Popped into this place for our last meal before leaving AZ and it did not disappoint! We were the…read morefirst people in. When we walked in it had a very fishy smell, so it kind of made us second guess our choice. But we went for it anyhow. The greeter/server was very pleasant and sat us. It was very clean inside with ample space between seat. We browsed through the menu and started with our usual edamame and pot stickers. The edamame was salted well throughout where a lot of places just put the salt on top only. We ordered a couple varieties of sake which were both good. Out of all of the things we ordered the karange skewer was just a little more oily than were use to, but still good. The spicy salmon roll had really great flavor and the lollipop roll was probably one of the better versions that we have had. The musubi was giant to say the least, it was good, but offered a bit too much rice. Overall the food and service was great and we were very happy that we ended up here!

On a Sunday evening, after checking out the Desert Botanical Garden, I was looking for some food in…read morethe area. I came across Zu Izakaya and it's great reviews as one of the options. I love Japanese food so my decision was made. I drove over and parked in their complimentary lot. Ambiance (3.5/5): I've been to Japan and there are plenty of izakayas there. Think of them as small bars which often serve solid food. Zu fits that bit. It's a relatively small restaurant, probably seats about 30 people. and it's pretty no frills for a Japanese spot. I was seated at a booth in the corner of the restaurant. They have free WiFi which is always a good touch. Service (3/5): Service was friendly, though a bit inconsistent. My waitress wasn't as attentive as I would have liked. The type of service where you have to flag them down to get what you want and to close out. Drinks (4/5): Zu has a nice menu of Japanese and Korean beverages, including sake, soju, Japanese beer, and more. With that being said, I just had an iced green tea. Food (4/5): I got a nice variety. I went with the Japanese sausage off of the grill menu, the OBI mayo roll off of the sushi menu, and the cheese corn off of the appetizer menu. Let's start with the sausage. It's a small item, two small sausages, but absolutely delicious. The sausage was bursting with flavor and basted in a sweet sauce. Minus the portion size, perfection. The cheese corn also hit the spot, but the execution was off. The corn is served on a hot platter, and unfortunately some of the corn on the edges was badly burnt. The type of situation where they should start over. Which they didn't. Lastly, the OBI mayo roll is essentially a California roll with marinated warm shrimp on top in a mayo sauce. I didn't love the hot and cold combo (shrimp and sushi), but outside of the temperature, it was a delicious roll. All in all, a very food meal. My only gripe with Japanese food is that it can get expensive quick. Given that Zu is in Tempe, I was hoping that prices would be a little cheaper. With that being said, they do have a solid happy hour (and reverse happy hour) with both food and drink specials. Next time I stop by, I'd like to check out some of their Korean options. I focused on the Japanese stuff this time (which makes the majority of the menu). Next time around, the bulgogi is calling my name!

soooo yummy for such a good price. the $5 sushi rolls are such a good deal but make sure to tip…read moreyour server

Super fortunate to have gone here! On a recent work trip, someone suggested Kuka for dinner. We…read moreforgot to make a reservation for the 12 of us. When we got there around 6:30 on a Monday, they were amazing and were able to seat us. We ordered apps, entree's, drinks and dessert. The staff was so accommodating, they were sweet, attentive but not overbearing, helpful and patient with all of us. I was blown away by the garlic parmesan edamame. The curry with pork cutlet was reminiscent of my grandma's. I am picky about Japanese curry. I also ordered the toro sushi and it was phenomenal! Dessert was good but the apps, sushi and curry is where they shine. I would love to go back!

My first time at Zu Izakaya was a blast! I came in with a group of 5 and were seated quickly. Our…read morewaitress Tiana was very attentive and helpful as we decided our orders. Overall, the place has a fun vibe with lots of string lights and Japanese decorations. They have happy hour twice a day. We came during their 9-11PM happy hour (we love a late night happy hour!) Lots of options for sushi, drinks, and appetizers on the happy hour menu. The spicy tuna roll was a refreshing roll with just the spicy tuna, cucumber and rice. A simple roll that still has a good spicy flavor but not too overpowering that it takes over your meal. The Vegas roll is a classic if you like fried rolls! Can't go wrong with this one. The nigiri was top notch. The yellowtail nigiri quite literally melts in your mouth and the flavors are buttery and soft. It's my personal favorite whenever I want nigiri. The salmon nigiri was also very good. Slights sweet but if you add soy sauce it balances it out. The jjambong pot was so filling. We ate this after the sushi. It's enough to be shared with 2-3 people and includes a mix of some seafoods, enoki mushrooms, onions, and ramyeon with a spicy broth. The noodles were good, the broth was delicious and not too spicy if you're not a person that handles spice well. My only complaint is that we had about 6-7 mussels but only 2 pieces of shrimp. It would've been nice to have a more even distribution of the seafood but other than that the taste was amazing. With the happy hour it was incredibly affordable. Even without the happy hour I would definitely come here again. 10/10!!

