We went here on a Friday night, and maybe they just happened to be short staff, but the wait times between being seated, getting your drinks, taking your order, getting your food all were ridiculously long. Â It seemed like a lot of tables were waiting on their food. Â A family next to us actually got up and left because they didn't see their server for 15 minutes after being seated by the hostess. Â
The sushi itself was basically, eh. Â We had Crunch Melt, Dynamite & spicy salmon roll. Â Nothing particularly stood out. Â The flavors were sadly rather bland. Â And even for sushi, especially compare to the other places around the western suburbs, the prices seemed a tad high.
The service, I could forgive, everybody gets caught shorthanded every once in awhile (if indeed that was the reason). Â But the bland food and higher than average prices are the death knell of this place. Â We won't be back.
If I could give it a zero I would...
The service was absolutely terrible! Our server kept disappearing for 30 minutes at a time. Â We finished eating and had to wait 40 minutes for the bill - which they overcharged us on. Â I left to find that they had charged my card SIX times on accident, and charged my friend THREE times. Â Â I am still in the process of getting it all figured out days later.
The food was just ok..nothing special. Â There are many other places to go to. Â If you plan on going here.. SKIP IT!
Pretty great sushi in the 'burbs. Â Be sure to try the Crunchy Melt sushi roll. Â Yeah, it has melted cheese on it (which sounds strange, and could be considered "a rookie/beginner's sushi") but it's FREAKIN' AWESOME. Â Who cares what people say? Â The Crunchy Melt is AMAZING. Â Get it.
Review Source:Overall upsides-
+Gorgeous setting with a swanky, sleek lounge
+Pretty presentation of food
+$5 martini specials on Wednesday (other similar drink specials at this price point each day of week)
Overall downsides-
-Hardly any meal combo options
-A bit too much rice in the sushi (one of my pet peeves)
-Food specials were not the best deal cost-wise (ie. 3 signature maki = 1 free sig. maki on Wednesday, not a great choice unless out with a big group)
-One employee kept saying I had dined there earlier that week, even after I reassured her it was my first time...kind of an awkward exchange.
-More expensive than it should be = $70 for two people for what we ordered below (including tax and tip)
Overall on food-
My friend and I thought our dinner was decent...the bill not so much.
The house salad was a HUGE portion with a mix of fresh greens. However, my friend wished she could have just gotten a side salad portion. I wished there were more toppings such as the red onion, carrot shavings and cherry tomato halves, but I did enjoy the creamy version of the ginger dressing.
My friend ordered tempura shrimp, but the two measly pieces of shrimp with a ton of veggies seemed with a mostly soy sauce-based dipping condiment was very underwhelming. Yet, I can appreciate the crunchy breading that coated the ingredients well in this app. I ordered the Mizuki Moon signature maki roll, which had a solid kick from the spicy tuna, but I just wished there was more filling!
Dessert was the most lackluster. When I see chocolate lava cake on a menu, I expect a hot cake with an oozing middle. No gooeyness here - more like a somewhat dense, re-heated cupcake. But the green tea ice cream on the side was a nice refreshing complement to end the night.
Overall opinion-
May return if I have a Groupon or some other discount. Shelled out way too much money considering what I could get at other (less fancy) sushi joints for even half the cost and double the quality of food.
Got sushi to go, which I would not typically do as it is definitely best fresh as can be-but I live just a minute drive away. Â Got 3 rolls and an appetizer for my family and I. When I arrived and the snotty waitress rang me up, my mouth fell open when she said $65!!!!! Â
Ok, I know sushi is expensive-but that is crazy!!! Â
I said nothing, just figured it better be jaw dropping good.
It wasn't. Â It was carelessly tossed into the to go containers, the requested eel sauce was not in the container and all in all, it just sucked.
All of it was a miserable excuse for sushi. Â Never again.
What a fancy looking place. My cousin wanted to give sushi another chance so we went here. We got sushi to go. Eel, Albacore, and Crunchy. I was hoping they'd make it all fancy... but no. The rolls were small, not enough of anything in them, and overall expensive for sushi. In plastic boxes. I think they gypped is since the rolls were cut into 6 pieces instead of 8. Next time add more seaweed along with more ingreds. Y U USE LOW QUALITY.
It's not crunchy if you sprinkled the crunchies like giving fish flakes to your fish in your aquarium.
It seemed like the eel was a little too fishy for me, but edible.
