Review Roku Japanese Restaurant - Calgary

Excellent Japanese restaurant in the middle of Royal oak shopping district. First impression is clean and modern place with cozy atmosphere. I was immediately greeted and seated. Soon this place had waiting time which shows this place is popular. We ordered bunch of sushi platter with some chicken and oyster appetizers. Food was prepared with care and attention to detail was impeccable. They had an funny way to show daily specials on a moving easel. Overall a very pleasant and tasty experience, I would definitely recommend Roku if you are in the mood of Sushi!

Great to have an excellent quality Japanese restaurant so far out in the suburbs. The food here is amazing! Prices might be a bit higher than most of the other Japanese restaurants within a 10-15 minute drive, but you get what you pay for in quality.

This was my second visit here and this is one of, if not the best Sushi spot in Calgary. The food here is top notch. I spoke with the one of the owners and found out that a lot of there fish get delivered fresh every other day and almost sell out immediately. I was not too surprised as all the sushi I tried was with out a doubt the best I have had in Calgary. I must give a shout out to the Takoyaki, this is the first place in Calgary that I have tried where they make it fresh to order. There desserts are just as good. They are all made in house and not overly sweet, but just the right mixture of sweetness and flavor.

Met with friends for lunch at Roku early this year and I was blown away with the quality and flavours of all the dishes. The best deals are at lunch. I know this is the first place I’ll go for food when the pandemic has eased up and they re-open for dine in. I want to try everything else on their menu.

Highly recommended place for 🍣, sashimi and japanese food! The sashimi is fresh and tasty! I am not a big fan of sashimi but I really enjoy the yummy sashimi serving in Roku!

I came for dinner on Saturday, and I really enjoyed the food. Everything seemed to be prepared with care, and the fish tasted fairly fresh. The hamachi is not the best I've ever had, it was a little bit chewy compared to my favorite elsewhere. Their "big" rolls really are huge and difficult to eat with one bite, also they did not have one of my favorites which is dynamite roll. Also I found the wild sockeye salmon unpleasant in texture and flavor, but this could just be personal preference and not a reflection on their fish. I would definitely love to come back here, but I'm not sure if I could convince myself to pay the premium price. There seems to be very good fish at a few restaurants in Calgary, yet this is the most expensive I've ever found, so for me the price is not worth it.

The most authentic Japanese restaurant in town. From the moment you walk in and see the Japanese hand written special menu whiteboard you know you're in good hands. Hospitality is phenomenal and you feel well taken care of. If you're looking for fusion cuisine or western influenced food, skip this place! The menu here is as "Japan" as it gets. Be sure to take the time to study it before hand if you can. The quality of the seafood is probably the highest possible that's achievable in Calgary. There's so much the menu has to offer and try. Expect to pay a little more here compares to your average sushi joint, but don't worry as it is worth every little bit. Make sure to try some of the specials of the day! Their desserts are also phenomenal and worth a try. Lot's of parking and easy to get to right off of Stoney.

One of the best Japanese restaurants in Calgary. The service is good and very friendly. We got the seasoned black cod, which was very tender and something you're not likely to find elsewhere in the city. The rolls are delicious as well. The spicy tuna is actually spicy and the rest of the rolls we got were well above average in comparison with other places in Calgary. Would highly recommend this restaurant.

For such high prices, the sushi was average at best. Would not come back. Service was very good though.

This place has poor service and is not kid friendly. The portions were small for the price and the sashimi was substandard. The tools were decent, but did not make up for the multiple other fails. There are just way too many places in the city that is better.

The food is delicious, the service is attentive and the atmosphere is relaxed. They have great lunch deals. This is my #1 restaurant for sushi in Calgary.

I like this place. For suburb sushi it’s not bad, exponentially better than Sakana or Kinjo. The sashimi has always been great, the rolls have minimal amounts of mayo and the staff has nailed it both dining in and taking out. I hope this place stays in my neck of the woods!

I had a lunch set at Roku today. Their food never disappoints me. The fish in the chirashi is good quality, it seems small but it is actually filling. I especially love the pork cutlet in the set, crispy but it's not dry inside. To compensate myself for eating the not very much fresh of hamachi (yellow tail) sushi at Sushi boat last night, I treated myself with two pieces of hamachi sushi at Roku. You can see how shiny the fish is in the pictures, the fish is supposed to look shiny if it's fresh.

This place is a gem, by far the best sushi and japanese food I have ever had!<br/>They have a large menu so obviously I couldnt try everything but I will definitely be back again to try more of their items. <br/>They have such an authentic feel to their restaurant and I spoke with their manager for a while and found out this is a family run restaurant who are all Japanese, NO WONDER ITS SO GOOD!! <br/>Even with the weather yesterday this place was packed, I guess everyone knows where to get amazing sushi! Will be back soon Roku!!

Roku is a Japanese/ Sushi restaurant in Royal Oak mall Calgary. <br/><br/>The chef and stuff seemed like all Japanese people. Their service was very nice as well. <br/><br/>We visited at dinner time, we tried bunch o f different Sushi, tempra, and beef tataki. <br/><br/>Everything tasted pretty good. We liked raw shrimp sushi, which I find difficult to find in Calgary. The fish was fresh and taste good. <br/><br/>The price isn’t cheap but the quality is not too bad.

