Kujira Japanese Cuisine

Please update your store hours. My friend and I drove over 30 minutes from the other side of the Island yesterday (Monday), only to find the place completely closed and lights out. No note or sign there, only the store hours that says open Mon-Sun. Google and their website also showed open Mon-Sun (Until I reported to Google that they were indeed, not open on Mondays). We had to figure out alternative dinner plans, and it felt like such a waste of a trip. We were truly excitedly and it was a huge let down.

Very disappointing experience and would not go back nor recommend to anyone.The owner is the server, bartender, busboy and might be the cook too, who knows.I will get to the point:Food: average and nothing special and over priced.Drinks: The drinks menu is two pages full of cocktails, beers and Japanese drinks, BUT sadly; out of the entire two page menu they only got one available drink (A beer). Maybe you can get something simple like vodka and club soda. Why they have a drink menu when nothing on it is available??Service: the only two people working there (owners I assume) were busy watching football on their cell phones over attending to the customers. We sat after finishing our food for a good 30 minutes where no one asked if we need more drinks, desert, other food or even “how was everything?”. It’s like we don’t exist. We were a party of 8 snd only got water for 5. No regards to customers at all.If customer service is not their thing, maybe they should just keep it take out only and fine in.This was our second time there. Both times we were celebrating birthdays and they ruined them. We figured to give them another chance, but we were wrong. Both times are disappointing. Mind you we spent over $400 each time. Never again.I hope they improve, but we are definitely never going back or even consider.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 3

Service: 1

Beautiful space , new and clean , but we ordered suchi rolls and some appetizers, and ramen , also skewers . The most long we have been waiting skewers and at the end of the day they were not perfectly cooked , the meat was raw , also ramen seems to be just an instant pack . Very disappointed, will definitely never will be back . I wish the got better chef cause place itself is nice

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 1

Service: 1

One of the underrated Japanese restaurant in Staten Island. The foods are delicious!! Will definitely come back soon.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The food and services are amazing, especially the ramen is the best I ever have. The atmosphere is a classic Japanese vibe, I will definitely come back. Highly

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We were excited to try this Japanese restaurant for it looked very elegant and the positive reviews appeared quite credible. The host and hostess were friendly and provided us with some ice water and hot tea to warm us up as we waited for our takeout order, which was greatly appreciated. But we waited...and waited...and waited...diners who came in after us got their food before we got ours, and we didn't order any cooked food really, just four special rolls, a 12 piece sashimi special, a kani salad and a seared salmon don...we waited for an hour and 30 minutes for our takeout order...by the time we were able to eat the food, the soup was already cold, which was incredibly disappointing especially given its great potentials in Staten Island...if we got the hot foods and skewers, they would've definitely been cold by the time we got our order. We went from excited with high hopes to exhausted and demoralized. I wish the staff and owner would be able to empathize how unreasonable and inconveniencing waiting an hour and 30 minute for a takeout order is, especially when it's really not that large of an order...they informed us it would take a while but never told us it would be more than an hour long wait...If you realize the order will take a long time, please prioritize how you serve your diners more appropriately, or provide a small complimentary drink or snack so the customers doesn't just sit here and wait out their entire supply of patience. The following customer that asked for takeout the host and hostess informed them it would take longer than an hour, which I'm guessing is because of how discontent and impatient we have grown as we waited until our patience and excitement ran dry. We asked for the sashimi special for no tuna since my wife is breastfeeding and cannot eat tuna and the male host informed us that they can give us more salmon instead, but as you can see in the picture they didn't even make that change for us like he said. As you can also see in the photo, some of the rolls isn't even cut; have you ever eaten a roll that the chef forgot or didn't bother cutting..?Unfortunately this overall experience has left such a negative experience that we won't be coming back. If you do decide to order takeout, please make sure you ask them how long and make sure to double check your order before you leave.Thank you for reading and best of luck.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 1

Service: 1

Beautiful quiet spot, deserves more attention. Atmosphere is great, food and drinks were cheap and quick and high quality. Will be coming back.

Wheelchair accessibility: No stairs, booth seating with room for wheelchairs

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Just discovered this fairly new Japanese restaurant and tried it. My wife and I really liked it! From the food, service to the ambiance - cozy space. Definitely going back!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Ordered for pickup. Order ready quick. Restuarant was beautiful on the inside. Food was excellent. You can taste the freshness of the fish and the sushi rice had the perfect level of vinegary-sweetness. Some of the best sushi I have ever eaten.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This place is simply the best sushi restaurant on Staten Island. I would even argue it's some of the best I've had. The yellowtail jalapeño was excellent and just freshly cut, and the rest of our rolls were just as flavorful and fresh. The ambiance is cozy, pretty and peaceful. The staff is very attentive to their customers. I recommend dining in and experiencing it if you haven't already. If you're a sushi fan living in New York, this place is a must. Thank you to Nick for the excellent service and recommendations of the sushi list and sake options.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Kujira Roll, Gyoza, Sushi

A very nice and welcome addition to the food scene in the area. Kujira specializes in kushiyaki, that is, skewers. This goes beyond yakitori, as they have grilled vegetables, beef, pork, and mushrooms as well. They also have outdoor seating and the ambience is very relaxed.When I visited, there was no one else there and it was a Sunday. We got seats immediately and ordered some of the lunch specials, which come with an assortment of skewers based on which special you order. Mine had chicken, pork, beef, and three veggie skewers. I also ordered some of their octopus and the Hamachi collar. All of it was very good. The ponzu with the octopus was tangy and the octopus was tender. The Hamachi wasn't as fatty as I wanted but it also wasn't that hard to eat. The skewers come with tare sauce and you can service your own salt and shichimi. It was all delicious.Overall, a great place to try some new foods.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

best sushi on staten island!!! honestly the quality of sushi was phenomenal. better than some manhattan sushi spots!! the price point is on par with city pricing, but the inside of the restaurant is absolutely beautiful. The inside of the restaurant is so classy and well decorated, overall amazing experience. will be back soon!! and the fried ice cream was the best i’ve ever had, it didn’t taste too fried, but DELICIOUS!!

Recommended dishes: Spicy Tuna Roll, Sushi

Excellence place to stop by for Japanese food. ?

Very clean and nice spot. Ramen is a good portion. paid $50 for 2 ramens and 2 drinks.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Newer place took over from another restaurant that closed yrs ago. Kitchen remains the same but entirely new interior, clean lines, softly bright and gently atmospheric.Food was all made to order and delicious. Drinks were solid. Sake was superior.Rolls held together well and sashimi was melt in your mouth fresh.Highly recommended.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Chicken Thigh Skewers, Eel, Sashimi, Yakitori, Sushi, Chicken Wings