Not too shabby for lovely Aiken, SC. I'm surprised to find a few not so good reviews. I have eaten here I few times now and I have always enjoyed the food, service atmosphere ect. Now I think this is a little chain but I'm not exactly sure. I'm always a little timid when a restaurant attempts to cover all the Asian cuisine options, but Red Bowl does it well. The menu goes on forever. Everything from sushi, bento boxes, rice bowls, Pad Thai, veggie options, just to name a few. Anyone from Sushi fans to timid taste testers will be able to find something they enjoy. The sushi was fresh and the Red Bowl even offers brown rice( surprising if you have ever been to Aiken) The Bang Bang Shrimp is a great to start along with the seaweed salad. The chicken and broccoli was quite good and a solid universal Asian option. The portions are HUGE even for lunch. The restaurant is clean, large and pretty new. The service was speedy for lunch and dinner, maybe I just got lucky, but our waiter was very good! Red Bowl is a solid choice if you're looking for a place to eat with a lot of options but not interested in the endless all you can eat Aiken buffet options.
(3)
Prish P.
They have the best chicken satay in Aiken. Super friendly service. It's my favorite restaurant to go.
(5)
Laurie G.
Wonderful food! We just moved into the area and found some menus for this restaurant in a drawer at the house. We decided to order a Bento Box and the Coconut Curry Vegetables and we were very impressed with the quality and the quantity of the food! Everything from the sushi to the main dish was delicious! We will be back again!
(5)
Lindsey D.
When I come back to visit Aiken, I love going here! They have awesome happy hour specials and their sushi is great. Highly recommended!
(5)
Bethany R.
While the food is good and we have been there many times, I had to write about our most recent experience. We were seated promptly at the end of happy hour during a weekday. It was 10 minutes before someone acknowledged us or took our drink orders. I ordered a California roll, three kids meals and an appetizer. The California roll never came but I was assured it would be taken off of our check. Our kids started to get restless with the very slow service and I asked for the check... When the waiter finally brought it, I gave him my card without thinking. He ran the card an brought it to me to sign. IT WAS SOMEONE ELSE's CHECK! our waiter was nowhere to be found for another 10 minutes... He finally realized his mistake and apologized... Took my card (to void and re-ring) and brought me back the new receipt with a California roll I never received on it! By know my kids were really impatient and we were ready to leave. I took the sushi I was charged out of his tip and explained it on the receipt. I got and put my kids to bed... Only to remember I was never given my card back! I called immediately and was told they were closing and I could only get my card after 11 the next day. Upon taking another trip to red bowl to retrieve my card, I explained to the manager exactly what happened the night before and she gives me a coupon they mail out every once in a while (free entree with purchase of two drinks and a full price entree) So much for customer service.... We will not be going back anytime soon! Poor service and even worse management.... The sad thing is.. The poor waiter was probably never even trained properly!
(1)
Uniquely M.
What saves this restaurant for me is the sushi. That is the only reason I patronize this restaurant. The sushi is fresh. We actually prefer the sashimi over the sushi. The fish is always fresh. The sushi chefs will make rolls for you that are not on the menu if you tell them what you want. They are reasonably quick depending on the volume of customers. Their sushi specials are great, but change frequently, so call first. Now for the rest... Service is awful. We have had to wait to be acknowledged at the front when walking in multiple times. Servers will be walking back and forth and say nothing and a manager will be looking into the computer and not acknowledge you. We have been seated and sat for 25 minutes waiting for someone to even take our drink order. We watched waiters/waitresses walk by us and not stop. We watched people come in AFTER us, get seated and get there orders taken, but we hadn't even been addressed by a waiter. I finally had to get up and get a manager to get someone to serve us. We were about to walk out. No, we did not get a complimentary anything or anything taken off of our ticket for being overlooked. We've ordered sushi to-go and had to wait quite a while for it and when received one roll ordered was missing. We wanted to get our money back and leave, but were persuaded to stay by being told they would have it ready in five minutes. It was longer than 5 minutes. I've eaten their food once during lunch. I was unimpressed. It tasted like dumb downed Asian food. Nothing authentic about it. I only go for the sushi now, and then only during the time the specials are running.