I think the albacore was the best of the three. Just okay.
Perhaps it's better if you dine in. Maybe the rolls are fancier with a fancy presentation and fancy chopsticks. It seems like you have to make reservations. Is this place really that poppin'?
And the wait was long just for 3 rolls of simple sushi. I want to say 30ish minutes.
... it's expensive.
What a disappointment! Â I was here about 4 years ago and enjoyed it. Â My husband and I bought a Groupon and decided to have lunch there. Â On a Friday at 12:30, I would have expected it to be somewhat crowded. Â There was one man dining at the Sushi bar - that is it. Â We should have walked out then as that should have been our first clue something is 'up' with this place. Â
There were crumbs all over the floor and on the seat in the booth we were seated at. The crumbs certainly didn't come from that day since I doubt they had many customers before we got there. Â Looked like someone didn't clean up from last night. Â On top of it, the wait staff (waiter and a bus girl) looked extremely less than enthused to be working there. Â The waiter told us his name and the next thing and really the only thing he said during our meal was 'can I take your order'. Â He wasn't rude by any means...indifferent is probably the best way to describe it. Â Â
The rolls (we ordered 2 specialty rolls) was thin with only 8 pieces. Â Most Sushi places I've been to in the 'burbs (Sushi Train, Sushi City, Bok Choy) have massive specialty rolls. Â For $13, this roll was more like the $5.00 roll at other places. Â The taste...just 'eh'.
We left hungry and disappointed. Â We won't be back. Â The place needs a renovation or update. Â The fake hardwood floor is bubbling. Â Tables and chairs look worn down. Â It probably looks better at night but during the day, its flaws (staff and all) showed.
Walked in here without calling in a reservation today around 6pm praying that it wouldn't be packed, but when we walked in it was dead.  That being said, we stood by the front of the restaurant waiting to be seated longer than I would have anticipated since  there weren't many customers present.  When the hostess finally came out, there was something about her mood that was a bit off putting, but I couldn't figure out what.  Maybe it's because we weren't greeted with a smile and you could tell from the way she spoke that she really didn't want to be there.
Anyway, the interior is pretty hip and contemporary. Â There's low lighting at the tables and the booths are comfortable. Â Our waitress was very attentive. Â We started off with the Calamari Fries. Â I thought these were a bit weird. Â I had never had calamari served like fries before, but it was still good. Â I ordered the spicy chicken udon and it was good and plenty spicy. Â There was just a noodle:chicken:vegetable disproportion; there were more meat/veggies than there were noodles for my liking. Â I also had the spicy tuna tate maki and that was also pleeeeenty spicy. Â I like when I get what I order. Â I find that a lot of Asian restaurants downplay the spice in their "spicy" dishes to play it safe. Â The rest of my family ordered the Una-don, the rainbow roll, and tuna-don. Â Everyone was fairly satisfied with their meals. Â If you're used to giant, "cheesecake factory-sized" dishes, this isn't the place for you, though. Â They give you just enough to feel satiated.
Desserts were out of this world. Â I had the Gateaux au Chocolate and it was like biting into a delicious chocolate cloud. Â And the green tea ice cream on the side is a great palette cleanser and I actually would prefer that over the usual vanilla ice cream that most restaurants couple with chocolate cake. Â We also tried the exotic bomba, which was also good but I think I still prefer Dao's exotic bomba more.
Overall it was a great experience. Â The place did start to fill up around 7 though and I would suggest calling in a reservation just to be safe.
I've only been here one time. I had the Tempura Maki which was $14. I usually don't order warm maki but I took a chance. It was pretty good. I forget exactly what was in it but there was tuna, spicy may, etc. It's on the website if you're interested. I don't think it was worth the money though. My aunt ordered the lemongrass chicken with asparagus and other veggies. I had a few bites and didn't find it remarkable at all.
Especially not for $17. The service we received was pretty subpar. The lady who waited on us didn't know too much about what she was serving. My aunt spilled a glass from the trio sake flight we had and no one offered to replace it (we would have paid). Â We had to use napkins from another table as well as ours to clean it up and we didn't get any new napkins. This will not be a go to sushi spot. I may give it another try in the near future.
Won't be going back ever! Very poor customer service from wait staff and management. In addition, they do not accept AmEx - even though the bill came in an AmEx leather folder. Bait and Switch much?
