Azuma is known to be the best place in Albq for its Teppan but I simply have to disagree. I mean the place isn't bad, the portions are huge, and the chefs do the typical onion volcano show that everyone has seen a million times. So why the mediocre rating? Well the wait times here absolutely suck, prices are a bit higher than other places around town, and there are better places around town for cheaper without waiting. Now I will say this place does have some killer sushi rolls which I really enjoyed but I would rather go over to I Love Sushi or Hayashi.
This is a review of the sushi. I was very pleased all around with the quality of the sushi. My standard test of the Tuna nigiri produced excellent results. Great 1/8-3/16 inch thickness cut and the ratio of fish to rice was great as well. Taste was simple and clean. Also had the unagi roll and rainbow roll. Both were well prepared and clean tight rolls. I have 2 complaints- 1. The water I was served tasted very odd- can't put my finger on it but it was very displeasing. 2. The selection of sushi, with exception of nigiri, is small; elegant, but small.
(3)
Joshua H.
Average. Good house soup. Salad had way too much dressing. Rice and chicken was good. Noodles didn't have any flavor. The cook and waiter were friendly. The price was average. The carpet smelled like it needed a good shampooing.
(3)
William A.
Wonderful service and food. The cook gave us a great show. I recommend this place to everybody.
(5)
Ashley P.
It hurts my heart to give this place only 3 stars. I wanted to love it. Why didn't I love it, you ask? Well... When we arrived, we were seated promptly on the teppan side of the place... Where we proceeded to wait over 30 minutes for drinks. We ordered sushi to tide us over because we knew that like any teppan place, the food takes a while to prepare. Our sushi arrived after we already had our food. It was delicious, don't get me wrong... But I still can't understand why it arrived over an hour after ordering. We waited nearly an hour for the table to be filled, and the chef to come cook. The food was good, but not as good as I wanted it to be. The flavor was bland, and my rice was under cooked. I never got a refill on my drink, my salad bowl was never removed, and I spent the entire dinner feeling cramped. Azuma, you broke my heart.
(3)
Raina M.
Tasty! The rolls are tightly formed and the perfect size... nothing's worse than having your food crumble in route to your pie hole. The pink lady, Dr. Gregg and caterpillar are a few of my favorites. HOWEVER The service is hit n miss and the the bathrooms are absolutely DISGUSTING! !! I feel like the whole restaurant needs. A serious deep cleaning.
(3)
Tim N.
I guess this IS the place for Teppan based on the huge crowds waiting for a table... I went the sushi bar route. Service was stellar, the place was jammed and the chef's were flying. I had a couple of hand rolls and an age tofu appetizer. This is a personal observation but they use too much rice and too many ingredients in their rolls. A California roll, simple but when you load it up with a ton of one ingredient (in this case cucumbers) it just takes away from things overall.. I wasn't thrilled with the Age tofu because they use soft tofu which doesn't fry well. I wish I'd tried the teppan...
(2)
Aerlin I.
Amazing place. I had just returned from Japan looking for some real Japanese food, and this place was pretty close to the real thing. The fried noodles and rice were very delicious. The miso soup is nice as well. The part that counts was the meat. Not quite traditional Japanese gyunniku, but pretty close to it. We had some salmon sushi as well.
(5)
Tru D.
Been wanting to do review on this place for awhile now so got some time today to do that. It's a great place to take family and friends on the grill side .my kids enjoyed the "show" which involves fire :) their soup is so good and flavorful. I recommend the sumo rolls as it's mine and my husband's favorite and get it every time .portions are nig so be prepared.I didn't like how the cooked chopped up the steak instead of leaving it while and our waitress was super friendly and helpful. I didn't find out till after they have to give a percentage of their tip to the cooks which I thought was unfair cuz I tip both. Other than that it's always good Im a returning customer.
(4)
Christina S.
Whether we eat at the teppan grill or in the sushi bar the food and service are always good! They make one of my favorite sushi rolls and always accommodate special requests, sometimes with suggestions of their own.The only two problems I've ever had are leaving so full you can hardly breathe but still have a to-go box full of food you never got to and the wait. The wait time is so long sometimes that we'll opt for other area places instead so we don't have to stand and watch people eat for an hour before we're seated.
(4)
Dayna L.
I am so disappointed that this will be my last visit here. After waiting over an hour, we are seated and because they are trying to squeeze our party with a large party, they seat my husband on the same side as the chef, under the vent fan. We are seated there for just a couple minutes before grease is dripping from the vent fan above on to my husband. He now has grease stains on his hat and shirt. I notify staff and they attempt to clean the vent but it's too big of a job. They offer us a another table which we accept; not real happy after waiting over an hour, but we are promised to be seated at the next available table. That did not happen. They seated another large party ahead of us. At this point I am done and leave, I am so upset and lost my appetite. Happy Fathers Day
(1)
Mike D.
The service can be a little bit or miss and it's a little on the pricey side, but the sushi portions are generous and tasty. I think the Tiger Tear Roll is one of my favorite sushi rolls of all time. One of my favorite sushi places.
(4)
Valerie M.
We always come and sit at the sushi bar...one of my favorite places to be. I love this place. The monkey ball roll is to live for
(5)
Rick S.
After a few personal recommendations, we decided to try Azuma. I love sushi and teppanyaki but on our trip, we sat on the sushi side of the restaurant. The big problem here is the quality of the rice. It is not the right type of rice for sushi preparation and there is too much of it. Also, it was dry, which is why all of our nori-maki rolls tended to fall apart on us. It's a shame because Azuma's fish is very fresh and the slices are generous. The rice just ruined it for us. Same thing with the fried rice dish, which almost seemed greasy. Big disappointment-there are other places in Albuquerque for better sushi.
(2)
Olivia B.
Waited 2 hours to finally get dinner, good food but not worth the time- a lot of mistakes from the staff...overall not a good experience
(1)
Kristina L.
I love this place! Best in the business I think. Always a great time & the sushi rolls are perfect, especially the 'Make my day' roll. My kids love this place & the chefs are always nice & funny.
(5)
Rich R.
Don't make a reservation as we waited 40 minutes and they pissed off my sister on her birthday. We asked why do you take a reservation & not honor it? They didn't care. We went to Hayashi who got us right in and the service & food there was awesome.
(1)
Tom H.
Went last Friday for my Daughters birthday celebration. Had a great time, and great food!! Will definitely be back.
(5)
Joyce A.
The food here is also good and chefs always put on a good show. Only thing is the wait takes awhile on the grill side. Sushi side; I think they is always open. Habachi chicken, or steak is always good. Folks are always nice there. But for a large group expect to wait and patking can be an issue sometime.
(4)
J.D. V.
I really like the grill experience, we always have a great time, and the food is always great. Only bad is how long the wait is...
(4)
Joan G.
Made a reservation which wasn't honored. Worst customer service ever. I will never go back.
(1)
Jeremy F.
One of my favorite places to eat in Albuquerque. I'd take anyone on vacation to this place.
(5)
Sara P.
They broke their rules on a Friday night and seated me and a friend without our third person. She ended up not coming so they get bonus points for not making us wait in the breeze way. Our waitress was sweet but not very attentive. We had to flag her down to take our sushi sheet. We ordered 4 rolls, an eel roll, monkey balls, aloha roll and the boston roll. The eel roll was very good, a new experience for me. The monkey balls were absolutely delicious. The aloha roll was great, not like sushi I've tasted before. The Boston roll was very bland. After trying a piece, we shoved it to the side and ignored it. Don't order the Boston Roll. I did not like the atmosphere. It was very dark in the sushi area where we were seated. We mentioned it and the waitress mentioned it was romantic. Ok. If you say so. Sushi is visually pleasing as much as palette pleasing food. Why eat in the dark? I dig it. Eat there.
(3)
Shane M.
Worst service I have ever had in a restaurant. We didn't get over half of what we ordered. We waited over an hour and a half and they werent busy. They lost our order and absolutely nobody took responsibility for it. Never going back
(1)
Raquel G.
The food is great but some of the chefs do cook a little different. One of them put way too much salt on our food. But we continue to go here and the food most of the time is really great! Great price for the filet mignon!
(4)
Ashley E.
I couldn't give more than 2 stars...I just couldn't. Sorry, Azuma. It is SO hit or miss in my experience. Sometimes it's no problem and everything comes out fine. The other part of the time things go badly-- I wait for 45 minutes for a table (they don't take reservations), I have a rude server, my food is under or overcooked, and I'm sitting next to screaming frat boys doing sake bombs. The sushi/sashimi has never been anything to write home about either. Save your money and go elsewhere.
(2)
Brian P.
Food was great and plentiful. All in all it was a good night the service was very good would have given four stars but the cook wasn't very entertaining everything was cooked to perfection but when you go to a place like this it's more then just the meal like I said the food was great but not much going on at the grill could have done more tricks. The prices were pretty good we were a party of five and all left with enough food for a good lunch. Will go again.
(3)
S S.
Mediocre. I ordered to go so no experience with service. The price was a little high for the lack of fish incorporated into my sushi rolls. Most of the rolls contained chopped up fish instead of nice chunks and there was entirely too much rice. I assume the amount of rice used was to hide the lack of fish. Probably won't go back.
(2)
Kawika K.
Way over priced. Service was average. Order was taken quickly and food came fast. Server did not refill drinks. Food is waaaaaaaaaay over prices. Sushi rice was mushy and too sweet. Fish totally not fresh which was expected prior to coming in. Ambience is awesome. Super beautiful restaurant and awesome design details in restaurants. Had to give two stars because the sushi was 2 stars. I would give another half star for the octopus salad and calamari tempura. Those two dishes I would recommend. Because of those two dishes i may stretch myself and give another star. Not a place to eat if you expect good sushi. Good enough to handle sushi cravings though.
(2)
Mark M.
I'm writing this review about the sushi only. I have been eating sushi for about 20 years, and I've had it in restaurants all over the US, and in other countries around the world. And I have to honestly say that this is in the top 5 best sushi I've ever had in my entire life. And this wasn't a one-time thing. I come to ABQ about once a month, and I always eat here, and the sushi is always amazing. Their salmon nigiri is possibly the single best piece of fish I've ever eaten. It melts in your mouth like butter (as good sushi should). And these reviews that say that it's overpriced are just plain stupid. Those people obviously don't know good sushi, and don't eat in any other sushi restaurants. Azuma provides literally the largest rolls and nigiri pieces you will ever find in any restaurant, and their prices are actually the same or cheaper than many other sushi places. You just can't beat the value for what they provide. I will point out that I usually only take the time to write bad reviews, to warn people away from bad restaurants. But this sushi is just so awesome that I felt compelled to write a positive review.
(5)
Oa L.
The food is ok. ... the price is a liitle bit too high
(3)
William T.
I just went to Azuma for the first time in a year and half. I always had a shiosaba, unajyu and never had the sushi nigiri and rolls in the past. Tonight, I had it for the first time and I simply do not know what to say. I'm leaving 1 star because the server was nice. If not and if i had a choice, it will be a zero. Not to sound snobby, but I have had real sushi in Japan and I want to just put out a disclaimer that I do not expect the sushi quality in New Mexico to be held to the same standard. No, that is absolutely unreasonable to begin with. I just don't want anyone to think that the sushi that is served here is anything resembling the real stuff. And no, that's not in a snobby way. What is served here is absolute disgrace to the art work of sushi. The chef's were not Japanese that's fine, I've had descent sushi from non-Japanese chefs. But boy, if you're going to try to make a food of another culture, try to have some pride, don't make an absolute garbage. That's like us American's bastardizing real Italian food via Olive Garden, and real Mexican food by Taco Bell. I just had the tuna (maguro) nigiri sushi and the tuna was not fresh (no it's not just because we live in New Mexico, it's beyond that). There is absolutely no technique observed in the preparation, the fish was full of "holes", literally (holy cow, I don't even know how to explain this...) The tuna was too thick (half an inch) and the rice was too sticky. It actually looked like an infant attempted to slap together a sushi with, gosh I should've taken a picture. Gosh, I just wish I could be more descriptive of the low quality garbage I was served tonight but it was just so bad that I don't even know how to. I'm extremely frustrated because I spent $45 worth of total pig food (probably they get served better stuff?) One and a half year ago, I don't think it was this bad. Back then, the unajyu and shiosaba was fine. It wasn't the best, but I was able to eat it and quite frankly, was worth paying for. What I was served tonight was a Fubar. Did all the chefs suddentlyy quit and some fake chefs with no experience take over for temporary measure??? Gosh! I want my money back, that's how freaking mad I am.
(1)
Anthony V.
mmmmm I love Azuma's it's so delicious the best Sushi and Tepan grill in town. Great service and great tasting good for reasonable prices.
(5)
Nina P.
...
(4)
Peter L.
Just to follow up, my wife thanks you for the food poisoning...
(2)
Jordana G.
Azuma is OK and they do give you a lot of food. Good place for a large group, although a little hard to talk if there are only two of you. Expect a wait. The Teppan meals are a good value for the money, considering how much food they give you with reasonable quality. Some of the chefs are inconsistent in seasoning the food, which is a problem, but all are entertaining. The noodles served at the Teppan tables are really unnecessary and not that tasty (very bland). We typically save the noodles for take home and not waste our appetite on them. The sushi is OK, but we haven't eaten a lot of it here, so can't really speak to that. Overall, it's good but not great. I think Samurai has better food and is not so much a "place for the masses." You do tend to feel like cattle at Azuma.
(3)
Geoff N.
Great Teppan. Nuff said. Can't think of anything else, because it's all good.
(4)
Jennifer M.
Came here this evening for dinner with my sister at around 6. The teppan grills were almost all full so we were extra pleased that we didn't have a wait to be seated. The decor is a bit outdated and on the verge of being tacky, which is my biggest complaint. As for the food though, it's great. This evening we were having a little celebration so we decided to order the teppan in addition to a couple sushi rolls. We opted for the Dr. Greg's roll and the Tiger Tear roll. Both were fantastic, but were a mouthful. Maybe they could be cut into a couple more pieces so they're easier to eat. Either way, they were awesome. The teppan is a great deal here, with each entree including miso soup, a salad, grilled vegetables, two shrimp, noodles, and fried rice. We got the Azuma Ribeye and the teppan combo with chicken and scallops. Everything was delicious and HUGE portions. We ended up being pretty full and still having tons of leftovers to take home. Overall, the meal was a hit to the wallet at $80 before tip, but considering we brought home the equivalent of about 4 meals in addition to the 2 huge meals we ate there.. its a good deal. I approve for sure!
(4)
John Y.
Visiting from California, I had an urge for sushi. I heard good things about Azuma so I decided to give it a try and came in with a friend. This is a review for the sushi and the service. We arrived at 7:30pm and ordered the Azuma Special (48 pieces of sashimi) at 7:40pm. We sat around and waited for the chef to make the sushi I ordered. After 30 minutes, I asked the waitress what was taking so long and she replied that it's coming soon. After 40 minutes of waiting, I see the chef complete my sushi order but begins to take pictures of what he made. He then asks the waitresses to take a picture of him holding the sushi. I ask the waitress near me if they can please hurry since we are hungry and have been waiting for 40 minutes. She walks over to the chef and says in Chinese that the customers asks us to hurry since they have been waiting for 40 minutes. The chef replies in Chinese, that he doesn't care and it hasn't been that long. The chef then continues to takes photos of his creation and allows different staff and other customers takes photos of the sashimi. Finally after everyone finishes, a waitress comes by and brings our food. I mentioned to the waitress that I understand Chinese and know what they said. The waitress apologized and all the employees became quiet around me. They stopped chatting when around my booth. The food wasn't even that good. The fish was flavorless. I will definitely not be coming back.
(1)
Todd M.
I lived in Japan and have had good sushi, so standards are high, but being in the U.S. (and Albuquerque) you can't expect the same thing and I'm not expecting every sushi place will be 4 or 5 stars. But what I do expect from a good place is fresh good fish and real ginger. This place had neither and was far from authentic. When the ginger is bright reddish and wasabi from a tube, it's a warning. Good places have real ginger and real wasabi (and also real green tea ice cream, not vanilla with green tea flavoring). The fish is flash frozen like almost all sushi places, but just not great. Too bad Noda's went out of business, they were great. Crazy fish is MUCH better if you want something closer to authentic with higher quality of fish.
(2)
Julie T.
So much fun to take the kids here. They love the show and always rave about the food. Huge portions. Good prices. Great service. Not for those in fear of carbs....or fire.
(4)
Paula A.
First time here in albuquerque new mexico ...... my husband brought me here to have sushi I had such a good time here mostly if u sit a the bar.... The guys at the bar r funny.....
(4)
Sarah S.
Ok. So I'm not going to pretend I'm a sushi connoisseur, or anything like that. I am completely mystified by the rave reviews though. I only tried the sushi side of the house, so this review only pertains to that. Maybe the teppan grill is better, but I will not be returning and I will not recommend others to come here either. Myself and a friend came after work last week because we were both craving sushi and we wanted to give a new restaurant a try and since Azuma was voted "best in the city" we thought it would be a good choice. We ordered the pork gyozas, fried tofu, unagi roll, the kissing roll, and the one with volcano in the name. The gyozas were so bad we sent them back. The plus, they did take them off our bill. They came out very greasy and highly fried. The comment was, "frozen ones from Costco are better". The fried tofu was not much better. The tofu was tossed in a bread crumb and something that reminded me of seaweed flakes before fried. If you could imagine tofu more bland, this would be it. Disappointing to say the least. The rolls were not much better. The eel sauce was super sweet like extra corn syrup was added to it. The kissing roll the fish wasn't that flavorful, the rolls were made way to fat so you couldn't get it into your mouth, but it was stuffed with a ton of rice and cream cheese to bulk it up like that. On top of each cut piece there was some type of flavored mayo. I thought it was inappropriate and it was very heavy in taste and overwhelmed the fish. The quite frankly ruined the sushi experience for me. I tried to scrape it off, but even with that, the roll was still unflavorful. I think they use many of the sauces to mask the lack of flavor in the fish and vegetables. I did not try the Volcano one, but it didn't look that appetizing. I don't think I was missing out on that one. On top of this, the place is expensive in comparison to other sushi places in town and is one of the worst places I've been to in town. Not worth the money or time. Try somewhere else if you're looking for good sushi; our pocketbooks and tastebuds were disappointed and yours may be too.
(2)
Jen S.
Went here with the boyfriend, helping extend his palate on sushi. We ordered the Sashimi combo A, and the sushi combo B. Was more than enough for the two of us, and all the sushi was great. Fresh, and well prepared. I also had tea, which was unique tasting, floral, and the waiter kept refilling it. Service was prompt, and friendly. Our bill was about $70 with tip. Higher end of the expensive scale, but definitely worth it! Recommend for a date or special occasion, unless your good fortune allows you to eat there once a week. They also have Hibachi, which I am yet to try.
(4)
Philip C.
Skip the sushi. Try True Sushi instead. The teppan is overrated, over-oiled, and over-buttered. We've been here a few times as a work deal, but I'm done. I'd rather bring my leftovers. Rough, huh?
(2)
Kira E.
Best of ABQ voters don't lie. Damn good. They have that yummy toasted rice and green tea. I was having a craving for a unique roll from my home town and asked if they could make it. Unagi, cream cheese, avocado, and crab, deep fried. They cut it then deep fried it, which was different, but otherwise totally delish just like I remember it!!! (And they didn't charge me an arm and a leg for a custom roll). I'm DEFINITELY going back!!! AND, NOW THEY'RE OPEN ALL DAY! (I remember the first time I went, they were closed for lunch...so sad!)
(5)
Paul H.
Many people love Azuma's. There are good things about it. I have not tried their sushi - only the teppan grill. Some people say the sushi is good, some say bad - read the reviews to find out. The grill was dirty when we got there, and we ended up waiting about 25 minutes before the chef came out to cook our food - mind you, this was lunch on a weekday. It was not hardly busy. He did clean the grill, but the one behind him was obviously dirty and not being cleaned promptly. That made me nervous. The fried rice was overly spicy, although the teriyaki salmon was well prepared. The teriyaki chicken and steak were very good. The wait staff was okay, except that drink refills were slow. The restaurant does look great. The partitions are nice looking and the lighting makes for a really good feel. In terms of a teppan grill, yes, the chef was very good and entertaining. However the fried rice was not good, the restaurant did not appear clean, and the wait staff was slow.
(2)
Tony M.
I have been here several times and love the choices for sushi. My only complaint is that the service is really slow and the servers are not very attentive.
(3)
Denise H.
I was treated to a wonderful evening by a great guy who convinced me of my first real taste of salmon sashimi, now I am hooked! Tried sushi in the past & didn't much care for it, but these chefs are true pros. The atmosphere was delightful and the service great! The company was even better though~ :)
(5)
Tom C.
Lunch, was pretty quick. Great chef this time. Food is always good. A little salty but that's just each person's pref.
(4)
Ernesto V.
OK! This is my first Real review so be gentle! I haven't really got into the whole Yelp review thing but I just HAD to review the Azuma Sushi & Teppan. The Food that I had at this place was Amazing. I had the the Sirloin Steak and Lobster. I know what your thinking. Steak and Lobster at a sushi joint? That's just the kinda Guy I am when it comes to food. Boring and Predictable. =) The Chef cooks right in front of you and about 8 other people or so. They start you off with a Small Salad with Ginger, Pretty decent since I don't like ginger. He precedes to make fried rice with his fancy egg cracking and shell tossing that was fun to watch, Then he makes some sort of chow mien Noodles. Yum! Fries up some Vegetables! Cooks shrimp and tosses a couple to everyone! Yikers! By this time I'm getting full already and I have not even had my steak and lobster which were both amazing! I recommend making a reservation. We showed up with no reservation and waited for about 45 minutes which is not to bad but the waiting area is small and crowded on a Friday Night. My Friend had Sushi and Sake and he said it was also really good. Just in case some of you wanted to know. Not sure what he had. I know one was Sushi with Green Chili. New Mexico is known for their Chili. Plus Don't forget the Plum Wine! Very sweet and tasty! Hope This helps everyone! WWW.azuma888.com
(4)
Ashley S.
Okay - it is really hard to give a sushi joint in the middle of wild west more than 4 stars. Azuma has the freshest sushi in Albuquerque and the friendliest service. Go, ask to sit in John's section, tell him Ashley sent you and then order the kissing roll. He will take great care of you. Oh, and tell him I will be back soon.
(4)
Jack D.
ABQ Magazine Best of the City for Sushi. Really? I decided to try it since it was names "Best of the City." I was very disappointed. It seemed that the hand rolls were prepared in advance as indicated by the soggy seaweed paper. The rolls were OK, nothing special. There are better places in town such as I Love Sushi and Sushi and Saki. Good luck!
(2)
Sharon L.
Had seen the ads on TV and decided to give it a shot. The Old Man loves the big show with all the food flying and all that chef ninja shit. 2 friends of ours had mentioned wanting to go there so... Couples night date! Friday night was busy as all hell but at least we had lots of gossip and tons and trainwreck people watching so the wait wasn't too bad. Yeah maybe the day after Thanksgiving wasn't the best time to go. I've been to several of these kinds of restarants and usually the clientel are a little less casual and there aren't as many kids, but hey, this is Albuquerque and they make this shit up as they go. The Oldman got hot tea which he claimed was decent. Our firends had the Kirin rice beer and I had Iced tea while we waited for the soup and salad. The soup wasn'r even proper Miso but more of a Dashi stock with a few slivers of mushrooms,tofu and a scattering of green onions. Meh. The salad was typical and neither good or bad. Only 2 chouces of dressing (creamy "mayo" like or the ginger soy). We ordered 4 rolls and the seafood tempura to start while we waited for our chef to make an appearance. The tempura was tasty as all hell and the giant strips of calamari were mindblowingly tender. The oild might have been a little dirty they cooked it in as there were some black and brown char bits here and there on the pieces but the taste was still good. The rolls were nothing remarkable with rice on the dry and flavourless side (where my mild hint of vinegar bitches ?!?!?) and the fish was not all that. So anyone who says that this is the place for sushi has no idea what they are talking about or has never had truly good sushi. The waiter was really attentive with refilling all our drinks despite previous claims to the contrary. The "dinner show" was pretty good although I was jealous as all hell that the table next to us got the party like a rawk star chef who was constantly doing saki bombs with the patrons. Saki+flammable liquids+soused chef=fraught with disaster. Alas I was disappointed and the loud Jewish mothers hair didn't catch on fire nor did he accidently flip a flaming hot shrimps into some kids eye. As far as the Teppan portion of our meal... The rice and noodles were basic and noth much to write home about. The veggies were cooked fairly well and tasty. I ordered the scallops and was amazed at how many I got. Well worth the $$. Old Man had the steak and our firends had the shrimp and beef. Too much food for one person so try splitting if you all can agree on the same dish. I took my scallops and veggies home and made a kick ass omelette for lunch the next day which the Old Man promptly weezed on as he always does. Fucker.
