Haiku Sushi and Lounge

I’m surprised Haiku Sushi and Lounge closed. I went to Haiku for dinner during the week about three months ago. We were immediately seated by the hostess. I ordered the Haiku chicken (stir-​fried chicken, zucchini, mushrooms, red peppers, and tangy sauce) entrée and a «hulk» roll. The entrees are served with a salad and miso soup. The Haiku chicken was good and flavorful. Haiku salad and miso soup was tasty. Deciding on a sushi roll was difficult. There are a variety of rolls on the menu. The «hulk» roll (avocado, spicy tuna, shrimp tempura, and crispers) won me over. It was excellent, everything blended well together. I should have order two of these rolls. The service was decent. Haiku had a really nice ambience. It’s a great spot for date night. I walked to the restaurant thinking parking would be hard to find. There is a parking lot located across from Haiku for customers. Haiku was a good choice for sushi in Downtown Richmond.

Have gone back a few times since my previous review and the quality in the food is significantly improved.

Lots of items to choose from so it was a little hard to decide! I got the soft shell crab roll and it was good! They also have a special sushi roll menu with about 30 options to choose from. My friends ordered a couple of rolls from that menu and both looked yummy! Besides Japanese, they also have a few Thai items on their menu as well.
Not to others: If you have a craving for tempura (like I did), don’t finish an entire tempura appetizer by yourself or else you will feel disgusted with yourself (like I did). Aside from that mistake, the tempura was perfectly fried with the right amount of batter.
Definitely would like to come again next time I visit RVA!

I loved this place!!! I’ve only gone once so far, but everything we had was fantastic. The service was wonderful and the atmosphere is very relaxed. If you’re interested in a date-​night restaurant, please consider this location. Don’t be hesitant to visit if you’re not comfortable with parallel parking; there’s spaces allotted for the restaurant in the deck across the street!
Steamed Spicy Pork Dumplings: if you’re a fan of spice, you have to try these! It’s not ridiculously overpowering, but the element of heat is NOT hidden. With prior spicy-​food experiences being underwhelming due to a lack of flavor and and overuse of some pepper that is probably marked with a skull and crossbones, this was a delight. The flavor of dumplings really has depth and personality. My only complaint was that they were slightly overcooked — probably only due to the warmed spicy broth they’re served with. It’s certainly not a reason to not order them.
Powerhouse Roll: If you’re as new to sushi, as I am, this is a great start. The power roll is a great sushi-​take on surf and turf — shrimp tempura served with thin filet mignon and spicy mayo. I had it without the tobiko, but the next one will definitely have it.
I also sampled a piece of the Sleepy Hollow roll, and it was surprisingly refreshing. I’m not sure if it was served with lime or yuzu, but that would have definitely gone well with the cilantro.
All in all, a great place. If anything bout this review piqued your interest, don’t hesitate to make time and visit.

Tried this place last week and was extremely disappointed. We went in with high expectations after reading about it in «best of 2013» in the Richmond magazine… best of? Hardly.
The place was nearly empty at 7pm… but we pressed on. It took the server awhile to greet our table and was somewhat rude in our initial interaction. He was not accommodating to a request my husband had even when my husband said he would pay whatever it took…
Moving on, we ordered the Hollywood roll which tasted like only cheese with very small pieces of tuna. We were hungry and thought we just selected a bad roll.
In the midst of our salads a server carrying incense apologized for the smell… he said they were trying to get rid of fruit flies. My husband and I have worked in restaurants for about 10 yrs each and my husband currently owns a restaurant… flies happen in the summer, we get it. However… we also understand that you need to leave some mystery when it comes to those issues… not something I wanted to hear about as a lemon is floating in my water.
Finally the entrees… my husband ordered their 16 oz strip and I ordered the chicken fried rice. The steak was small… it was lucky to be 12 oz and it also had a strange texture and color. My husband is very familiar with steaks and said it just looked old. His broccoli was ice cold and he was missing an element of the dish. Mine was okay… lacked flavor mostly. We decided to get the check… we were going to pay for it but we were not going to eat it.
After several minutes of our server not returning I asked the host to get him. He came over and we asked for the check but said we were not pleased. We didn’t mind paying we just wanted to leave. He never apologized and was defensive when we expressed our displeasure. We have NEVER done this at a restaurant and we felt bad since we are both in the industry. However, a simple «I’m sorry» would have gone a long way. He did take off our entrees so we just paid for the roll, which was nice. No manager was involved and we left with a (literal) bad taste in our mouth.
Side note: we went to Station 2 and had some good burgers to supplement our appetite.

This is hands down the nicest sushi place in richmond. I stay in richmond every tuesday and a lot of the locals dont know about it. The atmosphere is nice great service and they have multigrain sushi rice if you want. No reason to get sushi anywhere else in richmond.

