Came here for my birthday for the 7 course omakase! Didn't know what to expect but was thrilled by the experience. Came for our reservations at 8 pm and we came a little early so we had to eait until the prior party finished. We were seated in front of our chef who was managing us and another couple who looked to have a different type of omakase. It did take a little longer for us to wait after we finished each set because the party next to us. Our favorites were the raw scallop with asparagus, the tuna poke bowl with macadamia, and the halibut with mushrooms and microgreens. All of this is chosen for you so just sit back and relax. read more

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TLDR version: This omakase has flaws and the management style and ambiance is weird (I understand why people who liked it want to think others commenting on this don't understand the importance of omakase to the chef/staff and don't read cancellation policies but unfortunately pressuring people to come in with COVID is still just bad business LOL). I would personally prefer to travel for omakase for special occasions. They picked a good area to get acclaim since there isn't other restaurants that do omakase out here. I had an odd situation with this business advising me to cancel my reservation then rebook to modify the party amount to avoid the party change fee (this was over 24 hours before so ahead of their timeframe) and the reservation kind of just got lost because the seats didn't reappear like they said - I think they wanted to think that I just rebooked slowly and the seats got taken but it was 5 seconds later I was rebooking, I wish there was a way to modify parties online or over the phone in the end it's their decision not to allow it - feels like a catch 22 though. Don't come in with 1 person less but also no real modification option. The hostess was nice about it on the phone though and I later was invited on another friend's reservation and decided to give this place a fair shake beyond that and review differently. On the food; sustainable is great but it also means a cheaper catfish over eel, it's a little bit pricey for cheaper options and being prepared from ziplock bags. The miso soup was the most impressive item and tasted very good and sadly it was the first dish out so it was a steady decline after, ending with a dessert we were unable to finish off because the taste was mediocre even though it looked amazing. The poke and nigiri were just okay, the rolls were falling apart (and I ate with my hand and not chopsticks for the rolls so no reason for rice to be falling out) the main dish was personally kind of a let down because it's in a mild fish entree style when honestly I was hoping for another chance to try flavorful sashimi nigiri or sushi roll and find more to love about the experience I just paid for. Maybe I'm being too harsh when there is no other omakase in Michigan but I'm not going to give a "thanks for bringing it to the midwest" star rating. The ambiance is just weird and brightly lit and the place will be 1/3 full but they don't take walk ins. When you have to pressure people to come in with COVID under threat of charging them the full fee - and yes, in the past they have actually said to people to come in sick, at best I'm guessing to keep the cancellation fee intact they avoid any verbiage that would imply they agree that the customer should not come in - maybe find a different business model that involves more walk ins, it feels like they want to be too important to have walk ins, but it's Clawson, not NYC. read more

Sozai - Japanese Near Me - Clawson, Michigan

Consistently amazing- a lot of care goes into every dish. The kinako mochi dessert is absolute wizardry!

We stumbled upon this new sushi restaurant serendipitously on a Friday night. The first impression that we got was the friendliness of the staff. Our waitress was so accomodating and knew the menu extensively, and gave us recommendations based on our preferences. What really struck us was the freshness of the fish. The menu must be always changing as they get new and different fish every day, so your experience is different when you come in every time! We got the bento box with the grilled miso corvina (I think the type of fish and how they prepare it rotates), which was paired with scallops, poke and tempura. It also comes with two giant onigiri, so do not underestimate the size of this meal. We also got the traditional futomaki and oshizushi, both of which were excellent. The picked japanese vegetables were delicious as well. The cheesecake dessert was excellent and was just-sweet-enough, which is high praise coming from someone like me. You can tell the owner and the staff are very passionate about serving sustainable fish, which only adds to the different types of fish that you can have here which you might not otherwise in other places. Their love for making good sushi really comes through with every bite. I will definitely be coming back soon! Maybe to try their Omakase next time. read more

