Reviews of Aja Asian Cuisine & Lounge (Restaurant)

Claybourne Damarios

The place offers a large range of fresh food. I loved eating here. Employees are always very kind, pricing is fair and the place is always kept clean.

Kerri Kelly

Outstanding location for delicious Asian food. Staff is always super even when they have a full house. It has an awesome feel to it.

Jeffrey Goff

First and foremost I am astonished at the high ratings this place has gotten. The inside is quite nice and has a great ambiance. However when it comes to the sushi I must say it was severely lacking. The rice didnt taste good at all and I was overwhelmed by the amount of rice vinegar they used. The fish which I had ordered 4 different kinds(4 rolls consisting of yellowfin tuna, salmon, whitetail tuna and mackerel) was absolutely horrible tasting and I was immediately put off by the smell which indicates that it was old(i.e. not fresh). When the waiter came by and asked what was wrong considering I still had 3/4 of my sushi unconsumed I told him the truth. I hope they change their ways but for me personally I will not come here anymore. Very overrated establishment. Do yourselves a favor and go anywhere else.

Adam P

Love this place. Great atmosphere, excellent food and the drinks are really good.

naga meka

Worst customer experience ordered fried rice with omlette pouch online and received classic veggie fried rice and they said both are same.... how in the world are they same????? They should have called me and atleast let me know!!!!

steven greer

Currently, I have only visited once but plan to make this on of my regular go to restaurants. The environment was nice and welcoming and the staff was pleasant and helpful. I had a bowl of ramen. It was amazing. The broth, noodles, eggs, vegetables, and meat were a perfect harmony of flavor. I plan on trying all of the ramen.

Veronica Del Valle

I thought the food was awful. Absolutely nothing like you would expect when going for hibachi. The food itself isn't good regardless of what you expect. The quality of meat was not great and I swear the sauce it comes in tastlike a flavor packet you'd get out of a frozen dinner meal. Everything was bland, and just no. Actually the rice was seasoned.

Emily Pylant

Great food and service is excellent. Atmosphere is upscale and relaxing, yet hypnotic, with the feel of a nightclub without all the loud music and high energy, or the crowds. Love it.

Teki Starr

I would highly recommend this spot. It's in a weird location (right off of rt1/9) you have to be careful trying to slow down and get into the parking lot. However the moment you pull up it's a nice experience, the outside is pretty (it purple at night) when you walk in there's a koi pond housing beautiful old fish babies! The ancient Chinese decor is nice and simple. They have a decent sized banquet hall for large parties and lots of seating. Theres a full service bar. The food is great, the drinks are pricey but worth it try the purple haze (it will sneak up on you later if you have a few!). It's a good family restaurant and. Perfect date spotcozy and intimate.

Diane Hutton-Rose

Enjoyed food decor and attentive service

Shawniece Bascom

Food was gross I would only recommended the sushi

Kyle Lauber

Very good food. High quality sushi. A little expensive for dinner but perfectly proceed for lunch specials.

jamieluvsreading

I'm not really sure why the rating is so high? The sushi smelled off- I ordered ngiri, not rolls, so the quality of the fish was very apparent. It may have been an unusual day, but the fish had a smell that indicated it wasn't quite fresh. HOWEVER, the cooked food I ordered, gyōza, was hot, crispy, delicious, and the service was excellent. I definitely wouldn't shy people away from this restaurant - great ambience, great bar, and the cooked food was on point. Just be wary of the sushi - maybe ask how old the fish are?

Adwoa Kwayisi

Went out with a girlfriend - Friday night- say 10pm- food was so cold.- place dirty - started playing really music - cause: a private event - if you looking for a place to have a conversation this not it- a much better experience if you go to Aja in SkillmanNj not the AJa in New Brunswick never again

Maya G

the prices are affordable for the food and drinks but on multiple occasions the waiter messed up our order. I would recommend going on Mondays when the drinks are 40% off the whole day or Tuesdays when ramen is 8$. other than that I go for the sushi because it is affordable, but the sushi and other foods aren't anything great in my opinion, I go more for the affordable prices and atmosphere.

Michael Ritz

Good food. Sushi was great.

