South Main Sushi & Grill

The only reason I’m giving this place a 3 is bc I love the food. The service, however, has been horrendous at times. One time our waitress seemed disoriented or extremely high and kept messing up our orders. Another time we went for our lunch break and they said they didn’t have a server who could speak English. THis was at 11:30 during the week. The male bartender (who has always been great) eventually showed up and told us someone didn’t show for work so he had to come in. I don’t blame him at all but there is a problem here with service.

One of the best Sushi in town !!! Their Fire Roll and Flower Roll is amazing. Service is quick and fast too. Nice atmosphere.

Favorite place to get something different when I’m craving Asian food. Sushi menu is short but it is delicious. Spicy udon noodle dinner is great. Sake is awesome. Can’t really go wrong here!

Good selection of very fresh sushi. Attractive décor, relaxed ambiance and attentive service.

Dress it up or down here. Nice lighting and bar architecture. I have had dinner here twice and the seasoning was good on the appetizer and entrée. The lunch menu offers a good selection of specials. However, they are guilty of over cooking shrimp. I’ve been here twice and both times my poor little shrimp were cooked to shrivelville. The seasoning was excellent and not too salty. I will give there lunch menu a try again in the future. The soup was yummy and they offered fresh honey for the hot tea.

Went with some girlfriends the other night before a concert. It was awesome! Such a great atmosphere and some of the best sushi I have had! I definitely recommend the fire roll and crunchy shrimp roll! The wine menu looks great, too!

Happy hour prices are the way to go! It ends at 6:30, so get there before then. Cheaper sushi and sake. My food was all good. I tried some rolls, edamame, and sake. The service was decent. It was a little slow, when we were panicking about ordering before happy hour ended. The server must have been new, because I asked what something was and he had to go ask. However, he was good. I’d go there again, if I wanted sushi. I love sushi. Now, I don’t know if it’s better than some other places that are closer to where I live, so I may default to other places.

Longgggg story short: This was the most disappointed I’ve ever been with sushi.
Downside: tiniest pieces of low quality fish I’ve ever seen in/​on a roll… One roll had hard, undercooked rice. Yet another roll had overlooked, mushy rice.
The manager/​owner Ian comped one of our rolls but did not have friendly customer service.
Take the time to drive out to East Memphis for sushi instead of dining at either of the two sushi places downtown…

I’ve been wanting to try South Main Sushi since it opened and finally went tonight. Let’s just say I will be back very, very soon. I’m normally not a «specialty» roll girl because they can be overwhelming, but I tried the fried salmon roll, and holy wasabi. It was awesome. Also had a spicy tuna roll that was amazing for a «simple» roll. Not to mention, went during happy hour and had a nice glass of Cab for $ 5. I’m assuming there’s a live piano player on the weekends, seeing as there’s a baby grand in there, and I would love to go back to check that out. Bottom line: amazing sushi. Good service. Decent prices. And on South Main. Total win.

Decent food. Poor service.
We went for a work event while downtown and with an early reservation figured it would be an easy way to eat and enjoy. Sadly the only attention we received for was water for our first 30 minutes there. Once we ordered, the food came out randomly and they even put two people’s orders on the same plate — strange. They brought more salads and soups than the table ordered and just left them there. The sushi wasn’t bad, but I’m certain that you can get a better meal and experience elsewhere downtown.

What a great addition to the South Main Arts District. We tried this restaurant for the first time today. The food is good, service is friendly, and atmosphere is energetic. We had a sampling of sushi rolls, lunch box, and bowl. Will definitely be back.

I am so happy that South Main Sushi is open! This is a great addition to the South Main district.
We have eaten here twice and both times have been a great experience. The management and staff are friendly and provided excellent service. Recently, we walked in after a Grizz game and they were preparing to close. The manager insisted that we stay and even took our sushi order right away so that we could have a nice dinner. I was very impressed — many places would have turned us away. The whole time they made us feel very welcome and not rushed.
Can’t wait to go back!