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One of the best food experiences I have had in michigan! If you are willing to try the omakase experience...DO IT! the chefs will walk you through every dish you eat and teach you so much about all the different fish you can be eating besides salmon and tuna. I walked away from this experience learning so much more about the variety of fish we can be eating and how to prep it. Can't wait to go back read more

Sozai - Japanese Near Me - Clawson, Michigan

Sozai is my happy place! The people who work here are kind and knowledgeable, the menu is thoughtfully put together, and the food is delicious. read more

Sozai is an experience done correctly. And (speaking personally) the experience shouldn't be up to you on your first (of many) visits. Hajime (owner/chef/certified sake advisor) quickly established that I was in dire need of direction and that I didn't know my Mackerel from Small Big-Eyed Tuna. He rightly took the reigns during the delightfully progressive Nami coursed meal with 5 sake parings. I would highly recommend the Kikusakari Taru and Hakkaisan Junmai Daiginjo sake. The whole fried shrimp head and raw scallops with roe were surprisingly nuanced without being too forwardly fishy(?).. Sadly, around the 3rd or 4th carafe of premium sake, I neglected committing to memory the 6 different offerings during the Nigiri course but the progression from mildly sweet to gamey flavors was delightful. The flash fried Turbot over blanched asparagus, Shiitake, and whatever sweet salty acidic bath it was paired with was #TheBomb. Sozai is an experience and if you plan ahead, make a reservation, and let Hajime guide you; the whole party will be happy. 5/5 read more

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For 20+ years sushi in metro Detroit was ruined for me due to a joyful trip to Tokyo (outstanding sushi in the land of the rising sun). ...until my youngest treated me to dinner at Sozai for my birthday. This was an experience that was extremely special. The food and service made me feel like if I walked out the door I would be on the streets of Tokyo. Limited capacity requires a reservation, which allows them to concentrate on the highest quality of preparation, service and ingredients, sustainably produced. Not the cheapest ($) dinner, but well worth every penny. Truly, complements to the Chef (and staff)! read more

I really really wanted to like this restaurant. Japanese food is my favorite food and I was so excited to try here. I got omakase from many amazing Japanese restaurants in the past so I was expecting the same from Sozai. Sadly, I was disappointed. Omakase was just so so. Food was very bland and sushi/sashimi was just okay. To make it worse, I asked for soy sauce but the chef refused to give me soy sauce, saying that it is already seasoned. I asked again and the chef refused the second time saying he already seasoned it. I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I was able to dip my sushi in the soy sauce. Overall, I do not recommend it. Food was not worth the price either. read more

The absolute best dining experience I've ever had. Chef Hajime Sato created an unforgettable multi-course meal and it proved not only to be incredible food, but also he educated us about each dish and the sustainability of the seafood he provides. This is not your average sushi place, it's much more than that. He creates an actual authentic Japanese culinary journey and I enjoyed every single bite. I will definitely be back. read more

Sozai - Japanese Near Me - Clawson, Michigan

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Right down the street from Noble fish which is one of Clawson's best attributes. I am so happy Sozai is here! An incredible sushi omasake experience if you're looking for something a little more in depth. The server made sure to explain everything and was very knowledgeable about where all the fish comes from. My sister and I wanted to try and were very happy. We ordered a bottle of sake and it was delicious. Everything is spaced out so be patient. You would never guess this place is as good as it is given that it is in a strip mall but do not judge! One of my new faves. A great place to take out of towners as well. read more

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My wife and I are regulars. There is a reason they got Freep restaurant of the year and same for Detroit Eater. This is not your Americanized Spicy mayo sushi restaurant (Which is its own genre) What this is: a place for sustainably sourced, high quality sushi tailored to you in a "Cheers" like environment. You can order off the menu, and it is wonderful. But the real experience here is the tailored/chef's choice multi-course experiences of omakase or kappo. The sushi Chefs excel at this style. And Hajime Sato, Chef/owner is also a certified Sake expert. Just know that you may have to be patient unless you're willing to eat early. They're a small intimate place open for dinner Tues-Sat. read more

