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Ariake Sushi
Categories: Restaurants Sushi Bars Restaurants Japanese Sushi Bars, Japanese [Edit]
1008 Blossom Hill RdSte D
San Jose, CA 95123
(408) 269-2288
- 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:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Trendy
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
304 reviews for Ariake Sushi
Review Highlights
"The I Love You roll is great, especially if you love eel."
(in 11 reviews)
"Also be prepared for the birthday celebrations."
(in 11 reviews)
"...have great sushi and their bento box is really good too."
(in 31 reviews)
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304 reviews in English
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Review from Andrew L.
San Jose, CA
2/20/2012
Perfect place for an informal and cheap sushi restaurant.
I love their atmosphere and their staff is always friendly.
I usually get the Lunch BentoBox Special (roughly 6 dollars)- Chicken or Beef teriyaki, miso soup, salad, rice, tempura, and 3 Huge California Rolls.
Food quality usually varies.. Miso soup can be perfect and other times it can be too salty. Sometimes the beef is really chewy, but you get what you pay for. -
Review from Dave J.
San Jose, CA
2/6/2012
Great atmosphere, cheap sushi and sake
This isn't a top notch sushi restaurant by any means, but it is a good place to come for birthdays or to hang with friends for some food and drinks. The people who run this place always make you feel welcome and it's more about the experience then anything. For birthdays they turn the regular lights down and the party lights up and throw on 50 cent, rofl, too funny.
If you like spicy, try the 911 roll and make sure you grab some hot sake while your here. Sushi isn't the same without the sake!
-D -
Review from Crysal V.
1/28/2012 2 Check-ins Here
I have been a few times before and I have noticed the lights and stereos, but never had the chance to experience it. It was so random, loud, silly, and exciting! I mean, what sushi place does that?! I do recommend coming here with a group of friends around dinner time, and getting drunk off of sake with the music and strobe lights lol.
Why this place does not get four stars is because it took a while for our waiter to come and greet us, we were in the corner, right when you walk in, the the left by the wall in the corner, and he was not friendly at all! I mean come on you work in a cool and fun environment! The other guy that I have seen, he went to go retrieve my fried sushi for me, my boyfriends meal came out before mine, so I did appreciate him, because I was starving. Perhaps I will try them again and sit at the bar, faster service I would hope! Definitely come check them out! -
Review from Nhi D.
San Jose, CA
1/16/2012
Super cheap for sushi!
The price of two rolls here is equivalent to two rolls elsewhere. However, the rolls can sometimes only be 3 pieces. The taste matches up with the price, and does temporarily satisfy sushi cravings. Extra star for the price, though! -
Review from Amy S.
San Jose, CA
2/21/2012
Prices are not great for the quality of food. Something said good for kids . . . disagree with that (they don't even have a kids menu! at least from what the waiter told us). I paid $13.00 for my 4 year old to have chicken and some rice (not to mention they served him with no fork or learner chopsticks). Could not find our waiter, tried to flag someone down just to get a fork and some extra napkins. The spicy tuna roll was the nastiest i've ever seen. It had huge chunks of onions in it and smelled horrible. It was politely returned. Waiter had no personality at all and never came back to ask if we needed anything, refills, to see how our food was, or to even give us the bill so had to go up to the front and ask for the bill. On one positive note...the chicken teriyaki was good, the salad was good and I liked the music.
-
Review from Jenn C.
Milpitas, CA
1/2/2012
Came in today with my husband. We've been here a few times before with no issues. But today, we were so underwhelmed by the experience, this will probably be our last visit.
Please bear in mind that we came in at 3:00, and normally sushi restaurants aren't open at 3. However, we ordered our sushi instead of pulling off the sushi boats to ensure fresh fish. Although the fish was fresh, the overall taste of the rolls was mediocre at best. We ordered a variety of sushi from nigiri to hand rolls, baked sushi to deep fried, all of it was just "okay". Even the tea my husband ordered was lukewarm upon arrival!
The services was decent- no rude or lazy servers. Just a personal pet peeve happened, but it's not worth repeating.
