Cyros Sushi and Sake Bar

WHAT? THIS PLACE CLOSED???
Best sushi spot in Charlotte BY FAR. Their special rolls (and even their regular ones) were fresh and very flavorful.
I’m sad for the sushi-​loving residents of Charlotte. :(

Oh man, I just heard they closed! BUMMER! Can’t wait to see what the new venture will look like… here’s the bit from the Observer about it:
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Cyros Sushi closed
Cyros Sushi in the SouthPark area has closed after troubles in the partnership between Cy Santos and Ro Lawsin could not be worked out, said Lawsin. He says he and chef Nobu plan to team up «to try to come back; we’re not sure what yet.»
Read more:

After reading the other quality reviews, I had high hopes for Cyros as the wife and I have often driven by but opted for other battle-​tested sushi options nearby. But, given a long holiday weekend and the chance to rid myself of a
gift certificate, we headed over for dinner this week.
Given that it was a Thursday night, the place had a few tables full but the seating was open and we even had our choice of a regular table or a higher bar top. The crowd definitely felt «Southpark» with the dyed blonde, botox-​frozen ladies sipping glasses of wine while glaring at the pretty young woman in the other corner who’s got a much older man wrapped around her arm. But, hey, that’s the neighborhood, not Cyros’ fault. Glad to know they’ve been accepted by the locals.
Our downward spiral began with the service. Things never really clicked with our server, Gisele. She was slow to come to the table, almost invisible when it came time for refills, and reluctant to come back to check on the food she had just served. Now there were two other servers in the room who did a much better job– checking in with us and offering refills. Had they been our server, there’d at least be another star here as both seemed to genuinely be concerned with the customer experience both at our tables and those surrounding us.
For apps, I went with the seaweed salad and we had an order of endamame to share. Both were embarrassments. For $ 5, the seaweed salad was the smallest portion I had ever. I even took a picture and added it to this page (see above). It was literally served in what looked like a soy sauce dish. We also had to send back the endamame because it was cold. We saw another table do the same and overhead their server mention that they had a new guy in the back. Whoa, if we can’t get steamed soybean pods correct then we’re not ready for primetime.
We then waited (and waited) for our sushi. Nothing makes me more mad then seeing tables that arrived after us getting their meals ahead of us. I tried to reconcile this by thinking we ordered some fancy rolls, but the other tables did the same.
We went with the wasabi roll, the avante garde, and the nobu fire. While tasty, the rolls were pretty lose and did not hold up going from plate to soy sauce to mouth. They just seemed kind of sloppily made, almost lazy. It kinda fit the theme of the night.
The last insult was the bill. Now I fully accept that the certificate says 18% gratuity will be added to the whole bill. That’s fine. But the final bill came back with a 20% tip. Here’s the math– $ 52 total bill, $ 10.40 tip. 18% should have been $ 9.36. Not enough to fight over, but it’s safe to say I won’t be back– not where there’s better quality and better service just around the corner.

Probably the best sushi I have had in Charlotte so I had to give it four stars… why not five? An exception to my exceptional experience here: A nasty nasty appetizer of pork and mushroom dumplings. How can you go wrong with pork and mushrooms you ask? Giant pieces of fat in the dumplings. My friend and I were here last week and we were both spitting out the fat pieces and gagging. The waiter was sweet and took it off our receipt and admitted he had never tried that particular app. Ummmm pull this from the menu… I am gagging just thinking about it again.
Ok but on to the better stuff. I had the D’ Dragon roll — unreal, super fresh ingredients and gorgeous presentation. It has soft-​shelled crab and cream cheese. YUM!!! My friend got the Ultimate Dynamite roll — he loved it and thank god we were sharing! Not too expensive of a spot. Very busy for a weeknight too which is always a good sign. Food came out super fast — definitely a repeat visit despite the bad app in the beginning.