This place is SO good best sushi in yyc!<br/>They are very busy, but it’s definitely worth the wait. We got there last night, we were greeted by a hostess Atsuko, who turns out is also an Olympian! how cool is that!? She told us about 15-20min wait as when we got in it was already a fullhouse, but we heard such good things about this place we wanted to try it out so we waited and WOW!!! SOOOO DELICIOUS!!! and the staff here are so friendly and attentive, I dont think they work in section like most restaurants do so every waitress is there to help you. <br/>The food, the ambiance, the service everything was so amazing definitely coming back soon.

Food is decent, would have given a higher rating if not for their ridiculously poor customer service. When we arrived, it took the host 5 minutes to acknowledge us. The hostess (Machiko) was right there, just on the phone, but a wave would have been sufficient. When we asked for a table for 3, all she said to us was, “no we don’t”. So we looked at each other confused, wondering if she is going to offer us some options...she ignored us and went on to ask other people in line if they have reservations. we finally had to ask if we can wait for a table? We finally got seated, asked for a booster seat, the host just turned around without saying yes or no. She did not say a word when we finished paying neither, no thank you, no have a good night. We were not expecting VIP treatment but their customer service is worse than fast food restaurants.

we have a group of five people and we were not even getting served. We were there at 8 pm and were told they don't have any table and all tables were reserved. I would not recommend this place because of their poor service.

Excellent Sashimi. Worth the extra $. Fresh and portioned well. I would definitely come back! Cosy little restaurant - parking can be a challenge at times.

This restaurant is one of the worst one to go if you have a kid. The food is fairly good (nothing special just good enough to be eaten) but their staff attitude toward kids or babies is a disaster. I've been in many restaurant and this is the first one that their servants constantly bugging me and asking me to keep my 15 months baby quiet or keep her tight to the table (which pretty hard regarding the fact that they even don't have high chairs and when we ask why, their response is because we don't need them!!!). Finally after so much irritating comment from their servants we asked to meet the manger who was even worst that other staff. His response to our complain was if you can't keep your 15 months baby seated on your lap since there is no high chair, this is your problem and you should't come here!!!!

Driving all the way up to the NW we decided to try out Roku for the first time. The restaurant is located in the Royal Oak strip mall next to plant organics. First off the restaurant isn't as big as you think so we were lucky to get a seat without a reservation. We ordered the nigri sushi, sashimi (thick & fresh) and a couple of rolls which were gigantic like a super sushi (tons of fish and filling). I tried fitting a piece of super sushi in my mouth but it was impossible. I was able to try sashimi sea bass for the first time off of Roku' s daily specials. The flavors and presentation of the sushi was excellent. Prices are more expensive here ($3 - $5 for a piece of sushi) but worth the experience. I'd recommend trying this joint out.

Sat down and realized the menu was similar to another favorite spot in town...Zipang in Bridgeland! Their rolls and sashimi didn't disappoint - huge rolls full of fresh fish and their tempura battered unagi roll was light and crunchy. I appreciated the unagi sauce being on the side so that you can control the amount in every bite. Negitoro was really good because you can really taste the onion flavor against the chilled fresh fish. Rolls can use less rice however you didn't feel like they did it on purpose because they didn't skimp on the amount of fish. The Ika karaage was light and flavorful and the ramen salad was a unique dish. Very fresh and good portion. Beef tataki was a nice thick cut with minced radish garnish and was presented beautifully. Would definitely come back for more!

It doesn't look like much from the outside and the menu doesn't stray far from what's expected at a Japanese restaurant but it's definitely one of the better quality sushi places in Calgary.<br/><br/>The nigiri is simply good!

They are expensive for a reason. The fish is always fresh. Their daily special is full of surprise. I would rather save up to go to Roku than going to some cheap jap restaurants that serve rotten fish.

Food is great and delicious, service was brief but fine with me. The wait was crazy so I definitely would recommend making a reservation! <br/>Very fresh! I think I just found my new favourite in town.

See updated comments below for change in rating of my experience. Went from a 5 to 1 due to poor customer experience<br/><br/>Comments from 2017:<br/>Love, love, love this place. It's got to be one of the best places to go to for fresh fish. They constantly have something new on their menu to keep things from going stale. The owner really knows what fresh fish is and I am never disappointed when I go. I'm always learning about new things when I go. Last time I went it was their 3rd anniversary and they had blue fin tuna specials. So good! Also tried their new year's dinner set that was very visually appealing and yummy in my tummy. It's different. It's not cheap but I think it's worth the price you pay. Make sure you make reservations during the weekend.

Shared a variety of sushi for take-out with a bunch of friends...all really good.  The toro, salmon toro, and the spicy salmon with avocado were especially good.

We sampled the salmon sake ($2.40), the smoked salmon ($3.00) and the California roll ($7.00). All were absolutely delicious - the fish was very fresh and sliced perfectly.  The tori no karaage ($7.00) we tried had a well-seasoned, crisp batter, but I don't think I would order it again due to the almost gristly quality of the meat. The assorted tempura ($7.00) was excellent: the batter was perfectly crisp and the vegetables perfectly cooked. For entrees we tried the ton katsu ($14.50) and the beef yakiniku ($15.50). The ton katsu had a nicely crisp coating and was cooked beautifully, and each succulent piece of beef was bursting with flavour. Both entrees also came with a daikon salad that had a practically addictive miso dressing. The service was very helpful, friendly, and quick and the small restaurant has a very cozy, inviting atmosphere. This is an absolutely delicious restaurant I'll definitely try again. It might be a good idea to make a reservation since it was a fairly long wait: its popularity is well earned!