Like I said we've been here before, and normally it's pretty good. Today, unfortunately was not the case. -
Review from Ana T.
San Jose, CA
2/1/2012
Tried the dragon roll and the beef teriyaki, salmon teriyaki and tempura bento. Generally, the food tasted okay. There are t.v. screens at this restaurant and the staff was nice.
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Review from Nicole R.
San Jose, CA
2/18/2012
My favorite sushi restraint! The California rolls are delicious!!
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Review from Michelle N.
San Jose, CA
2/9/2012
Ariake is a great place to come with friends! I believe its before 3? but the lunch specials are SUPER cheap and they are generous with servings(: I've never had bad service here and its usually a great time, sometimes its over crowded but its worth the wait! I come for the Teriaki because its delicious!:D
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Review from gloria l.
Davis, CA
1/4/2012
Food is cheap and pretty good.. I only order the bento boxes, and they're good for the price.
The waiters are also very nice! -
Review from Rita T.
San Jose, CA
12/29/2011
I came here for lunch with a couple of friends. It was my first time and holy moly.. SO HORRIBLE.
First of all, I hate having bad service. Ariake's waiters were not rude... at first, but the one thing that bothered me was THEY DIDN'T SPEAK ENGLISH??? WTH. One of my friends asked for no rice in her hand roll. Our waiter did not know what the heck she was saying nor did any of the other waiters working at the time. If I knew how to order sushi in Spanish I would but I can't! It came back twice with rice in it even though we pointed and gestured at the rice that was not supposed to be there. We gave up trying after the third time.
Our food took forever to come to the table. A few rolls came in but the bento box my buddy ordered and my hand roll were missing for quite a while until we finally asked our waiter about them. Turns out he forgot to bring them out to us! HILARIOUS MAN..
The specialty rolls here are very cheap, but you pay for what you get, and in my opinion I overplayed a lot. I got the first item on the specialty rolls menu, the spider roll I believe. It was supposed to be soft shell crab but what I got was freaking gross. It was shells and other parts of crab that were definitely NOT crab meat. Waste of $$..
My other roll was the Imy roll which was big, but not fresh whatsoever. I walked out of this place extremely annoyed and dissatisfied and nauseous.
My friend said she usually comes here for dinner and has had better experiences here but I just don't get it. -
Review from Tiffany L.
San Jose, CA
11/25/2011
I've been growing up with Ariake since their first location in Cupertino. This was the highlight of my Saturdays before my dreaded piano lessons.
Many years later as an "adult" I had to give this childhood wonder another go. The magic has unfortunately fizzled. Ariake has done a great job maintaining their lunch prices...but not without setbacks. The portions are significantly smaller and less tasty. The teriyaki beef was cooked dry. Not enough sauce could cover it up. The rolls were unremarkable. The rice was not sticky enough. Overall meh experience that would has been bumped up to 2 stars because of the friendly guy at the register.
Classic case of you get what you pay for. -
Review from Manuel C.
San Jose, CA
12/17/2011
This is a great place to go for a birthday. I went here for my 20th, and this place is one of the most visited go-to spots for either a birthday, or just even a let's go out kinda place.
For birthdays the celebration is extravagant, embarrassing, and fun. Everything you look for in a birthday including sake(if you're 21+) as well as a framed photo and coupon good until your next birthday!
I recommend the Michael Jordan roll, which is a deep fried, spicy, mixed fish roll. It's great and you won't regret giving it a taste. -
Review from Harry T.
Sushi is OK here, nothing to rave about.
The guy that's in the front is REALLY friendly, I like him :)
Lunch bentos are pretty cheap, worth checking out if your around the area.
If its your birthday then they dim the lights and play "in da club" by 50cent. Siiiiiiiiiick -
Review from Lydia H.
San Diego, CA
10/25/2011
We went here on Tuesday night, hoping to satisfy a sushi craving. I would NOT come here again.
We had to send back two rolls because they were rubbery and dry. Gross.
Also, service was lacking... Majorly lacking.
