You have to try this place. Very good food and lots of it. It is all cooked to order, delicious…read morehealthy food. The staff is super friendly and helpful. I'll be going back

Pepper Lunch is one of those places I keep coming back to--and it hits the spot every single time…read more I've been here three times now, and the consistency is spot on. I always get the veggie rice and add tofu and egg, and it's so flavorful and satisfying every time. I also really appreciate how vegetarian-friendly they are. It's not always easy to find places that have solid veggie options that don't feel like an afterthought, but Pepper Lunch definitely delivers. The sizzling plate makes it a fun experience too. Parking is always easy to find even though it's street parking. If you're looking for something quick, delicious, and customizable, this place is a win. Definitely a go-to for me!

What a great surprise. We found this restaurant, Xami Sushi, in what used to be a rougher part of…read moretown and now it's an outstanding sushi spot. When you first pull up, you might think, "maybe I should keep driving," but don't doubt yourself. Go inside. The place is clean, bright, and welcoming. The owner actually took our order and was happy to chat and also offered to customize anything we wanted. He really cares about the food and how it's presented, and it shows. I think they've been open here for about two years, and they're doing things right. We were there for lunch and I had three basic rolls (tuna, salmon, and Philly), and my wife went for the more adventurous rolls. Everything came out fast, fresh, and with generous portions of fish. Every bite was delicious. If you're anywhere near Broadway Road, give this place a try. It's fun to explore a different part of town and discover a restaurant that delivers on great sushi. Highly recommend...

Have you ever dated someone who is homely as a mangy dog but had a certain charisma, intelligence,…read moreand desirability that was in stark contrast to their general look? That's Xami Sushi. Was the sushi delicious? Was it fresh? Was it presented beautifully? Were the rolls creative without being ridiculous? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. OMG yes. This place is butt ugly, sitting in a dirt parking lot nextdoor to a ramshackle house with a "Beware of dog" sign on a busy four lane road in a quasi industrial area. Service was kind and attentive. Professional. The sushi chefs were young and enthusiastic. Go ahead and go on this blind date. Don't judge her by her looks. Love her to the end of your days because she's truly the one.

Nice place for dinner! We got the spicy edamame, salmon and yellowtail sashimi, and Atkins roll…read morewhich was my fave and really nice. It came with sushi pieces on a toothpick(!) and some of the sushis, although they had all the normal delicious seafood like crab meat, salmon, and yellowtail, were placed inside of a cut-out cucumber type piece! So it was like a "diet sushi" type dish which was really fun to eat. They also have amazing hot sake here, would recommend :) Layout's a bit atypical it's a long room, some other people in groups but not too crowded, and I feel like closes maybe earlier than midnight (more like 9-10pm?)

What a great place! Hidden Gem.!!! Super nice staff, really…read moregood food and fair prices. Casual dining... some kids, although more adult oriented. Noise level was moderate, and we were able to have a conversation without volume. I will totally go back!!!

Popped into this place for our last meal before leaving AZ and it did not disappoint! We were the…read morefirst people in. When we walked in it had a very fishy smell, so it kind of made us second guess our choice. But we went for it anyhow. The greeter/server was very pleasant and sat us. It was very clean inside with ample space between seat. We browsed through the menu and started with our usual edamame and pot stickers. The edamame was salted well throughout where a lot of places just put the salt on top only. We ordered a couple varieties of sake which were both good. Out of all of the things we ordered the karange skewer was just a little more oily than were use to, but still good. The spicy salmon roll had really great flavor and the lollipop roll was probably one of the better versions that we have had. The musubi was giant to say the least, it was good, but offered a bit too much rice. Overall the food and service was great and we were very happy that we ended up here!

Awesome late night spot, for decent quality Japanese eats, and in the Tempe-Scottsdale area. Zu…read moreIzakaya was a solid post-study dinner spot when I was a student, and this time it definitely held up! We were nearby for a show, and decided to stop in on a Wednesday evening for a late dinner with some friends. They have a good happy hour menu, and my friends ordered off there, but I was craving sushi so I got the nigiri omakase. It came with miso soup, which I enjoyed, definitely hard to go wrong there. The sushi itself was decent, nothing crazy, but definitely better than grocery store quality. The tuna and salmon pieces were a little fishy, maybe not the freshest, but it was also quite late (~10pm) so I wasn't expecting too much. Beautifully presented, and the cuts were quite large which was nice! The food came out pretty fast, and the service was pleasant. The restaurant vibes are pretty dark, and moody. The bathroom was kind of scary personally, super dark and a little messy, so I decided to wait till I got home. Overall, a solid experience, and definitely a good choice if I am in the area.

