Sensu

MIchael Irvin, Marshall Falk, Donovan McNabb *who would not let you take his photo*
Shannon Sharpe was the 2012 Superbowl party crew Frank Caliendo & a whole host of hall of famers, lights, dancers & silent auction. This place provided me with many memories…
It will be missed

Now Revel?

This review is for New Year’s Eve.
After much debate, my friends and I settled on Sensu for nye. With a group of 8, we made reservations for a silver VIP table. Seemed like a good deal, you got 3 bottles of vodka, 2 bottles of champagne, 5 redbulls, and regular mixers for a bit more than $ 100 each with our numbers.
With a few days left before nye, we decided to switch to the open bar pass: $ 85 per person for open bar from 9pm-​1am, «light appetizers», and a reserved floor with 2 bars. Great decision to make the change.
We got to Sensu just before 9, and there was a queue to get in. Typical for this type of event. My biggest complaint for the night was that they waited 20 mins to really start letting us in. It was very cold, all the women were in short dresses, and we paid for open bar for those 20 minutes (really 30 before I was in the door).
Anyway, once inside, things improved greatly. We took the elevator to the second floor and went to coat check. $ 5 per coat was fair, but they only took cash. And didn’t have an ATM. So much for my tipping money for the bartenders (don’t worry I still had enough, just not what I wanted to tip).
We walked up to the first bar and ordered a group shot: Vegas bombs. Yep, red bull was included in the open bar. I asked what we could get, and the bartender told me if I could see it I could have it. LEGIT. non of that wells only bs they pull at most open bars. Needless to say we had a great time and enjoyed a variety of drinks throughout the night, including champagne at midnight.
Onto the «light appetizers». They had a massive shrimp cocktail, deli meats, cheese platters, crackers, fruit/​pretzels with a chocolate fountain, meatballs, and a massive veggie spread. There was enough for the entire open bar lounge (maybe 100 people) to have a full meal.
We were definitely happy with our decision. We were able to get a table to stand/​sit and everyone could drink what they wanted. If we wanted to dance we could easily go downstairs and show our wristband to come back. Definitely worth it, and we will most likely return next year.
One last note: they had Las Vegas style acrobatics throughout the night! What?

Bartenders were nice. One bought me my first drink specifically entitled «sex with the bartender». I didn’t pick that out, he did. Wonder why…
Then we upgraded to a table with bottle service. That may or may not have been a smart idea. It was nice to sit at a table but I’m not sure we four small ladies should have had a bottle of vodka to ourselves. Let’s just say we danced a lot.
Stars off for the VERY loud music (no conversations that night) and the relatively empty dance floor. Sadly the place was actually fairly deserted… Also, major BAD points to Sensu for stationing a bouncer in all black IN THE DARK right next to the girls bathroom at the end of a long, dark hallway. I seriously considered turning around instead of using the bathroom. I did not feel safe. My bladder won out though…

I recently went for 100.9 girls night and it was amazing! Not to say I walked away with a makeover for myself and friends at Saks! :) The bartenders were friendly and they had a great special on martinis for the event. The dance floor was large and the bathrooms were clean. I was extremely disappointed that they closed their restaurant during the summer. Needless to say, I don’t think I will ever come back again unless 100.9 is having another great girls night. As soon as the girls night event was over they roped off the 10 or so booths they had and wanted to charge $ 600 just to have somewhere to put your stuff and possibly sit for a drink. The larger booth that was up a few stairs was going for a whopping $ 2000.00 dollars. Not my idea of a good night having to spend that much.

I went to this when it was the nightclub on a Saturday night. $ 10 cover for guys, 0 for girls. The crowd here was older, and it was kind of gross how many 40 year olds were grinding on 20-​something year olds. Not appealing. The décor and music in this place was perfect, and had the crowd been more appealing, my rating probably would have gone up. The drinks were very overpriced, especially considering there was a cover. We tried to get bottle service, and they charged us $ 1,500, no offense but this is not NYC, so umm I think they need to take it easy.
Pros:
— Nice atmosphere
— Great location
— No cover for ladies
Cons:
— Over priced
— Sketch crowd
I think this place has a lot of potential and will only improve with time!

Wait this place is a restaurant too? Totally did not know that. This review is the DANCE CLUB portion of SENSU.
Went there after a party around 1am on a Saturday Night. The place as placed, people were looking beautiful the music mix was good. The waitresses were all very good looking. I did not see any tables (i.e. that this place was a restaurant) — I felt remotely safe, however security was a little bit weak (not pat downs or bag checks) so a part of me didn’t trust EVERYONE in there.
If you like dancing /​club music go here.