(3)
Lynne H.
Let's see. Where to begin? This was our first visit to Azuma, and this was also the first time we've ever had a Japanese meal consisting entirely of specialty rolls (we usually get sashimi too). Pros: 1. The rolls we ordered were quite creative and worked well, with some combinations that we've never encountered before. 2. The service is excellent, attentive and quick but not hover-ey. 3. I like the green / genmai (roasted barley) tea combination they serve. 4. Their bowls of rice are big. My spouse and I shared a single bowl and still had a little bit left over. 5. The miso soup wasn't too salty, and the marinated cucumber salad with bits of seaweed and fake crab was a refreshing change from the standard iceberg. 6. Decor is very nice. The beautiful etched glass panels set into the dividers provide privacy without complete opacity, and the panels' designs were (as far as I could tell without making myself too conspicuous) all different. 7. The rolls came out in a palate pleasing order, from the mildest at the beginning, peaking to the spiciest roll for the third presentation, and a moderately spicy cool-down for the last roll. 8. Service was relatively quick, even on Valentine's Day evening when the place was packed. Cons: 1. They really need to go easier on their sauces. Our futomaki roll was drenched in brown teriyaki sauce, masking any taste subtleties it might otherwise have had. Another roll was doused not only with teriyaki sauce, but also with way too much srirachi hot sauce; fortunately the latter was dolloped on the top of the roll so we were able to remove most of it. Next time we're going to specify "no teriyaki sauce" for our entire meal. 2. The bathrooms are saturated with rose scent (at least the women's room was; I didn't check the men's). I love rose scent, but this was too much even for me. 3. Prices are somewhat higher than in other Japanese restaurants of comparable quality. Rolls that would be priced at $10 to $12 elsewhere, here were $12 to $15. And hot tea for two cost $4. So for 4 specialty rolls and hot tea (the bowl of rice somehow didn't make it onto our bill), we were charged $61 (including tax but before tip). 4. There are only two (non-teppan) tables that can accommodate more than 4 people. One corner booth seats 6, and there's a special-event table in the back that seats up to 12. So if you're dining with a group that doesn't want teppan, you'll need to either make a reservation or go elsewhere.
(3)
Michael N.
DISGUSTING!!! I've been to all Teppen spots in Albuquerque and I have to say this is probably the worst experience ever. The food was cooked with TONS of MSG, each bite was unbearable and had to be rinsed down with tons of water. I don't know if the chef was drunk but he was coating our food with layer after layer of SALT and MSG. Its been a month since I've been there and the taste of that salty scallop touching my palette still gives me nightmares. Do not recommend,. If you really want great Teppen, Japanese Kitchen is the way to go.
(1)
Cathy F.
Our meal was delicious and entertaining ! We took our grand kids and they had a blast. Price was very good. We will go back again.
(4)
Monica C.
I was anxious to try Azuma's since it gets such great reviews. I've been to Japanese Kitchen and Samurai's here in town, so I wanted to see how it would compare. Unfortunately I was less than overwhelmed. The food was tasty, but other things detracted from the experience. We were led to the table by a rather high strung, impatient little man. (He later calmed down and was more pleasant). The chairs are horribly uncomfortable and hard to get into a good position. We were first served the standard soup, which was better than I've had at other restaurants. At the other restaurants I wondered if they didn't get the soup water from their decorative fish ponds! Azuma's wasn't bad - a little salty but an improvement over the others. Next came an non-descript salad. I thought it was fine, but one of my dining companions thought the dressing was too sweet. Several of us ordered the shrimp and filet mignon combo. Pricey, but hopefully worth it. Our cook wasn't as talented as others I've seen, but he was adequate enough. He seemed distracted most of the time and did not have as many "tricks" as some of the other cooks. He was alright. I must admit they gave us plenty of shrimp and the meat was more or less tender. I got a few pieces with gristle, (which I seem cursed to always get!), but the flavor was good. There was plenty of food to provide leftovers for two more meals. Like I said the food tasted good, but little things bugged. The little man was slow to refill our glasses of water, slow to bring them in the first place, plus he forgot straws when he first brought them out. Again, the chairs are the worse of the three "Teppan" type restaurants in town. I might have given them three stars just for the food, but the other factors forced me to just give two. Now I have to admit, I did not try the sushi. I think that's where they probably shine and get those glowing reviews. I don't eat sushi so I wouldn't know what I was talking about anyway. Summary: food was good, but would rather go to Samurai's.
(2)
Judy C.
I have been here several times. The first time I sat on the hibachi side and was disappointed in the food and thought I would never go back. But let me tell you something, the secret is to sit on the sushi side of the restaurant. Service is quick and the food is tastier. I will only sit on the sushi side. I really enjoy the tiger rolls and spider rolls and the california rolls aren't bad for New Mexico.
(4)
Charles H.
You can get desert sushi anywhere but the best Miso soup complimentary appetizer is here.
(5)
Danielle F.
My boyfriend currently lives in New Mexico and I live in California. While visiting him sometime last year he took me to this restaurant because him and I LOVE sushi. The first time he took me we had the most terrible waitress. We asked her if she could recommend anything from the menu worth trying (since it was my first time here). You would think this would be the time for her to recommend the most expensive thing on the menu or SOMETHING. We simply got an 'I dont know' answer.(literally) It was quite sad because at the same time at the table across from us a waiter was recommending some stuff to his customers. I ended up getting a teriyaki bowl and I got chicken over plain rice (no teriyaki sauce?) couldn't flag down the waitress because she was no where to be found to ask her if i can get soy sauce for the rice and teriyaki sauce to go with my chicken. I ended up eating the chicken and started on the rice. Only to find out that the sauce was beneath ALL the rice in the bowl. (odd). On top of that she refused to serve my boyfriend beer because she didnt think his license was real. My first visit was a nightmare but I must admit we did go back a second time and the waiter we had was awesome and we order 95 worth of sushi. I guess it really is a hit and miss. I do wish to go back when I am in New Mexico and I do hope that my experience then wont be like my first visit.
(3)
Kimber S.
Ummm...no. We've been three times now and have been disappointed each time. Subpar sushi. Below average teppan grill. Sloooowwww service. How on earth is this place consistently crowded? Go to Sushiya instead.
(2)
Pam S.
Since I have heard good things aboutt his restaurant, I went there to have sushi and japanese noodle for dinner. It's a very disappointing experience because nothing taste right. The sushi rice did not cook well and so the sushi just fall apart, can't even hold its shape. They don't even make the classic nabeyaki udon right, the noodle soup taste strangely. Perhaps their Teppan Grill could be a better choice.
(1)
Hilary S.
Great food and tons of it!
(4)
Douglas D.
generally ive had good experiences, until last night......asked for no onions, no pepper or spices....both to the confused waiter and the chef...chef then covered everything with mixed salt pepper and garlic...WHO PUTS GARLIC ON JAPANESE FOOD?...i give them a four because of previous experiences
(4)
Trey G.
We've been here twice. On our first visit we had the Teppan which was average in comparison to other places we've been (outside of ABQ). On our second visit we went for sushi which again was simply average. However, the people sitting beside us were splurging on some of the more expensive rolls which looked delicious and they really seemed to enjoy all of them. We stuck with the shrimp tempura, spicy tuna roll, and the yellow tail. I guess we should've splurged on the specialty rolls because what we had was very disappointing.
(2)
Carla F.
This was a great place! Informal & comfortable environment. Prices were about $15 to $18 a plate depending on what you ordered. We went to the grill side - sushi on the other side of the building. About 10 or so people sit bar style around the grill, and the chef does his performance. He prepares the course then portions it out among the people, so I think if you had special requests - such as no shellfish - you'd want to say ahead because one of the dishes is a fried rice with tiny shrimp. Only thing I can whine about is that it was a bit salty. He used alot of MSG and salt mix - I asked what he kept shaking on the food as he prepared and that was what he said it was. Other than that, the show was entertaining, the staff friendly, and the overall atmosphere very nice.
(4)
Brian P.
Food was great and plentiful. All in all it was a good night the service was very good would have given four stars but the cook wasn't very entertaining everything was cooked to perfection but when you go to a place like this it's more then just the meal like I said the food was great but not much going on at the grill could have done more tricks. The prices were pretty good we were a party of five and all left with enough food for a good lunch. Will go again.
(3)
Ricky M.
Azuma is known to be the best place in Albq for its Teppan but I simply have to disagree. I mean the place isn't bad, the portions are huge, and the chefs do the typical onion volcano show that everyone has seen a million times. So why the mediocre rating? Well the wait times here absolutely suck, prices are a bit higher than other places around town, and there are better places around town for cheaper without waiting. Now I will say this place does have some killer sushi rolls which I really enjoyed but I would rather go over to I Love Sushi or Hayashi.
This is a review of the sushi. I was very pleased all around with the quality of the sushi. My standard test of the Tuna nigiri produced excellent results. Great 1/8-3/16 inch thickness cut and the ratio of fish to rice was great as well. Taste was simple and clean. Also had the unagi roll and rainbow roll. Both were well prepared and clean tight rolls. I have 2 complaints- 1. The water I was served tasted very odd- can't put my finger on it but it was very displeasing. 2. The selection of sushi, with exception of nigiri, is small; elegant, but small.
(3)
Joshua H.
Average. Good house soup. Salad had way too much dressing. Rice and chicken was good. Noodles didn't have any flavor. The cook and waiter were friendly. The price was average. The carpet smelled like it needed a good shampooing.
(3)
William A.
Wonderful service and food. The cook gave us a great show. I recommend this place to everybody.
(5)
Ashley P.
It hurts my heart to give this place only 3 stars. I wanted to love it. Why didn't I love it, you ask? Well... When we arrived, we were seated promptly on the teppan side of the place... Where we proceeded to wait over 30 minutes for drinks. We ordered sushi to tide us over because we knew that like any teppan place, the food takes a while to prepare. Our sushi arrived after we already had our food. It was delicious, don't get me wrong... But I still can't understand why it arrived over an hour after ordering. We waited nearly an hour for the table to be filled, and the chef to come cook. The food was good, but not as good as I wanted it to be. The flavor was bland, and my rice was under cooked. I never got a refill on my drink, my salad bowl was never removed, and I spent the entire dinner feeling cramped. Azuma, you broke my heart.
(3)
Raina M.
Tasty! The rolls are tightly formed and the perfect size... nothing's worse than having your food crumble in route to your pie hole. The pink lady, Dr. Gregg and caterpillar are a few of my favorites. HOWEVER The service is hit n miss and the the bathrooms are absolutely DISGUSTING! !! I feel like the whole restaurant needs. A serious deep cleaning.
(3)
Aerlin I.
Amazing place. I had just returned from Japan looking for some real Japanese food, and this place was pretty close to the real thing. The fried noodles and rice were very delicious. The miso soup is nice as well. The part that counts was the meat. Not quite traditional Japanese gyunniku, but pretty close to it. We had some salmon sushi as well.
(5)
Tru D.
Been wanting to do review on this place for awhile now so got some time today to do that. It's a great place to take family and friends on the grill side .my kids enjoyed the "show" which involves fire :) their soup is so good and flavorful. I recommend the sumo rolls as it's mine and my husband's favorite and get it every time .portions are nig so be prepared.I didn't like how the cooked chopped up the steak instead of leaving it while and our waitress was super friendly and helpful. I didn't find out till after they have to give a percentage of their tip to the cooks which I thought was unfair cuz I tip both. Other than that it's always good Im a returning customer.
(4)
Christina S.
Whether we eat at the teppan grill or in the sushi bar the food and service are always good! They make one of my favorite sushi rolls and always accommodate special requests, sometimes with suggestions of their own.The only two problems I've ever had are leaving so full you can hardly breathe but still have a to-go box full of food you never got to and the wait. The wait time is so long sometimes that we'll opt for other area places instead so we don't have to stand and watch people eat for an hour before we're seated.
(4)
Dayna L.
I am so disappointed that this will be my last visit here. After waiting over an hour, we are seated and because they are trying to squeeze our party with a large party, they seat my husband on the same side as the chef, under the vent fan. We are seated there for just a couple minutes before grease is dripping from the vent fan above on to my husband. He now has grease stains on his hat and shirt. I notify staff and they attempt to clean the vent but it's too big of a job. They offer us a another table which we accept; not real happy after waiting over an hour, but we are promised to be seated at the next available table. That did not happen. They seated another large party ahead of us. At this point I am done and leave, I am so upset and lost my appetite. Happy Fathers Day
(1)
Tim N.
I guess this IS the place for Teppan based on the huge crowds waiting for a table... I went the sushi bar route. Service was stellar, the place was jammed and the chef's were flying. I had a couple of hand rolls and an age tofu appetizer. This is a personal observation but they use too much rice and too many ingredients in their rolls. A California roll, simple but when you load it up with a ton of one ingredient (in this case cucumbers) it just takes away from things overall.. I wasn't thrilled with the Age tofu because they use soft tofu which doesn't fry well. I wish I'd tried the teppan...
(2)
Mike D.
The service can be a little bit or miss and it's a little on the pricey side, but the sushi portions are generous and tasty. I think the Tiger Tear Roll is one of my favorite sushi rolls of all time. One of my favorite sushi places.
(4)
Valerie M.
We always come and sit at the sushi bar...one of my favorite places to be. I love this place. The monkey ball roll is to live for
(5)
Rick S.
After a few personal recommendations, we decided to try Azuma. I love sushi and teppanyaki but on our trip, we sat on the sushi side of the restaurant. The big problem here is the quality of the rice. It is not the right type of rice for sushi preparation and there is too much of it. Also, it was dry, which is why all of our nori-maki rolls tended to fall apart on us. It's a shame because Azuma's fish is very fresh and the slices are generous. The rice just ruined it for us. Same thing with the fried rice dish, which almost seemed greasy. Big disappointment-there are other places in Albuquerque for better sushi.
(2)
Olivia B.
Waited 2 hours to finally get dinner, good food but not worth the time- a lot of mistakes from the staff...overall not a good experience
(1)
Kristina L.
I love this place! Best in the business I think. Always a great time & the sushi rolls are perfect, especially the 'Make my day' roll. My kids love this place & the chefs are always nice & funny.
(5)
Rich R.
Don't make a reservation as we waited 40 minutes and they pissed off my sister on her birthday. We asked why do you take a reservation & not honor it? They didn't care. We went to Hayashi who got us right in and the service & food there was awesome.
(1)
Tom H.
Went last Friday for my Daughters birthday celebration. Had a great time, and great food!! Will definitely be back.
(5)
Joyce A.
The food here is also good and chefs always put on a good show. Only thing is the wait takes awhile on the grill side. Sushi side; I think they is always open. Habachi chicken, or steak is always good. Folks are always nice there. But for a large group expect to wait and patking can be an issue sometime.
(4)
J.D. V.
I really like the grill experience, we always have a great time, and the food is always great. Only bad is how long the wait is...
(4)
Joan G.
Made a reservation which wasn't honored. Worst customer service ever. I will never go back.
(1)
Jeremy F.
One of my favorite places to eat in Albuquerque. I'd take anyone on vacation to this place.
(5)
S S.
Mediocre. I ordered to go so no experience with service. The price was a little high for the lack of fish incorporated into my sushi rolls. Most of the rolls contained chopped up fish instead of nice chunks and there was entirely too much rice. I assume the amount of rice used was to hide the lack of fish. Probably won't go back.
(2)
Kawika K.
Way over priced. Service was average. Order was taken quickly and food came fast. Server did not refill drinks. Food is waaaaaaaaaay over prices. Sushi rice was mushy and too sweet. Fish totally not fresh which was expected prior to coming in. Ambience is awesome. Super beautiful restaurant and awesome design details in restaurants. Had to give two stars because the sushi was 2 stars. I would give another half star for the octopus salad and calamari tempura. Those two dishes I would recommend. Because of those two dishes i may stretch myself and give another star. Not a place to eat if you expect good sushi. Good enough to handle sushi cravings though.
(2)
William T.
I just went to Azuma for the first time in a year and half. I always had a shiosaba, unajyu and never had the sushi nigiri and rolls in the past. Tonight, I had it for the first time and I simply do not know what to say. I'm leaving 1 star because the server was nice. If not and if i had a choice, it will be a zero. Not to sound snobby, but I have had real sushi in Japan and I want to just put out a disclaimer that I do not expect the sushi quality in New Mexico to be held to the same standard. No, that is absolutely unreasonable to begin with. I just don't want anyone to think that the sushi that is served here is anything resembling the real stuff. And no, that's not in a snobby way. What is served here is absolute disgrace to the art work of sushi. The chef's were not Japanese that's fine, I've had descent sushi from non-Japanese chefs. But boy, if you're going to try to make a food of another culture, try to have some pride, don't make an absolute garbage. That's like us American's bastardizing real Italian food via Olive Garden, and real Mexican food by Taco Bell. I just had the tuna (maguro) nigiri sushi and the tuna was not fresh (no it's not just because we live in New Mexico, it's beyond that). There is absolutely no technique observed in the preparation, the fish was full of "holes", literally (holy cow, I don't even know how to explain this...) The tuna was too thick (half an inch) and the rice was too sticky. It actually looked like an infant attempted to slap together a sushi with, gosh I should've taken a picture. Gosh, I just wish I could be more descriptive of the low quality garbage I was served tonight but it was just so bad that I don't even know how to. I'm extremely frustrated because I spent $45 worth of total pig food (probably they get served better stuff?) One and a half year ago, I don't think it was this bad. Back then, the unajyu and shiosaba was fine. It wasn't the best, but I was able to eat it and quite frankly, was worth paying for. What I was served tonight was a Fubar. Did all the chefs suddentlyy quit and some fake chefs with no experience take over for temporary measure??? Gosh! I want my money back, that's how freaking mad I am.
(1)
Anthony V.
mmmmm I love Azuma's it's so delicious the best Sushi and Tepan grill in town. Great service and great tasting good for reasonable prices.
(5)
Nina P.
...
(4)
Peter L.
Just to follow up, my wife thanks you for the food poisoning...
(2)
Jordana G.
Azuma is OK and they do give you a lot of food. Good place for a large group, although a little hard to talk if there are only two of you. Expect a wait. The Teppan meals are a good value for the money, considering how much food they give you with reasonable quality. Some of the chefs are inconsistent in seasoning the food, which is a problem, but all are entertaining. The noodles served at the Teppan tables are really unnecessary and not that tasty (very bland). We typically save the noodles for take home and not waste our appetite on them. The sushi is OK, but we haven't eaten a lot of it here, so can't really speak to that. Overall, it's good but not great. I think Samurai has better food and is not so much a "place for the masses." You do tend to feel like cattle at Azuma.
(3)
Geoff N.
Great Teppan. Nuff said. Can't think of anything else, because it's all good.
(4)
Jennifer M.
Came here this evening for dinner with my sister at around 6. The teppan grills were almost all full so we were extra pleased that we didn't have a wait to be seated. The decor is a bit outdated and on the verge of being tacky, which is my biggest complaint. As for the food though, it's great. This evening we were having a little celebration so we decided to order the teppan in addition to a couple sushi rolls. We opted for the Dr. Greg's roll and the Tiger Tear roll. Both were fantastic, but were a mouthful. Maybe they could be cut into a couple more pieces so they're easier to eat. Either way, they were awesome. The teppan is a great deal here, with each entree including miso soup, a salad, grilled vegetables, two shrimp, noodles, and fried rice. We got the Azuma Ribeye and the teppan combo with chicken and scallops. Everything was delicious and HUGE portions. We ended up being pretty full and still having tons of leftovers to take home. Overall, the meal was a hit to the wallet at $80 before tip, but considering we brought home the equivalent of about 4 meals in addition to the 2 huge meals we ate there.. its a good deal. I approve for sure!
(4)
John Y.
Visiting from California, I had an urge for sushi. I heard good things about Azuma so I decided to give it a try and came in with a friend. This is a review for the sushi and the service. We arrived at 7:30pm and ordered the Azuma Special (48 pieces of sashimi) at 7:40pm. We sat around and waited for the chef to make the sushi I ordered. After 30 minutes, I asked the waitress what was taking so long and she replied that it's coming soon. After 40 minutes of waiting, I see the chef complete my sushi order but begins to take pictures of what he made. He then asks the waitresses to take a picture of him holding the sushi. I ask the waitress near me if they can please hurry since we are hungry and have been waiting for 40 minutes. She walks over to the chef and says in Chinese that the customers asks us to hurry since they have been waiting for 40 minutes. The chef replies in Chinese, that he doesn't care and it hasn't been that long. The chef then continues to takes photos of his creation and allows different staff and other customers takes photos of the sashimi. Finally after everyone finishes, a waitress comes by and brings our food. I mentioned to the waitress that I understand Chinese and know what they said. The waitress apologized and all the employees became quiet around me. They stopped chatting when around my booth. The food wasn't even that good. The fish was flavorless. I will definitely not be coming back.
(1)
Jen S.
Went here with the boyfriend, helping extend his palate on sushi. We ordered the Sashimi combo A, and the sushi combo B. Was more than enough for the two of us, and all the sushi was great. Fresh, and well prepared. I also had tea, which was unique tasting, floral, and the waiter kept refilling it. Service was prompt, and friendly. Our bill was about $70 with tip. Higher end of the expensive scale, but definitely worth it! Recommend for a date or special occasion, unless your good fortune allows you to eat there once a week. They also have Hibachi, which I am yet to try.
(4)
Sara P.
They broke their rules on a Friday night and seated me and a friend without our third person. She ended up not coming so they get bonus points for not making us wait in the breeze way. Our waitress was sweet but not very attentive. We had to flag her down to take our sushi sheet. We ordered 4 rolls, an eel roll, monkey balls, aloha roll and the boston roll. The eel roll was very good, a new experience for me. The monkey balls were absolutely delicious. The aloha roll was great, not like sushi I've tasted before. The Boston roll was very bland. After trying a piece, we shoved it to the side and ignored it. Don't order the Boston Roll. I did not like the atmosphere. It was very dark in the sushi area where we were seated. We mentioned it and the waitress mentioned it was romantic. Ok. If you say so. Sushi is visually pleasing as much as palette pleasing food. Why eat in the dark? I dig it. Eat there.
(3)
Shane M.
Worst service I have ever had in a restaurant. We didn't get over half of what we ordered. We waited over an hour and a half and they werent busy. They lost our order and absolutely nobody took responsibility for it. Never going back
(1)
Raquel G.
The food is great but some of the chefs do cook a little different. One of them put way too much salt on our food. But we continue to go here and the food most of the time is really great! Great price for the filet mignon!
(4)
Ashley E.
I couldn't give more than 2 stars...I just couldn't. Sorry, Azuma. It is SO hit or miss in my experience. Sometimes it's no problem and everything comes out fine. The other part of the time things go badly-- I wait for 45 minutes for a table (they don't take reservations), I have a rude server, my food is under or overcooked, and I'm sitting next to screaming frat boys doing sake bombs. The sushi/sashimi has never been anything to write home about either. Save your money and go elsewhere.
(2)
Oa L.
The food is ok. ... the price is a liitle bit too high
(3)
Mark M.
I'm writing this review about the sushi only. I have been eating sushi for about 20 years, and I've had it in restaurants all over the US, and in other countries around the world. And I have to honestly say that this is in the top 5 best sushi I've ever had in my entire life. And this wasn't a one-time thing. I come to ABQ about once a month, and I always eat here, and the sushi is always amazing. Their salmon nigiri is possibly the single best piece of fish I've ever eaten. It melts in your mouth like butter (as good sushi should). And these reviews that say that it's overpriced are just plain stupid. Those people obviously don't know good sushi, and don't eat in any other sushi restaurants. Azuma provides literally the largest rolls and nigiri pieces you will ever find in any restaurant, and their prices are actually the same or cheaper than many other sushi places. You just can't beat the value for what they provide. I will point out that I usually only take the time to write bad reviews, to warn people away from bad restaurants. But this sushi is just so awesome that I felt compelled to write a positive review.
(5)
Philip C.
Skip the sushi. Try True Sushi instead. The teppan is overrated, over-oiled, and over-buttered. We've been here a few times as a work deal, but I'm done. I'd rather bring my leftovers. Rough, huh?
(2)
Kira E.
Best of ABQ voters don't lie. Damn good. They have that yummy toasted rice and green tea. I was having a craving for a unique roll from my home town and asked if they could make it. Unagi, cream cheese, avocado, and crab, deep fried. They cut it then deep fried it, which was different, but otherwise totally delish just like I remember it!!! (And they didn't charge me an arm and a leg for a custom roll). I'm DEFINITELY going back!!! AND, NOW THEY'RE OPEN ALL DAY! (I remember the first time I went, they were closed for lunch...so sad!)
(5)
Todd M.
