I came here with no expectations. The interior is upscale and modern. However, the seating does not make for a comfortable experience, and we had many people eavesdropping on our conversations because the layout encourages that behavior. Normally teppanyaki style dining establishments do not always have the best sushi, but I was up for trying something new. There is a full liquor bar, which is very popular. I love their Asian Fusion Martini selection, the Kiwi Pear Martini ($8.50) had some kick. The Agedashi Tofu ($4.95)was served with a very light tempura sauce. I did not taste much dashi and it was flavorless. The tofu and batter were very good, so if this dish was served in a proper manner, I would have been far more impressed. The Fried Calamari ($7.95) was served with a side of ranch dressing for dipping, which was just wrong. The calamari itself was tender and expertly prepared. We ordered a simple Tuna Roll ($4.75), which was fine. So was the Alaskan Roll ($5.25). The Spicy Tuna Roll ($6.25) is of the chopped-till-fish-is-fluffy variety, it is hard to avoid these days. The specialty rolls are on their own menu and most of them are $14.00 or more, about 30% above average price for this kind of roll (type and quality) from my experience. However, the size of the rolls are large and I could only eat about one of them. The rice was a little squishy and the flavors were not bold enough for my taste. I had the Pink Basket Roll ($14.95), which is shrimp tempura w/ faux crab, bbq eel, and lettuce wrapped in pink soybean paper. The flavor was nice and very clean, but this is a two bite roll, so it was messy. The Godzilla Roll ($14.95) was spicy tuna, cream cheese, and avocado rolled and battered, then deep fried. Covered in spicy shredded faux crabmeat and eel sauce. I was actually really impressed with the solid stature of this roll and that is was neither greasy or falling apart. The service here was excellent, even for a busy night. They are already building a large following of loyal customers, and are pretty busy even on a weeknight. There are always servers filling your water, removing empty plates, and their to answer questions. Management is also very social here and they play the latest Tokyo Pop; I even heard Ayumi Hamasaki songs and Ayu Trance. Total $82.00 with tip. I think that I will make a more intelligent ordering decision next time, or just return to my standard places in Sarasota instead.
The best hibachi grill in town. We started off with the spicy mango shrimp roll which is to die for and then we had the fillet and chicken hibachi entree with fried rice and vegetables. The food was excellent!
(5)
D J.
I've been to a few Hibachi restaurants in my day and I wasn't impressed by Kumo at all. When we initially walked in and there wasn't a wait on a Friday night was an indication of mediocrity. The service was great & the chef was entertaining but the food was blah. I LOVE garlic but everything was one note. The fried rice was weird & lacked flavor (other than garlic). Nice quiet ambience with amazing service but I'd rather go to Samuri because the food is much better.
(2)
Jennifer G.
I'm not sure why all the meh reviews for this place - we had an amazing dinner. We had a party of 6 and everyone was thrilled with their experience. Sushi was reported as being amazing by those who partook. The tofu appetizer was raved over. The vegetable tempura was great - 2 of each veggie which makes it easy to share (broccoli, carrot, zucchini, mushroom, etc) The tuna hibachi dinner was a big hit. I had the filet and chicken hibachi meal and loved every part of it. The soup had great flavor and the salad had a tasty ginger dressing. The portions on my fried rice, vegetables and meats were HUGE and it was all delicious. The service was quick and the "show" had some unique additions which was fun. The sauces they serve with the hibachi are a ginger sauce and a "yum-yum" sauce (white mayo based sauce) - both were great. Can't wait for another chance to dine at Kumo!
(5)
Anna S.
If it wasn't for the good customer service from everyone else, I would've given this place a one star. The sushi was ok. The lady in charge was nice at first until I told her I had a Groupon, then she wasn't so friendly. I also came alone that day, so maybe she don't like loners. I don't really care. I'm fairly new to Florida and I wanted to try out some asian food but the sushi here is nothing like those back in California. The price was decent and like I said the sushi was ok. The place looked nice but deserted. I only tipped because of the waiters and other staff. Good job providing good customer service! When I went up to pay for the meal, the lady didn't smile until she saw that I was giving a tip. Well...I'm not coming back here again.
(2)
Lindsey H.
I love this place! So much food and pretty inexpensive for hibachi! Service is always great too!
(5)
Sam W.
Walking into this place you first notice a broken down water feature and dirty a/c vents...not a good sign. Either fix the water feature or remove it, it gives off a very bad first impression. Overall the restaurant is dingy, it needs a good cleaning, I expected a much nicer restaurant and was disappointed. The food was average, and very expensive. I would have only given two stars except the Hibachi chef was excellent and made for an enjoyable experience despite the quality and cleanliness.
(3)
Ashley K.
I absolutely love Kumo. We usually request Lena as our waitress - she is so friendly and nice. Typically we get the filet hibachi with udon noodles and some type of sushi. Each person gets soup and salad with the hibachi - both of which are wonderful. The meat and vegetables are cooked to perfection and oh so tender. Full of flavor. If you've read my other reviews, you'll probably see that I'm a sauce/dressing/dip addict and Kumo's yum-yum sauce is no exception. I want to carry it around with me and use it on everything I eat. Love this place!
(5)
Jenny M.
Their sushi is so good. This is my go to place for sushi. I haven't tried the hibachi. Every dish that I tried I really enjoyed. We always get soft shell crab appetizer and seafood or tempura udon. We always order sushi. One that I really enjoyed is the Free Willy special. Definitely give this place a try. I never had a bad dish here.
(5)
Kassandra L.
