Sushi On Shea

Amazing! I have been here twice already. And for a good reason. Try the Shabu-​Shabu. This is the only restaurant in town that has it. (If you saw «Lost in translation» you know what I am talking about).
Their tempura and sushi is also great. A very special place with an amazing service. I even had a free sake tasting!

Much better places to go for sushi in Phoenix/​Scottsdale than here.
The quality of the fish was not that great. For the price I should have gone somewhere else.
1. Slow, and there were only 3 other groups of 2 people in the place. Service took a while.
2. Fish was not fresh, and the yellowtail of both types I ordered, and was served had tearing and cracking showing our was not fresh. One piece actually broke in half when I picked it up.
3. Ordered a special yellowtail dish, they forgot the ingredients. Gave me seared yellowtail with rice. Was supposed to be seared yellowtail with scallion and lemon zest. Took so long to get the food, I didn’t feel like waiting for it to be corrected.
4. Ordered spicy tuna, zero spicy. No jalapeño, and it was quite mushy.
5. Too dark. They need better lighting.
6. Server was very friendly, and attentive. So that was good.
In the end, not a place to eat sushi.

Peaceful and relaxing.

Probably the lowest quality sushi I’ve had in Phoenix.
We ordered:
–Seaweed salad– so-​so.
–Yellowtail sashimi. A little bit on the not-​fresh fishy side.
–Rainbow roll– also fishy. There was snapper on it and it was very, very chewy.
–Some specialty deep-​fried lobster roll, with cucumber, avocado. It tasted like nothing. We left half of it on the table.
Our waitress was on point, but with 2 customers in the restaurant, the hostess (who was otherwise very friendly to apparent regulars) didn’t notice us standing in the doorway for 5 minutes. Might need to remove that «Please Wait to be Seated» sign.
Also, there was a cell phone sitting hanging out in the work area behind the sushi bar, and one of the staff walked out from the kitchen wearing headphones.
Skip this place, there’s better sushi elsewhere within reasonable distance.

Good sushi and atmosphere, but way overpriced. A standard Vegas roll was $ 23 (with tuna) and service wasn’t very friendly or competent.

Went to Sushi on Shea for the first time last night (New Years Eve).
It was dead.
We just ordered basic sushi and had two cocktails each (4 total). Bill was $ 130.
The sushi was ok, the service was ok.
There is far better sushi in the area.
Won’t be going back.

Descent service, quiet location, clean and friendly. There was so many different menus to choose from, which made it confusing. Even with the number of menus, there selection is limited and lacking creativity. It’s good spot to go for quick lunch break or simple dinner with the kids.

Nice food, beautiful aquariums. Also great apple-​tini with sake! Expensive.

I was super disappointed with Sushi on Shea. My boyfriend and I split three rolls and he had a beer. I ordered a cocktail (the purple haze I think) and it was NOT good. I asked for a glass of wine instead… we got charged for both of the drinks. Total came to $ 84… that seemed crazy?! The lady that was working was super friendly and funny… that’s the only reason I would give this place two stars and not one.

Sushi on Shea was a well decorated sushi restaurant. The staff is friendly but that might of been because it was so empty. I went on a Wensday night around 7 and it was completly empty. I ordered a few of there specialty rolls such as the Lobster roll and the Eel and Avocado roll. They were both good but nothing really that amazing to make me go back. They do offer other selections other than sushi.

Given that the last time I was here was five years ago — and it was packed with a line out the door — I assumed (which you should never do) that it would still be the same great place.
Unfortunately, we were one of three couples in the whole restaurant. Not letting that derail our evening, we ordered drinks and our go-​to sushi favorites, which, also unfortunately, came out to be half the portion size we normally see at our preferred sushi spots and twice the price.
While the sushi was good, the lack of atmosphere, cost per sushi ratio and the mind-​numbing smooth jazz they were playing made it the fastest dinner we ever had, and now a place we won’t ever return. Sad to say given what it was in the past!

Location was convenient and our server was very nice. The food was just nothing to write home about. We could’ve gone to Ra for the same food at a cheaper price…
The Spicy Tuna was very good. We decided to try something new and go with the Houston roll which was good for the first few bites and then just got… weird.
Overall, the food was OK but overpriced for the quality.

