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Categories: Japanese, Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Queen VillageMon-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
"After a while of tossing ideas around for the BFF's birthday dinner, we decided on Zento. As she mentioned, it took us a few times around…" read more »
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Seriously, I really love this place.
For the first few months that it opened, I avoided it. The name and decor lost my interest. However, from the first night that I gave in and had dinner there, I was sold. This place rocks!
First off, they are really nice which is very refreshing. They always have a yummy complimentary appetizer and sake. The sushi is very fresh, and they have a great selection. If you are adventurous, you can ask the sushi chef if there are any special off menu fish which are delicious. If you like rolls, there is a good selection, and they are happy to deal with food allergies. They actually understand and can accommodate to a gluten free diet. I also love that they are BYO and affordable. For the quality of food and the price, this place can't be beat.
I will say that the four sushi chefs each have slightly different styles. They are all very talented, but I do have a personal favorite. The latino chef makes the most creative rolls if you ask him. I love asking him to just make something good. So far, he hasn't made anything I didn't love.
Now that I'm moving across the country, I know that sushi planet will be missed. Part of me is tempted to go there everyday until I move away so I get tired of it, but I don't think I can ever get tired of sushi planet.
It seems fair for me to review Sushi Planet since it is the first restaurant I have checked out soley because of responses on Yelp. I think people below giving the 5 star reviews are friends of owners/workers or have some other biased opinion, because it is not that great. It is by no means terrible but definitely not 5 stars.
The food was all pretty good especially for the price. The bass carpaccio was swimming in a ponzu vinaigrette that completely over powered the fish. The knife skills on the fish were also terrible, I am not an expert, but the fish was shredded into tiny pieces and piled on top of each other. With that said, the fish did seem fresh and the vinaigrette was tasty, and the price was great, it was $6 for about 9 sashimi size pieces of fish(estimate as a few pieces were shredded) . The big bummer of the night was my roll. I ordered a special roll and was expecting to get entree sized portion... eight pieces(the normal). BUT when it came there were five pieces?!? Pretty much only half of the roll. Who serves five pieces of sushi? It was obvious the chef only served me half the roll. When I asked it the server tried to explain that there was no exact science to how he cut it. Bullshit.
To top it all off the first half of our dinner was spent listening to a waitress complaining about some customers that had just left and tried to stiff her because she didn't have the correct change to give her.
This place is by no means great, mediocore at best. The free sake and appetizer were nice. I might go back but it's not on the top of my list.
Just so we're clear...we've ordered from Sushi Planet 4 times. They were new to the neighborhood so I've held off on posting a review, but 'm officially over it! The first 3 times they got out order wrong, overcharged us and took too long to deliver. All three times they apologized profusely and tried to make amends. This time is too much. We ordered at 6:25pm and I'm writing this review at 7:45 and our food is still not here. The food is decent to begin with, certainly not worth waiting for. I would avoid ordering from there ever again. Do yourself a favor and invest your time and effort to walk to two additional blocks to Hikaru. Hikaru is reliable, attentive wait staff and we've never had an extraordinary wait. Sushi Planet TWO THUMBS DOWN!
Update: We just got our sushi after an hour and 30 minutes. The sushi was decent but they forgot two of our rolls. So even though they gave us 1/2 off it was half off of an incomplete order.
Once upon a time my boyfriend wanted to go get sushi so we came here, having passed by it several times and hearing good things about it.
Since trying this whole vegetarian thing, I have become a little unraveled about going out to eat. But this place had some awesome vegetarian options (i LOVED the inari). It's well-portioned, reasonably priced, and hey, it tasted good too. My boyfriend got some sashimi, and although I didn't indulge, he seemed very very satisfied as well. The chef sent out a complimentary plate, and although again I couldn't indulge, it looked really spectacular, and my boyfriend confirmed that it was.
It's a BYO so we were taking our time a bit to enjoy some of our wine. The check came, and we cried tears of joy because it was the cheapest meal we've had, maybe ever.
The waitress came over and offered some hot sake. We explained that we had already paid our bill and simply said " it's on the house". Then she brought over an assload of hot sake, and several minutes later, we stumbled out of Sushi Planet, never happier in our lives.
