Blue Fugu

Is this place really a restaurant? Worst service ever and guess what? We didn’t even get seated

Tried this restaurant one night on vacation, and it was pretty good. It’s in a strange location in a shopping plaza, but don’t let that stop you. It looks like a typical Japanese steakhouse inside with hibachi tables, etc but the actual sushi bar is pretty nice. The bar is all lit up in different colors and there’s mirrors above it so you can watch the chefs making your sushi. We started with some drinks, and somehow the alcohol didn’t make it into mine even though we were still charged for it. The waitress was really nice but barely spoke English so that might have been the issue lol. The gyoza (dumplings) were delicious. We got about 4 combo rolls and some single pieces of sushi. All of it was really pretty good and fresh, although it could have used some more seasoning/​flavor. Overall we’d order it again sometime but it was a bit pricey for what you get compared to a lot of other sushi restaurants.

Blue Fugu Japanese Steakhouse is a hidden gem! We recently went to Blue Fugu in St. Pete’s Beach, and I am so sorry I hadn’t discovered this place sooner. It’s located on the second floor of a barely occupied office building next to a Publix on Gulf Blvd. It is accessible via elevator or stairway which is nice for everyone. The décor is fairly standard for a nice Japanese restaurant, with fish wall plaques, samurai swords and tapestries adorning the walls. They have a wonderful full bar and also a Sushi Bar, but, we were there for the Hibachi dinner. After having dined in other hibachi’s in different parts of the U.S., we were pleasantly surprised by the menu and what’s included. For my beverage, which is not a part of the meal, I chose the Hot Sake and hubby had a Mai Tai, which attractively arrived complete with a fancy paper umbrella straw. We ordered one California Roll, also as an extra to split as an appetizer. It was 8 pieces, more than enough for two. It was freshly made and was nicely loaded with additional slivers of veggies, besides the customary ones. In addition to wasabi, it was served with two other sauces (one a sweet mustard and the other a siracha mayo) that were platted decoratively. Sadly, I failed to take a photo, but should have since it was a work of art! Now, here was the surprise for us! When ordering a dinner, the soup, salad, fried rice, vegetables, and soft noodles are included! The soup, which was Miso, was very good. I am not a huge fan of Miso, but the Miso at Blue Fugu was a tasty broth with little sliced mushrooms and lucky for me, was not seaweedy as the ones I’ve had elsewhere. The salad was made of iceberg lettuce and tomato topped with a ginger dressing. The dressing was hearty and lightly gingered — quite pleasing. The noodles and vegetable fried rice were very good. For our Blue Fugu experience we had the privilege of having Luis as our chef. What a showman he is! He is by far the best Hibachi Chef we’ve ever encountered. His skills of chopping, slicing, dicing, tool flipping, egg tossing and balancing are extremely impressive! He was very fancy with the flambé and the onion piled steam volcano too. I was in awe! Even his seasoning techniques are commendable. Dinner and a show! Who knew? So, along with our perfectly prepared fried rice and noodles, I had the filet mignon and scallops (very reasonably priced at 28.00) and hubby had the filet mignon and shrimp (26.00).The filet was cooked to perfection. The scallops were tender and sweet and hubby said his shrimp was prepared perfectly also. Not knowing who your table mates will be is always an adventure, so be prepared to meet some new folks if you don’t arrive with a large group of friends. Now, I’ve already mentioned how much food is included with your meal, but do try to save room for dessert. We split a Tempura Ice Cream, which is vanilla ice cream fried in a crunchy cinnamon dusted batter and covered with chocolate sauce and whipped cream. It was just enough to top off our delicious meal. Our Blue Fugu experience was a great one and we are already making plans to return with a group of friends. Oh what a party that will be!
On a side note, the ladies room was impeccably clean during my visit.

Terrible customer service! The restaurant had a large sign posted with brightly colored writing with a special. I ordered the special and the waitress stated I couldn’t get that because they were ‘out’ of the special. The manager came over and also said they were ‘out’ of the special, but said I could order it for regular price.

We came to Blue Fugu because of the ratings. This place is a Chinese attempt to do Japanese food. The Seafood Soba was way too sweet and the seafood tasted like it was frozen. Shimp tempura tasted like frozen shrimp, and Sushi was lower quality than most grocery store sushi. Would never come back and cannot recommend. Anyone giving this place a high rating either has no taste buds or had too much to drink. I cannot rate the Hitachi dining but if the other food is any indication then we say no way.

Loved sitting at the sushi bar! The fish was extremely fresh and all the cooked Rolls were delicious. The owner makes all the sauces from scratch including the soy sauce! So don’t get it from the standard glass jars! My youngest had the chicken Udon and really enjoyed it as well! I can’t comment on Hibachi but I will say this place gets very busy so book ahead otherwise a regular table/​sushi bar still provided fantastic welcoming service! Seems like a hot spot for locals!

Wonderful atmosphere and incredible sushi. The sushi chef was very nice and hospitable. We enjoyed his beautifully and artfully well trading creations. The service staff was quick. The red Tampa Mali was a great roll. The chicken fried rice for the non sushi lovers was just o.k. Overall I’d highly recommend.

