Locals Sushi & Sports Pub - James Island — Restaurant in South Carolina

They just opened and advertise people to leave a good review for good publicity for a chance to win free sushi for a year. Ofc is great and I was all for until not only the first experience but second experience was disappointing. Compared to west ashley location it is poor on many points. First time coming it, service took forever, and then when asked for more white sauce bc my mom got hibachi and my sister like white sauce with her rolls, the server gives just my mom 1 cup that isn’t even filled up a quarter of the way, she runs off, we finally get her attention to ask for a few more and she gives us this weird look for even asking and said well how many!? & I said idk prob 4, 2 for each of them esp if they are barely filled like this one was, well not even kidding it took her 40 mins to come back with the white sauce (food was cold and we were done at that point) she said sorry we have to order it through the kitchen and it’s busy. I was a server for 6 years and I find it absolutely ridiculous they have to order sauce as an order through the kitchen. We always prepped our sauces and gave them out as needed. So on top of all of that, they charged us for the white sauce which is just unbelievable at that point to be charged for something that should come with the meal they are already charging enough for. Also, the rolls use to actually be a decent size, now they are so thin and fall apart, the quality and flavor just isn’t there as much as it use to be and I would drag my husband out to locals in west ashley all the time and it’s sad that over the course of the last year I’ve seen it become disappointing. Locals just seems to have gotten very stingy and it’s sad when a good place starts to go downhill from becoming this way and making poor business decisions. Oh also, I tried to give it another shot and order to go, called twice, first time girl put me on hold and left me there for 7 mins and then hung up. Second time, girl answered phone but didn’t say anything and hung up again. It’s just sad. A little goes a long way. That’s all it takes. I’ve seen two locations not last long at this location on James island, let’s see how long they last if they continue they...

We just left the James Island location, which was our first time at that location. Such a great spot and vibe. The sushi was great as well. But what was absolutely horrific was the service that we received from K the bartender.

We will definitely be back, but will never sit at the bar again. The bartender was the only one for the 12-ish customers at the bar as well as making drinks for the entire establishment . Completely asinine.

You would think maybe they were shorthanded. I can assure you that I 99% believe that he not only requests but is allowed to be the only bartender on such nights . He literally told me that he was a "great bartender" at the very first of our conversation. He is anything but. I can assure you he may make the drinks quick but as far as having mannerisms and speaking to customers, he was unbelievably horrible. With his behavior he doesn't need to be working with the public. Maybe a nightclub at most. Complete attitude and sarcasm was what he served us. He didn't show any respect towards me when we asked if we could order. He acted as though he wasn't go to "serve" us and that we needed to initiate every request we would need. When we go out to eat, service is just as important as the food. We could not have received much worse service than we did.

I could go on and on, but I'm not going to waste my time even more. He never even said thank you. Never refilled our waters. I would have loved to have ordered a beer if he would've just asked me....

Again, we are local and will be back, but will never sit at the bar again. I certainly hope that management will not allow him to treat customers the way that he does anymore and never let him work behind the bar alone as he definitely cannot handle it. And I would know because I was a bartender for years in college and worked at many establishments. What a waste of his time because he is not going to receive good tips as we certainly did not tip him well.

If the service would have been good, I would have rated...

We came in for sushi, but the prices were exorbitant, so we opted for sandwiches and fries. Buttttttttt 🛑 Mondays and Wednesdays are the days to go get sushi at a reasonable price. Now, maybe the full prices are worth it, but I couldn't bring myself to pay $14+ for a roll that was shrimp and crab at the minimum. Will we be back? Absolutely.

That being said, I had the Goat Cheese Burger and it was GOOD!!! The goat cheese paired with the Sriracha infused honey and grilled onions was everything I didn't know I needed on a burger! The brioche bun made it that much better. I had fries and they were perfectly crispy and the ketchup must be a special blend too because it was better than normal!

Hubby had the Carolina BBQ sandwich with tots. The tots were overcooked in my opinion but he loved them. Is only wish was that the sandwich was bigger, but I did think the Carolina barbecue was good with the slaw on top.

They had a spacious outside bar area that was also covered, so it would be a nice place to hang when the temps are bearable.

We'll see ya next time... On a Monday or Wednesday, haha. 🟢Update🟢 Half priced sushi is WORTH IT! It also allowed us to see how "worth" some of the rolls were and let's just say, we cannot wait to go back! We had: 🍙Crazy Salmon: fresh and I enjoyed the flavor combos. #3 in my top favs this visit. 🍙IOP: This was my favorite roll this visit! The sweetness and crunch of the mango balanced so well with the rest of the roll along with the cilantro and slow burn of the sriracha. It gave me poke vibes from Hawaii. 🍙 Local Lovers: my #2. I enjoyed the seared topper and the creamy roll. 🍙Spicy Tataki: Meh. It wasn't awful but the ponzu/eel sauce was overpowering. It was still ok though. It was my least favorite. 🍙 Torched Salmon: this was hubby's favorite and my #4. Pretty basic but it was fresh.

The patio is fabulous and the live music from the 90's was everything we needed on a 78 degree...