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Categories: Japanese, Sushi Bars [Edit]
Neighborhood: Downtown"I'm gonna have to disagree with anything negative about this place... It's a casual, yet trendy spot to go for asian cuisine (note- they…" read more »
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I've been here twice already and I am a fan. The people that work there are so nice. I have to say the only reason I go there is for the awesome sushi chef named REX. He used to work at the Octopus in Burbank but has been relocated and we were happy to hunt him down. He is young and creative. We order the Amaebi every time we have eaten with him only to be surprised each time with his creative style in serving it. The sushi is solid and a good deal. Fresh and abundant in a friendly evironment.
The restaurant is located directly above the Metro Blue Line, so I am thinking about taking the metro next time I go. We have gotten lucky with street parking, but you never know in downtown.
Enjoy.
We were walking to Riteaid from our hotel and happened to come by this place. We saw the sign saying it was 50% off sushi and we were like why!?!?!?!?! is there something wrong with the food??
The ambience of the place was really nice, so we decided to give it a try and found to our surprise that this place was good! You really can't go wrong with the food here or the service.
First, their mood lighting and shrimp in their signature green sauce is were the two things we really enjoyed.
We ate at the lounge area for dinner. We ordered many nigiri sushi from their half off menu. Unfortunately, the time we were there, the sushi chef was completely incompetent. Sushi rice broke apart when we dipped it in the soy sauce. I'm not a sushi chef, so I don't know what was missing in the rice, but it should have stayed together. That's how every other sushi restaurant does it.
The way the bill appears is also very strange. The 50% discount amount is at the very bottom, so when you see your sushi line items you think you paid full price. 50% off should be immediately after each line item, or already have the sushi price discounted.
I know its a critical remark, but we were so dissatisfied with the nigiri sushi, it put us in a bad mood.
Working in the heart of the Financial District in downtown LA, one quickly realizes the shortcomings of LA's "downtown food-life". I am originally from Toronto, Canada, which like most east coast metropolitan cities such as NYC or Chicago, have their best restaurants in their respective downtowns. Now, I understand LA is different and spread out... anyway, that's besides the point.
Whenever I've had a craving for Japanese, or just sushi, I've had to take the dash to Little Tokyo. Not so anymore!! Octopus was opened earlier this year, directly across from the Macys, and 2 blocks from my work. I've recommended at least 10 friends to go here who live in downtown, as well as taken a barrage of Canadians here over Labor Day weekend when they were in town for a Volleyball Tournament.
On my first visit, I made friends with the GM of this place... who happens to be a really chill, nice guy. BONUS POINTS - 0.5 STARS
Location/Parking:
Great location in the middle of downtown LA. I haven't experienced the valet service since I always walk here from work, but it's only steps away from the Wilshire Grand hotel, the 7th St/Metro subway and across from Macys. 0.5/0.5 STARS
Decor/Ambiance:
Pretty modern feel for a Japanese/Sushi place. I know for a fact they had a hard time getting the interior done (having spoken to the GM)... but they did a great job. It's a chill place for lunch with coworkers, or dinner with a friend. 0.75/1.0 STARS
The Food:
Not much I can say here. For the price, I don't understand how they can give you that much food. Portions are great... in terms of tastiness, it doesn't compare with some places down in the OC or in Little Tokyo. But there isn't another restaurant like this in the downtown core. Across the street is Takami, which shares it's space with Elevate Lounge. But unless you feel like eating sushi at the same place Britney shot her come-back video in 2008 and paying accordingly, Octopus is the shiz.
2.0/3.0 STARS
The Drinks:
Average priced drinks, with a decent Sake selection. I'd like to see some innovation with cocktails here, especially since this place is in the downtown core. I'd like to say "I wanna go to Octopus for happy hour cause they have some cool drinks".
0.5/1.0 STARS
Overall:
A great place if you work downtown or are looking for a quick bite before catching a game/event at Staples Center and don't want to pay an arm and a leg at the LA Live restaurants.
4.25/5.0 which comes out to...
