I enjoyed it!
Service: I had no problems, everything went smoothly. There was only about 4 other tables filled so service was very attentive!
Food: I do not eat sushi regularly, and I came here during restaurant week when they had a prix fixe. I had the house salad with ginger dressing, miso soup, and the JB(?) bagel rolls which had salmon and cream cheese in them. At first when I had the miso soup and the salad I was pretty weary. In my opinion ginger has all the potential to be used smartly with salad, this ginger dressing however, was not. The miso soup was ok, again hints of ginger that I did not think we're necessary. The sushi was muy bueno, but I must emphasize, I do not eat sushi often at all. Also the atmosphere at this place was very cool for Binghamton, city-like.
Basically, I would come back! It seems like a good place to dip your feet into the world of sushi.
DO NOT COME HERE!
This was by far the worst restaurant I have ever gone to. The service was SHIT. That just ruined the mediocre over-priced food.
The first time I came was September 2011 and our party of ten didn't expect much due to the amount of people. Â It took forever to be seated but that can be expected. Â What was not expected was the 45 minute wait after we got seated where even when we asked nobody came and we just left without them saying a word to us or having made an effort to help. Â I went again this year and it still was a terrible experience.
I arrived with a party of 7 and we were seated a few minutes afterwards, that was alright. We were then handed menus and given time to decide our orders. The waiter came with only 4 waters at first and said he would come back with the rest but that took a while. When he finally came back to take our orders he didn't know certain items on the menu. It took over an hour for all or our orders to arrive even though they were clearly visible from the sushi counter. People who arrived later were served before us.. The waiter also took forever to bring water, he just took his sweet time doing everything. The food portions were so small for their price and they weren't even that great. I got the Molten chocolate cake with vanilla gelato which was yummy but the bottom of the cake was a bit burnt. When the check finally came, tip was 18%. They do not deserve 18%!!!!!!!!!!!! And when we went up to pay we were ignored by the other waiter and our waiter attended other customers and chores before finally taking our check. -__________________-
Again, DO NOT COME HERE!
Sushi is fine or whatever. Â Service was a metaphorical huge pile of garbage dumped all over our nice night out in downtown. Â
Went on a Tuesday and was happily surprised to find that it was "dollar sushi" night. Â I understand that they are usually super packed on these nights because of all the BU students but this was before school had started again and so we were one of 7 or 8 tables of people. Â Despite the fact that they were only about half full - our service was pretty terrible. Â The waiter forgot to bring drinks that we ordered, making us remind him *multiple times* on one occasion. Â It also took about an hour for our sushi to come which seemed a little ridiculous but what do I know.
When the check came, we were kinda surprised to find an 18% gratuity already added onto the bill for our party of 3! Â The usual refrain applies that I "usually leave 20% anyways" but we all balked at the combination of the poor service with the gratuity included. Â When we asked what was up with that, we were informed that this is always the case on dollar sushi night because "the place gets really packed and people stiff them on the tip because of how long it takes to get their food". Â When we asked to be allowed to leave our own tip, our waiter became rude and pressed us to defend our claim that the service was sub-par. Â
1. People not tipping you because the service is slow is not them "stiffing you". Â If you can't handle the crowd then don't seat so many people. Â This isn't kindergarten you babies.
2. If a customer is complaining that they are unhappy with the service, you just shut your mouth and apologize. Â I wasn't being unruly or mean or abusive. Â I just wasn't unhappy with the service. Â
3. Gratuity included for a party of 3? Â Really? That deserves a big bold faced announcement on the top of your menu because it really isn't standard even on dang dollar sushi night. Â
Thank you douche-y waiter for making it really clear that I never want to step foot in this place again!
Went here once in the summer of 2011.
Summary: Â need more staff, food is hit and miss, the three stars are for the lobster delight roll only, would have been 5 if all food was this good, sufficient staff tending to customers and overall presentation of the place it self improved and wonder how clean the kitchen is...
Decor will do if you don't look at details.
The host/servers were nowhere to be found when we arrived for lunch, so the chef on the main level said we can sit down after 3 minutes or so (I think they may have a kitchen on the lower level as well for soups and some rolls?). Â It was really funny actually, we just stood there, looked around, the chef looked at us, then we exchanged looks again, then we motioned to the table, he smiled and said yes we can go ahead and sit down. Â The chef should focus on making delicious stuff, not worry about the poor management of the place.
