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Ru San's Sushi & Seafood
Category: Restaurants Sushi Bars Sushi Bars [Edit]
505 12th Ave SNashville, TN 37203
Neighborhoods: Downtown, Gulch
(615) 252-8787
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Very Loud
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
101 reviews for Ru San's Sushi & Seafood
Review Highlights
"sake was good especially the warm plum sake."
(in 9 reviews)
"Seriously, it's like an ice box every time I go in there."
(in 8 reviews)
"Their tempura used to be pretty effin' good also."
(in 12 reviews)
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101 reviews in English
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Review from Jennie W.
Nashville, TN
1/5/2012
Go to their lunch buffet. 11:30-2:30 M-Sat, IIRC.
Located between Sambuca and Urban Outfitters, it's easy to miss after you've been preoccupied searching for a free parking spot, but to no avail..you've to pay at one of those stupid Premier Parking areas.
As you enter the restaurant, one of the first things you'll notice is the music.
"Why is this $%#@ on so LOUD?," channeling your inner 60 year old brandishing your make believe cane in utter annoyance.
The music is a miss. DDR crazy techno Asian pop that'll make you wanna dance in your seat or cheesy guilty pleasure lite rock that you'll wanna badly sing to embarrass yourself to get a laugh out of your friends, especially to Don't Stop Believin by Journey. (I love run-on sentences!) But it's lunchtime and I wouldn't think anyone will care as long as folks quickly scarf down on some yummy pieces of sushi.
Finally speaking of sushi, a huge variety of raw and fried lined up waiting to be quickly consumed. Be warned: Your eyes will get bigger than your stomach as you pile on your plate. However, for me this is paradise since my childhood's staple was eating out at buffets for lunch and dinner where my Mom blatantly told me when I was 7 year old this: "I'm not cooking tonight so you better eat and not complain to me about being hungry!"
Raw sushi is decent, but the fried sushi is my favorite because sushi tastes waaaaay better fried topped off with delicious sauce, fo sho. They are in a bite-off-more-than-you-can-chew size. If you haven't had fried sushi, please let Rusans take your fried sushi virginity away asap...you won't regret it!
They also have a small selection of typical Chinese buffet style food. Noodles, soup, salad, chicken on stick, rice, and some light dessert. Pretty standard.
It gets pretty busy..yes, what do you expect? Other folks are trying to get their money's worth. Yet, after I've finished my meal, my inner diva kicks in waiting to get a waitress's attention for the check because I've other places to go!
Oh yeah, don't forget to grab a Pocky flavor stick on your way out!Listed in: Cravin' Asian
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Review from Jennifer P.
Nashville, TN
1/13/2012
When a coworker told me how "delicious" and cheap Ru San's Sushi Buffet was I'll admit... I was intrigued. Normally the sound of a sushi buffet would weird me out, but I've had the sushi buffet at Wild Wasabi and it was delicious. I assumed this would be about on the same level. Well, I assumed wrong.
The look of the sushi alone was off putting, so I stuck with sushi I deemed "safe". However, everything was either falling apart, soggy or bland. I ended up nixing the sushi and eating a bowl of steamed edamame. Not exciting.
Ru San's for me was nothing more than a big sushi misstep. -
Review from Caroline H.
Nashville, TN
Updated - 1/9/2012 2 Check-ins Here
Ruh roh I tried the sushi buffet. It's probably what you expect from a sushi buffet that's 10 bucks. Especially when you hit it up 30 minutes before closing. Whoops.
It's nice they also serve rice, miso soup, and noodle dishes, though. I probably wouldn't try it again.
I do still like Ru San's, if only because I live nearby and enjoy their udon noodle soups for less than $10.Listed in: Yelp 100 Challenge
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/3/2011
I'm not ashamed - I like this place! No, it's not the freshest or greatest sushi ever but please we… Read more »
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Review from Aimee L.
Chicago, IL
1/25/2012
If you want to eat mediocre sushi and other stuff that resembles Japanese fare while listening to the latest top 40 dance hits blaring overhead, look no further. Giving this place two stars is a stretch for those that like sushi and Japanese food in general. I have yet I find a place that does Japanese right in Nashville. Oh and btw, all the cooks at Ru San are Mexican. Just sayin.
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Review from Eliza R.
8/10/2011
I'm surprised Ru Sans hasn't gotten better reviews, as my girlfriend and I really like this place and it's always packed anytime we go. True, it does get very crowded and loud at times. Between the chatter and blaring music, it can be hard to have a conversation. The service is decent, though, and I've never had a problem with them not being attentive or forgetting things as other reviewers have noted.
