The Moon Sushi and Asian Bistro — Restaurant in Norman

Been coming here since Full Moon. My partner and I have always chosen the Moon over every other sushi shop around because we love the sushi and if only one of us wants sushi then the other has options. Their pork buns are ridiculously good and I tell everyone to come here just for them. I went to a ramen place in OKC a few months ago, tried one of their buns, and told their wait staff they needed to come in to the Moon to see how they should really be made.

The Moon has been a staple in our Friday date night rotation for a long time but after tonight we're going to try other places.

The lag time between the kitchen and sushi is insane. Doesn't matter if it is ramen, fried rice, tuna salad, or pork buns. Doesn't matter if it's a server whose been there forever, a newer employee, or the owner (I think he's the owner). Doesn't matter if it's 5, 6, or 7pm. Doesn't matter if they are at 75% or 100% capacity. Usually it's about 10 minutes between when the sushi comes out and the kitchen food comes out. One always comes out way before the other. Usually we will just stare at the single plate of food while we wait for the other's to come out. We've always tolerated it because we really enjoy eating here and want to support a solid local business. We have both worked in food service. We come in on Friday evenings when it is busy. We understand that things happen.

Tonight our kitchen order came out 25 minutes before the sushi. We appreciated that the sushi chef apologized to us for our wait but it wasn't their fault. Am I supposed to eat my plate while my partner sits there and watches me? And then I finish my food before their food comes out and then our roles reverse and I get to sit there and watch them eat? Can their ticketing POS not print off kitchen tickets with sushi wait times? Could none of the wait staff or management who all definitely saw my plate sitting in front of me untouched for nearly half an hour have come up and acknowledged this lapse in service?

This problem has persisted for years across numerous visits and I've left this feedback in my previous review to that effect. I've always given them the benefit of the doubt but this is just how the Moon operates. Their business appears to be quite successful and they allow the dysfunction between their kitchen and sushi bar to exist because it isn't affecting their profit. The issue continues because they allow it to continue and people like me continue to come back despite it.

They may have amazing food but it's not worth it when they don't care about the service they provide. The Moon has a fundamental lack of respect for...

First off I need to apologize. I told the waitress 3 weeks ago I'd write a review but screen broke and it was a whole thing, anyway here I am. Please read until the end as imma start with what I didn't like and end with a bang. This place at first glance is underwealming for sure. It's located in a slow shopping area next to a tattoo shop. Seriously if I hadn't googled "best sushi in Norman" I would have never stopped. Yet I did, and here my wife and I found ourselves walking through the doors of the unknown. When walking in the joint we first noticed it was quiet. They had 3 tvs all playing something different (not games, soaps) and it was incredibly dark in there. The atmosphere was lacking and the booths were a tad uncomfortable. We almost walked out, almost. I'm so glad we didn't. Once we sat ourselves we got edamame and a very nice waitress to help us out. I was impressed with the menu, or style of it. The sushi was both cooked and raw but what stood out were the combinations. I love hot food and the raw sushi side was filled with spicy sushi all with this cherry ghost sauce which was amazing. We ordered 3 rolls and I must say that pistachios on a sushi roll? Gamechanger. I asked about a Taki sushi roll I'd heard about and she said bring in a bag and they'll make em which leaves me thinking they really are about the customer. If you love sushi look past the atmosphere as they can change that. However the sushi isn't even the best part as delicious and creative as it was. They also have a few cooked items like these steam buns with pork belly. O these things were the bees knees, the creme de la creme. Amazing pillows that they make in house filled with pork belly, cucumber, lettuce and a sauce that brought it all together. I love sushi yet I'd go there again just for those buns. So visit, please go, you'll love the food if you're open to new sushi combinations and massive flavor at a reasonable price. My wife and I will return for sure and we hope to see...

EDIT: This place is still a complete delight, years and many other sushi dates later. The fish is always fresh and vibrant, the rolled sushi always stays together and never falls apart, the menu is affordable and has variety, the staff are helpful and interact with you like genuine people without a fake server-vibe, and they always have AMAZING and creative specials.

Our new favorite order altogether, for two people: Hercules, Adair, spicy tuna, and one chef special. The best chef special we've ever tasted there is the Strawberry Shortcake, which they made for Valentine's Day in 2021. I hope they consider keeping it on the menu permanently. Seriously, that combo of rolls gets me every time, and has such a great balance of tastes, textures, and types of fish.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: This is just great sushi if your biggest interest is in stylized rolls with a pretty good but relaxed vibe. I think it's improved over the last decade because when I used to live in Norman the quality was pretty good, but didn't wow me. And now that I live in a much bigger city with hella expensive sushi (that often tastes worse and costs much more than this), I either appreciate it more than I used to or it's just gotten better. Well, I bet both are the case!

What we really liked was that there was a pretty decent variety of fish in the various rolls, unlike some places where basically every roll is the same thing. They were rolled really cleanly and tight, so nothing fell apart at all. Colorful, fresh, and relativey creative flavor combos. Everything came out pretty quickly - especially considering the place was at least 1/3 full right when we got there at open, there was only one cheerful but efficient server, and one sushi chef to start the shift.

It's just...great! Not the fanciest menu or decor, but it just fits well overall for the price and...