Who doesn't love a good happy hour? So I was pretty psyched when Michael suggested this place that was walking distance from my hotel and right in the middle of downtown Scottsdale for happy hour here (3-7pm). During this time, all appetizers, house maki, sake bombs, specialty drinks and seasonal wine/sake are half off. Yes, this place is cheesy, it also kind of sexualizes Asians and is most definitely not a purist type of sushi place but hey, I just took it in stride.
I wasn't sure what house maki meant and was worried that it was going to be a choice of like 3 blah rolls but it was a choice of over 15 different kinds of rolls ranging from your basic california roll to soft shell crab roll. They did have a list of really insane specialty rolls (with totally ridiculous names like Geisha Lips and Harajuku Lover - did I also mention this place is also a karaoke place too?) but since they weren't a part of happy hour I didn't even bother to look at them. I opted for the rainbow roll (regularly $10.75) and the spicy yellowtail roll (regularly $6.50) while Michael got the edamame (regularly $4), the chicken lettuce wrap (regularly $10) and the gyoza (regularly $7). There was also a very long list of good sounding appetizers to choose from so if I ever come back here, I would totally mix it up and order some sushi and some appetizers to make it a full on meal. We also managed to sneak in two rounds of the Kinki Kooler (regularly $9) before happy hour closed. The Kinki Kooler was Stoli Strawberry, fresh slices of kiwi, lime and soda - it basically tasted like candy. I'm not even sure how much alcohol was in it but it was a fun refreshing drink for a hot afternoon. I was a bit weary of the sushi but honestly they were surprisingly good. The spicy yellowtail was the chopped up version (no spicy mayo on the top) and the rainbow roll was just as good as any basic sushi place in NYC. I didn't try Michael's food (except for the edamame which were totally fine - well boiled in that they still had some crunch to it and salted well) but they looked like good snackies for happy hour. The lettuce wrap was a make-your-own version where they give you all the ingredients and a plate of lettuce and you wrap as little or as much filling as you want.
All in all, despite the incredibly cheesy vibe and name of the food and drinks, this place is a super fun place to go for happy hour. Obviously it's not on the level of a Sushi Nakazawa or even a Yama but at half price, you absolutely can't go wrong here. Total price: $42 for 2 people including drinks, tax and tip
Photo Credit: Yelp
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