Maki Shop opened its doors in early April, bringing machine-rolled sushi to Logan Circle, courtesy of former Kushi owner Darren Lee Norris. Here's what the first Yelpers, bloggers and others have to say about the place.
The Lack of Fish News: Maki Shop is earning a 3 star average on Yelp right now with 19 reviews in. One chief complaint on Yelp seems to be a stingy amount of fish in the rolls. Yumi R. says, "Rice was nicely cooked and had the proper consistency, but I almost completely forgot about that high point because I was really just fishing for fish. (omg did I just say that?)." Becca echoes, "The rolls themselves weren't great - just a LOT of rice. It was very difficult to tell the difference between the types of seafood that were apparently enclosed inside of the rice/seaweed." Here's J.L.: "Don't go until you see them decrease the rice. We had 5 rolls, edamame, and miso soup tonight. Nothing wrong with miso or edamame, but the filling is literally only 5-10% of any roll." The restaurant appears to be responding to the issue, Tweeting out a photo of "Less rice, more filling." [Yelp, Twitter]
The Haters Gonna Hate Hate Hate Hate Hate News: Some Yelpers are perfectly happy with Maki Shop. Matthew A. writes, "Let the haters hate - it keeps the lines short for people who aren't expecting a meal at Nobu for a walk up sushi spot." Meanwhile, Michael H. says, "Not sure what the other reviewers are talking about. I liked this place. A LOT! Maybe they fixed their rice/other stuff ratio, but there is a lot of venom in other reviews about a place that's been in operation for less than a week." [Yelp]
The Pricey News: Lillie Z. writes, "SUPER CUTE! Great way to diet and look chic bc no way you can afford to get full on these prices." Joe M. concurs, "Needs to be about half the price. Eating out is notoriously expensive in Australia, but a maki roll of this kind will only run you 2 to 3 bucks even in posh, expensive areas of the major cities. Maki Shop is 5 bucks or more for non-veg rolls." Meanwhile on Foursquare, Ryan Sabot notes, "The rolls aren't really rolled...they're in plastic packages. The nori isn't attached to the rice, even. The roll isn't cut; if they were, each roll would only be about 4 or 5 pieces. Overpriced" [Yelp, FS]
The Diverse Menu News: Blog Sosh appreciates the variety in the menu. "The menu is a bit more diverse than your standard sushi joint, with vegetarian rolls made with wild mushrooms, asparagus, red bell peppers, carrots, and kale, or others made with beef short rib or curry chicken." UrbanDaddy agrees, saying, "In the grab-and-go cases up front, you'll find the expected rolls, like tuna and soft-shell crab. But also rolls filled with curried fried chicken and nine-hour short ribs with kimchi. Keep them in mind anytime you want to eat on 14th Street without dining on 14th Street." [Sosh, UD]
The DIY-ish news: On Facebook, Lara calls Maki Shop a "#fun and #innovated way of eating rolls." [Facebook]
The Sauce It Up Tip: Best Thing on the Menu Tweets, "Every @getmakishop roll goes great w/ creamy yuzu sauce. If you're not hitting the sauce bar, you're doing it wrong." [Twitter]
The Not-So-Kid-Friendly News: Also on Twitter, @BabyGastronomer notes, A bit tight for strollers & not much on menu for toddlers, but def take @getmakishop rolls to go! #MamasGottaEatToo." [Twitter]