Thank you Nicole W. for the recommendation to try out Cyros!!! We absolutely loved it. On top of it we had a 50% off coupon we purchased from
.
The restaurant was conveniently located with plenty of parking. The location itself was interesting. I had never been in that building and you have to go through a main hallway that was shared by the other restaurants. The restaurant is small and really cute. It had a real laid back and relaxed atmosphere. We sat at the sushi bar that night and we were pleasantly greeted by the sushi chefs. They helped us out alot picking some of their favorite dishes and sushi. The menu itself was surprisingly small compared to most sushi places. I honestly have to say I loved it. Most places menu’s are super overwhelming. Specially to the sushi newbees in the world. The only downfall to their menu is that they have some items on the menu that they were out of. We were told because they are so popular. They did say that they usually are out of it as well. My opinion is if you dont have it on a regular basis then it should not be on the menu, but should be listed as specials for the night when they do have it. Other than that I had no complaints. They were out of the toro so we had the tuna tartare to start. It had great flavor and great texture. I honestly dont remember the rolls we got completely at this time because we split five rolls. All rolls were different but equally good. I was really impressed with the restaurant. It is hard to say but I would probably choose it over Cowfish at this point. My next sushi stop will be my friends favorite place Yamma. Look for that review to come soon. We will see if Cyros stays on top for South Park sushi joints.

Cyros is sublime. My husband and I love sushi so much, we’re the types who’ll eat the stuff from the Teeter in a pinch (no hating) but at the same time nit-​pick a place if it puts on airs or makes claims to sushi fame it doesn’t deserve (Cowfish, cough cough…). So after reading the reviews on Unilocal,we were hopeful, but prepared for yet another Charlotte attempt at «doing» sushi without actually *getting* sushi.
To say we were pleasantly surprised is an understatement! From the moment I walked in, I knew it would be different this time. The décor said so. Clean, minimalistic but almost zen-​like, not plain, and I could have stared at the art for hours. What better way to create the right ambiance than to surround diners with Japanese paper art?
The service was just as artful. Christina (whose Dad owns the gallery showing the artwork) was fast, friendly, and really knew her sushi! She encouraged us to try the house signature Avant Garde roll, and deserved a big tip just for that! It was delicious! Her other recommendations were spot-​on too, and when we finished our meal we were already planning our return visit.
If you love sushi, but want the freshest fish in most authentic and friendly experience in Charlotte, look no further, eat at Cyros!

For quite some time I have been extolling the virtues of
gift certificates, and for much of that time many of my favorite Unilocalers have been using their certificates at Cyros. I still can’t figure out how I only used my first one there last Thursday night. Timing really is everything!
We arrived about 8-​ish, and found a very harried owner saying, «I’ll be right with you.» at the entry. Over the next ten minutes, the same words were spoken two other times without any other acknowlegement. Ouch!
It seems Cyros was «slammed» this night, and my very first experience there was in danger of being an abject failure. Not at all what I was hoping for.
After what seemed like an eternity, we were seated at the bar, and the tide began to turn a bit.
Thanks to the recommendations of a few friends, we ordered the Nobu Fire Roll and the Avant Garde Roll along with the Chef’s Choice 9 piece Sashimi Plate. The tide was now turning quickly. The food was everything I had heard about! It earned this review a 1.5 — 2 star bump.
I still have a certificate or two left for Cyros. Perhaps I can return on a better night and write a 5 star update…

I have a new love and it goes by the name of Cyros! On Friday, I decided to double down on sushi-​I had an ok experience at lunch that left me wanting a great sushi experience for dinner. Enter Cyros here.
After reading rave reviews on Unilocal,hearing great things from friends and from Faith D, I was wondering what all the hype of Cyros was about. I’m usually not one for South Park establishments since I find them to be overpriced but wanted to take a chance and see if the people were right.
I didn’t know where it was but turns out it’s in the same building as Roosters, tucked away in the back facing Walgreens. While waiting for my friend, I perused the menu and was in awe — the sushi was actually reasonably priced? In South Park? Say whaaaaa? For some reason I was expecting to be a clubby atmosphere but I had it all wrong, it’s a small restaurant complete with tables, high tops and a sushi bar. I love the modern décor and you can buy the art on the walls. The art was gorgeous and it had an orgami/​textured style to it.
But enough about art and space, let’s talk sushi. Holy balls, it was amazing. As I said before, it’s very reasonable priced and they offer a variety of rolls however at the same time it’s not sushi overkill where you keep flip flopping about what you want. I got the Nobu Fire Roll and Futo Maki roll. Both were outstanding featuring fresh fish and a whole world of taste. The presentation of the sushi was equally amazing b/​c I like to think of sushi as art and when you slop it down on a plate, it’s not very inspiring. They offer vegetarian friendly rolls and I dug how every roll isn’t McSushi (fried with imitation fish).
We had a visit from one of the owners who was genuinely concerned about our experience and sushi which is so refreshing since you really don’t see that nowadays. The server was educated on what was what and didn’t just spout off the specials without explaining what it was.
So Cyros-​we shall see each other soon. I may even buy a BFF necklace and give you the other half!

