Pure Sushi South

CLOSED!
They owed so many hard working people so much money. I’m thrilled that they got what was coming to them.
Best wishes to the staff that they walked out on.

Don’t let the all white outside or the fact that its in the heart of Scottsdale scare you away. Its not as trendy as it looks. In fact, I was surprised by all the TVs and vibe inside — but not in a bad way — its more laid back than you’d think.
The food is really good. A tad more expensive than other Sushi restaurants in town, but you’re paying for the location and the vibe. Would be a great place for a large group or special occassion. Have long tables and a side area to accomodate big groups and a bar in the back if there’s a wait for table (I’ve never seen a wait). Its a rather large restaurant. Great location to walk for cocktails at AZ88 or the Mondrian following dinner.

Put off writing this because I have no tack to take — it looked exciting and hip, but it bored me. Pure distinctly paled after the more down to earth places to which my Tempe resident sister later took us. I guess there was more mint than alcohol in my $ 12 mojito, because I couldn’t enjoy the pretty-​but-​over-​priced salads and sushi rolls. Good thing I had the 25% off coupon from the tourist brochures (bad sign that I should have heeded despite the good reviews), or else Hostage Gastronome would probably never let me pick a restaurant again. Good food — at least the price and surroundings didn’t have me questioning my choice of sushi in the desert!

Worst «Japanese» food experience I’ve ever had in the Phoenix/​Scottsdale area!
I’ve always wanted to try this place out since I’ve been to nearby establishments (AZ 88, Pepin’s, Mondrian). It looks really trendy from the inside and out. The banner outside looks like they offer a promising happy hour as well.
When we walked in, we received great service from the hosts. The restaurant was fairly empty since we were there for dinner on the 4^th of July. When they showed us to our table, I had to wash my hands, and by the time I came back to the table, there was already a small glass of ice water waiting for me.
I really wanted to try their sashimi despite their high prices, but when I asked the server if they had a smaller sashimi plate to have as an appetizer, her response was to look ovey my shoulder at the menu, and say «uhhhhh…» I was with someone who didn’t eat sashimi, so the big sashimi plate would be too large for me. It would have been nice if 1) she knew what was offered in the restaurant and 2) she could have offered a suggestion.
We decided to order edamame, the potato spicy tuna roll, and an avocado roll to start. Edamame and avocado rolls are ubiquitous to most sushi places, so I am going to skip the review on those items. We were both really excited for the spicy tuna roll because it sounded really creative and different. Presentation was awesome but it did not help offset the taste of the roll. I was so disappointed when I tried a piece of the roll. The sweet chili sauce they drizzled over the roll was definitely sweet chili sauce straight out of a bottle. For example, (
). I know this because I used to work at a restaurant that used to send the stuff out with their spring rolls. They seriously pulled sauce right out of the bottle?! In my opinion, the only bottled sauce any sushi restaurant should use is Sriracha.
I was starting to get nervous for our entrees. I ordered the baked Chilean sea bass, and my friend got the flash grilled Chinese chicken salad. Again, the presentation of both items was beautiful and showed creativity, and again, the taste of the items was beyond bad. I ended up sending my food back, and was so disappointed that I couldn’t order anything else. I believe there were two sauces on my plate. One I believe was a lemongrass soy and that was okay, but there was something that tasted and looked like an aioli. It actually tasted like spoiled ranch. My friend was also unimpressed by his salad, but continued to eat it anyway — bad idea — we had to stop halfway home for him to run into a restroom.
The waitress took my meal off the tab, and we were pretty impressed by the customer service. The taste and quality of the food, however, were so bad that I will not be able to return to this place.

