Sushi Wasabi

A little hole in the wall sushi joint. Salmon sashimi was great. Tuna sashimi was awful.
I’ve definitely been to better sushi places in Edmonton (better bang for your buck as well)
If you want good Salmon sashimi I say go hard. The Bento box is a rip off and almost everywhere on the menu says «No substitutions» which I’ve never had an issue with any where else.

We have been their regular customers for years, I would say at least a decade. We started to go to Wasabi when our children were little. We did try other japanese restaurants but we always ended going back to Wasabi. Wasabi never fail us. Their foods always the top notch and we never once feel disappointed. Their beef tataki is the BEST. We must have our own plate of beef tataki because we don’t want to share… lol. I personally love their Salmon sashimi. Its always fresh and soft, feel like its melting in your mouth. People here have been saying their price is a bit on the expensive side but you get what you pay for. This is an authentic Japanese restaurant. Reservation is recommended.

Arguably one of the best sushi restaurants in Edmonton, if not Alberta, this tiny hole in the wall is ridiculously popular. MAKE A RESERVATION. (there, I said it loudly.)
A family run business, the service is friendly and efficient, always with a smile.
I first tasted their sushi when they were a takeaway joint in an ill fated Asian Mall in Old Strathcona many long dark years ago. It was amazing then, and remains so today. The move to a larger venue did not diminish the quality, but it is high time they moved to bigger quarters, yet again.
My biggest complaint is that it can get pretty cramped in there on any given night, and this is also the reason one must make reservations to get in.
The popularity has overwhelmed the seating capacity.
That complaint out of the way, the food is fabulous. Every time I have been in I have ordered something different, and each dish is as good as the last.
If you are a lover of good Japanese cuisine, Sushi Wasabi is for you.

Good sushi but I’ve never waited so long for food. It took an hour and fifteen minutes after being seated to receive any food, and we had a reservation. They also forgot some of our order and we had to wait again while one person at our table had no food for so long. We were close to walking out and many people came and went with take out orders. Seems like the priority went to take out and not the people who were sitting and waiting and made reservations. No apologies from the staff either. Going here was an annual family tradition so we’ll probably pick somewhere new next time or do the take out. Too bad, it was pretty yummy.

I chose Sushi Wasabi for my boyfriend’s birthday after reading rave reviews. As an afterthought, I made a reservation… I’m glad I did. This place is always pretty packed when I go here & it has a really tiny waiting area. In fact, the entire restaurant is pretty small. They have a great selection of fish with reasonable prices and everything is really fresh. We always get the prerequisite tempura which is also very delicious. My only complaint is the last time we were there, the tempura arrived last and took quite awhile to come. They bring in specials regularly… last time we tried to the bluefin tuna & it was quite the treat — a little heavy on the wasabi in the middle but some might like that. Would definitely recommend this place but would recommend making reservations, lest you get stuck waiting a long time.

I have to be honest that I don’t like much Japanese restaurants in Edmonton. But Wasabi’s food is excellent. I was craving their blue fin tuna and their chop chop and it satisfied my craving x10! Definitely a go-​to place!

This is a great place for sushi. It’s rather small so I’d recommend reserving if you can. We order the sushi combination for $ 50 and the green bean tempura. This was a lot of food so I’d recommend just getting the combination plate. All the sushi was good except the octopus. I won’t be ordering that again!

