Land of Sushi — Restaurant in Centennial

I cannot stress enough how utterly disappointing and frustrating this experience was.

Before even stepping foot in the restaurant, I had my sights set on the omakase. I called ahead, confirmed that the 14-course option would be available, and was told the monthly 20-course version would not. That was completely fine—14 courses still sounded fantastic.

We arrived at Land of Sushi on Valentine's Day with a reservation, only to be seated 45 minutes late. Now, I’ve worked in restaurants most of my adult life, including as a hostess, so I understand how things can get backed up. While my companion was frustrated, I remained optimistic—after all, this place had glowing reviews.

After finally getting seated, we ordered drinks and both committed to the omakase. But here’s where the cracks started to show: I watched our drinks sit at the bar for over 20 minutes before they were brought to us. Not ideal, but I was still focused on the meal ahead.

The menu (photo attached) clearly stated: ➡ "12 unique pieces of sushi prepared by our chef with precision and artistry. Served with smoked tomato and lobster bisque, and coconut panna cotta."

First course: the bisque. No complaints—it was delicious, rich, and smoky with clear seafood flavors. A promising start!

Then... we waited. And waited. 30 minutes passed before our next course arrived.

When it finally did, I was confused: 🔹 2 oysters 🔹 2 needlefish nigiri 🔹 2 snapper nigiri

I assumed, okay, maybe this omakase serves two nigiri of each type, which is actually quite generous! But the excitement stopped there. Those first few pieces of fish did not taste fresh, were overly chewy, and somewhat slimy. I adore nigiri, yet I couldn’t even finish these. The oysters at least were fine.

When I asked the server what the nigiri were, he didn’t know. I mean if you are serving omakase, at least educate the staff on what they are serving. The whole point of it, is to be surprised by the choices, but when you try them you at least know what you are trying.

It took him 20 minutes to return with an answer, long after the plates had been cleared.

A Pattern Emerges Next course: 🔹 2 salmon nigiri 🔹 2 mackerel nigiri 🔹 2 smoked aji (I think—no one told us, so I had to guess from their specials menu)

These were slightly better. I could eat them, but still, nothing close to what you expect from an omakase experience. My thoughts at this point were - ok the first 6 nigiris were not great, but it can only get better right? RIGHT?

Then, the real kicker: Our server came by and casually asked if we were ready for the panna cotta… Wait. What?

I asked, "Can you clarify—when the menu says ‘12 unique pieces,’ you actually mean 2 of 6 kinds of nigiri? That’s what you're calling a 14-course omakase?"

"Yes," he said.

Stunned, I watched him go speak with the owner. He returned with an even more ridiculous response: "The owner says that's not the right menu. That menu is for the monthly omakase."

Absolutely not. That is a blatant lie.

The monthly omakase is 20 courses. I knew this because I researched it beforehand. And if it were truly the wrong menu, why were they still charging us the full price of the 14-course omakase? If this was a mistake, the response should have been an apology, a correction, or something to make it right. Instead, the owner stood back and chose to let the server take the fall. She didn't come to the table, or nothing, just stood by the bar watching. I felt bad for the server because the moment he told me that I knew and he knew that it was bullshit.

Bottom line - This "omakase" was a complete ripoff. The food quality was subpar, the service was slow, and the entire omakase experience felt like a scam. We spent $200, left a lot of the food untouched, and had to grab a burger on the way home.

I've read the positive reviews, and maybe if we had ordered from the regular menu, it would have been a different story. Perhaps the monthly omakase is actually good. But if you are considering doing their regular "14 course" omakase? DO. NOT. WASTE....

The roll I got tasted very fishy and did not have the flavor of salmon I've come to love. The miso was alright, I like the mushroom in it, but by far not the best miso soup I've had, I'd rate it a 3 out of 5 stars.

Service was poor at best, you can see the favoritism at play. I was spoken to maybe 4 times and was handed the check without even consulting with me if I wanted anything else, guess because I'm dressed casual and have blue hair I don't deserve the service they were giving to all the white middle class people-and let me tell you my server went on and on describing rolls and different dishes to the next couple that sat at the sushi bar and they didn't even ask for it. I'm a regular at sushi restaurants and I am a sushi expert, these great review about this place shine them in waaayy better light than the food is worth... maybe it was the feet kissing the servers did, which is on point for anyone they think is good for their money. By the way they're overpriced by $2-$6 and serve you half the sashimi normally for a dollar less at better sushi restaurants and for the sushi rolls you get 2 pieces less... just a waste of money

Oh and I waited there at the sushi bar with my check and card for 5 minutes til a server who wasn't even my server ask me if I had been helped and then she ran my card. My server didn't say a word to me after asking me if I liked the food right after I got the roll and seemingly had better...

It's been years since I've been able to stop by but we were in the area so decided to get some dinner here. They have expanded the restaurant quite a bit and the environment is clean and modern. The restaurant was packed when we arrived but we were able to grab a high-top table next to the bar but the staff was hustling to keep up with all the people.

Unfortunately they were out of the lamb carpaccio that night which was one of my usual orders, so we had the Jalepeno Hamachi and Tempura appetizers along with a regular sashimi dinner. The dinner came with miso soup and a salad.

The Hamachi appetizer was the best by far (4 stars), and the sashimi and salad were decent (3 stars). The sashimi comes with 12 pieces (4 types of fish with 3 pieces) and it was a mixed bag when it came to how well they tasted. Miso soup was a 2, and unfortunately the tempura was a 1.

I have to call out the tempura since I've had some really great versions recently. The 2 shrimp physically looked different from the veggies in the type of breading - it was a yellow color and fine grains vs the brownish of the veggies. They tasted like they had been precooked or something and I didn't feel good after eating them. The veggies were soggy and the whole dish was really disappointing.

Our server was very friendly and generally attentive. But overall I really can't recommend this place anymore. Without the tempura I would...