The end.
For those of you who are always in search of a great sushi spot in the city, do not bother visiting this place. I read the mixed reviews but decided to go in with an open mind regardless.
At first, the inventive rolls litsted seemed promising, but when we ate what was served to us it had absoutely no flavor. Literally, all the rolls just tasted like rice balls. To boot, the soy sauce must have been watered down to cut cost. It tasted only like salty brown water. When we asked the server if she could give us a full bottle of soy sauce from the back, she said she couldn't, but gave us another sm. bottle from another table, which was just as flavorless as the first. What sushi restaurant serves flavorless soy sauce!? The irony for me is that I usually think soy sauce is too salty. Those having to watch their blood pressure need not worry about this place.
The kicker was when I would place a mound of Wasabi on a roll (enough to make you cry a river) I wasn't even phased, b/c even that barely had taste!
Who cares how creative the rolls are, if you can't taste it why bother eating there!? For the first time ever, we left a bunch of rolls on the plate b/c they just weren't appetizing enough to finish. Please do not waste your time going there.
Awesome sushi. The cuts of fish are fresh and the best for the price that I've had in the City. I've ordered delivery & take-out on a number of nights and it was delicious.
When I finally went to eat-in the service was fantastic, and the house sent us out complimentary sashimi and sake. Sushi places in Philly have become a dime a dozen, but this place really does it fresh with their own (Eastern European?) twist. Delicious.
Sushi Planet is reasonably priced, very friendly, and delicious. They treat you very well here. There is a possibility the sushi chef will entice you with complimentary menu items and sake(or maybe he just mistook me for someone else and that's why we were treated so nicely).
The sushi is well prepared and the fish tastes quite fresh. It is worth a visit.
Having lived in NYC, LA and now Philly, Sushi Planet is among the best places I've been. Modest surroundings and on the small side but the preparation and Sushi itself is among the very best.
I have been coming to SP since it opened as I live only a few blocks away. Despite the two dozen restaurants within walking distance, I end up at SP two or three times a week. It's just a great vibe and very mellow. It's like walking into a Japanese "Cheers"...
Ultimately, I come for the food. Simply great.
It does get busy and I'm sorry one of the reviewers below had a bad experience...enough that she wrote a small book as a review...but it's rare. And for the reviewers information, every great Sushi restaurant in the world has a tradition of having a drink with the Sushi chef. Have you ever eaten at Matsuhisa or Nobu? You hang with Nobu, you drink!! Compai!!
A real Sushi afficionado goes to the ends of the earth to get the freshest Sushi - weather basic preparation or new wave combination - and that, to my view, is what Sushi Planet represents.
Kudos to Santos, Jin and Doddy. Keeping the Sushi standards high in Philly!! I'm moving back to LA pretty soon...one of the things I'll definitely miss is Sushi Planet.
I owe my brother for finding this place... or not, since I usually pay. Sushi Planet has very quickly become our favorite place for sushi in Philly. Anyone can make fancy rolls (and they do that well, too), but what really stands out is how fresh their fish is, and how much variety they have.
I polished off a bowl Chriashi last night that had large portions of easily 12 different types of fish in it, and each one was great. You know you've struck gold when a place can serve you a bowl of just fish and have it go down flawlessly. Well worth the $18.
I also appreciate their generosity... the bass carpaccio and sake are always welcome.
I'd usually score a place like this higher, but I'm going to give Sushi Planet a conditional 3 stars, since I will definitely be returning, and think it has potential to improve. I've now eaten their food twice, once dining in and last night for takeout.
Accolades:
1. I love how they used a large 9 x 13 aluminum tin takeout container (reuseable, recycleable and more earth-friendly than plastic!). I'm going to use it again to cook a lasagna!
2. I like this place better than nearby Hikaru because they have more exciting rolls. It's also larger than Uzu, so you can dine with a larger group.
3. Delivery! YES!!!!
4. Complimentary sake. YAY!
Room for improvement:
1. Apple Roll: yellowtail, crisp apple slices, wrapped inside out and topped with salmon and tuna - I liked this the first time I dined here for the creativity, however yesterday, I felt the apples should have been sliced smaller, perhaps julienne cut as cucumbers often are, rather than sliced, as it made it really hard to chew and enjoy at the same time.
