Kabuto Sushi — Restaurant in Saint George

Real review here! Went during their re-grand opening weekend. Waited to go after the busiest days. Called Saturday but no one answered it went straight to voicemail. Heard Saturday was awfully chaotic so we walked in on Sunday after we called. They said you should be fine for 4 people.

Side note; we had a bad experience at the Ramen place next door a few months back where we all got served except for my husband. Server gave his ramen to another table that walked in after. 40 mins later. The manager made it right. So I wanted to give this business another shot.

The hostess was there when we walked in, sat immediately, in the back corner, at a small table not booth. The inside looks nice. We browsed thru the menu. Waited for 20 mins no server. The male server saw us twice but served 2 other tables 1 being sat after us. I said nope I’m done let’s go. As we walked out the hostess said oh no where are you going please don’t go I will make it right. 20 mins and no server or waters. It wasn’t even packed. The manager walked out to help. Meanwhile there were people in the lobby and no one was being helped for a few minutes. They look understaffed, new, and being trained. Lots of kinks right now. I usually don’t go to grand openings because of this. She talked us back into staying, set up a new booth, and she was going to serve us. The male server and I had an uncomfortable chat and now he showed up at our table to wait on us. Uh no thank you not after the ignorance. The least he could have done was communicated hey guys I’ll be right with you.

Our waters, drinks, & food arrived. Miso soup & edamame. The special rolls all looked the same with just an ingredient off. The Linda roll was the most unique and the most expensive, with a nice kick of heat. The Oreo dessert was wonderful. The lychee sake took the edge off. My kids Cali rolls were small and messy looking lacking ingredients in the end rolls. Looks rushed.

In my opinion, the prices do not reflect the quality or quantity that you receive. I think we are paying for their remodel, rent, and future events room. There’s way better sushi in Vegas or heck at the grocery store.

Mid meal my husband had to take my son to the restroom and they were taking a long time he came back and said no one is coming out so they went to the ladies room. There was a long line. I told our server and she said oh yeah the men’s restroom gets locked out no one is in there so the males can use the ladies room. Or leave the restaurant and go outside and use the public restroom in the strip mall. My husband said the ladies room was disgusting. And he overheard the chef training a kid to make the basic rolls. They need to fix that ASAP!

The bill came and they gave us 50% for the whole ordeal. That will be $80. Say What?! Wow! Yep would have been $160. I did give our server a $20 tip since she talked to me from the start and took the initiative to make it right and handled it all the way through to the end. She is wonderful!

The tables near us looked frustrated. I heard others complaining about the service, one customer saying I know used to work at many sushi restaurants, and the food orders being wrong, another table showing their watch like where’s the food, and some getting boxes since they didn’t have anymore time. Then the music was turned up.

Overall, if you go I hope you have a better experience here than we did. I’m not able to recommend this business after being burned twice. If anything wait for a few weeks until they improve from their mistakes. Goodluck ordering takeout- it doesn’t...

Update 2 (8/2024)- New ownership. We haven't been yet but prices have jumped up and coincidentally enough on the most popular dishes. Both our favorite sushi rolls are over $20 each and it's just not worth it to order here. $12-15 a roll, maybe a tad higher for a good sushi roll... but $20 a roll for sushi in the desert? Better off going to Vegas and getting much better options for lower prices. Sad to type this up as we love the rolls but it just isn't worth that much to us. Review bumped from 5 to 4 stars for affordability and overall value. Food is definitely good but comes at a very high cost.

UPDATE (1/2022)- The hours of the restaurant seem to fluctuate, and sometimes they close early or won't allow take-out. Reaching them via phone can be difficult as well too, so just a heads up!

BUT.....It's great sushi. One of the best in town. It's a newer restaurant in but has made some waves already for its unique and high quality food.

Updated Visit - 8/20 - The Love Me Tender roll is insanely good. I had to get it twice to really appreciate all of the flavors and the complexity of the roll. There is so much going on in the roll (and that it is baked), but wow! This is their best roll IMO.

Also try the Garlic Edamame - TASTY! A recent favorite roll as well is the Volcano, so good! My wife's favorite is the Put Your Hand Up roll. It's a good roll, not too fishy, but still sushi and flavorful.

Previous Visit - We ordered dinner to-go and got a mix of 4 sushi rolls and a short rib to try a few things on the menu. Unfortunately the short rib meal was not included in our to-go bag, so we'll have to try that again soon. After calling in, the owner was great to make it right and we'll be trying it soon.

The sushi rolls we ordered were the Linda, No Pain No Gain, Jackpot, and a California. All of the rolls brought their own uniqueness to the table but there wasn't one roll that really stood out. I would recommend both the No Pain and the Jackpot. The No Pain is a more creative roll with stuffed ingredients and also a mixed ingredient on top. It's labeled as spicy but was mild, in Mt opinion. The sauce was excellent. The Jackpot was a great middle-of-the-road roll. Not too much fish, great presentation, but also a really tasty roll. I'd recommend this roll for someone who likes a more neutral sushi roll and who wants a great flavor as well. This would definitely be a great roll for a beginner to try out.

All in all, we were impressed with the presentation of the sushi as well as the quality. They were definitely busy and have some things to work out on the customer service and restaurant management side of things, but they are still learning the ropes so I can't hold that against them, but do expect longer waiting and prep times in the upcoming weeks of their opening in town. We will definitely be back as the menu is...

Wow. What happened?

This place used to be delicious and friendly. The sushi is totally not the same and the service is horrible. The staff is not well trained and the manager doesn’t remember who keeps the lights on.

Anybody want details?

I called ahead to order food for a 7:15 PM pickup, starting at 4:30 PM. Unfortunately, I was informed that it was too early to place my order. I tried again at 5:30 PM, only to be told the same thing. I was told to call back at 6:30 PM, which I did. However, despite multiple attempts to reach them at that time—at 6:30, 6:40, 6:45, 6:50, and 6:55 PM—I received no answer.

When I arrived at the restaurant, it was understandably busy for a Friday night. (Which is why I was trying to call ahead. I was wanting to respect their time knowing it would be a Friday) I attempted to call again while inside, but I did not hear any phones ringing. Frustrated, I spoke to one of the staff and expressed my concerns. To my surprise, she informed me that your restaurant does not accept takeout orders, which contradicted the information I had received earlier from the staff on the phone, the phone message, and their web page. I have also ordered beforehand in the past!

After discussing the situation with her, she went to consult the manager about preparing the three sushi rolls I had requested. When she returned, I was told it would take 50 minutes to prepare them, and I was asked, rather abruptly, if I was going to place the order or leave. It was very unprofessional and you can tell the respect for the customer had left not only by the tone but the body language as well. This lack of professionalism added to my frustration.

Throughout this experience, I made an effort to remain calm and professional, as my intention was not to cause a scene, but to find a solution. I simply wanted to be treated with respect, as I had tried to respect their time as well.

Feeling disheartened, I decided to leave and went to Sakura instead. They assured me my order would be ready in 15 minutes, and their staff was incredibly friendly and accommodating. Not only did they provide my sister and me with drinks while we waited, but they also had our rolls ready in just 10 minutes. I arrived only 10 minutes late to my event and had a wonderful experience there.

This situation is particularly disappointing because my family and I have traditionally celebrated important occasions at Kabutos. However, given this recent experience, the change in recipes to make the food less then what it was before, the rude staff, the lack of service, I have decided that we will no longer be dining with Kabutos, and we will be giving our business to Sakura...