What I got: Bulgogi with side rice…read more Seaweed salad Miso soup Wasn't a lot of meat on my Bulgogi dish was a small square skillet and I was mostly of onions and some zucchini pieces. I decided to try their miso soup which was not bad tasted like the packets you get from the grocery store, but at least they had seaweed and tofu in it compared to other places, the seaweed salad tasted pretty fresh they don't give you too much of it they put a bunch of lettuce underneath it so it makes it seem like there's more at first my friend got the plate and some parts kinda tasted raw, but he didn't care much since he likes it either way but then again I was supposed to be a cooked dish so. I had gotten a draft beer to start with and for some reason it was warm so that was very un appetizing but then I got a bottled beer and it was cold. I don't recommend draft. This place has gone through a name change in the last few months and have removed a lot of of the stuff from the old menu went to see the difference was told that they kept the same quality as it is the same owner as before, but honestly to me the only thing that seems like the quality stayed the same was the oysters. Everything else seems that gone down a bit and the portion seems really small now some things are priced decently and some things are overpriced and we can't forget to mention how bad it smells in here like sewage. There's so many restaurants like this which is the problem like I don't need to come here and there was nothing memorable about it and it's a pretty far drive from me so I probably won't be coming back

I have to be honest here. I only recently started trying Ramen. I don't know why, but I always told…read moremyself that I didn't like it. Anyway, this was only the second time I've ever eaten restaurant Ramen. The first time was so-so. And I was eager to see how much better it could be. So my wife started to do a little research and found that Daruma had really good reviews. So we gave it a shot. I have to say that I was very impressed with my Ramen. It was galaxy's better than the first one I tried. I can't wait to try a different one next time. Aside from the wonderful food. The staff there was really nice. They greeted us right away and quickly got us seated. Our server was also very friendly and attentive. The dining area was pretty clean and inviting too!

I came to this restaurant after spending all day at the hospital across the street for my daughter…read moreso I was hungry and emotionally drained. When I walked in, I was promptly directed to where I should go so I could place a takeout order. The genuine courtesy of the staff here was just what I needed after a long day. Lots of great options for sushi but ramen sounded amazing on a chilly winter day. I ordered a couple options and requested for the toppings to be separated so my picky eater could pick out what she didn't like. The food was out promptly and packaged with such care. Once I got it back to my daughter's hospital room, we were able to feast on the best meal we had all day. I will definitely be coming back to this place again and I am grateful for their kindness just when I needed it. Highly recommend!

Our server was so nice, the food was delicious, and fast! We were never left without food on the…read moretable and we definitely ate all we could possibly eat!

jalapeño hamachi roll goes CRAZY with a vanilla mochi to cool it down right after…read more baked alaska roll looks better than it tastes

great food and atmosphere. The staff was very nice and service was quick! Would recommend.read more

A Sushi is certainly the best AYCE sushi spot in AZ and with amazing presentation and quality…read more The fish to rice ratio is pretty standard but the fish is fresh and nothing to complain about. I especially loved the baked mussels, carpaccio, and the massive order of green tea ice cream! We will certainly be returning here for future visits. (1/50 -- 2026)

We were invited to Bei Sushi by a friend of mine who set very high expectations for the place. The…read morelocation is located in a strip mall with lots of parking. We were very sceptical at first but the recommendation was spot on. We were seated right away and our server Bela approached immediately. She was very friendly and went down the menu telling us all about the specials and her recommendations. We needed no recommendations because we were there for one thing the Bei special. The special was an assortment of various rolls assembled beautifully making each piece stand out. The first bite was divine and as we worked around the ring of rolls they got better and better. The sauces brought perfect harmony and complemented the fish. The sushi was incredibly fresh not having the fishy order lingering. The rolls melted in your mouth like butter leaving you satisfied. It was so good we placed a second order. Bela stopped by frequently checking on us and also telling us about the restaurant and the area and provided a friendly atmosphere that you do not often get in northern Midwest. The Spider Roll was very good except for the sauce on top that did not suite our palate but after removing the sauce it was fantastic. The Hot Mama Roll was also amazing. The flavors went well with the Yuki Mango Nigori Sake. We also tried some of their beers and spent a while catching up. Belas service was second to none and made this reunion fabulous. The sushi at Bei was better than 95% of our sushi restaurants in my state and the price was very good. They also have a cute cat robot that delivers food! Thank you Bela we hope to come back again on our next trip to Arizona to try more food.

Great casual spot I enjoy popping into from time to time. Customer Service always fast and…read moreefficient. Food quality is there as well as presentation and taste. This local neighborhood spot serves sushi until 11:30 PM on Friday and Saturdays. I've been coming here for about 6 years now. I can't keep gatekeeping. It deserves to be shared.

