11/02/09

Never Again

by mblack237

We went to this restuarant after the theatre for a light meal. I read that the food was good and always eager to find a good sushi restuarant, we decided to give it try.

We were invited in and we asked to sit at the sushi bar. Food was ok but the service and the experience was horrifying.

We were not told that the restuarant was closing until the food was put in front of us and then rushed through out the meal. In addition the staff was rude and insulting in ways that I never expreienced in a restuarant before. It actually made me sick to my stomache.

I will never forget this dining experience. I am 50 years old and was at the restuarant with my date. The Sushi chef at the front of the bar took it upon himself to snicker at us, talk to the waitress in japonese while indicating he was talking about us and, the final blow, he asked me if I was my dates mother!!!! All this unprovoked. I was so insulted and shocked that I didn't know what to say. It upset me for the whole night. It was a mean comment for no reason at all. We just went there to have a bite and enjoy ourselves after a show.

I mean even if I was old, ugly or whatever, which i am not, how could this sort of behavior be justified???

So I will never forget this expereince and will never recommend this place to anyone. This place sucked.

• Pros: Go if you like to spend your money being rushed and insulted
• Cons: Let me count the ways...

10/30/09

Rude!!!

by marcony

I really don't care how good their food is.

The experience we had last night was enough to make me want to call the police.

The service was abrupt. We were told the kitchen was closing as soon as our food was delivered, and we were hustled for more dishes. The waitress tried to remove plates while we were still eating from them. The men behind the sushi bar continually gestured towards me and my companion and visibly smirked at each other all through our meal. It was incredibly uncomfortable, and to top it off, one of them asked if I was my date's parent ( we are the same age group) when we were leaving.

I don't pay these kind of prices to be insulted and used as comic relief by the staff.

What an awful evening. I can't understand how any restaurant can justify this kind of obnoxiously rude behavior by their staff.

I'd rather eat dirt than return to this dump.

• Cons: Incredible Rude, Discourteous Staff

08/05/09

One of the Best in town

by robino35

Made a special trip to the city to have sushi with my wife who had been dying to have "good" sushi. Only took us seconds to decide to come back to Yasuda; but this time, we sat at the sushi bar. Making the reservation was a little bit nerve cracking because of the accent of the staff and the background noise; however, it did not stop me from trying to have the best fish in town. The fish was exceptional as always after all these years. And I had used my hands to eat sushi the first time after the chef gave me an okay. There are ONLY few established restaurants that have yet disappointed us, Yasuda is definitely one of them in town.

• Pros: Best fish
• Cons: Reservation

05/05/09

I'm going elsewhere

by CSMobileUser

I live a block away and I love going for omakase at the bar. But I hate the phone reservation person. Every time I call he has an attitude and is condescending. Although not as close or convenient, I'm taking my business to Ushwakamaru.

04/17/09

Worst Customer Service

by magsvaleria

This Sushi Place is the worst. So I am one of those weirdoes that like to eat my sushi dipped in ginger dressing not a far fetched request in most sushi restaurant except for this one. When I asked the waitress for my ginger dressing on the side with my order she refused. I asked her why she said it was against policy. I asked her why she proceeds to give me back the menu and told me to read the first page. Mind you the first page is like 5 paragraphs long talking about how sushi is eaten I did no read it and placed the menu down. They gave our salads first that came with our entree we left the dressing and salad untouched so I can use the dressing for my sushi. Then the manager came over to our table and explained that they want to keep custom and tradition on the way sushi is eaten. It is eaten with soy sauce he also proceeded to explain to me that their fish is "exquisite" and should be eaten according to tradition. Therefore we should stop playing the waiting game with out ginger dressing that we were holding out for our salad. I then replied and said I understand where you are coming from but if I was in Japan I would eat the way Japanese do and I am in New York now so I eat my sushi the way I want to eat it.He said yes but that our fish is really good and should be eaten according to custom. I told me what would happen if we refuse to eat the way they want us to eat it. He was a little taken back by this and he then proceeded to say they would ask the customers to leave without pay. My friend and I discussed this right in front of him and I was thinking whether I should comply then I said no. I want to eat sushi a certain way I should be allowed to and not be forced into doing what this restaurant wants me to do. What a tyrannical restaurant! We did the unexpected and told them we were leaving. We left the restaurant without paying for drinks. My friend also told me that she should have know because when she called to make a reservation at 730 they refused and then she said what time do you have they said 8 when she agreed they where shocked and said ok that’s fine but you will need to be done by 930pm. This place is not worth it they are demanding, forceful and think the customer is there to please them instead of thinking that you are there to be pleased. In the end we went to Sushi Samba which had excellent service and they did not mind giving me ginger dressing on the side.If you are one of those people that like spicy mayo with your sushi because I know a few people don’t go here they will refuse to let you eat the sushi the way you "WANT" to eat it

