Sansu
Average rating from 29 votes: 4.2 stars
East Lansing, MI
Reviews
First reviewed by goeastlansinggo
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1 of 1 users did not find the following review helpful:
Not up to par
My wife and I have been to Sansu 4 times. All 4 times were met with various degrees of disappointment.
Service:
The first two trips we were at the old location, both times we had private tatame rooms. Both times the service was *dismal*, despite the fact we were paying for premium service spending well over what the average customer does.
The first trip was just slow, and aggravating. The waitress was not attentive, and she was not versed.
We were clearly forgotten about on the second occasion in the tatame room. After telling the waitress we were ready for the bill she did not return. We waited 45 minutes and I had to remove myself from the room and have someone send her back. Unacceptable level of service.
We did not return until they moved to the new location.
The new location is even worse. They have remodeled in the vein of a chic sushi joint, but they don't deliver on anything but slick restaurant design. The staff, on both occasions, was horrendous. Inattentive, stretched too thin perhaps. We were handed items we didn't order. We didn't get items we did order. Their fancy new headsets don't seem to work.
The Food:
Don't even try to order toro, they don't have it in stock. Ever. Don't order the uni, it's the lowest grade I have seen served. The sashimi portions are generous, larger than traditional, but abysmally cut. I don't know who *attempted* to train the Itamae's at the new location, but they failed. Learn how to sharpen your knives guys. The old location was better in this regard.
The "omakase" is a joke for a serious sushi/sashimi eater. If you know enough to know what an omakase experience is supposed to be, you are better off ordering on your own. The Itamae's at Sansu do not care to impress you. They aren't fast enough to keep up with orders and pull of a decent omakase at the same time.
Where Sansu gets it's repeat customers is in it's heavily westernized maki's. They are easy for sushi neophytes to palate and sized to satisfy bellies used to Bennigan's and Outback Steakhouse.
In the end, I find Sansu to be a very poor value. The food is mediocre at best, the service is horrible. I feel sorry for the denizens who line up to eat here, not knowing any better. Even in the Lansing area, there are much better choices that will serve you better food, with better service, and for a better price. -
My favorite
I'm a Sansu regular, and I go there at least once a week when I'm in town, so needless to say I love this restaurant. I strongly disagree with complaints about the service. I have never once had a problem with the service, the employees have always been helpful and friendly. My sister and I even had a nice conversation with the chefs while sitting at the sushi bar, and they offered to customize a special to our specific tastes (she loves the spicy stuff, and I'm not too big into it). The only times I've had to wait were during busy hours, which do tend to occur more frequently now that Sansu has become so popular. As for the sushi; it really is the best and most original in town, and I look forward to it every time I visit (if you get a chance, order the BSC roll, it's phenomenal).
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Great food but terrible service
I have been here twice with reservations, and have still had to wait 20 minutes to get a place to sit. When we finally got our tables the last time, there was hardly enough room for all of us to fit, even though we had specified the number of people. It was uncomfortable and frustrating. At least the food was good, but I would recommend almost any other place over this one.
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Best in town!
I would have to say that I'm a regular at San Su and everytime I go in, I have nothing but a positive experience. The staff is friendly and their willingness to help is incredible. The chefs are friendly when you sit at the bar too. The atmosphere is wonderful; the candlelight at dinner along with the jazz music playing overhead makes for a relaxed atmosphere.
Their food is NOT overpriced, I don't know what people are talking about. When you go to places like Sushi Ya or Omi, their sushi rolls and pieces are small, not to mention they only come with one piece. San Su, however, gives you two plump pieces of fish and they stuff their rolls with more veggies and/or fish.
The staff and chefs have always been willing to comply with any substitutions that I've wanted because I'm willing to PAY for them. $1.00 extra is not going to upset me if it means getting what I want.
When I go to San Su, I like the feeling of it being away from the craziness of Grand River and there aren't too many students around, even if it IS during the school year.