They do a good job on their rolls, but still missing that "greatness factor" when it comes to the very-difficult craft of creating great sushi. You can tell that they definitely put in the effort, as their rolls are quite good. But when it comes to the sushi, the fish and rice don't come together well. Sushi fish shouldn't be cold, it's a shame that most Japanese restaurants in North America don't understand that temperature is a factor in great sushi.<br/><br/>Service is great, they're always friendly and welcoming.

I enjoyed my pick – the sashimi and sushi plate ($17.00). This combo doesn’t come with rice but I did get a bland salad and a hot, richly flavoured bowl of miso soup. The nigiri was well-made and the raw fish was cool in temperature and a generous cut. The rice was nicely seasoned, sticky and perfectly cooked.

Came here for the first time and had the chirashi and tempura. Once thing that is obvious is how fresh the food is! Started with the miso soup that wasn't bad at all. We came early at 11:30AM and there was already a lineup by 12:15PM. The place is not too big - I think it can seat a maximum of 35 people.

We're heard great things about Roku from our friends so we decided to stop in for lunch. <br/><br/>We ordered off their chalkboard menu (specials) and would recommend it as it's something different that I haven't seen offered at other restaurants. We had the sashimi special which included opaleye, sea robin, bluefin tuna, flounder and red shrimp. It should work out to $5 per piece ($60 total) and it was delicious. They also fried the shrimp heads which are so tasty. Presentation was also impressive with the fish in the background. <br/><br/>Also ordered lunch box special with aji fry (breaded Jack mackerel) and ton katsu (breaded pork) that came with rice, miso soup and salad for just under $20. It can with two decent pieces of each meat.<br/><br/>All the food came out quickly and everything tasted so good. <br/><br/><br/>

Order two items from their special and bunch of items off the menu. The seared toro was amazingly delicious. Unagi don was very yummy. I would recommend trying items from their special (chalkboard) menu.<br/><br/>Service was efficient and fast. My partner and I eat very fast...and the next food item came out plate after plate, so we didn't sit around waiting. We were in and out in half an hour. In no way did they rush us either.<br/><br/>Lost 0.5 because of cost. It was 120$ for the two of us, but if you want fresh and delicious sushi in the NW, this place is it

Had two amazing dinners with my husband at Roku. We took a chance in a new place and fell in love with the minimalist interiors, creative entrees and flavors, and excellent service. It's a small haven of Asia in a shopping centre. I would definitely recommend anyone come here, especially for the Tiramisu!

Roku probably has the best sushi I've had in Calgary. Large selection of fish and has really good appetizers and unique dishes. I would definitely recommend this place if you are looking for authentic, high quality sushi.

Fancy place<br/>Nice seating <br/>Nice service<br/>Quite pricey <br/>But with Quality food !<br/>My sister tried their Special last week, she wants to try again, Blue Fin Tuna Special KitiKito 5 with four other Sashimi kind, the presentation is nice and attractive. It was ok, worth trying it out.<br/>This meal, I find The Cold Soba and the Roku Roll are our favourite.<br/><br/>

Went here with my bf the other day and was pleasantly surprised. From outside it looks like your regular ol' sushi place, but inside was actually very modern and sophisticated. <br/><br/>We started with takoyaki, followed by the favourite sushi plate for my bf and ton katsu for myself.<br/><br/>The servings were good for the price, 6pc takoyaki and you actually get a big piece of octopus inside, very yummy. Sushi plate was fresh and slices were fairly big. Ton Katsu pieces were a little overcooked imo but sauce was flavourful and it comes with salad and semi-mashed potatoes. The bummer part was that you had to order rice and miso separate $2.50 each! <br/><br/>It's not so often you go to a japanese resto and find a dessert menu that doesn't only consist of green tea icecream, so I tried their pudding with ice cream and loved it! 👌 <br/><br/>Definitely on the pricier side but we will definitely come back!

Best Japanese sushi restaurant in town. Our favourite used to be Zipang but the quality is no longer worth the prices they charged once the owner changed. Roku's signature roll, Roku roll is the best as the roll is filled with a good amount of sashimi with masago lay on top. Our another favourite is the ramen salad, mix the sauce and crap meant and everything before you eat it and it's so delicious. Roku also offers specials for high-graded sashimi such as otoro or bluefin tuna depends on the season. Anywho, Roku is our to-go Japanese restaurant when we crave for quality sushi.

Came here a few times with my bf. Food is Way better than shibuya sushi. Food and service is good!! Impressed will definitely come back. Wish it wasn't so far in the NW but worth the drive for good food.

By far the best sushi in the NW. Roku is located in Royal Oak, surrounded by several other restaurants near the WAL-MART. It's closed on holidays and Sundays, which I learned the hard way after trying twice and having it be closed (don't always trust Google hours!). There is plenty of parking nearby. There are tables and half-booths and the restaurant is well decorated with a large gold 'roku' in the middle in front of the chef's station. <br/><br/>The fish quality is excellent and the chirashi sushi bowl had a good amount of assorted sashimi and just a small amount of rice, which was perfect. They had fresh uni as a special in the early fall which was a nice treat as I find it rarely makes it to Calgary! I have only tried the udon off of the hot menu, which was OK but the broth was quite bland - I'd stick to the sushi and sashimi.

