Review Sabu Sushi Bar - Edmonton

Very nice experience! Good quality sushi at reasonable prices. We had the yam tempura, Korean fried chicken, tuna and salmon sashimi, Philadelphia rolls and rainbow rolls. All excellent, recommend the chicken with one of their sauce options for added flavour. Kind and helpful service as well! Would visit again 😀👍

The outside might not be the best looking place but inside is quite nice.. The food is great and the server with the glasses is very helpful and attentive, when we asked questions about the food she was helpful and even gave some clarification on certain dishes! We ordered the Veggie Sunomono, Tuna Tataki, Bulgogi Bento, and the Miso Soup and Korean Soy Chicken. The dishes in our opinion were full of flavour.. Combination of Citrus umami flavors the Japanese cuisine is known for it present in this restaurant.. The proteins were done perfectly, from the soft texture of the tuna, to the crispy batter from the chicken.. Meals were priced decently :) so you won't break your wallet.. Don't have to worry about food being cold, all of them were prepared properly and the timing of the food was perfect.. We wanted to be able to taste our food completely, so We had tea and water for our drinks but you can get other drinks such as soda if need be.. The utensils and cutlery they own have such nice details, as you can see in pictures and everything compliments each other. Lastly, the ambiance is good.. The service is great as people greet you and thank you when you leave.. And i hope they continue to do well and get busy in the future.. Well deserved group of people that care about hospitality and the service! TL:DR - Food is great, place is welcoming, people are friendly, price is good, small parking lot for when this restaurant finally gets recognized and it gets busy.

The renovations opened up more space, and the new walls allow for privacy at your table. The food was delicious. The chef sent out some waterfish for us to try - it was slightly smoked and so good! They were low on salmon because of transportation issues from the road closures in BC, but our server provided other options. Great service and great food.

Dine in dinner. Tried several rolls, sashimi and japcha. Korean style rolls and japcha are good. Sashimi is ok. Restaurant is neat and service is nice. Price is decent.

My friend and I went there for lunch. The restaurant wasn't too busy at that time which was nice. The server at the time was very nice and courteous. The presentation was very nice (professional) and the taste was very light and flavourful. Not greasy or heavy. I am definitely coming back again.

We were excited to check out the new Soban after the owner's switched this summer. The reno looks great. We got the new Crispy Creamy Salmon Sushi and it was AMAZING. Unfortunately, we've gone back a couple times and it hasn't tasted the same... The beef bulgogi Bento was delicious and we got more food than we were expecting. But the Yakisoba wasn't great. Also, almost half of their rolls are dynamite rolls with different toppings. So it doesn't feel like there's a lot of variety... We keep going because it's close but wouldn't say it's the best spot in the city.

Great Sushi for a decent price! Has good Aburi and pressed sushi and yummy Korean style fried chicken!! Came to the city for work and we were looking for a sushi spot. Stayed downtown but every place closes early or were booked up so decided to look up #yegeats on instagram. Found this new spot. It's been open for about two months. When we arrived it was clean and quiet, probably because it was Wednesday night. Did the vaccine checks and we were off. Staff was friendly and courteous. Menu was pretty good. The bonus is that it had Korean fried chicken! Had to try the soy sauce one as an appetizer. Then ordered the aburi combo, the pressed Saba aburi, colleagues got volcano and bc rolls, they gave us complementary soup and butterfish nigiri which was very nice of them. The food was fresh, tasted pretty good, aburi could of been torched just a bit longer but still had that charr taste. The location is a bit out of the way and hard to find. But at least it has decent parking. Definitely a gem in a quieter area. Would definitely recommend and try again! Hope it sticks around!

⭐ Hidden gem! Staff was great and place was really nice and simple to our taste. Food was exactly what others have said. It was great, especially the presentation. Forgotten to take a photo of our takeout coz it was beautifully presented. We had the sashimi Bento and yaki udon. Will def be back. Check it out for yourself.

I can’t believe it’s not busier here! Great tasting, fresh sushi at fair prices. It’s my new favourite sushi place. I’ve been the only customer in here on two occasions. Give this place a try people!