Dale Santos

Awesome ambiance with good food

Mahalia Polk

The food was amazing!! The sesame chicken was incredible, even the rice was excellent! Only complaint is that it didn't come with enough broccoli! The sushi was also great! Service was fast, they were training many new waiters but the service was still great!!

Vlad Detinich

Great place with delicious appetizers and entries. Cozy ambience. Nice selection of drinks.

Kevin T

Staff was very friendly and the atmosphere of the resturant is really nice. I would say a good place to enjoy a party event or a dinner with family. Food was okay but we're had a buffet style party we're were attending so my choices are limited. Saw the regular menu and see things I like for next visit

Adrienne Gandolfo

food is really good, friendly wait staff, bar staff is hard to tell since they go through bartenders like a revolving door. And I can totally see why, everything that this restaurant has to offer is demolished by the owners who happen to be a husband and wife. I witnessed the abuse they use on all they're employees, screaming at the bartenders in front of customers accusing them of over pouring, not ringing up a customers drink before it is served, not to mention the unsafe work environment, bartenders are walking through puddle of water on a concrete floor for over 8 hour shifts, are floor mats really going to bank their bank. last time I came in for dinner on one of the coldest days ever, I walked in to a restaurant that was the same temp as outside. apparently the heat was broken, despite having their customers dine in 60 degree temps they could've cared less. the bartenders were wearing winter coats while serving ice cold food. I actually witnessed the male owner tell the bartender to take off her jacket and to deal with non heated restaurant temps. doesn't help that they have buckets scattered around the restaurant to keep the roof leaks in tacked, and the front doors that weight over 500lbs are falling off the hinge preventing the door from actually closing all the way, you felt the wind blow right in. Customers can leave at will but employees who are trying to make their rent for month have no choice then to put up with these heartless abusive owners. if it wasn't for the super kind hearted weight staff I would never step foot in this place. Owners care only about themselves there customers and employees are their last priority.

Araje L'Bert

Great Sushi. Purple Haze drink is great. Volcano sushi my favorite so far. Beautiful setting

John LoMonaco

Food is incredible. From the sushi, sashimi, and hibachi everything is fresh and delicious. The service is friendly, but incredibly slow. They seriously have me questioning whether the food is worth the wait.

Celia CG

Great food and atmosphere with very pleasant service

Sneha L

Restaurant has very poor service and specific rude employees. No utensils/plates were served with entrees, even when asked for it. Food is entirely average.

Mustachioed Organism

There were fish and I really wanted to touch them... but I didn't, 'cuz then my mama would be mad at me. And then now I'm sad now.

Daniel Benhardt

Great food and cocktails. Service can be hit or miss, depending on the night and who you get. On the pricier side, but I'd consider it justified.

Cameron Stirner

Amazing food

Sangita Prasad

love their sweet black rice with sea bass

Robin Toth

Favorite spot for Asian cuisine in the area. Awesome atmosphere & ambiance, quick service, delicious and aesthetically pleasing food!

james armitage

Employees are rude...almost to the point of picking a fight...never go there again...I left before the food even got to the table..

Frank Pongratz

To document my experience... Appetizers: Rock shrimp was excellent, fried calamari is very different from what you would usually expect, it is half salad and half small salty calamari, and it was decent. Entree: the bento box was definitely unique to the restaurant and was very good! All of the portions were sized so you wouldn't leave hungry. The problem was that the meals for my party came out at different times. It took about 25-30 minutes to get 3/5 meals and close to another 15 for the final one. Service: definitely off for the atmosphere. Servers weren't especially pleasant and we had a dinner added to our check that we didn't order.

Lora Levik

Food is always good. Sushi is fresh and delicious. Spicy dandan noodles are amazing.

shalin jani

Ambiance is nice. Had sushi dishes and they were really good. They also have a pretty decent happy hour. Service was prompt. Had no wait.

Amirsaba Motamedi

Aja was decent. Nice interior (a bit too dark). Service was okay and food was good. The duck roll from signature apps was the highlight.

Louise Watkins

Asian food at this location - excellent. staff is always super even when they have a full house. certainly worth a return trip. prices were average for the menu.