One roll we ordered was normal, the lunch specials including miso were blah, but the lobster delight was one of the best  designer rolls I have eaten anywhere. Will be back just for that and will cautiously try something new.
What people are saying about the service being slow is an understatement. I wish I could say I had a review for the food, but unfortunately these people can't pick up a phone.
Craving sushi and stuck in a hotel room with no car just outside downtown Binghamton, I wanted to ensure they delivered before taking time to decide what I wanted. I call, they pick up right away, they confirm that they'll deliver (minimum $20 for delivery), and I thank them and say I'll call back. I look through the menu online, decide what I want and try calling again to place my order. It's 7:20 (on a Wednesday), so I understand they might be a bit busy when they don't pick up the phone.
I call back 5 minutes later. No answer.
I wait two minutes. Call back. No answer.
I wait another minute. Call back. No answer.
Repeat until 8pm.
8PM!! Seriously? I'm literally ringing your phone every minute from 7:30 until 8 and NO ONE can come answer it?? Come on!
So no, I never got the chance to order from this place and try the food.
On another note, the Applebee's spicy lime chicken cilantro dish is acceptable and inexpensive.
I go once a month for sushi and this is the place for me! $1/piece night is great. Smaller pieces than with a regular roll (so you have room for more variety!!).
The service can be slow depending on the server, so bring a few friends and a good conversation.
I always get one of each piece on the $1 special menu and haven't come across any that weren't delicious. The spider roll is my personal favorite.
Most of the staff is very friendly and always willing to answer any questions you might have.
Good place for sushi if you're not in a hurry! My friend & I went on a Saturday night in August and were the only ones in there (7pm-ish). We are relatively sushi-novices so didn't go too crazy with ordering. The crunchy roll was fantastic! Also their martinis are wonderful the pear martini was delicious! Service was very slow for us being the only 2 in the place...would definitely go again though :)
Review Source:This place is great for sushi and is right around the corner from the State St. bars so it's still quiet but great for people watching on the patio when the weather is nice.
For an appetizer, I had the rock shrimp which had a spicy sauce served with it that was delicious! It was served hot tempura style, not greasy, and the shrimp was very tender.
For rolls, I had the dragon and super crunchy roll, both of which were delicious. The dragon roll is larger then your average roll in thickness and is a large mouth-full at every bite. I also had the mojito fish which has a mint sauce that is light and the fish was very fresh.
I didn't try anything from the cooked entree section, although it is a nice alternative for those who are not strictly sushi-eaters.
The sushi here is the best I've had in the area. Â There are so many options on the menu but my favorite roll so far is the Rock n Roll with eel and shrimp tempura. Â The drinks on the menu are very creative and tasty as well. Â One thing that makes this restaurant stand out in Binghamton is the decor and atmosphere, with the outdoor seating it has a New York City vibe which is rare in Binghamton. Â Definitely recommend the dollar sushi nights on Tuesdays and Thursdays, it's a great deal and allows you to try different sushi rolls every week.
Review Source:We booked a reservation for 8:45 and still had to wait to be seated even though our table was ready for at least 15 minutes. Ambience was good, we still were excited to try the food. It took over 15 minutes to be served edamame (1 order!) and the place was NOT packed. Our entree took over a half and hr, and we ordered 2 vegetarian rolls. The service was VERY slow and not for any particular reason.
However, the food was great (I can't attest to the seafood, but veggie sushi was awesome!). We created our own rolls and they were very flexible with it. Shiitake tempure with cucumbers and spicy mayo, and the veggie futo with avocados instead of apples....yum!!
One word of advice if you order any dessert. NEVER order one for yourself. We ordered 1 gelato for 3 people and it was a HEAPING pile of green tea gelato. Literally 3-4 unnecessarily large scoops in a vat. We hardly finished and although it was decent gelato, it was a waste.
All in all, if you have time to spend then I'd recommend it but if you are on a schedule for your night, Â some other sushi excursion may be better.
Super yummy and fresh ingredients, love the fusion rolls, and the traditional is really good as well. Â I can see how some may feel the wait is too long, but I like to enjoy my evening and get a full "dining-out" experience. Â Besides, when the sushi chef is this good, and holds his work to a higher standard than some of the other sushi I have had around town, I will gladly wait a few extra minutes. Â Keep up the good work!
Review Source:Very good quality and fun atmosphere. The Tuesday and Thursday sushi 1.00 roll specials are great. You can try a lot, especially good for rookie sushi people.
