I ai Sushi

I love I Ai Sushi! What everyone else says about the somewhat unfriendly service is true, but the food is very authentic Japanese food. I never get sushi, but instead focus on the other items that are not found in other Japanese restaurants in the area like rice balls, cold soba noodles, salt salmon, natto and yaimaimo. I have lived in Japan and my mom is Japanese. I can say that I Ai’s food is the closest I have found to the food I’ve had in Japan. Love it!

I have been here several times, and what started off as 5-​stars is now 3 stars due to the service each time I have visited. The food is good and gives me the feeling of a home-​cooked Japanese meal which is quite nostalgic – we usually get ramen or katsu curry. This is a place I will continue to go to if I am in the area, but it’s not someplace worth going out of your way since more Japanese places have popped up that sound like they are worth trying. All in all, I ai Sushi has authentic food, but their service could definitely use some work.

Expectations vs reality is a theme lately for plenty of jokes. I, however, just fell prey. Work has prevented my returning to this most delicious sushi location. My favorite roll, giant ramen, and the rolls my better half loved as well. Great prices for wonderful flavors… but I digress, this will be our last visit. The chef remembers the requested favorite roll, but is unable to make.
The reality is the customers are not priority. I shall save myself 40 minutes of travel time for maybe a little less flavor but a whole lot more consideration. Thanks for the memories I Ai, but our time is done.

First time here and it was pretty good. It was a bit too dark inside the restaurant (to me it was dark) and it IS small so it’s definitely not a good place for big groups. One thing I didn’t like about this place was that once you walk in, you can’t wait inside for your friend (s) to show up or you can’t get a table for 2 or more. The server asked me «how many» and I said «2» then she pointed to a sign. (I regret not taking a picture of the sign now) It says something along the lines of «You can’t wait for your friend to be here. Please wait outside. If you dine in alone, must order a minimum of $ 8 of food»
So that’s a downside. I don’t understand why they were so anal. On the bright side, the food was good. Got the curry ramen and squid appetizer. It’s a bit pricey at this place but if you want to eat alone and order a minimum of $ 8 of food, come here.

Second review
Not so nice owner, waitress didn’t understand the menu (or English)
But don’t let that stop you!
THE FOOD IS EXCEPTIONAL!
Japanese dishes you won’t find in any other Japanese restaurant, and so delicious!
Another good reason: Won’t kill your wallet!
So do yourself a tasty favor, try this place!

I pointed this place out to Chau V. hence her review, but I myself happened on here after hearing of the long lines and hefty prices at a rival ramen place. This place, though, brings out all the stops in authentic japanese ramen and sushi, as well as japanese-​specific app snacks.
At first you may be put off by the really restrictive times of the restaurant. I would recommend getting there early.
The server that I’ve had twice has been the same old lady who only will come by when you are ready to order. Get it all in order because the food will come quick. Their is water, and bottled water, and coke, and mexican coke. with the exception of the tap water, everything else is in bottles or cans.
I looked at the menu and immediately zeroed in on TakoYaki, which is like a puff squid ball or something… Its not something you see often in sushi restaurants, so I got that and the omisube aka onigiri aka japanese rice balls (those handheld rice snacks with fillings inside) and a tonkatsu ramen.
The rice ball came out first and hot, and i gobbled it down quickly. It is a triangle rice-​shape with a wide strip of nori seaweed wrapped around it so you dont actually contact the rice with your fingers. The filling was a salmon meat. yum.
Then I had a takoyaki. I confess I don’t remember what takoyakis were so I just ate them. They were tasty. The sauce accompaniment complemented the calimari-​esque task of the lightly fried balls.
Finally the Tonkatsu arrived. There were at least 3 – 4 pieces of hefty meat chunks in the soup and the broth was subtle yet flavorful. The noodles were soft and chewy; not sure if they are made in-​house or pre-​made, but who cares. Its tonkotsu ramen. There’s only 2 – 3 places in tampa that have ramen. And this one feels the most authentic.
There is a minimum credit card charge but if you do an average order you shouldn’t have a problem with that. I’ve gone twice so far and definitely will go back to get my Ramen fix.