Vaibhav Kapoor

A very nice dine-in place with awesome Asian food. Try Sushi rolls if looking for appetizers. Happy hours before 8 during the weekdays!

L R-S

Always excellent food, service, and atmosphere. Can't say bough good things. Creative dishes, fresh seafood, just greeeaat

Jiramet Boonroungkaw

From my experience, Aja has a very decent style and look for a restaurant. Its service is good and staffs are very nice. However, as a sashimi person, I think that their fish are not fresh and don't impress me much. Soy sauce is not salty enough. Rolls are very good because they put a lot of fillings in and less rice for each roll. My friends say ramens and udons are enjoyable and tasty. Their alcohol beverages are vary and have many interesting mixes. Overall, Aja is a decent place to dine but a little pricey for its fish quality.

S B

The food and ambience was great

Erica E

Amazing service and food, really cool atmosphere. Definitely would recommend!

Christina Sanchez

First time going here a few days ago and the sushi was so good, they have so many different rolls, I tried the one tree hill roll and it was delicious! Great costumer service, our waitress was very nice too I love this place and will definitely be coming back.

Marcelo Ellmann Clemente

Ambience is great! Staff was so helpful and friendly, those guys have a delightful sake availability. Their food is absolutely delicious, it really is well crafted and flavourful. Would definitely recommend it!

Raymond Lew

Interesting place

Serena Chang

The ambience is lacking. The design of the restaurant looks like someone just chose all the gaudy chinese - related decorations from a cheap antique store and splattered them on the walls. The service took more than a half hour. The miso soup was oversalted and the sushi was ok-- not worth the wait. The place was empty and there was a drunk guy yelling about the restaurant at his phone. Not pleasant. Will not be returning.

Hal Gullo

Everyone has to go at least once

TWebb family

Awesome food, great experience, great service!

Savita Saxena

Always great service, ambiance and awesome food. But always looks fairly empty. I wish more and more people try it. They need to put a big sign at the entrance coming from rt 18 north. Very easy to miss .

My Ra

Love the food here but service is slow. Their lunch specials are good!

Christopher Snyder

A preferred place for quality asian food. Great ambiance & decor.

Collin Day

I was hesitant to try this place after seeing the overgrown outside, but the inside is very nice and not like the outside at all. The food was good and reasonably priced

Motorsports Buzzer

Good food! Plan to return to explore more of the menu soon.

Murali C

Friend of mine took me here for dinner. The decor of this place is amazing. Large Chinese statues, Koi fish ponds and other Chinese decorations. Great ambience. We tried few varieties of sushi and they are mostly OK. We also tried an appetizer roll with Indian paratta..something different.

Jeffery Shen

Ordered out. Salmon Teriyaki Benton box cost $25 which is way too expensive for the quality of food I received. The seaweed salad and tuna sushi included had a foul and aged taste (food is not fresh to say the least), and the salmon was dry and old with no sauce at all. Rest of the sides were equally poor. Won't be visiting or ordering out from Aja again....What a disgrace to Japanese cuisine!!! Avoid at all costs.

Markr7777

Great. Great. Great

Keith Ulle

Food was good but service was "off". Sat at bar and had a few drinks and dinner. Numerous times the bartender looked at me, my "empty" glass and continued on. Then asking the person sitting near me multiple times if everything was ok,etc. was weird since there were like 5 people at the bar. Wasn't impressed with that persons customer service but was a cool place- not good enough to come back if flying solo. Maybe better with a group?

Michael Butler

My fav location for delicious Asian food. arrived at six, it was not packed. feeling here is like a restaurant in fort worth i liked.

Sal Scotto

Sushi is second best in NJ

Scott Bierman

I really like this place, one of my favorite restaurants in the area. The sushi rolls are nice quality and they make several specialty roles. They have good Kani Salad and Mango Salad. My favorite dish on the menu is the Dan Dan Noodles. I go twice a week when I can.

Katherine Truong

Beautiful decor, was completely in awe and couldn’t stop looking around and the koi fish surprised us on the way out. Great service, made our night. Highly recommend the ramen (miso and tonkatsu) not pictured. Everything, drinks, app, entree, and dessert was delicious.

