Kazoku

Shit! The Lost Cuban was closed at 4 pm today! What the. f???
I was pretty upset about it after driving 5 hours salivating for it. However, I guess that would be lunch tomorrow. Then, I was contemplating to even eat dinner at all since I couldn’t get my ropa vieja. I thought about just drinking my shake; but I heard something coming from my tummy. There was a scream «Feed Me and Tell Me I’m Pretty!!!»
After taking a closer listen, it just said «FEED ME.» Okay… it was a nice day out so I decided to walk. I Unilocaled close by restaurants and this place popped out. It looked nice and it was super close! So, off I went there.
It was empty when I walked in close to 6 pm. Yes, it was early and it was Tuesday but the place was huge to just accommodate me. I hope they’re busy usually as if not, holy shit. what a waste of rent.
I ordered the bento box of shrimp tempura. I wanted something light but I thought the bento box would give me some variety of foods to try.
The miso soup came and I all of a sudden got a premonition power like Rhonda G. Not predicting who would die and CM leaving, but once I saw that miso soup I knew it would be salty.
Dammit! I hated it when I was right about something I didn’t want to be right about. The soup was not potable. It was like a salt mine. I took a couple sips and felt I was developing cankles. Therefore, I stopped and put the soup aside.
The bento box came and it looked quite alright. The tempura batter looked fine on the veggies but the shrimps were a bit different. Please take a look at the picture as I couldn’t put it into words. It wasn’t the light regular kind but also not panko either. However, batter aside, the shrimps didn’t taste fresh. The salad that came with the bento box consisted of shreds of iceberg lettuce. Nothing else. People still eat iceberg lettuce these days? I would have loved a couple tomatoes or cucumber or something! However, maybe those tasteless lettuce would help absorbing some of the sodium from the miso soup. The spring rolls and the California roll were okay. I didn’t mind those the most.
It won’t be a favorite place for me to dine while in Cedar Rapids. I just have to make sure next time I book a trip to come when Lost Cuban opens late.

If you haven’t been in for a while, go back to order the new Sushi Tacos on the sushi menu. They were delicious! Rice, avocado and rare sashimi tuna in crispy shells.
Only reason for 4 stars is they need to update their menus online.

Both the food and the service were very good. We had the Japanese dumplings, several cooked rolls which were excellent (the Lobster roll was the best), and the pepper tuna. Highly recommended.

Just had an awesome dinner at Kazoku tonight. We have been out of town for several months and so enjoyed getting sushi in downtown Cedar Rapids again finally. The food was wonderful. The peppered tuna is fantastic and love the lobster roll. The price is great. They do a great job! Cheryl and Dale

The wait staff worked very hard. Went there as walk in before concert. Kitchen management is not good at all. Dishes come out randomly, some people get their food and are nearly done eating before other food comes out. Appetizer came out last. Some items were missed. Most concerning was the sashimi. Not stored correctly, it tasted fine but outer edges were obviously dry and shouldn’t be chewy. I really would like to rate higher but can’t. Within 6 hours of eating here I became ill. Never a good sign when trying new sushi restaurant. May try again but will likely order cooked food. There is much better sushi in town. The sushi on rolls and similar chewy consistency.

I’m a pseudo sushi eater, nothing too raw. I like tempura sushi. Didn’t know I had taste for sushi until I stumbled on this spot looking for a place to eat. There was one person sitting and eating in the entire place and I think he worked there. So I was tempted not to go in. Thursday around 8 so I expected a few more people. The place is really clean and spacious. I sat at the bar while my to go order was being prepped. The sushiist kept up conversation with me although it was a little hard to understand what he was saying. He was very nice and made sure to tell me that Japan wasn’t the first to make sushi, China was. He also taught me the proper way to say sushi in Chinese and Japanese. Pleasure taking with him.
Now on to the food. Absolutely amazing! From the house sweet and sour sauce to the crab Rangoon, the kani salad topped with crab to the «cooked sushi». He even offered to cook a raw sushi for me. I couldn’t make up my mind which rolls I wanted so I got like 4 different kinds… all amazing. I’m stuffed right now writing this and I still got more sushi to eat. I love this place, highly recommend to anyone in the downtown CR and will be back next time I have to be here for business.

I went here for a meeting and really wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. I ordered the teriyaki box and was unimpressed. The rolls were fine but the teriyaki sauce in the vegetables was odd. The tofu had an excellent crust to it but it was cold when it arrived.
The food was meh but the service was just bad. We waited a long time to order and even longer for the food to arrive. Our server wasn’t unfriendly but never smiled or checked on us. My bento box arrived before my clients’ sushi and there was no word of explanation. There are some great lunch spots in downtown CR so next time I will go somewhere else.