Just moved to town from Boston so we were used to some really excellent sushi places. We were pleasantly surprised by menu choices and we both typically go for the cooked sushi/maki. The waitstaff is extremely friendly and attentive. If you are interested in more exotic sushi choices this would not be the best place to go. I would definitely return. Side note: a gentlemen had his birthday when we were there and a man from the kitchen came out with a drum and sang with the waitresses, it was awesome.
(4)
Justin M.
The food was about 20% more expensive than any other Japanese restaurant in town and was either very mediocre or on the high end of 'bad.' It's not disgusting, but is certainly the worst Japanese food I've ever had -- this includes refrigerated sushi from Publix. There was no sound dampening in the restaurant and was about as loud as a dive bar. I'm very easygoing about restaurant experiences and forgiving about food quality... but expensive, bad food in a loud room just sucks. Not hopeful about their ability to stay in business.
(1)
Scott B.
Went out with our staff to celebrate their accomplishment. They have a room for 20 and it was nice. All meals were good, cooks entertaining, service just so so, always running out of drinks and stuff. Sat at bar at first while waiting. Not too much of a bar but staff was on top of service there. A little pricey as habachi goes. I would go back.
(4)
Patsy T.
Love this place! The food of course is cooked at the table and is so good. It's always fun when we go with family and friends. See ya next time.
(5)
Natalie G.
I really like Kumo. My boyfriend and I have been there 3 times already, the first two times we went with Groupons and they were great deals. Third time we paid full price which I must admit was a little pricey... $60 bill for hibachi. But it's a great show and the chefs are always fantastic and conscious of when someone is vegetarian . The portions are notably huge, we always have 2 full boxes to take home and hibachi makes for amazing leftovers! The preparation is a little on the gluttonous side... When I leave I feel like I've gained 10lbs! Haha. But regardless it's a great place to go when you're really craving a large meal or just wanna go out with friends. It's a fun place, I love the staff, and the atmosphere is very nice and cheerful. Great place!
(5)
Sam B.
I gave them 2 stars because the waitress (Joey) stepped her game up. Other than her the rest of the experience was a drag. The only white girl working was the hostess and had a very poor attitude. We were quoted a wait time of 15-20 minutes for hibachi. We ended up waiting over 45 minutes in and out of the very warm waiting area/foyer thing they have. When we finally got seated it took forever to get are 1st round of sodas. Joey waited till the bar drinks came up to bring all the drinks. She did redeem herself by bringing me two glasses of soda. The salad and soups came out in fairly good to slow time. Then there was a pause long enough to watch the adjacent tables show which was a better show than the show are table got. The cook (Sam) tried to spin eggs as per the normal show. He spun and popped into his hat, where I think it cracked, because that's when he started cooking in a hurry. Are table didn't get the full show. The food was cooked well and tasted fine. The price for the wait, show, and quality was a bit high. The room temperature was very warm through out the restaurant. It took 2 hours start to finish for two people. This is the second time we have dined here and the first time was better although we ate on the on the non hibachi side.
(2)
L M.
After almost an hour of waiting (and we had a reservation!!) we finally were seated and a waiter took our order. After that, drinks, soup & salad came quickly. The clear soup was okay- the salad w/ginger dressing was okay. Have had better. Hibachi chef arrived, did a little show. We all had the combination meals and all were delicious. Drinks were refreshed a little late. All in all, a good meal, soured only by the outrageous wait to be seated.
(3)
Gary H.
Have given this place five stars in the past because the good is always good. Fried rice comes with the meal with no extra charge like other places, and prices overall are usually better than competitors. Two stars tonight simply for service. Waitress got our orders wrong, charged more than she was supposed to, and was just unpleasant after all. Could be my last visit for a while. Also the give out incentive cards if you spend $50 or more. Collect 6 and you get $30 off. I told our waitress she forgot to give us one and she just said "yep" and flung it at me.
(2)
Rob B.
If you dislike raw fish... If you dislike well executed teppanyaki... If you enjoy 99% of your "sushi" cooked... This is a great place. As an authentic Sushi and Teppanyaki restaurant, this place is a failure. The sushi rolls are expensive for the quality. The fish quality is far, far far, below J-pan. I got the Fireworks roll for $14.95. Horrible. Way too salty, small portions and it was smothered in sauce, I couldn't even taste the fish, Vs, J-pan's Origami roll is $12, and it's one of the best, most original rolls I've ever had in my life. For teppanyaki, I would suggest Saga Japanese SteakHouse, and sushi go to J-pan. High end sushi, go to Vizen.
(1)
Todd B.
Another really good trip to Kumo. Unfortunately, it's been a week and I don't recall which rolls we got, so this will be a short and horribly unhelpful review. Anyway, my girlfriend and I grab a groupon for this place whenever it comes up because the sushi is delicious and reasonably priced (especially with a groupon) and the service is always good. I think you can get brown rice instead of white here, too, though we keep forgetting to ask for it. Anyway, its not my favorite sushi in Sarasota, but you won't be disappointed.
(4)
Melissa Z.
This review is for their sushi. The restaurant is divided with the hibachi partying going on on the left, somewhat partitioned off from the sushi dining. Atmosphere is always a big deal for me because, especially in Florida, it is a challenge to find. This is not your cheap-looking chinese cafeteria interior; it is upscale casual. The asian art and artifacts add a lot of character to the place. It's a nice place, but it is casual enough that it is kid-friendly and I don't have to get dressed up. Very good sushi. I love that they have brown rice as an option ($1 per roll upcharge) because mostly places don't offer it. My only complaint with the food is I wish the menu didn't have so many "deep fried" speciality rolls. I eat sushi to be somewhat healthy; if I wanted fried fish, I'd go to Captain D's or some crap (no, I wouldn't). Service was prompt and friendly. We'll be back.