What an amazing experience in sushi. If you've never had Bluefin you can order it by the piece here. The attention to fine details and the great tastes at Roku will<br/>Keep me coming back. <br/><br/><br/>Thank you sushi master chefs! <br/>

Roku was a nice meal for sure. I don't think I would go all the way to royal oak for it again because I live close to their sister restaurant, sushi bar zipang. The udon noodles were so soft and delicious, sashimi very fresh, but the sushi was average. The service staff is very nice

We came here for dinner last night and it was a great experience. I was impressed by the variety of items on the menu. First we shared the house special roll and the prawn tempura roll(name?) and they were delicious! The sushi rice tasted so fresh and delicate. I had the pork cutlets as my entree and it was SOOOOO good. They were perfectly cooked and the rice once again was sublime. The only thing I wished they offered is Japanese style curry...the pork cutlets are as good as the ones I've had from Japan.

Kim is rarely up North, so we took this opportunity to have lunch at Roku!  This lovely sushi restaurants is one of the many great dining choices available in Royal Oak.  We came once during opening weekend, but have not had a chance to come back since.  Needless to say, we were both really excited!

This is actually my favourite sushi restaurant I have been to in Calgary. I've tried almost everything. The udon soup is delicious. On the weekends they have really good specials. Today we went in after work for dinner and had sashimi, Cali rolls, spicy tuna rolls and shrimp tempura. For dessert we shared a green tea ice cream. SO good. As usual.

Roku is one of my favorite Japanese restaurants in Calgary. The restaurant is small and it fills up fast so recommendations are needed. The sashimi is really fresh and the presentation is beautiful. The sushi rice has good flavour and consistency. It's on the pricey side but it's worth every penny. I'm always craving this place.

Came here for the lunch special and it was AMAZING. Food was very well made, tasted fresh and delicious. Service was extremely fast and fluid. Will be coming back 100%. the lunch special had a lot to offer and I'm excited to try other things. A bit pricier than some run of the mill sushi places but you can taste the (positive) difference. Excellent!

Really fresh ingredients, amazing flavours, and great presentation, Roku has become one of my favourite sushi restaurants. It's certainly at the top of my favourite go to spots in the northwest area of the city.<br/><br/>It's not easy to find high quality sushi in the deep Calgary suburbs, but Roku offers a great menu. The sushi rolls and sashimi are pretty traditional and standard. Again, if it wasn't for the quality of seafood, their food might not be on my radar. There are some standouts among the starters. Give the Tuna Avocado No Goma Ae a try to see how great the house sauces are when paired with good fish and fresh avocados. <br/><br/>It may be considered pricey, but I feel the quality justifies the prices. Not really a surprise coming from a restaurant from the former owner of Zipang in Bridgeland (another of my top Calgary sushi spots). Even a year after opening, there are evenings where it's a wait to get in. It's not a large restaurant, so sometimes the turnover takes awhile, but I'll gladly wait.

A little over priced.... But food is good, fish is fresh! Must get the baked oysters! Best I've tried so far. Service could be a little better though.... They seem busy but no one looks around to see if customers need help...

Their "Daily Special" is fresh and good.  The regular menu items were just okay for the price they charge.  Dessert tempura banana with ice cream was good.  It's kid-friendly.

I always had good experience as their quality when they first opened was really good. But on Monday it seemed like they were a bit off, everything was not fresh, the deluxe sashimi was warm, the nigri was still good but the specials were no longer interesting. They had BBQ pork, and blue fin tuna, that's the same thing offered half a year ago. I ordered them both, the BBQ cha su was dry and really salty, and their tempura was not crispy. Not complaining but I think their sister store zipang has better selection taste and variety. The price is still relatively high compared to what you normally get at other authentic Japanese cuisines. Not kidding, after I arrived home, everyone had to go to the washroom not in a good way. Maybe a mulligan but I don't think I'll visit again anytime soon.

This Japanese restaurant is near where I live, it's pretty good and the inside looks very nice. Everything was very fresh! Service is actually pretty good, we came in late before they were about to close for lunch and they had very good service.

Great sushi. I would have given them a much higher rating however, the servers can barely break a smile or find the need to be hospitable. Expect to be seated and then ignored for 10 minutes. I've ordered their lunch combo twice and both times they "forgot" to bring a bowl of rice (which the menu says is included). The waitress even looked annoyed when I asked.Seriously? <br/>Even though I live right by the restaurant, I'd rather go elsewhere then to have the servers here behave like its my privilege to be acknowledged by them.

The food is ok however i dont agree that it is child friendly. One of the servers called our attention because our two kids who cant help but be playful were talking a lot and laughing. There are other customers who were talking loud but they chose to reprimand us. It was not a pleasant experience.

