This place has been my favorite ever since I moved to gainesville. Every roll I've gotten from there has been amazing. The staff are amazing and if you have a chance to go there go!! read more

Pretty decent sushi and they've got a damned good lunch deal. The Mix Dan is 9 pieces of sashimi over a bowl of rice with mushrooms/wakami salad and a bowl of miso for ~ $12 I've been going here once a week for lunch with some people from work and it's everything it should be ... reasonably fast, reasonably priced, and good. I've gone here a few times for dinner as well and consistently been happy. The Matsuri giant sushi boat is a LOT of food. Probably enough to feed 3 people. I'm happy to continue going here for lunch every week. read more

The sushi is good but the service is awful, which is why I can't bring myself to ever go back. For my takeout, I spent $15+tip on 2 rolls and when I asked for a sauce they said they would have to charge me an extra .50 per sauce. I find that obnoxious considering how much money I spent when I've experienced same quality food, for less with no charge on extra sauce. Decided to try it again for dine-in since I actually enjoyed their sushi but I now regret doing so. We came in during lunch as a table of 6 with 2 other tables there when we arrived. It took over 35 minutes for our orders to arrive and I noticed smaller tables who were seated and ordered after us got their food first. It took so long, my friend had to leave, and they still charged her for her coke! I've worked in many restaurants and I understand what it is like to be slammed, but not once did the waitress check in on us to tell us it was taking some time, the least they could've done was given my friend her drink for free since she couldn't eat her meal. read more

Went for a dinner Tempura is so so katsu don is quite original In gainesville probably one of the better japanese place for the money. Sushi is quite good, will go to dragon fly first for sushi but the price is right read more

Really great sushi at an even better price! The sashimi was all thick and there was a variety of unique options. We'll definitely be back whenever we're in Gainesville! read more

Sushi Matsuri - Yum! The typical salad dressing has something a little extra delicious... maybe it's the sesame seeds.... - Sushi Bars Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

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Where do I start... not only is the ambiance amazing but the food is fresh and so tasty. We've been coming here for years and the staff is sooo friendly and welcoming. I recently moved to Orlando and I have yet found a place as good as this one... read more

The sushi is okay, not bad, but not great as well. I ordered couple pieces of salmon and tuna, the fish isn't that fresh. You could tell from the dark color emerging on the tuna and the texture when you eat the salmon. Food was alright, but service was pretty bad from the older lady in the restaurant. She was our server but the only time she ever serve our table was probably when we order and serving us the sushi. That's it. She didn't came to check on us if we need anything else or refill. Overall, sushi is okay, but service is no no. read more

Anniversary dinner: When we arrived, we were seated promptly. The waitress took our drink orders right away. She brought me the wrong drink :(. For appetizers we ordered Edamame and Miso Soup. Our appetizers arrived in a timely manner. The edamame looked like it was missing half of the usual portions other sushi restaurants serve. The miso soup was also disappointing. There was literally one piece of tofu in my whole bowl of miso. It tasted extra salty. When my sushi dish arrived, it tasted like the rice was old. There was no special taste to it. No better than a store purcahsed dish from Publix. I've eaten at many many sushi restaurants, I was very unimpressed. My bf ordered a $16 bento box. The salmon was dry, meat sliced in huge chewy chunks. Lo mein was very sweet, average. I would not recommend! Bento tastes better. read more

Scallops tasted like rubber and soba soup had tinny amount of soba noodles in it, definitely not coming back.

Matsuri has moved to a new location since Butler plaza is tearing down the part where they've been for a decade. They're now located in the Target center next to Maple Street. We have been regulars for years and our only complaint is the service. Sometimes it's amazing and other times it's terrible. It's highly dependent on who is working. Having said that, the food is great. You won't find better quality for their prices unless you want to go fancy, then visit Dragonfly. I am hoping the move does not mean a price hike and that the new location results in better business and hopefully better service staff! read more

Excellent sushi! Perfectly bite size and made with clean fresh ingredients. Best we've had in awhile. Great customer service. Highly recommend. read more

We ordered a few rolls for take out and were not that impressed. The Kawaii roll was actually very good and fresh, but the other rolls, the matsuri roll and the gator roll were very bland, lacked flavor and were very small unfortunately. read more

I took my wife here when I first met her over 20 years ago and this place is still amazing. The rolls are to die for and the tempura is amazing. The fish is fresh and prepared perfectly. Great sushi read more

