Sushi Blues Cafe

Customer service was good, location was good, atmosphere was okay, and the sushi was just average. I like the fact that Sushi Blues gives you the option of brown rice, but they really skimped out on the fish in my roll. I wouldn't have taken the time to write a review if they just skimped a little, but it was alot! Plus it was expensive! My fiance also ordered a dish and said it tasted like a microwave dinner (not too much flavor). I always like mixing it up and going to different restaurants, but from now on I'll stick with Sushi Nine in Raleigh, Sushi Iwa in Apex, and Wasabi in Cary. more

I visit Sushi Blues once every few weeks, and have not once been disappointed. They have a solid menu of sushi rolls and sashimi, which is nearly always buy-one-get-one-free: perfect for a twenty-something (or thirty-something). The Futomaki, Philip Rivers (cucumber wrap instead of rice), and the Rat Pack are all solid bets. The servers are always respectful, attentive, and friendly - a few of them put in the extra effort to make newcomers welcome and regulars glad to be back. more

This place has good location across sushi-o which i had pleasure visiting last week. Sushi Blue has good gathering place but for sushi I honestly have to say ""I will pass"", it just don't seems to be my kind of place for sushi. I guess they are targeting younger crowd who careless about quality. Now for few of better things which comes from their hot appetizers and beer which are pretty good but how can you go wrong with the beer. more

Please, the oder from fish is fishy and I feel sad for people who thinks this place has good sushi. Sushi Blue at least is a good hang out place to enjoy some beer with friends. more

The Sushi was par at best, nothing traditional at all. But I guess that is not entirely the point with the theme they portray. I must say the service especially for late night was awesome. Always on point every step of the way. I will give them another shot! more

Though I once enjoyed Sushi Blues, the last two times I have gone, I have ended up feeling quite sickly momments after eating. Last night for instance, my friend and I both had the wolfpack roll or whatever it is called and both of us have had severe diarreah and gas since! Their ginger dressing used to also be amazing, and now looks like they took the container it was in....filled it the rest of the way with water, shook it, and then served it. It also tastes as if they did that. I officially can say that I will not be returning, and that they should seriously reconsider who they have making the sushi there because I seriously doubt the freshness! more

I am not sure how this place has received poor reviews. I've been here a number of times and even brought a sushi connoisseur with me on several occasions. I've never had a poor experience here. Of course, on Friday and Sat eves, it's going to be a lot busier so seating takes time. However, the atmosphere and food make up for that. If large parties happen to come in on the same night you are there, it's going to be nosier; that's unavoidable. But I've never been poorly attended to or waited excessively for food. Their plum wine is fantastic but can't speak for sake since I am not a sake person. Every dish I've had, weather edamame, shumai, tempura, or rolls have been delicious. The prices are great for what you receive. Plus, once in a while there is live Jazz music! I know there are other places in the triangle that may be better (that's always possible but they will also cost more) but you really aren't going to be disappointed coming here. Pros: Friendly waitstaff, delicious, great atmosphere Cons: Hard to get seating during peak times (ie., weekends) more

The only reason I tried Sushi Blues is because I work downtown was in the mood to try a sushi place on my way home today. Big mistake!\r \r To start off, I had to hunt down someone to seat me, and I chose to sit at the sushi bar itself. The menu seemed lacking in any real sushi - it all seemed rather Americanized and hyped up. I decided on the Hosomaki combo and some green tea. The green tea they served me was in a MUG and basically tasted like green water. I was brought my salad fairly promptly - it was dressed with bottles generic ginger dressing. It was about another 15 minutes at least before my sushi arrived and there was only one other table seated who had already eaten! \r \r Now, onto the sushi....the tuna was three different shades of red and looked like it had been sitting out overnight or something! the cucumber roll had unpeeled cucumber in it and it was transparent, a tell tale sign of old cucumber....the California roll was a joke! ALL OLD CUCUMBER with a hint of discolored crab and avocado in it...all of these wrapped in the stickiest, mushiest sushi rice I have ever eaten. \r \r It took forever to get my bill, and when I saw they charged me $2.50 for the mug of cold green water - that was the bamboo straw that broke the samurai's back....I paid my bill and left knowing I will never go back again. Overpriced, disgusting sushi and poor service to boot - forget it. Pros: nice and quiet Cons: poor service, old sushi, weak tea more

The tempura was too greasy to eat. The waitress said it was a new batch and hadn't sat long enough. The hostess said ""okay"". We were charged for food we couldn't eat, left hungry, no offer to get a different dish was made, no discount given. We will never return. Pros: sushi was okay Cons: left hungry more

