Category Archives: Sushi

Bleu Monkey Cafe

Contact

Address: 163 Marshall St, Syracuse, NY 13210

Phone: (315) 474-0099

About

The Bleu Monkey Café is a sushi restaurant located on Marshall Street in Syracuse, New York.

The restaurant offers various types of nigiri as well as sashimi sushi, noodle bowls with vegetarian and traditional options, and acquired a full liquor license in 2012.

Specials

Bento Box: For between 10.95-12.95, you can get your choice of meat (chicken, pork, beef or salmon) over rice, with a side of salad, miso soup and two spring rolls.

Lunch special: Choice between any Unagi or Salmon roll plus a side of miso soup or salad for $8.95

Metro Sushi Bar & Lounge

 

Metro Sushi Bar & Lounge located on Westcott

Menu
Metro Lounge and Sushi Bar offers two separate menus. One menu is for dining and the other menu specializes in parties and catered events. Their dining menu offers a variety of sushi and Pan-Asian items. Sushi rolls cost anywhere from $6 to $10 per roll and entrees vary from $9 to $17. If one isn’t in the mood for a whole meal, appetizers such as wings are available to order.

Metro also has a wide variety of beverages including alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Although they have no beer on tap, they do have an array imported beer options available, such as Heineken, Stella and Sapporo. The lounge also has many other drinks selections to choose from.

Their private parties menu allows their customers to request and choose the type of entrees that would best suit their party needs. There is a private form on their menu designed to explain and inform the restaurant of each customers’ private party needs.

Entertainment
On Wednesdays, Metro hosts karaoke night, which always draws in very large crowds. On Friday and Saturday nights, local bands of varying genres (reggae, rock ‘n’ roll, dance etc) come to perform. At Metro, there is also a dance floor that is separate from the seating area. Also available is a pool table towards a room in the back of the lounge.

Crowd
Metro has a 21 and over rule, as well as a dress code. The types of people one is most likely to find at metro are local area professionals and graduate students. Overall, the crowd at metro is considered to be “older” and “more sophisticated.” However, all  people are welcome to Metro, as long as they are 21 or above.

Specials
There are specials every night at Metro. Mondays and Tuesdays the bar offers half-priced Sushi to its customers. On Wednesday nights where there’s karaoke. Also on Wednesday nights at Metro there are drink specials; $2 Blue Light and Absolute vodka for $3. Recently, the lounge has also started trivia nights every Thursday, where it will give away prizes and offer Coors and/or Coors Light for $2 and Bacardi for $3.

Location:
505 Westcott Street
Syracuse, NY 13210

Phone: (315) 428-0810

Hours:
Monday and Tuesday 5:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m.

Wednesday and Thursday 5:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m.
Friday and Saturday 5:00 p.m.-2:00 a.m.

Closed Sundays (Except during football season: 2:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.)

References:

 

Asahi Sushi

Asahi Sushi is located on Westcott Street in Syracuse. This sushi restaurant specializes in kaiten-zushi, or conveyer belt sushi. Patrons take a seat at the bar and sushi, gyoza, seaweed salads, as well as other sushi-bar food is served in colored plates that slowly trek by on a conveyer belt that surrounds the edge of the bar-top. Pricing is based on the color of the dish, and a list of prices is available every few seats. The conveyer belt currently runs only for dinner, and Mondays are half-price days, and usually busiest. They also deliver, and there are free menu items you can get for different denominations of money spent.

The street outside Sakana-Ya
Photo credit Gen Red Thomas

Menu
Asahi Sushi offers all the regular Japanese fare, including hibachi choices and noodles, along with amazing rolls, some, like the Spicy Sandwich Roll, as not seen at any of the other Asian restaurants in the area! The most popular rolls are the Spicy Tuna Roll, Shrimp Tempura Roll, and Godzilla Roll. There is a full complement of appetizer, salads, and a large selection of vegetable rolls for vegetarians. Vegetarians are also in luck here because Asahi serves up a hard-to-find dinner box: Tofu Teriyaki. The dessert section is especially impressive with traditional dishes such as mocha and red beans with tapioca, which you can get either hot or cold. There are also fried bananas, fresh fruit with tapioca and coconut milk, and tempura ice cream.