We were seated immediately, and our hostess gave us some of the nicest service I've experienced…read more The Japanese beers are a must, especially off draft. We were able to snag happy hour deals for the chili edamame and the Las Vegas and spicy yellowtail rolls. The rolls were very tasty and came out in less than 5mins. The edamame.... THE BEST edamame I've had to date. These are a required must-try for anyone going here. We decided to try a hot pot for the first time and went with a fan favorite spicy seafood pot. I was scared it would be fishy, which I don't like. But it was in a tonkotsu broth (pork bone broth) so the seafood flavor was just in the seafood itself, which was perfect for me. It was so good. Not very spicy though, and I think that would level it up a bit. Off happy hour, it is a bit pricey. A hotpot is $20 but easily feeds two or three people, but the rolls are about $7-$14 a piece which adds up. Happy hour is a good time to be there. It's also more refined inside, a nice glow of the lights and high end tableware and chopsticks. Not too fancy, which is perfect for an impromptu night out like we had.

The food here was really great. I highly recommend the shishito peppers as an appetizer--they were…read moreone of the highlights of the meal. If you're not a fan of strong flavors, I would recommend asking for lighter seasoning on some dishes and a little extra water in the soups. That balance worked well for our preferences. Unfortunately, the service did not match the quality of the food. During the hour we were there, the restaurant wasn't busy. There were only a couple of tables being served, yet our drinks were never refilled, our table wasn't bused, and our rice never arrived with our hot pot soups even after our server asked if we wanted it. It seemed to be forgotten. What really stood out was that we ended up eating dessert with a table full of dirty dishes still sitting in front of us and empty drinks that had not been refilled. I also noticed that the table next to us appeared to receive much more attentive service. Their drinks were refilled, their dishes were cleared promptly, and staff regularly checked on them to see if they needed anything. In comparison, our table received very little attention. I don't know why there was such a difference in service. It left me wondering whether we were being treated differently, though I can't say for certain. Overall, the food was excellent, but the service was disappointing and significantly affected our experience. (Server was Dhillon T.)

I got a salmon bowl with added chicken. Dry chicken. Even…read moredryer salmon. So dry, I almost choked. Barely any veggies (I'm pretty sure I had like 2 pieces of broccoli) and bowl came with 90% rice. The spicy teriyaki sauce isn't bad though -- good balance of sweet and spicy.

The staff is super friendly and the food is always good, just like I remembered. The only…read moredifference is the portion size. Back in the day they would load you up with Meat and veggies... I said no veggies as I recall the portions have gotten smaller over the years... I still Love this place and recommend it when looking for a great brown rice bowl! Really laid back vibe with mariachi playing in the background! Check them out.

Best ramen on this side of town! Very friendly staff with a mom and pop feel. Parking can be…read moretough occasionally.

Cute little Japanese diner near ASU. My wife and I have been her a couple times and it's feels like…read morea real neighborhood spot in Japan. We like to grab the yatai ramen combo and I've tried to katsu and curry as well as the okonomiyaki. A tasty no frills affair! Great value as well. Staff is friendly and there's plenty of indoor and outdoor seating!

Easily has become my new favorite Japanese restaurant! Our server Brad was by far the biggest…read morehighlight outside of our delicious meal! He went out of his way to take care of us and he was such a delight to talk to. We had a big group too and the food came out so quickly! I would drive out of my way just to come back here .

If you work downtown, or near downtown you need to add Harumi lunches into your rotation! The new…read moreHarumi, which is directly across from the old one, is huge inside and has a beautiful interior. My favorite lunch special, which is less than $20 comes with Udon & 2 of the signature house rolls. The Udon is a large portion with a ton of flavor in the broth. The AZ Roll is my favorite but you can't go wrong with any of their signature rolls. The purple rice is a staple! If you are up for it or visiting alone sit at the sushi bar, the sushi chefs put on a great show!