First off, let me say, if your only experience with Sushi Blues is 1/2 price night, and you didn't know exactly what you were getting into, please, please, please keep the whining to yourself. If you don't want to wait some extra time to get your sushi very cheap, most of you are all quick to point out that there are plenty of alternatives. If you have a large party, guess what, you'll wait longer, and you'll watch smaller parties get seated before you, deal with it, most restaurants work this way. If you pester the hostess about getting seated, they will get irritated with you, they have four other parties just like you, all asking when they'll be seated, and all angry at her personally. They have been trained in the routine for 1/2 price nights, they know what they're doing, and no, the manager probably will not kiss your a** and give you free things just for complaining loudly enough. If you do ask, be nice, and polite, the hostess can estimate for you, but she doesn't need your expert restaurant managing advice. Once you get seated, know what to expect. You can see how packed it is in there, if your waiter isn't around every three minutes to wipe your a** and refill your water, flag him down and ask him nicely. Yes, they do pre-make SOME rolls on 1/2 price night, no, the rolls are not old. They pre-make these rolls for a reason: people order them constantly and they will be gone quickly. It is an attempt to alleviate some of the wait time. If you need your sushi to be painstakingly rolled, appraised, and shipped to you with a certificate of authenticity, do not come on 1/2 price night. This sushi is made quickly for people who want to eat it quickly. If this is not what you want, there is a wonderful sushi place nearby called Sono, they make delicious, attractive rolls, have a great atmosphere, excellent service, and are 4 times the price. Now, if you want good sushi for cheap, and are prepared for the wait, Sushi Blues is awesome. If you put your name on the list an hour early, you WILL get seated at a reasonable time. Do what I do, walk to a bar (there are many nearby) or sit at their bar, drink a few beers, come back in an hour, viola, you're seated in 10 minutes. If you have a large party (more than 5), split it up into two to cut your wait time in half, they will even try their best to seat your parties close together. Be friendly, polite, and understand that for the waiters(tresses) and hostesses 1/2 price nights are hell, and they are probably stressed off their a**es. Come prepared for the experience, and 1/2 price night is great sushi for a great price. On regular nights, the atmosphere is much more mellow: quieter music, far fewer people, and, of course, shorter waits. You can order entrees and get all kinds of delicious extras. Before you order, you'll get a small noodle bowl, and they give you ginger salad and miso soup before your meal. They make a delicious seaweed salad as well. Their non-sushi menu items are mid-range in price ($10-15 for most items, more for hot ticket items like steak and lobster) and are delicious. Well, that's it, good eating! Pros: Very tasty sushi menu, good value Cons: Sushi snobs may sneer at this place...apparently. more

I've been going to Sushi Blues for a looooong time. I started going on the Tuesday & Thursday night half priced sushi night--like a $3.00 roll, you can't beat that!!! It's a fun place to go with a group to get some overpriced cocktails in a barlike crowded atmosphere. I personally prefer waiting for my name to be called from the outdoor tables because the bar area can get extremely crowded\r . \r I have also been during the day. It's a good place to go on a date. I love the theme!!! The sushi is good (by Raleigh standards). It's not Waraji, but you aren't paying Waraji prices. Rolls range from like $4.00 to $10.00. Considering you can get a roll at Harris Teeter or Whole Foods for $8.00 it's not a bad deal! I have never had ANY issues with any of the waitstaff. Even when they are slammed busy (like on Tuesdays & Thursdays), they've always been really friendly, even to my beligerantly drunk friends. It's important to note that I've never eaten any of the food items besides the sushi so this rating is based solely on the sushi.\r \r I would definitely recommend going here any time!!! Pros: Decor, Music, Waitstaff Cons: Price, Crowded at times more

Well, at least I have a place to go when I'm drunk and crave sushi around midnight. I mean, the food is edible and it doesn't taste bad. But I've had MUCH better. I forgot what days, I think tuesdays and thursdays, but they have some sort of special where some of their select rolls are 50% off. But this special starts at like, 11pm? I had to wait like 2 hours to get seated, literally. It is SO packed. They have a ""first come first serve"" section where the bar is though. But it was def. not worth the wait. The hostess was being kind of mean and told us ""well you might not even get seated so.."" but I guess i kind of understand since there was a shitton of people that were hungry and mad waiting for a longass time. \r \r But, after waiting 2 hours, we sat at the sushi bar. And they premade A LOT of rolls. At least 20. Sitting right infront of me all stacked into a triangle. Who knows how long thats been sitting. The good thing is that my bill came out to be like $8 for 2 rolls. The bad thing is that those 2 rolls were seriously only worth a meer $8. Pros: opens till late Cons: edible, but not very fresh. more

This had to be the worst experience I've ever had in a restaurant! The waitress was rude, lazy and incompetent! She has no customer service skills what-so-ever! Even worse, neither does the MANAGER! The music was so loud we couldn't carry on a conversation at our table in a normal tone of voice. We did ask the waitress if she could request the music be turned down ~ I guess she got confused, SHE TURNED OFF her customer service! The terriyaki dishes ordered came out cold after we waited 45-60 minutes to get them. And as the other reviews have indicated, the food is just okay. When we asked the hostess if we could speak to the manager because of the attitude we had received from the waitress, she promptly informed us ""he is busy rolling sushi now"". The hostess did finally get a message to the manager, who graced us with an audience about 20 minutes later. When speaking to the manager he was not able to make a decision ""without speaking to the waitress""(?). Basically, he didn't want to deal with customer questions/issues/complaints and scurried back to the kitchen. If nothing else I hope the owner of the restaurant starts reading these reviews and corrects the problem before it's too late. I have been to this restaurant in the past and did enjoy my experience there, however, after today - I will not be going back nor will my co-workers! Cons: Service from both wait staff and management, food, ambience, parking more

