Rio of Japan — Restaurant in Metuchen

There are certainly some trade-offs to being a little eccentric for a sushi restaurant. Simply put, some things on the menu work and some don't.

The King's Dragon roll, for example, had good flavor. The eel sauce was on point, with the eel itself being mostly bone-free. Whatever bones were left could easily be chewed into smaller pieces. The tempura shrimp was soggy and cold, so clearly it wasn't fresh. At least the tail was still crispy, but that's all that was crispy.

The Tuna Pizza really relies on its accompanied sauces for flavor. Otherwise, it was mostly plantain with some diced tuna sashimi on top and I'm not sure it could be called a "pizza." This appetizer definitely felt overpriced at $17. They could try making the plantain thinner and wider like flatbread or making it into large plantain chips and then topping it with raw tuna. Either way, the plantain was cooked well and the staff should definitely keep trying to make it work somehow.

As for the Chicken Teriyaki Bento, which was accompanied by a good light miso soup and a salad with no flavor (that radish dressing does absolutely nothing for the salad), the contents of the bento carried the charred flavor from burned food on the grill over to the bento itself. The food we received was not burnt, just had the smell and taste of burnt food. On the upside, the rice was lightly salted and balanced well with the veggies (zucchini, carrot, onion, maybe potato) which were noticeably saltier. The chicken was slightly dry, but otherwise tasty.

The restaurant staff did excellent in following our requests for no spicy sauces on any of the dishes, except for the Mango Passion roll, but that was my mistake. We went through each dish confirming whether or not there would be any spicy mayo or sriracha present in them, and asked for those sauces to be excluded. I made the mistake of assuming that the Mango Passion roll would automatically have that same request applied to it. This isn't necessarily a bad thing - the chefs follow directions and that's a plus.

Although there was spicy mayo on the Mango Passion roll, the cream cheese and mango sauce kept me from feeling the spiciness. I must admit this one tasted like a winner - me and my boyfriend both enjoyed this roll the most, along with the King's Dragon roll and the grilled veggies from the bento.

I noticed that all of the rolls were cut inconsistently - most were just too large for one mouthful to be comfortable chewing it. And like other reviews posted, the rice on each roll is thick for sushi roll standards, however the sushi rice itself IS seasoned to standards.

Traditional Japanese aspects seem difficult for this restaurant to execute, whereas the Latino touch this establishment is known for may be the only reason to revisit Rio of Japan. The fluffy and crunchy plantain used in the tuna pizza, the grilled rice and veggies from the bento, and the mango with cream cheese in a sushi roll - all amazing. Not every dish with the Japanese-Latino fusion works, but I urge you, Rio of Japan, to keep trying because you're onto something here.

Side note: the edible orchids were a lovely ornamental touch and resonated with the backdrop of wallflowers where we were seated.

For those wondering, we paid $71 (before taxes) for 2 rolls, 1 appetizer, and 1 generously...

Unacceptable Service and Subpar Food: An Empty Friday Night Tells the Story!!

I absolutely hate leaving bad reviews, but I have a solemn duty to warn the public: AVOID THIS PLACE! We had the misfortune of visiting this small, deceptively "elegant" restaurant, hoping for a culinary experience after being blown away by the rice at an authentic Japanese place out of state. Instead, we found a confused, overpriced disaster. Trying to take a chance off the beaten path was a colossal mistake. Our server, bless their heart, let slip that this place is some kind of ridiculous fusion of cuisines—Japanese influence with Spanish roots. A warning sign we should have heeded! We foolishly made reservations, assuming a small Metuchen spot would be packed at 6:30 PM on a Friday. Were we met with a lively, celebratory crowd? No! We were greeted by an EMPTY dining room—a ghost town! The server was friendly enough, answering all our questions while my wife and I waited for our daughters, savoring the only good thing that touched our table: a decent aperitif. But then, the absolute collapse of service began! They didn't just drop the ball; they spiked it into the dirt and walked away. We waited a torturous 45 minutes for our food, only for it to arrive staggered like a pathetic parade! A full 15-minute gap between the first and last plate—an entire hour to get our mediocre meal! And the food itself? Subpar is generous! The so-called Japanese rice was utterly bland—a tasteless insult! We had to drown it in soy sauce just to introduce the faintest hint of flavor! Then came the final, infuriating blow: the check. A party of four at this forgettable, empty, and poorly run establishment cost us almost $300! Three hundred dollars for a meal that tasted like despair and took an eternity to serve! The fact that only five tables were occupied the whole night speaks volumes. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY! DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME! This bland, disorganized, and ridiculously overpriced restaurant should be avoided at all costs. Go to Hatch 44 instead! They actually know how to...

Unfortunately, the worst attitude I’ve ever seen. We have been ordering from Rio of Japan for a long time. We’ve been ignoring the rudeness of the folks that run the restaurant because we really like the food. We eat here at least once a week, tip generously, never argue, even if they miss items on our order. Which is a very regular thing with them. They do not even acknowledge their mistake. We ordered take out today and when we got there to pick up, they hadn’t made the food. Their problem was that we picked a lunch combo and ordered three of the same sushi rolls. The lunch combo says pick any three rolls. We assumed that we could order the same roll as a part of the combo. We’ve been ordering this every time. Anyway when my wife got there to pick up, the guy who makes the sushi, very rudely told my wife that she had to pay 8 more dollars as penalty for ordering the same roll. Till she did that he wouldn’t make our food. Without any hesitation, my wife paid whatever they asked for because were not confrontational people and we appreciate people working hard to earn their living. What was not ok was the tone, especially when there were other customers, and also the demand for more money. If they do not want people the same roll for a combo they’ve put together they should put a disclaimer and not embarrass customers. We’ve put up with their terrible attitude fore a long time. It is sad that we will never eat here again, because we really like their food. Each time we’ve ordered from here, they make it a point to leave out a few items. Last time it was 2 apple juices ($5). So, they kept the 5 dollars and the tip too. We always tip generously so if they simply asked, we would have obliged to pay higher. But such cheap tricks are not welcome. I wish them good luck, but their terrible attitude is not acceptable and we will not eat...