(4)
Steven R.
This is an ok sushi place. I won't be going back as I know of a better one. There was a review on here saying about cooked rolls and they were right. Like 70% of their rolls are cooked seafood and not raw. In my book that is a no no. lol The food was alright. I don't think I have ever seen a sushi place drown their rolls in eel sauce before, but there is a first for everything. On walk in, I became skeptical because the front pond display was drained and had a nasty chlorine smell but gave it a shot and for the two of us with one appetizer (gyoza) which was awesome, 4 rolls, and two drinks the meal came to 55 bucks which is ok. The yellowtail roll I ordered was ok but compared to others the temp of the fish was a bit on the high side. Anyways, Enjoy
(3)
Chelsey S.
great service, beautiful decor, delicious sushi. same experience at the venice location. not a bad thing to say.
(5)
Aran G.
Had the teppanyaki dinner (not at the hot plate table), and it was bland. The sauces were not that great, though I will give them credit for having a decent ginger dressing on their green salad. Spent too much money on boring food. And the bar had a bunch of employees from a neighboring restaurant making way too much noise, with the bartenders joining in rather than controlling it to the benefit of the other diners. Won't be coming back.
(1)
Jennifer J.
Cape Coral maki is really fresh and good. Good service sitting at sushi bar
(4)
Josh B.
Upon walking into the restaurant, it looks like your typical sushi place. Closer inspection shows that on the other side of the divider are hibachi tables/grills. We sat down at a regular table as we were eating sushi for the night. Upon placing our rather large order we had our drinks refilled which a recurring theme and the salads and soups were brought out promptly. The sushi was delicious. Some of the best I have had recently and the Tuna sashimi was perfect. You could taste the freshness of the fish and everything was done extremely well. The "gourmet" rolls were phenomenal and I highly recommend trying a couple despite the prices being close to $15 per. The rest of the sushi and rolls were right in line price wise and equally delicious. Definitely a place to try out if you are in the University Park area and are craving some sushi.
(4)
Stacey S.
YUM!!
(4)
Jason Y.
Fantastic food! Best hibachi food I've ever eaten in a few different states! Highly recommended. 0 complaints, did things a little but different than other places and it was so much better!
(5)
Edward E.
The atmosphere is always great here. The hibachi grill is a blast and the sushi is some of the best in Sarasota.
(4)
Kristi P.
A staple for all our birthdays and celebrations. Convenient for kids and adults their big back room is perfect for our larger sized gatherings. The kids love the show and last time the performance at the adult table was pg-13 a step away from the norm (g rated) and perfect for our table who has seen the same ol' show many times before.
(4)
Stephanie V.
This is my sons choice for his birthday dinner every year! Entertainment and a meal! The sushi is great too. A great place for the whole family or a nice romantic dinner with your husband. Keep an eye out for coupons as it can be quite pricey.
(4)
A K.
This may be a typical Japanese Hibachi. I had not been to one in years. We started with Miso soup. It was pretty average. Then salad with ginger dressing. That's a little old. I ordered chicken with sea bass. It came with fried rice. I watched as the chef performed. An incredible amount of butter was added to the rice and sea bass. I don't need butter added to my Japanese food and I am not certain how authentic that is either. I gave away most of the sea bass because of the butter - sea bass is rich enough without butter. The chicken was just okay. The sirloin was pretty good as was the shrimp. Dessert was the fried banana with ice cream - not that good. The banana was not sweet and the breading not that tasty. It did not taste like it came right out of the fryer. This may be typical hibachi food and if so, you will probably like this. One of the reason I enjoy Japanese food is that it is light and generally low in fat - not so here unfortunately. I will not likely ever eat Hibachi again.
(3)
Helmut B.
Nice atmosphere with an air of authenticity. I had an assortment of sushi which was accompanied by the standard miso soup and ginger laded salad. Both were good, on par with everyone else's in town. I enjoyed the sushi - it was well rolled and the ingredients tasted fresh. I sampled the tempura - which was very well executed and quite a large portion size. Overall, a nice choice for dinner for the I-75 side of Sarasota.
(4)
Carol C.
The hibachi here is very tasty. GREAT prices for alot of food. I got shrimp and calamari and it was superb. Next time will get the lobster!
(5)
Ann K.
Simply amazing! Sushi was totally awesome!
(5)
Jennifer K.
Decent hibachi style menu... Nothing like darumas though. The wait for a table here sucks. They only have a few hibachi tables so prepare to wait even if you have reservations.
(3)
Cheryl Z.
We went last Friday and this is my second visit. The first time I went I ordered the udon soup and it came with an appetizer and I thought the soup was good but overpriced. This time I had sushi, I ordered a combo that came with miso soup and a salad both were very good. The sushi was just ok, but again they were not special rolls. My sister got hibatchi which I tasted and didn't think it was fabulous. The service was good. Atmosphere was good with alot of people. Since this is right in my neighborhood I was hoping this would be a a go to place for sushi, but I didn't feel it worth the price. M
(3)
Mercedes S.
We sat at the sushi bar the sushi was very good and the sushi chefs were interactive and in good moods. There specials are wonderful! This was our 4th time there and I am sure we will be back.
(4)
Charles H.
