• Banzai Sushi Bar

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  • White Veg-options
Lacto
Ovo
Japanese
Beer/Wine
Asian
Non-veg

Serves meat, vegan options available. Japanese food and sushi but also has several marked vegan-suitable appetizers and entrees on the menu. NOTE: Reported July 2022 to have limited vegan options - please send updates to HappyCow. Open Tue-Sun 4:00pm-9:00pm.


Venue map for Banzai Sushi Bar
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6 Reviews

First Review by saku

alonad

Points +33

Vegan
15 Jan 2024

Greatly quality

They have a lot of vegan sides that are very tasty and 2 vegan rolls as well #Veganuary

Pros: Service , Quality of the food

RenSmith

Points +22

Vegan
15 Aug 2021

Good if you have to go with non-vegans

Good sushi experience with fun floor seating options. Not vegan focused and the “vegan” rolls were mediocre at best. If you are with a group of people who are not vegan it’s a good option, but if you’re going for a vegan meal. Stick with the Avo Rolls.

Pros: Great location , Fun atmosphere , Some vegan menu options

Cons: Expensive, Vegan options not that great, Popular/crowded during season. Get there early.

IamSurfer

Points +32

Vegan
07 Jun 2020

They offer a few vegan options and were very accommodating. Great staff.

Nice enjoyed the food, staff were great

Pros: Fresh and tasty , Cold beer, Great staff

Cons: Bit expensive

Nsfoodcritix

Points +6

Non Veg
17 Apr 2019

Banzai Sushi

I've been going here for years, but the last time I went the food and the service wasn't as good, maybe it was a bad night🌈

Pros: Great track record , Good location, Good hours of operation

Cons: Too crowded, Poor service, Poor food quality

vegankiddo

Points +76

Vegan
03 Jun 2015

Warning: veg items contain fish sauce

We were passing through Haleiwa and feeling hungry, so we pulled up the HappyCow app and decided to try Banzai Sushi. A first glance at the menu had us feeling good about our choice: items were clearly marked vegetarian and vegan. But as we looked closer, it didn't make sense why some of the items marked vegetarian were not also marked vegan (like seaweed salad, for example). So we asked the server; she checked with the chef and came back to say the reason those items are not marked vegan is because they contain either FISH FLAKES or FISH SAUCE. But she assured me that the items marked vegan do not contain any fish. I kindly told her that items with fish in them are not vegetarian either, and she just smiled and kind of giggled.

So we chose two items that were marked vegan on the menu: an avocado roll and the tofu papaya salad roll. Well, our avocado roll had a few orange fish eggs clinging to it, which we understood was just kitchen cross-contamination, so we brushed them off and did our best to enjoy the roll. Then the salad roll comes out, plated beautifully in a puddle of sweet and sour dressing. One smell of the dressing and it was obvious that it contained FISH SAUCE.

So we asked our server if it contains fish sauce because it sure smells like it. She took the plate away and went to ask the chef. She came back and said, "The chef says it does not contain fish sauce, but I asked another server and she's pretty sure it does contain fish sauce." So we just asked for our bill and when she brought it, she told us she did us the favor of removing the salad roll from the bill. Um, yeah, it was inedible for us; we should not pay for it, and you should remove it from the bill.

So we got on Yelp, jumped back in the car, and drove a few miles down the road to Wahiawa, where we had better luck at Saigon Noodle House 3. They have a separate vegan menu and the owner/chef spoke to us directly and reassured us she prepared the items strictly vegan. The food was good and the portions huge! So if you're looking for a veg place near Haleiwa, I recommend driving 15 minutes or so to Wahiawa.

So here's the take away for Banzai Sushi Bar: there seems to be fish sauce or fish flakes hiding in everything they serve here and the items marked vegetarian and vegan on their menu are definitely NOT vegetarian or vegan.

Pros: NONE

Cons: Veg items contain fish flakes/sauce, Veg items are not veg, Clueless about meaning of vegetarian

saku

Points +1528

Vegan
23 Sep 2014

Great Avocado Makis!

Via HappyCow we found out that you can get vegan sushi at Banzai Sushi Bar.
We went there one year ago and still remember it.
The menu markes vegan dishes (They have a vegan salad too).
The avocado makis are really, really good!
$1 each maki isn't low priced but worth it!

Unfortunately they don't have much vegan stuff.

Pros: vegan food is marked, nice location

Cons: limited vegan selection




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