I'll admit that had I known that Aozora was sush + "modern European", I would have thrown some serious side-eye at it...idk....call me a simpleton, but in my mind, a warming, seaweed-stocked bowl of miso doesn't exactly belong on the same menu as a hearty lobster bisque - however, after that first piece of silky-smooth salmon hit my lips, all previous judgement regarding the kitchen was but a thing of the past - Aozora, my friends, might be some of the best sush I've had on the East Coast. In Montclair. Not New York. Not Boston. Lord, not even Philadelphia...though I guess that's somewhat expected...but yeahhhhh, it's super yum. Rolled in on a Sunday night, 3 bottles of vino tucked under our arms for our party of four (BYOB, kids), place was brisk but not overwhelmingly busy - most of the crowd donning the latest in suburban chic - if you're going at peak times, I'd make a res as it appeared most of our fellow diners also had. Started with the salmon carpaccio (soy/yuzu broth, daikon), the king of kimchee (salmon, tuna, white fish enrobed in some pretty decent kimchee), as well as the seaweed salad - the salmon was a huge win for my tum and the seaweed salad had that springy mouthfeel that is both disconcerting and delightful - that said, the king was a bit of a let down as I found the kimchee overpowering for the fish, which I should have predicted. Also considered the gingery grilled cuttlefish and the hamachi kama, but sadly we knew that rolls were a-coming, so space needed to be reserved. If you so desire, it's not a challenge to go full fat-ass - be in the 407 Bloomfield Roll (salmon and asparagus dipped in BAILEY'S and GRAND MARNIER??), the Gator Roll (tempura shrimp, roe, cuc, BBQ eel), the Tempura Curry Roll (shrimp, grapes (?!?), cuc, curry sauce) or the Out of Control Roll (spicy tuna, spicy salmon, spicy yellowtail, avo, tempura crunch) - that said, they also have excellent proper rolls, bursting with top-notch fish that make it relatively easy to overlook the aforementioned abominations. My salmon skin was one of the best I've had - crunchy, salty, intriguing - and if you were to strand me on a dessert island today, I'd want a cooler full of their yellowtail rolls with me. Salmon avo was a gem, the spicy rolls (salmon, tuna) also got high marks. Rice appropriately glutinous, a wonderful co-pilot to the seabits it was supporting. Oh, if you're going with non-sushi ppl, or even non-fish ppl for that matter, they will have a multitude of options, as they have everything from beef udon to duck spring rolls to escargot to tofu/chicken/salmon teriyaki. Idk. Maybe it was that I was 1.5 glasses of pinot deep (which for me, is close to black-out territory) or the bedazzled "LOVE" rhinestone hot mess adorning the wall next to our booth, but the meal was actually just straight up boss. Soups run $3-7, salads $5-13 (pricier with fish), apps $4-15 (edamame to tuna carpaccio), noodles/rice $12-15, combo dins around $20-28, stately rolls running $4-9.5, trainwrecks will set you back $9-16 as well as your dignity, which may or may not come with a price. Other meaty entrees are $18-35 (teriyaki to surf n turf). Overall, def worth a nosh. read more

Horrible service! We arrived at 6 for an 8 pm show at the Wellmont. We ordered at 6:15 but the food did not arrive in time for our show no matter how much we bugged the wait staff. We left hungry at 7:50 and had popcorn for dinner at the Wellmont. This place is not the same since Nelson sold it. read more

Alright. You usually can't go wrong with sushi. But this place? Just weird. Nice, modern lay-out. However, I think we waited about one hour for our sushi. There was ONE other table there. Were they out somewhere catching the fish? Strange waiter interactions. Plus, he took forever. The sushi itself was ..... not too great.. And one of my specialty rolls was very strange and didn't taste at all like what I was expecting from the description. Won't be back. read more

Service was great! The Hawaiian poke starter is a must: I loved it so much, we got 2 orders. Cute ambiance and friendly staff. read more

Aozora - The Hawaiian poke is a must!! - Japanese Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

