Domo Japanese Bar & Grill

Had a quick lunch there yesterday and it was great! I had a salad and an order of California rolls. The server was awesome and always smiled :) I went around 3pm and was the only guest which I don’t enjoy crowds :)

I had really high hopes for Domo after having a horrible experience at Kokoro Maki House, just down the street in Waldo. But alas, I’m just going to have to go back to a tried and true because I’m not having luck with trying new sushi places it seems.
First off, their online menu sucks because they don’t list what comes on/​in the roll. All it says is makimono, which is basically a «roll» in Japanese. That is not helpful to someone who wants to place a carry-​out order. But alas, with my resourcefulness, I was able to order a few rolls with a general idea of what it was.
So here is the rundown:
— Rainbow Roll was flavorless, and the fish did not appear to be fresh in any capacity. I mean, yeah, we don’t live anywhere near the ocean, but other sushi places manage to squeeze out a remotely fresh-​tasting raw fish. So why can’t Domo? I suspect they cut corners.
— The Sunrise Roll was also bland, and the shrimp had a funky smell and taste. My boyfriend liked his though, so I’m not sure if that just means his roll was fine, or my taste buds are a bit more discerning than his.
— The Spicy Combo Roll is the only roll I would get again, and it was the obvious clear favorite of the three.
— My boyfriend also got the Salmon Skin Roll, and it was okay. He didn’t particularly like it and found it to be a pretty average roll. And oh, there was a bunch of wasabi on it because they didn’t separate the roll and the wasabi far enough in the container. My boyfriend and I don’t like wasabi, so this kinda ruined it. A little is fine, but I would say more than half the roll was covered in it.
When I came to pick up the food, it was dead. There were only a couple occupied tables. We did come after the weeknight dinner rush, but I would have still suspected that there would be lingering customers, but I guess not.
I would give Domo another try, but I’m cautious as to whether or not there would be an improvement. And I also shouldn’t have to blindly pick rolls until I find some I like. They should all be good.
Overall: ²⁄₅
Food: 2.5÷5
Service: ²⁄₅
Atmosphere: ³⁄₅

I’ve eatin at alot of the local Japanese restaurants and Domo is my personal favorite. Always a comfortable environment and always good service. Their «Sexy Mama» rolls are so delicious too!

Good sushi for a reasonable price.
Try the fried alligator roll for something you normally wouldn’t try… it’s good

A very cute little sushi place in Brookside with terrific ambiance. Located right next to Blue Grotto, this is a nice addition to a street full of restaurants, and can likely hold it’s own against any of them. The service was very friendly and as quick as possible.
The food– my boyfriend had the dumpling soup and I had the sushi– was more «ok» than «fantastic». My boyfriend asked if the beef dumpling soup included any vegetables when he ordered it since he has some allergies. The waitress said no, and then it came out with bell peppers, bok choy, and onions in it. None of these were a problem for him, but if it was something else it could have been, so that was a bit of a let down for us.
My sushi was ok. I had three rolls– volcano (the best one I ordered), lobster roll (fake lobster and lots of mayo taste– the worst one I ordered), and spicy tuna (pretty average, run of the mill spicy tuna, although lacking much of the «spicy» I’ve had in this roll before).
The odd thing about this restaurant was the temperature. The restaurant was extremely cold inside and nearly all of the patrons wore their coats while eating. I would’ve hoped someone would have noticed this and cranked the heat up a bit to a comfortable temperature. At one point during the meal, an employee left the back door standing open for 4 – 5 minutes (it was less than 20 degrees out), and the place was almost unbearably cold to sit in after that. Numerous people commented about it, and nothing was done to try to help with the temperature, so that’s why I’m taking off some stars.
I probably wouldn’t rush back, but if I do… I will wait until summer when it’s warm!

I have ate here twice now. Domo definitely ranks at the top for my favorite sushi places in Kansas City. The food is reasonably priced and gorgeous on the plate. The staff is friendly and the fish is fresh, what more could you ask for?