Atmosphere
This new restaurant has a fresh feel about it in the layout of artwork, the bar, and tables. The sushi bar itself is the business’s crowning glory and is placed in the center of the large dining room. There are stools on one side, and booths on the other. There are also stand-alone tables and half-price Mondays are not just for the sushi bar.

Hours and Contact Information
508 Westcott Street Syracuse, NY
(315) 741 3564

Sakana-Ya

Sakana-Ya is a Japanese sushi restaurant located downtown on Walton Street. It is a kaiten-zushi restaurant, or a place where conveyer-belt sushi is served. Patrons take a seat at the bar and sushi, gyoza, seaweed salads, and other sushi-bar food is served in colored plates. The plates slowly trek by on a conveyer belt that surrounds the edge of the bar-top. Pricing is based on the color of the dish, and a list of prices is available every few seats. Sakana-Ya is most packed on Mondays, as all sushi is half-price.

Photo credit Gen Red Thomas

Menu
All sushi bar foods and entrees, including noodles are served upon request. If you do not see the kind of sushi or roll on the conveyer belt, servers come around to ask for requests. The conveyer vet service is great for people who are in a rush, and is a cool way to try something new if it looks good to you. Sake, beer, and wine are also available.

Atmosphere
The design for the restaurant is very upscale, well-lit, and vibrant. The actual dining area feels small, as it is not very wide, but can seat around twenty-five people at one time. There are white and blue lights all around, but the lighting is soft as they are not direct sources. In conclusion, the place is very well lit and vibrant. There is most always a wait on Mondays, but other days of the week are not as bad. People dress in both fancier and casual clothes and there is no dress code enforced.

Hours and Contact Information
215 Walton St.
(315) 475 0117

Oriental Kitchen

Oriental Kitchen is a combination Chinese and Japanese restaurant located on East Fayette Street. They offer a very wide variety of Chinese and Japanese foods, including sushi. Great for delivery, different free foods will be added to your order after a certain amount of money is spent. Such items include a two-liter bottle of soda, an egg roll, or different chicken dishes.

Photo credit Gen Red Thomas

Menu
Oriental Kitchen serves up just about every time of Chinese food you can imagine. Top menu items include dumplings, teriyaki chicken, and different egg rolls. The Crab Rangoon seems to be a universal favorite here, and there are many tofu dishes available for vegetarians. There is also a large selection of Traditional Dishes, combination platters, sushi, sashimi, and sushi bar entrees. House specials are available all day, and two sushi roll specials allow you to choose any two or three a la carte rolls and a either a soup or soda. Unlike most local Chinese restaurants, Oriental Kitchen also offers desserts.

Atmosphere
Staff is friendly and there is usually no wait to sit in. When ordering, food is delivered in a timely fashion. There are even online coupons for GrubHub where you can get a can of soda, a two liter bottle, an egg roll, Sweet and Sour Chicken, or General Tso’s Chicken free with different amounts of food purchased.

Hours and Contact Information
1113 East Fayette St.
(315) 428 8899

Oishi Sushi

Oishi Sushi is a Japanese restaurant located perpendicular to Marshall Street, across the road from Crouse Hospital Garage. Oishi means “delicious” in Japanese, and this place certainly is! With prices slightly cheaper, but comparable to Bleu Monkey, it has a more casual atmosphere with a few tables and booths. Great for lunch or a quick dinner.

Photo credit Gen Red Thomas

Menu
Here you can find all of the Japanese staples—sushi, udon, yakisoba, don dishes, and bento boxes for a cheap way to try a few things. The most popular menu items are the lunch and dinner bento boxes, along with shumai and tempura rolls. There is a good selection of specialty rolls dinners including donburi, hibachi items, and dessert.

Atmosphere
Oishi Sushi is popular for lunch and delivery. The wait for food, both in restaurant and for orders, is never too long and they always bring everything. A plus to ordering online is that if you order twenty dollars or more, there are free extras you can get such as a can of soda, seaweed salad, or even spicy rolls.

