Ajisai

Go here for sushi now!
The sushi chef is amazingly talented in his display and the sushi tasted top notch.
The only downside to this place was that it’s easy to forget about being located off of Cemetary road.
Also, just a tip but There are some major deals on Tuesday night for sushi rolls.

My review is based purely on carry-​out. I ordered two sushi rolls, and they were alright. Fresh tasting, although poorly built so they fell apart easily. As well, they didn’t give me enough soy sauce for dipping to even make it through one roll.
Will I be back? Probably. Its the closest sushi to my office. Would I drive across town for it? Not a chance.
Also, word on the street from my co-​workers is the service is slow when you eat in.

Delicious!
The place is beautiful, the selection for food is great, and the first bite I said, «Wow, this is awesome. »

After reading reviews we decided to give it a try. We had the Ohio and spider rolls which were great. We all did hibachi for dinner and had a wonderful meal. The overall experience was outstanding and the food was excellent.
We went in on a Weds night and it was very quiet. I hope more people find this gem of a restaurant and give it a try.
I read some of the reviews and find the negative reviews were bs. I found the décor pleasant, its very clean, and the food was fresh.

While Ajisai may look grand and mighty staking out the old Longhorn Steakhouse joint, it leaves much to be desired.
I had higher hopes for this place, but it left me with a feeling of «meh». There was nothing really that stood out and made this place climb past the multiple Americanized Japanese joints in the Columbus area.
The Décor?
Interesting, but confusing. What does a bad medieval knight have to do with sushi and hibachi?
Are the multi colored rave lights strewn about in random places really effective?
Nah, not really. It all comes off as really cheap.
I will note that the hibachi area is nice and spacious for groups. However, during this trip I did not order the hibachi grill. Perhaps, that is what I am missing.
All of the sushi rolls here were OK. And I say that with more of a mediocre representation. They were nowhere near the best in Columbus, but if you’re here and want sushi then order it.
I was disappointed to find the majority of the menu was EXTREMELY Americanized. I found more deep fried and cream cheese filled rolls, than actual high quality fish.
I was also not impressed with their rice quality. I’m partially doubting whether or not it was sushi grade type of sticky rice. The flavors and textures were just off.
The service was perfectly fine. The waitresses were friendly, helpful, and they were not constantly hovering over, which is a major plus.
****This might be a place to bring kids and the family, but serious sushi and Japanese cuisine seekers look elsewhere.
****Prices are standard of the pop up hibachi grills/​Asian Fusion showing up in Columbus. You get what you pay for.

I come here once a week with friends. Half off Hibachi on Mon-​Wed, with 1 $ Sashimi Mondays and Half off sushi Tuesdays.
Chef’s show is decent, nothing amazing but its ok he tries with the flying cutlery. (Beware the fake squirt bottle)
Hibachi comes with soup and salad. Soup’s a salty chicken-​like soup, pretty tasty. It’s a stretch to call it miso, but I don’t care. Salad’s iceberg lettuce, but the I enjoyed the dressing… couldnt place it but its like thousand island/​french but with ginger flavors.
Fried rice is good (they charge extra 2 $ for it). I’m Chinese so fried rice is like mac and cheese to most people, inconceivable how anyone can screw it up, but many places do. Ajisai’s gets it right, proper fried rice, nothing fancy, just rice, egg, soysauce and not too salty. Noodles are tasty too, have tiny bits of garlic in them. Maybe ask the chef to cook them both a tad longer to get a crispier/​toastier serving.
The flavorings are great. The problem with other hibachi places in columbus I’ve had so far is that their food is too salty, like the flavor is exclusively soy sauce. Not Ajisai, the food is a proper balance of sweet and salty. I suspect their sauce is very similiar to Yoshida’s. Vegetables are also flavored the same, yummy.
First time I came here, had the steak, 2^nd time the chicken. Steak’s ok… cheap steak but still tasty… about the same as say… applebee’s or golden corral. They do a decent job trimming the fat off, so no biting into a piece of fat, though you may get the occasional rare piece. chicken is solid too, juicy chicken breasts.
Portions are big. Steak and chicken dinners for 1 person were both 2 filets/​breasts each. Average person will take home leftovers, though if you’re a big eater like me, you’ll finish everything and be very comfortably full.
Love this place, especially with half off mon-​wed. 7 $ chicken hibachi dinner, 9 $ for steak? on tuesdays sushi is freaking cheap, 3 $ for california roll, eel roll, etc.
I’m an asian from nyc, and while Ajisai’s nothing great by my standards, it gets a mark of approval for solid well done food. for columbus its great, and thats all i can ask for: a hibachi that doesn’t screw up the food.

Most Impressive!
We went as a group from lunch, 12 people, we went for the hibachi so we had 2 tables.
First off, the staff was super nice
Secondly, the place was clean
Third, it’s in a great location
BUT… we all went for the food, so here goes.
In a word: amazing.
I got the shrimp with fried rice, it also came with salad, soup, vegetables and noodles, all for around 14 bucks and that’s with drink and tax.
My food was cooked perfectly, the chef was hilarious, the most under rated part of lunch was the noodles that came with it, PHENOMENAL!
I am a fan, I will go back.
Pete went with us and he loved it!

