A place with potential... My friend was craving Asian food so we decided to try this place for dinner. Like others previously said, "we made a reservation for Saturday night, but when we arrived the place was half-empty." I' was a bit surprised but figured it couldn't be that bad, right? When our server came over, she was quick to mention that they still didn't haven't their liquor license. Again, a bit surprised but we were able to pivot. To start, I got the spring rolls and the Just Friends On The Beach. For an NA drink, they nailed it. It wasn't too sweet and actually tasted like a balanced drink instead of fancy juice. The spring rolls were good but tasted like most spring rolls would, so it was to be expected. Entree wise, I went with the Don, which a bowl that comes with rice, pickled ginger, an eel sauce, onsen egg, and your choice of protein. I had the green onions omitted and chose shrimp for my protein. Now, it could just be me, but I always thought bowls like this would include a decent amount of meat and have everything mixed in. What I got was a large bowl filled with rice, and three pieces of shrimp. It was interesting to say the least and while it was pretty good, it left a lot to be desired. My friend got the golden chocobo and that was the most flavorful ramen I've ever had! I def wish I had gotten that instead but there's always next time. I know they recently opened so I can't be too harsh, but once they get their liquor license and maybe enhance a few dishes, they'll be well on their way. read more

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I work near The Grove, so I was really excited about having a sushi spot close by. Sadly, this place just didn't work out for me. I'm not sure how they handle their food waste, but before I even walked in, there was a strong smell coming from the restaurant. I know trash never smells great, but after working in restaurants for 17 years-- 15 of those in Sushi and Asian spots-- It wasn't this bad. To me, that says a lot about how they dispose their waste/liquids and their cleanliness and food safety. I love anime and manga so they definitely nailed the vibe. However, the food was just okay, and they served me old wasabi. From my experience working at sushi restaurants and making wasabi myself, I could tell the wasabi was definitely old. It wasn't spicy at all and didn't have the soft texture it should. I've seen other people mention that their server wasn't very attentive, but since I was the only customer there, my server was actually very friendly and helpful. He even gave me the WIFI password when I pulled out my laptop. Other things to know: Street Parking Gender neutral restroom Lunch time- only the bar/lounge area is availabe I gave it three stars because if I maybe ordered a cooked dish instead of sushi, I may have liked it. read more

Really wanted to try this place especially for a date night last Friday, unfortunately our server wasn't really attentive. She brought us waters and then skipped our table for 20 minutes to assist other tables in her section. We ended up leaving because we were hungry and wanted to have an enjoyable dinner. I understand Friday nights are bussyyyy, but we were hoping she'd at least get our mocktails in and an appetizer. So if you plan on coming here, just be mindful you can be seated right away but still expected to wait a while for service and acknowledgement. The host was really nice tho. read more

Visited Oni recently and overall thought it was just okay. The space itself is definitely cool. It has a small, dark, moody vibe that feels intimate and stylish, which was probably my favorite part of the experience. One downside was that they didn't yet have their liquor license when we visited, which was honestly a big bummer since I love having a cocktail with dinner. I know that's temporary, but it definitely impacted the overall experience for me. The food was decent, but nothing really stood out as especially memorable or something I'd rave about afterward. Service also felt a little scattered throughout the night. At one point our server realized she had forgotten one of our appetizers entirely, and overall things just didn't feel very polished yet. That said, it still feels like a spot with potential, especially because the ambiance is so unique. I'd be open to giving it another try down the road once they've had more time to settle in and hopefully get the full bar program running. read more

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I was super excited to come to Oni. I made reservations for a Friday night but when we got there, it wasn't very busy. Still, if you are the type who doesn't like waiting, make reservations to be safe. We were seated immediately and our waitress came shortly after. Since we just sat down, she offered to bring us some waters. They have mocktails, and some NA beer and wine options. I am not into sugary drinks and neither is my husband so we stuck with water. We started with 2 snacks/appetizers: the goons and 2 orders of musubi since we didn't want to bother splitting one. That might be rough but we saw the table next to us do it. The crab ragoons were freshly fried (still pipping hot upon delivery to our table) and served with a side of sweet chili sauce. The musubi - for those unfamiliar is a popular Hawaiian snack, inspired by the Japanese onigiri (rice balls) which consists of spam and rice and wrapped in a strip of wide nori (seaweed). Having grown up eating these, I generally hold them to a certain standard. The musubi at Oni is served with an egg layer and some eel sauce. While this is quite unnecessary, I think the fanciful version works and happy to report that their version made it to my list of favorites in the Midwest. Layer proportions were good and the rice was fluffy. On to the sushi. We ordered 4 rolls to share between my husband and I. We had the spicy tofu, spicy girl, St. Louis and Hello Kitty. Spicy tofu consisted of spicy tuna, fried tofu, cream cheese and eel sauce. I've never had sushi with tofu before and glad I tried it. It worked and the flavors were good. Spicy girl had crab mix, tempura shrimp, masago, green onions and spicy mayo. St. Louis had the usual ingredients of tuna, pickled radish, masago, and scallions and Hello Kitty had shrimp, crab mix, cream cheese, masago and wrapped in pink soy paper. The sushi were flavorful and they had some interesting ingredients but the rice was consistently dry on all four rolls which was disappointing. The place also offers ramen. Perhaps I will try this next time. Service was great. Our waitress was friendly and quick with the water refills and taking our orders. The inside of the restaurant itself is very cool with some anime themes and a fun, artistic quality to it. You can tell that they paid special attention to the details that went into the decor of the restaurant. While the sushi fell short of what I was expecting, the appetizers were pretty good and so was the service. I hope to make it back this way again soon and perhaps try something else from their menu. read more

