Nassau Sushi

"I'm usually hesitant to share details about a bad experience, primarily because the potential damage a credible negative review can inflict on a small business often outweighs any harm done. However, it's fortunately rare, but every once in a while I'm left thinking more about my responsibility to do what I can to prevent like-minded consumers from suffering the same or similar bad experience which I recently lived through. And my experience with Nassau Sushi was bad enough to make this one of those rare times. Having never personally made any sushi I shouldn't say things which might give the wrong impression, but I can say over the last 3-1/2 decades I've enjoyed eating a small ocean's worth of sushi at Japanese restaurants all over the country. So, I cannot claim to be any kind of sushi chef, but when it comes to knowing what good sushi looks and smells and tastes like, I'm at least a seasoned journeyman, if not a legit expert. Few types of food are more influenced by its presentation than sushi. This is especially true of the ubiquitous "special rolls" or "signature rolls" as they're sometimes called on a sushi restaurant's menu. But when it comes to sushi, or Nigiri Sushi, which is a slice of raw fish atop a mound of vinegar seasoned sushi rice, my impression is that presentation is kinda hard to screw up. Thinking that, as I do now and long have, has created an inflexible expectation. Perhaps more so than any other type of food, I'm convinced I know exactly what the Yellow Tail sushi I ordered is going to look and taste like before it's delivered. It brings me no pleasure to report Nassau Sushi is the only sushi restaurant I've visited in a very long time which somehow found a way to fail at matching my expectations. I'm sorry to say it wasn't even close. Thank goodness the fish hadn't actually begun to spoil and smell rancid yet, but every piece of 4 different varieties of fish was rubbery and tasteless. Not even the best, most truly inspired service can fully overcome lousy food, but man oh man how much worse lousy service can make bad food taste. It also gives me no pleasure to report the service at Nassau Sushi, at least for tonight, was terrible. Good help is harder to find now than I remember it ever being. I'm starting to think Princeton NJ is the kind of town where finding good help, especially that of the food service variety, is next to impossible. It takes a lot to make me angry, but the server I was saddled with tonight was so damn bad at his job...well, it frankly pissed me off. If the proprietor is aware of this hapless individual but chooses to do nothing about him, then he or she will deserve no consideration, and only a tiny bit more if the proprietor isn't aware. Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm not sure which is worse: not knowing how pathetically bad a member of your wait staff is, or knowing about it but ignoring it. Regardless, I'm absolutely certain of at least 2 things: tonight Nassau Sushi's lousy food was being served up to angry disappointed patrons by an even worse server. If the cost of a sushi meal was on par with a burger and fries this bad experience would mercifully end here, but that's never the case at even the most generous of sushi restaurants. Unfortunately this is where this sad story eclipses the negative connotations of "bad". The cost of Nassau Sushi's lousy food, at least in my experience, was simply outrageous. I've eaten at way too many sushi restaurants over the years to possibly remember for sure, but I seriously think this place may have been the most expensive sushi restaurant I've ever visited. It's doubtless within the top 3 most expensive sushi restaurants I've personally visited, but the really expensive sushi at other top tier places I've visited was good enough to be justifiable. At Nassau Sushi, at least for tonight, the outrageously over priced lousy food left me feeling somewhere between gouged and robbed. I'm hoping they just had a really bad night, but I suspect mine was an all too common occurrence."

"Pricy but all sashimi are fresh, delicious, and great quality. Menu selections have Korean and Japanese dishes."

"Chirashi (~$27) had high quality pieces cut thickly. Tasted fresh. Would definitely go again for the quality of the sashimi. I would not go if the waiter's attitude means a lot. They're not rude. Just weren't particularly welcoming in demeanor and didn't bother to remember who ordered what. I would not go for particularly good Korean food ( the bibimbap which had a bit too much spring mix and kimchi fried rice), but definitely leaning on the more authentic side. Still a good option."

"My family have loved eating sushi from the first time we’ve tried it. So it kind of pains me to say that this sushi wasn’t as good as some of the others we’ve tried like Sushi Kingdom and Jing’s. For the money we spent, I expected more volume. But, no. The sushi also didn’t have those rich flavors that I expect to taste. If you love sushi you know what I’m talking about."

"This is the best sushi place so far! Super fresh seafood that will melt in your mouth. Also you should try their soups to be amazed by the broth taste."