Geisha Sushi Bar — Restaurant in Columbia Township

When visiting a new sushi restaurant I have a few things I like to order: Sashimi - without any sauces and especially without citrus. Citrus is a common ingredient to help mask the "fishy" taste of inferior cuts. Proper sashimi does not taste "fishy/of the ocean" -- it has a clean taste of the actual fish. Fish that has not been properly handled, or that is a lower grade, will often have that "fishy" taste so many people dislike (people who dislike sushi after trying it once often dislike it because they've had low-grade "fishy" sushi). That's why I never order "spicy tuna" or "spicy salmon" -- as these are "shredded" versions of the fish mixed heavily with a little spice and a sauce that overpowers the fact that it's an extremely "fishy" tasting cut -- the lowest of the low quality for a sushi restaurant. Might as well just take tuna out of the can and mix it with that sauce and few people would know the difference. I say all this simply to preface that we went into the restaurant, ordered a LOT of sashimi, and were turned off at the very first bite from "fishy" cuts. Not good at all. The miso soup was great, and they had a couple other items that were okay. If you don't like crab or shrimp (you have a shellfish allergy or maybe you're a practicing Jew, or have other religious reasons) you're not going to have a good time here. It's a very limited menu (that you have to access on your phone -- so if you have vision issues go eat elsewhere). Overall it was just average and I had regrets as soon as the sashimi came out. The bar is very limited -- with only ONE type of Sake available... and it's the "hot sake", which many of you will know is how you hide inferior sake... heating it up to mask how much of a headache you'll have the next morning. Good sake is served room cool or cold, allowing you to taste just how good it is. Cheap sake is heated up to mask how cheap it is. The service was decent. Some of the cups were still dirty (had crud on them). We were supposed to be a large party, so they put us at a large square table where the knees from the left/right couples were trying to occupy the same space as the north/south couples' knees. I don't know why restaurants to this -- just put us at a regular long table where everyone has their own space for their legs and knees. Either way -- won't be going back unless I hear they've really...

Wife and I got lunch here. Not sure what happened to the menu but it is a poor choice.

They have switched to a "build your sushi" method. Where you choose from a list of "base rolls" that average about 8-10 dollars each.

Then, you add "toppings" to that base. The toppings are optional, but if you don't like any of the "base" rolls as a standalone, your only choice is to add toppings....

However, the 'base' rolls are entire rolls. They contain meat, sauces, veggies... There is nothing base about them. Then, they want you to add a second rolls worth of toppings to that.

The 'toppings' are also their own rolls. They have protein, veggies, sauces... just no rice? Yeah.

So your only option is to get a roll you don't want, or order this cobbled together monstrosity that could contain 2+ different protein. 5+ sauces and 5+ veggies... It's crazy.

Their produce loss revenue must be through the roof...

When I finally got my roll, they didn't even incorporate the toppings into the base roll itself. They just... made the base roll and then heaped the toppings I choose on top.

I also ordered a k-coffee. The sugar was not dissolved at all and I was drinking clumps of dry sugar that had settled to the bottom of the glass.

My wife, who got a hand roll, states that it was pretty good.

All in all, I hope the owner reads this and decides to stop this "build your own roll" nonsense. It's a waste of food cost, labor cost, and it's just...

Before going here i was never a fan of sushi, the idea of raw fish and rice disgusted me a bit to be quite honest. However after going here I can say that my mind has been 100% changed. My personal favorite go to dish is the dragon roll, it is Crispy Chicken, Cilantro, Cucumber, Avocado, Jalapeno, Spicy sauce, and Eel Sauce all wrapped in a seaweed roll, its spicy but not over powering, crispy but not dry and the veggies are wet, but not soggy. Its an amazing roll and its only $8.99 if you have never had sushi and are looking for something familiar and enjoy crispy chicken this is the roll for you. Aside from that they have a wide array of foods from traditional sushi's to soups and salads, all reasonably priced. The atmosphere is wonderful with a very inviting and interesting decor, the place settings are very nice as well as they bring out your rolls on a Japanese ship

Edit: coming back to this review a few years later, I wanted to add some pictures and updates.

I am happy to say this place has become my absolute favorite restaurant in Columbia, and the quality of the food and atmosphere meets my expectations everytime. It is always a delight when I eat here, both for my stomach, and my wallet. You can get an appetizer, 2 rolls, and a soup or salad for under $20 and in this economy, that is...