Hole in the Wall Sushi. Sushi Restaurant — Restaurant in Alpharetta

This was one of the most racist dining experiences I’ve ever had.

From the moment we walked in, the lady server looked at us without a smile, no greeting, nothing. When I said “two people,” she just coldly and unfriendly led us to a table. At first, I thought maybe that’s just her personality. But no—minutes later, a white couple walked in and she instantly changed—smiling, calling them “darling,” chatting with them warmly, and giving them all the attention we never got.

Throughout the meal, the double standard became painfully clear. She went to other tables with a smile, politely asking, “How’s your food? Is everything okay?” showing care and friendliness. But at our table, we were completely ignored, treated as if we didn’t exist. She even snatched our menus before we finished ordering, never checked on us once, never offered refills, never showed the slightest courtesy.

From start to finish, the only words she ever said to us were at the very end—when handing me the bill, she coldly threw out a single “thank you.” That was it. Even then, I still left almost a 20% tip—respect that was never returned.

The message here was crystal clear: if you’re not white, you don’t matter. This place acts like it has an invisible sign at the door saying “Whites Only.” The cruel irony? The lady server herself is not even white.

Restaurants should welcome all customers equally. Here, you are judged by your skin color first. That’s not “bad service.” That’s racism. And if the business replies to this review: don’t bother with excuses, don’t say it was a misunderstanding. There is no other explanation—this was racism, plain and simple.

！！！Update after business reply！！！

Your reply is full of excuses.

You wrote that you “have many customers from my country.” Let me be clear: I am a U.S. citizen. I hold an American passport. You have no idea what “country” I am from — unless you assumed it based on my appearance. That assumption alone is racial profiling, which is itself discrimination.

Calling it “privacy” makes no sense — you never asked me if I wanted privacy. What I wanted was respect and the basic treatment any customer should receive at a restaurant.

Saying “we apologize if you felt that way” is not a real apology. That shifts the blame to my feelings instead of acknowledging what actually happened. The problem is not how I “felt,” but how we were actually treated differently from all white customers right in front of us.

You also tried to explain this as a difference between new and regular customers. But treating people differently based on whether they are new or not is still differential treatment.

Respect and fair treatment are the basics every customer deserves. What happened here was not about being a “new customer,” not about “privacy,” and not about service style. It was racial discrimination.

What is needed now is a real and formal apology, not a fake “sorry if you felt that way.” And more importantly, your restaurant must stop giving different treatment to different people. No one should ever be treated as less,...

I’ve been meaning to write this review months ago (April 2022) but time got the best of me, well, here it is:

We were charged for something we did not receive on our take out so I called to address this manner. I was told I could not be refunded but could receive a store credit due to system issues. This is 2022, get a better operating system! So anytime a mistake occurs the customer only has the option to receive store credit? Has it ever occurred that some people may never want to return?

Later, the server texted me saying she had to personally make up the difference by paying for it herself. I didn’t appreciate her not taking ownership but placing emphasis on her personally having to pay for the credit for the mistake that was made on their end. She later sent a text stating if I came in to the store, the owner would reimburse me in cash. This was an inconvenience as I feel all they had to do was credit my credit card like most merchants do. Due to the inconvenience of wasting time and burning gas, I debated on making the drive but ended up doing so. I was reimbursed in cash for an item they never gave me—- ok fair, I appreciated that. But the real kicker was the lack of accountability aka no apology, no customer service—- just a measly “sorry for the inconvenience” via text which I also found unprofessional. Shouldn’t you be calling your customers not texting from your personal cell? Also, their poke was usually unappetizing. My husband aka the human garbage disposal couldn’t even finish it. We were excited for this establishment to open but unfortunately due to poor customer service and overpriced items, we won’t be returning. No wonder this place is called hole in the wall sushi….if you want authentic sushi made by real Japanese chefs where they fly their fish in from Japan daily, I HIGHLY recommend Daisuki Sushi Izakaya nearby.

Edit to the response to owner- I 100% asked for manager/owner on phone. Please don’t assume I didn’t ask for you. I was told you were unavailable. Please advise with your staff prior to assuming I did not seek your attention. If anything you should train your employees correctly so they know to approach you. Especially when you aren’t there. Don’t blame the...

Had a good chuckle reading some of the reviews, especially the ones talking about looking for a good sushi spot. The point being, there are plenty of good sushi spots around here. Plenty -- Natsu, Lily, Sushi Nami, etc.

I think when you can displace something that was your really good favorite, they're doing pretty good. In my case, HW unseats Sushi Nami -- a place I really enjoy for their tuna poke. HW's tuna poke tastes delicious and has some great, added texture. Gyoza is something I try everywhere just to see how much they put into it. It was good, definitely not warmed over, out of a bag. Sushi was as fresh as you can get 4 hours away from any large bodies of water. Once HW gets their liquor license, I'm going to figure out how to add another star. Besides all that, I like the atmosphere a lot.

It's a small place, hence the name, but it's quaint and inviting. Service is friendly, sushi chef is chatty, patrons were coming and going like they owned the place, asking for special things... good place to make home.

By the way, they don't have kimchi fried rice here, and they don't make kimchi fried rice here. Instead of dropping a 1-star, go down the street to Kimchi Red and get...