Sushi Smackdown

DISCLAIMER***SMACKDOWN HELD ⁶⁄₁₂ @ Miyozen Sushi Emeryville, Ca
Finally made it to a smackdown. It was fun & somewhat filling. Sushi rolls, sake bomb contests, meeting others who enjoy sushi just as much as you do. Check them out, Go with a group of friends

Sushi Smackdown is contesting my review with Unilocal (6 months later), claiming we bought our tickets with Groupon. We DID NOT buy our tickets with Groupon, we bought them directly from the company, who then would not refund us after failing to provide services. Please read the other reviews for the people who have gone through this — we aren’t the only ones!

I don’t regret going. I definitely read the Unilocal reviews before buying my ticket, but I took my chances and went to the one in Burlingame. It was a great experience! So everyone gets two tickets for drinks– beer, sake, soda, your choice. Anyways, everyone gets a small amount of appetizers– edamame, gyoza, nigiri, etc. After the competition starts. There are three rounds and three chefs. Each round, you get one piece and vote on the best. In total you get like 9 pieces. There was a poke and two sushi roll rounds. In the middle, there was a beer competition between girls, boys, and then the winner comes together.
The host was great. He definitely has the personality to be a great host. He spent some time with my table in the end and explained to us the situation with the groupons etc. Long story, but it’s now basically like a new start for the company. Their past was unfortunate due to a few mishaps but they are doing their best to make everything better.
I wouldn’t say the whole thing was perfect but if you are coming for a sushi competition, you will definitely experience that. The reason why I didn’t give 5 stars is because I was hungry afterwards. They did make a few extra rolls in the end, but everyone grabbed it and it wasn’t enough to feed everyone. Also, the food was served by the waitresses placing a piece of the roll on our plate. Majority of the food I got was broken before it even got on my plate. It was good, but i would’ve enjoyed it in one piece.
Ps. The sushi was good :)

It has been 11 months and STILL no resolution. I have been MORE then patient and the lack of response and the FAILURE to uphold what they SOLD tickets for is a HUGE INSULT.
I purchased tickets in JUNE 2015 for the SEPT. 2015 Boat Cruise. I was SO excited that I purchased 8 tickets costing me $ 483.00 because I invited friends to enjoy this event with me. The JOKE is on me as now I’m the one out the WHOLE amount because Sushi Smackdown will NOT uphold their promise to provide an event or even answer questions on HOW to make this right despite 30+ emails and phone calls.
1) First you Cancel the event because you didn’t get APPROVAL to have the Hornblower Cruise with Chefs on it BUT sold tickets to this event anyways.
2) I tried THREE times to attend another local restaurant show but each time it was CANCELLED.
3) I’ve tried to use the ‘credit’ but it won’t translate $ 1=$ 1 for the event so I’ve asked for alternative ways to use the money like gifting it to a friend or a group to go together, no response at all.
4) I’ve asked for a FULL refund since the BOAT CRUISE was cancelled and NO RESPONSE again despite more then 20+ attempts JUST on this topic.
I have now filed complaints with BOTH the SF Better Business Bureau and the Atlanta, GA Better Business Bureau. I have now filed and built documentation for a case to turn over to the Attorney General as it is obvious there has been a HUGE number of consumers affected by this SCAM and POLICY CHANGES at every TURN to the detriment to the consumer from NO REFUNDS despite NOT providing the GOODS/​SERVICES purchased.
Misrepresentation, Withholding of Funds, Fraudulent Policies, Lack of Consumer Recourse, are just a few on the laundry list of DECEIT and LIES by Sushi Smackdown & Co.
Kenneth: I have reviewed no communications from sushi Smackdown in over 9 months despite my even most recent email as of Monday as one last attempt to ask how to use the credit as my account does not show it as available or allow me to use it. Please call or email me if u plan to make this situation right by providing the full credit/​refund as originally promised in September 2015 since all three events I did schedule to even use the credit for got moved or cancelled.

This was my first time attending and my son and I had an awesome time at Sushi Smackdown in Burlingame, CA. I was not sure what to expect when I purchased tickets but it was well worth the price. The atmosphere was great and the host does a really great job of keeping up the lively vibe. The food though was amazing, it seemed as if when we were done tasting one item out was coming the next. The chef’s do a really great job and the saki bomb contest are pure entertainment.