Decent place for sushi, sashimi, and other Japanese dishes. Service was great and ambiance was good; however, the dishes are just like every other average Japanese restaurant in Edmonton. I find that it is so hard to find a Japanese restaurant in the city that offers unique, creative, and traditional Japanese dishes than the same ol' standard rolls and dishes. And there are a lot of these average/decent Japanese restaurants in Edmonton!

Certainly overratted. Not a terrible sushi restaurant but undeserving of the generous 80% rating its received on urbanspoon.<br/>The meal was alright, some dishes were much better than others, the agadashi tofu for instance was one of the tastiest I have ever eaten, but the sushi was totally hit and miss, some of their construction and prep was plain awful, falling apart, unseasoned from what I could tell and some of the fish had a queer watery quality to them, as if the fish had been frozen before hand, which we all know can't be done with sushi grade fish so it was a tad unnerving to say the least. Service was slow and the server gave off the vibe that she really just didn't want to be there. The deco was pretty cool though, its in one of the old pizza hut buildings which are pretty unique with unconventional design features, they blended that cool aesthetic with some cool Japanese themes and then kind of ruined it with heavy incorporation of ikea light fixtures, now I'm just being fussy though, the interior was nice.<br/>probably the biggest thing going for this eatery is its location, though I only found it to be ok, it is probably one of the best restaurants in a 2 km radius, maybe more. It is something of an oasis in one of our cities worst culinary dead-zones if nothing else, but I think I would sooner sniff out the next closest eatery than return in a hurry

Ehh.... 1. sushi rice for chirashi is unseasoned.<br/><br/>2. The korean hot sauce for chirashi overpowers the fish, concealing all the real sashimi flavor. <br/><br/>3. worst of all, waitress cleans the table with left over tea and water from last table.

A for effort. We descended upon Sabu after a karate tournament...We had preordered the food and most everything was ready when we arrived....only three dishes forgotten but the oversight was very quickly corrected. Everyone was very happy with the fare and the service....We may just have to make this an annual post tournament event...thank You Sabu!

Great Food. On March 25, 2015 we found a hidden gem. My party of six were all impressed with Sabu's warm welcome, wonderful service and delicious sushi, soup and starters. Don't judge a book by its cover. Sabu's exterior is unassuming and, perhaps, misleading but once inside you will be delighted to have found a diamond in the rough. Thank you for such an enjoyable dinner, Sabu. We will return for more.

Best place for lunch - if food can come a little quicker. They have great portion size and all the foods taste very good. But service is really slow. I have been there quite a few times with co-worker in the past few months, and with no exception, our foods usually take at least 30 min to come every time... which means we had to really rush to finish it and get back to work... There's only one lady serving during the whole time when there are about 10 tables seated (seating customers, serving drinks and foods, bussing table, and collecting bills....)<br/>I really wonder if they would hire more help just to get them through lunch hours???

Definitely worth trying. This was my second time visiting Sabu, and again, it did not disappoint. <br/><br/>The amount of care and consideration put into the food here is so refreshing. Clean knife cuts, hot foods served hot and cold foods served cold, explosive flavours and nuanced marinades. It's clear that the chefs here really have a passion for their work.<br/><br/>The service was prompt and friendly, and our requests were addressed right away.<br/><br/>We will definitely continue to come back and spread the word.

Great decor, okay food - slow service. A group of us went to Sabu today, and while the food portions were great, the food itself was just typical (nothing special) and the service was extremely slow. It took approximately 1.5 hours for us to get through lunch. We were not the only one's frustrated, as we did notice patrons getting up and leaving after being seated. There was only one waitress running around trying to take orders/serve/cash out people. Id eat here again, but I'd either pre-order for a group or get take-out.

Loved it! Great sushi-hut vibe in the old Pizza Hut - delicious and beautiful - good value & service -- totally coming back :)

---. My friends and I had shirimp tempura and sunomono for starter and they were just awesume! We also had nigiri combo deluxe, gyu aburi roll, assorted sashimi and salmon/tuna/amaebi sushi.everything was perfect. Especially, I really enjoyed thier sashimi!!! Awesome sushi with comfortable atmosphere.

