Blue Sushi Sake Grill

Reviews

• DE

  David Elkins

  2 days ago
  2.0
  I honestly hate to leave this review. I’ve been coming to Blue Sushi for YEARS, usually twice a month, ordering the same meal every time: chicken crunch salad, shishito peppers, side of sushi rice, and the crispy rice cakes. Unfortunately, something has shifted. Every item that hit the table was noticeably worse than it used to be: The chicken crunch salad used to be the perfect salad: generous, delicious, crispy. Unfortunately what came out today was noticeably worse than it used to be. Smaller with less chicken, it also appears that something about the dressing has changed. Maybe different base ingredients? They also seem to be slicing everything smaller, which makes everything get soggy faster. And again, the portion size was a big disappointment. The shishito peppers were the most similar to the old way, but like the salad, the sauce felt thinner and less flavorful. I could be wrong on this one, but there was something different about it. Also, the peppers were drowned in a lot more sauce than usual, making me think they are compensating by putting more sauce on the plate. The rice was also noticeably different. In the past, it had that satisfying balance of sweet and sour. In this case, the sour note of the vinegar (an important part of making seasoned sushi rice) was dialed way back. This just tasted like slightly sweetened rice. A small but really important detail to get right at a sushi joint. I left most of my bowl of rice untouched, when in the past I would eat every grain with the shishitos. The crispy rice cake was the most disappointing. In the past, they hand formed each pillow of rice (like traditional nigiri), fried them individually and then topped them with spicy tuna and dressed with a small amount of flavorful sauce. This time, they had formed the entire plate of rice into one big strip, fried it together and then sliced. This creates two problems: first the rice is much more densely packed, making it a somewhat unpleasant chewy experience. Second it is not nearly as crispy and well fried. Then they put it on the plate swimming in too much cold soy sauce which immediately made the rice cold and soggy. I NEVER send food back but I sent this back. The second one that came out was better but the shortcut they took with the frying technique meant it was still way worse than it used to be. Also, the portion size has shrunk noticeably. Very sad to see. I say all of this because I LOVE this place. I really hope this was a temporary blip and that they find a way back to the way they were. I’ll probably come back in a couple months to see if they sort out their issues, but if not, I probably won’t come back. I used to drive 25 minutes to come get this food, but the meal I had today wasn’t worth the effort. (All that said, the floor staff were great. Victoria was warm and helpful as we struggled with the quality of the food.)
• RL

  Russell Kauitzsch, MS, LPC

  5 days ago
  4.0
  Cute place with nice atmosphere. It was hot when we were there. Not sure if the air wasn't working but it was uncomfortable. There were also fruit flies flying around and that made me nervous at a sushi place. However the food was fine and there were no problems. It was descent but there are better sushi options. The service was very good.
• JH

  Jason Hrissikopoulos

  Apr 26, 2026
  5.0
  Seriously have been quite a sushi connoisseur for a good 25 years plus and I've been to most at least of the top 15 sushi places around the Austin area but this place takes the number one spot! What's your first was actually surprising but every time I go back its reaffirmed even more than the time prior, and this is my 5th time back here over the years and I plan to come back again! And that has to say a lot! The Itchy Sea bass Bomb the Godzilla Bomb on the specialty Nigiri section of the menu, the specialty Sashimi with truffle, the Hot Rock Wagyu, Amazon Roll, nothing disappoints!! It is like a mouthgasm each time, I mean I have to close my eyes it is so dang amazing. Really truly and I'm a foodie with a pretty diverse palate but this place is on the top of my chart!! I like their sushi even More than the 3 Uchis and the flavor combinations cam rival Jeffrey's Metropolitan Infusion Michelin star cuisine. It is just that good and two people can I have a really good meal for just a little over a hundred bucks and if you try to keep it down a bit be enr just $80! It is out of this world!
• KB

  Kayla B

  Apr 22, 2026
  4.0
  Great happy hour spot for us! We’ve been here many times and enjoy. The food & drinks are good! Food wise we’d recommend the mango crab rangoon, crunchy red, tidal wave, and lion king. I’d personally skip the calamari and the salmon skin roll-they aren’t bad just didn’t find it to be as good. For drinks we love the bluetini, samurai saketini, and the cucumber jalapeño margarita. Service is normally good and attentive. I think there’s only been once or twice where it was slow. It can get busy depending on time of day so be prepared to wait. Atmosphere is casual but nice. Will definitely be back!
• ND

  Nate D

  Apr 9, 2026
  3.0
  Went to Blue Sushi Sake Grill after it popped up as one of the best happy hour spots, but it definitely didn’t live up to that. I was by myself just trying to grab a quick bite and check it out. The shishito peppers were honestly the highlight and probably the best thing I had. The vibe and atmosphere were cool, I’ll give them that. But the food overall was pretty blah. The salmon truffle sashimi was really disappointing, the salmon was sliced so thin you could practically see through it, which made it feel cheap and not worth it. The Godzilla roll was also somewhat disappointing and just didn’t really hit. Overall, it looks like a great spot on the surface, but between the food and the letdown on the “best happy hour” claim, it didn’t deliver the way I expected. Good atmosphere, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to come back.

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