⭐⭐ From Loyal Fan to Deeply Concerned Customer After years of being a devoted regular at this izakaya gem, I’m heartbroken to write this review. This place used to be my absolute go-to for authentic Japanese flavors in Michigan.
🚨 Serious Food Safety Red Flag Received pork belly skewers with undercooked meat - literally medium rare with raw centers visible. As an expecting mother, this was both alarming and immediately obvious upon tasting. Pork should never be served this way.
😤 Service That Missed the Mark Completely Server’s response was shockingly dismissive: just “you get another one” with zero apology or concern. The “replacement” appeared to be half portions and suspiciously looked like our returned skewers from the kitchen.
The real kicker? When ordering additional skewers, she asked if we wanted them “well done” - either dodging responsibility or completely tone-deaf to the situation and my obvious pregnancy.
💔 The Verdict The flavors that kept me coming back for years are still there, but food safety and basic customer service training are clearly lacking. For a simple $6.50 order, this response was inexcusable.
Sushi Mellon
The Good: They've got legit Japanese chefs and a massive menu, so you've got tons of options. The staff is friendly and they don't drag their feet getting your food out. Plus, the prices won't break the bank for most things.
The Hamachi and Katsuo no Tataki were fresh wins, the Onion-Lever is a standout with fantastic texture, and that Akadashi Miso Soup with herbs and seaweed sounds like a real treat!
The Not-So-Good: Watch out for some misses. The Soba soup apparently has a funky, sour thing going on. The Potato Salad is a letdown in the flavor department, and the fried oysters miss the mark on texture.
The Bottom Line: Fumi's a mixed bag. You can have a great meal here, but you've gotta be smart about what you order. Stick to the fresh fish, the Onion-Lever, and that special miso soup, and you'll likely be happy. Venture off that path, and you might end up with something you regret. Choose wisely!
matthew ozga
Found Fumi 2.5 years ago through a friend and its been a favorite ever since. Just wish i lived closer so i could visit more often. Each year i tell each of my teen children i would take them to dinner anywhere they want for their birthdays. Every year FUMI is my son's first choice and i never try to disuade him!
Angela Kim
My husband and I ordered multiple items and were very satisfied with the yakitori and torikawa. However, I do NOT recommend the sashimi or sushi from this place. We ordered the sashimi dinner, which costs $26, and it was the worst sashimi we’ve ever had. The salmon had bones in it, and the mackerel smelled odd—it wasn’t fresh. We sat by the sushi counter and noticed that the restaurant doesn’t seem to be clean, as it was dusty and greasy.
Cameron Vinson
Authentic Japanese restaurant with cozy atmosphere! The picture menu is highly helpful for foreigner guests, so far the most favorite date-night restaurant for me and my husband. Haven’t been disappointed for trying new food on the menu!
Elmar Tarverdili
Fantastic japanese cuisine! Great service and atmosphere.
JoongWon An
Used to be good, but last visit I felt not clean overall. Food was not fully cooked, almost no topping on okonomoyaki.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 4
淺井達也
This was my third time using it and it was the worst. When I ordered tempura soba for the first time, I received a very small shrimp tempura and kake soba. It's a Japanese restaurant in America, so I gave up and started eating because I thought it was kake soba even though it said it was zaru soba, but a woman who looked like a Japanese came over and grabbed my item while mumbling that it wasn't zaru soba and went into the kitchen. I went to I was just thinking, ``Oh, I made a mistake,'' but when the staff came back, they just said it was your fault for eating the wrong food and didn't show any signs of being apologetic. Even though I didn't specifically order anything to be changed, they just kept saying it was my fault. I just feel bad. They could have just shown their sincerity and apologized, but they just shift the blame onto me. It was the moment when I encountered the worst capacity of my life. When I gave up and started eating, there was plastic attached to the crab stick. The vinyl photo was taken after I finished eating, so it's a shame that the store probably won't approve of it. To begin with, all the menu items are expensive, and when you receive this kind of service. . A regular? The service seems to be good, so I think it's better to refrain from going there if you're a new customer. When I look at other people's reviews, I see complaints like this from the store that this is not the case, so it's a shame that this can be said about this as well.
Excellent Japanese comfort food. I would walk 500 miles for their tonkatsu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Yakitori, Special Tonkatsu, Tempura Udon
Aaron Schmidt
A great atmosphere local to Novi. A slice of Japan here at home. Curry was mild and filling, katsu was cut a little thick for me, but good. Gochisousama!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Special Tonkatsu, Ramen
Sarms Jabra
Homestyle Japanese restaurant. Very comfortable, excellent Mackerel.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Yun Hee Jang
This is truly authentic Japanese restaurant!! Food was amazing!! Service was awesome!! I would highly recommend!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Minh Do
Probably the most authentic izakaya in metro detroit. Takes me right back to Japan.