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Usually when my girlfriend and I get sushi in Montclair we go to Daikichi. But since it's Friday night, and we haven't explored Bloomfield Ave yet, we decided to try some place else, so we ended up here. When we got there the place was packed and buzzing, so I figured that the food's got to be pretty good. For starters we got the Duck Spring Roll and the Beef Sashimi. The spring roll was good, nothing special, but did its job. The beef sashimi on the other hand was an absolute disaster. First of all, it wasn't sashimi. The description said seared slices of filet mignon on a bed of ice. What I got was a medium rare steak cut into a few slices. Aozora, if you want to serve beef sashimi, you should go to Megu and order the Wagyu Beef Sashimi, they'll show you how it should be done. For the main course we got the Dynamite Roll and the Volcano Roll, both were just ok, and if I closed my eyes and just ate them, I wouldn't be able to tell which is which. We also got the Omakase Sushi, which was the best item of the night. The sushi was very fresh and well prepared, so good job on that. Overall, it was a very forgettable dining experience. The place seems like a wannabe swanky fusion spot. It was uber loud and patrons were packed in like sardines, and the service was very lacking. We waited more than 40 minutes between appetizers and our entrees, and the wait staff (especially the females) looked like they were miserable working there. The services definitely did not come with a smile. Next time....well there won't be a next time. I'm not straying from Daikichi again to get my sushi fix. read more

Excellent Japanese Fusion restaurant worth visiting and revisiting. It's very easy to drain your wallet, as the menus go on forever and almost everything warrants either an "oooh" or an "aaah". The tuna entree with fried sweet potatoes was absolutely wonderful, and the flour-less chocolate cake will make your eyes cross involuntarily. "Super white tuna" sashimi is a must. Black seaweed salad was more edamame than seaweed, but no less enjoyable because of it. My only complaint is the lack of a dress code. I know Montclair is going downhill fast, but there's no excuse for letting someone in to a restaurant wearing a track suit, a hooded sweatshirt and a baseball cap. Guys who read this, stop embarrassing yourselves and your dates -- take off the hat when you're in a restaurant! read more

We did a quick lunch here - the place was completely empty except for us and the service was slowwwwwwww. But we were in no rush and the server looked like a kid starting his freshman year at Montclair state, so he probably was in the back studying in between checking on us, which was fine by us. We went with the lunch special: I had 3 rolls and a salad and my guy went with the sushi + sashimi combo and a salad. We both were blown away by the salad: a balsamic dressing with thickly cubed cucumber over mixed field greens. The lettuce came nicely tossed already, which was lovely. We were both expecting the normal asian ginger miso dressing, so this was a very upscale surprise. We waited for about 10 minutes after we finished our salads.... and finally our sushi came. We were a bit surprised it took so long (again - no one there) but the sushi chef seemed busy the entire time, and when the plates were in front of us, they were beautifully presented, so we know it much have taken quite a while to get it just so. The fish - in both the rolls and sashimi... were SUPER fresh. I had the yellowtail, the salmon avocado, and a spicy tuna. My guy doesnt typically like the spicy rolls because they overdo the mayo, but this one was very lightly dressed and came with crunchy pieces in there that made this so OVER THE TOP delicious that I even overlooked they snuck some of that roe fish-eggs in there (I normally don't order anything with that in there because I hate the "pop" in my mouth"). The yellowtail was phenomenal - super fresh. We left and felt completely satisfied and very happy that, even though slightly pricey, it was well worth the money spent. We'll be back soon! read more

Great sushi restaurant! Arrived at 7 on a Thursday and it was empty; tables readily available. Decor is sleek and modern. We were given a front booth with a view of Bloomfield ave- in my opinion, best seat in the house. Server was very sweet and helpful. Ordered the duck spring rolls due to the overwhelming thumbs up on yelp. I was not wowed, and would say they would mediocre at best. The sauce could have been spicier and the duck could have been more tender. Between two of us, we shared and ordered four rolls - the awesome tuna roll special was a standout, as was the red spider roll. Also got the spicy salmon - standard but solid. Getting our bill was slow, even with less that a packed house. read more

Aozora - Spicy salmon, awesome tuna, red spider rolls! - Japanese Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

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Solid sushi place! Loved the decor inside, staff is very friendly and they had a large menu of options. I liked the ordering style of the sushi - everyone in the party orders and it is brought out to enjoy family-style. I thought that was a unique and fun way to do it. They've got a nice list of specials each day, too. BYOB so come prepared. Everything we had was delicious and fresh. Will definitely come back! read more