Everyone makes mistakes ... So when a bowl of hot miso soup was spilled on my mom at lunch, I was willing to let that pass. But, it's all about how you reconcile those mistakes that makes the difference. We got a quick "I'm sorry" from the waiter, who didn't seem overly concerned about the ruined pants and hot soup. No visit from the manager, no comp, no dessert, no offer to pay for the cleaning of the pants.
When we were leaving we asked to speak with the manager. When we told him about our experience he was extremely apathetic.
BTW - Two of the three stalls in the women's bathroom were out of order.
If I had only gone here one time this place would definitely have a 5 star review. Â However, I raved about this place so much to someone, bought a groupon and insisted on taking them. Â
I know this place closed down for a lil while and I'm not totally sure why. Â I maybe have an idea after my last visit, but still have HIGH hopes for this place to keep going!
My first time here, I had come with a friend. Â We had some drinks and rolls. Â She had been here many times before with her boyfriend and had many suggestions for me. Â It was def nice being with someone who knew the menu and the food... and let's be honest, the drinks too!
This second time around I had a groupon and brought a newbie with me. Â Our first thing as we sat down was that we were in need of some oyster shooters. Â Not sure how I felt about oyster shots from a sushi place (I had a horrible experience before) I still went through with it. Â Man friend = very excited to see a quail egg floating in with the oyster. Â Me = a little grossed out. Â However I still took it down like a champ! Â Next time around, I asked for no egg and she was nice enough to give my man friend my egg as well. Â Happy campers right there!
A little annoyed we had to ask for a drink menu and then was immediately asked what we wanted to drink, I took it as our waitress just being eager to get us going. Â I had my mind set on a dirty martini. Â Now when you're into dirty martini's, olives matter. Â I prefer 3 olives, no matter the type, and normally stuffed with blue cheese. Â She said they didn't have blue cheese ones but they do have some stuffed with wasabi. Â Um, YES PLEASE! Upon martini arrival, I was too caught up in checking out the menu to notice my plain, normal TWO olives. Â Ok maybe I'm a martini olive snob but I clearly asked for three. Â It makes a difference, trust me! Then my man friend mentioned they weren't even stuffed with wasabi as promised. Â Of course I had no problem calling her over and telling her, in which she promptly returned with the olives. Â KILLER OLIVES! GET THEM! NOW!
My man friend didn't have much luck with this place.  The beer he wanted she had come back to inform him they didn't have.  So of course he had tried a different beer.  Then when it came to order he had ordered what seemed like a novel long  list (kind of like this review) of nigiri.  I can't tell you how many times she told us something he wanted was "bad" today or that they didnt have it.  I was completely expecting him to have a table full of nigiri with what he ordered, but yet again she came back telling us more of what he had wanted was not in or "bad" that day.  I had also ordered my roll with no mayo or cream cheese, but when the roll came- it was fully loaded with the things I didn't want.  Rather than complain yet again, I just ate what I could of it. Â
Upon receiving the check she did not apply the groupon to it. Â Again needing to call her over to change something.
Like I said, I loved this place the first time I went. Â Hopefully they were just having a new night and getting back into the swing of things after re-opening. Â But I probably won't go back.
I went here this week with my husband and a friend. Walking in, the place has kind of a fun feel. Our waitress was very nice and attentive. We ordered 3 rolls and an appetizer. The appetizer was jalapeno poppers with meat. Definitely wasn't expecting that on a sushi place's menu, but that's why we had to try then to judge what exactly they'd taste like. They were a pleasant surprise, 9 little jalapeno poppers that looked kind of like sushi.
For dinner, we had the Ocean Drive (I believe it was called), some spicy tuna one, and a sweet potato roll. All were good and wrapped in this neon green soy paper, so the presentation was different and fun. The Ocean one was my least favorite, it was good but nothing special. The spicy one was the best.
The reason I'd rank this place down was that there were a lot of staff members standing around looking unhappy and setting a weird mood. I can't really explain it. Maybe it's because the place wasn't busy, but it was just kind of a weird atmosphere. At least our waitress was very nice! Overall - good sushi but there are places with a better atmosphere.
We liked the sushi a lot. Â The rice was a bit lighter than a lot of places and really hit the spot in the summer. Â We had a spider roll and the crab was nicely prepared, fresh and crispy. Â The White Sox roll was great too, good combo of fishes and caviar and the light rice again was a nice taste. Â We got a plate of sashimi that was good quality fish, served elegantly, sliced a bit thicker than a lot of places. Â The waitress was attentive. Â We weren't too demanding but she took care of us.
