Aomatsu Sushi & Grill — Restaurant in Corvallis

I have never been more offended in my life. This place has taken a huge dive since my last review. On a return trip to Corvallis to meet my friends, we all decided to go to Aomatsu to relive the experience. We let them know we had 6 people coming. At first the problems were subtle:

They only put out 5 placements, even though we said 6 were there. We asked for a second sushi menu right away and they NEVER brought it, never even mentioned it again. They use mason jars for water glasses! That's fine at a southern style cafe; not at something that should be a fine dining establishment. That's not how it was last time. They gave us crappy paper napkins, while everyone else in the restaurant had their usual cloth napkins. When they finally brought the 6th place, they brought him a cloth napkin, then laughed about how the rest of us didn't have cloth napkins. They should NOT have mentioned it, much less made a joke about it.

And really, I would have passed that all up if I had just gotten my food. My friend and I ordered hot dishes from the kitchen; everyone else ordered sushi. After about the usual wait time, they brought out the sushi. They NEVER brought our hot food. We waited 20 minutes and even called the waitress over using their bell system (she never came). At this point the rest of our party was done eating, and we didn't have our food.

I got up to talk to the manager and asked him where our food was. He went back to the kitchen and said it had gotten lost "because one of their chefs was on vacation". He told us it would be another 10 minutes before our food would be out! "Would you like to cancel it?" No excuses or explanations should EVER be used. He should have immediately comped our food.

After being completely shocked he offered to cancel our food but NOT comp us, I told him he should comp us. "I can't because our boss doesn't allow us to do that." Excuse me? You're the general manager! That's your JOB is to decide when to do that.

Think it's done? Nope! It gets worse! He told me the boss wasn't in, then as we were checking out he said the boss was "suddenly here"! The boss came out and I AGAIN explained the situation and how we should be comped, or we wouldn't be returning.

To spit in our face, he said, oh sure, I'll comp you. How about 50% off? That is NOT COMPING. I was furious. I'm never going there again.

Just to top it off, we went to the Dairy Queen across the street since we were still hungry. We ordered some fries, and when they came out a size too small, they offered us a free dilly bar. DAIRY QUEEN HAS BETTER SERVICE THAN THIS DUMP. If the management is this terrible, I will not sponsor this establishment, no matter how good their food is.

I am truly sorry Aomatsu has taken such a terrible dive. Go to Sada or Tokyo Steakhouse over this dump. Aomatsu cares nothing about their customers. Read my earlier review below to see the contrast.

My review 10 months ago:

I'm really surprised that anyone has had a bad experience here. The sushi is really great. This was the first sushi place I enjoyed after eating at several up in Portland. Sometimes the service is a tad slow, but I think I feel that way only because I can hardly wait for their delicious sushi. This is the first place I introduce to friends visiting Corvallis.

My tip: the place is the best 8:30 onward Monday through Thursday. That's when they have a happy hour, and my favorite rolls are $6 instead of $10 or $12. With prices that good, I can afford to eat here once a week without...

Before the positives, I have to say that they need to remove the banner outside saying Shabu Shabu, specially because nobody there, including the owner, even knows that it says Shabu Shabu out front. They acted like I was crazy and I had to go outside to prove to myself I wasn’t. Also, the owner walks around watching all the servers way too much. It’s kinda odd in my opinion and if it makes me uncomfortable as a customer, I imagine it does the same for the servers. They are doing a great job boss. Relax!!! The wine list is deceiving and they need to update it. It is deceiving to think you are ordering an OR Pinot Noir to find out it’s Josh brand for $9 a glass. Generous glass and yummy but not what was described on the menu, a wine with orange blossom finish.

Positives!!! We were greeted right away by every single person. Our servers, about 4 different ones, were soooo sweet and efficient. The food was quick, well prepared, well presented and delicious. Every dish we got was delicious. Beef and kimchi tacos made with a fried won ton shell with a simple but delicious cabbage salad. Stuffed Jalapeños with a tempura shell and stuffed with fish. Absolutely delicious and I can’t wait to have it again. Just the right amount of spice from the jalapeños. Bibimbap was sizzling hot as it was served in an iron bowl. Looked amazing. My husband’s. Sushi rolls # 8 and 10, Caterpillar roll and Waikiki Roll with macadamia nuts. Simply delicious!!! Can’t wait to go back for more.

The menu had so many other items I want to try. I will definitely go back!!!

The place was packed but didn’t feel crowded. Loved...

When I come to town, my daughter and I have sushi. This is our favourite place. Usually we have the Love Boat, lol. It's protioned for two and has our favorites. This time, on the advice of a friend, we sat at the sushi bar and asked the sushi chef to make us whatever he wanted. What a fabulous, amazing, beautiful dinner we enjoyed. Our chef asked what we liked, and the rest was in his skilled hands. Salmon, tuna, and yellow fin started us off with FRESH wasabi. If you have not experienced fresh wasabi, you are missing something special! Next were sea urchin shooters. We savored them, enjoying the unique flavor and texture. Lovely. Our chef presented us with a beautiful scallop and salmon with spicy tuna, warmed and drizzled with a creamy sauce. The flavors were exquisite! Eel is my favorite, and the dragon roll was fabulous and so beautiful with pink salmon eggs and green wasabi salmon egg topping the roll. Everything was beautifully presented, making the dinner a delight to the eye and our taste buds! Our final roll was one our chef had served President Reagan!! Our sushi chef served President Reagan!! The roll was dipped in tempura, so it was warm. The roll had a cream cheese center that just melted in your mouth. Oh, so good.

The entire experience was special. Our chef was delightful to talk with. He served the president, he served stars, he cooked with the Iron Chef! Now he's here in Corvallis. What a treat. Thank you for a...