(2)
Zack M.
Very good restaurant with delicious food. It is a bit pricey, but you can eat fairly cheaply if you pick the right thing on the menu. The sushi was much better than I expected, and everything else was delicious. The service was not the greatest, but I've had a lot worse. I recommend going for lunch as it is a good bit cheaper then and it is easier to get in and out.
(4)
Joel H.
Great food although the service could be much better...the service is the only reason it gets 3 from me.
(3)
Paul R.
The food was very good, we have actually been there twice now. The serving staff is not very good. It seems like some of the staff are new at waiting. Every dish we had as a group was very good and flavorful. The menu is very large, and there is a wide array of Asian food. If you like spicy foods, tell them extra extra spicy, and it still will not be hot enough. They use cerrano pepper, not Thai peppers as seasoning. We like this place alot, and the price is very reasonable.
(3)
Tina T.
Last time was my 3rd time there since they opened about a month ago. There's lots of positives about this place: lots of wait staff - albeit inexperienced for now, very attentive management, and plenty-big portions - always enough for another meal or two during the week! This is the 2nd time my food was just luke warm, though....so they probably need to work on that. But I'm impressed with how eager and attentive management seems to be to make patrons happy.
(4)
Rebecca S.
The food was wonderful (and a good price for the amount of food you get) and our server Jason was an absolute pleasure to talk to, very attentive, and made great recommendations for the entrees. My husband, brother, and I will be definitely coming back in the near future.
(5)
Jeff M.
This is definitely the best Asian restaurant in and around Aiken. My wife and I tried it on Friday and came back on Sunday! The atmosphere is great. Red lanterns hang throughout the restaurant. There's a bar. There are TVs. Jazz music was playing (rather than the tacky instrumental "Asian-ized" versions of American pop songs that often play at Chinese restaurants). The wait staff was extremely friendly and attentive. For the first meal, I got spicy tangerine chicken. It was spicy at all, but still very tasty. For the second meal, my wife and I split a steak sushi roll and I ordered the Thai red curry chicken. I was very happy to see Thai dishes on the menu! Red Bowl has a great happy hour deal: 1/2 sushi and drinks from 4:00-6:30, daily! You could go down the street and pay the same amount for sub par Chinese food at the Chinese buffet, or you can excellent Chinese and Thai food at Red Bowl. We'll definitely go back!
(4)
Chanelle T.
This is one of my favorite places in Aiken. I always get their bento box bc for $12.99 you get a choice of sushi, a meat, a rice & an egg or spring roll. And it is all served with delicious dipping sauces. I highly recommend the bang bang shrimp. Saturday is a great day to go to this location too because you get a complimentary salad & kids meals are just $0.99. We spent more on my kids drinks ($1.99 each) then their large kid meals.
(4)
Agnes C.
Service was good and food was completely ok and average. To me it's like going to Red Lobster for seafood.
(3)
Tripp C.
So far the best sushi I have had in Aiken. Servers was extremely friendly. Presentation of the rolls was amazing. The prices where reasonable I thought for the quality. Also had miso soup. I was very unique with big pieces of tofu and lots of seaweed. It was a little more salty than I am accustom too. Overall a very pleasant experience. I look forward to eating there again.
(4)
Randy E.
The food is excellent. However, just witnessed a violent verbal altercation in the kitchen. Should have called the cops. No wonder you are hiring servers, hostess, and busboys. Who in their sane mind would work for you? Your staff need to get a lawyer and show you how labor law works.
(3)
Eric W.
Half price sushi till 6:30, that was a nice surprise. Lovely ambiance, extensive menu, hopping staff, jazz in the background. This restaurant seems to be the spot! If your in the area I recommend this restaurant. And, I am a professional eater. Sushi is moderately priced. The half off makes it a score!
(4)
Emilee M.
Pretty good. I love getting the bento box- you get a little bit of everything!
(4)
ashley b.
Awesome lunch specials, as many have said! Under $7 for a large portion. Wide variety of dishes available. We enjoyed the spring rolls + Tangerine Beef with Lo Mein + Bourbon chicken. $15 for two people! Great prices. Good service, attentive even during the peak lunch hours. Had a problem with the Pad Thai but our waitress was very honest and nice and brought out a new meal, hassle free. Always a good sign!
