This place is an absolute gem. I have been coming here for years and have not had a single complaint. The food seems like it's always been made fresh. The ramen is so full of flavor. The sushi always amazes me and better yet the customer service here is unmatched. It's never busy so fitting groups in has never been a challenge either! I'm read more

Love the ramen it's SOOO SOOO GOOD ! Weirdly they make it differently every time , It won't always be amazing but when it is ITS SUPER GOOD read more

First time visiting this place. A friend chose it because they wanted to try the ramen. When we first walked in the place was nice with good ambiance. We were seated right away and given menus. Waters were on the way. As I started looking over the menu this is where the excitement began. I consider myself an adventurous eater and there were definitely some items I could not wait to try. I ordered sunagimo (chicken gizzards), Hatsu (chicken heart), Reba (chicken liver), Gyu Tan (beef tongue), Hotaru-Ikayaki (baby octopus), and Katsu Don which is a panko style deep fried rice with onions, egg and soy sauce. I ate everything and was so excited to finish it. Each had a different flavor. I do have to say the gizzards are chewy and likely not for everyone. There were more items on the menu worth a try but it will have to wait till next time. Overall the restaurant was really nice. Service was good and the food was unique. Will be going back to try more. read more

DOZO Izakaya - Chicken liver, chicken gizzards, chicken hearts, baby octopus and beef tongue. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

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I went back to dozo for lunch and was way more impressed this time! I got their spicy teriyaki bento box with a spicy tuna roll... It was all super yummy and the portion was huge for only about 11$. I would definitely return! read more

My go to for katsu curry. Reminds me of the neighborhood shops in Japan. Super clean, authentic. read more

DOZO Izakaya - Pork katsu curry - Sushi Bars Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

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We love Dozo! The staff is amazing and welcomes you like family every time. We love their ramen especially the jigoku which is very spicy with amazing broth! Their sushi is also fresh and delicious! We also really enjoy their izakaya menu which has a variety of delicious options to compliment your meal. They are doing take out food and short distance delivery during the current times (4/2/2020). If you can, please order some take out and have some delicious food and support a local business. You will not regret it. read more

Food and service are excellent! Ramen, udon and Yakisoba are a few of our favorites. Sushi is fresh and very good!

My husband and I got there around 7:30pm. The patio was quite empty, but inside was pretty full. I ordered the chirashi bowl and 3 different Izakaya ( chicken thigh, wings, and squid legs). My husband got the katsu don and the shrimp tempura roll. The miso soup I got was luke warm. The chirashi looked very appetizing, but the salmon didn't taste fresh at all. As for the Izakaya, they look so much better in the pics on here, so I was pretty disappointed. The sauce they put on top didn't really have much flavors. It just tasted salty. Service was alright. The waitresses seemed very busy , so I have no issue with the service. read more

What an amazing little spot! Both sushi and ramen are super solid, real nice, great taste. Friendly kitchen and staff. I'll be back. read more

DOZO Izakaya - Spicy tuna roll and tuna sashimi. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

Tried this place for the first time tonight. Mostly due to the fact they offer GF noodle option for Ramen. The food was excellent overall. We had the spicy tonkatsu and regular version ramens. Flavorful broth and large chasu portions. Also tried some sushi rolls which were also tasty. Staff was working hard to serve a busy dining room and fill take-out orders. Took a long time to get the food but I didn't care since the food was well worth it. Will definitely be back! read more