Needless to say, I don't come here for the atmosphere, rather the amazing sushi. I don't know if it's the best sushi in Nashville, but it's definitely some of the best I've tried so far! They offer an extensive menu of nigiri, sashimi and rolls for a good price. Their rolls are out of this world and really creative - I've never seen a lot of these rolls anywhere else. -
Review from Jess Y.
7/28/2011
I think my experience at Ru San's can be summed up in one word: meh. You may argue that that is not a word, but I really can't describe my experience accurately using any other combination of phonetic language.
Shall we begin with the menu? You would think I would have been warned from the reviews that the menu is gigantic. Oh naive, little Jessica, thinking I could handle the menu. But, it really is lengthy and overwhelming. By the time the waiter came over to our table to take our order, I felt like I needed to say, "Excuse me, I'm still on Chapter One. Could you give us a little more time to finish reading the menu?" Apparently, however, "a little more time" turned out to be 20 minutes later when the waiter finally realized we were still alive.
We ended up ordering a strange sushi ball. Yes, you read that correctly, a ball. The description on the menu did not describe this sushi roll as a fried ball of sushi, but that is exactly what it was. In fact, the menu only described it as a combination of what seemed to be a nice selection of raw fish. What came out was quite literally a sphere of 9 individually rolled sushi, battered in dough, fried, and then sliced into thirds. The sauces it came with weren't bad, but just seemed to mask the blandness of the sushi itself. The sushi rice was not up to par and I was still appalled at eating a gigantic fried ball of sushi. We ordered another roll as well, but clearly, it was pretty non-memorable in comparison to the fried sushi ball monster because I literally have no recollection of what was inside that roll.
My friend wanted some vegetables, so we also ordered a cucumber salad which basically amounted to raw sliced cucumbers with a little sauce/oil poured over the top. No rocket science here.
We also ordered one of the udon soups which I thought was pretty good. I love the texture of their udon, it is chewy, smooth, and soaks up all the delicious flavor from the soup. I think the udon was probably my highlight from the night--the one redeeming moment.
Anyway, overall, poor effort on the sushi and questionable service. Also, the atmosphere is strange. I felt like I was in a techno club and there were random bursts of people screaming for sake bombs. Our waiter more than once tried to get us to try one as well. -
Review from Leslie P.
Murfreesboro, TN
7/19/2011
This place had me at the Sake Bomb....the first time. The second visit was not as fun or tasty.
What my review would have been after the first visit:
"When I say Sake, you say Bomb! Sake! Bomb! Sake! Bomb! So much fun! When we left here I wanted to hug the server. He was so helpful and attentive, he made our night fantastic! The menu is a novel, so our server recommended some fantastic rolls, which we dove into and loved. Although it's definitely not a place you want to go to if you're wanting a nice, quiet dinner; for it is a restaurant within a club on the weekends. We had a blast eating sushi, listening to music and doing sake bombs. I will definitely be back for a girls' night out soon!
My review now after second visit:
We came here for dinner before a concert at the Cannery Ballroom. I had such a good sushi experience here the first time, that I thought I'd be different and order an entree. Massive fail on my part. I ordered the chicken teriyaki and it was disgusting. There was so much teriyaki sauce on it that it almost seemed like they were trying to disguise something in the mix. I forced mainly the rice down because I was starving and knew I wouldn't eat again till the next morning. Bummer.
(Holding up "girl scout pledge" on right hand - that's three fingers held up with your right hand.) I promise I will not order anything but sushi from Rusan's. Ever.Listed in: Sushi Love
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Review from Hoa T.
7/7/2011 2 Check-ins Here
I came here with a few friends and was disappointed. Yes the food was pretty cheap but there were some giant misses that the goods could not make up for.
First of, what is up with the salty pickled carrots in some of the rolls?! They just ruined the entire dish. All I tasted was some weird saltiness.
Second, the vegetable springroll with asparagus was tasteless, so not worth it. The rolls overall looked great but disappoint the tastebuds.
Yay for buy one get one free beer during happy hour.
Another yay for having such a big selection in the menu. -
Review from MIke J.
Nashville, TN
9/29/2011
For a sushi buffet, this is as good as it gets in Nashville. Come early, the buffet wanes as 2:00 looms. We found the music to be slightly annoying, but the Gulch wanna-be set seemed to dig it. We also notice an industrial cleaner smell sometimes, which is off-putting. All of that being said, the sushi is good quality, as are the items on the hot bar.
