The service is really bad. I came in a late night around 9 at this Friday to pick up my order. No one serve me or even greeting me when I was there for 5 mins. They only passed by me. I really wanted to leave at that moment. Finally, there's a guy came to me and asked me if I've been help yet. OF COURSE NOT! Anyway, I got my octopus ball and bulgogi entry. The octopus balls taste OKAY. BUT the bulgogi was flavorless and not taste as good as other Korean restaurant. Not a first choice to go! I'm glad I didn't eat there otherwise it would ruin my mood.
(2)
Regina S.
I stumbled upon this place and was drawn in by their 3 roll special for $10. I got spicy tuna, spicy scallop and a salmon roll. They were all fresh and tasty. I also ordered Uni which was a bit more pricey at $8 but I found the serving to be especially generous and fresh. Also their Ginger tea is off the chart delicious!! I will be coming back with friends & family. And their music selection is very eclectic which would be a fun conversation piece ie French ballads to Erykah Badu :) The servers were very sweet and helpful on top of everything else!
(5)
Tim C.
Wow that was a weird experience. Have been there a few times with pretty decent results...the service was suuuuuper slow on a night that wasn't that busy. They need to get their service in order, from the lack of greeter to three or so people asking us the same questions, etc. The edamame took forever to get to the table and then was cold when it arrived. Ordered 8 rolls, received one after about 30 minutes and then only received three more. Not a big deal as the 4 we did get weren't that good. The bill came and our sake wasn't on the tab, so I guess we won that one. Probably won't be back again. Oh well.
(2)
Heather T.
I love nothing better than finding a really good meal in an unexpected place. I'll be frank that I wasn't expecting Loveland to produce awesome sushi. My friend and I met here for dinner last night and had a really good experience. For appetizers we ordered the calamari tempura and my favorite of the two, the Takoyaki or octupus balls. Not literal, the octupus balls had chunks of octopus in a delicate batter, fried and drizzled with a little mayo. We got the complimentary miso soup and this was the only part of the meal that I did not like. It was too weak on the miso flavor. The list of sushi rolls is extensive - 2 pages worth! After debating we finally settled on splitting the Angry Lobster roll which was a California roll topped with tempura lobster. It indicated spicy on the menu but I could have taken it up a notch on the heat. It was quite good. I ordered the vegetable tempura but couldn't finish all of it. There were some really big pieces of squash but I wish that I could have had less of that and more of the broccoli and onions. We ordered the green tea mochi for dessert. A perfect end.
(5)
Colleen O.
4 stars because it has always tasted good. The service is ok, but if you are always an eat and go person this place is not for you. It takes awhile to get the sushi and it takes even longer to get the bill. The way they run the place is interesting they should have a hostess and servers assigned to specific tables instead of having them all work the floor. Anyways I will go back.
(4)
Kendall P.
We used to drive to Denver and sometimes north Fort Collins for sushi, but now we go here. I have lived in Japan and eaten my fair share of sushi all over. This place is legit! I've never had a bad meal here. One thing I will say (hence the 4 stars) is that the servers are totally hit or miss in terms of service standards. I've had a number of somewhat humorous experiences there... Perhaps they hire folks without prior experience. So if you go, expect an excellent meal but probably not the best service you've ever had.
(4)
Nick D.
I tend to go here a lot because this is my wife's favorite place in Loveland. Their sushi is always at least decent but it is really inconsistent. Sometimes it's meh, sometimes its pretty good and sometimes when you are lucky it is excellent. You never know what you are going to get when you go in here. We have probably been here about 10 times so I have a pretty good sample size. I also like the fact that they have a chicken teriyaki roll.. not many places do. Their service is usually spotty as well. Everyone is really friendly but there have been multiple times where we have waited 10 min + at some point before someone came. Sometimes it is when you are waiting to be seated, sometimes it's when you are ready to order or at another process. I just think it may be that they are understaffed lots of the time.
(3)
Tara K.
My husband was craving Philadelphia rolls and he ordered the 9.99 sushi special, everything was A-ok until he found a small fish bone in his Philadelphia roll. Ughh, I didn't bother eating anything here as I am a bit of a sushi snob accustomed to NYC. That being said, a bone? really. YUCK!
(2)
laurie l.
The best sushi and service in Northern Colorado. For ten dollars you can get a terrific lunch of quality, fresh sushi. Beautifully presented, friendly staff, try the teas- they are quite remarkable. Five stars for a regional review. Love it more than any other sushi place around!
(4)
Jen R.
The atmosphere was nice, the food was good. I consider the sushi to be somewhat "beginner level" - with lots of cooked options and variations on california rolls. The service was excellent, and the owner stopped by our table to chat. What impressed us the most was the special treatment the kids got. This is a truly family friendly Japanese restaurant - cool divided plates to keep the foods from touching, a mix of colors & fresh fruit added to the plate, japanese sodas, and each kid received a special prize from a japanese vending - coins provided by the waiter.
(4)
Kris H.
Not bad for Sushi in Loveland, Colorado! My girlfriend and I enjoyed a late lunch that started with Monkey Balls, hot saki, and hot tea. I LOVED the hot tea. It is infused with Japanese corn (yes, corn). The Monkey Balls were better than they sounded! We then ordered an assortment of sushi. The Hamachi was definitely my favorite! Talk about melt in you mouth. We really enjoyed the roll our waiter suggested, called the Heart Attack. I've had better sushi, with better atmosphere, with better service...but hey, this is Loveland, Colorado and beggars can't be choosers. I would go back.
(4)
Drew C.
So, yesterday was my birthday and just wanted to order in. Sushi Zensai is close to my house but have never been an now never will. They told me I couldn't get a kids meal to-go though it has a smaller portion of some of the same stuff in a bento box. I just wanted to order my daughter a cali roll. The server told me to call back and talk to the owner but I asked to talk to the manager. Let me tell you, if you like great customer service when you are on the phone or out to a place this manager is definitely not the person to speak to. He was utterly one of the rudest people I have ever spoken with, he interrupted, talked over me, and then proceeded to tell me that if I couldn't understand how there way was that I should not order anything from them and go somewhere where I could get a kids meal to-go and hung up the phone on me. This situation was totally preventable and its to bad because from the other reviews it seems like the food is really good but they have a history of bad service. By the way they will give you a free cali roll with carry out order but wouldn't send it in a kids meal paid for. Ironic ?
(1)
Jessica D.
This is my new favorite place to eat in Loveland! The sushi is great, the staff has always been wonderful and accommodating every time I've been there. Small, intimate atmosphere. I really can't say enough great things about it. The traditional rolls are my favorite, the specialty rolls have been hit or miss from what I've tried so far.
(4)
Becky B.
Sushi Zensai is one of my favorite locations for a weekday lunch with friends. The service is fast and friendly and the food is delicious. Made from scratch rolls... my fav is the salmon thai roll. It is a tasty concoction with a little coconut for sweetness.
(4)
Keith J.
DÅmo arigatÅ sushi zensai. This place is fantastic. They have a great lunch special, 3 rolls for $9.99. The sushi was sooo good too. The tempura shrimp and spicy yellow tail rolls were delicious. I liked the way the place was decorated too. Good service, atmosphere and food.
(4)
Nathan B.
Great sushi. I go here with my girlfriend sometimes. Their sushi is definitely good. They are friendly and attentive. Their sushi tastes fresh. I enjoy this place and go about once a month or so. I give it four stars just because when it comes to sushi it's hard for me to give five stars. There are only a few places in Colorado who do 5-star sushi. But, this is definitely a great place to go!
(4)
KaThy T.
This place serves good portions, but the sushi is not out of this world. They're alright. My friends love sushi and they said there's really no good sushi spot in CO. I'm sure there isn't... Service was okay. There was at least one flat screen from what I recall, but the reception was terrible. They shouldn't even bother turning it on...
(3)
Ann M.
Went back with friends. I still LOATHE their ordering system. There really aren't words for how much I dislike it. Had the Japanese Tacos which they don't have anymore, which is sad because they were amazing. Table split some a la carte pieces of Salmon, Yellow Tail, Mackerel, and White Tail. Also shared some Seaweed Salad. Rolls we all ordered where the Caterpillar Roll, Cherry Blossom Roll, Godzilla Roll, Gold Rush, Zensai Roll. Over all our total bill came close to almost 200$. It's an OK place but I'm not in love.
(3)
Aubrey A.
The food is awesome! Which is why I keep coming back. The service is the problem I really have, which is every time I've come here. I spent at least 20 minutes on the phone trying to get a hold of this place and ended up just having to come in. There are such things as call waiting.
(3)
Joy J.
I wish I could give them six stars because they gave me literally the BEST birthday surprise tonight!!! It was a huge mocha ice cream with a lovely candle on it. And they even dimmed the light so that I could make a wish before I blew out the candlelight. I was sooo thrilled until everyone around smiled and wished me happy birthday. It really made my day! Btw the food was great too. We ordered a lot of stuff - salmon sashimi, tofu, udon, octopus rolls, tanpura and other stuff. They were all very good. We especially liked the udon (we shared everything). And the service was great even though there were a lot of people around - there was a long line when we finished. Definitely will be back again :)
(5)
Kelly S.
i love sushi and this is a very cheap but tasty place to eat. they always have the best of rolls never a complain there. also love love love love the miso!!! the only complain i would have would be the employees, not all but some unimpressive thing. why are the women there wearing a chinese robe? one tiny waitress they have looks like she is swimming in the massive thing. although she is not bigger then a penny, poor girl must be embarrassed. and there is one hispanic male who always looks so grumpy, I'm not even sure is the man has ever smiled in his life. other then the out dated robes and forever grumpy looking server, the food is wonderful.
(3)
Jeffrey C.
Very good food. Great prices and awesome service.
(5)
Susan Y.
I recently met a couple of friends for lunch at Sushi Zensai, and have to say it is a nice bit of variety for Loveland and a great value for lunch. Others have mentioned the 3 roll/$9.95 lunch special, but not being one for making a meal out of sushi I tried the $7.95 lunch bento. It included miso soup, a green salad, tempura, gyoza, steamed rice, and a choice of entree. I chose the salmon teriyaki for my entree, and was pleased with that choice ... it was a decent-sized serving and the teriyaki wasn't cloyingly sweet. The tempura was a surprise -- at this price I was expecting just a few pieces of vegetable tempura, but got a prawn as well. Things I might quibble about -- the gyoza were a disappointment. Just a couple of dumplings, more deep fried than pan fried, and no dipping sauce. Also, they need to do green tea better -- though I would have preferred a pot brewed from loose tea, I guess a cup of hot water and a tea bag is okay ... but not having a good way to serve more hot water? The server brought out a tokkuri (sake flask) of hot water, which was not quite large enough to refill two teacups and was really too hot to the touch to be able to pour (one of my friends found that out the hard way). Despite my little quibbles I give Sushi Zensai a solid 3-star rating -- if I wanted really excellent Japanese cuisine I would go to Denver or Boulder, but for something local Zensai is certainly on par with or better than the other Japanese restaurants in the Fort Collins/Loveland area, and a good value to boot.
(3)
lee s.
The food was 4.5 stars, but the service was bad. Everyone around us was complaining about being cold and the staff didn't do anything so i just got up and turned off the fans. They were understaffed, but also just inattentive: We asked our waitress for a fork three times and I finally got up and walked into the kitchen and helped myself to silverware. So it's kind of a self-serve restaurant be you still have to leave a tip :-(
(3)
Sondra Z.
Found this place on Yelp when visiting the area and wanted to introduce some family members to sushi. Highly recommend the Baby Lobster Roll is amazing!! I agree with some of the other reviewers that they need to work on timing, some of the different rolls came out several minutes apart. Would definitely go back next time we are in the area.
(5)
Chadd S.
Fantasssssssstic sushi, decent prices, hot waitresses, what more can you need!?!?!? For real, next to some of the places in Fort Collins, this is the best Sushi you can get. Authentic vibes too! Love it here. I frequently check it out and get my flirt on with them cuties.
(5)
Anita Y.
So far, the only thing that would make this place better would be an AYCE option. But then, I'd probably eat them out of business. This place doesn't feel at all like a typical Loveland restaurant. The decor is very Japanes-y, my favorites are the giant paper lanterns shaped like fish hanging in the windows, Just what this location needed. The previous 2 restaurants at this location always looked closed from the outside because it was so dark. I was so tempted by the Chirashi, but I'll save that for another time. We ended up ordering a few nigiri, a couple of maki, gyoza, and the Korean kalbi (grilled short ribs) dinner entree, and a large cheap sake...Devoured it all! Service was cute---uh, I mean prompt. And friendly. There were lots of kids there that Saturday evening, the restaurant seemed to welcome them. I love that kids love sushi! I wish there was sushi around when I was kid, but that was long ago. Long before America knew about Japan and sushi. I plan to steal away sometime next week and take advantage of their 3 roll/$9.95 lunch special. And then, I'll steal away and have the Chirashi for dinner sometime. Sushi Zensai is just what Loveland needed.
(4)
Leslie V.
I was staying in town and found this place on the internet. Nice atmosphere, great service and reasonable prices. It wasn't that busy when I got there at 6pm on a Saturday but it started to fill up as I left. I ordered the Mexican Roll and Hot Night Out roll, both of which were excellent. They were spicy enough so that I didn't need to put too much wasabi on them. They had a lot of different kinds of rolls and it was hard to just choose one. All in all a great place to go for sushi.
(5)
Kelly H.
Ok, so before you disregard me as a sushi "idiot", hear me out.... I am well aware that getting to-go sushi is never the best way to judge a place.... That being said, I have also had to-go sushi from many places, and since I work full-time, often my lunches are limited to where I can get to-go food from. We went to Sushi Zensai yesterday to pick up a few rolls. I was very pleased to see the pricing for their lunch special: $9.99 for 3 rolls. Can't beat it. I ordered the spicy tuna, the spicy yellowtail, and the philadelphia roll. They were all just "ok". Nothing extraordinary, nothing terrible. I will probably eat here again, but I think that I will try to eat in, instead of taking to-go.
(2)
Jessie J.
Meh... Marginal at best. You can do far better especially when you take into account the high prices this place charges.
(2)
Franklin T.
I'm surprised we haven't been here before now. Sushi Zensai was a lovely experience for our family. They have a reasonably priced menu, especially the kids selections, their service was impeccable and the food was excellent. We'll be coming back soon for the lunch special of 3 rolls of sushi for $9.95, but last night we were in the mood for other options. I had spicy beef yakisoba noodles that were fresh, and perfectly spiced. We also enjoyed the bulgogi and our son had the kids teriyaki chicken that he gobbled down(and he's often a pretty picky eater). WE'll definitely be back.
(5)
Iggy P.
Ordered the seafood noodles to go and miso soup! The miso seemed watered down and the noodles were very dry! Might give it a second chance and actually try the sushi!
(3)
Todd S.
Went for lunch to try out the new sushi in Loveland! The service was good, my drink was refilled before it was empty. We had green iced tea (tasty), the lunch special of 3 rolls for $9.95, 2 specialty rolls, and miso soup with my friend. Spent about $40 for the two of us. (Specialty rolls were about $10 each, but worth it) The Zensai roll was great! Wrapped in cucumber, very good and something I hadn't had before. The other 4 rolls were also all tasty and fresh. The spicy salmon roll wasn't overly spiced. I would put them on par with the sushi places in Ft Collins I've been to. I'll go back to Sushi Zensai, a great addition to Lovelands dining selection!
(5)
John D.
Service was pretty lackluster. She seemed spacy when taking our order and it showed up when she forgot our miso soups and then doubled part of our order. She also took long vacations from our table which left us wondering where she could have gone, especially at the end when we were ready to pay and leave. The food was very average - the specialty rolls were drenched in enough sauce to deliver a heart attack. I complained about one dish but she didn't offer to do anything to our bill. I guess stick to the basics if you're going to eat here and hope for a better server.
(2)
Susan M.
Been in twice now and really enjoyed it both times. Service was decent too. I'd agree with most all the reviewers. For Loveland, it's a good choice. Keep up the good work.
(4)
C.J. J.
Great sushi for Loveland. We eat there all the time and have never had a bad experience or meal. Love it.
(5)
Jeanine A.
Excellent food, good-sized portions, gorgeous presentation, reasonable prices, and quick, friendly service! With a Sunday evening hankering for sushi but no familiarity with the area, we were lured to this restaurant by its excellent reviews. We were skeptical at first given the number of empty tables, but we soon realized the praise was well deserved. We'll be returning again and again!
(5)
Paula G.
First of all, I have to say that the food has been always been good here with great presentation; hats off to the sushi chefs and kitchen staff. Usually the staff is great, but tonight was so Twilight Zone that I thought that I should look around for a hidden camera. We sat outside and the other tables got great service with their waitstaff, but we didn't with ours. Sashimi was served with no plates, soy sauce, soy sauce dishes, no followup on drinks, we sat there for about five minutes just staring at our fish - it was so weird. I went in to get the things we needed and our server acted as though I was being difficult; the other server ended up helping us (Guy server outside was awesome! You really tried to help us, and I appreciate it). She didn't apologize for any of it and blamed the kitchen for not giving her the proper stuff-way to stick up your kitchen staff. Still tipped her 15% - we're not that shitty, and I used to waitress so I get it. If it was the only sushi place around we'd have to go back, but luckily there are many more to choose from and I expect less attitude when I'm dropping $75 for dinner.
(1)
Todd S.
Outstanding food, service, and quality. We ordered take out last night for eight and it was superb! We have dined in the restaurant as well, and the service was excellent. This establishment is a must eat for Sushi lovers! Give them a try and you will not be disappointed!
(5)
Roy M.
What a great place to eat! Best Sushi I've ever had. I travel all over the country and this is my favorite place to eat sushi. Price is more than fair.
(5)
Sally C.
Wow. Great food and great prices. We tried the monkey balls, cucumber salad, jalapeño bomb, angry lobster roll, red dragon roll, and volcano roll. All of it was fabulous. Will definitely come back.
(5)
Michelle C.
Great fresh sushi, whenever I'm in town I stop by. I highly recommend their sushi it's delicious :-)
(4)
Nicole G.