Like loud music, crowds of hipsters, apathetic staff, obnoxious managers and overpriced sushi? Sushi Blues is the place to go! The quality of the sushi isn't nearly as high as the pretensions of the restaurant might lead one to expect, and if you have a bad experience don't expect the manager to care once your money has changed hands. There are plenty of other sushi places in the Triangle that have more substance than style -- try any of them, and leave this place to the see-and-be-seens. Pros: There are plenty of alternatives Cons: Noise, sloppy sushi, apathetic staff, overpriced, ridiculous wait times more

Experience from HELL! We waited two and half hours to be seated. This is when you know the restaurant has lost all hopes of providing their own customers and only care about money. Not only did we wait outside in the cold, while other parties which got there after us were seated before us, the hostess was the rudest person i have ever met. The hostess started yelling at my party members when they politely asked her "" when are we going to be seated"" . She caused a huge scene, flailing her arms around and screaming at the top of her lungs yelling: "" we don't care that we sat newer customers before you, that's just the way it is!"" Katy asked her, "" where is the manager?"" and she snapped back "" behind the bar, go get him yourself if you want to complain..""\r \r So, we got there at 10, and were seated at 12:30 p.m.. We were the last to be seated. Once we were seated the waitress didn't come for another fifteen minutes. Sushi Blues is the most razist place to ever get served. Please don't go there if you want a good experience. \r \r After the food was prepared, another waitress came to the table and dropped the plates of food onto the table. One plate of rolls spilt all over the table revealing pubic hair inside of the sushi. we sent this back and told them that we werent paying for contaminated sushi rolls. As we were sitting trying to enjoy the company the staff started cleaning with spray bottles all around us. We left as very disturbed unsatisfied customers. \r \r Sushi blues is a joke. They don't care about customers, all they want is your money. I advise anyone not to dine there. The staff is rude, uncivilized, unprofessional, and arrogant, meanwhile the managers are non-existent and indifferent to complaints. And the half off sushi is less than mediocre... be careful if you choose to eat here, you may be eating pubes... Pros: you stand outside in the cold Cons: inadequate staff who doesn't care about customers more

I had lunch at Sushi Blues Cafe for the first time today and thought it was excellent. I had the salmon lunch set and some yellowtail and unagi. The fish was as fresh as any I've had in the area and the eel was grilled a little crispy just as I like it. The dinner menu looked ovepriced, but lunch is very reasonalble and ala carte sushi is pretty much the same price as every other non-discount sushi place. Waraji is still my favorite, but Sushi Blues is in the top 2 or 3... I will return. Pros: quality sushi/sashimi, atmosphere Cons: parking maybe more

I used to love this place in college. Returned recently and was largely disappointed. Service was lacking, tempura used in the wolfpack roll was burned and had a strong smoke flavor. \r \r I ordered the Clapton roll and it was clear to the server that it was not what I expected when it was served. Essentially, the roll was poorly executed with a cup of mayo, with some tuna and scallions on top of a california roll. The mayo was overwhelming and dominated the plate. The mayo seeped into the roll, resulting in a soggy mess. When I said something to the server, he walked off. more

Why, oh WHY do my friends like to come to this place? It's always crowded, and the service is shabby. The decor is nice, but it's hard to notice that when you are elbow-to-elbow with the hipster stranger at the next table. Nothing against hipsters, mind you, but you guys have GOT to start putting as much thought into your sushi restaurants as you do your hair. \r \r The sushi is weird... The rolls are very inventive, and some of their ideas are swell, but they use way too much raw asparagus (I love asparagus, but not THAT much), and their rice is... wrong. I don't know how on earth they prepare their rice, but it just isn't the way it oughta be. It is insanely over-priced to boot.\r \r I gave it four visits before making my ultimate decision, but I have finally convinced myself that I really hate this place. Pros: inventive menu Cons: too expensive, too crowded, bad sushi more

Really...what's with the high rating?!? They have to be rating themselves. Food is not good....and the freshness?...Nope. I enjoy nigiri and sashimi normally...so I know when the fishes are good. This place is WAY overrated. I will not be dining here again. Bad service bad sushi....bad value. Pros: Hmmmmm...none Cons: Almost everything.. more

YUK! Absolutely horrible everything; Sushi (what they call Sushi, anyway), Service, Attitude, Cleanliness. \r \r Don't waste you're time, you'll be sorry.\r \r Pros: none. Cons: too many to mention. more