Wife, son and myself all had the Habachi - FANTASTIC!!! It was one of the best Habachi cooked foods we have had - well worth the visit.
(5)
Brooke C.
The service here was a huge disappointment. We had a Groupon, so we decided to give it a try. We came 20 minutes before the end of happy hour, which was 2 for 1!! We proceeded to order and was told that we could't get the happy hour prices if we used a Groupon, which was NOT stated in the "fine print." The manager named FINE was extremely argumentative and didn't want to give us happy hour prices. So we waited 35 minutes to get our drinks, and because of that, we weren't able to order another round because it took so long. Our server was accommodating, but on a slow night, even the restrooms were dirty and had no toilet paper. Will NOT be back.
(1)
Morgan B.
I just ate here for the first time with my husband and some friends and we all agreed the sushi was outstanding! One person in our party didn't like sushi so they ordered the Teriyaki Chicken which they said was delicious. I didn't try it but it smelled wonderful. The only reason I am not giving this 5 stars is because the ginger salad was just OK, but the rest of the food was great and so was the service. We will definitely be returning here.
(4)
Charity F.
My fiance and I both had worked 12+ this this day and we were so exhausted and just wanted to go out because we weren't up for cooking. We chose this place on a friend's recommendation. We arrived at 10:30 as it said they closed at 11. We knew we were going to be in and out quickly. The restaurant was still a little less than half full. We were greeted by a very friendly hostess and escorted to our table. Next was the evil server who was so rude and tapping his watch trekking us we better hurry and order. We told him if he didn't want to serve us we would leave. He quickly changed his tune. We ordered and ate or food and asked for the bill all in about 25 mins. The did was delicious and that's why they are getting more than 1 star. When I finished eating I went to the bathroom... when I entered there was a Man in the Woman's bathroom cleaning etc... Akward!!!! He left but came back in while I was still inside. Then I slipped in the hallway because the floors were all wet and greasy. What a clusterf***.... not going here every again. P.s. I left the server a good tip even though he was a jerk, because I wasn't going to stoop to his level.
(2)
Angel B.
Great hibachi. Zoel did a great job for us.
(4)
LifeLover L.
Ive dined here 3 times,okay? The hibachi was fairly good, but ive had better. But this review is mostly based on their sushi and service. The sushi (did they REALLY call THAT sushi?) was nasty. That tuna was NOT fresh, i dont care what you say. My stomach went into convulsions during all 3 of my visits after eating their sushi. Listen, i LOOOVE sushi!! The service?: the only nice service i had was from this one lady,i cant remember her name to save my life. But she was nice and greeted me EACH visit, even when she wasnt my server. But the other employees (the host, server, sushi chef)...rude or incompetent. Look, go to Tsunami Sushi on LOckwood Ridge or in Downtown Main STreet. Go to Daruma's. Just dont go here for sushi!
(2)
Matt P.
After reading several nice reviews and seeing the $$, I decided to check it out. The restaurant is split between a Teppanyaki side and a sushi side. We sat at a table and ordered both. The sushi was well prepared, fresh and tasty. The sushi chefs were very low key which unsettles me as I always want the boisterous sushi guys behind the counter proving great food and personality. These guys had the former but lacked the latter. Now for the teppanyaki items: bland, uninspired and, I hope I'm wrong, frozen tasting veggies. Shrimps were the best item, steak was pretty ok but cooked properly (med-rare) but the veg was really a letdown. I love table cooked veggies usually but not here. Fried rice was good if only a bit too salty. So I was torn between the really good sushi and the so/so teppanyaki. So I settled on three stars. But beware, the teppanyaki is seriously overpriced. My advice, stick to the sushi bar and feast there if you go. Plus, beware tip was included on the check. We only had 6 people. Didn't see any notices on tip inclusion.
(2)
Jennifer S.
I usually go here for lunch since they have good deals. The food is ok and the sushi is mediocre during lunch. I came here later for dinner and it's a huge difference in the quality and taste in the food. It was a lot better but I don't feel like it should be such a huge difference between the different times.
(3)
Hillary B.
This review is based strictly on hibachi. I visited on a Friday night, probably around 8-8:30--so we were seated quickly--party of 5. We had our own table-they didn't make us wait to cherry pick the rest of the table-that was really nice. They were willing to split our checks for us--i really appreciate that, it makes it easier for me to pay and tip appropriately with my debit card. The general consensus of the night was that our chef did a great job on the filet mignon, messed up the tuna, and the scallops were very fishy, which usually means they aren't fresh. The rice and the vegetables were good though.
(4)
Marie A.
Great food, clean restaurant. Nice quiet place to have lunch for business, with a friend or that special someone. Their Bento Box lunch special is fresh and very appetizing.
(4)
Ashley U.
I have been in here a few times for lunch which was good but when I ate at the teppen yaki table it wasn't so great. I ordered steak and tuna dinner. The steak was good but the tuna literally stunk. It smelled like rotten fish and I was afraid to eat it. I have eaten tuna sashimi at many other places and I've never been able to smell it like that. It didn't smell fresh as it should. The portions were not as large as comparable restaurants and the white sauce was kind of bland. If you are wanting teppan yaki don't waste your money here go to one of the other area Japanese steakhouses.
(2)
Lydia L.
We have dinner here with the kids all the time! The kids LOVEs the Habachi. Friendly Staff, Great Food! a little pricey, but worth the experience...
(4)
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Address :5231 University Pkwy,Ste 113
Bradenton, FL, 34201
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : No Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Coty S.