Sozai - Nigiri selection in Omakase Sustainably sourced, in house marinated salmon roe. - Japanese Near Me - Clawson, Michigan

I wanted to like this place, but I won't be back. Pros: - People who work here are friendly and laid back - They say they use sustainable fish (environmentally conscious) Cons: - Food is salty. We got the Omakase Nami and thought everything but the sashimi and sushi were salty (also the oyster dish was def a miss for me... not sure what the goal was here, but it felt like the oyster was out of a can) - They use plastic Ziploc containers (https://ziploc.com/en/Products/Containers/Square/Deep-Square-Containers) to hold their premade garnish and food. That feels unsanitary as you probably can't wash them very well. Those containers aren't made to be cleaned and reused multiple times... and if you are not washing them and using new ones every time, that's not environmentally friendly. Also, I would expect this at a cheap sushi place, but $70 per person meal with Ziploc felt off and made me wince - As I mentioned above, everything but sashimi and sushi was salty. As for the sashimi and sushi... I thought a lot of garnish and things were done to make them taste good, but it was kind of bland or unbalanced...almost felt like it would have been better if I had just gotten the fish without the garnish and they gave me different types of soy sauce to eat it with - Now, I am not a sushi expert, but I really like sushi and have had Omakase before ( notably: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sushi-nakazawa-new-york, https://www.yelp.com/biz/%E5%A4%A7%E5%92%8C%E5%AF%BF%E5%8F%B8-%E6%B1%9F%E6%9D%B1%E5%8C%BA, https://www.yelp.com/biz/%E5%AF%BF%E5%8F%B8%E5%A4%A7-%E6%B1%9F%E6%9D%B1%E5%8C%BA-2) and have taken private sushi-making classes because I love sushi (in fact for my 30th birthday I had sushi four times that month). Omakase is usually an intimate experience where the chef makes one or two pieces at a time and explains things carefully, and kind of walks you through the journey. I felt like this wasn't like the omakase I had before but more like a six-course meal where most were premade (things stored in Ziploc containers, yikes) that were just plated. The only thing where I felt like was close to omakase was when the chef was making the sushi and sashimi... but that's a given Overall - I just came back from the meal feeling quite underwhelmed. This is def a level up from grocery store sushi, sushi places that serve Thai food /Korean food as well as sushi, and probably slightly better than decent sushi places that usually overdo it with teriyaki sauce on their sushi rolls and where the main focus is more sushi rolls than sushi and sashimi. But it's not good enough to ask for $70 per person when most of the food is premade and kept in a Ziploc box... yikes. I give them credit for being environmentally conscious and using ecologically friendly caught fish. But if you care about the environment, eat less meat (eat vegan/ vegetarian during the weekdays), and then go out to get sushi, I would go to H-mart and ask them to make fresh sashimi or stop by Noble fish for sushi/ or sashimi. Now I am not sure if those fish are environmentally friendly, but hey, you will def get more bang for your buck, and you probably did more good for the environment by not eating meat during the weekdays. Anyways - pretty sad and bummed about this and quite confused about the experience. Still taking some time to process it all... am I too harsh? Is this normal? Did they spend most of their money on marketing but not on the food? Did I get scammed? Was it an off date? I mean, they have a friendly and fantastic website with an exciting story https://www.sozairestaurant.com/. That makes me want to like them... Sozai - I really wanted to like you but I just don't think you are good for my health or my pocket. read more

Food was great, everything we had was delicious. Service was great as well. If you love seafood and sushi, this is the spot for you.