Like other diners, my friend and I waited about an hour for sushi. I had ordered chirashi which was the most pathetic portion I have ever seen. Generally chirashi is overflowing with fish, seasoned rice and all the fixings. This was literally five singular pieces of fish on top of a small bit of rice with tons of extras around the outside. It felt, frankly, like they were taking the cheap way out and loading the plate with several small amounts of pickled veggies and other accompaniments while skimping big time on the fish which is ridiculous for a 20 dollar plate of food. My friend liked her rolls but was underwhelmed and noticed a few had a strange taste. No return trip in store for me. No thanks. read more

I've been going here as a reliable standby for over 10 years. The fact that they are still in business on this busy strip is a testament to their quality. I keep ordering the sushi, and they keep delivering high quality food. My wife orders their cooked dishes, especially the sea bass, and she has been pleased every time. Desserts are ok, and espresso is usually ok as well. So, you might plan to do dessert somewhere else. While the décor is fairly modern and even romantic, there are still those who think that it's ok to go to a decent restaurant dressed like a slob. Do everyone a favor, and stick with diners if that's your game, or have a little respect for the establishment and it's patrons and don't wear yesterday's t-shirt and soiled shorts. Sorry, that's my public rant for the day. :) That said, if you're not a slob, and have more than 3 people in your party, reserve one of the booths ahead of time! Bottom line, a great BYOB, that consistently delivers the goods! read more

I was here for Valentine's Day in 2009 and had an excellent meal. We had reservations and were seated a few minutes later by the window. We were happy to be seated here because other areas of the restaurant were pretty packed and it almost felt like people were on top of each other. For appetizer, we had the seared tuna (sesame and black peppercorn crusted seared tuna with soba noodles, citrus sauce) For entrees, I had the surf & turf (charbroiled filet mignon, scallops, lobster served with risotto rice and vegetables) and my boyfriend had the duck (seared duck breast in wild berry sauce over mash sweet potato, duck spring roll and baby bok choy). He also ordered a sushi roll but I don't recall the name of it. Every thing was delicious. The presentation of the food was great. The restaurant also had a nice ambience for a date. We weren't too pleased with the service though because they seemed to have just ignored us for the most part and took us forever to get their attention for our check and they never came back with our change. I haven't been back since but will maybe try this place again in the future.. read more

Very nice spot and the food was awesome. We had the shrimp teriyaki with brown rice and veggies for our entrées. We also tried the salmon and veggie spring rolls. However, the veggie spring rolls were my favorite. Shrimp tempura was a thumb up along with the cauliflower crab soup. The ambience is very low key but upscale, we had a table next to the window which was perfect. 8/16/17 read more

Aozora - Great dishes. A must try place. - Japanese Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

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Lovely experience at Aozora. We ordered the Hawaiian Tuna for our appetizer and it was beyond delicious! Beautiful presentation, and served with a very flavorful citrus wasabi sauce. It was incredible! We also ordered a few sushi rolls, and my favorite was the Galaxy roll! Such an amazing mix of flavors. I've never had anything like it! Highly recommend this restaurant for a date night! :) The BYOB option is a plus, and the staff and ambience were wonderful. Can't wait to come back! read more

Aozora - Hawaiian Tuna. Tastes just as amazing as it looks! So delicious! - Japanese Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

Aozora is a beautiful restaurant. Nice, grown-up atmosphere. Went with a girlfriend and we each had the sashimi deluxe lunch special. The fish was excellent. Super fresh. Beautifully prepared. It was so good. I enjoyed every bite. My only negative during the experience was the service. [And if Yelp allowed, this would be a 3-1/2 star review.] We went during the lunch 'rush' and there was only one waitress on duty. It took her at least 30 minutes to take our order, then she kept forgetting things like our drinks and bringing us the check. It was terrible and took way too long. But the company was good and the food was excellent so I definitely want to go back for dinner (this time with a bottle of sake!). And hopefully I'll have a different waiter! read more

Called on a Friday evening to see if there was a wait for a table of two, the women was very nice on the phone and told me not right now and took my name just in case. We arrived and were seated right away & were offered water and glasses for our wine (BYOB!) I ordered the zen salad & two different rolls & the other person I was with ordered chicken tempura dinner. The Zen salad was amazing (spinach, mango and ginger dressing)!!! I would come back for that alone. My rolls were okay, nothing amazing. The soy sauce was very very salty, to the point I could not have it with my sushi. The chicken tempura dinner was good, but again nothing amazing or crave worthy. read more

