Itsu - St Albans — Restaurant in St Albans

Just ordered from deliveroo. Was very excited as have seen them building the place for ages. Dumplings I received were tepid, with no sauce and very very dry (likely wouldve been better had there been the sauce it said there was meant to be.) They also neglected to include my miso soup I ordered so now I’m still hungry. Quite annoyed, especially since theres no way to reach them and not a great first impression or way to start after just opening. Was hoping there’d finally be a good quality sushi place in St Albans after this opened, but so far I’ve yet to see any proof of that. Wont be ordering again, see no reason to risk missing food and low quality.

EDIT: I cannot believe it. I decided to try one last time to give them the benefit of the doubt since last time was their first day. I am isolating now and didnt have time to do shopping so had to order in some food whilst waiting for my shopping delivery. AND AGAIN ITEMS WERE MISSING. This is awful. And after being assured this was ‘below what they aim for’ or whatever. Do not get food here. Do not trust them. They have proved they will repeatedly forget items. I wish I could...

So I didn't really want to leave this review, but I've been 3 times since it opened and at first I thought "it's a new shop, it will get better" but a few months later and it feels like it's got worse. Every sushi box I've got has had either browning avocado or none at all in the sushi. I was able to swap my second box for a nicer one, but the most recent visit the poor worker went through all the boxes and apologised that none of them were any better. She did offer to make a fresh new box but I declined as this seems to be an ongoing problem with the kitchen and she seemed very busy (all my visits have been around 11am to 3pm). I hate being that person, but to pay £7 or £8 for a box that the kitchen staff has rushed or put seemingly minimal effort into, not once but on 3 different occasions is really not great. Hot food has been okay on every visit though and the staff I've talked to on front have always...

May 2023 Update: the team remains as helpful, attentive and forthcoming with regards to allergens as they've been since my first visit and the food quality remains unchanged 🌟 A great itsu branch, for both a snack or a full meal!

Every visit since opening I've been served by extremely helpful and friendly staff who took the time to help with allergy concerns despite it being relatively busy at times. The food is exactly what I'd expect for the price and always fresh and tasty. Can't go wrong with a miso or coconut pot on a cold day! If you want artisanal sushi made to order in a more "authentic" atmosphere, you may want to look somewhere else though, Itsu is a quick eats place - and does...