I lived in Japan and have had good sushi, so standards are high, but being in the U.S. (and Albuquerque) you can't expect the same thing and I'm not expecting every sushi place will be 4 or 5 stars. But what I do expect from a good place is fresh good fish and real ginger. This place had neither and was far from authentic. When the ginger is bright reddish and wasabi from a tube, it's a warning. Good places have real ginger and real wasabi (and also real green tea ice cream, not vanilla with green tea flavoring). The fish is flash frozen like almost all sushi places, but just not great. Too bad Noda's went out of business, they were great. Crazy fish is MUCH better if you want something closer to authentic with higher quality of fish.
(2)
Julie T.
So much fun to take the kids here. They love the show and always rave about the food. Huge portions. Good prices. Great service. Not for those in fear of carbs....or fire.
(4)
Ashley S.
Okay - it is really hard to give a sushi joint in the middle of wild west more than 4 stars. Azuma has the freshest sushi in Albuquerque and the friendliest service. Go, ask to sit in John's section, tell him Ashley sent you and then order the kissing roll. He will take great care of you. Oh, and tell him I will be back soon.
(4)
Jack D.
ABQ Magazine Best of the City for Sushi. Really? I decided to try it since it was names "Best of the City." I was very disappointed. It seemed that the hand rolls were prepared in advance as indicated by the soggy seaweed paper. The rolls were OK, nothing special. There are better places in town such as I Love Sushi and Sushi and Saki. Good luck!
(2)
Sharon L.
Had seen the ads on TV and decided to give it a shot. The Old Man loves the big show with all the food flying and all that chef ninja shit. 2 friends of ours had mentioned wanting to go there so... Couples night date! Friday night was busy as all hell but at least we had lots of gossip and tons and trainwreck people watching so the wait wasn't too bad. Yeah maybe the day after Thanksgiving wasn't the best time to go. I've been to several of these kinds of restarants and usually the clientel are a little less casual and there aren't as many kids, but hey, this is Albuquerque and they make this shit up as they go. The Oldman got hot tea which he claimed was decent. Our firends had the Kirin rice beer and I had Iced tea while we waited for the soup and salad. The soup wasn'r even proper Miso but more of a Dashi stock with a few slivers of mushrooms,tofu and a scattering of green onions. Meh. The salad was typical and neither good or bad. Only 2 chouces of dressing (creamy "mayo" like or the ginger soy). We ordered 4 rolls and the seafood tempura to start while we waited for our chef to make an appearance. The tempura was tasty as all hell and the giant strips of calamari were mindblowingly tender. The oild might have been a little dirty they cooked it in as there were some black and brown char bits here and there on the pieces but the taste was still good. The rolls were nothing remarkable with rice on the dry and flavourless side (where my mild hint of vinegar bitches ?!?!?) and the fish was not all that. So anyone who says that this is the place for sushi has no idea what they are talking about or has never had truly good sushi. The waiter was really attentive with refilling all our drinks despite previous claims to the contrary. The "dinner show" was pretty good although I was jealous as all hell that the table next to us got the party like a rawk star chef who was constantly doing saki bombs with the patrons. Saki+flammable liquids+soused chef=fraught with disaster. Alas I was disappointed and the loud Jewish mothers hair didn't catch on fire nor did he accidently flip a flaming hot shrimps into some kids eye. As far as the Teppan portion of our meal... The rice and noodles were basic and noth much to write home about. The veggies were cooked fairly well and tasty. I ordered the scallops and was amazed at how many I got. Well worth the $$. Old Man had the steak and our firends had the shrimp and beef. Too much food for one person so try splitting if you all can agree on the same dish. I took my scallops and veggies home and made a kick ass omelette for lunch the next day which the Old Man promptly weezed on as he always does. Fucker.
(3)
Denise H.
I was treated to a wonderful evening by a great guy who convinced me of my first real taste of salmon sashimi, now I am hooked! Tried sushi in the past & didn't much care for it, but these chefs are true pros. The atmosphere was delightful and the service great! The company was even better though~ :)
(5)
Sarah S.
Ok. So I'm not going to pretend I'm a sushi connoisseur, or anything like that. I am completely mystified by the rave reviews though. I only tried the sushi side of the house, so this review only pertains to that. Maybe the teppan grill is better, but I will not be returning and I will not recommend others to come here either. Myself and a friend came after work last week because we were both craving sushi and we wanted to give a new restaurant a try and since Azuma was voted "best in the city" we thought it would be a good choice. We ordered the pork gyozas, fried tofu, unagi roll, the kissing roll, and the one with volcano in the name. The gyozas were so bad we sent them back. The plus, they did take them off our bill. They came out very greasy and highly fried. The comment was, "frozen ones from Costco are better". The fried tofu was not much better. The tofu was tossed in a bread crumb and something that reminded me of seaweed flakes before fried. If you could imagine tofu more bland, this would be it. Disappointing to say the least. The rolls were not much better. The eel sauce was super sweet like extra corn syrup was added to it. The kissing roll the fish wasn't that flavorful, the rolls were made way to fat so you couldn't get it into your mouth, but it was stuffed with a ton of rice and cream cheese to bulk it up like that. On top of each cut piece there was some type of flavored mayo. I thought it was inappropriate and it was very heavy in taste and overwhelmed the fish. The quite frankly ruined the sushi experience for me. I tried to scrape it off, but even with that, the roll was still unflavorful. I think they use many of the sauces to mask the lack of flavor in the fish and vegetables. I did not try the Volcano one, but it didn't look that appetizing. I don't think I was missing out on that one. On top of this, the place is expensive in comparison to other sushi places in town and is one of the worst places I've been to in town. Not worth the money or time. Try somewhere else if you're looking for good sushi; our pocketbooks and tastebuds were disappointed and yours may be too.
(2)
Tom C.
Lunch, was pretty quick. Great chef this time. Food is always good. A little salty but that's just each person's pref.
(4)
Ernesto V.
OK! This is my first Real review so be gentle! I haven't really got into the whole Yelp review thing but I just HAD to review the Azuma Sushi & Teppan. The Food that I had at this place was Amazing. I had the the Sirloin Steak and Lobster. I know what your thinking. Steak and Lobster at a sushi joint? That's just the kinda Guy I am when it comes to food. Boring and Predictable. =) The Chef cooks right in front of you and about 8 other people or so. They start you off with a Small Salad with Ginger, Pretty decent since I don't like ginger. He precedes to make fried rice with his fancy egg cracking and shell tossing that was fun to watch, Then he makes some sort of chow mien Noodles. Yum! Fries up some Vegetables! Cooks shrimp and tosses a couple to everyone! Yikers! By this time I'm getting full already and I have not even had my steak and lobster which were both amazing! I recommend making a reservation. We showed up with no reservation and waited for about 45 minutes which is not to bad but the waiting area is small and crowded on a Friday Night. My Friend had Sushi and Sake and he said it was also really good. Just in case some of you wanted to know. Not sure what he had. I know one was Sushi with Green Chili. New Mexico is known for their Chili. Plus Don't forget the Plum Wine! Very sweet and tasty! Hope This helps everyone! WWW.azuma888.com
(4)
Paul H.
Many people love Azuma's. There are good things about it. I have not tried their sushi - only the teppan grill. Some people say the sushi is good, some say bad - read the reviews to find out. The grill was dirty when we got there, and we ended up waiting about 25 minutes before the chef came out to cook our food - mind you, this was lunch on a weekday. It was not hardly busy. He did clean the grill, but the one behind him was obviously dirty and not being cleaned promptly. That made me nervous. The fried rice was overly spicy, although the teriyaki salmon was well prepared. The teriyaki chicken and steak were very good. The wait staff was okay, except that drink refills were slow. The restaurant does look great. The partitions are nice looking and the lighting makes for a really good feel. In terms of a teppan grill, yes, the chef was very good and entertaining. However the fried rice was not good, the restaurant did not appear clean, and the wait staff was slow.
(2)
Tony M.
I have been here several times and love the choices for sushi. My only complaint is that the service is really slow and the servers are not very attentive.
(3)
Paula A.
First time here in albuquerque new mexico ...... my husband brought me here to have sushi I had such a good time here mostly if u sit a the bar.... The guys at the bar r funny.....
(4)
Cathy F.
Our meal was delicious and entertaining ! We took our grand kids and they had a blast. Price was very good. We will go back again.
(4)
Lynne H.
Let's see. Where to begin? This was our first visit to Azuma, and this was also the first time we've ever had a Japanese meal consisting entirely of specialty rolls (we usually get sashimi too). Pros: 1. The rolls we ordered were quite creative and worked well, with some combinations that we've never encountered before. 2. The service is excellent, attentive and quick but not hover-ey. 3. I like the green / genmai (roasted barley) tea combination they serve. 4. Their bowls of rice are big. My spouse and I shared a single bowl and still had a little bit left over. 5. The miso soup wasn't too salty, and the marinated cucumber salad with bits of seaweed and fake crab was a refreshing change from the standard iceberg. 6. Decor is very nice. The beautiful etched glass panels set into the dividers provide privacy without complete opacity, and the panels' designs were (as far as I could tell without making myself too conspicuous) all different. 7. The rolls came out in a palate pleasing order, from the mildest at the beginning, peaking to the spiciest roll for the third presentation, and a moderately spicy cool-down for the last roll. 8. Service was relatively quick, even on Valentine's Day evening when the place was packed. Cons: 1. They really need to go easier on their sauces. Our futomaki roll was drenched in brown teriyaki sauce, masking any taste subtleties it might otherwise have had. Another roll was doused not only with teriyaki sauce, but also with way too much srirachi hot sauce; fortunately the latter was dolloped on the top of the roll so we were able to remove most of it. Next time we're going to specify "no teriyaki sauce" for our entire meal. 2. The bathrooms are saturated with rose scent (at least the women's room was; I didn't check the men's). I love rose scent, but this was too much even for me. 3. Prices are somewhat higher than in other Japanese restaurants of comparable quality. Rolls that would be priced at $10 to $12 elsewhere, here were $12 to $15. And hot tea for two cost $4. So for 4 specialty rolls and hot tea (the bowl of rice somehow didn't make it onto our bill), we were charged $61 (including tax but before tip). 4. There are only two (non-teppan) tables that can accommodate more than 4 people. One corner booth seats 6, and there's a special-event table in the back that seats up to 12. So if you're dining with a group that doesn't want teppan, you'll need to either make a reservation or go elsewhere.
(3)
Michael N.
DISGUSTING!!! I've been to all Teppen spots in Albuquerque and I have to say this is probably the worst experience ever. The food was cooked with TONS of MSG, each bite was unbearable and had to be rinsed down with tons of water. I don't know if the chef was drunk but he was coating our food with layer after layer of SALT and MSG. Its been a month since I've been there and the taste of that salty scallop touching my palette still gives me nightmares. Do not recommend,. If you really want great Teppen, Japanese Kitchen is the way to go.
(1)
Monica C.
I was anxious to try Azuma's since it gets such great reviews. I've been to Japanese Kitchen and Samurai's here in town, so I wanted to see how it would compare. Unfortunately I was less than overwhelmed. The food was tasty, but other things detracted from the experience. We were led to the table by a rather high strung, impatient little man. (He later calmed down and was more pleasant). The chairs are horribly uncomfortable and hard to get into a good position. We were first served the standard soup, which was better than I've had at other restaurants. At the other restaurants I wondered if they didn't get the soup water from their decorative fish ponds! Azuma's wasn't bad - a little salty but an improvement over the others. Next came an non-descript salad. I thought it was fine, but one of my dining companions thought the dressing was too sweet. Several of us ordered the shrimp and filet mignon combo. Pricey, but hopefully worth it. Our cook wasn't as talented as others I've seen, but he was adequate enough. He seemed distracted most of the time and did not have as many "tricks" as some of the other cooks. He was alright. I must admit they gave us plenty of shrimp and the meat was more or less tender. I got a few pieces with gristle, (which I seem cursed to always get!), but the flavor was good. There was plenty of food to provide leftovers for two more meals. Like I said the food tasted good, but little things bugged. The little man was slow to refill our glasses of water, slow to bring them in the first place, plus he forgot straws when he first brought them out. Again, the chairs are the worse of the three "Teppan" type restaurants in town. I might have given them three stars just for the food, but the other factors forced me to just give two. Now I have to admit, I did not try the sushi. I think that's where they probably shine and get those glowing reviews. I don't eat sushi so I wouldn't know what I was talking about anyway. Summary: food was good, but would rather go to Samurai's.
(2)
Judy C.
I have been here several times. The first time I sat on the hibachi side and was disappointed in the food and thought I would never go back. But let me tell you something, the secret is to sit on the sushi side of the restaurant. Service is quick and the food is tastier. I will only sit on the sushi side. I really enjoy the tiger rolls and spider rolls and the california rolls aren't bad for New Mexico.
(4)
Charles H.
You can get desert sushi anywhere but the best Miso soup complimentary appetizer is here.
(5)
Kimber S.
Ummm...no. We've been three times now and have been disappointed each time. Subpar sushi. Below average teppan grill. Sloooowwww service. How on earth is this place consistently crowded? Go to Sushiya instead.
(2)
Pam S.
Since I have heard good things aboutt his restaurant, I went there to have sushi and japanese noodle for dinner. It's a very disappointing experience because nothing taste right. The sushi rice did not cook well and so the sushi just fall apart, can't even hold its shape. They don't even make the classic nabeyaki udon right, the noodle soup taste strangely. Perhaps their Teppan Grill could be a better choice.
(1)
Hilary S.
Great food and tons of it!
(4)
John Y.
Visiting from California, I had an urge for sushi. I heard good things about Azuma so I decided to give it a try and came in with a friend. This is a review for the sushi and the service. We arrived at 7:30pm and ordered the Azuma Special (48 pieces of sashimi) at 7:40pm. We sat around and waited for the chef to make the sushi I ordered. After 30 minutes, I asked the waitress what was taking so long and she replied that it's coming soon. After 40 minutes of waiting, I see the chef complete my sushi order but begins to take pictures of what he made. He then asks the waitresses to take a picture of him holding the sushi. I ask the waitress near me if they can please hurry since we are hungry and have been waiting for 40 minutes. She walks over to the chef and says in Chinese that the customers asks us to hurry since they have been waiting for 40 minutes. The chef replies in Chinese, that he doesn't care and it hasn't been that long. The chef then continues to takes photos of his creation and allows different staff and other customers takes photos of the sashimi. Finally after everyone finishes, a waitress comes by and brings our food. I mentioned to the waitress that I understand Chinese and know what they said. The waitress apologized and all the employees became quiet around me. They stopped chatting when around my booth. The food wasn't even that good. The fish was flavorless. I will definitely not be coming back.
(1)
Philip C.
Skip the sushi. Try True Sushi instead. The teppan is overrated, over-oiled, and over-buttered. We've been here a few times as a work deal, but I'm done. I'd rather bring my leftovers. Rough, huh?
(2)
Kira E.
Best of ABQ voters don't lie. Damn good. They have that yummy toasted rice and green tea. I was having a craving for a unique roll from my home town and asked if they could make it. Unagi, cream cheese, avocado, and crab, deep fried. They cut it then deep fried it, which was different, but otherwise totally delish just like I remember it!!! (And they didn't charge me an arm and a leg for a custom roll). I'm DEFINITELY going back!!! AND, NOW THEY'RE OPEN ALL DAY! (I remember the first time I went, they were closed for lunch...so sad!)
(5)
Sarah S.
Ok. So I'm not going to pretend I'm a sushi connoisseur, or anything like that. I am completely mystified by the rave reviews though. I only tried the sushi side of the house, so this review only pertains to that. Maybe the teppan grill is better, but I will not be returning and I will not recommend others to come here either. Myself and a friend came after work last week because we were both craving sushi and we wanted to give a new restaurant a try and since Azuma was voted "best in the city" we thought it would be a good choice. We ordered the pork gyozas, fried tofu, unagi roll, the kissing roll, and the one with volcano in the name. The gyozas were so bad we sent them back. The plus, they did take them off our bill. They came out very greasy and highly fried. The comment was, "frozen ones from Costco are better". The fried tofu was not much better. The tofu was tossed in a bread crumb and something that reminded me of seaweed flakes before fried. If you could imagine tofu more bland, this would be it. Disappointing to say the least. The rolls were not much better. The eel sauce was super sweet like extra corn syrup was added to it. The kissing roll the fish wasn't that flavorful, the rolls were made way to fat so you couldn't get it into your mouth, but it was stuffed with a ton of rice and cream cheese to bulk it up like that. On top of each cut piece there was some type of flavored mayo. I thought it was inappropriate and it was very heavy in taste and overwhelmed the fish. The quite frankly ruined the sushi experience for me. I tried to scrape it off, but even with that, the roll was still unflavorful. I think they use many of the sauces to mask the lack of flavor in the fish and vegetables. I did not try the Volcano one, but it didn't look that appetizing. I don't think I was missing out on that one. On top of this, the place is expensive in comparison to other sushi places in town and is one of the worst places I've been to in town. Not worth the money or time. Try somewhere else if you're looking for good sushi; our pocketbooks and tastebuds were disappointed and yours may be too.
(2)
Tom C.
Lunch, was pretty quick. Great chef this time. Food is always good. A little salty but that's just each person's pref.
(4)
Jen S.
Went here with the boyfriend, helping extend his palate on sushi. We ordered the Sashimi combo A, and the sushi combo B. Was more than enough for the two of us, and all the sushi was great. Fresh, and well prepared. I also had tea, which was unique tasting, floral, and the waiter kept refilling it. Service was prompt, and friendly. Our bill was about $70 with tip. Higher end of the expensive scale, but definitely worth it! Recommend for a date or special occasion, unless your good fortune allows you to eat there once a week. They also have Hibachi, which I am yet to try.
(4)
Trey G.
We've been here twice. On our first visit we had the Teppan which was average in comparison to other places we've been (outside of ABQ). On our second visit we went for sushi which again was simply average. However, the people sitting beside us were splurging on some of the more expensive rolls which looked delicious and they really seemed to enjoy all of them. We stuck with the shrimp tempura, spicy tuna roll, and the yellow tail. I guess we should've splurged on the specialty rolls because what we had was very disappointing.
(2)
Carla F.
This was a great place! Informal & comfortable environment. Prices were about $15 to $18 a plate depending on what you ordered. We went to the grill side - sushi on the other side of the building. About 10 or so people sit bar style around the grill, and the chef does his performance. He prepares the course then portions it out among the people, so I think if you had special requests - such as no shellfish - you'd want to say ahead because one of the dishes is a fried rice with tiny shrimp. Only thing I can whine about is that it was a bit salty. He used alot of MSG and salt mix - I asked what he kept shaking on the food as he prepared and that was what he said it was. Other than that, the show was entertaining, the staff friendly, and the overall atmosphere very nice.
(4)
Ernesto V.
OK! This is my first Real review so be gentle! I haven't really got into the whole Yelp review thing but I just HAD to review the Azuma Sushi & Teppan. The Food that I had at this place was Amazing. I had the the Sirloin Steak and Lobster. I know what your thinking. Steak and Lobster at a sushi joint? That's just the kinda Guy I am when it comes to food. Boring and Predictable. =) The Chef cooks right in front of you and about 8 other people or so. They start you off with a Small Salad with Ginger, Pretty decent since I don't like ginger. He precedes to make fried rice with his fancy egg cracking and shell tossing that was fun to watch, Then he makes some sort of chow mien Noodles. Yum! Fries up some Vegetables! Cooks shrimp and tosses a couple to everyone! Yikers! By this time I'm getting full already and I have not even had my steak and lobster which were both amazing! I recommend making a reservation. We showed up with no reservation and waited for about 45 minutes which is not to bad but the waiting area is small and crowded on a Friday Night. My Friend had Sushi and Sake and he said it was also really good. Just in case some of you wanted to know. Not sure what he had. I know one was Sushi with Green Chili. New Mexico is known for their Chili. Plus Don't forget the Plum Wine! Very sweet and tasty! Hope This helps everyone! WWW.azuma888.com
(4)
Ashley S.
Okay - it is really hard to give a sushi joint in the middle of wild west more than 4 stars. Azuma has the freshest sushi in Albuquerque and the friendliest service. Go, ask to sit in John's section, tell him Ashley sent you and then order the kissing roll. He will take great care of you. Oh, and tell him I will be back soon.
(4)
Jack D.
ABQ Magazine Best of the City for Sushi. Really? I decided to try it since it was names "Best of the City." I was very disappointed. It seemed that the hand rolls were prepared in advance as indicated by the soggy seaweed paper. The rolls were OK, nothing special. There are better places in town such as I Love Sushi and Sushi and Saki. Good luck!
(2)
Sharon L.
Had seen the ads on TV and decided to give it a shot. The Old Man loves the big show with all the food flying and all that chef ninja shit. 2 friends of ours had mentioned wanting to go there so... Couples night date! Friday night was busy as all hell but at least we had lots of gossip and tons and trainwreck people watching so the wait wasn't too bad. Yeah maybe the day after Thanksgiving wasn't the best time to go. I've been to several of these kinds of restarants and usually the clientel are a little less casual and there aren't as many kids, but hey, this is Albuquerque and they make this shit up as they go. The Oldman got hot tea which he claimed was decent. Our firends had the Kirin rice beer and I had Iced tea while we waited for the soup and salad. The soup wasn'r even proper Miso but more of a Dashi stock with a few slivers of mushrooms,tofu and a scattering of green onions. Meh. The salad was typical and neither good or bad. Only 2 chouces of dressing (creamy "mayo" like or the ginger soy). We ordered 4 rolls and the seafood tempura to start while we waited for our chef to make an appearance. The tempura was tasty as all hell and the giant strips of calamari were mindblowingly tender. The oild might have been a little dirty they cooked it in as there were some black and brown char bits here and there on the pieces but the taste was still good. The rolls were nothing remarkable with rice on the dry and flavourless side (where my mild hint of vinegar bitches ?!?!?) and the fish was not all that. So anyone who says that this is the place for sushi has no idea what they are talking about or has never had truly good sushi. The waiter was really attentive with refilling all our drinks despite previous claims to the contrary. The "dinner show" was pretty good although I was jealous as all hell that the table next to us got the party like a rawk star chef who was constantly doing saki bombs with the patrons. Saki+flammable liquids+soused chef=fraught with disaster. Alas I was disappointed and the loud Jewish mothers hair didn't catch on fire nor did he accidently flip a flaming hot shrimps into some kids eye. As far as the Teppan portion of our meal... The rice and noodles were basic and noth much to write home about. The veggies were cooked fairly well and tasty. I ordered the scallops and was amazed at how many I got. Well worth the $$. Old Man had the steak and our firends had the shrimp and beef. Too much food for one person so try splitting if you all can agree on the same dish. I took my scallops and veggies home and made a kick ass omelette for lunch the next day which the Old Man promptly weezed on as he always does. Fucker.
(3)
Lynne H.
Let's see. Where to begin? This was our first visit to Azuma, and this was also the first time we've ever had a Japanese meal consisting entirely of specialty rolls (we usually get sashimi too). Pros: 1. The rolls we ordered were quite creative and worked well, with some combinations that we've never encountered before. 2. The service is excellent, attentive and quick but not hover-ey. 3. I like the green / genmai (roasted barley) tea combination they serve. 4. Their bowls of rice are big. My spouse and I shared a single bowl and still had a little bit left over. 5. The miso soup wasn't too salty, and the marinated cucumber salad with bits of seaweed and fake crab was a refreshing change from the standard iceberg. 6. Decor is very nice. The beautiful etched glass panels set into the dividers provide privacy without complete opacity, and the panels' designs were (as far as I could tell without making myself too conspicuous) all different. 7. The rolls came out in a palate pleasing order, from the mildest at the beginning, peaking to the spiciest roll for the third presentation, and a moderately spicy cool-down for the last roll. 8. Service was relatively quick, even on Valentine's Day evening when the place was packed. Cons: 1. They really need to go easier on their sauces. Our futomaki roll was drenched in brown teriyaki sauce, masking any taste subtleties it might otherwise have had. Another roll was doused not only with teriyaki sauce, but also with way too much srirachi hot sauce; fortunately the latter was dolloped on the top of the roll so we were able to remove most of it. Next time we're going to specify "no teriyaki sauce" for our entire meal. 2. The bathrooms are saturated with rose scent (at least the women's room was; I didn't check the men's). I love rose scent, but this was too much even for me. 3. Prices are somewhat higher than in other Japanese restaurants of comparable quality. Rolls that would be priced at $10 to $12 elsewhere, here were $12 to $15. And hot tea for two cost $4. So for 4 specialty rolls and hot tea (the bowl of rice somehow didn't make it onto our bill), we were charged $61 (including tax but before tip). 4. There are only two (non-teppan) tables that can accommodate more than 4 people. One corner booth seats 6, and there's a special-event table in the back that seats up to 12. So if you're dining with a group that doesn't want teppan, you'll need to either make a reservation or go elsewhere.
