04/28/09

RUDEST CHEF EVER!

by Matto

Usually takes forever to be served. The waitresses try to be nice, but the head sushi chef is so unprofessional and rude. I have since heard about this guy from several locals. I will never go back and never recommend this place. They charge too much money to be treated like SH*T.

• Pros: good food
• Cons: overpriced, terrible slow service, rude owner/chef

02/24/09

Minimum order and rude service

by blondiebrown

My friends and I were wandering Abbot Kinney on Friday night and spotted Shima. We were looking for a nice, quiet place to have a drink and chat - it looked like it fit the bill. We went in, told the hostess that we wanted to have drinks and were seated at the sushi bar until a table became available. Everything was fine until we were moved to the table. It was THEN that we were informed that we needed to order food and that there was a minimum purchase. Even after speaking to the manager and explaining that we told the hostess that we only wanted drinks, they insisted that we order food and pay the minimum. We paid the minimum but will NEVER go back. The manager and staff were extremely rude about the whole situation.

11/01/08

Don't Bother

by joshaway21

This restaurant is overpriced and waaay overhyped....I was expecting premium sushi (on par with Blue Ribbon) but was served meager meager portions of very mediocre food in a cheap looking restaurant with no air conditioning.....Not horrible, but absolutely a rip-off...the table next to us was frustrated also...I was suspicious because of the microsoft word printed menus, but gave it a shot anyways....$75 later I was still hungry and left food on the plate because it was bland and unappetizing....Don't believe the hype!

• Pros: Nice waitresses, Pretty space
• Cons: No a/c humid stuffy air, MEAGER PORTIONS!, Waaay too expensive, poor quality food

06/22/08

Shima knows great sushi! ANKIMO!!! MMMM!

by moskop28

This place KNOWS GREAT SUSHI! The recipes were unique and devine. I had the best ankimo I have ever encountered on this earth from Shima. It was on special and yes, at $20 for two small, thin slices, it was so AMAZING, my BF and I ordered two plates! The baby halibut sashimi with heirloom tomato salsa, urchin risotto, sauteed mushrooms, nigori, and the snapper, spanish makeral and hamachi sushi's were heavenly! Truthfully, I didn't notice that it was brown rice, but it was very complimentary to the cuisine.

In summary, this is not one of those sushi places for stingy Americans who are looking for an all-you-can-eat sushi joint. Its fine cuisine, worth the trouble of locating! Upstairs would be perfect for a first date as it has soft lighting and urban decor. Additionally, one sip of their nigori and she'll need help walking down the stairs. ;)

I highly recommend this place to anyone who knows and seeks exquisite sushi.

04/07/08

crazy price, bad mood chief, ordinary food

by ddking

1. crazy price - 5 slice shashimi $36,

2. bad mood chief - yell with anger front of customer

3. ordinary food - you can have same quality of food with less price, anywhere

Not all that great. Yellowtail sashimi was good, but it's yellow tail. It better be good. It costs a lot.

i thought the fish would be pretty fresh. but it was so-so. there's better ones at the same price range. . .

This place gets one star, because I can not give it negative stars.

• Pros: lovely place
• Cons: food, price, mood, no parking

04/05/08

Great food & good ambiance. However, the portions were very small for the price.

by barbaraNstephen

Great food & good ambiance. Beware, the portions are very small for the price. Don't come here if you're hungry unless you're willing to spend $80 per person (come more for the atmosphere).

• Pros: Great food and atmosphere.
• Cons: small portions and ok service.

03/12/08

Shima restaurant in Venice is delicious!

by Mariomars

Yes, I agree. Everything, all the time is delicious! Thanks Yoshi for bringing such a great restaurant to Venice!

03/08/08

Really?

by summer1852

Despite being warned by our sushi-aficionado friends, we decided to give Shima a try. This was a HUGE mistake. The sushi did not taste fresh and all the dishes seemed uninspired and heavy. The pieces of sashimi lacked the delicacy and quality one would expect from a $200 meal. I would not recommend this place.

• Pros: miso soup
• Cons: everything else

01/30/07

Great Sushi, Peaceful Location

by slahman

You can't go wrong at this Venice Sushi. Tofu is amazing. My wife and I try to go every chance we get.

09/29/06

Hands down, best sushi EVER.

by britmalay

I was there on a Thursday night for a date, and it was by far the best sushi I have ever had my entire life. We started with the MatsuTake Mushroom appetizer with Ponzu sauce, which was fabulous. The mushrooms were cooked so that the flavor of the mushroom was still strong yet it melted in your mouth. We had the Tsuri Aja from Japan that was absolutely tantalizing. We followed that with an order of salmon, tuna, spicy tuna roll and mackerel, all of which were SO good. The green tea was absolutely delicious. The service fantastic. I think my date dropped a bill for the dinner, and we usually spend about $80 at Roku so it was pricey, but totally absolutely worth it!

• Pros: FOOD FOOD FOOD Ambiance
• Cons: A little pricey