Red Bang Bang Sushi

Sushi isn’t made by 17 year old kids. Crab rolls should actually have crab in them not fake stuff. This is without a doubt the sorriest excuse for a sushi restaurant I’ve ever tried.

It is a fast-​food maki restaurant. No nigiri sushi or sashimi.
I got the spicy tuna roll and the seaweed salad. The roll was prepared nicely and served on a nice square plate. However, the seaweed salad come in a styrofoam cup. Really? Plus it was just average.
There are other choices within walking distance.

Excellent. Not the variety of full sushi restaurant but cheaper. Large rolls. Flavor is excellent. Have some very good hot items also

Hey, this place is legit. It’s like the Chipotle of the sushi world. YOU CAN GET IT HOWEVER YOU WANT and they make it right under your nose. I love that. Prices are good. Soups are good. And you have GOT to try the machi ball ice cream. I’d go here just for that!

My in-​laws gifted my husband and me Groupons to Red Bang Bang so we stopped by to try it out.
This place is the epitomization of Americanized sushi. It’s set up in a fast casual style where you can either choose from a list of pre-​selected rolls or create your own using the provided ingredients. I really don’t think that bacon or BBQ chicken belong anywhere near sushi rolls.
We picked three different rolls whose names escape me now and an appetizer of crab rangoons. The rolls themselves were quite large; three were definitely enough for us with the appetizer. However, I don’t think I’ve ever had sweet sushi before, and it was really odd to not be able to actually taste the fish hardly at all.
For the price, I’d much rather get a more authentic roll with better quality ingredients. I’ll be back once more (to use my final Groupon), and then I’ll be leaving this place behind.

This is the worst sushi I have ever eaten, and quite possibly the worst food I have ever been served. The «spicy» rolls were sweet and the crab rangoons tasted like there was pure cane sugar in them. The tuna and imitation crab were chewy– how do you mess up imitation crab?! Perhaps they use frozen and thawed fish? The wasabi was crumbly and not spicy, and the ginger had a hint of sweetness, too. At least the ginger was not dyed pink. And at least the free hot tea and cucumber water was good. The service was not bad and it was clean inside. But honestly, I would pay to NOT eat their food.
I’ve lived all over the country and had sushi from coast to coast. Whatever this was that I ate today does not qualify as sushi. Maybe southerners who like to eat brown food all day think this is good sushi? I’m just perplexed at all the positive reviews!
If you’re looking for actual sushi, head over to Osaka off Boston Road.

The most impressed I have been by a sushi place since I moved to Lexington.
The sushi is fantastic and you get to watch them make your rolls which is interesting.
Probably my favorite thing about it is that the music is 100% on point.
Literally the only thing I can remotely complain about is that it’s a tad pricy 4 rolls were $ 50 but they give you a ton (10 pieces per roll) and in my opinion it taste amazing so it’s worth it.

Very good very quick. Priced well. If you are craving sushi but not interested in spending a fortune — this is the place to hit. All the ingredients are on display and you get to watch them make your rolls!

This place is so good! Been coming here for a while, and the owner is usually here working. He’s awesome at helping you figure out what you’d like in your roll. Very accommodating! Great flavors and tasty, as well as filling. The sushi rolls here are thick and super fresh. You can watch them create it like a sandwich maker at subway. Have your sushi your way. Super good! Will most definitely becoming back! Check for their groupons too, they sometimes have a great offer here.

I absolutely love this place! From the service to the food, it is fantastic.
As a sushi lover and one that doesn’t want to pay an arm and a leg for sushi all the time, Red Bang Bang Sushi is great! Fairly inexpensive, fresh, and customizable. I get to put all my favorites into a roll instead of looking at a huge menu looking for one that does.
The only thing is… can you please put a location in Hamburg?

I always try to give a place more than one opportunity. Cai, the owner was very pleasant and recommended some options for me to try. I got the mermaid roll with spicy mayo on top this time. The roll was FANTASTIC. Good atmosphere this time around and I will definitely be back.