4.0/5.0 STARS
I was on my way to Wokano for some quick sushi after work and I noticed this other place across the street so I went by to check it out. Right away one thing jumped out... 1/2 price sushi! That gave me incentive to try Octopus. First off, the ambiance was very modern and a fun vibe. The wait staff and the sushi chefs are all very professional, and I chatted with one of the sushi chefs about his craft as he was making orders left and right. After some delicious Yellowtail, I told him to make me a plate of whatever he wanted, to surprise me.
I was very impressed with what he gave me. Everything was delicious and tasted fresh, although I wasn't the biggest fan of sea urchin sushi (the taste was alright, but anything with the texture and consistency of baby poo is not what I'm looking for in a meal).
Overall the meal was very good, and getting a good price on good sushi is always going to make me come back.
The only negative, no delivery. C'mon Octopus management, I'm too lazy to walk 6 blocks for sushi.
Seriously a fun vibe. Very sleek & modern but not in a pretentious way that makes me afraid to spill some soy sauce. Great Great Great Happy Hour. Cold icy beer mugs are provided with inexpensive Asian beer.
The Sushi is generous & the happy hour appetizers totally worth every little dollar. Close to the Metro stop as well.
I am sad I moved away from walking distance to this place. But still make the trip when I can.
The best sushi bar in downtown LA!!!!
I went to this bar after seeing the positive reviews on yelp and decided to check it out. I went on a Friday night before the Laker game and wasn't the only one because a waitress there said that Lamar Odom and his woman Khloe K. Had been in there earlier that day!
Anyway, it took less than 5 minutes to get a table and got served really fast so the service was really good at about a 7.5
I went with a friend and the order was as follows :
Two crunch rolls
Two Philadelphia rolls
One California roll
Miso soup
A pomegranite martini
Large hot saki
One Sapporo
And the bill was only $42.60!!!!!!!
Unbelievable I know so I highly recomend when looking for a cool place to grab some really good sushi and drinks with friends or a date!!!! A must!!!
Damn you George's Greek Cafe for being impossible for my dumb ass to find! With an hour to spare before AdultCon and no food in my stomach, we set out to find a quick place to grab lunch before checking out the beat down porn stars. We gave up on finding George's and settled on Octopus.
The hostess/waitress was nice, a little over attentive and too touchy feely for my liking. But she was cute, and made sure we had everything we needed. We stuck to the sushi bar and got the oyster shooters to start. That is pretty much the best part of the meal. I love oyster shooters, only wished that they put some vodka in them! I am an alcoholic. Then we got the toro and crab nigiri. When it says crab instead of krab on the menu, I think it is safe so assume that you will be getting real crab. No dice here. It was imitation crab and that was a huge disappointment.
The two rolls that we got, their specialty rolls were alright. I'm still trying to understand why the Japanese are so obsessed with mayo. And why they call it spicy sauce when it is just mayo with chili sauce in it. It's mayo! Anyways, the rolls that we got were not that spicy, even though they had spicy tuna and spicy scallops. They were filling though, so I guess everything was acceptable. I just wasn't wowed by this place and felt that the quality and presentation of the sushi left something to be had.
Another good happy hour find, thanks to Ms. Minty.
So we stroll in around 5:00 on a Friday. There were some occupied tables but not too busy. The decor was nice... trendy without having a snobbish feel. The booth seating looks nice but isn't the most comfy.
So there happy hour is from 3 - 7pm and then also again from 9:30pm until closing. There is much to choose from which was the nice part about it! All the sushi is half-off and they offer a good selection of rolls on the special too... along with cocktails, sake, and beer.
So here's what we got:
*1 pomegranate martini - 2.95
*2 bottles of Katana sake - 7.95 each
*2 seaweed salad - 2.95 each
*Sushi sampler - 8.95 - five different types of sushi (nice helpings) on top of balls of rice
*Heart Attack Roll - 4.50
*Seared Garlic Tuna - 2.60 (I didn't try)
*Yellow Tail Belly - 2.50 YUMMY!
*Fresh Water Eel - 2.60 (I didn't try)
The total bill with tax came to $49.
I liked everything except for the pomegranate martini. For half off sushi I was quite please and would come back again.
The only thing we didn't care for was the bill was a bit confusing. Some things came up at the happy hour price and some things came up at the regular price but then were discounted at the bottom of the bill in a one lump sum. It was a bit confusing but the total was correct.
