Two Review Sites Paint Profoundly Different Pictures of Kyozon

Common sense prescribes that you take reviews from sites like Yelp and TripAdvisor with a grain of salt. But the two sites deliver such divergent takes on Kyozon, the splashy new sushi conveyor belt and cocktails restaurant from the Tom Nacos Group and Stambac International, that it merits further scrutiny. Most notably because the restaurant has yet to garner a review from a major Montreal critic.

Start with Yelp. There, Kyozon has five reviews so far, all negative.

"Place seems overrated. We were at the kaiten bar. The sushi rice was cooked very poorly. It tasted like overnight sushi rice, rather hard." - Miss. C.

"Although this is a new establishment, with great decor and good vibe, there are many things not so great. Don't go expecting the best meal you've ever had." - Peter R.

"Really overpriced, 6 or 7$ for 4 gyozas made of beans. Took over an hour to be seated even with a reservation." - Jay L.

Over on TripAdvisor, a 180 degree turn, with ten "Excellent" and six "Very good" reviews.

"It seems that everybody has been talking about Kyozon for a while. I was fortunate enough to have received an invitation to attend their Grand Opening party and though I am not the greatest fan of Crescent Street at night my girlfriends and I went along to see what the hype was about. The venue is out of this world and certainly more NYC than MTL, and Crescent?? Really? Amazing night and I have gone back once already. Great prices, brilliant sharing dishes and awesome food. It's a Crescent Street revival - surely!" - Christine P.

"We were very impressed by the quality of the food ( all the small dishes we had were flavorful and memorable), the entertaining value of the Kaitan belt for our children, the welcoming team and feel-good decor. We will most certainly be back and have already suggested the restaurant to friends. Kyozon is the type of establishment I'd like to eat at once a week at the least!" - Geneviève P.

A closer look indicates that most of the positive TripAdvisor reviews probably came as a result of Kyozon's launch party. Caveat emptor.