Came here because it was the only place nearby without a ridiculous wait. Wasn’t super impressed with the food. Salmon didn’t taste fresh and rice was undercooked. We were also charged 75c for a tiny dish of ponzu sauce, which is ridiculous. I know it’s only 75c, but many sushi restaurants have ponzu on the table along with soy sauce, and a bottle of the stuff is $2 anyway. Why charge customers for something so insignificant? My boyfriend ordered a whiskey cocktail, and wasn’t impressed with that either.There are better sushi places for the same price point.
I'm sorry to rain on the owner's parade here, especially with so many raving reviews. I really wanted to like the place. It was even more disappointing since I brought an out of town friend whom I talked into going for some really great and creative sushi, as they were tagged everywhere. Well, to say it was disappointment is an understatement. Ok, granted that I'm a little biased here given the fact that I've ran quite a few restaurants before and know how the sushi rice ought to be cooked and what fresh salmon looks and feels like. Still, I can say for sure that the night we ordered everything must've gone wrong at Bottle Rocket's kitchen.First of all, the rice was way overcooked, it was all mushy and resembled rice porridge more than anything from Japanese cuisine. Now, one can argue about the creativity and aesthetics, and yes, restaurant food should always look awesome and not just be tasty. But when you have so much sauce, crunches, and batter (OMG there was so much batter in these fried rolls!! It was like eating corn dog)... I mean, it was sweet, tasty, a calorie-bomb, but c'mon, what does it have to do with a sushi roll? You cannot taste seafood inside at all! You we could taste was sweet batter, fried oil, sauce and some crunches.And now for the biggest disappointment. All those "creative" takes on sushi and totally overcooked rice we could overlook, if not for the last roll. So the salmon used in it wasn't fresh for sure. I'm not saying it was spoiled — it must've been refrozen several times because it felt like fish that died several times already.. and had no taste whatsoever. But how surprised we were to find thick pieces of cartilage (yes, bones, some fat, connecting tissue that's impossible to chew) in the first piece... then the second.. then the third!!! Ok, that's when we stopped. The rest went to the trash. I sincerely hope that our order had fulfilled the quota for the night and everyone else got their rolls without complaints, although that's difficult to manage with overcooked rice and that poor salmon that was refrozen and not cleaned correctly. Hopefully, the lady who made our order was a temporary cook, and not doing it nightly.So yes, it was a very very disappointing mean, half of it thrown away. One star for the great atmosphere and vibes. Please check on your cooks, especially on busy nights!!
I come here when I am lonely. The ppl here will talk to you. And sometimes. That’s all one needs.
Compliments to the chef. Sushi is amazing. New favorite spot.
Omg can't wait to go back here. We stubbled onto this place heading to State Farm Arena. Food was fantastic and service was great also
This place was phenomenal! It was easily some of the best sushi I have ever had. The vibe of the place was absolutely perfect as well, from the mood lighting with the unique decor to the fun chopsticks. I highly recommend this place for a fun date night!!!! Also will say that I am strictly gluten free and dairy free and had no problem with the sushi and asking for no cream cheese, etc.
Great curated menu of original cocktails and surprisingly good sushi among select other bar food. Intimately-sized, no pretension, and populated by a rogue’s gallery of interesting regulars including a comedian-turned detective with a penchant for blending into the local foliage in a ghillie suit. I felt like a regular on my first visit. Love this place and will be back often. A+ highly recommended.
More bar than restaurant at night but the food is really good
Food was really good. Service was lacking.
Sushi is excellent!!