The B-well Sushi and Cafe

My boyfriend and I ventured here in hopes of scoring some good ramen.
We were sadly disappointed. Upon arrival we were told to seat ourselves (totally fine) and the waitress passed us two menus from behind the counter. She said when we decided what we would like to come back to her and place our orders. We thought that was sort of weird but continued to look through the menu. BF got up and placed our orders, a regular miso ramen and a spicy miso ramen. The waitress came back with two spoons and said we could help ourselves to water. Help ourselves! That is when I noticed my spoon was dirty. Not a little dirty, but clearly had not been washed since it’s last use. I asked for a clean spoon.
Ramen was delivered and it was OK at best. Very salty, cold eggs, store-​bought pork. Nothing special. I had to return to the counter to ask for chopsticks. Waitress did not come to our table to ask how our food was.
We won’t be returning due to lacklustre food and poor service. (Get your own water?! dirty utensils!?)
If I want to serve myself I can do that at home.

Excellent food, service and great prices. Outstanding menu as well including vegan. Favorite place in Halifax!

B-​well perfectly combines two loves of mine: sushi and coffee shops. It’s the one place in Halifax where you can get a cappuccino, order sushi, and jam a paper out. The atmosphere is extremely welcoming and their music makes you forget the traffic outside on Quinpool. The staff actually invite you to stick around and get work done so you never feel like you’re «taking up» their space. The menu is simpler than other sushi places but that’s because B-​well does focus on its fusion of sushi & coffee house, offering lighter lunches. They also do not offer table service so you order and pay for your meal at the desk. I’d particularly recommend this place to anyone looking to eat out but not having a friend available to eat out with. The cozy atmosphere draws in solo eaters, unlike other restaurants where you may feel uncomfortable eating alone.

We returned to the b-​well to find that the portions had halved and the flavours were duller. I’m not sure if it was just that the first visit had rose our expectations or if this was just an off day. Still we left feeling disappointed.

Went here for supper last week and have to say that this place is lacking for sure. The food was okay but not near as good as other sushi places in Halifax. The service is non-​existed, I mean you have to bascially get up and order your food at the counter where you pay, the same thing goes for drinks if you want something like pop or juice & if you want water well they don’t bring that to you either; there’s a little stand where jugs of water are with glasses.
Have to say after this experience I will not be returning for sure.

I love this sushi restaurant. I recommend the Yam Dragon Roll. There is lots of great vegetarian options! and the atmosphere is so quaint and cozy

Would not go here again. The fish did not taste fresh and the shrimp tasted like cocktail shrimp you buy frozen at the store. Many better sushi places in Halifax.

Awesome place. The owner/​operator makes this place top notch. Great for a chill lunch!

A+++ Love this spot for a relaxing casual light lunch and some tea. Usually when I come here, I end up spending much longer than I had planned because its just such a nice relaxed spot. They serve some fantastic genmai tea. The rolls are great and the nigiri I’ve had there has quite hit the spot. There are few other little goodies that I can’t resist whenever I’m in:
DAIFUKUMOCHI — You may have seen little coloured golf ball-​sized balls in a plastic container up by the cash register. These little gems are essentially rice that has been smashed down to a play-​doh consistence (mochi) with added colouring, wrapped around a sweetened azuki bean paste. Now if you’re thinking «Ew, bean paste sounds bad», I’m gonna have to urge you to delete that thought and try them anyway. This is a traditional japanese sweet. Relatively healthy as far as sweets go and delicious.
SAMURAI BALLS — Essentially Takoyaki, but with a hunk of mozza instead of a hunk of boiled octopus in the centre. It’s basically a batter made from savoury ingredients and cooked on a special pan that sort of looks like a cake-​pop maker. then a piece of cheese, in this case, is added to the centre. The whole operation sort of looks sort of like a deep fried timbit but its savoury, melty cheese in the middle and is topped with japanese (spiced) mayo and okonomi (bbq-​ish) sauce and sprinkled with bonito and or aonori. What’s not to like!