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Review from Travis A.
Why can't we have a Ru San's like Athens or Atlanta? This place reminds me of Sybil. One time everything is great.... the next it's sorely lacking. Ru San's is all over the place as far as experience goes.
I like that they have sushi options you won't find anywhere else in town. I like that you can get small 3 piece portions if you're looking for variety. I like that you can order tempura by the piece. On the flip side, I hate that their menu weighs about 12 lbs. and that you have to take about 15 minutes to look through it all. Seriously? Is it available in hardback? Then again, it's a lot better than it used to be... they used to give you like 4 different menus and it was a cluster F to even find anything.
I've been to the one in Athens about 5 times and the Midtown Atlanta location 3 times. Quality experience every time. I know this place has the potential to be great, but I feel like it constantly underachieves and they have no consistency.
Up until my last visit a week ago, I had always had decent service. This past trip was terrible. We saw our sushi order put up on the bar for delivery and it sat there for 10 minutes before the waiter even bothered to bring it to us... and the place wasn't even half full... only 5 booths occupied. I asked for more drinks for our table and watched the waiter walk by 4 or 5 times before he "remembered" that I had ordered a couple more. Strange that he came by literally every 3 minutes to refill the water glasses of the girls seated next to us.
This place has a ton of potential... the owner just needs to get his head out of his arse and hire a new wait staff and management. -
Review from Ashleigh A.
Dallas, TX
6/2/2011
I was in town visiting my bff who has moved there recently and we wanted sushi, so dammit, we got sushi.
Ru San's showed us a great time, especially since we were in the mood to par-tay (bday extravaganza followed our lovely dinner). Every time (and I mean EVERY time) someone orders a sake bomb they do the restaurant-wide yelling thing. Plus, it's generally kind of small and really loud, so not great if you're looking to chat or catch up. Whatevs, that's fine, we can chat later. haha. SAKE BOMBS!
As far as the food, it was good. Nothing to write home about, but good. my bff did get an obscure roll - I can't remember the name of it for the life of me but it looked like five rolls, stuck together in the shape of a flower, were deep fried toget and then cut off as large, flower shaped slices. It was weird. And impossible to eat. And just weird.
The service was good, again, nothing spectacular or memorable. Price was reasonable for the 4 people we had eating there.
All in all, an A-OK experience. -
Review from S S.
Sarasota, FL
10/28/2011
The food was good, and the atmosphere was that super-loud sushi bar scene which some people like, but really what stunk was the service. I've never tipped to crappily and I still feel bad about it, but really he was terrible. The food sat under the hot light for a long time, and lets not even talk about how long we had to wait for our check. There was NO way we were paying with a credit card because that would have taken another ten years.
The funny thing is the bar staff was great. I felt bad not tipping more, because I liked the staff at the bar. They kind of knew there was something up with the waiter, at one point the manager yelled at the waiter (after we'd asked TWICE if we could pay and leave) and still the waiter didn't come by. Sheesh. -
Review from Samantha O.
Nashville, TN
2/9/2011
Somehow I got talked into going to Ru San's lunch buffet last week. I hadn't eaten here in 3-4 years after I read about their whopping health score of 40. My mom asked me to join her so of course I said yes. We ate some half way decent sushi (I'm being nice), had great service and left. That night I thought my insides were falling out. I was sick all night, got about 2 hours of sleep and continued to be sick half way into the next day. And it couldn't have been from anything else I ate the night before because I thought long and hard about it and I remembered I was too busy at work to eat dinner the night before.
Between the extremely loud rave music blaring at 1PM and the bad case of food poisoning... I won't be eating here ever again. -
Review from Jason S.
1/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
Never had a chance to come here for the fabled lunch buffet, I've eaten here several times but only for dinner.
First, it seems as if their seating policy revolves not around how long you've been there, but instead how many hot chicks you have with you and how much they have been drinking at the front bar. Good thing I always travel in the company of attractive inebriated females.
When you finally get in, they have a HUGE menu with a really overwhelming amount of menu options. Their sushi has been various degrees of quality and freshness, nothing fantastic or terrible. I have enjoyed their noodle soup bowls, but with that as well as most of their other menu options, the portion sizes are grotesquely large.
Ultimately, you will never have a great sushi experience in Nashville or really any place that is not right next to the coast. If you think that you are, you live a sad, sheltered life. I highly encourage you to travel to the West Coast, Hawaii or Japan and see what you've been missing. -
Review from Marcia M.
