Banzai Sushi Bar — Restaurant in Oʻahu

So we came here based off of the reviews expecting a great sushi place. Let me start off by saying that we eat sushi regularly, we are from Toronto Ontario and normally pay around $30/ $35 person. Tonight we decided to treat ourselves, we knew that this place wasn’t an all you can’t eat but we figured that this place must be worth it based on the reviews and the fact that w are literally surrounded by fish.

We arrived around 7pm, the server who didn’t make any eye contact was very cold about how many tables were there before us and that we would have to wait. That’s fine (unusual considering there were 6 open tables right at the entrance but ok) so we waited 30 minutes and came back and they had miraculously found a table for us and seated us. We then waited 20 minutes for a server to even acknowledge us. This was also strange considering they had roughly 6 of them floating around the dining area with only a maximum of 20 tables. As soon as our server arrived we placed our entire meal order hoping to expedite the process including a soft drink order and order for Sake. The Sake arrived within the first few minutes which was great. However, our first order of rolls only arrived at our table AN HOUR after it was ordered, and every subsequent food order came out every 15 minutes after. We spent TWO HOURS dining (waiting) and they couldn’t even complete everything we ordered.

Aside from the absurd time it took to prep and serve the food, the quality was mediocre at best. This was about the same if not a little lower than All-you-can-eat sushi grade and quality. The Salmon was almost powdery? The rice was not sticky, the rolls did not stay together, the rest of the fish was somewhat rubbery or smelled. Due to the unreasonable amount of time they made us wait the server us “complimentary” Edamame. This was basically two tablespoons of salt with some warm beans on the side, awful. The only item that was somewhat enjoyable was the Tuna Sashimi but for $25 for 5 small pieces it should have been.

Our total bill was $186.00 we feel like we were ripped off. Our frustration got the better of us and we simply asked for the cheque and told Them to cancel our remaining order because to be honest we were sore from sitting for what was approaching 2 and a half hours.

Avoid at all cost. Seek out a more reputable Sushi restaurant closer to the city with chefs that know how to create and prepare good sushi with quality ingredients complimented by a reasonably competent wait staff because Banzai Sushi clearly possesses none of these...

We were hungry and wanted a bite to eat. We waited around 30 minutes for the first available seating. We were seated in the floor seating area. We ordered our dishes and about 20 minutes later the appetizer came out(edamame). Then my son's ahi karaage. The space on the table started being an issue because it feels like the table was only meant for two people with the amount of space to put dishes. Then the server came to say they didn't have enough of the special and would need to wait for the fish to thaw out if I wanted so, I changed to the Sesame Miso Yaki Salmon. It was another 30 minutes before our dishes came out. Our dishes came out with the salads. It would make more sense to send the salads out before the dishes because my main dish would get cold while eating the salad or the salad would get warm while eating my main dish. Also, there was no room on the table for the dishes, salads and water. After finishing the main dishes, we realized my Lemon Drop Roll never came out and told them to cancel it. Not sure how a roll could take an hour and a half to two hours to make. The food we ate was delicious, but the experience was not what we expected for the price point. I would be willing to give this place another try if it doesn't look busy because it seems the kitchen can't...

Food was good and cocktails are good but sort of small. The atmosphere is nice, we sat down at the floor which is sort of cool and different. The service (at least when we went) was horrible, I mean the waiter was nice but the food came way before any of the drinks that we ordered (what place does that?). At the end of our meal, we asked for the bill and put down our credit card. After at least 10 minutes, the server came to pick it up, went back inside, and cane back saying that the system was down so that we needed to pay in cash for a meal over $70. We didn't have that much cash (no one told us ahead) so she suggested a random ATM 3 minutes away. I went to the ATM, paid over $3 in commission to get the amount and went back to the restaurant. The waitress apologized for the inconvenience, and we said it was fine. She went back inside, came out again saying the system was now working so if we wanted, we could pay with card. ATM owner is happy with this. Me, not so much. Took us 2 hours of our time to finish a meal that should have taken 1hour. I wouldn't care that much if it weren't because what I want to do in Oahu is enjoy the island and not deal with this sort of stuff. I hope other people have a better experience. We probably were not that lucky that day. First world...