This is a place I’ve been excited to try since it opened! I’m not the biggest sushi fan, but every now and then I’ll get a craving. We went on a Saturday night and were seated right away. The restaurant was about half full, which was nice because it wasn’t too loud inside. Our server was with us right away to get our drink order. Their drink menu is interesting, they have a variety of mixed drinks and sake drinks, but we decided to go with wine.
The décor in the restaurant is inviting, the walls are darker and they have Japanese art as well as modern art with painted wine bottles. I like how the atmosphere is casual, but still trendy.
For dinner, we tried the island roll, the Rock & roll, & a dish of shrimp fried rice. All of their rolls are around $ 10, with the exception of the lobster roll. This was nice, because we felt that we could try multiple menu items without breaking the bank. Our meal was really good! I’m not a sushi expert, so I can’t compare it to any other place here, this is the first sushi we’ve tried since moving to Memphis. We’ll likely be back next time we’re in the mood for sushi.

I love sushi and the convenience of walking to a restaurant, so I was thrilled about the addition of this restaurant to my neighborhood.
A couple friends and I decided to have lunch here the day after thanksgiving. I arrived after my friends did and walked over to the table. The restaurant was pretty empty at this time– 2 at the bar and my friends. Several staff people were decorating near the door but I wasn’t acknowledged at all when I entered.
We were seated in a booth with wonky seat cushions and although it was raining and cold outside, for some reason, the staff wouldn’t turn the fans off when asked by another customer.
So the food… I got three different rolls and seaweed salad. Crunchy shrimp roll, fried salmon roll, and the philly salmon roll. The seaweed salad was a bit too salty and because of that I couldn’t finish it. The sushi was okay– not bad not amazing, just okay. My friends had lunch entrees and were generally satisfied but again not amazed.
If you like sushi, you know that there are some phenomenal sushi spots around the city. The sushi was fairly priced but you can find better tasting sushi for just as good of a price elsewhere in the city. I had high hopes for this restaurant but if I had to pick between convenience and quality, I’d pick quality and go elsewhere.

It makes me super happy whenever a new place opens up in south main. I was super excited to try this dish place after Vaish told me about it, and m glad I did.
We went there on a Saturday afternoon and it was pretty busy. Nice décor!
We started with edamame, which were good, nothing special.
The ginger salad was very fresh, the dressing very flavorful. Husband took veggie sushi which he said was nice, I took the fire roll and it was amazing! Loved it.
Though my favorite sushi place is Sakura, but it’s cumbersome to drive all the from downtown all the time.
South main sushi grill will for sure satisfy many of my sushi cravings when I do not have the time and patience to drive to Sakura

The location can’t be beat! Such a great addition to the south main area. Oh course the food is great too!
I came here the day after it opened so there were a few glitches I’m sure come with it being a new, hot and busy place. The décor is cool and trendy and trying to keep a minimalist theme, they put the soy sauce in these tiny tiny containers. Oh course the container on our table was empty as well has 3 others I stole from nearby tables. Not a big deal, but by the time I got some soy sauce, my husband had eaten most of my sushi…
So on to the important stuff, food! We ordered the shrimp gyoza starter and 2 sushi rolls. The gyoza was fresh and the dipping sauce was perfectly sweet and salty. The sushi rolls were the island roll (tempura shrimp with lettuce which was amazing and different) and the Sriracha roll (shrimp tempura with tons of spice.) Sounds like a lot, but the portions are kinda small, so we ended up ordering the steak fried rice and fried ice cream which was a smart decision because both were even better than the sushi! Also the prices are pretty decent which is good so you can order can tons of different things to share… or not.
Love that this is in my neighborhood and can’t wait to become a regular.

I went last night for a semi — private party, which was introducing the restaurant to the South Main community. The sushi was excellent, the wine selections were great, and service was superb. I sampled about eight or nine different sushi’s, the tempura, and the fried rice.
I have not eaten there during regular restaurant hours, but spoke with several locals who had. They raved about the service, saying that the staff was excellent and very attentive. I also had a chance to meet the owners, and they are a young couple who seem professional, dedicated, and eager to serve.
I will definitely be back to eat there again.

A little backstory before I share my experience.
The chef who took over this prime South Main Street location is the son of the chef who first brought Benihana’s to East Memphis. You know, the restaurant that burned down a couple of years ago.
He has a beautiful wife and adorable little boy and girl. I spoke with him for a minute or two and he was so excited to put his 15 years of restaurant experience into this new sushi spot.
I’m super excited for what’s to come.
I attended a party there to celebrate the opening of the restaurant in the old Grawemeyer’s.
I tried several different sushi rolls that were quite tasty. The tempura was delish. Had to stop myself — you know, fried food.
My husband kept getting plates and plates of the shrimp fried rice. He absolutely loved it.
I have always loved the layout of this location. It has an open feel to it and looks like the architects put a lot of work into it.
The walls are decorated with tasteful Japanese art.
This is a good casual date place or a spot to meet up and have a cocktail with friends. I’m told they will have lunch specials.
All restaurants take a period of time to get into their groove. I really hope the neighborhood, once void of sushi, will give this restaurant a chance!

