Fuji Yama Japanese Restaurant

Good food and good beer and sake. And friendly staff and usually parking available just outside on the street.

Dark and dingy, in need of MAJOR cleaning. While the sushi prep area is clean and looked sparkling, the rest of the restaurant was LITERALLY held together with duct-​tape.
The vents/​ductwork was covered in a layer of dust, and the walls and pillars (painted in white) are more or less grey with hand-​prints and grime.
The upholstery on the chairs was thread-​bare.
The bathroom was out of toilet paper with none to be found. (that was an interesting McGuyver moment let me tell you!)
While I’m no snob when it comes to dècor and cleanliness, as usually the best food is found in hole-​in-​the-​wall dingy little places, this place is NOT saved by it’s food quality.
And really — if you’re charging the prices these guys are — the food AND the décor and atmosphere and EVERYTHING better be top-​notch.
I had been jonesing for Japanese curry, so ordered that. The rice was not fresh, the curry was most certainly boil-​in-​the-​bag. (I ate enough of them in Japan, so I know the telltale flavours) and it was SOOOO salty! The salad that we got with our meal was simply a bagged salad (purchased from a grocery store) COVERED in 1000 island dressing… yuck.
My wife ordered some sort of roll, some sashimi and a few nigiri. While the fish was fresh, the cuts were strange, and the nigiri was cut so thin that the rice to fish ratio was way off… she said that the rice was not seasoned very well. And frankly the pieces of fish were so thin that they were falling apart. (not the best presentation).
Overall — for the money, there are FAR superior places to eat sushi in Calgary.
MANY better places to eat Japanese curry, and frankly places that I would much rather spend my time in considering the dark, dank and grimy atmosphere of the restaurant.
Service was adequate, somewhat curt and not particularly friendly. NOT poor, just not outstanding.

Hard to find and expensive. Went for the open mic and sat in the regular seating area… discovered on the way out that there’s also a bar (that goes under a different name, for the record), which is where the open mic is held. But while there is a sign indicating that there’s an open mic there, nothing indicated that it was in a differently named part of the restaurant.
The sushi was decent, not anything special. I felt as if our server was trying to get rid of us. She brought the bill immediately after clearing the table, and said «take your time», but then about 15 minutes later basically showed up at the table with the POS machine. For the record, this was a Sunday night and it was nearly empty, so it’s not as if we were taking up a seat that they could have filled with someone who was waiting.
Clean place, nothing special.

After a super intense workout, I felt like I really needed to treat myself and go out (not the actual way you should be thinking ;)). Michelle suggested sushi and I was all in for gainZZ. We were in Ramsay and thinking of a place when Michelle said that Fuji Yama was on 17^th avenue and was good and decent priced. It was about 7:30 when we headed over on a Tuesday. Parking is free after 6PM on the streets. I’ve never been to Fuji Yama before so I parked out front wondering where this place was. I look down and into a window and noticed that Fuji Yama is literally in the basement of a complex — I probably looked quite lost but I followed the signs where it guided me to the back to enter where there is additional parking.
You walk down a set of stairs, then to a little hallway where there is a sensor and you are (creepily) greeted by an automated welcome in Japanese. We were seated at a four person top across from the sushi bar and it wasn’t busy at all and ordered some tea first. Fuji Yama is a modern sushi place with simple décor, comfy chairs and glass table tops. The menu has an extensive selection of appetizers, entrees, sashimi, sushi rolls, noodles, rice bowls, salads and Japanese curry. I went with a house green salad, some California rolls, Philadelphia rolls and 3 pieces of salmon sashimi. Michelle went with an avocado sashimi salad, gyoza, and Japanese curry with chicken. Michelle’s favorite is the avocado sashimi salad appetizer — pieces avocado, some mixed spring salad with various pieces of sashimi with a miso sauce. I had a taste and it was different than I had expected — sweet because of the miso sauce but good. The gyoza was gyoza, good but nothing special. My plate of sushi and sashimi came out and it looked delish. I enjoyed the Philadelphia rolls, there was a good salmon to Philadelphia cheese ratio, the mango on top was a nice fruity touch and the rolls were nice mouthfuls. The salmon sashimi was great! They were nice large fresh thick pieces, definitely money’s worth! Then came Michelle’s Japanese curry, wow was this dish ever big! Japanese curry is kind of similar to Indian curry but much more mild. It the best mixed with rice! There were some vegetable and lightly fried chicken strips mixed within. It was a great combo.
Our server was sweet, came by and filled our waters as well as asked us how everything was. It was nice and quiet so I would recommend Fuji Yama during the weekdays after 6. Everything was reasonably priced and portions were good.

LOVE Fuji Yama! I discovered it a few years ago with a groupon and have been obsessed ever since. Whether you do takeout or whether you go in to eat (I live just a few blocks away) their service is always prompt and so good. If you go in an afternoon, its less busy and you have a little bit of a quieter lunch. I also love the price. Can’t complain whatsoever. Highly recommend it.

