Kumo Asian Restaurant — Restaurant in Somerville

The buffet has changed when the owner changed. I suppose it's been 2 years now since the ownership change. The selection is meager and doesn't have the variety it used to have and they charge you more for it. If you go in the evening, go around 6:30 - 7PM. By then the left over lunch food is eaten up by those who eat earlier. Otherwise you will get left over lunch food that is dry and there is less out there to chose from.

What bothered us more was the double tipping under the new owners. They automatically factor in a tip if you charge it on a credit card. It doesn't matter if you leave the tip on the table in cash. So if you go pay in CASH then they can't tack on another tip to your credit card. BTW they determine the percentage too! That was very disappointing. I discovered it when reconciling mt credit card statement to the credit card receipts. I ALWAYS leave a tip in cash on the table. ALWAYS! In discussing this with other friends, they discovered the SAME had happened to them! So be aware of that.

We also get the impression that waitresses aren't real happy there ... since the new owners took over there has been a turn over. Very few remain that we knew and we've been going there for 15 years. I am sorry to say but it's not what it used to be. The waitresses tend to rush you along. It's obvious that business has declined. You never have to wait to be seated and the place is usually very empty. When we first went there you had to wait in line to be seated.

In a pinch we will go there, pay in cash and hope for the best. Needless to say, we don't go there often. It's a shame. We miss the old East Star Buffet! BTW the "Chinese" food is really an American version and not authentic "Chinese". Overall we dislike the decline we see going on there. (Yes I believe in using paragraphs,however the review doesn't allow for them even with html...

One of the worst dining experiences I've had in years. We entered the restaurant and it was completely empty. The waitress was rude from the start, didn't welcome us or asked us what we wanted. She assumed we wanted the all-you-can-eat sushi. We asked for the menu and she basically rolled her eyes. Asking her about what comes with any item is basically a waste of time. She basically just guessed. For the "sushi for two" - $35, they have the audacity to only still offer one soup or salad. For a menu item labeled "for two." It's a joke. (Fwiw the miso soup is oddly sweet and not that good so maybe they're doing you a favor) The food took forever to come out, maybe ~30 minutes, despite there being no other patron. Imagine if they were actually busy! The sushi for two comes with 3 pieces of tuna, 3 pieces of salmon, 3 pieces of white tuna, 3 pieces of makerel, 3 pieces of shrimp, 2 pieces of yellowtail, and one piece of imitation crab, along with six pieces from a spicy tuna roll. Imagine giving odd numbers of each item for a set marketed as "for two", not to mention cheaping out on the cheapest thing on there (the imitation crab) The quality of the fish ranged from "acceptable" (salmon, white tuna) to "downright inedible" (my companion admitted that she secretly spat out her mouthful of makerel into her napkin). Of course the waitress never came to ask how the food was. Oh, I should mention that there were other workers who brought the food out and filled out waters and they were really friendly, although they didn't seem to speak any English. As we were paying our check, there was a little insert that invited us to share our feedback. By "coincidence", our waitress paced back and forth behind us as we considered filling it out, so we saved our thoughts for Google. Would recommend prospective diners to pass on this one and check out one of the other Asian...

Great food, horrible service - charge you for a to-go box Went to this establishment for this first time about an hour ago. When I arrived, the person I was meeting wasn't there yet. The hostess/waitress just said "ok" and walked away. I was curious if I could sit without my other half yet, but ended up standing there awkwardly. The other person arrives and we have to ask to take a seat. The place is BYO, which is fine. Other half went to get wine. During that time I had someone bring me our drinks plus an appetizer. I said "hello" and "thank you". No response from anyone coming to our table.

But here's where it gets interesting. My friend and I ordered a good amount of food. It was "on the company" - its 4th quarter, we are stressed and so unbelievably busy we just want a drink and food. Knowing we had to go out that evening to events and we wouldn't be able to grab a bite to eat before going out, we figured we'd just split the left over sushi which was a few random pieces and a full roll we hadn't touched yet. Oh my goodness! The waitress tell us "extra charge". For what? "Box". Wait, the box to put our food in? "Yes, you pay extra". What do you do with the food if we don't take it. "Throw out". So you want to charge me for a to go box or just throw out food? "you want box or not?" we said, no thank you. She brought the bill with a $5 charge for a to go box. We sent the bill back, "take your $5 off".

Here's the picture of my sushi roll I carried out in a napkin (and my purse stinks like sushi).

First, last and only time.

Its a shame because the food was really really good.

But you can't get more than a one star with that type of attitude and behavior.

My friend and I are very empathic. We get it b/c we too are stressed, short staffed and under an extreme about of pressure. But we all are.

Be nice. Be kind.

Don't...