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Categories: Sushi Bars, Japanese [Edit]
1008 Blossom Hill Road
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4.5 stars all the way! Now... to note... J didn't quite enjoy his food but my food was amazing so that's all that matters!
I was craving sushi since it had been MIA from my tummy for a few weeks and needed to find some place close to my house and the theater (went to go see 2012). Ariake showed up on "Nearby" places so I thought, why not?
We walked and were seated right away. I looked over the menu and was surprised to see how inexpensive the food was. I ordered the Rainbow roll, Blossom Hill roll and the I Miss You roll - J ordered the Pork Cutlet and the Calamari appetizer to start.
The calamari was eh... I only had 2 pieces... Really it wasn't even worth eating but we got to try something new so that's all that matters. When my rolls came out, I knew my belly was going to hurt - I thought they would be smaller pieces (since the rolls consist mainly of 3/4 pieces) but they were huge! My Rainbow roll was great - very fresh fish, HUGE slices on top - the Blossom Hill roll was good as well but my favorite was the I Miss You roll - oh I can still tasted it - sooooo good!
J's pork cutlet was a bit dry but he was given huge portions - I ate most of his salad they gave him (I asked for extra dressing - their dressing was creamy and rich and I loved it!). Our server was great as well - he was always checking up on us on the right time and refilling my tea whenever it went down.
Also, it was someone's Bday and the servers turned off the lights and put on club music and a disco ball and came out banging drums and having the Bday girl stand on her chair and take 3 Sake shots - Awesome - I'm making a pit stop here on my Bday for sure!
I've been coming to this place for a while now. The $7.95 lunch special bentos are a deal and they have a good variety of combinations to choose from. The chicken teriyaki and tempura are pretty good but the salad was watery and didn't have enough dressing. The sashimi part of the bento box was three tiny pieces of tuna that didn't have much flavor. Its like they were filled with water.
Their rolls run about $5 each, but are about half as big as a portion you'll find elsewhere for $10. This is good because you can try 2 rolls for the price of 1! Rolls are pretty decent, nothing spectacular. The I Love You roll (Shrimp tempura, avocado, and unagi) is good.
Summary: 3/5 stars
+Good deal
+Good service
-Average sushi
-There might be 1 Japanese worker here, if any
Pre-cut sushi!
I took my truck to get a smog check around the corner and found this place in a mini-strip mall to pass the time. Sat at the sushi boat/bar and grabbed a few of the rolls. They were all just 'ok'. As I was eating, I noticed the sushi "chef" cutting open a shrink-wrapped package that looked like maguro (tuna). Then separating the pre-cut pieces! Seriously? I didn't know sushi places could buy pre-cut sushi! I then noticed another sushi "chef" placing different types of pre-cut sushi on top of and next to each other in a container. Doesn't this transfer flavors of each of the fish to each other? Jeez!
Oh, and not a single Asian worker there.
Well, at least the plates are cheap! lol My 4 plates cost a whole $11.14 with tax. Still, I won't be going back there.
Eh. low quality sushi... small portions (not expecting the usually "american" supersized portion, but its just stingy-portioned) and the rice is not good. The ONLY reason why I have entered this place is because of birthday dinners. You can request them to sing happy birthday, they have the classic "go shorty its your birthday" 50 cent song as the workers come out and make loud noises. They make you drink a shot of sake or soda depending on your age....
recommended for the birthday experience only. food, is OKAY.
+low quality sushi
+affordable
+bathrooms are okay
Whenever I want sushi I go here.
It always taste good. Its affordable, and they have the best CRAZY roll around. I've gone here for several years and I'm always greeted by my first name. Not all of the servers are the best about refills etc. But overall, I love this place and I drive pretty far to eat there.
I also love the spicy mussels and maguro sashimi.
I have yet to go on my birthday though...I've seen many people celebrate their birthdays there by standing on chairs, smoke machines and the traditional 50 cent song "its your birthday". Seems like a good time.
