- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Ai Sushi & Grill
Categories: Restaurants Sushi Bars Restaurants Japanese Sushi Bars, Japanese [Edit]
4655 Centennial BlvdColorado Springs, CO 80919
(719) 266-5858
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
About This Business:
Amazing food! All you can eat sushi for $25!
18 reviews for Ai Sushi & Grill
18 reviews in English
-
Review from Patricia S.
San Jose, CA
9/16/2011
The food here is AMAZING. Definitely my go-to place for sushi when I'm in Colorado Springs.
The rolls are super yummy & the fish is super fresh. I'm really picky when it comes to sushi & I was more than happy with my meal. The prices are pretty typical of a sushi restaurant. Not exactly cheap, but you get what you pay for & this is definitely worth any cost, if you ask me :)
The last time I was there I ordered the Raspberry Kamakazi which was really good. The service is phenomenal! The staff is always very friendly, welcoming & willing to give you advice or guidance on what to order if you're unsure. A table adjacent to me was having sushi for the first time & their waitress patiently explained the differences between nigiri, sushi & sashimi. She spent a lot of time with them making sure that they would enjoy their dinner, which honestly I've never seen a waitress do before.
Still need to try other items on the menu, so I will probably end up reviewing again.
This place is great! I've been here twice now & will definitely keep going back! -
Review from Elliot P.
Colorado Springs, CO
3/25/2012
I would like to give Ai Sushi & Grill four or five stars, but I just can't make that strong a recommendation for a place that is so over priced. I absolutely love the food here. It is, without question, the best sushi and Japanese grill food in town. And I've been going to this particular location ever since it opened, and will undoubtedly continue to do so. It is only a mile from our home, we've become friendly with the manager and the chefs and the wait staff. But we've had to institute a "once a month only" policy because it has gotten so expensive over the years. Last night my son and I went for a "boy's night out," and the bill for two people, no desserts and only one adult beverage, was over $120 with tip.
Up until recently, the head Sushi chef was a very personable, fun, talented guy named Mr. Kim. He would always greet us loudly and with great cheer when we walked in the front door. Mr. Kim is gone now, and the sushi chefs are competent and professional, but slow and not outgoing or friendly. This is a hospitality business, after all, how about a little hospitality toward your guests?
Agree with all the great things that have been said about the food. Freshest fish always, awesome and creative special rolls as well as traditional maki and nigiri. Very talented teppan chefs, too. Delicious to the 10th power! Just, WHOA, expensive!
Oh, one other thing to love: NO TV! So nice to not have the dang boob tube blaring at you when you're out to dinner! -
Review from Crystal G.
Colorado Springs, CO
11/6/2011 1 photo
I moved to Colorado Springs from San Diego, CA and never thought I would find one of my favorite sushi bars in Colorado! Ai Sushi has the largest selection of sushi rolls that I've ever seen in one place and the freshness of their food, combined with their talented chefs make for an absolutely delicious meal! Btw, try the plum sake, it's a great paring with any sushi roll!
-
Review from Joe H.
Colorado Springs, CO
5/8/2011 4 photos
This is by far the best sushi bar in town. The key is to sit at the sushi bar and order 'special creations' from Mr. Kim. Ignore the menu. The personalized creations are to die for. The sushi is very fresh and the specials will satisfy even the most discerning sushi connoisseur.
MUCH better than the place on Cinema Point. That place is 'ok' but no special creations!
Also try the Sayuri sake. Best. Sake. Ever.
Tell Mr. Kim I sent you and you'll get extra stuff! :-) -
Review from Jeannie D.
Colorado Springs, CO
11/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
Slow service but good food.
-
Review from Paul H.
San Francisco, CA
11/5/2007
Not to be confused with the other AI Sushi on the east side, this is by far the best sushi experience in Colorado Springs. They not only have some of the freshest fish I have ever tasted, but the sheer variety of rolls will leave you coming back for much more. There are over 60 different roll combinations to choose from!
