Sushi Blues Cafe

Used to do take out here all the time when I lived around the corner in the early 2000s. Glad to report that it still has some of the best sushi I’ve had in Raleigh. The Clapton (as in Eric) is my favorite– fresh chopped tuna, cucumber, roe, spicy mayo & scallions on top of a California roll — delicious!

There was a bug on someone’s dumplings. Nasty.
As an avid sushi consumer I thought this place would be great, but the first experience was otherwise. We went with a large group, which I understand makes things tougher but things were rough. One member was brought cold soup twice and one was brought his food after everyone every only once he reminded the waiter. I get stuff happens but we had a server that was unhappy the entire time.
Besides the service (which I get varies a lot per visit) the payment process was unbelievable poor. When you order sushi (which is the main item aka sushi Blues) you have to pay on one check. 30 minutes into trying to split everything up the waiter finally has the checks sadly with a guaranteed 20% gratuity attached.
I’m sure this place is nice but this was rough, really rough. If we can send men and women to the moon you should be able to make separate checks.
Freaking bugs man,
P. s. The phở was phonominal and you get separate checks for all non sushi items.
Edit: checks were incorrect

My son was visiting from Arizona and we thought we would try a new sushi restaurant. We walked inside the dining area, and couldn’t even talk to each other because of the blasting music. We went back outside and got a table, but were told we had to give them a credit card before we even ordered. All of this should have been a warning, the sushi was mediocre at best, the scallops on one of the rolls were soft /​mushy and we didn’t even eat it. While we were waiting on our sushi, a couple came in with a dog to the patio area and set the dog on the bench at the table. Apparently this is acceptable there. Table service was very slow, and not very friendly. Will definitely not be back

I’ve been here many times and every time, I love it, but they can be stingy with the alcohol in the drinks. Otherwise, it’s great

Yes, sushi purists might be fuming because their sushi platters aren’t pretty and gasp they even serve it rather warm/​slightly hot.
HOWEVER… if you just want good flavored sushi this place is rather fun. You have buy one get one free on all the rolls (for dine in) and they have tons of different varieties and mixes, and all are delicious (I went North v. South — Sweet Home Alabama and New York New York rolls).
It tasted fresh and well seasoned and balanced to me! Not drop dead amazing sushi… but filling for a night out.
I will say they have amazingly well made drinks for a sushi place. The Margs and Mojito were seriously fancy bar quality.
Oh and our server Kyle was super helpful and friendly — even turning the outside heater on for us!

Try the Wolfpack roll! Phenomenal service, sushi is high quality for very reasonable prices. Owners and managers are down to earth and take very good care of their customers!

I really like this sushi place. I bully people into going only here if it’s a sushi night. Now that it’s cold there are really great heat lamps outside to make a mild evening enjoyable outside. You gotta be right beside it but still. It’s true many of the rolls are the same thing with the toppings switched around. But it’s bogo, clean, tasty, varied and has options for those who don’t enjoy sushi. The service could be a little less apathetic, but i don’t come here in a hurry so it’s no deal to me. I don’t agree that sushi O near by is better, as some reviewers suggest, it’s really about the same. Also, it has murderer art. Check out the paintings and google the signature name. Enjoy!

I am so sad to give this place just two stars… but it really wasn’t that good.
I have high sushi standards and I’m forgiving at times but the rice was so overcooked and roll was so loosely rolled that I felt I could have gotten better sushi at a grocery store.
When we walked up to the host stand at 9:30pm on a Saturday night he totally missed us, off talking with friends who worked there. Fine, not a huge deal. The waiter was good — the music was too loud. I have mixed feelings about the ambience.
Sushi O across the street is MUCH better. I won’t be going back to Sushi Blues. Not worth it. I’m convinced anyone who gives this place a good rating, sadly has no idea how good sushi should taste.