Andrej Mitev

The worst service ever. Thai basil chicken didn’t not have any basil in it.

cheaterdon2

Food is good and they have happy hour on Mondays. Service is OK but not extra ordinary. Atmosphere is very unique with a lounge look. Over all I would say 8/10

Niti

love the ambience of the place, nice and decent food to eat, friendly staff-a bit slow but still good service love their food presentation

Eliana Colina

Busy place great atmosphere, service was pretty great although they could have been a little more attentive. The time between plates was absolutely perfect . will definitely be coming back.

Donna Primiani

Great place and their sushi is excellent.

Lauren Magnusson

Everything is always delicious here! Staff is very kind and quick. Would absolutely reccomend!

Michael Quintino

They have a wonderful atmosphere, Outdoor patio seating And a bar. The food there is delicious. And the Service is great

Pop Pop Gary

Good meal.

Girish Dhameja

I don't understand the good reviews. Service is incredibly horrible! And to top it the manager is incompetent. They took 20 mins to setup a table for us but the table had no utensils or plates. 4 napkins for a party of 5. We asked for utensils multiple times but nothing. We asked for veg options and they served meat. We asked for the manager and 2 minutes with that guy and I understood why the service is so bad - that guy has no reason to be in this business. I'm not sure who the owner is but about time to change the staff and set the right culture.

Grandma628 Grandma628

Good happy hour

Brendon Kelly

Food was good. Atmosphere was great. Waiter was annoying. First he tried to talk me out of the roll I wanted to get... Then when I asked if they had fresh Wasabi (they don't) he spent several minutes trying to convince me the powdered Wasabi was 'the same' and 'just like fresh wasabi' (it isn't). After my food arrived I was completely ignored, and had to ask several times for my check.

Benjamin Kwong

Good food and service! Happy hour everyday from 3-7... 40% off all drinks even premium alcohol

robert depalma

The lunch specials are awesome

Meagan Reyes

asian food, mmm, so delicious. fast and courteous service. the bill was well within reason for the quality.

Mark Snow

The quality of the Asian restaurant has a very specific litmis test, the rice. The rice was a solid 8/10. The perfect rice comes from the high end restaurants in Tokyo, so that is a huge compliment from me. I searched all over for the last year to find my new favorite place, this is it . The Spanish Mackerel was out of this world with the roe attached. The Chirashi plate was amazing, the miss soup was good, and sake and Sapporo on tap. Lunch specials are a great price and I am very happy I found this place. Pass it often and this is the first time I stepped inside. I WILL BE BACK!

Reginald Mills

This place is Horrible! Bad service, the food isn’t good at all, plus the owners named Tan & Karen Are Racist towards Black/Afro American People! I recommend NOT to go here! The worst experience I ever had at a restaurant ever in My Life!

Kees van Dijk

The food is really great!

Hilda Utria

Everything is good as far dining n service. There is however no music on weekends...like some elevator music at most. A live ban or some trendy music at the bar would be nice.

Kat Quinn

7 days a week they have happy hour. Sushi is always fresh and better than any other place in the area. They have a big lounge area which is a nice middle ground if you want the casualness of sitting at the bar with the comfort of sitting at a table. I honestly come here about as often as I can.

Rochelle Anish

More fusion than one cuisine Sea Bass gyozadelish!

Victoria Muscio

Great food, great drinks, wonderful service. The sushi and hibachi are fantastic.

