Katana

What a fun experience! Sushi and other Japanese foods floating to your picking experience? Sign me up again and again. It's like strawberry picking, except sushi!Katana is a hole in the wall type spot that is sure to challenge your patience and hunger. What I mean is that they don't play around with their waitlist! It seems to me the most important thing to consider when coming to Katana is that you arrive early enough to put your name on the list or be comfortable experiencing a bit of a wait. What I like is that they'll call you when your spot is ready so you don't necessarily need to wait inside or outside but you definitely need to wait nearby so that you don't lose your spot. When I went, I grabbed a beer at a dive bar just a few stores down which was a great way to pass the time.I would say Katana is a great place for solo dining or a fun, casual date. The restaurant is situated with an island in the middle and chairs all around it--so if you're going with a group of more than 3 people for example, might be hard to have conversation since you won't be at a traditional table, rather bar type seating. Here is the best part--it's the adventure of picking plates as they float down the river and the anticipation of seeing something you want and hoping that no one picks it before it gets to you! Have no fear--in the unlikely event that everyone picks what you want every time you see it float down, you can always order whatever you want with the person in the middle who handles the drink orders and checks. Though I wasn't always sure what I was picking, nothing seemed too crazy. Here's something for all to consider at Katana...want a varied sushi river? I encourage everyone to order something different than what's floating from the options on the QR code as the chef will usually prepare more than one once someone orders it. So how is everything priced? Up on the wall, they have different colored plates and prices for each one. As you go collecting plates, you stack them in front of you which is how they know what to charge you. My recommendation is to be sure you'll eat everything on the plate to get biggest bang for your buck.Though the service was rushed (I understand--there's always a line!) still gave Katana 5 stars because the experience itself is so cool.Katana is a must-try!

No Way This Place Would Pass A Health Inspection!For all these 3, 4 and 5 star reviews from customers who must be in some sort of cosmic funk. STOP, OPEN YOUR EYES, LOOK AROUND! One of the dirtiest restaurants I have been to around the world. I cannot even fully describe how filthy this place is. Start with the bathroom....OMG, just stay away! The dirt, dust and debris hanging from the vents that are over top of YOU and the food prep areas...just plain disgusting! I can guarantee than many customers have had this filth mixed into their food. Mold and mildew present on many customer areas.Wait times....This business model of not taking reservation is a terrible choice.Microwave - like your food or sake nuked? That's what they do here. I have watched it.I really don't know what else to say except I will never return.

A heads up first: if you are planning on coming here, make sure you arrive before it opens up or when it opens up. I'm not sure how far in advance they do this but, you cannot make reservations. You have to write your name down on the list. My girlfriend and I waited about 2 hours to eat. But it was absolutely worth it. So, on to the main review!My girlfriend and I love sushi. It's one of our favorite things to eat. So we found this place on Instagram and decided to give it a go. The interior is extremely cool. The staff, ran by this phenomenal Japanese lady, is always on point and communicating with each other. It's like a well oiled machine the way they talk to each other about everything they're currently doing. Whenever somebody walked in they were greeted with a nice loud "Irasshaimase", and whenever they left they were bid farewell with an equally loud "Arigatougozaimasu!" The head lady knew all the locals name and made me and my girlfriend pretty jealous as we laughed and said we want to be her friend as well. Finally, we sat down and immediately got to eating. Everything was fresh. We watched the chef cutting and preparing all the sushi. We watched as he examined every cut of fish that came before him and expertly cut it and prepared it. It was a great experience to watch a master at work. We also ordered 2 sides of edamame and pork gyoza. They were fantastic! Finally we ordered the Bluefin Albacore. Specifically the Harakami section. Wow. You could taste the ocean. The Bluefin was truly a standout and I would love to eat even more! Overall, this place will become a regular of ours. Not just for the great food, but the vibes were immaculate. Until next time folks! Enjoy the meal!!!

Best sushi spot in Miami and ALWAYS worth the wait! Their fish is as fresh as you can get & the staff is so nice. I will always come here when I'm crazing sushi!

A Miami Beach Classic, with great food that still holds affordable prices despite the expensive prices in the city. The service is very friendly and take there time to joke with you, even when it's very busy. Sitting next to the sushi boats floating in the river is an experience that you don't get to see that often anymore. Not a fancy place, but it feels very cozy every time you go in, like a capsule in time.Make sure to get there early, they don't take reservations but you can sign up and then go for a drink at Bob's while waiting.

Tip: get here in advance of 6pm to write your name - and then your call awaits! Make sure to stay nearby with your phone on hand - if you don't show up in 3 minutes, your seats will be given up to the next awaiting party. We got to Katana at 7:30pm, wrote our names down, and ended up waiting an hour to be seated. However, our worries of "will this be worth the one hour wait" were quickly appeased when we saw and tasted how fresh the sushi/sashimi were. Being sat right in front of the sushi chef also made these delicious pieces very accessible!

So the wait for this place is insane on the weekend because that only have 15 seats, but I was determined to take my daughter because she asks for sushi daily. So we made the 1 hour + trek from sunrise to Katana on a Friday evening and checked in at 6:12 and had an hour wait. You have to find something to do in the mean time because the place is small and intimate. So prepare to get some cocktails or catch up on a good book while you wait. Every seat is a good seat where you can access all of the sushi and they have a separate menu. Prices are amazingly reasonable and you just start eating and each plate costs a different price. Everything is so fresh and affordable. We tried a lot of rolls, octopus, plum wine, we just kept grabbing and 12 plates later we were ready for dessert which was Thai donuts with ice cream. Everything was delicious and my daughter has asked to go back again since then. I will go back during the weekday when it is less busy.

My and my girls favorite hidden (well not so hidden anymore) gem. We love the small / intimate setting , the food is always delicious and it's Surpsingly affordable and such a great concept. Grab as many plates as you'd like , prices are on the wall based on the color of the plate. The one "downside" is you have to make sure to get there plenty early because it definitely gets packed!

The wait is long, but it's worth it! I love the hand rolls & the fact that they serve Coke Zero lol.

This has become a weekly ritual. Yes, the wait can be a lottery but it's worth it for the experience. Wish more unique things came out on the boats but it's all good sushi. Go to Bob's next door whilst you wait.