Baru

Great Happy Hour deals, service, sushi, and sake. More people need to come here! They were nearly empty when I came in for Happy Hour on a Friday. Happy Hour had some apps and drinks about half off. I sat at the bar and had Rae as my server/bartender. Rae was phenomenal! Great suggestions for sushi and sake. Rae even had me try some of the mushroom shoyu, which was great with my nigiri. Drinks: Happy Hour Old Fashioned - made with Bulleit Bourbon. A classic. The Celebrity Sake - dangerous! Very smooth almost light like water. Has a soft smell. This was a great recommendation from Rae!Food: Crispy Brussels - Rae said "I don't usually like brussel sprouts but these I like." Sounds good to me. The sprouts did not disappoint. I loved the flavor. They were cooked through and crispy. Lots there too--definitely for sharing. I took most of this to go with me. Lobster and Yellowtail Maki - really loved this roll! The slices themselves are huge and not because of the rice amount. The lobster was cooked perfectly (coming from a Mainer). The Serrano pepper on top was a great bit of heat to each bite. The spicy mayo was great too. Quail egg nigiri - my plate had 2 pieces and they came with both salmon roe and flying fish roe. The pieces themselves were humongous, like I barely could eat it whole. The flavor was great: salty, mellow. It went really well with the mushroom shoyu Rae brought me to try. 3-piece mochi - for dessert I went with my fallback of mochi. It was not on the menu, but Rae said I could mix and match the 3 flavors they had: mango, green tea, and espresso. I went with the first two. The mochi was just OK. I should have just ended on the high of the dinner options! Next time: I'll try another Sake and more sushi. and bring some people!

The vibes here are on point. It definitely feels like a restaurant you would expect to see in New York City or other similarly sized cities. They have really cool moving lights over the bar which were pretty mesmerizing.Our server was excellent! We had a reservation and were promptly seated. The server went through the menu and gave us some recommendations! We ordered drinks, a few small plates, and the chef's choice sashimi. One of the small plates we ordered they realized they didn't have that tonight so they gave us a few complementary lobster shots! We got the corn ribs and tartar small plates. Both were incredibly delicious. The chef's plate sashimi has a great selection and is beautifully prepared. We got two sushi rolls as well which were well prepared and tasty. The price is on the higher side here but I think you get what you're paying for!

Baru has big city elegance and vibe. It is an absolute must while in Cincinnati.The nigiri sushi is a limited selection, but after cautiously trying the Hamachi, we ordered an order of Sake and Unagi as well. All were excellent. In fact, they were so good I wondered why other reviews seemed underwhelmed at the quality of the food!The quality was extremely high. The Tokyo Wedge Salad is divine. I will never eat at Baru without starting with this salad. The dressing is perfect, the melange of ingredients is deft.For those who do not care for raw fish, the cooked specialties are also excellent. The salmon plate with ginger greens was very good, as was the scallop fried rice. Next time, I plan to try the New York Strip Steak.The bar is excellent. There is a huge selection of sake, whiskey, and other spirits. Chris, the bartender in charge, is a master of his craft. As a side note, the stemware and glassware are solid quality, which makes a huge different in the cocktail experience. Baru's ambiance is totally fun without being obnoxious. The lighting, seating, and glass box esthetic are all brilliant, making Baru a wise choice for any occasion. The acoustics are great, the sound system is top notch, but the music does not overwhelm. Very notable are the moving light sculptures throughout the room.This is an excellent choice for a date night, a group event, a business dinner, and also would be an enjoyable solo experience.Going back again Friday and will update!

Half-off Sushi Rolls and Sake on Monday nights!? Count me in! My friend wanted to try Baru for the first time. Same as my first experience, the staff is ultra cool and hospitable and provide excellent service. Also, the scene is modern and beautiful. Really, Baru is a wonderful spot for either a date or girl's night. I updated my rating because my rolls and sake were delicious and I enjoyed the Monday night deal. Cheers!

This place has an awesome happy hour on Monday. Love half price sushi and love that they keep it quality. Fun interior with a party vibe and dancing lights.

As I explore downtown Cincy I am repeatedly delighted by what I find. Culinary and atmospheric razzle dazzle! Baru is fantastic for a girl's night, date night or even a solo love myself night! Excellent selections of seafood, sashimi, nigiri and rolls. The lobster shot - AMAZEBALLS and I wish I had ordered more than one of that buttery mouth treat. Christopher was my server and he was attentive and went above and beyond making sure my hot herbal blueberry tea was steeped to perfection. The lights above the bar make a fun distraction and made me wish I sat at the bar so I could imagine batting at them like some humanoid cat. Yes, I will be back.

Not a ton to add to this review. Food was still fresh and the sushi had great flavor. Love the half off maki Monday special, a great way to try several items. Service was friendly!

Service was INCREDIBLY slow. The price of the food is off putting. Especially the sushi. I'm happy that we went during restaurant week so it didn't hurt as bad.Thoughts on what we ordered: Drinks - The Makers Smash drink was very good. The espresso martini came out with chocolate syrup coating the glass. Nowhere in the description was there a mention of chocolate. I asked for a new glass since I despise chocolate syrup. If you order an espresso martini, it will not look like my pictures. My husband ordered Sake with our drinks and it took an hour before it came. Appetizers - For starters we ordered the Brussels, which were delicious. So crispy and a little kick of heat. The salad was pretty plain but I enjoyed the crunchy texture of the toppings. It took 60+ minutes to get through this course. We sat with empty drinks for a long time. Sushi rolls - For sushi, we ordered the Ebi roll and the Truffle roll. The Ebi was a little too spicy for my liking (I'm a bit of a wuss with spicy), but the truffle is the best sushi roll that I've ever had. Entrees - I ordered the Chicken Katsu. The rice was sooo good and the chicken was nice and crunchy. The sauce is a little plain. I enjoyed it all around. My husband ordered the sashimi entree. He kept saying how great quality / tasting the salmon was. Dinner took nearly 2 hours and when I review what we ordered, it is strange. Mind you, we were there on a Tuesday evening and it was not busy.

Food was great. I had umami corn ribs, edamame, lobster shots (so good), ahi nigiri, & white tiger roll. The spicy ginger cocktail is really refreshing. My guy Jacob was awesome and took care of me. Will be back.

Sake and Sushi Mondays! What a great deal. Bartender very attentive and great recommendations.