Tesla Singh

After continually telling my entire family about this place, being that I had been here once before, I was embarrassed and extremely disappointed with the HORRIBLE quality and service at this restaurant. It is clearly obvious why this place is barely filling tables let alone filling the restaurant. My mother is vegetarian and I simply asked if there was any way for the soup to be made without eggs (which was refused by the server). Then, I asked what options there are to substitute with the soup instead and the individual said salad, but it is an additional charge. An additional charge for salad when you don't even have any vegetarian option available in the first place. After receiving the salad (opted for it because I didn't want to see mother staring at us while the rest of the family eats). The best part was that the salad was literally the size of a VERY small hand... Two pieces of lettuce and two pieces of tomato. Not to mention that ALL THE WHILE our soups were ICE COLD. I literally mean they were as cold as the cold drinks that were ordered. Now comes the entree. I ordered what I remembered from last time (Malaysian Style Red Curry with chicken). How many pieces of chicken you ask? One piece of chicken! One bite! Just one! Literally mostly sauce with a few veggies and one piece of chicken. And left to eat that with a fork. I WILL NEVER GO OR RECOMMEND THIS PLACE TO ANYONE IN MY LIFE EVER AGAIN. I really hope the owner(s) read(s) this to understand how horrible their staff, food, quality, experience, etc is at this place. I can't wait for another half way decent restaurant to open up so that this place could be out of here already. It's just a pathetic and awful looking piece of architecture that diminishes the presence of Route 1 in NJ.

Ricardo Royal

Not a bad place, food is good, staff friendly, attractive atmosphere (horrible location) the traffic could be damming at times but overall a place to visit. I believe however that, it's a little pricey for wut they offer on their menu but pay them a visit maybe you'll njoy

Marilyn Boddy

Nice place and food was good. Good drinks also

Aman Malhotra

Great food and ambiance

Lindsay Gundacker

I asked for not spicy food and was given spicy anyway which was WAY too much for me. But I will say, though pricey, the food is excellent!

Dan Ticchio

Aja has contemporary ambiance that lends it an upscale vibe. The food satisfies, while delighting many with its signature rolls. Worth a visit, especially for an evening date.

Vinay Desai

Very good food but service is slow. No complaints

Adam S.

Great food, a bit pricy, but the quality and taste is fantastic.

Reginald Gutierrez

The Ramen reminds me of the year i spent in Japan. The sushi is really fresh! And we had the Chicken Satay it was also delicious!

Tracy Hart

Nice and quite lounge. Great food. Must try the hibachi fried rice!!

Oleg Voss

Always order from them! Food is consistent and good

Mark Urso

Great service!! Delicious food EVERY time! Excellent drink specials during happy hour. Wonderful atmosphere, environment. Cool background music. Very manhattan-like. We come here at least once a month.

Nadine Stephenson

Service was sub-par. Brought an out of town friend here for a 40th birthday dinner. So disappointed. I'll think twice before ever coming back...Smh. Slow service, cold food.

Bruno Pedroso

I've been going to Aja for a couple years now, and I can say I am always highly satisfied with the experience. The setting is dimly lit and typically quiet, which can be quiet relaxing. The service is always top notch since the food is prepared quickly and well. The Sushi and Sashimi are always good and fresh. They have a diverse menu with great choices so even if sushi isn't your thing; they have great grilled wok and teriyaki options.

Sands Andy

I love this place. Beautiful ambience. Great cocktails. Awesome sushi and chicken lettuce wraps are my favorite. The place is so beautifully decorated with terracotta soldiers statues and aquarium. It us huge so you don't feel crowded.

shira appelbaum

Bad experience. The waitress stole my documents when I went to the bathroom. Not cool!!

Tiffany King

Always delicious food and drinks, and good service. I love the specials during the week and that they have happy hour on weekends too.

Chandra Kanth Reddy

Interior of restaurant looks awesome just like their food.

Joanna Wang

nice deco, good food, interesting location tho

Frank Ellis

Excellent spot for tasty asian food. The food was so savory. Definitely worth a return visit. The bill won't break you.

Hana Chang

nice ambience considering it's a lounge in the middle of route 1 with just a movie theatre around. food is not bad and happy hour after work is great when you want to catch up with a friend. does need some improvement on service though as last time I went, they messed up on the tab by giving me the wrong bill

Brian Hoiberg

One of our favorite restaurants! The food is excellent. There is also a bar. Food and drink lunch specials are discounted. The Bento boxes are an awesome variety at a great price. This would be a 5* review except for one thing... the service. Always pleasant, but often not quick. We usually have to wait longer than normal for someone to take our order. Once that's out of the way, the rest is great!