Like a lot of reviewers, they were out of sake so they didn't have drinks. Â Beer was ok as it was really hot. Â It seems odd to have a "one drink" bar and be out of the drink though?
My fiance and I went here on a Wednesday night for an early dinner before my grad class. Â First impression; it's a very hip place... very modern and contemporary. Â I could just imagine it at night with music blaring and the lights low. Â But my review is just based on the food/service and not the whole night life lounge aspect.
I'd say the service was hovering between average and above average. Â Our waiter had okay recommendations, was polite, and attentive. Â We got two rolls of their specialty sushi (one on the menu and on off- thanks to our waiter). Â Both had clean and fresh flavors, with contrasting textures, but they'd didn't blow me out of the water. Â With such a downtown lounge-y interior, I thought the sushi would be sushilicious... yes, I made up word... but really sushi now-a-days are getting creative and more delicious and, with the price we were paying, I expect more.
Went there last nite. Â Bad experience. Â The waiter had to keep apologizing as they were out of a lot of food and drink!
Only 1 kind of beer (the menu listed 5 I think), 1 kind of Chardonnay, and my sister got the last glass. Â 2 toilets in the ladies room were "out of order". Â Rolls were good, though.
Something funky is going on there.
We'd been sitting on a Groupon for a couple weeks and finally hit this place up. After two years of being in Chicago (from California), I was reluctant to try sushi because we're not exactly near the pacific waters that the fish I often eat actually swims in. That means it won't be as fresh. And not being as fresh means the potential for a night on the toilet...
...but luckily I was able to take a raincheck on the toilet because this place was surprisingly good!
We ordered two specialty rolls (that were cut into about 8-10 pieces each): Ocean Drive & Yellowtail. We also order edamame and a house salad.
Edamame: standard. A little expensive at $5 (when I can get the same amount at Trader Joe's for $1.69.
Salad: I ordered because I'm obsessed with ginger dressing and this one was creamy. And bleh. And I was annoyed it cost nearly as much as a standard roll at $6. So totally not worth it.
Ocean Drive roll: Awesome-sauce. I would order this again but sub the tuna for spicy tun and then it would be the absolutely perfect roll.
Yellowtail: My husband loved this one and I only really enjoyed the spicy tuna. It did look quite fancy though.
A little surprised that only 3 of their rolls were healthy-- as all the rest contained tempura or spicy mayo. When I go for sushi, I expect to come out feeling somewhat healthy about the whole experience considering I'm paying a crapload for something that doesn't fill me up quite like a much cheaper entree at Red Robin or something. I know, totally different experience. But yeah.
Without groupon two rolls, 1 salad and edamame would've cost us about $42 with tip. Not exactly cheap. Thankfully the groupon brought the price down by about $10 and made it just reasonable. I wouldn't go back without another discount, but overall it was good and bonus on not having to hit up the toilet on the way out.
Normally I wouldn't bring my son to a place like this, but I had been here before and we were going early on a weekday, so I thought we'd give it a whirl since I had a Groupon. Â The place was almost deserted. Perfect. The staff was all super friendly and super nice to my son.
They don't have a kid's menu per se, but the chicken yakisoba without vegetables was a perfect toddler noodle meal. I opted for the Blue Ginger Sushi roll and and it was light and delicious. Everything was going great until my son broke a side plate. Obviously I wanted to get the hell out of dodge and offered to pay for the plate, which they of course declined.
Next time, I hope my son will leave the dishes unscathed. They were so nice and accommodating. Hopefully the great tip I left will keep us off the blacklist!
It was Groupon madness going on in blue Ginger last Friday. Strongly suggest call or Opentable  to make a reservation and make sure they have your favorite items before you go for weekend nights.
First we asked for Rack of Lamb and Duck which are my favorites. They were out. Then tried Edamame. Â It was out too. Oh, this made the ordering more difficult now. Settle with Scallops and beef rolls. I only tried Scallops which was pretty good.
Then we got assorted Sashimi, an Ocean drive sushi, a Chicken fried Udon noodle to share. However, they are out of short ribs so we had to settle to Bulgugi. Sushi were fine but pretty much average. I didn't care much about Udon noodle and didn't try the Bulgugi. In the end, we were fed and enjoyed the conversations during the dinner.
However, I came here for the appetizers and pretty much bummed out.