Oni - Sushi rolls - Izakaya Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

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Last minute dinner arrangement change because I was craving sushi! I made a reservation with resy for 5:30pm. It was early enough where I didn't need to once I got there but they got busy real fast so definitely recommend making a reservation. I ordered the kaiju slinger and blue fin rolls. I the blue fin was outstanding. They melted in my mouth. The kaiju slinger was... A LOT. Of course I took the rest home with me. I asked for curry sauce on the side which I'm very glad I did because I personally was not a fan. Just me. The pork belly was also melting in my mouth. I don't think I've been to a place where it was like that. It was always dry for some reason but not here! There was just one issue during payment where it went through but it didn't ask me to tip and I was so confused because our waitress was so great! So nice and attentive and bubbly! She said oh don't worry about it! And left. So I got her to let me order a tea and then I laughed because I was like now I can tip! And I'm really glad because she gave me an iced black tea and it was REALLY good too! The fall though was the POS system not taking my initial payment the first time and reverted back and needed to pay again. Luckily me and my friend were still there gabbing away or else I never would have noticed/realized. But I think it stemmed back to it not letting me tip the first time which was very strange. Just a little issue but nothing to have me not want to come back. Just a little inconvenience. Definitely recommend to still go! read more

Oni - Izakaya Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

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We went here for dinner. The sushi has not changed in quality, still tastes pretty much same as their previous place, blue ocean sushi. They are in the process of obtaining their liquor license, so no alcohol options for now.One hiccup was that our fries that we ordered did not come out, the waiter did notice this toward the end of our dinner and did asked us about it. Since we already done eating, we told him not to worry about it. read more

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Went here for dinner on a Saturday night with my husband. Made a reservation to be safe, but prob didn't need to. Restaurant looks familiar, but it's brand new. Decor is similar to the old blue ocean. We were seated quickly. The waiter came over pretty fast too. My husband ordered one of their na cocktails and I got a glass of the na sparkling wine. Drinks were good. I think they are waiting on a liquor license so no alcohol on the menu yet. For dinner, my husband got miso soup, which he said was flavorful. He ordered the toro and the big O and I got the cardinal and la flama Blanca. Rolls came quickly and were tasty. We enjoyed our food Towards the end of our meal a large party got seated by us and they were pretty loud, but that is my only complaint about the entire experience. Will def eat here again! read more

Oni - Toro roll - Izakaya Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

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Had been looking forward to try this new place since they opened especially after seeing some good reviews. We went right when they opened and the interior is definitely a vibe, nice lighting and seating. We got two appetizers, crab Rangoon and spring rolls and they both tasted really fresh. Unfortunately that was the highlight of the dinner. We got two sushi rolls, my partner got ramen and I got the Japanese curry. One of the rolls was good, other just okay and the ramen and curry both had potential but kind of bland lacking a full flavor profile. Was really hoping to love this place but sadly I don't think it was enough to go back;( read more

Oni - Spicy girl and tofu roll - Izakaya Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

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This place blew me away. Perfect spot for a ramen joint, decor and design is by far the coolest I've seen in St. Louis. Extra points because the tv was playing assorted clips from different anime shows. Got the golden chocobo ramen and chicken gyozas. The ramen had so many levels of flavor and the chicken katsu added a nice crunch factor to it. Broth is not overly salty, just right. Egg was cooked to perfection, and the other works were all working together harmoniously. The team is super friendly and chill, I can't wait to see this place flourish. read more

Got back in town from visiting a friend and it was almost 9 in the evening. Of course since it's St. Louis there is hardly anything open past 9 pm on a Sunday or Monday unless it's Waffle House, Dennys or Of the IHOP family and that just was not appealing! Started looking for something else and Oni popped up. Love any and all Asian food so decided to give it a shot. Got there about 9:15 and closing was at ten. Of course they were thrilled to us! Lol- but in all actuality the host, and bartender - think his name was Nick- I hope I am remembering that correctly- could not have been more welcoming and kind. The vibe was laid back and comfortable- and definitely was the type of place you could hang at for a while enjoying drinks and snacks. All the food ordered was pretty tasty- the gyoza was delicious. Filling was meaty but what made it was the dipping sauce and the wrapper- tender but had some bite. The rangoons- were honestly some of the best I have ever had. They were on the smaller side but the filling was delicious and flavorful- and was not the typical white cream cheese style filling. The Don- white rice with sauce, chicken and a perfectly cooked soft egg was very tasty. The least fav of the items was the miso soup as it seemed a bit underwhelming but was still solid. It was a great visit and will definitely be back- thanks for the late night food!! read more