How's the food? Well, we don't know. The service was some of the worst I've ever experienced. Sadly, I know how the restaurant business can be chaotic but this was astonishingly disappointing. We were seated promptly and left for 30 minutes to fend for ourselves. No silverware. No food. Only water. Parties arriving 10-20min after were prioritized and we were ignored. At first I thought it was just our seriously incompetent waitress who described options as "weird" and "she doesn't know", but shortly proven it works up through the hosts and management. Upon choosing to leave because of how much our time was wasted and how unwelcome we felt, the host told us to "chill". It even took 5-10min for the staff to report that the manager wasn't in the restaurant after saying he was. Thankfully, we went to a different local spot that we love and a waitress who worked there confirmed out feelings by confirming the regularity of these walk outs and poor services as she used to be a server. Trust me. Don't go here. Other sushi is around that is much better. Don't waste money on such a poor environment.
(1)
Kristine B.
Wow! This place has gotten busy. I'm glad we have such a great restaurant in Loveland that is doing so well. I eat sushi regularly any place I have the chance to and this place is right at the top of our list. I have been here many many times for lunch and dinner. I have never tried anything but the sushi so I don't know what the rest of the menu has to offer.
(5)
Candi R.
Love this place. Good sushi with a great lunch special evey day! 9.99 for 3 rolls or 2 rolls salad and soup. Good teryaki bento box too.
(5)
Janice M.
This place is great, a family favorite. The rolls are original and tasty. The food is fresh. The only thing I'd change is the price. It's a little pricey, especially for dinner, but worth it. Service is always good. Yum.
(4)
Tonya S.
This place has the best sushi in the area. I've eaten sushi at tons of places in Colorado and California. This place has an extensive list of rolls and I've never found one I don't like. My friends also love their non sushi food. Lots and lots of choices.
(5)
Sierra E.
This is definitely one of the worst experiences I've had at a restaurant. My mom, sister, her two children (both under three), and a close friend came in for lunch on 4/10 and the service was terrible. We ordered several soups (two of the entrees came with soup and salad and we had to remind her that they both do) instead of Comping off two of the soups she brought us two more. None of the food came out at the same time. They actually brought out the children's food 15 minutes after ours, we had to ask a manager to bring it over (we know it wasn't fresh because it was only warm). The rolls were falling apart and our drinks got refilled once the entire time. I would have understood the service if it were busy but there was maybe 3 tables with two people a piece. Perhaps me and my family wouldn't be so disgruntled if our check wasn't over 70$ including everything or if they had given us a discount on the hungry impatient toddlers food. Or even apologized for their actions. I am never coming back here and neither is my family.
(1)
Matt M.
Really impressed with this place. The roll concepts are interesting without being overly complicated. The nigiri was huge, great cuts on the tuna. I'm a freak for tako ( octopus) and it was prepared about perfect. The Miso was terrific , too. Some of the best I've had. Nice ambiance, it's not too dark, not an obnoxiously trendy joint, and the waitstaff was genuinely interested in how the food was. If you're someone with no regard for busy waitstaff and want everything immediate and constant maybe either lower expectations or go elsewhere. Interested to try the maguro next time, a true test of the joint's supplier quality.
(4)
Emily A.
Amazing!!! My husband and I were looking for some good sushi and we finally found our new place... It's super cute inside and was cheap we ordered the 3 rolls for 9 bucks and they were not the small ones you'd expect for that price ... Very fresh and very friendly were sold! Can't wait to go back!
(5)
Emily A.
Amazing sushi...service is either good or poor...never great. Good thing the food makes up for it. Sushi rolls and apps both are delicious. They do the $9.99 lunch special at dinner with carry-out only. Very worth it! Just make sure you aren't in a hurry of you eat there.
Excellent food! Probably the best in northern Colorado. Wait staff were great, too.
(5)
Ashley H.
AMAZING sushi & tempura. Their lunch specials & bento boxes are a FABULOUS deal. They could use to improve their salad (especially the dressing). The owners should be thankful they produce such good sushi because their wait staff is probably one of the worst I've ever seen! During multiple occasions our food has come out 30 minutes a part.... which is pretty bad when there's only two people dining. Do not go here if you're in a rush!
(4)
Traci D.
I just moved to Loveland from Seattle and was a bit dubious about sushi in Colorado - a long way from fresh fish. But the sushi at Sushi Zensai was some of the freshest, most flavorful sushi I've had in any city. The service was great. Our server was very attentive without being obnoxious and I left feeling very satisfied. I'll definitely go back! I highly recommend the Cherry Blossom roll!
(5)
K W.
Yum! We have only had sushi here (not other dishes) but have never been disappointed. We definitely have some favorites and some not-so-favorites, however everything tastes good and fresh. The waitstaff knows the sushi well and can give suggestions. They are friendly and welcoming to kids, which not all sushi places are. (We brought food from home since the kids don't eat sushi or Asian food, and the people at the restaurant were fine with that.. It's nice to have people understand that just because we have kids doesn't mean all we adults want to eat is pizza and mac and cheese and hamburgers). This is our go-to sushi place when we crave it.
(4)
Kambrey S.
My favorite sushi restaurant ever! They are very, very good. Amazing prices for this sushi. I agree, it doesn't taste cheap like a lot of other sushi places around town. I highly recommend their plum wine. MMMMMMMM!!! The employees are awesome here. Everyone greets you with a smile and they are happy to serve you!
(5)
Kinsey H.
Sushi Zensai is consistently one of the best sushi places I've been to and always at a decent price. Great atmosphere too, I love the sun room.
(4)
Alden C.
I really liked the sushi here overall. It was tasty and fresh and the saki went down good! There was one sushi roll I was not entirely sure if I liked. It was on a platter with another platter below it and it was on fire. It therefore made the sushi hot in temperature and I still haven't decided if I liked it or not. It kind of had a campground flavor to it but you could also kind of taste the fluid they used to light it as well. So not my favorite roll...wish I could remember the name of it. I did research on the menu and I couldn't figure out which one it was. Just ask about the flaming sushi. They probably don't have very many of those there. Overall though I liked the place and would go back without hesitation. Everyone was very nice and prompt in service as well!
(4)
Liz H.
I was looking forward to going here after reading all of the positive reviews on Yelp, but my first and only visit was awful, and I will not be going back. I went last night with my 15-month-old son for our weekly Saturday night out. I was a waitress and a bartender for over 10 years, and I would not go out to eat with my son if he did not behave well in restaurants - he is always quiet, and if he starts getting at all antsy, we leave right away. I know that other people mostly do not want to hear children when they go out to eat. Our reception at Sushi Zensai was less than enthusiastic, but I was not surprised about that, given that I had a small child with me; like I said, I was in this business for a long time, and I know that people can make quick judgements about people with kids. There were three open tables when we arrived, two clean and one dirty. The hostess sat us at a table in the corner, leaving behind two adult menus (I was the only adult), the wine menu, and the specials menu. When she returned with the high chair, I asked if she had a kids menu, which she reluctantly went and got. When she returned with it she asked in a sullen tone, "do you want crayons?" Which I did, so she went and got those, a cup of crayons that had been well-used. I much prefer the individually wrapped crayons (kids put everything in their mouths) but at least they had crayons. By the time I had looked over the menu, the table on one side of us (that had been dirty when we walked in) was sat. The waiter came over to offer them drinks, and still nobody had been to our table. I thought we must have a different waitperson, so didn't think too much of it yet. Then another waiter showed up at the table on the other side of us and took their order. I tried to catch his eye, but after taking their order he went straight back to the kitchen. Shortly after that, the first waiter showed up at the other table (the one sat after us) and took their order. I tried to catch his eye too, but he similarly went straight back to the kitchen. At this point we had been sitting at our table for 10 minutes (yes, I checked, I'm not just guessing) with no acknowledgment other than being sat by the hostess. I looked around the room, but saw no employees. This is not a large restaurant, at least from what I could see from our vantage point, and it is not fine dining, so I can't imagine they had more than two waitstaff on duty - I didn't count the tables, but it seemed to be about 10-12 tables total. At this point I was so frustrated and hungry and thirsty, that I just got up and left, which took a couple of minutes because I had to remove Aiden from the high chair and gather up his stuff. From here we went up to Canton Palace, where we were greeted warmly, sat quickly, had water on our table within a minute, and chatted with our waitress within a couple of minutes of being sat. She even remarked how cute my son was . They even went out of their way to have the sauce for my salmon served on the side so that I could feed some of the salmon (without the spicy sauce) to my son. What a difference from Sushi Zensai! I'm sure the food at Sushi Zensai is as good as everybody says it is, but sadly I will never find out. After our rude treatment I will never go back, with or without my son, and will tell my friends they shouldn't go there either. UPDATE 8-19-2013 The owner of the restaurant sent me a message this morning apologizing for my experience, and explaining that both he and the manager were out of town for the weekend, and also that they have a fairly new waitstaff at the moment. I'm willing to give them another chance, and will write an updated review after I have a chance to go back.
(1)
Logan M.
I feel this place can be summed up in four words: good food, bad service. And yes, the service really is bad enough to bring it down to three stars. Maybe I've been continually unlucky with my servers but continually underwhelming experiences really keep me from wanting to go back. On the flip side, the food has been good every time I've been - every roll I've tried has also been a great mix of flavors. The food is good enough to keep me from driving up to Mt. Fuji. The service is bad enough that I'm hesitant to show my friends there's good Japanese food in Loveland.
(3)
Brad S.
Always a good experience here, one of our favorite Loveland places, and a favorite sushi place, as well. Lunch deals are great. We like the sushi burrito, as well as volcano roll, jalapeno bomb, dragon roll, and the tempura. Also, the citron (hot) tea is great. Last night we went in and it was relatively quiet. they placed us in the separate "room" by the windows by ourselves. A few minutes later they came in and started setting up for a large party. The owner stopped at our table and apologized, and noted that the party of 14 might disturb us, and asked if we would like something on the house - a drink, a place, perhaps dessert. We thanked him, and had dessert on him. Much appreciated, and a refreshing approach to customer service.
(5)
Katy S.
I've gone here a few times and the sushi has always been great but the service, not so much. Nothing is more frustrating then standing at the hostess stand and everyone working in the restaurant making eye contact with you but no one comes to seat you! The servers seem like they are trying to constantly hurry you along and that just makes for a unpleasant dining experience. Also, when they brought me my water, there were fish eggs on the rim of my glass, clearly not a very well cleaned glass! With all of that being said, I have had good meals here and the service is not always terrible.
(3)
Brian K.
Hands down, some of the best sushi in Northern Colorado! I'm getting hungry just thinking about this place... my favorite entrees are the Samurai Fiesta Roll, Hawaiian Volcano roll (THIS ONE COMES ON FIRE!!!!), and the Chicken Katsu. Pretty much anything I've had here is really good. Seriously, try something on the menu - no matter what it is, it's all fantastic! The lunch specials are a great value and the portions are large for the price. What... you're still reading this? Why aren't you placing your order right now?!?
(5)
Melissa D.
I am so glad my husband dragged me here! I wasn't so sure about the food because...let's face it, it's located in Loveland, but it turned out to be amazing :) I ordered the vegetable yakisoba and was pleasantly surprised! The veggies were crisp and the sauce wasn't too overbearing. My husband ordered some sushi and said it was good, but not the best he's ever had. We also ordered some sake mixed with plum wine and it was definitely tasty. Also, try the seaweed salad! It sounds weird but it's yummy :)
(4)
Tuong V.
Good food and decent portions. I recommend the lunch special (3 rolls for $10 or a deluxe lunch bento for $10). Service could be better but it's nothing to complain about.
(4)
Alex B.
The lunch special ifs a good deal, especially the kids one. The did was fresh and tasty.
(4)
Ellen J.
I'd like to preface my review by saying that I have always really loved this place. I have been dining here since they opened and have never had a bad piece of sushi here. I will admit that I've never ordered any of their cooked food, but it all looks absolutely delish. The sushi superb. And then recently it got weird . . . I ordered take-out for the first time a couple of weeks ago when my husband was out of town and I didn't feel like cooking. I called and ordered their Sashimi Salad. I arrived to pick up my salad and was met by a very pleasant waitress who gave me my bill. It was $10.62. I gave her a $20 bill. She returned with my salad and my change. A $5 & five-$1s. I looked at her confused and she said that they didn't "do" change (as in coins). Um, ok. But why the five $1s? She had this really weird look on her face as she handed me my change and gave me the distinct impression that she wanted a tip out of those $1 bills. I don't order take-out very often, but I have never felt so uncomfortable in this situation. Am I missing something? Is this a new custom to tip for take-out? Regardless, I didn't tip her and walked out with my salad. This salad was the most beautiful work of art. A lovely mound of salad greens, puhlenty of Yellowtail, a wonderful mound of seaweed salad, and a lovely fan of avocado garnishing the top. I had asked for the salad dressing on the side and it was this wonderful soy type of dressing that I had never had here before. Extra ginger that I had also requested. And a side of miso. I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner & looked forward to doing this again. About 2 weeks later, I decided to order this salad again as take-out. I placed pretty much the same order as before except this time decided to try the albacore. I went to pick up my salad and had the same EXACT weird waitress experience that included the weird change and that same look from her the she expected a tip. By this time I was getting annoyed at her actions and how she was again making me feel uncomfortable. I didn't tip her and took my salad home. Now maybe this should be a lesson learned or something, but this salad was the most pathetic thing I have ever paid my hard-earned money for. The thing that surprised me most was the HUGE pile of shredded daikon radish on the top that I immediately took off and had no interest in eating as I don't like radishes of any kind. Under that pile were the greens and about 7 pieces of albacore, which paled in comparison to the amount of yellowtail I had gotten a couple of weeks before. AND THAT'S IT. No seaweed salad, no onions, no fan of avocado. NOTHING. And the salad dressing was the same yellow ginger-ish dressing that they use on their side salads. I pretty much ate just the albacore and tossed the rest. Am I missing something here? Was I on the receiving end of a pissed off waitress who remembered me? I am most definitely not a cheapskate and enjoy leaving generous tips at restaurants where the service is good. I'm not going to say that I will never eat here again, but I probably won't ever do take-out here again. That waitress gave me the creeps. I am giving my review one star based on what I am going to call the "Great Sashimi Salad Debacle". Any advice on take-out would really be appreciated. Thanks!
(1)
Ren R.
Considering how far we are from the coastline, this place is tasty! Sushi is relatively fresh. The freshest I have tasted in Colorado though. Roll originality is about a 3, but the classics are tasty. Where this place lacks in originality, it greatly makes up for in presentation. Some of the most beautiful sushi presentation and ideas I've seen to date. Very appealing to the eye, like art! Service is decent, but I've only enjoyed the take out and never sit in, so I cannot attest to the sit-in service. For the tiny town of Loveland, an awesome little place and definitely date material.
(4)
Jim A.
Love this place! Been coming here since opening week. Had a rainbow roll and tempura last night. Excellent as usual. Great sushi but the Teriyaki Beef is the bomb. Melts in your mouth! Very friendly employees and prices that are fair. Highly recommend.
(5)
Kathleen V.
I love this place! Great food, wonderful staff, great food, beautiful atmosphere, did I mention great food. You won't go wrong at Sushi Zensai! Enjoy!
(5)
Karen C.
My first experience was when my hubby picked up an order of sushi and brought it home. Thumbs up! But I really enjoyed Sushi Zensai when I ate lunch there, by myself, one Wednesday afternoon. I sat the the sushi bar, had a Kirin and the 2 rolls for $9.99 lunch deal. It was more than I could eat and it was delicious! My waiter was very friendly and nice, making me feel comfortable as a solo diner. I'm anxious to go back!
(4)
Maryanne M.
By comparison to what the usual choices on the Front Range of Colorado are when it comes to Sushi houses, Sushi Zensai deserves every point of the five stars I bestow upon them. I lived in the San Fransisco Bay Area for a tad over 16 years. My taste buds "grew up" and were lovingly cultivated in the Bay Area :-) I took my granddaughter to Sushi Zensai for her 10th birthday. My beautiful grandchild expressed an interest in trying something new. My g'daughter never experienced Sashimi before so curiosity lead us to Sushi Zensai.. My way of thinking is like this; It is important that my granddaughter's first bites of any new foods be memorable to her taste buds - and Sushi Zensai delivered. We started our lunch with tempura shrimp. The tempura shrimp was very good today. (I say "today" because when you live in an area where the nearest ocean is over a 1000 miles away you will understand that seafood can be an iffy experience). The tempura was served with a nice tempura dipping sauce that was not too sweet nor too salty and perfectly thin so it remained a compliment and did not out star the shrimp. To wash down our food we choose to swill over our tongues the bubbly Mr. Pib (hey, I am lunching with a soon to be 10 year old and Mr. Pib is as good as it gets!) For our main entree we chose a Green Salmon Sashimi Roll and a Godzilla Roll. Perfection! The Green Salmon roll was made using beautiful tasty strips of cucumber as the outer wrap; no rice. The cucumber strips were stuffed with raw tuna, beautiful veggie greens and avocado. My g'daughter's eyes were as big as the platter and she was in heaven as she tasted her first bites of Sashimi. The roll was a success! The presentation was a success and for someone facing a new type of cuisine for the first time presentation can make or break the mouth's willingness to move forward. Our Godzilla roll was also a work of art whose medium was/is crab meat, cucumber, avocado, shrimp tempura, rice, and the masterpiece is topped with eel .... eel that is tender and complimented in a beautiful, yummy basting sauce. My granddaughter could not decide what she wanted to eat first, second, and last. She ate salmon and then some eel and then some miso soup (served before the entrees arrived) and then more salmon more eel more rolls more soup more Mr. Pibb and this went on with the sounds of, "mmmm" and "OMG, burp" in between bites. My g'daughter practiced her control over chopsticks and did a fairly decent job but when it came to serious eating she resorted to using chopsticks with a trainer inserted. I also want to mention the decor .. lovely and perfect. The sushi house is decorated with large paper fish hanging overhead, and beautiful panels inlaid with abalone and wood etchings and statuary. The seating is comfortable and a big big bonus is how clean everything is! The wood floors invite you to follow your waiter to your seat, the big windows invite the sun in for a bite :-) We (my granddaughter and I) give Sushi Zensai a 10+ all around. A 10 for food that can qualify as art. A 10 for the service. A 10 for the ambiance. A 10 for the decor that surrounds you. A 10 for the price. And another 10 because of the beautiful experience we shared together, in Loveland, celebrating a young ladies 10th birthday.
Excellent food! Probably the best in northern Colorado. Wait staff were great, too.
(5)
Janice M.
This place is great, a family favorite. The rolls are original and tasty. The food is fresh. The only thing I'd change is the price. It's a little pricey, especially for dinner, but worth it. Service is always good. Yum.