I've been here a couple of times now and each time I left thinking, "Why didn't I go to Sushi City instead?" Why would anyone pay full price for mediocre sushi when 10 mins away is an all you can eat sushi restaurant that taste twice as good and at half the price! (You can see my review for Sushi City).
First of all, their prices are on the higher end of the spectrum. $6-10 for regular maki rolls, and $11-$18 for their special rolls. If I ordered 2 regular and 2 special rolls, that's already $30+. Whereas at Sushi City, you can have all you can eat for $20 and that includes their special maki rolls, and they're better than most high-end sushi places (Again refer to my review on Sushi City).
I expected the higher prices when I decide to eat here, but what I didn't expect was the lack of quality to their sushi. I went on a Tuesday night, it was quiet, maybe half a dozen of table, so not busy at all. I ordered 4 rolls of sushi and when they brought it out the rolls were tiny and short, and they manage to cut it into 5 baby pieces. Not only that, a handful of those pieces were missing half of the rice in there. I was shocked that they would even serve that to their customers. Where was the quality control? They weren't busy so they don't have any excuse. Show that you actually care about your customers and show some pride in the food that you put out.
Great atmosphere, solid pricing and value! Â If you drop by on the weekends early its worth it to take advantage of their happy hour 1/2 off starters menu for the bacon-wrapped scallops. Â The Smokey Bear and Crunch rolls were some of the best "specialty" makis that I've had combining great flavors with perfect textures. Â The only real reservation is a pricey wine menu, but that's nothing unique to eating out.
Highly recommended
If your looking for decent sushi, stay away!
My brother and sister-in-law decided to have a family dinner out at Blue Ginger Sushi, which is in their area. Â We came in with a larger group, 5 adults plus 3 kids. Â Ambiance was nice, apparently very similar to the last restaurant that was in this space, and they were able to accommodate us in a large round booth. Â
We ordered several rolls as well as spring rolls and some chicken skewer dish (appetizer) for the kids.  The kids seemed to enjoy their dishes, which looked great.  We also had an order of the sea bass, which I had a taste of  - nice, fresh fish and seemed well prepared. Â
As for the sushi rolls, serious, don't bother. Â Presentation was great, pretty good, but I could tell off the bat their rolls weren't all that. Â They seemed to use that ground up version of tuna mixed with spicy sauce - enough said. Â Â You could barely tasted the fish (or much of anything for that matter) in any of the several rolls. Â And they were minuscule for the price. Â And they completely skimp on wasabi and ginger....
So as for service, we did have a larger group, but I noticed the waiter needed to be reminded at least twice for any of our request (additional order of chicken skewer for the kids, refill on soda, low sodium soy sauce...) that honestly, I gave up.
In the end, there wasn't anything left - not because it was good, but because of the small portions. Â I didn't take a look at the bill when it came, but I winced at the thought of it. Â My brother and sister-in-law probably spent a chunk of change (even with a $30 groupon) for us to eat the several overpriced, mini sized portions of the sushi rolls.
It might be worth checking this place out for there dishes, although I was so turned off, I don't know that I would come back. Â Apparently this was a far cry from the restaurant that used to be in this space (Blue Coral?) and the chef from this space has a small set up inside a Korean restaurant in the area and still serves up some tasty eats. Â Sign me up!
If you're looking for a sushi place to get butt-drunk, make this your stop. The decor and ambiance is top notch, and the rolls and drinks (namely sake) are very reasonably priced.
The major disappointment comes from both the quantity and quality of the sushi. A $30 sashimi + nigiri plate was a far cry from fulfilling. Worst of all, this sashimi 'special', is the exact same as the sashimi sampler, plus 2 more pieces of yellowtail.
Save your money for the rolls and sake. With the <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurant.com&s=c5fe485af4df376130bee54f875814d79c4d7913e1258123b1206d2bdbf4873b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurant.com</a> coupon ($50 off $100), these are the items that will get you stuffed! I suggest the sake flight, if you wanna get the most bang for your buck.
We tried the caterpillar and salmon explosion rolls, and both were excellent. We ended the night with some chocolate lava cake and mochi ice cream to push our bill over $100. Total came out to be $70, after the 18% gratuity.
Again, my sushi restaurant ratings criteria is based on quality/value and then the rest. Â But first, I have to comment on the staff and the ambiance.