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Stopped in Oni today to meet up with some friends. Upon entering the setting was great. There was decor of records and action figures decked out along with anime and king fu movie posters, not going to lie it made relive them moments of coming up in the late 90's. creating a bit of a nostalgic vibe for me. I was a little worried because I do not eat sushi but my friends assured me they had some good alternatives. The server told me about the red hot salmon cakes and they were great. The dish reminded me of a salmon croquet for those who know (know). What made them good was the dusting of the red hot riplet chips, they added a bit savory flavor to this dish. Sidenote, whoever created the menu and dishes did a good job with the selection of food and names, in particular the Goons (crab rangoons) and they also have a remixed version of a St. Paul sandwich, which is a staple in many Chinese restaurants in St Louis Im definitely coming back to try a few more things on the menu and because they couldn't server beer or cocktails. I will update this one upon my next visit read more

Half of the sushi rolls involve cream cheese. I don't even think that's an exaggeration, cream cheese is so prominently featured! Why do they think there's so much demand for this non standard ingredient?! I imagine the chef, in the creative process, is just stuck knowing something is missing that would make their next roll the James Beard banger. And then it hits him, it's missing mf cream cheese. Let's goooo! read more

After hearing that Blue Ocean was opening up a new spot in the Grove, we've been dying to try it. We were in the grove taking engagement pictures and stopped by for dinner. We started with the crab rangoon, and whilst they were small they were SO good. We inhaled them before taking a picture. We got the Chicken Ochocobo ramen and Tonkotsu ramen. We've had ramen at other places in STL but this is our new go to for ramen. The chicken was crispy and juicy and the broth had a bit of a kick. I'm usually not a fan of the soft boiled egg but this was absolutely insane. My lovely future wife devoured her tonkotsu ramen and said the broth was so rich it was like gravy. Our server was personable and attentive! Decor was cute and eclectic. Will be back to try sushi and bonus points if there's a full bar instead of NA drinks and mocktails. read more

Oni - Chicken Chocobo and Tonkotsu Ramen - Izakaya Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

The ambiance was a cool, Japanese vibe, and the service was good. However, that's about it. We tried multiple items on the menu, including rangoons, spring rolls, sushi, and chicken ramen (they were out of the beef ramen). The spring rolls and rangoons weren't bad. The flavor profiles were odd in the ramen - there was fried chicken inside, which was soggy when it got to the table, and the broth and chicken batter were pretty bland. The noodles in the ramen were way overcooked/had no bite. The sushi was also just ok. The gyoza was extremely tough and oily. Would need a lot of work for us to try it again. read more

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Best new restaurant in St. Louis! Unlike any other spot in the city. Incredible vibes, delicious food, friendly staff. An amazing dinner hang out with friends or dates, or even a quick lunch grab read more

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I've had Oni on my list since its recent opening and was excited to finally be able to go! The goons, I cannot emphasize enough, that they were some of the best I've had in STL. Such a minimal suggestion, but having the sauce in a wider dish would make dipping a bit easier. Sushi was also great! We got the spicy crunchy tuna, the spicy girl, and the la flama Blanca. We didn't love the la flama Blanca but it was still good, I think we were just a bit thrown off with the smokiness of the torching, but I think that might just be a preference thing. Both the other two were amazing. The only other thing was that the sushi came out SO fast, which is awesome if you're looking for a quick dinner, but I wish the pacing was slowed a bit more. The staff were awesome and attentive. Zach was super fun to talk to. I can't wait to go back once things are a bit more settled and the bar is up and running!! read more

We went to their soft opening and loved the vibe of this place. Service was great. They only had mocktails at the time so we tried some! The ramen and the Saint Paul were the best! read more

Oni is from the people behind Blue Ocean in U City, which I miss greatly. But they've taken it to the next level at the new location. Great addition to the Grove, adding quality sushi and ramen with a great vibe. I haven't had a bad dish yet. I'd recommend the tonkotsu ramen and the Godzilla roll! AMAZING. read more

The food is amazing- I ordered the Goons- which is their crab rangoons- it was fire, arguably the best crab rangoons I ever had. Then for ramen I got Golden Chocobo which chicken bone broth and chopped chicken with enoki mushrooms, menma, and ramen egg, it was delicious. The ambience is amazing too with modern decor filled with anime art decor on one wall. Service was quick and helpful. read more

Oni - Golden Chocobo contains Chicken bone broth, aroma oil, with chopped chicken, menma, enoki mushrooms, corn, and a ramen egg - Izakaya Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

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It was a cool place. I liked the lighting and decorations. We had the crunchy spicy tuna roll, chicken gyoza, and red hot salmon cakes. All the food was really good, but the salmon cakes were my favorite. read more

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