It's my own dang fault for coming back.
Sometimes the idea of cheap sushi seduces me but you get exactly what you pay for.
My friend and I wanted to do an early, casual, and frugal dinner so we decided to pop by here again. I usually come here for a cheap sushi fix but decided to venture out and try a fried tofu Yu Dofu dish ($4.95) and the Rice Ball ($1.95). The Rice Ball never disappoints as a cheap appetizer that consists of a Teriyaki flavored ball that is fried on the exterior but has a boiled rice center. Simple and satisfying. The Yu Dofu lacked flavor and consistency. Essentially, it was a dozen soggy cubed fried tofu pieces that sit in a basic Teriyaki sauce. No vegetables, spices, or anything else. I ate in haste and my stomach is still holding a grudge.
I don't expect exquisite food from here and have real expectations for the price but come on now!Listed in: Cheap Eats Means More Shoes, Takie Outie, The Gulch, Sushi!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/24/2010
I have noticed that Ru San's has been getting slammed on all of their recent reviews. Whew! I… Read more »
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Review from Ericka P.
Nashville, TN
9/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
I always forget not to come here if I have something to talk about. I think about the music more than my meal. Maybe next time I'll bring earplugs
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Review from Benjamin S.
Nashville, TN
12/8/2010
In recent years I have become quite a sushi fan; however, this place takes sushi to new lows. Yes, they have a lunch buffet, and it is quite nice, but even at what you pay for, which is not an insane amount, the food here is far below average. I can get better sushi for the same amount of money elsewhere.
The main problem is that, in my opinion, they are trying to hard to be a fusion type place, but lack the variety to do so. That being said though, when it comes to sushi, fusion is something that should not be taken on from the get go. Even their traditional sushi lacks umami goodness and eye-catching presentation. A lot of what makes Japanese food, especially sushi, so unique is it's presentation on the plate and along with taste this place fails miserably with even the traditional stuff, so why are they trying for fusion?
You would think that, being in an up-n-coming part of town, this place would be far better, but I can get better for my money elsewhere. -
Review from Patten F.
Franklin, TN
7/20/2011
I've been 3 times...but never again.
Each and every time, it's the same freaking problem.
The wait staff pays no attention to you, they forget to bring things out and then they still charge you for them...or they'll charge you for things you've never ordered...and then disappear entirely.
And then they'll try to argue with you that you actually did receive something that you did not.
The food is good, but not good enough to deal with a complete and total lack of customer service.
Some anecdotes:
- Ordered some different rolls including the fried garlic maki. Did not receive the fried garlic maki. After about 30 minutes was able to find a waitress to flag her down. She proceeded to tell me that I did have the fried garlic maki...I was like, no, I'm pretty sure that I can distinguish garlic from fish...
- The next time, I tried to order the fried garlic maki again. Same song, different dance. I'm beginning to feel it doesn't actually exist. The waitress disappears AGAIN and finally when she brings the check, I tell her...she never comes back...which is kind of inconvenient considering a) I was being charged for something I didn't receive and b) I was paying with a card.
- The last time, I tried to order the fried garlic maki AGAIN and AGAIN did not receive it...this time, I was charged for TWO of them on my order. And again, the waitress never returned to collect my payment.
Different waitresses every time.
The lesson here: don't order the fried garlic maki. It doesn't exist... -
Review from Tara F.
South Bend, IN
10/12/2010
I'll have some so-so sushi with my techno... thanks :)
I love sushi... love it. All kinds. I don't love Ru San's and it's not because their sushi is all that bad, it's that they play techno at decibels that literally make me want to run screaming from the building and over to the loud, but tolerable, Sambuca. Sheesh.
I've been to Ru San's a few times... once for their lunch buffet (and I hate buffets) and it was nothing to write home about. I've also been for dinner and it was a little more palatable to me, I prefer freshly made sushi... not the wonder how long this has been here and who's touched it, kind.
There really isn't anything remarkable about their food, their drinks, their location or their service. It's all average. I only give it two stars because I just really hate paying for sushi that's just OK and listening to music I don't really like, louder than I can stand. I can make OK sushi at home and bump to the Doors or the Eagles or maybe even some R. Kelly and save myself the Daft Punk, Justice, Showtek induced headache. -
Review from Wes T.
Memphis, TN
12/9/2011
Good sushi. Not the best, but a great value especially when you go with something like the Super Power Builder or Super Protein Bomb which are two different boats full of a wide variety of sushi, sashimi, and seafood items. The atmosphere is cool, but this is in The Gulch, a trendy area to begin with. Check our Ru Sans.
