Oishi Sushi and Ramen OK — Restaurant in Tulsa

I got introduced to basic Asian food in high school around 2010 & pretty much stuck to chicken fried rice. I’ve grown to like ramen, pad thai and pho but would only try sushi every now & again. People have tried to introduce it to me but it’s never been my thing. But on Friday, July 25th, I decided to take a swing. After a full day of swimming, I wanted to see for myself and invited my best friend out to an early dinner. Could summer and sushi go together? Let’s find out!

I arrived to the restaurant at 5pm and waited for my friend. We entered the restaurant around 5:20pm. There’s no host upon entry, it’s all self-seating with only tables and booths, and maybe a bar (couldn’t tell if it was a legitimate option or not). We sat in a booth on the north by the windows. The appeal was simple but within theme: black tables & chairs, the chimney was converted into a shrine filled with Japanese artistry and an assortment of plants for decoration. There weren’t too many guests in the restaurant at the time and our server arrived promptly. My friend asked for a margarita (at a Japanese restaurant?) but he pointed us to the drink menu which had beer and Japanese alcohol so he brought back water as we browsed the overwhelmingly comprehensive menu. Their list of offerings spans 12 pages and includes sushi, ramen, poke bowls, fried rice, curry, drinks and dessert. I hadn’t eaten anything all day and thought about ordering the tempura as an appetizer but, since my friend is vegetarian, ended up getting the calamari. Now the hard part, which entrée will I order? The calamari came out in what seemed like no time at all. Given the robust menu, I decided to ask the server what he’d suggest. The menu was opened on the sushi page and, assuming I was in to sushi, he recommended the Dragon Roll, the Samurai Roll or the Jungle Roll. I explained my general reluctance with sushi but gave him my trust and ordered the Fire Dragon Roll. She ordered the California Roll and Vegetarian Japanese Fried Rice. We chatted it up for 8-10mins as I had the calamari, which was decent and presented well but for $13? Our food came out shortly after. It had a wonderful presentation! The Fire Dragon Roll was lined on an elongated plate, vibrating with colors and a serving of ginger & wasabi on the end. My reluctance was immediately wiped away. Even her fried rice looked elevated. I dug right in. It was amazing! I don’t eat sushi often so I can’t compare or give a point of reference but it was great. The sauces weren’t spicy at all and complimented the meal well. Our server returned and was shocked that I ate more than half of the roll before he came back. I couldn’t get enough.

Coming from someone who doesn’t usually consume sushi in any of it’s forms, I’ll say how pleasantly surprised I was how enjoyable the experience was. It was $60 for 2 appetizers and 2 entrées, very reasonable. After seeing all the ramen that came out, I was almost disappointed that I didn’t order ramen after realizing that it’s their signature dish. Otherwise, I thank our server who invited me to step outside my comfort zone and my best friend who supported me as I took this leap. I’ll be returning here for next...

A wise man, who had recently at dined Oishi Sushi & Ramen, said in reference to the food, “sushi and ramen are both great. If you have to pick one, maybe go with sushi.”

Not heeding that advice, I went with the steak teriyaki. I had seen a picture of it and there was no changing my mind. A big “miss-steak” on my part. The beef was flank or skirt steak, as used in fajitas and carnie asada. Perhaps it was a freezer find left over from El Paso a Mexican restaurant that previously operated in the building. It was tough and chewy. It was a good-sized serving of chewy meat that had a good char-grilled flavor with a hint of teriyaki. I believe the “teriyaki” was the same sauce served as the dipping sauce for the tempura vegetables. Tasted the same. On the side grilled zucchini, steamed broccoli, a table spoon of mushrooms and baby carrots; the same baby carrots you buy at Walmart for your kids’ lunch, The meal didn’t look nearly as good as the picture posted by another reviewer. Not worth the $20.

My wife ordered the Poke Bowl. It was delicious fresh Salmon chunks, wasted on top of a bowl of blandness. Pass the soy sauce. The bowl is described as Salmon, Shushi rice, seaweed salad, avocado, green bean, cucumber with sesame sauce. It came to the table without the green beans and sesame sauce. A sprinkle of sesame seed, but no sesame sauce. In place of the green bean was extra avocado. A disappointing $18 bowl. It must have been shift change in the kitchen this afternoon and the cooks were in a hurry to leave. The restaurant was not busy.

The tempura vegetable appetizers were very oily. Still draining on the plate when they came to our table.

The service was attentive and friendly.

So, as the wise man said “If you have to pick one, maybe go...

When we first walked in, we were greeted by the very kind staff of this fine establishment and was told to sit wherever we liked. The atmosphere is perfect - colorfully decorated, you can tell they keep the restaurant very clean, and everyone was speaking at a respectful level, so it wasn't too loud. I loved it right away.

We sat at the bar, and the chef was very kind and accommodating. We had very sweet servers that made sure we had everything we needed as well. We ordered the Colorful roll, Tuna Kawa roll, Pepper Tuna Nigiri, and Pepper Tuna Sashimi. Everything was absolutely perfect and so delicious! The fish is extremely fresh, and the flavors were out of this world. This was my first time here, and I will now be going at least once a week. I was very pleased from the moment we walked through the door to the moment we walked out.

The staff, the food, service, everything about this place is top notch and I cannot recommend this restaurant enough!!

Thank you, Oishi, for the perfect...