So if you are looking to get your sushi on... this is a good place to do it without spending a lot of money.
It's Monday night in downtown LA. I am visiting from San Diego and am dismayed to find everything (as far as I can tell) is closed by 9 pm. Even the damn Rite-Aid!
Everything but Octopus...and we walked in the door at 9:30 pm...the start of late night happy hour! Sweet!
As usual, my boyfriend had eyes bigger than our stomachs and ordered too many items. I would pass on the sesame chicken (breaded, fried skin-ugh) and the tempura mozzarella ( Only italians should mess with this kind of thing.) The sushi rolls were good, and the garlic seared tuna sashimi is delicious, although this time it was a little too cooked for my taste. The edamame is better left unadulterated than saturated in garlic butter. Our bill was about $48 including several alcoholic beverages. Nice!
Initial reaction-
better than Wolcano.
That said, Victoria C and I had a great happy hour here. We chose the sushi sampler, heart attack roll (spicy tuna, avocado, jalepeno), seaweed salad and a couple of extra pieces of nigiri. Along with a drink, two bottles of sake, the bill came out to be $25 each plus tip.
I thought the sushi sampler was pretty cute with the rounded nigiri and thick slices of fish but there were only 5 pieces and it was almost $9. It was cheaper to order nigiri a la carte.
The roll was good with the bit of crunchies pooled into the bowl they were sitting in. I was annoyed though I had to keep shooing away little fruit flies and an actual big ol' fly away from my sake bottle and plate constantly.
I also ordered unagi and seared garlic tuna. Both were good even if it was pretty obvious the seared garlic tuna were two different pieces of fish. One looked more garlic-y as well. Victoria said her yellowtail belly was good.
Overall, we liked the club-y atmosphere with the pulsing lights. There was even a guy running around doing sake shots with the chefs. The music wasn't too loud.
We did have a weird issue with the bill. Some of the sushi was discounted to 50% off, some had its happy hour pricing already and the bill had a discount line of "50% off sushi" which initially looked like the alcohol wasn't discounted. The server took the time to add it up manually with a calculator in front of us until we saw it was the right price even with the funky calculations on the bill.
Happy hour is available anywhere downstairs. We didn't go upstairs but it might make a nice date place. This Octopus is so not like the ones in Burbank and Glendale though it's the same chain. It's much nicer to cater to the Downtown LA crowd.
The restaurant has pretty nice decor which looks very modern with dim lighting. They seem to have a lot of staff, so customer service is good.
I love going to Octopus for lunch since the prices are reasonable and they have a large variety. I usually order the hand roll combination that comes with 1 spicy tuna roll, 1 california roll and 1 shrimp tempura california roll for about $9. I love the spicy tuna roll! It's probably the one only thing that keeps me coming back :) It's a pretty good deal because if you get the spicy tuna roll by itself, it's already $5!
Another item on the menu that I like is the green tea mora soba cold noodles with the shrimp tempura. That dish is pretty yummy too!
Haven't checked out the happy hour yet, but I've heard good things about it. So I'm sure I'll be coming back soon.
Contemporary Asian fusion. They have double happy hour. Went around 10pm on a Friday night and took advantage of their cheap prices. Had a beer and a bunch of sushi apps, great value, music was clubby and kind of loud but would go back. -1 star for serving our beers in a warm glass.
ICE YOUR BEER MUGS.
Octopus is a great place to go to when you're downtown. The decor is great, service is nice, and the prices are just right!
The lunch combos are a pretty good deal at $8.45 for 2 items or $9.45 for 3. I recommend the gyoza and the teriyaki salmon.
The sushi lunch combo is also a pretty good deal, for $9.95 you get a CA roll and the chef's special roll of the day.
The seafood yaki soba is great and costs $11.95.
The sushi is pretty standard and doesn't really stand out. It's pretty cheap though, mostly around $5, with some of the specialty rolls going up to $15. I recommend the rainbow and spicy tuna roll combo for $11.95, and the freshwater eel with rice for $10.95. The Japanese scallop is pretty good too at $6.50 or so.
