03/27/09

change it's name to Aki

by majinbuu258

this place has been revamped and called Aki... I haven't been to the 'new' place yet. the all you can eat is only sunday and wednesday now.

And it's 25 bucks.. for 25 bucks, I rather go to Minado... although I might try one day just to see how it is.

I'm not sure why they pick Sunday and Wednesday. I'm always concern of why places only pick certain days... to do all you can eat.

• Pros: all u can eat...
• Cons: sometimes services isn't that good

03/11/09

Excellent

by hardyboys

We're new to Philly and were a little apprehensive after reading some of the reviews here obsessing over the rice issue. Maybe they've changed since then because we were baffled after dining there about what the issue was; we've had tons of sushi in NYC, Philly and elsewhere and this restaurant's sushi came with a very normal amount of rice; it was standard issue sushi as far as we could tell in terms of size and fish-to-rice ratio, and very fresh and delicious. Stuffed ourselves on a variety of maki rolls and nigiri, and washed it down with a couple of hot sakis. Awesome. We're definitely going back.

• Pros: terrific sushi, great price, friendly staff, quick service
• Cons: none

10/30/08

Great sushi for all-you-can-eat!

by adrianhats

I do not understand why some of you good critics feel cheated by a little extra rice. You're also always free to decline the salad and miso served before the sushi. The quality is great for any unpretentious customer, especially for the relatively low price of 20 dollars (for all you can eat!). It is fresh and of a good variety, and leaves you stuffed at the end of your meal. For that kind of sushi dinner (for only $20) I don't know how one could have the audacity to complain about a tiny increase in rice (and good rice, at that). Now, if only they would reopen from their renovations...

• Pros: Great sushi, great price, great atmosphere, great service
• Cons: Ungrateful and pretentious reviewers

10/10/08

Closed?

by danroth

Went to eat there last night (Thursday, October 9) and it was closed.

The windows were filled with many weeks worth of dust and had a fallen-over paper sign which said "Will Reopen in October". I guess they didn't say when in October...

03/16/08

Sushi Buffet at Aoi=Rice buffet at Aoi

by seadawgscurvy

I had the sushi buffet and was disappointed. The fish is good but I'm a little bit insulted at the rice/meat ratio. They are pretty blunt about filling their customers up on rice in order to keep costs low. I respect this decision but it doesn't mean I plan on returning.

• Pros: Lots of rice
• Cons: Lots of rice

12/21/07

AOI """ WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU ?

by pickychzywlker07

I have one thing to say about this japanese resteraunt. " oh how I miss that good sushi and cooked food in the past. Recently, I have visted this resteraunt . When it comes to food , i don't care what cuisine it is must have a charcter of liveness . My sushi which I ordeded was to my dissapointment stale, like a flat taste. in other words " dead " . There was no vinegrar or sweet taste to the rice which is a must in sushi, and the fish tasted like it came out of the freezer and warmed up by a microwave. The life of sushi is in the rice as well as the fish must be soft and ready for the devourer. My friend was upset as well. The curry dish was not what we expected and served warm and the curry on the rice was sticking like paste. Don't get me wrong here I know the rice suppose to stick but not like power form. I was totally humilated by its food . Years ago when I went there it was like NIGHT AND DAY ,,, DAY then AND night now. In other words i am thinking perhaps the owner has changed . If you folks like a sweet and some vinigar taste or like your food served to perfection, avoid this place , and I hope they also ( the owners and managers or kitchen people will understand they better do something about the service and food there. But I must conclude the service was somewhat deserving of a single star. AOI YO MEZAMEYO. RISE AOI OR DIE.

11/29/07

Great customer service & real japanese fabulous food!

by sweetnessee

This place is great if you want to try REAL Japanese food. Sushi is great, but other Japenese menue is fabulous! I loved chicken curry, beef teriyaki, and una-ju. Ra-men noodle is great as well. The waitresses are very nice and friendly. I truly recommend this place. I always try to go there and eat whenever I can.

• Pros: very friendly and nice waitresses, fabulous food
• Cons: parking might be a little hard because of the center city

11/05/07

Food Sickness, Bad Sushi, Terrible Customer Service

by theultimatediner

Seriously AVOID this place if you can avoid extreme food sickness (the site will not let me write in food p o i soning). Went in a group of four of which 3 people all got food sickness. I assume it was the gray-colored tuna. All of the fish was unfresh, the service was less than mediocre, not to mention the decor of this place is 60's diner mixed with a cheap japanese movie set. Two of my fellow diners had to make a run for the bathroom in the middle of dinner upon which the manager was called for. The manager was extremely rude and completely unconcerned with the fact that three of us were getting sick right in his restaurant. He was unwilling to cooperate and finally grudgingly gave us a 50% discount off the bill but the smartest move would have been for us to walk out.

Nothing good can come from eating at this place. If you want some sushi buffet in the city, I recommend Ajia or if you're willing to travel, Minado's in Norristown.

• Pros: Quick seating
• Cons: Food sickness, Rude manager, Slow staff

12/31/06

Avoid Friday Nights and Weekends

by m1zzsandra

I love the fact that it is a sushi buffet for only 20 dollars. All that sushi is totally worth 20 dollars. The sushi were fresh and were made on the spot. Going during the week is better because there aren't a lot of people so your food comes out quicker but going on Friday nights or the weekend, don't expect to eat till you're satisfy unless u decide to sit there for about 5 hours. I think that they shouldn't limit their menu for the all you can eat to just sushi but include other japanese dishes too.

• Pros: Fresh sushi when you order and all you can eat for 20 dollars
• Cons: gets very packed on the weekends that it's almost impossible to order sushi

09/16/06

Dry Heaves

by stacyspina

My husband and I, admittedley are not sushi experts by any stretch of the imagination, however, as we have lived in this city for several years now, we have had the pleasure of experiencing Philly's many fine sushi establishments. Attracted by the idea of "all you can eat sushi," my husband and I decided to venture to Aoi Sushi to fulfill a Sat. night sushi craving. One cannot argue that $20 for "all you can eat sushi" is a bad bargain, however, after my husband took his first bite of his salmon sushi, he was overcome with dry heaves, no joke. The sushi took on an almost-radioactive pink olor, while the quality was less than subpar. Any novice could tell this sushi was not top quality by any means. We were completely dissapointed. In short, we were forced to dump leftover sushi in my purse, rather than pay the amount for not finishing our "all you can eat sushi." It was that bad. In a city with so many quality choices, we would suggest choosing ANY alternative restaurant. If you have taken the time to read this review, consider yourselves warned.

• Pros: Quick service and all you can eat
• Cons: less than quality fish and dry heaves