(3)
Michael N.
DISGUSTING!!! I've been to all Teppen spots in Albuquerque and I have to say this is probably the worst experience ever. The food was cooked with TONS of MSG, each bite was unbearable and had to be rinsed down with tons of water. I don't know if the chef was drunk but he was coating our food with layer after layer of SALT and MSG. Its been a month since I've been there and the taste of that salty scallop touching my palette still gives me nightmares. Do not recommend,. If you really want great Teppen, Japanese Kitchen is the way to go.
(1)
Cathy F.
Our meal was delicious and entertaining ! We took our grand kids and they had a blast. Price was very good. We will go back again.
(4)
Monica C.
I was anxious to try Azuma's since it gets such great reviews. I've been to Japanese Kitchen and Samurai's here in town, so I wanted to see how it would compare. Unfortunately I was less than overwhelmed. The food was tasty, but other things detracted from the experience. We were led to the table by a rather high strung, impatient little man. (He later calmed down and was more pleasant). The chairs are horribly uncomfortable and hard to get into a good position. We were first served the standard soup, which was better than I've had at other restaurants. At the other restaurants I wondered if they didn't get the soup water from their decorative fish ponds! Azuma's wasn't bad - a little salty but an improvement over the others. Next came an non-descript salad. I thought it was fine, but one of my dining companions thought the dressing was too sweet. Several of us ordered the shrimp and filet mignon combo. Pricey, but hopefully worth it. Our cook wasn't as talented as others I've seen, but he was adequate enough. He seemed distracted most of the time and did not have as many "tricks" as some of the other cooks. He was alright. I must admit they gave us plenty of shrimp and the meat was more or less tender. I got a few pieces with gristle, (which I seem cursed to always get!), but the flavor was good. There was plenty of food to provide leftovers for two more meals. Like I said the food tasted good, but little things bugged. The little man was slow to refill our glasses of water, slow to bring them in the first place, plus he forgot straws when he first brought them out. Again, the chairs are the worse of the three "Teppan" type restaurants in town. I might have given them three stars just for the food, but the other factors forced me to just give two. Now I have to admit, I did not try the sushi. I think that's where they probably shine and get those glowing reviews. I don't eat sushi so I wouldn't know what I was talking about anyway. Summary: food was good, but would rather go to Samurai's.
(2)
Judy C.
I have been here several times. The first time I sat on the hibachi side and was disappointed in the food and thought I would never go back. But let me tell you something, the secret is to sit on the sushi side of the restaurant. Service is quick and the food is tastier. I will only sit on the sushi side. I really enjoy the tiger rolls and spider rolls and the california rolls aren't bad for New Mexico.
(4)
Charles H.
You can get desert sushi anywhere but the best Miso soup complimentary appetizer is here.
(5)
Danielle F.
My boyfriend currently lives in New Mexico and I live in California. While visiting him sometime last year he took me to this restaurant because him and I LOVE sushi. The first time he took me we had the most terrible waitress. We asked her if she could recommend anything from the menu worth trying (since it was my first time here). You would think this would be the time for her to recommend the most expensive thing on the menu or SOMETHING. We simply got an 'I dont know' answer.(literally) It was quite sad because at the same time at the table across from us a waiter was recommending some stuff to his customers. I ended up getting a teriyaki bowl and I got chicken over plain rice (no teriyaki sauce?) couldn't flag down the waitress because she was no where to be found to ask her if i can get soy sauce for the rice and teriyaki sauce to go with my chicken. I ended up eating the chicken and started on the rice. Only to find out that the sauce was beneath ALL the rice in the bowl. (odd). On top of that she refused to serve my boyfriend beer because she didnt think his license was real. My first visit was a nightmare but I must admit we did go back a second time and the waiter we had was awesome and we order 95 worth of sushi. I guess it really is a hit and miss. I do wish to go back when I am in New Mexico and I do hope that my experience then wont be like my first visit.
(3)
Kimber S.
Ummm...no. We've been three times now and have been disappointed each time. Subpar sushi. Below average teppan grill. Sloooowwww service. How on earth is this place consistently crowded? Go to Sushiya instead.
(2)
Pam S.
Since I have heard good things aboutt his restaurant, I went there to have sushi and japanese noodle for dinner. It's a very disappointing experience because nothing taste right. The sushi rice did not cook well and so the sushi just fall apart, can't even hold its shape. They don't even make the classic nabeyaki udon right, the noodle soup taste strangely. Perhaps their Teppan Grill could be a better choice.
(1)
Hilary S.
Great food and tons of it!
(4)
Douglas D.
generally ive had good experiences, until last night......asked for no onions, no pepper or spices....both to the confused waiter and the chef...chef then covered everything with mixed salt pepper and garlic...WHO PUTS GARLIC ON JAPANESE FOOD?...i give them a four because of previous experiences
(4)
Julie T.
So much fun to take the kids here. They love the show and always rave about the food. Huge portions. Good prices. Great service. Not for those in fear of carbs....or fire.
(4)
Paula A.
First time here in albuquerque new mexico ...... my husband brought me here to have sushi I had such a good time here mostly if u sit a the bar.... The guys at the bar r funny.....
(4)
Paul H.
Many people love Azuma's. There are good things about it. I have not tried their sushi - only the teppan grill. Some people say the sushi is good, some say bad - read the reviews to find out. The grill was dirty when we got there, and we ended up waiting about 25 minutes before the chef came out to cook our food - mind you, this was lunch on a weekday. It was not hardly busy. He did clean the grill, but the one behind him was obviously dirty and not being cleaned promptly. That made me nervous. The fried rice was overly spicy, although the teriyaki salmon was well prepared. The teriyaki chicken and steak were very good. The wait staff was okay, except that drink refills were slow. The restaurant does look great. The partitions are nice looking and the lighting makes for a really good feel. In terms of a teppan grill, yes, the chef was very good and entertaining. However the fried rice was not good, the restaurant did not appear clean, and the wait staff was slow.
(2)
Tony M.
I have been here several times and love the choices for sushi. My only complaint is that the service is really slow and the servers are not very attentive.
(3)
Denise H.
I was treated to a wonderful evening by a great guy who convinced me of my first real taste of salmon sashimi, now I am hooked! Tried sushi in the past & didn't much care for it, but these chefs are true pros. The atmosphere was delightful and the service great! The company was even better though~ :)
(5)
Todd M.
I lived in Japan and have had good sushi, so standards are high, but being in the U.S. (and Albuquerque) you can't expect the same thing and I'm not expecting every sushi place will be 4 or 5 stars. But what I do expect from a good place is fresh good fish and real ginger. This place had neither and was far from authentic. When the ginger is bright reddish and wasabi from a tube, it's a warning. Good places have real ginger and real wasabi (and also real green tea ice cream, not vanilla with green tea flavoring). The fish is flash frozen like almost all sushi places, but just not great. Too bad Noda's went out of business, they were great. Crazy fish is MUCH better if you want something closer to authentic with higher quality of fish.
(2)
Ricky M.
Azuma is known to be the best place in Albq for its Teppan but I simply have to disagree. I mean the place isn't bad, the portions are huge, and the chefs do the typical onion volcano show that everyone has seen a million times. So why the mediocre rating? Well the wait times here absolutely suck, prices are a bit higher than other places around town, and there are better places around town for cheaper without waiting. Now I will say this place does have some killer sushi rolls which I really enjoyed but I would rather go over to I Love Sushi or Hayashi.
(3)
Douglas D.
generally ive had good experiences, until last night......asked for no onions, no pepper or spices....both to the confused waiter and the chef...chef then covered everything with mixed salt pepper and garlic...WHO PUTS GARLIC ON JAPANESE FOOD?...i give them a four because of previous experiences
(4)
Trey G.
We've been here twice. On our first visit we had the Teppan which was average in comparison to other places we've been (outside of ABQ). On our second visit we went for sushi which again was simply average. However, the people sitting beside us were splurging on some of the more expensive rolls which looked delicious and they really seemed to enjoy all of them. We stuck with the shrimp tempura, spicy tuna roll, and the yellow tail. I guess we should've splurged on the specialty rolls because what we had was very disappointing.
(2)
Carla F.
This was a great place! Informal & comfortable environment. Prices were about $15 to $18 a plate depending on what you ordered. We went to the grill side - sushi on the other side of the building. About 10 or so people sit bar style around the grill, and the chef does his performance. He prepares the course then portions it out among the people, so I think if you had special requests - such as no shellfish - you'd want to say ahead because one of the dishes is a fried rice with tiny shrimp. Only thing I can whine about is that it was a bit salty. He used alot of MSG and salt mix - I asked what he kept shaking on the food as he prepared and that was what he said it was. Other than that, the show was entertaining, the staff friendly, and the overall atmosphere very nice.
This is a review of the sushi. I was very pleased all around with the quality of the sushi. My standard test of the Tuna nigiri produced excellent results. Great 1/8-3/16 inch thickness cut and the ratio of fish to rice was great as well. Taste was simple and clean. Also had the unagi roll and rainbow roll. Both were well prepared and clean tight rolls. I have 2 complaints- 1. The water I was served tasted very odd- can't put my finger on it but it was very displeasing. 2. The selection of sushi, with exception of nigiri, is small; elegant, but small.
(3)
Agatha A.
Their idea of sushi resembles a really bad Asian pasta dish. Ordered a "white angel" and a volcano roll and both were drowned in a sauce with scallops that looked like a clam sauce with linguini. The soybean paper wrapping one of the dishes actually had the texture of paper. Was I supposed to eat it? Weird. Also ordered the New Mexico roll. Isn't it supposed to be garnished with tobiko sauce, NOT mayo!!?? Had better sushi at other nearby, underrated places like Tokyo Kitchen.
(1)
Joshua H.
Average. Good house soup. Salad had way too much dressing. Rice and chicken was good. Noodles didn't have any flavor. The cook and waiter were friendly. The price was average. The carpet smelled like it needed a good shampooing.
(3)
William A.
Wonderful service and food. The cook gave us a great show. I recommend this place to everybody.
(5)
Ashley P.
It hurts my heart to give this place only 3 stars. I wanted to love it. Why didn't I love it, you ask? Well... When we arrived, we were seated promptly on the teppan side of the place... Where we proceeded to wait over 30 minutes for drinks. We ordered sushi to tide us over because we knew that like any teppan place, the food takes a while to prepare. Our sushi arrived after we already had our food. It was delicious, don't get me wrong... But I still can't understand why it arrived over an hour after ordering. We waited nearly an hour for the table to be filled, and the chef to come cook. The food was good, but not as good as I wanted it to be. The flavor was bland, and my rice was under cooked. I never got a refill on my drink, my salad bowl was never removed, and I spent the entire dinner feeling cramped. Azuma, you broke my heart.
(3)
Raina M.
Tasty! The rolls are tightly formed and the perfect size... nothing's worse than having your food crumble in route to your pie hole. The pink lady, Dr. Gregg and caterpillar are a few of my favorites. HOWEVER The service is hit n miss and the the bathrooms are absolutely DISGUSTING! !! I feel like the whole restaurant needs. A serious deep cleaning.
(3)
Aerlin I.
Amazing place. I had just returned from Japan looking for some real Japanese food, and this place was pretty close to the real thing. The fried noodles and rice were very delicious. The miso soup is nice as well. The part that counts was the meat. Not quite traditional Japanese gyunniku, but pretty close to it. We had some salmon sushi as well.
(5)
Tru D.
Been wanting to do review on this place for awhile now so got some time today to do that. It's a great place to take family and friends on the grill side .my kids enjoyed the "show" which involves fire :) their soup is so good and flavorful. I recommend the sumo rolls as it's mine and my husband's favorite and get it every time .portions are nig so be prepared.I didn't like how the cooked chopped up the steak instead of leaving it while and our waitress was super friendly and helpful. I didn't find out till after they have to give a percentage of their tip to the cooks which I thought was unfair cuz I tip both. Other than that it's always good Im a returning customer.
(4)
Christina S.
Whether we eat at the teppan grill or in the sushi bar the food and service are always good! They make one of my favorite sushi rolls and always accommodate special requests, sometimes with suggestions of their own.The only two problems I've ever had are leaving so full you can hardly breathe but still have a to-go box full of food you never got to and the wait. The wait time is so long sometimes that we'll opt for other area places instead so we don't have to stand and watch people eat for an hour before we're seated.
(4)
Rich R.
Don't make a reservation as we waited 40 minutes and they pissed off my sister on her birthday. We asked why do you take a reservation & not honor it? They didn't care. We went to Hayashi who got us right in and the service & food there was awesome.
(1)
Tom H.
Went last Friday for my Daughters birthday celebration. Had a great time, and great food!! Will definitely be back.
(5)
Danielle F.
My boyfriend currently lives in New Mexico and I live in California. While visiting him sometime last year he took me to this restaurant because him and I LOVE sushi. The first time he took me we had the most terrible waitress. We asked her if she could recommend anything from the menu worth trying (since it was my first time here). You would think this would be the time for her to recommend the most expensive thing on the menu or SOMETHING. We simply got an 'I dont know' answer.(literally) It was quite sad because at the same time at the table across from us a waiter was recommending some stuff to his customers. I ended up getting a teriyaki bowl and I got chicken over plain rice (no teriyaki sauce?) couldn't flag down the waitress because she was no where to be found to ask her if i can get soy sauce for the rice and teriyaki sauce to go with my chicken. I ended up eating the chicken and started on the rice. Only to find out that the sauce was beneath ALL the rice in the bowl. (odd). On top of that she refused to serve my boyfriend beer because she didnt think his license was real. My first visit was a nightmare but I must admit we did go back a second time and the waiter we had was awesome and we order 95 worth of sushi. I guess it really is a hit and miss. I do wish to go back when I am in New Mexico and I do hope that my experience then wont be like my first visit.
(3)
Dayna L.
I am so disappointed that this will be my last visit here. After waiting over an hour, we are seated and because they are trying to squeeze our party with a large party, they seat my husband on the same side as the chef, under the vent fan. We are seated there for just a couple minutes before grease is dripping from the vent fan above on to my husband. He now has grease stains on his hat and shirt. I notify staff and they attempt to clean the vent but it's too big of a job. They offer us a another table which we accept; not real happy after waiting over an hour, but we are promised to be seated at the next available table. That did not happen. They seated another large party ahead of us. At this point I am done and leave, I am so upset and lost my appetite. Happy Fathers Day
(1)
Tim N.
I guess this IS the place for Teppan based on the huge crowds waiting for a table... I went the sushi bar route. Service was stellar, the place was jammed and the chef's were flying. I had a couple of hand rolls and an age tofu appetizer. This is a personal observation but they use too much rice and too many ingredients in their rolls. A California roll, simple but when you load it up with a ton of one ingredient (in this case cucumbers) it just takes away from things overall.. I wasn't thrilled with the Age tofu because they use soft tofu which doesn't fry well. I wish I'd tried the teppan...
(2)
Mike D.
The service can be a little bit or miss and it's a little on the pricey side, but the sushi portions are generous and tasty. I think the Tiger Tear Roll is one of my favorite sushi rolls of all time. One of my favorite sushi places.
(4)
Valerie M.
We always come and sit at the sushi bar...one of my favorite places to be. I love this place. The monkey ball roll is to live for
(5)
Rick S.
After a few personal recommendations, we decided to try Azuma. I love sushi and teppanyaki but on our trip, we sat on the sushi side of the restaurant. The big problem here is the quality of the rice. It is not the right type of rice for sushi preparation and there is too much of it. Also, it was dry, which is why all of our nori-maki rolls tended to fall apart on us. It's a shame because Azuma's fish is very fresh and the slices are generous. The rice just ruined it for us. Same thing with the fried rice dish, which almost seemed greasy. Big disappointment-there are other places in Albuquerque for better sushi.
(2)
Olivia B.
Waited 2 hours to finally get dinner, good food but not worth the time- a lot of mistakes from the staff...overall not a good experience
(1)
Kristina L.
I love this place! Best in the business I think. Always a great time & the sushi rolls are perfect, especially the 'Make my day' roll. My kids love this place & the chefs are always nice & funny.
(5)
Kawika K.
Way over priced. Service was average. Order was taken quickly and food came fast. Server did not refill drinks. Food is waaaaaaaaaay over prices. Sushi rice was mushy and too sweet. Fish totally not fresh which was expected prior to coming in. Ambience is awesome. Super beautiful restaurant and awesome design details in restaurants. Had to give two stars because the sushi was 2 stars. I would give another half star for the octopus salad and calamari tempura. Those two dishes I would recommend. Because of those two dishes i may stretch myself and give another star. Not a place to eat if you expect good sushi. Good enough to handle sushi cravings though.
(2)
Mark M.
I'm writing this review about the sushi only. I have been eating sushi for about 20 years, and I've had it in restaurants all over the US, and in other countries around the world. And I have to honestly say that this is in the top 5 best sushi I've ever had in my entire life. And this wasn't a one-time thing. I come to ABQ about once a month, and I always eat here, and the sushi is always amazing. Their salmon nigiri is possibly the single best piece of fish I've ever eaten. It melts in your mouth like butter (as good sushi should). And these reviews that say that it's overpriced are just plain stupid. Those people obviously don't know good sushi, and don't eat in any other sushi restaurants. Azuma provides literally the largest rolls and nigiri pieces you will ever find in any restaurant, and their prices are actually the same or cheaper than many other sushi places. You just can't beat the value for what they provide. I will point out that I usually only take the time to write bad reviews, to warn people away from bad restaurants. But this sushi is just so awesome that I felt compelled to write a positive review.
(5)
Oa L.
The food is ok. ... the price is a liitle bit too high
(3)
Geoff N.
Great Teppan. Nuff said. Can't think of anything else, because it's all good.
(4)
Jennifer M.
Came here this evening for dinner with my sister at around 6. The teppan grills were almost all full so we were extra pleased that we didn't have a wait to be seated. The decor is a bit outdated and on the verge of being tacky, which is my biggest complaint. As for the food though, it's great. This evening we were having a little celebration so we decided to order the teppan in addition to a couple sushi rolls. We opted for the Dr. Greg's roll and the Tiger Tear roll. Both were fantastic, but were a mouthful. Maybe they could be cut into a couple more pieces so they're easier to eat. Either way, they were awesome. The teppan is a great deal here, with each entree including miso soup, a salad, grilled vegetables, two shrimp, noodles, and fried rice. We got the Azuma Ribeye and the teppan combo with chicken and scallops. Everything was delicious and HUGE portions. We ended up being pretty full and still having tons of leftovers to take home. Overall, the meal was a hit to the wallet at $80 before tip, but considering we brought home the equivalent of about 4 meals in addition to the 2 huge meals we ate there.. its a good deal. I approve for sure!
(4)
William T.
I just went to Azuma for the first time in a year and half. I always had a shiosaba, unajyu and never had the sushi nigiri and rolls in the past. Tonight, I had it for the first time and I simply do not know what to say. I'm leaving 1 star because the server was nice. If not and if i had a choice, it will be a zero. Not to sound snobby, but I have had real sushi in Japan and I want to just put out a disclaimer that I do not expect the sushi quality in New Mexico to be held to the same standard. No, that is absolutely unreasonable to begin with. I just don't want anyone to think that the sushi that is served here is anything resembling the real stuff. And no, that's not in a snobby way. What is served here is absolute disgrace to the art work of sushi. The chef's were not Japanese that's fine, I've had descent sushi from non-Japanese chefs. But boy, if you're going to try to make a food of another culture, try to have some pride, don't make an absolute garbage. That's like us American's bastardizing real Italian food via Olive Garden, and real Mexican food by Taco Bell. I just had the tuna (maguro) nigiri sushi and the tuna was not fresh (no it's not just because we live in New Mexico, it's beyond that). There is absolutely no technique observed in the preparation, the fish was full of "holes", literally (holy cow, I don't even know how to explain this...) The tuna was too thick (half an inch) and the rice was too sticky. It actually looked like an infant attempted to slap together a sushi with, gosh I should've taken a picture. Gosh, I just wish I could be more descriptive of the low quality garbage I was served tonight but it was just so bad that I don't even know how to. I'm extremely frustrated because I spent $45 worth of total pig food (probably they get served better stuff?) One and a half year ago, I don't think it was this bad. Back then, the unajyu and shiosaba was fine. It wasn't the best, but I was able to eat it and quite frankly, was worth paying for. What I was served tonight was a Fubar. Did all the chefs suddentlyy quit and some fake chefs with no experience take over for temporary measure??? Gosh! I want my money back, that's how freaking mad I am.
(1)
Anthony V.
mmmmm I love Azuma's it's so delicious the best Sushi and Tepan grill in town. Great service and great tasting good for reasonable prices.
(5)
Nina P.
...
(4)
Peter L.
Just to follow up, my wife thanks you for the food poisoning...
(2)
Jordana G.
Azuma is OK and they do give you a lot of food. Good place for a large group, although a little hard to talk if there are only two of you. Expect a wait. The Teppan meals are a good value for the money, considering how much food they give you with reasonable quality. Some of the chefs are inconsistent in seasoning the food, which is a problem, but all are entertaining. The noodles served at the Teppan tables are really unnecessary and not that tasty (very bland). We typically save the noodles for take home and not waste our appetite on them. The sushi is OK, but we haven't eaten a lot of it here, so can't really speak to that. Overall, it's good but not great. I think Samurai has better food and is not so much a "place for the masses." You do tend to feel like cattle at Azuma.
(3)
Sara P.
They broke their rules on a Friday night and seated me and a friend without our third person. She ended up not coming so they get bonus points for not making us wait in the breeze way. Our waitress was sweet but not very attentive. We had to flag her down to take our sushi sheet. We ordered 4 rolls, an eel roll, monkey balls, aloha roll and the boston roll. The eel roll was very good, a new experience for me. The monkey balls were absolutely delicious. The aloha roll was great, not like sushi I've tasted before. The Boston roll was very bland. After trying a piece, we shoved it to the side and ignored it. Don't order the Boston Roll. I did not like the atmosphere. It was very dark in the sushi area where we were seated. We mentioned it and the waitress mentioned it was romantic. Ok. If you say so. Sushi is visually pleasing as much as palette pleasing food. Why eat in the dark? I dig it. Eat there.
(3)
Shane M.
Worst service I have ever had in a restaurant. We didn't get over half of what we ordered. We waited over an hour and a half and they werent busy. They lost our order and absolutely nobody took responsibility for it. Never going back
(1)
Raquel G.
The food is great but some of the chefs do cook a little different. One of them put way too much salt on our food. But we continue to go here and the food most of the time is really great! Great price for the filet mignon!
(4)
Ashley E.
I couldn't give more than 2 stars...I just couldn't. Sorry, Azuma. It is SO hit or miss in my experience. Sometimes it's no problem and everything comes out fine. The other part of the time things go badly-- I wait for 45 minutes for a table (they don't take reservations), I have a rude server, my food is under or overcooked, and I'm sitting next to screaming frat boys doing sake bombs. The sushi/sashimi has never been anything to write home about either. Save your money and go elsewhere.
(2)
Brian P.
Food was great and plentiful. All in all it was a good night the service was very good would have given four stars but the cook wasn't very entertaining everything was cooked to perfection but when you go to a place like this it's more then just the meal like I said the food was great but not much going on at the grill could have done more tricks. The prices were pretty good we were a party of five and all left with enough food for a good lunch. Will go again.
(3)
S S.
Mediocre. I ordered to go so no experience with service. The price was a little high for the lack of fish incorporated into my sushi rolls. Most of the rolls contained chopped up fish instead of nice chunks and there was entirely too much rice. I assume the amount of rice used was to hide the lack of fish. Probably won't go back.
(2)
Joyce A.
The food here is also good and chefs always put on a good show. Only thing is the wait takes awhile on the grill side. Sushi side; I think they is always open. Habachi chicken, or steak is always good. Folks are always nice there. But for a large group expect to wait and patking can be an issue sometime.
(4)
J.D. V.
I really like the grill experience, we always have a great time, and the food is always great. Only bad is how long the wait is...
(4)
Joan G.
Made a reservation which wasn't honored. Worst customer service ever. I will never go back.
(1)
Jeremy F.
One of my favorite places to eat in Albuquerque. I'd take anyone on vacation to this place.
(5)
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Address :4701 San Mateo Blvd NE
Albuquerque, NM, 87109
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Loud Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Ricky M.
Azuma is known to be the best place in Albq for its Teppan but I simply have to disagree. I mean the place isn't bad, the portions are huge, and the chefs do the typical onion volcano show that everyone has seen a million times. So why the mediocre rating? Well the wait times here absolutely suck, prices are a bit higher than other places around town, and there are better places around town for cheaper without waiting. Now I will say this place does have some killer sushi rolls which I really enjoyed but I would rather go over to I Love Sushi or Hayashi.
(3)Jordan A.