We magically landed at this sushi place about two weeks ago, so happy we did!
We loved the location (Corner of Shea Blvd and Scottsdale) and the amazing Blue lighted fish tanks! Great entertainment while eating! We came in close to closing time and they still treated us like royalty! Much appreciated!
We then decided for the Eel Roll as well as their Cali roll, Teriyaki Bento Box and some Chicken Yakisoba noodles! It was all delicious, especially the eel roll and chicken yakisoba!!! Yum :)
We honestly had an amazing time and satisfying conquer from this place. The reason for the four stars is their early closing time! Oh well :)

This week, we decided to venture up to Scottsdale for our sushi fix, and despite a name that would seem to belong at a large outdoor corporate shopping center, Sushi on Shea had a promising menu. We walked in early in the evening, and the place was virtually empty.
Sitting at the bar, we started with the miso soup with clams. This was actually superior to the same dish at Yasu; the soup was less briny, and the clams were a little more plump and flavorful. I knew at that point that this would probably be a good meal.
The first items we ate were the live jumbo clam and the kai snapper sushi from the specials menu. Let me tell you — the clam was one of the freshest, most delectable seafood items I’ve ever eaten. The owner recommended we eat it straight, without soy sauce — its flavor is so delicate and so perfect that you don’t need to soil it with something else. The kai snapper was also tasty; it was seared, with a bit of skin to give it a strong, unique flavor that you don’t normally get from nigiri.
After the clam, we were served a half dozen oysters, which were topped with ponzu sauce (made in-​house). The oysters were good, but I felt like the sauce was a bit too overpowering. I’d have cut the sauce in half. Usually when I eat oysters, I only lightly drizzle them with mignonette, because I love the flavor of those scrumptious little bivalves.
Next, we had the yellowtail collar off the specials menu (I forgot what it’s called, but the owner explained that it is prepared with garlic and ginger, and that her restaurant is the only place you can get it prepared that way). It was absolutely delicious. I’m not normally a fan of cooked fish, but this was probably the best cooked fish I have ever tasted. It was fall-​off-​the-​bone tender, rich in flavor, and the Japanese eggplant soaking in the soup was just delicious (and I don’t even like eggplant).
While showing off her fresh uni (not as fresh as the just-​killed-​it-​and-​scooped-​it-​out uni I’ve had in California and Portland, but still fresh), she suggested trying it with squid and quail egg. So we did, and it was delicious. (As a side note, she did say that she gets live sea urchin from time to time; she had been expecting it to arrive with the live clam, but it didn’t. If you time it right, you might be able to get live sea urchin here.)
After the uni, squid, and quail egg sushi, we had our main sushi and sashimi platter. We went with king salmon sushi, aji sushi, and blue fin toro sashimi (all from the specials menu). Yes, king salmon tastes different, and better, than your run-​of-​the-​mill salmon. And blue fin toro tastes different, and stronger, than normal tuna.
At this point, we decided we were not quite finished. We ordered the tuna carpaccio and the yellowtail citrus roll (which was on the specials menu). The carpaccio was my friend’s favorite item; it is tuna topped with creamy horseradish mayo and wasabi and black tobaiko. I’m not sure exactly what was in the yellowtail citrus roll, but it had yellowtail on the outside, and something cooked and flavored with a chipotle seasoning on the inside. It was spicy with a hint of citrus.
My verdict on this place is that it is an extremely good sushi bar, with plenty of interesting cuts of fish that you don’t see at the generic places outside of Scottsdale. It is also not trendy sushi, and everything is nice and fresh. Sushi On Shea has to be considered one of the best sushi bars in Phoenix; I’m not sure if I enjoyed the overall dining experience better than the excellent meal we had at Yasu, but this seems to be better place to get traditional sushi and less common fish.
A final note: the owner said they do omakase meals. I didn’t inquire about the price, but I will most definitely be back eventually, just to see how they do with that.

Sushi On Shea… OH MY.
I believe you have put yourself in, if nt above the entire class of Sushi in the desert. Sushi and fresh seafood seem to have some challenges when you’re hundreds of miles from the water. But Sushi on Shea sees that as NO EXCUSE. If you read on their website they make some great statements on how sushi should be etc… They MEET and EXCEED all expectations I had.
So let’s get to the review. I’ve been to many Sushi places in the Scottsdale/​PHX area but never had any with ingredients THIS fresh. Even eating Sushi in the NW of the country in Seattle and Portland few have had as fresh an ingredients and I’m a very tough critic.
I actually went today for the first time (on my birthday) with my roommate for lunch. What a treat. We got the deep fried scallop roll, sweet potato roll, vegetable roll, eel&cucumber roll and california roll. We also got shrimp and vegetable tempura. As well as a small bowl of Miso.
HIGHLIGHTS
Miso-​AMAZING and flavorful.
California Roll-​SO FRESH. My roommate said it was the best California roll she ever had.
Tempura-​Vegetables were FRESH. Shrimp was as succulent and juicy as a shrimp could be.
Sweet Potato Roll– Very unique never heard of or had one, very good.
Vegetable Roll-​The prettiest looking vegetable roll filled with ingredients. And again FRESH (catching a theme here?) LOL
Anyway, bottomline is that if you are new in town, been scarred by horrible «desert sushi», are a first timer when it comes to sushi or just need a new place to try of QUALITY. Go, you won’t be disappointed. Og yes, and as other reviewers have said the surroundings in the restaurant are very nice, big fish tanks, chill music, AMAZING service.
Keep Yelipin Peoples!