Staff was very friendly and helpful. Parking was difficult, it is best to park on the street.
I definitely recommend this place.
Im a big fan of Sushi-
Every time I come here its always the same thing: over priced average to below average sushi with very poor slow service. You'd think for what you're paying and the nice ambience of the dining room it would actually be a positive experience. I can't seem to understand why it takes 15 minutes to take a drink order and then another 20 minutes to bring 2 glasses of wine to the table (There was only one other table in the entire place other than ours). Â I guess you can say at least they're consistent.
They've tried this new promotional $1 sushi on Tuesdays and Thursdays which I've found to be a rip off too. Why would I pay $1 for 1 piece of a specialty roll when an entire 10 piece roll is around $12-$15? Â Sure, you can mix and match but what's the point? I guess the allure is being able to have 1 piece of any roll. I've been there four plus times and, between the food and service, I've never been impressed. There are several other sushi places around with much better service, prices and food quality. I'd recommend going to those places instead.
Not going here again.
Sake-Tumi has a cute quirky name and that's about all it has going for it. Â The wait for two orders was 45 minutes. Â And when the rolls arrived they were sub-par. Â The ginger was dry, the wasabi had no bite and the rice was stale. Â We were one of 7 tables of four or less. Â
The only reason I'm not giving one star was the wait allowed me and my date to talk. Â However, towards the end we were only talking of how long the wait was.
Food is good, service is not.
Ok, if your in Binghamton and you want sushi this is one of the few places to go. I like the food, it is pretty good sushi, but the service was very, I mean very very slow. I understand you want to enjoy your food and sushi should be eat slow to enjoy each bite, but when it takes 20+ minuets to get there and the drink takes longer, that's a little crazy.
If your looking for sushi, this is a good place to go, for the options in Binghamton are limited, but be prepared to wait for it.
My fiance and I are regulars at Sake-Tumi. We go there for the $1 pieces of sushi on Tuesday and Thursday and for the cool bartender.
Tuesday is called "College Night" and rightfully so. Usually Tuesdays are packed to the brim with drunken BU students ordering endless sake bombs. This makes for a rather unpleasant environment, especially when you can't hold a conversation because it is so loud. It almost feels like a frat party instead of a classy sushi restaurant. The decor otherwise is really neat save the cheap Walmart tables and chairs. Dim lighting, giant chandeliers and cool paintings.
On to a more important topic, the food. The sushi there is delicious. Although the freshness is questionable. I had some nigiri style sushi which left much to be desired. Perhaps it was the rice.
The fusion maki menu is quite extensive. They recently updated their food and drink menu. Our favorite roll is the lobster delight. This roll is massive! 10 succulent pieces stuffed with tempura lobster tail. Yum! The other specialty rolls are really good and we are rarely disappointed.
The appetizers are small and expensive. Skip them and save room for the rolls.
I really enjoy their drinks. They have some cool specialty cosmos and martinis. Get the Harajuku Heaven after your meal. It is sweet, chocolatey and perfect for dessert. Their sake collection is also impressive.
I agree with the reviewers before me, the service is very slow. They always seem to be understaffed. They definitely need more sushi chefs. One does not cut it on busy nights. So be prepared to wait a long time for food and drinks.
So set aside a few hours on a Tuesday or Thursday and bring someone whose company you enjoy because the wait is worth it for the cheap, delicious sushi.
sake-tumi is a great downtown restaurant that offers an eclectic menu of fusion entrees as well as traditional & original sushi rolls
Great posh atmosphere (with outdoor seating!) offering a tremendous menu with many fusion entrees and rolls. The menu was recently redone and the cooked dinner entrees are much more affordable. Presentation is amazing. I have tried most of the entrees and rolls and this is definitely my favorite restaurant in Binghamton hands-down. A few of the previous reviewers say the service is slow, but I have yet to experience this unless it was an extremely busy Tuesday night where they feature "$1 Sushi" - which is very popular among college kids. People sometimes don't realize it takes time to make these rolls when they are fresh and made to order, not to mention the presentation.
The drink menu is also very extensive, with a full beer and wine list. The cocktails are very unique (my favorite being the 'pop-a-roxxi', a martini with pop rocks around the rim).
Definitely check this spot out if you have not been yet!