I can't believe I haven't written a review for Azumas!!! We absolutely love this place. My fiancé loves to order sushi to start, and we've never had a bad roll yet. But the reason Azumas is truly my favorite place of this type is because you really get what you're paying for in this place. They bring out their house soup, you get salad, plus they give you both fried rice and noodles, which are always the tastiest!! The cooks always have a wonderful sense of humor, and I've never not enjoyed a dinner in here. It's truly one of the most enjoyable experiences I've had while dining in Albuquerque.
(5)Matthew V.
This is a review of the sushi. I was very pleased all around with the quality of the sushi. My standard test of the Tuna nigiri produced excellent results. Great 1/8-3/16 inch thickness cut and the ratio of fish to rice was great as well. Taste was simple and clean. Also had the unagi roll and rainbow roll. Both were well prepared and clean tight rolls. I have 2 complaints- 1. The water I was served tasted very odd- can't put my finger on it but it was very displeasing. 2. The selection of sushi, with exception of nigiri, is small; elegant, but small.
(3)Joshua H.
Average. Good house soup. Salad had way too much dressing. Rice and chicken was good. Noodles didn't have any flavor. The cook and waiter were friendly. The price was average. The carpet smelled like it needed a good shampooing.
(3)William A.
Wonderful service and food. The cook gave us a great show. I recommend this place to everybody.
(5)Ashley P.
It hurts my heart to give this place only 3 stars. I wanted to love it. Why didn't I love it, you ask? Well... When we arrived, we were seated promptly on the teppan side of the place... Where we proceeded to wait over 30 minutes for drinks. We ordered sushi to tide us over because we knew that like any teppan place, the food takes a while to prepare. Our sushi arrived after we already had our food. It was delicious, don't get me wrong... But I still can't understand why it arrived over an hour after ordering. We waited nearly an hour for the table to be filled, and the chef to come cook. The food was good, but not as good as I wanted it to be. The flavor was bland, and my rice was under cooked. I never got a refill on my drink, my salad bowl was never removed, and I spent the entire dinner feeling cramped. Azuma, you broke my heart.
(3)Raina M.
Tasty! The rolls are tightly formed and the perfect size... nothing's worse than having your food crumble in route to your pie hole. The pink lady, Dr. Gregg and caterpillar are a few of my favorites. HOWEVER The service is hit n miss and the the bathrooms are absolutely DISGUSTING! !! I feel like the whole restaurant needs. A serious deep cleaning.
(3)Tim N.
I guess this IS the place for Teppan based on the huge crowds waiting for a table... I went the sushi bar route. Service was stellar, the place was jammed and the chef's were flying. I had a couple of hand rolls and an age tofu appetizer. This is a personal observation but they use too much rice and too many ingredients in their rolls. A California roll, simple but when you load it up with a ton of one ingredient (in this case cucumbers) it just takes away from things overall.. I wasn't thrilled with the Age tofu because they use soft tofu which doesn't fry well. I wish I'd tried the teppan...
(2)Aerlin I.
Amazing place. I had just returned from Japan looking for some real Japanese food, and this place was pretty close to the real thing. The fried noodles and rice were very delicious. The miso soup is nice as well. The part that counts was the meat. Not quite traditional Japanese gyunniku, but pretty close to it. We had some salmon sushi as well.
(5)Tru D.
Been wanting to do review on this place for awhile now so got some time today to do that. It's a great place to take family and friends on the grill side .my kids enjoyed the "show" which involves fire :) their soup is so good and flavorful. I recommend the sumo rolls as it's mine and my husband's favorite and get it every time .portions are nig so be prepared.I didn't like how the cooked chopped up the steak instead of leaving it while and our waitress was super friendly and helpful. I didn't find out till after they have to give a percentage of their tip to the cooks which I thought was unfair cuz I tip both. Other than that it's always good Im a returning customer.
(4)Christina S.
Whether we eat at the teppan grill or in the sushi bar the food and service are always good! They make one of my favorite sushi rolls and always accommodate special requests, sometimes with suggestions of their own.The only two problems I've ever had are leaving so full you can hardly breathe but still have a to-go box full of food you never got to and the wait. The wait time is so long sometimes that we'll opt for other area places instead so we don't have to stand and watch people eat for an hour before we're seated.
(4)Dayna L.
I am so disappointed that this will be my last visit here. After waiting over an hour, we are seated and because they are trying to squeeze our party with a large party, they seat my husband on the same side as the chef, under the vent fan. We are seated there for just a couple minutes before grease is dripping from the vent fan above on to my husband. He now has grease stains on his hat and shirt. I notify staff and they attempt to clean the vent but it's too big of a job. They offer us a another table which we accept; not real happy after waiting over an hour, but we are promised to be seated at the next available table. That did not happen. They seated another large party ahead of us. At this point I am done and leave, I am so upset and lost my appetite. Happy Fathers Day
(1)Mike D.
The service can be a little bit or miss and it's a little on the pricey side, but the sushi portions are generous and tasty. I think the Tiger Tear Roll is one of my favorite sushi rolls of all time. One of my favorite sushi places.
(4)Valerie M.
We always come and sit at the sushi bar...one of my favorite places to be. I love this place. The monkey ball roll is to live for
(5)Rick S.
After a few personal recommendations, we decided to try Azuma. I love sushi and teppanyaki but on our trip, we sat on the sushi side of the restaurant. The big problem here is the quality of the rice. It is not the right type of rice for sushi preparation and there is too much of it. Also, it was dry, which is why all of our nori-maki rolls tended to fall apart on us. It's a shame because Azuma's fish is very fresh and the slices are generous. The rice just ruined it for us. Same thing with the fried rice dish, which almost seemed greasy. Big disappointment-there are other places in Albuquerque for better sushi.
(2)Olivia B.
Waited 2 hours to finally get dinner, good food but not worth the time- a lot of mistakes from the staff...overall not a good experience
(1)Kristina L.
I love this place! Best in the business I think. Always a great time & the sushi rolls are perfect, especially the 'Make my day' roll. My kids love this place & the chefs are always nice & funny.
(5)Rich R.
Don't make a reservation as we waited 40 minutes and they pissed off my sister on her birthday. We asked why do you take a reservation & not honor it? They didn't care. We went to Hayashi who got us right in and the service & food there was awesome.
(1)Tom H.
Went last Friday for my Daughters birthday celebration. Had a great time, and great food!! Will definitely be back.
(5)Joyce A.
The food here is also good and chefs always put on a good show. Only thing is the wait takes awhile on the grill side. Sushi side; I think they is always open. Habachi chicken, or steak is always good. Folks are always nice there. But for a large group expect to wait and patking can be an issue sometime.
(4)J.D. V.
I really like the grill experience, we always have a great time, and the food is always great. Only bad is how long the wait is...
(4)Joan G.
Made a reservation which wasn't honored. Worst customer service ever. I will never go back.
(1)Jeremy F.
One of my favorite places to eat in Albuquerque. I'd take anyone on vacation to this place.
(5)Sara P.
They broke their rules on a Friday night and seated me and a friend without our third person. She ended up not coming so they get bonus points for not making us wait in the breeze way. Our waitress was sweet but not very attentive. We had to flag her down to take our sushi sheet. We ordered 4 rolls, an eel roll, monkey balls, aloha roll and the boston roll. The eel roll was very good, a new experience for me. The monkey balls were absolutely delicious. The aloha roll was great, not like sushi I've tasted before. The Boston roll was very bland. After trying a piece, we shoved it to the side and ignored it. Don't order the Boston Roll. I did not like the atmosphere. It was very dark in the sushi area where we were seated. We mentioned it and the waitress mentioned it was romantic. Ok. If you say so. Sushi is visually pleasing as much as palette pleasing food. Why eat in the dark? I dig it. Eat there.
(3)Shane M.
Worst service I have ever had in a restaurant. We didn't get over half of what we ordered. We waited over an hour and a half and they werent busy. They lost our order and absolutely nobody took responsibility for it. Never going back
(1)Raquel G.
The food is great but some of the chefs do cook a little different. One of them put way too much salt on our food. But we continue to go here and the food most of the time is really great! Great price for the filet mignon!
(4)Ashley E.
I couldn't give more than 2 stars...I just couldn't. Sorry, Azuma. It is SO hit or miss in my experience. Sometimes it's no problem and everything comes out fine. The other part of the time things go badly-- I wait for 45 minutes for a table (they don't take reservations), I have a rude server, my food is under or overcooked, and I'm sitting next to screaming frat boys doing sake bombs. The sushi/sashimi has never been anything to write home about either. Save your money and go elsewhere.
(2)Brian P.
Food was great and plentiful. All in all it was a good night the service was very good would have given four stars but the cook wasn't very entertaining everything was cooked to perfection but when you go to a place like this it's more then just the meal like I said the food was great but not much going on at the grill could have done more tricks. The prices were pretty good we were a party of five and all left with enough food for a good lunch. Will go again.
(3)S S.
Mediocre. I ordered to go so no experience with service. The price was a little high for the lack of fish incorporated into my sushi rolls. Most of the rolls contained chopped up fish instead of nice chunks and there was entirely too much rice. I assume the amount of rice used was to hide the lack of fish. Probably won't go back.
(2)Kawika K.
Way over priced. Service was average. Order was taken quickly and food came fast. Server did not refill drinks. Food is waaaaaaaaaay over prices. Sushi rice was mushy and too sweet. Fish totally not fresh which was expected prior to coming in. Ambience is awesome. Super beautiful restaurant and awesome design details in restaurants. Had to give two stars because the sushi was 2 stars. I would give another half star for the octopus salad and calamari tempura. Those two dishes I would recommend. Because of those two dishes i may stretch myself and give another star. Not a place to eat if you expect good sushi. Good enough to handle sushi cravings though.
(2)Mark M.
I'm writing this review about the sushi only. I have been eating sushi for about 20 years, and I've had it in restaurants all over the US, and in other countries around the world. And I have to honestly say that this is in the top 5 best sushi I've ever had in my entire life. And this wasn't a one-time thing. I come to ABQ about once a month, and I always eat here, and the sushi is always amazing. Their salmon nigiri is possibly the single best piece of fish I've ever eaten. It melts in your mouth like butter (as good sushi should). And these reviews that say that it's overpriced are just plain stupid. Those people obviously don't know good sushi, and don't eat in any other sushi restaurants. Azuma provides literally the largest rolls and nigiri pieces you will ever find in any restaurant, and their prices are actually the same or cheaper than many other sushi places. You just can't beat the value for what they provide. I will point out that I usually only take the time to write bad reviews, to warn people away from bad restaurants. But this sushi is just so awesome that I felt compelled to write a positive review.
(5)Oa L.
The food is ok. ... the price is a liitle bit too high
(3)William T.
I just went to Azuma for the first time in a year and half. I always had a shiosaba, unajyu and never had the sushi nigiri and rolls in the past. Tonight, I had it for the first time and I simply do not know what to say. I'm leaving 1 star because the server was nice. If not and if i had a choice, it will be a zero. Not to sound snobby, but I have had real sushi in Japan and I want to just put out a disclaimer that I do not expect the sushi quality in New Mexico to be held to the same standard. No, that is absolutely unreasonable to begin with. I just don't want anyone to think that the sushi that is served here is anything resembling the real stuff. And no, that's not in a snobby way. What is served here is absolute disgrace to the art work of sushi. The chef's were not Japanese that's fine, I've had descent sushi from non-Japanese chefs. But boy, if you're going to try to make a food of another culture, try to have some pride, don't make an absolute garbage. That's like us American's bastardizing real Italian food via Olive Garden, and real Mexican food by Taco Bell. I just had the tuna (maguro) nigiri sushi and the tuna was not fresh (no it's not just because we live in New Mexico, it's beyond that). There is absolutely no technique observed in the preparation, the fish was full of "holes", literally (holy cow, I don't even know how to explain this...) The tuna was too thick (half an inch) and the rice was too sticky. It actually looked like an infant attempted to slap together a sushi with, gosh I should've taken a picture. Gosh, I just wish I could be more descriptive of the low quality garbage I was served tonight but it was just so bad that I don't even know how to. I'm extremely frustrated because I spent $45 worth of total pig food (probably they get served better stuff?) One and a half year ago, I don't think it was this bad. Back then, the unajyu and shiosaba was fine. It wasn't the best, but I was able to eat it and quite frankly, was worth paying for. What I was served tonight was a Fubar. Did all the chefs suddentlyy quit and some fake chefs with no experience take over for temporary measure??? Gosh! I want my money back, that's how freaking mad I am.
(1)Anthony V.
mmmmm I love Azuma's it's so delicious the best Sushi and Tepan grill in town. Great service and great tasting good for reasonable prices.
(5)Nina P.
...
(4)Peter L.
Just to follow up, my wife thanks you for the food poisoning...
(2)Jordana G.
Azuma is OK and they do give you a lot of food. Good place for a large group, although a little hard to talk if there are only two of you. Expect a wait. The Teppan meals are a good value for the money, considering how much food they give you with reasonable quality. Some of the chefs are inconsistent in seasoning the food, which is a problem, but all are entertaining. The noodles served at the Teppan tables are really unnecessary and not that tasty (very bland). We typically save the noodles for take home and not waste our appetite on them. The sushi is OK, but we haven't eaten a lot of it here, so can't really speak to that. Overall, it's good but not great. I think Samurai has better food and is not so much a "place for the masses." You do tend to feel like cattle at Azuma.
(3)Geoff N.
Great Teppan. Nuff said. Can't think of anything else, because it's all good.
(4)Jennifer M.
Came here this evening for dinner with my sister at around 6. The teppan grills were almost all full so we were extra pleased that we didn't have a wait to be seated. The decor is a bit outdated and on the verge of being tacky, which is my biggest complaint. As for the food though, it's great. This evening we were having a little celebration so we decided to order the teppan in addition to a couple sushi rolls. We opted for the Dr. Greg's roll and the Tiger Tear roll. Both were fantastic, but were a mouthful. Maybe they could be cut into a couple more pieces so they're easier to eat. Either way, they were awesome. The teppan is a great deal here, with each entree including miso soup, a salad, grilled vegetables, two shrimp, noodles, and fried rice. We got the Azuma Ribeye and the teppan combo with chicken and scallops. Everything was delicious and HUGE portions. We ended up being pretty full and still having tons of leftovers to take home. Overall, the meal was a hit to the wallet at $80 before tip, but considering we brought home the equivalent of about 4 meals in addition to the 2 huge meals we ate there.. its a good deal. I approve for sure!
(4)John Y.
Visiting from California, I had an urge for sushi. I heard good things about Azuma so I decided to give it a try and came in with a friend. This is a review for the sushi and the service. We arrived at 7:30pm and ordered the Azuma Special (48 pieces of sashimi) at 7:40pm. We sat around and waited for the chef to make the sushi I ordered. After 30 minutes, I asked the waitress what was taking so long and she replied that it's coming soon. After 40 minutes of waiting, I see the chef complete my sushi order but begins to take pictures of what he made. He then asks the waitresses to take a picture of him holding the sushi. I ask the waitress near me if they can please hurry since we are hungry and have been waiting for 40 minutes. She walks over to the chef and says in Chinese that the customers asks us to hurry since they have been waiting for 40 minutes. The chef replies in Chinese, that he doesn't care and it hasn't been that long. The chef then continues to takes photos of his creation and allows different staff and other customers takes photos of the sashimi. Finally after everyone finishes, a waitress comes by and brings our food. I mentioned to the waitress that I understand Chinese and know what they said. The waitress apologized and all the employees became quiet around me. They stopped chatting when around my booth. The food wasn't even that good. The fish was flavorless. I will definitely not be coming back.
(1)Todd M.
I lived in Japan and have had good sushi, so standards are high, but being in the U.S. (and Albuquerque) you can't expect the same thing and I'm not expecting every sushi place will be 4 or 5 stars. But what I do expect from a good place is fresh good fish and real ginger. This place had neither and was far from authentic. When the ginger is bright reddish and wasabi from a tube, it's a warning. Good places have real ginger and real wasabi (and also real green tea ice cream, not vanilla with green tea flavoring). The fish is flash frozen like almost all sushi places, but just not great. Too bad Noda's went out of business, they were great. Crazy fish is MUCH better if you want something closer to authentic with higher quality of fish.
(2)Julie T.
So much fun to take the kids here. They love the show and always rave about the food. Huge portions. Good prices. Great service. Not for those in fear of carbs....or fire.
(4)Paula A.
First time here in albuquerque new mexico ...... my husband brought me here to have sushi I had such a good time here mostly if u sit a the bar.... The guys at the bar r funny.....
(4)Sarah S.
Ok. So I'm not going to pretend I'm a sushi connoisseur, or anything like that. I am completely mystified by the rave reviews though. I only tried the sushi side of the house, so this review only pertains to that. Maybe the teppan grill is better, but I will not be returning and I will not recommend others to come here either. Myself and a friend came after work last week because we were both craving sushi and we wanted to give a new restaurant a try and since Azuma was voted "best in the city" we thought it would be a good choice. We ordered the pork gyozas, fried tofu, unagi roll, the kissing roll, and the one with volcano in the name. The gyozas were so bad we sent them back. The plus, they did take them off our bill. They came out very greasy and highly fried. The comment was, "frozen ones from Costco are better". The fried tofu was not much better. The tofu was tossed in a bread crumb and something that reminded me of seaweed flakes before fried. If you could imagine tofu more bland, this would be it. Disappointing to say the least. The rolls were not much better. The eel sauce was super sweet like extra corn syrup was added to it. The kissing roll the fish wasn't that flavorful, the rolls were made way to fat so you couldn't get it into your mouth, but it was stuffed with a ton of rice and cream cheese to bulk it up like that. On top of each cut piece there was some type of flavored mayo. I thought it was inappropriate and it was very heavy in taste and overwhelmed the fish. The quite frankly ruined the sushi experience for me. I tried to scrape it off, but even with that, the roll was still unflavorful. I think they use many of the sauces to mask the lack of flavor in the fish and vegetables. I did not try the Volcano one, but it didn't look that appetizing. I don't think I was missing out on that one. On top of this, the place is expensive in comparison to other sushi places in town and is one of the worst places I've been to in town. Not worth the money or time. Try somewhere else if you're looking for good sushi; our pocketbooks and tastebuds were disappointed and yours may be too.
(2)Jen S.
Went here with the boyfriend, helping extend his palate on sushi. We ordered the Sashimi combo A, and the sushi combo B. Was more than enough for the two of us, and all the sushi was great. Fresh, and well prepared. I also had tea, which was unique tasting, floral, and the waiter kept refilling it. Service was prompt, and friendly. Our bill was about $70 with tip. Higher end of the expensive scale, but definitely worth it! Recommend for a date or special occasion, unless your good fortune allows you to eat there once a week. They also have Hibachi, which I am yet to try.
(4)Philip C.
Skip the sushi. Try True Sushi instead. The teppan is overrated, over-oiled, and over-buttered. We've been here a few times as a work deal, but I'm done. I'd rather bring my leftovers. Rough, huh?
(2)Kira E.
Best of ABQ voters don't lie. Damn good. They have that yummy toasted rice and green tea. I was having a craving for a unique roll from my home town and asked if they could make it. Unagi, cream cheese, avocado, and crab, deep fried. They cut it then deep fried it, which was different, but otherwise totally delish just like I remember it!!! (And they didn't charge me an arm and a leg for a custom roll). I'm DEFINITELY going back!!! AND, NOW THEY'RE OPEN ALL DAY! (I remember the first time I went, they were closed for lunch...so sad!)
(5)Paul H.
Many people love Azuma's. There are good things about it. I have not tried their sushi - only the teppan grill. Some people say the sushi is good, some say bad - read the reviews to find out. The grill was dirty when we got there, and we ended up waiting about 25 minutes before the chef came out to cook our food - mind you, this was lunch on a weekday. It was not hardly busy. He did clean the grill, but the one behind him was obviously dirty and not being cleaned promptly. That made me nervous. The fried rice was overly spicy, although the teriyaki salmon was well prepared. The teriyaki chicken and steak were very good. The wait staff was okay, except that drink refills were slow. The restaurant does look great. The partitions are nice looking and the lighting makes for a really good feel. In terms of a teppan grill, yes, the chef was very good and entertaining. However the fried rice was not good, the restaurant did not appear clean, and the wait staff was slow.
(2)Tony M.
I have been here several times and love the choices for sushi. My only complaint is that the service is really slow and the servers are not very attentive.
(3)Denise H.
I was treated to a wonderful evening by a great guy who convinced me of my first real taste of salmon sashimi, now I am hooked! Tried sushi in the past & didn't much care for it, but these chefs are true pros. The atmosphere was delightful and the service great! The company was even better though~ :)
(5)Tom C.
Lunch, was pretty quick. Great chef this time. Food is always good. A little salty but that's just each person's pref.
(4)Ernesto V.
OK! This is my first Real review so be gentle! I haven't really got into the whole Yelp review thing but I just HAD to review the Azuma Sushi & Teppan. The Food that I had at this place was Amazing. I had the the Sirloin Steak and Lobster. I know what your thinking. Steak and Lobster at a sushi joint? That's just the kinda Guy I am when it comes to food. Boring and Predictable. =) The Chef cooks right in front of you and about 8 other people or so. They start you off with a Small Salad with Ginger, Pretty decent since I don't like ginger. He precedes to make fried rice with his fancy egg cracking and shell tossing that was fun to watch, Then he makes some sort of chow mien Noodles. Yum! Fries up some Vegetables! Cooks shrimp and tosses a couple to everyone! Yikers! By this time I'm getting full already and I have not even had my steak and lobster which were both amazing! I recommend making a reservation. We showed up with no reservation and waited for about 45 minutes which is not to bad but the waiting area is small and crowded on a Friday Night. My Friend had Sushi and Sake and he said it was also really good. Just in case some of you wanted to know. Not sure what he had. I know one was Sushi with Green Chili. New Mexico is known for their Chili. Plus Don't forget the Plum Wine! Very sweet and tasty! Hope This helps everyone! WWW.azuma888.com
(4)Ashley S.
Okay - it is really hard to give a sushi joint in the middle of wild west more than 4 stars. Azuma has the freshest sushi in Albuquerque and the friendliest service. Go, ask to sit in John's section, tell him Ashley sent you and then order the kissing roll. He will take great care of you. Oh, and tell him I will be back soon.
(4)Jack D.
ABQ Magazine Best of the City for Sushi. Really? I decided to try it since it was names "Best of the City." I was very disappointed. It seemed that the hand rolls were prepared in advance as indicated by the soggy seaweed paper. The rolls were OK, nothing special. There are better places in town such as I Love Sushi and Sushi and Saki. Good luck!
(2)Sharon L.
Had seen the ads on TV and decided to give it a shot. The Old Man loves the big show with all the food flying and all that chef ninja shit. 2 friends of ours had mentioned wanting to go there so... Couples night date! Friday night was busy as all hell but at least we had lots of gossip and tons and trainwreck people watching so the wait wasn't too bad. Yeah maybe the day after Thanksgiving wasn't the best time to go. I've been to several of these kinds of restarants and usually the clientel are a little less casual and there aren't as many kids, but hey, this is Albuquerque and they make this shit up as they go. The Oldman got hot tea which he claimed was decent. Our firends had the Kirin rice beer and I had Iced tea while we waited for the soup and salad. The soup wasn'r even proper Miso but more of a Dashi stock with a few slivers of mushrooms,tofu and a scattering of green onions. Meh. The salad was typical and neither good or bad. Only 2 chouces of dressing (creamy "mayo" like or the ginger soy). We ordered 4 rolls and the seafood tempura to start while we waited for our chef to make an appearance. The tempura was tasty as all hell and the giant strips of calamari were mindblowingly tender. The oild might have been a little dirty they cooked it in as there were some black and brown char bits here and there on the pieces but the taste was still good. The rolls were nothing remarkable with rice on the dry and flavourless side (where my mild hint of vinegar bitches ?!?!?) and the fish was not all that. So anyone who says that this is the place for sushi has no idea what they are talking about or has never had truly good sushi. The waiter was really attentive with refilling all our drinks despite previous claims to the contrary. The "dinner show" was pretty good although I was jealous as all hell that the table next to us got the party like a rawk star chef who was constantly doing saki bombs with the patrons. Saki+flammable liquids+soused chef=fraught with disaster. Alas I was disappointed and the loud Jewish mothers hair didn't catch on fire nor did he accidently flip a flaming hot shrimps into some kids eye. As far as the Teppan portion of our meal... The rice and noodles were basic and noth much to write home about. The veggies were cooked fairly well and tasty. I ordered the scallops and was amazed at how many I got. Well worth the $$. Old Man had the steak and our firends had the shrimp and beef. Too much food for one person so try splitting if you all can agree on the same dish. I took my scallops and veggies home and made a kick ass omelette for lunch the next day which the Old Man promptly weezed on as he always does. Fucker.
