Happy Sumo At Riverwoods

There are other places less expensive, but for the ambience, the quality, the food, this hands down the best value. more

I am a regular of Shoga Sushi bar and I decided to try Happy sumo since it is very close to my work. Well the place looks nice and trendy and with a nice atmosphere, now about the food ... most of the sushi rolls were ok, nothing like the ones I am used to at Shoga, but not awful. I think the first thing that screams mediocre sushi at any place is a non Japanese chef. And there were 3 very young people behind the bar with not a hint of asian in their blood . Having said that I still gave it a try , after I ate a couple of rolls I looked at the bar and noticed 2 of the ""chefs"" were eating , I don't know what they were having but they both also had their gloves on. They ate and drank and then continued to prepare food without changing gloves or washing hands. I was a bit grossed out by then when one of the guys' phone rings and he answers it in the middle of food preparing also with his gloves on , and then walks outside to talk , when he comes back he still has his gloves on and proceeds to prepare more food. By now I was completely disgusted. I complained to the waitress, which went onto tell me that she was too busy to notice what they were doing all the time and that she did not know if they were allowed to eat at the bar or not. By now I was not only disgusted but I was mad at the poor explanation she gave as an excuse to get out of a sticky situation. Needless to say I left a very small tip ($2 since she was prompt in serving us) and I bowed to never return to this place which looks all that for it's location but leaves a lot to be desired. more

We just love this place. If I want sushi the only thing I want is Happy Sumo rolls!! I am seriously addicted! I love the waitresses here and the food is to die for. My favorite sushi joint! Pros: The sushi!!!! Cons: Nothing! more

""Authentic"" no, but delicious yes! The hostess was such a sweetheart, made me wonder why she wasn't a server. The atmosphere is very cool..trendy i guess you can say. Our waitress was very professional and friendly, and all the Sumo servers were sleekly dressed in black. We ordered 6 different types of sushi...mind you its was only two of us! LOL! We got our rolls fairly fast (for sushi) and they were all scrumptious. The Brooklyn Roll ended up being one of our favorites, with us ordering it TWICE in one night. (We were famished) more

My daughter, her 7 year old, two of my co-workers and myself went to The Happy Sumo in the Riverwoods and were very disappointed. We decided to eat outside, and we were promptly seated. About 20 minutes later the waitress noticed us and apologized saying that she didn't see us on her list. We were there almost 45 minutes before we were even brought the drinks we ordered. It was over an hour before our food came, so we had to eat quickly because some of us needed to go back to work. Additionally, this is not a friendly place to go if you are a vegetarian. Four of us at the table were, including my granddaughter. Previously, The Happy Sumo allowed substitutions for some of the ""meat/fish"" items in the childrens' meals, but apparently management has recently told the servers ""no substitutions""! My daughter wound up paying almost $20 for a children's meal, because they refused to substitute the CHEAPER avocado roll for a roll containing meat. We spoke to the manager twice. Once for this ""no substitution"" policy and once because the food took so long to get to us and one of the meals was too cold to eat (we didn't have to pay for that meal), and another barely warm. I got The Frida, which was good, but too expensive. Certainly the service leaves much to be desired. It's a shame that they care more about making their chefs happy, than they do their customers. We won't be going back to The Happy Sumo unless some changes are made. Pros: Being able to eat outside was nice. Cons: No substitutions allowed and slow service. more

I LOVE THERE FOOD ANDEVERY THING THERE IT IS AWESOME AND COOL AND SWEET AND SO AWESOMETO GOT HERE I LOVE IT SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH NO WHERE BETTER Pros: LOVE IT more

This is the only restaurant we go to now for sushi. We sometimes will also head to the Gateway Happy Sumo if we are up that way, but this one is closer to where we now live. As someone who travels a lot for business I have the opportunity to try many different sushi joints, and no one has ever compared to the Happy Sumo. My wife and I can hardly agree what to order since we have so many favorites. Their menu layout and pictures makes ordering so much easier, especially for newbies to sushi. Take my advice and try the crab wontons, we never would have but our waitress told us we wouldn't regret it and we didn't! And you can't really go wrong with any of their specialty rolls, everyone likes the playboy or the vegas, but my favorite is the lollipop and the rising sun roll. My wife loves the sunset roll, mia roll, and cabana roll. What this means is we order ALOT of rolls on our visits! more

I would go here every day if I could! The sushi is always so fresh and inventive and I've never had better sashimi in my life! The crab wontons are a great starter and the specialty rolls are all amazing. If you have room try the Lava Roll, it's big but delicious!! Pros: Fresh sushi, great rolls, cool atmosphere more

So I love sushi, and this place is pretty decent, especially for Utah where you can't get the fish so fresh. They have a wide selection and the ambience is nice. But I totally have to agree with other posters' comments about the unkempt staff. I've gone here several times, and I've started to worry that I'm going to find hair in my food, either from the waitstaff or the guys preparing food behind the counter. Time to try another sushi spot. Pros: decent sushi, patio seating Cons: service can be slow, parking, staffing more

I'm in Utah for a brief business trip and dropped by the Happy Sumo to check out some local cuisine. I love visiting local restaurants while on business to try something new. I must say for a local restaurant, in the middle of suburbia Utah, this place is pretty decent. I had my doubts about the quality I'd be receiving; surprisingly, everything was delicious. The interior is sleek and modern. The fish is as fresh as can be for Utah. (I get spoiled, I live in San Francisco). And the staff, as far as I can tell, is knowledgeable and friendly. While I wouldn't qualify the Happy Sumo as a 'fine dining' establishment, it does do quite nicely in the casual dining experience. Pros: Beautiful Environment Cons: No Liquor, Not Enough Selection of the Alcohol more