Definitely not worth the time or money.
I'm still searching for a good sushi restaurant with decent prices in sj! -
Review from Lauren L.
Salinas, CA
12/21/2011
I have been coming to Ariake for a few years now, and not once have I been disappointed. The sushi is not the best sushi I've ever had in my life, but the atmosphere, price, and selection are what makes this restaurant a family favorite. It is a great place to come on your birthday. (I wont spoil the surprise if you've never had the birthday experience :).) The service is always very friendly and quick. Overall, Ariake is great restaurant and myself and my family will continue to come here.
-
Review from Beatriz P.
San Jose, CA
10/12/2011
A regular here. Sushi is affordable and decent size. The atmosphere is almost always exciting especially on your birthday.
Out of all the sushi places I've gone, they make the best spicy mayo everrrrrr. It's a nice combination of sweet and spice. -
Review from Erin K.
San Jose, CA
1/9/2012
The service is great due to the friendly waiters! The sushi and bento boxes are yummy. The only thing I disliked was the size of the sushi rolls which are too big!
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Review from Tee S.
San Jose, CA
10/1/2011
This place... you have to take the very good and fun over the indifferent. Was not impressed with the maguro or even basic cali'roll. Unagi offerings they do well. Also like the fact that on their menu they have a separate listing for vegetarian offerings which some sound like I have to come back and be vegan for a day:). If you come with that person who thinks sushi is something they put on the end of their fishing pole, the bento boxes are overkill huge. The other half loved the beef and the chicken was.. eh.. it is what it is.
If the lights go down, and disco lights start to turn... be prepared for a blast of drums as they march up to the table of a bday recipient to do some sake shots. hmmm
You cannot beat the pricing so with that in mind at times you get what you pay for and others they excel greatly. Great strong point is their hospitality. Owner/manager comes to your table frequently to check on you, banter or joke. And in these trying days, if only all restaurant managers/owners had this trait amongst them as we fork over our hard earned cash.
Its not the five star sushi place but everything suffices, some aspects of this place exceed, it's inexpensive, fun, the staff is great... eh whats more important for just an eve out!!! -
Review from Janessa C.
San Jose, CA
11/18/2011
Ok, first I have to start out this review by saying Jedi is the most awesome guy that works here! Me and my friend usually come here because it's really close to where I live, but I've never left there completely happy with what I just ate... usually afterward, I'm kind of like, why do I keep coming back here? I'll tell you why, because Jedi is awesome!
Anyway, the food... ugh. I've sent back numerous rolls because they were fishy, their crab salad is awful and even the other non-sushi dishes are nothing to write home about. It's really cheap, and frankly, you are getting what you pay for. I wish this place was better because everyone in here is so nice, but it's not.. and for that, I have to give it 2 stars. :/
P.S. I used to love their fried scallops! It used to have this awesome crunchy panko breading, but they changed the recipe or something.. because now it tastes like it comes right out of the freezer. The scallops are watery and the batter they use now is so generic and it tastes awful. Ew. -
Review from Love N.
Sacramento, CA
Updated - 2/8/2012
I love this place esp the I miss you roll!!!
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Review from Alena B.
12/19/2011
I've been looking for a new sushi place since Yumi Sushi closed in Almaden Plaza. The service was super friendly. The food was a-ok. Nothing great but not at all bad. They made my meal quickly and the order was right and the price was pretty reasonable. It's not something that I'm jumping for joy about but it's close, quick and pretty good. It's hard to go wrong.
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Review from Joseph C.
San Jose, CA
11/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
Wow, they asked me if I wanted boat or table, I said boat. All the sushi is ready to go but they won't serve it until 5:30, it is now 5:10. I'm outta here. as waiting to pay for salad, I heard the host ask another couple if they wanted boat or table, she said boat. I mentioned that the boat wont opne till 5:30 they pondered to stay or go.
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Review from James N.
8/26/2011
I think its cool that a Japanese restaurant is ran and the food is cooked by non-Asians. It shows that other cultures accepted another culture and wanted to share their take on it. Unfortunately, that doesn't always end with a good result.