I've been going here for the past 10 years, we love it the staff is friendly and efficient. The sushi is always good. It is a small restaurant that is very popular so there are times when they get a little backed up. But you have to go with the flow and realize others have found this little Gainesville gem . read more

My favorite sushi place in the area. Gainesville and volcano rolls are damn delicious! Server the last time was fun. Wish they had a bit more space as I always go with one other person and don't like to sit in the 2 tops in the center I usually have to request more than once a 4 top.. makes me feel bad read more

Super nice atmosphere and very good sushi. Only issue I had was that if you want to pay with a debit or credit card there has to be a minimum of $10 and that doesn't really work when I just wanted to order a sushi roll for $7.25. Overall, good experience but should maybe change card minimum considering you're located in a college town with broke college students. read more

I admit for sushi in Gainesville it took me about 4 months to Land the best sushi joint in this town. And I'm so glad I found it! I thought I found it in he past but this is definitely the one to come to. Don't even try or attempt to look any further!! Great, fresh, and reasonably priced sushi. The restaurant feels somewhat small but extremely welcoming, the servers are very friendly. I have nothing negative to say about the place because I'm overwhelmed with the experience we had here. The Aged tofu is made to perfection, This is the official go to spot for sushi! I definitely recommend this place and you will thank me later! Enjoy! read more

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Disappointing experience tonight. Went here with the girlfriend for our date night. I had almost completely finished two rolls of sushi before her meal came out - fried eggplant. Now we both work in restaurants as servers and are pretty understanding when delays like that happen, although it did seem that our server forgot to ring in the fried eggplant, being that it took so long. When the eggplant finally came out, it was awful! It was pale white, and it tasted raw and oily. We each had only a few bites of a single piece of eggplant, dipping it in a few different sauces we had at our table in an attempt to see if it would taste better. After trying it out, we agreed to send it back when we saw the server next. Well, the next time the server came back, she seemed to know there was something not right with the eggplant. She asked us if we liked it, we politely said no, and then she went on to explain that the person working in the kitchen didn't know how to make fried eggplant, and our server also admitted to the eggplant being bad today! We assumed at this point that it would be taken off our bill. We barely touched it and the server said herself that it was bad and not cooked properly. The bill came and sure enough the eggplant was on it. Thinking it was a mistake, I flagged our server down and politely asked for it to be removed. She then told me she wouldn't take it off because we had touched it!! Absolutely ridiculous!! Of course we sampled it! We had no more than one single piece combined. She took the full plate away from us and brought it back to the kitchen as well! If I had known we would be charged for it I would've at least taken it home. The service was great up until that moment. I am so disappointed in the awful customer service we received. I work in a restaurant myself and I would never tell a customer they would have to pay for something they didn't eat, especially if I admitted fault! Do better Sushi Matsuri! read more

One of the best Asian restaurants in Gainesville. They have unique dishes that most other Asian restaurants here don't have, like their donburi bowls. If you're into rolls, their Ochi-chi rolls are a must have. I'm actually not that fond of rolls and sushi, but the Ochi-chi roll changed my mind about that. It's a salmon wrapped roll that melts in your mouth. The staff is solid and relatively helpful when it comes to suggesting choices. I would recommend this to anyone visiting Gainesville. read more

Okay, so this is MY regular sushi place. It is not too expensive, the sushi is always good and it has a good atmosphere. The only downsides are that the restaurant is small, so it can get busy during peak times (waiting for a table AND waiting for your food). My favorites are the Florida Roll and Mexican Roll. They are very accomodating too if you need to add or subtract ingrediants. read more

Eh it was okay, I was super hungry so anything at this point would be yummy. The volcano roll wasn't that bad it fell apart a lot, it seemed like they rushed to make it. My other rolls tasted okay nothing stood out, very small too. Great service though! read more

Best sushi Gainesville, FL has to offer even though its not that GREAT but its decent. the prices are not bad and probably has the best selection of sushi and sashimi here. I love the sweet shrimps!!! read more

The owner was beyond rude that it made me not enjoy my meal. The food was very good and so was our waitress but the owner needs to relax and mind her own business. She was standing over our table death staring us the entire time we ate. Every time the waitress would come over to take our order, the owner would come behind her and stand over her shoulder as we would order. Every time we would say something like "this roll with no avocado" she would rudely interrupt and say "it's an up charge to take that out" in a very aggressive tone. I felt judged about what I ordered, how I was eating and was overwhelmed because of the lack of respect that this woman had. read more