If you’re ever in the mood for traditional Japanese food, this is the place to go. They serve a variety of Japanese dishes, from ones you are familiar with, like ramen to dishes not so familiar, like agedashi tofu. They also serve sushi, but the traditional Japanese food is what shines at this restaurant. The prices are awesome, considering Japanese food can get pretty pricey. It’s a very small restaurant with a plethora of decorations that displays Japanese culture.
There wasn’t anyone there since we came during lunch hours between 12 – 2. We were seated immediately and the waitress was very attentive to us. My boyfriend and I ordered quite a bit a food, since we haven’t had any good Japanese food since New York. The service was fast and the food began coming out in less then 15 minutes.
We had ordered the agedashi tofu, takoyaki, croquettes, tonkatsu ramen, sushi lunch special, and a volcano roll. The volcano roll was alright. Nothing social about it. Just you basic California with some crab on top. If you do come for the
sushi, I recommend the nigiri. It was definitely
Spot on.
All of the appetizers were amazing! I definitely
Recommend the takoyaki. It is an acquired taste, especially the fish shavings (Bonita) that go on top of the octopus pancakes. Agedashi tofu is in a very light and refreshing broth and the ramen was very flavorful. Best part, all the food we ordered came up to $ 38!
I’ll definitely be coming back to try some of the other staples another time!

We wanted to get some authentic Japanese cuisine and I’ve had this place on my list for a while. Having read the reviews about the service, I wanted to try this place on a day where I was extremely patient.
To avoid horrible service, we figure we’ll have dinner super early. We got there at 5:30 and it was just the two of us. The waitress took our drink order. We knew we wanted to start with an order of the grilled squid as an appetizer. When I told the waitress that I was ready to order our appetizers, she went and got a woman in the back, who I assumed is the owner. I told her I wanted to order the grilled squid for our appetizer. She then tells us to only order when we have our whole order ready, not just appetizers only. Again, it’s just me and the hubby in the restaurant. So I said, sure, no problem, as I already walked into this place knowing it’s going to not the best service I will ever receive.
The owner walks away, and then starts mumbling in annoyance in another language. Seriously?! I guess ordering an appetizer to start off with must be a huge hassle for her… seeing how she’s so busy with nobody except us.
So within 2 minutes we have our COMPLETE order ready, and the squid comes out… guess it wasn’t so hard to get my appetizer made when I ordered it. So we give her our complete order and was looking forward to trying the squid… then to be immediately disappointed to find out it’s room temperature– totally not worth it!
Again, mind you, it is just us two. I would totally even make an excuse like oh she was busy with so many orders, that she threw it on the grill and lost track of time and thought it was sitting there longer. who knows… but seriously??? Just us.
We got the Nebeyaki udon noodle soup, the broth was not flavorful and the fish didn’t even taste fresh– almost borderline spoiled– don’t bother with ordering this. We got the Sukiyaki (sliced beef & veggie stew). The beef was good but the broth was a bit sweeter than I would prefer. We also ordered the Tonkotsu ramen, which was alright. It’s not the best nor the worst I’ve had in Tampa Bay.
Overall, I do not plan on returning. Though I knew ahead of time the service stinks, the food itself wasn’t even worth the attitude and horrible service. I will spend my money elsewhere.

We visited for the first time. It was quite busy so it took a while to get our drinks or even take our orders but we weren’t in a rush.
I we ordered, ramen, udon, sushi, dumpling and croquet.
The food was hot and fresh. And everything was pretty good but not super great.
Drinks come in cans so no refills.
The tables really need to be refinished or replaced as they have a lot of ware.
The waitress was very nice and it has a nice mom and pop feel to it. I I’ll return in the future :)

We wanted to give this place a try because we heard it was authentic. When you walk in, it’s definitely authentic looking with tags all over the walls with all of their specials. We love Ramen so that is what we ordered to try. I also ordered the grilled squid. The squid was delicious, cooked perfectly to where it wasn’t too chewy. It tasted fresh and came with a good sauce. We got the miso Ramen and it was just decent. You definitely needed to add sriracha and soy sauce to add flavor to the broth and each bowl only came with 3 little pieces of pork and nothing else (except the noodles). The noodles however were very good and cooked to a perfect consistency. We would definitely go back to try something else but not in a hurry to.

I love this place because the price is reasonable and for the portions that they give you. I got the seafood champon and it was amazing!

The décor is shabby, and the staff is surly, but the ramen is great. The noodles are chewy, the soy broth salty but light. It came with three slices of delicately fatty pork and a tiny artificial crab slice. Wonderful comfort food.