I never left a California roll alone before. It had such a bad taste in my mouth and an after taste that stayed. The lunch dishes are pretty darn cheap but theres a reason why. Not only does the food match the price but the food is also a repellent. I don't think I'm going to come back here any time soon. -
Review from Danreb V.
San Jose, CA
8/26/2011
This place is the most fun sushi place I've ever been to.
Upon entry, patrons will find that it isn't your average sushi place. The decor is very modern, and the lighting suggests that it's some nightclub bar without being too unclassy.
The food itself is actually pretty good for the cheap prices they charge. Rolls are served the way they should be. I got myself a Lion, Dragon, and Rock N' Rolls and they filled me up rather good. The size of the Sapporo beers is pretty good too.
Basically, the place is great if you're a college student, but the fun comes if it's somebody's birthday.
The place just goes completely dark, and a bunch of people just come out in Taiko drums and beat the living crap out of them. And then the highest ranking employee comes out with a sake bomb. It's just crazy fun.
I'd definitely recommend this place for someone's birthday. -
Review from Sole M.
San Jose, CA
1/3/2012
Ariake Sushi was one of the first places I went to try Sushi. I really liked it at first until I started experimenting with other sushi restraunts and realized it was not so good. The Sushi has wayy too much rice and they fry the fried california rolls wayy too much with too much batter. The service is really good and the waiters are so friendly but the food is not good quality :(
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Review from ping h.
San Jose, CA
8/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
Coming here for dinner after eating at Cha Cha Sushi for lunch is a bad idea ...
I could definitely taste the difference in freshness for the fish. Ariake not being so much on the fresh side .. Prices are also a bit pricey and their variety at the boat/bar is not so great .. They do put out more overtime (I went at the beginning of dinner), but still .. it doesnt provide me with a happy dinner ..
Bento boxes are probably a good deal though. I enjoyed the salmon terriyaki with tempura! -
Review from Alex M.
San Carlos, CA
12/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
Typical sushi. Not great, but typical. I could say they could use less rice on the rolls.
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Review from Becky U.
7/6/2011 1 photo
Came here on a Sunday right when they opened (11:30AM - brunch). I love me some sushi!! I was impressed that they were serving lunch specials on a weekend. I got the fried oysters bento box lunch special and my gf got the spicy chicken bento box lunch special. The serving of both boxes were generous, when I mean generious.. $5.95 for this!!? REALLY!? SCORE! The fried oysters is a must try basis!! The spicy chicken wasn't so bad itself. The sushi and hand roll portions are pretty huge. The selections are way more than you would expect.. too many to chose from. Miso soup was definitely "miso soup". Like YUM! I am definitely going back.. tonight! LOL.
Definitely a FAN!Listed in: Happy Hour
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Review from Patrick C.
San Jose, CA
12/18/2011
I haven't been here in more than five years and the quality I believe has gone down from what I remember it being before. Their rolls menu is printed sloppily, and no pictures. The wasabi and pickled ginger were sitting out at room temperature, lord knows how long that's been sitting there. Our server, although a nice and knowledgeable employee, needs to trim his nose hairs. He never asked if we needed refills--we had to ask for them. Overall, my meal was less than average, and I wasn't too satisfied. I think I might stay away for a while and get my sushi elsewhere.
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Review from Räv V.
San Jose, CA
7/8/2011
It'd been some time since we'd gone out for Sushi and we wanted to try a new place. We found this place thanks to my Yelp BB App. I scanned the reviews and trusted that seasoned Yelpers and Elites knew what they were talking about. Boy, was I wrong.
- S - L - O - W - - S - E - R - V - I - C - E -
This was unlike any Japanese restaurant I've ever been to and that wasn't a good thing. Everything from the decor to the service to the food was disappointing. We came in well after the lunch rush and it appeared they were understaffed as the guy at the register was also taking orders at the tables and bringing out the food. Nice guy but overwhelmed. People were just standing around not knowing what was going on.
