Anju Above — Restaurant in Bloomington

Anju Above, a trendy Asian fusion restaurant in Bloomington, Illinois, promises a unique dining experience, blending traditional Asian flavors with a modern twist. However, my recent visit left me feeling disappointed and underwhelmed.

The restaurant's identity crisis is evident from the moment you step inside. The décor is a mishmash of styles, with industrial elements clashing against traditional Asian accents, all while Disney movies on a wall full of TVs and a burnt-out projector. This lack of cohesion creates a sense of confusion, making it difficult to pin down the restaurant's overall aesthetic. Is it a pizzaria, a sushi resturant, or sports bar?

The service was painfully slow, with long wait times between courses and inattentive staff, ironically wearing shirts that say 빨리빨리. It seemed like our server was spread too thin, juggling multiple tables and struggling to keep up. This sluggish pace put a damper on the overall dining experience.

As for the food, I was not particularly impressed. The dishes were uninspired, lacking complexity and texture.

The steamed buns, were one-note and lacked flavor. The sushi rolls were average at best, with filling falling out and bland. The saving graces of the meal was the cocktail, edamame and tofu doughnuts.

Orverall Anju Above failed to live up to its promises. The identity crisis, slow service, and underwhelming food left me questioning the restaurant's overall concept and execution. While there are some redeeming qualities, such as the trendy atmosphere and creative menu, these are overshadowed by the glaring flaws especially at its price point.

I would recommend that Anju Above focus on refining their menu, streamlining their service, and establishing a clear identity before trying to pass themselves off as a high-end dining establishment. Until then, I would suggest seeking out other Asian fusion restaurants in the area that offer a more cohesive and enjoyable...

This is my first time going to Anju Above. My boyfriend and I were able to get seated right away and the waiter was nice. We both ordered the “Pork Fried Dumplings”, “Pork Belly Ramen”, and split the “Tempura Shrimp Sushi Roll”.

Dumplings: the meet inside was good, that’s about it. The outside was not a dumpling rapper. It was hard and too crispy. All the pickles radishes and carrots on top were not necessary.

Pork Belly Ramen: if you have had authentic ramen before don’t think this place will be the same. There are too many carrots and the pickle taste from the pickled radish makes the broth taste weird. The broth isn’t as rich as I was hoping and none of the items held onto the broth flavor. There was some mushroom that were very soft one Brussels sprout, the egg was an egg. The meet was basically flavorless and wasn’t as soft as other ramen I have had before, it was slightly though and chewy.

Sushi: the sushi had no flavor. Half of it was carrots and the tempura… couldn’t even tell it was there. The spicy mayo was just spicy and had no flavor. Even my boyfriend who has a high spice tolerance said it wasn’t good.

Don’t be like me and not read the reviews for going to this place. After going here we looked up the reviews for the ramen and sushi and all of them say not to get these items. Honestly just upset that they aren’t able to adjust there food quick enough based on peoples reviews. It is also just too expensive for what you get La Bamba honestly has better sushi for a good price. This place seems like they are trying to make Asian comfort food more healthy, but by doing this it takes away from the flavor… so...

-Update- Taking away one of the two stars we gave. I was really hoping for a better outcome.  We decided to visit again on 1/23 to give Anju Above another chance.  They forgot to make food for one of the people at the table.  The waiter was nowhere to be found.  The people at the table had reminded the person clearing the plates that one person was not severed her dinner.  When the ramen was served the broth was room temperature and vegetables were way under cooked.  As to not embarrass the person who would be eating alone, the table ordered donuts and coffee.  When the waiter served coffee and donuts (which were very good) he left and never came back with cream and sugar for the coffee.   We have never had this at any of the other Epiphany Farms Restaurants just Anju Above.  Twice we have been to this restaurant and twice they have failed.  I hope you can turn this around but it will be a long time before we re-visit Anju Above.

on 12/2 I wrote- We were disappointed with Ajnu Above. We had difficulty making changes to our online reservation. Our dinners did not come out at the same time and the food was overly seasoned (salty), we were kept waiting for drinks and the appetizer (chicken wings) came out when we were done eating along with the dinner bill . The cost of the dining experience did not match the service or quality it should require. IMO there are other options are worth exploring in the...