Haiku Poetic Food & Art

Harvest roll spicy California roll and a couple cocktails during happy hour. Sitting outside on the patio is just beautiful with the flowers waterfall on. The staff was very sweet and helpful

Went here with a big party of 17, food took an hour and a half to come out… I understand we were a big party, but service was very slow and at one point one of my friends had to steal a pitcher of water for the table because of the lack of service
Some of us had sushi which was decent, the dragon roll being the best roll out of the 6 I tried.
However, the other people who got hot dishes like pad Thai, fried rice, hot noodle soup or curry – half of their dishes came out soggy and cold (aka it was obvious that it was siting out for a while).
The interior/​aesthetics are very pretty but not very not functional. at least 4 people hit their head on the dangling lights.
Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this place for large parties due to subpar food and service (this is also coming from west coast standards).

Amazing food, but it took well over an hour to get our food.

I do love this place. Food is always good, service has always been great, and when weather permits… outside seating is cool. I love their fruit infused sakes! I only give this a 4 star rating due to the pricing. It’s a bit high in my opinion.

My Haiku to you:
Why, I asked Haiku,
Floating specks on my water,
Replace if I may.
Tick tock tick tock none,
20 minutes passed… silence
Ours final goodbye.

The outside patio is gorgeous!!! We loved the garden type theme in such a popular area with the lights and flowers. The pah Thai was delicious along with the high street roll and a glass of wine. Will absolutely return!

This is the second time I’ve eaten here and both times they were busy but we had very little or no wait to be seated. Last time we ate inside which a little bit cold for me but others seemed fine. This time we ate outside on their patio which is covered so even if it starts raining (which is was) you won’t get wet. The hosts and waitstaff were really friendly and helpful when ordering if we had any questions. Last time we ordered the dim sum, haiku roll, yama yama roll (to me this tastes like a large fair all rolled into sushi), spider roll, dragon roll, and Philadelphia roll. All of them were delicious! The sauce that comes with the dim sum was great! All the cuts of fish were extremely fresh and the rolls were perfectly cold enough and warm enough (depending on the type of roll). The waitress told us which was which when she brought them out.
This visit we had the soft shell crab as an appetizer which was smaller than we thought but still really delicious. The lime vinaigrette was so so good so make sure you’re dipping in that! We then got the yama yama roll and haiku roll again because we loved them from last time. We tried the harvest roll which was similar to the yama yama but more like fall and not as much like fair food. We also tried the veggie fotomaki roll which is pickled Japanese veggies. It was good but nothing to rave about.
Overall a great dining experience. The barstaff is also very friendly and helpful and the bar is small but sufficient for this type of establishment. The décor is art, fountains, and other arty things to create a really great vibe. Prefect for a date or grabbing dinner and drinks with friends! Highly recommend the yama yama roll!

Haiku never let me down. The sushi is awesome, and the Thai noodle dishes are also great. Both inside and on the patio, the atmosphere is relaxed, and the servers are generally very nice and courteous. I highly recommend it.

Always fantastic. Great food. The latest visit we got miso soups and some sushi (Spider roll, and whatever I forgot). The Lotus cocktail is nicely flavoured and sweet but not so sweet like pure soda.

I took my partner here for our one year anniversary, and we both LOVED it. We went a little overboard and ordered the dim sum, haiku roll, spider roll, philly roll, yama Yama, and dragon roll. Everything was absolutely delicious. My favorite was the Yama Yama roll, and my partner loved the haiku roll. When we go back next time, we’ll get those, and the dragon roll! We were super impressed with the establishment, aside from the one alcohol beverage I got that was sub par (something with a coconut milk base and rum). Nice atmosphere, although you get nicer spots in the restaurant if you’re not looking for seating for 2. Delicious restaurant in Columbus, and we’ve decided that it’s our go to sushi spot!

My favorite spot in Columbus, but how could I resist? The tables all have little pads for you to write your own haiku, and they post the best ones on the columns inside!
When we go here we almost always focus on the sushi and japanese/​chinese items, but they also have a menu of quite varied cuisine. Pretty much everything we’ve tried is excellent.
They also have a nice garden outside that you can sit in.
–as a bonus, one time we came here around halloween, and the wait staff was all in costume. That was fun.