My favourite sushi place in Calgary hands down. I was struggling to find a go to sushi place in Calgary ever since Wa's closed, and was so happy to find Roku. <br/><br/>The sashimi here is amazing! Always super fresh and nice thick cuts. I like the udon here as well, and the special rolls are quite big. If you have room for dessert, I recommend the tempura banana with green tea ice cream. Soo good!<br/><br/>The service is also always great here. If you are going on a weekend, I recommend making reservations in advance because the restaurant is pretty small. I like that they didn't try to cramp in as many seats as possible and there is lots of space in between tables. <br/><br/>I find that dinner can get pretty pricey as all sushi can in Calgary. If you are on a budget, I recommend going for lunch. They have some lunch specials that I find are great and cheaper. The sashimi lunch is my fav! :)

This is one of my favourite Japanese restaurants in Calgary. A bit far out but I can guarantee you it is worth the drive. Great service, flavours and selection.

Quality and service have been consistently great! Great meals for the past 5 visits in as many months. Our family's favorite. Tonight, my son and I dined at the sushi bar and ordered sushi & sashimi a la carte. Chose the sashimi version of the Argentinian prawns (see pix) to try from the daily special board menu. The heads were served deep fried. Crispy, crunchy  and flavourful. They were tasty, but I prefer the local Botan Ebi (Spotted prawns). The Hamachi sashimi (yellowtail) was thick and delicious. I ordered the mini chirashi sushi. It came with salmon, tuna, ebi(shrimp), hokkegai (red surf clam), masago (capelin roe) and garnished with sliced mini cucumbers, nori, seaweed over a bed of sushi rice. Delicious! Service was prompt friendly and efficient. The restaurant was almost full on a Friday night. Would return anytime.

We've all heard about little tiny Japanese restaurants hidden away in coastal cities like Vancouver where the fish is fresh and you basically eat what the chef makes for you without question. While Roku doesn't go quite to that extreme, they score big points on freshness and quality. I've been waiting for a place like this for a long time and never thought that we'd be able to experience this 'freshness' being in land-locked Calgary. Yes, the prices are higher than most sushi joints in town, but consider this Japanese Fine Dining. You can't compare a place like this to the 100-seat sushi restaurants out there where they're just churning out sushi in a mass production line, you know the ones where even the rice is formed into perfect dense rectangles by a machine. This is THE place to treat yourself on a special occasion. Just look at the photos, they tell the story.

This is definitely one of my favorite sushi places in Calgary. It's always fresh. You're certainly paying for quality here which means you'll leave satisfied. I haven't tried much cooked food although their chicken karaage is one of my favorites in Calgary.

I had lunch today for the first time at Roku. It was fantastic! Sushi and sashimi were so very fresh. Amazing flavour and texture. I will most definitely be back. The quality is worth the price.

This place's miso soup impressed me. How often does that happen?! That's a good sign. While pricey, this former Zipang owner has set a very high bar for quality Japanese food in the NW. Reservations are highly recommended as you won't get in on a Friday or Saturday night without one. Try something on the Specials board they set up in front of your table before you order - lots of fish on the special menu that you won't find anywhere else.

A bit pricey.... Sushi was average, only thing I would recommend is the baked oysters, very creamy and fresh!<br/><br/><br/>-----13 Apr, 2015-----<br/><br/>First time here, it was really good, service was great! Got to have the grilled oysters! Best oysters I've had in calgary

Roku is consistently good and offers higher end Japanese food that NW Calgary needs. They have some of the freshest and finest cuts of Sashimi in the city. Service is generally good and fast.

The food is good but the service not so much. This is as close as you can get to real Japanese food. I believe the staff is all Japanese, so you can see that in the final product and the details of the serving (like using rice bowls to serve rice, not soup...). The portions are well presented but rather small. Even my 6 year old was half empty after he eat a full "adult" bento. No children menu available. Not sure if the servers are new to the industry. May be today wass a bad day, but I felt they didn't follow the basis of the good old Japansese customer service (where "customer is god"). That made me feel this place not only pricy but rather way overpriced. Had I feel like a 'god' I would give this joint a good review.

This place is nice and quiet. The sushi is definitely better than most NW sushi restaurants. It is a bit more expensive, but worth it.

Overpriced and so bland. Ordered 100 bucks of takeout for two, and it was all ruined by overcooked, tasteless sushi rice. Not sure if they forgot the salt or what, but every bite was dominated by way too much of the vile stuff. And I love rice! Worst sushi experience in a long time.

Exceptional!. My wife and I enjoy sushi so we were looking forward to this place opening up and we weren't disappointed! From the service to the food, it was absolutely incredible! Although the prices are steep it is certainly worth the splurge. So good!

AMAZING!!!!! The atmosphere was great, the staff were really friendly and helpful and most importantly the food was just down right perfect. Oh and best Miso Soup I have ever had!!!!

Finally a Japanese family-run restaurant after Wa. After Wa closed down, following the passing of its chef, Calgary has been lacking severely in some proper Japanese care for sushi and sashimi. Thankfully, we now have Roku. The noodle dishes were ok. Udon had some nice broth with Citron in it that was memorable. The sushi and sashimi had some great textures and flavors to it. Not the best I've tried, but it was one of the best in Calgary for sure. Definitely will be going back, at least to try another daily special. I think it is a little bit over-priced on some dishes considering the market average, but there are other properly priced dishes that were great too. I think they just need more time to adjust to the market values.