Their salmon sushi and sashimi melts in your mouth. My favorite rolls are the Cherry Blossom (California roll with tuna, salmon, and avocado topping), the Avalanche 2 (baked spicy tuna, cream cheese, cucumber...deep fried then topped with roe), and the Buffalo roll (spicy tuna with avocado topping). They also have a huge selection of non-seafood so everyone can find something they want.
The owner, Anna, and her staff give the best customer service I can ask for. If you are a repeat customer, she will great you by name and is always excited to see you. She even finds me the table with the best lighting if I come in with a book! Try to get that level of service elsewhere! -
Review from Matthias B.
Brooklyn, NY
5/9/2011
The rolls were the smallest portions I have ever seen. The prices were more expensive than most and the service was non-existent. The taste was great but that doesn't make up for the horrible experience. Will never go here again and neither will anyone I know.
-
Review from Summer Z.
Colorado Springs, CO
11/27/2008
I Heart Salmon. I really, really do.
Which is how I knew I'd found a good place for my raw-fish fix in the springs. They have a plate called just that. It's 2 pieces of fresh salmon nigiri, 2 pieces of smoked salmon nigiri, and a fresh salmon roll. It's like buttah
Service is good- I've never had to wait for a table, and the wait staff has always been super friendly and attentive.
I'm always leary about seafood in a land-locked state (which, I know I've said before) but the sushi here is quite good. You do pay for quality. But again, I'd rather have a quality fish than save some cash and risk....well, I'll leave that to your imagination.
The only reason Ai loses a star is that they have a rather narrow selection of rolls that aren't cooked. Don't get me wrong: still tasty. But I like fresh rolls. -
Review from Sibby S.
Colorado Springs, CO
4/13/2010
Ambiance: Good size main dining room, with a sushi bar that seats around 10 or so. They also have three large teppanyaki grills (dinner only). Slightly upscale feel. High ceilings. Lots of windows, but they keep them covered, thus creating a kind of "slightly dimmed" and "mysterious" atmosphere. Their background music is classical-jazz fusion, which though not authentic, lends itself to the casual yet upscale feeling they are attempting to create.
Service: Always very happy with service at sushi bar. Service at lunch time can be dreadfully slow for those on a time schedule (on my recent visit I was told that if I ordered any sushi the wait would be 20-25 minutes, in spite of the fact their were only about ten tables of customers and two sushi chefs -- i ordered one order of nigiri sushi with my entree, and it arrived 35 minutes later.) At dinner, service has always been fine. The Asian waitresses are very friendly and attentive, the Caucasian waitress I had a lunch seemed indifferent, but I will write her off as a "one off".
Food: I am impressed with the selection and freshness of their fish. Being a major sushi connoisseur for years, this place is better than ok, and a rare find here in Colorado. Their beef and chicken entrees are tasty, and their tempura exceeds my expectations (very thin and crispy batter, not greasy). Sashimi is generously sliced, and the nigiri sushi is cut large, and overflows the rice. I also like the fact that the green tea is served piping hot (you won't be able to hold your cup for a few minutes), but that ensures you will have a nice warm cup of tea throughout your entire meal.
I am constantly amused that people call this place A.I. It is pronounced Ah-EE. Ai is a surname in Japan and also Hawaii. Anyway, this place is in my top three Japanese places in Colorado Springs, and I find myself returning often for their very fresh and high quality raw fish. -
Review from Jody R.
Colorado Springs, CO
10/1/2009
Best sushi in Colorado Springs!
On our second visit, we were chatting with the sushi chef and found out he was the owner. They get shipments of fish delivered from the West coast every day. He said earlier that week they received a shipment of tuna that did not meet his standards and he refused to serve it as sushi, so they did not have tuna for one day. They sold the tuna in their cooked dishes, but not sushi.
We were impressed by the integrity and have never received bad sushi at Ai -- and we eat here every 2-3 weeks for the past three years.
This Ai is NOT related to the Ai on the East side of town. They used to be under the same ownership, but were sold several years ago.Listed in: Favorites
-
Review from Shanna V.
