Decent sushi place for landlocked Durango. Happy hour is very short, but the options are great. They have a lot of non-sushi items for anti-raw people. My server was Jake and he was very knowledgeable on the menu, giving us great recommendations. Thanks East By Oh wait, stop charging extra for a small amount of sauce on the side read more

Service lacking....despite that food was good. Squash blossoms are great as are hand grenades. The East by Southwest roll with crab superb! Our waiter never told us of specials for the night or brought us extras like ginger and wasabi to go with rolls. We had to ask. Server score would've been a 2 star, food was a 5, cleanliness a 3 star. I'd say and updated interior would be nice. read more

East by Southwest - Cheesecake - Sushi Bars Near Me - Durango, Colorado

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The waiters here were friendly and nice enough to help us get a favorable table. The only complaint I have would be that their Japanese Fried Rice was made with a lot of garlic. I was excited to eat some fried rice again since we're on vacation, but I was only able to finish about half the bowl since it almost made me sick. read more

Delish tuna!!! We got the dynamite bowl and spicy tuna roll. Cool and clean restaurant read more

East by Southwest - Sushi Bars Near Me - Durango, Colorado

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The food and the wait staff get 10 stars. Truly spectacular. Try the salmon lemon roll. It will change your life. The 3 stars though is because of the owners son. No clue on his name, But I asked the wait staff who he is because I've never seen such appalling, bratty behavior in a restaurant in my life. He yelled at a waitress in front of me to "get that table moving and out of here". She, rightfully so, said "they just ordered dessert." He yelled again and she just said okay and walked away. He then told menus and threw them down into a slot and threw a couple other things around. To the owners- I've been coming here for over 20 years. Your restaurant is delightful, your son is not and should never be allowed to work there. I was so appalled by his treatment of the staff, who are amazing, I almost left to never come back. Don't let your people be treated like that. read more

Amazing place! The service is great, everyone was very kind. The atmosphere and decor of the restaurant is awesome, I really enjoyed it. And the food was DELICIOUS! I had the spicy edamame as an appetizer, two of their hand rolls and the tootsie roll sushi, which was great eel and cream cheese. Their ice cream mocha and fruit for dessert were really good too. Overall it was great food and service! read more

East by Southwest - Spicy Edamame - Sushi Bars Near Me - Durango, Colorado

Amazing sushi in Durango? YES! Think you're in LA or NY? YES! Walk outside after eating and realize you're still in CO? YES! We are visiting for a couple days and always go to East by Southwest when in town. We started with miso soup and Korean short ribs, followed by albacore tuna and Scottish salmon sushi. The grand finale is the salmon topped High Roller and the Boomshiki with bacon, scallops and smoked salmon. Both rolls are amazing but clearly it's more fun to say "Boomshiki!!" The evening ends with complimentary cotton candy which seems funny and odd but super works as a perfect finish! Our server was Emily and she is an A plus for so many reasons - she's kind, fun and funny and made the evening just perfect. She really is an amazing person and superb server. Ask for her, you'll be glad you did. Sergio the owner has done an amazing job with this place - 5 stars without question! Can't wait until my next visit to Durango! read more

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10 years in Durango and this is my go-to restaurant when I want a great meal out. Durango has its quirks when it comes to dining, but I always have a great meal here and usually, the service is pretty good too. I recommend the hand grenades to start and my kids love the fried calamari. I usually always get (with my wife) Hamachi Love, Hamango and Triple Tuna and sometimes Vampiro. My son loves the Crunchy Spicy Tuna and Shrimp Tempura. My daughter likes the ole standard California roll. It's a pretty expensive night out because we order the high-end rolls but worth it because I'm overjoyed to have quality sushi in Durango Colorado. read more

I have lived in Durango most of my life, 50years here. have enjoyed east by southwest restaurant for some time until NOW,,,, I am not sure what is going on there but I will never order take out or eat there again. My Miso fish was nasty old and yuck. The Tonkotsu my friend ordered was not good and even arrived with a half egg shell in it. I will no longer recommend this place to friends and loved ones. I'm not sure if this restaurant is just wanting to take advantage of tourism and no longer caring about repeat local business but you no longer have me as a patron read more

Squash Blossoms get them while they last til next year!!!! We ordered 4 which we got for a discount ordered the NYNY wonderful, and the Asparagus Roll which was amazing I'll be back for the hand grenade love those too read more

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We went for happy hour. Everything we ordered was on the happy hour menu. WE ARE ON A BUDGET BUT LOVE SUSHI. We certainly got our sushi fix, It was great and the service was amazing. At the end with our check they brought us some cotton candy.That was a great touch. We will go again again and again. read more