Aozora - Japanese Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

Oh may gawwwd! I've been worried about sushi in Montclair. I tried one place and it was a, how do I put this delicately, colourful disaster. But this was really super delicious. My husband had a roasted chicken dish, because he can't hang. It was so perfectly cooked and full of flavour, he said he'd gladly go back and watch me eat raw fish, like some sort of animal. He lies, my table manners are to be admired. I had a medley of different rolls and sashimi, each better than the next. I started with a cucumber roll, to whet my appetite. Then spicy tuna, salmon, then some avocado thing with crab, then something with roe... oh man. It was all good. I'm not gonna lie and say it was cheap. I've had more expensive, but I can't go here as frequently as I'd like. I'm really happy the other place I wanted to try was "not open until 4pm. sorry. maybe walk around for 1/2 hour?" No. They don't know me like that. So go here, if you want some good sushi and have a raw food fraidy-cat for a date. read more

My sisters were hyping this place up like it was the next Nobu (which I have never been to). My gf and I with my sis' went here this past Friday. It was lent so I was stuck with having Sushi, which I don't mind so long as I am in the mood for it. I was sort of in the mood due to my lack of options. We started with a couple of apps. Rock shrimp which was good and these salmon rolls which I didn't like (I guess it's because I detest salmon). For a meal, I had the Shrimp Tempura roll and Spicey Tuna while sampling some other items. It was average. Place is BYOB which could cut down on price. Taking this aside and with the amount of food we ate, it was on the pricey end. I left quasi satisfied. Not in a rush to return since I have been to better Sushi places than this. read more

Food is excellent -- particularly the sushi/sashimi, but also the appetizers and kitchen entrees. Everything is tasty and beautifully presented. My one major gripe is the slow service; it shouldn't take a half-hour to get 2 appetizers out on a Sunday night with only 3 tables occupied -- and then another half-hour to get two entrees out. I note similar complaints over an extended period, so this has been a consistent problem that they should work on. One minor gripe is the uncomfortable seating in the booths, which have straight 90-degree backs, like church pews. Next time we'll request a table with regular chairs. So the food itself is delicious, but I hope you're not in a hurry, or really hungry. read more

Interesting mix of Japanese and European fusion. They could definately stand to expand, I was sitting shoulder to shoulder with other diners, and they absolutely should consider a stricter dress code, but luckily, the food made up for it. This was raw done right. Hamachi and baby green perfectly dressed with yuzu soya vinegrette, a chef's Omakase of sashimi bluefin tuna, super white tuna (Jesus, was this good), salmon, striped bass, and tuna tartare, and Chilean Sea Bass. I think the Bass was especially delicious, since it's next to extinct. It was served with perfect eggplant tempura. My culinary counterpart's seared tuna was cold in the middle -- he looked like Christmas had come early. And if he ate all the sweet potatoes, you know it was good. Pricey but worth it. One of those experiences where after the bill has been paid, you're considering what you'll have next time you go. read more

There are a number of great sushi places in the Montclair/Bloomfield/Nutley area, and this is one of them. In fact, it stands out in the area, which says a lot with the number of great sushi choices of where ti go. Great sushi, but also pricey compared to its competition in the area, making it not my top choice, but still a top recommendation. If you haven't been here and are looking to treat yourself to some sushi, this one is well worth a visit. Nice people, too. Enjoy! read more

This place is so cool! Anything you get will be yummy. Crazy little French-Japanese fusion place with some interestingly delicious items. My favorite is the Hawaiian Tuna!! It's not on the menu, but ask for it! Raw tuna chunks, avocado, orange, and some delicious sauce!!! only draw back-- Parking in Montclair! Oh, and BYOB! read more

Great sushi ---have been here and also have ordered take out always an enjoyable experience. Enjoy the spider roll with the soft shell crab

Let me start off by saying the service at this restaurant was not even average to say the least. I can say with pure confidence that I still don't know how my waiters voice sounded like. He came around with water, opened up our bottle of wine and took our order in silence. Not once, did he crack a smile. He looked miserable!!!! Why hire people in the service industry who are miserable with their jobs? As far as the food... Mediocre at most. The gyoza tasted like the one I but at trader joes- frozen. The sushi ehhh ok at most. Not work 13 dollars for a roll. Maybe it was just a busy night for them but I won't be coming back here for sushi when there's so many other choices in Montclair. read more