I recommend this place for lunch rather than dinner, since it is a mini chain, and for what they charge for their dinner combos, you're better off going to a better quality Japanese restaurant, since you'll end up spending about the same, give or take $5.
Finding affordable food in the heart of yuppy downtown is tough, doubly so if you want something edible. So it's surprising that I can get a large, filling, and yummy lunch with sushi rolls for about $15.
$9 dollars for a two item lunch special, $10 for a three item. My pork cutlet didn't disappoint, however, the sesame chicken was a little sub-par. Served with miso soup, side salad, one gyoza, pickled garnish, and a dome of rice and you have one big meal! To top it off we ordered the tiger roll (salmon and freshwater eel), which was perfectly palatable.
Inside is clean, modern, and trying a bit too hard to be "trendy". The music might be more suitable during happy hour, but it's not horribly distracting. Servers are friendly, although during lunch there seems to be a constant gaggle of female servers out front greeting everyone. Heh, whatever gets business. Ultimately, the food is decent, especially for the price. Lunch is the way to go...
Their lunch special is quite a deal for all you get. The food was nice (I had salmon teriyaki and a spicy tuna roll), the house sake was actually pretty good, the beer a good price. The host and servers were extremely friendly and the seating quite comfortable. The only problem was the music. But it was a BIG problem. We came to enjoy a nice escape from the work hustle for an hour and walked into screaming techno music making us feel anxious and anything but comfortable for a lunch break. The decor, the people, everything about the place calls for some sexy lounge music, but instead I found myself expecting glow sticks to arrive with our drinks so we could wave them around as we danced on our seats. It was just plain weird.
Down in LA for the Adobe MAX conference and needed somewhere within walking distance from my hotel (Sheraton).
To people traveling, this place is a totally acceptable sushi place if you're looking for somewhere close to your hotel. If you've got the will power, I'd still say walk or take a cab down to Hama (where I went yesterday) but you'll be just fine here.
Got a house salad, salmon sashimi, hamachi nigiri, and mochi (but of course!)
They have some of the best house dressing I've ever had at a sushi place. No lies.
The salmon seemed super fresh and buttery but wasn't particularly flavorful. It was still totally fine (not fishy at all) but lacked that sort of "oh my gods, this is why I love salmon soooo much" effect.
Hamachi -- ok. Not great but totally fine and not fishy.
The mochi was cute. Granted, they (and 99% of all sushi joints) seem to use those mochi from trader joe's but they did me a favor and gave me one green tea and one strawberry. They cut it up into small pieces (which *warning* means they melt way faster) and put whipped cream in the middle. Sorta corny-trying-to-be-fancy-chic. I liked it. Minus the already melty bit.
All in all a-ok.
[ CONVENIENT LOCATION & GENEROUS HAPPY HOUR ]
Conveniently located in Downtown L.A. on 7th Street, bet. Hope and Flower Streets, and just a short walk over from the 7th Metro station, is a new sushi bar and restaurant (a few months old) called OCTOPUS. The latest addition to this chain's locations, OCTOPUS offers an awesome happy hour on weeknights, which runs from 3 - 7pm, followed a couple hours later by a reverse happy hour from 9:30pm until closing.
[ VIBE & SETUP ]
The decor was hip and fun, w/o being snobbish or off-putting. There's bar seating (about 10 stools), small tables, and more seating upstairs (didn't get to see it). It's a good place to go w/ friends, or on a date. Service is friendly and enthusiastic.
[ OFFERINGS & PRICES ]
Luckily, we arrived just 15 minutes before the end of happy hour. My friend, in his ravenous state, ordered four of their specialty sushi rolls to share between the two of us. Among the other happy hour offerings are some warm apps, a few salads, sake, and beer. The rolls were priced perfectly for even the most frugal of us at around $5 each, some cheaper. The presentation and flavor of the sushi was just fine (fish very fresh, though sushi rice was just a tad on the vinegary side, but negligible), and when we got the check, I couldn't believe how we ordered so much food for so little money. Along w/ the sushi rolls, we also had one beer and one small Perrier, and the total came out to only around $25!! We even had leftovers, which I had for breakfast the following day. :)
[ THE RETURN VISIT ]
We enjoyed the happy hour's offerings and prices so much that we went back for a late lunch the next day, just in time for happy hour again. This time, the rice was a bit overcooked, so it was more tender than what I'd prefer for sushi rice, but still worth it, considering the value, taste, and ambience of the place.