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Review from Paul K.
9/27/2010 1 Check-in Here
Consistently good food, inconsistent service. I'll preface this with I am a vegetarian, they have a decent amount of choices, and most of them taste pretty darn good. I would give it 4.5 stars for food, currently 2 stars for service in the past year, with a pre-2010 overall service rating of 1.
That said I've had service that ranges from excellent to never-come-back. Actually 2 times I've had the never-come-back service, each time I was lured back by visiting Ru San's in another town. I went 2 years not going back to the Nashville one once due to a waitress who seemed quite put out that if I ordered it I wanted it and if it had taken an hour and they forgot it I did not want it when it was going to be another 30 minutes, also who labeled me as a lousy tipper and said as much to another waiter in earshot (she got the wrong guy)
That woman's gone now, the service has resumed to "vegetarian gets his food last", which is what it seems to have always been... during the really bad times my friends would be finished eating by the time I got my food.
Leaving is still a chore, last year a group walked out and told the people behind the counter they would be back as they had a football game to get to and their waiter had disappeared. The story seemed to be they had been waiting for nearly an hour on their check and nobody else in the place could run it for some reason.
Old waiters, so many bad stories... new waiters so far are ok. Food has always been good. At least for me. There's no other reason I would have gone back.
Actually, after writing this review I'm still a bit wondering why I go thereListed in: Places you can take your…
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Review from Zeb M.
7/27/2011
Ouch, why the low rating, Nashville? If the mood strikes for sushi, Ru San's is my go-to place because I know what to expect every time. Your server can be a hit or a miss, though. I can look past sub par service as long as they're not downright rude... It happens. However, their rolls are excellent! And if you're annoyed by the sometimes-really-loud-and-random techno song playing, you'll find it really funny like I do.
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Review from Tracy M.
Miami, FL
Maybe I should not have expected much from a sushi joint in Nashville. I mean, really, it's as if i'd been let down because a cuban restaurant didn't live up to my Miami standards. I didn't come to Nashville to eat sushi, but I really craved it while I was in town and my girlfriend who was showing us around said she'd been there a long time ago and remembered that it was a buffet-style place in a great location.
Done deal. We get there, and she was right about the area. The food was quite underwhelming. Nothing tasted very fresh. In fact, everything I got from the sushi buffet was soggy and maybe even slightly warm (not good for uncooked food). They do have a small sake selection of sake of which we enjoyed an unfiltered bottle of. The price for 3 people eating from the buffet, 1 small bottle of sake and 1 Sapporro came out to just over $70.
Not a place I'd look forward to going to again. I wish I could give it a better review and rating!!! -
Review from Jenn Z.
12/8/2010
Sushi? I'm not sure if this can be classified as a "sushi" place. The menu is 100 pages long and overwhelming to say the least. I will admit it is very nice to have options, and that makes it some what fun to order, but after my second visit the extensive menu just irritated me, get to the point already! Often times a long, long menu means you are attempting to do a lot of things that are "ok" rather than a few things that are great. That is the case here.
The Sushi they have isn't mind blowing, its just "pretty good". My fave Sushi (in Nashville) is Samurai but thats another review. I am from a Coastal state, and I realize Nashville is not, so you can only expect so much from their sushi joints. I digress....
Ru-San's is ok. The wait staff is mediocre at best, I think it's because they can't hear any thing you are saying over the ridiculously loud and obnoxious music they play constantly! I was SO annoyed the entire time I was there it was frustrating to order, and frustrating to attempt a conversation. I returned another night and we sat way in the back - mainly because we have kids and they apparently dont "do" the kid thing. Well, the good thing was we were close to the restroom and away from some of the noise.
We gave it another shot because I was told Lunch is much quieter by our Waitress, and lunch was much more enjoyable.
This isnt my fave sushi place, it isnt top notch, hence the cheap prices but its good when you want sushi and dont want to break the bank. I consider this a "lunch-when-Im-not-Rich" place only.
Dont take a date, dont take the kids, DO take your ear plugs.Listed in: Sushi Time!
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Review from Rob S.
Pleasant View, TN
9/4/2011
Good food. Menu was too busy and they did not carry rolls that are common. Nice atmosphere. Service was ok.
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Review from Marc E.
Hendersonville, TN
6/15/2010
I think I only need to say this: I've thrown up on THREE separate occasions after eating the sushi at Ru San's. I'm to blame for going back after the first time.
