Haiku

Wanted to try it and purchased some half-​off gift certs, too bad they closed before I could try them, probably the universe trying to tell me something…

***** ESTABLISHMENT IS NOW CLOSED*****
Just FYI — we fear that this restaurant MAY be closing. For almost a week, they were closed with no explanation. Then a small sign went up on their door that they were undergoing renovations. But that was weeks ago and we can’t see any activity any day that we drive by. We’ve left multiple messages asking when they will re-​open, but our messages were not returned. It would be a shame if this place closed for good. But it feels like that may be the case.

Haiku just had a review in Worcester Magazine. We were there Tuesday eve, the 24^th to pick up an order. They have not historically been open on Christmas eve but they received over 50 calls that evening for reservations! Lots of people looking for good food!
Our food was amazing, as always. Actually I think Kenzo just keeps on getting better. He buys the BEST fish, is very careful how he cares for it and does and amazing job preparing it. As I have told anyone who asks, I have had sushi in Singapore — as well as all around Massachusetts! — and Kenzo’s is so much better!

This is an updated review, had to give Haiku a second chance. Food was awesome first try… So they deserved another look…
¹²⁄₂₀ /13.So far so awful… Food that we have received is good, however, we have been waiting for our sushi rolls for over half hour. My husband has received and eaten his steak, my son and I are still waiting for our maki rolls… Table behind us is complaining they are hungry… We are considering leaving… when we asked for check after waiting way too long, maki was suddenly ready… However I received wrong order. Surprised. I wasn’t!
¼/14…Food is great rest of evening a disaster… So here we are back and it is fantastic. Appetizer of crab/​avocado wrapped in salmon — — - awesome, lobster bisque wonderful, best my husband has ever had. Shrimp udon with vegetables delicious, hubby’s filet was cooked perfectly. Best part of experience, Kenzo himself, awesome host, knowledgeable chef and very personable! Glad we gave it another chance…

Excellent, beautiful. Organic tamari. Black rice! Great service.

I love haiku! The staff here is amazing and so is the food! Sean is the best bartender and Kenzo is the best chef! Try the surf n turf maki you won’t be disappointed!

Haiku is my favorite sushi restaurant to go to. They have the best sushi anywhere. If it is not packed sit on the bar and order from Kenzo. He will make you sushi that is not on the menu that is amazing.

Worst dining experience ever.
We decided to come here for dinner during winter restaurant week on a Saturday. The place is small but packed, I believe we took the last available table. We were seated and waited way over 5 minutes before we even saw our waiter, he seemed very inexperienced from the get-​go. We ordered 3 alcoholic drinks and did not receive 2 of the drinks until 20 mins later, with the reason being they ran out of glasses because 2 trays were dropped in the kitchen. We had also placed our order at the same time as the drinks, we got the Spicy Seafood Salad, Lobster Bisque, 2 Sushi rolls and the Stir-​Fried Udon. 5 things in total. We did not get our first item, which was the spicy seafood salad until over 1 hour later and the soup and other dishes didn’t come out until 10 mins after that… coming out 1 at a time. Ridiculous! It was not just our table that everything took long but with everyone but what really upset us was that no one bothered to explain to us. I had to finally ask our waiter, who was nice personally but really lacked in service on what the hold up was, whether they were short staffed or something, in which he replied that they were and were not prepared on being this busy and because their chef had just returned. It was a Saturday night during dinner time AND during restaurant week, there should be no excuse for you to not be prepared which is a major sign of bad management I’d say. And despite all that, the least they could’ve done was inform everyone, and explain that there was/​would be a delay instead of leaving us clueless and to wait that long. If we knew from the start, then we would have probably gone elsewhere and save us all the trouble. After finally getting our food, we cleared all our dishes but not because the food was good, which was just decent but because we were so hungry by the time everything came out, we practically inhaled everything. All in all, the food was alright but on the pricey side and the management and service was absolutely awful. Definitely won’t be back anytime soon.

