Hoo Izakaya — Restaurant in Duluth

We tried this place for the first time and it didn’t disappoint. There were two of us and we ordered 3 rolls which was filling for the both of us portion wise which is similar to most sushi places we go to. We tried the Double Crunchy Roll, Spicy Salmon, and Hamachi love Tuna. The texture of the Double Crunchy Roll was my favorite I would definitely recommend to someone who likes tempura shrimp. The taste of the Spicy Salmon was really good it was just a slight spice so the flavoring was good without being too overpowering. The Hamachi love Tuna would probably be my least favorite roll. It was a combination of the main component being tuna and it being hot in spice and temperature. I think the combination of this with the other rolls was also off putting. If you like tuna and hot in spice and temperature I would recommend just a warning. The ambiance and area itself was really nice I like how it felt homey almost with the seating and decorations. There were photos of staff and customers with some funny images which I liked. It was a very inviting place. I will say the water tasted a little odd to me could be since it was tap maybe but I just have a weird preference for water. The service was decent I will say since we came late they may not have many people working hence it being a little slow. There was one man taking orders, making drinks, and serving. I would assume there are more people working earlier in the day. I will definitely be returning since the quality of sushi was good might have to come earlier in...

I was really impressed by this izakaya, Tung and Kitta had phenomenal service and were very welcoming and warm upon seating me at the table they asked me if it was my first time, offered recommendations, explained the menu, and were very attentive, it is currently their soft opening so it is clear there are things they are looking to improve. The menu is relatively small and compact which is to be expected of a soft opening, but the items on the menu are superb. I ordered the Kaisen-don with salmon and tuna and it was amazing from start to finish, the fish was good quality, the toppings tasted good, the rice was cooked perfectly, and the soy sauce + egg added an amazing flavor profile to the dish, the ochazuke added at the end to finish off the rice was probably the most mind-blowing thing, it created such an amazing flavor profile and tasted so good with the rice I was genuinely stunned. The bathrooms are accessible in the same building on the other side, very easy to get to, the food portions were amazing and the drinks were also quite creative. I will say the price is on the higher end for an izakaya but a lot of the stuff they offered was on the more premium side so it is justifiable for them to have high prices than if they offered mediocre items at a high price. All in all I would definitely come back and if this is the quality I receive during the soft opening it could very well be a regular spot for me and my friends once they complete their...

I visited this restaurant with my wife and placed our order around 6:50 PM. We ordered the Premium Kaisen Don, Jak’s Special Sushi, and Ika Karaage as an appetizer.

My Kaisen Don arrived around 7:30 PM, so I assumed the rest of the food would follow soon. However, the sushi took a full hour to arrive, finally coming out at 8:00 PM, and the Ika Karaage was never served—they informed us much later that it was sold out.

Overall, the food was just okay. I ordered the Premium Kaisen Don, but the fish selection was just salmon and hamachi, which hardly felt "premium." The O-toro was completely minced, making it impossible to judge its quality, and the shrimp, which was shown as two pieces in their Instagram photos, was reduced to just one.

More importantly, the sushi rice was undercooked—not in an al dente way like risotto, but genuinely too hard to pair well with sushi. It significantly impacted the overall experience.

The server was kind and hardworking, but it felt like the kitchen offered no support at all.

Summary:

I waited a full hour for sushi, only to be disappointed with the quality. The fish selection felt cheap for the price, and the overall experience didn’t live up to...