Sushi Zone

Honestly the last few times I’ve been here, I’ve been a little disappointed. What happened to my beloved hidden sushi joint? The fish isn’t as fresh as it used to be and it was a chore to finish my roll. A chore to finish a sushi roll?! Blasphemous, right?

This isn’t the best sushi restaurant I’ve been to, but I had a Groupon so I decided to come back again. I came in during lunch, and they have a buffet area set up. I was kind of curious what was at the buffet area, but I just figured it was a bunch of cooked stuff and maybe california rolls.
Upon walking in, I was greeted by a really nice lady, and she seated me right away. As I was waiting for my drink and food (I don’t remember what I had ordered), I noticed they have a good number of returning regulars.
Nothing was quite memorable about my sushi experience here. One thing worth noting is that the waitresses and staff here are very friendly and nice. They serve sodas in a can, not fountain. The fishes here aren’t the freshest, but luckily I didn’t get sick. The food I got here was not what other Unilocalers have described or pictured, so I was a bit disappointed. Would I come back? I’m not sure yet.

Hard to find but worth it given the
certificate that led us there. Service was excellent. Sushi was average. It started out above average with the gyoza
…that was perfecto. Then my Cali roll made with soy paper was wonderful. …the fiesta roll was pretty good but small and my mans roll was good too but nothing distinct or craveworthy. The killer was the fried rice… probably worst I’ve ever had. They need a makeover in there… kind of blah inside. With sooo many sushi spots opening up on every corner… you really have to have some reasonably priced damn good rolls and cute décor to keep people coming back… competition is tough.

There is something fishy going on here, and it isn’t sushi. Well, I guess you could classify what they offer as something along the lines of sea-​bound critters, but there is no doubt in my mind that there is some odd management going on here. I just want to start with the experience that left a fishy taste in my mouth. Our server ran our credit card and never gave us the «tip and sign» receipt. No idea why this happened, but I’m trying not to assume.
I see so many mixed reviews about the buffet and a la carte, both at the far ends of the spectrum. I, for one, am a heavy advocate of the negative criticism. Not only is the service sort of off, but the grub has no standing in the world of rice-​based Japanese cuisine. How the heck can you call a california roll with browned avocado, via oxidation, and stick Krab meat topped with mayonnaise worthy of a $ 13 price tag? You can’t, for crying out loud!
One of the most disheartening observations was that in the bento box, there was found 3 pieces of rolled sushi with the filling of… rice and… rice. That was only second in command to me finding the Volcano roll boasting no more than 10 tough baby scallops on top of the aforementioned California-​ish roll and far too much mayonnaise. Enough to choke a horse.
To add on, there was a disgusting texture that was found in the rice’s character. It was sticky and far too thick around the sushi. Proportioning of the stuffing of each roll was entirely off. Way off. Some pieces had a thick piece of cucumber, others had a smidgen of brown avocado. Common theme here? Oh, and the Dynamite was essentially the same California roll with dry, flavorless flaked salmon on top. Absolutely gross. How did they change up the California here? They tossed in a curveball in the way of shredded Krab.
As you can tell, everything here was just pure fecal matter. I honestly cannot say anything good about Sushi Zone. The bento box offers fried food, overly sweet meat and veggies, and some mediocre accompaniments. Avoid at all costs. I know I am a little sushi-​snobby, purely for the sake of having given the blessing of experiencing good sushi, but I really left here extremely unsatisfied.

Some people prefer quantity over quality.
Food: –1
most bizarre rolls ever. Fiesta roll? Pop corn shrimp roll? Jalapeño cream cheese roll? What The Hell! The presentation of the buffet could use some serious work because I don’t believe that throwing a bunch of rolls on a plate makes the food more appetizing. There are other types of food offered besides sushi rolls but I didn’t grab because the stations were not refilled, and seemed to be lacking freshness. To be perfectly honest everything looked kind of old to me. I found myself waiting for a fresh rainbow roll to serve myself, but then again so was everyone else. I dashed to the buffet as soon as I could. Sadly the asian guy sitting right next to the buffet beat me to the finish line and loaded on his plate virtually the whole rainbow roll I eagerly anticipated. *douche*.
Service: –1
Its a buffet.
Cost: +1
$ 11 for an all you can eat sushi buffet is not bad at all.
Décor: –1
Its a small place with lots of tables. I felt very uncomfortable and tight sitting at a corner table. I wanted more space to move my arms and legs. I think the middle seat of an airplane offers more moving room.
Extras: –1
Nothing. The food made me instantly sick. Sadly I shall never return to this place.
I gave them a few good chances. Its just not my cup of tea. I’m writing this sad and terrible review in hopes the owners will address the quality issues of this restaurant.,

I live for the all you can eat sushi lunch buffet! It doesn’t get much better than this. The staff is super friendly and I’ve never had to ask for a refill. They’re always right there to offer a suggestion.
If you are looking for some great sushi at very fair prices you should definitely come to Sushi Zone.
Ask for Raiko, she’s the best!