(4)
Tonya S.
This place has the best sushi in the area. I've eaten sushi at tons of places in Colorado and California. This place has an extensive list of rolls and I've never found one I don't like. My friends also love their non sushi food. Lots and lots of choices.
(5)
Ashley H.
AMAZING sushi & tempura. Their lunch specials & bento boxes are a FABULOUS deal. They could use to improve their salad (especially the dressing). The owners should be thankful they produce such good sushi because their wait staff is probably one of the worst I've ever seen! During multiple occasions our food has come out 30 minutes a part.... which is pretty bad when there's only two people dining. Do not go here if you're in a rush!
(4)
Traci D.
I just moved to Loveland from Seattle and was a bit dubious about sushi in Colorado - a long way from fresh fish. But the sushi at Sushi Zensai was some of the freshest, most flavorful sushi I've had in any city. The service was great. Our server was very attentive without being obnoxious and I left feeling very satisfied. I'll definitely go back! I highly recommend the Cherry Blossom roll!
(5)
K W.
Yum! We have only had sushi here (not other dishes) but have never been disappointed. We definitely have some favorites and some not-so-favorites, however everything tastes good and fresh. The waitstaff knows the sushi well and can give suggestions. They are friendly and welcoming to kids, which not all sushi places are. (We brought food from home since the kids don't eat sushi or Asian food, and the people at the restaurant were fine with that.. It's nice to have people understand that just because we have kids doesn't mean all we adults want to eat is pizza and mac and cheese and hamburgers). This is our go-to sushi place when we crave it.
(4)
Kambrey S.
My favorite sushi restaurant ever! They are very, very good. Amazing prices for this sushi. I agree, it doesn't taste cheap like a lot of other sushi places around town. I highly recommend their plum wine. MMMMMMMM!!! The employees are awesome here. Everyone greets you with a smile and they are happy to serve you!
(5)
Kinsey H.
Sushi Zensai is consistently one of the best sushi places I've been to and always at a decent price. Great atmosphere too, I love the sun room.
(4)
Nathan B.
Great sushi. I go here with my girlfriend sometimes. Their sushi is definitely good. They are friendly and attentive. Their sushi tastes fresh. I enjoy this place and go about once a month or so. I give it four stars just because when it comes to sushi it's hard for me to give five stars. There are only a few places in Colorado who do 5-star sushi. But, this is definitely a great place to go!
(4)
KaThy T.
This place serves good portions, but the sushi is not out of this world. They're alright. My friends love sushi and they said there's really no good sushi spot in CO. I'm sure there isn't... Service was okay. There was at least one flat screen from what I recall, but the reception was terrible. They shouldn't even bother turning it on...
(3)
Emily A.
Amazing!!! My husband and I were looking for some good sushi and we finally found our new place... It's super cute inside and was cheap we ordered the 3 rolls for 9 bucks and they were not the small ones you'd expect for that price ... Very fresh and very friendly were sold! Can't wait to go back!
(5)
Emily A.
Amazing sushi...service is either good or poor...never great. Good thing the food makes up for it. Sushi rolls and apps both are delicious. They do the $9.99 lunch special at dinner with carry-out only. Very worth it! Just make sure you aren't in a hurry of you eat there.
Food is excellent, priced right and servers are very nice. Always crowded esp in the evenings.
(5)
Vicki M.
Delicious food and BEAUTIFUL presentation. The baby lobster is my favorite.
(5)
Aubrey A.
The food is awesome! Which is why I keep coming back. The service is the problem I really have, which is every time I've come here. I spent at least 20 minutes on the phone trying to get a hold of this place and ended up just having to come in. There are such things as call waiting.
(3)
Kendall P.
We used to drive to Denver and sometimes north Fort Collins for sushi, but now we go here. I have lived in Japan and eaten my fair share of sushi all over. This place is legit! I've never had a bad meal here. One thing I will say (hence the 4 stars) is that the servers are totally hit or miss in terms of service standards. I've had a number of somewhat humorous experiences there... Perhaps they hire folks without prior experience. So if you go, expect an excellent meal but probably not the best service you've ever had.
(4)
Ann M.
Went back with friends. I still LOATHE their ordering system. There really aren't words for how much I dislike it. Had the Japanese Tacos which they don't have anymore, which is sad because they were amazing. Table split some a la carte pieces of Salmon, Yellow Tail, Mackerel, and White Tail. Also shared some Seaweed Salad. Rolls we all ordered where the Caterpillar Roll, Cherry Blossom Roll, Godzilla Roll, Gold Rush, Zensai Roll. Over all our total bill came close to almost 200$. It's an OK place but I'm not in love.
(3)
Joy J.
I wish I could give them six stars because they gave me literally the BEST birthday surprise tonight!!! It was a huge mocha ice cream with a lovely candle on it. And they even dimmed the light so that I could make a wish before I blew out the candlelight. I was sooo thrilled until everyone around smiled and wished me happy birthday. It really made my day! Btw the food was great too. We ordered a lot of stuff - salmon sashimi, tofu, udon, octopus rolls, tanpura and other stuff. They were all very good. We especially liked the udon (we shared everything). And the service was great even though there were a lot of people around - there was a long line when we finished. Definitely will be back again :)
(5)
Betty S.
The service is really bad. I came in a late night around 9 at this Friday to pick up my order. No one serve me or even greeting me when I was there for 5 mins. They only passed by me. I really wanted to leave at that moment. Finally, there's a guy came to me and asked me if I've been help yet. OF COURSE NOT! Anyway, I got my octopus ball and bulgogi entry. The octopus balls taste OKAY. BUT the bulgogi was flavorless and not taste as good as other Korean restaurant. Not a first choice to go! I'm glad I didn't eat there otherwise it would ruin my mood.
(2)
Regina S.
I stumbled upon this place and was drawn in by their 3 roll special for $10. I got spicy tuna, spicy scallop and a salmon roll. They were all fresh and tasty. I also ordered Uni which was a bit more pricey at $8 but I found the serving to be especially generous and fresh. Also their Ginger tea is off the chart delicious!! I will be coming back with friends & family. And their music selection is very eclectic which would be a fun conversation piece ie French ballads to Erykah Badu :) The servers were very sweet and helpful on top of everything else!
(5)
Heather T.
I love nothing better than finding a really good meal in an unexpected place. I'll be frank that I wasn't expecting Loveland to produce awesome sushi. My friend and I met here for dinner last night and had a really good experience. For appetizers we ordered the calamari tempura and my favorite of the two, the Takoyaki or octupus balls. Not literal, the octupus balls had chunks of octopus in a delicate batter, fried and drizzled with a little mayo. We got the complimentary miso soup and this was the only part of the meal that I did not like. It was too weak on the miso flavor. The list of sushi rolls is extensive - 2 pages worth! After debating we finally settled on splitting the Angry Lobster roll which was a California roll topped with tempura lobster. It indicated spicy on the menu but I could have taken it up a notch on the heat. It was quite good. I ordered the vegetable tempura but couldn't finish all of it. There were some really big pieces of squash but I wish that I could have had less of that and more of the broccoli and onions. We ordered the green tea mochi for dessert. A perfect end.
(5)
Colleen O.
4 stars because it has always tasted good. The service is ok, but if you are always an eat and go person this place is not for you. It takes awhile to get the sushi and it takes even longer to get the bill. The way they run the place is interesting they should have a hostess and servers assigned to specific tables instead of having them all work the floor. Anyways I will go back.
(4)
Nick D.
I tend to go here a lot because this is my wife's favorite place in Loveland. Their sushi is always at least decent but it is really inconsistent. Sometimes it's meh, sometimes its pretty good and sometimes when you are lucky it is excellent. You never know what you are going to get when you go in here. We have probably been here about 10 times so I have a pretty good sample size. I also like the fact that they have a chicken teriyaki roll.. not many places do. Their service is usually spotty as well. Everyone is really friendly but there have been multiple times where we have waited 10 min + at some point before someone came. Sometimes it is when you are waiting to be seated, sometimes it's when you are ready to order or at another process. I just think it may be that they are understaffed lots of the time.
(3)
Tara K.
My husband was craving Philadelphia rolls and he ordered the 9.99 sushi special, everything was A-ok until he found a small fish bone in his Philadelphia roll. Ughh, I didn't bother eating anything here as I am a bit of a sushi snob accustomed to NYC. That being said, a bone? really. YUCK!
(2)
Roy M.
What a great place to eat! Best Sushi I've ever had. I travel all over the country and this is my favorite place to eat sushi. Price is more than fair.
(5)
Tim C.
Wow that was a weird experience. Have been there a few times with pretty decent results...the service was suuuuuper slow on a night that wasn't that busy. They need to get their service in order, from the lack of greeter to three or so people asking us the same questions, etc. The edamame took forever to get to the table and then was cold when it arrived. Ordered 8 rolls, received one after about 30 minutes and then only received three more. Not a big deal as the 4 we did get weren't that good. The bill came and our sake wasn't on the tab, so I guess we won that one. Probably won't be back again. Oh well.
(2)
Sally C.
Wow. Great food and great prices. We tried the monkey balls, cucumber salad, jalapeño bomb, angry lobster roll, red dragon roll, and volcano roll. All of it was fabulous. Will definitely come back.
(5)
Michelle C.
Great fresh sushi, whenever I'm in town I stop by. I highly recommend their sushi it's delicious :-)
(4)
Nicole G.
How's the food? Well, we don't know. The service was some of the worst I've ever experienced. Sadly, I know how the restaurant business can be chaotic but this was astonishingly disappointing. We were seated promptly and left for 30 minutes to fend for ourselves. No silverware. No food. Only water. Parties arriving 10-20min after were prioritized and we were ignored. At first I thought it was just our seriously incompetent waitress who described options as "weird" and "she doesn't know", but shortly proven it works up through the hosts and management. Upon choosing to leave because of how much our time was wasted and how unwelcome we felt, the host told us to "chill". It even took 5-10min for the staff to report that the manager wasn't in the restaurant after saying he was. Thankfully, we went to a different local spot that we love and a waitress who worked there confirmed out feelings by confirming the regularity of these walk outs and poor services as she used to be a server. Trust me. Don't go here. Other sushi is around that is much better. Don't waste money on such a poor environment.
(1)
Kristine B.
Wow! This place has gotten busy. I'm glad we have such a great restaurant in Loveland that is doing so well. I eat sushi regularly any place I have the chance to and this place is right at the top of our list. I have been here many many times for lunch and dinner. I have never tried anything but the sushi so I don't know what the rest of the menu has to offer.
(5)
Candi R.
Love this place. Good sushi with a great lunch special evey day! 9.99 for 3 rolls or 2 rolls salad and soup. Good teryaki bento box too.
(5)
Sierra E.
This is definitely one of the worst experiences I've had at a restaurant. My mom, sister, her two children (both under three), and a close friend came in for lunch on 4/10 and the service was terrible. We ordered several soups (two of the entrees came with soup and salad and we had to remind her that they both do) instead of Comping off two of the soups she brought us two more. None of the food came out at the same time. They actually brought out the children's food 15 minutes after ours, we had to ask a manager to bring it over (we know it wasn't fresh because it was only warm). The rolls were falling apart and our drinks got refilled once the entire time. I would have understood the service if it were busy but there was maybe 3 tables with two people a piece. Perhaps me and my family wouldn't be so disgruntled if our check wasn't over 70$ including everything or if they had given us a discount on the hungry impatient toddlers food. Or even apologized for their actions. I am never coming back here and neither is my family.
(1)
Matt M.
Really impressed with this place. The roll concepts are interesting without being overly complicated. The nigiri was huge, great cuts on the tuna. I'm a freak for tako ( octopus) and it was prepared about perfect. The Miso was terrific , too. Some of the best I've had. Nice ambiance, it's not too dark, not an obnoxiously trendy joint, and the waitstaff was genuinely interested in how the food was. If you're someone with no regard for busy waitstaff and want everything immediate and constant maybe either lower expectations or go elsewhere. Interested to try the maguro next time, a true test of the joint's supplier quality.
(4)
Melissa D.
I am so glad my husband dragged me here! I wasn't so sure about the food because...let's face it, it's located in Loveland, but it turned out to be amazing :) I ordered the vegetable yakisoba and was pleasantly surprised! The veggies were crisp and the sauce wasn't too overbearing. My husband ordered some sushi and said it was good, but not the best he's ever had. We also ordered some sake mixed with plum wine and it was definitely tasty. Also, try the seaweed salad! It sounds weird but it's yummy :)
(4)
Liz H.
I was looking forward to going here after reading all of the positive reviews on Yelp, but my first and only visit was awful, and I will not be going back. I went last night with my 15-month-old son for our weekly Saturday night out. I was a waitress and a bartender for over 10 years, and I would not go out to eat with my son if he did not behave well in restaurants - he is always quiet, and if he starts getting at all antsy, we leave right away. I know that other people mostly do not want to hear children when they go out to eat. Our reception at Sushi Zensai was less than enthusiastic, but I was not surprised about that, given that I had a small child with me; like I said, I was in this business for a long time, and I know that people can make quick judgements about people with kids. There were three open tables when we arrived, two clean and one dirty. The hostess sat us at a table in the corner, leaving behind two adult menus (I was the only adult), the wine menu, and the specials menu. When she returned with the high chair, I asked if she had a kids menu, which she reluctantly went and got. When she returned with it she asked in a sullen tone, "do you want crayons?" Which I did, so she went and got those, a cup of crayons that had been well-used. I much prefer the individually wrapped crayons (kids put everything in their mouths) but at least they had crayons. By the time I had looked over the menu, the table on one side of us (that had been dirty when we walked in) was sat. The waiter came over to offer them drinks, and still nobody had been to our table. I thought we must have a different waitperson, so didn't think too much of it yet. Then another waiter showed up at the table on the other side of us and took their order. I tried to catch his eye, but after taking their order he went straight back to the kitchen. Shortly after that, the first waiter showed up at the other table (the one sat after us) and took their order. I tried to catch his eye too, but he similarly went straight back to the kitchen. At this point we had been sitting at our table for 10 minutes (yes, I checked, I'm not just guessing) with no acknowledgment other than being sat by the hostess. I looked around the room, but saw no employees. This is not a large restaurant, at least from what I could see from our vantage point, and it is not fine dining, so I can't imagine they had more than two waitstaff on duty - I didn't count the tables, but it seemed to be about 10-12 tables total. At this point I was so frustrated and hungry and thirsty, that I just got up and left, which took a couple of minutes because I had to remove Aiden from the high chair and gather up his stuff. From here we went up to Canton Palace, where we were greeted warmly, sat quickly, had water on our table within a minute, and chatted with our waitress within a couple of minutes of being sat. She even remarked how cute my son was . They even went out of their way to have the sauce for my salmon served on the side so that I could feed some of the salmon (without the spicy sauce) to my son. What a difference from Sushi Zensai! I'm sure the food at Sushi Zensai is as good as everybody says it is, but sadly I will never find out. After our rude treatment I will never go back, with or without my son, and will tell my friends they shouldn't go there either. UPDATE 8-19-2013 The owner of the restaurant sent me a message this morning apologizing for my experience, and explaining that both he and the manager were out of town for the weekend, and also that they have a fairly new waitstaff at the moment. I'm willing to give them another chance, and will write an updated review after I have a chance to go back.
(1)
Alden C.
I really liked the sushi here overall. It was tasty and fresh and the saki went down good! There was one sushi roll I was not entirely sure if I liked. It was on a platter with another platter below it and it was on fire. It therefore made the sushi hot in temperature and I still haven't decided if I liked it or not. It kind of had a campground flavor to it but you could also kind of taste the fluid they used to light it as well. So not my favorite roll...wish I could remember the name of it. I did research on the menu and I couldn't figure out which one it was. Just ask about the flaming sushi. They probably don't have very many of those there. Overall though I liked the place and would go back without hesitation. Everyone was very nice and prompt in service as well!
(4)
Logan M.
I feel this place can be summed up in four words: good food, bad service. And yes, the service really is bad enough to bring it down to three stars. Maybe I've been continually unlucky with my servers but continually underwhelming experiences really keep me from wanting to go back. On the flip side, the food has been good every time I've been - every roll I've tried has also been a great mix of flavors. The food is good enough to keep me from driving up to Mt. Fuji. The service is bad enough that I'm hesitant to show my friends there's good Japanese food in Loveland.
(3)
Brad S.
Always a good experience here, one of our favorite Loveland places, and a favorite sushi place, as well. Lunch deals are great. We like the sushi burrito, as well as volcano roll, jalapeno bomb, dragon roll, and the tempura. Also, the citron (hot) tea is great. Last night we went in and it was relatively quiet. they placed us in the separate "room" by the windows by ourselves. A few minutes later they came in and started setting up for a large party. The owner stopped at our table and apologized, and noted that the party of 14 might disturb us, and asked if we would like something on the house - a drink, a place, perhaps dessert. We thanked him, and had dessert on him. Much appreciated, and a refreshing approach to customer service.
(5)
Katy S.
I've gone here a few times and the sushi has always been great but the service, not so much. Nothing is more frustrating then standing at the hostess stand and everyone working in the restaurant making eye contact with you but no one comes to seat you! The servers seem like they are trying to constantly hurry you along and that just makes for a unpleasant dining experience. Also, when they brought me my water, there were fish eggs on the rim of my glass, clearly not a very well cleaned glass! With all of that being said, I have had good meals here and the service is not always terrible.
(3)
Brian K.
Hands down, some of the best sushi in Northern Colorado! I'm getting hungry just thinking about this place... my favorite entrees are the Samurai Fiesta Roll, Hawaiian Volcano roll (THIS ONE COMES ON FIRE!!!!), and the Chicken Katsu. Pretty much anything I've had here is really good. Seriously, try something on the menu - no matter what it is, it's all fantastic! The lunch specials are a great value and the portions are large for the price. What... you're still reading this? Why aren't you placing your order right now?!?
(5)
Tuong V.
Good food and decent portions. I recommend the lunch special (3 rolls for $10 or a deluxe lunch bento for $10). Service could be better but it's nothing to complain about.
(4)
Kelly S.
i love sushi and this is a very cheap but tasty place to eat. they always have the best of rolls never a complain there. also love love love love the miso!!! the only complain i would have would be the employees, not all but some unimpressive thing. why are the women there wearing a chinese robe? one tiny waitress they have looks like she is swimming in the massive thing. although she is not bigger then a penny, poor girl must be embarrassed. and there is one hispanic male who always looks so grumpy, I'm not even sure is the man has ever smiled in his life. other then the out dated robes and forever grumpy looking server, the food is wonderful.
