Bei Sushi and Bar: Happy Hour Report Card

The Spot: Bei Sushi and Bar
2200 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale
480-471-6609
beisushi.com

The Hours: Happy hour is daily from 4:30 to 7 p.m. and 9 to 11 p.m.

Perfect for: Cheap sushi, cheap drinks, and tennis-ball-sized hunks of deep-fried imitation crab meat

Interior: Stepping inside Bei Sushi for a Thursday happy hour, we were happy to find a clean, hip atmosphere and helpful, prompt wait staff.  We were a little caught off guard when a guy began playing the saxophone about halfway through our meal — though, to be fair, the live music added a level of class to the experience.

The Food: Bei's happy hour menu is extensive to say the least. With several different appetizers spanning from traditional to unique, a $5 teriyaki bowl, and seventeen sushi options ranging from sashimi to specialty rolls, there seems to be something for every level of sushi-lover. We went with gyoza ($4.95), Bei stuffed mushrooms ($4.95), salmon carpacio sashimi ($10.50), and the Samuria roll ($9.95). 

The gyoza were enjoyable — crispy on the outside with a flavorful onion and pork mixture on the inside — but they were overshadowed when the Bei stuffed mushroom arrived at the table. We were surprised to see that the mushrooms weren't stuffed with filling, but rather the mushrooms were encased inside large balls of imitation crab meat. The entire situation was then coated, deep fried, and topped with several different sauces. To say this appetizer was indulgent is an obvious understatement.

The salmon carpacio sashimi featured long slices of fatty, Scottish salmon topped with lemon and cucumbers, all sitting in a citrus ponzu sauce. We would suggest letting this dish sit a while before eating so the sauce and lemon have a chance to really seep into the fish. The Samurai roll with deep fried freshwater eel and cucumber topped with a kind of cucumber shell, fried garlic, eel, and wasabi sauces was definitely a heartier sushi choice, though both options were delicious. 

The Drinks: While Bei did offer a cocktail menu, none of those options were included on the happy hour menu. Instead, diners could choose from discounted beer, wine, well liquors, hot sake, sake bombs, and flavored cold sake, all ranging from $2.50 to $8.95. 

We opted for an imported bottle of beer and the white peach cold sake, which came to the table in the full bottle. 

Conclusion: If you're looking a more unusual sushi happy hour, we would suggest Bei. With the vast discounted food menu for happy hour and the live, jazzy entertainment, Bei has definitely got something over the other sushi joints in town. While we appreciate the variety of drinks offered, we wish they had some of the cocktails from their regular drinks menu listed on the happy hour menu. But keep that saxophone coming and we could possibly overlook the missing drink options. 

Don't Miss: Salmon carpacio sashimi
Skip This: Gyoza

Grade: B+

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