Wow. I wish we had this place in Cincinnati. My fiancé and I were in Columbus for a night and decided to just walk down n high street to explore. After stopping in all the stores and galleries we were starving and decided to ask random passersby what some good places to eat are. We got a few recommendations for Haiku and decided to give it a go.
First of all, the ambiance is beautiful. I wish that we were eating there later at night so we could enjoy all the tiny lantern lights strung on the outside patio. The koi pond/​waterfall was so relaxing. I commented to my fiancé that I felt like we were somewhere off the beaten path and not sitting on the corner of a busy street.
Our server was so sweet and recommended her favorite dishes to us. We had the calamari appetizer to start. It was a little pricier than were used to for a calamari app ($ 16) but really good and big enough to share. Beware — it is spicy. The calamari is fried and served on a bed of salad with sautéed onions and jalapeños (with their seeds so extra spicy). It’s served with a spicy/​sweet chili dipping sauce that was delicious and I used as a dressed for the salad. For an entrée we split the laksa ayam (sp?) which was AMAZING. It was phenomenal and made me feel like it was really healthy since it had chicken and big chunks of veggies mixed it. The sauce was made creamy with coconut milk. No idea if it’s heathy or terrible for you but man was it delicious. We also split 2 sushi rolls and to be honest… they were just ok. There is a ton of ½ priced sushi in Cincy so maybe we’re just used to sushi being a certain kind of way but it didn’t taste super fresh or flavorful to us. The service was excellent the whole time with outer waitress checking in frequently, refilling waters, etc.
Bonus point — Haiku is right down the street from Jenis ice cream for dessert :)

I ordered from Haiku’s vegan menu and specifically asked my waitress if the item I was ordering was vegan. She confirmed that it was… After taking a bite I discovered the dish I was served had egg in it.
I’ve been vegan for a number of years and I am furious that I was served, and took a bite of, a dish from the vegan menu that was not vegan.

I’ve been here countless times throughout the years, and always enjoy the food. As far as service goes– I do wish it were a bit more personal. It is usually efficient though. LOVE that patio: ()
My favorite menu item is the lobster hot and sour soup. It’s unbelievable. The sushi is always amazing. I’ve tried at least 6 different rolls, and they’ve all impressed. Haiku often has sushi specials in the evening so ask about that.
I really like their Phad Thai, but it’s strange that the menu doesn’t clarify whether or not it comes with your choice of meat, and if so how much extra that is. I’ve never left this place unhappy so it will continue to stay in my rotation.

The most delicious sushi in cbus! Seems people has an issue during busy times, I came late weekdays and have a very good service. The parking is an issue since you either have to use the valet or should look for a street parking which is difficult.

Are here with friends– a fairly good drink selection. I went with a mango mint rum drink which I enjoyed. Fair amount of sushi choices nothing really stood out as too unique for me. Sushi and edamame were delicious. Quick and attentive service.

What a Columbus gem! It’s in a great location nestled in the heart of the Short North and has a beautiful atmosphere.
We went here on a Friday night and it wasn’t as crowded as I expected so we were seated right away. Making reservations helps too.
Our server was so incredibly friendly. Shout out to Josephine! She took the time to answer our questions, explain what some of the menu items were and make recommendations. I got the Crunchy Buckeye Roll (I think that’s the name) and it had like fish inside, cheese and pecans which made it nice and crunchy. It was one of the best sushi rolls I’ve ever had.
We also ordered saki which was delicious and edamame. Everything about the experience was great and I can’t wait to go back again.

Service was great here, but food was iffy. I ordered some sushi here and some of the fish were still slightly frozen. I wish the fish were more fresh for the price I’m paying for. Definitely not worth the price. If you are into true authentic sushi, this is definitely not the best place. Disappointed.

Haiku used to be one of my favorite restaurants for sushi in Columbus, but I’m afraid that in the last few years the quality has gone down. We tried in again a few weeks ago to see if things had changed for the better, and unfortunately not.
I’d still recommend getting their combination sushi and sashami for two. It is pretty good, and 40 pieces for $ 55 is a pretty good deal. But the caliber of the sushi has gone down. I also like their dragon roll and the spider roll. The inside of the restaurant is somewhat grungy — the low lighting doesn’t do anything for me. Outside seating in the summer in short north is fun. They also have their own parking lot with valet parking which is a huge bonus!
Since this was one of my favorites at one time, I will periodically go back hoping for better resutls ;).

I think the food, service, and ambiance of this place are all quite good. But it really (really) bothers me that they force you to have your car valet parked in their parking lot. That just seems to be a poor reflection of how they treat their customers. It bothered me so much that we parked a couple of blocks away and walked there, annoyed to see an almost empty parking lot. I call B.S.