Best sushi in town, consistent, flavorful, moderately priced… and I’ve tried 14 other places across the city. Also partial to the seafood soup. Service is always great. And the plum wine they service is a cut above the cloying sweetness of many others. They have me coming back again and again, year after year.

Flavourful sushi, great teriyaki steak, only drawback size and filling of rolls is relative small compared to other sushi restaurants for the price.

Chai Shai was closed for a holiday this past summer, so I checked to see what was open in the area that wouldn’t be observing Eid-​al-​Fitr. Which is pretty much everywhere, but my coworker opted for Japanese.
I took a Unilocaler’s suggestion to try the gyoza, and have to say, not impressed. I like gyoza and similar dumplings quite a lot. The richness and depth of the umami taste when done well is amazing.
Or it can be soggy and bland.
Didn’t try their sushi. The miso soup was fine.
Overall, pricier than it should be.
This could be a great little lunch spot, but after this visit I don’t see a reason to come back.
[This review is from July (just delayed in posting the draft) — hopefully in the past few months they’ve been able to improve.]

My daughter and I ate dinner here on November 7^th with my Kansas City family. I am so glad my KC fam took us here. The Sushi was all good and our waitress, Aiko, was so sweet, kind, helpful (she even played photographer by taking a group photo of us all) and fantastic! I really enjoyed my evening! Thank you!

On an unseasonable warm, delightful October afternoon, a friend and I ended up on the patio of Domo for lunch. I enjoyed some sort of cocktail with an umbrella and immediately felt like I was on vacation. I ordered the two ball one strike which is two avocado halves filled with spicy tuna and covered in a spicy mayo sauce. While I would have preferred a less mayo forward sauce, this was awesome. I will go back there just for that. Sooo good! I also ordered a spicy tuna roll (a theme is developing, yes?) and it was also great. Near the end of our lunch, our dining space was invaded by honeybees. I don’t mind sharing, but it was kind of crazy there for a minute, with bees swarming all around us. No big deal, and I will definitely be back.

Very good and always consistent! This little sushi place is one of my favorites. The ambiance is nice and the service is always good. The sushi is always fresh and delisious! I love their Miso soup which is only $ 2.00. If you want some tasty sushi in a cute local area go to Domo.

Awesome sushi! The grilled calamari is excellent! I highly recommend the Spicy Tuna roll.

Rice tastes worse than uncle ben’s. But it’s only $ 2.00
Service was fair.
Miso soup was great! Only $ 2
Lunch specials were all more than $ 10.
Extra sauce cost money.
Many vegetarian options!

Love the seafood here. Sushi chefs are Japanese which is always a plus. Service is a little slow but super friendly! Love their crab salad and their shrimp tempura roll.

Disappointed. Frequent here often but the fish quality is seeming to slip. The sushi was warm today and smelled fishy. The rice was tasteless and rolls were not worth ordering… despite knowing our dissatisfaction, nothing was done about it. $ 50 down the drain. Won’t be back for a while… hopefully they turn things around.

Oh man, I REALLY REALLY wanted to like this place– and it isn’t of me to rate a restaurant 1 star. Since my husband has moved to Kansas City, we have been on a hunt for a sushi restaurant, but alas, I am feeling like it is a great white buffalo– a mythical creature that doesn’t exist in KC. And, believe me, I am not some West Coast snob that doesn’t believe sushi exists outside of the coasts– I have indeed had GREAT sushi in the Midwest– unfortunately it is not at DOMO. Here is out experience:
1. My husband’s meal arrived 30 minutes prior to my sushi rolls.
2. Fish was bland/​tasteless. Canned fish taste better than this.
3. Service is horrible and takes FOREVER.
4. Cuts of fish in the cherashi are uneven. I got two slices of really bad salmon, three pieces of tuna, and one piece of some type of tuna… seriously… this is worst than sushi apprentices.
5. Place wasn’t even crowded, and yet the waitress and service was super rude.
IDK… maybe it was an off day, but I know I will never go here again. For $ 50, I would rather spend it towards an airplane ticket to Chicago to get some decent sushi.