I came here with no expectations. The interior is upscale and modern. However, the seating does not make for a comfortable experience, and we had many people eavesdropping on our conversations because the layout encourages that behavior. Normally teppanyaki style dining establishments do not always have the best sushi, but I was up for trying something new. There is a full liquor bar, which is very popular. I love their Asian Fusion Martini selection, the Kiwi Pear Martini ($8.50) had some kick. The Agedashi Tofu ($4.95)was served with a very light tempura sauce. I did not taste much dashi and it was flavorless. The tofu and batter were very good, so if this dish was served in a proper manner, I would have been far more impressed. The Fried Calamari ($7.95) was served with a side of ranch dressing for dipping, which was just wrong. The calamari itself was tender and expertly prepared. We ordered a simple Tuna Roll ($4.75), which was fine. So was the Alaskan Roll ($5.25). The Spicy Tuna Roll ($6.25) is of the chopped-till-fish-is-fluffy variety, it is hard to avoid these days. The specialty rolls are on their own menu and most of them are $14.00 or more, about 30% above average price for this kind of roll (type and quality) from my experience. However, the size of the rolls are large and I could only eat about one of them. The rice was a little squishy and the flavors were not bold enough for my taste. I had the Pink Basket Roll ($14.95), which is shrimp tempura w/ faux crab, bbq eel, and lettuce wrapped in pink soybean paper. The flavor was nice and very clean, but this is a two bite roll, so it was messy. The Godzilla Roll ($14.95) was spicy tuna, cream cheese, and avocado rolled and battered, then deep fried. Covered in spicy shredded faux crabmeat and eel sauce. I was actually really impressed with the solid stature of this roll and that is was neither greasy or falling apart. The service here was excellent, even for a busy night. They are already building a large following of loyal customers, and are pretty busy even on a weeknight. There are always servers filling your water, removing empty plates, and their to answer questions. Management is also very social here and they play the latest Tokyo Pop; I even heard Ayumi Hamasaki songs and Ayu Trance. Total $82.00 with tip. I think that I will make a more intelligent ordering decision next time, or just return to my standard places in Sarasota instead.
(3)CC D.
A friend told my fiancé and I about Kumo when we were searching for a new sushi place. The sushi is good, but the chicken Hibatchi fried rice and yum yum sauce is phenomenal--and you don't have to order it via the Hibatchi grill (we get ours to go). We eat here once a week now. :) so glad we found Kumo. Yum!!
(5)Beau H.
The best hibachi grill in town. We started off with the spicy mango shrimp roll which is to die for and then we had the fillet and chicken hibachi entree with fried rice and vegetables. The food was excellent!
(5)D J.
I've been to a few Hibachi restaurants in my day and I wasn't impressed by Kumo at all. When we initially walked in and there wasn't a wait on a Friday night was an indication of mediocrity. The service was great & the chef was entertaining but the food was blah. I LOVE garlic but everything was one note. The fried rice was weird & lacked flavor (other than garlic). Nice quiet ambience with amazing service but I'd rather go to Samuri because the food is much better.
(2)Jennifer G.
I'm not sure why all the meh reviews for this place - we had an amazing dinner. We had a party of 6 and everyone was thrilled with their experience. Sushi was reported as being amazing by those who partook. The tofu appetizer was raved over. The vegetable tempura was great - 2 of each veggie which makes it easy to share (broccoli, carrot, zucchini, mushroom, etc) The tuna hibachi dinner was a big hit. I had the filet and chicken hibachi meal and loved every part of it. The soup had great flavor and the salad had a tasty ginger dressing. The portions on my fried rice, vegetables and meats were HUGE and it was all delicious. The service was quick and the "show" had some unique additions which was fun. The sauces they serve with the hibachi are a ginger sauce and a "yum-yum" sauce (white mayo based sauce) - both were great. Can't wait for another chance to dine at Kumo!
(5)Anna S.
If it wasn't for the good customer service from everyone else, I would've given this place a one star. The sushi was ok. The lady in charge was nice at first until I told her I had a Groupon, then she wasn't so friendly. I also came alone that day, so maybe she don't like loners. I don't really care. I'm fairly new to Florida and I wanted to try out some asian food but the sushi here is nothing like those back in California. The price was decent and like I said the sushi was ok. The place looked nice but deserted. I only tipped because of the waiters and other staff. Good job providing good customer service! When I went up to pay for the meal, the lady didn't smile until she saw that I was giving a tip. Well...I'm not coming back here again.
(2)Lindsey H.
I love this place! So much food and pretty inexpensive for hibachi! Service is always great too!
(5)Sam W.
Walking into this place you first notice a broken down water feature and dirty a/c vents...not a good sign. Either fix the water feature or remove it, it gives off a very bad first impression. Overall the restaurant is dingy, it needs a good cleaning, I expected a much nicer restaurant and was disappointed. The food was average, and very expensive. I would have only given two stars except the Hibachi chef was excellent and made for an enjoyable experience despite the quality and cleanliness.
(3)Ashley K.
I absolutely love Kumo. We usually request Lena as our waitress - she is so friendly and nice. Typically we get the filet hibachi with udon noodles and some type of sushi. Each person gets soup and salad with the hibachi - both of which are wonderful. The meat and vegetables are cooked to perfection and oh so tender. Full of flavor. If you've read my other reviews, you'll probably see that I'm a sauce/dressing/dip addict and Kumo's yum-yum sauce is no exception. I want to carry it around with me and use it on everything I eat. Love this place!
(5)Jenny M.