And its always crowded on the weekends!
this used to be my favorite sushi place. But that's because I didn't know any better. It's close to my house, it's affordable, it'll do in a pinch. But last night I was there and after having recently been to a few other sushi places, it just didn't taste as good as I remembered.
And no free refills on iced tea? that's -1 star right there!
I went here for lunch .. at around 2:30 with a friend. We REALLY love places with revolving belts, but sadly, the revolving belt was not open at the time. The waiter told us it was open from 11-2 and after 6. We were half an hour late! But since we were already there, we decided to give it a try anyways. We should have backed out! But eh, whatevs.
Anyways, about the sushi .. the good rolls start at $5.55 for 3-5 rolls. I guess it's okay .. I mean sushi is never cheap, right?
Thinking that we'd be smart and money savy, we ordered the ariake combination for us to share. BIG MISTAKE. The menu said 21 rolls, but I think they should have included the word "puny" or "dinky" somewhere in the description. Oh, and they took FOREVER to get our rolls. So be prepared to wait if you order a combination. The only thing that was good in that combo was probably the California roll. The other rolls were a little below mediocre. I believe there was one salmon, one yellowtail, one squid, one scallop, and one tuna. There were 6 small tuna rolls, and 6 small cucumber rolls along with 3 California rolls.We paid $14.95 for that. Needless to say, it wasn't worth the price. I guess we should have taken a better look at the picture of the rolls on the board.
Of course my friend and I scarfed down the rolls like nothing, and we ended up having to order a deluxe bento to share. The Bento box was alright. It was definitely more worth the money than the Ariake combination. It was $7.99 I believe, and that's pretty much half the price of the combo we ordered. If you want to get full, order the deluxe Bento box/lunch special and some rolls on the side.
By the way, they have a board full of the pictures of the rolls. The names of the rolls are very cute, though, hence the additional star. Some names included: blossom hill roll, I love you roll, I miss you roll, 911 roll, shark roll, etc.
Oh yeah, they gave us water to drink (obviously), and my cup was DIRTY. It didn't even looked washed. I had to use another napkin to swipe the rim of my cup. Can you say NASTY FAT NASTY?
I'm not sure if I would come here again or not. Probably not.
This place's price is not that cheap, however the food taste worse than McDonald.
They give you plenty of food, however the quality is sub par. I almost thew up after eating. The salad was sitting around for too long, and is becoming watery. Their udon tasted like cup noodle. Their tempera taste like hard greasy batter. only thing that tasted okay is the oranges.
It's a great environment with a moving center piece full of fresh sushi, however, you do not get what you pay for--the sushi is OK.
The service was a bit slow when we visited but if could have been due to the special celebrations from a couple parties there.
Okay food. Okay sushi. Okay everything.
But the price are cheap.
Their portions are huge for the price. But the thing is good price but you just can't finish the food that you paid for. I mean sure you can eat it later but it's better there and now not later.
They have funky rolls, my friends favorite is the playboy roll. Not just or the roll but just for the name. I don't know if they like it or not but they seem to finish it. If I remember correctly they even have a ninja roll?
I know if it's your 21st birthday they turn off the lights and bring a disco ball down and have a drum banging for you to take your first sip of hot sake on the house.
It's a flashy place but it's still good. I think the reason why I don't like it is because I can never finish the food and it's flashy.
Their rolls are worth giving a try. I'm not knocking it down, everything is worth a try =D
-SN
PS The first glass of water is free, the refill's after that cost you =(
What's best about this place is that it open everyday.
I visited San Jose to hang out with my friend from high school. Her older brother took us to this place because we were craving sushi at 9pm on Labor Day.
I ordered a tempura meal with spare ribs. The vegetable tempura was cold when I received it in take-out.
For food on Labor Day, it satisfied my hunger.
Good prices though.
The Sushi is definitely acceptable. Nothing too incredible, though. I go here for the cheap prices and alright sushi... and the memories. hahaha
I used to think this place was INCREDIBLE, since it was my first sushi experience. My friends all thought this place was great a few years back too.