As a server, I know that people are sensitive to mistakes, but one server's mistakes or restaurant's mistakes shouldn't turn you away from the place completely, unless it has happened on numerous occassions. Keep in mind, people make mistakes, afterall we are human. Give servers a break and if they are apologetic, it's better than being rude to you or ignoring you.
My vote for the best sushi in town is San Su! -
What's up with the service?
Obviously I don't need to comment on the food quality, there are enough reviews here that emphasize that Sansu is one of the best Sushi restaurants in town, if not the best. Of course, it does come with a price since it's also easily the most expensive sushi restaurant in town (probably twice the price of Sushi-Ya and about 50 percent more expensive than other places in town).
But what is up with the service? Last night we re-visited Sansu; it's been a while... Note that this was a Wednesday (mid-week), stuck between Christmas and New Year's, so most people are not even in town. Nevertheless, the place was crowded as usual, and a wait at the door past 7pm.
We sat down at 6pm. We ordered at 6:10. The food arrived at 7:30, a full 80 minutes after we ordered, and about 10 minutes after we inquired about where our food was (some lame excuse about computer being out of paper!). They apologized (mind you only after we asked), and promised us a desert to make up for it (more on this later).
Meanwhile, we had a few appetizers (seaweed salad, soups, etc.) and none of those empty dishes were cleaned from our table until the food came, so the empty dishes also sat on our table for approximately 45 minutes.
Finally, our food came, but one of the rolls was missing. But the waiter claimed she brought everything that we had ordered. We had to get her to bring us back our original order sheet before she would be convinced that we were right and she was wrong. So, another apology pursued and another 15 minutes passed before that item came.
The server also brought two half-slices of oranges with the late dish as an apology and said they would also bring us our desert later. The desert never came (we didn't bother ask, at this point we were just curious to see if they would follow-up on their promise).
On top of this, when the bill came, we saw that we were double charged for the roll that was initially missing. Of course they again apologized, but at this time we were tired of listening to apologies.
Note that at no point were we confrontational or rude. In fact, we were having enough fun with our friends that we didn't really mind the whole thing. But, what is the deal? How many different ways can they screw up one table in a single night? -
Best sushi in town
My friends and I visit Sansu every Tuesday night, for the student discount. It is packed every single time we go and sometimes orders take long, but definitely worth the wait. Yes, there are lots of people but it makes it half the fun. Watching 5-6 sushi chefs at the large sushi bar is a show. The food is GREAT!!! Try the Bento, what a delight! I don't mind the substitution policy, they have over 70 rolls..
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The Sushi Nazi
Whats up w/ this sushi nazi not allowing any substitutions. When Im at the restaurant I want to scream at him and tell him how much of a dumbass he is....but i really love the sushi and dont want to get banned.
The eel sashimi is equivelent to an orgasm! -
anonymous
Sep 05, 2006From great to mediocre at best
When SanSu first opened, I went with my mother and the food was fantastic. Since my mother is Japanese, we've always had to travel to find good Japanese food and were so happy to finally find a place in Lansing that served good food!
I found myself dining there more frequently than any other restaurant in Lansing (and so did my mother.) However, since it has opened, the quality of the food has seriously declined and so has the service. More often than not, the staff treats us as though we're an inconvenience to them rather than paying customers in their establishment. It's particularly unfortunate for the wait staff since my parents and I generally tip 25-30% for good service.
SanSu, please bring back your great service, phenomenal staff, and great food you had when you first opened, we miss you! -
Best Sushi in EL
I have done the tour of EL sushi shops and prefer Sansu. (Though Korea House will do in a pinch) It's nice to be able to enjoy a nice glass of plum wine with the meal. While the no substitution rule is unfortunate, I find that the waitstaff is helpful. I love spicy tuna, but don't like the combinations offered, but a waitress suggested getting spicy mayo on the side... problem solved. The "catepillar roll" is my new favorite along with the red dragon and the twister roll... I can't get enough!
