I recently had dinner at Kuka Sushi & Izakaya and was immediately impressed by the modern, chic…read moreambience. The space feels stylish and contemporary, with a sleek atmosphere that makes it perfect for both a casual dinner and a special night out. The menu is truly avant-garde! Creative, innovative, and full of intriguing options. That said, I have to admit I felt a little overwhelmed at first and wasn't sure what to order because everything sounded so interesting. In the end, I chose the Omakase Dinner "Buzz," and I absolutely loved the concept. It includes miso soup, 9 pieces of nigiri, a mini poke, and a 5-piece roll -- such a fantastic idea if you're undecided and want to try a bit of everything! I think it's a splendid option, especially for first-timers or anyone who wants a complete tasting experience without having to choose individual items. If I could change one small thing, it would be the roll selection. I wish there were an option to choose from the specialty rolls instead of only the basic ones. That extra flexibility would make the experience even better. Overall, the quality of the food was very good, and the overall experience was enjoyable. It's definitely a place worth visiting, and I'll certainly be back to try the curry and ramen next time!

Made a reservation for 7pm on a Friday night. The location is kind of hard to get to if you've…read morenever been before. Our uber dropped us off in the back of an apartment building and we walked a short distance to the restaurant. The restaurant is very loud, we were sat at a high top table and it was kind of awkward being elevated in the middle of the restaurant with lights beaming directly on you. Ordered a bottle of Sauvignon blanc. It was nice that it arrived in an ice bucket, but was disappointed by the stemless glasses. The service was extremely slow. Had to ask for soy sauce, wasabi and ginger. When someone that was not our server gave it to us, it was basically empty. The sushi was just alright. For the price I would've rather gone somewhere nicer. My roommate and friend did not like their rolls at all (avocado roll and spicy salmon) the spicy tuna was good, pretty hard to mess that up. I would not get the soft shell crab roll again, the roll was big and falling apart immediately. Nobody in our party of 7 finished the food they ordered. Overall not great service or sushi, I wouldn't come back here.

I may not be able to eat sushi anywhere else after this!…read more I came for the Restaurant Week lunch deal and am so glad I finally made it here. Everything from service to ambiance to food was excellent. And I love that they brought lunch service back to this location! Friday, Saturday, Sunday only and still make a reservation! It was busy! I wanted something fun to drink but non-alcoholic, so the bartender stopped by to help me decide. I got the Miso Sour and it was so good! This had a nice balance of flavors. I started with the Hamachi Crudo which has grapefruit ponzu, lemon mayo, Serrano pepper, and thin cucumber slices. This was so good! Refreshing with just the right amount of spice. Next I enjoyed chopped salad and miso. The salad was very fresh and had a variety of goodies including edamame, purple cabbage, and avocado. The miso is so good!! It was delicate and yet so flavorful. I chose the Yuzu tuna roll option which has spicy tuna and avocado inside, with big eye tuna on top, garnished with micro cilantro, red onion, and yuzu. This was so good! I also thought their ginger stood out - I would bet they make this in house. I can see why this always has such great reviews!

I'm writing this review more as feedback for the owner because I'd hate to see a restaurant with so…read moremuch potential decline in quality and service. My boyfriend and I came to Shimogamo for Mother's Day and ordered the five-course meal. Unfortunately, the experience was extremely disappointing compared to our previous visit. The biggest issue was the service. Our waitress, an older woman, came across as dismissive and unnecessarily rude throughout the evening. When we were seated, she offered complimentary rosé. I accepted a glass, but my boyfriend does not drink alcohol, so he politely asked if he could order a mocktail instead. Before he could even finish, she abruptly responded, "No, you can wait to place an order for that," as if he was trying to substitute the complimentary drink, which he was not. He was simply trying to order a beverage. Later, when the braised beef course was served, my boyfriend politely asked if he could have a spoon or fork. The waitress loudly repeated "A SPOON?" in a mocking tone in front of nearby guests, which made the interaction uncomfortable and embarrassing. As for the food, the five-course menu was average at best and far below what we expected from Shimogamo. The salmon tartare and sushi course were both excellent and showed the quality we remembered from our first visit. However, the remaining courses fell flat. The fried branzino was dry and seemed poorly prepared, despite the promising flavors of capers and cream sauce. The braised short rib felt completely out of place on the menu and lacked refinement it was dry, heavy, and more reminiscent of a chain steakhouse meal than an upscale dining experience. The entire dinner also felt rushed, with little attention to pacing or hospitality. What makes this especially disappointing is that we dined here back in November on a double date and had an incredible experience. We spent over $600 that evening, and the service and food were exceptional. Our waitress at that time was knowledgeable, attentive, and genuinely enthusiastic about the menu. She guided us through recommendations, and every dish impressed us. That's why this visit was so surprising. Shimogamo clearly has the ability to provide an outstanding dining experience, which makes the decline in both service and execution even more concerning. I sincerely hope management takes this feedback seriously because this restaurant was once one of our favorites.