2. Ambiance: While casual and laid-back, I really have issues with the decor, since I think the colors of the walls and the paintings are imposing and mismatched. I think it should have a bit more Japanese or calming influence and better lighting to make it a place I would want to spend time in frequently.
3. There was a slight mix up with our takeout order (we got a salmon roll instead of salmon california roll), but I'm not so sure if that was a miscommunication, so I won't hold it against them!
I first came here due to a recommendation by a fellow co-worker. It turned out to be a great decision because Sushi Planet has since become my favorite go-to sushi place in Philly. I went with three other friends and we all agreed it was a great experience.
The restaurant is somewhat small, but has a nice atmostphere featuring pastel mint colored walls and colorful artwork. Our friendly server started us out with a complimentary sashimi dish. It was delicious! Our sushi roll entrees turned out to be hits as well. I had the On Fire roll and it was a great combination of texture, freshness and spiciness. I also had the seaweed salad, which is one of my fav appetizers on any Japanese menu. I rarely order it though because it is usually very overpriced (5-7 dollars for a little bowl)however at this place it is pretty cheap (4 dollars). In fact, all of their prices are very wallet-friendly and the sushi is great, too! In addition, it's a byo, another wallet-friendly aspect. My one friend, who wasn't a sushi-lover at the time, ordered the teriyaki salmon which was also delicious. The sauce was flavorful, the salmon was nicely cooked and the broccoli was perfectly steamed with just the right amount of salt. .
My only complaint is that after the meal, they brought out some complimentary saki for all of us. I was excited because I had never tried it before. Although I like all kinds of liquor and wine, I did not like sake, though I have hope it will grow on me. The real disappointment came when we got the check which listed a small fee for the complimentary saki. Although it wasn't much, the principle of the matter bothered me. Why should we have to give you any money for something that we didn't ask for and was supposed to be complimentary?
In spite of that, I still love this place. Just two days ago I stopped in for lunch to go while on my break from work. I was pleased to find that they have a lunch menu that is a great deal, especially for the city. I got two different sushi rolls and a salad with their yummy ginger dressing for only 10 dollars. This place is definitely worth trying for nice atmostphere, friendly staff, excellent sushi and very reasonable prices.
This restaurant is the kind of operation that makes me continue to try new places, cause every once and a while you find a gem that nails service, ambiance, price and taste. The fact that its a sushi place that delivers just takes it over the top.
The presentation of both the space - v. chic, clean, comfortable - and the plates - simple, appetizing not hokey, even (dare I say it) beautiful- are clearly the product of careful thought. The menu doesn't try to be everything to everyone but still keeps it interesting - try the bass carpaccio and the unagi kabayaki. And the quality of ingredients and over all flavor is on par with some of the much pricier places in the city.
I am totally gone for S-p'net (I'm tryin to work with the less than stellar name) and happy that everyone I have sent there has reported back that they too received the spectacular service and tastey eats.
Well done.
I've been passing by this place for months and with a name like sushi planet i assumed it was mostly take out. I truly judged this book by its cheesy cover and only now having been there seen the error of my ways. Affordable sushi that does not taste affordable. Byob. complimentary sake if your especially good with chopsticks.
two people
two apps
two sushi rolls each
50-60 USD
'nuff said
I kind of don't want to review this place, because I want to keep it my little secret. It's THAT good.
I know it's got a stupid name, but once you see the chic little interior, and the beautiful, tasty platters that come out from behind the bar, then you get this insanely cheap bill, you are going to forget alllllllllll about that silly silly name. How does it go? A rose is still a rose...
I came here on a Sunday night with the movitvation of going out with my friends. I was still slightly new to the world of Sushi but thought I would give it a chance. It was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G in every way. First off, the ambiance is so chill and zen, the perfect place for a night out with friends or a quiet date.
Two chefs stand nearby openly creating fabulous dishes for all to see. An attractive and attentive server brought us a complimentary plate of spanish mackerel sashimi, covered in shitake mushrooms, scallions and other yummy flavors. The menu kicks ass and is reasonably priced.