(3)Lynne H.
Let's see. Where to begin? This was our first visit to Azuma, and this was also the first time we've ever had a Japanese meal consisting entirely of specialty rolls (we usually get sashimi too). Pros: 1. The rolls we ordered were quite creative and worked well, with some combinations that we've never encountered before. 2. The service is excellent, attentive and quick but not hover-ey. 3. I like the green / genmai (roasted barley) tea combination they serve. 4. Their bowls of rice are big. My spouse and I shared a single bowl and still had a little bit left over. 5. The miso soup wasn't too salty, and the marinated cucumber salad with bits of seaweed and fake crab was a refreshing change from the standard iceberg. 6. Decor is very nice. The beautiful etched glass panels set into the dividers provide privacy without complete opacity, and the panels' designs were (as far as I could tell without making myself too conspicuous) all different. 7. The rolls came out in a palate pleasing order, from the mildest at the beginning, peaking to the spiciest roll for the third presentation, and a moderately spicy cool-down for the last roll. 8. Service was relatively quick, even on Valentine's Day evening when the place was packed. Cons: 1. They really need to go easier on their sauces. Our futomaki roll was drenched in brown teriyaki sauce, masking any taste subtleties it might otherwise have had. Another roll was doused not only with teriyaki sauce, but also with way too much srirachi hot sauce; fortunately the latter was dolloped on the top of the roll so we were able to remove most of it. Next time we're going to specify "no teriyaki sauce" for our entire meal. 2. The bathrooms are saturated with rose scent (at least the women's room was; I didn't check the men's). I love rose scent, but this was too much even for me. 3. Prices are somewhat higher than in other Japanese restaurants of comparable quality. Rolls that would be priced at $10 to $12 elsewhere, here were $12 to $15. And hot tea for two cost $4. So for 4 specialty rolls and hot tea (the bowl of rice somehow didn't make it onto our bill), we were charged $61 (including tax but before tip). 4. There are only two (non-teppan) tables that can accommodate more than 4 people. One corner booth seats 6, and there's a special-event table in the back that seats up to 12. So if you're dining with a group that doesn't want teppan, you'll need to either make a reservation or go elsewhere.
(3)Michael N.
DISGUSTING!!! I've been to all Teppen spots in Albuquerque and I have to say this is probably the worst experience ever. The food was cooked with TONS of MSG, each bite was unbearable and had to be rinsed down with tons of water. I don't know if the chef was drunk but he was coating our food with layer after layer of SALT and MSG. Its been a month since I've been there and the taste of that salty scallop touching my palette still gives me nightmares. Do not recommend,. If you really want great Teppen, Japanese Kitchen is the way to go.
(1)Cathy F.
Our meal was delicious and entertaining ! We took our grand kids and they had a blast. Price was very good. We will go back again.
(4)Monica C.
I was anxious to try Azuma's since it gets such great reviews. I've been to Japanese Kitchen and Samurai's here in town, so I wanted to see how it would compare. Unfortunately I was less than overwhelmed. The food was tasty, but other things detracted from the experience. We were led to the table by a rather high strung, impatient little man. (He later calmed down and was more pleasant). The chairs are horribly uncomfortable and hard to get into a good position. We were first served the standard soup, which was better than I've had at other restaurants. At the other restaurants I wondered if they didn't get the soup water from their decorative fish ponds! Azuma's wasn't bad - a little salty but an improvement over the others. Next came an non-descript salad. I thought it was fine, but one of my dining companions thought the dressing was too sweet. Several of us ordered the shrimp and filet mignon combo. Pricey, but hopefully worth it. Our cook wasn't as talented as others I've seen, but he was adequate enough. He seemed distracted most of the time and did not have as many "tricks" as some of the other cooks. He was alright. I must admit they gave us plenty of shrimp and the meat was more or less tender. I got a few pieces with gristle, (which I seem cursed to always get!), but the flavor was good. There was plenty of food to provide leftovers for two more meals. Like I said the food tasted good, but little things bugged. The little man was slow to refill our glasses of water, slow to bring them in the first place, plus he forgot straws when he first brought them out. Again, the chairs are the worse of the three "Teppan" type restaurants in town. I might have given them three stars just for the food, but the other factors forced me to just give two. Now I have to admit, I did not try the sushi. I think that's where they probably shine and get those glowing reviews. I don't eat sushi so I wouldn't know what I was talking about anyway. Summary: food was good, but would rather go to Samurai's.
(2)Judy C.
I have been here several times. The first time I sat on the hibachi side and was disappointed in the food and thought I would never go back. But let me tell you something, the secret is to sit on the sushi side of the restaurant. Service is quick and the food is tastier. I will only sit on the sushi side. I really enjoy the tiger rolls and spider rolls and the california rolls aren't bad for New Mexico.
(4)Charles H.
You can get desert sushi anywhere but the best Miso soup complimentary appetizer is here.
(5)Danielle F.
My boyfriend currently lives in New Mexico and I live in California. While visiting him sometime last year he took me to this restaurant because him and I LOVE sushi. The first time he took me we had the most terrible waitress. We asked her if she could recommend anything from the menu worth trying (since it was my first time here). You would think this would be the time for her to recommend the most expensive thing on the menu or SOMETHING. We simply got an 'I dont know' answer.(literally) It was quite sad because at the same time at the table across from us a waiter was recommending some stuff to his customers. I ended up getting a teriyaki bowl and I got chicken over plain rice (no teriyaki sauce?) couldn't flag down the waitress because she was no where to be found to ask her if i can get soy sauce for the rice and teriyaki sauce to go with my chicken. I ended up eating the chicken and started on the rice. Only to find out that the sauce was beneath ALL the rice in the bowl. (odd). On top of that she refused to serve my boyfriend beer because she didnt think his license was real. My first visit was a nightmare but I must admit we did go back a second time and the waiter we had was awesome and we order 95 worth of sushi. I guess it really is a hit and miss. I do wish to go back when I am in New Mexico and I do hope that my experience then wont be like my first visit.
(3)Kimber S.
Ummm...no. We've been three times now and have been disappointed each time. Subpar sushi. Below average teppan grill. Sloooowwww service. How on earth is this place consistently crowded? Go to Sushiya instead.
(2)Pam S.
Since I have heard good things aboutt his restaurant, I went there to have sushi and japanese noodle for dinner. It's a very disappointing experience because nothing taste right. The sushi rice did not cook well and so the sushi just fall apart, can't even hold its shape. They don't even make the classic nabeyaki udon right, the noodle soup taste strangely. Perhaps their Teppan Grill could be a better choice.
(1)Hilary S.
Great food and tons of it!
(4)Douglas D.
generally ive had good experiences, until last night......asked for no onions, no pepper or spices....both to the confused waiter and the chef...chef then covered everything with mixed salt pepper and garlic...WHO PUTS GARLIC ON JAPANESE FOOD?...i give them a four because of previous experiences
(4)Trey G.
We've been here twice. On our first visit we had the Teppan which was average in comparison to other places we've been (outside of ABQ). On our second visit we went for sushi which again was simply average. However, the people sitting beside us were splurging on some of the more expensive rolls which looked delicious and they really seemed to enjoy all of them. We stuck with the shrimp tempura, spicy tuna roll, and the yellow tail. I guess we should've splurged on the specialty rolls because what we had was very disappointing.
(2)Carla F.
This was a great place! Informal & comfortable environment. Prices were about $15 to $18 a plate depending on what you ordered. We went to the grill side - sushi on the other side of the building. About 10 or so people sit bar style around the grill, and the chef does his performance. He prepares the course then portions it out among the people, so I think if you had special requests - such as no shellfish - you'd want to say ahead because one of the dishes is a fried rice with tiny shrimp. Only thing I can whine about is that it was a bit salty. He used alot of MSG and salt mix - I asked what he kept shaking on the food as he prepared and that was what he said it was. Other than that, the show was entertaining, the staff friendly, and the overall atmosphere very nice.
(4)Brian P.
Food was great and plentiful. All in all it was a good night the service was very good would have given four stars but the cook wasn't very entertaining everything was cooked to perfection but when you go to a place like this it's more then just the meal like I said the food was great but not much going on at the grill could have done more tricks. The prices were pretty good we were a party of five and all left with enough food for a good lunch. Will go again.
(3)Ricky M.
Azuma is known to be the best place in Albq for its Teppan but I simply have to disagree. I mean the place isn't bad, the portions are huge, and the chefs do the typical onion volcano show that everyone has seen a million times. So why the mediocre rating? Well the wait times here absolutely suck, prices are a bit higher than other places around town, and there are better places around town for cheaper without waiting. Now I will say this place does have some killer sushi rolls which I really enjoyed but I would rather go over to I Love Sushi or Hayashi.
(3)Jordan A.
I can't believe I haven't written a review for Azumas!!! We absolutely love this place. My fiancé loves to order sushi to start, and we've never had a bad roll yet. But the reason Azumas is truly my favorite place of this type is because you really get what you're paying for in this place. They bring out their house soup, you get salad, plus they give you both fried rice and noodles, which are always the tastiest!! The cooks always have a wonderful sense of humor, and I've never not enjoyed a dinner in here. It's truly one of the most enjoyable experiences I've had while dining in Albuquerque.
(5)Matthew V.
This is a review of the sushi. I was very pleased all around with the quality of the sushi. My standard test of the Tuna nigiri produced excellent results. Great 1/8-3/16 inch thickness cut and the ratio of fish to rice was great as well. Taste was simple and clean. Also had the unagi roll and rainbow roll. Both were well prepared and clean tight rolls. I have 2 complaints- 1. The water I was served tasted very odd- can't put my finger on it but it was very displeasing. 2. The selection of sushi, with exception of nigiri, is small; elegant, but small.
(3)Joshua H.
Average. Good house soup. Salad had way too much dressing. Rice and chicken was good. Noodles didn't have any flavor. The cook and waiter were friendly. The price was average. The carpet smelled like it needed a good shampooing.
(3)William A.
Wonderful service and food. The cook gave us a great show. I recommend this place to everybody.
(5)Ashley P.
It hurts my heart to give this place only 3 stars. I wanted to love it. Why didn't I love it, you ask? Well... When we arrived, we were seated promptly on the teppan side of the place... Where we proceeded to wait over 30 minutes for drinks. We ordered sushi to tide us over because we knew that like any teppan place, the food takes a while to prepare. Our sushi arrived after we already had our food. It was delicious, don't get me wrong... But I still can't understand why it arrived over an hour after ordering. We waited nearly an hour for the table to be filled, and the chef to come cook. The food was good, but not as good as I wanted it to be. The flavor was bland, and my rice was under cooked. I never got a refill on my drink, my salad bowl was never removed, and I spent the entire dinner feeling cramped. Azuma, you broke my heart.
(3)Raina M.
Tasty! The rolls are tightly formed and the perfect size... nothing's worse than having your food crumble in route to your pie hole. The pink lady, Dr. Gregg and caterpillar are a few of my favorites. HOWEVER The service is hit n miss and the the bathrooms are absolutely DISGUSTING! !! I feel like the whole restaurant needs. A serious deep cleaning.
(3)Aerlin I.
Amazing place. I had just returned from Japan looking for some real Japanese food, and this place was pretty close to the real thing. The fried noodles and rice were very delicious. The miso soup is nice as well. The part that counts was the meat. Not quite traditional Japanese gyunniku, but pretty close to it. We had some salmon sushi as well.
(5)Tru D.
Been wanting to do review on this place for awhile now so got some time today to do that. It's a great place to take family and friends on the grill side .my kids enjoyed the "show" which involves fire :) their soup is so good and flavorful. I recommend the sumo rolls as it's mine and my husband's favorite and get it every time .portions are nig so be prepared.I didn't like how the cooked chopped up the steak instead of leaving it while and our waitress was super friendly and helpful. I didn't find out till after they have to give a percentage of their tip to the cooks which I thought was unfair cuz I tip both. Other than that it's always good Im a returning customer.
(4)Christina S.
Whether we eat at the teppan grill or in the sushi bar the food and service are always good! They make one of my favorite sushi rolls and always accommodate special requests, sometimes with suggestions of their own.The only two problems I've ever had are leaving so full you can hardly breathe but still have a to-go box full of food you never got to and the wait. The wait time is so long sometimes that we'll opt for other area places instead so we don't have to stand and watch people eat for an hour before we're seated.
(4)Dayna L.
I am so disappointed that this will be my last visit here. After waiting over an hour, we are seated and because they are trying to squeeze our party with a large party, they seat my husband on the same side as the chef, under the vent fan. We are seated there for just a couple minutes before grease is dripping from the vent fan above on to my husband. He now has grease stains on his hat and shirt. I notify staff and they attempt to clean the vent but it's too big of a job. They offer us a another table which we accept; not real happy after waiting over an hour, but we are promised to be seated at the next available table. That did not happen. They seated another large party ahead of us. At this point I am done and leave, I am so upset and lost my appetite. Happy Fathers Day
(1)Tim N.
I guess this IS the place for Teppan based on the huge crowds waiting for a table... I went the sushi bar route. Service was stellar, the place was jammed and the chef's were flying. I had a couple of hand rolls and an age tofu appetizer. This is a personal observation but they use too much rice and too many ingredients in their rolls. A California roll, simple but when you load it up with a ton of one ingredient (in this case cucumbers) it just takes away from things overall.. I wasn't thrilled with the Age tofu because they use soft tofu which doesn't fry well. I wish I'd tried the teppan...
(2)Mike D.
The service can be a little bit or miss and it's a little on the pricey side, but the sushi portions are generous and tasty. I think the Tiger Tear Roll is one of my favorite sushi rolls of all time. One of my favorite sushi places.
(4)Valerie M.
We always come and sit at the sushi bar...one of my favorite places to be. I love this place. The monkey ball roll is to live for
(5)Rick S.
After a few personal recommendations, we decided to try Azuma. I love sushi and teppanyaki but on our trip, we sat on the sushi side of the restaurant. The big problem here is the quality of the rice. It is not the right type of rice for sushi preparation and there is too much of it. Also, it was dry, which is why all of our nori-maki rolls tended to fall apart on us. It's a shame because Azuma's fish is very fresh and the slices are generous. The rice just ruined it for us. Same thing with the fried rice dish, which almost seemed greasy. Big disappointment-there are other places in Albuquerque for better sushi.
(2)Olivia B.
Waited 2 hours to finally get dinner, good food but not worth the time- a lot of mistakes from the staff...overall not a good experience
(1)Kristina L.
I love this place! Best in the business I think. Always a great time & the sushi rolls are perfect, especially the 'Make my day' roll. My kids love this place & the chefs are always nice & funny.
(5)Rich R.
Don't make a reservation as we waited 40 minutes and they pissed off my sister on her birthday. We asked why do you take a reservation & not honor it? They didn't care. We went to Hayashi who got us right in and the service & food there was awesome.
(1)Tom H.
Went last Friday for my Daughters birthday celebration. Had a great time, and great food!! Will definitely be back.
(5)Joyce A.
The food here is also good and chefs always put on a good show. Only thing is the wait takes awhile on the grill side. Sushi side; I think they is always open. Habachi chicken, or steak is always good. Folks are always nice there. But for a large group expect to wait and patking can be an issue sometime.
(4)J.D. V.
I really like the grill experience, we always have a great time, and the food is always great. Only bad is how long the wait is...
(4)Joan G.
Made a reservation which wasn't honored. Worst customer service ever. I will never go back.
(1)Jeremy F.
One of my favorite places to eat in Albuquerque. I'd take anyone on vacation to this place.
(5)S S.
Mediocre. I ordered to go so no experience with service. The price was a little high for the lack of fish incorporated into my sushi rolls. Most of the rolls contained chopped up fish instead of nice chunks and there was entirely too much rice. I assume the amount of rice used was to hide the lack of fish. Probably won't go back.
(2)Kawika K.
Way over priced. Service was average. Order was taken quickly and food came fast. Server did not refill drinks. Food is waaaaaaaaaay over prices. Sushi rice was mushy and too sweet. Fish totally not fresh which was expected prior to coming in. Ambience is awesome. Super beautiful restaurant and awesome design details in restaurants. Had to give two stars because the sushi was 2 stars. I would give another half star for the octopus salad and calamari tempura. Those two dishes I would recommend. Because of those two dishes i may stretch myself and give another star. Not a place to eat if you expect good sushi. Good enough to handle sushi cravings though.
(2)William T.
I just went to Azuma for the first time in a year and half. I always had a shiosaba, unajyu and never had the sushi nigiri and rolls in the past. Tonight, I had it for the first time and I simply do not know what to say. I'm leaving 1 star because the server was nice. If not and if i had a choice, it will be a zero. Not to sound snobby, but I have had real sushi in Japan and I want to just put out a disclaimer that I do not expect the sushi quality in New Mexico to be held to the same standard. No, that is absolutely unreasonable to begin with. I just don't want anyone to think that the sushi that is served here is anything resembling the real stuff. And no, that's not in a snobby way. What is served here is absolute disgrace to the art work of sushi. The chef's were not Japanese that's fine, I've had descent sushi from non-Japanese chefs. But boy, if you're going to try to make a food of another culture, try to have some pride, don't make an absolute garbage. That's like us American's bastardizing real Italian food via Olive Garden, and real Mexican food by Taco Bell. I just had the tuna (maguro) nigiri sushi and the tuna was not fresh (no it's not just because we live in New Mexico, it's beyond that). There is absolutely no technique observed in the preparation, the fish was full of "holes", literally (holy cow, I don't even know how to explain this...) The tuna was too thick (half an inch) and the rice was too sticky. It actually looked like an infant attempted to slap together a sushi with, gosh I should've taken a picture. Gosh, I just wish I could be more descriptive of the low quality garbage I was served tonight but it was just so bad that I don't even know how to. I'm extremely frustrated because I spent $45 worth of total pig food (probably they get served better stuff?) One and a half year ago, I don't think it was this bad. Back then, the unajyu and shiosaba was fine. It wasn't the best, but I was able to eat it and quite frankly, was worth paying for. What I was served tonight was a Fubar. Did all the chefs suddentlyy quit and some fake chefs with no experience take over for temporary measure??? Gosh! I want my money back, that's how freaking mad I am.
(1)Anthony V.
mmmmm I love Azuma's it's so delicious the best Sushi and Tepan grill in town. Great service and great tasting good for reasonable prices.
(5)Nina P.
...
(4)Peter L.
Just to follow up, my wife thanks you for the food poisoning...
(2)Jordana G.
Azuma is OK and they do give you a lot of food. Good place for a large group, although a little hard to talk if there are only two of you. Expect a wait. The Teppan meals are a good value for the money, considering how much food they give you with reasonable quality. Some of the chefs are inconsistent in seasoning the food, which is a problem, but all are entertaining. The noodles served at the Teppan tables are really unnecessary and not that tasty (very bland). We typically save the noodles for take home and not waste our appetite on them. The sushi is OK, but we haven't eaten a lot of it here, so can't really speak to that. Overall, it's good but not great. I think Samurai has better food and is not so much a "place for the masses." You do tend to feel like cattle at Azuma.
(3)Geoff N.
Great Teppan. Nuff said. Can't think of anything else, because it's all good.
(4)Jennifer M.
Came here this evening for dinner with my sister at around 6. The teppan grills were almost all full so we were extra pleased that we didn't have a wait to be seated. The decor is a bit outdated and on the verge of being tacky, which is my biggest complaint. As for the food though, it's great. This evening we were having a little celebration so we decided to order the teppan in addition to a couple sushi rolls. We opted for the Dr. Greg's roll and the Tiger Tear roll. Both were fantastic, but were a mouthful. Maybe they could be cut into a couple more pieces so they're easier to eat. Either way, they were awesome. The teppan is a great deal here, with each entree including miso soup, a salad, grilled vegetables, two shrimp, noodles, and fried rice. We got the Azuma Ribeye and the teppan combo with chicken and scallops. Everything was delicious and HUGE portions. We ended up being pretty full and still having tons of leftovers to take home. Overall, the meal was a hit to the wallet at $80 before tip, but considering we brought home the equivalent of about 4 meals in addition to the 2 huge meals we ate there.. its a good deal. I approve for sure!
(4)John Y.
Visiting from California, I had an urge for sushi. I heard good things about Azuma so I decided to give it a try and came in with a friend. This is a review for the sushi and the service. We arrived at 7:30pm and ordered the Azuma Special (48 pieces of sashimi) at 7:40pm. We sat around and waited for the chef to make the sushi I ordered. After 30 minutes, I asked the waitress what was taking so long and she replied that it's coming soon. After 40 minutes of waiting, I see the chef complete my sushi order but begins to take pictures of what he made. He then asks the waitresses to take a picture of him holding the sushi. I ask the waitress near me if they can please hurry since we are hungry and have been waiting for 40 minutes. She walks over to the chef and says in Chinese that the customers asks us to hurry since they have been waiting for 40 minutes. The chef replies in Chinese, that he doesn't care and it hasn't been that long. The chef then continues to takes photos of his creation and allows different staff and other customers takes photos of the sashimi. Finally after everyone finishes, a waitress comes by and brings our food. I mentioned to the waitress that I understand Chinese and know what they said. The waitress apologized and all the employees became quiet around me. They stopped chatting when around my booth. The food wasn't even that good. The fish was flavorless. I will definitely not be coming back.
(1)Jen S.
Went here with the boyfriend, helping extend his palate on sushi. We ordered the Sashimi combo A, and the sushi combo B. Was more than enough for the two of us, and all the sushi was great. Fresh, and well prepared. I also had tea, which was unique tasting, floral, and the waiter kept refilling it. Service was prompt, and friendly. Our bill was about $70 with tip. Higher end of the expensive scale, but definitely worth it! Recommend for a date or special occasion, unless your good fortune allows you to eat there once a week. They also have Hibachi, which I am yet to try.
(4)Sara P.
They broke their rules on a Friday night and seated me and a friend without our third person. She ended up not coming so they get bonus points for not making us wait in the breeze way. Our waitress was sweet but not very attentive. We had to flag her down to take our sushi sheet. We ordered 4 rolls, an eel roll, monkey balls, aloha roll and the boston roll. The eel roll was very good, a new experience for me. The monkey balls were absolutely delicious. The aloha roll was great, not like sushi I've tasted before. The Boston roll was very bland. After trying a piece, we shoved it to the side and ignored it. Don't order the Boston Roll. I did not like the atmosphere. It was very dark in the sushi area where we were seated. We mentioned it and the waitress mentioned it was romantic. Ok. If you say so. Sushi is visually pleasing as much as palette pleasing food. Why eat in the dark? I dig it. Eat there.
(3)Shane M.
Worst service I have ever had in a restaurant. We didn't get over half of what we ordered. We waited over an hour and a half and they werent busy. They lost our order and absolutely nobody took responsibility for it. Never going back
(1)Raquel G.
The food is great but some of the chefs do cook a little different. One of them put way too much salt on our food. But we continue to go here and the food most of the time is really great! Great price for the filet mignon!
(4)Ashley E.
I couldn't give more than 2 stars...I just couldn't. Sorry, Azuma. It is SO hit or miss in my experience. Sometimes it's no problem and everything comes out fine. The other part of the time things go badly-- I wait for 45 minutes for a table (they don't take reservations), I have a rude server, my food is under or overcooked, and I'm sitting next to screaming frat boys doing sake bombs. The sushi/sashimi has never been anything to write home about either. Save your money and go elsewhere.
(2)Oa L.
The food is ok. ... the price is a liitle bit too high
(3)Mark M.
I'm writing this review about the sushi only. I have been eating sushi for about 20 years, and I've had it in restaurants all over the US, and in other countries around the world. And I have to honestly say that this is in the top 5 best sushi I've ever had in my entire life. And this wasn't a one-time thing. I come to ABQ about once a month, and I always eat here, and the sushi is always amazing. Their salmon nigiri is possibly the single best piece of fish I've ever eaten. It melts in your mouth like butter (as good sushi should). And these reviews that say that it's overpriced are just plain stupid. Those people obviously don't know good sushi, and don't eat in any other sushi restaurants. Azuma provides literally the largest rolls and nigiri pieces you will ever find in any restaurant, and their prices are actually the same or cheaper than many other sushi places. You just can't beat the value for what they provide. I will point out that I usually only take the time to write bad reviews, to warn people away from bad restaurants. But this sushi is just so awesome that I felt compelled to write a positive review.
(5)Philip C.
Skip the sushi. Try True Sushi instead. The teppan is overrated, over-oiled, and over-buttered. We've been here a few times as a work deal, but I'm done. I'd rather bring my leftovers. Rough, huh?
(2)Kira E.
Best of ABQ voters don't lie. Damn good. They have that yummy toasted rice and green tea. I was having a craving for a unique roll from my home town and asked if they could make it. Unagi, cream cheese, avocado, and crab, deep fried. They cut it then deep fried it, which was different, but otherwise totally delish just like I remember it!!! (And they didn't charge me an arm and a leg for a custom roll). I'm DEFINITELY going back!!! AND, NOW THEY'RE OPEN ALL DAY! (I remember the first time I went, they were closed for lunch...so sad!)