(3)
Jeffrey C.
Very good food. Great prices and awesome service.
(5)
Susan Y.
I recently met a couple of friends for lunch at Sushi Zensai, and have to say it is a nice bit of variety for Loveland and a great value for lunch. Others have mentioned the 3 roll/$9.95 lunch special, but not being one for making a meal out of sushi I tried the $7.95 lunch bento. It included miso soup, a green salad, tempura, gyoza, steamed rice, and a choice of entree. I chose the salmon teriyaki for my entree, and was pleased with that choice ... it was a decent-sized serving and the teriyaki wasn't cloyingly sweet. The tempura was a surprise -- at this price I was expecting just a few pieces of vegetable tempura, but got a prawn as well. Things I might quibble about -- the gyoza were a disappointment. Just a couple of dumplings, more deep fried than pan fried, and no dipping sauce. Also, they need to do green tea better -- though I would have preferred a pot brewed from loose tea, I guess a cup of hot water and a tea bag is okay ... but not having a good way to serve more hot water? The server brought out a tokkuri (sake flask) of hot water, which was not quite large enough to refill two teacups and was really too hot to the touch to be able to pour (one of my friends found that out the hard way). Despite my little quibbles I give Sushi Zensai a solid 3-star rating -- if I wanted really excellent Japanese cuisine I would go to Denver or Boulder, but for something local Zensai is certainly on par with or better than the other Japanese restaurants in the Fort Collins/Loveland area, and a good value to boot.
(3)
lee s.
The food was 4.5 stars, but the service was bad. Everyone around us was complaining about being cold and the staff didn't do anything so i just got up and turned off the fans. They were understaffed, but also just inattentive: We asked our waitress for a fork three times and I finally got up and walked into the kitchen and helped myself to silverware. So it's kind of a self-serve restaurant be you still have to leave a tip :-(
(3)
Ellen J.
I'd like to preface my review by saying that I have always really loved this place. I have been dining here since they opened and have never had a bad piece of sushi here. I will admit that I've never ordered any of their cooked food, but it all looks absolutely delish. The sushi superb. And then recently it got weird . . . I ordered take-out for the first time a couple of weeks ago when my husband was out of town and I didn't feel like cooking. I called and ordered their Sashimi Salad. I arrived to pick up my salad and was met by a very pleasant waitress who gave me my bill. It was $10.62. I gave her a $20 bill. She returned with my salad and my change. A $5 & five-$1s. I looked at her confused and she said that they didn't "do" change (as in coins). Um, ok. But why the five $1s? She had this really weird look on her face as she handed me my change and gave me the distinct impression that she wanted a tip out of those $1 bills. I don't order take-out very often, but I have never felt so uncomfortable in this situation. Am I missing something? Is this a new custom to tip for take-out? Regardless, I didn't tip her and walked out with my salad. This salad was the most beautiful work of art. A lovely mound of salad greens, puhlenty of Yellowtail, a wonderful mound of seaweed salad, and a lovely fan of avocado garnishing the top. I had asked for the salad dressing on the side and it was this wonderful soy type of dressing that I had never had here before. Extra ginger that I had also requested. And a side of miso. I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner & looked forward to doing this again. About 2 weeks later, I decided to order this salad again as take-out. I placed pretty much the same order as before except this time decided to try the albacore. I went to pick up my salad and had the same EXACT weird waitress experience that included the weird change and that same look from her the she expected a tip. By this time I was getting annoyed at her actions and how she was again making me feel uncomfortable. I didn't tip her and took my salad home. Now maybe this should be a lesson learned or something, but this salad was the most pathetic thing I have ever paid my hard-earned money for. The thing that surprised me most was the HUGE pile of shredded daikon radish on the top that I immediately took off and had no interest in eating as I don't like radishes of any kind. Under that pile were the greens and about 7 pieces of albacore, which paled in comparison to the amount of yellowtail I had gotten a couple of weeks before. AND THAT'S IT. No seaweed salad, no onions, no fan of avocado. NOTHING. And the salad dressing was the same yellow ginger-ish dressing that they use on their side salads. I pretty much ate just the albacore and tossed the rest. Am I missing something here? Was I on the receiving end of a pissed off waitress who remembered me? I am most definitely not a cheapskate and enjoy leaving generous tips at restaurants where the service is good. I'm not going to say that I will never eat here again, but I probably won't ever do take-out here again. That waitress gave me the creeps. I am giving my review one star based on what I am going to call the "Great Sashimi Salad Debacle". Any advice on take-out would really be appreciated. Thanks!
(1)
Alex B.
The lunch special ifs a good deal, especially the kids one. The did was fresh and tasty.
(4)
Sondra Z.
Found this place on Yelp when visiting the area and wanted to introduce some family members to sushi. Highly recommend the Baby Lobster Roll is amazing!! I agree with some of the other reviewers that they need to work on timing, some of the different rolls came out several minutes apart. Would definitely go back next time we are in the area.
(5)
Chadd S.
Fantasssssssstic sushi, decent prices, hot waitresses, what more can you need!?!?!? For real, next to some of the places in Fort Collins, this is the best Sushi you can get. Authentic vibes too! Love it here. I frequently check it out and get my flirt on with them cuties.
(5)
Becky B.
Sushi Zensai is one of my favorite locations for a weekday lunch with friends. The service is fast and friendly and the food is delicious. Made from scratch rolls... my fav is the salmon thai roll. It is a tasty concoction with a little coconut for sweetness.
(4)
Keith J.
DÅmo arigatÅ sushi zensai. This place is fantastic. They have a great lunch special, 3 rolls for $9.99. The sushi was sooo good too. The tempura shrimp and spicy yellow tail rolls were delicious. I liked the way the place was decorated too. Good service, atmosphere and food.
(4)
Anita Y.
So far, the only thing that would make this place better would be an AYCE option. But then, I'd probably eat them out of business. This place doesn't feel at all like a typical Loveland restaurant. The decor is very Japanes-y, my favorites are the giant paper lanterns shaped like fish hanging in the windows, Just what this location needed. The previous 2 restaurants at this location always looked closed from the outside because it was so dark. I was so tempted by the Chirashi, but I'll save that for another time. We ended up ordering a few nigiri, a couple of maki, gyoza, and the Korean kalbi (grilled short ribs) dinner entree, and a large cheap sake...Devoured it all! Service was cute---uh, I mean prompt. And friendly. There were lots of kids there that Saturday evening, the restaurant seemed to welcome them. I love that kids love sushi! I wish there was sushi around when I was kid, but that was long ago. Long before America knew about Japan and sushi. I plan to steal away sometime next week and take advantage of their 3 roll/$9.95 lunch special. And then, I'll steal away and have the Chirashi for dinner sometime. Sushi Zensai is just what Loveland needed.
(4)
Leslie V.
I was staying in town and found this place on the internet. Nice atmosphere, great service and reasonable prices. It wasn't that busy when I got there at 6pm on a Saturday but it started to fill up as I left. I ordered the Mexican Roll and Hot Night Out roll, both of which were excellent. They were spicy enough so that I didn't need to put too much wasabi on them. They had a lot of different kinds of rolls and it was hard to just choose one. All in all a great place to go for sushi.
(5)
Kelly H.
Ok, so before you disregard me as a sushi "idiot", hear me out.... I am well aware that getting to-go sushi is never the best way to judge a place.... That being said, I have also had to-go sushi from many places, and since I work full-time, often my lunches are limited to where I can get to-go food from. We went to Sushi Zensai yesterday to pick up a few rolls. I was very pleased to see the pricing for their lunch special: $9.99 for 3 rolls. Can't beat it. I ordered the spicy tuna, the spicy yellowtail, and the philadelphia roll. They were all just "ok". Nothing extraordinary, nothing terrible. I will probably eat here again, but I think that I will try to eat in, instead of taking to-go.
(2)
Jessie J.
Meh... Marginal at best. You can do far better especially when you take into account the high prices this place charges.
(2)
Franklin T.
I'm surprised we haven't been here before now. Sushi Zensai was a lovely experience for our family. They have a reasonably priced menu, especially the kids selections, their service was impeccable and the food was excellent. We'll be coming back soon for the lunch special of 3 rolls of sushi for $9.95, but last night we were in the mood for other options. I had spicy beef yakisoba noodles that were fresh, and perfectly spiced. We also enjoyed the bulgogi and our son had the kids teriyaki chicken that he gobbled down(and he's often a pretty picky eater). WE'll definitely be back.
(5)
Iggy P.
Ordered the seafood noodles to go and miso soup! The miso seemed watered down and the noodles were very dry! Might give it a second chance and actually try the sushi!
(3)
Todd S.
Went for lunch to try out the new sushi in Loveland! The service was good, my drink was refilled before it was empty. We had green iced tea (tasty), the lunch special of 3 rolls for $9.95, 2 specialty rolls, and miso soup with my friend. Spent about $40 for the two of us. (Specialty rolls were about $10 each, but worth it) The Zensai roll was great! Wrapped in cucumber, very good and something I hadn't had before. The other 4 rolls were also all tasty and fresh. The spicy salmon roll wasn't overly spiced. I would put them on par with the sushi places in Ft Collins I've been to. I'll go back to Sushi Zensai, a great addition to Lovelands dining selection!
(5)
John D.
Service was pretty lackluster. She seemed spacy when taking our order and it showed up when she forgot our miso soups and then doubled part of our order. She also took long vacations from our table which left us wondering where she could have gone, especially at the end when we were ready to pay and leave. The food was very average - the specialty rolls were drenched in enough sauce to deliver a heart attack. I complained about one dish but she didn't offer to do anything to our bill. I guess stick to the basics if you're going to eat here and hope for a better server.
(2)
Susan M.
Been in twice now and really enjoyed it both times. Service was decent too. I'd agree with most all the reviewers. For Loveland, it's a good choice. Keep up the good work.
(4)
C.J. J.
Great sushi for Loveland. We eat there all the time and have never had a bad experience or meal. Love it.
(5)
Jeanine A.
Excellent food, good-sized portions, gorgeous presentation, reasonable prices, and quick, friendly service! With a Sunday evening hankering for sushi but no familiarity with the area, we were lured to this restaurant by its excellent reviews. We were skeptical at first given the number of empty tables, but we soon realized the praise was well deserved. We'll be returning again and again!
(5)
Ren R.
Considering how far we are from the coastline, this place is tasty! Sushi is relatively fresh. The freshest I have tasted in Colorado though. Roll originality is about a 3, but the classics are tasty. Where this place lacks in originality, it greatly makes up for in presentation. Some of the most beautiful sushi presentation and ideas I've seen to date. Very appealing to the eye, like art! Service is decent, but I've only enjoyed the take out and never sit in, so I cannot attest to the sit-in service. For the tiny town of Loveland, an awesome little place and definitely date material.
(4)
Jim A.
Love this place! Been coming here since opening week. Had a rainbow roll and tempura last night. Excellent as usual. Great sushi but the Teriyaki Beef is the bomb. Melts in your mouth! Very friendly employees and prices that are fair. Highly recommend.
(5)
Jen R.
The atmosphere was nice, the food was good. I consider the sushi to be somewhat "beginner level" - with lots of cooked options and variations on california rolls. The service was excellent, and the owner stopped by our table to chat. What impressed us the most was the special treatment the kids got. This is a truly family friendly Japanese restaurant - cool divided plates to keep the foods from touching, a mix of colors & fresh fruit added to the plate, japanese sodas, and each kid received a special prize from a japanese vending - coins provided by the waiter.
(4)
Paula G.
First of all, I have to say that the food has been always been good here with great presentation; hats off to the sushi chefs and kitchen staff. Usually the staff is great, but tonight was so Twilight Zone that I thought that I should look around for a hidden camera. We sat outside and the other tables got great service with their waitstaff, but we didn't with ours. Sashimi was served with no plates, soy sauce, soy sauce dishes, no followup on drinks, we sat there for about five minutes just staring at our fish - it was so weird. I went in to get the things we needed and our server acted as though I was being difficult; the other server ended up helping us (Guy server outside was awesome! You really tried to help us, and I appreciate it). She didn't apologize for any of it and blamed the kitchen for not giving her the proper stuff-way to stick up your kitchen staff. Still tipped her 15% - we're not that shitty, and I used to waitress so I get it. If it was the only sushi place around we'd have to go back, but luckily there are many more to choose from and I expect less attitude when I'm dropping $75 for dinner.
(1)
Todd S.
Outstanding food, service, and quality. We ordered take out last night for eight and it was superb! We have dined in the restaurant as well, and the service was excellent. This establishment is a must eat for Sushi lovers! Give them a try and you will not be disappointed!
(5)
Kathleen V.
I love this place! Great food, wonderful staff, great food, beautiful atmosphere, did I mention great food. You won't go wrong at Sushi Zensai! Enjoy!
(5)
Karen C.
My first experience was when my hubby picked up an order of sushi and brought it home. Thumbs up! But I really enjoyed Sushi Zensai when I ate lunch there, by myself, one Wednesday afternoon. I sat the the sushi bar, had a Kirin and the 2 rolls for $9.99 lunch deal. It was more than I could eat and it was delicious! My waiter was very friendly and nice, making me feel comfortable as a solo diner. I'm anxious to go back!
(4)
Kris H.
Not bad for Sushi in Loveland, Colorado! My girlfriend and I enjoyed a late lunch that started with Monkey Balls, hot saki, and hot tea. I LOVED the hot tea. It is infused with Japanese corn (yes, corn). The Monkey Balls were better than they sounded! We then ordered an assortment of sushi. The Hamachi was definitely my favorite! Talk about melt in you mouth. We really enjoyed the roll our waiter suggested, called the Heart Attack. I've had better sushi, with better atmosphere, with better service...but hey, this is Loveland, Colorado and beggars can't be choosers. I would go back.
(4)
Drew C.
So, yesterday was my birthday and just wanted to order in. Sushi Zensai is close to my house but have never been an now never will. They told me I couldn't get a kids meal to-go though it has a smaller portion of some of the same stuff in a bento box. I just wanted to order my daughter a cali roll. The server told me to call back and talk to the owner but I asked to talk to the manager. Let me tell you, if you like great customer service when you are on the phone or out to a place this manager is definitely not the person to speak to. He was utterly one of the rudest people I have ever spoken with, he interrupted, talked over me, and then proceeded to tell me that if I couldn't understand how there way was that I should not order anything from them and go somewhere where I could get a kids meal to-go and hung up the phone on me. This situation was totally preventable and its to bad because from the other reviews it seems like the food is really good but they have a history of bad service. By the way they will give you a free cali roll with carry out order but wouldn't send it in a kids meal paid for. Ironic ?
(1)
Jessica D.
This is my new favorite place to eat in Loveland! The sushi is great, the staff has always been wonderful and accommodating every time I've been there. Small, intimate atmosphere. I really can't say enough great things about it. The traditional rolls are my favorite, the specialty rolls have been hit or miss from what I've tried so far.
(4)
Maryanne M.
By comparison to what the usual choices on the Front Range of Colorado are when it comes to Sushi houses, Sushi Zensai deserves every point of the five stars I bestow upon them. I lived in the San Fransisco Bay Area for a tad over 16 years. My taste buds "grew up" and were lovingly cultivated in the Bay Area :-) I took my granddaughter to Sushi Zensai for her 10th birthday. My beautiful grandchild expressed an interest in trying something new. My g'daughter never experienced Sashimi before so curiosity lead us to Sushi Zensai.. My way of thinking is like this; It is important that my granddaughter's first bites of any new foods be memorable to her taste buds - and Sushi Zensai delivered. We started our lunch with tempura shrimp. The tempura shrimp was very good today. (I say "today" because when you live in an area where the nearest ocean is over a 1000 miles away you will understand that seafood can be an iffy experience). The tempura was served with a nice tempura dipping sauce that was not too sweet nor too salty and perfectly thin so it remained a compliment and did not out star the shrimp. To wash down our food we choose to swill over our tongues the bubbly Mr. Pib (hey, I am lunching with a soon to be 10 year old and Mr. Pib is as good as it gets!) For our main entree we chose a Green Salmon Sashimi Roll and a Godzilla Roll. Perfection! The Green Salmon roll was made using beautiful tasty strips of cucumber as the outer wrap; no rice. The cucumber strips were stuffed with raw tuna, beautiful veggie greens and avocado. My g'daughter's eyes were as big as the platter and she was in heaven as she tasted her first bites of Sashimi. The roll was a success! The presentation was a success and for someone facing a new type of cuisine for the first time presentation can make or break the mouth's willingness to move forward. Our Godzilla roll was also a work of art whose medium was/is crab meat, cucumber, avocado, shrimp tempura, rice, and the masterpiece is topped with eel .... eel that is tender and complimented in a beautiful, yummy basting sauce. My granddaughter could not decide what she wanted to eat first, second, and last. She ate salmon and then some eel and then some miso soup (served before the entrees arrived) and then more salmon more eel more rolls more soup more Mr. Pibb and this went on with the sounds of, "mmmm" and "OMG, burp" in between bites. My g'daughter practiced her control over chopsticks and did a fairly decent job but when it came to serious eating she resorted to using chopsticks with a trainer inserted. I also want to mention the decor .. lovely and perfect. The sushi house is decorated with large paper fish hanging overhead, and beautiful panels inlaid with abalone and wood etchings and statuary. The seating is comfortable and a big big bonus is how clean everything is! The wood floors invite you to follow your waiter to your seat, the big windows invite the sun in for a bite :-) We (my granddaughter and I) give Sushi Zensai a 10+ all around. A 10 for food that can qualify as art. A 10 for the service. A 10 for the ambiance. A 10 for the decor that surrounds you. A 10 for the price. And another 10 because of the beautiful experience we shared together, in Loveland, celebrating a young ladies 10th birthday.
(5)
laurie l.
The best sushi and service in Northern Colorado. For ten dollars you can get a terrific lunch of quality, fresh sushi. Beautifully presented, friendly staff, try the teas- they are quite remarkable. Five stars for a regional review. Love it more than any other sushi place around!
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Classy Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Betty S.
The service is really bad. I came in a late night around 9 at this Friday to pick up my order. No one serve me or even greeting me when I was there for 5 mins. They only passed by me. I really wanted to leave at that moment. Finally, there's a guy came to me and asked me if I've been help yet. OF COURSE NOT! Anyway, I got my octopus ball and bulgogi entry. The octopus balls taste OKAY. BUT the bulgogi was flavorless and not taste as good as other Korean restaurant. Not a first choice to go! I'm glad I didn't eat there otherwise it would ruin my mood.
