Tank's sushi bistro(WGV) — Restaurant in Florida

First let me say I'm not a sushi connoisseur, but I have had it often enough that I can tell when it's something special. I just visited, expecting humdrum sushi-factory-style food considering this place is in a strip mall attached to a Publix. I sat at the bar and asked for the Chef's special, which I always do when visiting a sushi place for the first time. Normally when I do that, I expect the chef to crank out whatever mayo and panko-crusted roll sells best, but the chef really went above and beyond, giving me some amazing smaller dishes and rolls, none of which I'd never experienced before (specifically he made me the Tuna Power-a fried roll with no rice- and the Tomo Roll). I always go in hoping to be surprised, and almost never am-- but this was one of the exceptions. He mixed chives and roe and sweet wasabi sauces with crazy rich umami flavors, and at one point he even broke out the blowtorch on the Tomo roll (his own invention and personal favorite dish, can't get it anywhere else) to add a surprisingly subtle smokey element. With each dish, the chef said "Try this" and watched carefully to see if I liked it. The fish was extremely fresh and well-chosen, and the complimenting herbs and fruits he used were obviously the result of a lot of thought and experimentation on his own time. When you ask for the chef's special, you do that with the assumption that it will be a bit more expensive. I'll get to that later, but spoiler: it wasn't. Not by a long shot.

When you walk in, you're immediately transported into a small Japanese hole-in-the-wall gem of the kind that you'd expect to be taken to by clients hoping to impress during a fancy business trip to Tokyo. The atmosphere is very authentic, with cedar and bamboo walls, classy lighting and very clean. The staff all speak to each other in Japanese (not essential to good sushi obviously, but a fun aspect that helps create a sensation of authenticity). They were very friendly, polite and attentive, taking away my plates as I finished them and making sure I and the other patrons felt like we were really taken care of. It looks so classy that you'd expect it not to be kid-friendly, but given the stack of high-chairs in the corner I suspect they are happy to accommodate families. All this, and yet considering the quality of atmosphere and food the price was surprisingly inexpensive! The Tomo Roll was $15, but believe me it was a whole meal in itself and for the leaner wallet there are many great choices.

After so much delicious, truly amazing food, I fully expected a 40 or 50-dollar check (I really ate a lot, every bit of it complex and flavorful). But when the check came, it was only about 60% of what I was prepared to pay! I left the remainder as a tip.

If I were to try to find anything I might have changed, I could say that the chef is really proud of his sauces and might overuse them in my opinion, but the flavors were complex and very well balanced, so I really can't complain. Also there were 2 TV's in the place. This is Florida and a lot of people like to watch TV while they eat, so it may be standard for the industry but it does take a little bite out of the sushi experience.

These people truly take pride in the artistry of their work and in creating excellent and original sushi dishes. I will go back every time I am in the area, and every time I will ask for the chef (John, the owner) to...

Tank's Bistro is absolutely fantastic. If possible, I would have given them 10 stars. My wife and I were so lucky to venture in to their restaurant on their very 1st week and have been returning since we've called St. Augustine home.

Jennifer and Tank, along with all of their staff give you absolutely wonderful service. For those unfamiliar with sushi or Japanese cuisine, they all take the time to understand your taste and offer wonderful suggestions. In over a year and a half, they have never been wrong.

Their sushi is prepared fresh with incredible decorative flair in style that can make any dining experience turn into a special occasion.

I haven't been able to learn the names of the different foods we love from there but next time I'm in, I will write them down and update this review. There are about 10 favorites between my wife and I.

All of their staff go out of their way to ensure your dining experience is the absolute best. They know that I need assistance with certain things and jump in before I have the opportunity to ask.

It is a small restaurant seating probably 50 to 60 people. That is just a wild guess, as I have never counted. On a crowded lunch or dinner it could be a bit challenging to navigate in a wheelchair or scooter. However, the staff are experts at helping you navigate through the chairs by graciously asking others to help out by nudging over just a bit. In all of my dining experiences, I have never had a problem with being able to navigate to my table. They are all wonderful with children. They make it their way to include everyone in dinner by speaking to both the adults and children at each table. You truly will feel like you are dining at home. Actually better than home, you don't have to do the cooking! LOL

There are plenty of accessible parking spots close to the restaurant. It is easy to navigate in and out of the...

Ordered 2 rolls at 5:00 for pickup at 6pm on 1/10/24 through DoorDash (only option online). Received a text notification at 5:15 that the order was ready for pickup, but we were still 45 minutes away. No biggie…I called them and told the person on the phone we wouldn’t be there until 6pm. Was told ‘no problem’ and the order would be ready when we arrived…you’d think. Arrived at 6:05 to find our order missing. Someone else must have grabbed it. The young hostess went to get the owner/manager and she proceeded to berate two young girls up front about checking orders before handing them out…in front of everyone in the restaurant. Meanwhile the manager/owner never spoke directly to us to apologize for anything. WE had to approach her to ask them to remake the order because we had to be somewhere at 7. 15 minutes later (now 6:20), after 10-12 more to go orders showed up on the pickup table, the hostess said ours would be ready in a ‘few minutes’. Nope, 10 minutes later (now 6:30) we were finally handed our order by someone from kitchen. No apology, no contact from the manager/owner, no credit on our $35 order which included a pre-paid 20% tip (for what is now the absolute worst service!). Thankfully the rolls were good but the carry out service was terrible. I may recommend in house dining but if you order for pick up be prepared not to get your order until they figure out a better method! An apology from the owner/manager would have gone a long way to make up for all of...