Location: 2440 Park Rd, Charlotte, NC 28203
Tucked into a small shopping center in the Dilworth neighborhood lies a very popular, yet quaint sushi place that serves some of the most overrated, tasteless sushi in all of Charlotte. Most of the food is edible, some decent, some horrible. Nothing about this run of the mill Sushi restaurant stands out as a must try. After several visits for both dinner and lunch I have given up on having a good meal here, no matter how many times it is recommended.
The Good: It’s not all bad at this Dilworth institution; for those who want quantity over quality, (with a lack of the latter), they do serve a reasonable lunch. For $11.75 you can have roll after roll of mediocre sushi with their all you can eat sushi lunch. About half way through your meal, after you’ve tried everything, you’ll realize nothing is worth eating, but will continue anyway to get your money’s worth. It’s not my cup of tea, but if you have the mentality of a poor college kid (or homeless person) it is a good deal.
The Bad: To list the bad: My last meal, the one before that and the one before that. You think I would have learned my lesson after the first time. It’s just I so wanted to like Ru Sans, everyone always recommends it and many friends (or are they) try to drag me there. This last time we walked in at 5PM on a Friday, yet the place was already packed. Opting not to wait for a table we ate at the bar, which was made more enjoyable by a blasting heat vent above us. Ignoring this, we ordered five specialty rolls, I really wanted to get a good feel for the food here. Of the five I can only recommend one, the New Moon Maki, which was tasty, but not mind blowing. The most memorable roll was the awful Twice Cooked Smoked Salmon Maki. One would assume I would know what I was getting myself into by the name, but I hated everything about this roll. The smokiness was overpowering and the salmon was incredibly fishy. The other three rolls were unmemorable, but leaned toward the bad side on the sushi scale. Service was adequate, but rushed, with the crowd building throughout the meal.
The Ugly: After a totally disappointing meal, we walked out with a lighter wallet yet still unsatisfied, we noticed something; there was a long line to get into this place. Waiting on line to buy overpriced, unappetizing sushi should be a crime. Of course a fitting punishment for this crime would be to force the customers to eat the Twice Cooked Smoked Salmon Maki.
The Verdict 4.5 out of 10 (throw it back): I really love sushi, when done right it can be a satisfying meals and rewarding meal. My experience with Ru Sans has failed me time and time again. Don’t waste your time, money, or hungry on this sub-par sushi joint.