I’ve been a regular at Haiku since it opened. Even when I worked a block away from Kobe in Shockoe Slip, I’d happily walk 9 blocks to Haiku in the heat to enjoy a bento box or bánh mì.
Some of their stand-​out dishes are the tempura-​fried calamari, the dragon and mighty rolls, the chicken Vietnamese noodle bowl, the beef phở, or the tom yum noodle soup.
The owners are attentive to make sure you’re enjoying your meal. Sit at the sushi bar and make friends with the chefs behind the counter. You can also watch the news or sports game at their full bar at the front of the restaurant.
Haiku’s become a trusted restaurant for me, and I’m glad I live a block away. Beats getting in the car to drive for sushi!

First time I went it was amazing. Always looking for a great sushi place in the area. Went back and the sushi was not fresh. It was bland and couldn’t even eat it.

Went for lunch on a Wednesday afternoon with a friend of mine. The restaurant was spacious with modern décor. We went around 1:00 and we were the only people in the restaurant. The drink menu is pretty extensive and I wasn’t sure what to order. Our server was really nice and helpful with suggestions. I ordered the Allegash white beer from Maine and loved it! It was light, had a citrus flavor, very similar to blue moon and was served with an orange slice. As far as food goes I ordered the Oscar roll and the teriyaki shrimp bento box. The food came out really fast, almost too fast. I really hate when I order Japanese and everything comes out at once– soup, salad, sushi, and entrée. It makes me feel rushed and the food is not as enjoyable. I really wish they would let you finish one thing before they bring out the next.- Rant over. As far as the taste, the roll was awesome– spicy crab, asparagus, topped with seared filet. The teriyaki shrimp were delicious– perfectly cooked. The rice was just ok– nothing special and they didn’t have shrimp sauce or yum yum sauce (whatever you call it) to go with it. Thumbs down on that! The bento box came with 4 pieces of California roll and they were good. The miso soup and ginger salad were ok– typical Japanese style– nothing impressive.

This is a nice place in Richmond. It’s great to hang out, try a few of their fancy drinks and have dinner.
The only drawback here is that while they specialize in sushi… I was relatively disappointed at the temperature the sushi/​sashimi was served. It really needed to be about 20 degrees colder than it was and the fish had a weird mouth feel to it.
As for the non-​raw fish items, the avocado and crab soup was delicious! I was really happy with that and my husband got the pork dumpling soup that was good too.
One of our dining mates ordered a dinner bento box, and that thing was massive! So if you’re hungry and want a little bit of everything, I suggest you get that.
Service was good, attentive and very friendly. The drinks were interesting and fun, and I would come back to hang out… but I don’t know if I’d ordered the sushi again… Do we give warm raw fish a second chance???

I love this place. After trying multiple sushi places in RVA I’ve fallen in love. PS. don’t ever bother going to sticky rice. Unless you want to have a really overpriced and awful time.
But as far as Haiku goes, I’ve always had a pleasant time here. Sushi is always fresh. Atmosphere is awesome. Its quiet and nicely decorated, I came in expecting to pay a lot more than I did! They have some of the best ginger dressing I’ve tasted. The portions are generous for the price. I adore this place based on its simplicity and the fact they’re very good at what they do without being so full of themselves. I get that vibe from too many places in Richmond so I really do appreciate how humble they remain.
I’ve visited Japan and have a high expectations when it comes to sushi. They keep it authentic yet manage to add their own style. They have literally an endless amount of rolls and will have something there for any sushi lover. I try something new every time and they have never failed me.
Make this your local sushi place. No gimmicks. This is a place you can appreciate.

The place have an atmosphere really great, the sushi was very fresh and the personal super nice! When we have to stay again in Richmond I’m going to visiting back because it’s an amazing place. The dessert omg! Was reallyyyyyyyy GREAT! Omg, I’m not kidding we ask for the Godiva Tempura and the taste was SPECTACULAR. I’m obsessed with that dessert So, if you are lookin for a romantic and great sushi restaurant, this is the best choice.

Haiku is super cool. I was impressed right off the bat with the décor. It’s really roomy, lounge-​like in atmosphere, laid-​back and not at all stuffy. One of the cooler restaurants I’ve been in before.
It was pretty empty on a Thursday night. Our waitress was really friendly and efficient.
I ordered the Haiku rolls for an app (it came with two for around $ 4). They were stuffed with crab, shrimp, pineapple, cheese, and maybe something else I don’t remember. Also came with a dipping sauce. They were pretty good, but I don’t think I would order them again.
After, I ordered the Slumdog Roll, flash fried and filled with kani and goat cheese. It was SO GOOD. The roll itself came with about… I’d say 8 – 9 pieces, and they were generously sized. For $ 10, I think it was a pretty good deal, about average for rolls in Richmond. Maybe a couple dollars cheaper but I am a college student so every penny counts. Also tried my eating companion’s Princess Roll. I wasn’t a huge fan but he really enjoyed it.
Overall, it was a pleasant and quick dinner experience.
Parking was easy to find, both available on-​street and in the river lofts parking lot as well (trust me!).
I would 100% come back here. There were quite a few things I wanted to try (like the thai basil seitan omg how good does that sound??). I actually think Haiku would be my first choice if I were craving sushi again.

