Charlie's Sushi & Japanese Restaurant — Restaurant in Clearwater

I was incredibly disappointed with Charlies Sushi on a number of accounts. First, the prices were outrageous compared to most places - this wouldn't have been so much of a problem if the serving sizes matched, but the amount of food received wasn't even enough to fill me up. $18 for some pasta, a couple scallops and a few shrimp; It tasted passable, but was nothing special, if not a bit dry for my liking. The Sushi rolls were also half the size I'm used to.

The $15 tonkatsu ramen ordered by my date was fine, but again, nothing to write home about. My next gripe was presentation. Most of the dishes just looked like they were slapped on a plate - a fried sushi roll we ordered looked pretty unappealing (though it tasted very good), the seafood pasta dish just look like it was plopped onto a plate. The Ramen just had the fixings mixed in (egg, bamboo shoot, baby corn) rather than plated beautifully as one might expect from an upper class joint.

As for the pros, service was exceptionally fast, the restaurant and music was nice, the bathrooms were clean, and our waitress was very friendly. The two sushi rolls we ordered were actually very good, and I don't doubt they are fresh.

I was expecting a lot given the reviews for this place, but unfortunately I won't be back. I walked out feeling like I was ripped off. There are just too many places with a better value than this. I suppose if you're just going for the sushi and are willing to order 4 rolls to get full, then you may...

Ordered the seafood Raman, miso Raman and a couple sushi rolls. The sushi (actually maki but for the casual diner I call it what they would lol) had a fried element to it and you could strongly taste that the oil they used was very old and burnt, (it was pretty skimpy on the fish and a little heavy on the cream cheese but hey that's a preference thing I can let that slide). Then the Raman came out the seafood Raman had literally one scallop (checked the menu I guess it does say "scallop" singular but come on) and was missing several ingredients, (bamboo shoots, corn, "krab" all missing). The noodles were very soggy/soft the broth was alright maybe 2.5 stars not awful but not good. When I mentioned the problem they brought the check with a 5 dollar discount and never even offered a to go box for the uneaten sushi or asked what was wrong with it. Also didn't offer an apology or even an explanation (she legitimately just said "yeah" "let me talk to them"). Would strongly recommend against this place, skip it there's a ton of really great food near by and this just dosen't cut it on any aspect. Price was around $56 with the discount (didn't order...

I walked in for lunch today after driving passed it several times, and the place was pretty large for a sushi restaurant. There is a full liquor bar, and they apparently have the largest sake collection around.

I sat at the sushi bar, and was pleasantly surprised to find an experienced Japanese itamae (Charlie) making the sushi. This is rare in Tampa Bay, especially these days.

I ordered the sushi jo combo (10 pc nigiri & tuna roll). The ginger dressing for the salad was on point (I asked for extra). The main dish was very authentic and tasty, with the rice seasoned perfectly, the fish sliced to order, and wasabi between the fish and the rice on the nigiri (again hard to find).

This is also the first place I've been around here where the itamae makes his own tamago (egg omelette) instead of buying it premade.

Of course they have all the other stuff you'd want if you enjoy all the different kinds of rolls. They also have a good selection of cooked appetizers and meals.

I HIGHLY recommend this place. They just earned a...