I ai Sushi is a small, but quality Japanese restaurant with many good and not so good qualities. It’s located in a shopping plaza, so if you are not looking for it you may miss it from the road. I come here often to fill my ramen and katsu cravings. Though here are some of the key things to note about this place:
1. The food is really good, with a fairly decent price point. ($ 5 – 15) I haven’t found a place in the Tampa area that can compare to the quality. They make everything fresh and leave you wanting more.
2. A very diverse menu, but if you are unfamiliar with traditional Japanese cuisine you may struggle with the options. The place is pretty much mom and pop establishment. Every time I come in they are fairly understaffed, and don’t have much time to explain the menu (or really want to). So if you got a friend who knows what’s what about Japanese food I would recommend bringing them the first time you come.
3. Understaffed= slower service. Though, this is all dependent upon the amount of people eating and what people order. I’ve come here during lunch rush, and been out in about an hour.
4. Very traditional decorations, but the signage can be off putting and busy in my opinion. They have a bunch of signs highlighting different foods or some of their business rules.
Bottomline: Really good Japanese restaurant with a fairly good price, possible slow service, and if you’re unfamiliar with traditional Japanese cuisine; bring a friend that knows.

I was recently introduced to I Ai Sushi by a friend and fellow Unilocaler who’d been here previously for a UYE a while back. I was promised that even though the place is small, kinda cluttered and heavily laden with random signs everywhere that I’d fall madly in lust with the food. No joke. I ordered the Gyu Don bowl which is thinly sliced onions and beef that’s been marinated/​cooked in some addictive broth over a mound of white steamed rice. Topped with paper thin strips of pickled ginger that when mixed into the beef and rice provides the most amazing flavor combo. I live ³⁰⁄₄₅ min away and crave this warm bowl of tastiness once a week. Alas the distance prohibits my regular consumption of this dish but it doesn’t hinder my ability to dream and salivate anyway. Overlook the décor/​location and strange sign laden surfaces. Go for the authentic food, it’s worth it.

It has been several years since I last went to this restaurant and I was craving Japanese food so I decided to have dinner here solo last night.
I looked at their menu ahead of time and already knew what I wanted to order: tonkatsu ramen, spam musubi, and okonomikyaki.
I gave this place 3 stars because everything was just okay. The first dish that came out was the spam musubi ($ 2.50). This one was a little different than what I am used to. It was a a slice of spam, slightly pan fried with a little teriyaki sauce, set on top of a rectangular block of rice, wrapped with a seaweed strip. While spam and rice period is a good combo, I felt like the execution was lacking. The rice was still warm/​hot and did not hold together. It started falling apart once I picked it up and took a bite. I’m not sure, but the rice tasted like regular rice instead of sushi rice. I was hoping that it would be like a rice ball with the spam inside a giant ball of rice. I guess this was just a different style. Either way, it was not held together well so I just ate it like spam and rice with chopsticks.
The tonkatsu ramen came next. The bowl was big but it was only half-​full (still a good portion though for $ 9). There were a couple slices of pork (chashu), a fish cake slice (cute pink/​white kind), pickled ginger, scallions, and corn. The broth and the noodles overall were not bad. I honestly think that I’m just not a huge fan of Japanese ramen. I’ve had ramen in NYC and had the same reaction ~ it’s just okay. Nothing spectacular and a little too bland for me. I actually sprinkled in some Japanese red pepper spice into my broth for more flavor. I was hungry so I finished the whole bowl but I would probably not get ramen again.
The okonomyaki came out last and it was quite large and filling and served on a hot platter. It is a savory pancake with pork and cabbage, topped with okonomiyaki sauce (tastes like Worcestershire sauce but thicker and sweeter), kewpie mayo, seaweed flakes, and bonito flakes. Now the first time I ever had okonomiyaki was when a friend from Japan actually made it for us at home. I’ve actually made this at home also. The last time I’ve had okonomiyaki was in St. Marks Place in NYC. Now in comparison– this version was larger but flatter. The pork (belly I’m assuming) was very thin and on the bottom instead of on top of the batter so most of the time it ended up just falling off. The toppings were fine but you can’t really mess that up. Overall, I wished that there was more cabbage in the batter which would have made the pancake thicker. If I have a craving for okonomiyaki, I would probably order this again since this is the only place in Tampa I’ve found it.
Overall, I liked the food but wasn’t overly thrilled about anything. The service was fine and the atmosphere is homey. But even though I will filled, I still felt hungry afterwards, like there was a taste I was looking for that wasn’t fulfilled. I do plan on coming back again and trying other dishes like the katsu curry rice! I’ve had the age tofu before a long time ago and remember it being delicious also.