I order the Nartuo roll, it was so good instead of rice it was wrapped in cucumber whitch made it a pain in the a** to eat, i had to put a whole piece in my mouth & had a hard time chewing it with out it coming out of my mouth but once the tempura, the cream cheese & the fish, mingled with the cucumber it was worth the effort.
Review Source:Almost four stars? Seriously?
I really hope I went on an off night or something, because if people think this is decent sushi that would really, really sadden me. I remember being super excited when this place was under construction. What a let-down.
They couldn't even get the rice right! Sad. It was too sweet, dry and stale. Yuck! The fish was pretty bland and not so fresh. Atmosphere was also kinda weird when I was there - people doing sake bombs more than anything else. Perhaps that's what makes the sushi seem tolerable.
As others have commented, the service is slow, but I enjoyed the sushi immensely. It was a beautiful Friday evening when we went last night so we elected to eat outside. I never thought I'd enjoy eating on the sidewalk on Court St. but it was rather nice.
I tried 3 of their "specialty" sushi rolls. The Kamikaze was my favorite of the three. Fish with a spicy sauce topped with tuna and avocado. The Naruto was interesting but also good. Salmon, crab, tempura shrimp, cream cheese, and avocado wrapped in cucumber instead of rice, served in ponzu. Unlike any sushi roll I'd had before, but I enjoyed it and would get it again. The Super Crunchy Roll did not do much for me. It was good but did not stack up to the other two.
The presentation of the rolls was excellent and I found Sake-tumi a step up from Sakura in Endicott in terms of quality. The downtown location is a bonus.
One thing that shocked me was that we went at 7:00 on a Friday night and there was hardly anyone there. This is definitely a place worthy of business. It's not *amazing* and the service is not quick, but Sake-tumi represents a very solid addition to downtown Binghamton.
Sake-tumi is one of the more unique restaurants in Binghamton. It has a very warm and soothing atmosphere, making it a comfortable place to have dinner. Everything from the outdoor sign to interior design made us very excited to dine there.
Our Orders:
The food was a hit or miss. I ordered the Chicken with Cashew Nuts, while my girlfriend ordered the Sashimi Sampler and Philadelphia Maki (Roll). We also ordered Gyoza (Fried Dumplings) as an appetizer.
My order consisted of chicken covered with a very tasty ginger sauce and jasmine rice. It also came with a salad. This course was very tasty and I absolutely loved the sauce. It had a very tangy taste with a slight hint of ginger -- It complemented the moist chicken very well.
The sashimi sampler consisted of tuna, salmon and yellowtail. My girlfriend thought they tasted fine, but was disappointed at the presentation. The fish were cut in inappropriate ways, which made her question whether the chef had the knowledge required to serve sushi. The Philly roll was nothing spectacular, but tasted alright.
Price:
The one thing that may lower the chances of attracting frequent customers is the price. The prices seemed a bit unfair considering the amount of food we received: we noticed that as the courses rolled in, there was a lot of empty space on the bowls/plates. We were thoroughly shocked when our $5 gyoza appetizer consisted of just three, tiny fried dumplings.
Service:
Our waiter was kind. We took a long time to decide on our order, but he was very patient and insisted that we take our time. He checked back frequently to inquire about our food and experience. The attire of the employees differed from one to another; some wore formal, while others were in jeans and shirts. But, that did not detract from our overal view of the service.
Summary:
Sake-tumi, asides from the price we had to pay, was an OK experience. It stood out among Binghamton restaurants in its decor. I think that the low number of Asian-influenced restaurants around the area (excluding Chinese-takeout) adds to the appeal. However, this can be a bad thing because they have relatively little competition that could nudge them towards better food quality.
it's nice to finally have somewhere to get sushi around binghamton besides kampai/fuji san... or heaven forbid, wegmann's. but this place is ridiculously over priced in my opinion. even sushi places in nyc are several dollars less per roll.. the fact that its owned by the same people as the rat also makes me like it less... but they do a good job of hiding that as the decor of this place is really nice. i also really liked the bathroom (yeah that is relevant). can't really assess the service as once i went in and was greeted by a lovely host who graciously told me they were about to close and then another time we had to deal with a completely inadequate waiter who absolutely had to be new or just suffering from a severe lack of customer service skills. the sushi itself is pretty good, i usually just get a cucumber roll, my friends who actually went with the fish seemed pretty content as well. i guess just go during lunch special to see if it's worth it before shelling out 22 bucks for sushi on main street...