This place was so good, the food was great, the service was awesome and I really liked the whole set up of the place too.
We walked in on a Saturday night around 9:00 and were seating almost immediately. The hostess seemed a little bitter but it was 4^th of July so that might have been why.
We ordered several items but the two I have to rave about are the Creamy Baked Lobster Roll and the Fire Dragon Roll. Absolutely delicious I have never had a better roll. I should also mention that I don’t love fish I like sushi but there are certain ones at other sushi restaurants that i find to be too fishy for me but the rolls here were all so fresh I didn’t have one bit that was fishy. We also ordered the Chocolate Lava Cake again amazing. When I first looked at it I was thinking boo no ice cream but then I had a bite of it and totally forgot about the ice cream.
One item that i wouldn’t order again was the Tempura Shrimp and Vegetable combo. The shrimp portion was very good but the vegetables were way way too heavy and oily for me.
Our server was honestly one of the better servers I have had. She had a great attitude was super friendly and was great with recommendations. Our table even had her split the bill onto four credit cards and she didn’t even skip a beat she happily accepted our credit cards and brought all four back with a smile and her outstanding attitude.
The manager stopped by our table and was also very nice a friendly and even cleared our plates away for us.
If you want to go and get great sushi for a very reasonable price you have to go here forget RA too this place is much better!!!

Ignore all the people and enjoy the sushi! I’m back in LA and I wish we had sushi as fresh here as they do at Pure. I miss you Pure!

I’ve been to Pure Sushi’s Old Town location once for drinks and once for dinner… and I intend to return again as I had really good experiences both times.
The sushi is a tad expensive, but you get what you pay for — the quality is high! Fresh and flavorful, I enjoyed pretty much everything I tried when i was there. The highlights for me included:
*cucumber sunomono
*seaweed salad
*edamame
*box sushi — my favorite — a must order!
*salmon sashimi — incredible!
*yellowtail sashimi
Nice wine selection — we sampled several whites… and our service was attentive as well.
As for ambiance — the ‘cell phone booth’ by the bathroom is a nice touch, and I’d agree with the reviews that came before this one — it is hip, cool, clean, and located in Old Town… don’t knock ‘em for that. Cool location next to AZ 88, the Mondrian, and Scottsdale Center for the Arts.
The lunch specials look like they are priced well and the dinner main courses sound pretty amazing too. Pure and simple — I can’t wait to return soon!

Pure and simple. The design and layout of the place is pure white, clean lines, and you just feel so… pure …when you walk in. Is this what heaven looks like? Pure has been here for 7 months, after the success of its North location at Greyhawk, which has been operating for three years. The speakers pump out a steady stream of Miami south beach beats, you feel like you are in a trendy lounge, rather than a sushi bar and restaurant. Best time to come here is during happy hour–3:00 — 6:30 every day of the week. Select sushi and rolls are nearly half the price, as well as items from the kitchen such as coconut shrimp and asian chicken salad. $ 5 wells and 3 olives vodkas, beer, and sake. Glasses of wine are ½ off. $ 2 edamame and miso, $ 4-​$ 7 rolls such as the eel avacado roll (excellent) or the albacore ceviche roll. I am a big fan of the «in and out roll» which is shrimp tempura, spicy crab mix, and cucumber, topped with shrimp and sliced avocado — and served with an asian pesto sauce. I was not a fan of the spicy ponzu dressing on their Spicy seafood salad, but it was laden with fresh sashimi of tuna, yellowtail, salmon, shrimp and octopus, then finished with smelt eggs and bonito flakes. On the happy hour menu for $ 7, regulary $ 12.
Things that I love about PURE:
the design, the ambiance, and a selection of their unique rolls.
Things that make it just like any other sushi joint: virtually the entire menu
Service: my two visits to this place have been great in terms of service. Wait staff is really knowledgeable about all things sushi and more, there is one person dedicated to keeping you hydrated, one to keeping your table clutter-​free, and one to show you where the bathroom is. no complaints on this end. I loved that everybody working there today said goodbye to us and wished us a great weekend. That little bit of TLC goes a long way to win my patronage.
Why I would come back:
a) for atmosphere.
b) for bananas about their sake list! wow! all the specific gravities you love, from sweet to dry. I recommend the Moonston Lemongrass Coconut, non-​filltered sake. And my second favorite, the ZIPANG. this is a sweet bubbly version of sake. so, yeah, I am no «purist» when it comes to sake, i like pizzazz.
c) for coming soon is the lounge upstairs!
Why I would not come back:
The food doesn’t speak to me
Blue Wasabi’s Happy Hour is better, and their rolls so much more fun
The quality of the sushi is great, the recipes just aren’t