• Pros: nothing
• Cons: customer service,forceful and tyrannical

03/29/09

Not a fresh fish is just "OKAY" ?

by bitkim83

I was there last night with my boyfriend. Because I am a sushi fanatic, I get really picky about sushi. Although it was supposed to be one of the best spot in NYC, I was so disappointed by their food. First of all, fish weren't fresh. Ordered a couple different sashimi, but they were all warm and was about to lose their texture. Also I stole tuna fish from my boyfriend's sushi. When I lifted tuna, rice got red stain from fish. I am assuming it got red stain either by using colored tuna or because it stayed out too long in warm temperature. Whatever the reason was, i felt disgusted. So, when I was walking out from the restaurant, my boyfriend complained to the manager about freshness of fish but he didn't apologize but only saying "OKAY" What kind of attitude is that? I will never go back and I will never recommend others to go.

• Pros: Nice ambience
• Cons: bad service, bad food

03/24/09

Best sushi in NYC

by moonbaby999

This is the best darn sushi in the city. Schedule a seating at the sushi bar and order the most wonderful, fresh, buttery fish you will ever have-- from the chef's hand to your mouth. It's an amazing experience that every sushi-lover must enjoy. We go every few months, even making up things to celebrate! Must go!

• Pros: Best sushi in the city
• Cons: MUST sit at sushi bar to get the best, can only stay 90 min

03/09/09

The best sushi meal of my entire life

by johnrw

I had first heard about sushi yasuda from anthony bourdain.I was in town visiting friends and decided to make a lunch reservation. I really had no idea what to expect, but I I was absoulutely blown away! No where in saint louis can you go and get your very own sushi chef atending just to you. From the freshness of the fish to the sheer simplicity of everything, my experince at yasuda was absolutely perfect. I started with a few different types of sashimi, a salmon roll, and then had the most amazing eel, uni, tuna, and goeduck among may other things. To drink I had a draft kirin which was the freshest, most delicious beer I think I had ever had. For desert I had the green tea ice cream, again the best ever. I cannot say enough good things about this place! The only downside is that every place I eat at now seems not even worth it!

• Pros: fresh sushi
• Cons: very expensive ( but Worth it!)

03/06/09

Do not go, they practice age discrimination

by takizawa

My twin boys are four years old. They will not allow my wife and I to book a reservation. This a clear example of age discrimation.

02/28/09

Great sushi from a great sushi chef!

by kli279

My girlfriend and I had the omakase and sat in front of Mr. Yasuda at the sushi bar. It was a great experience. A few tips: 1. the food: the uni is a must have! I am also a big fan of hamachi and Mr. Yasuda served us 4 different types! The king salmon from Alaska was phenomenal and I don't typically rave about salmon. We had chu-toro instead of otoro and it was good but nothing to write home about. 2. have the nigiri instead of sashimi because the rice is very good (mr. yasuda told us he is a rice man.. haha!) 3. definitely request the sushi bar preferably in front of Mr. Yasuda, if you can't get the sushi bar, find another time to go. (I have not experienced the tables but based on previous reviews and what my friends tell me, it's not the same) 4. If you're the type of person who equates sushi to inventive rolls, this is not your place. There's no fancy schmancy rolls with lot's of sauce to cover up the taste of the fish. With that in mind, you will enjoy this place if you like a sushi chef who pays special attention to your palate and is extremely humble despite his popularity. Eating in front of Mr. Yasuda made the experience worthwhile. He even found time to joke about the sushi union in Japan. The bill was very reasonable for what we got. It came out to $200 for the two of us before tip and included a sake, two beers, and one dessert!

• Pros: food, service, ambience
• Cons: price (but definitely within reason)