KuJiRa Sushi & Bar — Restaurant in Pittsburgh

I think it is worth spending some time to consider a business and how they adapt to commentary.

I went to Kujira with my wife back in April and May three times, both for important events (14th year anniversary, 31st birthday, random extra dinner). Frankly, those times our service was sub-par. I let the manager, Scott, know on the third visit in a 1-on-1 where I let him know my thoughts, intimately. He was very receptive and listened to me, thoroughly. Frankly, I was probably a little harsh, but I was an emotional man upset about the status of our dinner with someone I held close, and that was how I phrased my criticism.

We went to Kujira again recently, at the end of August, and we can't tell you how surprised we were. Normally, one wouldn't visit a restaurant multiple times with a negative experience - in the first 3 visits I would have rated the establishment 1 or 2/5, with multiple avenues needed for improvement. Scott, the manager who I spoke to, absolutely did not incorporate every suggestion I have. I am no guru by any means, but when we went again here at the end of August '24, I could tell some of my commentary was received with open ears. I was venting as a frustrated customer upset over poor service during important times, and these comments were received with honest intention on improvement. At first, I thought I would be crazy to go to an establishment a fourth time, expecting anything different. There's a rather appropriate phrase on "insanity", that could apply here.

How wrong I would have been, however. My most recent visit was a mix between marriage anniversaries, business improvements, and other extremely important mile markers. While we did not get Scott, we did get a very enigmatic and loquacious server who was excited to have us say Hello to Scott after we said how good of a time we had. I was nervous at first, but after Scott recognized us in a friendly manner, I was very happy to tell him how good of an experience we had.

I would give Kujira my full support - while a bit rocky at the start of opening, this sushi restaurant has gone above and beyond to try and make a welcoming, inviting, and comforting environment for all patrons. The food was delicious, the servers absolutely pleasant, and to see a menu improvement each time we have come has been a very nice experience. To see the business growing is amazing, and we will continue to come here when we can. I genuinely enjoy seeing how the place adapts with each visit, and I can't wait for my next chance for dinner here. Hopefully we can bring family and ask Scott to say Hello.

To Scott and the rest of the staff at KuJiRa, please keep it up!

Respectfully...

This is an amazing find! It's definitely worth the visit, I suggest you make the time!

It's rare that I find anything that's trendy before the trend is over, lol. I managed to find this little gem on a blog and I'm so excited that I got to experience it before it gets so big that it forgets its roots! It's still tiny, so it's still charming, and it's still got that new restaurant feel but it's been around long enough now that it doesn't have the clunkiness of a brand new place that doesn't know what they're doing.

The people that work here are amazing! I can't say enough. We haven't even gotten to the food yet, lmao, and I am already raving! The people who work here are devoted, knowledgeable, and ready to make your experience beyond anything you could imagine. If you've ever wanted to experience a truly unique culinary experience without breaking the bank this is the place to be!

Now let's get to the best part, the FOOD!!!

I can't say enough. I highly recommend that you get the Tokyo Experience. It's the best value to experience the most of the menu and you're going to get your money's worth. We always convince multiple people to come with us so we can get multiple items on the grill and "share", but let's be honest, it's really good who's going to share, lol!

The alcohol menu is great, but if you're looking for non-alcoholic drinks don't expect it to be an extensive selection. They are just not there yet. Give it some time and I'm sure it will get better. At the very least I'm hoping they put some kind of bottled water on the menu.

I wouldn't say this is a child friendly restaurant, but we took my grandson who is 14 and he fit in just fine. Granted, I will say he is better behaved than your average teenager. I wouldn't, however, opt to take my other grandchildren who are much younger. This is not a place you want kids running around.

While I find the ambience to be quite casual, I have found many people to slightly dress up to business casual when I visited. I'll admit I've been to the restaurant multiple times. I would suggest business casual as the overall suggested attire.

Overall, no matter what you order or how long you stay you're going to have a wonderful time and enjoy an amazing experience! Don't forget to save room for dessert! I would recommend the fish... You'll understand when you...

I was super excited to try this place after hearing from a few friends that it was good. However, while the food and service was actually pretty decent for an AYCE sushi place (esp since it's 1 out of only 2 AYCE places that I know of in Pittsburgh anyway), it was overall a let down due to the incredibly long wait times in between each order.

My bf's family and I went for early dinner around 3pm on a Sunday- all of us ordering the "Tokyo Experience", which gives you the entire menu as an option including sashimi. BUT THERE'S A CATCH! Of the "Tokyo Experience" menu items, you are only able to order ONE of each per person FOR THE ENTIRE NIGHT; meaning that if you wanted more than 3 pieces of tuna sashimi per person then you're SOL. That concept was unclear to us when we first sat down, so we very quickly ran out of the upper tier items by the second round of food. You are able to order as many of the "Pacific Experience" items as you want, but if you're looking to get the best bang for your buck bc you wanted to eat a lot of expensive picks then this isn't the place for you. The process itself is just slightly confusing, especially since you only order verbally and not via paper/pencil or online.

Our first plate of sushi didn't arrive until after the first hour mark of us sitting down, so if you're coming hungry then definitely order some hot food/non-sushi bar items as they arrive much faster than your actual sushi. We probably ordered around 6-7 rounds of sashimi & sushi, and each took about 30 minutes minimum to arrive to the table. Honestly, all of the food we received was actually good, but it just took an absurd amount of time to get them that it took away from the experience. I know most AYCE places have their tactics with trying to slow customers down, but for me it got to the point where the longer I was waiting the hungrier I got in between. Service was super patient and attentive though with our menu questions and even continued checking on our food for us as we were waiting.

TL;DR- food quality is pretty good but REALLY slow to get to the table, and maybe ask for clarification on their AYCE rules before you choose...