I finally had to write a review because this place is that good, and I don’t often write reviews. I have no connection to this place and I’ve been living in Worcester for several years now as a graduate student.
I’ve been lucky enough to have sushi in many cities all over the world and this ranks among the top. Certainly the best sushi in New England and yes, I’ve tried just about every sushi restaurant in Boston over the years I lived there.
The only negative reviews I can see are based on a few poor customer service experience which is unfortunate because of all the several times I’ve been here now, I’ve never had less than a great experience with the staff. The service at worst may be a little slow but who cares? If you mention you’re in a rush they will adjust. The waiters and waitresses have always been really fun with a good sense of humor and very friendly, the best you can ask for.
The food is the best part, chef Kenzo, with his reputation is reason alone to eat here, in my opinion he is well known for a reason. He is the most creative sushi chef I have come across and the food is just outstanding. I just don’t see how Baba sushi which is located nearby has more reviews and seems to be talked about more around these parts…

I don’t get sushi often since my husband doesn’t eat it. Bought the groupon for 2 and brought a girlfriend. This place really did groupon right, with really generous menu options – i would be genuinely surprised if it doesn’t bring them a lot of new customers. Really enjoyed both the shrimp and crab salads. Has the exotica roll (really unique and delicious!) as well as the became, which were told was a house favorite and I see why. Has a third with spicy tuna that was also great! I will definitely be back as they have a (rare!) great menu for non-​sushi eaters, too.
I enjoyed my lemon drop, but there were a lot of things on the drink menu oos. They’re apparently paring down a bit, but the menu is still pretty comprehensive.
Overall, really e joyed it and will definitely be back! Glad to have a good sushi place in Worcester without a history of screwing employees out of wages.

Spicy Kinuta Maguru as appetizer was very refreshing, all the different flavors blended very well, beautiful presentation! Crab Avocado Salad had juicy crab meat, mildly spicy, could use more mixed greens. Lovers maki roll had mild flavors and was ok for taste, thought the shrimp was fried too much.
Besame maki roll’s soy paper was a nice touch outside the maki, but nothing else was unique about it.
Overall, food was ok in taste, great in presentation. This is more of a Japanese American fusion place then a Japanese restaurant. Atmosphere was posh, a little noisy despite just a few tables nearby. May be more worth it, if you had a Groupon.

I went there because we had a groupon for four.
The apps included was edmame and salads/​soups. We had a lobster bisque, shrimp & crab salad, which was all good.
For the entrée, we had six rolls… maybe we didn’t plan it well, but there was a lot of avocado (i.e. rainbow, dragon, etc.) But the quality of the fish was definitely good.
However, what boggled our mind was that it wasn’t sushi grade rice (actually, it was really mushy and/​or they simply used regular rice). If they fix this issue, then it will definitely get a five star.
Also, we had a new waitress that night… someone really should’ve watched over her because she brought our hot sake’s right after another… and with hot sakes, you really need to space it out so that we can enjoy each of the bottle w/​o being rushed and not allowing one of the bottle not cooling.

Our favorite Japanese/​sushi restaurant in Central MA. Even if you’re like me and seafood-​phobic, the Worcester Maki is your savior and worth the trip; the beef tenderloin and sweet potato rolls are incredible. I’ve also enjoyed the gyoza, plum wine, udon, and yakitori. Finally, very friendly servers and good service have been the norm.
My sushi-​loving friends and family have been very happy with just about everything (the Asian risotto being the sole exception). If I had a wish list, it would be to add katsu to the menu, but this is a small critique to what is an incredible fortune to have in Worcester.

Solid 4 for their Sushi alone, nothing special but it is better than your run of the mill sushi shop so I’ll give them that. The décor is nice and the staff is very friendly. The ambiance is nice for families and dates rather than a group of friends.

Possibly the Gold Standard for sushi. Kenzo is a friendly chef and when you go during a calm night, he will chat with you and also drink with you! Back to sushi.
The freshest and creative sushi hands down. I liked everything from sashimi to the elaborate rolls. Even the miso soup is memorable. I’ve tried the salmon and steak dinner. They’re good but the sushi is the main attraction. The alcoholic drinks are strong. Beware.
This place does get busy. If you can find a calm night, the service is quick and Kenzo will encourage you to drink. Always something to talk about when he comes around.

Haiku has the best sushi that I have ever eaten. I hate when I go out for sushi, order a spicy tuna roll and the tuna is chopped up and mixed with mayo. Here, you get quality fresh fish with a nice, big piece of fish inside of the rolls. Looking through the pictures, you can see the quality.
I have been here multiple times, and have never eaten something that I haven’t loved. I do have to say that the service is sometimes very slow, but worth the wait for great food and drink. I would have given 5 stars if not for the slow service and occasional long waits.
I have had a variety of different sushi rolls, several appetizers and desserts. I have never had any of the steak or chicken dishes. The drinks are delicious as well, with a wonderful bartender, Judy (she’s there Wednesdays and Fridays!). The pear martini and «Victoria’s Secret» martini (with champagne!) are my two favorites.
The shrimp salad is one of my favorites: decent sized shrimp and red onions mixed with greens and a delicious dressing. The oysters are always fresh and there is typically a good selection. The simple mixed greens salad is great with the ginger dressing, which I like to order on the side because they tend to put a lot on. The miso soup is better than most places, with chunks of crab meat in it.
I typically stick to the rolls. Chef Kenzo does a fabulous job creating menu items that are unique and delicious. If you happen to be there at a not-​so-​busy time of the day, it is totally worth chatting with him and asking for his recommendations. He may even make you something special that is not on the menu. Besame Mucho and the Sunshine Maki are two of my favorite rolls, and the Spider Maki is also delicious.