So, I’ve ordered delivery from Fujiyama twice, and both times I was very pleased with the service. The food arrives cold and fresh, with enough soy sauce for the whole meal. I recently tried the Boston roll, Yam Tempura roll, Caterpillar roll and Autumn’s Peach roll. All were delicious.
Delivery can take a while, but I’m happy with the food that arrives, so we don’t mind waiting.

The rolls were good… The octopus ceviche was not my favorite; the avocado appetizer was very good… The service was not bad… I’m not going to say this is my favorite sushi place in the city, but is not the worst I have tried in Calgary. There are definitely better places in town; however the schedule of this restaurant is very convenient if you want sushi later in the night…

Good food — some rolls are very creative. Highly recommend the Flames Roll
Fairly slow service — took over 45 min to bring our food for 2, only rolls. There were perhaps 12 other customers at the time.
Would be back to try some more items of their creative menu

Soul Train and Sushi. Who knew those two things went so well together? Like vodka and gummi bears.
There are two sections to Fuji Yama. At night, she puts on her bangliest; spangliest hoop earrings, closes off the restaurant-​only section and turns in to a restaurant bar with dancing… well… that is, if their DJ could figure out how to beat match. Soul Train plays on every TV, and there is a video dart game for those that are such inclined.
Despite the awkward playlist, the Soul Train was much appreciated while we nommed on delicious rolls, three of which magically appeared even though we did not order them. The deliciousness trumped the mysteriousness, although, now I wonder if a Soul Train passenger was left longing for their Unagi. The avocado rolls were generous and perfectly buttery, and the yam tempura rolls were scrumtralescent.
Sad that I did not stay for stand-​up.

Ocean Roll, Paradise Roll, Toro & Salmon Sashimi, 2 Large Sapporos and 2 Miso Soups please.
I’ve had this order about half a dozen times. It’s perfect, delicious & the right price when using the groupon coupon.
Fuji Yama has become our go-​to sushi spot, it’s never busy, the food is great and the servers are friendly.

I really wanted to give Fuji Yama three stars, because of the nice décor (a lot cleaner and brighter than former Kyoto 17) and the food was delicious, from the crispy tempura to the awesome seafood noodles and fresh rolls, BUT it wasn’t busy and it took forever for our server to get to us. Two of our dishes were forgotten about, and no one acknowledge that fact, plus they didn’t care enough to put away the giant pile of dirty dishes stacked two tables in front of us. With some work, Fuji Yama could be an awesome sushi spot. . I’m crossing my fingers for them.

Love this place! We always come in a group with groupons, because sushi is expensive… But it’s decently priced for good sushi. The sashimi is always very fresh. I usually get the dragon roll (unagi– not as good as it could be, but still good) and always a nice piece of salmon sashimi. I can’t remember what it was called, but I tried the one with mango and cream cheese and salmon… So good, but very sweet! It’s nice to alternate with another roll so you’re not overwhelmed with sweet sushi. I crave that one! They also have assorted plates of sushi and sashimi that’s nice to get with a group. Usually we’ll get that, unless we’re not in a sharing mood, then the we get the rolls or something else. I can usually fill up on 2 rolls (about 20 pieces of sushi) and a piece of sashimi, which usually comes to about 20 $, so not bad. And I love their salad! Yum!
My husband doesn’t eat any seafood, so he likes the teriyaki chicken, the teriyaki skewers, and the curry bowls (weird it comes with a sweet pickle, but he just picks that out) There’s lots of other options for those who don’t like seafood.
Never very busy, service is always good. Not terrible, not superb. Just good. Parking in back is usually pretty good.

Went last Friday with Groupon in hand. I haven’t been to this Japanese Restaurant, since it was Kyoto 17.
I made my reservation before coming, as per the guidelines on the Groupon. I also stipulated to the girl who took my reservation that I was using a Groupon.
First off I’d like to add the girl who answered the phone wasn’t super friendly, nor was she rude. I just found her to be abrupt.
I arrived @ 6:30 p.m. and I told the lady at reception, that I had a reservation. She immediately asked for my Groupon. I said to her, oh you want it now? Normally I would present it at the end when asking for the bill.
Whatever, we were seated and the proceeded to order. The gentleman serving us, was efficient, and took our drink order plus appetizers.
We ordered the following. Tamago sushi (NOT good here), the Battleship roll, (good), unagi or eel (good).
We also ordered beef Yakisoba, which was a good sized portion and tasted good. The chicken katsu curry (good), as well.
The waiter, was right on with keeping our drinks topped off.
We ordered $ 80.00 worth of food, since I had a Groupon worth that much.
In conclusion, would I return to Fujiyama’s. I might if I was in the area. It seems like there are so many Japanese restaurants opening these days, and it’s hard to find one with authentic flavors.
I try and stick to ones that are still operated by Japanese people themselves.
To me its like going to a Korean restaurant run by chinese.
It may have good food, but it’s just not as good as if a Korean person were to make it. The flavor can be off just a little.
A good example of this, is Teriyaki sauce. I get it sometimes on food, and for some reason it’s been salty and runny. True teriyaki, should be a thicker sweeter taste.