Their sushi is so good. This is my go to place for sushi. I haven't tried the hibachi. Every dish that I tried I really enjoyed. We always get soft shell crab appetizer and seafood or tempura udon. We always order sushi. One that I really enjoyed is the Free Willy special. Definitely give this place a try. I never had a bad dish here.
(5)Kassandra L.
Just moved to town from Boston so we were used to some really excellent sushi places. We were pleasantly surprised by menu choices and we both typically go for the cooked sushi/maki. The waitstaff is extremely friendly and attentive. If you are interested in more exotic sushi choices this would not be the best place to go. I would definitely return. Side note: a gentlemen had his birthday when we were there and a man from the kitchen came out with a drum and sang with the waitresses, it was awesome.
(4)Justin M.
The food was about 20% more expensive than any other Japanese restaurant in town and was either very mediocre or on the high end of 'bad.' It's not disgusting, but is certainly the worst Japanese food I've ever had -- this includes refrigerated sushi from Publix. There was no sound dampening in the restaurant and was about as loud as a dive bar. I'm very easygoing about restaurant experiences and forgiving about food quality... but expensive, bad food in a loud room just sucks. Not hopeful about their ability to stay in business.
(1)Scott B.
Went out with our staff to celebrate their accomplishment. They have a room for 20 and it was nice. All meals were good, cooks entertaining, service just so so, always running out of drinks and stuff. Sat at bar at first while waiting. Not too much of a bar but staff was on top of service there. A little pricey as habachi goes. I would go back.
(4)Patsy T.
Love this place! The food of course is cooked at the table and is so good. It's always fun when we go with family and friends. See ya next time.
(5)Natalie G.
I really like Kumo. My boyfriend and I have been there 3 times already, the first two times we went with Groupons and they were great deals. Third time we paid full price which I must admit was a little pricey... $60 bill for hibachi. But it's a great show and the chefs are always fantastic and conscious of when someone is vegetarian . The portions are notably huge, we always have 2 full boxes to take home and hibachi makes for amazing leftovers! The preparation is a little on the gluttonous side... When I leave I feel like I've gained 10lbs! Haha. But regardless it's a great place to go when you're really craving a large meal or just wanna go out with friends. It's a fun place, I love the staff, and the atmosphere is very nice and cheerful. Great place!
(5)Sam B.
I gave them 2 stars because the waitress (Joey) stepped her game up. Other than her the rest of the experience was a drag. The only white girl working was the hostess and had a very poor attitude. We were quoted a wait time of 15-20 minutes for hibachi. We ended up waiting over 45 minutes in and out of the very warm waiting area/foyer thing they have. When we finally got seated it took forever to get are 1st round of sodas. Joey waited till the bar drinks came up to bring all the drinks. She did redeem herself by bringing me two glasses of soda. The salad and soups came out in fairly good to slow time. Then there was a pause long enough to watch the adjacent tables show which was a better show than the show are table got. The cook (Sam) tried to spin eggs as per the normal show. He spun and popped into his hat, where I think it cracked, because that's when he started cooking in a hurry. Are table didn't get the full show. The food was cooked well and tasted fine. The price for the wait, show, and quality was a bit high. The room temperature was very warm through out the restaurant. It took 2 hours start to finish for two people. This is the second time we have dined here and the first time was better although we ate on the on the non hibachi side.
(2)L M.
After almost an hour of waiting (and we had a reservation!!) we finally were seated and a waiter took our order. After that, drinks, soup & salad came quickly. The clear soup was okay- the salad w/ginger dressing was okay. Have had better. Hibachi chef arrived, did a little show. We all had the combination meals and all were delicious. Drinks were refreshed a little late. All in all, a good meal, soured only by the outrageous wait to be seated.
(3)Gary H.
Have given this place five stars in the past because the good is always good. Fried rice comes with the meal with no extra charge like other places, and prices overall are usually better than competitors. Two stars tonight simply for service. Waitress got our orders wrong, charged more than she was supposed to, and was just unpleasant after all. Could be my last visit for a while. Also the give out incentive cards if you spend $50 or more. Collect 6 and you get $30 off. I told our waitress she forgot to give us one and she just said "yep" and flung it at me.
(2)Rob B.
If you dislike raw fish... If you dislike well executed teppanyaki... If you enjoy 99% of your "sushi" cooked... This is a great place. As an authentic Sushi and Teppanyaki restaurant, this place is a failure. The sushi rolls are expensive for the quality. The fish quality is far, far far, below J-pan. I got the Fireworks roll for $14.95. Horrible. Way too salty, small portions and it was smothered in sauce, I couldn't even taste the fish, Vs, J-pan's Origami roll is $12, and it's one of the best, most original rolls I've ever had in my life. For teppanyaki, I would suggest Saga Japanese SteakHouse, and sushi go to J-pan. High end sushi, go to Vizen.
(1)Todd B.
Another really good trip to Kumo. Unfortunately, it's been a week and I don't recall which rolls we got, so this will be a short and horribly unhelpful review. Anyway, my girlfriend and I grab a groupon for this place whenever it comes up because the sushi is delicious and reasonably priced (especially with a groupon) and the service is always good. I think you can get brown rice instead of white here, too, though we keep forgetting to ask for it. Anyway, its not my favorite sushi in Sarasota, but you won't be disappointed.
(4)Melissa Z.