Kazoku is obviously joining the trend of stepping up the Cedar Rapids restaurant expectations. You walk into the restaurant past a quaint but cute patio that gives a good view of what may be going on downtown. Upon entry, the décor is nice, not expected in Cedar Rapids, but nice! The house music is a bit of an 80’s vibe, but if you’re out for a good time, you won’t mind it.
I started with a nice, reasonably priced glass of Malbec. The wine list isn’t extensive, but there is a little of everything. They also offer some interesting flavors of Sake (I tried a white peach that was fruity, but definitely not strong). FYI: The restaurant is currently only offering beer, wine, and sake… no liquor.
I had dinner here with a large group of 19 people. With that being said, our food came out extremely slow and scattered (apparently there is only one chef). Aside from the slight frustration of some people finishing their food before others even received theirs, the food was pretty good! I had the Crab Rangoon as an appetizer (actually, our entire group did). They tasted great and were perfectly fried with a sweet creaminess that paired well with their house sweet and sour sauce. I also had the seaweed salad which was good, but they were a little heavy handed with the dressing/​sauce. My roll of choice was the Green River roll… and it was amazing! The sushi tasted fresh and I heard no complaints from anywhere in or group.
All things considered, I look forward to going back, with a smaller party, and giving the food service another try! The waiter and waitress we had were both attentive without being intrusive… and since I was enjoying my company and able to put my patient hat on, I still enjoyed dinner!

Awesome sushi (fresh fish, great rolls) and a menu full of other options if sushi is not your thing. Service is Great! The ambiance is great for a date, friends reunion, or a party. I would highly recommend this restaurant. Best sushi in town.

Really good sushi, and if you get one of their sushi boxes, it’ll fill you up with delicious food for cheep. I recommend the salmon bento box.
The owners even opened dinner early for us, as we were hungry between lunch and dinner hours.

Super slow service tonight. Just over an hour to get sushi order. The house did give us 2 free spring rolls and a glass of wine. Good thing we weren’t in a hurry. Only 6 tables occupied during our wait. It wasn’t busy at all. 2 stars because of the freebies.

Excellent sushi and Japanese food. Love the Atmosphere and the service is great. Very reasonable prices. Definitely worth trying.
Good for small groups and intimate date nights. One of the best places I’ve eaten in Cedar Rapids. If you are up for some amazing ethnic food this is your place.

I really enjoyed this place.
I wish they had more of a «sushi bar», but the sushi tasted fresh.
It was pretty empty when I went in, and I could see the service being bad if it was crowded as they only had two people working the floor.
They customized a roll for me which was great!
The salmon here is a must try.
Will go back before I leave Cedar Rapids.

I really enjoy the food and the décor. However, I have found the Asian servers to be somewhat rude and the music horrendous. For such a lovely décor and ambiance, the Asian pop/​techno is very off putting. I had to ask my server to turn it down, which he was not happy about. Perhaps if the restaurant was very modern and bright such music would seem more appropriate but given the softer and more romantic décor, the music is out of place.
Otherwise, I have enjoyed all my meals here and the prices are very reasonable.

I am disappointed to lower my star rating after my most recent trip. What when wrong? When seated I was not given menu. After several minutes I got up and walked to host stand to get menu. Several more minutes went by and still no table greeting or water delivery or anything. I felt abandoned. Eventually I got someone’s attention who told me my server was on his way. So the first 10 minutes were not good. Last time we were very impressed with welcome and service. Maybe it was because I was a solo female diner?
Anyhow, I ordered seaweed salad and the Green River Roll. .substituting the soy paper with traditional seaweed paper. Seaweed salad came out quickly and was tasty. But then I waited a long time for my maki and when it came, it was not made to my modification and had to be redone. I was not thrilled to have to wait more.
Eventually I received the roll as order. Unfortunately, while very good, it did not measure up to the last time I had ordered it. Portion was smaller and the roll fell apart when I was trying to eat it. And, I think the prices have increased.
I loved my first visit to this cool and hip downtown sushi joint. I will return and hope it moves back to the 4 stars I have it before this second visit.