However, I will go on about an altercation I had with one of the owners when I simply wanted him to take a single item off our ticket that was not prepared correctly and because our fish was old and rubbery.
My girlfriend and I ordered dinner: 2 sushi entrees and a handful of ala cart items. She'd ordered th "Godzilla Roll" - something that I had ordered every time I'd dinned here, probably totaling 15 visits over 2 years. My favorite roll, it is comprised of red snapper and macadamia nuts rolled in rice, flash fried and covered w/ a spicy aioli, then baked. I was very familiar with the food's preparation and character.
My g'friend consumed ONE piece of the 5 presented on the plate, then followed with some ala cart items. She put the 2nd roll into her mouth and started chewing, but abruptly spit it out into her napkin. The fish was rubbery, like calamari. She asked me to check it out. One look at the dish and I could tell it hand't been prepared correctly. No flash frying and no baking - therefore, not prepared as advertised. In addition the raw fish was old and chewy. All in all, she ate one piece, spit the other in her napkin and I sample 1/2 of a 3rd. That's 2 1/2 pieces of the 5 on the plate (this comes into play in a second). Here saba nigiri (salmon) was also not at all fresh - she had to pick it up with her hand and pull on it to rip it with her teeth.
Being very disappointed in the dish, I notified the server that we would like to request that he take that single item off our ticket ($8.95). He refused, saying that if we ate more than 1/2 of the dish that they do not offer refunds. After an exchange with him, I asked to see the Manager on Duty who in this case happened to be a part owner of the restaurant. He was very rude and matter of fact in point out that clearly marked on their menus is a return policy stating that if you ate more than half your dish, you could not get a refund.
To avoid a heated exchange, I paid for the item. After paying, I checked the menu for the refund policy. Nowhere on the menus is this information he quoted printed - as a matter of fact, refunds are ONLY available for food that is NOT PREPARED CORRECTLY. Also, we touched exactly 1/2 and not more (if we want to go with a technicality).
Upon leaving, I mention to the owner the lack of his claimed refund policy on the menu. I asked him why he lied to me - He replied with "We give NO refunds, no matter WHAT," thus contradicting even what WAS printed on their menu.
Later that evening my girlfriend got sick from the food she ate.
I ended up contesting the charge w/ American Express and had our total ticket refunded to me.
In a nutshell - rotten food, rotten people, rotten restaurant. -
Review from lindy b.
Hermitage, TN
7/28/2011
I have been to Ru San's several times over the last 6 years, so my star rating is based on my overall experiences.
THE PROS: Very big menu with a lot of variety. I usually always order the Crunchy Mui Bueno, Tuna Tempura, and Sea Bass Yakitori. I love the sauce that comes w/ the tempura, and the Sea Bass Yakitori is sooooo delicious it melts in your mouth! I LOVE techno music so the music that is always blaring is super fine with me! The fried ice cream is also to die for! Whatever you do, DON"T forget to order the plum sake! It is served warm and it gives you the best warm, fuzzy feeling ever! (if you drink enough! lol) It's usually pretty lively in there which is also fine with me because I prefer to ALWAYS feel like I'm at a party. LOL
THE CONS: Although the food is USUALLY good, I have experienced times where the sea bass yakitori is TINY and the rolls are so huge you can't eat them in one bite. And for anyone who eats sushi rolls you know having to bite into one pretty much makes it fall apart. I've never had anything that actually TASTED bad, though. I have experienced waiters at times who take forever, forget you, and leave your food on the counter 10 min before they bring it to you. A few years back they always used to sing and make a lot of noise (literrally) for your birthday. 5 years ago they even gave me a $25 giftcard for my birthday when I celebrated there. A couple years ago I made a reservation a few days in advance for my birthday because we were going to have about 10 people in our group. When we got there they had no recollection of the reservation and it still took 20 or so minutes to even get a table. :( Last couple of years it doesn't seem like they do much for birthdays.
Overall I think Ru San's is a fun place with good sushi and a cool atmosphere. Perfect start to a night of fun!!Listed in: Good for Groups
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Review from hobo s.
Huntsville, AL
Updated - 8/10/2010 3 photos
Still loud, still really good and really creative food.
They have revised their (HUGE) menu and it is somehow more difficult to find what you want. The new menus are crazy, sporadic, and not well organized. Do yourself a favor, take paper and pencil (why do they not use a paper sushi menu?) and write down what you want so you don't have to bookmark the menu with your fingers in 4 or 5 different spots.