Now, I’ll echo the reviews that emphasize Red Bang Bang’s lack of sushi authenticity. And sure, this isn’t where I’ll turn when I’m feeling highbrow. However, the quality was great, and it was a treat to create my own roll! (Be honest, sushi snobs, sometimes you wish you could just pick and choose…) I had a shrimp tempura roll with avocado, mango, and cream cheese, wrapped in soy paper with a ponzu sauce glaze. The shrimp were fried to order — so fresh! It was just what I was in the mood for! By checking in on Unilocal,I got a free appetizer. I picked the spring rolls, which were also fried to order. There’s complimentary green tea and cucumber water, which was a very nice touch that elevated the place a bit and made me think of «authentic» Japanese restaurants. I’ll definitely be back to try more roll combos!

I’m still new to sushi, so I’m unqualified to compare this place to other sushi sources. I like what I’ve tried so far.
I ventured in having purchased a Groupon on «speculation». On my first visit, the owner prepared my meal and explained what he was doing. I mentioned that I’m a calorie counter and asked if he has published nutritional information for his menu. He said that he had not, but after serving me, he made it a point to go run some numbers on what I’d purchased. I am grateful for the consideration and customer service bound up in that act.
I normally eschew any reason to be in the Nicholasville Road corridor at any time of the year, let alone the holiday gift buying season. But I am excited about expanding my experience with this shop, its staff, its menu, and will work my way through the traffic mess… maybe not as frequently as I would if they were more off the beaten path, but then again, I’m sure they are located where they are precisely for the traffic it makes possible.
I wish them much success here; enough success that they may want to open another location in the west end of town.

When Jiro dreams of sushi, this isn’t what he dreams of. But while it may not be traditional sushi, it’s certainly tasty.
The prices for the rolls may seem on the high side at first, but these rolls are rolled thick, not like traditional thinner rolls. That means you can’t really compare their $ 8.25 spicy tuna roll to a smaller $ 5 roll from a more traditional sushi restaurant.
Honestly, I wish the rolls here were tighter and smaller. I’d happily buy two smaller, cheaper rolls. That’s what I’m used to doing when I eat sushi. But here, one large roll fills me up. And that’s fine. Just expect to only buy one roll.
Proteins are a reasonable variety: shrimp tempura, crab stick, chicken teriyaki, and tuna and salmon, both plain and spicy. They have a good assortment of standard sushi fillers: cucumber, avocado, etc. On the plus side, the ingredients are fresh and tasty. That’s really what makes the end product worthwhile to me.
This place doesn’t replace my favorite sushi restaurant, but it is quicker and I spend less overall because I’m less tempted to overdo it when ordering.
The staff was friendly and helpful. They checked on us while we were dining, despite the fast food ordering style. The attention was nice. Unfortunately, I was behind some slow people ordering, so even though I wanted something standard, it wasn’t as quick as I would have liked.
Overall a positive experience, that while not traditional, does satisfy my sushi craving. I will eat here again.

So delicious! I was a little hesitant to try this place since I’m not all that familiar with sushi and what goes well together but you seriously cannot go wrong with anything you order at this place. If you’re like me and are unfamiliar with sushi they have a menu board with pre selected and common rolls that you can choose from. I ordered the basic California roll and it was delicious! Cannot wait to go back and try something else.

I didn’t really know what to expect here. I’ve eaten sushi at a public restaurant maybe twice (School and Drake’s) along with a bunch of times from grocery stores (not the same thing, I’m aware). But I’m glad I came here because this was such a delicious and surprisingly filling meal.
Looking over the make-​your-​own signs and the signature rolls menu, I decided on the Dragon Roll: shrimp tempura, avocado, cucumber, lettuce, and roe. I was the first customer of the day, so I got to watch him unwrap each of the pre-​sliced ingredients, all super fresh, and place them on the bed a sticky rice. It was fun to watch him build the sushi roll, something I would like to try myself some day. He even apologized when the shrimp took a while to cook (they had just changed the oil) and gave me 20% off for the extremely minor inconvenience.
He also topped me off with some spicy mayo and eel sauce per my request. Gotta say, I definitely prefer the less popular eel sauce — although it’s hard to describe why. It’s very sweet and funky in a way that works well with sushi.
Eating the roll was a little different than I’m used to. It was strange that I couldn’t bite into the seaweed paper to make smaller bites (since each piece was a mouthful!), but when I did it fell apart. The sushi being so fresh it hadn’t had time to get all stuck together. Also, it was interesting to me to have a warm component in the sushi — just something I hadn’t experienced before. I will say I enjoyed it immensely! I’m so full… Not something I can usually say when eating sushi.
I hope to return here again soon.