Hidden gem. We went to this resto based on the reviews here. And we were pleasantly treated to a very good dinner. We had:<br/>1. crunch california roll ( really yummy sushi/tempura combination)<br/>2. salmon sashimi ( quite fresh)<br/>3. prawn tempura ( very crispy)<br/>4. rainbow roll ( yummy too)<br/>5. bulgogi ( tender pieces of meat, and the veggie combination made it a meal by itself)<br/>6. japchae ( great flavor, but we would have liked more of the glass noodles)<br/>7. green tea icecream ( the highlight of the meal)<br/>The owners are very warm and friendly, making sure you enjoyed each dish they served! I would highly recommend this place! Don't let the outside appearance deter you- you're after the food, and it is superb!

Worst Lunch Bento. Ordered their chicken teriyaki lunch bento and I noticed the chicken tasted like an old leftover dish that was re-heated - really dry and hard. They also seem to used poor quality japanese rice for my bento. It tasted more like the cheap rooster rice in Superstore.

Best Sushi in YEG. Don't be fooled by the pizza hut roof and the offbeat location - this place means business. The sushi places I frequent don't hold a candle to Sabu. The gyoza looked handmade, each of the rolls had the freshest fish I've tasted on this side of the rocky mountains and the service was great. The gyoza, rose rose roll, spicy tuna sesame roll and the beef bulgogi roll each made a statement. The fish/meat was plentiful and delicious. This is what maki rolls should taste like. <br/><br/>The waitress was attentive, friendly, asked us what our favorite dish was, and the owner came by personally to ensure we were enjoying our meals. We left our takeout boxes behind and the chef came running after us to return them. <br/><br/>I am already planning to go back. Don't change a thing Sabu.

Just had a Valentines Dinner and it was excellent. Highly recommend the rose rose and Gyu Aburi Roll. Perfect location - a short walk home for us. Will be visiting again very soon.

Fantastic sushi! The service is excellent as well, the waitress brought out a deep fried samon roll for a snack before the rest of our food arrived. Great value for your dollar too.

Mmmm. Don't judge this restaurant by the outside appearance. It looked like a sketchy Pizza Hut from the outside but inside is nicely decorated and very clean. They have vegetarian (no fish broth) miso soup which was one of my favorites. Everyone in our group loved the rolls and nigiri platter they ordered. They were able to accommodate gluten allergies with ease - from supplying gf soy sauce to making a vegetarian glass noodle dish for me that was also gluten free so we could all share - and our server was very friendly. I wanted to try some of the Korean dishes but we ordered so much we were stuffed. There was a string (from the dried noodle bundles) in our glass noodle dish that the staff were mortified about when we brought to their attention and they immediately apologized and took it off the bill. The chef came to our table to apologize personally. According to all the omnivores at our table the Rainbow Rolls were the highlight. (I'll take their word for it!) Overall we really enjoyed this place. Being from out of town and dining at a bunch of different places in Edmonton the consensus was that Sabu was our favorite stop.

Good food&good service

On par for YEG. Finally made time to stop in here. Don't be put off by the old Pizza Hut exterior, the inside is really well put together. The service was friendly and the orders came out quickly. They started us off with a nice little complimentary piece each of sweet fried tofu. That was pretty cool.<br/><br/>That said, there was nothing particularly special about this place menu or food wise. The prices and offering are on par with anything you'll find, though they did have a few interesting Korean influenced items like the Bulgogi roll. Alas, we didn't try it opting for a few basic staples to fill the crave (salmon and avacado and a simple cali roll). The presentation was bit odd since the rolls were all piled up in the middle of the plate, but the novelty of that far outweighed any concept of pretence on "how sushi should be plated".<br/><br/>All said and done I'd probably go back; I've yet to see anything remarkable in YEG in the way of sushi and this place is as decent as any.

The shabu shabu is amazing. We had been looking for a place in town that offers it and this is the first we have found. And it's delicious!