It should tell you how good the food is when I put up with this stuff to eat there.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/14/2010
Let me be clear up front. Food = 5 stars. Atmosphere = 1.5.
If you are a dumb college-aged kid,… Read more »
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Review from Jason G.
Nashville, TN
8/20/2010
Ru San's is interesting... to say the least! My wife and I are regular sushi eaters, and we always somehow end up back at Ru San's (I am beginning to think it's because it is close to where we live).
Positives:
The menu is extremely creative and gargantuan! I love that they have some cheaper options, and plenty of variety.
Negatives:
Ru San's has the worst service I have ever had. On a typical dinner night out with my wife (even on odd weekdays), it has taken us over 2 hours to get out of there. The waiters seem to either disappear, or have so many tables that we tend to get neglected. On many occasions we have set at our table without drinks and with requests for more than 30 minutes before finally flagging down another server to find our server.
The food is good, but seems to take a longer time to come out than usual places. They have recently raised their prices a little, so be prepared to eat $50 worth of sushi! -
Review from Leigh S.
Nashville, TN
5/25/2011
Ru San's has such a great atmosphere and consistently puts out great rolls, such a fun place to go for lunch or before you hit the town on the weekend...love.this.place!
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Review from Kat F.
Nashville, TN
1/4/2011
GREAT lunch buffet, but DO NOT eat here for dinner.
We tried that once and were sorely disappointed with the quality of food.
However, the lunch buffet is delicious, cheap (about $10), and offers a nice variety of both sushi and other items (noodles, rice, tempura, soup, salad, and even dessert). Good quality and interesting as well.
The atmosphere is very energetic and fast-paced and during the buffet, it stays quite busy.
If you are hungry, craving sushi, and need to grab some lunch, this is your place. :) -
Review from Joe P.
Lebanon, TN
11/17/2010
I ordered some sushi and soup for dinner. Soup! Who could mess that up? Leave it to Ru San. Everyone got their food, ate, finished, and I never received my entree (No soup for you!). Asked for it to go since they'll not refund.
I had hopes for this place, but it was a let down like a bad pilot landing a plane. -
Review from Rachel S.
Updated - 12/22/2009 1 Check-in Here
How can one restaurant deliver the one of the poorest buffets I've ever experienced, yet serve a really exciting, inventive, and flavorful dinner? It is a mystery that is totally beyond me, yet as I promised in my initial review of Ru San's, I have visited for dinner and the verdict is surprisingly really, REALLY positive.
Now... what we ate. The menu is ENORMOUS, and of course many of the rolls have repeat ingredients. We had the Punk Rock Roll, Sinking Titanic Roll, the Midnight Tokyo Maki, and the Twice-Cooked Smoked Salmon roll. I'm not going to go into detail here and tell you what's in each. You'll just have to find out for yourself, but let me tell you - the Punk Rock Roll being the most benign, the rest were so utterly inventive and tasty. Especially the Twice-Cooked Salmon roll. Don't expect traditional sushi, people. This was out of this world creative and out of this world GOOD.
Don't each lunch here. EVER. But I would totally recommend dinner.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/7/2009
The rumors and reviews are true. What used to be a way above average sushi experience - it is in my… Read more »
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Review from John G.
Virginia Beach, VA
Updated - 12/5/2008
A friend finally convinced me to go back and give Ru San's another try, and it was actually ok this time. The service was really slow. The table next to us said they had to wait 15 minutes before anyone took their drink order. After waiting 10, we flagged down someone by way of wild arm waving and got our orders in.
I sampled off the $1/$2 roll menu and was pleasantly surprised. Sure, they are small rolls, but you are only paying $1. I also had a bowl of miso (it was ok, nothing special) and some tempura which was good.
In all, I have decided to take this place for what it is. A cheap, slow, loud sushi joint.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/19/2008
I truely believe that Ru Sans is a good case of hype overwhelming substance. The lunch buffet is… Read more »
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Review from Byron F.
Nashville, TN
10/12/2010
The food is not awful but not especially delicious.
The service is pretty bad. I don't blame the servers, they just generally seem understaffed always. Plan on waiting a good hour at least for food.
It's like a frakkin rave in there with the annoying techno music they blare, awful.
The tables always smells like dirty dish towel. -
Review from James R.
Old Hickory, TN
3/18/2008 1 Check-in Here
Loud, gaudy and completely without shame.
Yes, boys and girls, this is Ru Sans's, the trashy talk show of sushi joints.