The interior of the restaurant is relatively small, with a long hallway with seats on the left, a little bar in front, and a small area for seating in the front. Again, things were already starting to get pretty busy, but luckily we snagged the last table. For menu items, we decided on beef tataki, Chirashi donburi, grilled Tobi-​uo (Flying Fish) and a couple pieces of uni sushi.
Beef tataki is one of the appetizers that I always order at any Japanese restaurant. It’s definitely a staple for me. I would have to say that this is definitely the best place that I have ever had beef tataki, which is a pretty tall order. You get a really decent-​sized portion here. It’s beautifully plated, and all the flavours worked together. One of my favourite things about this dish is that you can really taste the flavour of the sear, which really added to the overall dish. There was a lot of ponzu sauce, but it was really light and didn’t overpower the dish. Definitely recommend getting this dish!
Sushi Wasabi has one of the best Chirashi donburi that I’ve ever had. It’s a rice bowl topped with the chef’s pick of various toppings including sashimi, fish roe, and sesame. For today, it had seaweed, surf clam, tamago, octopus, tuna, salmon, ebi shrimp, and avocado. Everything was really fresh and really good. A really underestimated part of a chirashi bowl is the rice, and it was perfect. It was cooked perfectly, and seasoned just right. The fish roe really adds a nice element to the rice. I think this is a really good deal, you’ll definitely get your money’s worth with this one.
Lastly, we decided to go with something from their seasonal menu, the grilled Tobi-​uo (flying fish). This is a whole Tobi uo fish, grilled, and served. To be completely honest, this was a mistake. The fish came out over-​salted, and overcooked. It definitely was not worth the 22 dollars. It’s a relatively small fish, so there was not a lot of meat, and it was difficult to eat. I’m quite used to eating whole fish served in this manner, and I still found it pretty challenging because it was dry and crumbley. Don’t let this deter you from coming however, I would just not recommend getting this dish. Everything else that I’ve ever gotten has been great.
To top off the night, we went with a couple pieces of uni sushi. Not every Japanese restaurant serves sea urchin, and finding one that serves it just right is even more difficult. This came out just right and was really a good way to end the night. Uni is light and has a nice sweetness to it. It had a nice creamy texture and not too briny. It’s not for everyone, but if you want to try some good uni, give this place a try.
Overall, I still enjoyed my experience here. I’ve been here probably a dozen times in the last few years, and 90% of the time everything has been really good. The fish here is always really fresh, and I do enjoy the atmosphere. You can definitely feel that the owners put in a lot of effort into the restaurant, and it has a good wholesome vibe. Again, I definitely recommend getting the beef tataki. Some other honourable mentions would be Nabéyaki Udon, Sunomono and any of their sashimi! Defintely one of my favourite Japanese restaurants in Edmonton.

Best sushi in ALBERTA… ya, i said it. Between all the sushi joints in Calgary and Edmonton (not even going to entertain the fact that another small prairie town here is going to have comparable sushi) this has been my favorite. I have been here numerous times and the quality and service never falters.
First of all, its a small family business. The people making your sushi are actually Japanese, which is always a good first sign. Secondly their menu stays pretty traditional. You will not find rolls doused in spicy mayo/​brown rice/​other western nonsense. Instead the focus is on the quality of the fish which is highlighted by a smudge of wasabi placed on by the chef and perfectly vinegared rice. Prices are extremely fair for the quality of product they are offering. Lastly, if you want to understand what i’m talking about I think the mackerel and toro salmon are unreal here.
I will say the other cooked items on the menu are just about average so it might be better to just fill up on the sushi pieces here instead as that would be more than sufficient for a pleasing full meal.

As I sit on my couch, a little more than 12 hours after consuming a simple meal of assorted tempura, spicy octopus maki and spicy tuna maki with my husband, my insides are expressing displeasure and defiance after ingesting this meal.
The place is quaint, clean, and our waitress was very friendly. We requested to «start» with the assorted tempura… didn’t happen. The rolls were brought out first and my husband made the comment «boy, do these ever smell fishy.» Granted we were in a sushi restaurant, fish isn’t supposed to smell as fishy as it did, indicating to me that it may not have been as fresh as it should be for sushi. We ate it anyways… and I’m sure the spices in the mix camouflaged any distaste I would have otherwise experienced.
The tempura arrived when we were already halfway through our makis, but whatever, it arrived hot. The shrimp tempura could have been cooked slightly longer as it wasn’t very crispy and almost a bit soggy. The oil needed to be changed as well… I was up a lot in the night with reflux and heartburn from the tempura, something which I rarely ever have
For drinks, I had green tea and my husband had the hot sake.
Unfortunately, we will not be returning to this restaurant.
I wish I could have given it a better review, but I’d rather be honest than not…

Hands down my favorite sushi restaurant in Edmonton.
Pros
Great quality fish
Family run
Lots of free parking
Really good food for the money
Cons
Open and closed odd hours
You have to rsvp because this place is very small

It’s a family owned restaurant, the environment is good, food was not served very fast but they definitely taste good

So we came here on a whim around 7pm on a Thursday evening and because we didn’t have a reservation we wound up sitting at the bar. This place is hopping — make reservations!
The bar was totally fine and service was super fast and friendly. The food is great value for what you pay for and their sashimi was fantastic! Their rolls are your basic sushi rolls, no attempts at recreating new/​modernized rolls. The veggies were all super fresh too. Our teapot was always full so that was really nice too — despite how busy they were they were def taking care of their customers.
Totally worth checking out!