Having spent much time in the City dining, I've found that chill and unique restaurants are a rare combination in the burbs. It's funny because I was just complaining about the lack of places like this out here. Â But this place, this place is an awesome find. Both my server and the hostess were really nice and refreshingly genuine. I truly cherish being around such people.
Anyway, the decor of this place is pretty nice and a bit on the trendier side. I was a little hesitant because of this (the suburban version of this often ends up being a little cheesy) but it really works for this place. Cool blues lighten the sushi chef area and blacks and deep reds and purples warm the dining and lounge areas. Wonderful job on their part. Â Also, they have a great music selection. Â Very eclectic and it added nicely to the overall experience.
Surprisingly, they had two options for hot sake. Â The regular and then what they call premium, with the latter being smoother. Â And my server was right, it was smooth. Â They have many unique maki options and a large menu so it was tough to choose. Â With the help of my server I went for some nigiri sushi (10 pieces) and the Ocean Dive maki. Â The sushi was of really good quality and the Ocean maki was AWEsome! Â The maki had a few different kinds of fish in it, cilantro, avocado, a spicy chili sauce and a wedge of lime to sprinkle on it all. Â A very light and refreshing maki. Â Just what I was wanting. Â And all of it for $37. Â Bottom line, good quality, portions and value.
Saw a few of the other negative reviews...don't know what's up there. Â Something to keep in mind, Japanese food is meant to have subtle flavors. Â It's a part of the culture. Â There's a saying that too much wasabi on sushi is dishonoring the fish. Â Might want to keep in mind the culture and history of Japanese food next time you have it rather than expecting it to conform to what you think it should be.
I would like to start off by saying that we used to regular this place since before the change of ownership/name (Blue Coral) We really loved the food as well as the atmosphere.
We noticed that the beginning of the $3 roll nights became a snowball of bad service sub-par quality of the food. On one particular evening (the last time I would visit Blue Ginger), we came in with another couple and were promptly seated. I would say for $3 roll night the joint was about 1/2 full. After we were seated we were greeted by the water boy and were told that our server would be right with us. About 10 or 15 minutes later our server finally arrived and took our drink orders and asked if we were ready to order, we said we weren't ready quit yet.
When our server brought our drinks to the table (another 10 minutes later). When she came fumbling back to the table we placed our order for sushi. When she left the table I couldn't help but notice that the servers did not have sections, they each had tables spread all over the dining room and were walking all over the place, totally unorganized for a restaurant that is at half capacity.
So about 30-45 mins later I was kind of wondering where the hell our food was at....and our server. With an empty drink and really hungry, I began to investigate/analyze what was goin down in this place. A table near (about 3 tables over) us seemed to be having the same problems that we were having and asked for the manager.
I for one understand in the service industry sometimes we have bad nights, but our server, who was serving the above said table also, would walk by our table with her eyes on the prize, that prize being to quickly rush past our table and make sure she didn't make eye contact with us, because she new her service was lacking.
Anyhow, when our food came to the table, a **prompt** 1 hour and 15 mins after we ordered, I noticed that my $3 rolls were falling apart, but my regularly priced maki was perfect. HMMMMMM..... if something is being showcased in a restaurant and is "ON SALE" the quality of said product should remain the same. This isn't the grocery store with 1/2 price on dented cans or like Best Buy cutting the price of the Floor Model TV....this is a restaurant and the quality should remain the same on all products or you shouldn't sell it at all. And this I understand was NOT the servers fault.
Bad (intimidated by the customers) Server
Bad (LAZY) Chef
Bad (clueless) Manager
I wanted to love this place... I DID love this place... this sushi place is like an ex boyfriend. We had some really good times, but there is a good reason we broke up. Unfortunately for Blue Ginger, this place will most likely be my ex for good. Blue Ginger I don't even know you anymore!!
The first several times we visited I thought I was in love. All warm and fuzzy inside. The ambiance! Â The amazing specials! Â Great service! Â So so so yummy sushi! Â Great drinks! Â I want to show you off to my friends! Â Marry me Mr. Maki!!! eh hem...
That's when things went south... and not in the good way..
Thursdays they do $3 rolls. That's right $3 rolls. Limited selection but you can fill up for under 15 bucks! Holla! The first time we took friends here on a Thursday the service was OK. The sushi was just alright and they told my vegetarian friend they didn't have sweet potato even though it was on the menu still. The $3 rolls magically shrunk in size compared to last time too.. Maybe they were just having an off night.
