Oishii Sushi & Pan-Asian, Dallas - SMU Blvd — Restaurant in Dallas

I’ve been to countless sushi restaurants in Dallas and across the U.S., and I don’t say this lightly—this is the best sushi restaurant I’ve experienced. From the moment you walk in, you can tell this place is operating on a different level.

The kitchen is fully staffed with a well-coordinated team that works seamlessly together. It’s an open-concept kitchen, so you can watch the chefs prepare each dish—nothing is hidden, and everything is on display. That level of transparency really showcases the pride they take in their craft. There’s also a large bar serving up high-quality cocktails, and the space was absolutely packed—even on a Wednesday night.

The restaurant also features a beautiful outdoor patio that’s dog-friendly, which is rare for an upscale sushi spot. The atmosphere inside is elegant yet welcoming. The lighting is perfect, and the abundance of windows gives the space a bright, airy feel. The waitstaff is sharp—clean-cut, professional, and attentive—with every detail from tucked-in shirts to polished service making an impression.

My only minor critique is the parking situation. While there is a decent amount of parking available, the popularity of the restaurant makes it challenging to find a spot, especially during peak hours.

One of the things I appreciated most is that it’s not overly formal. They even have two TVs, so you can catch a game—like the NBA playoffs—without feeling out of place. It strikes the perfect balance between high-end and laid-back.

I had the Royce Roll—easily one of my all-time favorites—and also tried the Himalayan Roll, which was both stunning and absolutely delicious.

They also offer off-menu rolls, which adds an element of excitement. I spotted some dishes being served to nearby tables and immediately thought, I need to try that next time. One that stood out was the Wagyu sushi—it looked absolutely divine. Another must-try is the Toro Loco roll. I heard it usually sells out within the first hour every night. I arrived around 6:45 PM and, unfortunately, just missed it. Next time, I’ll be there earlier.

Honestly, this is one of those places that keeps pulling you back. You’ll want to return again and again to try everything on the menu—and while you might spend a bit more, every dollar feels worth it.

Lastly, a huge shoutout to Starla, the manager. She runs a tight, organized operation and makes it a point to engage with guests personally. Her presence and care add a special touch to the experience, and it’s clear she’s committed...

Came to Oishii for a friend’s 26th birthday celebration that we had booked for over week in advance. When our server first came over, she asked if we’d be having anything to drink and we all proceeded to order wine and cocktails. Mind you, we were celebrating a birthday and one of us had brought the bday girl a bottle of wine that was sitting on the table. She asks for our IDs and after checking them, she hands all of them back to us besides the birthday girls’. She says that she needs to check the validity of the ID with her manager. We don’t sweat it because we’re all over the age of 21 and have been for a few years now. Our server comes back to the table to tell us that her manager said the ID is fake and that they can’t serve her. We proceed to tell her that her ID is definitely real and that we’d like to speak with the manager. He comes over to our table and we all tell him that there’s no way her ID is fake and if there was a scanner or something that we could do to prove to him that she’s of legal drinking age. He tells us no repeatedly and says that because her ID is a bit worn (some of the plastic was peeling) that he could not accept her ID. The girl has had this ID for like 6 years….come on dude give her a break. It also sits in a wallet in the back of her phone so it’s obviously going to have some wear and tear. So there’s no way Brett is going to serve us, so we decide to leave. Before we do so, a group of young girls sitting at the table behind us are telling us that they were never asked to show their IDs. They asked if we were actually 21 and up and we said yes of course. We would not be fighting this hard with them if our IDs were fake. So I asked them the same question. Are you all 21 or over? Guess what. They said no. So while us 26 year olds are being refused service, these probably 19-20 year old girls were not only NOT asked to show their IDs, they weren’t even 21!!! When we confronted the manager with this he claimed that this wasn’t possible….LOL. Every girl at that table had something to drink so either you’re telling me that they decided to risk getting in trouble by telling me that they were under 21 OR your waitstaff does not have consistent practices and decides to card whoever they want to. Absolutely unacceptable. If you are going to have a policy, you must enforce it for every single guest. So glad we did not give them our business. The birthday girl had a MUCH better time at...

I had stopped into Oishii under recommendation of a friend and unfortunately, I was less than impressed. I give this place a solid 3 out of 5 stars. Justification for my rating is as follows:

Ambience: 5/5 stars. Great decor, vibe and pleasant outside patio. I enjoyed this aspect.

Service: 3/5 stars. Came at lunch and restaurant was light-moderately busy and it took over 30 minutes to get two sushi rolls. We had to ask for the General Manager to get an update as to why such a small order was taking so long. The server was nice but just didn't check on us or communicate as to why it was taking such a long time for a small lunch order. At the end, the two sushi rolls were discounted by 25% which is honorable and is why I decided on 3 stars instead of 2 stars for the service.

Quality/Taste: 3/5 stars. We ordered the Uptown roll and the Gensei (sp?) roll. Both were right at about $20 a piece. I was less than impressed. It may have been a slight notch above the sushi that I get from Central Market, for about half the price if not less. Don't get me wrong, it was 'good' sushi but the rolls were rather lackluster in appearance, taste and ingredients, for the price point and the given competition with sushi restaurants in the area. I noticed that all the rolls on the menu seems to be some slight variation of 'crab salad mix', salmon and tempura. Not very creative, diverse or imaginative, given what I've experienced at many other sushi restaurants in the area.

Price Point: 2/5 stars. Sushi rolls for the nicer 'special rolls' on the backside of the menu, were all simplistic and contained some rearrangement of the same common ingredients (salmon, tuna, tempura). No real finishing touches on the plate in terms of things like sauces, roe, etc. Despite this, the rolls ranged from $16ish, to over $20 a roll. Wasn't impressed by this. I also noted that the sushi wasn't actually 'rolled' it was layered and fell apart very easily when picked up with chopsticks. Just, well, seemed like shortcuts get taken.

Overall it was 'ok' but not impressed and I'm just not inclined to return. I will go to Fujimaya or especially Sa Sa Sushi any day of the week and always be blown away in all...