Shokunin Sushi and Japanese Cuisine — Restaurant in Lincoln

Found this place out online and wanted to try it out for the first time since we loved Japanese cuisine. Mind you this is 2 people. We walked in and first reactions were confusion as there were people up front waiting and paper sign that says please wait to be seated. Which was okay at first but there wasn’t a sign of someone up front to take names or holding spots. After 5-7 minutes of standing around we get greeted by a gentleman. There were other groups of people waiting to get sat which I understand so we got sat down first. Waters were dropped off and the waiter sounded like it was his first week serving with zero to no customer service whatsoever.

No introduction no nothing. I got the spicy seafood ramen and my friend got the Pork Katsu and for appetizers, shrimp shumai and calamari tempura. Got the appetizers out pretty quickly. First thing I notice on the 9$ order of calamari is there was 6 pieces. 6 SMALL strips. That kind of ruined my mood since the calamari I always order from other places had WAY more. Shrimp Shumai(steam) was by far THE BEST THING we’ve had tonight. Soft and delicious.

Next came the entrees. My friend got the katsu and I got the spicy seafood ramen. We each tried each others. Katsu sauce didn’t taste appetizing. Honestly would’ve taken ketchup with it. The Katsu by itself was the best part. My ramen didn’t look too appetizing. Even though it was “spicy”, they could’ve sprayed on some chili oil instead of making the bowl beet red. Lacked flavor. 3/10. Best part was the shrimp. We also had the Calamari Roll or whatever it was called. It was a 6/10. 2nd Best part of the dinner.

Came over once to see how we were doing and we had to flag him down for refills. Once we finished and was ready to pay, we sat there for a good 5-10 minutes waiting for him while he stood up front talking. Once he finally came to give us our check, he came over 3 different times to see if we've paid yet. Extremely impatient. Finally once we paid we left.

Moral of the story? Not worth 80$. Great Appetizers? Yes. Good Service? Probably not. Won't be coming back. I was so looking forward to trying some AUTHENTIC...

Normally good but tonight was terrible. Ordered from the pictoral menu. What was brought was prepared nothing like the description, nor did it look anything like the photo. What we received contained none of the ingredients we ordered.

It was brought to the table and I told the wait staff it was wrong. Then I met with the sushi maker and explained it wasn't what we ordered. I showed him the photo and description. He merely shrugged his shoulders at me. Later, after a night of being ignored by our waitress. We left the table to wait for our check at the waitresses POS system. She walked by me 1/2 a dozen times ignoring us as we waited. Finally I told the other waited if we didn't get a check we wouldn't be paying, but that I wasn't going to wait any longer.

We were able to get the check, and we were charged for the food that was wrong and that we didn't eat. It was a literal fight to get it taken off our bill. This place has gone down hill recently. I have spent about $5000 a year here. Not too bad for a small sushi dive. They will not get another dollar.

Sorry to lose my once favorite sushi place.

Also, please do something about all the fruit flies/gnats in the resturant. They were all in the fish and on customers tonight. Several tables were swatting at them including ours. Maybe clean your sewer...

Hands down the best sushi here in Lincoln, NE!!! My wife and I had a previous favorite, but ever since going to Shokunin, my wife says she wants no other sushi - nothing else can compare! While this restaurant may be around the corner and just off the beaten path, it is so worth finding & trying out! Real ramen - REAL! Haven't had anything like it since the Japanese sushi places in Asia. Real Japanese tea, too... not the fast, readymade stuff. The tuna melts in your mouth. I thought the newspaper was just joking when it mentioned that fact (in their review) - but when I tried it, I actually laughed - it does melt! Both traditional and also more Americanized sushi can be found here. According to the folks who work at Shokunin, a special chartered cargo flight - arranged by the owners of Shokunin, departs Japan every week with a stop in Los Angeles; and then direct to Lincoln, for the freshest ingredients... and boy, as mentioned before, you can't find anything like it anywhere in the region - totally fresh!!! Did I also forget to mention that the owners / master chefs are from the coast and are experienced in their craft, too (as I remember)? So, if you want the best - 235%+300% more best sushi in southeast... and I'd even dare to say eastern Nebraska, then you've got to try Shokunin - it is,...