I have to agree with the recent reviews on this place. I’ve only been there once and probably won’t go back. The service was mediocre at best. The happy hour offerings were ok. The best thing we had was the coconut shrimp. There are much better places to get sushi in the valley.

This place is just a little TOO hip for me. I don’t have collagen or breast implants. I don’t carry Gucci or YSL. Pure is a place that, because of its décor and clientele, makes sushi seem too hip for the common person. I have no qualms with the food itself, which is good quality sushi. The specialty rolls are pricier but worth it (worth their weight in… Gucci?). But the environment is a place to see and be seen by other Scottsdale socialites. Now if that’s your thing, Pure is the place for you. But I’ll be going to the sushi bar within AJ’s Fine Foods next time I need a sushi fix.

I was not overly impressed with this restaurant. I have read previous reviews and am surprised at the level of service expressed in them because I definitely did not feel like the service was exceptional… average, but not exceptional. I thought we had what seemed to be a little of everything… only the Crispy Tempura Roll stands out as being really good! All the rest was good but…
I have to give it the benefit of the doubt; this was my first sushi visit in Scottsdale. Maybe I will need to revisit this once I’ve visited others.

Excellent sushi. Fresh and delicious. The atmosphere is nice too.
I’ve been here a couple times and have ordered several different things. My favorites have been the potato spicy tuna roll, veggie tempura, creamy baked lobster roll and the chocolate lava cake with asian green tea ice cream.
When they are really busy, they tend to forget about you, but if they’re not busy, they are usually on top of things (refilling drinks, taking plates away, wiping off the table, etc, etc).
This place is pretty expensive, but I heard they have happy hour now from 3 – 6:30pm everyday. Can’t wait to go back for it!

My buddy and I decided to go to Pure last Sunday night and it was a huge mistake. The service was so bad we ended up walking out. I have never walked out of a restaurant before until now. As someone else had mentioned in their review they definitely have not worked the kinks out yet. I can’t tell you what the food is like because after waiting for an hour and a half we left. I believe I’m a very patient person so it takes a lot for me to leave.
I arrived at 8:15 and didn’t have a reservation. The hostess was friendly, asked me to wait, and stepped away. After about 5 minutes she came back and asked if I wanted to sit outside. I agreed and followed her to my table. We got to the table and it wasn’t cleared so I waited for her to find a busser to clear it. These type of things really don’t bother me but I want to be detailed for other Unilocalers. I sat down and it took a little bit for the waiter to take my drink order. I ordered a bud light and edamame. It took almost 10 minutes for the waiter to get my drink. My buddy Mike arrived around 8:35 and the waiter did not come by to take his drink order. He walked by us several times without checking. Finally, my buddy called out to him as he was walking by to get a drink. He got my friends drink and we asked for sushi recommendations. At that point I asked for another beer and the waiter left. We figured out what we wanted quickly and filled out the sushi list. However we couldn’t find our waiter. We flagged down a manager walking by and asked him to put in our order as our waiter seemed to be busy. This was at about 8:50. At about 9:00 another waiter finally brought by the edamame I ordered earlier. We saw our waiter walk by a few times and I knew he forgot my 2^nd budlight. He finally realized it and said he would go and get it. He came back and Mike ordered another beer and a bottle of cold saki which was delivered promptly. The waiter apologized for the saki glasses saying this isn’t what it is normally served in but they were out. At about 9:25 the waiter said our sushi would be out shortly. He came by again at 9:35 and said the same thing. We were not asking him about our order he just knew we had been there awhile. Then he apologized and said something about being out of sushi trays so our order was taking a long time. But this was odd because we noticed a couple near us was served their sushi and we arrived at least 25 minutes before them. We were both still very patient and didn’t really say anything. Mike said to me if they don’t have our sushi by 9:45 we are walking out of here. At 9:40 we then noticed a table of 6 and 10 being served and we arrived way before them. At this point we weren’t happy and asked another waiter to get us a manager. Our waiter came out and said it would be 30 more seconds. No manager came by. My buddy wanted to leave and I said no you said 9:45. So 9:45 we see them coming with Sushi and my buddy says looks like they just saved themselves. Then they proceeded to walk right by us and deliver sushi to another table. That was it! We got up and our waiter came over and said 30 more seconds guys. I told him no this is ridiculous. We see people being served all around us and we arrived way before them. We walked out and I informed the hostess that our service was terrible. At this point a manager walked up to apologize. I informed him of our experience but he was more concerned about the tone in my voice when I was speaking to him. I realized how incompetent the management staff was at that moment and walked out.
Clearly this place isn’t being managed properly. At some point a manager should have come out and apologized for the long wait. Even when I asked for a manager one never stopped by our table. I’m not sure if I’ll ever give this place another chance.

