Pier 98 Sushi Bar & Grill

Great sushi. Terrible service. Twice we’ve been told our to-​go orders would be ready in 20 minutes, and we’ve been left waiting for an hour in the restaurant, after waiting 10 minutes at home. Honestly, if we were just told that it was going to be an hour it wouldn’t be a big deal. Definitely not the case. Everyone seems to be inexperienced. We were told when asking when it would be ready that «it will be ready when it’s ready.» Lack of care for the paying customer, definitely needs improvement. Whether it be discounts, free sushi, etc; something needs to be done. Customer service is everything, exactly why I give them one star.

For years, I’ve been looking for new sushi restaurants to try out and this place by far has been the best. The first time I came here I tried the Aloha roll and it was so unique. The mango on the roll took me completely by surprise. It tasted fresh and sweet. The second time around I tried the Shrimp Scampi Udon and OH MY GOD!!! It was the best thing I’ve ever eaten. I was skeptic since the description said «garlic» and I thought the taste would be overwhelming but instead I got the sweetness from the onions. It was so creamy and delicious! I highly recommend this place (plus free ice cream if you eat there!).

I’d give five stars, but the 80s slow music kinda made me crazy.
Hawaiian poke was perfect. Orange blossom roll too big to get in mouth.
After two days of tiny strip mall sushi, I was beginning to despair of finding decent sushi in Newark area. This was leaps and bounds above what I’ve eaten the past two nights. Really smooth, fresh fish. The avocado in my roll had perfect texture and so delicious.
Wish I could come here again.

Never even knew this place existed until we got a groupon as a gift to go here. Glad we did because we were quite pleased! The restaurant is spacious and inviting. The music was crackin. I mean I just wanted to sit there and sing along to all the songs that were playing! Some Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men. All the good hits!!! Food was reasonably priced. Agedashi tofu was ok, I might’ve enjoyed it more if they didn’t take so long to bring it out. We ordered the aloha roll which we enjoyed. I got a bento and hubby got a sashimi plate. Everything tasted great. Towards the end of our meal it got pretty busy and the servers seemed to be running all over the place. But they were super nice. I’m sure we will be coming back, and taking our families to try it out, too!

The most disappointing Nabeyaki Udon ever. But even before that…
Who serves lukewarm-​borderline-​cold miso soup? Minus pt.
Who also only brings 1 spoon for 2 bowls of lukewarm miso soup? Minus pt.
Then, we get to the actual udon. Normally Nabeyaki udon has some chicken and vegetable, and 1 piece of tempura. This one was like, the chef decided to toss in all the leftovers! There were a couple sandy clams, I think 1 piece of mystery fish fillet, couple pieces of chicken… you get the point. I don’t recall «Nabeyaki Udon» being «kitchen sink udon». The broth was very disappointing as well — blandly colored and flavored.
Very dissatisfied. Will NOT be back ever.

I came here once last year with my sisters and the setting here was super nice. Customer service was okay but the fish here is way too thick. I feel like people now a days think the thicker the better but that’s not how sashimi works…

Service was very friendly…
Their menu has many different options from omakase, to classic Japanese dishes, other sushis and sashimi, and to yakitori.
Tried their bacon covered scallops and it lacked some flavor… As in, all I could taste was bacon. The scallops tasted like dough.
Also tried their shrimp scampi udon and I have to say, the idea was better than the execution. Got a bit tired of the pasta after a few bites as it was too creamy, it needed something else added to it like some pancetta or something. I would try it again, though, if there is a new recipe because the idea really is magnificent.