Whatsupb? No wait, that’s wrong. Sushi Wasabi is a small but cozy Japanese restaurant located on the south side of town. The restaurant is hidden in a tiny strip mall area (look for the Shell gas station) but is definitely worth checking out. It reminded me of Vancouver as Sushi Wasabi has that cramped, intimate feel to it (to some extent). Does that mean you can skip the trip to Vancouver? Haha, let’s not go overboard with those type of expectations youngin’.
We went on a Sunday for dinner and the place was pretty busy. We didn’t have to wait (score!) but if you can’t grab a seat, there’s always the best spot in the house (sushi bar), which was empty when we arrived. Sushi Wasabi had a bunch of interesting daily specials so we decided to try out a few along with ordering a few others off their menu. The waitresses are all very friendly and the chef’s are the same, greeting you when you enter and exit.
— Green tea ($ 3.00 for two) — the tea was hot, delicious and unlimited. My tea drinking goes through the roof when I’m at restaurants, haha.
— Goshumori (5 Item Plate) ($ 8.00) –an appetizer dish of eggplant sautéed with chili miso, takowasa, vinegared lotus root, smoked monkfish liver and vermicelli salad. I enjoyed the eggplant and monkfish liver (very similar texture to a pâté). The vinegared lotus root looked pretty but didn’t have much taste to it. The tako was good but man, why are they so difficult to pick up? Haha. The vermicelli salad tasted like a poor man’s coleslaw unfortunately.
— #6 Sushi combination ($ 22.00) — beautifully plated, you get one piece each of tuna, salmon, shrimp, surf clam, octopus, yellowtail, imitation crab stick, tobiko and masago. Also included is one roll of kappa-​maki (cucumber). All the nigiri was good and everything tasted fresh. The slices were slightly on the smaller side but the quality is there.
— Aburi salmon maki (seared) ($ 6.95), negitoro ($ 5.75) and spicy tuna ($ 5.75) — we tried the aburi salmon, which was one of their daily specials along with two uramaki rolls. The negitoro (tuna and green onions) and spicy tuna were a nice contrast to each other. Each order gets you 6 pieces. Everything was delicious but my fav was the aburi salmon. Searing the salmon gave it a nice charred flavour and the addition of red onions was something completely unexpected.
My first experience at Sushi Wasabi was a great one and I am happy to have found another good sushi spot in town. South side seems to be the spot to go to when you want Asian good eats. Wasabi out.

My usual sushi spot is on Whyte, but with Sushi Wasabi closer to home and the winter weather so cold, we decided to give this place a try.
I have driven past this place many times so it was nice to finally stop in for dinner. I was surprised at how busy it was. Sure it was during the xmas holidays, but it was also a monday night — and the joint was almost filled to capacity.
The waitress was super friendly and attentive which was great. We ordered what we thought would be enough, but after the initial meal added another round — so was great that she was on top of it.
The rice was well done — a bit sticky and perfect for rolls. The fish was flavourful, tasty and fresh. I’d say it was a bit pricey, but if you need a sushi fix and on the southside, it is well worth checking out Sushi Wasabi.

Sushi Wasabi is a little gem in a stripmall near Southgate Mall (behind the Petro-​Canada). It’s quite small and busy all the time — reservations definitely recommended.
We only sampled sashimi and maki. Their menu is very traditional, which is nice — don’t expect any of those weird cream cheese rolls. The rice in the maki is perfect — lovely grains that are not mushy, and stick together nicely. My favourites are the spicy tuna, spicy octopus, tuna with green onion, and unagi. Simple, and showcases the quality of ingredients. Strangely, they don’t have any spicy salmon or regular salmon rolls? However they do have salmon sashimi which is just phenomenal — they use high quality fish that is very fresh and actually tastes the way it should (in contrast to some places where the fish looks good but tastes like nothing). You can also order sashimi by the piece — basically anything they offer as nigiri, you can also get as sashimi. The one nigiri I did order was chop chop — I love the scallop — this one had roe mixed into the mayo which was neat. Unfortunately I found that there was too much mayo — too saucy for my liking.
For takeout, you have to order from their little paper menu (see Kris B.‘s photos). I didn’t compare it to their regular menu but I am pretty sure it is pared down. They have take-​out specials that are mostly nigiri/​simple maki combos (substitutions accepted for a fee).
It’s not cheap, but I’d definitely come back to try some other items like black cod (and eat more sashimi). I would be here all the time if it was closer to me!
Note: don’t expect great things for white wine — they only had two options but were out of the better one. Better to stick with beer :)

