Sayachi Sushi — Restaurant in Kansas City

My $42 Shrimp Fried Rice

I have never left a negative review of a restaurant, but I was seriously disappointed by my experience at Sayachi. I was excited to try this sushi spot when I saw their all-you-can eat special for the Chiefs game advertised on Instagram. I invited some friends to join me. I got there first and ordered a dish to snack on while I waited for them to arrive. I was planning to do the $38 tier of the deal and ordered the shrimp fried rice with plans to order a couple rolls when the rest of my party arrived. When my friends arrived and our server finally came back around, they tried to order the $28 tier. The server informed us that if anyone was doing all-you-can eat, everyone had to order the same tier, so they would all have to get the $38 tier since I had already ordered. I didn't want to force my friends, so I asked if I could just pay for the shrimp fried rice separately at the regular price and go down to the $28 tier. She said she had already rang it in. I asked if she could get it voided and ring the item back in at the regular price and she said no. I explained that no one had told me about the rule when I ordered, the rule was not printed on the menu, and the rule was not included in the social media promotion. The server just restated "that's the rule" and said she didn't know who seated me. I pointed out who sat me and the server told me that she is the manager. Our server did not offer any other solution or to ask the manager to find a solution, insisting that everyone in our part of 5 would have to order the $38 all-you-can-eat since I had ordered it for myself before they arrived. Rather than force all my friends to do that, I paid for my own ticket and we all left and went to Brookside Sushi for a lovely meal. After tax and a $1 tip (never before in my life have I left a bad tip), my total came to $42, and all I got was shrimp friend rice and four hangry and indignant friends.

I understand that an all-you-can-eat special is difficult to regulate, but it was infuriating that NO ONE explained this rule before it was too late, it wasn't printed anywhere, and there was no attempt made by the service staff to remedy the situation. I have sympathy for a server who "doesn't make the rules" as she repeatedly pointed out, but she did not offer any solution or offer to speak to her manager about the solution...

Eh. I wanted to go to Domo for my anniversary but I hadn't been in a few years so I didn't know they had closed. One of the reasons I really liked Domo is because I'm a vegetarian and they had a great selection of specialty vegetarian rolls along with typical vegetable rolls. That's definitely not the case here. There were 3 vegetable rolls but nothing exciting (avocado, cucumber, and pickled daikon) so I ordered vegetable tempura and an entree of fried tofu in tare sauce. The tempura was nothing like I've ever gotten before. Instead of sliced vegetables lightly fried, all the vegetables were julienned together into sort of a super oily weird hash thing. The tare was pretty tasty but the tofu had been fried and then sat with the sauce long enough to get pretty soggy which made it kind of unappetizing. It was cut in long slices that were hard to pick up with chopsticks because the inside of the tofu was very soft but the outside was impossible to cut through. Normally I'm pretty good with chopsticks but I would have appreciated a fork if it had been offered.

When we got there they said they were full of reservations so we would have to sit at the bar. We didn't really mind the bar but there were tables that sat empty the entire time we were there. Considering it was very busy, it wasn't a quick meal, either, the seating situation was perplexing.

So all in all, it wasn't terrible but I also won't be back which is too bad. I really...

Visited during happy hour (8 PM-10 PM, Friday & Saturday). Ordered the $11 Kansas City Roll, $6 crab rangoons, and $6 gyoza.

Food: • Sushi (Kansas City Roll): I gave it 3 stars because the flavor was a bit one-dimensional. The cream cheese, spicy mayo, fried tempura, and smoked salmon all blended together without anything standing out. I usually prefer sushi with added freshness, like cucumber or avocado, to balance the flavors, so this roll didn’t meet my expectations. That said, the portion size and price were fair for what you get. • Crab Rangoons: They come with a spicy sauce by default, which I found too hot for my taste. I typically enjoy crab rangoons with a sweet and sour sauce. Once I asked for a similar option, it was much better, but I wasn’t a fan of the standard sauce. • Gyoza: No complaints here. They were flavorful with a nice crisp on one side, which I really enjoyed.

Service: The service was fine—nothing extraordinary, but no issues either. It wasn’t very busy for a Friday night, which was nice.

Overall, the prices were good, worth trying for happy hour, but I was underwhelmed...