(5)Todd M.
I lived in Japan and have had good sushi, so standards are high, but being in the U.S. (and Albuquerque) you can't expect the same thing and I'm not expecting every sushi place will be 4 or 5 stars. But what I do expect from a good place is fresh good fish and real ginger. This place had neither and was far from authentic. When the ginger is bright reddish and wasabi from a tube, it's a warning. Good places have real ginger and real wasabi (and also real green tea ice cream, not vanilla with green tea flavoring). The fish is flash frozen like almost all sushi places, but just not great. Too bad Noda's went out of business, they were great. Crazy fish is MUCH better if you want something closer to authentic with higher quality of fish.
(2)Julie T.
So much fun to take the kids here. They love the show and always rave about the food. Huge portions. Good prices. Great service. Not for those in fear of carbs....or fire.
(4)Ashley S.
Okay - it is really hard to give a sushi joint in the middle of wild west more than 4 stars. Azuma has the freshest sushi in Albuquerque and the friendliest service. Go, ask to sit in John's section, tell him Ashley sent you and then order the kissing roll. He will take great care of you. Oh, and tell him I will be back soon.
(4)Jack D.
ABQ Magazine Best of the City for Sushi. Really? I decided to try it since it was names "Best of the City." I was very disappointed. It seemed that the hand rolls were prepared in advance as indicated by the soggy seaweed paper. The rolls were OK, nothing special. There are better places in town such as I Love Sushi and Sushi and Saki. Good luck!
(2)Sharon L.
Had seen the ads on TV and decided to give it a shot. The Old Man loves the big show with all the food flying and all that chef ninja shit. 2 friends of ours had mentioned wanting to go there so... Couples night date! Friday night was busy as all hell but at least we had lots of gossip and tons and trainwreck people watching so the wait wasn't too bad. Yeah maybe the day after Thanksgiving wasn't the best time to go. I've been to several of these kinds of restarants and usually the clientel are a little less casual and there aren't as many kids, but hey, this is Albuquerque and they make this shit up as they go. The Oldman got hot tea which he claimed was decent. Our firends had the Kirin rice beer and I had Iced tea while we waited for the soup and salad. The soup wasn'r even proper Miso but more of a Dashi stock with a few slivers of mushrooms,tofu and a scattering of green onions. Meh. The salad was typical and neither good or bad. Only 2 chouces of dressing (creamy "mayo" like or the ginger soy). We ordered 4 rolls and the seafood tempura to start while we waited for our chef to make an appearance. The tempura was tasty as all hell and the giant strips of calamari were mindblowingly tender. The oild might have been a little dirty they cooked it in as there were some black and brown char bits here and there on the pieces but the taste was still good. The rolls were nothing remarkable with rice on the dry and flavourless side (where my mild hint of vinegar bitches ?!?!?) and the fish was not all that. So anyone who says that this is the place for sushi has no idea what they are talking about or has never had truly good sushi. The waiter was really attentive with refilling all our drinks despite previous claims to the contrary. The "dinner show" was pretty good although I was jealous as all hell that the table next to us got the party like a rawk star chef who was constantly doing saki bombs with the patrons. Saki+flammable liquids+soused chef=fraught with disaster. Alas I was disappointed and the loud Jewish mothers hair didn't catch on fire nor did he accidently flip a flaming hot shrimps into some kids eye. As far as the Teppan portion of our meal... The rice and noodles were basic and noth much to write home about. The veggies were cooked fairly well and tasty. I ordered the scallops and was amazed at how many I got. Well worth the $$. Old Man had the steak and our firends had the shrimp and beef. Too much food for one person so try splitting if you all can agree on the same dish. I took my scallops and veggies home and made a kick ass omelette for lunch the next day which the Old Man promptly weezed on as he always does. Fucker.
(3)Denise H.
I was treated to a wonderful evening by a great guy who convinced me of my first real taste of salmon sashimi, now I am hooked! Tried sushi in the past & didn't much care for it, but these chefs are true pros. The atmosphere was delightful and the service great! The company was even better though~ :)
(5)Sarah S.
Ok. So I'm not going to pretend I'm a sushi connoisseur, or anything like that. I am completely mystified by the rave reviews though. I only tried the sushi side of the house, so this review only pertains to that. Maybe the teppan grill is better, but I will not be returning and I will not recommend others to come here either. Myself and a friend came after work last week because we were both craving sushi and we wanted to give a new restaurant a try and since Azuma was voted "best in the city" we thought it would be a good choice. We ordered the pork gyozas, fried tofu, unagi roll, the kissing roll, and the one with volcano in the name. The gyozas were so bad we sent them back. The plus, they did take them off our bill. They came out very greasy and highly fried. The comment was, "frozen ones from Costco are better". The fried tofu was not much better. The tofu was tossed in a bread crumb and something that reminded me of seaweed flakes before fried. If you could imagine tofu more bland, this would be it. Disappointing to say the least. The rolls were not much better. The eel sauce was super sweet like extra corn syrup was added to it. The kissing roll the fish wasn't that flavorful, the rolls were made way to fat so you couldn't get it into your mouth, but it was stuffed with a ton of rice and cream cheese to bulk it up like that. On top of each cut piece there was some type of flavored mayo. I thought it was inappropriate and it was very heavy in taste and overwhelmed the fish. The quite frankly ruined the sushi experience for me. I tried to scrape it off, but even with that, the roll was still unflavorful. I think they use many of the sauces to mask the lack of flavor in the fish and vegetables. I did not try the Volcano one, but it didn't look that appetizing. I don't think I was missing out on that one. On top of this, the place is expensive in comparison to other sushi places in town and is one of the worst places I've been to in town. Not worth the money or time. Try somewhere else if you're looking for good sushi; our pocketbooks and tastebuds were disappointed and yours may be too.
(2)Tom C.
Lunch, was pretty quick. Great chef this time. Food is always good. A little salty but that's just each person's pref.
(4)Ernesto V.
OK! This is my first Real review so be gentle! I haven't really got into the whole Yelp review thing but I just HAD to review the Azuma Sushi & Teppan. The Food that I had at this place was Amazing. I had the the Sirloin Steak and Lobster. I know what your thinking. Steak and Lobster at a sushi joint? That's just the kinda Guy I am when it comes to food. Boring and Predictable. =) The Chef cooks right in front of you and about 8 other people or so. They start you off with a Small Salad with Ginger, Pretty decent since I don't like ginger. He precedes to make fried rice with his fancy egg cracking and shell tossing that was fun to watch, Then he makes some sort of chow mien Noodles. Yum! Fries up some Vegetables! Cooks shrimp and tosses a couple to everyone! Yikers! By this time I'm getting full already and I have not even had my steak and lobster which were both amazing! I recommend making a reservation. We showed up with no reservation and waited for about 45 minutes which is not to bad but the waiting area is small and crowded on a Friday Night. My Friend had Sushi and Sake and he said it was also really good. Just in case some of you wanted to know. Not sure what he had. I know one was Sushi with Green Chili. New Mexico is known for their Chili. Plus Don't forget the Plum Wine! Very sweet and tasty! Hope This helps everyone! WWW.azuma888.com
(4)Paul H.
Many people love Azuma's. There are good things about it. I have not tried their sushi - only the teppan grill. Some people say the sushi is good, some say bad - read the reviews to find out. The grill was dirty when we got there, and we ended up waiting about 25 minutes before the chef came out to cook our food - mind you, this was lunch on a weekday. It was not hardly busy. He did clean the grill, but the one behind him was obviously dirty and not being cleaned promptly. That made me nervous. The fried rice was overly spicy, although the teriyaki salmon was well prepared. The teriyaki chicken and steak were very good. The wait staff was okay, except that drink refills were slow. The restaurant does look great. The partitions are nice looking and the lighting makes for a really good feel. In terms of a teppan grill, yes, the chef was very good and entertaining. However the fried rice was not good, the restaurant did not appear clean, and the wait staff was slow.
(2)Tony M.
I have been here several times and love the choices for sushi. My only complaint is that the service is really slow and the servers are not very attentive.
(3)Paula A.
First time here in albuquerque new mexico ...... my husband brought me here to have sushi I had such a good time here mostly if u sit a the bar.... The guys at the bar r funny.....
(4)Cathy F.
Our meal was delicious and entertaining ! We took our grand kids and they had a blast. Price was very good. We will go back again.
(4)Lynne H.
Let's see. Where to begin? This was our first visit to Azuma, and this was also the first time we've ever had a Japanese meal consisting entirely of specialty rolls (we usually get sashimi too). Pros: 1. The rolls we ordered were quite creative and worked well, with some combinations that we've never encountered before. 2. The service is excellent, attentive and quick but not hover-ey. 3. I like the green / genmai (roasted barley) tea combination they serve. 4. Their bowls of rice are big. My spouse and I shared a single bowl and still had a little bit left over. 5. The miso soup wasn't too salty, and the marinated cucumber salad with bits of seaweed and fake crab was a refreshing change from the standard iceberg. 6. Decor is very nice. The beautiful etched glass panels set into the dividers provide privacy without complete opacity, and the panels' designs were (as far as I could tell without making myself too conspicuous) all different. 7. The rolls came out in a palate pleasing order, from the mildest at the beginning, peaking to the spiciest roll for the third presentation, and a moderately spicy cool-down for the last roll. 8. Service was relatively quick, even on Valentine's Day evening when the place was packed. Cons: 1. They really need to go easier on their sauces. Our futomaki roll was drenched in brown teriyaki sauce, masking any taste subtleties it might otherwise have had. Another roll was doused not only with teriyaki sauce, but also with way too much srirachi hot sauce; fortunately the latter was dolloped on the top of the roll so we were able to remove most of it. Next time we're going to specify "no teriyaki sauce" for our entire meal. 2. The bathrooms are saturated with rose scent (at least the women's room was; I didn't check the men's). I love rose scent, but this was too much even for me. 3. Prices are somewhat higher than in other Japanese restaurants of comparable quality. Rolls that would be priced at $10 to $12 elsewhere, here were $12 to $15. And hot tea for two cost $4. So for 4 specialty rolls and hot tea (the bowl of rice somehow didn't make it onto our bill), we were charged $61 (including tax but before tip). 4. There are only two (non-teppan) tables that can accommodate more than 4 people. One corner booth seats 6, and there's a special-event table in the back that seats up to 12. So if you're dining with a group that doesn't want teppan, you'll need to either make a reservation or go elsewhere.
(3)Michael N.
DISGUSTING!!! I've been to all Teppen spots in Albuquerque and I have to say this is probably the worst experience ever. The food was cooked with TONS of MSG, each bite was unbearable and had to be rinsed down with tons of water. I don't know if the chef was drunk but he was coating our food with layer after layer of SALT and MSG. Its been a month since I've been there and the taste of that salty scallop touching my palette still gives me nightmares. Do not recommend,. If you really want great Teppen, Japanese Kitchen is the way to go.
(1)Monica C.
I was anxious to try Azuma's since it gets such great reviews. I've been to Japanese Kitchen and Samurai's here in town, so I wanted to see how it would compare. Unfortunately I was less than overwhelmed. The food was tasty, but other things detracted from the experience. We were led to the table by a rather high strung, impatient little man. (He later calmed down and was more pleasant). The chairs are horribly uncomfortable and hard to get into a good position. We were first served the standard soup, which was better than I've had at other restaurants. At the other restaurants I wondered if they didn't get the soup water from their decorative fish ponds! Azuma's wasn't bad - a little salty but an improvement over the others. Next came an non-descript salad. I thought it was fine, but one of my dining companions thought the dressing was too sweet. Several of us ordered the shrimp and filet mignon combo. Pricey, but hopefully worth it. Our cook wasn't as talented as others I've seen, but he was adequate enough. He seemed distracted most of the time and did not have as many "tricks" as some of the other cooks. He was alright. I must admit they gave us plenty of shrimp and the meat was more or less tender. I got a few pieces with gristle, (which I seem cursed to always get!), but the flavor was good. There was plenty of food to provide leftovers for two more meals. Like I said the food tasted good, but little things bugged. The little man was slow to refill our glasses of water, slow to bring them in the first place, plus he forgot straws when he first brought them out. Again, the chairs are the worse of the three "Teppan" type restaurants in town. I might have given them three stars just for the food, but the other factors forced me to just give two. Now I have to admit, I did not try the sushi. I think that's where they probably shine and get those glowing reviews. I don't eat sushi so I wouldn't know what I was talking about anyway. Summary: food was good, but would rather go to Samurai's.
(2)Judy C.
I have been here several times. The first time I sat on the hibachi side and was disappointed in the food and thought I would never go back. But let me tell you something, the secret is to sit on the sushi side of the restaurant. Service is quick and the food is tastier. I will only sit on the sushi side. I really enjoy the tiger rolls and spider rolls and the california rolls aren't bad for New Mexico.
(4)Charles H.
You can get desert sushi anywhere but the best Miso soup complimentary appetizer is here.
(5)Kimber S.
Ummm...no. We've been three times now and have been disappointed each time. Subpar sushi. Below average teppan grill. Sloooowwww service. How on earth is this place consistently crowded? Go to Sushiya instead.
(2)Pam S.
Since I have heard good things aboutt his restaurant, I went there to have sushi and japanese noodle for dinner. It's a very disappointing experience because nothing taste right. The sushi rice did not cook well and so the sushi just fall apart, can't even hold its shape. They don't even make the classic nabeyaki udon right, the noodle soup taste strangely. Perhaps their Teppan Grill could be a better choice.
(1)Hilary S.
Great food and tons of it!
(4)John Y.
Visiting from California, I had an urge for sushi. I heard good things about Azuma so I decided to give it a try and came in with a friend. This is a review for the sushi and the service. We arrived at 7:30pm and ordered the Azuma Special (48 pieces of sashimi) at 7:40pm. We sat around and waited for the chef to make the sushi I ordered. After 30 minutes, I asked the waitress what was taking so long and she replied that it's coming soon. After 40 minutes of waiting, I see the chef complete my sushi order but begins to take pictures of what he made. He then asks the waitresses to take a picture of him holding the sushi. I ask the waitress near me if they can please hurry since we are hungry and have been waiting for 40 minutes. She walks over to the chef and says in Chinese that the customers asks us to hurry since they have been waiting for 40 minutes. The chef replies in Chinese, that he doesn't care and it hasn't been that long. The chef then continues to takes photos of his creation and allows different staff and other customers takes photos of the sashimi. Finally after everyone finishes, a waitress comes by and brings our food. I mentioned to the waitress that I understand Chinese and know what they said. The waitress apologized and all the employees became quiet around me. They stopped chatting when around my booth. The food wasn't even that good. The fish was flavorless. I will definitely not be coming back.
(1)Philip C.
Skip the sushi. Try True Sushi instead. The teppan is overrated, over-oiled, and over-buttered. We've been here a few times as a work deal, but I'm done. I'd rather bring my leftovers. Rough, huh?
(2)Kira E.
Best of ABQ voters don't lie. Damn good. They have that yummy toasted rice and green tea. I was having a craving for a unique roll from my home town and asked if they could make it. Unagi, cream cheese, avocado, and crab, deep fried. They cut it then deep fried it, which was different, but otherwise totally delish just like I remember it!!! (And they didn't charge me an arm and a leg for a custom roll). I'm DEFINITELY going back!!! AND, NOW THEY'RE OPEN ALL DAY! (I remember the first time I went, they were closed for lunch...so sad!)
(5)Sarah S.
Ok. So I'm not going to pretend I'm a sushi connoisseur, or anything like that. I am completely mystified by the rave reviews though. I only tried the sushi side of the house, so this review only pertains to that. Maybe the teppan grill is better, but I will not be returning and I will not recommend others to come here either. Myself and a friend came after work last week because we were both craving sushi and we wanted to give a new restaurant a try and since Azuma was voted "best in the city" we thought it would be a good choice. We ordered the pork gyozas, fried tofu, unagi roll, the kissing roll, and the one with volcano in the name. The gyozas were so bad we sent them back. The plus, they did take them off our bill. They came out very greasy and highly fried. The comment was, "frozen ones from Costco are better". The fried tofu was not much better. The tofu was tossed in a bread crumb and something that reminded me of seaweed flakes before fried. If you could imagine tofu more bland, this would be it. Disappointing to say the least. The rolls were not much better. The eel sauce was super sweet like extra corn syrup was added to it. The kissing roll the fish wasn't that flavorful, the rolls were made way to fat so you couldn't get it into your mouth, but it was stuffed with a ton of rice and cream cheese to bulk it up like that. On top of each cut piece there was some type of flavored mayo. I thought it was inappropriate and it was very heavy in taste and overwhelmed the fish. The quite frankly ruined the sushi experience for me. I tried to scrape it off, but even with that, the roll was still unflavorful. I think they use many of the sauces to mask the lack of flavor in the fish and vegetables. I did not try the Volcano one, but it didn't look that appetizing. I don't think I was missing out on that one. On top of this, the place is expensive in comparison to other sushi places in town and is one of the worst places I've been to in town. Not worth the money or time. Try somewhere else if you're looking for good sushi; our pocketbooks and tastebuds were disappointed and yours may be too.
(2)Tom C.
Lunch, was pretty quick. Great chef this time. Food is always good. A little salty but that's just each person's pref.
(4)Jen S.
Went here with the boyfriend, helping extend his palate on sushi. We ordered the Sashimi combo A, and the sushi combo B. Was more than enough for the two of us, and all the sushi was great. Fresh, and well prepared. I also had tea, which was unique tasting, floral, and the waiter kept refilling it. Service was prompt, and friendly. Our bill was about $70 with tip. Higher end of the expensive scale, but definitely worth it! Recommend for a date or special occasion, unless your good fortune allows you to eat there once a week. They also have Hibachi, which I am yet to try.
(4)Trey G.
We've been here twice. On our first visit we had the Teppan which was average in comparison to other places we've been (outside of ABQ). On our second visit we went for sushi which again was simply average. However, the people sitting beside us were splurging on some of the more expensive rolls which looked delicious and they really seemed to enjoy all of them. We stuck with the shrimp tempura, spicy tuna roll, and the yellow tail. I guess we should've splurged on the specialty rolls because what we had was very disappointing.
(2)Carla F.
This was a great place! Informal & comfortable environment. Prices were about $15 to $18 a plate depending on what you ordered. We went to the grill side - sushi on the other side of the building. About 10 or so people sit bar style around the grill, and the chef does his performance. He prepares the course then portions it out among the people, so I think if you had special requests - such as no shellfish - you'd want to say ahead because one of the dishes is a fried rice with tiny shrimp. Only thing I can whine about is that it was a bit salty. He used alot of MSG and salt mix - I asked what he kept shaking on the food as he prepared and that was what he said it was. Other than that, the show was entertaining, the staff friendly, and the overall atmosphere very nice.
(4)Ernesto V.
OK! This is my first Real review so be gentle! I haven't really got into the whole Yelp review thing but I just HAD to review the Azuma Sushi & Teppan. The Food that I had at this place was Amazing. I had the the Sirloin Steak and Lobster. I know what your thinking. Steak and Lobster at a sushi joint? That's just the kinda Guy I am when it comes to food. Boring and Predictable. =) The Chef cooks right in front of you and about 8 other people or so. They start you off with a Small Salad with Ginger, Pretty decent since I don't like ginger. He precedes to make fried rice with his fancy egg cracking and shell tossing that was fun to watch, Then he makes some sort of chow mien Noodles. Yum! Fries up some Vegetables! Cooks shrimp and tosses a couple to everyone! Yikers! By this time I'm getting full already and I have not even had my steak and lobster which were both amazing! I recommend making a reservation. We showed up with no reservation and waited for about 45 minutes which is not to bad but the waiting area is small and crowded on a Friday Night. My Friend had Sushi and Sake and he said it was also really good. Just in case some of you wanted to know. Not sure what he had. I know one was Sushi with Green Chili. New Mexico is known for their Chili. Plus Don't forget the Plum Wine! Very sweet and tasty! Hope This helps everyone! WWW.azuma888.com
(4)Ashley S.
Okay - it is really hard to give a sushi joint in the middle of wild west more than 4 stars. Azuma has the freshest sushi in Albuquerque and the friendliest service. Go, ask to sit in John's section, tell him Ashley sent you and then order the kissing roll. He will take great care of you. Oh, and tell him I will be back soon.
(4)Jack D.
ABQ Magazine Best of the City for Sushi. Really? I decided to try it since it was names "Best of the City." I was very disappointed. It seemed that the hand rolls were prepared in advance as indicated by the soggy seaweed paper. The rolls were OK, nothing special. There are better places in town such as I Love Sushi and Sushi and Saki. Good luck!
(2)Sharon L.
Had seen the ads on TV and decided to give it a shot. The Old Man loves the big show with all the food flying and all that chef ninja shit. 2 friends of ours had mentioned wanting to go there so... Couples night date! Friday night was busy as all hell but at least we had lots of gossip and tons and trainwreck people watching so the wait wasn't too bad. Yeah maybe the day after Thanksgiving wasn't the best time to go. I've been to several of these kinds of restarants and usually the clientel are a little less casual and there aren't as many kids, but hey, this is Albuquerque and they make this shit up as they go. The Oldman got hot tea which he claimed was decent. Our firends had the Kirin rice beer and I had Iced tea while we waited for the soup and salad. The soup wasn'r even proper Miso but more of a Dashi stock with a few slivers of mushrooms,tofu and a scattering of green onions. Meh. The salad was typical and neither good or bad. Only 2 chouces of dressing (creamy "mayo" like or the ginger soy). We ordered 4 rolls and the seafood tempura to start while we waited for our chef to make an appearance. The tempura was tasty as all hell and the giant strips of calamari were mindblowingly tender. The oild might have been a little dirty they cooked it in as there were some black and brown char bits here and there on the pieces but the taste was still good. The rolls were nothing remarkable with rice on the dry and flavourless side (where my mild hint of vinegar bitches ?!?!?) and the fish was not all that. So anyone who says that this is the place for sushi has no idea what they are talking about or has never had truly good sushi. The waiter was really attentive with refilling all our drinks despite previous claims to the contrary. The "dinner show" was pretty good although I was jealous as all hell that the table next to us got the party like a rawk star chef who was constantly doing saki bombs with the patrons. Saki+flammable liquids+soused chef=fraught with disaster. Alas I was disappointed and the loud Jewish mothers hair didn't catch on fire nor did he accidently flip a flaming hot shrimps into some kids eye. As far as the Teppan portion of our meal... The rice and noodles were basic and noth much to write home about. The veggies were cooked fairly well and tasty. I ordered the scallops and was amazed at how many I got. Well worth the $$. Old Man had the steak and our firends had the shrimp and beef. Too much food for one person so try splitting if you all can agree on the same dish. I took my scallops and veggies home and made a kick ass omelette for lunch the next day which the Old Man promptly weezed on as he always does. Fucker.
(3)Lynne H.
Let's see. Where to begin? This was our first visit to Azuma, and this was also the first time we've ever had a Japanese meal consisting entirely of specialty rolls (we usually get sashimi too). Pros: 1. The rolls we ordered were quite creative and worked well, with some combinations that we've never encountered before. 2. The service is excellent, attentive and quick but not hover-ey. 3. I like the green / genmai (roasted barley) tea combination they serve. 4. Their bowls of rice are big. My spouse and I shared a single bowl and still had a little bit left over. 5. The miso soup wasn't too salty, and the marinated cucumber salad with bits of seaweed and fake crab was a refreshing change from the standard iceberg. 6. Decor is very nice. The beautiful etched glass panels set into the dividers provide privacy without complete opacity, and the panels' designs were (as far as I could tell without making myself too conspicuous) all different. 7. The rolls came out in a palate pleasing order, from the mildest at the beginning, peaking to the spiciest roll for the third presentation, and a moderately spicy cool-down for the last roll. 8. Service was relatively quick, even on Valentine's Day evening when the place was packed. Cons: 1. They really need to go easier on their sauces. Our futomaki roll was drenched in brown teriyaki sauce, masking any taste subtleties it might otherwise have had. Another roll was doused not only with teriyaki sauce, but also with way too much srirachi hot sauce; fortunately the latter was dolloped on the top of the roll so we were able to remove most of it. Next time we're going to specify "no teriyaki sauce" for our entire meal. 2. The bathrooms are saturated with rose scent (at least the women's room was; I didn't check the men's). I love rose scent, but this was too much even for me. 3. Prices are somewhat higher than in other Japanese restaurants of comparable quality. Rolls that would be priced at $10 to $12 elsewhere, here were $12 to $15. And hot tea for two cost $4. So for 4 specialty rolls and hot tea (the bowl of rice somehow didn't make it onto our bill), we were charged $61 (including tax but before tip). 4. There are only two (non-teppan) tables that can accommodate more than 4 people. One corner booth seats 6, and there's a special-event table in the back that seats up to 12. So if you're dining with a group that doesn't want teppan, you'll need to either make a reservation or go elsewhere.
