Crema Cafe and Sushi

Went rather late but staff were friendly and happy to serve us. Sushi pizza was fun and quite tasty! Curry noodle was very good and satisfying.

Terrible quality sushi. I tried this place for the first time after hearing mixed reviews from friends. I went around 11am right when they open. We ordered a couple rolls and a few pieces of sushi. The rolls were presented nicely however the rice was not sticky and probably left over from the night before (it was cold). Due to the rice not being very sticky the sushi rolls would just fall apart. The wasabi was neon green? It also had a watery texture. The salmon sushi was somewhat dry and not fresh tasting. The tuna tasted OK but was poorly cut/​presented poorly. You can tell the gentleman behind the sushi counter isn’t very experienced. With time I’m sure he will improve — not his fault. They don’t have iced tea and menus are just printed on a piece of paper. You can’t order coffee from their adjoining business but you can walk through the curtains, order it and bring it back?! I don’t understand why some sushi restaurants clearly use cheaper quality fish when fish is the main ingredient. You can’t cut corners dealing with raw fish…

I just wanted to update my previous review. After my lunch there today, it appears this place has changed owners, and while the staff was pleasant and provided excellent customer service, the quality of the food pales in comparison to my previous visits (where I was completely blown away by the fresh ingredients, the flavor, the presentation — everything was perfect!). Now, it’s just… blah. Darn.

I am very sad to change this review. CREMA was the best sushi we’d had in Salem – I say that after having tried four of the other major players in town. But, it recently changed ownership, and though the service was wonderful –the current staff is kind, helpful, and truly trying to create a pleasing experience for customers, the food was not of the same quality as it had been. The fish was not as fresh, the rolls did not hold up, and the tempura was not properly prepared. The only reason I’m not giving a lower score is because the staff was so kind. I will probably try it one more time in hopes that after they get more settled, they might return to the level of deliciousness shown in the picture I posted here.

Had a yummy & relaxing lunch; Oregon Roll was good; will try again when they add ramen back on menu.

UPDATE: They were closed for a couple weeks, there was a sign on the door saying they were redoing the menu. I found they were open again so we went back for lunch. The menu still is mostly Asian and still has sushi etc., but they have added things like salads and pasta dishes for folks who prefer more traditional fare.
My partner had the Mongolian beef again, but this time the meat was thin sliced and tasted more like teriyaki beef — good, but not really Mongolian style. I had the scallion chicken, and as before it was tender and flavorful. Both dishes came with rice and nicely cooked stir-​fry veggies.
Sadly our check didn’t come with an orange-​bear this time (or any kind of bear). But still I think this is one of the better Asian places in Salem.
— — — –
This place is a find.
I had a lunch combo with sushi and cooked chicken — the chicken was tender and really tasty and high quality. Sushi was also great and the whole thing was presented really beautifully too.
My partner had a single dish of mongolian beef and also really liked it (he didn’t let me taste it but it looked good).
Service is fast and the place is bright and shiny and modern looking. There’s a giant TV over the sushi bar that (silently yay) shows different dishes on the menu.
The best part was the little bear made out of an orange for the free «dessert» — really cute and unique! But you might have to ask to get it — our waiter first brought out a regular old boring sliced orange but he was really happy to swap it for the bear when asked.

I didn’t even know this place existed! I went to Crema Coffee Brewtique for some bubble tea, saw the sushi and felt like having some. I was totally blown away by how beautifully presented the sushi was! For the freshness of the ingredients and the presentation, the prices are great. We went there on a Saturday around 3:30 pm; it wasn’t very busy and the servers were very attentive.
In addition to the sushi, they offer a rather big selection of japanese foods like ramen, karaage, donburi and tonkatsu. They even had takoyaki, which I ordered. I received 4 pieces that were delicately crispy outside, and tender soft and creamy inside.
Oh, and the seats at the bar are reaaaallly comfy too!
I can’t wait to bring my friends and family to this place!

Very bad dining experience, but very good food.
(Cross-​post on urban spoon)
We waited (no exaggeration) an hour and a half for food. Our party of six all received dishes at totally different times. No one bothered to come update us on the wait.
Eventually we got an apology, so that was good.
But here’s the thing, for this place, or any other: when you create a long wait and bad experience for diners, you need to do something to try to improve things. Give your customer a complimentary appetizer to hold them over during the wait. Cut a bit off the check at the end. Something. Otherwise you’ve just got a really unhappy customer.
That was me last night. I can forgive slow, even very slow, especially for a new place. But I have a harder time with their failure to do anything to make things better.
Re: the food — outstanding. Great dishes, especially the roll that comes out on fire. Great presentation. Loved everything about it.

DELICIOUS food, stunningly presented. But the timing was off… Our food didn’t come out at the same time, and my friend was done eating by the time my appetizer appeared. The waitstaff were kind and friendly, but slow and very disorganized. Hopefully they’ll get their act together soon because the food is way too good to go to waste.