Good food, as others have mentioned. I’ve been here a couple of times, and what I want to talk about is a couple of things not mentioned by other reviewers.
(1) B-​Well is of the very few «Japanese» places in town that is actually run by Japanese people. Is that a big deal? Well, yes and no. Consider this: I’m a white Canadian guy, and if I opened up a «Swedish» restaurant, dressed up in a sverigedräkten and spoke in a fake Swedish accent, people would probably be insulted. They’d be like «what the ??? this guy isn’t Swedish, he’s wearing a dress that’s actually for chicks, and besides, he sounds like the muppet chef. This place must suck!» You know why? Because I’m not Swedish.
But for some reason, pretending to be Japanese is fair game if you’re Asian.
Whew, sorry, /​end rant. The owner and staff are Japanese. Nuff said.
(2) They have Japanese groceries. Yay! (betcha didn’t know that!)
Any cons? Well, the furniture could use a refresh. That couch is so old it properly should be called a «chesterfield», and the toilet is — well — it don’t exactly «be well».
Anyway, enjoy. My food tip here is go for the Samurai Balls. If for no other reason, just for the fact that where else on Earth can you actually ask for «an order of samurai balls» and get away with it.

Now that I like sushi a little bit more I figure I’d try this place again and write another review. I’m feeling lazy so I’m going to do «pros and cons»
Pros:
— I like how the menu indicates «vegetarian» and «vegan» really clearly — it made it really easy to figure out what I could eat without having to read through 1000 ingredients.
— Prices are really reasonable.
— Cute little atmosphere
— Server was friendly and personable
— From the little bit about Japanese cuisine that I’m aware of, this is authentic.
— Nice variety of Japanese dishes — tons of different sushi rolls and ramen too if thats what you’re craving.
Cons:
— I ordered the banana bonanza roll and I thought it was okay. It was $ 7, so I think although I think the prices here are reasonable maybe this roll was overpriced. It wasn’t crispy like I was told it would be, and I didn’t like the combination of banana and wasabi mayo. In retrospect I think I was expecting it to be a weird and unlikely combination of flavors, so I ordered it even though I thought the combo didn’t sound great.
— They didn’t give me enough sauce on the tofu teriyaki bowl, not even close to enough. I had to add soya sauce on top which changed the taste of the dish.
— The tofu wasn’t crispy this time like I remembered it was last time.
I want to like this place so bad! I’ll likely be back and when I am I’ll try the ramen maybe.

on my sushi mission for the city!
this was stop 3!
fleshing out my good and bad guidelines.
My friend and I wandered in after me wanting to go for weeks!
To start I’ll go with the décor/​seating… Its not exactly wonderful! the furniture is used, the tables are eclectic! my friend and I picked a spot with a low table, and two really comfy chairs, my seat was right on top of the heater (which I was so thankful for). It was warm until the cold draft took over…
It is definitely drafty! So if you go in on a cold day, it will be chilly! Not totally happy with that feeling. (i use allot of ! by the way)
My friend ordered the lunch special, and was all excited about the salad, claiming its the most amazing dressing ever, she also loved her miso soup because it was warm.
I cant remember what sushi she ordered but she really enjoyed it.
I ordered the Veggie combo 2, and the yam dragon roll!
OMG ORDER THE YAM DRAGON ROLL!!!
My boss told me it was THE thing I needed to order, and was she ever right!
It was so good!
I really really love Yam rolls they are my benchmark roll.
The Dragon Roll definitely made another mark on the positive side! I really wanna just go eat more.
Food wise, I plan to go back, a lot!
Price was good. Now my meal would have been 28 dollars, but since my bosses are awesome, I had a 25 dollar gift certificate so I only paid 4 dollars for my entire meal!
Im a big fan of when you can have a really delish meal for less then 10 bucks out of pocket! More employers should give staff gift certificates for food!

2^nd time I’ve been to B-​well Sushi and I am still amaze by the consistent quality in the food they serve. I think that has to be because the owner himself is right behind the kitchen. This time around I noticed an extra hand. But to top that, I also saw caricatures plastered near the cashier area. Don’t expect extraordinary recipes or over the top creations, and you be happy with the servings. I am content to have my sushi or udon noodle but knowing that its cook well to satisfy my Japanese food longing moments.

I stopped in today to grab a quick lunch with a friend who said she really liked the sushi here. It’s just down from my school and I love sushi so I thought, why not?
My friend got two of the yam rolls and a teriyaki bowl. She says this is what she always gets and seemed to really enjoy her meal.
I on the other hand, wasn’t very impressed. I got the lunch special which was a reasonable $ 11.95+tax for two rolls, a soup and salad, and a coffee or tea. I ordered their Halifax Roll and their Tuna roll. They were nothing special, and honestly reminded me of the sushi you can purchase from Sobeys/​Superstore. They tasted like they had been previously made earlier and stored in a fridge. The miso soup and salad were both good, as was my tea. I was a bit bummed that it was just a tea bag as most places I’ve been to serve it loose.
Overall was not impressed with the place, especially since there are so many other delicious sushi restaurants in Halifax. I can’t see me going back again.

