Sky Sushi Houghton — Restaurant in Houghton

Alright. Let's have a discussion all you self proclaimed sushi snobs. I will give this place my HONEST opinion. Firstly, let me say how excited I was that there was finally going to be a sushi place in Houghton... My prayers were answered. This did NOT hit the mark for me. I am going to lay out my experience from start to finish so maybe you can understand why my opinion is such.

We we're seated only after being inquired about a reservation ( I was unaware we needed one to dine in on a Wednesday at 7:10pm NOTE: the website is not in English nor is there any indication of a reservation needed). It took our waitress 20 minutes to come to our table and I had to ask to be served water. The water canister was slammed on the table and then we placed our order. We ordered 3 rolls and one order of shashimi - none of these rolls were specialty rolls mind you- 30 minutes later we began to receive our order in segments. My one roll and shashimi came 10 minutes after my dinner guests. That's an hour just to get food!

Now to the good part. The sushi. Let's discuss some classic rolls here. The Philly roll: smoked salmon cream cheese and avacado (sometimes cucumber depends on the sushi house). The rolls had a generous portion of fish inside but the cream cheese ratio was abhorrent. All I could taste was cream cheese, and the texture... Well, take a bite off a cream cheese block and you're spot on.

Next OG roll... Shrimp tempura. A classic fan favorite. The batter was limp, Luke warm at best. I don't know if it was because the pre-fry their food or if it took so long to get it to us? Needless to say, it was sub par. The size was cumbersome to palette demurely. It looked explicit trying to even get it into my mouth.

My BBQ eel roll, not bad. Out of the entirety of the meal, that would be the only thing I'd return to eat. At least it was warm.

Alright down to the last and worst part. The shashimi. I asked about tuna versus fatty tuna - our waitress could not direct me as to if they served fatty tuna or not -if you work at a sushi place, KNOW THE MENU! I wish I was joking here... The fish was served on ice. It completely threw off the enjoyment of the fish. The noticeable temperature gradient throughout the tuna ruined the taste, texture, and flavoring of the fish. Where they were storing the fish was warmer than the ice so why serve it on ice?!? It was disgusting. I honestly gagged.

My last qualm is with the owners/management. Only one sushi chef? I saw 2 people standing behind the bar watching him hustle to get orders out. That's just bad management. Staff for demand. This being a new place, recognize that you are going to be busy and have more than one sushi chef to accommodate dinner rush. Okay last one I promise. Get competent staff. Honestly I understand being a college student but knowing your menu is a basic skill... If you can be an engineering student you can learn the different...

I, as an African American man, have never been so disrespected in my life!!! I am thoroughly ashamed and disgusted at the customer service of this restaurant. When I arrived with my family, I was told that we would be seated in around 30 minutes. We were sat, and our orders were taken in a timely manner, no complaints here. The servers who took our orders were very pleasant. My first complaint with this restaurant, is the absolutely absurd amount of time we had to wait to get our food. We were told it would take 30 minutes to be SAT, it took 2 hours for our food to be prepared. Normally I would understand, this restaurant was clearly busy and as someone who enjoys supporting small businesses I know how hard it is. What is not acceptable is when other customers that arrive almost an hour after us are helped, sat, and served while we are still waiting for our food. When we expressed our concerns, we were met with negativity from the staff and manager. We finally got our food after the very long and unnecessary wait, and I honestly cannot say that the food was enjoyable. For the price we paid for the food I was expecting more, It was just ok. Then, as we were finishing up, I was standing behind my chair waiting for our party to be ready to leave, as one of us was using the bathroom. As I waited, a waiter inside the restaurant just stared at me like she was disgusted. I didn't know what the issue was, so I continued to wait. When we were on our way out, the lady came out, and told me that I was "Being disruptive and destroying property." This however, is far from the truth, I was simply standing behind the metal chair, rocking it back and forth. This isn't going to "destroy" the chair. It's metal. It's damn chair. She then proceeded to tell us that we were being rude because we were staring at her rudely. Very ironic. I informed her that I was confused because she was staring at me but not saying anything or inferring that there was any sort of problem, and that if she would have came out and addressed her problem with me, this altercation could have been avoided. Instead, she decided to stare at me, and then come outside and verbally harass me to the point where another member of their staff had to come outside to restrain her, which to me felt more like he was insinuating that we needed to leave or there would be a problem. I felt singled out, belittled, and racially profiled. I will never return to this restaurant. Don't...

This has become one of my regular spots, and it truly stands out as the only place in the UP Michigan where I have felt such a strong commitment to excellence. It reminds me of home where I was originally from in Asia. Too many restaurants in the U.S. rely on shortcuts or lean heavily on marketing gimmicks and flashy distractions that ultimately compromise food quality. Sky Sushi takes the opposite approach. It is built on culinary discipline and craftsmanship. The chef’s attention to detail and dedication to doing things the right way make this place unique. Over the years, their quality has been consistently excellent, which creates a sense of stability and trust that keeps customers coming back. Whenever I visit Chicago or Las Vegas, I find myself thinking that the quality there does not quite compare. For those of us who appreciate fine craftsmanship, it is clear that every dish here is prepared with genuine care and love.

The sushi is always served with exceptional freshness, with perfectly cooked rice at the right temperature and seasoning, paired with high-quality fish. Their ramen reflects the same discipline and heart. A great bowl of ramen can be judged by its broth and noodles, and here both shine. The broth is made from a slow-simmered bone stock, creating a deep, layered richness and authentic umami that only hours of careful cooking can achieve. The noodles are consistently cooked to the perfect al dente texture. This is worlds apart from mass-produced broths or shortcuts, and the flavor here is genuine and deeply satisfying.

Sky Sushi is not just about healthy or affordable food. It is about culinary discipline and craftsmanship. Like how Starbucks highlights perfected signature drinks, this restaurant could lean into guiding guests toward signature creations that showcase its strengths. Personally, I would gladly pay more for this level of excellence, because true quality and care are what make this place a destination worth returning to, especially in winter.

I am also very excited to see that they are expanding their space. If I were to bring a date, this would be one of the first places I would choose. It is a perfect spot to spend the evening enjoying outstanding food and warm hospitality. Highly highly...