We love good sushi and Roku sushi is good....however, some prices are very hard to justify. <br/>While I understand that a fair price must be paid for good quality seafood, I just can't justify paying $6 for two pieces of deep fired tofu and $4 for 1 cut up piece of steamed Rapini (granted the source it came in was very nice, but it's it still does not justify such a tiny portion) As well, I noticed at the end of the meal that we paid $8 for tea ($2 per cup) - I'm used to tea in Asian culture being complimentary or a nominal charge, but to charge us $2 per child for them to get a bit of tea with their parents is outrageous. <br/><br/>I would suggest that Roku needs to re-think their pricing and portioning strategy on some items.

I was up in the northwest and noticed a little japanese restaurant called "Roku". Being a sushi fan I always enjoy trying new places. When we entered it took a few minutes to grab a table. Its not the biggest place and there were a few people picking up some take out. One gentleman picking up his dinner order of 170.00 was apauled after he asked for more wasabi and they were trying to charge him 1 dollar for it. He said his peace of how he was already spending a bunch of money on sushi and that it was ridiculous that they wouldnt just offer it for free. After getting to our seat the waitress came around, she was nice enough. The service was good, nothing to write home about. The food was meh, nothing special by any means and its a bit over priced for the quality of sushi you receive. If your up in the NW I would maybe stray away from "Roku".

Yumm. Went for sushi lunch we ordered some of the lunch specials. Everything was super fresh and delicious. Service was great,

Good. A little on the pricier side but good quality food

Good food but NOT baby friendly!. My husband and I went for lunch and enjoyed a lovely meal along with our baby. Though it is on the pricier side, the sashimi was fresh and were in large pieces and the food came relatively fast. Green tea was pricey at $2pp. Service was great until the end of our meal. Our baby had been quiet the whole time but needed a diaper change however upon entering their nice large washrooms I did not find a change table. Hence I had to pick a table in the washroom hallway right by the back door in order to change my infant. This was not in view of other patrons and I tried to be quick. However I was told off by one of the waitresses that I cannot change my baby here. I said sorry and stated there were no change tables in the bathroom. Where was I to change him? She proceeded to tell me this table is for customers (Really? You sit patrons by the toilets and back door????) She told me I cannot do this again. To top it off, my baby had a diaper explosion and needed an outfit change. I needed help not a scolding. For what this restaurant charges, they can afford to put in a change table into the washrooms. Don't come here with a baby!

We came here with our family from out of town and even brought our newborn baby. The sushi was incredibly fresh and delicious, the portions were perfect, and we enjoyed every dish. <br/><br/>I especially loved that they had takoyaki! Sure brings back memories of eating these when I was little! <br/><br/>We're so glad we chose this restaurant to take our guests to. We will definitely be back again soon!

Fan-freaking-tastic!. Pricey? a bit. worth it? completely!

One of the best sushi restaurants in calgary I have been to!!! Would definitely recommend to my friends and anyone who enjoys authentic japanese food! I tipt hat...or should I say, take a bow to the chefs!

I ordered Ton Katsu (breaded pork) for $14.50 and was disappointed to find out it does not come with rice, and the plate is half filled with unnecessary plain cabbage - no sauce on cabbage. I had to order rice separately for $2.50 which makes my cost $17 for a few pieces of breaded pork and rice. I usually go to another restaurant (Sushi Kimu) and for only $12 I get large portion of pork, miso soup, salad, rice, and two sauces. I would not come here again as I don't get value for my money.

Very good. Went today with a girlfriend. Ika mentaiko was very good, salmon sashimi pretty fresh as well. Got the spider futomaki roll, it was wayyyy too big for two little girls to eat, lots of rice, but that's the whole point of futomaki rolls- still very tasty. Also had the banana tempura ice cream dessert, SO GOOD! Our young male server was very hospitable and good looking as well ;). Definitely the best Japanese restaurant in the NW.

BEST!!!. BEST PLACE IN THE CITY! Bold Statement? Wait til you check out this place. The decor is mediocre, but the sushi is the best quality.

Sushi Salvation!. This place is amazing. Really fresh fish, perfectly seasoned rice, and an interesting menu. It is pricy, even for sushi, but I don't care because it's that good. They have filled my sushi void after the sushi-pocalypse of Sushi Club and Wa's closing their doors.

2015 Edit: Rating from 4.5 to 3.0. I still stand by everything I said below in my earlier review however there's one waitress there that is extremely disrespectful. She started to completely ignore me and my guests after we had paid and it was pretty clear that she felt like we did not tip enough. I've been back only once since then (I was hesitant) and same thing, she made ever effort to not acknowledge us as we were at the restaurant. <br/><br/>I've never been so steamed by a waitress before. This is the first and hopefully only time I will ban a restaurant because of one waitress. <br/><br/>2014 review: Awesome!. I would vote Roku as the best sushi place in NW Calgary for sure. The sashimi and sushi rolls were quite large portions compared to other sushi places in Calgary and it was also super tasty! <br/><br/>The portions are probably what make this restaurant a little pricier compared to the other places, and there seems to be a general consensus of that on the review page. But I do think that it's well justified. <br/><br/>Looking forward to my next visit to Roku.