East by Southwest - Yummy cotton candy for desert - Sushi Bars Near Me - Durango, Colorado

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Hands down the best sushi in the world. Creative ideas, always order at least one thing off the daily specials. Great hot food for the non-sushi eaters in the group. I want this to be my last meal! read more

East by Southwest - New menu items are awesome - Sushi Bars Near Me - Durango, Colorado

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Best Chilean Seabass I've ever had. A nice thick fillet cooked perfectly all the way through and the sauce was amazing - highly recommend that read more

The renowned chef from Las Vegas seems to have lost his touch. The cup of miso soup turned out to be more the size of a Dixie cup. It was extremely salty tasting and had the color of soy sauce. He gives you a dash of soup because he doesn't want to fill you up before he charges you nearly six dollars for a single piece of eel the size of your pinky. The unagi was slightly warm like it was left outside in the spring and the sauce was skimpy. The rolls that came next were crafted so poorly that it's as if he let his baby do it on bring your kids to work day. They fell apart in my chopsticks at the slightest touch and they were fodder packed with mostly cucumbers and carrots. They have much better sushi at grocery stores and at a far better deal. read more

Returned to East by Southwest on our usual August trip to Durango. It is always our first stop for sashimi and other Japanese speciality. The food is always amazing. This time, the pork Raman broth was rich and the typical Raman ingredients were cooked to perfection. The chirashi presentation was unique and beautiful to look at. All the fish tasted of the ocean. Perfect. Finally, it is peach season in Colorado and East by Southwest is famous for its Palisade peach mojitos. So peachy good. It amazes me after coming here for years, they are still upping their game. Gus, our waiter, just added to the pleasure of having a great meal. read more

East by Southwest - chirashi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Durango, Colorado

Place has really gone downhill. Food is good but terrible service. Rude staff and the owner was snarky. Server took an hour just to come up and told me he "forgot" to put my order in. They weren't even busy. I use to come here pretty often but they could careless about their customers. Very disappointed. read more

Waited to be seated for 45 min got a text that the table was ready and then they said the table was given to someone else. Granted it was a Friday and reservations should have been made. It took the kids 20 minutes to get their ramune drinks and only after we asked. Good food but man they need to get their ish together. read more

We come to Durango every year and this is our favorite place to eat! The manager is awesome and the staff is so fun! The sushi is so yummy! Lively environment and great staff! Our waitress Alison is the best!! read more

East by Southwest - Thrift store date night! The staff was so fun about it all! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Durango, Colorado

Excellent food and service -fresh fish and attentive wait staff - we loved the spicy tuna roll the salmon lemon roll w soy paper and the philly roll. The drinks were good too! read more

I would not recommend dining at this restaurant if you seek a real sushi experience. However if you desire sushi made in the same style as a burrito, then this place is for you. The following is a summation of my experience: -I recently purchased a ramen which was far too salty -The rolls were poorly constructed and fell apart when picked up. Example of this was a shrimp tempura roll whites the shrimp was not fully cooked and the roll was sprinkled with something resembling breadcrumbs that were not fully cooked. When picked up, the roll just fell apart which made it impossible to be dipped in soy. -The poke was made with so many competing strong flavors that you could not even taste the fish. Which is the whole point of eating poke....to taste the fish. The flavor of this dish was unpleasant and I could not eat more than a few bites of it. read more

This is place is the worst. The service was so bad, our waiter paid no attention to us and was yelling at other tables from across the room. The food was even worse - our meal came out ass backwards, we got our appetizer at the very end and it was cold. The veggie rolls are terrible - sloppy, awful presentation and the flavor combos are way way off. Oh ya, and super over priced!! Bad bad bad...and I'm not that picky. Super bummed I chose this place for my birthday dinner. Sushi is supposed to be a delicate, tasteful, elegant experience...but not here! read more

Amazing sushi and amazing staff!!! Our waitress was great not only with the kids, also with us as she gave us recommendations according to our taste. There wasn't a thing we ordered that we didn't like. Our meal was fantastic and although living many states away we look forward to a return here during our next visit. read more

Visited a week ago. Both my husband and I became violently ill after eating here to celebrate my new job. (I know it was the food we were served here as I hadn't had anything else to eat all day and because we both became sick shortly after.) We used to frequent this place, and got the same thing we always get, so there is absolutely no excuse for us getting sick. When I spoke to the manager on duty when I was better, simply to warn them, not complain, I was told that the owner would call me to follow up. Unsurprisingly, no call! This used to be our favorite spot, but it has gone WAY downhill and clearly, their standards are sloppy. Go to Pop Sushi instead. Trust me, you'll thank me later when you aren't praying to the porcelain god! read more