I ordered the spicy tuna rolls and had to spit out most of the pieces because they were extremely chewy.
The tuna was also slightly fishy tasty, which suggests the fish wasn’t the freshest. Will not go back.
Service was fine.

I’ve eaten here twice now and it was extremely pleased with the quality and freshness of the sushi. Love to sit at the sushi bar and watch them make the rolls right in front of you. The prices are great and the people are friendly. I have not had anything but the Sushi, but will definitely be back over and over to try everything they have to offer.

We live 10 minutes from here. very convenient. We are so happy we found a Japanese restaurant that’s so close by and very deliciously fresh. Staffs are very nice too. We give them a 5 star!

Good hibachi table food. Soup salad and shrimp appetizer included in price of your meal. I ordered chicken/​shrimp combo Came also with fried rice and vegetables.

went with friends. Beer 6.50 for 16 Oz Sapporo. Had an Sushi appetizer. People very nice but pricey and not enough sushi for price

The presentation was out of bounds, the raw fish quality hit the spot! But that miso soup doh! Best part are the complimentary rice crackers– really hit the spot when you’re hungover and snacky! Not a huge fan of the sauces. Overall definitely would come back!

Awesome everything. The atmosphere was great-​food was delicious and the beer selection didn’t disappoint.
Highly recommend!

We had a great meal at Blu Fago. My review should honestly be 4 stars, but with the 3.5 average they currently have, I’m throwing in an extra.
The food was good, the place was very clean and the staff was friendly. All of these combined make for a great hibachi experience. Being a Japanese steak house connoisseur, I’ve experienced it all. Most places just aren’t that good, but Blu Fago had it going on. I really appreciated them not using a ton of butter/​oil. I eat my whole plate and didn’t feel like I was going to explode after. The chef even had some jokes I had never heard before, like the Japanese Butterfly.
I would highly recommend this spot. It’s not high class but the food quality is good and I felt at home.

Interesting menu with good potential… decent food
VERY over priced and in certain ways behind the times…
for instance:
Only open until 10pm
Very expensive and ridiculously high and over large children’s portions & prices.
No way to order brown rice.
No way to share portions without big additional charge.
Conclusion? Nice but only for those who vacation here & do not know of other options.

Blue Fugu is an excellent Japanese restaurant in a shopping mall, close to Publix. The ambience is upscale and the prices are slightly on the high side.
We arrived there late about 9PM. Supposedly the restaurant closes at 10PM, but it seemed to be accepting new customers late and stayed open later without any push to leave. We were quickly seated. Food also came out quickly.
The server was enthusiastic and really spent time with us chatting as well as suggesting good recommendations at our request. The magarita was standard. The sushi was excellent. We had a fancy roll with snow crab meat and various things. The portion was fairly large, enough to feed two people who aren’t voracious. We ended up ordering a second roll, a tuna roll. The miso soup was standard and tasty.
The presentation of the meals was excellent. Beautiful presentation with extra raw veggies and pickled ginger.

We always used to come here. Last few times very poor quality fish and meat. My salmon smelled to high heaven… my husbands steak so tough and full of fat. Plus, now they charge for everything. Used to be included. We waited much too long to be seated and had to wait longer for a cook… very dirty on tables. A film was on them. Plus, must be saving on electric bill it was rather toasty in there. Will not be returning. Lost 2 great customers. Go into St Petersburg, they have Japanese restaurants that are very good.

Blue Fugu is tucked waaaay back in the Publix strip mall plaza on the right (south) side where the place converts to two stories; they’re on the second floor. There’s absolutely no way you’d know they’re back there from the street so I’m honestly not sure how they stay in business considering St Pete Beach is mostly tourists.
In any case, I’m a local and my wife and I eat here regularly and enjoy it. There are only two Japanese steakhouses in close proximity to the beach and this is the better of the two. Anything else is going to be a 20+ minute drive. That’s not to say there’s a reason to drive further away as Blue Fugu is actually quite good; we’ve had consistently good service, good entertainment from the chefs and high food quality.
The only slight negative is the pricing is marginally on the high side; i.e. tourists are a captive audience so lets exploit that. The prices aren’t high enough that we avoid going though, they’re not as bad as Benihana or Kobe (chain steakhouses) by any means, but they’re certainly higher than you’d expect from a non-​chain local restaurant.
They have a full liquor bar, so no worries about not being able to have a cocktail with your meal. Prices are average. They also have the typical selection of Japanese beers, Sapporo, Kirin, etc.
There is a sushi bar if you prefer to sit at the bar rather than at a table, and for those not interested in hibachi, there are also many regular tables.
I often get the tuna hibachi and have never had what tasted like a bad cut or something that had been sitting around a bit too long, so no concerns there.

Outstanding Sushi Bar.
Everything was perfect. The sushi chef was 1^st class. Recommended tilefish special sashimi which ended up a perfect choice.
Will visit again when come back to St Pete Beach area.