This is a great place! The sushi was the perfect temp and presented beautifully. The people were so nice, great service. So delicious. My husband and I will be back again and again…

I’ve been a customer of Crema café for awhile now, I’m very happy to see them expand their place. The sushi restaurant addition is a great choice. The sushi are fresh and professionally made. Although, the price is on the heavier side, most of their selections are worth it.

Edit: Well looks like this pace took a nose dive :(I think it’s new owners. The fish and sushi is blah. There special rolls are glorified California rolls with little bit of fish and sauce. I’m am extremely sad to see such a grate place turn in to this. You might as well go down the street and get conveyor belt sushi. 3 of us shared six different roles and not a good one in the bunch
(Old review with old owners)
Absolutely 100% Must Try!!! I have found my New sushi getaway :) I am totally floored by this place. (5 Stars *****)
The place is clean and very inviting. The staff is kind and welcoming. I ordered three rolls that where to die for. The first roll that arrived was plated like a work of art! I actually felt bad at first that I had to mess it up and eat it … All the food that followed suit was equally beautiful and delicious. Everything was done with such pride and precision.
Never have I been more excited to come home and write a review about a restaurant. I can not wait to try The rest of the menu.

In general… Simply amazing. Everything from the service to the plating and everything in between was OUTSTANDING!
Upon walking into the establishment I noticed the modern furniture with Japanese-​Asian accents. The natural lighting was superb due to the very large front windows that looked out into the heart of downtown Salem. The service was excellent and very friendly. The chairs were comfortable which I personally believe to be amazing because most chairs at restaurants are terrible. My favorite area there is the bar because you can see the sushi being made and you can look right at the raw meats to see just how fresh they are.
To the nitty gritty. To start you can get 4 – 8 pieces of freshly made sushi by an original veteran chef of 17 years with 2 sides and rice for $ 14.95. My two side choices were ton katsu and sesame chicken. The Ton katsu had a very crispy outside with a juicy inside. The sauce for the ton katsu was sweet and spicy with a hint of ginger that gave it a fresh taste. The sesame chicken was made using small breaded pieces smothered in a sweet and sour sauce sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds. The real showcase for this meal was the sushi. I had the 8 piece spicy salmon roll. The roll was made right in front of me and I could see the ingredients being prepped and rolled together. Everything was fresh and therefore tasted really fresh. The overall plating was very clean and neat and I really appreciate that because it shows that they took time to make it look as beautiful as it tastes.
All of this for $ 14.95. Screaming deal if you ask me.
Overall I look forward to eating here again, and again, and again. Thank you so much and look forward to seeing you again Soo.

i have been here a couple times. It is amazing. The service is on spot. I have had the miso soup, the tempura crab and am now having a salem roll kade with soy wrap. the presentation is beautiful. very artistic and delicious.

This is the BEST Sushi Restaurant I have ever tried. My good friend, and I enjoyed a Guys night out. The Sushi Chef, Ryan, is extremely skilled and knowledgeable! We are very fortunate to have him. He is an artiste! He uses only the super best cuts of fish and the presentation is awesome. The flavors are out of this world! The Wait staff and owners were very friendly and served us exciting new combinations. Take a look at our boat! A 5-​Star SUSHI place. Let’s keep this growing. Spread the word. This Restaurant, exceeds highly rated ones I have tried in Portland, Vegas, and NYC. TRY IT AND YOU WILL SEE!

So excited for a 5 STAR sushi restaurant in Salem! We’ve been here twice now since they opened 1÷30÷2015. It is by far the freshest, tastiest and most beautiful presentation of any sushi restaurant we’ve ever been to. The restaurant is adorable… from the décor to the serve-​ware. The staff is super friendly and accommodating. We definitely will be returning again and again. Can’t wait!
**UPDATE 5/1/2015**This restaurant has since changed owners and I can not say it’s the same quality or taste. I’m very sad it changed!

This place is a hidden gem. They were very good to me and my daughter. The kids plate was healthy and delicious. My daughter ordered the noodles and cucumber roll. It came with miso soup, salad and sekihan. My daughter does not eat salad, but she gobbled this salad up.
My order was awesome. I am going back here to try more.
I cannot compliment the staff enough for going above and beyond to take care of us.

I went here tonight for the first time since this restaurant has opened in the location of one of my favorite former restaurants – the Arbor Café. It is next door to the Bank of America. For years, the space has been vacant or occupied by restaurant attempts. This one should last. It has a great menu with a mixture of Korean, Chinese and Japanese dishes. They have a full lunch and dinner menu including noodles and donburi. I got a combination plate for $ 14.95 which included 8 pieces of salmon sushi, miso salmon and lemon chicken. A salad (cucumber or green salad) and miso soup came with all meals. The lemon chicken was lightly breaded, fried, then sliced. It was not like Panda Express Orange Chicken! The sushi choices are colorful and elaborate with a full time sushi chef there. It has elegant, tasteful Asian art on the walls and shelves. Everyone should try it to assure Salemites we can keep this gem!