WONDERFUL as usual. Chef Sergio has knocked it our of the park with his Palisade Peaches & Walu! Beautiful presentation, juicy caramelized peach atop a slice of walu with a salty sweet burst of flavor and a buttery ending with the caramelized crunch! read more

East by Southwest - Sushi Bars Near Me - Durango, Colorado

Sushi rolls were loose and fell apart Service was terrible - delivered food but no plates and never refilled drinks Appetizers, soup, salad, entries arrived all at the same time Did not clear empty plates that cluttered the table read more

Highly recommend. East by has been a favorite of mine for years. Fresh fish, great quality and I've always had wonderful service. Great cocktails as well- overall I highly recommend eating here! read more

Amazing place to grab a bite to eat and a great cocktail. I came in for happy hour, and my server was Karl. He was very friendly and had great recommendations for us. 10/10 would come back. If you come in ask for Karl as your server! read more

Ate there last night. Fabulous food and service. One of the owners' sons waited on us. He was top notch. I'm in the business and I love to see young people like this truly passionate about the industry who truly "get" hospitality. I have eaten Sushi at some of the best places in major cities. This was just as good if not better. The lotus blossom was unbelievable. Awesome gluten free tempura options which is really hard to find. The chili relleno was to die for. No wonder this place has been here and successful for like 15+ years. read more

East by Southwest - Lotus blossom - Sushi Bars Near Me - Durango, Colorado

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The sushi was awesome and the location great. Highly recommend the King Salmon sashimi and the kamikaze roll. The carrot ginger bisque was perfect on a cold night. We ate way too much. Gus is a fantastic waiter and made us feel welcome, informed, and like we were buds by the end of the night. What a great experience! read more

Always enjoy going here as when visiting family, we need our sushi fix. I'd give it 4 or 5 stars as our previous visits have been top notch but our past visit was a little off. Service is always "spot on", attentive but not overwhelming. Everything was great until we ordered a salmon roll. When it arrived, we all picked up a "dirty sneaker odor". After further inspection of the offending rolls, we determined it was not any of us but the rolls themselves....no fault of their own. :) Our waiter made quick work of removing the noxious preparation and assured us we wouldn't be charged (and we weren't) and brought us a different roll of our choice. Don't let the 3 stars deter you, this is a fine establishment. read more

I would like to give it one more star or maybe one less star... Heres why for both Pros: I got Chicken Kimchee Raman. There was an AMAZING amount of different stuff in it and it was good. My wife had House Fried Rice. Dessert was Tempura Cheese Cake. All good Cons: Service sucked. Our server took FOREVER to get to us and FOREVER to check in on us throughout the night. She was sat a table late but that's not our fault. She did get everything we needed by it just took a long time to get it. Not sure how fix this but it seems to be a common problem at this restaurant.... read more

Ugh. Horrible experience. We were excited to go and have sushi together after a long weekend of cycling and hiking. We got there, immediately asked if we had a reservation, we didn't. They said that they can only do take out orders and it would be 30 minutes. So we obliged. I ordered two rolls, one tuna avocado roll (with rice on the outside) and one Philly roll (same-rice on the outside). After paying $20 for two rolls, I saw that neither of my orders were even accurate AND they were half the size of a normal sushi roll!!! I only ate it because I had no choice, I do not recommend this restaurant to anyone. read more

We were staying at the Strater hotel and a couple blocks away was East by Southwest.right when you walk in it has Beautiful atmosphere and the wait staff was very kind we had a reservation at 8:00 PM because we were going on the polar express before hand. So anyway we get seated and I will order drinks my aunt ordered the librarian my husband ordered I ordered some sake and my daughter ordered some Japanese soda is really cool and the wait staff was Awesome.we love the food there I was amazing my daughter ate a whole plate of sushi salads andTwo bowls of edamame it was that good. read more

Although the food was good we were never made to feel welcome from the beginning. We had an 8 pm reservation and the hostess ignored us and sat other walking when she could have put the tables together. 20 minutes in we asked to be seated at a 4 top otherwise we wouldn't have been able to order and eat. As soon as we were seated we were told we had to order because the kitchen was closing. The waiter obviously wanted to get out of there and only asked how things were after we finished. He forgot to bring plates since we were sharing and rushed us out the door at check time. The manager didn't seem to care much either and it shows in the front. The cooks are holding down the place. Won't go back. If the owner is in the kitchen it shows-food is good but no one is managing the front of the restaurant read more

