Shibui Japanese Restaurant — Restaurant in Kendall

Update review: Disappointed by changes. The service & experience is not how it used to be. Although the food here is good, my boyfriend and I don't go here for ONLY food - we go for the atmosphere and service that Shibui has offered us for some time now. The service was always great and above and beyond. We went for a 5 year anniversary tonight and came out bummed by the changes. It was as if the service doesn't care anymore to put in the effort that made Shibui stand out from just being a restaurant. Here are some examples...And I hope the restaurant actually reads these reviews. When I made this reservation a couple weeks ago, I mentioned it was for a 5 year anniversary for 2. The times we have gone and said it is a birthday or anniversary, they would set out something nice like cute napkins and sparkles on our table. There was no such thing this time. When I had called for the reservation, it felt like they were rush rush rush and now I know why. They have added Lunch Takeout to their menu. To me, this is a huge mistake on their part. Shibui, as I said, has not only been about food, but about the experience and atmosphere it offers. Now they are focusing on food and now adding too many options which lowers the quality of the food and service. Next, the actual dinner experience. Our waiter was not one of the usual ladies that was there, which is ok, but to me his service was average. He did not bother to kneel down to our level to take our order or pour our Sake. (We sat on the second floor where you sit traditional Japanese style, our usual space). In the past, our experience has been that the waitresses have always done little gestures that make you feel like an important customer and make it a great experience. This time around, no such feeling from the waiter. He wasn't exactly rude, but he was doing the bare minimum. Serve food, no experience. He poured uneven amounts of sake because he couldn't bother going down to see what he was doing. He forgot our soy sauce dishes. Also, the vibe felt so informal? He kept saying gotcha and even other waiters I noticed had this laid back, quickly jot down the order and go vibe. Again, not our usual experience...Anyway, towards the end, while we were enjoying our dessert, we had just started it when the waiter came with the bill in the middle of our conversation that I almost forgot what I was talking about. We hadn't even requested it yet. Getting it shown to us like that so fast felt like a whole "hurry up and get out of here so we can feed more people." Shibui used to be 5 stars to me, no questions or hesitations. This time, it's more like a 3 star and only because of the sushi. The sushi this time was still good quality to me although I feel like they changed our favorite, the Spider Roll, a little. But it was still good. Our appetizer wasn't that great though. We had this beef that had scallions in the middle. It tasted like nothing except with the sauce of course. It didn't even taste salted. Overall, I hope Shibui figures out what they want to do...because it is not what it used to be.

Shibui is the best Japanese restaurant in Miami. It's our (mine and my bf's) favorite place to go for special occasions. Their sushi is high quality! The best is the Spider Roll. I really love that the second floor is traditional Japanese seating. It makes the experience even more fun and unique compared to...

I want to begin by expressing how much my husband and I love Shibui—it has been our favorite restaurant for years. The food is consistently excellent, and the service is always wonderful. With our busy lives and children, we rarely get the opportunity for a quiet date night, but when we do, we always choose Shibui.

That being said, whenever possible, we prefer to sit at a specific table near the bathroom. It’s a cozy, secluded corner where we can enjoy an intimate dinner. We understand and appreciate that Shibui now recommends reservations, which we always make to ensure a seamless dining experience.

However, during a previous visit, we requested to be moved to our preferred table after being seated, but we were told it was reserved. We respected that decision, but we later noticed that the table remained empty throughout our entire visit.

We visited yesterday (3/22/25) at 6:30 PM, and our preferred table was occupied when we arrived, but as we got our menus, the guests left. We again requested to move, but the host/manager declined, stating that the table had been reserved for a guest with a wheelchair. This was surprising, as navigating a wheelchair to that table seems impractical given the restaurant’s layout. Additionally, since we are regulars and typically order and finish our meals quickly, we would have been done well before the reservation holder arrived.

When I followed up with the host/manager about the reasoning, I was given a different explanation—that the table was reserved for someone with a neurological disorder who preferred a secluded space. We respected this, but by the time we finished our meal at 7:00 PM, the table was still empty. As we waited for the check, at 7:18 PM, a customer was finally seated there—just a mother and her son enjoying dinner. Out of curiosity, I politely asked if she had specifically requested that table, and she confirmed that she had simply asked for a quiet spot (same as us), with no mention of any special accommodation.

As loyal customers, we were disappointed by the inconsistency in the reasoning provided by the host/manager. We understand that reservations are necessary, but keeping a table empty for nearly an hour results in lost revenue and, in this case, prevented us from enjoying our usual spot when it was otherwise available.

We will, of course, continue dining at Shibui, as it remains our favorite restaurant. We recommend it to everyone. Kimi is great! However, we hope that in the future, seating policies are managed with greater transparency and flexibility. Thank you for taking the time to consider...

Shibui has been a family staple for this community for such a long time, but a while back for some reason my whole family stopped coming since we had noticed a decline in food. This past Sunday I finally got my dad to come back in which I am so glad that we did since our meal was nothing less than phenomenal! Sunday around 7 and the place was pretty packed, loud per usual. We were seated promptly and handed their large menus. I'd definitely say take your time digesting the menu since its vast and offers so many great options.

My family always holds on to the menu and order as we go so to start with we got the garlic mussels, the spicy octopus salad, and the fried pork shumai. The garlic mussels were a tad over cooked but really my only complaint for the entirety of our meal----the garlic flavor and vegetables they serve it with are amazing. The thinly sliced octopus salad has a nice kick but not at all overwhelming and was a refreshing start to the meal. The pork shumai was breaded and fried---scrumptious!

Next we ordered three more menu items per person for all of us to share. For my boyfriend, we got the hamachi kama (grilled hamachi collar bone) that was absolutely perfect. The skin is crispy but the flesh is juicy enough that you can pick it off with your chopsticks---I highly recommend it! For me, I ordered my favorite roll which is the dragon roll topped with rainbow. All the fish was fresh and the shrimp within huge! My dad went for the mix-itame which is a seafood udon noodle stir fry meal that comes with rice and soup/salad. It was a large plate and absolutely filled with various seafood soooooo tasty! The sauce they use is tangy and sweet but not overwhelming. I will say the miso soup was pretty horrible which threw me off guard, it just tasted like it hadn't been cooked long enough so the tofu had a plastic taste.

So why the four instead of five? Shibui was surely delicious but I will nit pick and say that my mussels were overcooked which was pretty disappointing since it came with so many. Also, this is no cheap eat so for the price I'm paying for each dish I expect quality which all the other dishes...