The second time I took a friend here they weren't serving liquor because their license was suspended.... what.... that is a deal breaker for me, but since we were there we decided to stay. We were literally the only ones there so our service and sushi were fine. There was no special that night and the regular rolls are pretty pricey. So even without drinks the bill set us back a few bills.
The third and final straw was when we came here one Thursday and had an hour and a half wait for our sushi! It wasn't even busy! We were sat and 10 minutes go by before we ordered our drinks. The waitress comes back again a few minutes later and we weren't ready so we said come back in a minute... 30 minutes later she apologizes and we order our sushi and more drinks. All the sections around us were having the same service issue: disappearing waitress. Long story short: I had a meeting I was late to and I ended up having to take my sushi to go. When originally I had more than ample time to make it.
Blue Ginger I think we should see other people. It's not me, it's you.
Went here on a Thursday night with a 6:30 reservation. Â Waited ten minutes to get our table, then another ten for a waitress to come over. Â After putting in a drink order, we waited...another ten minutes!
Once the waitress finally came back, we placed our sushi order. Â After we were done ordering, the waitress then told us that the sushi bar was "backed up" and that it would be 20-30 minutes. Â This information, I felt, would have been more useful when we were seated, as we might have considered ordering an appetizer.
But, 20-30 minutes isn't that bad, we thought. Â So we waited...and waited...and waited. Â Along with the three or four tables around us. Â Now this place was pretty full, but they had six sushi chefs behind the sushi bar, far more than any other place I've been in the suburbs. Â So when we ended up waiting 45 minutes, the waitress said it would be "just a few minutes." Â She then gave us a bowl of edamame to placate us. Â "Sweet!" I exclaimed. "Twenty-five cents worth of soybeans!" Â
We waited 15 more minutes...then 15 more. Â Yep, at an hour 15 minute wait, we stood up to leave, along with the people next to us. Â At that point, our food magically appeared. Â The sushi was fine, nothing impressive, and the restaurant made no adjustments to our bill and made no attempt to remedy the situation. Â I think every person in our section said they wouldn't be returning.
We grabbed some sushi at Blue Ginger before a movie. Â The most impressive part of our experience here was the reservation process. Â We made a reservation on OpenTable with a request for a booth, and it was ready for us when we got there, which was about 20 minutes after the time we'd made the reservation for, and this was on a busy Friday night. Â Unfortunately, the rest of the service, the food, the drinks, the pricing - all sub-par compared to most other sushi places I've been to.
We ordered a couple guava mojitos and took advantage of the buy one appetizer, get one free happy hour special. Â We chose the calamari and the phyllo-wrapped ahi. Â Both were good (probably the best dishes we had), and the ahi was my personal favorite, definitely recommended.
We also chose 3 rolls: Ocean Drive ($16, nothing special), Spicy Tataki ($16, okay), and Double Decker ($10, decent). Â For the prices, I was sorely disappointed in the tastiness and amount of fish. Â Service was nearly non-existent - the waitress rarely came around to our table. Â
You can find far superior sushi for either the same price range or less at most other sushi restaurants - trust me on this!
I'm Japanese(American) and I'd like to think that I know my sushi. Â If you're into a variety of specialty rolls, fancy presentation, and a hip ambiance, this place is for you. Â The drink specials were pretty good too. Â My friend and I shared a domestic beer bucket and a small hot sake for $7 on a Monday night. Â
So on this Monday night, there were probably a total of four parties there, max. Â The place was abandoned. Â But they still got my order wrong. Â It wasn't a big deal but I wanted my roll made with nori and not with those silly pastel pink soy paper things. Â I ordered the Ocean Drive which comes with tuna, yellowtail, avocado (didn't notice that was even in there...) and some other stuff. Â I was a bit disappointed when I got my roll because it was so small. Â It's fine that there isn't a lot of rice in it cause that's just filler, but the fish portions were tiny as well. Â Totally not worth $16. Â I should have also read the description better because the roll came with some sesame/chili oil sprinkled on top. Â Very Korean...not Japanese.
We had the tuna tataki to start and that was tasty...But again, the fish portion was really wimpy. Â The fish was cut into thin slivers and I'm just used to getting thick slices of tuna tataki at home...in California. Â Sigh.
If you don't have a big appetite, you're trying to impress someone on a first date, and you want a lot of alone time, give it a go! Â Otherwise, I suggest finding a more authentic place to get your money's worth.
