01/21/09

Great Experience if you go at the right time with the right attitude

by vmar

There a lot of negative reviews here about the rude staff, and the stress of eating here. I think that these are singular experiences that happen when Azuki is at its most hectic. I gave azuki 4 orut of 5 because ... YES they can get VERY busy and very stressful. I've been told once or twice that I cannot be seated for a reservation unless all my party is there. I STRONGLY recommend calling ahead to make a reservation and to see how crowded it is/will be. If you are a large group looking for a long, langorous experience at 8:00 on a Thursday or Friday, this is probably not for you. It can feel like they are rushing you... but If you're a small group, excited for good sushi and free wine on a random night: you will LOVE it.

• Pros: free wine, good food, pleasant atmosphere
• Cons: can get VERY hectic

04/05/08

They are timing you. Mediocre food. Horrendous customer service

by LOTurner

I have never written a review, but I was compelled to after my horrible experience at Azuki. Upon being seated (admittedly 15 minutes late) we were told that we had to leave by 9:15 (for a 7:30 reservation). I have lived in NYC since 2000, and I've never had this happen to me. I didn't take it seriously until I was told that we had five minutes to leave while I was still eating desert. Now I was there with a party of four, and we were being quiet. We all ordered appetizers and entrees so we weren't being cheap. Now the sushi is alright by NYC standards but nowhere near top notch (like a Blue Ribbon Grill). Then, one of the employees threatened to blacklist me because I didn't leave a tip due to the server's rudeness. Imagine being given a time limit upon entering a restaurant and then being told to pay before finishing desert! I would not recommend this place at all. If you want sushi, you can get better quality for the same price at many other places. I am a reasonable customer but one thing I won't tolerate is rude service from a mediocre establishment. I would attribute the high rankings here to the low quality "unlimited" wine or sake, but the fine print on the menu states that there is a limit (once you finish your entree). I would not go here under any circumstances if I was you. The manager even showed me a reservation list that allocated 1 hr. and 45 min for each table. NYC is filled with great restaurants. Don't patronize one that will treat you so rudely.

• Pros: None
• Cons: Horrible service

04/05/08

They are timing you. Mediocre food. Horrendous customer service

by LOTurner

I have never written a review, but I was compelled to after my horrible experience at Azuki. Upon being seated (admittedly 15 minutes late) we were told that we had to leave by 9:15 (for a 7:30 reservation). I have lived in NYC since 2000, and I've never had this happen to me. I didn't take it seriously until I was told that we had five minutes to leave while I was still eating desert. Now I was there with a party of four, and we were being quiet. We all ordered appetizers and entrees so we weren't being cheap. Now the sushi is alright by NYC standards but nowhere near top notch (like a Blue Ribbon Grill). Then, one of the employees threatened to blacklist me because I didn't leave a tip due to the server's rudeness. Imagine being given a time limit upon entering a restaurant and then being told to pay before finishing desert! I would not recommend this place at all. If you want sushi, you can get better quality for the same price at many other places. I am a reasonable customer but one thing I won't tolerate is rude service from a mediocre establishment. I would attribute the high rankings here to the low quality "unlimited" wine or sake, but the fine print on the menu states that there is a limit (once you finish your entree). I would not go here under any circumstances if I was you. The manager even showed me a reservation list that allocated 1 hr. and 45 min for each table. NYC is filled with great restaurants. Don't patronize one that will treat you so rudely.