Overrated. Waste of time and money. Chef nominated for Best Chef Great Lakes Region by James Beard Foundation. Must have gone to his head. A fantasy Temple of Sushi & Japanese Cuisine driven by an egotistical Chef serving bland, boring and off tasting fish. Sent a piece of under seasoned and under cooked " off-tasting" as in not fresh, Lake Trout back after two bites. Only to be approached by the Chef who said "I tasted it , it was fine. You must not be familiar with it." It was not easy to keep my composure but, I agreed and said, "Okay Chef" and nothing else. Not a good last savory course of a boring underwhelming Omakase experience. Dessert course did not save the experience either. After tip, bill was $185. Having lived on Both coasts of the US, I am very familiar with impeccable sourced seafood so, I should have known better I suppose. A place in a small town in the middle of the country that prides itself on its " Sustainable Sourcing" maybe should reevaluate its supply chain and really how fresh it is by the time it travels from wherever to his kitchen. Or, perhaps the Chef should know better when the fish is not so fresh and decides cooking it is the solution versus serving it raw as sashimi or sushi to move it hopefully "undetected" instead of refusing to serve inferior on the verge product. read more

Booked a reservation here about two weeks in advance. Had a positive COVID test in the household so I called to try to either cancel or reschedule. The woman who called me back as condescending, rude and accusatory. I then spoke to the owner who told me that my choices were to come in and get people sick or get charged $180. I tried to do the right thing but the owner too was argumentative and horrible. If you want to be treated like a person, Noble Fish is really close. If you wanted to be treated like crap where your health is second to their profit, this is the place for you. read more

The best omakase experience in the tri state area, hands down. Their a la carte menu is wonderful as well but their head chef's skill is something to behold. Every dish is chosen with sustainability in mind and excellent flavor too. The team caters your experience to your tastes with expert skill. Our new favorite spot for sushi and Japanese fare. read more

Sozai - Omakase - Japanese Near Me - Clawson, Michigan

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I found out about this place while I was perusing Dr.Sushi's Instagram stories. I was extremely excited. Mr husband and I have been to the chef's former restaurant in west Seattle , mashiko. We had tried the omakase there, and it had been an amazing experience. My husband requested this restaurant for his birthday, and we went with both our kids. I would not recommend bringing kids. The prices - while fair - are not really prices for kids. Also my son, immediately knocked over his water. However, the service was impeccable. The food was amazing (kids also loved their food). Also the Sake was very good, and a great selection. I would love to come back with just my husband to partake in another wonderful omakase and drink more sake. This is a definite must hit! read more

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We did one of the tastings and Saki pairings called Nami. Figured that was a good place to start. Our chef/server was super cool and very informative. Made our whole experience that much more fun. Everything was cleanly and neatly presented. The Saki was a perfect compliment to all the many dishes we sampled. We will be coming back for the other tastings in the future. read more

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Superb 7 course Omakase. Best sushi ever. Chef Sato is quite the character and adds so much personality to the dining experience. Will definitely be back for other Omakase options. read more

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SOZAI! Infinite stars. Don't be late! The door opens at 5:03PM every day. The Chef's discipline is incredible, and his promptness should be respected by all. The place is spotless, even the bathrooms will bring you joy, and the Sushi Bar is cozy and comfortable, and if you listen, you will learn. We feasted for two hours, and the entire experience was amazing and well worth the price. It made me high on life. Godspeed. read more

This restaurant was horrible would not recommend ANYONE! extremely rude server rude sushi chefs as soon as we walked in for are reservations they all stared at us like we were aliens I had my two daughters with me 8 an 9 ... they were not a bother to anyone.. and we received this message after .. in top of the rude staff, the ambience was so awkward and weird the food was not good I go all over the world and eat sushi they are trying way to hard to make this a hot spot but unfortunately they don't got it ... the service again was horrible we dident get a couple things we ordered and she still was going to charge us .. we will NOT be back here to dine awful experience all the way around! read more

Sozai - Message they sent us after we ate there and spent 250$ - Japanese Near Me - Clawson, Michigan

Fantastic new restaurant. The owner and his wife recently moved to Michigan and we are SO glad they did. This is hands down the best sushi spot in Michigan. We had the Omakase full experience. Highly recommend this place. Good people who are passionate and very talented. Will be back multiple times! read more

Sozai - Japanese Near Me - Clawson, Michigan

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The food is good. And their customer service is AMAZING!!!! I just wished our server told me how small the Poke when I ordered it. I would have also order something additional if I'd known the size of the portion. I also wish when we asked for water that we were told it was cucumber water and not plain water. Or at least had been given the option of choosing tap over cucumber. read more