On a business trip on a Monday night, we stop in because the reviews are fairly good and it’s right next to our hotel.
The good news is that it’s $ 1 sushi on Mondays. I order about 25 pieces because I eat sushi like a killer whale.
When the sushi arrives, the waitress does not go over what pieces are there like waitstaff do at many places when a customer orders a la carte. After she leaves, I suspect not all the pieces are there. At this point, I can do one of a few things:
1) Not touch the sushi, wait for the waitress to come back, and engage in a forensic accounting of sushi.
2) Eat and assume that some of the fish were not available and she took it off of the bill.
3) Mix of #1 and #2. Eat some and wait until she comes back and do forensic accounting of sushi knowing that some of it has been eaten already and she may say, «you ate it».
If I were with my family, I would do #1. I’m on a business trip with a colleague and the pieces are $ 1 each so I’m reluctant about going thru a full sushi auditing exercise. I leaned towards #3 but she didn’t come back for a while.
The bill comes and I look to see if the pieces I did not get (white tuna, flying fish roe, and another one or two) are on there. They are. I can again dispute at this point but the plate is empty, I’m on a business trip, and the pieces are $ 1 each, so I pay.
The sushi was not bad but the pieces could have been larger. And the missing ones could have been there.

Fantastic Japanese Steak House! The chef was entertaining, the food was cooked very well, and the price is very reasonable. They also have sushi but haven’t tried it yet. That will be next!

Ive been here twice now, sat at the Hibachi and at a table the second time. Both times, the food was top notch. Soup and Salad were very good (Soup was one of the best I’ve had at a local hibachi place). Fried rice, veggies and noodles were very tasty. The noodles are a nice added bonus with the rice.
I always roll Shrimp and Scallops and they were not burnt at all either time. Scallops were very tasty and the shrimp were much bigger than all the other steakhouses (other than mikado in hilliard, they serve you huge, jumbo shrimpies).
I really like the Ginger Dipping Sauce here, its not very salty and its a great compliment for the shrimp/​scallops. The service has been great both times as well. Our waiter the 2^nd time was really attentive, and always had our drinks refilled. He was on top of his game that day.
The only negative thing I have to say is they dont have lunch specials for Hibachi, compared to other places. Other than that, it is a good spot in Hilliard, and if you are in the Mill Run area, good place to eat at.

My boyfriend & I went there for the first time this past weekend and we LOVED it! We’ve been to a lot of sushi places in Columbus and so far this place is our favorite! The hot sake was great, the Gyoza was perfect and the specialty rolls were excellent! We got the Bubba Gump, Ohio & Spicy Tuna Rolls — all fresh and tasty and the presentation was gorgeous! I highly recommend this place! Next time we are going to try the hibachi side.

We were driving by this place over in Mill Run and decided to give it a try. It’s located where the old Longhorn Steakhouse was, for those who don’t know where it is. Got seated right away and put in our drink orders.
My boyfriend got the hibachi (steak and shrimp) with fried rice. Came with the usual salad and soup. Was FANTASTIC (because of course I had to try his). He even got free noodles because they had made too much. Anything free is awesome, right?
I myself got an order of sushi (the spiky roll to be exact). And it was to die for. So good. It was very busy this particular Saturday evening so the service was lacking a little, but I don’t hold that against businesses when they’re super slammed. They did their best and were very friendly.
I definitely see myself coming back in the future.

If this was the only asain steak house in columbus, this would be really good. But compared to others in columbus, it just didn’t stack up.
The inside is beautiful and the service is really great — that is something they do have others beat. But the food was bland and the «show» by our chef just wasn’t good at all.
Not bad, just nothing special.

SOLID.
Ajisai is as solid a sushi joint as you can get here in the ‘Bus. Is it the best? Maybe not. Is it good? Absolutely.
It’s only been open for about 1.5 months now, but it looks like Ajisai has got service down fairly well. Our server was very nice, helpful, and attentive. In particular, I asked them which they recommended: the cold or warm sake. They said the warm sake was stronger and… well… that’s really where I stopped paying attention. SOLD.
As far as the rolls themselves go, they were a-​okay. I wasn’t blown away by them, but, like my intro says, they were all fairly solid. I also got nigiri (tuna) and I have to say I wasn’t all the impressed with its quality. As a note, let it be known that most of the specialty rolls they offer come fried. When in the Midwest, right?
Will I come back? Probably. In the end, though, the sushi was good, but not great.
My recommendations:
— Angel Roll
— Yummy Yummy Roll

This was our first visit (even though I added the restaurant before it actually opened). The food was very good and of high quality. The hospitality was gratious and attentive. This restaurant used to be a long-​closed Longhorn Steakhouse. The interior is now quite beautiful. The transformation is stunning and offers a sense of Japanese simplicity and elegance. We were most impressed!

