Oto Sushi - Kirkland

We love Oto Sushi in Redmond and have been frequent visitors. This time, however, we decided to stop by at a different location in the area, expecting similar quality, but we were disappointed. The chicken karaage was dry, and the batter tasted dull. The ikura nigiri was fresh, yet somehow lacked flavor. The spicy tuna roll was bland and didn’t compare at all to what we usually enjoy at the Redmond branch; the sushi rice was dry and wouldn't hold together well. It was a bad sign that we had leftover food that we didn't even want to take home.

Our place to get our sushi fix. Great service and quality sushi.

We arrived right when the restaurant opened, so we were the only customers at the time. We requested low-sodium soy sauce, but they insisted that the sauce on the table was the only option. I eat sushi two or three times a week, and I can definitely tell the difference between low-sodium and regular soy sauce! After we received all our sushi, we had to remind them about our calamari, which they had forgotten to prepare. By the time the calamari arrived, we had already finished our meal. When we asked for the bill, we waited for about five minutes, and when the waiter didn't come, we went to the register to pay because he was too busy on his phone. The service was quite poor, and overall it was an unpleasant experience. I would not recommend this place, as there are definitely better options available.

Today, we arrived an hour and a half before closing, and they gave us an irritated look and turned us away, claiming there were no available tables and that the wait would be 30 minutes, even though a table was just getting ready to leave. They frequently close in the middle of the day to take a group lunch break, only to reopen hours later. While the food is good, I can no longer tolerate the poor customer service.

Food is great, the service is very bad. It is sad, that the servers can make such a huge effect for customer to come back again, even if food is good. I hope the owner will read this. I hope the servers are not relatives so that he could fire them.The attitude of them felt that they had no respect for customers. I usually appreciate good service and tip good. I felt thatthey didn't deserve it. Hope they learn from my comment. They are cutting on their earnings.