This review is for their sushi. The restaurant is divided with the hibachi partying going on on the left, somewhat partitioned off from the sushi dining. Atmosphere is always a big deal for me because, especially in Florida, it is a challenge to find. This is not your cheap-looking chinese cafeteria interior; it is upscale casual. The asian art and artifacts add a lot of character to the place. It's a nice place, but it is casual enough that it is kid-friendly and I don't have to get dressed up. Very good sushi. I love that they have brown rice as an option ($1 per roll upcharge) because mostly places don't offer it. My only complaint with the food is I wish the menu didn't have so many "deep fried" speciality rolls. I eat sushi to be somewhat healthy; if I wanted fried fish, I'd go to Captain D's or some crap (no, I wouldn't). Service was prompt and friendly. We'll be back.
(4)Steven R.
This is an ok sushi place. I won't be going back as I know of a better one. There was a review on here saying about cooked rolls and they were right. Like 70% of their rolls are cooked seafood and not raw. In my book that is a no no. lol The food was alright. I don't think I have ever seen a sushi place drown their rolls in eel sauce before, but there is a first for everything. On walk in, I became skeptical because the front pond display was drained and had a nasty chlorine smell but gave it a shot and for the two of us with one appetizer (gyoza) which was awesome, 4 rolls, and two drinks the meal came to 55 bucks which is ok. The yellowtail roll I ordered was ok but compared to others the temp of the fish was a bit on the high side. Anyways, Enjoy
(3)Chelsey S.
great service, beautiful decor, delicious sushi. same experience at the venice location. not a bad thing to say.
(5)Aran G.
Had the teppanyaki dinner (not at the hot plate table), and it was bland. The sauces were not that great, though I will give them credit for having a decent ginger dressing on their green salad. Spent too much money on boring food. And the bar had a bunch of employees from a neighboring restaurant making way too much noise, with the bartenders joining in rather than controlling it to the benefit of the other diners. Won't be coming back.
(1)Jennifer J.
Cape Coral maki is really fresh and good. Good service sitting at sushi bar
(4)Josh B.
Upon walking into the restaurant, it looks like your typical sushi place. Closer inspection shows that on the other side of the divider are hibachi tables/grills. We sat down at a regular table as we were eating sushi for the night. Upon placing our rather large order we had our drinks refilled which a recurring theme and the salads and soups were brought out promptly. The sushi was delicious. Some of the best I have had recently and the Tuna sashimi was perfect. You could taste the freshness of the fish and everything was done extremely well. The "gourmet" rolls were phenomenal and I highly recommend trying a couple despite the prices being close to $15 per. The rest of the sushi and rolls were right in line price wise and equally delicious. Definitely a place to try out if you are in the University Park area and are craving some sushi.
(4)Stacey S.
YUM!!
(4)Jason Y.
Fantastic food! Best hibachi food I've ever eaten in a few different states! Highly recommended. 0 complaints, did things a little but different than other places and it was so much better!
(5)Edward E.
The atmosphere is always great here. The hibachi grill is a blast and the sushi is some of the best in Sarasota.
(4)Kristi P.
A staple for all our birthdays and celebrations. Convenient for kids and adults their big back room is perfect for our larger sized gatherings. The kids love the show and last time the performance at the adult table was pg-13 a step away from the norm (g rated) and perfect for our table who has seen the same ol' show many times before.
(4)Stephanie V.
This is my sons choice for his birthday dinner every year! Entertainment and a meal! The sushi is great too. A great place for the whole family or a nice romantic dinner with your husband. Keep an eye out for coupons as it can be quite pricey.
(4)A K.
This may be a typical Japanese Hibachi. I had not been to one in years. We started with Miso soup. It was pretty average. Then salad with ginger dressing. That's a little old. I ordered chicken with sea bass. It came with fried rice. I watched as the chef performed. An incredible amount of butter was added to the rice and sea bass. I don't need butter added to my Japanese food and I am not certain how authentic that is either. I gave away most of the sea bass because of the butter - sea bass is rich enough without butter. The chicken was just okay. The sirloin was pretty good as was the shrimp. Dessert was the fried banana with ice cream - not that good. The banana was not sweet and the breading not that tasty. It did not taste like it came right out of the fryer. This may be typical hibachi food and if so, you will probably like this. One of the reason I enjoy Japanese food is that it is light and generally low in fat - not so here unfortunately. I will not likely ever eat Hibachi again.
(3)Helmut B.
Nice atmosphere with an air of authenticity. I had an assortment of sushi which was accompanied by the standard miso soup and ginger laded salad. Both were good, on par with everyone else's in town. I enjoyed the sushi - it was well rolled and the ingredients tasted fresh. I sampled the tempura - which was very well executed and quite a large portion size. Overall, a nice choice for dinner for the I-75 side of Sarasota.
(4)Carol C.
The hibachi here is very tasty. GREAT prices for alot of food. I got shrimp and calamari and it was superb. Next time will get the lobster!
(5)Ann K.
Simply amazing! Sushi was totally awesome!
(5)Jennifer K.
Decent hibachi style menu... Nothing like darumas though. The wait for a table here sucks. They only have a few hibachi tables so prepare to wait even if you have reservations.
(3)Cheryl Z.
We went last Friday and this is my second visit. The first time I went I ordered the udon soup and it came with an appetizer and I thought the soup was good but overpriced. This time I had sushi, I ordered a combo that came with miso soup and a salad both were very good. The sushi was just ok, but again they were not special rolls. My sister got hibatchi which I tasted and didn't think it was fabulous. The service was good. Atmosphere was good with alot of people. Since this is right in my neighborhood I was hoping this would be a a go to place for sushi, but I didn't feel it worth the price. M
(3)Mercedes S.