Helloooo Cyros, you’re so inviting and friendly. Why, yes, we (3 girls) would like five rolls, don’t judge. Bring some Asahis over too, we’re having a party.
We had so much food, I can’t even remember it all. We started with the tuna nachos which were mixed with some sort of sweet, smoky salsa and served with fried flat, sweet bread. Got the obligatory spicy tuna roll, which was mixed perfectly. Tried the avant garde roll based on reviewer suggestion, it was different, I didn’t dislike it, but I’ll probably never get it again, I personally like more traditional flavors. The fiery tuna roll was everything I hoped it would be, lots and lots of spicy tuna, topped with more spicy tuna, all in my mouth, yum. This is where my memory fails me, too many rolls, too little stomach space.
Overall, prices were reasonable, portions were generous, and service was fantastic. Everyone was so friendly and servers were prompt.

Pretty fresh sushi but just average atmosphere. The place wasn’t crowded and the service still wasn’t top notch. Forgot my salad, went M.I.A. for awhie. There are better places in Charlotte but if you are in the neighborhood and want some sushi check it out. It will take you a couple of minutes to stumble to the entrance hidden around the corner.

Always a dilemma, vegetarian sushi — inevitably, it falls far short of whatever the fishheads are getting, while managing to cost about the same. At Cyros, that means a chunk of cash, for the avocado/​asparagus rolls, or the Tree Hugger, which comes in at 9, but is grassy and light, sweet, and seriously beautiful.
Everything I’ve seen devoured here has been that — architecturally gorgeous, made with love by someone who obviously cares as much about aesthetic as they do good fish and manages to balance both perfectly. It is an art, and he has it nailed. It makes for a jealous me, watching plates and platters stream out, this one a tiny jungle, that one a island of rice surrounded by lava (–looking sauce), all omniscient from above perspective, all amazing. Yeah, I can eat here, but it’s you fish lovers that really have it made. Still, I don’t mind tagging along occasionally, ‘specially when it’s Veg Gyoza Special Night.

This sushi knocked my socks off! Wow! The best sushi I’ve had in a long, long time. Owners care enough to stop and visit about the food and the kick-​ass original origami art that they sell here as well.
You have to try their signature Cyros Avante Garde Roll. Tuna, Crab and Avocado are the basis of this roll that’s jam packed with interesting textures and flavors. The nigiri sushi is fresh and flavorful on a delicious rice bed. Again… may I say WOW!
Lunch prices were very reasonable.

Cyros is a quaint little sushi place. The staff is above and beyond nice, attentive, and informative.
The sushi was ok… Mackrel is one of my gauges, as it is really easy to get bad mackrel! Cyros’ mackrel was well marinated and tasty.
Tuna…this is another one of my standard orders. Their tuna was too thick for my taste, and not fresh and buttery as I have had other places. This is the primary reason for only 3 stars… next time I would ask about the tuna before ordering!
I also ordered the Avant Guarde roll… It was interesting… definitely different from other rolls I’ve had. Crab meat inside… actual crab! not the pink stuff… and this fried garlic scallion stuff on top… I could eat the fried garlic stuff on plain rice… or any number of savory dishes! (I’m going to try to recreate it at home… it was very inventive and tasty!)
Overall, I prefer Yama… and as the restaurants are so close, I doubt I will return to Cyros… but the experience was nice, fun and different!
Oh…and those little atomizers for the soy sauce… AMAZING!!! It really does deliver the perfect amount of sauce for nigiri sushi!!! (and sashimi too!)

Hey Mister, have you got a dime? OK, so the coolest thing on the table at Cyros is the soy sauce mister, or actually Julia S (victorian nerd) corrected us and said it was atomizer. We atomized our sushi bites, much better, you get the flavor without the sushi falling apart from dunking and I am sure the salt intake for your meal has to be a million times healthier. The staff is very genuine and our server Meghan was off the charts enthusiastic and knowledgeable.
I am also a big sake fan, I love to try different sakes. If you have only had warm sake in the tiny white cups, you are in for a treat with all the fancy smancy sakes around town. Cyros has an extensive sake menu and offers half bottles, they seem expensive, but these are small batches, hand crafted rice wines. The cloudy, unfiltered, served cold are my favorite and most high end sakes are also glutten free. For all the people who still want a buzz but have food allergies.