Queen Ro

This is an AMAZING place to dine, the staff is friendly and the menu is underrated. Me and my boyfriend LOVED our dishes, everything from the wine to the appetizers, the dinner and the dessert was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS. We will be back and very soon! Kudos to the chef! The atmosphere, the music and the entire aura of AJA is just divine! ❤❤

Sreedharan L Narayanan

It was a fabulous, romantic and pleasant experience. They have great food and drinks. Ambience is great. Everyone must visit this restaurant. It’s more affordable too. I can give 10+ rating. Such an amazing place.

Sonya C Ritter

Fantastic design, very stylish restaurant. The tuna volcano and sushi are on point each time.

Dan Pereda

Kinda of a hidden in plain sight place. Have drivers by here hundreds of times but never been inside until now. Glad I did. Great food and drinks. Sushi is very good too. They seemed to be understaffed.

Antonio Kuilan

Took a colleague here for a farewell dinner before departing back to her country. Bento boxes presented in wood boxes. Sushi delicious. Nice ambience. Live koi fishes surrounding the front entrance wall.

Przemek Klosowski

This Asian food is near Rutgers, but quite hard to get to: the entrance to parking lot is right after a major local highway intersection, so we almost missed it after making a turn in heavy traffic. The outside and inside decor is quite unique---look up the outside in Google Street View and you will recognize it from far away. We had a decent sushi and basil chicken dish which hit the spot.

Vishal Naidu

Food was great, but marred by many small bugs getting into the food.

Shika Ademu-John

Great food, great drinks. Awesome owners

Charles Heckscher

In a completely unimpressive location - but the food is excellent - consistently better than I expected - and the prices very reasonable. A large and delicious lunch can be had for $15.

Kalyani Y

Good sushi!

Kenneth Cleary

Nice ambiance, good food, pleasant service.

Richard Evans

My son and I had lunch here today. We both had wonton soup which was made with a delicious broth and the best wontons I've ever had made with very thin wrappers, not the thick doughy wrappers that most restaurants use to make wontons. My son ordered a special roll made with cream cheese and strawberry sauce which was tasty but I don't think cream cheese is authentic in Asian food. He also had Dan Dan noodles that were very spicy as he likes them. I had salt and pepper shrimp which was very tasty but served with the shells on. I know this is the traditional way for Asians to serve shrimp, but I find it annoying to chew a mouth full of shells that I have to spit out. The food and service are fine but from the outside the building looks run down and deserted. The building badly needs to be renovated.

sahara aint shi-

Delicious food and variety. Service depends on the time and day you're visiting because of their busy hours. Atmosphere of the place is relaxing too.

jersey Man

Manager was extremely rude and disrespectful. Other staff, server were nice. Food was good. I will not recommend this place.

Ashley Bates

Ok place for delicious asian food. Nice place to relax, people watch, eat good, etc. I can see why they have so many great reviews.

Anthony Cable

Food good, atmosphere ok. Eaten here several times for lunch. Always something being fixed or needs attention/ cleaning.

Tom Hutch

Love this place, from the Outside its questionable but once you get to the inside it is set up well, food is great... drinks are great. Desserts awesome... I'd suggest any of the signature sushi rolls, the sushi pizza, live scallops or really try it all. Definitely have a Leeche Martini or 2, 3 or 4.

Divina Wiley

Good food, great ambiance. Would consider coming here again, the only downfall was the amount of fruit flies. Ended up finding a fruit fly in my drink, was promptly given a replacement but by the time they got back I had found another one in my food. Kinda ruined my appetite, but maybe I’ll give it a few months before giving them another try.

Charlotte McNair

Wonderful oysters sushi and cocktails

Monika Gurcinaite

Love the food here. Clean kitchen and the staff is really friendly. On Monday's they have specials where is half off on all alcoholic beverages. Highly recommend one tree hill roll and pineapple rice with shrimp or chicken( I usually do both)....

Evgueni StOnge

Great Sushi. Not overpriced. Which the look of the building and atmosphere would seem it's a very high price spot. Defiantly not. Give it a shot and try the pink lady sushi roll. Awesome.

Jennifer Reyes

Excellent spot for quality asian food. Food was so tasty. Definitely worth a return visit.

J Jjtrainj

Good food, attentive service. Place seemed aging. Could use sprucing up.

shenoah golden

Food is amazing, atmosphere is amazing drinks are amazing