Takumi Sushi Hibachi & Lounge — Restaurant in Town of Islip

Tasty, reasonably priced sushi, but with a few caveats.

4 - PRICES - not only very fair, but also considerably less than those at some of the trendy places located in downtown Babylon and Bay Shore. In fact, I found the prices to be reminiscent of my former favorite Japanese restaurant, Mitsui, which was once located in Bay Shore but has since closed its doors.

4 - SERVICE - Very good. They use digital tablets for ordering, so orders are taken quickly and efficiently. Our drinks arrived in less than two minutes, and our appetizers in less than five. Clearly they are interested in high turnover (which is understandable given its location in a mall.) Plates were removed as soon as the food was finished. While our waitress was polite, she did not engage in small talk. The staff member who brought us our bill was a bit more personable and even made a joke.

3 - AMBIANCE - The lighting is subdued (which personally I like,) but it may be a bit too dark for some, and for us it actually became a problem (I will explain why below.) Despite a bustling crowd, the booth where we sat provided ample privacy, and I never felt cramped or jostled by other patrons (a rarity in many restaurants these days.) The best part was that we could converse without having to raise our voices (a definite plus in my book.) The seating, however, was just average, clearly designed to encourage short stays rather than relaxation. This is a common in most restaurants. It's clear that Takumi wants customers to eat and leave quickly. The background music was a bit loud for my liking. The modern style was not conducive to a relaxing meal. I couldn't recognize the songs, and I honestly could have done without it altogether (this may be my "Gen X" predilections showing.) You won't find traditional Japanese koto and shakuhachi flute music, or even calming new-age background music here (which is what I'm accustomed to in Japanese restaurants.)

4.5 - FOOD - Overall, the food was excellent (with one exception.) The appetizers were all quite good. The edamame was fine, while the veggie dumplings were some of the best I've ever had. The sushi was also very fresh and tasty (although it could have been a bit spicier.) I did notice that my rolls lacked sesame seeds, but perhaps that's something you need to request. I didn't try the miso soup, but I will if I go back. The one big gastric disappointment was the house salad. It was, without a doubt, the worst I've ever had at a Japanese restaurant. It consisted of lettuce with mayonnaise and one small cucumber. It lacked any real flavor. A total waste of $4. On a positive note, the sake was great, and the Japanese fried rice was very good. While it wasn't the absolute best I've ever had (that honor goes to Gasho of Japan,) it was a generous portion with a lot of veggies. I ended up eating the entire plate (in retrospect, it could have used some peas.)

0 - MENUS - As a graphic designer, I was utterly baffled by this restaurant's decision to use folded paper take-out menus for their dine-in guests. The fact that they were printed on paper wasn't the issue. The issue was that the text was so small it was almost illegible. I have created dozens of restaurant menus, and I have NEVER used such small text. It was akin to the fine print on a credit card offer. This is hardly what you expect when trying to order food in a restaurant!

To make matters worse, each panel alternated between white text on a black background and black text on a white background. While the black text on the white panels was somewhat legible (with reading glasses,) the white text on black panels was almost impossible to see (even with glasses.) The lack of proper menus is almost a deal-breaker for me, and I would hesitate to go back if the owners don't invest in real dinner menus that are readable by people over the age of forty.

2.5 - Parking. Typical mall madness. Watch for door dings and oblivious drivers and...

Recently, we chose Takumi to provide a hibachi party for my dad's 50th birthday. Let me preface this by saying, the staff is extremely gracious, and accommodating seeing as we changed the number of guests up until the day of. The service was courteous, and really fun.

We've been to Takumi before, and have enjoyed the food there, and genuinely enjoy the establishment, but the hibachi party didn't quite meet the standard we were expecting. The food just wasn't that great, our guests unfortunately did not really like the food; most of our guests only ate the rice and noodles. We asked for the meat to be cooked medium rare, but it came out well done. Granted, the steak at Takumi isn't the best to begin with, would definitely suggest upgrading to the filet if you want to enjoy your steak there. The chicken was spongy, but the shrimp were good.

All in all, it was a 2.5 maybe 3/5 star experience. It got a little strange when paying because tip was included, but we gave an additional tip for the efforts of the chef and the server. Upon giving the envelope to the chef, we told him there was additional tip included, and meant to be split between both the server and chef. The additional tip was $300 to be split in two, totaling $150 each. In front of us, the chef gave the server $50 and tried pocketing the rest until we told him no, it's 150 each, not $250 for you and $50 for the server. Being that our family got our start in the service industry, still work in the service industry, and the party was full of service industry employees, this didn't sit right with us. A lot of catering halls for example, pocket tips that are included in the general total, and most servers do not see that, we hope this is not the case. It's important everyone be compensated fairly, and evenly. The server did get his fair share of the additional tip provided upon confronting the issue, but we hope this not a recurring issue.

In the future if we were to do a hibachi party again, I don't think we would use Takumi to do so, but we will definitely dine in at their establishment as the quality is much better there than the at home...

Wow, I didn't even know this place was here!! Between the outstanding food and the overall atmosphere, I was so impressed. This place has some of the best sushi rolls I've ever had.

Located in the Bay Shore Mall, it's right next to The Cheesecake Factory. I wasn't even aware that this place was here. After a friend suggested that we go and try, I was so excited. There's plenty of parking in the mall parking lot. Inside, the restaurant is GORGEOUS. There's a huge bar, a very large and lively hibachi area, and a regular dining area. I was able to make a reservation by calling and I was seated immediately upon entering.

The prices are very comparable to every other local sushi restaurant.

The service was on the slower side but I was able to get everything I needed. The food came out at a good pace. I never felt rushed. Hot towels upon arrival to the table were a nice touch.

The drinks were awesome! There are tons and tons of alcoholic beverage choices, there’s an extensive menu. I ended up getting a few Sake-Tini’s which were fabulous!

The food was soooooo delicious! The plating presentation for each dish was gorgeous. I will be reviewing what I tried:

-Amazing Tuna Roll: Like its name, it was truly amazing, and such fresh fish! The tuna was so good!!! I love everything about this roll! 5 out of 5 stars

-Gyoza App: Perfectly cooked, great for sharing between 1-2 people. 5 out of 5 stars

-Spicy Crabmeat Crusted Filet Mignon: For $28, this entree was a steal!! Comes with soup or salad (I chose miso which was delish), and rice. The filet Mignon was cooked to an ever so perfect med rare! It also came with sweet potato purée tempura and super fresh, perfectly seasoned veggies in a butter soy sauce. I 100% recommend this dish!! 5 out of 5 stars

Overall, my first trip to Takumi was a great one! I can’t wait to come back. I fully intend on doing the Omakase dining...