911 Roll - $3.95
Lewinsky Roll - $4.95
Clinton Roll - $4.95
Jordan Roll - $4.95
Sake Bomb Roll -$4.95
Shrimp Tempura - $5.95
I forget which one but one of our rolls was supposed to be fried but it was more like charred. The entire bottom of it was black like burnt toast. Gross. Then to top it off, the wasabi that accompanied our rolls was like Play-Dho that had been left out in the sun. Also, isn't Shrimp tempura supposed to be hot and crunchy?
I know this is a big deal for some but none of the employees at this establishment were Asian.
We were disappointed that we picked this place and we will never return again.
No Thanks Ariaki
*1.5 Stars -
Review from Jay B.
7/7/2011 3 Check-ins Here
Went here on a wednesday for dinner.
With a huge craving for sushi, we were happy that this place was not busy. We were able to order fried oysters, jelly fish salad, and grabbed a couple of dishes from the boats.
We were lucky to watch the GIANTS GAME on their flat screens so we ended up ordering a large beer and large sake to kill time. During the commercials we noticed that the same sushi from when we walked in were still on the boats, YUCK!! OLD!! SPOILED?!?!? This was totally disgusting. We stayed here for a good 2 1/2 hours and still the same sushi were on the boats. Choose at your own risk or ask for a fresh one...
Service here is eh. Not to be biased, there is mostly Mexicans working here. I literally had to walk up to the server to ask him to fill my cup with water, BOO!! Instead of congregating together and talking amongst yourselves, please tend to your customers.. geesh..
I might as well have walked behind the counter and made my own sushi roll and get my own drink....
Ariake, I will probably see you just DURING LUNCH TIME :( boo... -
Review from Anya R.
5/20/2011 1 Check-in Here
So the first time my boyfriend and I came here it was totally fine. We got stuff from the rotating boat, there was 50 cent playing in the background, we're able to use our credit card. All good.
Then we went on a Thursday night super last - they close at 10pm everyday. Got there a little past 9pm and sat at the bar by the sushi boats.
Every plate looked rank and just not fresh.
We were like okay its probably been rotating since dinner time.. why don't we order from the menu.
This place is dirt cheap and we don't expect it to be amazing we do expect it to be edible.
What we ended up getting
- Rainbow roll- fresh fish but WAY too much imitation crab and rice
- oysters- decent
- shrimp- pretty good
- spicy tempura shrimp roll- this one was the best and it was good
- Silicon valley roll with spicy tuna- jesus this was disgusting and I had to pick it up and smell it a few times t double check and see if it went bad.. the meat was ultra dark.. maybe from the soy sauce. I had two rolls and the guy asked.. if everything okay? and I was like honestly.. its really salty. They took it off the bill. Thanks that's cool.
They have crazy loud birthday celebrations in there with disco lights.
All in all never coming back unless I come during rush hour where I knew things will be more fresh.
By the way how come they hate on salmon? Prob more expensive huh. Everything on the menu and on the boats was tuna. -
Review from Michelle H.
San Jose, CA
6/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
Came in on a Friday at around 9 PM and I wasn't too impressed so this review will be short. What did struck a cord with me is the service we did receive. Our server, Lupe, seemed to have been in a rush. He was rushing us from the moment we sat down. Pardon me but I like to take time to look over the menu and choose what it is that I want to order. Thanks!
Pros:
Cheap sushi
Free saki bomb on your birthday (from observation)
Cheap sushi
Cons:
With cheap sushi comes cheap quality sushi
Since I was so rushed to order, I couldn't even remember what I ordered when my sushi arrived.
Crappy service
Would only return if I was in the area and was on a budget. -
Review from Mike S.
Last Friday I had dinner with Mandy at Ariake Sushi in South San Jose. The fond memories I have of Ariake's. The magic started at the Stevens Creek location, where I was first introduced to the wonderful world of sushi. Instead of going to class, I would somehow find out way at Ariake with my buddies! Sushi over School, ftw! ^_^
Every visit I would always order a Kani Hand Roll or two & the Lewinsky Roll. So last Friday I of course ordered my old trusties! :)
The Lewinsky Roll (http://media2.ct.yelpc...) consists of cream cheese, cooked salmon, and avocado. While this used to be one of my favorites back in the days, the magic wasn't quite there anymore. I'm not sure what it was, but just didn't enjoy it like how I remembered.