• Pros: None
• Cons: Horrible service

03/30/08

A Real Bargain

by bilingal

After reading the negative reviews about Azuki Sushi, I was a little worried about trying it out for the first time. Because I live in the neighborhood and the prices seemed very reasonable for sushi (not to mention the complimentary sake/wine), I decided to go for it last night (Saturday). I called the restaurant around 5pm to inquire about making reservations, and was told that after 8pm, the restaurant was fully booked so to come before then. I arrived at Azuki Sushi around 6:30pm, and had no problems getting a table for two, nor was there any attitude at the door. The candle-lit ambience was quite nice as well--I'd even recommend this place for a date (while it is still relatively quiet earlier in the evening). We took our time selecting our dishes, and asked our server for recommendations, and he was friendly and helpful. So far, so good. We ordered the pork shogayaki entree dish as an appetizer, which was okay. The sushi was much better, thank goodness. We ordered several different rolls and some pieces of sushi, and was satisfied with the quality of the food. Our glasses of white wine were never empty--they were constantly filled up like water! The wine was a little on the sweeter side, but hey, it's free, so no complaints here. We ordered the green tea tempura ice cream for dessert, which was a perfect way to end our sushi dinner. The total for dinner--for the amount of food (especially sushi!) we had and the location (Union Square), the total came to a mere $57! What a bargain. That would be the price of a bottle of cheap sake alone at Sushi Samba next door. I will definitely be back. I do, however, recommend coming in earlier (before 8pm,) as it tends to get louder with big groups coming in later in the evening.

• Pros: Complimentary white wine or hot sake with dinner order; Bargain Sushi
• Cons: Can get loud

03/13/08

Great deal if you want to put with rude staff

by putter280

Azuki is an awesome deal...however, the staff is so rude and treats you like you're a lush for coming for the free wine. Our waiter was rude, reservation people were rude. They made me kind of nervous and uncomfortable! My favorite quote from our waiter: "the wine is complimentary not unlimited."

03/13/08

Great deal if you're willing to deal with the rude staff

by putter280

Azuki is an awesome deal...however, the staff is so rude and treats you like you're a lush for coming for the free wine. Our waiter was rude, reservation people were rude. They made me kind of nervous and uncomfortable! My favorite quote from our waiter: "the wine is complimentary not unlimited."

12/03/07

DO NOT GIVE THESE RUDE PEOPLE BUSINESS

by songyee

I've been to this place a few times, each time trying to look over the staff's rudeness but made a vow never to visit again after last Friday.

They are extremely rude from when you make a reservation to the moment you pay and step out the door. They are inept in taking a reservation, which means that you are arguing for 20 minutes on the phone before they finally take your name down. They gave us the table for 10 from 7 to 9 on Friday evening. At the restaurant, they sat us down when 6 out of 10 showed up but repeatedly chastised us for not having the rest of the party show up. When the rest of the party came, the manager came rushing to our table, shouting that we had lied about the rest coming 10 minutes after we were seated. We never said this to him, and he must've mistaken us for a different table. We asked if he would like to charge us a fine and what it was that he wanted. We told him that we would honor our promise and leave the table by 9, but he continued to yell at us, telling us that we had lied.

We were so furious at this point and decided to talk to him again at the end of our meal.

When I tried to talk to him as we walked out the door, he would not listen but told me not to come back and walked away from me.

The free sake is nice, but the sushi is sub par, and is not worth having to interact with these incredibly rude people. Please don't support these terrible, disrespectful people.

• Pros: free sake
• Cons: incomprehensibly rude people

11/01/07

Amazing sushi, free saki, great prices....

by rebekab0407

Love this place. Can get very crowded (its a very very narrow place), loud, and yes, staff does rush you...but the food is great, free saki, and reasonable prices. STRONGLY recomend making a reservation.

• Pros: great food, prices
• Cons: tight space, rushing staff

Editorial Review

by Contributor

Dim and romantic Flatiron sushi spot offers a diverse crowd tempura and teriyaki dishes alongside traditional roll selections.

04/21/07

Good food, bad staff

by silverfaze

I went there on a Friday night with my friend and we were able to get a table fairly quickly even though the place was pretty packed. The free sake that comes when you spend $15 on food is a good deal, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that the quality of the sake was the same as your typical Japanese restaurant. We lucked out and got a waiter who was very sweet, but the rest were very unfriendly and rude. I'd also like to mention that my friend called ahead of time to make a reservation which they wouldn't take because we were a party of 2 and then upon arriving were told we SHOULD have made a reservation. Clearly the staff isn't on the same page...!

• Pros: free sake, avocado roll
• Cons: asparagus roll, 1 nice waiter in the whole joint