I was thrilled when they offered a Groupon and gave me a reason to come in and taste so many of their menu items. I expected the worst from the experience when hubby and I were sat at the table closest to the kitchen and left alone for 10+ minutes.
Our waiter eventually made up for the cold welcome with pleasant, seemingly genuine conversation (but not too much). Unlike some of the reviews below, our server made the recommendation of trying one of everything available to us (rather than telling us he’d choose for us — I like that approach). He did say to skip the chicken and get 2 filets — good call, my friend.
I probably won’t order the taco trio the next time I’m there. They were creative and interesting, but not as ‘wow’ as everything else we got to explore. The filet was OMG good and erased any flaws in the experience.

Went here for the first time for dinner (I’ve partied here a few times before) the Friday before Valentine’s Day with my old man. We got a reservation with no problem just an hour or two before dining. We had the $ 75 prix fixe menu Groupon and we were not at all disappointed. Our server was awesome and didn’t try to talk us out of getting the $ 22 chicken option for the 4^th course when we both wanted for $ 44 fillet, as others have mentioned. The food was pretty good (rock shrimp tempura with greens was by far my fave), but our service was excellent. The busser and hostess were both friendly and attentive and checked on us during our meal.
Our server and the hostess encouraged us to stay and party in the nightclub after our meal and had I not had to work the same day, we would have obliged. The champagne provided with our meal through the Groupon was tasty and not cheap feeling which I was concerned about when we purchased it. We had cocktails after, and our server provided us with another on the house, which I was highly impressed by. I will definitely return for our next special occassion as I would like to try more of the sushi (I am not super into the idea of the Mexican influenced fusion, despite my undying love of Mexican) but I was grateful for the opportunity to try a lot of what the menu has to offer.

This place was so pretentious and took itself so seriously, it was almost laughable. If we didn’t have a groupon, I was so irritated, I probably would have left. It was little things. The hostess asked our last name (which is a very uncommon name), and then make me also confirm my first name. Really, cause there was another party of two at 6:00? And she had me in there under Katie, and seemed almost disbelieving that it was actually my reservation and they just had the first name wrong.
Upstairs, despite a million open tables, they hemmed and hawed to decide where to seat us. They seat you with only the drink menu. You have to wait for your server to bring the food menu, which takes several minutes. If you’re like me, you base your drink selection on what you are going to eat. If you have time to spare, not a big deal. But if you are in a time crunch like us, it’s a bit annoying.
Our server, Matthew, tried to do the «tell me what you like and your allergies and we’ll let the chef decide what to serve you» rigmarole listed in one of the reviews here. I told him we preferred to choose for ourselves, but he still persisted in making us tell him if we had any food allergies. I don’t, but if I did, I wouldn’t need the server to prod/​bully it out of me. Again, little irritations.
So…why three stars? Because the atmosphere is gorgeous. I felt like I was in a high-​end sushi bar/​club in California. It was a far cry from the last time I was there, drunk out of my mind drinking out of a fish bowl and dancing the night away to 80s tunes (I do miss Have a Nice Day Café). Also, the food is delicious. It’s more than delicious. I don’t have the adjectives to properly describe the mouth nirvana that happens when this food hits your palate. The hand rolled snow crab was delicate, spicy, fresh. The sushi rice was the perfect texture. The crusty crab roll was even better. The tempura was very light, the heat was good, love, love, love. It was also sliced thin, as were other rolls I saw at the other tables. This is such a great thing. There is nothing worse than thick cut sushi that is so large it makes you gag. This was perfect. In between our sushi courses, we had the sake sauteed mushrooms. They were great, but a huge portion — get a doggy bag. We also did the trio of waygu, lobster, and pulled pork tacos. They were tiny tortillas of goodness. Everything about them was perfect except their size.
I have to say, I’ve been doing Weight Watchers and really cut down on my portion sizes, but this place left even me hungry, and our bill clocked in at around $ 65. Expect to pay a lot for not a lot of food, but I don’t know that there is a place in Indy that could beat them on quality. I’m hoping the prices go down or the sizes go up.
i will go again… but I will have a snack first and check my irritation at the door.

Décor. awesome, but the food to me is more important than décor, especially when I’m starving!!! The food was OK… YEP just OK…
We started off with their version of bang bang shrimp which was good but not for $ 15. Then 3 rolls. the rolls were tiny… especially after having Maygi’s rolls these were disappointing. One roll had chopped tuna on top.
Can I say GAG!!! The tuna looked horrible and tasted just as bad…
Service was mediocre @ best. It started off ok but then the food took longer & longer to get to the table…
The prices were high, I think I was paying for the «club» and «location» more than I was paying for the food…
Place to impress out of town friends… maybe…place for GREAT SUSHI… NO!

