About Ru San’s and reviews

YYAAAAASSS!!I'm so excited to see an affordable and delicious sushi place with unique offerings.  Our eyes were bigger than our stomach... we ordered ramen, a "super power builder", a curry and teriyaki rice balls.  I was so excited to see such a varied menu with ramen and stir-fried noodles.  This is my dream place.  Everything was bigger than expected.  The ramen was in a big bowl, the "super power builder" had 2 appetizer sides of like tuna and salmon tartar, and the rice balls were exactly 3 times bigger than we had thought they would be.  And so our journey began.The rice balls came out first.  They were .75 a piece and for some reason my partner and I were thinking they'd be the size of truffle balls, instead of an extra big onigiri.  They were fried and had a good ladle-full of sauce spread over them.  The sauce was good - especially the curry.  I was kind of expecting the darker brown japanese curry, but it was more like a coconut thai-inspired curry.  Some might think this rice ball is plain, but my partner and I are really big fans of rice sooo it worked out.The Tokyo Shoyu Ramen was so-so.  It didn't have the depth of umami in the broth or pork that I have come to admire in a really good bowl.  It didn't have the boiled egg, but it did have some vegetables that were nice to see in a ramen.The Super Power Builder sushi plate was phenomenal.  The crab cake was good.  It wasn't cheaply filled with bread crumbs like I have seen at some seafood places, which is usually disappointing.  All of the rolls were well made and fresh.  But I was super impressed with the Ahi-Poki Tuna and Salmon Aioli Sashimi - I didn't know what to expect with these items.  I just thought it'd be a few sashimi pieces, but they were nicely dressed pieces of sashimi atop a crispy cracker.  Delicious.Overall - I would HIGHLY recommend.  This place really hit the sushi craving with some unique offerings.  I can't wait to go back and try more.

As time goes by, I get progressively more disoriented by the notion of "sushi" in this country.  At least in non-coastal areas, it gets more and more Americanized, and the focus is always retreating from fresh seafood and simplicity and clarity and shifting instead to ludicrous, over-the-top, and often gross combinations of junk food and squirted-on goop.  The latter doesn't even connote "sushi" in my brain, but then I'm getting frigging old.Still, the brother and I wanted some sushi when I was visiting him in Charlotte, and I saw that there was a Ru San's.  Ru San's is hardly "traditional," but the original location in Atlanta was one of the first few sushi places I ever visited with any regularity, a quarter century or so ago.  And it was the first I went to that offered up that SoCal Americanized angle--a contrast to the serene, dignified atmosphere of traditional Japanese restaurants, which were more plentiful back then--although it also had the more traditional sushi, too.Whoever owns these Ru San's locations these days (no idea), this one's still not at all unlike what I remember from the '90s.  (By 2019 standards, the atmosphere is a bit more sedate than the average party scene at some 2010s "sushi" places, but lively and engaging enough.  There's an attractive and lengthy U-shaped sushi bar in the middle.)  The menu is huge and ought to have something to please just about anybody, including me.We ordered up some standard nigiri--tuna, salmon, yellowtail, sea urchin, mackerel--and a few old-school Americanized rolls like spicy tuna and a rainbow roll (and maybe one other).  Everything was quite good, except for the uni and mackerel; the uni seemed a bit muddy (that product needs to be super fresh), and the mackerel was a bit dried-out and fishy.  Reasonably priced, too:  Around 60 bucks for a decent amount of mostly agreeable sushi, a couple of seaweed salads, and a couple of beers.  (In my current town, 60 bucks would buy you only trash if you ordered the same amount of sushi.)In this day and age, I know that you can do a hell of a lot worse with "sushi" than this Ru San's location.  Nice job.

Fresh sushi and tasty ramens!Fast servcie and OK price.But the waiting time was like 20 mins on a Friday night.

Great, fresh sushi at reasonable prices. Always busy for a reason.  The service is quick and appreciative. Good selection of rolls and cooked food as well.You can't go wrong here.

TLDR: Always get the sushi but never get the buffet. There's no better sushi for the price than Ru San's.Recently, my wife and I joined the bloggers known as Scallion Pancake to a sushi lunch at Ru San's. On their podcast, Scallion Pancake mentioned that they highly recommend Ru San's because they are the best value in Charlotte. Respecting their opinion, we let them choose our rolls.We ordered the Ultimate Tuna Roll, Green Dragon Roll, Atomic Salmon Roll, BBQ Steak Roll, and the Chipotle Roll. All of them were excellent and well worth the price.If you are in the mood for a sushi coma - go to Ru San's.

I came to Ru Sans once before and got the lunch buffet. It was ok, but not great. Not good enough for me to want to come back. Then some friends told us we were doing it wrong and needed to order off the menu (go figure, buffet sushi isn't the best). We came back with them to give it another try and let them order for us. A few of the rolls I think we got were the Ultimate Tuna Roll, Green Dragon Roll, Atomic Salmon Roll, BBQ Steak Roll. There were definitely a couple more that we got, but since we didn't order, I can't remember what they were. We loved all of them. My favorites were probably the Green Dragon Roll and the Ultimate Tuna Roll. We also got the Curry Rice appetizer which was really good. Overall I think this was some of the best sushi you can get in Charlotte for the price. It was about each and we left stuffed. Definitely worth checking out and ordering off the menu instead of doing the buffet!

Ru Sans never disappoints. Lunch buffet or dinner menu. I've been for dinner more often then lunch and they are consistently fast and food is amazing.  I've been so many times and have never noticed they had brussel sprouts - so I posted the picture. Don't miss out!