(3)
Fred H.
Visited on 1/21/15. Ordered a beer, edamame and a variety of sushi. Beer was cold, food was very good. Service was slow and iffy. Note to self, be really specific when your waiter in a sushi bar is a southern white boy. Obviously this guy was new and I knew more about the menu than he did. And that is the management's fault, so they need to up their act. Specifically I ordered edamame with my beer and I don't think he had ever heard the word before because when I asked it where it was after it didn't come I got a blank look. I ordered a fancy roll and some tuna and yellowtail nigri and he brought rolls. But they fixed. Two negatives beyond that. The nigri omelet was very dry, I should have sent it back. I thought for sure with the order snafus I would get a stop-by from management to check up, but that didn't happen and they certainly weren't that busy. All in all I'd go back, but will order carefully.
(4)
Mike B.
Highly forgettable with no real character of their own. My order of potstickers came after the meal was done. First the server said the frier "was busy," then that they'd made the wrong ones. No offer to do anything to correct the situation. Asked for the green Thai curry "extra hot" and I could've used it as contact lens solution directly in my eye. Flavor was okay other than that.
(2)
Lisa S.
First trip here after hearing lots of good things from co workers. Great happy hour deals on sushi! Jason was our waiter and he is very knowledgable about the menu. Most likely will go back, especially at 1/2 off sushi time.
(4)
Jamie W.
Excellent! I've eaten here before and have enjoyed it in the past. But now they have a happy hour...oh yeah 1/2 price on all sushi, plus they have drink specials as well as appetizer specials. Love this place. Food is great and the staff are friendly.
(5)
Scarlett F.
This restaurant is surprisingly cute inside! There's more ambience than I'd expect from the unassuming storefront and the strip mall location. I had the sesame tofu and it was really, really good. The tofu was well-marinated and had a nice crispiness. I wish they had more vegetarian selections on the menu, and it definitely misses some points for the lack of ANY creative vegetarian sushi roll. Also our waitress was kinda mopey and weird. Nevertheless, I'm sure we'll be back!
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Trendy Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes
Annie M.
Not too shabby for lovely Aiken, SC. I'm surprised to find a few not so good reviews. I have eaten here I few times now and I have always enjoyed the food, service atmosphere ect. Now I think this is a little chain but I'm not exactly sure. I'm always a little timid when a restaurant attempts to cover all the Asian cuisine options, but Red Bowl does it well. The menu goes on forever. Everything from sushi, bento boxes, rice bowls, Pad Thai, veggie options, just to name a few. Anyone from Sushi fans to timid taste testers will be able to find something they enjoy. The sushi was fresh and the Red Bowl even offers brown rice( surprising if you have ever been to Aiken) The Bang Bang Shrimp is a great to start along with the seaweed salad. The chicken and broccoli was quite good and a solid universal Asian option. The portions are HUGE even for lunch. The restaurant is clean, large and pretty new. The service was speedy for lunch and dinner, maybe I just got lucky, but our waiter was very good! Red Bowl is a solid choice if you're looking for a place to eat with a lot of options but not interested in the endless all you can eat Aiken buffet options.
(3)Prish P.
They have the best chicken satay in Aiken. Super friendly service. It's my favorite restaurant to go.
(5)Laurie G.
Wonderful food! We just moved into the area and found some menus for this restaurant in a drawer at the house. We decided to order a Bento Box and the Coconut Curry Vegetables and we were very impressed with the quality and the quantity of the food! Everything from the sushi to the main dish was delicious! We will be back again!
(5)Lindsey D.
When I come back to visit Aiken, I love going here! They have awesome happy hour specials and their sushi is great. Highly recommended!
(5)Bethany R.