Food was interesting and mostly good but I found the service truly lacking. Our waitperson virtually disappeared halfway through dinner and we never saw her again. Some surly person finally came over when we asked for the check, and she said "we were talking" so that's why no one came by again?!That's what people do during dinner, doesn't mean ignore us the rest of the night after orders are taken! Owner chef was there but ignored all the people that weren't seated at the sushi bar. You'd think he would say hello and check in our meal too? Aesthetics of restaurant is mini-mall basic. No cocktails- just sake and wine. Was never asked if we wanted another drink or dessert. Maki rolls were NOT good. Weirdly GIANT which is antithetical to true Japanese rolls which are meant to be "bite sized." Just kind of a disappointing evening given their own hype. I'd prefer Noble any day where the sushi is authentic, reliable and I can grab some groceries! Without attitude! read more

Fresh and flavorful with exceptional service. You can see and taste the care they put into their food. We can't wait to go back and try more! read more

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Pretty good stuff, i love the fresh wasabi, just illustrates how committed they are to a genuine experience. Ate off the regular menu. We will be back. read more

Sozai - Real wasabi - Japanese Near Me - Clawson, Michigan

"Subject to $100 reservation cancellation" actually means they will charge you $100 no matter what your emergency circumstances are. We didn't get to dine but now I refuse to give this inflexible place that care more about money than people anymore money. I read reviews of others and they did it wasn't that great anyway. Hope they enjoy my $100 for trying to cancel as early as I could. read more

Dined at Sozai for the first time this evening. The food is fresh but very mild. We ordered the spicy albacore tataki and poke to start. The poke was the most flavorful dish we had all night. We tried the chicken tempura which was juicy but again, lacked a punch of flavor. The nigiri was nice (salmon and scallop). The rolls were very mild including the red violin which had a spicy sauce drizzled atop. The bowler roller was not a favorite with the dill Mayo being out of place for traditional sushi. The environment is very quiet. This is not someplace you go to have fun or conversation. You can practically hear a pin drop. The entire restaurant is staffed by only one waitress. While she tried to be attentive, this is just not adequate. Finally, the owner/chef is neither friendly nor welcoming. He took our dessert order as the one waitress was tied up. My son asked for the traditional Japanese mochi which Chef proceeded to insist he wouldn't like because "there is no such thing as mochi ice cream in Japan and this isn't ice cream." He continued, "You won't like it. This isn't ice cream." This went on for awhile making things very uncomfortable. In the end, he begrudgingly took the order. Why put something on the menu you insist customers won't like? Very odd and rude. Btw, my son actually enjoyed it. After we paid our bill, the chef looked right at us and refused to say goodbye or thank you. Given the lackluster food, poor service, and rude chef we definitely won't be back. read more

Sozai is the authentic Japanese we needed around metro Detroit!! They specialize in Omakase style so that is what we did (specifically the Nami)! The owner, Hajime was so friendly and went into detail about what every dish consisted of. We really appreciated his knowledge and time spent on each dish. Everything tasted very fresh. There was not one bad dish. We will be back! read more

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A really excellent meal. We did the omakase at the counter. The food was great: flavorful, varied, and in generous portions. The sourcing of the fish is careful (from an ecological point of view), which we appreciated. The service was also excellent, done in a casual way but attentive and restrained when appropriate. The sushi chef managed to present the food with his prepared remarks, respond to our questions, advise on sake, and also (critically!) give us space for our own conversation. The main meal is expensive, but I was deeply pleased to see at the end that the sake pairings the chef had recommended were very affordable. It felt like the restaurant had the right focus (on quality of food) and a generous spirit came through. The ambiance is informal but nice enough (I would make some lighting adjustments, to start with), and the pricing is reasonable for the quality -- especially from this poor New Yorker's point of view. Would definitely return! read more

