Zushi Japanese Bistro - Virginia Beach Town Center

View of bar area and entrance

Friday nights traditionally mean sushi at my house, so B.B.King at the Sandler Center on a Friday night meant finding sushi at the Town Center. Getting to the Town center at 6PM on a Friday is no fun. It starts with a traffic backup on the interstate exit ramp that leaves you sitting at a dead stop  while people fly past as they try to enter the highway. If you survive this trial, you next have to endure creeping along at a snail's pace while you merge in and out of traffic trying to make your turn onto the roads that will get you to a parking garage. However, by the time you make it to your destination, this garage may be full and you will have to maneuver once again through the traffic to another garage. Can you tell I am not a fan? Why the city built this destination without any upgrade to the highway is a mystery to me. It took 30 minutes to go 1 mile. Make sure you add this travel time into your planning if you need to be somewhere at a specific time.

Sushi Bar

We made it to Zushi just in time for our reservation. The interior is nice, modern with dimmed lights and a natural color palate. A full bar is located up by the entrance if you need to wait, as well as a comfortable seating area. Several tables were marked as reserved, one of which was ours. We were promptly seated and orders were taken for drinks. The menu is basic sushi restaurant. There is some variety in the sake menu which isn't seen everywhere. Dinner entrees come with choice of miso soup or salad. We ordered the Sushi Dinner and I got the Chirashi bowl. The restaurant really started to fill up and by 6:35 there was a wait. There were three sushi chefs in view and our orders came out quickly. Once we were served, our waitress kind of disappeared. They have metal chop sticks, which were extremely slippery, and the fish seemed to keep slipping around. My daughter, who is still working on her chop stick skills, could not master them. The fish was good quality, and well proportioned. The sticky rice was slightly sweet, just the way I like it. It didn't take us long to finish, but we had to track down our server for the check. Once we got it, we had to stop the hostess to pay. Our server appeared to be in the weeds, as they say.

Overall, I liked Zushi and would definitely return if I was at the Town Center again on a Friday night. It would not be a destination place for me though. The sushi chefs were very friendly and pleasant, but service was slow and inattentive. I also thought it was overpriced. What can I say? My heart still belongs to Kyushu which is less that 3 miles away.
_Laine

Zushi Japanese Bistro
4540 Main Street
Virginia Beach, VA 23462
Phone:(757) 321-1495

Seating Area

Sushi Dinner

Chirashi Bowl

Zushi Japanese Bistro
4540 Main Street
Virginia Beach, VA 23462
Phone:(757) 321-1495

Hokkaido Sushi Bar - Granby Street, Downtown Norfolk

Last time I dined at Sakura in Old Dominion University's Monarch Village, I noticed their chopstick wrappers advertised another restaurant's name, Hokkaido in downtown Norfolk. There is a current sushi battle in downtown right now with at least four open. Laine noticed Hokkaido's hard work on the nice, large outdoor patio. Today's nice weather drew us there to enjoy lunch. We ended up having it to ourselves, even better! The menu mimics Sakura's, so I was pretty certain I would be happy. The lunch special made me even more enthusiastic. The two rolls I typically order at Sakura turned into my lunch special for $7.75. Of course, Laine and I have to upgrade in some way, and like my best friend, I substituted the salad for the Miso soup for $1, not a bad up-charge. We started with the edamame, a healthy appetizer that will not ruin your meal. The salad was standard and I do love the accompanying ginger dressing. The Sweet Potato Roll is one of my favorite rolls. The potato is fried and slightly warm, which is unique for a vegetarian roll. My other mainstay is the Peanut Avocado Roll and I always add cream cheese to this for good measure. Hokkaido charged fifty cents to add cream cheese which is reasonable. Related, the iced tea was $1.75 and that is a great price compared to some restaurants who want to charge $3 or more for tea and soda. That always amazes us. My bill came to just over $12...for two rolls, a salad and tea. Quality food, fast service, nice atmosphere (inside and out) and good prices...Hokkaido will be seeing us again very soon.
~Alex

I watched Hokkaido on Granby evolve over the winter months. I witnessed a lot of work being done inside and out of the building. Instead of tearing down the dilapidated woodwork on the exterior, they invested in the historic character of the building and worked to repair and update it. The building is nicely renovated inside as well, updated from the former Brazilian meat on a stick restaurant. (I was never a fan.)