I been coming to this restaurant for a long time everything is so fresh made to order this is my…read morefavorite restaurant here in Mesa. This is my spot to come and eat and chill service can be a bit slow for some people but this is not fas food is quality food so it might take a little. I don't have nothing bad to say about this place I love it.

First and foremost, this place had just I was looking for--casual/relaxed atmosphere, reasonable…read moreprices, and above all great food. The dishes we ordered were all seasoned very generously and the garlic edamame (a must-order for the table) had a little heat to it. My hamachi Kama came out first and was cooked beautifully through and again, seasoned well. The ponzu and ginger were a nice dipping sauce. The sunrise roll had great flavors and cool presentation. Our scallop and chicken yakitoris were great too. I didn't get to try it but the table next to us got agedashi tofu that looked great. Side note, every table was full--always a good sign for a restaurant when there's lots of competition. As someone from the SF Bay Area I'm pretty picky about landlocked sushi places, but this one knocked it outta the park for our spring training visit. Go Giants!! Sorry for not photographing anything it all looked so good we just dug in.

We stopped into Makitto Sushi and I'm already planning my next visit--and telling everyone about…read morethis place! It is magic. We tried two rolls: The Birdgang Roll - unique, super flavorful, and had the perfect little zing. I didn't even need soy sauce, which never happens! The Fire Dragon Roll - the kick combined with the eel sauce was incredibly well balanced. So good. We also ordered sashimi and nigiri, and this is where Mikito really won me over. I don't normally eat sashimi because I usually find it too fishy, but the quality here was on another level. * Bluefin Sashimi: melt-in-your-mouth delicious. * Yellowtail Sashimi: super light and clean. * Salmon Nigiri: not fishy at all--just buttery and delightful. Everything tasted unbelievably fresh. We sat at the bar and chatted with Jay, the owner and chef, and he was fantastic. Great conversation, clearly passionate about what he does, and the service overall was friendly and prompt. HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend!! If you love sushi--or even if you think you don't--give Makitto a try. It's truly a standout.

We were looking for somewhere to eat in the Mesa Riverview area and I didn't know this was back…read morethere, right next to the movie theater. Reviews are very good and so we gave it a try on a Saturday evening. When we arrived there were 2 people eating at the sushi counter, otherwise it was empty. During our time there another couple came in, so it was not busy and easy to get a table. The server was very friendly and service was great. For that I'll push my rating to 4 stars. For me, this place is personally 3.5/5. Everything was decent but nothing I would rave about. And that might just be me, because people love this place in other reviews. It was possibly just a bunch of little things that made me think it's just okay. I thought the texture of sushi rice was a bit too soft, I know it's sticky rice but I felt like it was a little over cooked and too soft. I also thought both of my rolls tasted exactly the same. Which thankfully I thought were good tasting. The stuffed jalapeños were definitely a miss, they were so under fried so mostly a mush of ingredients in a jalapeño. And initially I liked the karaage but had a couple of tough pieces, so overall that was just okay. Miso soup was solid. And I realize that the appetizers are cooked in the back and not by sushi chef, and people rave about the chef. However like I said, both rolls seemed pretty similar tasting and one was supposed to be more spicy. All very standard flavors, like I would expect from AYCE sushi. I think I'm just looking for more delicate flavors with higher quality pieces of fish. I likely should have tried some of the special items listed on the rotating items board near the sushi bar. Next time we go back I'll try sitting at the sushi bar and trying some speciality items. People have said this is the best way to enjoy this place. We will likely come back during a lunch or happy hour special, if I like it better and I can upgrade my review I'd be happy to give this small, local family run business all the stars.

It's cheap during lunch, that's why I would recommend it. The food is good and worth the price, but…read moredon't go when it would be busy (around holidays or weekends) they will likely bring you someone else's order and vice versa. There is a darker theme and curtains over the windows and the seating is good with booths and tables.

I enjoy going to this place occasionally, and will definitely be back. I vacillated on how to rate…read morethem, but ultimately landed on three stars. Let's get into it. What they do well: cheap and fast. When I was there for lunch, it was AYCE for $19.99. You really can't beat that. The service is solid, though not stellar. The selection is pretty good, too! The restaurant is also well maintained. It's always clean and the decor is exactly what you'd expect for Japanese cuisine. Opportunity: the sushi has been falling apart all three times I've been there. It reminds me a little of what it might be like if i made it at home myself and didn't get the sushi rice right. That doesn't adversely affect the flavors, but it's annoying that I can never seem to dip it into the soy sauce and get it into my mouth without losing half the roll. Their service model also makes it so items from the fryer or other appetizers sometimes come out after the sushi rolls. There's no effort to synchronize the back kitchen staff and the sushi bar. This isn't necessarily an issue for me. I'm happy when there's food in front of me. But I could see others feeling like it's a disjointed approach and experience. Like I said, I'll be back. But if you're going to this place, make sure you're managing your expectations.