Friends review of the "omakase experience":…read more Don't be fooled by the marketing campaign being ramrodded through social media depicting an omakase being served by a professionally trained sushi chef presumably from Japan. Nobody here speaks Japanese. This isn't a review of the typical menu items found at any other restaurant within eye shot of the parking lot. This is about the omakase. My experience started a full week prior to my actual meal when I walked in and mentioned that I wanted to try the omakase. The host, gracious as they were, looked at me like I was ordering from the forbidden menu. Their demeanor changed. With their shoulders now tense and looking around for help, they told me that I needed to let them know at least 48 hours in advance. Why? Looking around I didn't see the famed sushi chef behind the bar so I'd just assumed they had to let him know someone wanted the omakase. Perhaps they wanted more than just one person to justify the cost of bringing him in. I couldn't understand it. An omakase isn't a special type of dinner that can only be done by the most trained of chefs. It's a staple experience that any chef can provide at a moment's notice at any sushi restaurant... any sushi restaurant outside the Rio Grande Valley, that is. If you need 48 hours notice to provide a quality omakase experience then it isn't saying much for your other chefs behind the bar. It's just consists of items already on the menu, but also gives your chefs the freedom to create their own dishes. Experiment a little. In any case, this was the moment where I felt I might be in trouble. It's a week later and I'm walking in to finally get some good sushi. The host asks for my name, says I'm here for the omakase, and immediately takes me to my seat at the bar. I'm the only one here. I only see one chef, and it's not _the guy_. Why did they need 48 hours notice again? The first dish was a delightful poke salad. Well made and well plated. A nice starter. I was cautiously optimistic. The rest of the meal was all nigiri pieces consisting of salmon, yellowtail, scallop, otoro, "wagyu", maguro, and uni. There were others but I stopped taking notes at some point once I realized what this was. Standard Valley sushi. And there's nothing wrong with that. It is what it is. This is what we know and how we do it. But I had to wait for this? Spend at least $100 for this? No. If you're going to put an omakase experience on such a pedestal you need to deliver and you didn't. The entire experience lasted less than an hour so the pace was also an issue. A well paced and well managed tasting course is at least two hours. If you're going to visit this restaurant you're going to have an amazing time ordering standard menu items. They do that very well. Just don't do the omakase.

The place has a great atmosphere, elegant ambiance. General food is decently priced and and good in…read morequality. However the Nigri/sashimi seems to be overpriced in comparison to its quality threshold. For this to be a sushi restaurant is why I give the 3 in relation to the sushi, everything else 3.5/4.

BEST SUSHI IN MCALLEN! HANDS DOWN. The people are great and the food is always soo fresh. Hits the…read morespot every time. Been coming here for years now, never had a single complaint about the food or any food poisoning unlike other sushi spots were it starts to hurt ur stomach sometimes. These guys guarantee freshness and the all you can eat buffet is a great deal!!

Awesome all you can eat lunch! Incredible deal! Decent…read morerolls. Amazing salmon skin...so good! Miso soup is good and soothing. Veggie tempura could be cut thinner and drained a little more, way too greasy. Friendly staff.

Wonderful food! Great service! Ambiance is comfortable!…read more My mom, sister & I eat here or get take out.

XinXin is a local mom and pop Asian restaurant that bills itself as "asian fusion cuisine.". The…read moreambiance is pleasant and clean, but also homey and informal. I noticed one of the cooks was using a dining room table to prepare vegetables while watching a video on her phone. The lady who took my order at the front counter also played the role of server. The counter was cluttered. When I walked in, no one acknowledged me for a few minutes. The lady was talking to someone - whether a friend or client I could not tell. When he left, she finally turned to me and asked if I wanted take-out or dine in. I can't say she was either welcoming nor friendly, but once I stated my intentions were to dine in she led me to a table and handed me the menu. Xin Xin does not have a buffet. But that ensures that everything is made fresh as you order it. They offer dine in, take out, and have a drive through window. Their menu is pretty extensive with Vietnamese, Japanese, and Chinese entrees.. some of which I have never heard and would need coaching to pronounce. I wanted something more familiar, and ordered the Triple Delight lunch special. The lunch special came with my choice of soup, and either white or fried rice. I ordered the hot and sour soup and fried rice. The lunch special portion was generous but I was hungry and finished it all. I can't say the food quality stood out as extra special, but it was very good and I enjoyed it. The Triple Delight was supposed to have beef, chicken, and shrimp, but I did not detect any beef. There was plenty of the chicken and shrimp. The menu lists beverages as canned soft drinks, a couple of juices like coconut or lychee, and hot or iced tea. I asked the server if the iced tea was fresh brewed and she assured me it was. When she brought out a bottle of Gold Peak sweet iced tea I wondered if she knew enough English to understand my question and what "fresh brewed" means... The Gold Peak was decent, but not the same as fresh brewed. My experience with the service and ambience was lacking. The drink was also a little disappointing. The food, however was very good and the prices were reasonable. Considering the competition, they need to up their game if they want my business.