THE BEST SUSHI PLACE EVER. This place is by far the best I’ve had, and I’ve been everywhere. They have the freshest food because they order it from the same supplier who delivers to the best sushi bars in LA. Their rolls are unique and just plain awesome. You’ll love the food, trust me.
The atmosphere is great too. Its ultra modern and slick. Very cool. They even have special Dyson hand blowers in the bathroom. They are building a lounge on the second floor so be on the lookout for that too. As far as sushi chef’s go, ask for Huan (Yawn) and he’ll take care of you.
NEXT HIDDEN GEM OF SCOTTSDALE

SO happy to see another sushi place in Old Town that isnt anything like RA. I went on a weeknight and being with my date, I think I could have gone to Arby’s and had the time of my life, so perhaps my review is a bit biased… but, I really enjoyed my time at Pure.
The atmosphere and location are perfect for me, living 2 miles away, and the service was timely and friendly. Creative, fun rolls and VERY fresh fish. Trendy, yes… But again, we went on a weeknight and it wasnt busy at all… do the same if youre looking for something a little less high maintenence, I tend to think it gets pretty Scottsdale on the weekends.

Finally a new place that doesn’t just look great, but has good service and AWESOME food. Sushi is the freshest I have had since Hawaii. There was 20 of us for a Bday party. They sat us at a large long table. We only had one server but she did a great job. We all shared a bunch of sushi/​sashimi and apps. I was surprised how good the Beef Tenderloin was that I had as my entrée. I didn’t get dessert but everyone seemed happy with their choices. I chose a Lychee Lemondrop instead. (from the drink list) Was told it is mostly alcohol, but it wasn’t too strong for this girl. :) The server told us they had another location in Greyhawk. Wish I had known. This location was tough to find until I called and the host gave me better directions. BY THE WAY: THE NUMBER ON HERE IS WRONG! IT IS THE OTHER LOCATIONS NUMBER. THE REAL NUMBER IS 480−947−1077! (you are welcome ;)) Overall glad I have a new hot spot to go to. Almost forgot, the manager put a rose and balloons at the bday girls seat. Sweety. ;)