Another Fabulous NW Japanese Restaurant. Since the family was in town, we decided to try out Roku - the kidlets are huge fans of sushi. The ambiance is modern and zen; however we didn't get the glowing orange mountain in the middle of the restaurant - I'm not sure if it is significant of something important to the Japanese but in our opinion it detracted from the room. The restaurant was hopping on a Thursday night and we joked that the space might be better used with another four-top!<br/><br/>We at first thought the prices were a bit high - but not surprised as we are in the northwest and we are eating Japanese cuisine. However, what surprised us were the huge portions of food. The rolls we ordered were massive and we barely managed to finish them as we judged our ordering comparing to other Japanese restaurants we've gone to. They were probably three times the size, as well as the nigiri and sashimi. You definitely get your money's worth here. <br/><br/>The menu has dishes that we've never seen before in Calgary. The Chicken Namban was delightful - delicately fried chicken similar to schnitzel was topped in a lemony glaze and garnished with egg salad plus pretty shredded daikon radish. The beef teriyaki-like dish (whose name that I can't remember) was the only letdown of our meal - the meat, though flavourful, was overcooked and dry. Another let down is that a small bowl of rice is $2.00 extra - which seems to be the norm amongst Japanese restaurants these days. The stars of the night were the various tempuras we ordered - done properly and light, crispy and airy.<br/><br/>Service was prompt, pleasant and friendly for our large group, even though the restaurant was extremely busy. I recommend reservations and also ordering maybe 1/2 to 1/3 of what you usually order for sushi, as the servings are quite big. Roku is definitely going on our roster of favourite sushi restaurants in the Calgary area.

Delicious Authentic Japanese restaurant. So Delicious!! Japanese authentic and has a homey nostalgic feel. My husband and I went there for the first time before taking our son. And after the experience we agreed that we'll become regular customers. We ordered a sushi set that came with three appetizers: The agedashi tofu (deep fried tofu) was crisp and soothed our palate, the nimono or stewed dishes had carrots and gobo (burdock root) brought back childhood memories... While the gobo is considered a mainstream vegetable as far as Japanese and other Asian cuisines are concerned, it is less common in Western cuisine. I never seen it in any other Japanese restaurant here in Calgary. The sushi was amazing, service was impeccable, prices were definitely worth paying for, and the decor of the restaurant was simple and elegant.

Really fallen in love with this place. Have been here a few times already since it opened. Not sure if I'd be bored with the menu soon as it doesn't have a lot of fusion creative stuffs but the authentic jap food - it does so well. Beats that jap place in Bridgeland hands down.

Good but pricey. Nice cosy little restaurant right by our house. Food was very good quality but extremely pricey, and they charge you if you need extra wasabi, ginger, etc. Service wasn't quite as attentive as we'd like.<br/><br/>btw, what's with the strange glowing statue of a mountain (or alien pod?), that requires customers to watch their step around it. I'm sure the space could be better used for another table! I give it a few months before they decide to rip the thing out.

Zaipang NW. You get the gis.... Zaipang NW.<br/>You get the gist :)

Previous comment SHIBUYA?????. I would say Roku is a decent japanese rest. food and service was great but not my favorite.<br/><br/>For the previous comment Title" SHIBUYA?" Everyone has a different taste buds . You like it or not!! THATS IT!! <br/>Please do not insult a restaurant!!! They still need to do bussiness. Seriously I have not eat at SHIBUYA OR NOTHING RELATED.I just think that people shouldn't talk bad about other restaurants on others comment page. And for me I don't care who makes the food.(japanese, chinese, korean) WTF cares, as long as the food is delicous.

I was a avid eater at Wa's Japanese Restaurant, (which I greatly miss) as they no longer exist after many years of tickling my taste buds. Having been stranded for what seemed like an eternity, as none other tickled me silly....UNTIL NOW. <br/><br/>Was with hubby today and the discovery of Roku was a pleasant surprise. We had Takoyaki, Tempura, Rainbow Roll, Spicy Tuna Roll, California w/ Masago Roll and a few a la carte sushi pieces. The first bite awoke my taste buds. Each subsequent bite invaded into the depths of my tummy, tickling it silly. In fact, each bite took me further and further away into my happy place.<br/><br/>Everything had freshness. Each morsel of the Rainbow Roll was scrumptious. Ingredients combined, yet you could taste the flavour and texture of each individual ingredient - crunchy golden tobiko bursting with a hint of salty flavour, velvety essence of avocado, rich buttery texture of the salmon, firm yet melt in your mouth tuna, shrimp with a hint of seafood sweetness (something not common in YYC since we live far from the open waters), fluffiness of the japanese rice yet each individual grain separate - oh my, that's just the Rainbow Roll. <br/><br/>The Spicy Tuna Roll was spicy with a sense of sweetness, had a definitive jolt but not too much kick. The taste lingering, almost teasing, until it was washed down with ever aromatic genmaichai. There is just so much yumminess, I could go on and on. But let you experience it for yourselves.<br/><br/>For me, most everything tasted right, with the exception of one dish. Not a biggie, more of a minor hiccup. The ever classic Takoyaki, it's a little round bite size dumpling of a snack. When it arrived at our table, it looked so scrumptious, garnished with the full smoky flavour of benito flakes and yummy sauces (likely Kewpie mayonnaise & a thicker sweeter version of Worcestershire) drizzled all over. I was eager to pop one of them in my mouth and if course I did. The flavour was right but the texture was slightly off, it was too soft. But like I say, just a minor hiccup, easily fixed by playing with the consistency of the batter. <br/><br/>Overall, my experience was/is a harmonious array of flavourings that accentuated one after the other. It was a wonderful experience which I have longed for quite some time. Everything blended together. I am very fortunate that Roku is in Royal Oak because I am only a hop, skip and jump away from my new found happy place. <br/><br/>Until my next meal!<br/>Pictures of our meal posted as well. Go on and have a peek. Warning! Drool alert. ^o^

Almost back in Japan,. Good food, not just taste is good but restaurant is brand new and very bright.<br/>we just love food and place, will go back next week..