I probably go into The Happy Sumo once a week with my roommates and it never lets me down! I love it. The food is always delicious. In the past I would just get sushi, but the last couple times we have gone to eat we have tried some of the entrees and they are just as good! I love the ambiance when I walk in and we have had nothing but good service. Our drinks are always full and that scores big points with me when I am dining out! I would definantly recommend eating at Happy Sumo! Pros: Great food, really nice staff more

The continues sloppy service every time we come here. I don't know how much more I can take. The last 2 1/2 months have been nothing but utter chaos here in the building. Some times I get the sushi I ordered and sometimes the sever is hoping it is what I ordered. The food always taste great...it just now what I am ordering. I feel bad for the environment. Somebody needs to take better care and love for this restaurant. It used to be so clean. Now, I can't even walk into the restroom without a mess. Your store needs a lot of help. I am embarassed for you. Good Luck! You are going to need it. Maybe fire your servers or managers. Something was so right six months ago so to lose it makes me nervous for the company Pros: food Cons: sloppy everything more

I went to the Happy Sumo in Provo the other day after some hesitation. (I've heard mixed reviews from friends). I must say, Happy Sumo ain't all that bad! I am definitely not a big sushi fan and I was surprised by the enormous menu selection of both raw and cooked food. (You'll understand why I call it ""enormous"" when you see the book the hostess gives). While I will admit the wait in the lobby was not so fun (it took 40 minutes for a table for 2), the experience in the dining area more than made up for it. The server was so kind and fun - I believe her name was kara or tara. I really enjoyed myself. And if you save room get one of those banana things for dessert they are so so yummy! more

The sushi is pretty good, but the service I received was mediocre. The waitress took too long to come to our table, implied that she needed a big tip from us, and then made a comment that was embrassing to me and my guest. more

I have to admit that I am a bit of a Sushi snob. I grew up in California with my mom dragging me to all sorts of new Sushi restaurants so I have an appreciation for a good Sushi restaurant when I come across one. I have heard lots of great things about the Happy Sumo but only recently gave it a try for myself. I was very impressed. I loved our server and her suggestions for the group. The staff was very fun and friendly. It was a very cool atmosphere and frankly, that was something I really didn't expect to see in Utah. This is a very fun and hip place to eat and what tops it off, the food is great. Every roll I tried, I enjoyed. This is a great experience for all. I would recommend The Happy Sumo whether you are on a date, hanging with some buddies or even with family. Oh and a side note, if you are with some buddies, then you won't mind the attractive serving staff one bit. I am looking forward to my next trip to the The Happy Sumo probably this weekend. If you haven't been to The Happy Sumo, then you are missing out and hopefully I will see you there this weekend. Pros: Ambience, Great Sushi and knowledgeable, fun, attentive staff Cons: doesn't apply here more

This place is one of the worst most disappointing places we have ever been.. The lighting is terrible. The service is horrible. No one is friendly. The management is arrogant. Not one person is willing to help one another in the establishment. The hostesses are snappy. The food is decent but at the same time very overrated. Who can forget the good the old days when establishments remember how great it was to care about the customer and not be so involved with themselves. And more than half of the wait staff is unkept. Their hair is down which is so gross in a restaurant. The walls are disgusting. The recommendations made by the server were just mediocre. The restaurant really needs to be really more involved with the staff being better. Very very disappointing. This restaurant really really needs to pick it up if it is going to last in this industry. You can tell the staff is not happy. more

Happy Sumo is my absolute FAVORITE. The food is to die for, the atmosphere is so beautiful and the whole dining experience is above and beyond what I could have ever expected. The great thing about this place is it has a great vibe, a great atmosphere, AND great sushi. My favorites are the playboy roll and the dragon scales, oh and the luxury shrimp, but everything is pretty much outstanding. Plus they have an amazing selection of non sushi items which is great for my boyfriend, he always gets the General Chong's chicken. I highly recommend the Sumo!! Pros: All Thumbs Up! Cons: No Thumbs Down! more

Yesterday I went to Happy Sumo to eat. I was in hurry and only had an hour for lunch. If you know sushi you know it is made fresh it can take awhile. So, I let my server know and she said she would do everything she could to get it out to me as fast as possible. Within a couple of minutes she came and told me that they we already working on my food! It is great knowing that they care enough to help me out when I needed. It is great customer service and the server also had great suggestions. Try the dragon scales the next time you are in. and Happy Sumo keep up the great job! Pros: great service,fast Cons: the crying baby more

This place is wonderful. The staff is so friendly and the booths are cozy. My boyfriend and I went out for my birthday last weekend and I am still gushing about the food. My boyfriend tried the Firecracker roll and our server recommended the Rising Sun roll. They were both excellent. I have never tasted food this good. The lighting in the restaurant was romantic and the fun music made the evening perfect. I can?t wait for my next visit to The Happy Sumo! Pros: Great atmosphere Cons: Had to wait for a booth more

I had to make a business trip to Utah recently, and brought my son along with me. We had been told that Happy Sumo was a good place to eat, so we stopped at the one at Riverwoods. We each ordered sake, but I was a little disturbed that my son wasn't asked for ID (he had just recently turned 21). Our server was very attentive, and the food was very good. My only other complaint was that when our server brought out edamame for us, her manager pulled her aside, and in a loud enough voice for us and those around us to hear, berated her for giving us too much. That made us very uncomfortable, and obviously shook up our server also. I probably won't be going back to this particular restaurant, because of the manager's behavior and if they're lax on alcohol serving laws, what else aren't they doing? more