YUZU OMAKASE SUSHI — Restaurant in Phoenix

Alright Yuzu Omakase, gather 'round the sushi bar, let's talk shop:

First, let’s set the scene: I’m dropping $160 (after tax, tip, and fees—yeah, ouch!) on what should’ve been a culinary rendezvous. Instead, I got the "Hi, here's your fish, bye" treatment. C'mon guys, if I wanted cold, impersonal sushi served via conveyor belt, I'd hit up Kura Sushi—at least the robots there smile at me!

Let's talk small talk. Yusuke-san, staff: lighten up! Making conversation was like pulling unagi bones. Your website is great, sure, but if I wanted your biography I'd whip out my reading glasses. I wanted your story live, not on an "About Me" page!

I even told you this was my maiden voyage at your joint and didn't want to wait for the 20:00 omakase reservation. I curated my own version—bold move, I know—but you didn't meet me halfway. Next time, pace the sushi! Present it in a way that respects the fish and my taste buds. Take a cue from Sugarfish (I promise, nobody in Phoenix will notice you borrowed their moves—trust me, they're busy melting).

Hand roll timing? Epic fail. Seaweed was soggier than a monsoon-drenched Phoenix street. Garnishes? MIA. Black Cod and Red Shrimp deserved better, folks.

And what's with the nickel-and-dime routine? Want your scallops or albacore seared? Pay up! Want a sprinkle of caviar as a garnish? Fork over more cash! It's like flying economy on a budget airline—every little extra has an up-charge. Not cool, Yuzu!

The iPads, though? Keep 'em. Loved tracking my ever-escalating bill in real-time (seriously, genius idea!).

But here's the real kicker: cordless phone juggling while serving sushi? Dude. Hygiene first, phone second. You might as well serve me sushi via Bluetooth.

And hey—when someone (ahem, me) gives polite feedback while paying, maybe toss out a genuine apology or a small gesture to make it right?

In summary:

• Sushi: Good. • Customer service: Needs CPR. • My wallet: Hurting. • Your potential: Still high.

Will I return? Maybe—but I’ll order one piece at a time, just to keep you on your toes.

Cheers, Your resident sushi connoisseur...

I didn’t make this reservation lightly—I was celebrating something special. I booked the reservation through the Yelp app, which clearly states "Make a reservation — Table for 2," as shown in the image I’ve uploaded. I also uploaded an example from a different restaurant showing the proper way to offer different dining options when taking reservations.

I was so excited about this visit that I arrived early and walked around the plaza, eagerly waiting for them to open. Once the restaurant opened, we walked in to find only one waitress and the owner working. The owner insisted on charging the two of us for Omakase. I explained that I had booked a table, not Omakase, and that my wife doesn’t eat sushi. This led to a confrontation that lasted what felt like far too long, completely spoiling what could have been a perfect day.

Despite the rocky start, we still ordered quite a bit, hoping to make the best of the experience. Unfortunately, the sushi was average at best, and the up-charges for searing were absolutely ridiculous. In hindsight, we shouldn’t have bothered—it wasn’t worth it.

Coming from the restaurant world, I can confidently say that being a great chef doesn’t necessarily mean you can also be the face of the restaurant or handle the business side effectively, even if it’s your own...

I had been eyeballing this place for awhile, since some of the best meals I've had have been omakase. But it's hard to plan around meals, so haven't been able to actually try the omakase - they have such a rigid system around it, with set meal times, that it completely loses the whole spirit of omakase, which is nothing more than just leaving it up to the chef. Why you can't just walk in and have omakase when there's nobody else there is beyond me, they must just be training the chefs to follow orders. There are food courts in California that have perfectly good walk-in omakase, it shouldn't be that hard.

As far as the food, it was "fine". Unfortunately, I ordered a hand roll or two with my meal, and they brought everything out at once, including the hand roll. No serious sushi chef would commit such a heinous crime. That, not the icy servers who seemed to act like my having the audacity to eat lunch there was a burden on them, is what made me not want to go back. Hand rolls need to be eaten immediately after serving, and if you're not willing to pace the delivery with the diner's eating, you shouldn't be...