Review Source:My boyfriend and I came here for an early dinner this afternoon/evening. Â I hadn't been here before, however he had been twice before- before they had their liquor license. Â
It's a nice little restaurant, reminds me a lot of the restaurants one finds in New York. Â The decor was nice, fitting for the restaurant's feel; something new to the Binghamton area. There is a long sushi bar with seating for about 10. Â My boyfriend and I chose a high top table for 2.
Our waiter immediately brought us water with lemon (in quite the cool glass) and my boyfriend ordered sake. Â They have many different options and since my boyfriend didn't immediately specify what he wanted, our waiter asked if he wanted hot or cold; flat or sparkling. Â He ordered cold and flat. It was brought out in a timely manner.
The menu was quite extensive. Â There was a loose-leaf page of lunch specials (which I didn't pay too much attention to considering it was almost 5pm); there were about 6 pages in the menu listing single sushi pieces, appetizers, salads, specialty rolls and entrees. Â I wasn't too hungry so I decided on an order of the shrimp tempura appetizer and a small house salad. Â I agreed to each a piece of whatever roll my boyfriend ordered. Â He ended up with an order of shrimp tempura as well and the kamikaze roll. Â We asked for everything to be brought out at once.
I was admittedly a little disappointed when our waiter brought out the shrimp tempura: 3 medium sized shrimp surrounded a small cup of dipping sauce. Â For $7 I was expecting a little more. Don't get me wrong, it tasted absolutely fabulous, but I felt it was very over priced for what was given. Â (I'm comparing the price and amount of food to numerous other Japanese/Fusion restaurants I've dined at; so I'm not being stingy here.)
My salad was tasty ($3); lettuce with 2 grape tomatoes, 1 red onion ring and 2 cucumbers topped with their special-recipe ginger dressing. Â My boyfriend's specialty roll was quite impressive. Â The Kamikaze roll ($14.5) was quite large, a variety of fish rolled in seaweed and sticky rice topped with tuna and avocado and drizzled with a spicy ginger sauce. The tuna was absolutely incredible. Â The flavor, temperature and texture was definitely some of the best I've ever had. Â The spicy sauce had quite a kick- I didn't even use any wasabi. The price of the roll was reflected in the food ordered. Â It was worth every penny.
Our service was great, the food was fabulous, my only complaint was the pricing. Â I glanced at the entrees and they all seemed to be $19+ per dish (most in the $22+ range). I didn't get the feel that it was an "upscale" restaurant upon entering or even dining, but the prices I felt reflected otherwise.
I definitely plan on visiting again, perhaps for lunch- I recommend you give it a try, your taste buds won't be disappointed!
I was extremely thrilled at this new downtown sushi restaurant. I was extremely disappointed when it turned out--not to be quite like Fuji-san. Their sushi rolls are big and quite filling, but their menu has just a bunch of asian influences. I ordered a beef tataki don the first time I was there. The beef was flavorful but was IMPOSSIBLE to chew. I ended up just chewing them, sucking out their flavor and then spitting it back out. I managed to swallow a couple after long chewing sessions that left my jaw aching.
The second time I went there, I decided to be safe and just ordered sushi. Good stuff. Their desserts are really really good. Try out that cheesecake eggroll thing. It's like an orgy in your mouth.
It left a good impression on me the second time around but I was disappointed at the kitchen menu.
I am so happy to have a sushi restaurant down town! and a good one at that.... Â the service was friendly and the food was good. Â I ordered the Hot Mountain (I like it spicy as hell) and was quite satisfied with the taste and the portion. Â I have been there about 5 times. The first time I went there was for the preview dinner: I had some steak that made me wish I could eat meat more than once every three months. they make great martinis too.
Review Source:I say, 3-1/2 stars...Will have to check it out again...
I've been in this building so many times over the years and now it is reincarnated as a sushi restaurant, which is kind of nice to have downtown.
A friend and I finally went for lunch, to try it out. We sat at the sushi bar, which, I believe will eventually be an aquarium. I'll have to see it when it's done. However, the sushi chefs were helpful and funny.
The sushi rolls are B I G ! ! We ordered way too much food. They were good, though. I had to order an unagi as well, since it is usually my favorite. Their unagi was okay. Thankfully, the sushi rolls we had and the very personable sushi chefs made up for it!
I'll be curious to see how they progress as time goes along. No liquor license quite yet....waiting on the "sake" identified in their name.
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