I’ve been dining at sushi zone for years the food is very good, The service is great and they have the best sushi lunch buffet for the price in the mid-​cities. I’m shocked after reading the reviews about the bad service. I have never had that experience.

Great place, friendly service. I recommend ordering off the menu rather than the buffet unless you are new to sushi. If you are trying the buffet, I would recommend arriving before 12:30pm for the best selection.
Very relaxing place inside, a nice change from all of the fast food in Arlington.

Recently ate here a couple of times while on business in Arlington. From the name I figured it was going to be some kind of discount dive but was pleasantly surprised by the interior. The woman serving us was friendly and helpful. The sushi that came out was not only pleasing to the eye but had a great combination of flavors. The mango connection roll in particular was a standout with the limed onion flavor and the mach 6.2 roll was brutally hot as I was warned. All in all a very decent place for dinner in Arlington.

This place is seriously a HIDDEN GEM! And I feel it is my civil duty to review this tonight so more people can discover how wonderful this place is. Could be hard to find at first, and sort of a hole in the wall but once you find it… you won’t forget it.
As far as all these bad reviews… my guess judging by their reviews is that they are judging it as a BUFFET and not for what it truly is… FRESH DELICIOUS SUSHI. ANYWAYS after all these years this place is still AMAZING! Same owner (Koji Aoki), and even same server (Yun)! I was pleasantly surprised when I rediscovered Sushi Zone tonight after getting the groupon. Here’s the lowdown…
(BTW here is their online menu
)
Miso Soup– (this came with our Sashimi Combo) perfectly seasoned and perfect ratio of tofu/​wakame seaweed/​miso broth.
Dancing Bonito Salad– I LOVE SALMON SKIN! So this little salad, with cucumber and bonito shavings with TONS of Crispy Smoky Salmon Skin and radish sprout along with its vinaigrette really hit the spot!
Sweet Shrimp– EXCELLENT quality, very fresh, Fried Shrimp head was nicely seasoned and crispy but not greasy
Kamikaze roll– this roll is a MUST! sweet scallop, salmon and rocket fueled mustard send an awakening to your nasal passage but quickly goes away and is addictive!
Fire Dragon Roll– ok this roll is an ABSOLUTE MUST! (if you like spicy) Fresh jalapeño slices, red chili sauce and shredded red chillies!!! are you serious?
brilliant.
Sashimi was really fresh. Ordered the Sashimi A combo.
In the past, I’ve loved the Dancing El Nino Roll (AMAZING!), Seattle Sunset, and even the Mach 6.2(spicy). The sushi rice is always perfect here, creative dishes and rolls with flavors are always well balanced and with fresh ingredients you don’t have to cover them up with ‘mayo sauce’ or sweet sauce on everything like at other sushi restaurants. They keep it pure and simple here.
There’s even a Hot Darvish Roll (named after the recent addition to the Rangers, DUH) which I will be trying on my next visit.
Red bean and green tea ice cream were delish although i wish I had tried some of the other desserts.
Service was excellent! All in all, I LOVE SUSHI ZONE! I’m so happy to know that they are still around!

We happened to be driving by and I read some decent reviews for this place from fellow Unilocalers. After trying them out, either they were on an off day or I completely disagree :) Rice was dry. Overcooked. Sushi was a letdown and have had WAY better elsewhere. Ordered the Texas Ranger Roll, the Tempura Jalapeño, and the Philly Roll, with a side of fried rice which was also forgettable. All in all, service was just okay and the food was just okay. Their prices are average if not a little higher than I’ve seen (8.00 for Ranger roll? Crab?) so I wouldn’t say I’d make a special trip over this way just to visit this spot. The service was decent and I did enjoy the little towel before the meal! But when it comes down to it, I’m there for the food and it didn’t «wow» me.

Lunch buffet — unimpressed, unfortunately… it might’ve gotten another star if it were cheap, but advertising 10.95 got my hopes up.
Not a great selection of rolls, a few of what I call the «fillers» like vegetable roll, or chicken roll, etc. The hot food was not great either, I ate all the chicken wings and they didn’t get refilled.
Also, don’t go to a sushi AYCE expecting nigiri/​sashimi unless you’re paying upwards of $ 20.
Stay away! Go to Sushi Yaa or Ninja Sushi instead.