I had a good experience, but I won't go out of my way to eat there again... Maybe if I'm craving sushi and in the area.
Normally sushi places are just a-ok and this place is no exception. It's definitely a chill place to relax, have a couple shots of saki, and grub on a couple of rolls.
Its pretty cool to come at night cuz they'll play music and if its your birthday they make you stand up on the chair and take shots while playing "in da club".
Other than that this place isnt too special. The food is ok and the wait for it is long. I would only come here since its close and just to relax and kick it with some friends. I havent been here in a while but I heard its gone downhill =/ Hope this helps! (or yelps?!)
This place has really gone downhill. During the last two visits (in a span of maybe two months), this place has been horrible. I have come during peek lunch time (around 12:30 to 1pm) and 99% of the boats floating have nothing on them! Come on! You might as well rip out the sushi bar and put in tables if you're not going to put sushi on the boats during peek lunch hour!
**If you want to eat sushi don't come here.**
On top of that the speed of hot meals is glacially slow. My wife ordered fried tofu and it took them almost 20 minutes to get it out to us. The restaurant was not even that busy.
We both ordered Cokes. They were fountain drinks, not canned. When I finished mine, I asked for a refill. The waiter told me that I'd have to pay for the refill. I know economic times are hard, but if you're going to charge for refills, then give me a canned drink. Fountain drinks are cheap.
Sitting at the sushi bar, I kept getting the smell of not-so-fresh fish that really killed my appetite.
I will not be coming here for a sushi fix anymore. Their service is bad, their food is mediocre, their sushi is horrible, and their food takes too long to get to the table. Avoid!
Boy, this place has really fallen off. I mean, I have been going here on and off for a few years now, less and less lately. Initially a great local, jazzy place to go for decent rolls, but the last 2 visits were puzzling. Last night 'sealed the deal' as another reviewer put it.
I will not be returning here, as the service, prices, and food are just not worth it. I was actually nautious last night after eating a deep-fried mystery meat with the Seafood sampler, perhaps a muscle, oyster, or clam. Whatever it was, tasted horrible and completely disagreed with my digestive system.
I have to add, they really need to either find a new song (50-cent is so 5 years ago) and hire a new party planner for their brithday things. Its cool the first 3 times, but a change is sorely needed.
The first time I ate here was 4 years ago, and I still come here from time to time. What I like about this place is their bento box special. IT'S HUGE! Or at least the biggest portions I've seen yet for a bento box, especially at dinner. The lunch portion is smaller with no orange, but still pretty big. Dinner is like twice the size.
As for their rolls (that's what everyone seems to want from a Japanese restaurant) they're not that great. The california roll is humongous in size because they stuff a lot of that imitation crab in there - not really my cup of tea. I like their special rolls which are a big more unique. On another bad note, their rolls always seem to fall apart when I pick them up to eat. This is bad sushi craftsmanship. I guess they don't wrap it tight enough.
The ambiance in this place is really hip. They have disco balls and lights. They do birthdays really well by turning down the lights. The workers come out and sing you a song. They make you stand on a chair and chug down some sake. I don't know if the sake is free or not, but the whole thing is fun if you like having the attention on you.
Overall, I just go here for the bento box because it's hella filling.
Went here for dinner due to a family member's suggestion. Two stars for their low prices and friendly service. That's about it.
I must admit, I've had better sushi and do not plan coming back here in the future.
Everytime I review this place I talk about how much I don't really like their food.. well this time really did it for me...
We came here around 2ish.. and the service was extremely slow... there was only 1 sushi chef.. and maybe 2 waiters serving the place.. the food took extremely long to come out.. and we had to ask our server to bring us plates and to refill our water because obviously it doesn't fill itself..
Another thing.. why hire workers if they can't even understand English? I mean not to be rude.. but come on .. we sat next to this table and the lady was asking the server for a pair of chopsticks because her son had dropped hers.. and the server looked at her puzzled and confused thinking.."what the hell is she asking me??".. so we just handed her some from our table... I think that pretty much speaks for itself..
