We had an amazing experience. We sat at the bar and our bartender was excellent. He made our drinks to perfection. The restaurant has a nice intimate feel that makes you forget you're in a casino The food was exceptional. The miso soup was filled with seaweed and tofu. The broth was delectable We got the wagyu sushi which literally melted in our mouths. All the rolls were expertly crafted and unique to give a tasty, dreamy experience. The scallops were succulent and juicy, the NY strip was extremely well seasoned. We got the salmon yellowtail roll, negitoro, and spicy tuna We've been long supporters of Kengo and got enough cards to have $100 of free food. It was difficult for us to get to $100 as we were already full from all the food we had. They allowed us to use our remaining $20 to pay for the ladies meal next to us We will definitely return read more

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Went for a friend's birthday and had a blast- do love the concept of ordering multiple small bites to share and pass around. This is not a place where you can get one large meal and leave stuffed!! The service was great, our waitress was so knowledgeable and friendly! My favorite was the bacon wrapped baby bell peppers. Was here a few years back and they used to have bacon wrapped shishito peppers which were even better!! I had the chicken katsu - it was just fine. I didnt love the chicken thighs. Friends had udon dish which got great reviews. Gyoza was great and loved by all- overall pretty solid reviews to go around our party of 10 people. Nothing negative to say, just wasn't worth 5 stars to me. Would be back on special occasions if that's where our group ended up but wouldn't seek it out myself! read more

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And another one! Put my name on the list and was quickly called to be seated. Took a few minutes to place our order. Yakitori was served before the rolls for some reason. Shobu still seems intimate although finishes are bumped up by the casino. There is a side hall that seems dislocated from the rest of the restaurant. Cozy bar seating or high top table are the way to go. I love the bacon wrapped tomatoes and the chicken thigh, the negatoro tuna roll was delicious. I'm gonna give them a minute to become well oiled machines like Kengo's two other locations. I'm giving them the full 5 starts, but it would be a 4.5 if I could. I have a feeling they will reach 5 star status. read more

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Let's be honest, the original Kengo in Downtown Toledo is all about the food and not the atmosphere. The same goes for Shobu by Kengo. The fish is fresh, the combinations of ingredients are expertly prepared, and the flavors shine. But the decor, sounds of the casino, and even the clientele make this an odd choice. Not to say I won't be back, because the next time a friend suggests it, I will absolutely go back to Shobu. In a heartbeat. But with the weird Hollywood Casino parking, chaotic atmosphere, and generally odd vibes, I can't say this will be a place I go out of my way to visit again. That said, shout out to Kengo and everything he's doing, because goddamn the sushi is good. read more

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A fun and innovative place with a rotating menu. You might find udon one week and Yekatori the next. read more

Shobu by Kengo - Salom yellowtail; salmon , yellowtail, rice, sesame seed - Sushi Bars Near Me - Toledo, Ohio

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Where should you go Thanksgiving evening with absolutely no wait and the most delicious sushi? SHOBU! Always the freshest of ingredients and top quality dishes. I really hope this place makes it here at the casino. The service was friendly, quick, and efficient. The inside is a mix of seating, but I wish they would darken up the walls in the alcove. It would really add to the intimacy and coziness. The cocktails are top notch. Tonight we tried this yellow fin collar that was not on the menu, but suggested by our server. So fresh and delicious. It's what I imagine eating fresh fish off the fire on Survivor. The three card stud roll was great and we also ordered scallops, and different veggies wrapped in bacon. Thank you for topping off an incredible holiday! read more

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Had omakase for my birthday recently with my partner. Service was great except the bar that we sat at was right next to the entrance to the kitchen, so sometimes chef's explanation to the dish was overlapped by kitchen staff yelling that the dish was ready. The course overall was delicious. The ingredients were fresh, and the grilled avocado with wasabi topping was something new. The only thing that I will say for it is that the sequence of the menu seemed to be geared towards heavy instead of light. For example, I was served with deliciously grilled yellowtail for the second dish. It def fell on the heavy side, so I was expecting to have something light for the next dish. The next dish was served with tofu with egg custard topped with eel. The broth of the tofu was on the heavy side as well, which brought my appetite down quite a bit. We were served with three overly burnt yakitoris one after the other. We did not finish the yakitoris on purpose to enjoy the sushi afterwards. Overall, it was great, but things could be better. I hope the sequence of the menus will be adjusted so that the entire course is more enjoyable. Other than that, sakes were great and they were greatly priced. I would just go again for the individual menus/sushis instead of omakase. read more

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Second time here. First time my brother and I tried various "teppanyaki" .. laughable attempt at grilled meats, even by Toledo standards. This evening I got the pork chashu, pork was eatable, noodles were decent. Portion and price was a joke... overall it's a poor representation of Japanese cuisine. It's food prepared poorly by untrained cooks. You'll experience no mastery of any dish, no shokunin, just line cooks making food like at Waffle House... apparently the owner has a good ramen shop, after eating here I find that hard to believe. read more

