Hi Sushi

After strolling around Hampstead with my mom, we decided to pop into Hi Sushi as I’ve heard good reviews from friends.
The staff in there were in cuckoo land! We were standing there for a while before we get noticed and be seated.
We had a non English speaking waiter to serve us. Bad idea! He couldn’t understand what we wanted and had to repeat ourselves several times.
We ordered some maki, sashimi and ramen. The food were delicious and we stuffed our face! We’re happy that it is value for money as we didn’t leave the restaurant with a half empty stomach.
As we arrived at lunch, the place wasn’t too busy but Liam Gallanger & Nicole Appleton were dining in there. It seems to be their local as they knew some of the staff pretty well.
I would go back to this place only if they stop sending me non english speaking waiter/​ress.

For us, finding decent sushi at reasonable prices is one of the great joys of dining out. So it was with a great deal of hope last night that we visited the Hampstead location of Hi Sushi for their all-​you-​can-​eat buffet. Alas, we left disappointed.
The space was small but inviting, with bright white lighting and walls, light natural wood floors, frosted glass and laminate tables, and brightly colored cushions. It is divided into three sections; the floor in the middle section is raised to accommodate «in-​floor seating”– holes have been cut into the floor around tables set just above floor level, and patrons sit on cushions set on the floor, with their legs beneath. This gives the visual impression of diners seated, Japanese style, on the floor, but is more comfortable for westerners accustomed to chairs. Getting into the seat, however, can be awkward.
I half-​slid, half-​rolled into my in-​floor seat to have three tacky laminated food menus tossed onto the table in front of me. This was a persistent problem throughout the evening. Because the tables were so low to the floor, the staff must bend down or squat to reach the table top, which is difficult when carrying armloads of plated food. As a result, the staff often dropped or tossed things onto the table rather than placing them gently down. The couple with whom we shared the table saw their long-​awaited, carefully arranged sushi scattered when the server put the platter down edge-​on and let it clatter to the table top.
The buffet at Hi Sushi is governed by a complex and arcane set of rules, and by the time our server finished explaining them to me, I was glad for my legal education. If I understood correctly, you pay £16 per person, and you get two lists. List #1 contains about a dozen items of hot food (tempuras, teriyakis, spring rolls, etc.). The table can order up to 7 items of hot food, but you only get one shot at it – you don’t get a second portion of anything, and you can’t place a second order to get items that you missed out on the first time around.
List #2 contains sashimi, nigiri sushi, and rolls. The table can only order 5 of these items at a time, but you might get a second shot at it, because you can order 10 of the items up to 3 times. The other 8 items can only be ordered once, but unlike the hot food, they don’t have to be ordered in the first go – you can order additional previously unordered single order items in your second order or third order. Get it? And apparently there’s a time limit, too, but our server didn’t really explain that part.
So we place our orders, and the server comes to tell us that, because they restaurant is so busy, our sushi order will be delayed 30 minutes.
We look around. The place wasn’t particularly busy. Then, about 4 minutes later they brought out the entire sushi order. Go figure.
And that was pretty much the last time we saw our server until we paid. We prepared a second sushi order, but she never came to take it, and we were sufficiently indifferent that flagging down a speeding bus boy to fetch her seemed more effort than it was worth.
The food? Not terrible. But at these prices, not terrible is not nearly good enough. The hot items we ordered were, without exception, mediocre to poor. The miso soup lacked the rich umami flavor and mouthfeel that make miso soup worthwhile; the chicken katsu was dry and the katsu sauce unremarkable; the chicken teriyaki was bland and a bit stringy. The sushi was somewhat better, but still disappointing. The fish was fresh enough and the rolls were well constructed with fresh ingredients, but neither the negiri nor the rolls were flavorful. The nicely textured seabass negiri was perhaps the best of a mediocre lot. One of our party thought the undisclosed use of imitation crab in the California rolls was a major negative; I cannot really complain about that, as the classic California roll recipe has always included imitation crab.
So, bye, Hi Sushi. You weren’t the worst I ever had, but there’s no reason to give it another go.

Let’s not lie, the sashimi is total garbage (tofu steak was pretty decent). But it’s all you can eat garbage, so… I’m at a loss for thoughts and feelings about quality. It’s the perpetual cheapass in me.
Go for the quantity. GO NOW.