Pros: BOGO sushi, good selection, lots of things I’ve never had elsewhere. The Jimmy V is by far my favorite roll. Something about the salt and pepper in the crab is just delicious. The drinks are also great — I’ve had several of their mojito flavors, and I’ve never been disappointed.
Cons: so crowded. And the tables are way too close together. Unless I sit outside, I always feel crammed in, because it’s not a big place. Also, parking, but that’s not Sushi Blues’ fault.

I have been going to Sushi Blues for years, and despite I think their sushi is the BOMB, I’m really really disappointed with their service, especially on the last 3 occasions we have been there.
They have this guy who stands outside and takes your name with an iPad, and it seems like EVERY TIME we go as of late, he’s screwing up.
The first time it happened, we went on a Saturday night, prepped for a wait. He told us how long it would be, and we hung around on the side. We watched him give our table away, and when we went to see him about 15 minutes after the estimated time, he said he didn’t know what had happened, and finally managed to seat us 10 minutes AFTER that. When we got inside, no one came to the table to greet us for another 15 minutes. We spoke to the manager, but ended up leaving and like getting Cookout for dinner.
Again, about a month later, I had family in town and took them to Sushi Blues. Same thing, and this time we were seated and the server was really sweet. I explained to her what the deal with the front door guy was, but we made sure to tip her well because she did great.
The third time, there was a little hiccup with our food and it took forever to get it.
Bottom line, sushi is good. Good price. That guy at the front door is :/​and seems like he would maybe be better suited to do something else. And the service could be better.

Well, I basically downloaded this app to write this review. I’ve never done this before, so bear with me.
First of all, service was lack luster. Seemed like the people hated working there. We asked the guy what he liked and it seemed like he really wanted to say he doesn’t eat sushi. Red flag?
Secondly, the food.
We got a soft shell crab, eel roll. A fatty tuna that was fried… And rainbow roll. The sushi was cut into THiN pieces. The fish was probably the lowest grade possible (seriously I’ve had better buffet sushi) and sliced so SO thin. We ordered a beer and that was warm…
Just over all, a terrible experience.
I feel duped. I feel like this is a place for people that don’t know what sushi is to come and enjoy a plate of bullshit.
Harsh, but true.
Never will be returning.

I had a few friends in town visiting and I thought this would be a great place to catch up at dinner. Wow could I have not been more wrong.
Horrendous and rude service. At one point the server raised his voice to our table and we had to ask him to leave. You NEVER get in a yelling match with a customer. Ever.
Food was subpar at best
And the biggest issue… The dang BOGO. BOGO is universally understood that if I order two for MYSELF, I will get the lesser of the two for MYSELF free. With 5 people at a table ordering varying types of sushi, not doing the BOGO by individual order is moronic. Why does Sushi Blues feel it necessary to confuse and cheat their customers with this policy? Furthermore, this appears to be a common theme in the lower ratings on this site, so why not just change it!?! It’s a slimy and greedy way to squeeze more cash out of customers. I get it’s your «policy» but that absolutely does not make it right.
I absolutely will not be back.

Quite possibly one of the worst dining experiences I have ever had.
I came here for the first time in 2010. The dining experience was OK but I felt the sushi was not as good as other places in the area; I decided I would not be back.
I went again last night with several friends and figured it had been a while and would give it a second try. Our waitress was quite unprofessional. It is restaurant week and several people in the party did the three course meal and the rest ordered appetizers too. She took our orders and disappeared. We waited about 45 minutes and never saw her again, and ended up having to go inside and find someone to ask where our server was. After that, another server immediately brought out our dinners, but was unaware that we had ordered appetizers, which were brought out after the main course which was pointless. Apparently the first waitress decided she was done and walked out when we asked the new server what had happened; though no apologies were offered. The food is still the same, adequate.
If you are looking for sushi or a good dining experience, this is absolutely not the place to come. I undoubtedly will never return here again.
Also, the BOGO isn’t really a deal. The menu is full of asterisks with disclaimers and is very confusing. The waitress only left us more confused, (she said you could get charged more per person for the better rolls if someone else ordered cheaper ones???). What kind of restaurant cant split checks???

