Sushi LAB — Restaurant in Beşiktaş

Our recent visit to SUSHI LAB was nothing short of a disaster. From the moment we stepped in, we encountered a series of disappointments that ultimately ruined what was supposed to be a pleasant dining experience.

Firstly, the salmon tartar with avocado and mango that we ordered was missing a key ingredient - the mango. This lack of attention to detail was concerning, but it was only the beginning of our troubles.

The tuna sushi we received not only smelled bad but was also completely inedible. Upon bringing this to the attention of the waiter, instead of addressing our concerns professionally, we were met with hostility from the manager who aggressively dismissed our complaints with a shocking lack of empathy.

To add insult to injury, when we requested to pay only for what we consumed, the manager insisted on charging us for the entire order, which amounted to approximately 100€. When we rightfully refused to pay for items we did not receive or enjoy, he threatened to involve the police, creating an even more uncomfortable and unwelcoming atmosphere.

Overall, our experience at SUSHI LAB was not only disappointing but also distressing. The lack of quality in the food, coupled with the rude and unprofessional behavior of the staff, completely ruined what should have been a pleasant evening...

the google rating doesn't reflect the reality of the place, sadly.

✧ prices: good prices for average food. ₺161 for tempura, ₺148 for avocado maki, ₺217 for chicken noodles, ₺194 for veggie noodles (January 2025)

✧ food: We got free edamame for leaving a review, and paid for veggie noodles, chicken noodles, avocado maki and corn tempura. Noodles didn't have bamboo shoot, cabbage or oyster mushroom as advertised, but were okay, especially at that price point. Corn tempura was good and crispy and avocado rolls were nice but minuscule.

✧ service: non-existent. the waiter didn't bring us our menu straight away, choosing to wipe some tables first instead. no checking during or after the meal to see if everything was okay, no welcome or goodbye, absolutely nothing. a man who seemed to be on the phone just pointed the way to the bathroom when asked, like the client was a nuisance or something. to be fair, there was only one waiter for the entire salon, but the whole thing was still quite unprofessional.

✧ vegetarian options: here and there. cucumber rolls, avocado rolls, a few cold appetisers, one noodle option... nothing remarkable, so not exactly vegetarian friendly.

✧ rating: 3/5, adequate but not worth returning to, considering the...

Extremely disappointing experience. We were excited to go to this place, as the reviews and rating looked good, although the experience was awful.

We ordered 3 type of rolls, miso soup, noodles and tea. Avocado in rolls was hard and bitter, completely not good to eat. It’s the first time in my life I got to eat hard avocado in the Japanese place. Come on, it’s like to sell uncooked meat in kebab restaurant. Unacceptable. There is no way it’s an honest mistake because avocado was not eatable in both orders and when you prepare avocado it’s cristall clear is it a good one.

We had to cancel 2 out of 3 rolls. We decided to eat one of rolls because it was without avocado, just salmon and spicy sauce. The rest of the food was not so extremely bad, just a little disappointing. Like a very tiny tiny soup, very tiny tea and okayish noodles.

We didn’t receive any “sorry” or even goodbye at the end, even though we were polite.

I regret loosing my time by going...