Service was great and I spent the entire lunch staring at their awesome exotic fish tank! Oooh sharks! I really enjoyed the salad and soup that came with the lunch menu, both were very refreshing.
Unfortunately, my sushi was not. It felt a bit gummy in texture which made me think it was not all that fresh. It tasted fine and I felt fine afterwards, so I guess it was ok. Still, I could not get over the texture!

Best sushi I’ve ever had, staff very friendly
I was in on vacation from palm springs and will come back again.

As soon as you walk in, you will be warmly greeted and welcomed, the tables are perfectly put together. Directly behind the sushi bar is a huge fish tank, which accents the ambience of this restaurant.
I had the sashimi, which was again, perfectly made. Will be back for more!

It was around 9:20 pm on a Friday, and I was starving. Pulled out my iPhone, Unilocaled ‘sushi’. Decided to give the much-​raved about Sushi on Shea a shot.
I was seated at the sushi bar – one of the largest I’ve dined at in Scottsdale. Directly behind the sushi bar is a gigantic fish tank, serving as a reminder of the living creatures you are about to consume. It does add a nice aesthetic touch.
At this point in the night there were only a few people dining so I had my own personal sushi chef. I started out with hot green tea and some edamame. It was cooked perfectly (I always hate it when it’s slightly over– or underdone.)
After much contemplation and internal debate (the sushi menu is quite large, including many nigiri– and sashimi-​style options), I chose the Houston roll, vegetarian roll and unagi nigiri.
The Houston: fresh tuna, cucumber, and jalapeño. The tuna was indeed incredibly fresh and the portion generous. Very tasty.
The vegetarian: cabbage, carrot, sprouts, cucumber and asparagus. It was HUGE! I loved how I felt like I was getting a full serving of veggies from this one dish.
The Unagi was incredibly tender, although the cut of the eel could have been larger. Props for minimizing the amount of rice it sat upon, and for using the eel sauce in moderation.
I loooove ginger, and when I asked for a LOT, the sushi chef presented me with a plate of generously cut ginger – clearly premium ginger, if there exists such a thing. Bonus points for removing the paper chopstick wrapper from the vicinity and for refilling my tea before I had to ask for more.
A few bucks more per roll, but for fish this fresh I’m willing to spend the extra dough. Don’t be turned off by this – there are several cheaper rolls (including the above mentioned vegetarian roll), and I hear that happy hour is fantastic.
I’ve FINALLY found my go-​to sushi restaurant in Scottsdale. And because of this, I think I’ll be able to call Scottsdale home. Thank you Sushi on Shea.

Thank the mooses, we’ve finally found a decent, affordable, not too yuppy sushi place in this state.
We found it by accident; some out of town friends inviting us out the dinner. After our terrible sushi experiences were, I’ll admit, I was nervous! I mean, we’ve have fish scales in food, 3 hour long waits and more.
Not here. They have a huge menu of both sushi and other Japanese delights, and between the four of us, we tried a lot.
Let’s break it down:
Edamame — perfect.
Goyza — not bad.
Eggplant in ginger miso — DELICIOUS and gone in 2.5 seconds.
Cold tofu w/​ginger — not worth it. Wouldn’t order it again. Could make it at home easily.
Yakisoba — Lots of veggies, lots of noodles. Great!
Philly roll — delicious
Sweet potato roll — AMAZING
Avocado roll — MASSIVE amounts of avocado, greats size, great taste
Spicy tuna roll — Tasty
Sprimp tempura roll — Yummy
The weird «mountain potato and sour plum sauce» veggie roll — sour, salty and sweet all in one. None of the three of us liked this one, but it was worth a try.
The service was pretty snappy, although our server did have to go back and ask a question or two. Overall? A great time, with good service, delicious food (and fresh tasting fish, according to my co-​diners), and very affordable when the final bill came. I just wish we lived closer… although that could be dangerous!