Absolutely Fantastic!. This new sushi restaurant opened up by our place so my wife and I thought that we would check it out. We went there on a Monday and the place was packed, nearly full. The only available seating was at the sushi bar, we were hungry so did not oblige. The sushi chef's were very friendly and immediately graced our presence. The waitress came by promptly and asked us what we wanted to drink. We ordered some sushi and sipped our drinks while we waited. Good food takes time, let that be a lesson. Once the chef handed us the sushi I was just praying it was going to be good.....Oh my it was amazing. The sushi was amazing! Super fresh and very generous sizes. I would recommend this new restaurant to anyone wanted sushi. This place will dominate the NW. I am so lucky I live so close!

So far so good!. This is a brand new restaurant in Royal Oak, and so far, I'm extremely impressed! The food was very good, service was prompt, restaurant was very clean. The plating was lovely. I will mention that the food took an extremely long time to come out, but all of it was well prepared and tasty! I'll be back for sure!

We had take out and it was delicious! I hope they keep up with this great food.

My favourite sushi place, hands-down. It's authentic. It's fresh. The servers are incredibly helpful and friendly. The atmosphere is really inviting and relaxing. All the front end staff and sushi chefs greet you when you walk in. You pay for what you get, for sure. I went alone and it was so relaxing. When the server saw me looking around she'd come over, if she noticed my green tea was getting low she'd refill it. They're very attentive, in the best way. The presentation of their food is great. The rolls are incredibly reasonably priced for what you get. It's delicious. Including tea, a ton of sashimi, dessert and tip, my bill came out to $35.

Amen brotha! Rodneygphipps is spot on with his review. No nonsense fusion fancy artsy overpriced rolls. Straight up legit Japanese food run by Japanese people. I was told this owner used to work at Zipang, my fave Japanese place in calgary.<br/>FINALLY A GOOD JAPANESE PLACE IN THE NW.

Shibuya?. Someone said Shibuya was their favourite japanese in Calgary. Basically tuned that one out right away. Shibuya is not japanese, it is fauxpanese. <br/><br/>Roku has filled a void left by sushi club. Proper quality restaurant, no crazy rolls, or fusion nonsense. Just proper, high quality, japanese. Fresh fish in Calgary is something that needs to be actively sourced, and constantly maintained and quality controlled. So far, Roku has done just that. <br/><br/>If your looking for discount rolls, go to a chinese/korean run place. If your looking for a high quality joint, then this is one of 2 or 3 in existence in Calgary, especially since Sushi Club KZ closed.

Best sashimi and Tonkatsu in town. Very very very very very fresh raw fish and melting in mouth. Tonkatsu is very crispy outside and juicy inside. Really like it!

Good good. I go out for sushi all the time and I was definitely satisfied. Only downside was imitation crab, but I didn't order anything with it so I guess shouldn't say anything. Portion size was generous, it was a little slow in terms of getting your food but it was full and they were clearly busy and when its good the wait doesn't matter too much. A great spot for people in the deep NW, check it out for sure

Fantastic Dining. Fantastic fresh food. Large variety, friendly servers and well priced. This is definitely a great find. Can hardly wait to try it again. Thanks Roku!

Real Japanese Food. We can enjoy real Japanese Food. <br/>Now we have many pretending Japanese food restaurants in Calgary, but this restaurant is real.

Fresh food, excellent service. Everyone there was friendly and the food was great. Will not be the last time I dine there and will recommend to all my friends and family.

Great food. Great service. Quick service. Nice people. Lots of locals. FRESH FRESH FRESH FOOD!! One of the best sushi restaurants I've been to in NW Calgary in a long time. I strongly recommend this place!!

Everything was excellent - very fresh, great service, clean, nice decoration -- all good!

Very good and very fresh! .... Very good and very fresh!<br/><br/>The service was good, but almost over bearing, but I would contribute that to bring a new restaurant.<br/><br/>If you are a regular to places like Kinjo, then this place will seem slow in terms of food arrival; however, unlike Kinjo, the food is staggered at a good pace and really good.<br/><br/>Took my eight and three years olds and they enjoyed it, but they did grow a bit impatient.<br/><br/>They soy sauce containers were interesting but awkward until we asked about them.<br/><br/>Only real complaint is the tea cups--the cups are unbearable to hold because they transfer the heat out...<br/><br/>Four a family of four, we spent over $125.00 with tip.

Service is the best in town, almost everything was brought to us 5 mins after we ordered, definitely the best sushi restaurant in the NW. My favorite was the chopped scallop sashimi

Fantastic Restaurant. Best Japanese cuisine in Calgary, amazing restaurant and people. Definitely a must!