A’xin Mahzu Sushi & Grill

Set in a strip mall, the restaurant doesn’t look like much from the outside and it is straightforward and unpretentious on the inside. Our service was very attentive and we have eaten there quite a few times and the sushi has always been very good. This time we had plum wine, miso soup, ginger salad, vegetable tempura and 5 sushi rolls. The salad could be a little more interesting but it is your standard ginger salad. The tempura is good, nothing out of the ordinary but reasonably priced for consistently good food. The sushi rolls we selected were interesting – two of which were specials – and well-​prepared. If you haven’t tried a roll with the thinly sliced cucumber on the outside, I highly recommend one here! The volcano roll really stood out as well!

In a strip mall very cute and extremely clean inside! Bathroom was nice and clean too!
Super fresh sushi! Sushi rolls came out piping hot and the cold ones where cold and delightful!
Nice relaxed ambiance, waitress was very friendly and tentative but not over bearing.
We got the dragon roll, vegetable roll, shrimp tempura, Fuji roll and my favorite was the special volcano roll! Everything was super fresh can’t stress that enough! And the sashimi was great!
Prices are on point too! Not too pricey! :)
4* was because the service was EXTREMELY slow midway through our meal. I mean we finished our meal and waited 20 minutes for our waitress or anyone to notice us.

If you’re looking for sushi that is both affordable and of good quality in Gainesville, Mahzu is the place to go. I love sushi and have been almost every where in Gainesville. Though the quality of sushi is much better at Dragonfly, it is a bit more on the pricier side. Mahzu is great for casual dining, dates, and to-​go orders. Though their sushi is phenomenal, their kitchen items are a bit subpar (also a bit too greasy for me).
As for the sushi, I definitely recommend the Williston or the Fantasy if you’re going for a larger roll. The Williston is their most popular roll, with spicy tuna and avocado in the center and various sashimi, avocado, masago, crunch, eel sauce and spicy mayo on top. These larger rolls are pretty filling and enough for one person, though often times three can be shared amongst two people as well.
If you’re going in for lunch, they have a lunch special available Monday through Saturday from opening until 3:00 p.m. It makes the maki rolls way more affordable since each maki roll ranges from three to five dollars each. You can get the any two rolls (8 dollars) or any three rolls (11 dollars) with a choice of soup or salad. The salad is a ginger salad and you can choose between miso or clear soup. They also offer other sushi entrees and kitchen entrees under the lunch menu as well.
Sauces are complimentary when you dine in. They’re also complimentary with your take out order unless you ask for about more than four sauces. The most popular sauces are spicy mayo and eel sauce. If you haven’t had eel sauce before, it’s pretty sweet. The spicy mayo is very mild.
Overall, the restaurant is great and offers tons of choices for reasonable prices. If you have any food allergies or preferences, let the servers know so that they can make the necessary accommodations, such as substituting or removing certain things from your food. Be sure to ask lots of questions if you’re new to sushi!

Excellent sushi and awesome service. New to sushi and staff helped me make great choices.

My husband and I have been here twice, and have enjoyed it both times. He loves sushi, and says this place is one of the better ones in town. I had the chicken hibachi the first time, and it was a generous portion, with nice size pieces of chicken. The second time I had the shrimp hibachi which was even better! Large shrimp, cooked perfectly and very flavorful. Every now and the I crave hibachi, and this place definitely satisfies that craving. Try it out, don’t waste your time at the cheap show and sub par food at yamatos.

I’ve been there now a total of five times and every time they have so far exceeded my expectations! Their rolls are so flavorful, fresh and just downright delicious that I can’t last more than 3 – 4 months without talking or begging one of my friends to go out to eat with me there! Their Dragon rolls cannot be beaten. Outrageous. Salad? Fabulous. Miso soup? Made me a lover of soup! And their hibachi dinners have that fabulous grilled flavor that you can’t beat! The BEST all ’round fabulous place to eat anything sushi/​hibachi I’ve found so far in or around Gainesville!
²⁄₂₉ My friends n I went there again for fantastic service and sushi! We all enjoyed ourselves once again and almost everyone took sushi home. You get SO much for the price!

Mahzu is always a place I’ve enjoyed going to, especially during lunch because they have a pretty awesome lunch special in which you can get 3 sushi rolls and a choice of miso soup or salad for around $ 12. $ 12! That’s a hard price to beat for 3 rolls of sushi. If you don’t want to be restricted to the specials, there are also a variety of other sushi rolls and sashimi to choose from, all of which are pretty good and pretty fresh. You can tell they put a lot of effort into making good food.
Although service can be slow at times, I’ve always been greeted by extremely friendly and attentive servers. So if you have some time to kill for lunch and you want to enjoy decent food, drop by this place and give it a try.

***LGBT/​QUEER FRIENDLY**
I came here for lunch with my partner last week and this was such a treat. We had the Williston, Gainesville, and Fuji Mountain and they were all delicious. I do wish that the rolls came with misogyny soup and a small salad, and edamame like the sushi restaurants in Oakland, but other than that, I cannot complain. Good prices, for good food and good service. We will be back!

