Reviews & Ratings for Sushi Yasuda Ltd

07/16/10

An Absolute Disgrace to the Japanese, and Customers!

by jacjac7 at Citysearch

I would like to start off by saying that I have been going up and back to Japan for more than 10 years, and at various points have been a long-term resident of Tokyo. Sushi Yasuda tries to imitate authentic Japanese sushi (i.e. no inside-out rolls, no avocado--simply high-end sushi), unfortunately it fails MISERABLY, and in every aspect.

The freshness and quality of the fish was fair at best (if you have ever been to Tsukiji or Ginza you will know what I am referring to. Most Japanese would call this FUTSUU meaning ordinary), the rice was too vinegary, and the presentation was a joke. NEVER and i say NEVER at a fine sushi Japanese restaurant (e.g. in ginza or tsukiji) will you see waribashi (wooden chopsticks) and to make it even more tacky, they put the waribashi on a hashioki (chopstick stand) made out of cheap lacquer.

It was not at all beautiful, and the Japanese would consider it DASAI (or in bad taste to put it lightly).

There mission and its restauranteur are sadly misguided and wrought with cultural paradoxes.

What was most offensive, was the manner by which the Japanese staff treated the customers. Japanese people themselves would view their behavior as rude, obnoxious, barbaric, and of low-class. In all the years I have dined in various cities around the globe, I have never ever felt so strongly to be so repulsed and offensive to the Japanese culture and American customer. I have a deep affinity for both countries, and I was both sad and embarrassed to observe Japanese restaurant staff behaving in this way. A restaurant like this in Tokyo would go quickly (and i mean quickly, out of business).

In Japan, there are 2 well often versed sayings:

(1) okyakusan ga kamisama desu = The Customer is God.

(2) Me de Taberu = Eat with your Eyes.

I truly hope that NY's Japanese Sushi Clientele will no longer support this restaurant.-- they are a humiliation to the Japanese culture and an insult to the American customer.

PLEASE JOIN TOGETHER TO HELP END THIS RESTAURANT.

• Pros: 0
• Cons: Everything

11/02/09

Never Again

by mblack237 at Citysearch

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 at Citysearch

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 at Citysearch

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

Contributor at Citysearch

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 at Citysearch

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 at Citysearch

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 at Citysearch

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 at Citysearch

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 at Citysearch

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.