2.5/5 for Sabu. The problem with having really high hopes is that it's easy to be disappointed. I had heard a lot of really good things about this place from reputable sources, so I was extremely excited to try it out! We arrived on a cold Saturday night and were seated immediately as there were only two other occupied tables. Judging by the outside, this place must have once been a Pizza Hut. The inside however, looks great! They've certainly hit the mark on the decor! Exposed brick and wooden rafters, plenty of Japanese drapery and hanging lanterns - this is exactly what a Japanese restaurant is supposed to look like. Our server was very friendly and quickly took our order. We accompanied our food with a pot of green tea. I noticed that the music playing was jazz, which was fine, I just usually prefer a more authentic experience. I also noticed the chef walking around, and he seemed pretty legitimate, like someone who had been around this game for a long time.<br/><br/>To start, we each ordered a bowl of Miso Soup ($2.00). This was warm and exactly what you would expect without any surprises. I liked that the tofu was cut into very small cubes, which made them easily drinkable. <br/><br/>Next to arrive was our plate of sashimi. We chose the Assorted Sashimi (18 pieces - $32.95). The menu didn't specify which types would be included, but I usually like to try a variety. I noticed that the sashimi menu listed Saba (mackerel), a favourite, so I was hoping that this would be included in the Assorted, however it was not. I should have asked. What did arrive was; salmon, tuna, Hamachi (yellow tail), Tako (octopus) and some others. While the slices of sashimi were quite large, the cuts seemed to be sloppily and unevenly done. The octopus had obviously been frozen, since it was not finished thawing. It was like eating an icy octopuscicle. The tuna tasted fine, but the colour of it looked off. It was an unappetizing grey shade that seemed wrong. The rest of the sashimi was alright, but certainly not the best that I'd ever had, that's for sure.<br/><br/>Lastly was our rolls. I regret not ordering something more adventurous, and to the restaurant's credit, they do have some interesting sounding rolls available; such as the Dynamite Roll (prawn tempura, avocado, chop chop, cucumber, mild spicy sauce) or the Sabu Roll. We went with the Salmon Avocado Sesame Roll ($10.50) and the Spicy Tuna Sesame Roll ($9.95). These were both fine, but nothing amazing either. They seemed pretty plain, although the spicy sauce with the spicy tuna at least kicked things up a bit. They were quite standard overall.<br/><br/>I was REALLY hoping to find a new and amazing sushi restaurant to treat as a staple... But this unfortunately was not it.

The food was excellent! When you go to sabu you should try the rose rose roll! so good! I love the sushi chef - he is very friendly. I also ordered the shabu shabu. It is like hot pot but japanese it is so good to have on a cold winter day. Will come back again

Never Again!!!. Food was OK, service was good but when it came time to pay, debit, credit machine not working and no provision for a manual transaction. Waited and waited still not working. Not dressed for the -12 (feels like -19) walked to an ATM on the next block, (hate fees) returned only to find a $4.50 discount on a $60. Tab!!!<br/>Cold and disappointed.

Very pricey, and I was not impressed with portion sizes or flavour. Tuna shouldn't be room temperature in my opinion. Kyoto, I'm sorry I was too lazy to drive to you!

Simply the best sushi I've ever had! (And I used to be a sushi chef:) Their Dragon roll and spicy tuna roll was great. Superior quality, and great rolling skills from the chef. Best vegetable tempura and miso soup aswell. Very nice dining area and atmosphere. Very friendly and efficient wait staff. I was very impressed and will be back again and again!

MOST EXCELLANT. Was never a fan of Sushi, but I had the Beef Bulgogi with Kimchi and it was so good that I will be a frequent visiter to this location. I recommend it to all

We went here last week for sushi & it was amazing! We had the sushimi, nigiri & red dragon roll. All of it was fresh & delicious & the service was great! Don't let the outside & neighborhood deter you from going in, it's really nice inside. I look forward to returning.

So delicious!. I've been looking for a good korean food . Finally i found one! I ordered pork bulgogi and it was perfect! the level of spice was balanced . I also got the dynamite sushi it was very delicious the filling and rice was equal portion not like the other sushi place that serves more rice than the filling inside which is kinda annoying. You have to try their food ! for sure i'll come back again ! highly recommended

Fresh sushi and fresh oysters! Such a lovely hidden place owner is very sociable and they accommodate so well for my friend who is gluten free. Shabu shabu is so good. They have fresh sushi and the oysters, when in season are delicious

Mmm another hidden gem. I love how you can choose to eat Korean or Japanese cuisine!