I’ve read through the previous posts, and ultimately cannot believe anyone who’s claiming they had anything but the most awesome experience at any of the Sushi Smackdown events! Not only was the experience incredibly fun, engaging, and delicious, but the Sushi Smackdown team did everything to make the event as enjoyable and memorable for everyone involved. Thanks for the great time, Sushi Smackdown; can’t wait until you’re back in the Burlingame, CA area because my wife and I are looking forward to being there for the next one

My husband and I just had a great time at a Sushi Smackdown held at Bubblefish in Philly. Like a previous reviewer, I felt I had to go with four stars to reflect some of the logistical issues the company is working through, but I think they’re working hard to provide a great event for customers.
We’d originally booked a cruise deal for two via Groupon, which they notified us they needed to cancel based on quality issues with previous cruise-​based events and credited us for four tickets for a future event that would also include alcohol. Some of the earlier dates didn’t work for us, and we did have a call and an email that slipped through the cracks without a response, but I got in touch with Gino the day before the Bubblefish event and he happily added us to the event.
When the other couple we’d planned to have join us weren’t able to attend last-​minute, we arrived at Bubblefish solo. I was hoping at best to take home an extra couple portions of sushi to go – instead, without even being asked, Gino immediately asked, «Would you like to use those for another event then?»
I think they’ve had some growing pains with Groupon and getting the concept working smoothly, but based on our experience, they are really trying to do right by people.
As for the actual event, the restaurant, which is brand new, was beautiful, the staff super nice and helpful, and Gino was very entertaining and gregarious as a host. The food was creative and very high quality. We really enjoyed getting to try a variety of things and had fun sitting with another couple we met that day.
It was a very fun, different, way to spend an afternoon, and we’re looking forward to the opportunity to use our other two tickets! Hopefully, we’ll get to enjoy another face-​off featuring Edison from Bubblefish!

I purchased 2 tickets for the Hornblower cruise for AUGUST hoping to surprise my boyfriend for his birthday. Cruise got canceled and I was really bummed but they promised me for an ADDITIONAL event! AWESOME… so we ping back and forth for months to finalize our events. We booked for San Mateo and Burlingame. San Mateo came first okay great lets go… but then last minute location cancelation AGAIN. BUMM AGAIN! 2 weeks later we went to the Burlingame location, Robert was the host… Boyfriend and I had a great time. Day after I emailed them/​Robert saying Thanks I had a great time, how should I reschedule/​book for my other event? blah blah blah waited 2 weeks. NOTHING… emailed them AGAIN… its been 2 months and I haven’t heard from them except receiving their email promos… No Thanks, I am really disappointed by their service!

Here is the email I just received from them after I again asked for a refund:
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — –
On 12/​17/​2015 9:59 AM,
wrote:
Unfortunately since you couldn’t wait for it to get processed and you disputed it, we have to stick to the refund policy. Refund will not be available. The owner was thinking about it until you started Unilocaling and disputing. Unfortunately he can’t stand people like that and now he is sticking the policy. No refund.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -
GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE! THE OWNER LIKES TO RIP PEOPLE OFF AND CAN’T STAND CUSTOMERS WHO WANT A REFUND!
STAY AWAY FROM THESE PEOPLE!!! THEY ARE CROOKED LYING JERKS!!!
I was finally able to get a full refund by calling my credit card company. If you have tickets, CANCEL. get your money back. Don’t let them tell you «We’ll upgrade you to another event». I guarantee you that event will be cancelled as well. Their whole business model must be to string you along past the deadline to dispute the charges with your credit card. Pretty nifty scam, actually.

I want to clarify, I had an awesome time. The only reason I din’t give 5 stars is because this is a new company that is still working through hiccups. So if you buy tickets to an event please be flexible, it’s worth it. I say this because we were originally scheduled for ¹¹⁄₂₁ and that show was cancelled. We were then scheduled one location 12/13(hubby’s birthday) and a few days before the event the location was changed. Fine by me, it moved closer to home. I’m just saying you may need to adjust to little changes.
If you’re like me and watch shows like Bar Rescue and always say «I want to do that» this is on page. This event was filmed. So as soon as the doors opened the filming was on it’s way. The evening includes appetizers and salad, 16 pieces of sushi to judge plus beer and sake.
Gino is a great host. He’s very engaging and makes it fun. Between tastings he’s sharing with the audience, creating sake bomb contests, and just keeping the flow going. Our event was at Ten in Newport Beach. It was their first time participating. Apparently they liked it so much another event was planned and we’ve already booked. BTW OC took the championship title away from SD!!!

