Union Sushi + Barbeque Bar

Reviews 5

LI

Lin C

All in all I would highly recommend Union Sushi to anybody, including my own brother who started out as an apprentice in a Japanese restaurant at the age of 14. (Check out the documentary Jiros Dreams of Sushi. Yeah, its like that) Not sure whether I am in the minority, but I have become quite wary of the ubiquitous presence of sushi places & esp. the so-called fusion restaurants in the US. It seems that everybody who knows how to roll rice wrapped in nori has decided to call themselves a Japanese chef and open up a sushi restaurant. I was pleasantly surprised after taking a bite of the oyster (and everything else I tasted there afterwards) and impressed by the ingredients used, esp. the freshness of the seafood. Every dish (that I tried) was painstakingly designed and prepared and tasted and looked wonderful. The two rolls I had: Old City Market and (off the menu) spicy taco (octopus) were excellent. The octopus was not chewy at all which made it a rare and enjoyable treat. (Not sure whether they massaged taco for 40 minutes the way the apprentice was made to do so in the aforementioned documentary?) They have an extensive drink menu, esp. sake. Folks there are knowledgeable and passionate about sake, esp. Ken the Barkeep. Its always a wonderful experience to drink at a bar when the person behind the bar is just as excited, if not more, about the drinks they are serving you. It is unfortunate that not too many people know about the ancient Japanese grilling method called Robata which is featured in this restaurant also. Instead of Robata, they have to use "Barbeque" in the name. This may create confusion and may lead people to think of, well you know, BBQ, and may deter vegetarians from visiting here. That would be a very sad thing since Union also has an extensive vegetarian menu and they cater to any dietary restrictions you may have. Just ask. Vegetarians are definitely not second citizens here. I appreciate very much the fact that the owner(s?) and team spend a lot of efforts and thoughts in the food and drinks they are serving their customers. The restaurant really is a work of love, it seems. I wish them years of success, and I cant wait to visit again.

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JD

jDub You

This place is cool. Like trendy cool and like you want to be there on a busy night to feel like a cool dude. The modern industrial look suits this place well. The highlight of the space is the barbeque grill centered in the restaurant. Here, youll see the head griller doing his thing. Its quite amazing that the place doesnt smell of BBQ and you wont a hint of smoke anywhere in the joint unless you stick your nose way into the awesome venting system theyve got going on. The food is good but if youre a sushi traditionalist you may find that the rolls are a bit sauce heavy. That said, there are some inventive rolls on the menu and theyre worth trying out. Particularly, the black rice is tasty and unique. The grill is quite good but youll get a varying degree of "is this cooked" to "this is overdone" depending on the day. As far as the BBQ goes, flavors are spot on. On my last visit with one other stomach, I did both the black rice sushi sampler as well as the BBQ sampler. I got a little bit of everything and left satisfied in the belly. There are specials on a fancy iPad mini that gets circulated around. How cool is that? Definitely be on the lookout for dessert specials. These may not be on the iPad mini or the menu. Its definitely worth asking if chef has anything special going on. Drinks? Drinks here are good and flavorful but dont seem especially generous with the alcohol. If youre a sake person, there are definite good picks on the menu. Would I come back? For sure. *Especially* if its during their happy hour time. Some great deals are to be had. Even if not happy hour, Union delivers on providing an above average tasty meal with an on average price for the area.

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D

D Pham

I love it here at Union Sushi. The decor is absolutely amazing! I love the street art on the walls. Theres happy hour from 4-6:30pm in their Up Bar where you can get $1 oysters, $2 skewers, and more. Since they are a sushi and barbeque bar, I always try to get some sushi and some bbq. I like the black rice sampler which has a variety of fish including spicy tuna and eel. I prefer the black rice, because you dont have to douse it in soy sauce. And its more chewy and tastier than white or brown rice. Also, for $5 more you can ask for the real wasabi which is suppose to be wonderful. (When I try to ask for it, they ran out for the day). I also love the skewer items from the robata grill. There are a variety of meat and veggies that come out crispy and tasty. The grilled squash is cover in spicy lemon powder and absolutely made that squash taste like heaven. Also, do not forget dessert, especial if Pumpkin Mochi cake with cream cheese filling is on the menu. Im not a big fan of pumpkin, but this one melted in my mouth. The cake was creamy, the cream was delectable, and the pumpkin mochi was divine. It makes my mouth watered just writing it down.

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A

A Private User

Union! I wonder whats the story behind the name. Anyone knows? Hey, at least they didnt name it something random and Japanese that doesnt make any sense. I mean, why would you name your sushi place "rabbit store"? Back to Union. I really like Union, I just wish I wouldnt always struggle on what to get and over-order and over-eat. Things I love: skate, agedashi "tater tots", soba salad, old city market roll, mushroom dumplings, grilled chicken & shitake mushrooms, oysters, the grilled squid. killer Yuzu pie and coconut ice cream bar. Go eat there now! They have delicious cocktails and any bartender that knows what a Martinez is is a-ok in my book. Actually, thats what probably takes this place from 4*s to 5*s for me. I agree, its trendy which is great for them but bad for me having to always get reservations and Im the type that only decides last minute on where to eat. I have been lucky to randomly walk there around 7pm and find an empty bar spot but those moments are rare. Its alright though, I think Union is worth it.

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ER

Erin Thor

I love Union. But I dont love it for the sushi. I love it for the barbeque. This is definitely a trendy spot. If youre craving really good sushi, there are plenty better places to go. However, Union has a plethora of delicious options and happy hour specials that CANNOT be beat ($1 oysters, $2 beef skewers, and $4 shrimp tempura rolls). The way they dress their oysters is really delicious. They are raw, but a great introduction to oysters for friends who are not down with good old horseradish or cocktail sauce. Other dishes Ive tried include: truffled tuna - good but overbearingly "truffly", prosciutto wrapped scallop - how could you go wrong here?, bbq califlower - omg this is my favorite thing on the menu, and many delicious and creative cocktails. Another thing that seems to be popular is subbing black rice into your sushi. I have not done this, but I will in the future! Looking forward to going back.

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