I'll start by saying that the food is excellent here and the price definitely makes it an ever better value. I was surprised that it was a little slowed on a Friday night but we're told (we just moved to AZ) that a lot of people leave for the summer so the city gets a little lighter. We ordered a bunch of stuff from the robata menu and our favorite was the chicken wings. I think the fire might've been a little weak because I would've liked the gyutan (beef tongue) and chicken gizzard sticks to have a little more char on it. The sushi was really good and I love that they do a pretty good job on the natto roll. Salmon was really fresh and we liked that the veggie roll was really simple. The only thing I didn't care for was the server forgot to put in our order for gyutan and for some reason she was trying to make it sound like it was our fault? She brought back our order form and showed it to us which when I guess she realized that it was marked off. She just said "oh, I didn't enter that order so I'm going to go order it now". No "sorry" or apology of any kind. Again, not really a huge deal for me but turned my wife a little. I just thought it was an odd way to approach an honest mistake. Overall, I'm sure we'll be back again. The food was really good, prices reasonable, and without that little blip in the ordering, it was a great meal. read more

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THE WORST SERVICE EVER, they didn't even acknowledge that we were there and waited for an hour with no service. Their were people who were being served around us, and when we asked for someone to bring us water and more menus, they got mad at us and told us that we couldn't get more than 1 menu and they "couldn't serve us right now" we left after that, unfed and unwatered. read more

Waited 30 minutes and didn't even get water the customer service was horrible we didn't even get to order food the servers were rude the inside looked nice I must say but the service was awful read more

I lived in Japan for several years and the food here is traditional. Food is outstanding, clean, family owned.

I've never felt so uncomfortable eating before we came and got a Sake bomb and ate ramen the server asked me and my sister who is driving the lady manger sat at a table and was watching us eat and drink the whole time this was my first time here and will be my last time here. Very disappointed read more

Wow, I absolutely love this place. It's taken me a really long time to find a good ramen spot but I think I've finally found it. The spicy miso ramen is pure perfection. It's a bowl of delight from the noodles and broth down to the delicious soft boiled egg. They also have other yummy food options so if you have someone that isn't into ramen they can order a bento box, sushi, etc. I've come in during lunch and a busy Friday night and both times I've gotten great, friendly service. Definitely will be back for more heavenly bowls of ramen soon. read more

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Good food , friendly staff, it's a small place so I would recommend reservations if more than 4 people

Very fresh, great service, and good low key atmosphere! Will definitely go again, good local neighborhood spot.

"I've never really wanted to go to Japan. Simply because I don't like eating fish. And I know that's very popular out there in Africa." ― Britney Spears Strutted into DOZO on Friday night and walked away content. Although my actual rating is probably closer to 3.5 stars, I think they're definitely more worthy of 4 stars than 3. Here are the details: I ran across this Yelp listing by an off-chance and saw that they offered izakaya/yakitori. What!? Is this really in Tempe or am I accidentally looking at a Los Angeles listing? The outside of the restaurant even has red lanterns like real izakaya joints! Wee! After a few weeks of pining, I came here with skewers of yumminess in mind. We ordered everything I was hankering for: Chicken hearts, chicken gizzards, chicken livers, beef tongue, chicken cartridge, atka mackeral, fried sweet shrimp, takoyaki, and a pork bento on the side just in case the small bites were really small. The offal [tongue, heart, gizzard, and livers] were all over-cooked. I think this is so because the cooks were afraid of serving customers under-cooked meat. I had been watching the chef the whole time and never once did he leave his grill so I do think it was intentional. Working in the food industry, I know the pain of customers thinking the chicken could be too raw and not safe for consumption so let's burn the heck outta it. Next time though, I would ask them to not cook it so well. The cartridge seemed to be really crunchy things and I'm not too sure if actual cartridge was used but it made for an interesting texture after eating so much rubbery offal. Skip the salted smoked fish --- nothing special [save yourself $11, folks]. The bento is ridiculously huge with lots of sides but you get a tiny pork cutlet and some not-too-cute tuna rolls with it. The fried sweet shrimp and takoyaki with bonito flakes were probably my favorite bites of the night. It was fun playing with the giant shrimps and the takoyaki had generous large pieces of octopus inside. Yum! While the service could be better with hiring another waitress/hostess and the wait time for food seems pretty long considering they're "small bites" with at least three cooks present, I would definitely be back --- I want to try the ramen. Everyone here is really nice. Yes, the owners and staff all speak Mandarin but hey, we're in America folks. Koreans are making sushi so why can't the Chinese make izakaya? America is great because we're a melting pot of cultures. Stop complaining, people! Why make this a scandal? Dinner for two came out to be $56 [without tip]. Not bad, DOZO. Not bad at all. read more