I love this concept for sushi. Fast, casual, pick your own fillings, it really is a neat concept. The rolls are rolled big, not small and tight like traditional sushi. So this is more of an americanized version of sushi.
The sushi was tasty. I ordered a special roll which was in the $ 10 range – a bit pricy, but not completely unreasonable. My husband ordered a spicy tuna roll. He liked the flavor, but he thought the pieces were a bit big.
We ordered the fried pork dumplings as well. They were ok, but just basic, nothing super exciting.
Overall, we loved the concept and the flavors of the rolls so we will eat here again. Things to know, this is not traditional sushi, you can get bacon on and in it. This is a fun, new way of thinking about sushi, so keep an open mind.

Tasty option for a quick and fulfilling bite. Their sushi rolls are quite big and options of fillings are plenty. Walk up to the counter and have fun with customizing your own sushi roll. Don’t forget the specials board on the right. Those have good options but I don’t remember seeing the prices listed there. So you could end up getting a special roll worth $ 12 when you were trying to stay under $ 9 (that happened to me!!!).
As Ashley M. mentioned, you might want to ask them to be easy on the sauce or they will cover the roll with plenty of sauce. If you have any dietary modifications, let them know. The people working behind the counter know their ingredients and they will be happy to help you making a vegan or gluten free sushi roll.
They also have soup, edamame, dumplings and a few other things you can add to your order. Don’t expect the dumplings to be anything fancy. Remember, this is still a fast-​food place and the dumplings served are straight out of a bag that can be purchased at the Asian stores in town. Regardless, the dumplings are decent and the miso soup is a good appetizer.
One thing that doesn’t work for me here is the ventilation. On each of my visits, I ended up walking out of here smelling like fried food. I guess when they fry shrimp tempura or other things, the place ends up smelling like grease instantly. On my first visit, as I walked in, I was welcomed by a smoky haze that bothered my already-​dry eyes. I have a tendency to eat fast and on each of my visits, I was probably done with my food and out within 10 minutes, smelling like I was the one frying the food for the last several hours. I guess I just don’t enjoy smelling like food when I’m out and about, meeting people.
Overall, you should definitely keep this place in mind for when you are in a hurry, want to customize your food and enjoy a lighter fare. But please remember that the grease smell will join you on your way out!

These days you can get sushi made in your local grocery store but only during specific hours which leaves you having to choose from what they prepare and leave in the cooler…
This is where Red Bang Bang comes in!
You can have your sushi, made the way you like it with fresh quality ingredients and eat it in their clean, well-​lit dining area. They have also have a few roll-​options to choose from if you prefer to have a menu to choose from.
I really enjoyed the rolls we chose. One Bang Bang Roll and a Philly roll. They offered several sauces and toppings at the end. Next time I’ll ask for «easy» on the sauce. The very nice cashier gave me a free try of the Miso Soup. I loved it! I also took home an imported soda to taste (unique selections, l like Lychee). If you have a sweet tooth, they do sell Mochi Ice Cream balls. It’s not made in-​house but its still a nice treat (my favorite is Mango).
I’m returning soon and if you are a sushi fan (yes, vegetarians too) you should give them a try!

Disclaimer: I eat sushi with a fork. There, now that we have that out of the way, I’ll proceed. This place is the Subway of sushi. I don’t know if sushi snobs would like it or not. I love it. They have soup and salad options too but I think those are just to go along with a sushi roll.
You start with your choice of a seaweed, or soy wrap. Now come to think of it, I could’ve stuck with the plain rice shell without the wrap. Then you choose whether you want plain rice or brown rice. Then you choose your protein. The protein for sushi doesn’t always mean raw fish. They have cooked chicken as well. I say this because while I was sitting there eating, two groups of people walked in and walked straight out after they learned that all they served was sushi. Really people? It’s pressed rice! You walk into an Asian fare restaurant and not like rice?! Ok, back to the point, next you choose your veggies and then your sauce. The options are posted and I took pictures and posted them here. I opted for my sauce on the side but the spicy mayo sauce was excellent. The wasabi sauce wasn’t my cup of tea but I liked their plain wasabi. All for under $ 8… Not bad if you ask me.
I’d like to say that I tried the ice cream, but I didn’t. The sushi roll was big enough for me at lunch time.