BEST RAMEN AROUND!
Their sushi is good but their ramen is amazing. They offer different flavors but I normally go with beef or pork. It’s always hot, delicious and filling. They cook the noodles to the perfect texture and the savory pieces of meat are delicious. The broth is superb and I always drink it to the very last drop.

If having Famous Japanese Baseball players pictured eating in your restaurant doesn’t get your attention, then you truly need to come experience I Ai Sushi for yourself. As a big time Yankee Fan, I was couldnt believe it when i saw the pictures of Hideki Matsui, Hiroki Kuroda & Kei Igawa side by side with the owner at the front of the store.
Yes the interior is not much to look at but then again neither were the good restaurants i’ve frequented in NYC that usually served up better food than those modern looking and trendy overpriced Japanese eateries. They also had a few odd signs up such as «no cell phone service» & «you must have all your party in attendance in order to get seated» & «$ 10 min order» … but if you have good food i guess i can overlook this grade school like feeling
I was thrilled when i found out that they had my favorite Japanese street snack, Takoyaki (Fried Octopus Balls) which did not disappoint at all. The flavor of the octopus was fresh and the shavings & garnishments did well to complement this little wonderful dish!
We also had the Ikamaru (grilled whole squid) that was phenomenal with the sesame like sauce dipping it came with. A little strange looking if your not used to eating squid that doesn’t come breaded and deep fried, but this is def a must try!
I’m a big time Ramen snob and have been searching for a good ramen spot in Tampa ever since ive moved here and have been met with much disappointment. As ive come to compare Tampa ramen to the the best of NYC Ramen shops like Momofuku, Ippudo, & my Ramen lunches around the 47^th street Japanese midtown area … i’m happy to say that their Ramen was on point! For Tampa ramen spots this place was pretty good as the broth had a lot of flavor and the ramen had a great taste to it. I ordered the tonkatsu Ramen and was happy to get tender pieces of pork in my bowl. I think i’ve found my new Ramen spot !
As somewhat of a little hole in the wall type of Japanese restaurant, sometimes those are the true hidden GEMs to find.

I have tried I Ai a couple times before. I think it is great to have a Japanese restaurant with such extensive menu in Tampa. The menu consists of authentic Japanaese bar menu (Izakaya).
I have had their tonkatsu (fried pork cutlet), fried rice, and sushi. Everything was meh… I grew up in Japan and know what authentic Japanese foods taste like. Trust me this place is not up to par.
But again, there are only few Japanese restaurants in the area, and I guess I Ai is good enough in Tampa.

This is one of the most interesting places I have ever been to. If the service was better, i’d give them 5 stars
Service: We were told by the hostess/​waitress/​busgirl that we would have to wait for 45 minutes before we could get and a table and order. What? Are u kidding me? There were 3 tables, and one was almost done eating. And you had no carry out orders. We finally got a table, and the waiting began. We looked her, She looked at us, and nothing happened. I tried to get drink orders, but she told us we had to wait for 30 mins. Water anyone? please? NOPE. After a very long wait, one of the cooks came out to take our order. She was surprised that the hostess didn’t even take our drink orders.
Food: It was very good. The soup was tasty. The squid balls were delish.
Advice: Check your bills. She added a beer to our check, and we didn’t even order it.
Next time you’re in the area, stop by. Try this place. It is quite an experience.

After hearing and seeing so many photos I thought I would love this place. I’m so so. The food is actually pretty darn good and authentic. I love that they have items from takoyaki and natto which is pretty close to japanese snacking in Japan. There’s also curry that’s the real deal and Ramen. I also really enjoyed the sashimi, they are really nice cuts of fish.
The only thing I wasn’t crazy about is the restaurant itself. It is very old fashion and is more of a «shack» than a restaurant itself. It’s really tiny and has maybe 8 or so tables at most. Everything about the restaurant interior and service isn’t … very profesional.
Other than that I would come back if I was in the area. The food I had was pretty decent. The curry hit the spot for my boyfriend and the sashimi was nice cuts and fresh. It is a bit tacky but if you’re up to hit a little shack with an extensive menu of authentic japanese food. Do it!