(2)Regina S.
I stumbled upon this place and was drawn in by their 3 roll special for $10. I got spicy tuna, spicy scallop and a salmon roll. They were all fresh and tasty. I also ordered Uni which was a bit more pricey at $8 but I found the serving to be especially generous and fresh. Also their Ginger tea is off the chart delicious!! I will be coming back with friends & family. And their music selection is very eclectic which would be a fun conversation piece ie French ballads to Erykah Badu :) The servers were very sweet and helpful on top of everything else!
(5)Tim C.
Wow that was a weird experience. Have been there a few times with pretty decent results...the service was suuuuuper slow on a night that wasn't that busy. They need to get their service in order, from the lack of greeter to three or so people asking us the same questions, etc. The edamame took forever to get to the table and then was cold when it arrived. Ordered 8 rolls, received one after about 30 minutes and then only received three more. Not a big deal as the 4 we did get weren't that good. The bill came and our sake wasn't on the tab, so I guess we won that one. Probably won't be back again. Oh well.
(2)Heather T.
I love nothing better than finding a really good meal in an unexpected place. I'll be frank that I wasn't expecting Loveland to produce awesome sushi. My friend and I met here for dinner last night and had a really good experience. For appetizers we ordered the calamari tempura and my favorite of the two, the Takoyaki or octupus balls. Not literal, the octupus balls had chunks of octopus in a delicate batter, fried and drizzled with a little mayo. We got the complimentary miso soup and this was the only part of the meal that I did not like. It was too weak on the miso flavor. The list of sushi rolls is extensive - 2 pages worth! After debating we finally settled on splitting the Angry Lobster roll which was a California roll topped with tempura lobster. It indicated spicy on the menu but I could have taken it up a notch on the heat. It was quite good. I ordered the vegetable tempura but couldn't finish all of it. There were some really big pieces of squash but I wish that I could have had less of that and more of the broccoli and onions. We ordered the green tea mochi for dessert. A perfect end.
(5)Colleen O.
4 stars because it has always tasted good. The service is ok, but if you are always an eat and go person this place is not for you. It takes awhile to get the sushi and it takes even longer to get the bill. The way they run the place is interesting they should have a hostess and servers assigned to specific tables instead of having them all work the floor. Anyways I will go back.
(4)Kendall P.
We used to drive to Denver and sometimes north Fort Collins for sushi, but now we go here. I have lived in Japan and eaten my fair share of sushi all over. This place is legit! I've never had a bad meal here. One thing I will say (hence the 4 stars) is that the servers are totally hit or miss in terms of service standards. I've had a number of somewhat humorous experiences there... Perhaps they hire folks without prior experience. So if you go, expect an excellent meal but probably not the best service you've ever had.
(4)Nick D.
I tend to go here a lot because this is my wife's favorite place in Loveland. Their sushi is always at least decent but it is really inconsistent. Sometimes it's meh, sometimes its pretty good and sometimes when you are lucky it is excellent. You never know what you are going to get when you go in here. We have probably been here about 10 times so I have a pretty good sample size. I also like the fact that they have a chicken teriyaki roll.. not many places do. Their service is usually spotty as well. Everyone is really friendly but there have been multiple times where we have waited 10 min + at some point before someone came. Sometimes it is when you are waiting to be seated, sometimes it's when you are ready to order or at another process. I just think it may be that they are understaffed lots of the time.
(3)Tara K.
My husband was craving Philadelphia rolls and he ordered the 9.99 sushi special, everything was A-ok until he found a small fish bone in his Philadelphia roll. Ughh, I didn't bother eating anything here as I am a bit of a sushi snob accustomed to NYC. That being said, a bone? really. YUCK!
(2)laurie l.
The best sushi and service in Northern Colorado. For ten dollars you can get a terrific lunch of quality, fresh sushi. Beautifully presented, friendly staff, try the teas- they are quite remarkable. Five stars for a regional review. Love it more than any other sushi place around!
(4)Jen R.
The atmosphere was nice, the food was good. I consider the sushi to be somewhat "beginner level" - with lots of cooked options and variations on california rolls. The service was excellent, and the owner stopped by our table to chat. What impressed us the most was the special treatment the kids got. This is a truly family friendly Japanese restaurant - cool divided plates to keep the foods from touching, a mix of colors & fresh fruit added to the plate, japanese sodas, and each kid received a special prize from a japanese vending - coins provided by the waiter.
(4)Kris H.
Not bad for Sushi in Loveland, Colorado! My girlfriend and I enjoyed a late lunch that started with Monkey Balls, hot saki, and hot tea. I LOVED the hot tea. It is infused with Japanese corn (yes, corn). The Monkey Balls were better than they sounded! We then ordered an assortment of sushi. The Hamachi was definitely my favorite! Talk about melt in you mouth. We really enjoyed the roll our waiter suggested, called the Heart Attack. I've had better sushi, with better atmosphere, with better service...but hey, this is Loveland, Colorado and beggars can't be choosers. I would go back.
(4)Drew C.
So, yesterday was my birthday and just wanted to order in. Sushi Zensai is close to my house but have never been an now never will. They told me I couldn't get a kids meal to-go though it has a smaller portion of some of the same stuff in a bento box. I just wanted to order my daughter a cali roll. The server told me to call back and talk to the owner but I asked to talk to the manager. Let me tell you, if you like great customer service when you are on the phone or out to a place this manager is definitely not the person to speak to. He was utterly one of the rudest people I have ever spoken with, he interrupted, talked over me, and then proceeded to tell me that if I couldn't understand how there way was that I should not order anything from them and go somewhere where I could get a kids meal to-go and hung up the phone on me. This situation was totally preventable and its to bad because from the other reviews it seems like the food is really good but they have a history of bad service. By the way they will give you a free cali roll with carry out order but wouldn't send it in a kids meal paid for. Ironic ?
(1)Jessica D.
This is my new favorite place to eat in Loveland! The sushi is great, the staff has always been wonderful and accommodating every time I've been there. Small, intimate atmosphere. I really can't say enough great things about it. The traditional rolls are my favorite, the specialty rolls have been hit or miss from what I've tried so far.
(4)Becky B.
Sushi Zensai is one of my favorite locations for a weekday lunch with friends. The service is fast and friendly and the food is delicious. Made from scratch rolls... my fav is the salmon thai roll. It is a tasty concoction with a little coconut for sweetness.
(4)Keith J.
DÅmo arigatÅ sushi zensai. This place is fantastic. They have a great lunch special, 3 rolls for $9.99. The sushi was sooo good too. The tempura shrimp and spicy yellow tail rolls were delicious. I liked the way the place was decorated too. Good service, atmosphere and food.
(4)Nathan B.
Great sushi. I go here with my girlfriend sometimes. Their sushi is definitely good. They are friendly and attentive. Their sushi tastes fresh. I enjoy this place and go about once a month or so. I give it four stars just because when it comes to sushi it's hard for me to give five stars. There are only a few places in Colorado who do 5-star sushi. But, this is definitely a great place to go!
(4)KaThy T.
This place serves good portions, but the sushi is not out of this world. They're alright. My friends love sushi and they said there's really no good sushi spot in CO. I'm sure there isn't... Service was okay. There was at least one flat screen from what I recall, but the reception was terrible. They shouldn't even bother turning it on...
(3)Ann M.
Went back with friends. I still LOATHE their ordering system. There really aren't words for how much I dislike it. Had the Japanese Tacos which they don't have anymore, which is sad because they were amazing. Table split some a la carte pieces of Salmon, Yellow Tail, Mackerel, and White Tail. Also shared some Seaweed Salad. Rolls we all ordered where the Caterpillar Roll, Cherry Blossom Roll, Godzilla Roll, Gold Rush, Zensai Roll. Over all our total bill came close to almost 200$. It's an OK place but I'm not in love.
(3)Aubrey A.
The food is awesome! Which is why I keep coming back. The service is the problem I really have, which is every time I've come here. I spent at least 20 minutes on the phone trying to get a hold of this place and ended up just having to come in. There are such things as call waiting.
(3)Joy J.
I wish I could give them six stars because they gave me literally the BEST birthday surprise tonight!!! It was a huge mocha ice cream with a lovely candle on it. And they even dimmed the light so that I could make a wish before I blew out the candlelight. I was sooo thrilled until everyone around smiled and wished me happy birthday. It really made my day! Btw the food was great too. We ordered a lot of stuff - salmon sashimi, tofu, udon, octopus rolls, tanpura and other stuff. They were all very good. We especially liked the udon (we shared everything). And the service was great even though there were a lot of people around - there was a long line when we finished. Definitely will be back again :)
(5)Kelly S.
i love sushi and this is a very cheap but tasty place to eat. they always have the best of rolls never a complain there. also love love love love the miso!!! the only complain i would have would be the employees, not all but some unimpressive thing. why are the women there wearing a chinese robe? one tiny waitress they have looks like she is swimming in the massive thing. although she is not bigger then a penny, poor girl must be embarrassed. and there is one hispanic male who always looks so grumpy, I'm not even sure is the man has ever smiled in his life. other then the out dated robes and forever grumpy looking server, the food is wonderful.
(3)Jeffrey C.
Very good food. Great prices and awesome service.
(5)Susan Y.
I recently met a couple of friends for lunch at Sushi Zensai, and have to say it is a nice bit of variety for Loveland and a great value for lunch. Others have mentioned the 3 roll/$9.95 lunch special, but not being one for making a meal out of sushi I tried the $7.95 lunch bento. It included miso soup, a green salad, tempura, gyoza, steamed rice, and a choice of entree. I chose the salmon teriyaki for my entree, and was pleased with that choice ... it was a decent-sized serving and the teriyaki wasn't cloyingly sweet. The tempura was a surprise -- at this price I was expecting just a few pieces of vegetable tempura, but got a prawn as well. Things I might quibble about -- the gyoza were a disappointment. Just a couple of dumplings, more deep fried than pan fried, and no dipping sauce. Also, they need to do green tea better -- though I would have preferred a pot brewed from loose tea, I guess a cup of hot water and a tea bag is okay ... but not having a good way to serve more hot water? The server brought out a tokkuri (sake flask) of hot water, which was not quite large enough to refill two teacups and was really too hot to the touch to be able to pour (one of my friends found that out the hard way). Despite my little quibbles I give Sushi Zensai a solid 3-star rating -- if I wanted really excellent Japanese cuisine I would go to Denver or Boulder, but for something local Zensai is certainly on par with or better than the other Japanese restaurants in the Fort Collins/Loveland area, and a good value to boot.
(3)lee s.
The food was 4.5 stars, but the service was bad. Everyone around us was complaining about being cold and the staff didn't do anything so i just got up and turned off the fans. They were understaffed, but also just inattentive: We asked our waitress for a fork three times and I finally got up and walked into the kitchen and helped myself to silverware. So it's kind of a self-serve restaurant be you still have to leave a tip :-(
(3)Sondra Z.
Found this place on Yelp when visiting the area and wanted to introduce some family members to sushi. Highly recommend the Baby Lobster Roll is amazing!! I agree with some of the other reviewers that they need to work on timing, some of the different rolls came out several minutes apart. Would definitely go back next time we are in the area.
(5)Chadd S.
Fantasssssssstic sushi, decent prices, hot waitresses, what more can you need!?!?!? For real, next to some of the places in Fort Collins, this is the best Sushi you can get. Authentic vibes too! Love it here. I frequently check it out and get my flirt on with them cuties.
(5)Anita Y.
So far, the only thing that would make this place better would be an AYCE option. But then, I'd probably eat them out of business. This place doesn't feel at all like a typical Loveland restaurant. The decor is very Japanes-y, my favorites are the giant paper lanterns shaped like fish hanging in the windows, Just what this location needed. The previous 2 restaurants at this location always looked closed from the outside because it was so dark. I was so tempted by the Chirashi, but I'll save that for another time. We ended up ordering a few nigiri, a couple of maki, gyoza, and the Korean kalbi (grilled short ribs) dinner entree, and a large cheap sake...Devoured it all! Service was cute---uh, I mean prompt. And friendly. There were lots of kids there that Saturday evening, the restaurant seemed to welcome them. I love that kids love sushi! I wish there was sushi around when I was kid, but that was long ago. Long before America knew about Japan and sushi. I plan to steal away sometime next week and take advantage of their 3 roll/$9.95 lunch special. And then, I'll steal away and have the Chirashi for dinner sometime. Sushi Zensai is just what Loveland needed.
(4)Leslie V.
I was staying in town and found this place on the internet. Nice atmosphere, great service and reasonable prices. It wasn't that busy when I got there at 6pm on a Saturday but it started to fill up as I left. I ordered the Mexican Roll and Hot Night Out roll, both of which were excellent. They were spicy enough so that I didn't need to put too much wasabi on them. They had a lot of different kinds of rolls and it was hard to just choose one. All in all a great place to go for sushi.
(5)Kelly H.
Ok, so before you disregard me as a sushi "idiot", hear me out.... I am well aware that getting to-go sushi is never the best way to judge a place.... That being said, I have also had to-go sushi from many places, and since I work full-time, often my lunches are limited to where I can get to-go food from. We went to Sushi Zensai yesterday to pick up a few rolls. I was very pleased to see the pricing for their lunch special: $9.99 for 3 rolls. Can't beat it. I ordered the spicy tuna, the spicy yellowtail, and the philadelphia roll. They were all just "ok". Nothing extraordinary, nothing terrible. I will probably eat here again, but I think that I will try to eat in, instead of taking to-go.
(2)Jessie J.
Meh... Marginal at best. You can do far better especially when you take into account the high prices this place charges.
(2)Franklin T.
I'm surprised we haven't been here before now. Sushi Zensai was a lovely experience for our family. They have a reasonably priced menu, especially the kids selections, their service was impeccable and the food was excellent. We'll be coming back soon for the lunch special of 3 rolls of sushi for $9.95, but last night we were in the mood for other options. I had spicy beef yakisoba noodles that were fresh, and perfectly spiced. We also enjoyed the bulgogi and our son had the kids teriyaki chicken that he gobbled down(and he's often a pretty picky eater). WE'll definitely be back.
(5)Iggy P.
Ordered the seafood noodles to go and miso soup! The miso seemed watered down and the noodles were very dry! Might give it a second chance and actually try the sushi!
(3)Todd S.
Went for lunch to try out the new sushi in Loveland! The service was good, my drink was refilled before it was empty. We had green iced tea (tasty), the lunch special of 3 rolls for $9.95, 2 specialty rolls, and miso soup with my friend. Spent about $40 for the two of us. (Specialty rolls were about $10 each, but worth it) The Zensai roll was great! Wrapped in cucumber, very good and something I hadn't had before. The other 4 rolls were also all tasty and fresh. The spicy salmon roll wasn't overly spiced. I would put them on par with the sushi places in Ft Collins I've been to. I'll go back to Sushi Zensai, a great addition to Lovelands dining selection!
(5)John D.
Service was pretty lackluster. She seemed spacy when taking our order and it showed up when she forgot our miso soups and then doubled part of our order. She also took long vacations from our table which left us wondering where she could have gone, especially at the end when we were ready to pay and leave. The food was very average - the specialty rolls were drenched in enough sauce to deliver a heart attack. I complained about one dish but she didn't offer to do anything to our bill. I guess stick to the basics if you're going to eat here and hope for a better server.
(2)Susan M.
Been in twice now and really enjoyed it both times. Service was decent too. I'd agree with most all the reviewers. For Loveland, it's a good choice. Keep up the good work.
(4)C.J. J.
Great sushi for Loveland. We eat there all the time and have never had a bad experience or meal. Love it.
(5)Jeanine A.
Excellent food, good-sized portions, gorgeous presentation, reasonable prices, and quick, friendly service! With a Sunday evening hankering for sushi but no familiarity with the area, we were lured to this restaurant by its excellent reviews. We were skeptical at first given the number of empty tables, but we soon realized the praise was well deserved. We'll be returning again and again!
(5)Paula G.
First of all, I have to say that the food has been always been good here with great presentation; hats off to the sushi chefs and kitchen staff. Usually the staff is great, but tonight was so Twilight Zone that I thought that I should look around for a hidden camera. We sat outside and the other tables got great service with their waitstaff, but we didn't with ours. Sashimi was served with no plates, soy sauce, soy sauce dishes, no followup on drinks, we sat there for about five minutes just staring at our fish - it was so weird. I went in to get the things we needed and our server acted as though I was being difficult; the other server ended up helping us (Guy server outside was awesome! You really tried to help us, and I appreciate it). She didn't apologize for any of it and blamed the kitchen for not giving her the proper stuff-way to stick up your kitchen staff. Still tipped her 15% - we're not that shitty, and I used to waitress so I get it. If it was the only sushi place around we'd have to go back, but luckily there are many more to choose from and I expect less attitude when I'm dropping $75 for dinner.
(1)Todd S.
Outstanding food, service, and quality. We ordered take out last night for eight and it was superb! We have dined in the restaurant as well, and the service was excellent. This establishment is a must eat for Sushi lovers! Give them a try and you will not be disappointed!
(5)Roy M.
What a great place to eat! Best Sushi I've ever had. I travel all over the country and this is my favorite place to eat sushi. Price is more than fair.
(5)Sally C.
Wow. Great food and great prices. We tried the monkey balls, cucumber salad, jalapeño bomb, angry lobster roll, red dragon roll, and volcano roll. All of it was fabulous. Will definitely come back.
(5)Michelle C.
Great fresh sushi, whenever I'm in town I stop by. I highly recommend their sushi it's delicious :-)
(4)Nicole G.
How's the food? Well, we don't know. The service was some of the worst I've ever experienced. Sadly, I know how the restaurant business can be chaotic but this was astonishingly disappointing. We were seated promptly and left for 30 minutes to fend for ourselves. No silverware. No food. Only water. Parties arriving 10-20min after were prioritized and we were ignored. At first I thought it was just our seriously incompetent waitress who described options as "weird" and "she doesn't know", but shortly proven it works up through the hosts and management. Upon choosing to leave because of how much our time was wasted and how unwelcome we felt, the host told us to "chill". It even took 5-10min for the staff to report that the manager wasn't in the restaurant after saying he was. Thankfully, we went to a different local spot that we love and a waitress who worked there confirmed out feelings by confirming the regularity of these walk outs and poor services as she used to be a server. Trust me. Don't go here. Other sushi is around that is much better. Don't waste money on such a poor environment.