The Kani Hand Roll (http://media2.px.yelpc...) is a large cone-shaped roll filled with crab! Ah yes, I still love this roll. As simple as this roll is, that sweet tasting imitation crab just does the trick every time! Mmmm, in fact I had to order a second Kani Hand Roll that night!
P.S. The birthday celebrations are extremely ANNOYING!
Summary (2.75 Stars): Sushi that is quick, fast, and cheap! While this place isn't a classy super fresh sushi joint, consider it an upgrade over the stuff found at Safeway!Listed in: Top Sushi Joints!
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Review from nikki p.
San Jose, CA
10/17/2011
Finally got there, whoo hoo. Overall pretty good and prices are reasonable along with portions. They have boat service if that's what you are looking for.. Service is a tad slow and they didn't bowl me over with hospitality, but they make a good roll with fresh fish so I won't complain. Some rolls were a tad too rice-y but I suppose that's better than being skimpy all around. 3 for lunch, $32. Would go back for more. Enjoyed poke roll tremendously, spicy! ;)
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Review from Monica F.
4/11/2011
aaaaaah... one of them those sushi chains.....
I'd say it's okay for a quick, cheap sushi fix... however.... this can't really be a good spot for a date if you want a sushiriffic good meal to fill your sushi thirst.
I always feel iffy about the sushi boats...as i wouldn't know how long these little plates had been circling the sushi bar for....
But...at Ariake, you can actually get some decently prepared rolls. and if they don't have anything you want at the sushi bar, they have an extensive selection off the menu too....
At Ariake,....you can never go wrong with the Hamachi Hand Rolls. It's Cheap and stuffed with Hamachi. Totally worth it.... -
Review from Noelle J.
11/17/2010 1 Check-in Here
The World According to Noelle
Allergic Girl's Guide to Life
I come here often with my grandmother after her hair appointments. I'd rather eat the Japanese food at Gombei in Japantown but short of hopping onto 87 to J-Town this is South San Jose's answer to Japanese food. They are almost always packed at lunch. Ariake has large lunch specials at are only $5.95, I always get the tonkatsu (not a lunch portion) and its decent. Service is sketch during the busy lunch hour but friendly nonetheless.
Noelle's Notes
Not bad for Japanese food in SSJ. -
Review from Viet T.
Milpitas, CA
4/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
I've been here a few times now with a couple of friends who are regulars and was really torn about whether to give it 3 or 4 stars. This is not the place to go if you consider yourself a sushi aficionado - but the rolls are decent, cheap, and the environment is rowdy and full of energy.
Several times every evening, Ariake shuts off their lights, turns on their strobe lights, and jams the rap music - really loud. Yes, they have strobe lights. This usually indicates that it is someone's birthday, so this is a pretty popular spot to celebrate birthdays if you are into that sort of thing and don't mind all eyes on you. The kids in the room really seemed to enjoy this. Lasts about a minute.
The rolls were not bad and the hamachi I had was very fresh. I wasn't a huge fan of their spicy tuna handroll and much preferred their hamachi hand roll. -
Review from Tanya T.
San Jose, CA
12/12/2010
This place grew on me. I stopped going for a while after the food made me feel a bit sick. But I gave Ariake another chance, and I'm glad I did.
The prices are pretty good (especially for lunch - $5.95/$7.95) and the portions are large.
I like to get the fried scallops plate; I've tried the seafood plate (fried oysters, scallops, and calamari) before, but I didn't really like the calamari -- the oysters were pretty good though. But I definitely liked the scallops.
As far as rolls go, I usually get the philly roll and the poki deluxe roll (spicy tuna, green leaf, and shrimp) mmm!
I had the salmon teriyaki today and it tasted a little bland, but everything else is good =)