I been coming to this restaurant for a long time everything is so fresh made to order this is my…read morefavorite restaurant here in Mesa. This is my spot to come and eat and chill service can be a bit slow for some people but this is not fas food is quality food so it might take a little. I don't have nothing bad to say about this place I love it.

First and foremost, this place had just I was looking for--casual/relaxed atmosphere, reasonable…read moreprices, and above all great food. The dishes we ordered were all seasoned very generously and the garlic edamame (a must-order for the table) had a little heat to it. My hamachi Kama came out first and was cooked beautifully through and again, seasoned well. The ponzu and ginger were a nice dipping sauce. The sunrise roll had great flavors and cool presentation. Our scallop and chicken yakitoris were great too. I didn't get to try it but the table next to us got agedashi tofu that looked great. Side note, every table was full--always a good sign for a restaurant when there's lots of competition. As someone from the SF Bay Area I'm pretty picky about landlocked sushi places, but this one knocked it outta the park for our spring training visit. Go Giants!! Sorry for not photographing anything it all looked so good we just dug in.

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!

On a Sunday evening, after checking out the Desert Botanical Garden, I was looking for some food in…read morethe area. I came across Zu Izakaya and it's great reviews as one of the options. I love Japanese food so my decision was made. I drove over and parked in their complimentary lot. Ambiance (3.5/5): I've been to Japan and there are plenty of izakayas there. Think of them as small bars which often serve solid food. Zu fits that bit. It's a relatively small restaurant, probably seats about 30 people. and it's pretty no frills for a Japanese spot. I was seated at a booth in the corner of the restaurant. They have free WiFi which is always a good touch. Service (3/5): Service was friendly, though a bit inconsistent. My waitress wasn't as attentive as I would have liked. The type of service where you have to flag them down to get what you want and to close out. Drinks (4/5): Zu has a nice menu of Japanese and Korean beverages, including sake, soju, Japanese beer, and more. With that being said, I just had an iced green tea. Food (4/5): I got a nice variety. I went with the Japanese sausage off of the grill menu, the OBI mayo roll off of the sushi menu, and the cheese corn off of the appetizer menu. Let's start with the sausage. It's a small item, two small sausages, but absolutely delicious. The sausage was bursting with flavor and basted in a sweet sauce. Minus the portion size, perfection. The cheese corn also hit the spot, but the execution was off. The corn is served on a hot platter, and unfortunately some of the corn on the edges was badly burnt. The type of situation where they should start over. Which they didn't. Lastly, the OBI mayo roll is essentially a California roll with marinated warm shrimp on top in a mayo sauce. I didn't love the hot and cold combo (shrimp and sushi), but outside of the temperature, it was a delicious roll. All in all, a very food meal. My only gripe with Japanese food is that it can get expensive quick. Given that Zu is in Tempe, I was hoping that prices would be a little cheaper. With that being said, they do have a solid happy hour (and reverse happy hour) with both food and drink specials. Next time I stop by, I'd like to check out some of their Korean options. I focused on the Japanese stuff this time (which makes the majority of the menu). Next time around, the bulgogi is calling my name!

Excellent food! I visited with my wife on a Friday night due to my daughter's recommendation. She…read moremade a good one! The food was tasty! We loved the decor in the restaurant. It's right on Mill, so no complaints here. The service was quick and friendly! We'll be back!