(1)Kristine B.
Wow! This place has gotten busy. I'm glad we have such a great restaurant in Loveland that is doing so well. I eat sushi regularly any place I have the chance to and this place is right at the top of our list. I have been here many many times for lunch and dinner. I have never tried anything but the sushi so I don't know what the rest of the menu has to offer.
(5)Candi R.
Love this place. Good sushi with a great lunch special evey day! 9.99 for 3 rolls or 2 rolls salad and soup. Good teryaki bento box too.
(5)Janice M.
This place is great, a family favorite. The rolls are original and tasty. The food is fresh. The only thing I'd change is the price. It's a little pricey, especially for dinner, but worth it. Service is always good. Yum.
(4)Tonya S.
This place has the best sushi in the area. I've eaten sushi at tons of places in Colorado and California. This place has an extensive list of rolls and I've never found one I don't like. My friends also love their non sushi food. Lots and lots of choices.
(5)Sierra E.
This is definitely one of the worst experiences I've had at a restaurant. My mom, sister, her two children (both under three), and a close friend came in for lunch on 4/10 and the service was terrible. We ordered several soups (two of the entrees came with soup and salad and we had to remind her that they both do) instead of Comping off two of the soups she brought us two more. None of the food came out at the same time. They actually brought out the children's food 15 minutes after ours, we had to ask a manager to bring it over (we know it wasn't fresh because it was only warm). The rolls were falling apart and our drinks got refilled once the entire time. I would have understood the service if it were busy but there was maybe 3 tables with two people a piece. Perhaps me and my family wouldn't be so disgruntled if our check wasn't over 70$ including everything or if they had given us a discount on the hungry impatient toddlers food. Or even apologized for their actions. I am never coming back here and neither is my family.
(1)Matt M.
Really impressed with this place. The roll concepts are interesting without being overly complicated. The nigiri was huge, great cuts on the tuna. I'm a freak for tako ( octopus) and it was prepared about perfect. The Miso was terrific , too. Some of the best I've had. Nice ambiance, it's not too dark, not an obnoxiously trendy joint, and the waitstaff was genuinely interested in how the food was. If you're someone with no regard for busy waitstaff and want everything immediate and constant maybe either lower expectations or go elsewhere. Interested to try the maguro next time, a true test of the joint's supplier quality.
(4)Emily A.
Amazing!!! My husband and I were looking for some good sushi and we finally found our new place... It's super cute inside and was cheap we ordered the 3 rolls for 9 bucks and they were not the small ones you'd expect for that price ... Very fresh and very friendly were sold! Can't wait to go back!
(5)Emily A.
Amazing sushi...service is either good or poor...never great. Good thing the food makes up for it. Sushi rolls and apps both are delicious. They do the $9.99 lunch special at dinner with carry-out only. Very worth it! Just make sure you aren't in a hurry of you eat there.
(4)Shane C.
Dumplings was decent. Sushi was OK. The entrée dishes had no flavor or spice. Service was slow and mostly absent.
(2)Marci A.
Food is excellent, priced right and servers are very nice. Always crowded esp in the evenings.
(5)Vicki M.
Delicious food and BEAUTIFUL presentation. The baby lobster is my favorite.
(5)Sarah G.
Sushi here was not in whole pieces. It was a paté of sorts, pressed to the top of the rice to resemble a whole piece of fish. I was unable to distinguish any difference from one roll to the next. Awful. Would not recommend except to get miso soup.
(1)Erin E.
Excellent food! Probably the best in northern Colorado. Wait staff were great, too.
(5)Ashley H.
AMAZING sushi & tempura. Their lunch specials & bento boxes are a FABULOUS deal. They could use to improve their salad (especially the dressing). The owners should be thankful they produce such good sushi because their wait staff is probably one of the worst I've ever seen! During multiple occasions our food has come out 30 minutes a part.... which is pretty bad when there's only two people dining. Do not go here if you're in a rush!
(4)Traci D.
I just moved to Loveland from Seattle and was a bit dubious about sushi in Colorado - a long way from fresh fish. But the sushi at Sushi Zensai was some of the freshest, most flavorful sushi I've had in any city. The service was great. Our server was very attentive without being obnoxious and I left feeling very satisfied. I'll definitely go back! I highly recommend the Cherry Blossom roll!
(5)K W.
Yum! We have only had sushi here (not other dishes) but have never been disappointed. We definitely have some favorites and some not-so-favorites, however everything tastes good and fresh. The waitstaff knows the sushi well and can give suggestions. They are friendly and welcoming to kids, which not all sushi places are. (We brought food from home since the kids don't eat sushi or Asian food, and the people at the restaurant were fine with that.. It's nice to have people understand that just because we have kids doesn't mean all we adults want to eat is pizza and mac and cheese and hamburgers). This is our go-to sushi place when we crave it.
(4)Kambrey S.
My favorite sushi restaurant ever! They are very, very good. Amazing prices for this sushi. I agree, it doesn't taste cheap like a lot of other sushi places around town. I highly recommend their plum wine. MMMMMMMM!!! The employees are awesome here. Everyone greets you with a smile and they are happy to serve you!
(5)Kinsey H.
Sushi Zensai is consistently one of the best sushi places I've been to and always at a decent price. Great atmosphere too, I love the sun room.
(4)Alden C.
I really liked the sushi here overall. It was tasty and fresh and the saki went down good! There was one sushi roll I was not entirely sure if I liked. It was on a platter with another platter below it and it was on fire. It therefore made the sushi hot in temperature and I still haven't decided if I liked it or not. It kind of had a campground flavor to it but you could also kind of taste the fluid they used to light it as well. So not my favorite roll...wish I could remember the name of it. I did research on the menu and I couldn't figure out which one it was. Just ask about the flaming sushi. They probably don't have very many of those there. Overall though I liked the place and would go back without hesitation. Everyone was very nice and prompt in service as well!
(4)Liz H.
I was looking forward to going here after reading all of the positive reviews on Yelp, but my first and only visit was awful, and I will not be going back. I went last night with my 15-month-old son for our weekly Saturday night out. I was a waitress and a bartender for over 10 years, and I would not go out to eat with my son if he did not behave well in restaurants - he is always quiet, and if he starts getting at all antsy, we leave right away. I know that other people mostly do not want to hear children when they go out to eat. Our reception at Sushi Zensai was less than enthusiastic, but I was not surprised about that, given that I had a small child with me; like I said, I was in this business for a long time, and I know that people can make quick judgements about people with kids. There were three open tables when we arrived, two clean and one dirty. The hostess sat us at a table in the corner, leaving behind two adult menus (I was the only adult), the wine menu, and the specials menu. When she returned with the high chair, I asked if she had a kids menu, which she reluctantly went and got. When she returned with it she asked in a sullen tone, "do you want crayons?" Which I did, so she went and got those, a cup of crayons that had been well-used. I much prefer the individually wrapped crayons (kids put everything in their mouths) but at least they had crayons. By the time I had looked over the menu, the table on one side of us (that had been dirty when we walked in) was sat. The waiter came over to offer them drinks, and still nobody had been to our table. I thought we must have a different waitperson, so didn't think too much of it yet. Then another waiter showed up at the table on the other side of us and took their order. I tried to catch his eye, but after taking their order he went straight back to the kitchen. Shortly after that, the first waiter showed up at the other table (the one sat after us) and took their order. I tried to catch his eye too, but he similarly went straight back to the kitchen. At this point we had been sitting at our table for 10 minutes (yes, I checked, I'm not just guessing) with no acknowledgment other than being sat by the hostess. I looked around the room, but saw no employees. This is not a large restaurant, at least from what I could see from our vantage point, and it is not fine dining, so I can't imagine they had more than two waitstaff on duty - I didn't count the tables, but it seemed to be about 10-12 tables total. At this point I was so frustrated and hungry and thirsty, that I just got up and left, which took a couple of minutes because I had to remove Aiden from the high chair and gather up his stuff. From here we went up to Canton Palace, where we were greeted warmly, sat quickly, had water on our table within a minute, and chatted with our waitress within a couple of minutes of being sat. She even remarked how cute my son was . They even went out of their way to have the sauce for my salmon served on the side so that I could feed some of the salmon (without the spicy sauce) to my son. What a difference from Sushi Zensai! I'm sure the food at Sushi Zensai is as good as everybody says it is, but sadly I will never find out. After our rude treatment I will never go back, with or without my son, and will tell my friends they shouldn't go there either. UPDATE 8-19-2013 The owner of the restaurant sent me a message this morning apologizing for my experience, and explaining that both he and the manager were out of town for the weekend, and also that they have a fairly new waitstaff at the moment. I'm willing to give them another chance, and will write an updated review after I have a chance to go back.
(1)Logan M.
I feel this place can be summed up in four words: good food, bad service. And yes, the service really is bad enough to bring it down to three stars. Maybe I've been continually unlucky with my servers but continually underwhelming experiences really keep me from wanting to go back. On the flip side, the food has been good every time I've been - every roll I've tried has also been a great mix of flavors. The food is good enough to keep me from driving up to Mt. Fuji. The service is bad enough that I'm hesitant to show my friends there's good Japanese food in Loveland.
(3)Brad S.
Always a good experience here, one of our favorite Loveland places, and a favorite sushi place, as well. Lunch deals are great. We like the sushi burrito, as well as volcano roll, jalapeno bomb, dragon roll, and the tempura. Also, the citron (hot) tea is great. Last night we went in and it was relatively quiet. they placed us in the separate "room" by the windows by ourselves. A few minutes later they came in and started setting up for a large party. The owner stopped at our table and apologized, and noted that the party of 14 might disturb us, and asked if we would like something on the house - a drink, a place, perhaps dessert. We thanked him, and had dessert on him. Much appreciated, and a refreshing approach to customer service.
(5)Katy S.
I've gone here a few times and the sushi has always been great but the service, not so much. Nothing is more frustrating then standing at the hostess stand and everyone working in the restaurant making eye contact with you but no one comes to seat you! The servers seem like they are trying to constantly hurry you along and that just makes for a unpleasant dining experience. Also, when they brought me my water, there were fish eggs on the rim of my glass, clearly not a very well cleaned glass! With all of that being said, I have had good meals here and the service is not always terrible.
(3)Brian K.
Hands down, some of the best sushi in Northern Colorado! I'm getting hungry just thinking about this place... my favorite entrees are the Samurai Fiesta Roll, Hawaiian Volcano roll (THIS ONE COMES ON FIRE!!!!), and the Chicken Katsu. Pretty much anything I've had here is really good. Seriously, try something on the menu - no matter what it is, it's all fantastic! The lunch specials are a great value and the portions are large for the price. What... you're still reading this? Why aren't you placing your order right now?!?
(5)Melissa D.
I am so glad my husband dragged me here! I wasn't so sure about the food because...let's face it, it's located in Loveland, but it turned out to be amazing :) I ordered the vegetable yakisoba and was pleasantly surprised! The veggies were crisp and the sauce wasn't too overbearing. My husband ordered some sushi and said it was good, but not the best he's ever had. We also ordered some sake mixed with plum wine and it was definitely tasty. Also, try the seaweed salad! It sounds weird but it's yummy :)
(4)Tuong V.
Good food and decent portions. I recommend the lunch special (3 rolls for $10 or a deluxe lunch bento for $10). Service could be better but it's nothing to complain about.
(4)Alex B.
The lunch special ifs a good deal, especially the kids one. The did was fresh and tasty.
(4)Ellen J.
I'd like to preface my review by saying that I have always really loved this place. I have been dining here since they opened and have never had a bad piece of sushi here. I will admit that I've never ordered any of their cooked food, but it all looks absolutely delish. The sushi superb. And then recently it got weird . . . I ordered take-out for the first time a couple of weeks ago when my husband was out of town and I didn't feel like cooking. I called and ordered their Sashimi Salad. I arrived to pick up my salad and was met by a very pleasant waitress who gave me my bill. It was $10.62. I gave her a $20 bill. She returned with my salad and my change. A $5 & five-$1s. I looked at her confused and she said that they didn't "do" change (as in coins). Um, ok. But why the five $1s? She had this really weird look on her face as she handed me my change and gave me the distinct impression that she wanted a tip out of those $1 bills. I don't order take-out very often, but I have never felt so uncomfortable in this situation. Am I missing something? Is this a new custom to tip for take-out? Regardless, I didn't tip her and walked out with my salad. This salad was the most beautiful work of art. A lovely mound of salad greens, puhlenty of Yellowtail, a wonderful mound of seaweed salad, and a lovely fan of avocado garnishing the top. I had asked for the salad dressing on the side and it was this wonderful soy type of dressing that I had never had here before. Extra ginger that I had also requested. And a side of miso. I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner & looked forward to doing this again. About 2 weeks later, I decided to order this salad again as take-out. I placed pretty much the same order as before except this time decided to try the albacore. I went to pick up my salad and had the same EXACT weird waitress experience that included the weird change and that same look from her the she expected a tip. By this time I was getting annoyed at her actions and how she was again making me feel uncomfortable. I didn't tip her and took my salad home. Now maybe this should be a lesson learned or something, but this salad was the most pathetic thing I have ever paid my hard-earned money for. The thing that surprised me most was the HUGE pile of shredded daikon radish on the top that I immediately took off and had no interest in eating as I don't like radishes of any kind. Under that pile were the greens and about 7 pieces of albacore, which paled in comparison to the amount of yellowtail I had gotten a couple of weeks before. AND THAT'S IT. No seaweed salad, no onions, no fan of avocado. NOTHING. And the salad dressing was the same yellow ginger-ish dressing that they use on their side salads. I pretty much ate just the albacore and tossed the rest. Am I missing something here? Was I on the receiving end of a pissed off waitress who remembered me? I am most definitely not a cheapskate and enjoy leaving generous tips at restaurants where the service is good. I'm not going to say that I will never eat here again, but I probably won't ever do take-out here again. That waitress gave me the creeps. I am giving my review one star based on what I am going to call the "Great Sashimi Salad Debacle". Any advice on take-out would really be appreciated. Thanks!
(1)Ren R.
Considering how far we are from the coastline, this place is tasty! Sushi is relatively fresh. The freshest I have tasted in Colorado though. Roll originality is about a 3, but the classics are tasty. Where this place lacks in originality, it greatly makes up for in presentation. Some of the most beautiful sushi presentation and ideas I've seen to date. Very appealing to the eye, like art! Service is decent, but I've only enjoyed the take out and never sit in, so I cannot attest to the sit-in service. For the tiny town of Loveland, an awesome little place and definitely date material.
(4)Jim A.
Love this place! Been coming here since opening week. Had a rainbow roll and tempura last night. Excellent as usual. Great sushi but the Teriyaki Beef is the bomb. Melts in your mouth! Very friendly employees and prices that are fair. Highly recommend.
(5)Kathleen V.
I love this place! Great food, wonderful staff, great food, beautiful atmosphere, did I mention great food. You won't go wrong at Sushi Zensai! Enjoy!
(5)Karen C.
My first experience was when my hubby picked up an order of sushi and brought it home. Thumbs up! But I really enjoyed Sushi Zensai when I ate lunch there, by myself, one Wednesday afternoon. I sat the the sushi bar, had a Kirin and the 2 rolls for $9.99 lunch deal. It was more than I could eat and it was delicious! My waiter was very friendly and nice, making me feel comfortable as a solo diner. I'm anxious to go back!
(4)Maryanne M.
By comparison to what the usual choices on the Front Range of Colorado are when it comes to Sushi houses, Sushi Zensai deserves every point of the five stars I bestow upon them. I lived in the San Fransisco Bay Area for a tad over 16 years. My taste buds "grew up" and were lovingly cultivated in the Bay Area :-) I took my granddaughter to Sushi Zensai for her 10th birthday. My beautiful grandchild expressed an interest in trying something new. My g'daughter never experienced Sashimi before so curiosity lead us to Sushi Zensai.. My way of thinking is like this; It is important that my granddaughter's first bites of any new foods be memorable to her taste buds - and Sushi Zensai delivered. We started our lunch with tempura shrimp. The tempura shrimp was very good today. (I say "today" because when you live in an area where the nearest ocean is over a 1000 miles away you will understand that seafood can be an iffy experience). The tempura was served with a nice tempura dipping sauce that was not too sweet nor too salty and perfectly thin so it remained a compliment and did not out star the shrimp. To wash down our food we choose to swill over our tongues the bubbly Mr. Pib (hey, I am lunching with a soon to be 10 year old and Mr. Pib is as good as it gets!) For our main entree we chose a Green Salmon Sashimi Roll and a Godzilla Roll. Perfection! The Green Salmon roll was made using beautiful tasty strips of cucumber as the outer wrap; no rice. The cucumber strips were stuffed with raw tuna, beautiful veggie greens and avocado. My g'daughter's eyes were as big as the platter and she was in heaven as she tasted her first bites of Sashimi. The roll was a success! The presentation was a success and for someone facing a new type of cuisine for the first time presentation can make or break the mouth's willingness to move forward. Our Godzilla roll was also a work of art whose medium was/is crab meat, cucumber, avocado, shrimp tempura, rice, and the masterpiece is topped with eel .... eel that is tender and complimented in a beautiful, yummy basting sauce. My granddaughter could not decide what she wanted to eat first, second, and last. She ate salmon and then some eel and then some miso soup (served before the entrees arrived) and then more salmon more eel more rolls more soup more Mr. Pibb and this went on with the sounds of, "mmmm" and "OMG, burp" in between bites. My g'daughter practiced her control over chopsticks and did a fairly decent job but when it came to serious eating she resorted to using chopsticks with a trainer inserted. I also want to mention the decor .. lovely and perfect. The sushi house is decorated with large paper fish hanging overhead, and beautiful panels inlaid with abalone and wood etchings and statuary. The seating is comfortable and a big big bonus is how clean everything is! The wood floors invite you to follow your waiter to your seat, the big windows invite the sun in for a bite :-) We (my granddaughter and I) give Sushi Zensai a 10+ all around. A 10 for food that can qualify as art. A 10 for the service. A 10 for the ambiance. A 10 for the decor that surrounds you. A 10 for the price. And another 10 because of the beautiful experience we shared together, in Loveland, celebrating a young ladies 10th birthday.
(5)Sarah G.
Sushi here was not in whole pieces. It was a paté of sorts, pressed to the top of the rice to resemble a whole piece of fish. I was unable to distinguish any difference from one roll to the next. Awful. Would not recommend except to get miso soup.