I’ve tried almost every Japanese style restaurant in the area, but this one escaped my notice for awhile. Against no less than four other competitors within 2 blocks of each other, this one falls a little short.
I gave them two visits, and the problems were consistent on both occasions.
First is the lack of attention to detail. Me and my wife were served lukewarm Miso Soup and had to ask for hotter ones. My Cutes of Salmon also ran inconsistently in my Sake Don multiple times. About one third of the cuts were half the width of the other two thirds.
Second is the servers. They seem a tad untrained and unprofessional. Often see them chatting about random particulars. But the biggest problem is often seeing food sitting at the bar waiting to be taken to the customers. In my case, timing it the second time had my Sake Don sitting on the counter for almost three minutes before someone delivered it to my table.
Third is the food. While not bad, it doesn’t really stand out in the face of so many other options in the area. With that in mind, $ 9 for a sub par Futo Maki is far too much, and it was too sweet.
On my first visit, I saw the manager try to teach their servers to do better. Namely to deliver the food more quickly. Ironically the food delivered was the wrong ones, they asked for hand rolls and received regular rolls instead.
It looks like there’s care given into this place by the upper management, but pricing and their service can do a bit better before me and my wife consider coming back.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 for pricing, service, and immediate seating (8PM on a Friday).
AMBIENCE: Spacious, plenty of seating, good for large groups. Large sushi bar in center of restaurant. 90s R&B playing.
SERVICE: Excellent. Hot tea refilled at least 5 times. Repeatedly checked on by servers, but not to the point of being intrusive/​annoying. Food came out quickly. Appetizers served together and before other food.
FOOD:
— Complimentary edamame and miso (not hot enough, a little too salty)
— Agedashi tofu crispy/​silky inside, $ 6
— Gyoza (husband had a craving) greasy and small, $ 5
— Maui island salad (fresh spring greens, sweet mango, imitation crab, tuna, cucumbers) –great combination and good value, $ 12
— Dragon roll — as expected, generous portion, $ 10
— Cherry blossom — again, generous portion, but a little too much rice, $ 10
— Complimentary mango ice cream
VALUE: Great. Lots of complimentary items. Portions generally quite generous. Many menu items underpriced, but I’m not complaining.
DRAWBACK: None of the food was particularly outstanding, but there wasn’t much bad about this place. Will return.

Came here tonight for the first time. The restaurant was very busy for a Friday night. We were not greeted promptly because the hostess was very busy. When we finally got seated, the waiter was extremely nice and took our order immediately. The food was absolutely delicious, fresh, and very reasonably priced. We go to many Japanese restaurants and this one we’ll definitely come back to.

My sister and I were craving uni, so we decided to check out this place. When we got here, the place was pretty empty but people started showing up after we got our food. We ordered uni fried rice (off menu item), 3 pieces of uni (each piece is $ 10), and chirashi don. They also gave us complimentary miso soup and ice cream. The uni fried rice was delicious, creamy, and flavorful… although I wish the pieces of uni weren’t hidden! The portion of the uni fried rice was huge so it’s perfect for sharing. The uni that was $ 10 each was so yummy and fresh! The presentation was adorable because the uni was inside of a cucumber. As for the chirashi don, the sashimi was fresh as well. Overall, this is a great place!

Big group of us went to this restaurant for dinner, it was day after Christmas the restaurant was packed, however the service was excellent. I just returned from Japan I worried their fish might not meet up to my expectations. I ordered 15 pieces sashimi, not bad fish was fresh and melted into my mouth. Others ordered grill steak, turned out great. Rolls were good because the rice cooked just right (many Japanese restaurant can’t do the rice right for sushi) with fresh fish, they were superb!
Will go back again and happy to find a good Japanese restaurant in Bay Area.