We sat at the sushi bar the sushi was very good and the sushi chefs were interactive and in good moods. There specials are wonderful! This was our 4th time there and I am sure we will be back.
(4)Charles H.
Wife, son and myself all had the Habachi - FANTASTIC!!! It was one of the best Habachi cooked foods we have had - well worth the visit.
(5)Brooke C.
The service here was a huge disappointment. We had a Groupon, so we decided to give it a try. We came 20 minutes before the end of happy hour, which was 2 for 1!! We proceeded to order and was told that we could't get the happy hour prices if we used a Groupon, which was NOT stated in the "fine print." The manager named FINE was extremely argumentative and didn't want to give us happy hour prices. So we waited 35 minutes to get our drinks, and because of that, we weren't able to order another round because it took so long. Our server was accommodating, but on a slow night, even the restrooms were dirty and had no toilet paper. Will NOT be back.
(1)Morgan B.
I just ate here for the first time with my husband and some friends and we all agreed the sushi was outstanding! One person in our party didn't like sushi so they ordered the Teriyaki Chicken which they said was delicious. I didn't try it but it smelled wonderful. The only reason I am not giving this 5 stars is because the ginger salad was just OK, but the rest of the food was great and so was the service. We will definitely be returning here.
(4)Charity F.
My fiance and I both had worked 12+ this this day and we were so exhausted and just wanted to go out because we weren't up for cooking. We chose this place on a friend's recommendation. We arrived at 10:30 as it said they closed at 11. We knew we were going to be in and out quickly. The restaurant was still a little less than half full. We were greeted by a very friendly hostess and escorted to our table. Next was the evil server who was so rude and tapping his watch trekking us we better hurry and order. We told him if he didn't want to serve us we would leave. He quickly changed his tune. We ordered and ate or food and asked for the bill all in about 25 mins. The did was delicious and that's why they are getting more than 1 star. When I finished eating I went to the bathroom... when I entered there was a Man in the Woman's bathroom cleaning etc... Akward!!!! He left but came back in while I was still inside. Then I slipped in the hallway because the floors were all wet and greasy. What a clusterf***.... not going here every again. P.s. I left the server a good tip even though he was a jerk, because I wasn't going to stoop to his level.
(2)Angel B.
Great hibachi. Zoel did a great job for us.
(4)LifeLover L.
Ive dined here 3 times,okay? The hibachi was fairly good, but ive had better. But this review is mostly based on their sushi and service. The sushi (did they REALLY call THAT sushi?) was nasty. That tuna was NOT fresh, i dont care what you say. My stomach went into convulsions during all 3 of my visits after eating their sushi. Listen, i LOOOVE sushi!! The service?: the only nice service i had was from this one lady,i cant remember her name to save my life. But she was nice and greeted me EACH visit, even when she wasnt my server. But the other employees (the host, server, sushi chef)...rude or incompetent. Look, go to Tsunami Sushi on LOckwood Ridge or in Downtown Main STreet. Go to Daruma's. Just dont go here for sushi!
(2)Matt P.
After reading several nice reviews and seeing the $$, I decided to check it out. The restaurant is split between a Teppanyaki side and a sushi side. We sat at a table and ordered both. The sushi was well prepared, fresh and tasty. The sushi chefs were very low key which unsettles me as I always want the boisterous sushi guys behind the counter proving great food and personality. These guys had the former but lacked the latter. Now for the teppanyaki items: bland, uninspired and, I hope I'm wrong, frozen tasting veggies. Shrimps were the best item, steak was pretty ok but cooked properly (med-rare) but the veg was really a letdown. I love table cooked veggies usually but not here. Fried rice was good if only a bit too salty. So I was torn between the really good sushi and the so/so teppanyaki. So I settled on three stars. But beware, the teppanyaki is seriously overpriced. My advice, stick to the sushi bar and feast there if you go. Plus, beware tip was included on the check. We only had 6 people. Didn't see any notices on tip inclusion.
(2)Jennifer S.
I usually go here for lunch since they have good deals. The food is ok and the sushi is mediocre during lunch. I came here later for dinner and it's a huge difference in the quality and taste in the food. It was a lot better but I don't feel like it should be such a huge difference between the different times.
(3)Hillary B.
This review is based strictly on hibachi. I visited on a Friday night, probably around 8-8:30--so we were seated quickly--party of 5. We had our own table-they didn't make us wait to cherry pick the rest of the table-that was really nice. They were willing to split our checks for us--i really appreciate that, it makes it easier for me to pay and tip appropriately with my debit card. The general consensus of the night was that our chef did a great job on the filet mignon, messed up the tuna, and the scallops were very fishy, which usually means they aren't fresh. The rice and the vegetables were good though.
(4)Marie A.
Great food, clean restaurant. Nice quiet place to have lunch for business, with a friend or that special someone. Their Bento Box lunch special is fresh and very appetizing.
(4)Ashley U.
I have been in here a few times for lunch which was good but when I ate at the teppen yaki table it wasn't so great. I ordered steak and tuna dinner. The steak was good but the tuna literally stunk. It smelled like rotten fish and I was afraid to eat it. I have eaten tuna sashimi at many other places and I've never been able to smell it like that. It didn't smell fresh as it should. The portions were not as large as comparable restaurants and the white sauce was kind of bland. If you are wanting teppan yaki don't waste your money here go to one of the other area Japanese steakhouses.
(2)Lydia L.
We have dinner here with the kids all the time! The kids LOVEs the Habachi. Friendly Staff, Great Food! a little pricey, but worth the experience...
(4)