Food arrived quickly, but that made it clear they definitely aren't making anything to order. The…read moreTakoyaki was cold in the middle and the fried chicken was barely warm and too salty. The eel at least came to us hot and my friend seemed happy with it. Sushi didn't seem fresh and food was over salted. No thanks.

Only had edamame and ramen but the spicy edamame was one of the best I've had. The ramen was good…read moreas well, I've had more flavor but overall it was good and I'd cook back again. Next time can't wait to try other things

Another ramen spot my boyfriend and I tried--and we loved it! We're total ramen fanatics, and this…read moreplace is such a hidden gem in Tempe if you're looking for quick service and great quality. Everything impressed us: the friendly service, the clean and inviting space, and how quickly the food came out. The ramen itself was excellent--the noodles had great texture, the broth was rich and comforting, and the toppings really made it shine. Plus, the price was super reasonable--under $20 for a hearty bowl. Even the edamame was spot on! Definitely a place we'll be coming back to soon.

I came to this restaurant after spending all day at the hospital across the street for my daughter…read moreso I was hungry and emotionally drained. When I walked in, I was promptly directed to where I should go so I could place a takeout order. The genuine courtesy of the staff here was just what I needed after a long day. Lots of great options for sushi but ramen sounded amazing on a chilly winter day. I ordered a couple options and requested for the toppings to be separated so my picky eater could pick out what she didn't like. The food was out promptly and packaged with such care. Once I got it back to my daughter's hospital room, we were able to feast on the best meal we had all day. I will definitely be coming back to this place again and I am grateful for their kindness just when I needed it. Highly recommend!

I have to be honest here. I only recently started trying Ramen. I don't know why, but I always told…read moremyself that I didn't like it. Anyway, this was only the second time I've ever eaten restaurant Ramen. The first time was so-so. And I was eager to see how much better it could be. So my wife started to do a little research and found that Daruma had really good reviews. So we gave it a shot. I have to say that I was very impressed with my Ramen. It was galaxy's better than the first one I tried. I can't wait to try a different one next time. Aside from the wonderful food. The staff there was really nice. They greeted us right away and quickly got us seated. Our server was also very friendly and attentive. The dining area was pretty clean and inviting too!

Went after seeing a movie at az mills. Rarely on that side of town so wanted to check this off the…read morebookmark list. It didn't disappoint. Greeted upon entry and seated right away. The place is narrow and long with bar seating to view kitchen. We started with the potstickers and they were very well cooked and full of flavor. Then came our ramens. Both had a terrific broth base. My extra spicy was a 6.5/10 on spice so it just looks like lava but is totally edible. My wife's spicy miso was terrific and I'd totally go that way next time. This spot is up there in places I'd recommend for ramen in phoenix.

Tampopo is good, so consistent and always worth it…read more Plus, they take extra care to package everything in to go orders perfectly so it doesn't leak.

Owen was a great server! The food was amazing and Owen was very attentive. The drinks are also…read moregreat!

Food was great, Jackie was the best! Will definitely be back soon. Thank you guys for a great night…read more:)

Located inside the Asian market, this spot is a quick and affordable way to enjoy Japanese cuisine…read more The cashier was friendly, and the food was prepared quickly. The ramen had great flavor, and I really enjoyed the roasted garlic. The noodles were perfectly cooked--bouncy and satisfying--and the broth was smooth and rich. While it wasn't spicy enough for my personal taste, it definitely didn't lack flavor. There's plenty of seating available, making it a comfortable place to sit down and enjoy a meal before or after shopping.

Got Poke Bowl, Sashimi Salad, and Pork Katsu Bento. Shocked and delighted. Beautifully plated,…read moreespecially for food court food! The poke bowl? I challenge anyone to find a better one anywhere in the valley. This poke bowl had a delicate sesame oil dressing and the fish pieces were huge and high quality. Sashimi salad was delicious in its own right. Katsu bento was fried perfectly and sauce was on point. Service was fast, friendly, and courteous. The staff even came to the kitchen window to tell us to enjoy our food -- how wonderful is that! Peaceful food court, but may not be for too long if people find out about these hidden gems here. Will come again soon to try to curries and the other food court neighbors here at Asiana Market!