(3)Michael N.
DISGUSTING!!! I've been to all Teppen spots in Albuquerque and I have to say this is probably the worst experience ever. The food was cooked with TONS of MSG, each bite was unbearable and had to be rinsed down with tons of water. I don't know if the chef was drunk but he was coating our food with layer after layer of SALT and MSG. Its been a month since I've been there and the taste of that salty scallop touching my palette still gives me nightmares. Do not recommend,. If you really want great Teppen, Japanese Kitchen is the way to go.
(1)Cathy F.
Our meal was delicious and entertaining ! We took our grand kids and they had a blast. Price was very good. We will go back again.
(4)Monica C.
I was anxious to try Azuma's since it gets such great reviews. I've been to Japanese Kitchen and Samurai's here in town, so I wanted to see how it would compare. Unfortunately I was less than overwhelmed. The food was tasty, but other things detracted from the experience. We were led to the table by a rather high strung, impatient little man. (He later calmed down and was more pleasant). The chairs are horribly uncomfortable and hard to get into a good position. We were first served the standard soup, which was better than I've had at other restaurants. At the other restaurants I wondered if they didn't get the soup water from their decorative fish ponds! Azuma's wasn't bad - a little salty but an improvement over the others. Next came an non-descript salad. I thought it was fine, but one of my dining companions thought the dressing was too sweet. Several of us ordered the shrimp and filet mignon combo. Pricey, but hopefully worth it. Our cook wasn't as talented as others I've seen, but he was adequate enough. He seemed distracted most of the time and did not have as many "tricks" as some of the other cooks. He was alright. I must admit they gave us plenty of shrimp and the meat was more or less tender. I got a few pieces with gristle, (which I seem cursed to always get!), but the flavor was good. There was plenty of food to provide leftovers for two more meals. Like I said the food tasted good, but little things bugged. The little man was slow to refill our glasses of water, slow to bring them in the first place, plus he forgot straws when he first brought them out. Again, the chairs are the worse of the three "Teppan" type restaurants in town. I might have given them three stars just for the food, but the other factors forced me to just give two. Now I have to admit, I did not try the sushi. I think that's where they probably shine and get those glowing reviews. I don't eat sushi so I wouldn't know what I was talking about anyway. Summary: food was good, but would rather go to Samurai's.
(2)Judy C.
I have been here several times. The first time I sat on the hibachi side and was disappointed in the food and thought I would never go back. But let me tell you something, the secret is to sit on the sushi side of the restaurant. Service is quick and the food is tastier. I will only sit on the sushi side. I really enjoy the tiger rolls and spider rolls and the california rolls aren't bad for New Mexico.
(4)Charles H.
You can get desert sushi anywhere but the best Miso soup complimentary appetizer is here.
(5)Danielle F.
My boyfriend currently lives in New Mexico and I live in California. While visiting him sometime last year he took me to this restaurant because him and I LOVE sushi. The first time he took me we had the most terrible waitress. We asked her if she could recommend anything from the menu worth trying (since it was my first time here). You would think this would be the time for her to recommend the most expensive thing on the menu or SOMETHING. We simply got an 'I dont know' answer.(literally) It was quite sad because at the same time at the table across from us a waiter was recommending some stuff to his customers. I ended up getting a teriyaki bowl and I got chicken over plain rice (no teriyaki sauce?) couldn't flag down the waitress because she was no where to be found to ask her if i can get soy sauce for the rice and teriyaki sauce to go with my chicken. I ended up eating the chicken and started on the rice. Only to find out that the sauce was beneath ALL the rice in the bowl. (odd). On top of that she refused to serve my boyfriend beer because she didnt think his license was real. My first visit was a nightmare but I must admit we did go back a second time and the waiter we had was awesome and we order 95 worth of sushi. I guess it really is a hit and miss. I do wish to go back when I am in New Mexico and I do hope that my experience then wont be like my first visit.
(3)Kimber S.
Ummm...no. We've been three times now and have been disappointed each time. Subpar sushi. Below average teppan grill. Sloooowwww service. How on earth is this place consistently crowded? Go to Sushiya instead.
(2)Pam S.
Since I have heard good things aboutt his restaurant, I went there to have sushi and japanese noodle for dinner. It's a very disappointing experience because nothing taste right. The sushi rice did not cook well and so the sushi just fall apart, can't even hold its shape. They don't even make the classic nabeyaki udon right, the noodle soup taste strangely. Perhaps their Teppan Grill could be a better choice.
(1)Hilary S.
Great food and tons of it!
(4)Douglas D.
generally ive had good experiences, until last night......asked for no onions, no pepper or spices....both to the confused waiter and the chef...chef then covered everything with mixed salt pepper and garlic...WHO PUTS GARLIC ON JAPANESE FOOD?...i give them a four because of previous experiences
(4)Julie T.
So much fun to take the kids here. They love the show and always rave about the food. Huge portions. Good prices. Great service. Not for those in fear of carbs....or fire.
(4)Paula A.
First time here in albuquerque new mexico ...... my husband brought me here to have sushi I had such a good time here mostly if u sit a the bar.... The guys at the bar r funny.....
(4)Paul H.
Many people love Azuma's. There are good things about it. I have not tried their sushi - only the teppan grill. Some people say the sushi is good, some say bad - read the reviews to find out. The grill was dirty when we got there, and we ended up waiting about 25 minutes before the chef came out to cook our food - mind you, this was lunch on a weekday. It was not hardly busy. He did clean the grill, but the one behind him was obviously dirty and not being cleaned promptly. That made me nervous. The fried rice was overly spicy, although the teriyaki salmon was well prepared. The teriyaki chicken and steak were very good. The wait staff was okay, except that drink refills were slow. The restaurant does look great. The partitions are nice looking and the lighting makes for a really good feel. In terms of a teppan grill, yes, the chef was very good and entertaining. However the fried rice was not good, the restaurant did not appear clean, and the wait staff was slow.
(2)Tony M.
I have been here several times and love the choices for sushi. My only complaint is that the service is really slow and the servers are not very attentive.
(3)Denise H.
I was treated to a wonderful evening by a great guy who convinced me of my first real taste of salmon sashimi, now I am hooked! Tried sushi in the past & didn't much care for it, but these chefs are true pros. The atmosphere was delightful and the service great! The company was even better though~ :)
(5)Todd M.
I lived in Japan and have had good sushi, so standards are high, but being in the U.S. (and Albuquerque) you can't expect the same thing and I'm not expecting every sushi place will be 4 or 5 stars. But what I do expect from a good place is fresh good fish and real ginger. This place had neither and was far from authentic. When the ginger is bright reddish and wasabi from a tube, it's a warning. Good places have real ginger and real wasabi (and also real green tea ice cream, not vanilla with green tea flavoring). The fish is flash frozen like almost all sushi places, but just not great. Too bad Noda's went out of business, they were great. Crazy fish is MUCH better if you want something closer to authentic with higher quality of fish.
(2)Ricky M.
Azuma is known to be the best place in Albq for its Teppan but I simply have to disagree. I mean the place isn't bad, the portions are huge, and the chefs do the typical onion volcano show that everyone has seen a million times. So why the mediocre rating? Well the wait times here absolutely suck, prices are a bit higher than other places around town, and there are better places around town for cheaper without waiting. Now I will say this place does have some killer sushi rolls which I really enjoyed but I would rather go over to I Love Sushi or Hayashi.
(3)Douglas D.
generally ive had good experiences, until last night......asked for no onions, no pepper or spices....both to the confused waiter and the chef...chef then covered everything with mixed salt pepper and garlic...WHO PUTS GARLIC ON JAPANESE FOOD?...i give them a four because of previous experiences
(4)Trey G.
We've been here twice. On our first visit we had the Teppan which was average in comparison to other places we've been (outside of ABQ). On our second visit we went for sushi which again was simply average. However, the people sitting beside us were splurging on some of the more expensive rolls which looked delicious and they really seemed to enjoy all of them. We stuck with the shrimp tempura, spicy tuna roll, and the yellow tail. I guess we should've splurged on the specialty rolls because what we had was very disappointing.
(2)Carla F.
This was a great place! Informal & comfortable environment. Prices were about $15 to $18 a plate depending on what you ordered. We went to the grill side - sushi on the other side of the building. About 10 or so people sit bar style around the grill, and the chef does his performance. He prepares the course then portions it out among the people, so I think if you had special requests - such as no shellfish - you'd want to say ahead because one of the dishes is a fried rice with tiny shrimp. Only thing I can whine about is that it was a bit salty. He used alot of MSG and salt mix - I asked what he kept shaking on the food as he prepared and that was what he said it was. Other than that, the show was entertaining, the staff friendly, and the overall atmosphere very nice.
(4)Jordan A.
I can't believe I haven't written a review for Azumas!!! We absolutely love this place. My fiancé loves to order sushi to start, and we've never had a bad roll yet. But the reason Azumas is truly my favorite place of this type is because you really get what you're paying for in this place. They bring out their house soup, you get salad, plus they give you both fried rice and noodles, which are always the tastiest!! The cooks always have a wonderful sense of humor, and I've never not enjoyed a dinner in here. It's truly one of the most enjoyable experiences I've had while dining in Albuquerque.
(5)Matthew V.
This is a review of the sushi. I was very pleased all around with the quality of the sushi. My standard test of the Tuna nigiri produced excellent results. Great 1/8-3/16 inch thickness cut and the ratio of fish to rice was great as well. Taste was simple and clean. Also had the unagi roll and rainbow roll. Both were well prepared and clean tight rolls. I have 2 complaints- 1. The water I was served tasted very odd- can't put my finger on it but it was very displeasing. 2. The selection of sushi, with exception of nigiri, is small; elegant, but small.
(3)Agatha A.
Their idea of sushi resembles a really bad Asian pasta dish. Ordered a "white angel" and a volcano roll and both were drowned in a sauce with scallops that looked like a clam sauce with linguini. The soybean paper wrapping one of the dishes actually had the texture of paper. Was I supposed to eat it? Weird. Also ordered the New Mexico roll. Isn't it supposed to be garnished with tobiko sauce, NOT mayo!!?? Had better sushi at other nearby, underrated places like Tokyo Kitchen.
(1)Joshua H.
Average. Good house soup. Salad had way too much dressing. Rice and chicken was good. Noodles didn't have any flavor. The cook and waiter were friendly. The price was average. The carpet smelled like it needed a good shampooing.
(3)William A.
Wonderful service and food. The cook gave us a great show. I recommend this place to everybody.
(5)Ashley P.
It hurts my heart to give this place only 3 stars. I wanted to love it. Why didn't I love it, you ask? Well... When we arrived, we were seated promptly on the teppan side of the place... Where we proceeded to wait over 30 minutes for drinks. We ordered sushi to tide us over because we knew that like any teppan place, the food takes a while to prepare. Our sushi arrived after we already had our food. It was delicious, don't get me wrong... But I still can't understand why it arrived over an hour after ordering. We waited nearly an hour for the table to be filled, and the chef to come cook. The food was good, but not as good as I wanted it to be. The flavor was bland, and my rice was under cooked. I never got a refill on my drink, my salad bowl was never removed, and I spent the entire dinner feeling cramped. Azuma, you broke my heart.
(3)Raina M.
Tasty! The rolls are tightly formed and the perfect size... nothing's worse than having your food crumble in route to your pie hole. The pink lady, Dr. Gregg and caterpillar are a few of my favorites. HOWEVER The service is hit n miss and the the bathrooms are absolutely DISGUSTING! !! I feel like the whole restaurant needs. A serious deep cleaning.
(3)Aerlin I.
Amazing place. I had just returned from Japan looking for some real Japanese food, and this place was pretty close to the real thing. The fried noodles and rice were very delicious. The miso soup is nice as well. The part that counts was the meat. Not quite traditional Japanese gyunniku, but pretty close to it. We had some salmon sushi as well.
(5)Tru D.
Been wanting to do review on this place for awhile now so got some time today to do that. It's a great place to take family and friends on the grill side .my kids enjoyed the "show" which involves fire :) their soup is so good and flavorful. I recommend the sumo rolls as it's mine and my husband's favorite and get it every time .portions are nig so be prepared.I didn't like how the cooked chopped up the steak instead of leaving it while and our waitress was super friendly and helpful. I didn't find out till after they have to give a percentage of their tip to the cooks which I thought was unfair cuz I tip both. Other than that it's always good Im a returning customer.
(4)Christina S.
Whether we eat at the teppan grill or in the sushi bar the food and service are always good! They make one of my favorite sushi rolls and always accommodate special requests, sometimes with suggestions of their own.The only two problems I've ever had are leaving so full you can hardly breathe but still have a to-go box full of food you never got to and the wait. The wait time is so long sometimes that we'll opt for other area places instead so we don't have to stand and watch people eat for an hour before we're seated.
(4)Rich R.
Don't make a reservation as we waited 40 minutes and they pissed off my sister on her birthday. We asked why do you take a reservation & not honor it? They didn't care. We went to Hayashi who got us right in and the service & food there was awesome.
(1)Tom H.
Went last Friday for my Daughters birthday celebration. Had a great time, and great food!! Will definitely be back.
(5)Danielle F.
My boyfriend currently lives in New Mexico and I live in California. While visiting him sometime last year he took me to this restaurant because him and I LOVE sushi. The first time he took me we had the most terrible waitress. We asked her if she could recommend anything from the menu worth trying (since it was my first time here). You would think this would be the time for her to recommend the most expensive thing on the menu or SOMETHING. We simply got an 'I dont know' answer.(literally) It was quite sad because at the same time at the table across from us a waiter was recommending some stuff to his customers. I ended up getting a teriyaki bowl and I got chicken over plain rice (no teriyaki sauce?) couldn't flag down the waitress because she was no where to be found to ask her if i can get soy sauce for the rice and teriyaki sauce to go with my chicken. I ended up eating the chicken and started on the rice. Only to find out that the sauce was beneath ALL the rice in the bowl. (odd). On top of that she refused to serve my boyfriend beer because she didnt think his license was real. My first visit was a nightmare but I must admit we did go back a second time and the waiter we had was awesome and we order 95 worth of sushi. I guess it really is a hit and miss. I do wish to go back when I am in New Mexico and I do hope that my experience then wont be like my first visit.
(3)Dayna L.
I am so disappointed that this will be my last visit here. After waiting over an hour, we are seated and because they are trying to squeeze our party with a large party, they seat my husband on the same side as the chef, under the vent fan. We are seated there for just a couple minutes before grease is dripping from the vent fan above on to my husband. He now has grease stains on his hat and shirt. I notify staff and they attempt to clean the vent but it's too big of a job. They offer us a another table which we accept; not real happy after waiting over an hour, but we are promised to be seated at the next available table. That did not happen. They seated another large party ahead of us. At this point I am done and leave, I am so upset and lost my appetite. Happy Fathers Day
(1)Tim N.
I guess this IS the place for Teppan based on the huge crowds waiting for a table... I went the sushi bar route. Service was stellar, the place was jammed and the chef's were flying. I had a couple of hand rolls and an age tofu appetizer. This is a personal observation but they use too much rice and too many ingredients in their rolls. A California roll, simple but when you load it up with a ton of one ingredient (in this case cucumbers) it just takes away from things overall.. I wasn't thrilled with the Age tofu because they use soft tofu which doesn't fry well. I wish I'd tried the teppan...
(2)Mike D.
The service can be a little bit or miss and it's a little on the pricey side, but the sushi portions are generous and tasty. I think the Tiger Tear Roll is one of my favorite sushi rolls of all time. One of my favorite sushi places.
(4)Valerie M.
We always come and sit at the sushi bar...one of my favorite places to be. I love this place. The monkey ball roll is to live for
(5)Rick S.
After a few personal recommendations, we decided to try Azuma. I love sushi and teppanyaki but on our trip, we sat on the sushi side of the restaurant. The big problem here is the quality of the rice. It is not the right type of rice for sushi preparation and there is too much of it. Also, it was dry, which is why all of our nori-maki rolls tended to fall apart on us. It's a shame because Azuma's fish is very fresh and the slices are generous. The rice just ruined it for us. Same thing with the fried rice dish, which almost seemed greasy. Big disappointment-there are other places in Albuquerque for better sushi.
(2)Olivia B.
Waited 2 hours to finally get dinner, good food but not worth the time- a lot of mistakes from the staff...overall not a good experience
(1)Kristina L.
I love this place! Best in the business I think. Always a great time & the sushi rolls are perfect, especially the 'Make my day' roll. My kids love this place & the chefs are always nice & funny.
(5)Kawika K.
Way over priced. Service was average. Order was taken quickly and food came fast. Server did not refill drinks. Food is waaaaaaaaaay over prices. Sushi rice was mushy and too sweet. Fish totally not fresh which was expected prior to coming in. Ambience is awesome. Super beautiful restaurant and awesome design details in restaurants. Had to give two stars because the sushi was 2 stars. I would give another half star for the octopus salad and calamari tempura. Those two dishes I would recommend. Because of those two dishes i may stretch myself and give another star. Not a place to eat if you expect good sushi. Good enough to handle sushi cravings though.
(2)Mark M.
I'm writing this review about the sushi only. I have been eating sushi for about 20 years, and I've had it in restaurants all over the US, and in other countries around the world. And I have to honestly say that this is in the top 5 best sushi I've ever had in my entire life. And this wasn't a one-time thing. I come to ABQ about once a month, and I always eat here, and the sushi is always amazing. Their salmon nigiri is possibly the single best piece of fish I've ever eaten. It melts in your mouth like butter (as good sushi should). And these reviews that say that it's overpriced are just plain stupid. Those people obviously don't know good sushi, and don't eat in any other sushi restaurants. Azuma provides literally the largest rolls and nigiri pieces you will ever find in any restaurant, and their prices are actually the same or cheaper than many other sushi places. You just can't beat the value for what they provide. I will point out that I usually only take the time to write bad reviews, to warn people away from bad restaurants. But this sushi is just so awesome that I felt compelled to write a positive review.
(5)Oa L.
The food is ok. ... the price is a liitle bit too high
(3)Geoff N.
Great Teppan. Nuff said. Can't think of anything else, because it's all good.
(4)Jennifer M.
Came here this evening for dinner with my sister at around 6. The teppan grills were almost all full so we were extra pleased that we didn't have a wait to be seated. The decor is a bit outdated and on the verge of being tacky, which is my biggest complaint. As for the food though, it's great. This evening we were having a little celebration so we decided to order the teppan in addition to a couple sushi rolls. We opted for the Dr. Greg's roll and the Tiger Tear roll. Both were fantastic, but were a mouthful. Maybe they could be cut into a couple more pieces so they're easier to eat. Either way, they were awesome. The teppan is a great deal here, with each entree including miso soup, a salad, grilled vegetables, two shrimp, noodles, and fried rice. We got the Azuma Ribeye and the teppan combo with chicken and scallops. Everything was delicious and HUGE portions. We ended up being pretty full and still having tons of leftovers to take home. Overall, the meal was a hit to the wallet at $80 before tip, but considering we brought home the equivalent of about 4 meals in addition to the 2 huge meals we ate there.. its a good deal. I approve for sure!
(4)William T.
I just went to Azuma for the first time in a year and half. I always had a shiosaba, unajyu and never had the sushi nigiri and rolls in the past. Tonight, I had it for the first time and I simply do not know what to say. I'm leaving 1 star because the server was nice. If not and if i had a choice, it will be a zero. Not to sound snobby, but I have had real sushi in Japan and I want to just put out a disclaimer that I do not expect the sushi quality in New Mexico to be held to the same standard. No, that is absolutely unreasonable to begin with. I just don't want anyone to think that the sushi that is served here is anything resembling the real stuff. And no, that's not in a snobby way. What is served here is absolute disgrace to the art work of sushi. The chef's were not Japanese that's fine, I've had descent sushi from non-Japanese chefs. But boy, if you're going to try to make a food of another culture, try to have some pride, don't make an absolute garbage. That's like us American's bastardizing real Italian food via Olive Garden, and real Mexican food by Taco Bell. I just had the tuna (maguro) nigiri sushi and the tuna was not fresh (no it's not just because we live in New Mexico, it's beyond that). There is absolutely no technique observed in the preparation, the fish was full of "holes", literally (holy cow, I don't even know how to explain this...) The tuna was too thick (half an inch) and the rice was too sticky. It actually looked like an infant attempted to slap together a sushi with, gosh I should've taken a picture. Gosh, I just wish I could be more descriptive of the low quality garbage I was served tonight but it was just so bad that I don't even know how to. I'm extremely frustrated because I spent $45 worth of total pig food (probably they get served better stuff?) One and a half year ago, I don't think it was this bad. Back then, the unajyu and shiosaba was fine. It wasn't the best, but I was able to eat it and quite frankly, was worth paying for. What I was served tonight was a Fubar. Did all the chefs suddentlyy quit and some fake chefs with no experience take over for temporary measure??? Gosh! I want my money back, that's how freaking mad I am.
(1)Anthony V.
mmmmm I love Azuma's it's so delicious the best Sushi and Tepan grill in town. Great service and great tasting good for reasonable prices.
(5)Nina P.
...
(4)Peter L.
Just to follow up, my wife thanks you for the food poisoning...
(2)Jordana G.
Azuma is OK and they do give you a lot of food. Good place for a large group, although a little hard to talk if there are only two of you. Expect a wait. The Teppan meals are a good value for the money, considering how much food they give you with reasonable quality. Some of the chefs are inconsistent in seasoning the food, which is a problem, but all are entertaining. The noodles served at the Teppan tables are really unnecessary and not that tasty (very bland). We typically save the noodles for take home and not waste our appetite on them. The sushi is OK, but we haven't eaten a lot of it here, so can't really speak to that. Overall, it's good but not great. I think Samurai has better food and is not so much a "place for the masses." You do tend to feel like cattle at Azuma.
(3)Sara P.
They broke their rules on a Friday night and seated me and a friend without our third person. She ended up not coming so they get bonus points for not making us wait in the breeze way. Our waitress was sweet but not very attentive. We had to flag her down to take our sushi sheet. We ordered 4 rolls, an eel roll, monkey balls, aloha roll and the boston roll. The eel roll was very good, a new experience for me. The monkey balls were absolutely delicious. The aloha roll was great, not like sushi I've tasted before. The Boston roll was very bland. After trying a piece, we shoved it to the side and ignored it. Don't order the Boston Roll. I did not like the atmosphere. It was very dark in the sushi area where we were seated. We mentioned it and the waitress mentioned it was romantic. Ok. If you say so. Sushi is visually pleasing as much as palette pleasing food. Why eat in the dark? I dig it. Eat there.
(3)Shane M.
Worst service I have ever had in a restaurant. We didn't get over half of what we ordered. We waited over an hour and a half and they werent busy. They lost our order and absolutely nobody took responsibility for it. Never going back
(1)Raquel G.
The food is great but some of the chefs do cook a little different. One of them put way too much salt on our food. But we continue to go here and the food most of the time is really great! Great price for the filet mignon!
(4)Ashley E.
I couldn't give more than 2 stars...I just couldn't. Sorry, Azuma. It is SO hit or miss in my experience. Sometimes it's no problem and everything comes out fine. The other part of the time things go badly-- I wait for 45 minutes for a table (they don't take reservations), I have a rude server, my food is under or overcooked, and I'm sitting next to screaming frat boys doing sake bombs. The sushi/sashimi has never been anything to write home about either. Save your money and go elsewhere.
(2)Brian P.
Food was great and plentiful. All in all it was a good night the service was very good would have given four stars but the cook wasn't very entertaining everything was cooked to perfection but when you go to a place like this it's more then just the meal like I said the food was great but not much going on at the grill could have done more tricks. The prices were pretty good we were a party of five and all left with enough food for a good lunch. Will go again.
(3)S S.
Mediocre. I ordered to go so no experience with service. The price was a little high for the lack of fish incorporated into my sushi rolls. Most of the rolls contained chopped up fish instead of nice chunks and there was entirely too much rice. I assume the amount of rice used was to hide the lack of fish. Probably won't go back.
(2)Joyce A.
The food here is also good and chefs always put on a good show. Only thing is the wait takes awhile on the grill side. Sushi side; I think they is always open. Habachi chicken, or steak is always good. Folks are always nice there. But for a large group expect to wait and patking can be an issue sometime.
(4)J.D. V.
I really like the grill experience, we always have a great time, and the food is always great. Only bad is how long the wait is...
(4)Joan G.
Made a reservation which wasn't honored. Worst customer service ever. I will never go back.
(1)Jeremy F.
One of my favorite places to eat in Albuquerque. I'd take anyone on vacation to this place.
(5)