This place was hopping on a Monday night and we lucked out with a table inside. There are two pages of sushi rolls and all but the Nigiri are buy one, get one free. There are jazz records hanging on the walls and the names of the sushi rolls are named after musicians or Wolfpack achievements (⁷⁴⁄₈₃ sushi roll refers to State national titles). Our server was okay and everyone was running around running food to the busy tables. It took some time to get our order in and our check but all in all it was a pleasant dinner. The sushi was very fresh and the BOGO makes it even better.

Food was quite good but service was absolutely ATROCIOUS. We received our appetizers (shrimp and pork gyozas) after an hour. It took another 45 minutes before we received our entrees. I had the yummy and fire & ice rolls. Both good but by the time the food came out, it meant nothing.
The worst part was when our server and her manager apologized for the slow service and blamed it on their computer system. Im normally one to give the benefit of the doubt, but you can’t explain other patrons that you saw come in after you get their food before you.
If u have nothing to do with your evening then I suggest coming here. It can easily turn into a multi hour affair. My time is precious and I hope yours is as well so I will never be going back again.

Late night here right before closing. Great service and even better sushi.
I have had my fair share of Sushi & this ranks in my top 10 favorite.
You will not have the blues after eating at Sushi Blues.

Sushi Blues is my favorite place to go for consistently good service and sushi in Raleigh. It is always BOGO rolls, and on Wednesdays and Sundays they have half priced wine.
The sushi is fresh and the portions are plentiful. A lot of the rolls are creative, like the Steven Tyler, Clapton, and Marilyn Monroe that all have chopped ingredients on top. I highly recommend the New York roll, the 74/​83, and the Santana roll.
Sushi Blues beats out all of its competitors in the area, and it’s a great casual place to go with friends or on a date night. Highly recommend it!

What’s with the crappy 1 & 2 star reviews? My sushi meal was pretty good.
I did have some trouble getting the attention of someone to serve me. i was seated outside at a table by the street railing. Once the waiter did take my order, the service was fine.
I had edemame, a «Bob Marley» roll and a «Clapton» roll. The Marley was pleasantly spicy with pineapple, grilled jalepenos, and seared ahi. The Clapton was basically a nice California roll covered with an abundance of chopped spicy tuna.
The fish was fresh and the presentation was nice.
Best thing: BOGO rolls. Around $ 20 bought me quite a bit of better-​than-​average food. I’d call that a solid 3 – 4 star rating.

The lunch special «Wolfpack roll» was great… until I found a hair in my sushi. That’s ok. Mistakes happen. Not a huge deal. The manager came over and offered me ice cream and also took a small percentage off my bill. With the tip, I believe I still paid $ 12 or so. I am not entirely comfortable with this, but again– I know it wasn’t an intentional mistake.
While I understand this happens now and then, I also am not sure that I will return here to dine again.

This is my fourth time here with my friends. I took to veggie sushi this time. I have had their non veggie sushis for the last 3 times. No complaints there. BOGO all day is a winner here.
This time I had the Lennon sushi and I don’t remember what I had the second. I like the sweet potato in the Lennon and the cilantro complimented the flavor. I also had a chance to taste the Crunchy. This is first time I am tasting a non tempura sushi which is crunchy. I don’t like tempura sushis but these have just the flakes in them which preserves the texture of a tempura sushi.
They have good Mochi ice creams. Red bean and green tea taste good. Unfortunately, this time they didn’t have green tea Mochi which was a disappointment:(
I felt the Red Oak beer was a bit watered down. I have never had such watery red oak before. The service was great this time. Large groups and BOGOs just don’t go well here. The waiter/​waitress always have the trouble explaining it and the guests have hard time understanding it. Wish it was simpler.
This time to avoid this pain, we simply split the check equally. This may not work all the time as on would come to expect.
Bottomline: Good rightly priced sushis and BOGO.