You definitely get what you pay for here.. cheap, poor service.. and not to mention the food gave me a stomachache.. even when I was eating a few pieces of sushi I had a feeling I was going to feel crappy later... The fish is NOT fresh here...
Ok, so I realized I sounded a little mean in my previous review..
ANDD.. I admit it.. I have been…
Read more »
Their quality has gone down a bit, but I go here mostly since it's cheap.
They play cool music and you get to drink sake standing on a chair when it's your birthday, while the fog machine fills the room and lights are flashing. I like gettin the Clinton and Lewinsky Rolls. All about the cream cheese, baby!
This place is good for parties.
The cashier makes me feel uncomfortable though when I'm getting food to go cause it's like he's flirting with me, ehh. Well as long as he gives me extra food, I ain't complaining LOL! :P Maybe I should show more cleavage!
ariake should be called sushi hell; it's where sushi goes to die. there was a fat bone in my sushi roll and its just plain nasty there! the fish is watery, the rice is all over the place and people just like it because they think they know sushi but they don't. it's like saying taco bell is where someone should go for authentic mexican food. ariake is abominable!
One of my go-to sushi spots. The staff is super friendly and the food is consistent. Great for take-out. I think it is fairly reasonable for sushi as well. Also, this is a fun place for birthdays.
Cheap sushi, mediocre quality fish. Its not a bad place to go if you're out with a large group of people who want to do a lot of sake bombs. If you're looking for top quality sushi, keep looking. I'll give it three stars because the prices are so reasonable.
Don't ask for anything not on the menu (Aji, Toro, Bonito, Shiro-maguro, etc) you won't get it. Or in my case you'll ask for Bonito and get lukewarm maguro and then spend the next three minutes having the waiter try to convince you its Bonito!
Ehh I kind of sort of hate this place.
So why do I keep going? Damnit, my bf's family loves this place. Sighhhhhhs.... I'm trying to help them see that there is more to sushi than California Roll.... but damnit, its SO HARD!
Okay so why don't I like this place.... first of all what's up with the decorations? And then they have the disco ball and play 94.9 or whatever... AND WHAT'S UP WITH CREAM CHEESE IN LIKE EVERY SINGLE ROLL?!? I hate cream cheese in sushi but I can't run away from it! Like EVERY roll at Ariake has some cream cheese. ARGH. So I'm forced to eat CA roll which tastes like paper... or at least, what I assume paper would taste like. This is one place where I would actually prefer to sit in a table [as opposed to the sushi bar] because if you sit at the bar then you realize HOW MANY TIMES that same piece of fish has circled... *blehhhh*
Let's see what else sucks.... they don't give refills on soda, and if you've ever gone out to eat with 3 big guys, you know that having to pay for each glass of soda is NO BUENO. OH and you have to double check your receipt when they total up your sushi bill... cuz they try to gyp you.
So sadly, I probably will be back because this is my bf's family's fave place.... but I'll probably stick to the bento boxes. C'mon, who can screw up chicken terryaki right?
My boy and I came here for a quick bite to eat before going to watch a movie. He recommended this place because his friends love it and come here often. This is the second sushi joint he's ever ate at in his life. This place was nice enough to take us as we came close to closing. We sat at a table because they were closing down the sushi boats.
The place is huge, which kind of gave the atmosphere a strange feel, especially with the lights and the club music playing loud. Seemed pretty fun though.
Everyone who was working there was Latino because they all spoke Spanish to each other, joking around and what not while they were cleaning.
Our rolls came quickly, Las Vegas (AKA Golden California in other restaurants), Sake Bomb roll, San Jose... I honestly can't remember if we ordered anything else. We were in such a rush, I ate so fast. Also my boy's ear was dripping blood everywhere.
The service was really nice and attentive. They even gave us a pack of ice for his ear. Really nice people.
While the food is not top quality, it is generous in size, cheap and affordable. I have the feeling I'll be back here until I can ween him off this place.
