Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill - Columbus Circle — Restaurant in New York

Wow. Then the word "pathetic" comes to mind. We're staying at hotel and put our name down to reserve a table. They said might be an hour or so and will send text. We went to have drinks at bar and wait. Very crowded with a man and a women trying to seat people for restaurant. Man had zero personality and was creepy. After an hour, I check at desk for table. Clearly overwhelmed, it's not ready yet. Okay fine. Another drink. Then 5 minutes later a text comes, table is ready. We check in with creepy, zero personality guy who tells me after we waited over an hour - "How long were we going to be?" He said he could give us a table right away but we can only eat in an hour and he'd need the table back. This after waiting an hour for a table! Are you kidding me? How absolutely inconsiderate. We asked how long it would be for a table we could HAVE OUR MEAL AT PROPERLY and he said maybe 15 minutes so we decide to wait. Now? Our seats at the bar obviously have been taken. So we stand 20 minutes until table is ready. Upon entering he offers us 2 tables and saw others free. We sit down. Waiter came over quickly. We ordered and food came. Ribs were good and fell off bone. Tempora shrimp were good but not for $20.000 for what you got. We ordered a spicy crab roll and avocado roll. Spicy crab came with an asparagus roll. What the hell? Avocado roll was ordered, but beer that was ordered and milk -never came. We had to flag two servers down separately to get the beer and another for the milk. Avocado roll was fine. Nothing special. The fried chicken came. Under seasoned. At the very least for the price they should BRINE the chicken. Hot honey was fine. What a Boring dish but it least it came out right. My husband's sushi was good not great. We both looked at each other and said, "what would you rate this place?" We decided a C- possible D+. We have zero idea why its so crowded. Very unfriendly staff who have zero personality, front desk staff are just not running things properly and seating whoever walks up and has others wait, inside, no one spoke to us about the menu -just "Have you decided what you want?", wrong sushi sent out, chicken was bland, drinks forgotten, staff had no pleasantries especially the sushi bar when I took our son to see how they make the sushi. Not one of them acknowledged us or smiled. Why people would come here is a mystery. There are soooo many delicious sushi places in the city then to wait and have an experience like this. And the food was sub par. Average at best. Would Never come back here and certainly would never recommend. Horrible experience for an average meal where no one cared. We deserve better. You deserve better. ...

great diverse menu (for non-sushi lovers), excellent service. Covid vaccine checks were consistent!

Rating varies for the different types of food given the price point.

Appetizers: 5 stars - more detailed reviews below. Crispy rice - one of the best I’ve had! Fish was very very fresh and the rice was perfectly crispy Sake tartar (salmon tartar) - excellent - fish was fresh Edamame - traditional , same as you’d get at a normal sushi spot Lamb chops - perfectly cooked, well flavored. It sat atop of sweet potato mashed which I enjoyed! Tiger shrimp tempura - good size shrimp, good breading, perfectly fried Blue ribbon chicken wings - super yummy. If you don’t get this as an entree, worth getting an app size Wild Mushroom Roast - very good, flavorful. Mushrooms aren’t my fav but they were a hit with the rest of the table! Oxtail Miso - very very good, flavorful broth. Didn’t get a chance to try the oxtail ramen, but suspect it’s delicious

Entrees: 4.5 stars.

Sushi - 4 stars - very good sushi but 4 stars given the price point. very good selection and variety of fishes/cuts.

Fried chicken - 4.5 stars - super delicious (app and entree). Def a must have if you’re a fried chicken lover. expensive for fried chicken but worth it if you’re there

Oxtail fried rice - 5 stars - delicious, flavorful, highly recommend

Desserts: 5 stars

Green tea crème brûlée - delicious! Fun twist on the traditional crème brûlée Ginger bread pudding - super yummy. Fun winter twist to a traditional dish Mochi - green tea and black sesame. Very good,...

food 3ish stars overall experience 4 stars

dined with family at Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill. the interior has a modern Japanese feel. lots of warm dark woods in the dinning area. entrance is via a hotel lobby. the interior is very neat and well-maintained…yet i felt it would be more fancy / upscale. there is a small bar in the entrance area.

to be quite frank, the food at BRSG is fine and sufficient. for the price, i felt it would be wow-inspiring (drinks + appetizers + a mix of rolls + tip will cost ~$200 per person). the normal rolls are okay/good. the specialty rolls are a bit more interesting and have varied flavors. like the shrimp tempura specialty rolls was probably my fave, but you could have that roll anywhere in NYC. i don’t know if ost-pandemic / supply chain / labor shortages are still affecting BRSG, but the overall vibe of the restaurant and eats just made me feel like there is something missing regarding both. as a not, if you eat in the booth area…the acoustics are terrible and this area gets pretty loud…would definitely not sit in this area if you are looking for an intimate dinner or a quiet one.

the staff are friendly and accommodating. our server seemed new and not very seasoned. also the staff are kinda dressed casually—expected a way sharper modern look for a restaurant in the heart of Columbus Circle. i would have given this place 3ish stars for the food but I rounded up for the service and potentially they were...