Eight Sushi Lounge — Restaurant in Atlanta

We wanted to celebrate my GF's birthday at Eight Sushi Lounge. We've been there on a previous occasion, mind you a few years ago, pre-pandemic. Right off the bat, there's a memo that let you know party of two time limit is 1.5 hours. I'm like OKAY then, sounds fair enough, but whatever. We got seated fairly quick but was greeted by a rude server who was quick NOT to answer questions. Mind you, the menu is fully QR coded, in which you're SCROLLING forever to find what you want to eat. Seriously, we're on our phone all dang gum it day, and you can't provide a paper menu where you can toss out. Ah, save the planet, eliminate waste, etc. I get it. But try looking at extensive sushi and rolls selection on your phone for 10 mins.... We ended up requesting for a server exchange. Person was better in trying to remedy the situation and took our order. We ordered the Soy Cute Diamond platter $140, since we were feeling adventurous in exploring one of the best sushi joint in town. We asked our new server the difference between the Diamond and the Gold platter $100, in which he provided a simple answer, "..you'll get more of our Premium Sushi..." Ok, sold, we wanted the best of the best. Our Diamond platter came out and basically got dropped right on our table, and no one offered to tell you want we got. First, off you get a good gamut of varieties, and we knew about 60% of the platter, and we eventually asked our server what was what. Long story short, we ended staying over 2 hours, mind you it was a birthday occasion, and we ordered one of their more expensive dish. I'm not sure if "they" bothered by exceeding our time limits, but we proceeded to our desert, in which our server never offered us an option. We had to asked if there was a complimentary desert, and which there was. As soon as we got our ice cream, our check was also presented. Think about it. I'm thinking to myself, "Finish up, pay, and leave, please" Wow. Our bill was over $250 with gratuity, and we just felt rushed during our entire dining experience. Quality of the food is excellent (everything was fresh and well plated) but overshadowed by poor service which equates to a bitter taste and poor experience. I understand this place is highly rated, and it does get quite crowded, but rushing your client to accommodate more clients through the door in order to boost your bottom dollar is a...

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ (1/5)

We recently dined at Eight Sushi Lounge for a special celebration with a group of 12, and unfortunately, our experience was far from what we expected. We’ve been regulars at this restaurant, but this visit has left such a bad taste that we won’t be returning.

Food: ★★★★☆ (4/5) The food was as good as we remembered, with quality dishes that met our expectations. However, this was overshadowed by the poor service and other issues we encountered.

Service: ★☆☆☆☆ (1/5) The service was shockingly disappointing. We ordered cocktails, appetizers, many main entrees and a couple of bottles of our favorite sake, Amabuki Daiginjo. We wanted to use sake dispensers at each end of the table to make the evening more special. However, we were told that in order to get the dispensers, we needed to spend a minimum of $100 on each bottle. We requested an exception from the manager, given the amount we were spending, but were flatly turned down. We then attempted to order a more expensive bottle, Hakkaisan, only to be told it wasn’t available, forcing us to settle for an even pricier option at $140 each.

Considering our final bill was close to $3,000, with nearly $500 in tips, this treatment felt unnecessarily rigid and unaccommodating. We spent a significant amount on food and drinks, including 24 shots of Hennessy VSOP costing $528, cocktails, sake, and yet, we were still treated with a lack of flexibility and care.

Atmosphere: ★★★★☆ (4/5) The atmosphere of the restaurant is generally appealing, with a chic and modern vibe. However, the experience was marred by other issues.

Cleanliness: ★☆☆☆☆ (1/5) The cleanliness of the restaurant, particularly the restrooms, was appalling. Upon entering, I found urine residue on the floor and paper towels scattered about. I hoped that the issue would be addressed later in the evening, but two hours later, the restroom was in the same disgusting state. It’s clear that the restaurant lacks proper protocols for maintaining cleanliness, which is unacceptable at a place with their price point.

Overall: We’ve had enjoyable experiences here in the past, but this visit has completely soured our perception of Eight Sushi Lounge. There are plenty of other restaurants in the area that offer better service, cleanliness, and overall value. This was our last visit, and we will be taking our celebrations elsewhere...

As a first time guest, I can say the food here is delicious.

Where Eight Sushi Lounge fell short was the service. I was part of a party consisting of 15+ people, the night was going great up until it was time to pay. We were advised we could only split the bill up to 5 ways, which is understandable, however that is something that should have been mentioned at the time of the reservation being made. Instead we were told last second and everyone had to scramble to figure out who would be on who’s ticket and who would be paid back. The birthday girl herself had to help the server by telling her who would be on what ticket and who had what items, to which the tickets were still rang up incorrectly. Another thing that bothered me was when our server asked us if we’d like dessert, she failed to mention the apple pie was cook to order. So while everyone else got their cheesecakes and bread puddings almost immediately, I had to ask the server about my order 10 minutes after ordering. Everyone was finished with their dessert so I asked the server if I could have the pie to go, to then be told I can’t since it “comes in glassware”. Once I asked for it to be taken off the bill and I just wouldn’t have it, she tried arguing that it was almost finished and it’d be a pain to take it off the bill. About 10 minutes after this interaction, someone came out with the pie and I had let them know I asked for it to be taken off my bill and I wouldn’t take it. Totaling to 20 minutes before the pie had come out. Ultimately, she did remove the item and I did not get the pie.

For me it’s the principle of letting your guest know what they’re asking for beforehand.

It doesn’t seem this restaurant is equipped to handle the volume of a large party, and the lack of customer service that comes with booking a larger party. It is understandable that one person alone serving a table of 6+ guests can be overwhelming, might I suggest having more than one server taking care of large...