Wabi-Sabi Sushi & Asian

(310) 314-2229

1635 Abbot Kinney Blvd
Venice, CA 90291 33.9897 -118.4633

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Neighborhoods: Venice, West LA

WABISABISUSHI.COM

Price:

$$$

Last updated 1.24.11

Category:

Restaurants, Catering

Payment Methods:

American Express, Diners Club, Discover, Visa, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

People Watching, Date Spot, Group Dining, Food Delivery, Bar Scene

General Info:

Open 7 Days

Cuisine:

Japanese, Asian, Sushi

What People Are Saying About Wabi-Sabi Sushi & Asian

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

Part sushi joint, part chic Asian bistro, Wabi-Sabi exemplifies the eclectic character of its boho-chic Abbot Kinney Boulevard location. Japanese in concept, fusion in flavor, it melds industrial decor with a casual atmosphere and personable service. While there's an extensive choice of top-quality sushi, there's more to a menu that pairs such items as battered onion rings and a sweet pumpkin puree with grilled beef filet.

Editor's Tips

Where to Sit:
The main room holds the sushi bar, while an adjacent outdoor patio stays warm with glowing heat lamps. The back room is perfect for large parties.
The Extras:
Abbot Kinney-area residents can take advantage of Wabi-Sabi's delivery service.
ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. The place does have a nice ambience, but I think I'll stick to Hama.
  2. The sushi is always fresh, the atmosphere is always lively and the presentation is beautiful (even on to-go orders).
  3. The food was always good, the staff always friendly and the atmosphere was always chill.
  4. It is a little cramped so definately not the place for a romantic dinner.
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. There were tons of shrimp, fish, scallops and these crispy rice cakes that I loved.
  2. The mushroom wontons, black cod, garlic spinich, and crab cakes are all amazing.
  3. even had a friend I took here from Maryland and he said they were some of the best crab cakes he's had.
drinks
50.0% positive
  1. Granted, it is a lot nicer and they have a full bar.
  2. Really great selections on wine that actually go with sushi (Reislings, etc).
food quality
91.09000205993652% positive
  1. have no problem payng for good service and good food.
  2. The garnishes and spices he used were great complements and each dish tasted superb and refreshing at the same time.
  3. Nice vibe and the sushi is great.
  4. I've had better sushi for the price and the chairs are horribly uncomfortable (and cold), but overall I had an enjoyable experience.
  5. We did have some some delicious yellowtail and tuna, but other items on the menu such as ribs, cooked cod, salads, etc had some unique sauces and tastes that were absolutely first rate.
  6. There were tons of shrimp, fish, scallops and these crispy rice cakes that I loved.
  7. The sushi is always fresh, the atmosphere is always lively and the presentation is beautiful (even on to-go orders).
  8. Then to top things off, I had to shout "excuse me" to the sushi chef as he'd been ignoring us for at least 20 minutes to order our first dish and continued to ignore us through out or stay.
  9. even had a friend I took here from Maryland and he said they were some of the best crab cakes he's had.
  10. Fantastic seafood
  11. Of the other dishes we got, the rock shrimp tempura was my favorite, but it was all good.
  12. The food is excellent.
  13. My friend had the lamb chops and the granita of lemon zest was really nice.
  14. Fresh fish, excellent menu for non-sushi lovers.
  15. could just tell that the quality of the fish wasn't very good.
  16. Really great selections on wine that actually go with sushi (Reislings, etc).
  17. THe food was awesome.
  18. In all do fairness, the food is still decent for the price however, after being treated like this and having spent thousands of $'s there every year, I WILL NOT BE BACK.
  19. The crunchy shrimp roll is the best!
  20. great sushi spot in Venice
  21. started with a bowl Miso soup which was excellent, The thai crunchy shrimp rolls are great.
  22. This dish was amazing, the Halibut was so tender and the flavors were great.
  23. And the fish is always fresh and yummy.
  24. When I order food to go, it is always garnished with little orchids or some other colorful flower, so I just take it out of the box and have a gorgeous meal to serve.
  25. love the spicy eggplant appetizer and the salads--great for the price.
  26. best sushi in venice
  27. The food is great.
  28. When I asked some locals for a good high-end sushi spot in Venice, they pointed me to Wabi-Sabi.
  29. When our food finally arrived, the yellowtail was not fresh.
  30. The food is good, the place gets loud.
  31. The sushi is really good but I love the cooked dishes even more.
  32. They have a pretty good happy hour and great sushi.
  33. The food was always good, the staff always friendly and the atmosphere was always chill.
  34. My waitress was pleasant, my food arrived on time and it was even relatively busy in the restaurant.
  35. The sushi at this place is good, not one of the best places.
  36. The mushroom wontons, black cod, garlic spinich, and crab cakes are all amazing.
  37. personally tend to prefer more authentic Japanese food.
  38. The staff is attentive, the dishes imaginative, I had ZERO problems with service.
  39. The menu showed (in my opinion) a lot of respect for authentic Japanese food, offering mostly authentic Japanese dishes with slight fusion twists.
  40. the service is great and the place is cool - but the sushi isn't as good as some other sushi places we've been to.
  41. love my local sushi spot.
  42. recommend the Ahi tartare, shrimp dumplings, ribs, crispy shrimp roll.
  43. this place sucked, service was rude, food was way below average and it was pricey.
menu variety
83.33000183105469% positive
  1. The menu showed (in my opinion) a lot of respect for authentic Japanese food, offering mostly authentic Japanese dishes with slight fusion twists.
  2. Fresh fish, excellent menu for non-sushi lovers.
  3. knew we were in for a bad experience right from the get go when the waitress took our order and was acting extremely rude b/c god forbid we ask a question about the sake menu prior to ordering a $30 - $40 bottle.
  4. Really great selections on wine that actually go with sushi (Reislings, etc).
  5. We did have some some delicious yellowtail and tuna, but other items on the menu such as ribs, cooked cod, salads, etc had some unique sauces and tastes that were absolutely first rate.
  6. Wabi Sabi has a big varied menu with many Traditional and California style choices.
overall
83.33000183105469% positive
  1. The food is good, the place gets loud.
  2. the service is great and the place is cool - but the sushi isn't as good as some other sushi places we've been to.
service
54.7599983215332% positive
  1. The staff is attentive, the dishes imaginative, I had ZERO problems with service.
  2. Wabi-Sabi has the worst customer service for sure.
  3. Foods were mediocre, and both the owner and one server were so rude and aloof when I complained about their mistake.
  4. knew we were in for a bad experience right from the get go when the waitress took our order and was acting extremely rude b/c god forbid we ask a question about the sake menu prior to ordering a $30 - $40 bottle.
  5. The food was always good, the staff always friendly and the atmosphere was always chill.
  6. also think the service is consistently friendly and quick.
  7. The service was also all around very good, from the moment we walked in.
  8. My waitress was pleasant, my food arrived on time and it was even relatively busy in the restaurant.
  9. Terrible service
  10. the service is great and the place is cool - but the sushi isn't as good as some other sushi places we've been to.
  11. have no problem payng for good service and good food.
  12. this place sucked, service was rude, food was way below average and it was pricey.
  13. The service is always friendly and efficient.
  14. Horrible Attitude, snooty service
value
50.0% positive
  1. In all do fairness, the food is still decent for the price however, after being treated like this and having spent thousands of $'s there every year, I WILL NOT BE BACK.
  2. I've had better sushi for the price and the chairs are horribly uncomfortable (and cold), but overall I had an enjoyable experience.
  3. this place sucked, service was rude, food was way below average and it was pricey.
  4. love the spicy eggplant appetizer and the salads--great for the price.
  5. Since it was a kind of expensive place, we spent quite a lot of money and I only had 5 pieces.
wait time
100.0% positive
  1. Then to top things off, I had to shout "excuse me" to the sushi chef as he'd been ignoring us for at least 20 minutes to order our first dish and continued to ignore us through out or stay.
  2. also think the service is consistently friendly and quick.
4 Star Rating: Recommended