I love the fact that I could choose different types of sushi without paying a large price! Each one that I tried was better than the last. It would be hard to choose my favorite. The only problem was trying to get around people to get to the buffet. Otherwise it was a great experience and the food was delicious!

Delicious food. Fun & groovy atmosphere. Friendly staffs. Never disappointed everytime we go there. The hamachi jalapeños was the bomb. Would love to come back again!

I've been coming here for over a decade, back when it was just half the size. (They expanded to 2 storefronts.) This is one of the original sushi spots in the city. Prices are very reasonable and quality is always top notch. Sake bombs are a must at the front bar with John.

So good. Flight got cancelled. Hangry AF and they had good food and exceptional service. Good way to end a crappy travel day.

Came here for the buffet and it's been pretty consistent for the past 10 years I've been coming here. I haven't been here in a year but i felt it still gave me my sushi fix. My only thing is that the offerings are still about the same  while the price has gone up a couple dollars over the years but I know what I'm getting so I can't complain about that. If you just wanna stuff your face with some sushi, eat some calamari, and have some cream puffs, this is your place. It's only available from 11-2 Mon - Sat and not on Sundays. Still a good deal for a filling lunch.

This place is a Charlotte tradition.   The sushi is always really fresh and the prices are affordable.  Try the patio during the summer months with their large selection of sake.

First: I ordered Postmates a few moths ago for 2 rolls - absolutely delicious! I definitely recommend their specialty sushi rolls. Last week I returned to try the .50 lunch buffet today- they offer during lunch. Pros:-Price: it's hard to beat this price- especially on the weekends!!-Yum!: the rolls were very tasty. About half were fried, the other rolls were fresh-Service: the service was attentive and prompt. Also I came at 2pm and was seated immediately-Freshness Labeled: labels indicate when the rolls were set out to see how freshly made they are-Get the FRIED RICE. seriously I would go just for that- so much flavor and I almost ignored it on the buffet. Cons:-Small Buffett:  I imagined the buffet would be larger. There's an ~8ft section dedicated to sushi - about 10 different platters. The other 8ft section of table is salad, appetizers (only 3 or 4 options), 2 desserts and salmon nigiri-No Sushi Labels: the appetizers are labeled, but the sushi roll section is not. If you have any allergies or diet restrictions it would be difficult to choose a safe roll-Apps: don't waste your plate space on the calamari or spring rolls- they were a disappointment -Decor: it's a little dingy and... gray. Not sure how else to describe it. I don't think I'd head here for the ambiance or a romantic date

Dear RuSanI've been coming to this restaurant with my family since it opened, remember the shouting sushi chefs? It's always been one of our favorite places, and my son was in town with his fiance and wanted to go as it was his the place he had his second date with his wife to be... We arrived, had a couple appetizers and a beer, then ordered sushi. As we sat talking, we noticed the time was getting later and later and our waiter hadn't been back to our table in 30 minutes. After an hour we asked where are food was, we were told they were really busy and the food was coming... The food never arrived, the waiter didn't apologuze, the manager didn't apologize, and they said they would box the food... It never appeared either! Totally blew us off and we left without eating. SHAME on you RuSan... Not the way to do business!

I came with a co-worker that couldn't stop bragging about how good the sushi was so I tried for myself. She was right. 1. Good sanitation score!!! 2. The food was fresh and very plentiful! 3. Our server was extremely patient with me and helped me through picking out a perfect meal. I'll definitely go back!!

Today I tired RuSan's .00 Lunch Buffet, another yelper friend reached out to me and wanted to grab sushi so I suggested here!When I arrived at 1:00 pm surprisingly the restaurant wasn't busy. Normally its slammed around this time but I was able to walk right in and grab a table. Most people are probably still enjoying their holiday. After grabbing my table my server came out and greeted me with a glass of water. I mentioned that I would be waiting for a friend to arrive and we would be having the buffet. After about 5 minutes of waiting for my friend, I decided to go ahead and begin round one. The sushi looked good, I like how they have the times of when the rolls were made, place in front of each plate. The buffet has about 15 different options, but each roll that comes out will be different. I love this, it gives you the chance to try an assortment of sushi rolls. Then there's another buffet which I guess is like a hot bar that had sashimi, fried chicken, spring rolls, beef and broccoli, calamari, and lots more, even dessert. This is such a great lunch choice, but I would suggest eating her when you don't have to go back to work. Oh my gosh after 3 1/2 plates all I wanted was my bed. Thankfully I didn't have to go back to work this day. But if I would have, nothing would have been accomplished lol. Overall great experience, I did have a little situation with our server but he and I discussed it and he apologized.

My family and I lived in Japan for 5 years and miss authentic Japanese food terribly. Their miso ramen is one of the best I've had since moving back to the US. It was an awesome find to come across this restaurant and their great food.

I really didn't understand what all the buzz was about ru sans. Maybe location for work folk or convenience? We came in around opening for lunch and they were already packed. We barley got seated. The buffet looked unappetizing and disgusting. It all tasted cheap and the quality was not good. They were also a little slow to refill what was just cleaned out from the buffet. The miso soup was absolutely disgusting and I could not finish it. The teriyaki chicken was as hard as a rock. The sushi was the quality of any cheap Asian buffet or knockoff sushi restaurant. It was gross and they weren't labeled. We didn't even get straws. Will not be back.  Sorry there are better places and I'll never understand waiting in a mob outside for this place.

Good sushi but service lacks. I ordered pick-up and the lady said 10 minutes on the phone .... it ended-up being 30 minutes and there was really no one in the restaurant. They also charge you almost as a take-out surcharge? I have never been to a restaurant where that has occurred.  Good sushi but the extra charges and lack of service will send me to a different option in the future.