If you’re looking for the next hidden gem, this is it! Tucked inside the Civic Plaza mall (right next to AZ88) — Pure Sushi South is sure to be a hit.
The inside has a very cool ambiance as everything is ‘pure’ and white. And before I go on to tell you about the food … their staff is amazing. It’s not everyday that you get served by people that truly want to make sure you have a good experience.
The food was delicious. We had a few sushi platers, sashimi and dessert. I’m bad at remembering what I ate… but everything was fresh, tasty and hit the spot. If you’ve read any of my other reviews, you know that my sweet spot is the sweet spot :) I’m a big fan of frozen treats and this one definitely ranked high up on my scale.
Another cool feature they have in the restaurant is the cell-​phone booth. How cool is that?
This place will be ‘the hang out’ spot shortly, so get down there and see what all the hype is about!
p. s. If you search for ‘Pure Sushi’ and land on their N. Scottsdale location… don’t be confused. They will be updating the site shortly to include the South location as well. Both locations are the same company.

How refreshing to read a specialty sushi roll menu and see something different! YUM… by far the best sushi and most unique menu I’ve seen in a while, and so mush less pretentious and more affordable then all the other Old Town Sushi restuarants. From first glance, you wouldn’t think so but after having a great conversation with my waitress and reading the total line on my tab… I was hooked! Oh, and the best tempura ever (i’m not even a tempura fan!!) And the curried lobster spring rolls were so tasty.

So I ended up at this here Pure Sushi after meandering through a mediocre Art Fest (don’t worry, Andrea, I wasn’t stalking you). Bonnie G and I needed to be fed, and $ 5 chocolate-​covered frozen bananas were not going to cut it (who charges 5 bucks for one banana anyway, SCOTTSDALE?).
But I’m glad we ate at Pure at this particular time and place in history, before «Scottsdale» discovers it open for business, and all is forever lost…
ATMOSPHERE
Given that it’s «pure», everything is basically white. And smooth. And sleek. And LA. Not your neighborhood sushi bar, but if you’re hanging out in the Scottsdale Civic Center, you’re not looking for a neighborhood sushi bar. It fits right in with Asia de Cuba and AZ88, so take that for what it’s worth. There was also some random elevator Kenny G music playing for the longest time, which was a little confusing. Were they playing it to be ironic? I didn’t understand this. But if a sleek spot to dine in is what you’re looking for, this is it.
SERVICE
Extremely friendly and attentive, from the manager to the waitstaff to the bussers. It was a little jarring, as there seemed to be 12 staff members to every guest, but no fault of their own. I didn’t realize we walked in on opening day (at least it seemed like it was opening day). But the difference between their attitude and that of the AZ88 staff next door was like night and day.
FOOD
I found the menu a little hokey to read, but we went with it. Miso soup, hamachi/​scallion roll ($ 5), unagi hand roll ($ 5), and a October Festival roll. The soup was standard, as were the hamachi and unagi rolls. However, for $ 15, I was expecting more out of the October Festival Roll. Then again, we ordered something called an October Festival Roll. While it looked pretty, it was drizzled with that sweet sauce you get at Trader Joe’s, the Chinese one with the red pepper flakes in it. I’m finding a lot of restaurants around the Valley this year using this exact same sauce for some reason. Why is this? Anyway, we still devoured it, with its shrimp tempura, spicy tuna and avocado, but I’m not sure it deserved to be $ 15.
CONCLUSION
All in all, a good experience here. Like 3.75 stars. We were treated extremely well and the service was prompt (which made for a bulk of the star wattage here). I’d still go to Yasu way before this for a great sushi experience in the Valley, but I’d come back here again. Maybe more for sake and a small bite than a full sushi dinner.

After walking around the Art Fest yesterday, I was needing food… and we found Pure. I never been to the original location but I loved the set up of this location.
The service was very attentive, though sometimes I thought it was too attentive. (Our server was obviously new and in ways it was somewhat cute.) The manager came by with food suggestions… My friend and I realized that we are opposite in tastes… so sharing was going to be out of the question. She settled on a tuna roll and edamame, which she seemed to enjoy. I got the Tempura Bento box lunch… which was extremely interesting and yummy. (the only negative was that it was a bit greasy)
I wished I did take some of the managers suggestions. I will be here again, that is for sure.