El Tataki Sushi — Restaurant in Avondale

First off, I chose to come here due to their vast selection of sushi rolls and the fact that it's a Mexican-sushi fusion restaurant. We waited about an hour on a Sunday for a table, while waiting in our car for the text that our table was ready, at least 4 cars parked next to us, walked in and drive away right away. I really wanted to eat here so I chose to wait. Once we got our table, our server, Cesar, came and took our drink order right away. We got our drinks, a frozen mango margarita, beer and shot and some firecracker jalapeños. I wasn't a fan of the jalapeños, the salad that was in the middle of them was so good but the jalapeños weren't even a little bit spicy (and I have the palate of a gringa who's nose runs and mouth burns fairly easily). The mango margarita was good but doesn't have much alcohol, I'd recommend getting an extra shot, I liked that it was all sugary but that didn't take away from its tastiness. Our food did take a really long time to arrive and when it did arrive, I was a bit disappointed to see that my crazy mango roll looked nothing like the one on the menu, which was why I ordered it. It was good but there was so much mango and cream cheese that I couldn't even taste the salmon and it was smaller than I was expecting. I've added a picture so you can see yourself. The roll WAS good, don't get me wrong, I just couldn't taste the salmon and that made it a waste, for me. My honey got the Lomita roll, it had so much crab meat and cheese on top, it was very good and it came with a grilled chile. It was messy to eat,, that roll needs a fork, skip the chop sticks. We wanted to get more drinks and it took so long to get someone to our table and again, it took so long to get the drinks and we didn't even get both, we had to tell our server that one only of the drinks ordered made it to our table but it made an appearance on our check. Would I come back? Yes, I would like to come back and try something else but I was not impressed by the customer service (although Cesar was very nice) or how long it takes for basically anything here. I can understand the wait time and even the food taking a while but what I don't understand is waiting so long to get a beer when it just has to be poured. We also got seated next to a table full of roudy takuaches so be prepared for that, this place is obviously very popular if it was that packed on a Sunday night. I do remember coming here years ago and leaving thinking it was amazing, would have done 5 stars now but I was underwhelmed by the customer service and food. Hopefully my opinion can be swayed next time we visit. I wish I could do 3 and a half stars because 3 seems too low but 4...

I don't know if I showed up on a bad day or what but my entire experience with this place was horrible. From initially walking in to a sign that said please wait to be seated and having no one up at the front. My looking inside of the restaurant, staff seeing me yet no one acknowledging me. I waited for about 5 minutes before someone finally walked towards me. She didn't say hi or anything she just looked at me. I said '1 please' She then grabbed menus, a plate, napkins and a fork and let me to a table. I don't think a word was spoken. The server came by and she was very nice and polite. I ordered 2 rolls- the Nacamura (with no siracha) and the Lotus, vegetable tempura, cold saki and glass of water. She returned a little while later with hot saki Not what I ordered, but she ran off as soon as she set it down, so I figured what the heck. From the smell of it it smelled like it went bad. I tried and taste and it tasted spoiled. I set it aside. Then the vegetable tempura came. This was interesting:- pros- it's a large serving of a good variety of veggies. Cons-half the veggies were hard and raw, a good portion were overcooked mush -but the onion rings were good. One item was a raw bottom piece of an asparagus spear that was completely inedible. Then came out the rolls the Nacamura had siracha on it, even though i requested it without. and the Lotus came out and was amazing to look at since it was on fire. I scraped off the tempura onions of the top of the Nacamura since that's where the majority of the siracha was. the roll was extremely underwhelming and bland. The lotus was an interesting runny mix of of what was supposed to be a langostino mix but just seemed to be krab salad. It had an overpowering orange taste that tasted like it was trying to hide something. The rice was soggy and the filling part of the roll was also runny and somewhat seemed congealed. I will say that the glass of water was really refreshing and came with a fresh wedge of lemon. So that was definitely a plus! I had to flag down the server to pay my bill, I did so and asked for a receipt (it was done on an ipad type device) she smiled, said thank you and just walked away, either not understanding or didn't hear me. Overall this place was extremely disappointing, I think gas station sushi might have even been a better option than this place, since just like this food it would be extremely questionable, but at least it would be cheaper. Great glass of...

First time trying El Tataki tonight which was recommended to me. I had no wait by taking a seat at the bar. I started with the Beach Martini ($14.50), the Calamari Tempura for an appetizer ($11.50), and the Dragon Roll ($18.75) for my entree. The cocktail was tasty, and refreshing. The entree arrived before the appetizer. It was quite good, and by the fourth piece is when the calamari came out. As I finished my entree it struck me as being odd that a sushi roll was served with no wasabi, or pickled ginger. No soy sauce either. A little disappointed to find the end pieces of the roll had the shrimp cartilage on the tail. I’m not one for soft shell crab, or shrimp tails. The calamari was enjoyable. The tempura was good, and they served a nice sauce with the appetizer. I had ordered another cocktail, and will say that it had more zing than the first. It made me think about the first cocktail, and how it was made? I was looking for something else to drink, and ordered a Sprite — looking for a non-alcoholic alternative. I wasn’t seeking a refill, but the bartender took my cup and refilled it. Only this time it was water, and not Sprite. The atmosphere was lively. The restaurant lit well — not too bright; not too dark. I was interested in trying a dessert, and upon looking over the menu there was nothing that caught my eye. With that I asked for my check. There’s a slight up-charge if paying with a card. My subtotal before tax was $59.25 + tax of $5.21. Total if paying with cash was $64.46. With card it was an additional $1.93 ($66.39)

There’s one other thing that one may not appreciate. Staff talking amongst themselves more than engaging with the guests. It detracts from service. And the wait staff or bartenders are not as tentative than they should be. I find it rude that when I’m ready to order, the server disappears. How do you feel if you experience that?

Parking here may be a challenge. The parking lot seemed cramped. Yet I was fortunate to arrive when another vehicle was leaving.

Sorry, I cannot comment on the restroom as I did not use them before leaving. I presume they’re clean like the restaurant.

Give El Tataki a try, and see for yourself how this restaurant is. It’s unique combining two worlds into one. I may return to try the...