So, if you're in Downtown L.A, and in the mood for some half-priced sushi, hit up OCTOPUS during their lengthy happy hour (and reverse happy hour), and you can lounge comfortably in a hip spot, while barely making a dent in your wallet.
HELLOOOO YELP! I have not been on yelp for a very long time... but since I got my ROTD again (3rd time! yeaaa babyyy!) I decided it is time for me to come back!
Anyway I will start my yelping again with one of my favorite restaurants in DT LA, OCTOPUS. I finally tried their combination dinner box~ 2 item combination for $12.95 and 3 item combination for $14.95. The boys got the 3 item combination and the girls got the 2 item. WOW~ talk about GREAT value! The food was awesome~ I got the miso butterfish and teriyaki chicken. Miso butterfish was just like mom's miso butterfish and teriyaki chicken was so good! It's a lot of food, I was stuffed!
I love their sake selection. Even the House Sake (large hot house sake 6.95) was very good :)
I will definitely keep coming back to Octopus!
I liked it! (but a little rough on the wallet)
Came here with a couple of friends for dinner and…
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I'm known to have a pretty strong stomach, but toward the end of my lunch at Octopus I felt discomfort in my tummy. It later turned into a full bout of pain, nausea and later vomit and dia_ _ _ _ _, which by then felt like a blessing, as each trip to the bathroom brought just a bit more relief.
The texture and taste of the sushi was below normal standards and I should have had the sense to stop eating after the first bite, but being the big eater I am, I continued - in the end, it was my loss.
The hot dish was also sub-par, the mackerel fish having been served undercooked. Unbelievably, it was even stringy (stringy like nato or snot) upon picking it up with chopsticks.
The wait staff is entirely Korean and I have a strong feeling that the chefs/sushi-men are too. I can't help but agree with the poster who advised to avoid sushi places run by non native Japanese.
In short, eating at Octopus was a waste of my time, money, health and strength (due to v & d) - truly an unnecessary source of distress.
pops treated me to lunch, from outside would never know what a nice modern, sharp look inside is. Friendly staff, of course 1/2 price sushi can't expect the best but worthwhile. And its only for the basic, 2-pc sushi thats 1/2 price. Try their camarillo roll, hold the onions, my fav regular-priced roll. Inside had espn HD plasma screens, so i fig they have all the big games on. Very hip, nice place to eat, Spent about $70 including everything and 1 roll to go for moms. All sushi is ok, some are great, definately comin back 4 more.
I come here a lot cause my friend lives a block away. Probably weekly. Sure beats the high prices and terrible service at wokcano.
I always order the sushi because its 50% off all the time (particularly albacore - my #1 staple, then tuna or eel - all delicious). Their happy hour is also great and I always get the crunch roll (shrimp tempura & avocado - $4.95 - regularly 9 bucks) ..and its huge! Also their tempura appetizers are amazing. My friend always gets the salmon and I get the eel (the eel one has cream cheese in it and they both come with a delicious sauce on top of sliced radish - kinda spicy!).
Be sure to sit at the bar because the service is a lot faster and sometimes you can even order appetizers from there too!!
Minus one star for bad music and the occasional loud drunk sushi goers but thats kinda typical for japanese restaurants.
Really nice, unique decor.
Really friendly service.
Really good prices for sushi on the discount menu.
Really not so fresh sushi.
Really not so good prices on dishes NOT on the discount menu.
Really not worth trucking over to if you're not nearby.
I ate here on 9/7/09 for lunch. I had one of their lunch specials rather than go the total sushi or shashimi route.
They have an $8.95 and $9.95 lunch special where one can pick two or three items from a list. I picked the three item combo. One of my items was a conventional California roll. If a place can make a decent version of these it is impressive as they are somewhat bland by nature. Their version was fine and quite large.
I also had a spicy tuna cut roll that was good.
The teriyacki beef was nicely done, the salad was nice as well. The staff and service was very good.