Fast lunch service, polite sweet staff. Large portions and the composition of the roll was exceptional. A must try is their Gainesville Roll which has lobster, tuna and salmon wrapped in soybean paper. We also had the Williston and Fuji Mountain which were also delicious. Also the seating is comfortable for big bodies.

This was the worst sushi I have had in a very long time. We use reviews to pick this place on our way from Atlanta to Orlando. The fish did not taste fresh. Something very wrong happened to the ginger, it tasted terrible. We ordered the sushi shasimi for 2 and left almost ½ of our food on the plate.
Maybe it was an off day, but we stopped eating because we were afraid of the fish making us sick. Simply, the fish was not sushi grade.
No idea why this has so many good reviews, but beware!

This place was so good. This is my second time and service only got better. First time I ordered the lunch bento box which was disappointing. Too much rice!
This time I ordered Valentine roll, Williston roll and the spicy lobster mango roll.
I RECOMMEND ALL THREE. I also ordered the strawberry sake!
Delicious. Fresh. But most importantly. Creative sushi and experience!

Being that me and my significant other are from Los Angeles, I might be more critical than most because of the plethora of amazing sushi options we have. Over all their sushi was decent but not great. It definitely placated our cravings for sushi.

I’ve been to Mahzu a few times now but I really enjoyed my last visit. I went during their lunch special and they have a really great deal for buying 2 and/​or 3 rolls plus a soup or salad which is very affordable. I cannot recall the exact price for the deal but I believe the 2 rolls is around $ 9 and the 3 rolls is $ 11.Their service impressed me as well, they were attentive to me upon arrival and they were quick with making my food.
I am a huge fan of eel, so I always order unagi rolls and I also tried their spicy tuna roll. I was impressed by their quality of sushi, the rolls were not too big or small, and they provide an array of sauces with their sushi. I took my sushi to-​go for lunch so I very much appreciated that they put 3 of the sauces I use for sushi in little to-​go cups. I have a huge appetite and usually am still hungry after eating two rolls I found that the sushi really hit the spot for me. Their miso soup was also very satisfying.
I had polarizing experiences with the ambiance of this restaurant since I came by during lunch and dinner. When I went during lunch it was very laid back and casual. It was also very slow during that time too so I would say that’s a good time to check it out if you can. When I went during dinner of course it was a little more classier but not to the point where you have to dress up. Whenever I am inside I forget that I am in a restaurant that is attached to a Publix plaza.
All in all, I was very impressed by their sushi especially for a small sushi bar. I am going to be stopping by there a lot more, especially for lunch.

Excellent food — good service.
Highly recommend the Dreamer– we will be back for that!

Came to try while in town on business. Decided on this restaurant based on Unilocal reviews. Started with the Avocado Salad, which is basically just sliced avocado on top of mostly lettuce, a cucumber slice, and a small tomato slice. While the avocado was fresh, the salad could’ve used a dressing of some sort (perhaps a ginger dressing). Ordered the Williston Roll, Rainbow Roll, and Philadelphia Roll. All 3 rolls were good and the presentation was pleasant. While the Williston Roll is good, it’s not the best roll that they have. There are definitely better options. Not sure why all the hype for the Williston Roll other than it’s named for the local town & road. Overall, I would recommend this restaurant if you’re in Gainesville and in the mood for sushi.

The rolls here are fantastic, Mahzu definitely overachieved our expectations. It’s an unassuming little restaurant in an unassuming location, but such a find. We liked it so much it became a near monthly tradition!
Get the Williston roll. Or maybe three of them.

Unilocal definitely directed me to my new favorite sushi spot in Gainesville! The location is very easy to get to, directly off I75 and the Williston exit in the Publix shopping center.
The sushi is very fresh, well prepared, and prices are spot on! The hot food and appetizers are also fantastic. The menu offers almost everything you can want in sushi and Japanese food dishes and also vegetarian dishes as well.
The service is very friendly and the services are very knowledgeable of the menu. My only suggestion is that you wait till your appetizer is almost finished before ordering your main dish. They are super fast! I mean fast. Like the chefs are racing each other :). Not a bad thing if your in a rush.
I definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for good fresh sushi for great prices with awesome service! Enjoy!

Just amazing. They never let me down. Everytime i try one new roll and everytime they get better and better. Soooo delicious!
BEST SUSHI IN GAINESVILLE!!!

Williston Roll. That’s all you need to know! Simply delicious. One of, if not the best roll of sushi I’ve ever had!
My wife and I were traveling to Orlando this past week and we wanted sushi on the way down. I Unilocaled sushi on the way down, and Unilocal didn’t disappoint! So delicious. I love how help Unilocal helps Unilocalers find amazing restaurants that we wouldn’t know about otherwise! Try this place!

We checked this place out for dinner on a recent trip to Gainesville. Tucked away at the end of the Publix center, Mahzu Sushi & Grill is a not so hidden gem.
Everyone in our party raved about their dishes. The portions were generous and everything from the chicken teriyaki to the rolls were awesome.