High class with a great price and great food. The service is amazing just ask for other options off the menu and they will make sure they help you. I asked for a vegeterian option and I got it, it was so good I ordered a second round! I got to use my dessert yelp coupon! Such amazing service! read more

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Sushi recommendation from the waitress was spot on. I've eaten a lot of sushi and this was for sure up in the top 10. Service was also excellent. If you need WiFi, just ask for the password. read more

Worst service that i have ever seen in my life. There was a Chinese waiter who took our order whose terrible accent made everyone of us to shout 3-4 times when saying our order. We were very hungry when we reached the restaurant and wanted to order the food immediately. Since, we were regular customer for nearly six months in Aozora, we knew what we wanted to order. It took more than five minutes to understand five peoples food order. I had repeatedly asked the waiter to remove the the cucumber from all of my rolls but there were cucumber in all of the rolls. When i asked him to call his manager, he said "Sorry, she is not here" and left us abruptly. As i could clearly see the lady owner in the counter. I am not going to Aozora again. read more

My go to sushi delivery spot! Recommend the Galaxy roll, filet mignon roll and sexy girl roll. Really good Kani salad and Udon as well. Unique add on but they had really good fries. read more

Great sushi. Great location. It's not comparable to places like Blue Ribbon in the city but it's still damn good. Kapow! read more

Aozora - Japanese Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

This place is great. It's nice and quiet, they have these beautiful blue glass water glasses, and the food was amazing. I loved that the sushi tasted so fresh. My boyfriend had the scallops and risotto and the scallop I tried was cooked perfectly - so soft and moist and tasty. All of the dishes including dessert were beautifully plated. All in all it was a great restaurant, we will definitely be back. Also we are hoping they will be able to deliver to us in Bloomfield... read more

Very nice place. Had the steamed dumplings, highly recommend the avocado salad. Had sushi rolls yummy. The kids had chicken on skewers and a large bowl of chicken fried rice. I would come here again. Waiter very nice! read more

Sushi was good but the service was lacking. Nice variety and ability to mix and match. The booth seating was very uncomfortable, very narrow and upright. read more

It had been just about two months since our previous meal at Aozora when we dined there last night. We found the cuisine the second time to be just as inventive, well made, and beautifully presented as the first time. I started with the spicy miso soup and the arugula salad, which has warm goat cheese and comfit of tomato and shallot. For my entree I enjoyed the Cornish Hen, which is served over delicious sushi ginger rice and portobello and garnished with a green pepper corn sauce. My wife had Tuna Carpaccio and the Diabolic Roll. The presentation on these dishes were all first-class. The decor at this restaurant is modern, with dark woods and mellow lighting. The value is very good as well. The only problem I can see with this place is the fact that it's BYO, but that helps keep the cost down - and most places in Montclair are BYO. I can't wait to go again. read more

Such a good restaurant for sushi and French food. We ordered a la carte with sushi, sashimi and roll. An order of sashimi here comes with 3 pieces!! Most places are two pieces. We finished up with the cheesecake and a cappuccino , both were nicely presented and delicious. This place is a jem in my opinion and people should really know more about it read more

Very fresh salmon and tuna rolls on a Wednesday for lunch and for bonus points they have gluten free soy sauce!

If i could give zero stars i would, horrible delivery experience and horrible customer service...food was mediocre at best after a two hour wait. read more

Beautifully presented dishes, softly lovely decor, and enough good stuff for this vegetarian to enjoy :)

Nothing really much to say... was in the area, had Lunch here, was decent, hence the 3 stars.

We have been here twice and ordered from here two or three times. Each time the food has been very good. Right now this is our go-to for sushi in the neighborhood. Here is an oddball thing I wanted to mention, hoping that management reads this. I gave this place four stars so yes, I'm being crazy and nit-picking, but hey... They give you three menus and a pencil to start. THREE menus. One is a regular menu, the other is a specials menu, and the last is a paper menu for you to check off what you want to order from the sushi bar. This is confusing and even more annoying. Why have a paper menu to fill out when you wind up telling the waiter what you checked off on the menu anyway? Why not just consolidate to one menu and place the specials in a piece of paper inside the main menu? read more

Pretty much everything we had was great. Sexy girl roll was delicious. Ordered steamed mussels in herb and garlic but it lacked a lot of broth which i love...the ambiance is very nice. Will be back. read more

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