A warm day prompted us to venture down Granby for a patio seat to check out the food as well. I have heard great reviews from co-workers. As Alex mentions, Sushi restaurants are popping up on every corner. They are NOT all created equal. I consider myself a bit of a sushi snob and wanted to see for myself if Hokkaido measured up to the hype. It did. Here's why:
1. Very reasonable pricing
2. Good quality fish (I had tuna, salmon, yellowtail sashimi)
3. Interesting and creative Rolls
4. Great service. Friendly, timely, accurate.
5. Nice decor
6. No issues, no drama, no errors

_Laine

Food-4
Service-5
Beverage-4
Restrooms-5
Value-4
Ambiance-5

Lunch Special

Lunch Menu

Patio View

Nothing exceptional, just a regular sushi salad

Edamame

Sweet Potato Roll

Peanut Avocado Roll

Yellow Tail Sashimi...nicely sized portion

Wooden sculpture on Patio. Who will win? The Tiger or the Eagle?

Good Value. $7.75 for 3 pieces of sushi or sashimi and one roll (from list provided)

Another Lunch Special - Any 2 Rolls, $7.75

Hokkaido Sushi Bar
233 Granby Street
Norfolk, VA 23510
757.622.2318
http://www.lovehokkaido.com/

Yu-Mi Sushi Bar and Grill - Chesapeake

You could easily drive by Yu-Mi without seeing it. Apparently I have been doing just that for a couple of years. Located in the corner of a fairly new and small shopping strip behind the 7-Eleven is not really a prime location, but this place is a little gem. The interior is modern and calming, combining dark woods with natural elements like river rocks and slate. The lighting is golden and low. There is a small bar that sits about 6, a sushi bar, about 6 booths and several tables. The restaurant is not large, and filled up quickly when we were there Friday evening.

I have to start out by saying that the service was excellent. Our server was Fiona, and the other waiter working also serviced our table. I wish more places had this philosophy where everyone services any table if needed. It really kicks the customer experience up a notch or two by just keeping water glasses full and dirty plates off the table.


My daughter is a big fan of dumplings, so we started out with Shumai, Shrimp dumplings. They were excellent. Slightly crispy on one side, soft on the other. They were very light, not overly filling as some dumplings can be. My husband and I ordered the Sushi and Sashimi Special, which is served with a spicy tuna appetizer. I enjoy a sushi restaurant that serves a meal in stages like this, rather than bringing it all out at once. I am usually not a spicy tuna eater, but theirs was rather mild, and I found it to be delicious!

As for the main course? It was excellent! The special comes with salads and Miso soup. The salads were a good size and used a creamy ginger dressing. The Miso soup was nothing special, but it was good. I liked all the serving dishes. They stuck with all white plates in modern shapes. They also had upgraded wooden chopsticks, not the cheap ones that can break unevenly and splinter. Their attention to little details like this impressed me, and improved the overall dining experience. The fish all tasted fresh. The clam, which can sometimes be a rubbery chew-fest, was very tender. There was a good rice to fish proportion on the sushi, and the Sashimi servings were generous. Although every booth was full, the food came out quickly. There is a kids menu containing, Chicken Teriyaki, Yaki Soba and Vegetable Tempura all served with house salad,shrimp dumpling and rice. My girl is a Sushi eater though, so we ordered a la carte pieces for her.

Our final surprise was a complementary piece of fried cheesecake. I'm not really sure why we were lucky enough to get this. I had gotten a little chatty with the server and so had my daughter. Sushi restaurants always love to see little kids eating up the food (future customers!)and my girl does not disappoint. I was skeptical of the dessert, but it was rather pretty. Upon tasting it I realized it was not greasy in the least, and the heat of cooking it melts the cheesecake a little, making it a creamy sweet delight.
Overall, Yu-Mi hit every mark. Nice ambiance, great service, good food, convenient (for me) location. Prices are in line with most other Sushi restaurants. Oh yeah, I'll definitely be back!