I saw a bunch of adds on instagram and TikTok to try this place, saying it was better than Fujiyama…read moreHibachi nearby and Trenton, and that place is very good to me so I should known when these Food Vloggers started to talk smack about another place, clearly paid to do so. The food was terrible. I'm on a diet so I opted for a white meat chicken bowl with the veggies as a base. I asked for spicy chicken and it was almost $18! The chicken was extremely dry and extremely chewy, it's like they gave me the bottom of thr barrel chicken breast and 50% of the chicken was very small in size and dried out. They doused it in hot sauce and that's the only thing I could taste. The veggies were old and didn't taste fresh at all. 90% cabbage, 5% broccoli and 5% zucchini. What a waste of money and I was extremely excited to try this place. No wonder it's not packed or anyone in their parking lot. I usually would go back and demand a refund but I was defeated for the day, working in the sun most of the day and just very busy. I wanted a nice health comfort meal and instead I threw it in the trash and went to Whataburger. Don't believe the hype, this is worst teriyaki place I've tried since those bad restaurants in the food court at the mall. Trust me people, spend you hard money elsewhere and don't fall for the ads

I ordered the food to go but I still got off the car to order. As a wheelchair user it wasn't as…read moreaccessible if I wanted to eat in the restaurant. The tables didn't allow for my powered wheelchair to fit into a standard height table and the bar height table is too high. The food though, I ordered the orange chicken spicy and teriyaki chicken spicy. They were both delicious! I will say that if you're not used to spicy food the "spicy" option might be too spicy, maybe order the sauce on the side so you can add in as much as you'd like. I would definitely be back to order food to go!

I've eaten at Le Lai all by myself and I've always enjoyed my dinner…read more Employees are always kind, helpful and polite.

The mango salad and egg rolls were both very good, which made me hopeful for the rest of the meal…read more Unfortunately, the Pad Thai was extremely disappointing. It tasted mostly like onions and chili, and it wasn't even close to an authentic Pad Thai. The noodles were also the wrong type, which made the dish even more disappointing. What really left a bad impression, though, was the service. After taking only one spoonful, I politely explained that I didn't like the dish and asked if they could remove it. They refused, even though it was obvious that I hadn't eaten it. I understand restaurants have policies, but a little flexibility and customer service would have gone a long way. Sadly, because of both the food and how the situation was handled, I don't plan on returning.

Nuri Fusion Street Kitchen is now one of my new favorite spots! This gem has been here for 10 years…read moreand I'm making up for lost time !! The vibe is amazing, the service is super friendly, and the flavors are seriously addictive! I love spicy food, so having a bunch of house-made salsa options is a HUGE win for me I could go on about the fried chicken (perfectly crispy), the super tender pork belly, the steak, or the Korean-inspired tacos with kimchi and wild flavor combos--but you really just need to try it yourself! Chips n guac, chips n queso, elote, nachos, Korean inspired tacos and rice bowls and loaded fries !!!! Salads and brussel sprouts - everything is a must try

We had such a great experience! The food came out incredibly fast, and everything tasted fresh,…read moreflavorful, and perfectly cooked. One thing that really stood out was the variety of vegetarian options--they had so many choices, and they definitely didn't feel like an afterthought. We tried several different dishes, including crispy tofu, veggie bowls loaded with fresh vegetables, and vegetarian bao buns, and every bite was delicious. The vegetables were fresh, the sauces were packed with flavor, and the portions were generous. Whether you're vegetarian or just looking to try something different, this is definitely a place worth visiting. The food was fresh, the service was quick, and everything exceeded our expectations. We'll definitely be coming back!

Just found our to go Pho and shaved snow spot ! Everything…read morewas amazing from the service to the food! The owner was a great dude, had a small chat and found out we came from the same part of California. Overall I recommend this place if you're looking for authentic Vietnamese food. I'll be back in the near future

I haven't been here for a while. But I am so happy that they are here in the RGV . Soooooo good! I…read morelove the avocado smoothie, hu tieu noodles, and the sweeet potato fries surprise . The owners are so genuinely nice and the service is impeccable !!! Come try everything ! You won't be disappointed !!

My first impression of Ronin Ramen was that it was asian inspired restaurant. When I first walked…read morein, there were anime posters and asian inspired decor. When I was seated, it suddenly turned into a sports bar with a small touch of asian inspired decor. I asked for a cup of water, but found out they only serve bottled water at $3. I ordered, not expecting much as the restaurant and service were both average. I did not expect it, but, wow, the food was delicious! The plates were very very well served. The ramen could have used more protein, but for the price was okay. As most ramens, it didn't have much flavor but the hot chili oil they provided added the perfect touch to the meal. The orange chicken with stir fry - not on the menu, I had to ask for substitutions - was absolutely delicious!! The noodles were great, but did need the chili oil to add that extra touch of flavor. I would definitely go back! Not for aesthetics, not for the service, but for the food. It truly made coming to Ronin's worth it.

I just came here, it's now located inside the MERCADO DISTRICT. Anyways, great ramen! Super…read moreflavorful and nice staff. Definitely my go to ramen place here.

I see other reviews mentioning the price, but what you're paying for is the QUALITY of food/drinks,…read moreplus a unique experience. Also, these amazing employees are there to make sure you get the best experience possible! I've been here a few times and LOVE IT!!

Beautiful resturant Great service…read more Very clean and new Foood welll Expensive Variety

I've never been here before. I was visiting the valley for a few days, and my buddy told me that…read morethe Chinese food here was good. Decided to give it a chance. Walked in the place was empty but smelled good. Ordered a Broccoli and beef and a combo fried rice. Costco bout 25buks. Waited for about 10 minutes, and the food was out. Got the bag, and it was heavy. Got to Mt buddies house opened the bag and both to go orders were packed to the top. Broccoli and beef 8 out 10 Combo Fried rice 9 out 10 Service 8 out 10 Only reason beef and Broccoli got an 8 was because it seemed like it had a lot of sauce, but it was still good. I'd def come back good bang for your buck

My first time here and we will be back! As you can see in the picture the portions were great even…read morehad leftovers so managed to bring that home to ready the next day. Service was great, we were the only ones there which I couldn't understand because the food was delicious. Tables were a great height for me and my wheelchair.