This place is lovely and so delicious. Staff is so friendly. Of course they operate next to the Union Station so maybe the kindness and courtesy is just average. Regina George is a saint compared to union. Anyway, they have high prices but the taste and service are there to match. Plus those little candies they offer after the meal are awesome. Should try to get a job there. Hmmm

So I’ve been wanting to try Haiku for a long time and today I went for lunch with the coworkers. I was underwhelmed and disappointed.
The décor is typical sushi place décor. Low lighting, instrumental music, etc. What turned me off a bit was the smell. It smelled sterile and weird but we were the first ones there when they opened so maybe they had just cleaned. Anyway, it’s clean and overall a fine space.
For lunch, they have complimentary soup and salad. The miso soup was ok and the salad was great with a soy-​based salad dressing. Each of us got sushi rolls. I had the High Street roll with cream cheese, salmon, tuna, avocado and spicy mayo. All of my favorite things in one roll! It comes out in six pieces so not a ton of sushi, which was disappointing and quite frankly, overpriced. They were big pieces though with real pieces of fish and it was very tasty.
I paid around $ 15 with tip so I guess it wasn’t that bad for soup, salad, and sushi. I guess after hearing all the rave reviews, I was just expecting more.

When I came here we had the rainbow roll, high st roll, and the short north roll. I forgot to take pictures, but they were all pretty good. My least favorite was the short north roll, but they were still good. I’m not sure I will come here again only because the parking in Short North is annoying and there are so many other sushi places. But still good!

I never expected that the first time I ordered something other than sushi here would be my favorite visit. The sushi is pretty solid and the specialty rolls creative, but I need to give a shout out to the bonzai udon noodle bowl. It’s a huge, hot bowl of noodles and veggies, and it set off my sashimi appetizer wonderfully.
The other thing I most love about Haiku is just how goshdarn pretty it is. Whether you sit inside or outside (weather permitting), the space just feels like its name, like a haiku. Don’t ask me to elaborate; just notice it when you’re there.
The parking situation is much more favorable if you go at lunch. Drive on in to the private parking lot and get yourself a spot. I came for dinner on a Tuesday night, though, and didn’t realize there was a valet until it was too late. I can understand it on a busy weekend night when the parking lot overflows, but it’s more than a little annoying to hand your keys to someone and watch her drive it five feet to the parking spot.
As I said above, the sushi is good, but even while looking at the menu now (which is usually good for sparking my memory), I’m not recalling which specific rolls I’ve had. The white kamikaze, maybe? I know I had something with sriracha once. It comes out looking as pretty as the restaurant, and you’re unlikely to be disappointed. You just might not remember what you had a few months later.

I am a server and I hate «professional Unilocalers».
But man… I’ve been to Haiku twice now and it has not beed good either time.
We were the ONLY people in the restaurant and it took a solid 5 minutes for our server to come to the table. I hate to be that needy but five minutes feels like an eternity when you are literally the only two people in the restaurant.
Our server was adorably pleasant, but the shoehorned «my loves/​my dears» was… offputting. She was so sweet, and I love hippie-​hearted people, but… Yeesh.
None of that really affects the rating more than a half star though because I’m not an asshole.
The food is what merits the low score. Bland spring rolls, the eel was not great, and they were small portions. I come from a city of 40K people and we have a Japanese sushi place that blows Haiku out of the water.
We won’t be back.

Very sheik place where the prices are very nice and affordable. The scenery inside is very nice and especially for couples. I really truly enjoy the atmosphere and I think it is a good place for friends, family and even married couples. There’s a variety of foods to choose from sushi to soup and salad to noodles to yum yum dim sum. The staff was very polite and friendly. Service was ten on ten. I went late at night so it wasn’t too many people in the restaurant so that made it even better. There’s parking on the side of the building and valet for $ 5. The patio outside looked like a Japanese garden. I loved the seating but of course, this isOhio and it gets cold quite quickly. I do think that if it was warmer, the seating arrangements outside are to perfection. It is located in the heart of the Short North. On some days, I was told that there’s love entertainment like spoken word poetry or music so I’ll have to come back for that. I plan on coming back again soon.

We had calamari as appetizer and then went for a sashimi and sushi platter for two. Generous portions, really filling. The calamari were okey but the sushi was really good.

Great sushi as always. Sat on the patio due to nice weather and ambiance was great with the waterfall.

I’ve been to Haiku a handful of times over the past ~7 years, and it can be hit or miss. However, my sushi this evening was exceptional. The High St Roll was okay — not nearly as flavorful as I would’ve expected for what was in it — but the Harvest Roll was so phenomenally good, it blew everything else away. Seriously, you won’t regret ordering it. I was uncertain if I really wanted squash on a pleasant summer evening, but it was not what I anticipated & exceeded what I thought I could have in terms of vegetarian sushi. Five stars for the Harvest Roll alone.
Additionally — the patio is such a nice atmosphere in the summer. We went early enough that it wasn’t crowded and loud, late enough that it had the summer patio, perfect for relaxing at the end of the day vibe.