Yesterday was my 28th birthday. My boyfriend asked me a while ago what I wanted to do for my birthday and I honestly didn't think I'd do anything special. I came across Sozai on a Facebook group for local restaurants and I immediately said "this is it!" We both went with the Hama Omakase which is 7 courses and left more than satisfied. Chef Mike prepared amazing courses. Of course your experience will be different every time but we got a fish stock soup with mushrooms and carrots and 2 types of miso, scallops and braised asparagus with yuzu and egg yolk, tuna poke with seaweed and macadamia nuts. Scallop, pacific ivory salmon (my favorite) and tuna nigiri, 2 rolls one with squash and catfish meant to imitate eel (Mike explained the insustainability of eel) and one with dashi carrot cucumber and tuna with spicy miso (game changer!), lightly battered trout with white miso and mushrooms and finally assorted mochi including mango matcha and black sesame. Mike was also the chef for the couple next to us and they also got Hama and he gave us a slightly different menu, so literally no 2 menus are the same!! I've eaten a lot and this was probably the best dining experience I've ever had!! Already planning our next visit! read more

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As of October 2021, they aren't accepting parties of 4 or more at their tables. They also don't have high chairs or changing tables. Other than that, I agree with the plethora of rave reviews for this new restaurant! A well-executed, no-frills dining experience with personable service, a passionate chef/staff, unique quality food, and admirable philosophy. Come with an open mind and leave room for dessert! read more

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I am visiting from Los Angeles and was very excited to try Sozai, as I had heard it was the only Detroit area sushi restaurant comparable in style and quality to Los Angeles, New York, or San Francisco. Unfortunately, I got sick and tested positive for Covid the day of my reservation. Upon receiving the diagnoses (around 12 pm), my wife called the restaurant to inform them. They told her they would gladly cancel. Minutes later, a 150 dollar charge appeared on my credit card. So, I then called and asked them to remove. They refused and said the only thing I need to inform them of is whether or not I will be using the reservation so that they can prepare ingredients for the evening. Confused, I said "I'm not sure you understand. Do you expect me to still come in to eat dinner tonight." She ignored my question and kept reiterating, "you just need to tell me if you're coming or not." It was very agitating and I hung up. Moments later, my wife called and asked to speak w the owner. He informed her that if she had an issue she should file a claim with the credit card company and further added, "if the 150 dollar charge is too much for you to handle, perhaps this is not the restaurant for you in the first place." I have to say... this is truly a first. Curious if others have had this experience. I would bet it's likely. read more

Hope your never have a reason to cancel. Our dear friend was murdered the day we had a reservation and I called to let them know we couldn't make it. They wouldn't waive the $60 cancellation fee, which was a slap in the face considering we had been loyal customers spending thousands at the restaurant (been there more than a dozen times) and recommending it to many friends. NO MORALS HERE, STAY AWAY FROM BAD PEOPLE. read more

This is a wonderful establishment with great food and an excellent team. 75% of what they serve is not on the menu. Talk with them about your likes and dislikes. read more

Omakase was very solid. Love the decor and friendly atmosphere. Pricing was not cheap but had options.

This is place is phenomenal. The service is excellent, they're knowledgeable & authentic without being pretentious. They're the only spot in the metro area doing really* sustainable sushi with impressive vegan options. If you want a really lovely experience, sit at the bar & do the omakase. It's worth it & you will not be disappointed. Fair warning, not for Karens who want Kali rolls. read more

Great new sushi spot, got carry out as they aren't open for dinning just yet (in the next week or two). Owner was super nice and comes from Seattle. He really knows his stuff, along with being a sake expert. I got the poke and chicken karaage both were top notch. read more

Sozai - Japanese Near Me - Clawson, Michigan

Outstanding! Fish is incredible fresh and flavors are perfectly balanced. We tried a variety of dishes and each was just as delicious as the next. If you like sushi, you need to try this place! Setting is spare and small, with small crowd of 2 to 3 seatings a night. So it feels intimate without being cloying. Service is excellent. Definitely going back!! read more