Top-grade sushi draws crowds here, but avoid Friday and Saturday nights and you will not be sorry. I recommend the spicy tuna handroll (not on the menu; write it in), the spider roll (fried soft-shell crab from heaven), the fresh salmon nigiri-sushi, and the yellowtail nigiri-sushi. The mushroom roll is yummy -- if you tend to like mushrooms, of course. Everything with the "spicy sauce" is great, but I try not to order more than one spicy-sauce item at one sitting. read more

my personal fav in gainesville... been a loyal customer since 2002. once again, not much room inside- so might have to wait during the weekends, but the turnover is pretty quick... both the sushi and kitchen are great! appetizers such as beef yukke (raw beef), Neigmaki (thinly sliced beef rolled with scallions), and deep fried chicken morsels.. also love the katsu-don (pork katsu over egg, shitake shrooms, and rice... try the daikon roll (sushi roll that uses daikon instead of nori filled with crab and tuna... cant go wrong with matsuri.. it's a pity im no longer in town... read more

this is a place i will miss from gainesville. not so much because of its inconvenient location or the wait time usually involved. not so much because sometimes they would sneak wasabi paste into my cucumber roll. not so much because the booths are a little bit too deep and i can't lean back and then i have that little slippery cushion that keeps threatening to send me under the table. not so much even because i never got to eat anything off of a little wooden boat. their sushi is all right, but i've had better. it kicks the crap out of sushi 2 go at least. the ginger dressing on the salad was okay. the appetizers i've had have all been good, but not life-changing. so why five stars? for being the place of such excellent food-related memories during my time in titletown. the atmosphere is nice and the prices are affordable, which allowed for many sushi binges (here is a nod to luca c.) that left me uncomfortably full but pretty stoked on life. you go, girl. read more

We have been going to Matsuri for over 10 years, right around the time I first moved to the area. A colleague and friend told me about this place. Hands down the best fish quality. Being of similar respectful introverted nature, we like the chefs and some of the original hosts and waiters especially. Some of the best miso, salad, wakame, sashimi and handrolls you will find. Only downside is the opening times. We have to go to other places that are open for lunch or in the afternoon, and really would much prefer coming here instead! read more

This is a more traditional sushi place with quality rolls. I like that a lot of the rolls have fresh fish versus tempura, which gives it a more authentic feel. The prices are great too, with the simpler rolls being around 4-7$ and the most expensive one around $14. I got the Atlantic roll which had grouper and (imitation) crab which was pretty good. Also had the kawaii roll which is rolled with cucumber and has tuna, salmon, yellowtail, krab meat, avocado and tons of roe. Despite having no rice, this roll was very filling because of the large pieces of fish, and tasted very fresh, I loved it! All of the fish in the rolls tasted fresh and not too salty like it is at some sushi places. Our food took a while to come out despite the place being almost empty, but I can tell that it was made with care. I only wish that there were more ingredients in the rolls since a lot of them sound a little bland, but this place is definitely high on my list of great sushi places in Gainesville! read more

Sushi Matsuri - The Atlantic roll and the Kawai roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

There is a bit of an Archer-road-crush if you attempt to eat here on a Friday or Saturday night, but the wait is worth it! Skip the dull traditional menu items and go for the sushi - that's why you're here, right? Fresh & inventive - I like it better than Kotobuki! read more

This place had lots of unique rolls and friendly service. The Futomaki roll had mushroom and pickle inside of it! Very tasty. The Gator roll was also fantastic. It's not cheap, but the small, manageable sushi pieces are very flavorful and the small, intimate setting is great. Definitely try the Kawaii roll -- it's wrapped in cucumber. Very fresh and delicious! read more

By far my favorite sushi restaurant in the area. The sashimi pieces are large and very fresh and the selection is the best in this area. Anywhere from salmon and sea eel to sea urchin and quail egg. I always sit at the sushi bar and watch them prepare the sushi with incredible perfection read more

Sushi Matsuri - Sea urchin and quail egg. You won't be able to get it anywhere else in Gainesville - Sushi Bars Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