Bad customer service and the sushi is EHH
1. Black stuff floating in my drink so i asked for another one, he said "it only been there for less then a minute." WTF is that
2. Black hair tucked tightly between the rice and the seaweed wrap and looks at me as if I did it.
3. Charged me automatically gratuity when its a total of two people.
Enough said
Just came back from Ariake Sushi. I have to agree with most of the people on here about Ariake Sushi. The sushi was "eh" and the service was less than satisfactory. There's no sushi that stands out here. The raw fish looked fresh.
Our waiter wasn't very attentive at all. He was confused because I wanted to substitute an ingredient with another ingredient. He had a puzzled look on his face. When it came out, the sushi was what I ordered but then another dish came out. It was the same sushi in it's orignal format. Thanks for the second dish so I can compare the orignal and modified sushi.
Signs of economic hardship seemed to have hit Ariake Sushi. I ordered a glass of coke. I finished it and waited for the waiter to come and ask if I wanted a refill. So, I waited and waited... and waited. See how unattentive the waiter sounds right about now? The waiter would ask the other customers how they're doing but skipped us while walking back to the kitchen. Finally, I had to stop the waiter and asked for a refill. His reponse was "No refill. Do you want to buy another one?" What? No refill for soda that you get from the fountain? I can understand if the soda came from the can but come on! It cost 5 cents to fill a glass of soda with syrup and carbonated water. I was thirsty so I ordered another glass.
The restaurant, is asthetically appealing with it's lights and sushi boats but it's going to take more than that to get a higher rating. Show me what makes Ariake Sushi stand out from the rest. Give me better sushi. Give me better service. Give me a better experience!
I was surprised at the deteriorating quality of costumer service at Ariake Sushi, considering their food is no where near exceptional. My friends and I were seated at the sushi bar. The first thing I noticed was how loud the restaurant was. I found myself yelling to my friend two seats away. The soups that came with our meal came twenty minutes after we ordered. When was politely inquired about our food to the waitress, she look annoyed and impatient and was not even slightly apologetic for our main course being forty minutes late. When I received my sashimi, it was chewy, as if it had been out for hours.
One of the workers at the sushi bar finished my order of sushi and attempted to pass it to me from under the glass. I didn't see him because I was talking to my friend. But when I looked up, he was angrily shaking the dish at me and muttering something I couldn't hear because of the noise. I reached for the dish, and he rudely snapped it away from me and put it above on the glass counter.
I will not return to this place where costumers are not valued. With their food is unfresh and old-tasting, what was left for Ariake Sushi to offer, costumer service, has now diminished.
2 stars for food, 3 stars for service.
Ariake isn't as good as I remember it to be. Maybe because back then I wasn't into sushi and the taste didn't matter much to me. The only reason I would come here is for their birthday polaroid and singing fiasco dancing on tables deal. I'm not fond of their sushi because their crab filling has this taste that reminds me of lucky's/costco sushi. Which I highly detest. Their special house sauce isn't too great either. Meh. At least it's fairly cheap.
Ariake Sushi is a good low-key sushi joint. It is my fave in the area. I have been there since they opened for business. Food is good and priced right. Recently I settled for what I think is their best: the dragon roll, miso soup, salad and hot sake. Occasionally I go for their spicy mussels. I like them all.
The ambiance is fun. The owner goes the extra mile to greet the customers and ensure everything is right. I also appreciate I can eat in peace without having the waiter interrupting unnecessarily. You will get service soon after expressing it. This place stays on my list.
This place is tucked in the back of a shopping center, not a sign to really grab you or anything - you kind of have to know where it is. But it has plenty of parking and is easily found if you know where to look.
Walking in it's plain looking, a large sushi boat in the middle and rows of tables on either side. It's a fairly large restaurant with plenty of tables and seats at the sushi bar. We were quickly greeted with a smile, seated and immediately there was someone to get our drink order. Some hot sake. Typical sake set, typical tasting - I liked it! I ordered an eel roll and some sake nigiri. The sushi was tightly wrapped, well presented, fresh and not too much rice. The sake nigiri was very fresh, tasty and yummy! Definately worth ordering.