As a recent migrant to the Quinpool Road area and a serious lover of sushi, I’m making it my mission to try all the sushi joints in the area. Budget dictated that I try B Well Café first.
I was a little skeptical of a coffee AND sushi bar but the food was freshly made, great portion size and quick service.
I placed an order over the phone and it was ready in 20 minutes for pickup. I’m not sure I’d want to stay and eat, but I enjoyed the service and the food.
Delivery is a very cool feature as well!

We had lunch today as a group of 5. There was only one other couple there and it is a small place but it is packed with personality!
You have a seat and they bring a menu, you go to the cash and enter your order and pay; cool.
I had a variety of sashimi (butter fish, red snapper, and scallop). Oh what a delight. You get 3 of each at $ 4.50 each. Then I order the Ramen seafood soup but had to take it with as we were on a very limited time frame. Bonus on the chef — he packed up the broth separately and the mains an other container… how smart and caring is that?
Would I go back? YES and we are. Everyone really liked their meals. They just are not prepared for a wave of folks being one person in back and one in front.
Note — they have a small section where you can buy Japanese products and I did including Gluten Free Soya and off side some organic free trade coffee — great!
Their menu, as others have noted, pointed out gluten free, vegan, etc. with visible icons — another bonus.

The B-​Well is home to possibly my favourite roll of all time: The Yam Dragon Roll. I’m madly in love with yam rolls and I also adore avocado. Putting them together just makes sense. The yam is perfectly cut, thick, but still crispy. One roll is large enough to tide you over if you’re on the run, and the iced ginger tea is BEYOND amazing. Beware though, it’s super gingery. It will tickle your throat, so stay away if you’re not into that. I’ve also had some of their ramen and it was delicious.
You pay before you get your meal, so be ready for that. You can also have a beer with your meal, should you feel inclined, and the inside is really cozy. It’s not fancy, but it’s lived-​in. You can curl up in the bigger chairs or sit at a table, whatever you want. Water is also self-​serve, which is a really great idea. You could have a super cute second date here, or a great study session. It’s flexible.
In conclusion: Yams are awesome. B-Well’s Yam Dragon Roll is awesomesauce.

B-​well is really cute sushi café with a great selection of vegan options. I love that things are clearly marked on the menu for vegans and vegetarians. They have not only a large selection of sushi rolls but also have a few tofu dishes and other Japanese specialty. The food was prompt and the service was good as well. I particularly like the comfortable atmosphere. Feels a lot like a coffee shop but a little more intimate. Décor and seating is great. Definitely a great place for Japanese cuisine.

I recently ordered takeout from B-​well, and when I went to pick it up I was instantly tempted to eat in instead. I love the casual, comfy vibe they have here.
As always with sushi places, I was most interested in the sushi pizza. It was tasty! One of the better ones I’ve had in the city, and I’d definitely return for it.
We made a mistake in ordering the salmon tempura roll — the salmon was cooked, and if we’d read thoroughly we wouldn’t have ordered it. Our fault, not the restaurant’s.
But, guys? Order the samurai balls. Balls of batter, cheese and covered in bonito flakes and seaweed, with a tasty sauce for dipping. I have no idea if they’re a traditional dish, but they’re amazing.

Are you vegan or vegetarian?
This is your sushi place! Seriously, look at the menu. They have tons of vegan sushi items. If I lived closer, I think this would be a regular dining spot for me.
Now, admittedly, it’s not perfect. The whole «walk in, grab a menu, grab a seat, get up and order» approach isn’t typical sushi style for me. I really prefer a more traditional restaurant-​style approach. So that can be a bit off-​putting. Once you’ve adjusted, however, you’ll be fine.
The selection of rolls is what really gets me. Again, tons and tons of vegan and vegetarian rolls to choose from. Unlike most other sushi places in Halifax, B-​Well thought to include icons to indicate which is which. Also, gluten sensitivity? They have you covered there as well with indications as to which rolls are gluten-​free.
The space is very relaxed; an eclectic mix of chairs and couches. So don’t dress up — it’s not that kind of place. Also, there’s self-​serve water which can be very useful sine there is almost no waiter service.