Ni's Asian Bistro & Sushi Bar — Restaurant in Oro Valley

Disappointing First Visit – Won’t Be Returning

We were excited to try this sushi spot for the first time last night. The interior is charming and gives off an authentic, cozy vibe — definitely a promising first impression. We're regular sushi eaters and always looking for new favorites.

Unfortunately, the experience went downhill quickly. Our server seemed uninterested and unwelcoming from the start, giving the impression that we were inconveniencing her just by being there. We ordered two rolls, edamame, and a side of noodles, but were oddly told that no vegetables could be added to the noodles, which felt unnecessarily rigid.

When our food arrived, the waitress simply set the dishes at the edge of the table without passing them out or offering any information — not even a simple “enjoy.” Service was minimal and impersonal throughout.

The edamame had good flavor but was overcooked and mushy. The sushi presentation was lovely, but taste-wise, it was another story. One of the rolls had such a strong, fishy taste that we both had to spit it out — something we've never had to do with sushi before. The second roll was better but still nothing special.

No one checked in on us during the meal, and it wasn’t even busy. When we finally flagged someone down to mention the bad roll, the waitress told us they couldn’t remove it from the bill since we had tasted it. The manager later echoed that sentiment, saying that if we hadn’t touched it, they could’ve taken it back — implying they would have resold it, which raises serious concerns about food safety and hygiene, especially with raw fish.

In the end, they gave us a 50% discount on the roll, but the handling of the situation left a bad taste in our mouths — literally and figuratively. They also subtly suggested it was our fault for ordering the “wrong” item, which felt dismissive and unprofessional.

Sadly, this experience was a letdown. With so many great sushi restaurants in town that offer both quality food and friendly service, we won’t be returning. I’d recommend...

We decided to try this place instead of our usual go to sushi place because of the reviews. We will definitely be back. My first impression was wow! They did fantastic job changing this from an old pizza hut to a modern asian/sushi restaurant. The blue granite behind the bar is gorgeous and the booths are comfortable and private. I don't like sitting completely exposed in the middle of a restaurant when I'm pigging out on sushi. So the high backed booths and dim lights are a bonus. Downside is that it was a bit difficult to read the menus with aging eyes. The waitress had a personality that was difficult to read at first. She was the only one working the floor, probably tired, yet knowledgeable about the menu. She recommended the spicy edamame... it was not spicy but it was delicious! The seasweed salad was tasty and refreshing as well. We ordered a lot of sushi for two people. (We have 5 gremlins at home who scavage our leftovers). We had 3 of their specialty rolls, plus nigiri, plus regular rolls and a hand roll. The specialty rolls all looked alike on first glance. They were all tasty. We have no complaints on the food. I appreciated the presentation on the boat. All fresh, yummy, and beautiful dining. I do want to mention the menu. Its the one thing which had me consider removing a star. This restaurant has only been open a few months. They have already changed their prices and they chose to use a white out pen and handwrite the new prices over it. It looks tacky. So any menu posted on Google may not be the current prices. This cost about the same as our other sushi places. Maybe slightly higher than sushi cortaro. However, the atmosphere, service, and food were great overall. We are happy to have another sushi...

If I could leave a negative -1 star review I definitely would. This is my second time returning to this place and tbh the first visit should’ve been my last! The first time my husband and I went we walked inside and stood at the door for 5 minutes before another couple walked in right behind us, the server came up and took them to their seats before us, and we got there first! My husband said excuse me we were here first, the server then said well they came in before you and had to leave to get something so they were here first, we both thought that was pretty weird but we didn’t think much of it. So she came back to us and took us to our table. We sat there and waited about almost 15 minutes before a server came and even took our order for the drinks, and while she did that we just went ahead and placed our order for our food since we knew it was probably gonna be awhile before she came back to us. The food came out at a decent time and it was really good. After a second time coming we came at a really good time literally only 7 people in the whole restaurant, the server ends up putting us all the way at a corner booth pretty much where no one can see us, and we were at the table for almost 15 min before any one came up and took our order for drinks. Other people came in and got seated right next to us they literally just sat down and a server comes over to take their order for drinks! my husband and I just got up and walked out. Customer service is terrible, most likely will...