Food is perfect. Staff is friendly and genuine and fast. Place is setup pretty and with a flow. Price is what it should be. Area has parking. Other establishments within meandering range. Drinks are made well.
Happy tummyyyyyyy! Found a new favorite. Get this place some more stars.

Should have never given it a second try. First visit the restaurant had one other table on a Sunday evening and it took over 30 minutes to be served some of the worst sushi I’ve ever eaten in my life. It was a mushy mess. Not even refills on drinks.
Second visit decided I wouldn’t try the sushi. Wasn’t my choice to come back. Ordered Garlic Shrimp. Based on the description I was hoping for a tastebud delight. Instead I received a bunch of breaded shrimp covered in honey and sesame seeds. Not a trace of garlic. The owner refused to do anything to compensate or trade out the disgustingly sweet, unhealthy dish. He insisted his business is not in the business of doing «samples!» What in the hell? The gummy shrimp was an entirely misleading menu item. He refused to change the dish or take it off the bill. I will never lower my standards again. Not coming back to this substandard establishment. I wish I could give it negative stars.

A mostly pleasant dining spot with interesting but somewhat inconsistent food and service which seems to be bit of a consensus among reviewers.
We arrived as a party of three with a 6:30 reservation. I let my daughter and wife out and sought out parking as the area was packed on a Friday night and the weather cold. When I arrived 3 – 5 minutes later they were seated, each with a water glass in front of them, but mine missing. First clue of the evening. Whoever seated us didn’t communicate the party size to the server. In fact, throughout the night I failed to see anyone I could identify as in charge of wait staff. However, at the moment it wasn’t (and isn’t) a big deal.
Took a few minutes for the server to get by to ask for our drink orders but they were promptly delivered. We ordered appetizers, shrimp gyoza and ginger chicken. Miso soup was brought to the table as part of our dinner order and my wife and I agreed, one of the best bowls in recent memory. Truly outstanding. The ginger chicken followed with a dipping sauce. Where’s the ginger taste? Lacked seasoning and looked like a plate of chicken nuggets with one small piece of parsley as garnish. Whole meat, not ground (parts) and breaded. Near the end I found a lone chunk of ginger that made it into the batter by itself. Sadly, the best part of the dish. I really don’t understand the point of this selection and it clearly didn’t hit the mark. Disappointing after such a spectacular bowl of miso.
A sushi/​sashimi boat with an extra side order of spicy octopus nigiri (always a favorite) was ordered as the entrée for all to split. It arrived fairly prompt maybe 15 minutes later but we inquired what had happened to the shrimp gyoza? «It’s on its way,» we were told. It arrived after completion of the meal. Presentation was beautiful, the rice and fish were all delicious, no complaints. Spicy octopus is typically mixed with remnants of tempura batter and then mixed with a spicy sauce (typically sriracha based). The texture, the octopus and the heat make a great combination. This was simply bits of the animal with a bit of sauce, but little kick. Another disappointment.
We were wondering about the gyoza and they did finally arrive. We were ready to be let down. Gyoza in most restaurants are simply out of the bag and heated up. Still like them but why not fresh? Well, these were fresh and they were spectacular. But why deliver at the end of the meal with no apology or acknowledgement. Strange.
Domo has a management problem to my eye. Our family has eaten a hell of a lot of sushi as a trio and there was a visible lack of cohesion in the front and back of the house on this Friday night. Our server was very pleasant but was clearly covering too many tables by herself and was visibly stressed.
This could be a great space but needs updating. It’s crowded, noisy and the tables are arranged to maximize seating, not serve the customer’s comfort. Although we had a enjoyable meal we were perplexed by the experience. It’s not a bad place to dine but there are 2 – 3 sushi venues in Lawrence far better vs. driving 45 minutes for this.