Why Oh Why of all places did I have to end up at another Hi Sushi restaurant? I had a bad experience previously at Hi Sushi Covent Garden and swore to never get close to one of the Hi Sushi branches ever again.
The situation however was as follows we wanted to see a show at the New End Theatre (which by the way is a lovely little venue) in Hampstead and had very little time. So the choice was between Giraffe, Carluccio’s and Hi Sushi this was a very hard decision indeed
As I had terribly disappointing ‘all you can eat’ at the Hi Sushi branch at Covent Garden I thought maybe I had been to fast in my negative judgment and they may do really great a la carte food.
Well, to cut a long story short, I was wrong. Also the a la carte was bad. We had a sushi platter and some avocado/​tuna and salmon maki. The rice was undercooked but still somehow slimy, the fish was tough and did not look very fresh, the presentation was truly awful (I tried making maki myself one time and even my sad attempts looked better actually) and taste-​wise it was edible. just about.
Londonelicous had a similar mediocre experience at Hi Sushi Hampstead and her verdict was that Hi Sushi Hampstead was ‘so average, she didn’t even bother writing it up’.
So this is a recommendation and I am actually feeling rather strongly about this: avoid Hi Sushi! there are many unpretentious, reasonably priced and very good Japanese restaurants around basically on every corner (e.g. Bento Box in Camden, Ga Ga Sushi in Chinatown, Tsuru at the Southbank or Pham Sushi at the Barbican to name just a few) so don’t support a restaurant chain which is apparently taking the piss.

Having headed out for a stroll and something to fill the void, HiSushi was in the right place at the right time. Shortly after being seated the sky began to fall, flooding the streets and shooting hail onto rooftops. We were comfortably seated on coloured cushions in our little pit table munching on edamame and enjoying the soothing sound of rain.
When ordering the all-​you-​can-​eat buffet, you are given 2 cards, each chalk full of hot and cold Japanese dishes. You can order 5 varieties of sushi at a time, there are approximately 15 options and you can repeat them as many times as you please within a 1.5 hour time period. The hot menu allows for 1 repeat of 7 items (you and your dining companions must decide amongst you.)
When it all arrived, it was exactly what I’d been craving. The meal had an all around clean flavour and was beautifully displayed. The chicken katsu, prawn tempura, chicken teriyaki and sweet potato tempura were awesome. The sushi platter arrived fresh and vibrantly coloured. The salmon and tuna sashimi were gorgeous-​a little dip of soy and a slice of ginger, couldn’t have been better.
I have to agree with Leon C., the service was excellent and well timed until it came to the bill. Once the bill was on the table no one seemed to be concerned with taking the card payment. We nearly bore a hole in their backs with our stares before they returned. I’m happy to say we got a cheery goodbye when we walked out the door.

I am in no way an expert on sushi, but I know good food when I try it. Hi Sushi offers a buffet meal where you choose what you want and as much of it from a set menu for £14.95.
The cold plate sushi, sashimi and hot tempura’s, katsu chicken and teriyaki options were all fabulous. Not only were the items incredibly fresh, but they were so very tasty. Honestly the food was so good. My dining partner is a big sushi eater and she agreed that the food was exceptional.
Looking at the previous reviews photo’s it seems Hi Sushi have had a favourable makeover. Keeping the Asian minimal vibe the décor and seating is quite chic and stylish. There are three slightly varied sections and the one at the back would be a cute spot for a romantic meal.
I was impressed with my meal and service but I must say Hi Sushi almost dropped the ball right at the end. The servers seemed to forget us once they’d given the bill. Watching servers backs as they seem to be doing nothing but chat and blow their nose is a touch irritating. A dining experience must be engaged from the hello to the goodbye. Even with this small misdemeanour my experience warrants five stars.

Not terrible for basic sushi. But I hate the way they’ve only hired Chinese staff (presumably because they look ‘oriental’). And Kinkichi, 50 yards up the road, is one of the best sushi places in North London, although you do need a reservation (spot the tourist reviewer who said this was the only sushi place in the area!)

Hi Sushi never fails to deliver tasty fresh Japanese food. There aren’t any other sushi places in the area so if you have a craving for it this is the only place and you won’t be disappointed. It’s not the greatest sushi i’ve ever eaten but it satisfies every time and it’s far better than Yo Sushi’s conveyor belt efforts.
The interior is quite sparse and minimal so it doesn’t provide a cosy environment to eat in but if you want cosy then why not have them deliver? They have a quick service and the guys in there are really sweet and friendly.

Hi Sushi serves a range of Japanese dishes to eat in or take away. This sushi place is like any other sushi restaurant, has all the usual dishes, such as: Sushi, Sashimi and noodles.
It is quite plain and white inside, and has the option of sitting outside, there aren’t many if any sushi restaurants in Hampstead, so Hi Sushi is perfect for when you have that sushi urge, to give your self the sushi fix and if you in the area, definitely give it a chance, it may look simple, but the dishes are fresh and tasty, I wouldn’t recommend if you are looking for a romantic meal, great to fill your stomach and reasonably priced. If you’re feeling lazy, they even deliver.

This isn’t the best sushi restaurant i’ve been to. its generally good but unimpressive. the food is quite good, the fish is very fresh but the rice is a little dry and too stodgy. the staff are very polite and efficient. being on hamstead high st, you get a lot of posh locals coming in here, so it does get very busy. generally quite a nice place to go to for a quick lunch, in a great location.