Dissappointing Lunch. Most of the reviews on here are for dinner, but they were all pretty much good so I decided to try it our for lunch.<br/><br/>What appealed to me were the bento boxes. I took a look at their menu online and it looked good. <br/><br/>We went a little after 1pm and it was dead. I had the beef bulgogo bento. It was listed to come with kimchi, my absolute favorite and what drew me to ordering this bento box, salad, soup, and rice. I got the beef, salad, soup, and rice, but there was no kimchi. Instead what I got was what appeared to be pickled celery. It was odd, looked unappetizing, and tasted just as it looked. The soup was miso, so you can't go wrong there. The salad had this weird dressing that I wasn't a fan of. It almost tasted like orange juice. My husband described the beef as looking and having the texture of soft dog food. Stringy, cold, and bland. I also ordered the soft shell crab roll. I love soft shell crab, but this roll was also not very good either. I mainly disliked the sauce that came drizzled over top. Its hard to describe its flavour, but I'm sure the roll would have been at least edible without it.<br/><br/>Sure enough, we won't be back.

Absolutely amazing place! A delightful menu with Japanese and Korean. Real sushi, amazing chef and splendid staff excellent portion sizes to go with a group of friends! Have monthly specials and something for everyone. They also have group plates available to share with 4 or so people. Try them out!

Amazing service, great for groups, try the shabu shabu. After reading a positive review about Sabu, I booked a birthday dinner for 14 despite never having been there before. We were not disappointed, this restaurant was fantastic! <br/>We were pretty sure we wanted to try the shabu shabu, a japanese hot pot (i.e. a big bowl of delicious broth on a tabletop burner) that comes with plates of thinly sliced beef (of amazing quality), and even more plates of vegetables. Quickly dipped into the boiling savoury broth, the beef was then dropped into one of 2 delicious sauces provided. The owner made sure we on track and showed us what to do whenever we seemed confused (which was often).<br/>This type of dining was really social and fun for our group, and we were stuffed by the end. The service was perfect - the owners were very good natured and really took care of us with constant visits to our table and great interactions with us, keeping us laughing and having a good time.<br/>We also had the jijimi (Korean pancakes - huge fluffy pancakes filled with various vegetables, great for sharing), gyoza, and mae-un-tang (another hot pot style dish, filled to the brim with all types of seafood - mussels, huge chunks of fish, prawns, etc., all in a satisfying chili broth).<br/>After you're full to the brim, finished all the beef and vegetables, and thinking you can't take anymore, the owner brings out perfectly textured udon noodles to cook in the remains of your beef and vegetable infused broth. It was the perfect end to a great meal.<br/>It was difficult to tell with such a large group since all the food came out on communal dishes, but I suspect that two servings of shabu shabu ($20/serving) could cover three people, especially if side dishes are ordered. Considering the amazing quality of the meat and the spread of vegetables you get, combined with the fun experience, the price is well worth it, especially if you compare it to other social dining experiences like cheese fondue.

Bring Friends!. We came here on a recommendation and were very happy. We went for dinner here around 7pm and the place was pretty empty, I guess sushi isn't a big thing in Edmonton. We ordered a bottle of sake which was piping hot, there weren't any options for types of sake but once you got used to the temperature it was fine. As far as sushi goes I love variety so we dove right in and started with some red snapper nigiri and 2 spicy tuna hand rolls. The hand rolls were massive and tasted fantastic, by far the best in Edmonton. We then had our rolls, Tempura rolls, Rock'n roll and Bagel rolls. Once again we were given enormous rolls and once again we were not disappointed! All the rolls were flavourful and beyond expectations. The only thing I can criticize would be that the Bagel rolls had a little more cream cheese than I like and I could only eat a couple before I found it too rich. With the size of these rolls we barely made a dent! Our waitress was very attentive and even told us the proper way to store our extra sushi, since it always tastes funny if you put it in the fridge. I'm without a doubt coming back with friends.

