Mizu Hibachi Sushi & Ramen — Restaurant in Kirksville

Updated: TLDR: The quality here has gone down DRASTICALLY in the last few months, seemingly because of staffing issues and administrative changes. Skimpier with ingredients. Sloppy production. LOOONG wait times. Go to Bonzai instead.

MENU: Sushi, bento boxes, real-deal ramen, hibachi griddle fare, and assorted fried items. No dessert items.

FOOD QUALITY: Hit and miss, depending on whether you're dining in or getting it to go. Bento boxes are clearly popular, though I've never had one. Sushi rolls are kinda same-same. LOTS of cream cheese.

MENU FAVORITES: Fried calamari, gyoza, tuna mango tataki, philly roll, Japanese bacon roll, snow white roll. Must try the yum-yum sauce.

FRONT OF HOUSE SERVICE: Waiters don't take your order here; you pay at the counter, and they bring it out to you. If you want to save time, read their online menu in advance and order when you arrive.

KITCHEN SERVICE: My biggest criticism of Mizu is that the kitchen staff don't coordinate their timing. They have several different stations all working independently, and they don't even attempt to have food come out in a logical sequence, OR have food ready at the same time for to-go orders. On one occasion I placed a to-go order and waited while they made it... my calamari was the first thing to come out, so it sat there for twenty minutes while the sushi cooks caught up. Needless to say, my beloved calamari was soggy and disappointing. On another occasion, I dined in with some friends... we ordered an assortment of things and shared with each other. One of the items we chose was the edamame. We finished all of our food, and then waited a good ten minutes on top of that, before the edamame finally arrived. They really need to work on getting the timing to line up better.

ATMOSPHERE: Mizu has one of the coolest decors among Kirksville restaurants. It definitely has a casual, quick-service vibe, but well designed nonetheless. Well-lit and reasonably comfortable....

My husband and I wanted to be really excited for this meal. We ordered on the phone at 11:41am and were told it would be 25 minutes max. We got there at 12:20pm and there was a massive line. No issue but we felt like for the money spent it felt like waiting in line at McDonalds. We had to yell at each other over the music which was extremely off putting. We said that we had a pick up and the order slip was still on the wall. They didn’t even touch making it 40 minutes after the order was placed.

They were put out order together as we stood there. Yay fresh food? At 12:52pm we were finally able to leave with our meal. $47 plus tip. The salad is literally a mix from Walmart that’s almost $6 for a single serving. The rolls are 1/3 the size of rolls we have bought at several sushi places. The cucumber and avocado (avocado was rock solid) rolls had zero taste (I get these every time we go to Kobe in Columbia and I always feel full plus the taste is out of this world). My husband got a Mango Tango roll and he ate 1 and 1/2 pieces and spit it out. The tuna was dry and rubbery. Spring rolls were ice cold and reminded us of packing peanuts. The Thai iced tea was absolutely great though. You pay $2 for a single cup and $2 for a single lid for condiment containers… they had this on the shelf behind them.

We wanted to love this place and the reviews gave us hope however that hope died really really really quick. We were planning to try eating in the restaurant to see if there is a difference but after the food being expensive and no different than stuff we could buy at Walmart plus the loud music? Maybe between eating the sushi in San Antonio and Detroit my standards are too high. I don’t think we are going...

I came a few days ago to order take out. It’s was extremely busy which is awesome for them but seemed like they definitely need more help which is understandable as this place just opened. I asked the lady at the front what she recommended and she said the Cali roll…really? So I ordered that as well as they steak teriyaki bento box to go with rice and then the wait began. I sat for around 35 minutes watching utter chaos, again, understanding I have worked in the service industry my entire life. I watched as togos where coming out of the kitchen and sat down and didn’t move. While one gentleman who was very cheerful ran around trying to figure out where orders went for customers sitting at tables. After 30 minutes I stood up and said I have to return to work so please see if my order is ready?? The gentleman said oh yes it’s been ready and hands me a bag. He said sorry for your wait. Upon getting home the sushi, Cali roll was a total mess in the box and I tried my best to eat what I could, it was okay. The bento box was not impressive. I ordered my steak mid rare and it was WELLDONE. Not much of it either, the rice was pretty good but the spring rolls reminded me of the tiny ones you get from the freezer section at the store. Overall the inside is cute and the owner and others were very sweet. Going back in a month or so to give them some time to get better prepared and will try the ramen. Hate to leave a negative review so I am not, just suggesting a few things. Wish them luck, God knows we need a...