While the food is good and we have been there many times, I had to write about our most recent experience. We were seated promptly at the end of happy hour during a weekday. It was 10 minutes before someone acknowledged us or took our drink orders. I ordered a California roll, three kids meals and an appetizer. The California roll never came but I was assured it would be taken off of our check. Our kids started to get restless with the very slow service and I asked for the check... When the waiter finally brought it, I gave him my card without thinking. He ran the card an brought it to me to sign. IT WAS SOMEONE ELSE's CHECK! our waiter was nowhere to be found for another 10 minutes... He finally realized his mistake and apologized... Took my card (to void and re-ring) and brought me back the new receipt with a California roll I never received on it! By know my kids were really impatient and we were ready to leave. I took the sushi I was charged out of his tip and explained it on the receipt. I got and put my kids to bed... Only to remember I was never given my card back! I called immediately and was told they were closing and I could only get my card after 11 the next day. Upon taking another trip to red bowl to retrieve my card, I explained to the manager exactly what happened the night before and she gives me a coupon they mail out every once in a while (free entree with purchase of two drinks and a full price entree) So much for customer service.... We will not be going back anytime soon! Poor service and even worse management.... The sad thing is.. The poor waiter was probably never even trained properly!
(1)Uniquely M.
What saves this restaurant for me is the sushi. That is the only reason I patronize this restaurant. The sushi is fresh. We actually prefer the sashimi over the sushi. The fish is always fresh. The sushi chefs will make rolls for you that are not on the menu if you tell them what you want. They are reasonably quick depending on the volume of customers. Their sushi specials are great, but change frequently, so call first. Now for the rest... Service is awful. We have had to wait to be acknowledged at the front when walking in multiple times. Servers will be walking back and forth and say nothing and a manager will be looking into the computer and not acknowledge you. We have been seated and sat for 25 minutes waiting for someone to even take our drink order. We watched waiters/waitresses walk by us and not stop. We watched people come in AFTER us, get seated and get there orders taken, but we hadn't even been addressed by a waiter. I finally had to get up and get a manager to get someone to serve us. We were about to walk out. No, we did not get a complimentary anything or anything taken off of our ticket for being overlooked. We've ordered sushi to-go and had to wait quite a while for it and when received one roll ordered was missing. We wanted to get our money back and leave, but were persuaded to stay by being told they would have it ready in five minutes. It was longer than 5 minutes. I've eaten their food once during lunch. I was unimpressed. It tasted like dumb downed Asian food. Nothing authentic about it. I only go for the sushi now, and then only during the time the specials are running.
(2)Zack M.
Very good restaurant with delicious food. It is a bit pricey, but you can eat fairly cheaply if you pick the right thing on the menu. The sushi was much better than I expected, and everything else was delicious. The service was not the greatest, but I've had a lot worse. I recommend going for lunch as it is a good bit cheaper then and it is easier to get in and out.
(4)Joel H.
Great food although the service could be much better...the service is the only reason it gets 3 from me.
(3)Paul R.
The food was very good, we have actually been there twice now. The serving staff is not very good. It seems like some of the staff are new at waiting. Every dish we had as a group was very good and flavorful. The menu is very large, and there is a wide array of Asian food. If you like spicy foods, tell them extra extra spicy, and it still will not be hot enough. They use cerrano pepper, not Thai peppers as seasoning. We like this place alot, and the price is very reasonable.
(3)Tina T.
Last time was my 3rd time there since they opened about a month ago. There's lots of positives about this place: lots of wait staff - albeit inexperienced for now, very attentive management, and plenty-big portions - always enough for another meal or two during the week! This is the 2nd time my food was just luke warm, though....so they probably need to work on that. But I'm impressed with how eager and attentive management seems to be to make patrons happy.
(4)Rebecca S.
The food was wonderful (and a good price for the amount of food you get) and our server Jason was an absolute pleasure to talk to, very attentive, and made great recommendations for the entrees. My husband, brother, and I will be definitely coming back in the near future.
(5)Jeff M.
This is definitely the best Asian restaurant in and around Aiken. My wife and I tried it on Friday and came back on Sunday! The atmosphere is great. Red lanterns hang throughout the restaurant. There's a bar. There are TVs. Jazz music was playing (rather than the tacky instrumental "Asian-ized" versions of American pop songs that often play at Chinese restaurants). The wait staff was extremely friendly and attentive. For the first meal, I got spicy tangerine chicken. It was spicy at all, but still very tasty. For the second meal, my wife and I split a steak sushi roll and I ordered the Thai red curry chicken. I was very happy to see Thai dishes on the menu! Red Bowl has a great happy hour deal: 1/2 sushi and drinks from 4:00-6:30, daily! You could go down the street and pay the same amount for sub par Chinese food at the Chinese buffet, or you can excellent Chinese and Thai food at Red Bowl. We'll definitely go back!