The food was not bad, however it was quite expensive for the quality of food and service. ..they didn't use Sushi rice for their Sushi.. .

Too expensive and nothing special. I won't be there again because very expensive than food quality <br/><br/>NO...

Finally, good sushi in Edmonton. What a rare treat (no pun intended). Excellent sushi in Edmonton. It's difficult to find, to say the least, but I think I've found my go-to sushi place. Takoyaki (octopus dumplings) remind me of Victoria and the sashimi is fresh and full of finesse. They boast some very creative rolls too; Rock N Roll sports unagi (eel) while Bulgogi Roll is stuffed generously with Korean-style shredded beef. Excellent service, though the Asian pop music was too loud and drove me nuts. A bit of koto music would soothe my nerves.

The worst and most over-priced Asian food I have had in Edmonton. My Calofornia Roll was not fresh. Tasted like it came from the fridge and the tobiko was soaked into the rice. The Tempura was all one big clump of deep fried mushiness. The Bulgogi was dry and tough and the pieces were not chopped up.

I will be honest, the location and the outside of the restaurant looks a bit sketchy but I was totally turned around once inside. It is a very cute restaurant with great decor. The server was fantastic, friendly and fast. Our food came quickly and was amazing. The menu has tons to choose from. I will with 100% certainty be visiting this restaurant again.

SaBu = Nostalgic for Japan. Don't judge a book by it's cover. After passing by several times I decided to try SaBu and I was pleasantly surprised. It has a friendly, homey feel, like eating at a well appointed friends house. Service was very friendly and personal. Food was hot, tasty and well presented. Prices were reasonable. The best part was the ambiance, which was very reminiscent of some of the restaurants I frequented in Japan, right down to the mannerisms of the staff and the decor.

Expensive sushi; disappointed.. Seems like a nice family run restaurant. Went for lunchtime sushi. Sushi rice was slightly overcooked (a bit mushy) and too strong on the vinegar to my liking. The proportion of fish or filling to rice with the nigiri sushi was excellent with a thick slice of flavorful sashimi and/or generous mound of filling on top of a dainty, compact torpedo of wasabi-dabbed sushi rice. Prices were generally high and were per piece rather than for 2.<br/><br/>The maki-sushi were the inside-out type and were very nicely shaped and wrapped and held together very well. However considering their prices (on the high side) I would have expected a better ratio of rice to filling. On the inside-out California roll, as well as other rolls, the rice, instead of being 1/4 inch or less ( 6 mm or less) was much thicker. 5 rice grains thick instead of 3. Again, the sushi rice tended to be overpowering with too much vinegar.<br/><br/>I will however go back to try the lunch-time bento specials. The prices on these seem to be almost competitive to other Japanese restaurants and the Japanese/Korean selections looks interesting.

Bento oil slick. This is the most overpriced bento I've tried at $22.95. The portions were tiny. There was one shrimp, a clump of veggies, a tiny piece of fried chicken, and a greasy tonkatsu (deep fried pork cutlet). All of the aforementioned were deep fried or refried in what looked like old oil since they were all saturated. There are other restaurants that charge less for bentos with better quality and quantity with either sashimi or sushi.<br/>I would have rather eaten at KFC and gotten a bucket for the same price. . at least I would have left satisfied and not felt ripped off!

Good~. Good Korean Food, many Korean are there, try their shabu shabu~~! Next time, I will try the Japanese food there, assume to be good too!

Great good, good ambiance. The combination sounds weird - japanese sushi and korean food? but the fusion has worked. Their sashimi bowls looked fantastic - fresh fish, rice, the right amount of veggies etc. The korean dishes are also great. great new find in edmonton

This is our favorite Japanese Restaurant in Edmonton. It is local, easy to park, always has a table, food is fresh, authentic and fast! We love the tempura, chicken, pork, sushi here, we've eaten here over six times and enjoyed everything we've ever tried. The family owned staff are so friendly.

...t I was pleased to see some dishes I have never heard of nor tried before like shabu shabu (thinly sliced beef and vegetables that you dip and cook in a huge pot of seaweed broth)