used to be a bank. read more

We went there for a birthday and the atmosphere was pretty decent. The waiters and service were about average but not great. The main problem we had was the food itself. Everything was really over salted and difficult to eat. On top of that the prices are not the cheapest, so we ended up spending quite a bit on a subpar experience. read more

Definitely a downtown hidden gem. Ordered some sushi for takeout & the wait time was long-45 minutes (which is why I'm rating a 4. They have quite a few vegetarian rolls beyond the typical ones, which is what sold me since I was taking a break from meat for a few weeks. When I went to pick up, I could tell that this is a great spot for a date night or post work dinner to decompress because it wasn't busy & had a nice ambience. Will definitely be making a trip back to dine in. read more

Very unique interior for a Japanese establishment.... didnt know bank vaults were a big thing over there. The pricing was pretty decent. Great serving sizes and delicious food. I feel their lunch menu should be a tad bigger, and they should be a bit more mindful of refilling water. Shout out to the sever who brought takoyaki even though it wasnt on the lunch menu. Def will come back. read more

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Went here on a whim and was so glad I did. The sushi is insanely fresh, flavorful and decently priced. The crunchy spicy California roll is the way to go and do not pass up the pan fried gyoza. read more

the service was not amazing, but I would've given it more stars if not for the multiple hairs found in our gyoza... we had it taken back, and we were offered a new batch, but after already waiting 30+ min for an appetizer, we just took the loss on it. The sushi was very good though and kept it from a 1 star! Maybe going on a less busy night would have garnered better service, but it didn't seem too busy when we arrived. read more

School Sushi - Honey Bear, Tempura California - Japanese Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

We came here again a year later. The satisfaction is that the environment is still very clean and tidy, and the surprise is that the food is really delicious. The taste of the owner makes the interior of the shop elegant and generous. read more

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The food was authentic, delicious, and there were some adventurous dishes as well! If you like sushi and Japanese dishes, try them!

Solid sushi for place. We don't care for anything raw so were very comfortable ordering from the detailed menu. Great ambience. Friendly knowledgeable staff. Not too expensive. We'd link to go back and try the hot pot. read more

Service was excellent and drinks and food were brought out quickly. Menu has a lot to offer and taste is authentic and fresh. Neat ambiance, delicious food, excellent service! We even met the owner who was walking around checking on the customers. Family loved our dinner experience! read more

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This place was great, food and service. My wife had the Ramen and I had Fried Rice, both were delicious.

This place is a hidden gem in downtown. The price is good if you take consideration into their location. There curry udon is awesome and also in a reasonable price. It is my favorite dish for my lunch time! The unique thing here is you could create a ramen and curry by your own. You could add or skip anything you don't want. It is very unique in Lexington! I have tried all Japanese places in Lexington, this one is in a very unique style! I do recommend you guys to come to try if you a big fan of Japanese place like me. read more

Hands down such a satisfying meal! We finally got around to going to School Sushi, and folks, it did not disappoint! The atmosphere was so pleasing, the individuals who make and serve the food were sooo pleasant. The food was beyond satisfying. My soul was happy. If you love Japanese food, or just want to try it, please, please go here. High praises! We went around 8pm on a Thursday and they weren't extremely busy. The waiters were very friendly and nice about ordering and conversation. It really was just the best experience. read more

School Sushi - Nabeyaki Udon and Yakitori (BBQ). - Japanese Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

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Excellent sushi and staff. Highly recommend the "Lazy Tuna" and the Edamame as an appetizer read more

School Sushi - Lazy Tuna - Japanese Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

This is one of the best sushi places in Lexington. They have a few more offerings than your typical sushi place. The quality of the food and service is top notch. I have never had a bad experience here and we have been coming here for years. read more