Friends review of the "omakase experience":…read more Don't be fooled by the marketing campaign being ramrodded through social media depicting an omakase being served by a professionally trained sushi chef presumably from Japan. Nobody here speaks Japanese. This isn't a review of the typical menu items found at any other restaurant within eye shot of the parking lot. This is about the omakase. My experience started a full week prior to my actual meal when I walked in and mentioned that I wanted to try the omakase. The host, gracious as they were, looked at me like I was ordering from the forbidden menu. Their demeanor changed. With their shoulders now tense and looking around for help, they told me that I needed to let them know at least 48 hours in advance. Why? Looking around I didn't see the famed sushi chef behind the bar so I'd just assumed they had to let him know someone wanted the omakase. Perhaps they wanted more than just one person to justify the cost of bringing him in. I couldn't understand it. An omakase isn't a special type of dinner that can only be done by the most trained of chefs. It's a staple experience that any chef can provide at a moment's notice at any sushi restaurant... any sushi restaurant outside the Rio Grande Valley, that is. If you need 48 hours notice to provide a quality omakase experience then it isn't saying much for your other chefs behind the bar. It's just consists of items already on the menu, but also gives your chefs the freedom to create their own dishes. Experiment a little. In any case, this was the moment where I felt I might be in trouble. It's a week later and I'm walking in to finally get some good sushi. The host asks for my name, says I'm here for the omakase, and immediately takes me to my seat at the bar. I'm the only one here. I only see one chef, and it's not _the guy_. Why did they need 48 hours notice again? The first dish was a delightful poke salad. Well made and well plated. A nice starter. I was cautiously optimistic. The rest of the meal was all nigiri pieces consisting of salmon, yellowtail, scallop, otoro, "wagyu", maguro, and uni. There were others but I stopped taking notes at some point once I realized what this was. Standard Valley sushi. And there's nothing wrong with that. It is what it is. This is what we know and how we do it. But I had to wait for this? Spend at least $100 for this? No. If you're going to put an omakase experience on such a pedestal you need to deliver and you didn't. The entire experience lasted less than an hour so the pace was also an issue. A well paced and well managed tasting course is at least two hours. If you're going to visit this restaurant you're going to have an amazing time ordering standard menu items. They do that very well. Just don't do the omakase.

The place has a great atmosphere, elegant ambiance. General food is decently priced and and good in…read morequality. However the Nigri/sashimi seems to be overpriced in comparison to its quality threshold. For this to be a sushi restaurant is why I give the 3 in relation to the sushi, everything else 3.5/4.

I dare to say that this restaurant is the best in all the Valley (956) it has a fully unlimited…read moremenu a-lot of Japanese beer to choose from. If you ever come to McAllen it's a must try! The best thing is that this restaurant is unlimited food but made to order so it's fresh!!!! And very economical I will definitely be coming back!

My family and I wanted to go somewhere nice to eat after church. When we arrived, the server that…read morehad black curly hair with glasses told us there would be about a 15-20 minute wait, so my mom gave them her phone number so they could call her when our table was ready. While we were waiting, my mom needed to use the restroom. While she was in the restroom, they called her, but of course she was unable to answer her phone at that moment. When my mom came out of the restroom, she went to ask if our table was ready. The server responded in a very rude tone and said, "Just so you know, after two calls, we give the table to someone else. You couldn't at least pick up the phone?" My mom explained that she had been in the restroom and asked "what was I supposed to do,answer the phone while I was using the restroom?" The server then seated us, but by that point, we were very uncomfortable with the way my mom had been spoken to. We decided to get up and leave because we did not feel that the service or the way the situation was handled was appropriate. We completely understand that restaurants have policies regarding waitlists, but there was no reason for the server to speak to my mom in such a rude and disrespectful manner, especially when she had simply stepped away to use the restroom.

I saw a bunch of adds on instagram and TikTok to try this place, saying it was better than Fujiyama…read moreHibachi nearby and Trenton, and that place is very good to me so I should known when these Food Vloggers started to talk smack about another place, clearly paid to do so. The food was terrible. I'm on a diet so I opted for a white meat chicken bowl with the veggies as a base. I asked for spicy chicken and it was almost $18! The chicken was extremely dry and extremely chewy, it's like they gave me the bottom of thr barrel chicken breast and 50% of the chicken was very small in size and dried out. They doused it in hot sauce and that's the only thing I could taste. The veggies were old and didn't taste fresh at all. 90% cabbage, 5% broccoli and 5% zucchini. What a waste of money and I was extremely excited to try this place. No wonder it's not packed or anyone in their parking lot. I usually would go back and demand a refund but I was defeated for the day, working in the sun most of the day and just very busy. I wanted a nice health comfort meal and instead I threw it in the trash and went to Whataburger. Don't believe the hype, this is worst teriyaki place I've tried since those bad restaurants in the food court at the mall. Trust me people, spend you hard money elsewhere and don't fall for the ads

I ordered the food to go but I still got off the car to order. As a wheelchair user it wasn't as…read moreaccessible if I wanted to eat in the restaurant. The tables didn't allow for my powered wheelchair to fit into a standard height table and the bar height table is too high. The food though, I ordered the orange chicken spicy and teriyaki chicken spicy. They were both delicious! I will say that if you're not used to spicy food the "spicy" option might be too spicy, maybe order the sauce on the side so you can add in as much as you'd like. I would definitely be back to order food to go!

The restaurant was beautiful. Table service was good, although the sushi took a little long to…read moreprepare and there were only 5 tables or so seated. The 'maki' rolls were not prepared with seaweed on the outside, like maki is prepared traditionally. Hot stone wagyu was 10/10 and the seafood 8/10. The sauces provided were good but I prefer normal soy sauce and soy sauce ramekins.

