Kami Teriyaki & Sushi — Restaurant in Monroe

Kami, Teriyaki and Sushi was as to be expected. Though the prices were a little steep for teriyaki, the portions were huge and the taste was better than most teriyaki shops. To be perfectly honest, the spicy chicken teriyaki was possibly the best I've had in this state as far as teriyaki restaurants are concerned. If not the best then it definitely brings in the top three.

The service also was excellent. The young lady behind the register was efficient, knowledgeable about her products, and appeared to be overjoyed to serve us today. She made suggestions on food choices and was not pushing about tipping. Again, one of the best experiences I've had at a teriyaki shop in Washington State.

And of course there's always a downside. The atmosphere here is run of the mill. Part of that may be due to the fact that we went at lunch time during the lunch rush on a Thursday afternoon. But then again, perhaps a restaurant should plan on their being a lunch rush and have more than one person working. Though the restaurant was clean, they were several tables with chairs. Still stacked on them and customers lounging around. Waiting for the orders to come out. The table is were very close together, and I was bumped several times by customers coming in and trying to squeeze between me and the doorway. Perhaps a few less tables would make the dining experience there...

The woman working the front counter was nice and definitely means well, but the food was subpar. I am writing this review so that I can get better and not go out of business someday, because with food that bland it’s bound to happen. I’ve worked in roughly 30 restaurants in my life and I could tell that there was absolutely no seasoning done to anything in my tofu teriyaki, the sautéd side of vegetables I asked for was not good, they use the cheapest vegetables possible and they half-steamed them with no seasoning whatsoever. The bubble tea tasted chalky and all the boba’s were clumped together at the bottom. I paid $25 in hopes of getting a nutritious meal, but unless they use higher quality ingredients and care more about how they prepare them, they will probably be out of business in 5 years. Sorry to be so harsh but they definitely can turn the place around if they...

Pros:

-Kami makes the best sushi fresh and made to order -Tons of options! -The bubble tea is very good -They added crab rangoon to thier menu and it was perfect. Not dried out or overcooked. -Fast service once they took my order

Cons: -They didn't realize I was there for about 5 mins. They were in the back talking and laughing. (Not that it made a difference to me, and I know they just opened so maybe they were just getting situated), but they didn't have a bell to ding to lwt them know they had customers in the front of the house. -While the lettuce salad was crisp, they didn't dry it off completely so it was a bit too wet at the bottom. -The dining room is a bit more cluttered and chaotic.

Overall, I love this place and will continue to be my go-to for fresh sushi, teriyaki, and bubble...