I bought the Sushi Battle Cruise in August. They canceled them, promised my friend and I free tickets to another local smackdown, and the Chef Battle. I have been waiting for a refund since. They don’t email you back, delete Facebook posts, and don’t care because they have your money.
They even almost let my underage friend partake in the sake bomb challenge. The waitress stopped them.
I will not give them my money ever again.

DO NOT BOOK SUSHI SMACKDOWN! We went to the first event at Wasabi Bistro in the Castro. It was ok, portions were tiny — for $ 25 I was ok with it… We decided to see if it was more fun to do the sushi cruise — we are sushi lovers and foodies, and love boats. So I bought tickets for myself and one of my top clients to attend during Dreamforce — unfortunately the event was cancelled last minute because of issues.
We could reschedule, (after a month of emails being ignored and getting a new event on the calendar) for the next 2 months out, we had 2 dates each month. For someone with a schedule, how can you do this? So we get the days requested off, and decide to try again and go to the one in San Mateo — which is pretty far coming from East Bay. Keep in mind, with all the trouble, I was dancing around getting ready singing about how excited I was to go to Sushi Smackdown, and for this great idea to actually redeem themselves and be an awesome event. it’s a great concept, if they don’t do it right, I may have to! We get an email at 4:30pm as we are crossing the bridge saying that the event is cancelled, and no phone number to call. Just that there would be a solution, eventually.
Fast forward another two weeks — no phone call, and I have been emailing both people of contact daily… I have been trying to get a refund, this event has cost me more money at each attempt I make to go to one and give them great reviews. I finally have caved and decided to post my frustration, I can’t refer them to anyone, and if a client is having issues DEAL WITH THEM. Leaving them ignored for weeks at a time until they find you on Facebook is a horrible way to handle customer service. I’m sorry you can’t keep it together, please refund my $ 190!!! Glad I paid for the VIP, you really know how to make a girl feel special!

July 21, 2015 — Purchased two Groupon tickets for Sushi battleship.
August 02, 205 — Redeemed Groupon at
for an event scheduled on Sept. 16, 2016, in Newport Beach, CA. $ 10.00 fee was paid.
August 18, 2015 — Received an email from Gino M. stating that their previous two battleship events were disastrous; therefore, they are moving scheduled battleship event to a different venue at a later date (Sept and Nov). We were to confirm the receipt of the email and a follow up email would be sent to us that Friday. For the inconvenience, we’ll get to choose two different land events. I confirmed the receipt of the email as instructed.
September 23, 2015 — Still have not heard from Sushi Smackdown so i sent a follow up email.
Sept 24, 2015 — Got a response stating that they have two venues picked out and were just waiting for a few additional days to see how big the crowd would be. Sushi Smackdown were to email us with all information within the week. We were even thanked for our time and being patient.
October 03, 2015 — Received a promotional email offering 55% off for their future events. I emailed Sushi Smackdown and inquiry about the possibility of getting our two events for the cancelled battleship event. Received a response the same day saying that I were to pick out the dates and locations of events and Sushi Smackdown will accommodate my selection. Also on the same day, i provided my selection for the two events (for two people) to Sushi Smackdown.
October 12, 2015 — Follow up email to Sushi Smackdown as i have not heard from them since October 03, 2015.
October 16, 2015 — Called Groupon to request a credit to which they obliged nicely after hearing my lengthy timeline.
I am wondering what is the business purpose of Sushi Smackdown? If it is about scamming people, this is not even worth the time in my opinion. As many Unilocalers have said, this is a great concept and can be very successful if executed correctly. It is very sad to see such a great concept getting ruined because whoever behind it just does not seem to care.