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I've been on the hunt for delicious ramen for years now. I've had some tasty bowls in Seattle and LA, but never found much luck in Arizona. I usually go to Cherry Blossom in Phoenix for their cha-shu ramen, and it's amazing...but I really wanted s good bowl of ramen with all the fixings. Egg, nori, narutomaki, pickled bamboo, ginger, you name it, I wanted it. This place delivers exactly that! I ordered the tonkatsu cha-shu ramen. The broth was buttery and had a wonderful garlic taste to it. The noddles were cooked wonderfully (though I still prefer Cherry Blossoms noodles), and the fixings were just a lovely added bonus. This stuff comes so close to the ramen I had in LA last year and it is to die for. The service was great and the staff is friendly. I am so happy I found this place and decided to give it a shot. Will DEFINITELY be back!!!! read more

DOZO Izakaya - Tonkatsu cha-shu ramen. The BEST pork slices! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

Basis for my starred ratings (which skews heavily to the food or drink): 1 star: Never again. 2 stars: Poor food, poor experience, extraordinary measures in order for me to come back. 3 stars: Average, nothing really special, nothing particularly bad. 4 stars: Very good, would definitely return. 5 stars: A favorite, one of the best. I agree, the service here can be slow. I also agree, this is not your typical izakaya joint. But you know what, some of the best izakaya in LA aren't "traditional" izakaya joints either. So that being said, there is much good food to redeem this place. First, a note to the sushi people. This is NOT a sushi joint. If you're coming here expecting great sushi, you will be disappointed. The sushi here is average at best, and I people that come here just for that, don't know what izakaya is about. Izakaya. Japanese gastropub. Not sushi restaurant. You order beer. You eat tapas-style. You get yaki-tori and fried food and eat with your hands. In every case, Japanese restaurant does not equal sushi joint. As noted by many, the tonkotsu ramen here is actually pretty darn good, and I'd say one of the best in the Valley. (See my review of Tampopo in Tempe.) They don't make their noodles in-house. but they are always chewy. I have always, ALWAYS, gotten a perfect soft-boiled egg here, which is no small feat. The broth is deep, rich, and on the right side of salty (although I do suspect they use some MSG, which really isn't a huge problem. Get over the MSG thing people, very few of you actually have sensitivity to it, you need to eat huge amounts of it, and glutamates are in SO MANY FOODS naturally, says - almost every study out here.) The yaki-tori also shines here, along with the other skewered delights. Try the chicken hearts people. And the gizzard. They are chewy and delicious. So is the beef tongue, and the ama-ebi (whole sweet shrimp). EAT THE HEAD. It is good, it won't kill you. Also delicious are the flash fried shishito peppers and the cartilage. (Not cartridge, as it's written on the menu.) Every deep fried here is deep fried in rice flour, which makes for a ever so slightly crunchy and delicate batter. The cartilage is crunch on crunch and when you have it alongside the cabbage with sweet mayo, the salty-sweet combo makes for a satisfying snack. And the fried chicken wings. These may be, very possibly, the best non-Buffalo wings in the Valley. They come out hot. They come out crispy. They are huge. And they are damn tasty. So again, I implore you. Don't stick with the sushi. Treat the place like an izakaya, drink some beers, and stack the skewers. (Honda Ya, Furaibo, you guys are still safe at 5-stars at home in LA.) read more

