Fusabowl — Restaurant in Woodlawn

★★★★☆ Food quality ★★★★★ Service ★★★★★ Ambiance ★★★★★ Value ★★★★★ Menu selection ★★★★★ Location/Accessibility ★★★★★ Overall experience When hunger strikes and you're in the mood for a tasty rice bowl, Fusabowl is a great choice. Located conveniently within walking distance from my workplace, I decided to check it out today. I invited my coworkers to join me, but only one of them, KK, was up for it. We decided to take advantage of the limited-time promotion of 25% off any order on Doordash and placed our order online for two bowls. Upon arrival, we noticed only one customer waiting in line and were pleased to find our order ready and waiting for us in a neatly branded plastic bag. With our utensils in hand, we settled down at a nearby table and took in the atmosphere of the restaurant. The spacious setting was thoughtfully designed with ample seating to accommodate large groups of diners; two glass walls let in natural light and brightened the interior. The decor gave off a vibe reminiscent of a traditional American family diner, complete with a drink fountain and fridge against one wall. A huge counter dominated the space, behind which the kitchen staff was hard at work at stations I wasn't familiar with. I couldn't help but notice the fresh vegetables lying on the chopping block, a clear sign that the staff prepare the ingredients fresh as soon as they receive the order. Their commitment to delivering the best service, coupled with the freshest ingredients, is truly commendable. As for the food, I ordered the Grilled Eel Poke Bowl with brown rice, sriracha, sweet soy sauce, onion, mushroom, jalapeño, corn, avocado, cilantro, ginger, sesame seed, and tempura crunch. My first impression was that the bowl looked absolutely scrumptious, with all the veggies and eel arranged neatly on top of the bed of rice, and the sauce drizzled over everything. However, upon attempting to pick up the food with my chopsticks, I found it to be too flowy and disconnected. It didn't take long for me to switch to a spoon, which worked much better for this particular dish. The eel, while cooked to a tenderness that melted in my mouth, lacked the expected firmness that would have allowed its flavor to stand out. Despite the overwhelming sauce, I could still detect the subtle taste of the eel. I appreciated the spiciness added by the sriracha, which balanced out the sweetness of the sauce and made for a pleasant tasting experience. The pickled ginger provided a welcome sourness that refreshed my palate with each bite, making every mouthful feel like the first. My only complaint was that the sauce was a bit excessive, and tended to overpower the other flavors in the dish. Nonetheless, it prevented me from overindulging, which was probably for the best. I rated my bowl a common 4/5. As we dove deeper into our meal, KK's Chicken Hibachi Bowl with white rice caught my attention. The vibrancy of the colors and textures in his bowl were a pierce contrast to the more muted tones of my Grilled Eel Poke Bowl. The well-cooked and tender chicken, coated in teriyaki sauce, paired perfectly with the crisp and fresh veggies. The broccoli, onion, carrot, cucumber, avocado, cilantro, ginger, and sesame seed all came together to create a symphony of flavors that danced on KK's palate. KK enjoyed his meal and rated it a respectable 5/5. In terms of value, I believe that Fusabowl's pricing is reasonable considering the quality of ingredients and the preparation. Moreover, the 25% discount that I received made it an even better value. Overall, I was thoroughly impressed with Fusabowl and would recommend it to others looking for a satisfying and healthy meal. [UPDATE] During a recent visit to Fusabowl, I had an unexpected interaction with the owner. The owner was quick to address my concern and assured me that I could request the sauce to be placed in a separate container whenever I placed an order. I am grateful for the owner's reassurance and will definitely keep it in mind when I visit the...

Update: I picked up my replacement order today. I had the opportunity to talk with the young lady that I spoke with Sunday. I have a better appreciation for this young worker and all she was doing to help run the store. I feel we had a productive conversation and was able to resolve my concerns.

Our food that was correct was good, but we had several items on our $70 order that were incorrect or missing, and the customer service was terrible.

Spoke with a young lady Sunday about my order that was incorrect. She was very passive aggressive. However, she said she would correct my order, but wanted me to come in only during the days and time she worked, and wanted me to give her the exact day I would come. I told her I had a busy week ahead and don’t have the exact time but it would be before end of week. (Too much to type but I was not happy about the time spent on the phone with her, or her attitude. I asked to speak to manager and she said the manager had left for the day.)

I called the next day to speak to the manager about my experience, and to make sure my issue had been noted the previous day. He started off nice, but he ended up being just as passive aggressive as the young lady the day before.

Leadership comes from the top down, and she seems to be mirroring what the manager finds as acceptable. I asked to speak to the owner, he said the owner made up the rules so wouldn’t do anything different.

He continued to go back and forth with me when I asked to fairly correct my order (Example - I paid for a salmon bowl, was given chicken, he wants to replace it with a side of salmon. This to me is an unacceptable resolution! The bowl should be remade).

He then said now a 15 year old girl is going to get fired and he could lose his job if he gives me a credit. I told him in no way was I advocating for ANYONE to get fired. What happened to training people or coaching them on the process and customer service.

He said that he drove an hour to work there for a friend who was getting married (I believe he was talking about the owner but not sure). That is more reason to me why you should not be fired for correcting my order.

After finally agreeing to correct my order, he hung up the phone on me.

I don’t know if the manager was being truthful or not, but I will say that this is not a good look for the owner, if employees feel that they are going to lose their job if they correct a mistake.

I didn’t ask for my entire $70 ticket (including tip) to be refunded or corrected. I just asked for my two missing items and two incorrectly prepared items to be remade.

I’ve spent way too much time on this and after I pick up my replacement I doubt that I...

I would include pics but can't find them. Anyways I really enjoy this place. The staff is amazing, they work hard, and the place is well-kept. They're pretty on point. And just extremely respectful of anyone who comes in. Very appreciative of any business. They treat the soldiers that come in extremely respectfully. And although I'm not the most Patriotic or whatever it's still good to see. Nice spot to sit in and relax. Open windows with a nice view. Good food. Plenty of options although I get my favorite which is the Sunday Morning Roll. Glad to have found the place. Truly. The other nice little sushi restaurant I went to went out of business due to the COVID situation. Me and my family used to go there. Now... Me and my grandmother usually stop by here every now and then. Brought my sister and mother one time and they enjoyed it too. They have a wide variety of drinks too btw. Non-alcoholic. Asian sodas. Fantastic place. Also the manager who works there is probably one of the coolest dudes I've met. He asks about my grandmother when I come and let me know me and my dog were welcome in there too so my GMA wouldn't have to just wait in the car for me to get food and we could actually go in and relax. She is basically a service pet btw if anyone was curious but... Not the point at all. I'm extremely appreciative of the service and human decency. Seriously. It's the small things that can change...