_Laine
Yu-Mi Sushi Bar and Grill
1320 Kempsville Rd. suite107
Chesapeake, VA 23320
ph: 548-0668

Haiku Sushi - Chesapeake VA

I have a hunger

Gave my money for some fish

My hunger lives on

Okay, so I'm no poet. But there is truth in my Haiku of woe. Several years ago I used to eat a Haiku all of the time with my family. It was a very good place for kids. We ate here Friday and I was very disappointed! It took FOREVER to get our food. The orders were either not placed right or something, but people seated long after us were served before us.

When the Sushi/Sashimi arrived, the portions were minuscule. I ordered Sashimi. A single piece of fish was about one inch long and 1/2 inch wide. Really? Is there some sort of raw fish shortage going on that I wasn't aware of? I have a better idea. Next time I have a sushi craving , I'll drive in front of your restaurant and throw my money out of the car window. I will feel exactly the same way I did Friday. Still hungry and a little poorer.

Service was very poor. After waiting forever to get our food, we had to walk up to the counter and ask our server (who was busy chatting away with another server) for our check. It kills me when a good restaurant goes bad. Why did you have to let me down!!! Boo-Hoo.

_Laine

Haiku Sushi
801 Volvo Pkwy
Chesapeake, VA 23320

Geisha - Chesapeake VA

Perhaps it was not their best night? There was some high school dance in Chesapeake this weekend and the place was jam packed. At 6:30 on Saturday night there was a 1 hour and 45 minute wait. We had reservations but were told upon arriving that they were running behind. We ordered drinks at the bar while waiting to be seated. It is a decent sized bar, nicely serviced.

We were hibachi bound and dinner was just okay. For a hibachi it is a bit on the pricey side,with most entrees starting in the mid twenties. Service was not horrible, it was non existent. I don't know if they were overwhelmed or just bad. I had to request my steamed rice from the hibachi chef as it was never brought to the table. The waitress took initial orders at the table, and we never saw her again. My husband had to go to the bar to get our second round of drinks. Really? We are spending over $100 for 4 people to eat and have to get our own drinks?! Very sad indeed. The food was good, but with service like that, I'll go to one of the other 999 restaurants in the area.

_Laine

741 Eden Way N
Chesapeake, VA 23320
www.gogeisha.com

Kyushu Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar - VA Beach

I have not eaten at every sushi restaurant in town. Doing so is becoming an increasingly impossible feat as it appears that every new shopping strip now comes with a sushi restaurant. Fortunately, I don't really need to try anymore. I was introduced to be best one about 8 years ago. It is Kyushu. I love it for several reasons, but the number one reason is that they have the freshest, best tasting fish in town. Their fish is consistent every time you visit, lunch or dinner. Honestly, you can take away all the interior decorations, service, fancy food arrangements, prices, whatever. With the abundance of mediocrity available today for sushi the key determining factor must be the taste and quality of the fish. Kyushu simply nails it.

I dined there last Friday evening with my husband, who happens to be the person who introduced me to Kyushu. He's probably been eating there for well over a dozen years. Kyushu is in a shopping strip on Newtown Road, not the most fashionable address in Virginia Beach. In fact, the New York bus depot has moved in next door, taking the location down a notch or two in my opinion. However, I seriously doubt they would ever consider moving, nor would I really want them too. In today's world of constant change, where most possessions are disposal in value, it is somehow reassuring for me to know I can step away from Kyushu and come back a year later to find it exactly as I left it. The interior is about as fashionable as the location. There are basic tables and chairs which are very close together. No secrets from your neighbors while dining at Kyushu! The sushi bar is not just for decoration. On busy nights and at lunchtime the seats will be packed. This was a typical Friday night and it was jammed packed. We seemed to arrive at a good time, as most of the tables were turning over and we were seated right away.

The same people are always working there, from the servers to the sushi chef. Once you go there enough they get to know you, but regardless they greet everyone who enters and say "Thank you!" (kind of loudly) to everyone when they leave. Once seated your server will great you with a warm towel for a pre-dining refresher and take your drink orders. They have the basics, but no extensive beer or wine list. You can choose from a couple of Japanese beers, plum wine and Sake, in addition to the usual suspects of sodas, US beers, etc. Whenever we dine out for sushi I will order Sake. I love it and feel like it is the perfect complement to the food.