⭐⭐ From Loyal Fan to Deeply Concerned Customer
After years of being a devoted regular at this izakaya gem, I’m heartbroken to write this review. This place used to be my absolute go-to for authentic Japanese flavors in Michigan.
🚨 Serious Food Safety Red Flag
Received pork belly skewers with undercooked meat - literally medium rare with raw centers visible. As an expecting mother, this was both alarming and immediately obvious upon tasting. Pork should never be served this way.
😤 Service That Missed the Mark Completely
Server’s response was shockingly dismissive: just “you get another one” with zero apology or concern. The “replacement” appeared to be half portions and suspiciously looked like our returned skewers from the kitchen.
The real kicker? When ordering additional skewers, she asked if we wanted them “well done” - either dodging responsibility or completely tone-deaf to the situation and my obvious pregnancy.
💔 The Verdict
The flavors that kept me coming back for years are still there, but food safety and basic customer service training are clearly lacking. For a simple $6.50 order, this response was inexcusable.
The Good:
They've got legit Japanese chefs and a massive menu, so you've got tons of options. The staff is friendly and they don't drag their feet getting your food out. Plus, the prices won't break the bank for most things.
The Hamachi and Katsuo no Tataki were fresh wins, the Onion-Lever is a standout with fantastic texture, and that Akadashi Miso Soup with herbs and seaweed sounds like a real treat!
The Not-So-Good:
Watch out for some misses. The Soba soup apparently has a funky, sour thing going on. The Potato Salad is a letdown in the flavor department, and the fried oysters miss the mark on texture.
The Bottom Line:
Fumi's a mixed bag. You can have a great meal here, but you've gotta be smart about what you order. Stick to the fresh fish, the Onion-Lever, and that special miso soup, and you'll likely be happy. Venture off that path, and you might end up with something you regret. Choose wisely!
Found Fumi 2.5 years ago through a friend and its been a favorite ever since. Just wish i lived closer so i could visit more often.
Each year i tell each of my teen children i would take them to dinner anywhere they want for their birthdays.
Every year FUMI is my son's first choice and i never try to disuade him!
My husband and I ordered multiple items and were very satisfied with the yakitori and torikawa. However, I do NOT recommend the sashimi or sushi from this place. We ordered the sashimi dinner, which costs $26, and it was the worst sashimi we’ve ever had. The salmon had bones in it, and the mackerel smelled odd—it wasn’t fresh. We sat by the sushi counter and noticed that the restaurant doesn’t seem to be clean, as it was dusty and greasy.
Authentic Japanese restaurant with cozy atmosphere! The picture menu is highly helpful for foreigner guests, so far the most favorite date-night restaurant for me and my husband. Haven’t been disappointed for trying new food on the menu!
Fantastic japanese cuisine!
Great service and atmosphere.
Used to be good, but last visit I felt not clean overall. Food was not fully cooked, almost no topping on okonomoyaki.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 4
This was my third time using it and it was the worst.
When I ordered tempura soba for the first time, I received a very small shrimp tempura and kake soba. It's a Japanese restaurant in America, so I gave up and started eating because I thought it was kake soba even though it said it was zaru soba, but a woman who looked like a Japanese came over and grabbed my item while mumbling that it wasn't zaru soba and went into the kitchen. I went to
I was just thinking, ``Oh, I made a mistake,'' but when the staff came back, they just said it was your fault for eating the wrong food and didn't show any signs of being apologetic.
Even though I didn't specifically order anything to be changed, they just kept saying it was my fault.
I just feel bad.
They could have just shown their sincerity and apologized, but they just shift the blame onto me.
It was the moment when I encountered the worst capacity of my life.
When I gave up and started eating, there was plastic attached to the crab stick.
The vinyl photo was taken after I finished eating, so it's a shame that the store probably won't approve of it.
To begin with, all the menu items are expensive, and when you receive this kind of service. . A regular? The service seems to be good, so I think it's better to refrain from going there if you're a new customer.
When I look at other people's reviews, I see complaints like this from the store that this is not the case, so it's a shame that this can be said about this as well.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Was this a NOODLE HOUSE before?
Fish didn't feel fresh. Server mixed up orders.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Yakitori, Fish, Sushi Deluxe, Salad
Restaurantji Recommends
Excellent Japanese comfort food. I would walk 500 miles for their tonkatsu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Yakitori, Special Tonkatsu, Tempura Udon
A great atmosphere local to Novi. A slice of Japan here at home. Curry was mild and filling, katsu was cut a little thick for me, but good. Gochisousama!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Special Tonkatsu, Ramen
Homestyle Japanese restaurant. Very comfortable, excellent Mackerel.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This is truly authentic Japanese restaurant!! Food was amazing!! Service was awesome!! I would highly recommend!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Probably the most authentic izakaya in metro detroit. Takes me right back to Japan.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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