I will not be coming back, terrible service and ridiculously overpriced rice. The service is SO awful, I ordered take out and I go to the stand to get my order and the lady asks " do you need something", so rude. She proceeds to tell me how she was hoping I would come meanwhile I got there right when she said to. then she's asks a younger worker to get the fried rice I ordered so I can leave and the girl keeps talking and cleaning tables, the lady asks 3 times before she finally goes and gets it because she thought the fried rice was for the lady not for me, the customer standing there waiting for my food. I was standing here for atleast 10 minutes so they can talk and get everything together. Then my total comes out to $25! My roll was $5, I didn't see veggie fried rice on the menu so I ordered it over the phone thinking it couldn't be more than $10 I didn't even think to ask. They ripped me off on this one, but I will never spend another dollar there again. Not to mention it was 9:45 and they don't close until 10:30, a couple came in and they were "closed" because they ran out of sushi. So unprofessional, I cannot believe this is even a business. read more

Although the food is decent, the quality of service at Sushi-Matsuri has been too hit or miss for me to consider this a favorite. I'll come here, and I often do, as it does seem to be a Gainesville favorite, especially if you aren't willing to make the trip downtown to Dragonfly. Immediate seating is always available at Sushi-Matsuri (definitely not at Dragonfly), and there are a few menu items that I can always count on. read more

Tried this last night and I am a very fussy fine diner. This place was amazing ...exceptionally fresh fish ..amazing size pieces in sushi and delicious food . I had 4 different sushi rolls and spring rolls appetizer and tempura and prawns in fried rice. Every dish was fabulous and some of the best miso soup I've ever had and im comparing to places I've had in Japan. Definitely Gainesvilles best sushi place and I'll be back when in town read more

Had the eel (as usual) as well as the yellowtail, grouper & salmon sashimi (sorry, no pic). This is by far my favorite sushi restaurant (& I believe I've tried them all w/ the exception of Dragonfly, which I find pretentious). The fish at Sushi Matsuri is Grade A quality, the regular chef is rich in experience, & service has been consistently good. The miso soup is tasty. We often do takeout; the only downer is that there have been times the restaurant closes early w/o warning. When business has been slow, we've phoned only to be told they were closing prior to the regular time. We also drove over once & were told they were closing (45 min early). That's not a sound business practice. But forgiveness is doable when they prepare the very best sashimi & sushi in town. read more

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Id give it a 3.5 because it is the best of the worst. There may be some place overall better in Gainesville, but I havent discovered it. Its cute. Its homey. Ok its small, but I dont go there when people normally eat dinner. I go there a little later cuz if I eat at 7pm-8pm, I am just going to get hungry later, so I go 830pm-930pm. Sushi has a good selection! I always get one of their more expensive rolls (cant remember it right now) + a roll I have them fry in katsu. Very, very tasty and I usually get near full. Down side? You get charged $1 for a tiny dish of spicy mayo OR $1 for a tiny dish of eel sauce. This I dont understand and feel I am cleary getting ripped off. I actually asked why I am paying this much. Sushi chef said "cuz we make it from scratch. it doesnt come from a jar." If that is true, which I dont know, I dont mind if it comes from a jar! $1 for a condiment is too damn expensive! If you want something fried its another $1, but thats what I choose. Now I gotta add $2 for dipping sauces? I cant leave that place without spending over $24 with tip and thats with drinking water. Also, they dont have brown rice. Hah, if they did, theyd charge more for it, I am sure. (most places do that anyway..but I dont think Dragonfly does) read more

Have eaten at Sushi Matsuri twice now and have been pleased with both meals. Three and a half stars might be right on, but four works too. First time I had plum wine and some sushi. Second visit I had miso soup (very good, but could have been hotter), eggplant tempura (yum), and three rolls. My husband also ordered two rolls and inarizushi. The vegetarian sushi (including rolls filled with wakame, another with "gourd shavings", and another with mixed vegetables were all delicious. The "Mexican" roll with tempura shrimp and avocado was also good, but I preferred the veggie sushi. Will be back again. If you are looking for some Japanese fare, check this place out. I don't think you will be disappointed. read more

The food was just mediocre but unfortunately the food handling practices will be what keeps me away for good. I witnessed bare hands making sushi without proper hand washing. They were touching their face and glasses and wiping hands on a bar towel that was used for everything. For me, this is a deal breaker. read more

Do not be fooled, like the many college students around you, by the flashing lights of downtown Gainesville (cough:oxymoron). This little strip mall restaurant serves the best sushi in town. I recommend the shigiyaki -- tempura eggplant -- the Kawaii roll, and the volcano. read more

Authentic, they have all the dishes I love that you any find at other Japanese restaurants. Beef Yukke and Soba noodle soup for example. Pricey with small portions but that's normal with small authentic places. Overall is the best Japanese in Gainesville. read more