Colorado Springs, CO
12/9/2009
This is where my fiance took us on our first date, by accident! LOL he was looking for another sushi place with the same name, but on the wrong side of town. We ended up going to this place instead and have been going back ever since. Our favorite thing is the Hibachi grill. The chef has actually trained several of the hibachi chefs in the area. He cooks VERY good medium rare steak. YUM! Also, they are very creative with their sushi AND it tastes great. My favorite is the catepillar and pretty much anything with unagi on it.
The hibachi grill is more expensive, but their sushi is very well priced. Some places we have been too are very expensive, but this place is very afforable and high quality for sushi. I highly recommend this place!
Oh and I think the Elven review below got confused... maybe talking about another place?? I have been to AI well over a dozen times and it has not failed me yet! -
Review from Colin G.
7/12/2010
I wouldn't say that the sushi sucked, but I wasn't blown away by it. I enjoyed what we ordered, it tasted good for what it was, and it wasn't too expensive.
The service here sucked though. We came in relatively late and, after a few minutes, were the only ones left in there. The server decided to go chat up one of the chefs though and, 20 minutes later, she came back and we just got the check. It kind of bothered me because we started with two rolls and, unsure how to go from there, I mentioned that we would just order another one once we got into those first two. After sitting around with no water, no tea for my companion and no food on our plates for a while though, I said "Screw them" (more vulgarly though) to my companion and we just snacked on some leftovers back at the hotel later.
Like I said though, the food was pretty good. We had a Philly and a some sort of tuna sampler, which was a nice idea. That tuna sampler had white tuna, albacore, seared ahi and something else, all in nigiri form (one piece of each) plus a spicy tuna roll. The spicy tuna was nicely spiced (not too hot but with a good kick) and the fish all tasted good and fresh. This ran $12.95.
The Philly had a little too much cream cheese for my standards, and it was cut large. I'm used to 8 pieces in a roll. This had 6, but was the same size: the pieces were just really big. The Philly was $5.75.
I'm not terribly familiar with the Springs, but it doesn't seem like there are too many sushi places in this area and, from what I've had as far as sushi in Colorado, you could definitely do a lot worse. This location (I didn't realize that they had more than one) seems to have some service issues from my experience as well as, apparently, other reviewers. If they cleaned that up and maybe had better music, this could be a really good place. -
Review from ELVEN B.
Colorado Springs, CO
8/9/2008
Ground zero Hiroshima fertility clinic.. worst wait staff ever. Worst sushi experience ever. Place had a old fish smell, and the sushi was slimey. No I don't mind fish smell, and I eat everything on a sushi menu.. just not a fresh smell in this place.
-
Review from Mark S.
4/10/2009
This is an often overlooked location. The staff is friendly and there isn't a wait. The teppanyaki performance rivaled what I have seen at Benni Hanna's and the food was very tasty. I liked that they didn't give my wife and I grief when we wanted to split an entree. The Sushi was very well prepared and the fish fresh.
-
Review from Bill P.
Colorado Springs, CO
1/15/2010 1 Check-in Here
Perhaps the best sushi in Colorado Springs. Authentic sushi chefs, but with new and immaginative offerings. The quality is excellent, the service is friendly and swift.
-
Review from Adrienne K.
Colorado Springs, CO
7/24/2010
We ordered 2 rolls from there and they were horrible! I've never had to ask to get my money back before...I had 1 bite and it was awful...they refused to refund my 2 rolls and they were very unkind about it. We had 2 other rolls that were fine. I couldn't believe they wouldn't stand by their product and treat their customer with respect and kindness. If you want a REAL Sushi bar that is AWESOME go to Jun on Centennial and Fillmore it's right up the street! PS I've been eating Sushi for over 15 years and know bad sushi!! :)
-
Review from Sarah P.
Colorado Springs, CO
2/6/2010
My friend and I ordered three rolls on our visit with edamame. The rolls were VERY good, but they were ginormous! It took two bites to eat them. I have never been accused of having a small mouth...so I was a little surprised. Still they were VERY good!
-
Review from Heidi B.
Colorado Springs, CO
4/30/2009
Everything just ok - sushi, tempura, service...Not special, but good when I'm craving sushi.