Everybody has a favorite sushi place in Edmonton and Sushi Wasabi is one of mine. New sushi restaurants can pop up here and there but when it comes down to it, it’s hard to beat favorites for a reason! Stellar food (in this case, fresh fish), good speedy service, family-​owned, are just the few things I look for in restaurants. Sadly enough, those are the ones that I don’t actually post a lot about. They’re the restaurants that don’t have a lot a hype and are easily missed on big lists, such as Avenue’s Best Restaurants, or the like. So this will save me from answering the common question, «What’s your favorite sushi place in Edmonton?» Sushi Wasabi for nigiri sushi and sashimi. Ichiban if I’m feeling like eating rolls… that post will come eventually.
There’s been only one time Joe and I were seated at the bar. I wish I was brave enough to strike up a conversation with the seasoned staff behind the counter but I never did. Maybe one day if they’re not busy… which is almost never. But one day!
The food is fantastic. Obviously. On our last visit, Joe had a chirashi bowl, which means «scattered» bowl. A rice bowl topped with whatever the chef has for the day, always including sashimi and fish roe. That day was a surf clam, octopus, tuna and salmon sashimi, ebi shrimp, tamago (egg), mushrooms and cucumbers! An awesome assortment for the seafood lover.
My lunch, although not as colorful and impressive as Joe’s, was just as good though. I absolutely need salmon whenever I eat sushi, either in a hosomaki form like pictured, or in nigiri form. Last week I had a hankering for hosomaki and a couple pieces of hamachi (Japanese amberjack or yellowtail) nigiri. Mmm, both so buttery and creamy. I can eat this for days. If you’re not a fan of wasabi, watch out for their nigiri pieces, there’s wasabi in between the sashimi and rice. You’re at Sushi Wasabi!
And there you have it! My favorite sushi place for sushi and sashimi. It’s a small space so make sure you reserve a table during peak hours and especially on Fridays and weekends. My coworker’s favorite is their California Roll (are you thinking, whaaaat?) but theirs has grapefruit in it and the larger variety is the size of a hockey puck! I’m not the biggest fan of that particular roll but definitely something to try if you haven’t yet. Parking is available in the lot. Go check it out!

I haven’t found a time to go to Sushi Wasabi and was feeing odd that they only opens for a few hours each day for dinner. I didn’t know that we needed to make reservations when I walked in on a Sunday night.
The waitress, which I assume was also the owner, met me in the front. She told me that I had an hour to eat if I wanted to stay before the next reservation. She seemed uninterested in my desire to eat here…
I consulted with my sister and we agreed that we will just try a few items on the menu to see how good there sushi is and if it’s good, we’ll come back next time.
This Japanese restaurant is small, tight and had some really cute décor around.
We were quickly seated by a new waitress. She didn’t really know what to recommend us and didn’t know how to engage in conversation with us.
We quickly decided on a few rolls: spicy tuna rolls, avocado & shitake rolls, spicy octopus rolls and salmon maki.
The fish tasted really fresh and really good. The rice was a good texture and consistency. We were both impressed by how delicious the rolls were that it brought down the subtle annoyance of having only one hour to eat…
We took a huge chunk of Wasabi and was over the top surprised that it wasn’t water down. We had a good spicy kick up our nose and was very happy that it happen. Boss man came around to fill up our water regularly.
Sushi Wasabi definitely peaked my interest and I will for sure come back here to try the other items on the menu.

Sushi Wasabi is tied for best sushi in Edmonton in my books. I went there tonight with my family for dinner and had a fantastic experience. The restaurant is small, so make sure you call ahead to book a table. (we called 45 minutes before getting there and they held us a table)
The highlights of our meal were the tempura, it was light and fluffy but still crisp and not greasy which was awesome. The avocado salmon roll was amazing. My personal favorite is the Dynamite Roll no matter where we go, but at Wasabi sushi it perfectly pairs their amazing tempura with my favorite roll.
I am also a wasabi guy, so let me tell you that their Wasabi is amazingly flavourful without being unnecessarily spicy.
If you get the chance to go to Wasabi for sushi I highly recommend it, I drove nearly 100 blocks to get there, right past a couple of other sushi restaurants and think you should do the same.

Tasty! Fish was fresh, tempura cooked to perfection, beek tataki was very good. Did take out, so can’t speak to the service, but it seemed like it would have been very good.
My only complaint was that it was a little pricey… but I guess we are far enough away from the ocean to justify it for fresh.