I went to this place with my friends and we all ordered off of happy hour during happy hour and was not told it wasn't going on till we got our bill. No fixes were made with how we were not told. Later, I tried calling for the store manager and was put on hold for 10 minutes and then they hung up on me and won't answer when I call back. Poor service, will not be going back there again. read more

The gyoza were ok and the fried beets were tasty, but we each could only manage one bite of the butterfish with soy glaze, and the shrimp tempura broth was bland with chopped veggies and the tempura itself was soggy and gluey. Just not good food overall. read more

Worst server in the history of all my restaurant experiences! Subpar food at best. The good: great soup, the three dollar one. I forget what it's called. The bad: The Udon was flavorless and the SHRIMP UDON had three teeny fried shrimp on the side? WHAT? The Tempura was greasy and vegetables were not fully cooked. Peach tea is a black tea and WAY too strong. The Server is really what killed it! I couldn't even get a word in to ask her if the tea was caffeinated. The shrimp roll was ok and the wasabi was pretty excellent quality. SERVER middle aged, red hair, bun hugging all her regulars. She was soliciting tips from her guests, asking if they wanted their change (we're talking 10-20 bucks here....you don't ask that!) She left her claw on my arm and asked if we were ready to order (this was an annoying attempt to kiss my assets because she'd blown us off, 30 minutes since we sat down). I found the gesture highly invasive and annoying. During this disappointing meal, the more she screwed up, the more brash, dismissive and phoney she became. She all but disappeared. After we arrived and perused the menu, I ordered a peach tea after debating an alcoholic drink during happy hour and OOOOoooooo this pissed her off. She was no longer nice AT ALL. My fiancé and I agreed to split the shrimp Udon. The oder was never placed. She actually asked us an hour later and after two tables that came in BEFORE us were getting there tab and leaving...."you guys got anything else coming?" She never placed our order NEVER EVEN PLACED! WOW! When she was bringing our cotton candy (without the ticket I might add), She brushed it against several patrons and her arm. Ewww. We had to ask her for the ticket to leave and that took another 15 minutes. Highly overpriced, Cramped, I am not impressed. I tipped her .50 because a two top should NOT take 2 hours and I didn't want to look at her face to wait and get change. Get some new servers geez! I wish I could get my money back. I paid cash so, she probably pocketed it. If you have to eat here, stick with cooked sushi rolls and appetizers only. I HIGHLY do NOT recommend! This needs to be $$$ not two! read more

I am a long time customer of this restaurant and I love sushi. However, over the years they have become way over priced, service has lacked, and they just don't seem to care. I went this past week because I had a bogo coupon that was going to expire. Due to the fact that I am a long time customer there I have racked up points on their rewards system. One of my rewards was a free bottle of cheap wine. I asked for the wine and then was told I could not use my coupon and earn my wine at the same time. I was a bit annoyed due to the fact that I have earned that bottle and I should be able to redeem it whenever I want. I decided to pay for the wine and use my coupon. My totally bill was pricy and the coupon only saved my 8$... because they take off the cheapest item! I just was annoyed how this system worked and what a rip off it was to say the least. There are now other sushi restaurants in this town that are better in many ways. They definitely have competition. read more

Some of the best sushi ever! And not just in a mountain town! Seriously ever. Also, they have the best happy hour in town. Durango is full of great happy hours but I always tried to make my way to East by Southwest when it was time. You'll love it! read more

This place revels in its own reputation, but honestly, it is THE most overrated restaurant in all of Durango. I am in Durango on business for a few weeks, and I heard about this place very quickly. "Best sushi I've ever had" was one epithet. Ha! Hardly. The teenage-looking "chefs" can hardly cope with the hyped-up, pretentious menu. For the good, authentic sushi, try the place right across the street, Sushitarian. Well, for fairness sake, I was only able to eat here once. 3 other times, when I came here after 9 pm, they refused to seat me, claiming the kitchen is closed. That includes a Thursday night, when I arrived at 9:30! Thank goodness for Sushitarian, across the street, that had served me at 5 minutes to 10 pm once. Why? Because they care about their customers, and East by Southwest does not. One of the young waitresses has even mocked my accent once. I should have asked for the manager. Not that they'd probably care. The one time I did manage to eat here, the food was just OK, but ridiculously overpriced for what it is. They are attempting to be a Japanese-fusion kind of place, but are neither Japanese not fusion. Food was edible, for sure, but certainly not worth the hoopla. The place right next door, Golden Triangle, is only marginally better. But, time allowing, I'll write a separate review about it. In the meantime, if you want sushi in Durango, avoid East by Southwest. There are other choices, and very close. read more