Ok so I've lived in montclair for 6 years now and Aozora, hands down, is the best sushi ever! I've had sushi all over in big cities like NYC, San Fran, Miami, Chicago, and DC and Aozora is the best. Try the Art of Maki roll, Filet Mignon roll, and the gator roll. Grilled octopus is delicious as well. Enjoy!! read more

This place is okay in every way. For apps we got the tuna tar tar and the pork dumplings. Both just average. For dinner I got the Gold Fish roll which was okay. It was definitely fresh, but was not enough to quench my sushi craving. The dessert was pretty light and good (coconut and red bean flan) and by that I mean I definitely couldn't make it myself because it was intricate but it didn't knock my socks off. Overall I prefer Sushi Hana a block away or if you want to travel 5 minutes, definitely Kim's Sushi in West Orange is the best in the area. read more

love love love. one of my fav's in montclair. BYOB. had the duck rolls and the special tuna & avocado in an orange appetizer. they were amazing. i had the tuna seafood dinner entree which was also amazing. can't wait to come back! read more

Amazing service....great food, great price. The desserts are to die for. Very clean. Great job guys! !!!

Love it here. My 3rd time and not disappointed. I go before shows at the Wellmont Theater which is across the street. I love the lobster maki appetizer and their take on surf and turf which is made over charcoal with filet mignon, jumbo shrimp and scallops all over vegetables and risotto tthat is so flavorful. The desserts are just as good. An all around winner. read more

The decor and the atmosphere was nice, and the service was pretty good the only issue I had was with the food. It looked amazing but tasted... of nothing. The fried scallops just tasted of oily batter and the dipping sauce might as well have been water. My wife had the duck spring rolls which again had no flavor except for the raspberry colis thing they had as a dipping sauce. My lamb steak was a little better but the meat was a bit tough. Although my wife's shrimp was ok. Not going back in a hurry for sure. read more

This place is a byob joint, so that's a plus. I love pretty much everything on the menu. My favorite, however, is the salmon. For dessert, you have a plethora of fabulous options. I highly recommend the cheesecake ... Oh my god... So good! Also, the flourless chocolate cake.... Yum! read more

Going to Aozora is like being home to me. Great and friendly staff who recognize me as soon as I walk in the door. The amazing Nelson Yip making "THE" freshest and most delicious fish I've eaten in my life. Aozora for me is about the fact that I can taste the fish and enjoy it's flavors because Aozora prides themselves on giving you the BEST there is to offer. Most places pride themselves on h...iding the fish in rolls under massive amounts of sauces, that's not sushi to me folks. While Aozora's rolls are also delectable, the sushi and sashimi are top shelf. The Non-Sushi food is also delicious. I've only had a few items as I can't seem to tear myself away from the Sushi bar but I've heard many friends rave about the Lemon Grass Chicken and Lamb chops. Some other non-sushi items that I quite enjoy are the in house made desserts. Flourless Chocolate Cake, Creme Brulee with a new flavor offered every week, Bread Pudding and Coconut Flan to name a few - I'm pretty sure I can recite the whole dessert menu but I don't want to be a show off. LOL I recently found out I have a Gluten Allergy. Not only does Aozora carry a Gluten Free Soy Sauce that I've yet to see any other restaurant carry, Nelson himself is extremely helpful with suggesting what I can and can't eat and what we can substitute to keep my experience as authentic as possible. Thus far, it's one of the few restaurants I've been to since the knowledge of my allergy that has not cross contaminated my food. When you visit, providing it isn't crazy busy, I suggest sitting at the Sushi Bar - that will give you an opportunity to get to know Nelson and his amazing staff. It's my favorite restuarant since my very first visit over 5 years ago and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. read more

I've eaten at this restaurant a few times and I must say that the quality of their sushi has been consistently superior. I've tried every other sushi restaurant in Montclair and as far as quality and presentation goes they are unsurpassed. My wife had the Chilean sea bass once and I can't recall ever seeing her enjoy a meal the way she did. I enjoy savoring and experiencing great food and I do it often here. I highly recommend this restaurant. read more

Great food, great service. One of the best sushi place in the state no doubt about it. We're definitely coming back for more. And for the people giving this place bad reviews, EAT at home!! thank you read more

Our favorite Japanese place! The appetizers and specials are great, the Salmon Lovers plate is AMAZING, it's like buttah and the maki platter is great as well. We enjoy the cooked French fusion dishes as well, the lamb is perfectly cooked every time and I dream about the red snapper. The desserts are delicious as well, the coconut and red bean flan and Belgian flourless cake are worth the time! read more