Really?
I got so tired of hearing how great this place was that I decided to give it a shot. We walked in for lunch and the hostess barely acknowledged us. The air conditioning was either on the fritz or off because it was like walking into a damp rag (complimented by the smell of dirty water) which is not what you want to smell in a sushi place.
We sat down and were overwhelmed by the smell. When the hostess interrupted her busy schedule of waiting on no one she came over to ask us if we wanted drinks and we folded our menus and told her we were leaving because of the smell.
«What smell?» she said.
Not a good sign.
I strongly believe they were having an off day– because of the trusted friends who swear by this place– but there is NO WAY I’ll eat in a place that serves raw fish and smells like that– nor will I put up with that level of service. I won’t be back.
Takara, Kyoto or even Sakara Tokyo are better than this by leaps and bounds.

This place is awesome.
First of I want to say this. Sushi is not your typical steakhouse or burger joint. Sushi takes time to make. The chefs can only make one roll at a time and if your table orders 4 – 5 rolls, I’m sorry to tell you but it will take a while. If you come on a Friday or Saturday night don’t be surprised if you end up waiting 30 minutes or more, especially if it is good sushi. I will know since I’ve been to many sushi places and I also work at one. I absolutely hate when people complain when their sushi is taking too long. Unless you want your sushi to come out messy and sloppy then be my guest. Sushi is art and the chefs work really hard to make everyone’s order. So give the chefs a little break.
From that note, back to the review. Kenzo is one of the best sushi chefs I’ve meet in a long time. He took a long time creating this unique menu for his customers. It is not your typical sushi menu because it has a French fusion twist to it. He took what he learn from years and years working in a restaurant and made it his own.
This place has really good fish and amazing rolls. It is great for sushi eaters and non-​sushi eaters. They have fresh fish for sushi lovers and amazing rolls. They also have rolls for people that don’t like fish. My friend orders the ‘Worcester Roll’ which has steak in it. I took one piece from him and surprisingly it was good. But I will stick to nigiri and sashimi.
One of the best sushi places in Worcester and definitely a place to try.
Whenever I am in MA I will come visit this place.

We came here for my husband’s birthday on a Thursday night. Kenzo and his wife were preparing the sushi and we grabbed seats and sat right in front of them. It was very entertaining. I can’t imagine sitting at a table there. It wouldn’t be the same. The staff was so super nice and they really gave it their all to make sure my husband enjoyed his birthday.
We told what we liked for sushi, but gave him creative liberty. It was so yummy! It’s my new favorite place.
Our night ended with the staff bringing tiramisu (made by Kenzo) and singing Happy Birthday. We left happy and stuffed!
Oh btw, the mango mojito is the best drink ever!

I have always loved to explore Boston for good sushi and have found a few places. But I have decided to explore a little bit more in the Worcester area. I have looked on Unilocal to see what would be a good restaurant and Haiku was one of the first to come up. The reviews were all good so I decided to choose this place as a lunch date for myself and three ladies.
First thing, around lunch time on a friday, the first thing I noticed was that no one was at the place. It was eerily quiet. The waitress started flirting on me asking if my date had stood me up and if she should eat with me. I joked around for a bit until my ladyfriends arrived.
Second thing, we waited a LONG time for our food to arrive. I think we had waited over an hour. Considering that we were basically the only customers for lunch, it shouldn’t have been that long (especially for people who typically take one hour lunch breaks and then head back to work).
Lastly, I finally get to review the food. When the food finally arrived, the food arrangement looked really nice. The portion sizes were pretty good and definitely filling that it justified the cost of the entrée. My lunch meal cost about 16 dollars.
I’m not sure if I would recommend this to someone else because of my first impression of the slow service during lunch. I might have to try this place again during dinner and see how it is. But if you’re in the Worcester area and would like to try good sushi regardless of waiting time, then I would recommend it.