We ordered a la carte, mixing up sushi and sashimi with a California Roll, Volcano Roll and Mussels appetizer. If you are a mussel eater I strongly recommend that you try this broiled delight. I simply can't NOT get them. They are my favorite. These are mussels in an open faced shell, topped with a "secret" sauce and lightly broiled. You can watch these being cooked because the broiler is behind the sushi bar and up high, over the stove, right about at eye level. The plate comes to the table with the sauce still sizzling. I have also had their fried oysters and recommend these to fellow oyster eaters. They are cooked to perfection with a light tempura batter. All of the sushi and sashimi selections were delicious. The Volcano Roll was very tasty but also very rich. Most sushi is not what I would consider filling, so I warn you that this roll is heavy.

Service is always brisk. It is the kind of place where you have a primary waitress but everyone working there will wait on you. Although the restaurant is somewhat kid friendly, I believe Kyushu is better suited to older kids who may have a bit more self control and manners. My six year old is not quite ready in my opinion. There is a pretty decent chance that her volume and inability to sit still could hamper the dining experience of someone else, especially since the tables are so close together.

So leave your fancy pants and high heels at home, throw on your favorite jeans and head out to Kyushu for the best sushi in town. You will not be disappointed.
_Laine

Kyushu Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar
400 Newtown Rd
Virginia Beach, VA 23462-5619
(757) 490-1177

Lunch Hours
Monday - Friday 11:30 am - 2:30 pm
Dinner Hours
Monday - Thursday 5:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Friday - Saturday 5:30 pm - 10:30 pm
Sunday Closed

Mahi Mah's Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Saloon - Atlantic Avenue, Virginia Beach

Thinking about going to Mahi Mah's for sushi this weekend? You might want to reconsider... I rarely go to the oceanfront during the summer because, well, it's a zoo, parking is a mess, etc., and etc. However, when I am feeling brave enough to give it a try, Mahi Mah's has been one of my favorites for years. They've got the view, a nice bar area, great location next to a boardwalk stage and ...good sushi! However a recent Restaurant inspection may have me changing my mind.
I'll be the first to admit that my kitchen would fail a white glove test miserably, and probably a health inspection too. Mahi Mah's had four critical health violations, one of which relates directly to handling of raw food (my sushi!) and the other the handling of oysters (another favorite!). I really wish I had not read this. I guess I should have realized that any place calling itself a "Sushi Saloon" was too good to be true. Ignorance is bliss!

_Laine

Kotobuki-21st Street, Norfolk, VA

Kotobuki has been a Ghent sushi favorite for some time. Laine has reviewed a few sushi restaurants recently and we decided to add another victim to the 'sushi wars'. I have dined at Kotobuki a few times previously, but it has probably been a good couple of years. I enjoyed myself then, but wanted to have a more recent memory to judge fairly. Typically, I order the vegetable rolls. Yes, I know, is that really sushi? Well, it is on the menu, so for me that is reality. I love the avocado-cucumber roll and any vegetable roll with cream cheese.

Persuing the menu, I see the avocado roll and the cucumber roll but no combination. No problem, the waitress told me to just write what I wanted. My only mistake was I forgot the write 'with cream cheese', but that is a lesson for next time. Be very clear. Along with the avocado-cucumber roll, I was initially going to order the California roll, which is one of the most common rolls, but then risk took me by the hand and I opted for a special, the Buddha roll, instead. What a great choice. Shiitake mushrooms, radish, sprout, pickle and topped with a heaping amount of a beautifully ripe avocado. It almost looked too pretty to eat, but I managed. I was very happy with both of my rolls. I had asked for a side of their ginger-sesame dressing and she brought me a salad by accident but did not charge me for it and said to just enjoy. The overall service was good. One worry, Laine and I have been happening upon empty restaurants lately and Kotobuki was no exception. We filled the only table during lunch and there were only a few souls at the bar enjoying rolls and such. If memory serves me correctly, lunch was not booming the last times I dined there, but there were more patrons than what we saw today.