Once again, Kengo doesn't disappoint. This one opened very recently inside the Hollywood Casino, and the wife and I decided to take advantage of a date night by checking them out. If there's one name in Toledo food scene that you can rely on, it has to be Kengo Kato. Now a third restaurant to be opened under his belt--Kengo sushi, Kato ramen and now Shobu by Kengo-- my visit last night solidified my fandom, as if I wasn't a fan before.. At first glance from the outside, it looks lije another tiny restaurant with limited seating, just like his other two downtown locations. But upon entering I immediately saw that there was an area that is hidden from the front door, which definitelty allows for a bit more spacious seating than the other restaurants. Don't give me wrong. Tiny, clustered seatings, where you're practically sitting with strangers elbow-to-elbow is part of a great charm at his other restaurants, mimicing what some real Japanese sushiya from Japan would feel like. But it was also fine to be able to have an intimate conversation with my wife without worrying about offending surrounding guests was fine this time around. ;-) The menu system was simple. There are two large chalkboards with available items written out on the walls. There is only a small clipboard with beer and wine list at each table. This is a true nigiri and yakitori joint, which I absolutely appreciate. I could be wrong so please consult with staff about this, but I get the sense that their menu will change depending on catch of the day, where not everything will be available all the time. I definitely didn't see any California rolls, or any other fill-in-your-city-name rolls either. You have your nigiris with fresh raw fish, a few traditional rolls like spicy tuna and salmon, then you have your yakitori, which are variety of grilled skewers. My wife and I shared ootoro, chutoro, albacore nigiris, a hamachi serrano roll and a grilled hamachi (I'm not 100% sure) collar bone with a glass of beer each. I also had a chicken meatball skewer, brussel sprout skewer, and a negitori roll packed to go for my daughter. Everything was abso-freakin-lutely melt-in-mouth delicious. It had honestly been a few years since I last went to Kengo's, so I had forgotten how majestic top quality sashimi tasted like, but I was rightly reminded. The highlight of the night was without a doubt chutoro, which is a slightly less fatty part of the fatty tuna belly. Ootoro is the fattest part, and generally the most expensive part of a tuna but a lot of your average Japanese restaurants won't even separate out and sell both chutoro and ootoro. You may see a general "toro" as the market-priced fatty tuna, but rarely both. They both melted in your mouth, but chutoro left a tiny bit more flavor behind in my mouth, which had me desiring more. Not to say ootoro was bad, but it comes down to a preference. Ootoro definitely hits you with the fatty creaminess; more so than chutoro. But both my wife and I appreciated the flavor punch of chutoro last night. I rambled on way too much. If you haven't caught onto the excitement I had by now, take it from me. You should check it out. If you're already a fan of Kengo downtown, you already know what to expect. If not, and you're a somewhat of a sushi connoisseur, I'd suggest you give them a try. It won't be cheap, especially if you're a big eater. But just remember sushi is usually not eaten to fill your stomach up to its fullest, but to enjoy the proper flavors of its mastery. read more

Shobu by Kengo - Front entrance - Sushi Bars Near Me - Toledo, Ohio

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Food 5/5 Service 5/5 Ambiance 3/5 I loved it and will be back. Food rocked, was fresh and All of the staff were awesome. for some reason the trippy vibe of the casino made it fun ha. The room on the left when you walk in should have dimmer lighting. read more

Great food! Awful ambiance and service. We love the downtown location, this is easier to get a table but wouldn't go back

Food and service is top-notch! The tables off to the left seem to be cut off from the rest of the restaurant but the food makes up for it. Drinks were avaerage. Not very many staff and it was busy but the little server and host plus bartender worked their butts off.Hats off to them and cooks for a great experience. Will be back. read more

Food was great ! Love me some shishito peppers ! Had great time sitting at the bar ! read more

Expensive, tiny portions. Service was lack luster. Went home and ordered a pizza. Won't go back.

Food was great. Me and my wife stuck with the nagiri sushi and a couple rolls. Thought price wasn't bad for the quality and being in casino. Waitress was very informative with the menu and food was brought out in a timely manner. Overall good experience will definitely go back. read more

Hamachi serrano was my favorite but everything was good. We had bluefin otoro, bluefin tuna, ebi, chicken breast, chicken meatballs, pork belly and zucchini. read more

It's ok Sushi, if you've never had ok sushi. Overpriced and underwhelming. Rolls are mediocre house rolls at best. Yakitori was hit & miss. $4 for (1/2 an avocado) is disappointing, but shishito peppers were decent for $3 (served 4). Nigiri is what should be expected at best. Nobody exceeding expectations in this place. Service was meh. Waitress was confused and our order not accurate. The place is small, if you're not sitting at the bar there isn't really a decent seat. Do yourself a favor and eat before you go gamble. read more

The sushi is okay for its price. You can stop by if you are already in the casino, but you don't have to come all the way down here just for this. But I can say their service was great. I could feel that they put effort in taking care of their customers. However, I strongly recommend this place to update their omakase menu. To be honest, I was a little shocked when I got a standalone roasted avocado for their $120 omakase dinner. The appetizer was great, but the following 6 dishes were too heavy and greasy. The yakitori in these courses weren't impressive at all. They were too burnt and too salty that I had trouble finishing them. These were followed by a disappointing roasted avocado. There were 7 sushi courses after these which were okay, but not impressive. Some of them had too much soy sauce on them. On the upside, they asked us if there were additional sushi we wanted to try after the final course, so you won't be leaving this place hungry. Overall, I would not recommend their omakase for someone who wants mostly sushi. Their standalone nigiri pieces are not too expensive so I would just order these separately and you would be equally or more satisfied with $120 worth of sushi. read more

This is definitely the gem of Toledo. Great sushi and yakitori. We love Kengo! The service was good and there's no waiting at this location. We had a good time! read more

First time here and very surprised on the taste and simple presentation. Great for a snack after a nice win at the tables.

Great place to start your night. The sushi is awesome and service is a blast. Sunday specials put it on the list. Make it happen! Kyle at the bar makes you feel welcome! read more

We walked right in and had seats for two at the bar on a busy Saturday night. Sushi was fantastic! Would recommend the chicken meatballs, so much flavor! We will be coming back in the future for sure. read more