Sushi rocked in taste and presentation.
So I'm just saying....you should definitely go. My new favorite place
Went back again this past weekend. Better than I remembered. Try the mango roll. And for god's sake, sit at the bar. Marvel at the giant knives slicing things into smooth amazing strips of sushi goodness. But don't forget to turn around and check out the nifty blow-fish painting behind you. Chat with the chefs for a rundown of their regulars and which neighborhoods they migrate from just to enjoy the culinary excellence that is Sushi Planet.
I love this place.
Like many sushi places in Philly, it's BYOB and fairly small. The front of the restaurant is cuter… Read more »
We went to Sushi Planet for my boyfriend's bday dinner w/ a group of 8 (we had made a reservation). The staff was super friendly, sent out sake and pickled cukes on the house, and were patient w/ us being slow and loud. Some of use ate meat, some just fish, and some pure vegetarians, and all were satisfied consumers. BYOB which is awesome. Plus we brought a pie for dessert and they were nice about bringing out plates and forks for us. The food was tasty, the atmosphere was great, the waitresses were all great, and I will definitely go back!
Sushi Planet is OK. Not bad - Not great.
After reading all of the other reviews, I was so excited to finally eat here. The sushi I ordered was good, but it was nothing to rave about.
Average sushi. Average prices. A completely average experience.
I came here on a Friday night because I live nearby, I wanted sushi, and Iwanted BYOB. It was amazing. We sat at the counter and were able to see them preparing everyone's dishes. We had our wine, 4 special rolls that were fresh and tasty, and paid $25.
I can't believe I didn't know about this place sooner since I'm on that block all the time! My coworker discovered it, and it really is so much better than some of the other South Street area sushi places. You can usually tell a lot about the quality of a sushi place when they give you ginger that is natural/ white and not pink. The crappier places have pink ginger. Right when we walked it I knew I would like the place...lime green walls and modern art. The waiter had some nice smooth house music playing, and he seemed very chill. I was really pleased with the fact that substituting brown rice is only 50 cents extra instead of a dollar or two dollars like some places, which is a complete ripoff! The salad was delicious and presented beautifully. The sushi and maki were delicious and the price was very reasonable for the lunch special. I will definitely be going back often.
I no longer must travel to Collingswood, NJ for heavenly sushi! I live down the street from Sushi Planet, and like many of the reviewers, I have not been called to enter the 'cheesy' named Sushi Planet. However, I had heard the buzz that the sushi was fabulous, so I stopped in for a bite on a whim. I ordered a eel avocado roll which was the perfect temperature and melted in my mouth. A spicy scallop roll, again beautiful and buttery. And a Ama-bi (sweet shrimp) sushi-- a favorite of mine which is often not available in Philly. The server also brought pickled cucumber salad & a striped bass carpaccio, compliments of the chef. They were generous and the ambiance is quite lovely once you venture in off of South Street. I'm definitely going back with friends. And, lucky for me, they deliver too!
I went in last week with a friend and was really surprised--I thought it was a take out place but found a cool little spot. Service was accommodating and relaxed--a perfect mix. The rave like music was a little much, but great sushi and low pricing really made up for it.
Planet sushi was awesome! Their sushi tasted very fresh and they had extremely reasonable prices. My roommate and i got 2 appetizers, 2 specialty rolls and 3 regular rolls for $50 total! On top of that they gave us some house special sampler appetizers for free. I got the mango roll, which wasn't my favorite but was still pretty good and a spicy scallop roll which was very good and a kanpyo roll (which was also good). my roommate had a vegetarian roll and an unagi roll topped with spicy tuna, that roll was amazing! we were so happy that we tried it. On top of that they were BYOB which is my favorite.
good sushi. better when they give you a free bottle of sake.
Such a great place with a great staff. Sergei is fantastic and very welcoming with complimentary appetizers, sake and fish samples. The sushi is great and very reasonable. Nice ambience and great location. Just a wonderful little sushi place, no matter if you're eating in or taking out. Kudos Sushi Planet!
Neighborhood: South Street District
Category: Japanese
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