Gaia Sushi — Restaurant in Lawrence

Went in with a friend on a Friday night. Host said he just needed to clean a table for us. I look around and there are 4 tables not yet bussed or reset, yet the restaurant seems fully staff. There are 3 waiters, and 2 other hosts, but I'm not really sure since I don't see them doing anything. Thought that was strange. We get sat and our server took our drink orders. She comes back with our waters but our cocktail never arrived. Looked over and realized there is no one behind the bar. All of the servers seems frantic and flustered. We get out apps, we got miso soup and edamame, both of which were luke-warm. Had to ask our server for silverware and napkins, and she only returned with one even though there were two of us. After devouring those because we were starving, half of our order arrives. We thought that was also strange but ate it anyways. We flag down our server to ask about our drink we never got. She said she would check on it, and returns to tell us they're "working on it", but again, no one is behind the bar even though there are plenty of staff in this small restaurant. We finally get our drink which was so-so, by the time we finish, we still hadn't received the other half of our order. It was at this time I approach our server and ask for the check because we've had enough of this nonsense. I also ask for half off of our drink because we waited over 30 minutes for it. She nervously says she will ask the manager. She comes back and tabs us out, but the "manager" only discounted 20% from the drink. I've been a waitress for over 10 years, and I am very sympathetic to waitstaff of poorly managed restaurants, but this should have been handled by a manager swiftly and correctly. Instead this place was filled with people seemingly confused on how...

The space looks flat and poorly designed like a rushed opening. The servers were still figuring things out so we went in with open minds.

We ordered a sashimi appetizer first. It was nine very small pieces of fish. The tuna sashimi was very salty and tasted like it was brined to prevent spoilage. The yellow tail had been torched on the outside and was so tough you had to chew it like gum. The salmon sashimi was ok but lacking in fresh flavor.

We ordered Yakisoba with Teriyaki chicken from the kitchen to see what skills the cook had. It was well done and plated nicely.

I ordered some nigiri sushi and a salmon roll. The shari (sushi rice) was horrible. The first thing you tasted was a mouth full of vinegar and the rice was under cooked. I am assuming the Shari mix with the rice was poorly done in preparation of the sushi rice. Some pieces had no taste like white rice. It was the worst sushi I have ever had anywhere.

They use a bell to let the servers know the dishes are ready and it’s annoying as hell. Find a way to simply prepare the sushi and plate it on top of the sushi fish refridge case. Have the servers pick it up there. Let them know it’s ready with a quick holler of “Deki Agari” which in Japanese means this dish is ready.

The wife had a sushi roll and the same disappointment with the sushi rice. The pathetically skinny slice of fish on the roll left a lot to be desired.

I personally will never go back. I can’t see how this place will stay in business downtown with rent as high as it is.

For now Nagoya is the go to for sushi in town unless you are willing to drive to Kura sushi on the plaza, which is the best thing anywhere...

Gaia has big shoes to fill with the relocation of Ramen Bowls, which was a loved town-favorite in this building for many years. You can expect great service and some interior flair, but at the time of this review (dining date on 7/2/24) , many of their recipes deserve a complete overhaul.

Sushi is my favorite food; both novelty rolls from the midwest and authentic sushi-ya dishes from the coast and on Hawaii. I can also get down with some grocerystore California rolls, too. I don't have particularly high standards and appreciate dishes of all price ranges, however, Gaia's headline event 'all-you-can-eat sushi' falls flat and beneath expectation.

The rice was not prepared appropriately. Too starchy, and almost flavorless. Sushi rice is a simple recipe that I can prepare at home with decent quality grains, some rice vinegar, and a pan to wash the excess starch with. Without good rice, all you have is the quality of the fish and garnish, and in Kansas (where, expectedly, most all our seafood is at least 3 days after harvest) that's a very uphill battle. The same flavorless symptom extends to some fish as well; yellowtail is a personal favorite, but I was disappointed with how it was prepared.

The fried appetizers are great! I enjoyed the fried scallops and the takoyaki absolutely passed the vibe check. Of the non-sushi items I tried, all were good. Consider these safe-picks!

I would be willing to try Gaia again in the future after a period of implementing customer feedback. It has the potential to become a new downtown staple for townies and college folk alike. Give them a try to support a new local businesses and help make it a...