3.5 stars, reluctantly…
I’m amazed at how Pier 98 has a 4-​star rating here on Unilocal.In my opinion (and everyone is entitled to their own), there’s nothing spectacular about this place which serves up average food almost borderline akin to buffet style sushi, nigiri, sashimi, and rolls. I think patrons feel they’re getting a bang for their buck (yes, prices are cheap here) when ultimately they’re putting down their hard earned dollars for tons of rice all fancied up with sauces, fried panko crumbs, and chopped green onions, and not a lot of fish (freshness and quality questionable). Just telling it how and what it is here…
Anyway, I came here for lunch a few weeks ago with some friends and ordered the «Chef’s Choice 6 Pieces Sashimi» set, which comes with 6 pieces of sashimi chosen by the chef and your choice of Tekka Roll, California Roll, Spicy Hamachi Roll, Spicy Tuna Roll or Spicy Salmon Roll (I opted for the Spicy Hamachi Roll since I love Hamachi).
When my lunch finally arrived to our table, I was impressed with the size of the sashimi (big generous chunks/​slices of Maguro (red tuna), Shiro Maguro (albacore white tuna), and Sake (salmon)). But don’t be fooled by size alone. The Maguro was tough, chewy, and gristley (like really bad beef stew meat if ya know what I’m talkin’ about), while the Shiro Maguro was completely mushy and pasty. The Sake was the only decent protein of the three and had a good taste and texture.
As for the Spicy Hamachi Roll, this was the biggest disappointment of my meal. I had expected the typical spicy Sriracha mayo application to the fish with essence of sesame oil in the roll. But noooooooo… It was made «spicy» with huge globs of Korean gochujang sauce on top of each slice of the roll. All I could taste was that sauce which was so overpowering which prevented me from enjoying the true sweetness of the Hamachi. Oh, and I’m not done yet. There was so much rice wrapped around the fish that I could have made it a separate meal with teriyaki chicken! I was more full from the rice than anything else. One of my friends ordered the Sushi Roll Combo, and when he was done with his meal, he had a plate full of rice that he peeled and scraped away from his rolls. Again, don’t be fooled by the size of their rolls. It’s ALL rice!!!
The saving grace (and the reason for my 3.5 stars cuz it would have been 2 – 2.5) of the lunch that day was the free appetizer of Tempura Salmon Belly and Green Beans with a Unilocal check-​in (as of this review, it looks like Pier 98 no longer offers this). Wow, this was cray cray yummy and nom nom nom! I think the combination of fried plus fatty belly was just spectacular, and the green beans were great, too! I could definitely sit there all day and just munch on that appetizer with some cold beer. Pier 98, do yourself and your loyal patrons a favor and bring this dish back and put it on your list of hot appetizer offerings! Sell it if you must!
That all said, I’m unsure if I would ever come back here (perhaps just for that appetizer if they offered it again). But for now, I would rather spend the bucks and head over to O’ Sushi, Mioki Sushi, Satomi Sushi or Aniki’s Sushi instead. If you want rice and there’s plenty of it here, then Pier 98 is your place…

I haven’t had sushi for awhile, so decided to give this place a try.
Spacious, clean, and lots to choose from.
Here’s what we ordered:
Agedashi tofu — not bad
Toro sushi — too thick makes it hard to chew. Toro has a lot of fatty fibers in their meat. If too thick, it gets hard to chew.
Uni sushi — fresh and in big scoop.
Hurricane — too heavily dressed.
Titanic — not bad.
Mirugai yakitory — really sweet. Very good.
Would probably go for yakitories next time.

I have decided to try this place out since they had a Groupon deal that I have purchased. They are located in a plaza with large parking spots.
Once I arrived to the location I was surprised that the place is well decorated. We got seated right away since we were a little bit ahead of the peak dinner time hour.
The menu had a large selection of sushi. They all seemed to be delicious and it was difficult to make a selection. We decided to get a beef dish, Shashu ramen and sushi.
The beef dish was OK. The Shashu ramen was mediocre. I would rather go to a ramen restaurant to get a bowl of ramen. I honestly did not like the ramen. But the sushi was the bomb! It was really good.
The price were reasonable. Plus we used the groupon deal and checked in with Unilocal to get a Chef special appetizer (piece of grilled fish, I believe it was salmon) It was really generous from them.
I definitely would come back someday.

Yay! Found a new go-​to spot for Sushi! We got a groupon here and since it’s close to home, might as well try it! We sat at the sushi bar and I love how the sushi chefs speak and understand English so well compared to other joints! The fish seen in the display case is SO FRESH! Normally, you can see a semi glaze starting over the fish, but not here! Biggy and Bill were GREAT! Wonderful hospitality and customer service! Food tasted as fresh as it looked too!
MUST try the Beef Tataki and Sakamushi though! Everything we ordered we loved! I also really like how the chefs are able to make any roll you want even if it’s not on the menu. I even asked them to make me a Chicken Teriyaki roll haha, BOOM! Done. Definitely coming back.