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Sansu Best in Lansing
The other night I had my husband pick up Sansu and it was great. We ordered six rolls A2C, Avocado, pickle, simple tuna, Alaskan Roll and a Spider roll. The veggie rolls were all fresh and delicious. The tuna was red and wonderful, as was the salmon in the Alaskan roll. The softshell crab roll was terrific as well. We also ordered an order of Ika ring (fried calamari) and some fresh salmon sashimi. The squid rings were great even after the 35 minute car ride home, they were very tender. The salmon sashimi was to die for, it was very, very fresh. In my opinion this place is terrific, especially for those of us that really need the fish to be really, really fresh(it always should be, but at many places it is not)I have had sushi from every restaurant in Lansing and this place was the freshest and the most tasty! In addition, for everyone who reads this do not go to Midori for sushi, it started out when I tried about two years ago and now it is just foul. I would definately return to Sansu it has great food.
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long wait & OVERPRICED!
I'm a frequent sushi eater and I've been to quite a few. I've been here a couple of times and each time the food was just not worth the wait. I can find cheaper, quicker and more delicious sushi at Omi...one of my favorites and at Korea house...the selection isn't as good there. This place was average I guess.
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Busy but Worth the Wait
My husband and I frequent SanSu & is our favorite Sushi place here in Greater Lansing. I usually order the rolls and on occasion the salmon bento (which I highly recommend)and my husband usually orders sashimi. Each time we go, the restaurant's busy but we've had really good service and the food is fresh. I would definitely recommend the place. Being a store owner, I understand that you can't have 100% customer satisfaction.
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1 of 1 users did not find the following review helpful:
RUDE & RIDICULOUS
The chef refused to make our food because we went in "late"...their closing time is at 2:30 for lunch and I guess they re-open at 4:30. I wasn't aware of this but we ordered a little past two and the chef just threw the order back in the server's face! I feel bad for the server but STILL...he tried to give us a roll that was a made earlier as a mistake to say sorry??? WHAT THE HECK KIND OF CRAP IS THIS? It's not like I'm gonna walk into McDonald's...I can't believe I have to compare this place to McDonald's but at least they won't REFUSE TO MAKE OUR FOOD!
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Good sushi, great value
We regularly travel the 75 miles from Mt. Pleasant to eat at Sansu -- wonderful sushi at quite reasonable prices. The menu is so large and varied that the no-substitutions policy is no problem. Love their adventurous drinks menu, too. A big plus: the children's bento box is HUGE, stuffed with all kinds of goodies -- california roll, tempura, and fruit in addition to the meat and veg. What a deal for the little guys! We eyed the enxt table's banana tempura dessert longingly before our meal, but there was no question of eating dessert after we enjoyed our sushi. SO much more food than you expect at the price!
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2 of 2 users did not find the following review helpful:
The best sushi?
So I heard that this place was great from friends that this place is awesome so I decided to check it out. I was sorely disappointed...the rice was hard...a HUGE no no when it comes to sushi. The fish tasted not as fresh as they claimed it to be. I sometimes buy frozen sushi grade from oriental mart and it tasted better. Also their no substitution thing...good heavens...talk about strict...the staff told me I can't change stuff even if I'm willing to pay for it...right...I'll take it "YOUR" way then.
I even went again with the friends and it still wasn't as good as some places I've had in EL. That's 0 for 2. I still think the best in town is Omi on MAC...consistent and delicious every time. -
sweet and sour
Sansu has the best sushi in EL - HOWEVER, its "no substitution" policy has got to be relaxed and the atmosphere could be more cozy and less "pack you in like sardines." Also, it is sad that the best sushi place in town doesn't offer REAL crab meat - all crab meat offerings are that fake fish-derived stuff....for a true seafood lover, that is quite a disappointment!
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1 of 1 users did not find the following review helpful:
Good Food if No Substitutions!!
My boyfriend and I have dined at Sansu many times. We agree that it is the best sushi in town; however, we get tired of the very unaccomodating management. The manager is very unwilling to substitute anything, even though we offer to pay for the substitution. This results in the waitstaff being scared to offer to change anything on the menu for you. For example, my boyfriend likes a crab stick added to his salad, but the waitstaff is always reluctant to do this even though he is willing to pay for the price of two crabsticks when he is only asking for one. The dining experience would improve greatly if they relaxed their "no substitution" attitude.