Prices are reasonable for what you receive and in line with other sushi places around town. Sushi is never cheap, but we all felt like we got a lot of quality food for our money. It is always fun to see what the sushi art will look like, especially if it is something new, as my Buddha roll proved. One thing to be leery of and Laine will elaborate more...drinks. I am glad I had a thirst for water and nothing more. Do I hear rip off whispering in my ear...

~Alex
Even after calling Alex and getting pretty good directions, Brianna* and I drove right past Kotobuki without seeing it. 21st Street at noon was wall to wall cars Wednesday. When it is 97 degrees outside with 99% humidity, people want to get where they are going. They do not want to be stuck behind someone going 5 mph while looking for a restaurant. After calling Alex a second time, we spotted Kotobuki behind some trees (oh yeah, and a BIG red sidewalk sign) and walked up to the door at the same time Alex arrived.

Again, we were dining in an empty restaurant, which set me on guard. However, I work with some sushi fans who have raved about Kotobuki, and I was determined to give it a try. My usual order is a Sushi / Sashimi combo when it comes to Japanese dining. This goes for $15.95 on their lunch menu, which is pretty steep in my opinion (Sorry Alex, I've got to disagree with you on this one point). For example, the same meal at recently reviewed Ooka is $11.95 and $11.25 at Shiki, both with soup and salad. Kotobuki serves just Miso soup with their combination. The service was brisk and friendly, and the food came out rather quickly. As soon as my plate arrived and I inventoried the contents, I determined that their $15.95 price was the deal of the century. This combo is fully loaded! Here’s what it contains:
1 California Roll (typical sushi roll, not too exciting)
Sushi-Tuna, Snapper, Shrimp, Yellow Tail
Sashimi-Clam, Octopus, Yellow Tail, Tuna, Salmon, Crab, Tamago, Shrimp
Side dish of extra rice
That is a ton of food. With the exception of the rice, I ate every bit of it. It was excellent. I’d give it 5 stars or fish or whatever rating you would give a Sushi place.

When the check arrived the total was close to $21. Oh Kotobuki, why do you charge $3.25 for a fountain soda? We all know the cost is about 15 cents. Brianna had an Iced Tea that was $2.95. After tipping the server and the Sushi Chef the total was over $25, a bit more that I would normally pay for lunch on a Wednesday afternoon. With the exception of the beverages, I’d say the price is well warranted, but I would not eat there every week because of it (yes, I eat that much Sushi). I am saving Kotobuki for paydays and special occasions.

Lastly, I’ve got to ask, what is that little gnome/bear/thing next to the obligatory restaurant fountain?

_Laine


Kotobuki is located in Ghent at 721 W 21st Street, Norfolk, VA 23517.

Ooka Sushi - Granby Street, Norfolk-NOW CLOSED

The first thing that grabbed my attention about Ooka Sushi was the front door.

OOKA Sushy
BATHROOM FOR CUSTOMER ONLY
NO CHANGE MADE
NO LOITERING

Hmmm. was the ‘y’ on the end of “sushy” a cutsie, on purpose spelling or a typo? In the neon sign above the door it is spelled “Sushi”. On the front of the menu it is spelled “Sushi”. My guess is that it is a typo, because I also found sashimi spelled sashini on one occasion in their menu. And wow, what is happening on this end of Granby Street? Are they overrun by loiterers asking for change and use of the bathroom? I had just crossed over the invisible line past which Granby Street transitions from kind of nice to kind of questionable. I had been to this same location previously when it was a Chinese restaurant, the name of which escapes me. The inside had not changed a bit. The décor is very simple, bordering on austere. Nothing is on the tables except folded, white paper napkins. In keeping with the theme of the front doors, I suppose this provides an undesirable element with little to pilfer.

I was dining with three other co-workers on our lunch hour. Ooka has a good special where you can get any two rolls for $7.50 or any three for $9.99. Most rolls are $4-5 a la carte, making this a financially sound ordering decision. Two diners went for the “3-for” deal, I opted for Sushi and Sashimi lunch, and the fourth diner ordered an AAC roll. I had to ask what that was…avocado, asparagus and cucumber. To me, that sounds a bit boring, but apparently to a vegan it is very exciting!

