Sokai Sushi Bar Downtown — Restaurant in Miami

If i could i will rate this place “0”. We ordered a dish that costs $27. Please see picture attached. I think the picture says it all. In addition, Armando the manager handled things in an extremely poor manner. Besides, we had to wait like almost 30 minutes for this dish (see picture), we returned it and Armando, in the middle of our “lunch” (my friend shared his dish with me because we had to go back to work - we could not afford waiting more), Armando decides to interrupt, while eating, asking for us to explain our discontent (dish picture is self explanatory), instead of looking for solutions to have their customers happy, he wanted to go over and argue who was right or wrong about an artificial crab - seriously Armando! In the middle of our lunch break ?! Just look at the dish and the poor quality for $27 ?? . This ruined our lunch time. There are AMAZING places in miami so dont waste your money here were the service is extremely poor and the quality of food is as well, not in line with their asking fees and costs (a very poor quality sushi roll for $27? I can get escargot for $24 at Pastis one of the best place in town) . Also, please train your managers properly especially Armando. The server Lelianny was amazing professional and exceptional , she managed the table way better than Armando did. To conclude , A total rip-off - 1 dish , 1 edamame, and 1 san Pellegrino for a total of $50 dollars - Quality of food ? NOT fresh at all. Plus Armando service ruined the overall experience …. Please do yourself a favor , go to Bunbury across the street , you will have and amazing experience, above and beyond , food is fantastic, exquisite , and you will end up paying way less, oh ! And Service is top of the line in Bunbury , just across the street of this Sokai . Ceviche 105 have the best ceviches and their starting asking price for a ceviche that is fresh is $19 (with fresh and top quality fish). The ceviche at sokai and as per the attached receipt, it cost was $28 - serouo Sokai ?!?!!! it was not fresh at all (sorry I didn’t took a picture of the paid ceviche but receipt is attached). Terrible place. Stay away. There are much better...

Look - the food is delicious. Aside for some slightly mangled sashimi, we were blown away by everything we ordered (I could kill 10 of the wagyu tartare tacos!). They’re well balanced with a heavy emphasis on big flavors.

The experience itself was beyond strange though. The restaurant was dead empty on a Saturday night; with more staff (owners?) hanging around than customers inside. The playlist was strange for a Peruvian Sushi fusion (Charlie Pugh, George Michael, Four Non Blondes, Adele to name a few). Windows have a heavy tint which would usually imply a moody atmosphere within, but the lighting inside was normal and bright - it actually gave off a gloomy ghost town tone having the outside (with more tables) cut off visually.

We were informed they no longer carry soju but haven’t updated the menu, so the only alcohol options were beer, aperol, and a heavy emphasis on wine. Which, again, is just a bit strange for the cuisine.

The napkins and chopsticks are branded with local automobile sponsors for some reason. The television has a phone number for a realty company underneath.

The menu is absolutely massive, including many ingredients only used in single dishes. When combined with the cost cutting measures of the sponsors, plus the lack of business on a weekend night; it doesn’t instill confidence of freshness which you need with a sushi place (I ordered hot food).

Food service was really slow considering we were the only table. The mangled sashimi came out way later than the rolls, and in general seemed like a bottleneck in the kitchen (what would they have done if Saturday night hadn’t been entirely dead?)

Anyways - check the place out. It’s genuinely really delicious, to a point where I’m not local and still came to write a rare review in the interest of potentially helping them improve so more people can eat the tasty food. Our impression was it’s a brilliant chef and a newbie restauranteur or business owner hitting a lot of self inflicted wounds that made our overall experience more of a 2 star if it weren’t...

An Exceptional Experience at Sokai Sushi Bar

From the moment I walked into Sokai Sushi Bar, I knew I was in for an extraordinary experience. Every detail of the restaurant exudes a tranquil atmosphere, setting the stage for an exquisite sushi meal.

Right from the start, our waitress, Gaby, made us feel incredibly welcome. Her warm, friendly demeanor paired with exceptional attentiveness truly elevated our dining experience. Gaby was not only responsive but also keen on ensuring that we had everything we needed for a memorable evening.

Now, on to the star of the show - the sushi. It was, in a word, outstanding. Every bite was a testament to the chef's skill and dedication to maintaining high-quality standards. The fish tasted incredibly fresh, melting away in the mouth with a delicate harmony of flavors. The sushi was prepared exactly the way I expected - a perfect balance between traditional craftsmanship and artistic presentation.

This dining experience at Sokai Sushi Bar was not just about the food, but the entire package - the attentive service, the serene ambiance, and the mouth-watering sushi. It is evident that the staff here go above and beyond to create an unforgettable dining experience for their guests.

Sokai Sushi Bar is the place to be for an unforgettable sushi experience. I'm looking forward to my next visit and highly recommend this establishment to all sushi aficionados and anyone looking for a...