This place is BUSY, and I could tell they’re trying hard to accommodate everyone.
Having said that, I like this place. I came here on a party event and the servers were able to keep us satisfied with our kids’ requests, my parents continuing to ask for hot water, etc.
Onto the food: the chirashi is fills me up with thick slices of fresh fish, my favorite being the oil fish.
We got the lobster sashimi and it was nice presentation, and had a light sweet taste to it.
Multitudes of rolls. We ordered ones with less sauce so the fish favors wouldn’t be lost. Caterpillar roll was devoured by the kids, the spider roll was actually crunchy, the rainbow roll had actual fish taste instead of California roll mayo taste, and the mango roll was a good surprise.
We also got short ribs, which came out soft and not too sauced. The hamachi Kama was yummy, and was a big head.
The place is owned by Chinese people, and they do a fine job of running this restaurant.

This place is downright the shizz! I cannot stop commuting to this location just to consume copious amounts of sashimi to satisfy my insatiable sushi cravings.
First time: I came here with a large group of 10, and we were able to reserve a spot in this relatively large restaurant. We ordered 3 rolls, a chicken teriyaki, beef teriyaki, two chirashi bowls, and some appetizers! I am not sure how this place does it, but I feel like everything here is fresh and pretty consistent. However, I have motivated myself to write this review so that I can spread the word about their chirashi bowls!!! CHIRASHI BOWLS — tell me you like to eat the real deal of your raw meats, and I will immediately recommend this place. For a whopping $ 15, you get a really large bowl of fish, with about 6 – 7 different fish, shrimp, octopus, and tamago (egg)! I cannot say that every good sushi restaurant I have had is this generous with the variety of fish that is given. Props to that, and PLEASE keep this up! Other than the chirashi bowls though, I did think the rolls were very good (but unfortunately I cannot remember the names of them).
And now, a paragraph dedicated to that amazing check-​in offer on Unilocal: a free appetizer that is literally free salmon belly for your table. Is that legit or what?! The check-​in offer basically is up to par with the chirashi bowl that I had, and I am truly grateful for the salmon that has been fished so that we can eat it. :’) You’ve got to get this salmon belly because it is AH-​mazing!
Second time: Guess what I ordered? Yup, chirashi bowl because, literally, this is one of the best places to eat chirashi at! Again, great fish, great variety, and enough to fill a pretty hungry stomach. This time, though, we ordered an appetizer with salmon skin wrapped around a juicy slab of beef. No picture yet (’cause it got devoured the minute it touched our table), but let me just say that it was really tasty.
I really cannot stop raving about this place! The service is also really good, and I am really happy about the nice waiters who work here! The only thing I would have to say is that sometimes the service might be «too good». The waiters are constantly trying to take away plates. This could get a bit annoying at times, especially when you’re having a good conversation and you get interrupted.
Overall, a really really really legit place to eat sushi! I was certainly surprised by the good food here, and I am sure you will be, too! To my fellow Elites, I would say do not be so quick to review a place, especially if you have only had it once. Give it a try — I think you will be impressed.

The bento box was ok it’s decent and I don’t mind getting it, the ramen was not great, broth was way off. I did like the nigiri, unagi and anago. Although the anago tasted like an unagi, it’s a lot more fatty and full flavored.
The menu does have a large variety of other things to choose from, from udon to robata, ramen, and etc.
Nevertheless, it’s not bad, just an OK place, I’d come here for nigiri.

REAL RATING: 2.5 stars
FOOD RATING: 3 stars
SERVICE RATING: 2 stars
Their menu is littered with, what seems like, a 100 items. You get your stab at a long list of specialty rolls, sashimi and sushi, as well as tons of other items like tataki, teriyaki beef/​chicken, tempura, yakitori, etc. Pier 89’s food is extremely average and it didn’t help that their toro sashimi wasn’t fresh (a bit tough and fishy).
Where they almost completely fall flat is their service. Although they spit out sushi orders quickly, anything from the kitchen comes at a snail’s pace. After waiting 30 minutes for our chicken karaage, we asked our server what the hold up was. She had no idea and instead of asking if we still wanted it, she just turned away. To her credit, she actually came back to update us buuuuuuuuut said it would be another 5 minutes! After that debacle and no apology, I was like girl, let’s cancel that. After observing the surrounding tables, I noticed the same thing — quick sushi, slow kitchen items.
I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone. This wouldn’t even do the job if you were depsarate for a quick sushi fix.