All and all it was a nice lunch and the price was very fair considering the quality and quantity.
Walking around downtown LA and looking for something to eat, we were immediately drawn in by the 50% off sushi signs that were hugely advertised in the front of the store. Couldn't turn down a good deal right?
We got our menu and i realized that it was only the nigiri was 50% off not all sushi. A little disappointed but still a good deal, so I decided to go with the sake and maguro nigiri. I also went with one of the chef's special roll. The food took a while to come even though the place was pretty empty. And when I finally got my food, I was sad to say, it really wasn't that great. The sake and maguro colors were off and with the first bite I knew the quality was horrible . Special roll was just okay and if it wasn't for it being drenched in the sauce, I probably wouldn't have liked it much either.
All in all very disappointed with this place. For such a great location and great decor, I was expecting it's sushi to be just as good.
I came here for my second time, that alone says a lot.
Diggity dang da dang Lunch.
Serious
The spot gets so packed you may have to wait.
Is it worth it?
Hell madduhfuckenyeah!
Check out the lunch specials if you're in the area. If you're not........well, then you're just not.
I wanted a low-key, cheap place to have sushi, and this was fit the bill perfectly. I had the black dragon roll, a salmon roll, and some pieces along with a miso soup and a beer. All around, if you're just looking to score some close-to-the-sea sushi like I was (being from the middle of the US), it'll do.
Sometimes you find the best bargains in the most unexpected places. I've walked past this place many times and written it off as just another garish, overpriced sushi joint, yet I never noticed the incredible 1/2 price special on nigiri sushi they've been running since they opened in April.
While their nigiri sushi selection isn't particularly large or adventurous, it is solid--and certainly a bargain for less than $2-3 for two pieces. The Japanese sea scallops were particularly tender and delicious. We ordered a side of tempura, which was just eh.
The service is nonexistent, the decor is cheesy, and they blasted horrible Auto-Tune-based songs at top volume the entire time we were there, BUT I will be going back there again and again and again so long as they are running that special.
Beautiful decor, messed up service & attitudes of the HOSTESS
When the group (4) I was with entered the restaurant it was empty, I gave my name and noticed there were NO other names on the list to be seated, my party and I waited and waited until we realized that others that entered the restaurant without reservations (they also gave their names & # in their party) after us were repeatedly being seated. When I approached the hostess, she inquired "what's your name?". After pointing it out, they all looked at each other confused and made no apologies for the oversight and DID NOT offer to immediately seat us. Their dilemma of what to do with us was ended when my party walked out NEVER to return.
Money's green, but, obviously they had issue with the color of ours.
Ever since the "Calfornia Roll" had closed for construction more than 3 years ago, Downtown LA has been ripe for the pickings for another affordable Japanese lunch spot. Catty-corner from Wokanos, you'll find a more affordable option in Octopus. When you walk in, you'll be greeted by enthusiastic and attractive hostesses. The lunch-special sushi are good quality, and the bento boxes are also good. Lunch for 2 ran me under $30, a great deal. Not my first choice for sushi, but the location and value make this a good lunch dig in Downtown.
Modern decor. Supermarket sushi prices. Lukewarm service. Questionable freshness.
Great for corporate lunch and happy hours in Downtown where people don't care about eating mediocre sushi. Spare your loved ones and take them to a real sushi place.
Notes:
-Reminds me of the Wokano chain but the food is a little more "traditional"
-Hot tea - $2 :( Tea leaves don't cost that much, for the sake of tradition. I had the bottom of the kettle so lots of leaf bits in my cup
-Skip the Sashimi Combination Platter. I love being lazy and getting a bunch of stuff under one order but this dish should be named Chef's Scraps. Online, the price is $19.95 but the menu is $29.95 (all other prices on the menu are the same).
I'm usually an oblivious person but the fish in the platter was definitely _not_ fresh! Pieces were small, a bit chewy without the fresh resilience, and a couple of pieces even tasted a little funky. (Do i have hep now?)
-Amaebi - 2 per order, super cheap price! Too bad the shrimp weren't still alive and kicking before they were sliced. The taste of the DOA was noticeable. Interesting is the head, which is (deep-fried and) stuffed with rice. I've never seen that. It does make the head seem bigger (no pump necessary!)
