Cruz Omakase — Restaurant in Autonomous City of Buenos Aires

TL;DR: Overpriced pseudo-Japanese sushi spot in BA's Chinatown. Heavy on cream cheese and sauces, light on authenticity. Nice street setup but uncomfortable. 19,900 ARS (~$19.50) for lunch without drinks isn't worth it.

As someone who has spent significant time in Japan, I was disappointed by my experience at Cruz Omakase. The restaurant has a street-side setup with stool seating under a terrace shade - reminiscent of casual Japanese spots, though with no indoor dining option, comfort is weather-dependent. During my lunch visit, it was notably warm.

At 19,900 ARS (~$19.50 USD), the price point is particularly steep even considering Argentina's current economic situation. No drinks are included in this price.

Most concerning was learning that cream cheese is a core ingredient in most of their menu items - so integral that they claimed it couldn't be removed as it "held everything together." This is far from traditional Japanese sushi preparation.

We opted for their nigiri set (12 pieces of seared salmon, trout, and white fish). Unfortunately, the execution was problematic: The rice was oddly brown instead of traditional white Heavy-handed use of sauces that completely masked the fish flavors Overall poor balance of flavors, with condiments overwhelming the supposedly delicate fish

It was particularly frustrating to see an empty sushi bar reserved exclusively for omakase customers while other diners were seated on stools outside. While the wasabi was acceptable and the restaurant's design is pleasant with its street-food aesthetic, the overall experience and comfort level don't justify the premium pricing.

While this style might appeal to local tastes, those seeking authentic Japanese sushi should adjust their expectations or...

Not a traditional Japanese Omakase, or sushi - if this is what you are expecting, save your time, money (and tastebuds 😧)

At no fault of the staff, which were kind and attentive, I must share my dissapointment in this "Omakase", which can only be described as a caricature of Japanese culture and cuisine. I would recommend the owners of this restaurant to look into proper education for their chefs, and to simplify their dishes. The ingredients and fish are fresh, and quite lovely. And it was a shame to see such beautiful ingredients be treated so badly...

We tried to give this place a chance, but unfortunately were not able to complete the 8 course "omakase" meal. After being bombarded with over prepared and seasoned "nigiri" like : boiled ebi (shrimp) with bbq sauce, flamed, topped with a lime wedge, sugar, and what seemed like a tablespoon of grocery store furikake (which was only the 5th course out of 8!) we had to ask our chef to stop preparing the meal, ask for the bill, and leave.

We were charged the full amount nonetheless, but at this point, we were content to pay...

Would not recommend if looking for a traditional Japanese sushi food experience. We dined in to have the 12 piece chefs choice and watched as the chef prepared the sushi in front of us. A lot of the ingredients went overboard for toppings which overpowered the fish. There were some odd choices for some of the ingredient combinations (also the calamari was dyed blue for some reason?). We asked to stop by the 8th piece of our 12 piece order as the food overall just was not very good unfortunately. Less is more in this case, I would...