Never. EVER. Again.
Where do I begin? Here are the top 5 reasons to avoid this place like the plague:
(disclaimer: I grew up in a restaurant and worked in the industry for 15 years…)
*Anytime a server says «It is my job to pick what is best for you, you should trust me.» The guest responds, that is great but I am on a budget «I am not here to gouge you on prices, just to make sure you get a full taste of the menu, you tell me your likes and dislikes and I will choose for you» I would be nervous. When you say this to my best friend who knows what she wants and you won’t let her order, because it is your job to know what everyone wants and you are a trained professional. you come off like a jerk.
*You order 2 bottles of champagne, bring no water or glasses for our champagne, but open the bottles and then disappear for over 5 minutes…
*I talk to the maître d’ about using a groupon on my birthday and he is super great and makes you super excited to join them for dinner and then the server treats you like a second class citizen… What is even better is my party wanted to order cocktails and additional bottles of wine, that didn’t happen due to the poor service, we took our money elsewhere!
*When you ask for a dessert menu and the server says, «I can tell you what we have, we have a chocolate cake, it is like Applebee’s.» hmmm Methinks not.
*When the offer you use entitles you to choices, one including a $ 44 filet and your server tells you, «What works best is I will just bring you one of each.» We asked to choose and he reluctantly agreed. We all ordered the $ 44 filet. less than 3 ounces served. When we inquired if this was the full portion the server said, «Oh no, that is just the „tasting“ portion for groupons, the regular portion is much larger.»
The sad thing is the food was amazing, I wanted to spend money and was shut down by a server who really thought he knew what was best and he clearly did not. The other Unilocal reviews are overall great, which makes me think we just got a bad apple.

Ok I admit to being a sucker for great lighting, cool music and a trendy atmosphere. I live in Los Angeles, and I love restaurant /​club venues with a sexy aesthetic. This place has it in spades, and I can’t imagine that there is anything like it in Indianapolis. I was surprised by the spaciousness of the restaurant, and the décor is outstanding. Especially impressive were the screens where video creates a unique restaurant experience that I’ve only experienced at places like the Cosmopolitan in Vegas. The food was reasonably priced, and uniquely combines Mexican and Asian fusion influences. The manager was incredibly friendly and genuinely interested in my experience, and the bartender and waiters were helpful and attentive. Kudos for this place.

First time here. Service is the best. Very attentive. Waiters knowledgable of menu and everyone is focused on service.
Food is 5 star. Highly recommend. You won’t be disappointed. Ask for Tabor as your waiter. He is the best.
Krusty Krab Sushi and the Toast appetizer were outstanding. I am retired but this is the type of restaurant I would look for to entertain a customer in. The service is outstanding. It was my wife’s birthday and that was mentioned when we made reservations and immediately the hostess wished her happy birthday as did the waiter. When you entertain for business, you want to make an impression and this restaurant will do that for you.
EVERY wait staff person that passed our table was removing dishes, refilling our wine, or looking for any sign of a need. We did not have to search for our waiter although he was also very attentive.
Well enough said. If you want incredible food and service and want to leave feeling good, try Sensu.

Not a restaurant for people who go for the food. A restaurant for people who go for lighting, ambiance, huge, massive, TV screens, several of them, all showing the same arty nature pictures, & music, and very dim lighting, and especially the other people there. Probably also alcoholic beverages.
Upside: I was very well treated, despite being, I suspect, 25 years older than their target market, alone, and wearing very sensible shoes. Groupon made some of the food not outrageously expensive. Sushi rolls were of decent size, flavor, and freshness. Many entrees are available as half portions. Just about everything comes in small pieces so they’re easy to share. My leftovers were boxed up as carefully as they had been originally served, and looked lovely, as if they were plated just to go, not plated, eaten from, and packed for the next day’s lunch.
Odd: I was seated precisely in front of the only other visible diners in the entire restaurant, a couple sitting side by side, looking at the huge, massive TV screens and. .. me. Three people in the whole restaurant (staffed by at least 3 greeters, 4 bartenders, 2 wait staff, and whoever else was in back) and a middle aged lady looking at her phone while eating is the entertainment. It was early on a weeknight, and customers may have been expected, not too long after I left. Hope they were more entertaining.
Downside: Lobster tacos, for example, are teensy. See the pix, where they’re about as large as the slice of (slightly dried out) lime that accompanies them. And they were flavored with some spice or herb or ingredient that entirely masked any lobstery sweet, salty, lobstery flavor. Sashimi portion was about ¼ the size I expected, and I’m not convinced that was yellowtail. Not at all. (Did not discuss with the waitress, as I had put the whole thing in my mouth so had nothing to point to in the discussion.)
In all: if you have a Groupon, you can get a fast, decent meal on a weeknight. I would, however, have been very, very sad if I had payed full price.