So I returned for sushi today and I was impressed. I typically get sashimi when I order sushi, but I tried a roll with fried oyster topped with rare filet mignon and caviar (i forget the name of it) and it was spectacular. I was extremely impressed. My coworker had some tuna sashimi and he commented that it was fresh and had excellent flavor.
The only negative I could list was that the wasabi was not really spicy. I love really hit wasabi, and I used the entire portion and it added little heat.

My expectations for the sushi was a little on the low end because I didn’t think the Sushi would be as fresh on a Thursday night; I was proven very wrong and was pleasantly surprised by the quality and freshness.
The inside décor had a very subtle/​dim lighting and had a lounge feel to it. We arrived around 7.30 PM and were seated immediately. I got the Eel Sashimi (my first time) and the Princess roll (Spicy salmon, cooked shrimp, and avocado). Both my sashimi and roll was served slightly above room temperature which is not the way I prefer it but both items tasted delicious. The eel was some of the best i’ve ever had; it was sweet and savory.
The princess roll was also very delicious and wasn’t as big of a cut as most places serve them and was easily eaten using your hands. My fellow Unilocaler, Brandi O got the spring rolls and Slum Dog Roll (i think) and it looked like she enjoyed them as well.
Server was nice and attentive. I must say that this may be one of my favorite Sushi places in RVA that serves not only tasty but fresh sushi. My favorite place to get Sushi is still Hanami in innsbrook though.

I like this place a lot. I grew up in Japan and am very particular about my sushi and sashimi and Haiku gets my seal of approval! The service is on the slower side, so don’t come here if you’re in a hurry. I’ve been here about ten times and never spent under an hour here. They do have the option for carryout which is convenient. The prices are pretty fair, some range from really cheap to maybe a little over priced, but the quality is worth it. Try the phở rolls they are crispy and delicious!!!

Food was really good. I have been twice, once during lunch and I had AMAZING service. But, when I went for dinner the service was terrible. Took almost forty minutes to get our drinks (after we got food). Also, I was running to the waiters station myself for extra plates
And sauce plates for sushi, and request for a fork that never came. Steak teriyaki was amazing

So I didn’t want to cook last week (shocker!) and convinced the hubs we need to try out the new sushi place right by our house. It’s in the old Sensi location and they’ve made some tweaks to the layout. The mesh curtain that was used to cut the room in half when it wasn’t full now curves along the bar area to separate it from the dining area. The back wall is the sushi bar. I didn’t notice where it was until after we were in a booth — but that’s where I’ll be heading next visit.
We started with sashimi and ordered uni (a huge portion for $ 7.50) and then mackerel and red clam. Each order is only two pieces for your $ 4.50-$ 4.75, so it feels a little dear. However flavors were freah and on point so no complaints on that. Next time I may swing by Sumo Sam for sashimi before hitting Haiku.
The rolls are where they REALLY shine! Oh my goodness! We had the Spider Roll, the Forest City Roll, and the Volcano Roll. The Forest City Roll had lobster people! You know how I feel about lobster! Seriously big pieces of tempura lobster sticking out of the roll. In case you are thinking, how would I eat that? I ate it with my hands. You’re welcome.
I had a Bell’s Two Hearted which seems to be my sushi go to beer from a really well curated beer list. We will definitely be back here so I can get my Forest City Roll on.

I am giving this place an extra star because it is new and I appreciate that they are giving more options to the folks in the bottom. This place is where the restaurant Sensi used to be and considering I never went there this place is already winning.
Went in on a recent week night and was glad to see a dozen tables full — this place is pretty huge though so it didn’t feel crowded. It is super dark and decorated within an inch of its life so be prepared.
Our waiter seemed a little out of it — when I ordered a beer (a pretty standard Japanese beer) he looked at me like I was crazy — a WHAT?! — I repeated myself and he then proceeded to bring me and my husband a completely different beer than what we ordered (it also happened to be a beer that was twice as expensive). Strange start.
We made the mistake of also ordering a fried shrimp appetizer (it tasted so fishy and old that I had trouble even eating it).
We both got the bento boxes and let me just tell you — this is a TON of food. Soup, salad, 6 sushi rolls, a massive amount of tempura veggies and shrimp, 5 or 6 pork dumplings, rice, salmon and steamed veggies and half of an orange! Everything was pretty good (especially the tempura) with the exception of my salmon being cooked to death, but it was just So. Much. Food.
I probably won’t be back, but I could see how it would be a cool place to grab drinks and a few sushi rolls after work.

Good food, good people, nice location, pretty much a blast so far. A great change from the last place that was here. Try out their spinach and chicken fried rice– delicious.
Bento box and the miso soup are fantastic and the overall ambiance is casual but chic. Definitely give it a try.