-ala carte Scallop, Japanese scallop and Hamachi Toro - pretty good.
-The Spicy Tuna and Hamachi rolls came out like an amateur's practice sushi. The pieces aren't even round, but squished and uneven in the amount of fish. They're a good cheap stomach-filler though.
-The waitress: Leah - you must be new or jaded because either you don't know anything, or you just don't care. The Sushi Combination Platter couldn't have been 6-8 pieces for $29.95 when the 7-piece tuna sashimi is $8, could it? Have a think about it before you BS. Or say, "Let me ask and get back to you." What about refill service? None. We had to call out the empathetic busboy to do it. Yes, my dining companion is demanding and has a whale-ish appetite. Forgive her but as a waitress, you must maintain your professionalism.
I learned something new at lunch today - that this place is run by Koreans by the hardness of the rice (okay, the wait staff all looked korean too - except Leah). Japanese nigiri usually come with softer rice. Interesting huh... I'm gonna keep this theory in mind to test out for the next time.
Anyway, our lunch bill was $60 (with $7 discount for the 50% off sushi) before tips. With cheap food comes gastronomical consequences. Quickened bowel movements in the workplace is never pleasant. That rumbling in my intestines cannot be ignored.
Came down fig to 7th flipped a bitch to the OCTOPUS and valet parking ($5 i think) was right there. Got out attended a large group gathering on the upper level and had GREAT SUSHI. Most people ordered there meals and I was jealous even though mine was great! Huge plates filled with everything you want! I MUST GO BACK FOR A FULL MEAL! I was IMPRESSED with the service we had like 30 people and everyone got served! Sushi wonderland! Jap dinner heaven! The ambience, simple but classy!
50% OFF SUSHI!! WOOHOO!!
This place JUST opened last month in downtown. I came here for lunch with a friend and although both floors were PACKED with people, we were seated immediately. The atmosphere is very lively and modern, with white leather seats and light panels.. kinda has a nightclubby feel. One thing I didn't like was that the table we sat at downstairs was REALLY low. I had to bend down to eat my food. But the tables upstairs are normal. Next time, I'll ask to sit up there!
Just their nigiri sushi is half off: we ordered the tuna ($2.63), ebi ($1.98), albacore ($2.38), and unagi ($2.63). I loved the albacore! It was very fresh and tasty. Definitely my favorite of the day. We also got a Heart Attack Roll which was spicy tuna, avocado, and jalapeno topped with tempura crunch! Yummy! And not too spicy at all.
Service was excellent. Very speedy and friendly. The waitress checked up on us often. The only thing that sucks is the parking. You can find street parking if you're lucky! We parked in a structure on Hope St. for $5.50.
Great Atmosphere, Good Service, & Good Food.
This is a good sushi place for a sit-down lunch. Several items are half off at lunch (might be temporary) and that helps. The Salmon and Albacore sushi are good. The Tempura Roll was very good. It came out to about 27 bucks per person including tip and a small beer.
Basically, the fish is fairly fresh. It's not quite what you would get at Wa Sushi or Sushi Gen. But it is a big step above the takeout.
The service is good and attentive. The lunch scene can be pretty interesting from a "people watching" standpoint.
I came here on my birthday last Saturday evening. I thought it was pretty good! The sushi was tasty and half-price. The martinis are made with sake too, which was nice and smooth. Try the pomegranate or apple. Loveliness.
It's a new place so I don't think they have some of the kinks worked out yet (our waitress asked us what we wanted as soon as our butts hit the seat, we randomly smelled bleach during our meal) but definitely give this place a try. The food is excellent.
P.S. We ordered a TON and the bill was less than $60 !
Strike one: ridiculously annoying music music videos blaring throughout my dinner in this almost-empty restaurant. No "vibe" whatsoever.
Strike two: Way too much fake crab in their rolls, and out of hamachi the night I went.
Strike three: seared albacore salad was flaming spicy, and there was nothing in the menu to indicate as such. I like spicy food but it wasn't what I'd wanted that evening. Waitress said she was "sorry" but didn't offer a replacement. "Sorry you can't physically eat your second-choice meal due to our misadvertisement, and sorry you're going to have to both pay and tip for it!"