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No compromise
I took my mother to SanSu, because I had heard excellent things about this place's authenticity, and being my mother is Japanese, and it was her birthday, I wanted to take her to the best suski place in town.
My mother loved her sushi, and other than the fact that the floor was slick and she was wearing new shoes, causing her to fall, she had a WONDERFUL time. Myself, on the other hand, was horribly disappointed.
Being a vegetarian, I ordered some simple maki. One type looked wonderful, except that it had kampyo in it. I loathe kampyo. I asked for the rolls to be made without kampyo, and the sushi chef refused, he simply would not do it. I told him I was willing to play full price, so please just don't add that one ingredient. However, he was not obliging. Personally, I think this is totally unacceptable. The ambiance was wonderful, and the food was great, to everyone except me. -
Best in town
SanSu is the best in town for sushi and traditional Japanese fare. The atmosphere is decent for our area but still simplistic. The treasure is in the food. A great selection of nigiri, maki, and specialty rolls, their sushi is wonderful. Their tempura is perfectly done with a sauce to match. I highly recommend their bento boxes, which feature a tasting of all delights.
The Green Dragon, Mexican, and Samchee Rolls are recommended, but you really can't go wrong. This place is discovered, so it tends to be busy. Once it does, the sushi wait can be a little long...but worth the wait. -
Great Sushi Great Service!!!
I have been a fan of Sushi for 10 years now. I live on the West Side of Lansing and will always make the trip out to East Lansing to dine at SanSu.
The service is great and the Sushi is better. All the rolls are moist and plump. And I like that an order of Sushi is 2 pieces. I can't say that I've ever had bad service or food there EVER!!!! That's what keeps me coming back.
TIP: The 2 rooms in the back are a lot of fun for small groups. I would highly recommend reserving one and taking a few good friends. -
one of top three
SanSu is very good, with Bento and Udon for those who wish to have more than a sushi experience. The sushi is well prepared, delicate and firm. The fish and other seafood is quite fresh. Service is also very good. Comparable quality sushi can be had at Omi in downtown East Lansing and at Ukai in Okemos, particularly if Mr Kim is on duty at Ukai. Sushi Ya is also not bad, nor is Korea House. But I'd have to agree that it is hard to beat SanSu for quality and price. We no longer feel that we go partially for good sushi when we travel to the west coast. The Lansing area is presently blessed with a number of good sushi restaurants.
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anonymous
Jul 01, 2005Best in town
SanSu is definitely the best sushi in town, a concensus it seems. The presentation is adequate and the ambiance, like almost all the restaurants in town is mediocre.
This is the only place to go for sushi. -
Food is FABULOUS!
Best Sushi in Lansing hands down. Wait staff is friendly and attentive. It's a nice alternative to the usual sports bars that sprinkle the entire area of east lansing. Wish they had better sunday hours though, they open at 3:00 pm? Why? How about noon? Just a suggestion...
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anonymous
May 13, 2005Delicious!
Eat there whenever I can. Always fresh and unique. They have private dining rooms for special occasions. Friendly service.
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The only place for sushi
If you love sushi you will love Sansu. I think what you notice the most is the preparation that goes into the food. I have eaten there several times and not had one bad experience or meal. Love it!!
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Incredible
The best sushi place i've ever been to. Definitly the best sushi restaurant in the area. Quality food and service.
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Best Sushi in the area
There are two types of sushi lovers in the EL/Lansing area: those who freely and enthusiastically call SanSu the best sushi in town, and those who haven't eaten there. I have never met a single person who has dined at SanSu who prefers another place. Therefore, that SanSu is the best sushi restuarant of the 15+ in the county (if not the state) is a relative no-brainer. I've pretty much stopped going anywhere else, and have eaten there 2-3 times a week for more than a year now.
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anonymous
Mar 16, 2005Awsome
Ambiance is great and so is the Food. Remarkable presintation and taste. Not to mention Sake!!! Authentic private rooms; can't go wrong.
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