Grey Whale Sushi & Grill — Restaurant in Lincoln

Grey Whale is next to Blue Orchid and Boiler Room, in the Grand Manse Building (which is worth visiting for the architecture alone). The atmosphere is very casual and comfortable.

Nice things: lovely hot towel before the meal (silly how such a small thing can upgrade the experience), complimentary house soup (chicken-based broth with fresh mushrooms and a single ramen noodle on the bottom; fresh and flavorful); charming and knowledgeable Chef Owner Hui; staff who seemed to be in training on some things but were eager to please; the FRESH, varied, delightful sushi.

I had the Black & Gold sake, which was icy-cold and tasty. After the house soup, I started with the yellowtail & jalapeno appetizer, which I have enjoyed at other places. What a treat. I eat a lot of sushi, and really appreciate spanking fresh fish, and this yellowtail was practically flopping in the boat. Delicious. I saw that they have hamachi collar as well, which I haven't had since living in L.A.; I'll have to get that next time.

The special rolls are many and diverse. I decided on the Empire Roll. It was artistically presented and a perfect blend of fresh, spicy, sweet, and creamy. Chef Hui puts a lot of thought into balancing his rolls, which is clear from the result. I will come with friends next time, so we can order several rolls to share. They all sound so yummy. I may also get a sashimi platter, as it is presented in such a whimsical, artistic fashion.

Grey Whale truly has all the ingredients needed to make an excellent neighborhood sushi bar....

The sushi is great, but the service is very bad.

We placed an order for delivery at 5:30PM. We expected it to be a little late given it's Valentine's day. At 7:30PM we called. My husband called 3x and it went to voicemail. I called twice, they finally answered (not by saying the restaurant's name.. just "hello?" which was really awkward) and said it was being prepped right then. It's currently 8:30PM, and my order is just now being picked up. A previous driver was actually there at 8PM and cancelled because it wasn't ready, and the driver delivering it right now had to wait 15 mins. I don't think they were actually making my order when I called...

Honestly, I wish they had just cancelled my order or told me that it would be a 3 hour wait if they're swamped. That would've been the nicer thing to do instead of making us guess if we're ever going to receive the order.

I'd brush it off as just one really bad day, but this isn't the first time this has happened. We've had half our order delivered twice, and we've slower than usual service previously too. You'll notice this is a common theme in the reviews too..

I like the sushi, but there are other good options in Lincoln with better service. I don't think the food is worth the time spent waiting or headache when...

I cannot express how disappointed I am in this place. Our nephew planned the proposal to his girlfriend for three months in the Grand Manse, a place with sentimental meaning to them. His plan was to propose in the foyer and then family and friends would be waiting in the Grey Whale to celebrate with them.

He made the original reservation three months in advance and spoke with them 48 hours before the big day to confirm our party of 14. We went to the restaurant a couple hours before the event to drop off flowers and some other special items and were greeted with blank stares. After some conversation we assumed we had the issue worked out and the plan was safe. Forty five minutes before the big event we arrived at the restaurant to find that they had GIVEN OUR TABLE AWAY!!! No effort was made to accommodate us and it was clear they couldn’t care less about ruining what was a very special evening.

Thankfully we were able to make a last minute switch and another restaurant agreed to graciously accommodate us so the evening wasn’t totally ruined.

To say our family was furious and disappointed would be an understatement. I would never darken the doorstep of this establishment again if my life depended on it. Absolutely...