This place has great patio space in the heart of the short north. They also frequently have live music inside. The food is always very good the restaurant seems clean. I love their sushi and their general tso chicken. Shareable entrées. Slightly pricey.

I’ve eaten at Haiku several times and I’ve never had a bad experience. First, if you can sit on their patio, do it — it’s charming, with a waterfall and koi pond running through it. The food is delicious and there is a lot of variety. On my most recent visit I had the hot and sour lobster soup, which was very light and tasty (not thick like the usual hot-​and-​sour Chinese-​style soup). I had a sushi roll and some dim sum, all delicious. There is a lot of good sushi in Columbus (although Akai Hana is my favorite); I recommend this place.

We checked this place out while in Columbus this weekend and I am a fan of the food, just not the service. I think had the service even been average, I would have bumped this review up to four stars. We sat at the «garden table» which was set below ground which made it really fun to climb into in my dress but I did manage it! I wonder if this particular table is part of what made the service slower — it seemed difficult for the servers to even pour water as they were basically climbing over us to do so. There was at least a 30 minute wait between any type of service, even water refills, but luckily we had a large fun group so the wait wasn’t painful at all.
The food, once we got it, was all very good. We had edamame, seafood salad, an assortment of sushi, and the chicken pad thai. I also enjoyed the glass of wine I had and they had a normal list of wines, cocktails, and beers. Everything was on point but nothing really blew me away. The highlight for me (unsurprisingly) was the «crunching buckeye roll» which was eel with pecans.
They do have a really lovely patio and the weather was absolutely gorgeous. I actually didn’t set a foot inside so can’t comment on the interior décor! Oops. I am told there really is art everywhere though.
Parking seemed to all be paid lots — valet, metered, or garages. This is on a really neat strip of mixed use stores and restaurants — similar to the new developments right off the Beltline here in Atlanta.

I’m a huge sushi fan, but I’d never been to Haiku. I’m in Short North all the time and have been to just about every restaurant surrounding this place, but for some reason, I just never gave it a shot. Well, I was craving sushi the other night and as tempting as Akai Hana is every time I want sushi, the girlfriend and I decided to try something new. It was pouring raining and thunder and lightning, so we had to deal with that walking from the Hub garage.
Note: It costs $ 5 for valet parking in the parking lot next to Haiku; although I’m not sure why, since they don’t do anything. It’ll cost you less to just park at The Hub parking garage right across the street.
I always knew they had a huge patio, and it’s partially covered, so you can actually eat out there during the rain, but I had no idea how large the inside of the place was. We were seated at a table toward the back, and our server was incredibly nice and helpful.
I started off with the hot and sour lobster soup and a spring roll. The broth of the soup was pretty tasty, but the lobster pieces were pretty small and didn’t add much to the dish. The girlfriend and I both liked the spring rolls.
For the main course, we went with with two of the specialty rolls and a spicy tuna roll. One was the Urban Meyroll (so clever), and I forget the name of the other, since it’s not normally on the menu. They all were really good and fresh. The spicy tuna roll was one of the better ones I’ve had in Columbus, and the salmon on the other rolls was great as well. As far as the sushi alone, Haiku way exceeded my expectations.
This is a great place for a date, and all of the employees I encountered, were very nice and welcoming. The pricing is pretty standard for a sushi restaurant and great overall for the Short North. My only wish is that I had known to come here sooner, but we will definitely be back.

Haiku really seems like a Spring/​Summer place where people can sit outside on the patio and people-​watch. I went for the first time for a company’s new-​hire dinner in the winter and it was pretty empty.
The service was ok. Our waitress was really friendly, but all of our food came out at different times. One person in our party didn’t receive his food until the rest of us finished eating (he insisted that we start without him so our food didn’t get cold).
In terms of the food, I can only comment on the sushi roll that I ordered, which was the Three Amigos Roll (tuna, yellowtail, eel). It was good, but a small portion for $ 13.50. In general, everything on the menu is kind of expensive. Almost $ 16 for some General Tso’s? You could use that for a decent steak elsewhere.
Maybe I’ll try Haiku out again in warmer weather, but I left unimpressed.

Not thrilled with Haiku at all. The service is fair, the taste is the same as Kroger (not too bad), and it is very crowded. It’s the spot where my husband and I had one of our first dates, so we’ll go back BUT if it weren’t for that, we would be visiting another sushi restaurant and staying away from Haiku.