Aji 53 Japanese Restaurant — Restaurant in Town of Islip

Once upon a time it was my favorite.... Never again!!! The nastiest people work here!!! So 15 pieces of sashimi comes out very warm and VERY dry ... nasty... two bites eaten and I ask to have it sent back “I’m very sorry it’s just not good” the woman comes over giving me a nasty look and tells me I can’t send it back because it’s “fresh” 🤣😂 I say no thank you!! She says she needs to speak to a manager... ok.... comes back with a menu and asks what I’d like to change it for? No thank you! I’m told if I don’t order anything else I’m going to be charged. HELL IF I AM!! 😂🤣 um no ma’am I will not be charged for a bad dish served to me but thank you. Please remove the item from my bill... I ask for boxes etc etc.... check please! Lol I get the bill and their are 2 charges each for $3.50 no big deal! (Now it’s principal) I question what the charges are from?????? I’m told that two pieces were missing from my dish 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️are you friggin kidding me??? Way too may really good restaurants in Bayshore to choose from to deal with nonsense! Like Kumo!! Now that’s a great great place fast friendly...

Review First and foremost, I would recommend this restaurant to any and everyone that is looking for good food and a positive atmosphere. I can say with 100% certainty that I have yet to experience this level of customer service. Our waitress was amazing! You could see how busy she was yet she was handling every task with ease. We had the pleasure of sitting at the bar and I’ve got to admit, watching her dominate made our experience that much better. We only had two hours before we needed to be back home for work, and let me tell you, I was HIGHLY impressed with how fast the food came out. Not only did the food come out quickly, it was also amazingly amazing 🤩. The ribs were to “die” for and I’ve never had a juicier steak! I don’t do calamari often but I would order this each and every time I visit this restaurant, for sure! The vegetable dumplings and the spicy edamame is also definitely worth trying! I am only here to visit and coming back to this restaurant before our departure is number one on our departure...

Awesome food, one of my favorites! The service is pretty good too. I love their style of fusing different flavors together that most people wouldn't try. BUT horrible with reservations! We had 8 pm reservations on a Saturday and didn't get seated until 9:10 pm! This happens ALL THE TIME-- probably 4-5 times now & esp. on the weekends, and there is no place to wait! The place is so over crowded and sometimes you are standing right over someone who is trying to eat-- which is really awkward! The bar is too crowded to wait there and there is no foyer area. The hostesses will tell you "you're next"... but really you're waiting for another 40 minutes... The wait staff is great and the food comes out pretty quick, but WHY make reservations? Maybe they need to spread out the reservation times or something. We will go back... and give it one more shot. BUT... I hope they realize they are turning...