Itsu Modern Japanese Restaurant, Dubai Marina — Restaurant in Dubai

We had a disappointing experience at ITSU Dubai Marina, particularly with the service and quality of the food. First, we requested salmon sashimi because we were seated at the far end of the conveyor belt, and by the time it reached us, other customers who availed of the unlimited promo had already taken everything. When we asked the waiters for sashimi, they simply told us to wait for it on the conveyor belt. However, when two foreign nationals requested three different types of sashimi, the staff willingly and promptly provided it to them without hesitation (also availing the unli promo seated in the conveyor area)

We waited for a while and asked again, this time while watching them serve fresh sashimi to the two foreigners. Only then did they finally agree to give us the salmon sashimi. When they finally handed over two orders, one of the waiters practically shoved it right in front of my face without so much as a simple “excuse me.” Then, just as I was about to eat it, I noticed there was visible blood on the sashimi. Disgusted, I immediately called a waiter over, told him I was returning it because of the blood, and instead of apologizing or acknowledging the issue, he just silently took it away. No explanation, no courtesy, nothing.

After a while, they replaced the sashimi, but there was absolutely no effort to provide any form of proper customer service. What stood out even more was the stark difference in treatment—while the two foreign nationals received friendly, accommodating, and smiley service, we were met with indifference and dismissiveness. Most of the waiters appeared to be of a certain race, and the bias in how they treated different customers was very apparent.

Seeing blood in sashimi can be a sign of rushed or careless preparation, meaning the fish is not being handled with the level of care expected for raw consumption.

For the price and expectations, this experience was unacceptable. Between the poor customer service, the blatant preferential treatment, and the low-quality food handling, I would no longer recommend this place. We used to be regular customers (2-3 times per month) - now that...

Regrettably, our visit was nothing short of appalling. Upon arrival, we were met by a waitress whose demeanor was markedly moody and unwelcoming. She appeared hesitant and delayed in serving us throughout the meal. The chefs themselves were visibly irritable, and even the manager was in a similarly poor disposition. Although the food quality remained excellent, the overall atmosphere was tense, distressing, and utterly inconsistent with the standards one expects from a reputable dining establishment.

The matter escalated significantly when my friend Mr. Vivek attempted to settle our bill via the Talabat application, which was offering a 25% discount for dine-in customers. The waitress outright refused to accept this method of payment. Subsequently, the manager intervened, only to reinforce the refusal, claiming that the 25% discount does not apply via Talabat.

At no point was there any signage, notation on the restaurant menu, or disclaimer on the Talabat platform indicating that the discount was inapplicable to the all-you-can-eat sushi buffet. This lack of transparency created a genuine fear that we were being misled or possibly subjected to deceptive commercial practices.

The situation further deteriorated when the waiter began arguing with Mr. Vivek in an offensive and confrontational manner. In an impolite tone, he demanded my friend’s name. Upon Mr. Vivek providing his full Indian name, the waiter looked at him condescendingly and stated, “That’s why you cannot pay.” This remark was highly offensive, discriminatory in tone, and entirely unacceptable in any customer-service context.

At that point, the waiter summarily instructed us not to pay and to leave the premises. Before we departed, he further told us, “Don’t...

Don't trust the time mentioned here. they actually close the buffet at 10:00 PM. We arrived at 9:47 pm in Dubai Marina branch and was accepted by their staff and told that they will serve until 10:30. Food stopped coming by 10:00 PM. Waiter told us to just ask what we want as food will stop to be served through the roller belt. Then the Filipino Chef's started ranting. We are also Filipinos and we could understand their rants was for us to hear. I finally lost my appetite when he said in our language "Don't they know how to read that we close by 10:00 pm". My goodness we were just having a fun night and just started eating, had to force ourselves to eat cause we know we had to pay the same amount which is 118 AED for the sushi buffet. they started serving chicken gyoza which is not properly cooked and miso soup was not given for all.

I understand that they will close at 10 but they should have stopped accepting customers if they want to close exactly at 10. plus we are also paying. It's not like we will have a seat and finish in 30 minutes (we left 10:30). You are greedy for sales and don't want to serve your costumers right.

In fairness the fish is fresh but service crew attitude is rotten. I will never come back here. never again. Also told the same story to...