Holy Hell Batman!!! Best sushi restaurant experience in Columbus, hands down. Moved from California two years ago and I FINALLY found the BEST place for sushi in the Columbus area. It’s about time there is a sushi bar where the chefs talk to you, recommend stuff, and even create whatever you want. The service was stellar. Our server never missed a beat and we were even greated at the sushi bar by the manager, which was awesome because we got the chance to tell him how much we were enjoying our experience. The creations chef Eason put together were mind blowing. He suggested the squid salad but we opted for the seared white tuna. He ended up giving my husband and I the squid salad for free just so we’d try it. And it was DELICIOUS! Perfect level of spicy. The fish in all of our dishes were superb. Very fresh and very delicious. If this is the only place I eat sushi in the Columbus area for the remainder of my years in lovely Ohio, I’d be very content. No need to go anywhere else. This place is going to get very busy, very fast. Kudos, Ajisai! You’ve outdone yourself!

The BEST! I am so happy to have an amazing place for Sushi in Mill Run. It was so good, I went last night for Sushi and again today to try the Hibachi for lunch. Everything was stellar. They are artists.
Last night we started with the squid salad. SO GOOD! Spicy and refreshing. I had the Miso soup while my friend had the clear soup (which I also had today) and both were mmm mmm good. We shared three rolls and were so stuffed we couldn’t even finish! The Ohio roll, Columbus roll and the Oceans3 roll were all incredible. It’s hard to pic a favorite, but I would lean towards the Ohio roll for the imaginative presentation. Anything that comes with a glowing blue light illuminating beneath it gets bonus points from me. Great drinks and our sushi chef offered us tempura fried ice cream. Very yummy! Wish I hadn’t been so full and I would have enjoyed it much more!
Today we went for the Hibachi. Lunch specials are super affordable and HUGE portion size. The lunches come with soup and salad, rice, veggies and your protein choice. We had filet and chicken. Both super! They also offer a Sushi special at lunch time — 2 rolls, soup and salad for under 11 bucks! The Hibachi was better than Genji, HOJ and blows Benihana away in my opinion. Also, very entertaining. I like a show when I go for Hibachi and they do not disappoint.
Do yourself a favor and check it out. YAY, AJISAI (which, we learned, is a pink flower that re-​blooms each morning :) !!

This place was amazing. We sat at the sushi bar, and had:
1. Squid Salad… fresh, spicy, delicious.
2. Clear soup and Miso soup… both great.
3. Ohio Roll… OUR FAVORITE! beautiful presentation, and the flavors… WOW!
4. Columbus Roll… Wonderful. The tempura is so light, it completely enhances the fish, and doesn’t overpower it.
5. Oceans 3 roll… So fresh, so clean. The siracha on top was perfect.
6. My requested version of a sakitini… sake, vodka, and plum wine, well shaken. They were great.
Overall wonderful experience. Our server was Alee, he was great. The prices for the hibachi looked good, and the food smelled amazing from the grills. The sushi prices are very comfortable for the quality and quantity that you get.
We will be back many times, and it is worth the drive from Galena to Hilliard for me!

Dare I say it, Ajisai might be the best sushi in Columbus. It was so wonderful I felt the obligation to quickly give them a review.
Ambiance:
Don’t let the outside fool you, it looks like a former Lone Star with a new sign, the inside is completely redone with modern Asian themed décor. Half of the restaurant is tepan yaki tops, the other half is tables/​full bar/​sushi bar. Very romantic for a date night.
Service:
As a West Coast transplant, I really appreciate the thick accents of my fellow Asians (although I totally sound like a white girl…), it somehow gives the restaurant authenticity. Our waitress was attentive, polite, and most importantly, never let our drinks get more than half empty.
Food:
After having been burned by another restaurant that shall remain unnamed, I am very skeptical of trying new Columbus sushi places. Ajisai really rose to the occasion with fresh fish, beautiful presentation, and some innovative flavor combinations.
Soft shell crab appetizer — $ 6.95– tender yet crispy on a bed of tempura veggies
Spicy negihama roll — $ 6.95 — my favorite of the night — spicy yellowtail with masago that is the most delicate blend of spicy to highlight the sweetness of the fish. Yum!
Spider roll — $ 9.50 — crunchy, delicious, hint of eel sauce
Naruto roll — $ 10.95 — salmon/​tuna/​white fish/​avocado all beautifully married inside a cucumber wrapper with a tangy ponzu «Naruto» sauce. Both beautiful and refreshing.
Overall, this place was just wonderful. The quality rivals that of the creative and delicious sushi restaurants I grew up loving in Las Vegas. Needless to say, we’re definitely coming back.

My wife and I stopped in this newly opened sushi bar on a whim. We were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food. Delicious, beautiful presentation, and reasonably priced. The sushi chef working that night was a very talented young man and a true master of his craft.
If you’re looking for a sushi fix in Hilliard this is the place to go.