I think about going back to give them another shot every now and then, but it just never seems worth it.
Hm...let's review the terrible meal I had here...
I asked for an order of their hamachi toro and their miso ramen. A server comes by and drops off regular hamachi and goes "They ran out of hamachi toro so they made you regular hamachi. Do you still want it?"
I didn't want to be the bitch who refused food that the chefs already made so I accepted it, but if the server had asked me BEFORE the chefs had made it, I would've said no. So I paid for something I didn't really order. STRIKE ONE.
Then my miso ramen comes out. What it really was? Shin ramen (basically Korean top ramen) w/o the spice package, but with miso (the kind from miso soup). Now, normal miso ramen isn't just instant miso package and hot water. On top of that, I could buy Shin ramen for 35 cents at a supermarket, but here I paid $9.95 for instant ramen complete with freezer dried green onions and carrots. STRIKE TWO.
I barely touched my ramen, waiting for the server to come by and check on me. Instead, she drops my bill and leaves. Oookaaay... So I pay, she brings me back my card. I sign the bill. She finally comes back to pick up her tip and goes. "Did you not like your food?" Me: "No, not really. It wasn't what I was expecting." Ditzy Server: "Oh, sorrry..." She clears the plate, takes her tip and walks away. STRIKE THREE.
I'm never going back there just on principle, even though the hamachi wasn't half bad.
So this place just opened up, only two days old when I went today. I'm totally hyped on this place, because it's one of the best sushi places to eat that's not in Little Tokyo, and just walking distance for me.
AMBIANCE: When you walk in your greeted by all the workers screaming "IRASHAIMASE!!!" This place is very contemporary asian style, with short tables and down lighting. It has two floors, and is very chic.
FOOD: The food was great, and like I said was as good as places in Little Tokyo. Currently they're having half off pricing on sushi for lunch, I think, or it could be because grand opening, but they have a section on the sushi list that's half off, I picked up some Octopus for $2.25, Salmon for $2.48, so that's good. Also, they have a lunch special that I got which was Teriyaki Salmon and Gyoza for $8.95, along with miso, rice and a salad. They have a choose 2 items for $8.95 or 3 items for $9.95
SERVICE: Service was great the waitress was very attentive to making sure everything was good, and since I ate at the sushi bar, the sushi chef completed my order right away.
OVERALL: This place is great for lunch, your able to get in and out in about 30-45 minutes, also it's more bang for your buck, where you won't go broke during lunch
I ordered the yellow tail, octopus, and Spanish mackerel nigiri. Of the three the yellow tail was the best since the octopus was overcooked and rubbery while the mackerel's freshness was suspect. That's not saying the yellow tail was fantastic because it wasn't. I suppose the rice had a lot to do with it. Dry and flavorless, at the very least. The only saving grace is that it's one of those 50% off sushi joints. A marketing ploy? Yeah, I'd say so.
The service was adequate and the decor was better than average...although I pegged the low-slung tables we ate off of as being from Ikea. I'll try the non-sushi lunch specials if I ever make my way back here.
Originally, I walked down Flower Street looking for California Roll sushi. I found it was no longer there (to my horror) - (yeah California Roll sushi is not the world's best sushi- but-low cost and used to be right there).
I happened to see Octopus when I turned the corner on 7th St. I walked in and the wait staff and sushi chiefs yelled something in Japanese at me. I kind of jumped a little because I was not expecting that and my eyes were adjusting to the darker lighting compared to outside. It was kind of funny and everyone laughed.
Well, I ordered salmon, tuna, eel (hot), snapper, halibut and some other things I can't remember the names of. They give you generous portions of fish on top of the rice. I thought it was all very good. The prices are also marked down (kind of like Kabuki Sushi). I liked that as well. Service for me was very abundant. They kept coming by and picking up my empty plates, refilling the water etc.
I was there at lunchtime. I was surprised that they didn't offer free miso or edamame. Oh well, I guess you can't have everything. Overall, it was a good experience for me. I will go again and recommend it to others.
$ushi $pecial!
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