A great sushi restaurant! We ate the tuna avocado in an orange special, it was really an excellent dish and different from what you would expect. I highly recommend trying the restaurant! It is however BYOB so keep that in mind. read more

I thought it was pretty good. Fish was good quality but the menu was kind of all over the place. I thought it was a bit pricey for this level of japanese food. read more

I had a very good experience coming here the first time and ever since then, I've been more of a usual customer to them. Their sushi is always fresh and tasty and their presentation is top notch. One of my favorite dish is the Chilean sea bass that tastes almost like butter. The service is accommodating and very friendly. I only have good things and memories about this place. read more

I must say that this is probably the best sushi restaurant in Montclair and it's so close to the Welmont theater! We had the sexy girl and fire dragon specialty roll with some extra spicy mayo on the side. Both were delicious. Overall, The presentation and quality were amazing and the staff was very attentive and friendly. Prices werent so bad either. they were comparable to all the other sushi restaurants around actually. Thanks Yelp for the great find read more

This is the best sushi spot in north jersey! We drive 30min just to have this delicious food. The sexy girl roll is amazing. Aozora does not disappoint! The food, ambiance and staff are phenomenal! :) read more

Aozora - The bread pudding is a must!! Amazing!! - Japanese Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

I have always been very fond of Sushi and rolls. I try to go to as many new sushi restaurants as possible so that I can compare the quality and taste of the sushi in each restaurants. This brought me to Aozora, a very staff friendly and cozy Japanese and European fusion restaurant in Montclair. Not far from where I lived and which had a great parking lot. Great!! It was a win-win situation for me!! So, I tried Sexy Girl roll upon the suggestion of the server and I tell you, never had I ever tasted such yummy roll in my life!! So tasty and fresh Next, for my entree, I again went with the server's suggestion and ordered a Rack of Lamb dish. The dish was beautifully presented and everything was of the right amount. Ended my meal with a scrumptious serving of flourless chocolate cake. A very wonderful experience, I must say!! I would definitely recommend this restaurant for anyone who is looking for quality, and good taste for food and a good service. And I am definitely coming back :) :) read more

Sorry but a restaurant that has served BOXED flake mashed potatoes at any point and tries to deny it. NO! There is much better.

Tonight I had the Arugula Salad with goat cheese and roasted tomatoes, simply mouth watering. Then I followed with the Omakase Sushi, absolutely the best in NJ! The service was warm and friendly. Definitely a great experience! read more

I am not a big fan of fusion cuisine, but this place is very good. The starters are very original and enjoyable. Food comes out hot even though the service can be a bit slow. I don't mind the less than attentive service. I can't stand when you have a mouthful of food and a waiter asks something silly like "Hows everything so far?!" After my wife gives me the heimlich maneuver, I will tell you. If you go, order different things and share. The ambience is warm and inviting. It gets a little tight when its packed and thats very often, because the place is that good. read more

I have been going to aozora for years and love it! They make the best spicy tuna rolls.

Presentation was wonderful. The taste was out of this world! The service was super! The atmosphere was relaxing and warm. I recommend resturant! read more

Delicious food. Quite pricy but as expected. Wife had an assortment of sushi. Very fresh and delicious. I had the Chilean sea bass. Really good place for a date. We'll be back. read more

Excellent place to get your sushi on. We ordered the gavin roll, tuna amazing, tuna avocado roll and the spider roll. Each one of them were delicious and had their one unique taste. Lastly we tried their desserts. I had the cheesecake while my date had the mochi. The cheese cake was rich and light at the same time and it was complimented by a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I didnt get to ask my date what she thought of the mochi but I, sure she liked it. Its worth a trip read more

Came on Saturday night and was seated right away. The staff was attentive and quickly offered to chill our wine. We ordered salads and a few rolls. The fish was fresh and specialty rolls were delicious. The pear desert is magical. Can't wait to come back! read more

Reliable, consistent long time Montclair Favorite Great options if a person in your party doesn't like sushi. Food is always fresh, some of the entrees are a little overpriced so glad it's a BYO. Great desserts. Only negative that stands out is the menu doesn't change so it's not a place you would go to as often. read more

Go to sushi place in the neighborhood. They do delivery and it's always fresh and delicious. Their chicken udon stir fry and tuna-amazing roll are among my favorites. read more