I did find the wall of pictures of patrons with their name on it was a little tacky but it isn't an upscale restaurant. It's a great casual spot with good food and good service.
The sushi here are OK with very reasonable price, but don't expect too much.
I have been going here for 6 years and they never fail to satisfy my craving for california rolls. It's cheap and comes in large rolls. I can eat 2 plates and I'm done. Good for my wallet and to my tummy!
Eck! Avoid at all costs. Pretty much everything you put in your mouth from the sushi boats is awful. There are no sushi artisans behind the counter at this sushi restaurant. The rice is small, underflavored, gooey, pasty, bad. The fish is large, previously frozen and horribly cut by someone who clearly has not studied how to cut fish properly for nigiri. The wasabi paste was even dry and old, I couldn't even slurry it into my soy sauce! Horrible Chicken Teriyaki, full of too large to eat, thick greasy skin, no flavor, rubbery. Chicken Kakage was rubbery and cold as well. Miso cold, steamed rice undercooked. There is no care or time taken for the food here. Service barely okay if you can find someone. Over priced.
So this is place is good in my book because sushi, even cheap sushi, will make me smile.
The service may be slow at times, but the waiters are very friendly. If you really need a sushi fix then this is the place to go to. Most of the rolls range around 5.50-8.00. I always get the "Crazy Roll" which consists of tempura shrimp, avocado, and cream cheese on the inside and salmon, unagi, and lemon slices on the outside. It's a piece of heaven for 5.50. Go ahead and see for yourself.
I am amazed and disappointed by the good ratings Yelpers have given this place! Out of all the good sushi and Japanese food to be enjoyed in the south bay, WHY would anyone recommend this place?
Reasons why I will never return:
- the setting is so loud that you can hardly hold a conversation over dinner
- the tea comes out so effing hot that by the time you can drink it, they're handing you your check
- tacky lights stream different colors that i can only compare to a cheap club
- the sushi is TERRIBLE. i purposely don't sit at sushi bars to avoid sushi that has been airing all day long...but the sushi i received at my table taste like something that had been fresh 8 hours before i ate it
- what the EFF is up with the trumpet that plays before a band of servers obnoxiously march out to celebrate a birthday. that trumpet sounds like a dying animal
- the birthday parade is pathetic. enjoy your sake shots elsewhere.
- my credit card was denied and deactivated by ariake. as my bank confirmed, bad credit was NOT the problem.
sushi lovers beware!!
I love their california rolls because they're so nice and creamy. I have yet been to another restaurant that has their california rolls just as perfect. Their sushi menu might be a bit bland and it's not as colorful and creative as other sushi restaurants are but it's pretty good for me if I want my sushi fix around this area.
Really fresh and tasty for such a low price. The staff is very nice but then again, I'm a repeat customer so I'm sure that helps. Whenever I go to a new sushi place, I always compare it to Ariake.
this is the place to eat for inexpensive bento box meals.. lunch & dinner. i favor the sushi bar. whenever i have a craving, but don't want to pay an arm & a leg. this place will do just fine.
This place still does have redeeming qualities, please check out my original review. I just have to put this out there while it's fresh in my mind.
My older brother who knows nothing about the difference between good quality and bad quality ate here last night and picked me up a roll to go. There were only 3 pieces of sushi I spit out 2/3rds of it and just threw away the last one because I couldn't go through the torture of eating more bone than eel!
Chewing bones is equivalent to eating and pulling a hair out of your mouth in my opinion.
My true rating would have to be 2.5 stars. I really love the staff at Ariake's, and I feel terrible… Read more »
San Jose, CA
Category: Japanese
San Jose, CA
Category: Sushi Bars
San Jose, CA
Category: Sushi Bars
San Jose, CA
Category: Sushi Bars
San Jose, CA
Category: Sushi Bars
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