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Yelp really came through on this restaurant! We started of with the Hot Rock: essentially mushrooms stuffed with crab and tuna, fried, and topped with eel sauce. They serve four bite size treats that leave you wanting more. Next was the garlic fried hot peppers followed by an egg that unfortunately I can recall what they called it. For sushi we went with the mango tango roll. They ran out of mango and asked if we would mind avocado. The pieces were not to large, and were surprisingly delicate. The spicy Ramen with tofu was right on. The noodles had a great texture, and the broth hit the spot. The kids had the chicken katsu bento box. It was way too much food but well put together. The chicken was not greasy. Boba tea was just ok. The boba was mushy on the outside and a bit hard in the center. The ambiance was kool, the music was not too loud, and there was a good mix of people. read more

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Came here cause the 4 start view, was a bit disappointed. We ordered two ramen dish, miso and tonkotsu, have to say the tonkotsu ramen was probably the worst one I have had in Arizona so far. The pork was not prepared right, lean meat was cook too old yet the fatty part are still greasy; the bamboo was cooked way too long, it's suppose to be crunchy not soft; and the soup itself, they probably added a gallon of salt in it. The only thing I liked was the o'nigiri. Other than food, the restaurant has a nice environment, waiters was very niceWill give this restaurant another try, probably something other than ramen tho lol ____________________________ Updating 2/19! 2nd time was much better, ordered bento box for lunch and the tempuras were great! Takoyaki was well made too, I'm definitely coming back for after work snack time, their appetizers and small plates are pretty good! read more

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We were really pleased when we came in on a Monday night. The sushi chef/owner was very nice explaining things about the menu and the type of restaurant. This isn't your typical sushi joint. It is a style of eating that Japanese go to for happy hour. This is to say it is casual. We ate delicious 3 sushi rolls, Taiwanese sausage, and a grilled rice bowl. Fish, veggies and fruit was fresh and tasty. This is such a fun experience because it is a little different. The style is clean and sleak and we look forwrd to sitting outside when the weather is more favorable. read more

DOZO Izakaya - Sushi Bars Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

I'm on a quest to look for the best ramen place in Arizona..unfortunately this isn't it :( I tried their spicy miso pork ramen and my husband tried their shio chicken ramen. My broth tasted ok but for something that claimed to be spicy..it wasn't spicy at all...which is fine but it's also lacking a lot of flavor. Same with my husband's shio broth..it wasn't very flavorful. The chicken in my husband's ramen was tasteless. The pork in my ramen was supposed to be the star of the dish but it wasn't good like other ramen places I've been to. Overall food was okay. Service was fine, too. Will I come back? Probably not. But I guess it's good to try. read more

DOZO Izakaya - Sushi Bars Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

I ordered the miso ramen with pork, and it was good enough to earn a 3.5 star review (I need to explain it here cuz Yelp does not have 0.5-star rating). The portion was right enough for me, but I wish they could have put more veggies in that ramen though. The soft-boiled egg was a bit over cooked, and the slice of pork was ok. I hope that they can have more chicken nuggets in stock for dinner next time when I go there. read more

DOZO Izakaya - Miso ramen with pork - Sushi Bars Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

I know I have been slacking on my Yelp reviews, The Boy and I are diet which explains the radio silence. We get one cheat meal a week and decided to try Dozo for some Ramen Cheat. We got thereat 8 PM on a Friday and the place was PACKED, always a good sign. We didnt want to load up on food before the ramen so The Boy ordered the Gyoza, pan fried, and I order Escolar Nigri. I have struggled to find good Escolar aka White Tuna aka Butterfish here in the Valley but this was amazing. No fishy smell, no odd flavor, just buttery deliciousness. I could have eaten it all night. The Gyoza are a do not miss. The pan fried bottoms were ah-may-zing, the perfect amount of light and crispy. We each got Ramen for our entree, The Boy got the Spicy Miso with Chicken and I opted for Sho-yu Ramen with pork. The broth was very good, the noodles a little but too al dente for my tastes but still good. The piece of pork that came with my ramen was the best part of the dish. I gave The Boy and taste and he regretted going chicken with his ramen but still liked his dish. He really liked the spice of the Spicy Miso and finished his dish. The service was a little slow so make sure you budget your time but everything else about Dozo was awesome! read more

