Wabi-Sabi

08/07/2008 Posted by foodielover12

I love my local sushi spot. The sushi is really good but I love the cooked dishes even more. The mushroom wontons, black cod, garlic spinich, and crab cakes are all amazing. I even had a friend I took here from Maryland and he said they were some of the best crab cakes he's had. The service is always friendly and efficient. You should make a reservation or you have to wait sometimes, or you just sit at the bar! Great local neighborhhod spot!

07/26/2008 Posted by jsantamonica

I use to love this place. It was my goto sushi joint on the Westside. The food was always good, the staff always friendly and the atmosphere was always chill. Unfortunately all of that has changed. I went there with my girlfriend last night. When we arrived, we asked for a table however, we were told we'd have to eat at the sushi bar. No problem even though there were a few tables open the entire time that we were there. I 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. In addition, I think the waitress had been drinking or on something b/c she was slurring her words and was practically incoherent (something along the lines of a space cadet). After she brought out the sake, we ordered a beer. It took a while for her to bring the beer only to begin serving it to the group next to us. She eventually realized her mistake and brought it to us as well as the entire table by spilling it everywhere. The hostess tried to help clean up by putting a napkin down and dabbing the mess expecting me to clean it up. 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. It's not like they were understaffed or extremely busy last night. Needless to say, the only time we saw our waitress after the beer shower was when it was time for our bill. It would have been nice for her to check in every now and then but she couldn't pull herself away from her indepth conversation with the couple next to us. 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. GOODBYE WABISABI.

Pros: Ambience

Cons: Horrible service and rude staff

06/13/2008 Posted by rastaron

Always happy with this place. I go at least once a week and while the weekends may be croweded the service and food is almost always consistant. Granted being a local has it's advantages but even when I bring out of towners everyone is pleased. Great atmosphere and more refined then say Hama but less formal then Shima (across the street. which is amazing place in it's own right for super fresh fish and tradidtional sushi, just don't ask for a california roll!). Also if you are not in the mood for sushi they have an a ton of different options from noodles to chicken, steak and (cooked) fish and even some great salads. Price very reasonable...just of course depends on how much you drink! They also have a happy hour Mon-Fri. 5:30-6:30.

Pros: Food, service, atmosphere, price.

Cons: Sometimes food can be inconsistant, but rarely.

11/02/2007 Posted by mushroom5

Foods were mediocre, and both the owner and one server were so rude and aloof when I complained about their mistake. I will NEVER go back there again, but if you go there, check what you ordered and your receipt very carefully. Their server may not admit that she brought $40 drink instead of $8 one( she may also get mad at you for not noticing her mistake and drinking it). And the owner wouldn't say "Sorry," but would say "oh, I will give you credit, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHY I DO IT!" Because they were so rude, I didn't go back and get credit. Why would I want to eat their stuff again? There are lots of better REAL Japanese restaurants that know how to hundle their mistakes, and have nice workers. Wabi-Sabi has the worst customer service for sure. Just go to other restaurants and actually have a good time.

07/27/2007 Posted by tmaile

I used to love this place. But the last three times I have eaten there I have been treated rudely... Hostess, and server both acted as if they and their restaurant didn't need my patronage. Is it because of the restaurants success? What a shame. I will never be back.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

02/20/2007 Posted by jazzrider2

I had very high expectations for this place going in because they'd been recommend by a friend of mine who is a fusion connoisseur. I personally tend to prefer more authentic Japanese food. What I found at Wabi-Sabi was actually more on the authentic side than I had expected. The menu showed (in my opinion) a lot of respect for authentic Japanese food, offering mostly authentic Japanese dishes with slight fusion twists. Even though I hadn't planned on eating much sushi, I did decide to try some, and it was as good as I had expected after reading rave reviews here. Of the other dishes we got, the rock shrimp tempura was my favorite, but it was all good. The service was also all around very good, from the moment we walked in. It was a Monday night, so we only had to wait about five minutes for a table for two.

Pros: great variety, beautiful presentation, friendly service

Cons: you'll be spending upwards of $50 per person before you know it

02/07/2007 Posted by monkeyboyrit

This place is awesome. Nice vibe and the sushi is great. Thumbs way up for the skirt steak and garlic mash taters. Looking forward to dining there again and I would definitely recommend this place.

11/26/2006 Posted by foodfinds

I went here on a date and we were both starving at the end of the meal. First of all, the sashimi was absolutely AMAZING. It was so fresh that it simply melted in my mouth. It was awesome to be able to sit at the counter and watch the sushi chef cut all of the fish. The garnishes and spices he used were great complements and each dish tasted superb and refreshing at the same time. Since it was a kind of expensive place, we spent quite a lot of money and I only had 5 pieces...enough for me to be appetized and go home for a real dinner.

Pros: Food, Quality

Cons: Expensive

11/06/2006 Posted by lucky801

Blah. this place sucked, service was rude, food was way below average and it was pricey. i am never going back there.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

09/20/2006 Posted by jblaize

Thus place is busy. So go on an off hour. The food is great. I love the Eggplant hollowed out with sweet Tofu and Eggplant meat inside. It's almost a desert. The food is good, the place gets loud. But in general great little spot.

Pros: Food Great

Cons: Parking and gets too loud