Worst experience ever... The last time my husband and I went there was in 2014, when I was pregnant with my baby girl. After we were seated at a booth, on my right side there were mouse droppings on the seat. There was no way to miss it or mistake it. After dining there for years we decided to leave and never come back. This weekend we decided to give it one more try since the reviews seemed to be consistent. Once again, worst experience ever. We had an 8:15pm reservation, they didn't bring out the appetizers until past 9pm: which was just miso soup(very cold) seaweed salad, shushi rice and fried mushrooms & shrimp (wasn't cooked enough). Main dish didn't come until after 9:30. We tried sticking it out since we had baby girl with us to ensure that she ate. The creme brûlée was watery and tasted like mildew. To sum it up, that very same night, all three of us had the runs for a whole day. It's obvious that the food wasn't fresh and that we had gotten food poisoning. Never again. read more

If you want to leave with an empty wallet and an empty stomach then you should go there. The food is average, the portion is small and not worth the price. read more

Best in Montclair. A little pricey, but well worth it. Big portions and fresh sashimi. Love the pumpkin soup.

I came into this restaurant not expecting much after I discovered that my other favorite lunch spot down the street had closed. I ordered the three roll sushi lunch special with salad and miso soup expecting typical fair. Much to my pleasant surprise....Everything here is above and beyond! Great music and ambiance. Great presentation of food that tasted as good as it looked. The salad was cucumbers and a very interesting dressing. Mixed greens instead of the typical iceberg you find at sushi lunch specials! Good sized sushi with more fish than rice... The rice has sesame seeds.... Miso soup had a twist too.... I think anchovies in it... All in all-- a great choice and very very good service !! read more

Another awesome meal at Aozora. This place has not failed me yet. The food is good and so was the service.

This restaurant is extremely tasty and the first time I went it was really impresive and the food tasted excellent. However I went recently and everything was great until we noticed that the waiter gave us blackened salmon instead of salmon teriyaki. They cost the same but i was looking forward to the teriyaki since i remembered that it tasted amazing when i had it last time. Overall, it is pretty impressive and i recomend going there :) read more

On Halloween, my friends and I stopped here for dinner before heading out. It wasn't crowded, but I'm not sure if that's typical for a Saturday or if it was due to the holiday. We had a great dinner here. It is BYOB - we brought champagne and wine, which the waiter promptly opened and poured. For food, I had the chicken teriyaki which was grilled nicely and had a tangy teriyaki sauce with veggies and rice on the side. My friends had various sushi which looked tasty. We brought a cake since we were celebrating a birthday and the staff nicely kept it refrigerated until it was time to cut it. I'll be back. read more

This restaurant has changed totally spoiled me in terms of sushi. I have been coming here for the past 7 years. The quality of the fish is well above par, wonderful creativity in terms of the rolls, and friendly service. Most importantly they have been consistent in all of these areas over the years. Highly recommended. read more

Great atmosphere. Very clean. Extensive menu. Service was solid. Sushi was fresh. Will definitely be coming back!

If you want the best sushi in town, with other great entrees such as the duck and the Chilean seabass, Aozora is the place to be. Also, they have delicious desserts and good food portions! You get what you pay for, and that's a fact. The wait staff are a pretty cool bunch of people as well! read more

I'd give 4-5 stars for the food, but the service was so poor I have to downgrade it. We waited for everything; water, wine glasses and wine opening, taking our orders, and each course. Only 3 of 4 appetizers were brought, and the soups were cold. The soups were warmed (not made new) and returned, and the 4th appetizer still did not come. I could go on in this vein about the rest of the meal. Staff were pleasant but there were not enough to service the full room. Too bad; this has been a favorite for years but I'm not sure I'll return. Food was still good though. read more

With all the good restaurants in montclair you need to be spot on...let me start by saying the food is fine...would get 3.5 stars (sushi was fine, not as good as dai kichi) based on the food...but when ur waiter disappears for 25 minutes at a time turning a 1.5 meal into 2.5 hours it gets old fast...given that its byob (which we like) and with all the competition in montclair you need to be spot on with service in order to get to the next level (my opinion). read more

i chose this restaurant based its stellar yelp reputation. the food was tasty, but not extraordinary. the interior was nice enough, but kind of shabby (poorly patched drywall and chipped plates). the service was friendly and very attentive, but then again we were the only people there... i dunno it was okay, but i can't imagine giving it 5 stars. read more