I really didn’t want to like this place. It’s in the heart of enemy territory for me. I’ve heard many legends about this area. Some have ventured in and returned with fake tans, Tapout shirts, and a vocabulary that suddenly includes gratuitous use of the word «bro.» Yes, I’m talking about that stretch of Meridian Street that reeks of Axe Body Spray and Patron.
I set my preconceptions aside, however, popped my collar, and ended up enjoying a pretty damn good meal.
We went for dinner at 7:00 on a Friday night and this was a good time as the place was not too crowded yet and the downstairs club area was not yet hoppin’.
I started off with a perfect dry gin martini and it was spot on. Only $ 8 for that which seemed reasonable given the environment.
This is a great place to share dishes. We went with:
–The lobster taco, which was good but not great and a little small.
–The Creamy Spicy Crab which was fantastic.
–The Wasabi Mashed Potatoes which are as awesome as they sound. Definitely try them!
–Some salad that my wife had but I did not try.
–A white chocolate macadamia nut cookie a la mode. This was complimentary because one of us had a birthday. This is not something I would normally order, but it was delicious. Very sugary, though.
We were too full for sushi this time but decided we will return some time in the future and sit at the sushi bar.
The service was great. Just the right amount of attention.
I can tell that the owners have put a lot of thought into everything, from the layout of the restaurant, to the décor, to the menu.
Overall, I have to agree with Jackie K. on the stars. Five for Indy, four if it were located in some other cities. It’s definitely unique to Naptown.
Give it a shot and you might be surprised. Just don’t forget your Ed Hardy belt buckle. ;)

My girlfriend and I went here on a Wednesday night for Devour Downtown.
Overall: 4.5 stars; highly recommended for the interesting dishes, the bold flavors, and the enjoyable ambiance.
Initial Impression: The décor was very sleek and modern making a very nice atmosphere for the evening. The manager greeted us as we sat down which was a very nice touch considering how busy it was. Our waiter was kind but overworked and wasn’t able to give us a great description of the menu which was a little disappointing.
For the first course, I had the Spicy Squid Salad the the lady had the Shishito peppers. The squid salad had lovely pieces of squid that had a nice touch of heat. The peppers were interesting and I would compare them to little roasted bell peppers. It was a nice way to start the dinner, but was definitely the weakest course we had.
2^nd Course: Spicy tuna poke and Toast and Jam. Both dishes were highlights. The poke was served on a cracker and had just enough heat to make it interesting. The cracker was nice and crisp and the tuna was refreshing. Overall, a great poke. The Toast and Jam was very creative and compelling. The «jam» was a tomato-​tuna spread and the «toast» was some sort of shrimp-​infused bread. While we were hesitant to try this because it sounded strange, it was very refined and the flavors were bold and smooth. We both loved both of these dishes.
3^rd Course: Seared Beef and Taco Trio. Get the beef! It was succulent Kobe beef and was absolutely divine. The silky texture of the beef was great and it was cooked to a perfect medium rare. Amazing dish. The Tacos were good, but not great. There was one kobe beef taco, one lobster taco, and one pork taco. The ingredients were fresh, but the flavors were not as strong as I was hoping. I enjoyed the pork taco the best out of the trio.
4^th course: California roll, Krusty Krab roll. The Krusty Krab roll was easily the better of the two. Not the best roll I have had, but it was delicious. The california roll was nothing special.
Overall, Sensu was an exciting restaurant with a great atmosphere, unique menu, fresh flavors, and bold flavors. I will definitely be visiting again.
Of note, the portion sizes are not your typical mid-​western size (which is a good thing). If your goal in eating at this restaurant is to feel bloated and stuffed, you will be disappointed; Go to a Panda Express instead. That being said, I left Sensu feeling full and satisfied.