I wanted to like this place a lot, I really did after reading the reviews. For me it’s ok. Will I come back, of course, as I like inexpensive sushi. That said, if I’m rating the sushi rolls I received based on rolls of other Charlotte establishments that I’ve given 4 stars, then it’s a 3 for me.
Yellowtail w/​Jalapeño app, Fiery Tuna, Nobu Roll, and spicy tuna. Liked the spicy tuna and fiery tuna. Not so much for the app of the Nobu roll. Nobu roll mainly because I’m not a fan of eel. But it’s got some kick to it and I can see the draw. Took everything down with hot sake of course.
Place is small and quaint and not a lot of tables. Not worries, as we had a reserve and sat right away. They were understaffed, but polite and I gave them the benefit of the doubt, though they could have controlled how fast people were being sat. I’d rather wait and get prompt service than sit quick and wait around looking for someone to come to the table.
That said, review is based on the food only, as like I said, gave them the benefit of the doubt on service. Definitely worth a visit for the price of sushi though…

*3.5 stars, bumping it to 4 stars for the nice peeps and the quick seating.
Dear Cyros,
Thanks for being conveniently located to South Park and a low key sushi joint.
Hubs and I ducked in here one very rainy Thursday and it was SLAMMED. So slammed that the servers, owner and hostess thanked us for our patience. That was indeed a nice touch. That being said, I’m really glad we made a last minute Open Table reserv and were seated right away. The place itself has simple, yet modern décor. Not too many frills and not too many tables either. But that’s ok, as long as the food is delicious it doesn’t matter much to me!
We ordered a handful of rolls and one appetizer…
Yellowtail Hamachi with Jalapeño: Fresh, thin slices of yellowtail topped with slices of jalapeño and a peppery, citrus-​y sauce. The fish was great and I liked the taste of the sauce, but not the consistency. It was a bit grainy.
Nobu Fire roll: Really fresh fish and super duper spicy. Like I was draining my water over and over again spicy. Next time I’m getting the sauce on the side.
Spicy Tuna roll: Their basic spicy tuna. As others, very fresh.
Firey Tuna Roll: Another spicy one with a generous helping of spicy tuna on top.
Overall, Cyros is a pleasant sushi stop in Southpark. Will I be a lifer here? Mmm, I don’t know… as another South Park sushi joint set the bar pretty high in my opinion.

When I started visiting Charlotte on business, I never expected to find great sushi. And then I found Cyros, the best sushi I’ve ever had a chance to enjoy, and it’s never let me down. The fish is incredibly fresh, the salmon practically melts, the hamachi is superb, and their rolls are creative and inventive. I highly recommend the hamachi jalapeño roll, a fantastic combination of crab, hamachi and avocado, and just a bit of heat from thin slices of fresh jalapeño. You can also order any of their nigiri or sashimi slightly seared.
Sit at the bar, enjoy dinner with your fellow diners, grab one of their many sakes, chat with Nobu, Cyros’ executive chef, and enjoy great service from Meghan, Ashley or Stephanie. You will certainly not be disappointed.

Very creative Sushi menu. Study it closely and you will be amazed. A roll with Spam. Very unique way of using up a processed meat with a shelf life of 300 years. Many other great combinations, I think they are extremely creative.
I like this place, nice people, just getting started, really beautiful Sushi, rolls and the like. Awesome Saki menu. I find the attention to detail in the menu and décor very well done.
My roll was off the charts. I sat at the counter and saw many different orders produced by the chefs. They all looked incredible. Beautiful presentation.
Great price/​value this establishment. The service was a little disjointed. Give them support, they just started, Great potential!

It’s been over a month or two since they’ve opened and they are going strong! I’ve become somewhat of a regular and look forward to going each week. I think of it like «Cheers,» but with sushi. They take the time to get to know you and everyone on staff is very friendly.
Here are some of the things I have learned about the place and why I am updating my previous review…1) They offer personalized service for you wine drinkers. They will keep your bottle of wine for you enclosed in a glass case if you don’t finish your bottle. 2) They have beta fish in bowls along the sushi bar. A bit dark having the fish watch you as you eat raw fish. Nice touch, eh? 3) The bathrooms (only one for each gender) are classy and clean. 4) The quality of the sushi is consistently fantastic.
I love that they are open late… but remember that they are closed on Sundays. We tried going on Valentine’s Day and were greatly disappointed when we got there. We learned our lesson the hungry and disappointed way.
Eat here… your taste buds will thank you!

This place is terrific. The house specialty Cyros Avante Garde Roll is the best sushi i had in Charlotte. The Firey Tuna Roll is also outstanding. I’ll be coming back again and again.