(4)Chanelle T.
This is one of my favorite places in Aiken. I always get their bento box bc for $12.99 you get a choice of sushi, a meat, a rice & an egg or spring roll. And it is all served with delicious dipping sauces. I highly recommend the bang bang shrimp. Saturday is a great day to go to this location too because you get a complimentary salad & kids meals are just $0.99. We spent more on my kids drinks ($1.99 each) then their large kid meals.
(4)Agnes C.
Service was good and food was completely ok and average. To me it's like going to Red Lobster for seafood.
(3)Tripp C.
So far the best sushi I have had in Aiken. Servers was extremely friendly. Presentation of the rolls was amazing. The prices where reasonable I thought for the quality. Also had miso soup. I was very unique with big pieces of tofu and lots of seaweed. It was a little more salty than I am accustom too. Overall a very pleasant experience. I look forward to eating there again.
(4)Randy E.
The food is excellent. However, just witnessed a violent verbal altercation in the kitchen. Should have called the cops. No wonder you are hiring servers, hostess, and busboys. Who in their sane mind would work for you? Your staff need to get a lawyer and show you how labor law works.
(3)Eric W.
Half price sushi till 6:30, that was a nice surprise. Lovely ambiance, extensive menu, hopping staff, jazz in the background. This restaurant seems to be the spot! If your in the area I recommend this restaurant. And, I am a professional eater. Sushi is moderately priced. The half off makes it a score!
(4)Emilee M.
Pretty good. I love getting the bento box- you get a little bit of everything!
(4)ashley b.
Awesome lunch specials, as many have said! Under $7 for a large portion. Wide variety of dishes available. We enjoyed the spring rolls + Tangerine Beef with Lo Mein + Bourbon chicken. $15 for two people! Great prices. Good service, attentive even during the peak lunch hours. Had a problem with the Pad Thai but our waitress was very honest and nice and brought out a new meal, hassle free. Always a good sign!
(3)Fred H.
Visited on 1/21/15. Ordered a beer, edamame and a variety of sushi. Beer was cold, food was very good. Service was slow and iffy. Note to self, be really specific when your waiter in a sushi bar is a southern white boy. Obviously this guy was new and I knew more about the menu than he did. And that is the management's fault, so they need to up their act. Specifically I ordered edamame with my beer and I don't think he had ever heard the word before because when I asked it where it was after it didn't come I got a blank look. I ordered a fancy roll and some tuna and yellowtail nigri and he brought rolls. But they fixed. Two negatives beyond that. The nigri omelet was very dry, I should have sent it back. I thought for sure with the order snafus I would get a stop-by from management to check up, but that didn't happen and they certainly weren't that busy. All in all I'd go back, but will order carefully.
(4)Mike B.
Highly forgettable with no real character of their own. My order of potstickers came after the meal was done. First the server said the frier "was busy," then that they'd made the wrong ones. No offer to do anything to correct the situation. Asked for the green Thai curry "extra hot" and I could've used it as contact lens solution directly in my eye. Flavor was okay other than that.
(2)Lisa S.
First trip here after hearing lots of good things from co workers. Great happy hour deals on sushi! Jason was our waiter and he is very knowledgable about the menu. Most likely will go back, especially at 1/2 off sushi time.
(4)Jamie W.
Excellent! I've eaten here before and have enjoyed it in the past. But now they have a happy hour...oh yeah 1/2 price on all sushi, plus they have drink specials as well as appetizer specials. Love this place. Food is great and the staff are friendly.
(5)Scarlett F.
This restaurant is surprisingly cute inside! There's more ambience than I'd expect from the unassuming storefront and the strip mall location. I had the sesame tofu and it was really, really good. The tofu was well-marinated and had a nice crispiness. I wish they had more vegetarian selections on the menu, and it definitely misses some points for the lack of ANY creative vegetarian sushi roll. Also our waitress was kinda mopey and weird. Nevertheless, I'm sure we'll be back!
(4)