5 stars for Indy…4 stars if it were in NY. Best meal I had during the 3 weeks I was in Indy.
You come here, not for the sushi or the rolls, but for their cooked food. It’s an asian fusion restaurant that turns into a club at night. Very sleek décor… kinda feels like you’re at Tao in Vegas. Everyone there was super friendly to us, and our server (Patrick) was awesome. He steered us (for the most part) in the right direction when it came to picks on the menu.
Salmon Sashimi — Nice presentation, flavorful
Spicy Tuna Poke on Crispy Wontons — Can’t really go wrong with poke
Rock Shrimp Tempura — Delish! Surprised to see it’s served on salad
Kobe Beef Toban Yaki — Juicy, tender, flavorful
Sake Braised Shiitake Mushrooms — Bleh. Mushrooms were too big and kinda slimy
Sauteed Bok Choy — Not enough flavor
Red Hot Chili Pepper Roll — Bad
Zen Roll — Never again
Like I said, if you come here for the sushi, you’ll be sadly disappointed. But they have great asian fusion cuisine, so come here for the cooked food. I will definitely be back the next time I’m in Indy.

Let me first start by saying that I moved to Indy over a year ago and had yet to find sushi that I could rave about. Well, I found it here. FINALLY!
It actually took a Groupon and my Sister saying, «I am in the mood for sushi» to get me here on a random Friday night. Lame, but so glad we went. We arrived around 7pm and were seated immediately.
Sensu has a nightclub feel to it, but is also an upscale restaurant… in my opinion. Dining and sushi bar upstairs… dance floor and nightclub downstairs.
Elliott (sp?) was our server and he was FABULOUS!!! I haven’t had that great of service in a long time and I do eat at some great places. Being new to Sensu and serious sushi lovers, he covered the menu for us from A to Z and his recommendations were fabulous!
Everything is served in sharing portions, so when you see Miso Soup at $ 11, don’t be alarmed. You get enough for 3 – 4 people.
For three, we ordered: Edamame, Shiitake Miso Soup (hands down, BEST Miso Soup I have EVER had), Krusty Krab (OMG…delish!), Spicy California Roll (super YUM!) and the… some other roll… can’t remember, but it was darn good.
I was impressed with everything we ordered. The service was outstanding… OUTSTANDING! Request Elliott… seriously. Left full and super happy.
Sensu, I will be back. Gotta try that Toast and Jam. I hear it is great. Thank you for flying all around the big cities of the USA to research other great sushi restaurants and bringing something similar to Indy. I love you for that!

So Sensu. Yes, it’s in that stretch of South Meridian Street that you hate to go to because all of «those people» who spend a little too much time at the tanning and hair salons (I’m speaking of both sexes here) and wouldn’t know good sushi from the sh*t they pick up from the deli case at Marsh. Yes, the initial «hostesses» who greet you on the ground floor are some of those people I just described. Yes, it’s part restaurant/​part nightclub and therefore has both valet parking AND a bouncer. Guess we must have been purty enough last Friday evening to get in.
But you know what? None of that should hold you back if you like fish. As much as it pained me to even consider visiting that area for dinner, I’d read a thing or two about the place, and the stuff I was reading pushed me over the edge. The date was made. It was on.
I have to run down our selections from the night. It was too much food for two people in the end, but so worth the experience. They serve all of their menu items in perfectly-​timed precision as to make it a small plate style dining experience, which also means some of the dishes are less sushi and more fusion. And what a fusion it was.
Tuna Flat Bread — thinly sliced tuna on the most wonderful, house made flatbread with tasty garnishments
Toast & Jam — shrimp toast with tuna jam (OMG)
Baked snow crab hand roll — fantastic quality but a little plain
Gold Coast Crunch — a deep fried roll with crab… can’t go wrong (well, you can when you’re more about presentation than edibility… this roll has a bias cut that looks great but makes it next to impossible to eat in one bite and worse for two)
Kiss My Bass — a rarity to find fresh water fish sushi here in Indy, and it was wonderful with a delicately smoky sauce
Eagle Eye — eel and scallop in a roll that was super tender and spicy
Sake & Hamachi sashimi — always my favorite part of a sushi meal
Service was top notch. After the Brunette Barbie took us upstairs, the Maitre d’ shook our hands to welcome us and showed us immediately to our table overlooking the nightclub, which wasn’t open yet. Most of what we saw, however, was a series of very Zen-​like videos projecting onto the two-​story wall. The music was also the type of stuff I have in my music library at home, which was chill electronica.
This place isn’t cheap, but worth the price for a special sushi meal when you want something a notch above Sakura. I have to rip off the recent SNL digital short by wrapping it up with the only thing I can say: Sensu is Sofa King good!