I have been to two Sushi Smackdown events so far and I would totally recommend it to anyone who wants to try something new and different! Even if you just try it once, it’s totally worth it to have the experience. If you like it, then keep going to future events because each restaurant has their own specialty dishes.
For the first event, I took my boyfriend to Wasabi Bistro in SF for his birthday. Robert was our host and very friendly. It’s super easy to have a conversation with him. My bf and I met another young couple and chatted with them all evening critiquing the food and even partaking in the sake bombing contest. It was very pleasant to meet new people, oh, and the salmon nigiri was out of this world.
For the second event, I took my boyfriend and my two friends from work to Sushi 85 in Mountain View, CA. Robert was our host again and he remembered us so it was easy to catch up with him and ask him about the whole Sushi Smackdown concept. My group enjoyed the cuisine especially the two dishes in which two chefs go head to head on their specialty roll.
I would recommend finding Sushi Smackdown on Living Social or Groupon for your first experience. From then on, you can use promo codes on the Sushi Smackdown website for future events. We can’t wait for our next event, which I’ve read is really exciting — the Chef Battle filmed for TV.

So I have been to 3 events from these guys in the SF bay area. The first one I went to was at this brewery called Triple Voodoo. Event was mediocre to say the least, but the host Robert and Victoria made up for an okay evening. Victoria came up to me and was very kind to see us time and time again. Event seemed a bit disorganized, but I still wanted to give these guys a chance because their concept is unique.
I was also supposed to go to the Battle Cruise in SF, then they rescheduled and it was a nightmare. I felt like just giving up. So as I was about to ask for my refund they had made a final reservation at Sushi 85 in San Mateo. This was my second time here, for a event. So I guess they have a few events that partake in Sushi. This event was again supposed to be scheduled for the Battle Cruise in SF. So I went to their event and it was amazing. There were 4 chefs, making some unique dishes that were simply amazing. It was so much food, it was a bit overwhelming. Gino and Robert were great hosts and made sure everyone had a great time.
Undefeated Chef still remains undefeated and looking forward going to another one of these things next month. I had lots of beer, great food, and film crew showed up not one show but two shows which made the night even more amazing.

Note: I went to the smackdown at Wasabi Sushi in San Francisco on 9÷9÷15.
Honestly, even at Groupon prices, I can find far better sushi for cheaper. The quality of the sushi was somewhere between buffet and mall sushi, with the occasional (albeit rare) standout.
Most of the rolls were uninteresting and not very fresh tasting, prepared in bulk and distributed buffet style from a big platter. Pieces fell apart while waiters struggled to place them on our plates.
What didn’t taste flat-​out bad was rarely better than «okay», the desserts were nearly unpalatable, and I can’t imagine a worse night than a bunch of douchebags screaming in my ears while they pound sake bombs.
I’m glad I did it, so I can never do it again.

Such a fun event!!! Get your Groupon tickets or straight to their website for a discounted price too!
I knew the area well since I had been to Iron Fist Brewery before so I knew there would be plenty of parking. We showed up 15 min early and were greeted right away. The tables were set up with appetizers awaiting for all the guest to arrive. As we waited we were served 4 types of sashimi pieces. ¾ were good one had a huge scale in it so I spit it out right away. Sorry to the couple next to us ;).
As the competition began the twos teams our night was Team Subaru and Team Wasabi. Each team laid out a piece of sushi with the same fish but different prep of the sushi piece. There were 14 rounds total and the lovely waitress’s gave a few extra pieces here and there too.
Some rounds took longer then others but I was in no rush as I enjoyed some Iron fist brew as we waited in between too :).
I took away 1 star because we were told we would also get dessert and we didn’t so sad face! The sushi rolls tend to be on a thinner side also. All in all good times for friends and date nights. I made two other random set of stranger friends so the experience full circle was great!
I would absolutely do this again and Oh the WINNER was Team Wasabi!

