Sushi Thai Too — Restaurant in Bonita Springs

Long Post Alert! I am mind blown...Sushi Thai Too Sucks! Not their food...their management, some employees, and their attitude! Let's just say my husband and I might be the best customers any restaurant could ask for. We go there way too much, and spend way too much money. We are addicted to sushi and their sushi is excellent. We eat there probably twice a week and order extra to bring home and eat as leftovers. Definitely NOT cheap, but healthy, easy and good. We've been their customers since before we moved to SW Florida, over 5 years. Here's the issue: I do not like soy sauce on my sushi,...I like ponzu sauce. It is basically the same thing, just a little different flavor. It is a condiment...you just dip the sushi into it, and not even all types of sushi. I only need a little, tiny bit. It is like asking for a ketchup packet. The people at Sushi Thai Too cannot make this mental leap. They act like anything different, any substitution, any special request is an upcharge. Do you know how many packets of soy sauce these restaurants throw in automatically that go right to the trash? So, a while ago, they started telling me it would be an upcharge. How much could they possibly charge me for about a tablespoon of ponzu sauce?

3¢???

(And, if you think this is an exaggeration...we bought a huge, and I mean huge bottle of ponzu off Amazon (not even wholesale as an active restauant with multiple locations) and it has lasted a long, long time. The whole bottle was $12!)

Especially when I'm dropping $50, $60, $70 a pop there sometimes weekly, sometimes twice weekly??? They told me, "You come here so often and you always ask for ponzu." I told them, "Exactly...I come here so often, I am a good customer...all the more reason you should not make such a huge deal about this!"

Anyway, we have this argument weekly...I tell them they can substitute the ponzu, just don't give us any soy sacuce. They argue and argue and usually do it. It is asinine! as·i·nine

adjective

extremely stupid or foolish.

The last time, I think they measured the ponzu they gave us for an entire order with an eye dropper. Wouldn't even fill up one little plastic dipping cup.

So, last night was the finale. We ordered 5 rolls! It was over $60 and they refused. Said, it is now in my PROFILE that I'm not to get ponzu sauce. My PROFILE? This is like a bad episode of Seinfeld or Curb Your Enthusiasm. I've been blacklisted. Keep in mind, we have never, ever had a problem in this restaurant before except about this. We eat, have no issues, tip well, etc. I asked to speak to a manager, and the woman on the phone wouldn't let me. First she said they are very busy. It was an off time during off season! I said I'd wait. Then she said they weren't there, and kept going back and forth between they are busy and not there. Then she yelled and ...wait for it...surpise...HUNG UP ON ME. I never raised my voice once, I never said anything rude. HOW EFFING STUPID CAN THESE PEOPLE BE??? And, by the way, it isn't just at the Bonita Springs location. The North Naples location did the same exact thing! Anyway, an "onsite manager" called back and stood by this policy! He said this is what the owner says. Wow. They just lost a lot of business from just us, alone. IDIOTS!

(2 oz. container they refused to even fill 1/2 way for reference!) And, what we bought for $12 total!

These are first world problems I know, but every other sushi restaurant is delightful, except Sushi...

Update: Have been a patron of this restaurant for years, even before they were in the current location. Unfortunately, had to downgrade to 1 star after lunch there today. This change in rating has nothing to do with service, but with food safety. I ordered sashimi mori and specifically asked for it to be served on a plate, no ice (I just don't like ice chunks with my sashimi). When it arrived, it was served on a plate with what looked like bed of vegetables, as is traditional with sashimi. As I consumed pieces of the sashimi, I realized that under the thin bed of shredded carrots was not a vegetable, but a bunch of twigs (for lack of a better word). I asked the server what this was, and he said it was for decoration. I asked if it was edible, and he said no, and could not identify what it was. I will post a picture. As this is not safe, I stopped eating it right away and went onto my sushi. This was fine, until I got to the ikura (salmon roe) sushi, and it was definitely not fresh. It was mushy and many of the roe pieces were not intact...either this was previously frozen or old. I am posting pictures.

The issue with the inedible plant products on my plate is a real safety issue: Someone who doesn't recognize it as inedible or is not cognizant, might try to eat it and get hurt swallowing a branch. Someone might have an allergy to the plant product and have an anaphylactic reaction. How does one know the plant is not toxic? The origin is unknown and the plant product not meant for human consumption could have soil borne bacteria that could transfer to the food touching it and get someone sick.

I know these are challenging times for restaurants, and I hate to post something like this about a local restaurant, but would be irresponsible not to post this information. However, I can no longer recommend this restaurant at this time.

Original post: Great Thai/Japanese fusion restaurant. Not fusion in the traditional sense...The Thai dishes are pure Thai and the Japanese dishes are pure Japanese. Whatever your tastes in these two cuisines, they have it. Have had both Thai and sushi hear and have never had a bad meal. The Thai curry dishes are awesome, and are made to whatever level of spiciness the customer wants. There is a broad selection of sushi dishes, artfully prepared with good sized servings. The bar is well stocked, so be sure to get some saki or a Sapporo beef with your dinner! Service is always great, though there can be a wait to get in during peak times, so reservations are recommended for...

We went for a family date with our two children. All of the staff were very polite. We told our children about the sushi "boat" ahead of time and ordered it. For some reason we received all the "boat" items on an ordinary plate. We asked why no boat and were told it was at the discretion of the sushi chef and nothing could be done. The restaurant was at about 20-25% capacity. Very disappointing and upsetting to us and our children. Oh well I guess.

Why have a sushi boat on the menu if it's not provided when ordered??? Very lucky there are now other options for good sushi in Estero/Bonita, (just go north on 41) next time we'll visit the other options in town. This venue was cute and staff were polite - not attentive though.

Sushi portion size and roll quality also seems to have gone downhill - we started visiting this location in 2013 before their new building, and our most recent visit showcased sloppy, loose rolls and thin sashimi cuts. Our rainbow roll lost it's sashimi topping, our sakesu had uneven cuts and more cucumber than it should have. Our Tanzana roll had a hard time holding together too. The whole sushi part of the meal was sloppy and corners were cut. I am very happy there are now other options in the Estero/Bonita market. I would recommend spending your money elsewhere until this location improves their offering instead of resting on their...