Beautiful resturant Great service…read more Very clean and new Foood welll Expensive Variety

XinXin is a local mom and pop Asian restaurant that bills itself as "asian fusion cuisine.". The…read moreambiance is pleasant and clean, but also homey and informal. I noticed one of the cooks was using a dining room table to prepare vegetables while watching a video on her phone. The lady who took my order at the front counter also played the role of server. The counter was cluttered. When I walked in, no one acknowledged me for a few minutes. The lady was talking to someone - whether a friend or client I could not tell. When he left, she finally turned to me and asked if I wanted take-out or dine in. I can't say she was either welcoming nor friendly, but once I stated my intentions were to dine in she led me to a table and handed me the menu. Xin Xin does not have a buffet. But that ensures that everything is made fresh as you order it. They offer dine in, take out, and have a drive through window. Their menu is pretty extensive with Vietnamese, Japanese, and Chinese entrees.. some of which I have never heard and would need coaching to pronounce. I wanted something more familiar, and ordered the Triple Delight lunch special. The lunch special came with my choice of soup, and either white or fried rice. I ordered the hot and sour soup and fried rice. The lunch special portion was generous but I was hungry and finished it all. I can't say the food quality stood out as extra special, but it was very good and I enjoyed it. The Triple Delight was supposed to have beef, chicken, and shrimp, but I did not detect any beef. There was plenty of the chicken and shrimp. The menu lists beverages as canned soft drinks, a couple of juices like coconut or lychee, and hot or iced tea. I asked the server if the iced tea was fresh brewed and she assured me it was. When she brought out a bottle of Gold Peak sweet iced tea I wondered if she knew enough English to understand my question and what "fresh brewed" means... The Gold Peak was decent, but not the same as fresh brewed. My experience with the service and ambience was lacking. The drink was also a little disappointing. The food, however was very good and the prices were reasonable. Considering the competition, they need to up their game if they want my business.

Wonderful food! Great service! Ambiance is comfortable!…read more My mom, sister & I eat here or get take out.

Just found our to go Pho and shaved snow spot ! Everything…read morewas amazing from the service to the food! The owner was a great dude, had a small chat and found out we came from the same part of California. Overall I recommend this place if you're looking for authentic Vietnamese food. I'll be back in the near future

I haven't been here for a while. But I am so happy that they are here in the RGV . Soooooo good! I…read morelove the avocado smoothie, hu tieu noodles, and the sweeet potato fries surprise . The owners are so genuinely nice and the service is impeccable !!! Come try everything ! You won't be disappointed !!

Nuri Fusion Street Kitchen is now one of my new favorite spots! This gem has been here for 10 years…read moreand I'm making up for lost time !! The vibe is amazing, the service is super friendly, and the flavors are seriously addictive! I love spicy food, so having a bunch of house-made salsa options is a HUGE win for me I could go on about the fried chicken (perfectly crispy), the super tender pork belly, the steak, or the Korean-inspired tacos with kimchi and wild flavor combos--but you really just need to try it yourself! Chips n guac, chips n queso, elote, nachos, Korean inspired tacos and rice bowls and loaded fries !!!! Salads and brussel sprouts - everything is a must try

We had such a great experience! The food came out incredibly fast, and everything tasted fresh,…read moreflavorful, and perfectly cooked. One thing that really stood out was the variety of vegetarian options--they had so many choices, and they definitely didn't feel like an afterthought. We tried several different dishes, including crispy tofu, veggie bowls loaded with fresh vegetables, and vegetarian bao buns, and every bite was delicious. The vegetables were fresh, the sauces were packed with flavor, and the portions were generous. Whether you're vegetarian or just looking to try something different, this is definitely a place worth visiting. The food was fresh, the service was quick, and everything exceeded our expectations. We'll definitely be coming back!

Asian market with good prices and wide selection. Honestly, I thought this was a store with…read morevegetarian food but I was pleasantly surprised. Very kind and friendly staff. Meat, fish, seafood, etc. Will be coming back soon!

Living in the Rio Grande Valley has few options for vegetarian/vegans. Even though Vegemarket has…read moreplenty of meat products they also offer an array of frozen veggie meats, hot prepared vegan cuisine, fresh juices and smoothies. I encourage vegans to check it out. I really don't think you will be disappointed.

My first impression of Ronin Ramen was that it was asian inspired restaurant. When I first walked…read morein, there were anime posters and asian inspired decor. When I was seated, it suddenly turned into a sports bar with a small touch of asian inspired decor. I asked for a cup of water, but found out they only serve bottled water at $3. I ordered, not expecting much as the restaurant and service were both average. I did not expect it, but, wow, the food was delicious! The plates were very very well served. The ramen could have used more protein, but for the price was okay. As most ramens, it didn't have much flavor but the hot chili oil they provided added the perfect touch to the meal. The orange chicken with stir fry - not on the menu, I had to ask for substitutions - was absolutely delicious!! The noodles were great, but did need the chili oil to add that extra touch of flavor. I would definitely go back! Not for aesthetics, not for the service, but for the food. It truly made coming to Ronin's worth it.

I just came here, it's now located inside the MERCADO DISTRICT. Anyways, great ramen! Super…read moreflavorful and nice staff. Definitely my go to ramen place here.

I took my Mom (who only eats meat), here. She had seen it on the news…read more I had a veggie omelette. She had street tacos. Both were amazing. Our server was knowledgeable and helpful. As a Vegan, I was wholeheartedly impressed and will return.

This is such a cool place and such a gem of a restaurant. I went here for lunch with a coworker. I…read morewas taken aback at how thoughtful and wholesome the menu was. You truly have a lot of great options that are still tasty and filling. Excellent, friendly staff too. I also love that the building it's in is old but electic with a nice aesthetic and vibe. I will continue to come back and support this awesome restaurant!