I’ve been watching Kazoku since construction began in the old Blend location in downtown Cedar Rapids, but I finally got a chance to give it a try last night before catching a local performance of Les Miserables.
You enter through a small open glass hallway that leads to the restaurant, as well as a few other businesses. Upon entering the establishment, you are greeted with a pleasant cool air, low lighting akin to most high end restaurants I’ve been to, and the faint sound of the bustling sushi chefs going about their business directly across from the entrance. There’s a very nice amount of additional light coming in from the large pane window that leads to the street, as well as the outdoor eating area. Very clean, and a nice blend of modern styling and a more classic trappings. There was a very pleasant ambient electronica being piped in through the speakers (Think something along the lines of Enigma), which is a very refreshing change from the usual AZN fair most asian restaurants play.
I was seated very quickly by a very friendly host, and they were very quick to point me out to my companion once they arrived. The overall seating is very open, so if you’re meeting someone there, it’s very easy to locate people you’re looking for, but thanks to the lighting and ambiance, it still maintains a very private dining feel to it. Other than a particularly noisy group sitting behind me, myself and my friend were able to converse quietly with the utmost ease.
As far as the menu goes, it has a healthy range of Japanese, Chinese, and a bit of Thai/​indian. As it’s primarily focused on Sushi, the selections was a bit small, but the prices were quite reasonable. Chinese fair around $ 8, Japanese noodle dishes $ 10 or so, etc. They have a nice selection of Sake (which I, unfortunately, did not get a chance to sample at all. Some time in the future I will.) Sushi prices range from hilarious ($ 3 pretty consistently for a single piece of even basic nigiri) to very reasonable (My eel roll was only $ 6.) Word of advice? unless you’re buying a platter (which are all pretty reasonably priced), avoid the Nigiri, get the rolls. It’s just far more cost effective. Unfortunately, tea is not complimentary.
For the food, I ordered the Mongolian Beef and the eel rolls. My friend ordered the Rainbow Roll, I believe. The food didn’t take long at all to be served, and it came out nice and hot (for the entrée) and nice and cool (for the sushi). The Mongolian beef was very tasty, a healthy mix of various colored onions, bok choy, good beef, and a nice sauce, as well as a healthy heap of rice. Portions were good, and while it was not the best mongolion beef I’ve ever had, the $ 9 price was very right for what I got. I’d take this place over most other establishments based on that alone.
On the sushi end of things, $ 6 got me six rolls. They were a smidge on the small side (a comment made by my friend with her rainbow roll as well), but the rice was fresh, the eel was tasty, and it was very well made. Definitely towards the higher end of sushi joints I’ve gone to, though I’ll need to try more before I can give a full verdict. All in all, not the best I’ve ever had, but definitely in the top tiers. And at the price, I strongly recommend it. I was very worried at first when the tea came out and I noticed it was bags, but they actually use a very solid brand, and they keep it coming, so while it’s unfortunate it’s not free, it’s not overpriced, and tastes good.
All in all, I very much recommend Kazoku. Good ambiance, good food, good service, reasonable prices.
As this review has been less amusing then my prior ones, I shall instead share an amusing tale of the experience. For whatever reason, the hostess (a sweet old Chinese, I believe, lady) took a particular interest in the friend that I was dining with. For whatever reason, she would periodically wander over and inquire about some attribute (Hair, how thin she was, etc.) much to her immense embarassment, and my great amusement. Though, fret not, my friend was really the only person she seemed to take an interest in, so it’s no doubt just a odd fluke.

Loved the New York roll. Music was fun but surely more progressive vs chain restaurant drone. Didn’t check bathrooms but the rest was clean and tidy. Very well traveled and knowledgable sushi chef.

I got spoiled on sushi in the Bay Area so I have been hesitant to try any here in the landlocked Midwest. Sat at the bar and let the chef prepare the food.
Have to say I was more than pleased by the selection of fresh sashimi he served us. The service was on point without being overly intrusive. Got a great price too.
I will definitely be coming back.

This place will be out of business on a year. Worst experience in my life. We sat down and were the sixth table. They were not busy. Ordered teriyaki chicken, crab rangoons, and one roll. The waiter was terrible and unfriendly. We never got the Rangoons. He brought out my wife’s teryaki but in a bento box which she didn’t order. I waited another 35 minutes for one roll. After one hour never did get the roll. The take out business was busy though. Skip this one!

Lightening fast sushi and service.
Interior is nicely done with a tall bar and interesting layout. I was told that the sidewalk patio is closed for some reason though.
It was early Friday dinner shift — which meant that my sushi was done before my app order — fried tofu — had made it to the back. The result was a half finished 6 piece combo plate before my app arrived but life could be worse.
Right now they’re in serious need of more wait staff but the quality of food and atmosphere are legit. High 4 star potential