(1)Erin E.
Excellent food! Probably the best in northern Colorado. Wait staff were great, too.
(5)Janice M.
This place is great, a family favorite. The rolls are original and tasty. The food is fresh. The only thing I'd change is the price. It's a little pricey, especially for dinner, but worth it. Service is always good. Yum.
(4)Tonya S.
This place has the best sushi in the area. I've eaten sushi at tons of places in Colorado and California. This place has an extensive list of rolls and I've never found one I don't like. My friends also love their non sushi food. Lots and lots of choices.
(5)Ashley H.
AMAZING sushi & tempura. Their lunch specials & bento boxes are a FABULOUS deal. They could use to improve their salad (especially the dressing). The owners should be thankful they produce such good sushi because their wait staff is probably one of the worst I've ever seen! During multiple occasions our food has come out 30 minutes a part.... which is pretty bad when there's only two people dining. Do not go here if you're in a rush!
(4)Traci D.
I just moved to Loveland from Seattle and was a bit dubious about sushi in Colorado - a long way from fresh fish. But the sushi at Sushi Zensai was some of the freshest, most flavorful sushi I've had in any city. The service was great. Our server was very attentive without being obnoxious and I left feeling very satisfied. I'll definitely go back! I highly recommend the Cherry Blossom roll!
(5)K W.
Yum! We have only had sushi here (not other dishes) but have never been disappointed. We definitely have some favorites and some not-so-favorites, however everything tastes good and fresh. The waitstaff knows the sushi well and can give suggestions. They are friendly and welcoming to kids, which not all sushi places are. (We brought food from home since the kids don't eat sushi or Asian food, and the people at the restaurant were fine with that.. It's nice to have people understand that just because we have kids doesn't mean all we adults want to eat is pizza and mac and cheese and hamburgers). This is our go-to sushi place when we crave it.
(4)Kambrey S.
My favorite sushi restaurant ever! They are very, very good. Amazing prices for this sushi. I agree, it doesn't taste cheap like a lot of other sushi places around town. I highly recommend their plum wine. MMMMMMMM!!! The employees are awesome here. Everyone greets you with a smile and they are happy to serve you!
(5)Kinsey H.
Sushi Zensai is consistently one of the best sushi places I've been to and always at a decent price. Great atmosphere too, I love the sun room.
(4)Nathan B.
Great sushi. I go here with my girlfriend sometimes. Their sushi is definitely good. They are friendly and attentive. Their sushi tastes fresh. I enjoy this place and go about once a month or so. I give it four stars just because when it comes to sushi it's hard for me to give five stars. There are only a few places in Colorado who do 5-star sushi. But, this is definitely a great place to go!
(4)KaThy T.
This place serves good portions, but the sushi is not out of this world. They're alright. My friends love sushi and they said there's really no good sushi spot in CO. I'm sure there isn't... Service was okay. There was at least one flat screen from what I recall, but the reception was terrible. They shouldn't even bother turning it on...
(3)Emily A.
Amazing!!! My husband and I were looking for some good sushi and we finally found our new place... It's super cute inside and was cheap we ordered the 3 rolls for 9 bucks and they were not the small ones you'd expect for that price ... Very fresh and very friendly were sold! Can't wait to go back!
(5)Emily A.
Amazing sushi...service is either good or poor...never great. Good thing the food makes up for it. Sushi rolls and apps both are delicious. They do the $9.99 lunch special at dinner with carry-out only. Very worth it! Just make sure you aren't in a hurry of you eat there.
(4)Shane C.
Dumplings was decent. Sushi was OK. The entrée dishes had no flavor or spice. Service was slow and mostly absent.
(2)Marci A.
Food is excellent, priced right and servers are very nice. Always crowded esp in the evenings.
(5)Vicki M.
Delicious food and BEAUTIFUL presentation. The baby lobster is my favorite.
(5)Aubrey A.
The food is awesome! Which is why I keep coming back. The service is the problem I really have, which is every time I've come here. I spent at least 20 minutes on the phone trying to get a hold of this place and ended up just having to come in. There are such things as call waiting.
(3)Kendall P.
We used to drive to Denver and sometimes north Fort Collins for sushi, but now we go here. I have lived in Japan and eaten my fair share of sushi all over. This place is legit! I've never had a bad meal here. One thing I will say (hence the 4 stars) is that the servers are totally hit or miss in terms of service standards. I've had a number of somewhat humorous experiences there... Perhaps they hire folks without prior experience. So if you go, expect an excellent meal but probably not the best service you've ever had.
(4)Ann M.
Went back with friends. I still LOATHE their ordering system. There really aren't words for how much I dislike it. Had the Japanese Tacos which they don't have anymore, which is sad because they were amazing. Table split some a la carte pieces of Salmon, Yellow Tail, Mackerel, and White Tail. Also shared some Seaweed Salad. Rolls we all ordered where the Caterpillar Roll, Cherry Blossom Roll, Godzilla Roll, Gold Rush, Zensai Roll. Over all our total bill came close to almost 200$. It's an OK place but I'm not in love.
(3)Joy J.
I wish I could give them six stars because they gave me literally the BEST birthday surprise tonight!!! It was a huge mocha ice cream with a lovely candle on it. And they even dimmed the light so that I could make a wish before I blew out the candlelight. I was sooo thrilled until everyone around smiled and wished me happy birthday. It really made my day! Btw the food was great too. We ordered a lot of stuff - salmon sashimi, tofu, udon, octopus rolls, tanpura and other stuff. They were all very good. We especially liked the udon (we shared everything). And the service was great even though there were a lot of people around - there was a long line when we finished. Definitely will be back again :)
(5)Betty S.
The service is really bad. I came in a late night around 9 at this Friday to pick up my order. No one serve me or even greeting me when I was there for 5 mins. They only passed by me. I really wanted to leave at that moment. Finally, there's a guy came to me and asked me if I've been help yet. OF COURSE NOT! Anyway, I got my octopus ball and bulgogi entry. The octopus balls taste OKAY. BUT the bulgogi was flavorless and not taste as good as other Korean restaurant. Not a first choice to go! I'm glad I didn't eat there otherwise it would ruin my mood.
(2)Regina S.
I stumbled upon this place and was drawn in by their 3 roll special for $10. I got spicy tuna, spicy scallop and a salmon roll. They were all fresh and tasty. I also ordered Uni which was a bit more pricey at $8 but I found the serving to be especially generous and fresh. Also their Ginger tea is off the chart delicious!! I will be coming back with friends & family. And their music selection is very eclectic which would be a fun conversation piece ie French ballads to Erykah Badu :) The servers were very sweet and helpful on top of everything else!
(5)Heather T.
I love nothing better than finding a really good meal in an unexpected place. I'll be frank that I wasn't expecting Loveland to produce awesome sushi. My friend and I met here for dinner last night and had a really good experience. For appetizers we ordered the calamari tempura and my favorite of the two, the Takoyaki or octupus balls. Not literal, the octupus balls had chunks of octopus in a delicate batter, fried and drizzled with a little mayo. We got the complimentary miso soup and this was the only part of the meal that I did not like. It was too weak on the miso flavor. The list of sushi rolls is extensive - 2 pages worth! After debating we finally settled on splitting the Angry Lobster roll which was a California roll topped with tempura lobster. It indicated spicy on the menu but I could have taken it up a notch on the heat. It was quite good. I ordered the vegetable tempura but couldn't finish all of it. There were some really big pieces of squash but I wish that I could have had less of that and more of the broccoli and onions. We ordered the green tea mochi for dessert. A perfect end.
(5)Colleen O.
4 stars because it has always tasted good. The service is ok, but if you are always an eat and go person this place is not for you. It takes awhile to get the sushi and it takes even longer to get the bill. The way they run the place is interesting they should have a hostess and servers assigned to specific tables instead of having them all work the floor. Anyways I will go back.
(4)Nick D.
I tend to go here a lot because this is my wife's favorite place in Loveland. Their sushi is always at least decent but it is really inconsistent. Sometimes it's meh, sometimes its pretty good and sometimes when you are lucky it is excellent. You never know what you are going to get when you go in here. We have probably been here about 10 times so I have a pretty good sample size. I also like the fact that they have a chicken teriyaki roll.. not many places do. Their service is usually spotty as well. Everyone is really friendly but there have been multiple times where we have waited 10 min + at some point before someone came. Sometimes it is when you are waiting to be seated, sometimes it's when you are ready to order or at another process. I just think it may be that they are understaffed lots of the time.
(3)Tara K.
My husband was craving Philadelphia rolls and he ordered the 9.99 sushi special, everything was A-ok until he found a small fish bone in his Philadelphia roll. Ughh, I didn't bother eating anything here as I am a bit of a sushi snob accustomed to NYC. That being said, a bone? really. YUCK!
(2)Roy M.
What a great place to eat! Best Sushi I've ever had. I travel all over the country and this is my favorite place to eat sushi. Price is more than fair.
(5)Tim C.
Wow that was a weird experience. Have been there a few times with pretty decent results...the service was suuuuuper slow on a night that wasn't that busy. They need to get their service in order, from the lack of greeter to three or so people asking us the same questions, etc. The edamame took forever to get to the table and then was cold when it arrived. Ordered 8 rolls, received one after about 30 minutes and then only received three more. Not a big deal as the 4 we did get weren't that good. The bill came and our sake wasn't on the tab, so I guess we won that one. Probably won't be back again. Oh well.
(2)Sally C.
Wow. Great food and great prices. We tried the monkey balls, cucumber salad, jalapeño bomb, angry lobster roll, red dragon roll, and volcano roll. All of it was fabulous. Will definitely come back.
(5)Michelle C.
Great fresh sushi, whenever I'm in town I stop by. I highly recommend their sushi it's delicious :-)
(4)Nicole G.
How's the food? Well, we don't know. The service was some of the worst I've ever experienced. Sadly, I know how the restaurant business can be chaotic but this was astonishingly disappointing. We were seated promptly and left for 30 minutes to fend for ourselves. No silverware. No food. Only water. Parties arriving 10-20min after were prioritized and we were ignored. At first I thought it was just our seriously incompetent waitress who described options as "weird" and "she doesn't know", but shortly proven it works up through the hosts and management. Upon choosing to leave because of how much our time was wasted and how unwelcome we felt, the host told us to "chill". It even took 5-10min for the staff to report that the manager wasn't in the restaurant after saying he was. Thankfully, we went to a different local spot that we love and a waitress who worked there confirmed out feelings by confirming the regularity of these walk outs and poor services as she used to be a server. Trust me. Don't go here. Other sushi is around that is much better. Don't waste money on such a poor environment.
(1)Kristine B.
Wow! This place has gotten busy. I'm glad we have such a great restaurant in Loveland that is doing so well. I eat sushi regularly any place I have the chance to and this place is right at the top of our list. I have been here many many times for lunch and dinner. I have never tried anything but the sushi so I don't know what the rest of the menu has to offer.
(5)Candi R.
Love this place. Good sushi with a great lunch special evey day! 9.99 for 3 rolls or 2 rolls salad and soup. Good teryaki bento box too.
(5)Sierra E.
This is definitely one of the worst experiences I've had at a restaurant. My mom, sister, her two children (both under three), and a close friend came in for lunch on 4/10 and the service was terrible. We ordered several soups (two of the entrees came with soup and salad and we had to remind her that they both do) instead of Comping off two of the soups she brought us two more. None of the food came out at the same time. They actually brought out the children's food 15 minutes after ours, we had to ask a manager to bring it over (we know it wasn't fresh because it was only warm). The rolls were falling apart and our drinks got refilled once the entire time. I would have understood the service if it were busy but there was maybe 3 tables with two people a piece. Perhaps me and my family wouldn't be so disgruntled if our check wasn't over 70$ including everything or if they had given us a discount on the hungry impatient toddlers food. Or even apologized for their actions. I am never coming back here and neither is my family.
(1)Matt M.
Really impressed with this place. The roll concepts are interesting without being overly complicated. The nigiri was huge, great cuts on the tuna. I'm a freak for tako ( octopus) and it was prepared about perfect. The Miso was terrific , too. Some of the best I've had. Nice ambiance, it's not too dark, not an obnoxiously trendy joint, and the waitstaff was genuinely interested in how the food was. If you're someone with no regard for busy waitstaff and want everything immediate and constant maybe either lower expectations or go elsewhere. Interested to try the maguro next time, a true test of the joint's supplier quality.
(4)Melissa D.
I am so glad my husband dragged me here! I wasn't so sure about the food because...let's face it, it's located in Loveland, but it turned out to be amazing :) I ordered the vegetable yakisoba and was pleasantly surprised! The veggies were crisp and the sauce wasn't too overbearing. My husband ordered some sushi and said it was good, but not the best he's ever had. We also ordered some sake mixed with plum wine and it was definitely tasty. Also, try the seaweed salad! It sounds weird but it's yummy :)
(4)Liz H.
I was looking forward to going here after reading all of the positive reviews on Yelp, but my first and only visit was awful, and I will not be going back. I went last night with my 15-month-old son for our weekly Saturday night out. I was a waitress and a bartender for over 10 years, and I would not go out to eat with my son if he did not behave well in restaurants - he is always quiet, and if he starts getting at all antsy, we leave right away. I know that other people mostly do not want to hear children when they go out to eat. Our reception at Sushi Zensai was less than enthusiastic, but I was not surprised about that, given that I had a small child with me; like I said, I was in this business for a long time, and I know that people can make quick judgements about people with kids. There were three open tables when we arrived, two clean and one dirty. The hostess sat us at a table in the corner, leaving behind two adult menus (I was the only adult), the wine menu, and the specials menu. When she returned with the high chair, I asked if she had a kids menu, which she reluctantly went and got. When she returned with it she asked in a sullen tone, "do you want crayons?" Which I did, so she went and got those, a cup of crayons that had been well-used. I much prefer the individually wrapped crayons (kids put everything in their mouths) but at least they had crayons. By the time I had looked over the menu, the table on one side of us (that had been dirty when we walked in) was sat. The waiter came over to offer them drinks, and still nobody had been to our table. I thought we must have a different waitperson, so didn't think too much of it yet. Then another waiter showed up at the table on the other side of us and took their order. I tried to catch his eye, but after taking their order he went straight back to the kitchen. Shortly after that, the first waiter showed up at the other table (the one sat after us) and took their order. I tried to catch his eye too, but he similarly went straight back to the kitchen. At this point we had been sitting at our table for 10 minutes (yes, I checked, I'm not just guessing) with no acknowledgment other than being sat by the hostess. I looked around the room, but saw no employees. This is not a large restaurant, at least from what I could see from our vantage point, and it is not fine dining, so I can't imagine they had more than two waitstaff on duty - I didn't count the tables, but it seemed to be about 10-12 tables total. At this point I was so frustrated and hungry and thirsty, that I just got up and left, which took a couple of minutes because I had to remove Aiden from the high chair and gather up his stuff. From here we went up to Canton Palace, where we were greeted warmly, sat quickly, had water on our table within a minute, and chatted with our waitress within a couple of minutes of being sat. She even remarked how cute my son was . They even went out of their way to have the sauce for my salmon served on the side so that I could feed some of the salmon (without the spicy sauce) to my son. What a difference from Sushi Zensai! I'm sure the food at Sushi Zensai is as good as everybody says it is, but sadly I will never find out. After our rude treatment I will never go back, with or without my son, and will tell my friends they shouldn't go there either. UPDATE 8-19-2013 The owner of the restaurant sent me a message this morning apologizing for my experience, and explaining that both he and the manager were out of town for the weekend, and also that they have a fairly new waitstaff at the moment. I'm willing to give them another chance, and will write an updated review after I have a chance to go back.
(1)Alden C.
I really liked the sushi here overall. It was tasty and fresh and the saki went down good! There was one sushi roll I was not entirely sure if I liked. It was on a platter with another platter below it and it was on fire. It therefore made the sushi hot in temperature and I still haven't decided if I liked it or not. It kind of had a campground flavor to it but you could also kind of taste the fluid they used to light it as well. So not my favorite roll...wish I could remember the name of it. I did research on the menu and I couldn't figure out which one it was. Just ask about the flaming sushi. They probably don't have very many of those there. Overall though I liked the place and would go back without hesitation. Everyone was very nice and prompt in service as well!
(4)Logan M.
I feel this place can be summed up in four words: good food, bad service. And yes, the service really is bad enough to bring it down to three stars. Maybe I've been continually unlucky with my servers but continually underwhelming experiences really keep me from wanting to go back. On the flip side, the food has been good every time I've been - every roll I've tried has also been a great mix of flavors. The food is good enough to keep me from driving up to Mt. Fuji. The service is bad enough that I'm hesitant to show my friends there's good Japanese food in Loveland.
(3)Brad S.
Always a good experience here, one of our favorite Loveland places, and a favorite sushi place, as well. Lunch deals are great. We like the sushi burrito, as well as volcano roll, jalapeno bomb, dragon roll, and the tempura. Also, the citron (hot) tea is great. Last night we went in and it was relatively quiet. they placed us in the separate "room" by the windows by ourselves. A few minutes later they came in and started setting up for a large party. The owner stopped at our table and apologized, and noted that the party of 14 might disturb us, and asked if we would like something on the house - a drink, a place, perhaps dessert. We thanked him, and had dessert on him. Much appreciated, and a refreshing approach to customer service.
(5)Katy S.
I've gone here a few times and the sushi has always been great but the service, not so much. Nothing is more frustrating then standing at the hostess stand and everyone working in the restaurant making eye contact with you but no one comes to seat you! The servers seem like they are trying to constantly hurry you along and that just makes for a unpleasant dining experience. Also, when they brought me my water, there were fish eggs on the rim of my glass, clearly not a very well cleaned glass! With all of that being said, I have had good meals here and the service is not always terrible.
(3)Brian K.
Hands down, some of the best sushi in Northern Colorado! I'm getting hungry just thinking about this place... my favorite entrees are the Samurai Fiesta Roll, Hawaiian Volcano roll (THIS ONE COMES ON FIRE!!!!), and the Chicken Katsu. Pretty much anything I've had here is really good. Seriously, try something on the menu - no matter what it is, it's all fantastic! The lunch specials are a great value and the portions are large for the price. What... you're still reading this? Why aren't you placing your order right now?!?
(5)Tuong V.
Good food and decent portions. I recommend the lunch special (3 rolls for $10 or a deluxe lunch bento for $10). Service could be better but it's nothing to complain about.
