SUSHIJA — Restaurant in Municipality of Thessaloniki

So, outside Japan, there are only few cities which are famous for offering great sushi experience and I live in one of those. A latest search in Tripadvisor revealed 232 sushi restaurants that city I call home for few decades now and a ranking brought a large number of them to the "excellent" and/or "very good" category. This intro is about setting the framework of my experience with good quality sushi so that I can somehow establish the proper background to review SUSHIJA. I gave it 3 stars for effort, somehow quality and presentation, combined. I think that the ambiance is a little ...pretentious. Lots of patrons go there mostly to be seen than to experience and their attitude permeates, however, the owners and people working there do make an effort to keep it simple and down to earth. Decor is nice and cozy. Prices, well, here is my main beef. For a country that is bankrupt and salaries have dropped over 60%, how in the heck can someone pay 13 euros for a maki that in my hometown, the same will cost between 2 and 3 euros (considering exchange rate) in a 4-star sushi bar. That will maybe go to 4-5 euros in a 5-star or supreme sushi dig. 6.5 euros for a miso soup? Come on! I realize that materials are imported, but today, such costs are quite low. Anyway, it is a good starting point of sushi experience for a rookie, but the prices are astronomical (ergo the attitude). I recommend it to all Thessalonikians who never had the experience. Sushi is wonderful that brings fireworks in your mouth if done right. And people who say "raw fish, naaah" have no idea what they are talking about. It is the food of masses you know in Japan and elsewhere. So, you folks need to rethink your pricing strategy. I guess "λεφτα υπαρχουν" as that graphic ex-prime minister of Greece said few...

First of all the waiter did not act as he should. Landing heavily the plates on the table, looking like he is bored and doesn’t care. Second the shashimi was already cut from before which is considered a “crime” for the fish. It dries up faster, loses flavor and exposes bigger surface to the air causing it to go bad faster. Third we sat in the stand up in front of the fridge which was leaking! The lack of maintenance is more than obvious. Finally the price was ridiculous. You only surpass koi which is the average chain sushi restaurant, in the design of your store and to the furniture. The quality of the food is same if not inferior. Fourth an advanced sushi restaurant has its wasabi fresh and not coming from a tube. Fifth we had a chicken noodle dish where the chicken was not fresh. It was cooked and then stored in the fridge. You can taste that easily.

After we finished our dinner it was obvious why the whole store was empty except two tables. And it’s not the price. It’s the low quality of food you are serving that doesn’t stand up to the price.

As many people may read this review and wonder where they can enjoy great sushi, the answer is not at this store. For the time being “Samurai Asian Cuisine & Sushi” is the restaurant you are looking for. Check at my review there and the pictures speak...

Sushi was ok. The taste was good as well as the texture and look. I found a bone in the salmon on the nigiri which was totally disappointing. But despite that what ruined the experience for me was the service and the atmosphere. The waitor was angry for some reason (before we even arrived) and he was running up and down making loud noises with the dishes, throwing bottles and plates. The restaurant had only 4 customers so I don't see any reason for all this haste. He and the chef were loud arguing and talking on the phone right behind our backs. The cherry on top was the chef ordering ingredients from their supplier while we were still eating our sushi. It was crazy I have never seen such behavior. I did not come there to get frustrated and know how you organize your restaurant. I came to have a peaceful dinner. Solve your problems first, organize your shop and then open. Otherwise you are going to lose more customers the same way you lost us. I would not recommend...