I LOVE SUSHI!! And it's SO hard to find non-chain, good sushi in the burbs. My boyfriend and I visit this place at least once a month and we adore it. Â Our favorite waiter, Eddie, is totally bomb and we love him. Â There is an array of appetizers to chose from. Â We usually get the ahi tuna and the beef roll but we've had many of the others and have yet to find one we don't like.
I always get the Urban Heat roll and two sushi pieces of Salmon. Â The Urban Heat roll is excellent!! My boyfriend always gets their soft shell crab (which he won't order anywhere else around here because it's not as fresh). Â Our last visit we had two pieces of the Toro which melts in your mouth and was very fresh and not as expensive as we thought it would be. Â I also had the Wasabi Tobiko which was yum :)
The environment is date like but also nice for cocktails and sushi with your friends. The booths are comfortable and private. Â ALSO, one of the best part are the drink and food specials that they offer daily. Â There are a great deals each day. Â I love martini night :) Definitely try the ginger infused one.. but be careful they go down very easy!! The Japanese beers are all very delish as well as their sake by the bottle.
I highly recommend this to anyone!
Love the inside very cool and modern.
Sushi was killer and had great flavor and variety.
If you go do the wine specials, half price bottles from 5-9pm.
Nice selection and for a great price.
The only down side was service was desperately slow. Â Only 15 other people in there besides our 3. Â But will go back without a thought in my mind. Â IF you are a sushi nut, this is my new shell!
Nothing like going from sophisticated cool (or so I'd like to think) to a fumbling bumbling idiot in a matter of moments when it comes to using chopchicks. Â And what better than having a server point this fact out to me... Sigh.
They awesomely have free valet service parking... Which we utilized.
It was a birthday night dinner out for my man... He wanted sushi. Â I thought "Ding, ding" (yes, bells) and here we were.
We ordered drinks, and then the beef roll and calamari appetizer. Â Both were pretty scrumptious. Â He ordered the eel and red snapper sashimi. Â Both were good. Â Service was attentive, quick, and orderly. Â Then a server came by and asked if we would like forks. Â UGH! Â I felt completely in control and was doing fine, until someone asked. Â I blame my strangeness on the fact I'm a lefty, but I was hangin in there like a pro! Â Neither one of us wanted forks, we don't try and act like something we're not...but c'mon!!! Â Let us try!!! Â If I wanted a damn fork, I'd ask for one. Â I'm not ashamed. Â (Sorry, this bumped them down a notch for that)
For dinner we had the Urban roll, Pink Cadillac, and the Lobster. Â I also ordered the Gyoza pork appetizer. Â I enjoyed everything, but after awhile all of the rolls started tasting the same. Â :) Â I don't know why that was.
One thing I did not like, while they were super attentive with water refills and such, they DID NOT ASK ME IF I WANTED ANOTHER ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE. Â WHAT???? Â See, if they had asked, I would have said "yes please" but they didn't. Â And so, I drank water. Â Booooooooo. Â
And I thought on Fridays and Saturdays, you get a roll free if you spend $50, and we didn't get shit. Â That's because we ordered the more expensive ones, and you only get a roll free if it's under $10. Â Had I known that, I would have ordered one of those. Â Duh. Â That should be mentioned instead of it being in minute ink that isn't readable to the average eye.
Instead, our bill was $107... But it was a birthday dinner and we were full. Â The food was great. Â Can't complain too much about that. Â
And they gave us a $10 off coupon of $50 or more next time as long as we visit again by 7/15. Â Which is a nice bonus.
No mishaps with the valet either. Â Overall, great meal, great service...our server was new....so, I'm gonna let it slide that more alcohol wasn't offered to me.
So, check this place out if you enjoy sushi, for some reason it's never overly busy and the place is modern and lovely inside. Â Expect to pay $$$. Â At least plan on spending $30-50 per person if you'd like a drink and such. Â Which isn't unbearable, but it's in Woodridge-- so that to me is pricey a little.
This is by far one of my favorite sushi restaurants in the suburbs! Â The sushi is delicious and fresh and the martinis are tasty. Â The atmosphere is modern and chic, and is a great environment for hanging out, chatting, and getting stuffed on great sushi. Â I've visited a few times, and each type of sushi I have tried has been delicious. Â The service is also excellent.
I would recommend this restaurants for dates, girls nights out, and large group outings.