Sado — Restaurant in St. Louis

I visited Pavilion with my husband and my friend for an Omakase experience. While we don't have any complaints about the food, the three of us found the overall experience disappointing and upsetting.

Firstly, it was not a true "Omakase" experience for us. When we entered Pavilion, there were about six chairs set up at the bar and two tables at each corner. The three of us were led to one of the corner tables. A proper Omakase is not just about the food — it’s about watching the chef prepare each course, listening to the explanations, and being part of the story behind each dish. This simply isn’t possible from a table in a corner. While the chef spoke loudly, it was impossible to comprehend what he was saying over the chatter and the music, and our table just gave up and stopped listening. We could not hear much, and of course, we could not see anything. The experience we had was not what you would expect when you go into an Omakase place. The problem is that you still pay the same $270 regardless of whether you get seated at the bar or the table. I would suggest maybe lowering the price for the table seat. It doesn't make sense that you pay the same amount of money but have a subpar experience depending on where you get seated.

The bigger problem that made the experience unpleasant was the service. Great customer service differentiates a great restaurant from a good one. When you pay $270 per person (20% gratuity is automatically included), you expect excellent service and presentation. For those sitting at the bar, food was served on individual plate in front of each person. At our table, however, three pieces of nigiri were served together on a single shared plate (sometimes even stacked on top of previous plate without clearing), with no side plates provided. Plates were placed haphazardly, often closest to whoever was easiest to reach, and because there were no side plates, we had to awkwardly pass food around the table to share and take turns eating. We deliberately didn’t say anything to the staff, curious if they would notice or correct the inconvenience over the 10+ nigiri course, but they never did. Simple efforts like clearing things out of the way, placing food at the center of the table, and offering individual plates could have made a difference.

Were the servers or any of the chefs rude or unpleasant to us? No. But were they paying attention to us, anticipating our needs and making sure we were doing okay? Absolutely not. For example, no one refilled our water glasses ONCE during the entire two-plus hours we were there. When you go to a $270/person meal experience, the customer expects to feel special about being there. Frankly, the service felt less attentive than what we've experienced at a casual $50 local sushi spot. The level of service was not acceptable, given the money we paid.

I’m sure those seated at the bar had a far better dining experience. Unfortunately, for the three of us, the overall experience was disappointing enough that we do not plan to return to Pavilion or SADO. I hope the owner thinks about what it means to offer a $270 Omakase experience, and either lowers the price for the table seats or ensures that every guest — regardless of where they sit — receives the same level of care...

My wife and I recently had dinner at Sado as part of her graduation from school. We had been to Nippon-Tei previously and had a good experience, and have frequented the owner's other restaurants in the Grove which we enjoyed. Given the rave reviews online we had high expectations (named one of the best new restaurants in the area).

TLDR: some good unique menu items, okay value ($$), do not get seated at the one table next to the Sushi Bar. Be aware that a 20% gratuity fee is charged automatically to your bill. There are other restaurants from the same chef/owner which are a cut above this one.

Food: Overall 4/5 stars. The Tiger Cry roll was pretty awesome, sashimi tasted fresh. I do think the tempura and fried selections are mostly comparable to other restaurants in the vicinity (CWE). We also tried the matcha desert but found the fruit sauce too sweet for our liking. (subjective)

Ambience: 3.5/5 stars. The restaurant overall looks nice inside (outside it is mono gray), and the scene is quite different than other places on the Hill which have traditional family seating a la Italian. I think something was lost in the transition from Nippon-Tei to Sado because I found Sado darker, and music was louder than I expected (American alternative music, some light rock) which interfered somewhat with the tasting of the Sushi. The restaurant lost a little of the charm Nippon-Tei had, perhaps to capture younger patrons and couples on dates.

Service: 2.5/5. This probably was a deal breaker for me, but for a particular reason. There is one table right next to the sushi bar with counter-high stools within earshot of the sushi chefs. We heard the enthusiasm of the chefs and their explanations and recommendations of the menu. I learned that they were offering menu items to the patrons for free to try. Our experience felt a bit rushed as we did not have explanations of the items on the menu nor did we receive the same treatment as the other patrons. This stark contrast initially did not bother me but I saw that my wife was upset since she was right next to the chefs. There were actually two bar seats available at the sushi bar when we arrived, and we had a reservation, so the seating was deliberate in my mind. My recommendation to the owner Nick is to remove that high top table, since the difference in service is pretty appreciable.

Overall, I probably would not return to this restaurant, which makes me sad because I might have returned to Nippon-Tei if it were still open. My recommendation is to go to Indo nearby which has been fabulous the past three times I went (it's owned by...

Food, overall: 3.95/5 Plating: 4.8/5 Price: 3/5 Execution: 4/5 Playlist: 5/5 Service: 5/5

I have been looking forward to Sado since iNdo stopped serving nigiri. I decided to take myself on a solo date while my partner was out of town and snagged a reservation at the sushi bar.

The sushi bar waitress, Ellie, was very knowledgable. She was pleasant and kept an eye on everyone very well.

The sushi chefs on the other hand had the most awkward interaction with me. Almost to a laughable point because the tension was palatable. Nevertheless I enjoyed my ebook and meal, for the most part.

I personally find the price point a bit appalling. Considering sushi has roots as a poor mans food and can quite literally be purchased at every super market in Japan. Not to knock the time spent by the kitchen staff here but the markup is over 200%

For that, I would expect better execution on the dishes overall. The nigiri was executed perfectly. The sashimi dishes looked stunning, aside from the splatters on the plate due to a rushed hand. Unfortunately the salinity level was near or at excessive though. The Black Tea Kanpachi was dancing the fine line between perfect finishing salt and too much (depending on the piece). Although overall the dish is very pleasant. While my finishing course of Isaan Hamachi was beyond salty. Very disappointing since I chose this an my finale on purpose.

I loved the Akami maki! I’m not a big sauce on sushi person but trusted it would be worth it. The herby accompaniments blended well with the subtle heat and oils of tuna.

I liked the playlist and felt the volume of the music was good at the sushi bar. Overall I spent just shy of $160 after the required 20% gratuity. Which I would have left more if my hand were not forced. As a restaurant veteran, I hate to see this practice almost as much as QR code menus. It comes across like “you are lucky to be here” rather than “we are happy you chose to spend your money here”. Takes away from the hospitality aspect, as does leaving a water bottle next to the table for guests to fill up their own glasses.

I’ll come back but it...