I had a couple of issues with Ooka’s condiments. I like light soy sauce, which is lower in sodium. Usually, the bottle is green for light, red for regular. Since a red bottle was brought out I requested the light version from the waiter. He told me that they are all light; they just put them in the regular bottle. Really? I’m not buying it. Next, they didn’t have Splenda for my tea. That’s okay; I can handle Sweet ‘n Low every so often. However, they didn’t have Sweet ‘n Low. They had some generic saccharin that was in packaging that made it look exactly like the name brand.

I also had an issue with the length of time it took to get our food. We were one of three tables in the restaurant. It took way to long to get our food. Most places on Granby know they are catering to a business lunch crowd who need to get back in their cages in as close to an hour as possible. Finally, once the food started coming out, it came in stages, rather than the entire table being served out once. That drives me nuts. At least with sushi you aren’t worried about your food getting cold as you wait for your entire table to be served, but that is really not the point.

Thank goodness the food was good. Everybody’s rolls looked fabulous, and seeing three clean plate club members confirmed that they all tasted good too. Mine was quite good. No overdoing of either fish or rice. Simply well proportioned pieces sushi, appropriately seasoned with dashes of wasabi. The sashimi slices were also nice sizes, very fresh and tasty.
Overall, I’d have to say Ooka is a toss up. On the plus side: prices are good and food is good. On the downside, they take too long and use condiments of indeterminate origin. After saying all that…I’d still choose it over Domo any day!

_Laine

Ooka is located at 411 Granby Street.

Shiki Sushi & Hibachi - Chesapeake VA

Ah, sushi. You either love it or you hate it or you can’t bring yourself to touch it in order to discover which one you are! My brother-in-law always says, “I don’t eat bait”. Well, I guess I do because I place myself in the “love it” category, eating it about twice a week. I tend to be a fairly structured person and rely on my daily/weekly routines to help me get it all done through the course of a week and one of my favorite routines is definitely “Sushi Friday”. When I moved from Va. Beach to Chesapeake years ago it became a challenge to find a sushi spot close to home because nothing was close to our home! It was with great anticipation that I awaited the opening of a shopping strip close by that touted a restaurant with “sushi” in the name. I was not disappointed!

Shiki Sushi & Hibachi is a smallish place. There are about a dozen tables/booths; a small sushi bar and a Hibachi grill that seats about 8. I have eaten in the restaurant only two or three times. The service has been excellent. As is typical in Chesapeake, there is always a mixed bag of families and couples. My five year old, a fellow sushi eater, loves to eat there and they are especially good with children. (Some restaurants just tolerate kids, even the well mannered ones, but Shiki actually seems to enjoy them). The hibachi grill uses very fresh ingredients. Don’t expect a show a Shiki. Unlike some Japanese steakhouses, no one is going to do a dance or flip a shrimp in the air and have it land in their hat. What they will do is serve up a pleasing combination of shrimp, steak or chicken and vegetables. I don’t know what they do to the chicken, but it is some of the most tender I have tasted.

I have ordered carry out from Shiki close to hundred times, honestly. Every time I call it is ready in “fifteen minute”. And it really is. I rarely have to wait. My standard order is the Sushi – Sashimi combo for two and a Yummy Role. The combo comes with the house “Shiki” roll which is phenomenal. Layered tempura shrimp, rolled in rice, covered with avocado and then covered in a sauce with just the right amount of spice. The Yummy roll is also shrimp based, but topped with eel, avocado and sauce. I have tried many other rolls, all good, but keep coming back to the Yummy. It’s that good.


Their fish is always fresh. You will not find yourself chewing too much, or unable to bite a piece of sushi in half. The salmon is a standout. Always like butta! One of my sushi peeves is when the pieces are prepared over-sized with a gigantic slab of rice. Come on! How are you supposed to fit that in your mouth? Shiki sushi has a perfect balance of fish to rice. There’s enough fish that you feel like you’re getting your money’s worth, and just the right amount of rice to complement it all in a mouthful. Wow…is it Friday yet?!

Shiki Sushi is located in the Mount Pleasant Marketplace:
1464 Mount Pleasant Rd
Chesapeake, VA 23322
(757) 546-9338