Soojin Kim, who along with husband Seung "Aaron" Na own Crazy Sushi, displays some of the restaurant's offerings. 

Walking into Crazy Sushi’s new Tigard location, customers are quickly welcomed not only by a life-sized, fully-in-bloom cherry blossom tree — faux but meticulously crafted to look like the real thing — but 16 new custom-made, epoxy tables, all embedded with deep blue ocean swirls and accompanying waves.

The new restaurant at 7197 S.W. Dartmouth St. replaces the longtime popular location in Sherwood. That spot recently closed after the building owner decided to sell the property in what is believed to be the site of a future Costco, according to Crazy Sushi owners Seung “Aaron” Na and his wife Soojin Kim.

“Tigard is a growing community with a diverse food scene, and we saw a demand for high-quality sushi in the area,” they said in a joint statement about the new location, which officially opened Feb. 21. “We wanted to bring our fresh and flavorful sushi closer to more people and create a welcoming space where customers can enjoy a great dining experience.”

The Crazy Sushi origin story dates to 2012 when Geena and Keith Moon opened the business just off of Tualatin-Sherwood Road in the former Regal Cinemas complex. Kim and Na purchased the location from the Moons in April 2014.

“While searching for restaurants on sale to run a sushi restaurant, the name ‘Crazy Sushi’ caught my eye,” Na said. “It was unique, so I decided to visit and try the food myself. It turned out to be the best I had ever tasted — the ingredients and pricing were excellent.”

Na said he has always loved sushi and sashimi, especially the rolls.

What makes their sushi so special is a focus on fresh, high-quality ingredients along with traditional techniques and incorporation of innovative flavors, the owners said.

“We take pride in our presentation and ensure that every roll is made with care,” they said. “Plus, our chefs have years of experience crafting sushi that’s both delicious and visually stunning.”

Best-selling dishes include their signature 503 Roll (spicy tuna, avocado, shrimp tempura with salmon on top complete with house secret sauce). Other popular dishes include the restaurant’s fresh Sashimi Deluxe and the Tuna on Fire roll (pepper tuna and jalapeno, avocado and more).

“Our customers also love our special house sauces and creative fusion rolls,” they said.

In addition to seating at the handcrafted tables, there’s also room for 12 customers to sit at the illuminated sushi bar.

In all, the 2,100-square-foot restaurant has room for 52 guests.

Custom-made metal hanging lanterns with the Crazy Sushi logo etched into them accent the restaurant throughout.

Other fun touches (and the owners say fun is a big part of their business) include six wall-mounted video screens that feature new and older customers.

Another fun feature is a photo “retro box” that immediately spits out black and white instant print portraits of customers. Na said Crazy Sushi also is big on recognizing customers’ birthdays with signature birthday celebrations marked by the staff turning off the lights, playing music and clapping.

In addition, one of the restaurant’s walls contains 200-300 personal high-end, polished chopsticks that repeat customers can ask for when they come in.

“Business has been great! We’ve been fortunate to receive a lot of support from the community, and we’re seeing many repeat customers,” the owners said.

Meanwhile, Na and Kim haven’t ruled out returning to Sherwood someday.

“If the opportunity arises in the future, we would love to open a second location in Sherwood again,” they said.