DOZO Izakaya - The utterly life changing crispy bottom of the pan fried Gyoza - Sushi Bars Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

This is a pretty versatile sushi/asian food place. In my most raw opinion, sushi is mediocre at its best. Period. So taking that into consideration, it was generously decent here. I tried their "Mango Tango Salmon" roll and didn't like it. I recommend getting fried/baked rolls because fresh sushi is hard to come by here in the desert lol Their Spicy Miso Ramen was also okay for me but I have been much spoiled in the city of Torrance, apparently "Japan's sister city" in California so you may want to give it a try. Despite all this mediocrity, the service was excellent and the atmosphere was very cozy. Also, their Tempura Udon and Beef Tongue yakitori were perfection! Definitely give it a chance and see for yourself! read more

My experience? It was great to start but ended with big disappointment. When I found out about this place I was ecstatic because there's no izakaya in Phoenix area. Yes, there are sushi and fast-food type places but nothing like izakaya. So, just for that reason I gave it 5 stars. In our party we had 4 adults and a 19 month old baby. We sat at a table around 5:30pm and the service was soooooo slow it took about 4 hours to get all of our food. We left around 9:30pm. For that reason alone I deducted 2 points. Cooked food was pretty decent but sushi was not so fresh and tasteless. Sake was overpriced and beer was warm. So, i deducted another point. This place is also not kid friendly so minus another point. There was no crayons or anything to keep a child busy and there was no changing station in the bathroom either. Luckily the baby was well behaved and didn't get too agitated but other kids in the restaurant were screaming. We had to ask for our order numerous times and average service time took 20-30 min for each order. One of the dish we ordered was so salty we asked them to take it back. This places is very small with 3 waitresses and several cooks so you think they have this down but they seemed very confused and customer service was very poor. I understand this is a new establishment but hope they get their act straight so they don't disappoint more customers. So, where does that 1 star apply you say? Well, all else failed but the tonkotsu ramen was pretty darn good. LOL! read more

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I went here on Labor Day around 6:45. We were a total of 4 and they did not have a seat for us (very small place). No problem, we just waited on the patio. The owner or manager was very friendly and brought the menu and some water out while we waited. It wasn't too long before we had seats open, and since we've been looking over the menu we had a good idea of what we wanted. Unfortunately, we had to wait almost 30 minutes before the waitress took our order. We tried to get her attention several times but she was too overwhelmed with the work. I think they would benefit from hiring another server, at least for the dinner rush. The food, however, was DELICIOUS! The Cha-shu ramen I ordered was very thick and flavorful, not at all salty like at most other establishments. I also had the yam and avocado roll, and that too was tasty. Their prices are also very reasonable. I would've given 5 stars if not for the snail service. I will definitely come back, just not around popular meal times. read more

DOZO Izakaya - Hot Rock. The peppers were also delicious. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

My husband and I love this place. The bento boxes are great. We like to order Chicken Katsu with California roll. You get soup, salad, rice, and a mini sesame seed ball for dessert. The food is great. My favorite place to get a California roll. My husband likes the Philly roll. We like to eat on the patio when the weather is nice. read more

Amazing sushi and food delights. Fresh and consistently on point. The chef pays attention to every moment of the experience. An authentic experience of traditional foods. The ramen is layered with flavors and there are multiple types to choose from. The staff are attentive and ready to make a suggestion based on what you are looking for. We have alteady returned and call it a fav on our sushi list! Can not wait to return with our family and friends read more

I'm not sure this is the only izakaya in the valley. Anyway this is pretty cool place for sure. They serve fresh asahi draft for good price during happy hour 5 to 630. They don't have great menu for happy hour but their menu and price is generally reasonable. Food was really good. We had squeeze with tare seasoning which is soy sauce flavor. Squeeze was surprisingly fresh! Next time I'll try more seafood there. All chicken was delicious. Beef tongue was really really good. Much better than I thought If you wanna try very Japanese style light food and drinks, I really recommend here! read more