Ok, well I bought a Groupon and went to use it today and got all hot and bothered after reading these reviews, and didn’t seem like I would get a response from the company, the site seemed to be lacking, and spent 30 min on hold with Groupon to figure it out… seemed like I was getting screwed ****** please read my last paragraph of this review, I didn’t give 5 stars on accident!!!
(earlier today) Well, I bought a Groupon and I see it’s going to expire in a while, a week. I guess I might blame Groupon a bit for this, since the Groupon info did not at all detail the situation. I go to the site to book a reservation now, and the only date they ever had in Carlsbad, was back in April? WTF? So I spent $ 109 for a $ 200 Groupon that is worthless. I went to the Contact Us section on Raw Romance /​Sushi Smackdown and it basically says they wont’ call you back, so email them instead. Having read the reviews, I am expecting an email fight.
Reading some of these reviews, especially the one where copies of the emails from the company are shown… scary! I guess I better kiss my money good bye. I am on hold with Groupon to see if I can get assistance, and sent an email to Sushi Smackdown/​Raw Romance because this is really bad business.
The damn expiration should have been listed as ⁴⁄₁₈ if the ONLY time you can book this is that date. Why list August 7^th if it’s 3 months past the available times?
Stay away. And be sure, I will update this review when (if) I get a response. That includes if they stand up and do what’s right… as of now I have a worthless piece of paper and no idea what is going on with the company that I bought it for. Hopefully they prove me wrong and I get to use this Groupon.
**** that is all about me being pissed off, assuming I was being ripped off… keep reading please!
(a little while ago) I got a call and voicemail from Gino, he let me know that they will honor the expired Groupons, that there are other events through Sushi Smackdown that I can uuse my voucher towards, and gave me his personal cell number so he can help me with a reservation. I did call, we chatted for a bit and he went over how they’ve re-​done how they run things, sounds like after a lot of drama stemming from how Groupon presented their business (the expiration date not closely meeting the available times, no explanation of how ythis has an «event» style timeframe and you need to choose a date right away, I actually blame Groupon for all of that), and I have no fear at all now that I will not be able to use the voucher. Gino really seems to understand that the Groupon is just a way for people to find out about your business and that people will continue to be patrons if they find something they like. So honoring an expired Groupon (THE FULL AMOUNT not just the purchase price) is the smart thing to do, obviously. I have a few restaurants that have refused, and will only honor the purchase price and now I absolutely HATE those restaurants.
So I give 5 stars for service and hopefully they’ve worked out the kinks as far as Groupon Deals go, seems like they have. I’d really pay attention to how the recent reviews are all great… they obv read the reviews and have listened to the feedback and adjusted how they run things. Unilocaling is Feedback and when it’s taken seriously and changes are made, that’s a good thing. I wish more people would update their reviews when a place «makes it right».

This experience was like day and night from the previous one. Gino and Victoria openly addressed all the problems from the first time and proved how dedicated they were to make their customers happy and make sure they had a good time.
They started off by giving out food prior to the competition to make sure we went hungry between each round of sushi. They set proper expectations with the wait times and the portions were decently sized.
They both were engaged with the group and entertaining.
Near the end of the experience Gino overheard a small group complain that the brewery didn’t have ice. He sent his guy to run across the street and buy 2 bags of ice for them! That is some great customer service.
Kudos to Gino and Victoria for truly going above and beyond tonight. You guys converted me into a sushi smack down fan for sure!

I have now been to 2 Sushi Smackdown events. The first one I went to a couple months ago at Nozomi Japanese Fusion Restaurant in Carlsbad, and the 2^nd one was last night at Iron Fist Brewing in Vista.
From what I remember of the 1^st event at Nozomi:
— my guy friend had purchased 4 tickets, I think off Groupon. But we ended only having 3 of us going. But it worked out in the end because another group of people had an extra person and the host refunded Matt for the 4^th ticket. The event was sold out, and full. At this event, it was a variety of dishes and not just sushi. Everything was delicious, but since it’s small bites, it left us craving more. But by the end of the event we were so full! At this one, you rate the dishes by giving it 1 – 5 stars. The atmosphere was fun, with the sake bomb contests, and the groups being enthusiastic about being there.
Last night’s event at Iron Fist:
— Ok, I was dying hot. Iron Fist is a brewery set up in a warehouse. I’ve been there a few times, and even with the garage doors open, there was no air circulation. But besides that, I have to say I enjoyed my 1^st sushi smackdown experience better than the 2^nd one. The food came out really slow. We tried 18 dishes. But each dish was only 1 bite per person. So with 18 different bites, it took them 3 hours to dish out. But you do have to give the chefs props that they had to bring everything with them to prep the meal since they weren’t working in their normal kitchen setting. This event, you compared one restaurant’s dish to another. Both sets of chefs made delicious sushi, and some were pretty unique. The two restaurants competing were Wasabi Sushi and Sushi Yama. We also bought tickets last minute through smackdown’s website. $ 25.00 per person for this event.
It’s a fun atmosphere especially when you go with friends!