Lin's Asian Café Five Forks — Restaurant in Five Forks

Update 2023: I finally went inside, to pick up a to-go order, after two years of staying out of public places, due to the Covid pandemic. I was shocked at how grimy and smelly - like dirty grey water - this place has become. Im embarrassed I ever recommended it. Floor to ceiling - stains, dirt and food build-up - Im just stunned that this place has not been shut down by SC inspectors. Management needs to shut down for 4-5 days and clean this place up! Do not eat here. Do not order food to go.

My original review, right after they opened: This is currently the best restaurant in Five Forks - attentive service; upscale, casual, urban vibe; bar seating; very good food. We recommend the steamed shumai, mushroom soup, hot and sour soup and hibachi scallops. The white rice was served hot, dense and not sticky. Dinner portions are large; they also offer well-priced luncheon portions. There is a full sushi and sashimi menu, plus Thai menu items. There are signs in front that advertise a Happy Hour. Takeout food is as good as eating in. One night, a salad was left out of our order, by mistake. We called right away and they took care of it for us. This restaurant is partners with Lin's Asian Cafe in Greer and Tokyo Cafe...

My wife and I have been here at least 10 times but tonight will definitely be our last time. The waitress took at least 10 minutes to take our orders and NEVER came back to refill our drinks. Finally we received our appetizer and sushi after being at the establishment for 30 minutes. While we were waiting for our entrees, we observed several customers (that came in after us) getting their entrees, paying their bills, and leaving. Another 30 minutes goes by and no entrees. Even the couple who was sitting beside us (who came in at least 45 mins after us) noticed that we weren't getting any service/food. After ANOTHER 15 minutes or so, I decided to speak with the manager. She blamed the terrible service/cook time on low staff. But we saw several customers come and go as well as bitesquad delivery drivers making at least 15 pick ups. Then she says one of the entrees is about to come off the wok but the other one will be ANOTHER 5 minutes. At this point we were fed up. I told her to just cancel the entrees. She agreed after some weird apologies and condescending excuses. So after 1.5 hrs we were billed for an appetizer, 2 sushi rolls, and 1 "free" entree. Never never never...

This is a place where you could either have a great service this wee, and the following one it could go dramatically to the other side.

I've been here several times, and previous experiences was pleasant. Food was on point and so was the service.

Our last experience was Ok. We got there at a slow time, so the restaurant was almost empty. We were attended by 2 different people, and both were attentive at first. My partner and I took a minute to evaluate the menu.

We got the Tuna TnT as an Appetizer, and also ordered the Gyoza. The Tuna TnT felt fresh and different. But the Gyoza was not entirely cooked, as the wrapper (the dough) was dehydrated in some areas. It felt like gum.

For entrees, my spouse had the Reedy River Roll, and I had the Godzilla Roll. I enjoyed mine, but the Reedy Roll was too big and had too much rice. Unbalanced ingredients.

I would still visit this place in the future, but need to say there are other sushi places around the city that offer a better experience than the one I...