Hours and Contact Information
713 South Crouse Ave.
(315) 580 3043
Monday through Saturday 11:00am – 12:45am
Sunday 12:00pm – 12:45am

Koto

Koto is an upscale Japanese hibachi restaurant boasting two locations, both at the Destiny USA Mall and on Erie Boulevard. It is a little more expensive than other Japanese cuisine alternatives, but provides a great atmosphere for families, dates, and friend outings. There is a Happy Hour, Monday through Thursday, from three to six pm.

Koto On Erie – Photo credit Gen Red Thomas

Menu
Both locations offer a wide variety of sushi, hibachi meals, and other favorites, such as udon dishes and even pad thai. There are fusion entrees, which mix Japanese with other Asian and American delicacies, as well as a wide variety of appetizers and a plethora of drinks. They have everything from wine and martinis, to imported beer and many types of sake. House specialties are also listed. For dessert, you can get pretty much anything in tempura, including cheesecake, bananas, and ice cream, or ice cream a la carte.

Atmosphere
Trendy and clean, Koto has beautiful koi ponds, picturesque prints, granite counter tops, neon accent lighting, stone walls, and mixture of light and dark hardwood dividers. During dinner, the ambiance is pleasantly noisy, but not so loud that it is hard to hear your tablemates. On most weekend nights there is a wait, but weeknights are usually less busy.

Hours and Contact Information

Erie Location
2841 Erie Boulevard East
(315) 445 5686

Lunch:
Monday through Friday 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
Saturday 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Dinner:
Monday through Thursday 4:30 pm – 10:00 pm
Friday 4:30 pm – 11:00 pm
Saturday 3:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Sunday 12:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Happy Hour:
Monday through Thursday 4:30 to 6:30 (at the bar only

Destiny USA Location
By the Carousel
(315) 497 5686

Lunch:
Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Dinner:
Monday through Thursday 3:00 – 10:00 p.m.
Friday and Saturday 3:00 – 11:00 p.m.
Sunday 12:00 – 10:00 p.m.
Happy Hour:
Monday through Thursday 3:00 to 6:00 (at the bar only)

Komachi

Introduction

Komachi is a Japanese Restaurant located off of South Crouse Street in the alleyway behind Marshall Street. Komachi will deliver to anywhere in the university area for a $2 charge and there is no order minimum. They operate from five to nine pm every night. Komachi offers a variety of different Japanese and Korean foods, though they are more expensive than Japanese alternatives, such as Oishi Sushi and Bleu Monkey.This is the only Korean Restaurant in the area that delivers.

Photo by Alex Rouse

Restaurant Key Info

  • Price: $$$$ (out of 5) Huge variety of Sushi from $4-$13.
  • Wide variety of Japanese noodle, don, katsu, and teriyaki dishes as well as Korean favorites
  • Lots of combo meals.

Food

Komachi serves primarily Japanese food but also has a good variety of Korean dishes. Their menu starts off with a list of appetizers that vary from steamed shrimp dumplings to sashimi, which is a sushi dish. These appetizers run from about $4 up to $10 which isn’t bad for the amount of food you get. Their food selection then goes to a list of full meal items that include some kind of meat either deep fried or broiled in a teriyaki sauce and rice, salad, and a type of soup. These items are a bit more expensive and range from $10.99 up to $17.99. Next the menu moves to a noodle section where you can choose from different noodle dishes for  about $10 including yaki udon, yakisoba, soups.
Finally we can move on to the sushi. A good portion of the menu consists of sushi related items and can vary from an entire meal based around a California roll to ordering two individual pieces of sushi. There are 37 different types of a la carte rolls that you can order as well as 10 individual a la carte items that you can choose from. The rolls go from expensive as $15.99 for a Power Roll which consists of lobster California roll on the outside and eel on the inside. The cheapest rolls are for $3.99 and range from a tuna roll to a vegetable roll.
The entire backside of the menu consists of lunch specials either in a box, or straight from the sushi bar. The box specials consist of a variety of different items packaged together in a box, usually consisting of rice with some kind of sushi roll, and possibly a meat with some Japanese sauce on it. These run from $7.99 to $12.99.

727 S. Crouse Ave.
Syracuse, NY 13210

Phone: 315-476-2400