09/14/11

One of my favorite restaurants...

by alabamasugar

i like the trendy atmosphere, and the food is really good. i love the tempura...but it can be pricey.

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

11/23/10

Love this place!

by LeahBee

One of my favorite date spots in Venice!! I go as much as possible!

4 Star Rating: Recommended

03/02/10

Fantastic seafood

by theminty

I had a great dinner here over the weekend. My friend and I ordered the shishito peppers to start and also split the bouillabasse which was a good idea as the soup turned out to be rather large. There were tons of shrimp, fish, scallops and these crispy rice cakes that I loved. Unfortunately, I didn't think much of my curry lobster rock shrimp noodles. I think some hot sauce would have helped. My friend had the lamb chops and the granita of lemon zest was really nice.

Next time, I'd love to check out their sushi bar.

  • Pros: great bouilabasse
  • Cons: very loud and busy
1 Star Rating: Poor

03/23/09

Terrible service

by wilsondebl

When I asked some locals for a good high-end sushi spot in Venice, they pointed me to Wabi-Sabi. When we first walked in, it looked nice. It was all down hill from there. There were 5 of us and they crammed us in a table too small, and eventually took our drink orders. More than 15 minutes later, we finally got our round of drinks- and that was the last time we saw the drink girl. We were there for over an hour and a half and no one ever offered us another round. We ordered food and they messed up our order. Whne food finally arrived, it was just so so. For the price of this place, the service should have been impecable and the food extraordinary. It certainly was NOT. I have no problem payng for good service and good food. Didn't get either here. Would never go back. Go to casual Hama instead.

  • Pros: Food was adequate, good location in Venice
  • Cons: Abysmal service, waitstaff was incompetent
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

11/19/08

great sushi spot in Venice

by nicole291

I really enjoy eating at Wabi-Sabi. The sushi is always fresh, the atmosphere is always lively and the presentation is beautiful (even on to-go orders). When I order food to go, it is always garnished with little orchids or some other colorful flower, so I just take it out of the box and have a gorgeous meal to serve. I also think the service is consistently friendly and quick. I definitely recommend going here for dinner or calling in a to-go order. It's a little bit more pricey than other sushi spots in the area, but not by much and it's definitely worth it.

  • Pros: really fresh sushi, nice atmosphere

The Details on Wabi-Sabi Sushi & Asian

Place Categories:

  • authentic japanese food
  • great sushi
  • good service
  • love place
  • superb first dish
  • yummy fish
  • great crunchy shrimp roll
  • even relatively busy waitress
  • big varied menu
  • great highend sushi spot
  • delicious yellowtail
  • enjoyable experience
  • romantic dinner
  • aloof server
  • aloof owner
  • nice vibe
  • pretty good happy hour
  • all amazing black cod
  • attentive staff
  • love eggplant tofu dish
  • fantastic seafood
  • excellent bowl miso soup
  • favorite local spot
  • worst customer service
  • all amazing crab cakes
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