I live downtown and nearby this restaurant. I’ve been several times since it recently opened and have been more than satisfied with the service and food quality. The new owner is always present and the restaurant staff is attentive and I can tell they have been trained well. The service is excellent, bottom line.
I’ve ordered the sushi, noodles and several other menu items. All were prepared well and tasty. If I understood why people write 5000 word essays here, perhaps I would… but since this is a restaurant review rather than a post doctorate dissertation of Unilocal eccentricity, and I only carry an honorary degree in food, I’ll just say I’m completely satisfied with South Main Sushi. The prices are good, the service and food are good. That can’t be said for many new restaurants… so give it a try if you are in downtown Memphis. Good eats.

Average sushi, average price.
We went by during the last Trolley Night and it was busy. Super busy. The staff all seemed flustered but were still pleasant We were told it’d be a 15 min wait which turned into a 30 min wait.
Sushi was okay. Nothing special. But it was also on the lower end of pricing compared to other places in the area. Good place to get your sushi fix without breaking the bank but if you’re picky about quality and want a lot of diverse options, go elsewhere.

This place just opened up in the old Grawemeyer’s location on South Main. I like to give new businesses a fair chance to get up and running before writing a review, but since I didn’t even know they were open, I figured I’d go ahead and post here to help get the word out.
I like the atmosphere and décor… It looks exactly the same as it did when Grawemeyer’s was here, but I think it works well. It’s a bit more elegant than you might expect for a restaurant featuring sushi but it’s still casual enough to be comfortable and inviting.
Besides sushi, the menu includes entrees of steak, chicken, seafood and noodle dishes. They also have a full bar.
We popped in during South Main Trolley Night last Friday and the place was pretty busy. We decided to sit at the bar rather than wait for a table. The bartender/​server suggested I try the Japanese whiskey, and so I did. It was good! I did take a very long time to get our drinks, however.
I’m not a huge fan of sushi since I don’t enjoy rice. I asked if they had any sushi rolls that did not contain rice (some places do), but the answer was no. I was tempted to order a steak entrée, but I wasn’t all that hungry so I settled on a sashimi sampler listed as an appetizer. I also ordered miso soup. My friend ordered two sushi rolls. I don’t remember which ones he ordered, and I didn’t try either of them, but they certainly looked good!
The miso soup was okay. The sashimi was good. The service was slow and there was some confusion as to who was actually supposed to be serving us. We had to ask for napkins, soy sauce and wasabii. I’m cutting them some slack on the service this time around since they are a new business. I’ll update my review after my second visit.

Sushi is poor quality. Rolls have lots of mushy rice. They don’t have a lot of roll options and they had a lot of fried ones. I got the flower and soft shell crab roll. The server suggested flower roll when I asked and I knew it was fried. The crab roll had a weird flavor I had to kill with wasabi the fried roll I stopped eating after 2 rolls because i felt like I was eating rice pudding and didn’t want to waste calories. I was sitting there and the bartender came and asked if everything was ok I said yes and he said looks like you like the food. I’m not sure if he was being a smart ass because he heard me say I was not impressed with the sushi but by then I had eaten 3 crab rolls and 2 fried rolls and for about 9 – 10 $ a roll I hate wasting. But the SO ate the rest of my rolls which does not happen usually cause I’ll eat them all. After about 5 minutes of watching my SO eat his fried rice I decided to give the fried roll one more chance and it still tasted like rice pudding.
I really hope they add more rolls and improve quality because I was so excited to have a sushi place within walking distance.
Now on to the Beef Julienne and Chicken. It was pretty good I have to say. Wish they’d add more veggies to the fried rice but it was pretty good i would give that dish a four.
I give them 2 stars because it’s a sushi place and it was not impressive at all.
Their entrees might be better.
I’ll give them another try in a few months when hopefully they have had time to improve.