MISO SEAFOOD — Restaurant in Gulf Shores

Miso Seafood is an amalgamation of three different concepts. You can get seafood boils like you’d find at The Angry Crab or Juicy Seafood; you can get fried seafood baskets like you’d find at Shrimp Basket; and you can get sushi like you used to get at the old Aji Sai.

Although I had a fairly good experience overall on my first visit, I can’t say it was worth the cost. Good seafood costs good money, and things are more expensive overall these days due to various reasons, but the quality just wasn’t there for what I sampled. My party skipped the seafood boils (which run from $35-45 dollars for 1.5 lbs of seafood plus sides) and tried the sushi and fried seafood.

The sushi is a pared down menu compared to what Aji Sai served, but it was basically the same things, made at the same sushi counter as before. Unfortunately, the quality has taken a hit while the prices have gone way up. Some of the special rolls are upwards of $20 now, while combos with salad and soup are $25-50. Again, good sushi costs good money, but the fish here was decidedly less fresh tasting that what Aji Sai had, and that was a step down from a good sushi restaurant is a bigger metropolitan area. The tuna used did seem to be a high quality cut, at least, with a nice dark appearance, but it lacked that fresh flavor that one would expect of a high quality piece of fish.

Interestingly, for things to be so similar to the old Aji Sai that was here, some things were completely different. The presentation of the sushi is nicer now, and the pickled ginger served seems to be a different type than before, yellow instead of pink. Even the “pink soy paper” (that my On The Shore roll did not list in the ingredients) was a better quality than before. The ponzu dressing on the salad was great as well, sweet and sour with just a light ginger zing, it was much better than the “orange goo” that normally comes on salads with Japanese food in these parts.

Still, the things done better with this new restaurant are offset by the so-so fish quality and higher prices. What about the fried seafood?

Well, it’s better than Shrimp Basket, but that’s a comically low bar for fried foods. At least here the shrimp were plump and tender, and coated in an interesting breading that honestly is defying my attempts to describe it. It’s not weird or anything, it’s just kind of a half-flour half-cornmeal kind of thing that is neither or both and now my head hurts. At least it was good. Cocktail sauce is super mild and kind of sweet. The fries were bog standard but heavily salted and hot as blazes, so that is a plus. I also got to try some onion rings and they were really good. I don’t think it was a true beer-battered ring but it was very close in texture and flavor. And at $15 or thereabouts, not a terrible deal, all things considered.

Overall, not terrible, but I still wish Aji Sai was here instead, because we lost a good Chinese/pan-Asian/Sushi place for something that so-so sushi and yet another iteration of fried or...

Food is good, dining-in was weak. I'd say take it to go. Napkin holders on tables are funny, you can't pull one out without the lid coming off. Half the tables have the holders with the lids already off; unpleasant to see. My advice for the owners is maybe to just stack the napkins on the table or use cloth napkins. No nice hot warm towels to wash your hands to start your meal like you'll find at many sushi restaurants and when you go to the washroom the paper towel dispenser was not working. Had to dry hands on my clothes. Portions are small for sushi, order double, seemed even less than we get at at the grocery. Salads are big. All food was good and fresh. Edamame was great. Tea was a good flavor but not enough ice so it was luke-cold and I've left was mostly melted. Small annoyances like having to ask for plates, then forks, then when the food came it was all on 1 tray as if one person was eating despite 3 of us. So we asked for plates and we divided the orders ourselves on the little coffee cup plates they gave us. Strange that they didn't give us the nice sushi presentation plates just the plates you put coffee cups on. The garlic bread was good, crisp, hot, and tasty. Music was 90's pop and it stopped half way through dinner. Not sure what was better, the silence or the 90s pop. I think the silence. Staff could have been more attentive. We had to get up and walk to them for our needs. It was quiet with only 2 tables (including ours) to serve but some staff were all talking with each other (seemed to be about work) and the server was on their phone. There's a huge projection tv, that's really awesome but it's playing a video of a 2d aquarium. My suggestion is to play music videos like I've seen on similar screens. Not sure where they get those cool videos, but the 2d screen saver-esq of a cartoon Aquarium is just a little sad. In summary, my advice is to take the food to go, it's really good, just order double sushi portions as they are on the small side. When ordering a salad, or garlic bread, order the...

Valentine’s Night Disappointment, but Bryce Was a Star

I had high hopes for our Valentine’s dinner, especially since I made reservations and confirmed that wait times wouldn’t be an issue. Unfortunately, while seating wasn’t a problem, the service was a huge letdown.

It felt like management was more focused on turning tables quickly rather than ensuring quality service. Our server, Angie, was not only rude but also repeatedly got our order wrong and even forgot items. Instead of acknowledging mistakes, she kept correcting me on things she was actually wrong about, which made the experience even more frustrating. There was no effort on her part to fix the situation, making the night feel even more disappointing.

That being said, the food was absolutely amazing! I had the On The Shores Roll, which featured a delicious combination of spicy tuna, avocado, crab, and lobster salad, all wrapped in pink soy paper and topped with spicy mayo and eel sauce. It was rich, flavorful, and perfectly balanced. I also tried the Roll Tide, which had lobster tail meat, kani, shrimp, lettuce, avocado, and tobiko on top. It was fresh, indulgent, and had a great mix of textures. I only wish I had the chance to try more!

The only saving grace of the night was Bryce. She stepped in, did her best to turn things around, and showed what true customer service should look like. If we return, it will only be because of her.

I genuinely hope management takes a step back to rethink their priorities. More tables don’t always mean more money—better service does. A well-run restaurant values its staff and ensures they can keep up without sacrificing the guest experience. I’m willing to give this place another shot, but I sincerely hope to see...