(4)Kelly S.
i love sushi and this is a very cheap but tasty place to eat. they always have the best of rolls never a complain there. also love love love love the miso!!! the only complain i would have would be the employees, not all but some unimpressive thing. why are the women there wearing a chinese robe? one tiny waitress they have looks like she is swimming in the massive thing. although she is not bigger then a penny, poor girl must be embarrassed. and there is one hispanic male who always looks so grumpy, I'm not even sure is the man has ever smiled in his life. other then the out dated robes and forever grumpy looking server, the food is wonderful.
(3)Jeffrey C.
Very good food. Great prices and awesome service.
(5)Susan Y.
I recently met a couple of friends for lunch at Sushi Zensai, and have to say it is a nice bit of variety for Loveland and a great value for lunch. Others have mentioned the 3 roll/$9.95 lunch special, but not being one for making a meal out of sushi I tried the $7.95 lunch bento. It included miso soup, a green salad, tempura, gyoza, steamed rice, and a choice of entree. I chose the salmon teriyaki for my entree, and was pleased with that choice ... it was a decent-sized serving and the teriyaki wasn't cloyingly sweet. The tempura was a surprise -- at this price I was expecting just a few pieces of vegetable tempura, but got a prawn as well. Things I might quibble about -- the gyoza were a disappointment. Just a couple of dumplings, more deep fried than pan fried, and no dipping sauce. Also, they need to do green tea better -- though I would have preferred a pot brewed from loose tea, I guess a cup of hot water and a tea bag is okay ... but not having a good way to serve more hot water? The server brought out a tokkuri (sake flask) of hot water, which was not quite large enough to refill two teacups and was really too hot to the touch to be able to pour (one of my friends found that out the hard way). Despite my little quibbles I give Sushi Zensai a solid 3-star rating -- if I wanted really excellent Japanese cuisine I would go to Denver or Boulder, but for something local Zensai is certainly on par with or better than the other Japanese restaurants in the Fort Collins/Loveland area, and a good value to boot.
(3)lee s.
The food was 4.5 stars, but the service was bad. Everyone around us was complaining about being cold and the staff didn't do anything so i just got up and turned off the fans. They were understaffed, but also just inattentive: We asked our waitress for a fork three times and I finally got up and walked into the kitchen and helped myself to silverware. So it's kind of a self-serve restaurant be you still have to leave a tip :-(
(3)Ellen J.
I'd like to preface my review by saying that I have always really loved this place. I have been dining here since they opened and have never had a bad piece of sushi here. I will admit that I've never ordered any of their cooked food, but it all looks absolutely delish. The sushi superb. And then recently it got weird . . . I ordered take-out for the first time a couple of weeks ago when my husband was out of town and I didn't feel like cooking. I called and ordered their Sashimi Salad. I arrived to pick up my salad and was met by a very pleasant waitress who gave me my bill. It was $10.62. I gave her a $20 bill. She returned with my salad and my change. A $5 & five-$1s. I looked at her confused and she said that they didn't "do" change (as in coins). Um, ok. But why the five $1s? She had this really weird look on her face as she handed me my change and gave me the distinct impression that she wanted a tip out of those $1 bills. I don't order take-out very often, but I have never felt so uncomfortable in this situation. Am I missing something? Is this a new custom to tip for take-out? Regardless, I didn't tip her and walked out with my salad. This salad was the most beautiful work of art. A lovely mound of salad greens, puhlenty of Yellowtail, a wonderful mound of seaweed salad, and a lovely fan of avocado garnishing the top. I had asked for the salad dressing on the side and it was this wonderful soy type of dressing that I had never had here before. Extra ginger that I had also requested. And a side of miso. I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner & looked forward to doing this again. About 2 weeks later, I decided to order this salad again as take-out. I placed pretty much the same order as before except this time decided to try the albacore. I went to pick up my salad and had the same EXACT weird waitress experience that included the weird change and that same look from her the she expected a tip. By this time I was getting annoyed at her actions and how she was again making me feel uncomfortable. I didn't tip her and took my salad home. Now maybe this should be a lesson learned or something, but this salad was the most pathetic thing I have ever paid my hard-earned money for. The thing that surprised me most was the HUGE pile of shredded daikon radish on the top that I immediately took off and had no interest in eating as I don't like radishes of any kind. Under that pile were the greens and about 7 pieces of albacore, which paled in comparison to the amount of yellowtail I had gotten a couple of weeks before. AND THAT'S IT. No seaweed salad, no onions, no fan of avocado. NOTHING. And the salad dressing was the same yellow ginger-ish dressing that they use on their side salads. I pretty much ate just the albacore and tossed the rest. Am I missing something here? Was I on the receiving end of a pissed off waitress who remembered me? I am most definitely not a cheapskate and enjoy leaving generous tips at restaurants where the service is good. I'm not going to say that I will never eat here again, but I probably won't ever do take-out here again. That waitress gave me the creeps. I am giving my review one star based on what I am going to call the "Great Sashimi Salad Debacle". Any advice on take-out would really be appreciated. Thanks!
(1)Alex B.
The lunch special ifs a good deal, especially the kids one. The did was fresh and tasty.
(4)Sondra Z.
Found this place on Yelp when visiting the area and wanted to introduce some family members to sushi. Highly recommend the Baby Lobster Roll is amazing!! I agree with some of the other reviewers that they need to work on timing, some of the different rolls came out several minutes apart. Would definitely go back next time we are in the area.
(5)Chadd S.
Fantasssssssstic sushi, decent prices, hot waitresses, what more can you need!?!?!? For real, next to some of the places in Fort Collins, this is the best Sushi you can get. Authentic vibes too! Love it here. I frequently check it out and get my flirt on with them cuties.
(5)Becky B.
Sushi Zensai is one of my favorite locations for a weekday lunch with friends. The service is fast and friendly and the food is delicious. Made from scratch rolls... my fav is the salmon thai roll. It is a tasty concoction with a little coconut for sweetness.
(4)Keith J.
DÅmo arigatÅ sushi zensai. This place is fantastic. They have a great lunch special, 3 rolls for $9.99. The sushi was sooo good too. The tempura shrimp and spicy yellow tail rolls were delicious. I liked the way the place was decorated too. Good service, atmosphere and food.
(4)Anita Y.
So far, the only thing that would make this place better would be an AYCE option. But then, I'd probably eat them out of business. This place doesn't feel at all like a typical Loveland restaurant. The decor is very Japanes-y, my favorites are the giant paper lanterns shaped like fish hanging in the windows, Just what this location needed. The previous 2 restaurants at this location always looked closed from the outside because it was so dark. I was so tempted by the Chirashi, but I'll save that for another time. We ended up ordering a few nigiri, a couple of maki, gyoza, and the Korean kalbi (grilled short ribs) dinner entree, and a large cheap sake...Devoured it all! Service was cute---uh, I mean prompt. And friendly. There were lots of kids there that Saturday evening, the restaurant seemed to welcome them. I love that kids love sushi! I wish there was sushi around when I was kid, but that was long ago. Long before America knew about Japan and sushi. I plan to steal away sometime next week and take advantage of their 3 roll/$9.95 lunch special. And then, I'll steal away and have the Chirashi for dinner sometime. Sushi Zensai is just what Loveland needed.
(4)Leslie V.
I was staying in town and found this place on the internet. Nice atmosphere, great service and reasonable prices. It wasn't that busy when I got there at 6pm on a Saturday but it started to fill up as I left. I ordered the Mexican Roll and Hot Night Out roll, both of which were excellent. They were spicy enough so that I didn't need to put too much wasabi on them. They had a lot of different kinds of rolls and it was hard to just choose one. All in all a great place to go for sushi.
(5)Kelly H.
Ok, so before you disregard me as a sushi "idiot", hear me out.... I am well aware that getting to-go sushi is never the best way to judge a place.... That being said, I have also had to-go sushi from many places, and since I work full-time, often my lunches are limited to where I can get to-go food from. We went to Sushi Zensai yesterday to pick up a few rolls. I was very pleased to see the pricing for their lunch special: $9.99 for 3 rolls. Can't beat it. I ordered the spicy tuna, the spicy yellowtail, and the philadelphia roll. They were all just "ok". Nothing extraordinary, nothing terrible. I will probably eat here again, but I think that I will try to eat in, instead of taking to-go.
(2)Jessie J.
Meh... Marginal at best. You can do far better especially when you take into account the high prices this place charges.
(2)Franklin T.
I'm surprised we haven't been here before now. Sushi Zensai was a lovely experience for our family. They have a reasonably priced menu, especially the kids selections, their service was impeccable and the food was excellent. We'll be coming back soon for the lunch special of 3 rolls of sushi for $9.95, but last night we were in the mood for other options. I had spicy beef yakisoba noodles that were fresh, and perfectly spiced. We also enjoyed the bulgogi and our son had the kids teriyaki chicken that he gobbled down(and he's often a pretty picky eater). WE'll definitely be back.
(5)Iggy P.
Ordered the seafood noodles to go and miso soup! The miso seemed watered down and the noodles were very dry! Might give it a second chance and actually try the sushi!
(3)Todd S.
Went for lunch to try out the new sushi in Loveland! The service was good, my drink was refilled before it was empty. We had green iced tea (tasty), the lunch special of 3 rolls for $9.95, 2 specialty rolls, and miso soup with my friend. Spent about $40 for the two of us. (Specialty rolls were about $10 each, but worth it) The Zensai roll was great! Wrapped in cucumber, very good and something I hadn't had before. The other 4 rolls were also all tasty and fresh. The spicy salmon roll wasn't overly spiced. I would put them on par with the sushi places in Ft Collins I've been to. I'll go back to Sushi Zensai, a great addition to Lovelands dining selection!
(5)John D.
Service was pretty lackluster. She seemed spacy when taking our order and it showed up when she forgot our miso soups and then doubled part of our order. She also took long vacations from our table which left us wondering where she could have gone, especially at the end when we were ready to pay and leave. The food was very average - the specialty rolls were drenched in enough sauce to deliver a heart attack. I complained about one dish but she didn't offer to do anything to our bill. I guess stick to the basics if you're going to eat here and hope for a better server.
(2)Susan M.
Been in twice now and really enjoyed it both times. Service was decent too. I'd agree with most all the reviewers. For Loveland, it's a good choice. Keep up the good work.
(4)C.J. J.
Great sushi for Loveland. We eat there all the time and have never had a bad experience or meal. Love it.
(5)Jeanine A.
Excellent food, good-sized portions, gorgeous presentation, reasonable prices, and quick, friendly service! With a Sunday evening hankering for sushi but no familiarity with the area, we were lured to this restaurant by its excellent reviews. We were skeptical at first given the number of empty tables, but we soon realized the praise was well deserved. We'll be returning again and again!
(5)Ren R.
Considering how far we are from the coastline, this place is tasty! Sushi is relatively fresh. The freshest I have tasted in Colorado though. Roll originality is about a 3, but the classics are tasty. Where this place lacks in originality, it greatly makes up for in presentation. Some of the most beautiful sushi presentation and ideas I've seen to date. Very appealing to the eye, like art! Service is decent, but I've only enjoyed the take out and never sit in, so I cannot attest to the sit-in service. For the tiny town of Loveland, an awesome little place and definitely date material.
(4)Jim A.
Love this place! Been coming here since opening week. Had a rainbow roll and tempura last night. Excellent as usual. Great sushi but the Teriyaki Beef is the bomb. Melts in your mouth! Very friendly employees and prices that are fair. Highly recommend.
(5)Jen R.
The atmosphere was nice, the food was good. I consider the sushi to be somewhat "beginner level" - with lots of cooked options and variations on california rolls. The service was excellent, and the owner stopped by our table to chat. What impressed us the most was the special treatment the kids got. This is a truly family friendly Japanese restaurant - cool divided plates to keep the foods from touching, a mix of colors & fresh fruit added to the plate, japanese sodas, and each kid received a special prize from a japanese vending - coins provided by the waiter.
(4)Paula G.
First of all, I have to say that the food has been always been good here with great presentation; hats off to the sushi chefs and kitchen staff. Usually the staff is great, but tonight was so Twilight Zone that I thought that I should look around for a hidden camera. We sat outside and the other tables got great service with their waitstaff, but we didn't with ours. Sashimi was served with no plates, soy sauce, soy sauce dishes, no followup on drinks, we sat there for about five minutes just staring at our fish - it was so weird. I went in to get the things we needed and our server acted as though I was being difficult; the other server ended up helping us (Guy server outside was awesome! You really tried to help us, and I appreciate it). She didn't apologize for any of it and blamed the kitchen for not giving her the proper stuff-way to stick up your kitchen staff. Still tipped her 15% - we're not that shitty, and I used to waitress so I get it. If it was the only sushi place around we'd have to go back, but luckily there are many more to choose from and I expect less attitude when I'm dropping $75 for dinner.
(1)Todd S.
Outstanding food, service, and quality. We ordered take out last night for eight and it was superb! We have dined in the restaurant as well, and the service was excellent. This establishment is a must eat for Sushi lovers! Give them a try and you will not be disappointed!
(5)Kathleen V.
I love this place! Great food, wonderful staff, great food, beautiful atmosphere, did I mention great food. You won't go wrong at Sushi Zensai! Enjoy!
(5)Karen C.
My first experience was when my hubby picked up an order of sushi and brought it home. Thumbs up! But I really enjoyed Sushi Zensai when I ate lunch there, by myself, one Wednesday afternoon. I sat the the sushi bar, had a Kirin and the 2 rolls for $9.99 lunch deal. It was more than I could eat and it was delicious! My waiter was very friendly and nice, making me feel comfortable as a solo diner. I'm anxious to go back!
(4)Kris H.
Not bad for Sushi in Loveland, Colorado! My girlfriend and I enjoyed a late lunch that started with Monkey Balls, hot saki, and hot tea. I LOVED the hot tea. It is infused with Japanese corn (yes, corn). The Monkey Balls were better than they sounded! We then ordered an assortment of sushi. The Hamachi was definitely my favorite! Talk about melt in you mouth. We really enjoyed the roll our waiter suggested, called the Heart Attack. I've had better sushi, with better atmosphere, with better service...but hey, this is Loveland, Colorado and beggars can't be choosers. I would go back.
(4)Drew C.
So, yesterday was my birthday and just wanted to order in. Sushi Zensai is close to my house but have never been an now never will. They told me I couldn't get a kids meal to-go though it has a smaller portion of some of the same stuff in a bento box. I just wanted to order my daughter a cali roll. The server told me to call back and talk to the owner but I asked to talk to the manager. Let me tell you, if you like great customer service when you are on the phone or out to a place this manager is definitely not the person to speak to. He was utterly one of the rudest people I have ever spoken with, he interrupted, talked over me, and then proceeded to tell me that if I couldn't understand how there way was that I should not order anything from them and go somewhere where I could get a kids meal to-go and hung up the phone on me. This situation was totally preventable and its to bad because from the other reviews it seems like the food is really good but they have a history of bad service. By the way they will give you a free cali roll with carry out order but wouldn't send it in a kids meal paid for. Ironic ?
(1)Jessica D.
This is my new favorite place to eat in Loveland! The sushi is great, the staff has always been wonderful and accommodating every time I've been there. Small, intimate atmosphere. I really can't say enough great things about it. The traditional rolls are my favorite, the specialty rolls have been hit or miss from what I've tried so far.
(4)Maryanne M.
By comparison to what the usual choices on the Front Range of Colorado are when it comes to Sushi houses, Sushi Zensai deserves every point of the five stars I bestow upon them. I lived in the San Fransisco Bay Area for a tad over 16 years. My taste buds "grew up" and were lovingly cultivated in the Bay Area :-) I took my granddaughter to Sushi Zensai for her 10th birthday. My beautiful grandchild expressed an interest in trying something new. My g'daughter never experienced Sashimi before so curiosity lead us to Sushi Zensai.. My way of thinking is like this; It is important that my granddaughter's first bites of any new foods be memorable to her taste buds - and Sushi Zensai delivered. We started our lunch with tempura shrimp. The tempura shrimp was very good today. (I say "today" because when you live in an area where the nearest ocean is over a 1000 miles away you will understand that seafood can be an iffy experience). The tempura was served with a nice tempura dipping sauce that was not too sweet nor too salty and perfectly thin so it remained a compliment and did not out star the shrimp. To wash down our food we choose to swill over our tongues the bubbly Mr. Pib (hey, I am lunching with a soon to be 10 year old and Mr. Pib is as good as it gets!) For our main entree we chose a Green Salmon Sashimi Roll and a Godzilla Roll. Perfection! The Green Salmon roll was made using beautiful tasty strips of cucumber as the outer wrap; no rice. The cucumber strips were stuffed with raw tuna, beautiful veggie greens and avocado. My g'daughter's eyes were as big as the platter and she was in heaven as she tasted her first bites of Sashimi. The roll was a success! The presentation was a success and for someone facing a new type of cuisine for the first time presentation can make or break the mouth's willingness to move forward. Our Godzilla roll was also a work of art whose medium was/is crab meat, cucumber, avocado, shrimp tempura, rice, and the masterpiece is topped with eel .... eel that is tender and complimented in a beautiful, yummy basting sauce. My granddaughter could not decide what she wanted to eat first, second, and last. She ate salmon and then some eel and then some miso soup (served before the entrees arrived) and then more salmon more eel more rolls more soup more Mr. Pibb and this went on with the sounds of, "mmmm" and "OMG, burp" in between bites. My g'daughter practiced her control over chopsticks and did a fairly decent job but when it came to serious eating she resorted to using chopsticks with a trainer inserted. I also want to mention the decor .. lovely and perfect. The sushi house is decorated with large paper fish hanging overhead, and beautiful panels inlaid with abalone and wood etchings and statuary. The seating is comfortable and a big big bonus is how clean everything is! The wood floors invite you to follow your waiter to your seat, the big windows invite the sun in for a bite :-) We (my granddaughter and I) give Sushi Zensai a 10+ all around. A 10 for food that can qualify as art. A 10 for the service. A 10 for the ambiance. A 10 for the decor that surrounds you. A 10 for the price. And another 10 because of the beautiful experience we shared together, in Loveland, celebrating a young ladies 10th birthday.
(5)laurie l.
The best sushi and service in Northern Colorado. For ten dollars you can get a terrific lunch of quality, fresh sushi. Beautifully presented, friendly staff, try the teas- they are quite remarkable. Five stars for a regional review. Love it more than any other sushi place around!
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