Just like it's great to flip on some Springer every once in a while and feel better about yourself, it's perfectly ok to enjoy the kitschiness that is Ru San's. Located in the burgeoning Gulch area of downtown, Ru San's is fantastically over the top.
From heart-thumping techno music to the slightly haughty staff, Ru San's definitely has an urban, metro vibe that bodes well with the Music City crowd. You know the types - thick rimmed classes, hair perfectly disheveled, tans even in the middle of winter. This is a lunch time favorite of this crowd, and for good reason.
For $10, you can help yourself to a lunch time feast of all you can eat sushi. Ok, sure, the food's not going to win a major award anytime soon, but the rolls are good, and they keep on coming. And coming. And coming. You can fill your plate three times and never have the same thing twice.
They also usually have some other lunchtime choices on the buffet, such as teriyaki and Japanese dishes, as well as some pretty rockin' tempura veggies (mmm...deep fried sweet potato).
Overall, Ru San's is a little too hip and slightly pretensions...and proud of it, thank you very much. So grab a plate, throw down some sushi, and enjoy the ride.
Insider Tips:
Want to get a seat quick? Come before 12 or after 1. The buffet is open from 11:30 - 2:30 Monday - Saturday. Also, don't miss the lot parking in the back! -
Review from Amanda H.
Arlington, VA
2/12/2009
I've been to Ru Sans twice. The first time was mediocore, the second was awful. I went on a random weeknight in hopes of getting just a few sushi rolls before running errands. The server was horrible, got our orders wrong, we got my husband's sushi first, then our appetizer, then my sushi and then our drinks. Also, it smelled as if the AC was broken (meaning damp and warm) so all the fish tasted foul.
Sad, but I'll not be returning. -
Review from Harry W.
Fairfax, VA
1/4/2009
WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS PLACE?!?
Four years ago, this was the #1 sushi spot in Nashville. The only reason why I did not go more often was because I didn't have a car. The lunch buffet was an absolute steal. Quality hand rolls with eel, salmon and tuna filled the trays. It was great sushi for a great price.
Four years later, I drop by, and the buffet is a mess. It was as if the owner went on vacation and the janitors overthrew the chefs, took over the restaurant, and started making sushi. Almost EVERY sushi roll was CRAB. You had your deep-fried crab roll, your guacamole crab roll, your cream cheese crab roll... It was gross. There were only two tuna rolls, both of which had PURPLE TUNA. The fish was so discolored that I refused to pick it up. That was it.
I have NEVER in my entire life willingly paid for and walked out of a buffet still hungry. I had a few bites of my sushi and left. Do NOT go here. EVER. The absolute worst 10.95$ I have ever spent on a buffet. -
Review from Simon K.
Nashville, TN
5/21/2009
It's not a sushi bar and it's not a disco club, it's a hybrid of crap.
It's a Gimmick. The quality of food is poor but the price is high. The techno club music is blaring in your ear so the conversations are really screaming matches. They keep the place so dark so you can't tell how bad the food looks. The wait staff seem like they hate working there. I wouldn't take a date here unless you think it's attractive to look at green skin and glowing yellow teeth from the stupid black lights, disco ball and epilepsy inducing strobes.
The lunch buffet is variation of wrapped up rice to cut corners. The non-sushi items are oily and are sitting out for the entire time of the lunch hours.
They're serving plastic food that should come w/ a side of glow sticks. Maybe they should complete your 90's style Rave experience w/ some ecstasy pills... b/c that's the only way they're gonna make their food taste any better.Listed in: Sushi
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Review from Emily B.
Indianapolis, IN
12/12/2010
While visiting Nashville, we wanted to take in some sushi and just weren't sure where to go. With long waits at some of the other establishments we settled on Ru Sans. And well, the one positive was the atmosphere, fun and young. But the overall experience was horrible. We sat at the sushi bar and were utterly disgusted with the disarray behind the bar. While handling raw fish, sushi bars should be pristine.
Our waitress brought out the cold edamame with our sushi, which was quite possibly the worst, either one of us had ever had. The waitress couldn't even suggest the most popular rolls so we went off the pictures and descriptions. Perhaps the downfall was ordering the gone with the wind type roll that was essentially five rolls wrapped in one giant rolls that was fried. The salmon taste overcame everything and was simply terrible. Our two other rolls fell apart while eating.
Perhaps we're spoiled by the likes of Naked Tchopstix in Indianapolis.. but if you're searching for a good spot in Nashville, this isn't it.