Tried Sushi Zone today with a friend for lunch as it was convenient for us both location wise. My only regret was not trying this place sooner as it was so good! Great variety of rolls on the buffet and while they are a little slow to refill that’s becuase good things take TIME! LOVED the tempura veggies and crab wontons too and we finished our meal with a nice warm bowl of miso soup.
Saw the board with Happy Hour specials on my way out the door and my friend and I agree next time we need to go for Happy Hour!

A group of us from work usually go here for lunch. The first few times the service was iffy and very slow. We recently discovered they now have a lunch buffet. All of us decided to try it out. OMG there were so many different options of food in the buffet line. There are many different kinds of sushi that I can EAT since I am allergic to avocado. Their salad in the buffet line is very fresh and the ginger dressing is quite tasty. You have to try the coconut salmon. It is really good. Also the crab wontons were really fresh and tasty. Don’t forget to end your meal with their yummy brownies or orange slices! Compared to other sushi buffets this one by far is well worth the $ 10.95 and the food here is really FRESH! Only downside is that they are slow in refilling the buffet items when it is empty but I guess patience comes with wanting FRESH FOOD!

Decided to give this another go. I had been wanting sea eel and the Groupon gods responded with $ 30 to Sushi Zone. We ordered:
Sea Eel Sushi-​Horrible, it was over cooked an full of bones. The chef tried to say sea eel was dry this time of year. What? Seriously?
Sea Eel Roll-​good, not great, and not worth returning for
Seared Tuna Roll-​this was not advertised as the infamous peppered tuna, but it was. Horrible, just horrible.
We originally ordered the catapillar roll, but the chef refused to make it without avocado. He said it needed avocado to stick together. Um… what? Isn’t that what your rice is supposed to do? They ended up bringing out a very sad looking catapiller roll anyway, it was horrible.
This time there was no coke, only pepsi, and we had to suffer thru the table of giggling ladies next to us singing along to the early 80s music playing just a little to loud. Dont get me wrong, I was made in the 80s and I’m proud of it, but not really in the mood for chick party going on beside my dinner plate. I’m on a date with the hubs.
Service was slow, and the place was nearly empty. Maybe thats just because the Rangers play game 7 tonight? But the last time we came it was empty too. And the whole time we were there the giggly table kept saying, «this doesnt taste as good as last time.» I agree. And last time it was bad, this time it was worse. Don’t come here.
*I have to add this because I’m still angry about it. The owner or manager, I’m not sure which she is, tried to tell me and the hubs that eel is supposed to have bones in it. That is absolutely not the case. A skilled sushi chef is able to remove the bones. It takes patience and care. So Sushi Zone either has a chef who isn’t skilled or doesn’t care. The manager tried to make me feel stupid, like I know nothing about sushi. She tried to get us to replace the disgusting sea eel with fresh water eel because, and I quote «it’s jucier, sea eel is dry.» I eat sushi pretty much every weekend, sometimes more, and I eat sea eel whenever possible, and it has NEVER been dry and full of bones. I sincerely hope that she really doesn’t really believe the things that she relayed to me from the chef. If she does, then SHE is the one who needs to be educated in the art that is sushi.

I was intrigued by their offering a «sushi» buffet and that was the biggest mistake I ever made in my recent years.
What you are getting for $ 13.99 is (1) Korean dumpling (mandu) (2) tempura-​lookalike without tempura sauce, (3) non-​fish rolls (4) fried/​white rice, (5) salad, and (6) very little dessert. All tasted horrible. Udon or miso soup available upon request. No nigiri nor sashimi of course (but what can you expect for $ 14 and in Arlington ?)
This place is yet another so-​called Japanese restaurant owned and operated by someone without having even the slightest idea of what real Japanese sushi is.
The waitress was inattentive and it took 10 minutes before she came and took the order. There was neither a welcome greeting nor a «thank you» when I left.
For those of you who think that Sarku in your favorite shopping mall serves authentic Japanese food, this place is OK.
Otherwise you will waste your money and time.

Hadn’t been in awhile, so some menu changes, but I really enjoyed myself. Some sakes to choose from, 1 piece sushi orders, and great service as always. Missed the baby squid, but totally forgave them once I had the Hawaiian style Poke. LOVE this!