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I thought their scottsdale location was pretty good but this place is unbelievable!!! The restaurant is gorgeous, new, great outdoor area and bar, and the location is so easy to access now not far from highways and the whole southeast valley. The Food Is fresh, Tasty And affordable. The drinks have the typical selection you would expect at this type of place. The sushi is perfectly balanced and the tapas and hot items are flavorful with great texture. I think this place is going to really get popular so get in now while people still figure it out...no wait and the service was spot on. You can tell it's locally and family owned as they care about every detail. read more

Just ok. The beef tongue was lukewarm when served on the table. Tonkatsu ramen was just ok. Raw ebi was not the freshest. Closes at 8:30 on a Friday. Would not return. read more

Food was pretty decent.  The rating is mainly due to the fact that it took 45 minutes for the  food to be served, when the place was not even packed. I've previously visited this place and had a slightly faster service. read more

This was a chance find that I really enjoyed. I was bit worried after looking at their menu that they were trying to be the "jack of all trades" and Master of none in regard to izakaya style food, but it was good enough that I went twice during my short trip to the area. I highly recommend the various yakatori items. The first night I went I mainly had those. Nicely done. Be sure to try the pork belly and the mackerel. I really wanted some Hamachi Kama but they were out. The chicken harts were good, but not the best I every had but way above average. A nice selection of sake was a welcome sign as well. The next night when I went back for a second go round I wanted to try the ramen. It was fine. I had the Tonkatsu style, which I typically prefer. Theirs was good, but it lacked the richness I come to look for in this style. Noodles were nice, egg was cooked properly, but the broth was missing something. Not saying it was bad, just not up to what I've come to expect for this type of ramen. Service was friendly and excellent. Prices are reasonable, I plan to go again when ever I'm in the area. read more

DOZO Izakaya - Sushi Bars Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

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We stopped in for a quick dinner before a movie on a Saturday night. DOZO Izakaya was about half full, quiet, and relaxed. The menu is extensive and it took a while to decide what we wanted. There are starters, Izakaya (skewers), sushi, bentos, and noodles (ramen, udon, yakisoba). We ordered a house salad, assorted tempura, a dynamite roll, and a carburetor roll (tempura shrimp, crab, avocado). My partner got an unfiltered sake. On a whole we were really happy with our food. The tempura was light and crispy. The panko shrimp were especially good. The salad was much larger and of a higher quality than I expected though some of the dressing was a little heavy on wasabi. The dynamite roll was great. We were a little disappointed with the carburetor roll. The eel sauce here is very, very sweet and the roll was sitting in it. Beyond that, more avocado might have lent some fat and texture to a kind of dry roll. The service was friendly though both our plates had spots of dried food on them and we could have used fresh plates after the first few items--a check in would have been good. About half way through our meal, the table next to us got ramen and I got jealous. They offer vegetarian broth and gluten free noodle options. We'll be back to try the ramen. read more

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Hidden gem in Phoenix! The staff is absolutely amazing, adding to a very pleasant dining experience. I highly recommend the any ramen variation and sushi combo for lunch. Food so good I've come in for lunch and dinner service on the same day. read more

DOZO Izakaya - Sushi Bars Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

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This was my first time coming to Dozo and the space was small and homely but it wasn't too busy. I met up with a friend for dinner and we each ordered a drink (Lovely Dozo and a Mai Tai, respectively) and both were pretty sub-par in terms of alcohol content. Honestly, my Mai Tai tasted like sugar water...but it was during happy hour so they were $5 each. My friend ordered the crunchy roll and I, the carberetor roll. They were both fine. My friend also ordered the gyoza appetizer and a taiwanese sausage which was extremely small in portion size. There were 6 pieces of thinly sliced sausage in total. Although nothing was bad, there wasn't anything extremely amazing about the experience either. read more