I am not a big sushi fan. But I live with big sushi fans. Indeed, the adventurousness of my ten-year-old’s palat puts me to shame. So, not surprisingly, I frequently find myself in sushi restaurants. And if I am lucky, I am able to steer my friends and family to Sushi Zone.
We have been coming here for a decade and have rarely been disappointed. I particularly love their wild ginger roll, which is the perfect blend of east and west — the «yin» of the cold seaweed wrap blending seamlessly with the «yang“of the warm crawfish and calamari, flavorful ginger adding its sweet notes to the heat from the red pepper. I could sit and eat these things all day. Which is amazing because as I say, I am not a big sushi fan.
That being said, their menu is full of wonderful delights for those less adventurous among your party. Their tempura is perfectly seasoned and tasty. The noodles in their Udon are a real standout for fresh taste. And their appetizers — gyoza, potstickers, et. al., have never disappointed me.
So if you find yourself in Arlington at a game, or Six Flags, drive a few short block down to Sushi Zone. You’ll love it whatever your tastes!

Have you ever lived in an urban neighborhood where there was some local dump that happened to be the best place in the world for a sandwich or a taco or a beer, even though you’d never guess it?
This place is sort of like that. Not that it’s a dump. But it’s a sushi joint in an out of the way strip mall on a road most commonly used to get in and out of the Ballpark. It’s right next to a Wing Stop and some other little chain soup/​salad joint. And kind of between a Hooters and Chic-​fil-​A. It’s the kind of place you’d expect to go in and find pre-​made sushi sitting on a buffet and followed by a course of free soft serve.
But it’s not like that at all. It’s quite nice on the inside. I wouldn’t say it’s cool or especially fancy, but it’s nice. Cozy. And the people who work there are nice – not snobby people who seem inconvenienced to be serving you (*eh-​hem, Piranha*).
The prices are reasonable and they have a lot of original rolls. I’ve never had the food, but… but, really, if you’re going to a sushi place so you can rave about the udon than I’m not really interested in your take on things.
Perhaps it is a case of lowering the bar. When expectations are set very low, it’s easy to surprise people – that’s why I like to wear overalls on first dates and job interviews – but, I like this place. It’s not the best in the area, but it’s a good option.

Get in the zone, Sushi Zone! *
We are still figuring out what we like when it comes to sushi; we really do love it and crave it but we figured it’s time to broaden our horizons beyond Sushi Domo where we kicked off our sushi Renaissance. Sushi Zone is very close to the bf’s place so it almost seems ridiculous that we haven’t tried it sooner. But you know what stopped us? The frickin’ sign is so outdated I just assumed it reflected the inside and the quality of the food. Seriously, if you can’t update you’re janky sign, are you gonna have fresh fish? But the reviews have been okay so gave it a go.
First off, the sad sign and exterior (as is so common with strip mall dining) were not a fair reflection of the interior. It’s a perfectly nice place, not as modern as Sushi Domo but certainly pleasant. It’s funny that I judge them for having those very common beer advertisement place mats with pictures of sushi –I think they are a little trashy– while secretly really appreciating being able to see the pictures since I’m still getting my sushi bearings. Unfair, maybe.
It also took us a while to jot down our order because I hadn’t filled out one of those little sushi forms in a long time (Sushi Domo doesn’t utilize them); it’s not that complicated but you gotta note the differences from one restaurant to another and how many such and such are in an order and so on.
We got maguro nigiri which I figured would be the best comparison point between here and my beloved Sushi Domo and it was admittedly a little lacking. Texture just a little weaker, smaller piece for the same price roughly, not as vibrant looking. Not bad, totally edible but a step down. We also got halibut nigiri just to try something new; it was actually really tasty with a nice light texture but I have nothing to compare it to.
We also got three pretty basic rolls. I liked that they put all three on one plate versus many little plates everywhere. They also brought all the sushi out all together which was good for us because we were in a bit of a hurry but usually I prefer it to be staggered a bit. There was an eel roll, some kind of salmon roll, and a calamari roll. The eel roll was fine (I think you could drizzle that BBQ sauce onto a Turd Roll and it would become delicious), the calamari was kinda tasteless, but the salmon one was really tasty. I was a little disappointed by the roll selection; they all seemed to be very basic or involving some kind of no-​go ingredient (I shall not be getting any sushi with banana in it, thank you.) I usually like to get at least one crazier roll but none of theirs appealed to me on this trip, maybe I’ll get more adventurous next time.
All in all, it was a pleasant trip and I’m sure when we don’t want to make the trek to Sushi Domo, we’ll get into the Zone again. We especially want to check it out Monday or Wednesday because they have half price sake! If 3.5 stars was an option, that’s what I’d say. I guess the main sticking point with this place is that it’s a slight step down quality/​ambiance wise but the price doesn’t really seem to reflect it but that’s okay because they make up for it in convenience for us.
*sung to the tune of the song from the Auto Zone commercial