Fuji Yama’s service is slow and at times they avoid serving you during busy times, it can get a little pricey and they expect you to tip (even when giving poor service). The food is satisfactory. The real downside is finding the place, which is hidden in a basement of a old historic building and doesn’t provide a good view or much natural light into the dark restaurant.
What it comes down to is this: Fuji Yama’s a reasonable quick fix when craving Japanese sushi down on 17^th Ave but if looking for 5 star service you might want to look elsewhere.

I can’t speak about the restaurant, décor, and atmosphere as I ordered take out. I decided to have the shrimp termpura and chicken yakisoba. The tempura was delicious as it was lightly battered and not heavy tasting from excess batter cooked in oil. There were 4 shrimp served in the small order. There was a lot of noodles and pieces of chicken in the yakisoba. It wasn’t the best I had though. There were ample onions and taste but it reminded me of the home style spaghetti my mom used to make. It wasn’t anything special and I was expecting a little more zing. The food was decent and if there’s a next time I’d try the sushi.

My friend bought a $ 25 voucher (order for $ 50 or more, you get half price). It was a Saturday night, the restaurant was not too busy and yet their service was slow.
As for the food, it was alright. We tried the Brooklyn salad, it was very tasty and refreshing. I am not sure if it was just a one time thing, but I found their sushi not as fresh. I am quite disappointed at this restaurant, to be honest, I had high hopes for this place.
Their décor is quite modern, and other than that, I have nothing to rave about this place.

I’ve eaten twice at Fuji Yama in the past month and like the place overall.
The atmosphere is very cheery, which is definitely needed when you dine in a basement location. When you walk in, a recording calls out «Irashaimase,» or «welcome». When you leave, it says, «Arigato gozaimashita» (thank you).
On my first visit, it was a dreary, rainy Saturday. There weren’t many people there, however, we came in just between lunch and supper. The waiter was fairly attentive and friendly. The restaurant was clean and sunny.
My companion and I opted to try a bunch of appetizers (the 20% discount was an incentive). The Avocado & Salmon Salad was absolutely delicious. The explosion of flavours danced in my mouth with each bite of Coconut Tempura Shrimp. The miso soup was flavourful, while the Philadelphia sushi roll was a delightful surprise (salmon, cream cheese and cucumbers). The tamago sushi was huge compared to other places (not too sweet, just right). The edamame croquettes were also tasty, very tender. The chicken karage was nice and crispy on the outside and juicy inside. It wasn’t greasy.
The only dish we weren’t crazy about was the calamari. At first, we thought they were ordinary squid rings but when we ordered it on the next visit, we learned that that’s just Fuji Yama’s version of calamari. There’s something interesting about the batter but the calamari was a little rubbery.
My second visit was for lunch on a weekday. My companion and I felt badly for the waitress for she was the only one taking care of nine tables. Needless to say, service was slower the second time round.
I ordered the tonkatsu (breaded pork) and tempura lunch special, while my companion order the gyoza and tempura lunch special. The portion sizes were comparable to Sushi Ginza, Tokyo Garden and Banzai. My tonkatsu was quite dry, so much so that I needed to dip it in my tempura sauce. Everything else, however, was top notch.
This time, I had room for dessert. The waitress recommended the ice cream over the pie. The green tea ice cream had just the right amount of matcha. Very tasty!
Prices are pretty comparable to other Japanese restaurants. We definitely want to go back again to try other items on the menu (just not the calamari or tonkatsu).

I’ve been to Fugi-​Yama a few times and I have to say, it used to be better…
I don’t know what happened in the move to 17^th avenue, but the quality of the sushi seems to have gone downhill in both freshness and originality and the staff has a hard time with large groups or when it’s quite busy.
That said, the cooked dishes on the menu are still very nice and you can’t go wrong with the tempura, edamame, gioza or a chicken teriyaki dinner — but to be fair, that’s not why you go to a sushi restaurant is it?
The best thing Fugi-​Yama has going for it is location, it’s conveniently located on 17^th ave and is a good spot to grab a bite if you happen to be jonesing for sushi before you head out to drinks; but I wouldn’t make this restaurant a destination for the evening.
T.

Found myself here on a Friday night with a group of 8 people. Nothing personal against this place. The staff are very friendly, but seemed bewildred by such a large group. They seemed to lack the artful assertiveness to take charge of the table and get those orders done. They also seemed to lack knowledge about the wine list. When we asked for umeshu, they had no idea what we were talking about even when we explained it. And they kind of left our table for long periods of time without checking up on us. That’s service 101!
The food, sadly, wasn’t stunning. It was ok, but the Toro and Maguro could of been more succulent, the Ika could of been less rubbery and the Ikura could of more flavourful. The price is not bad, but if I can get the same quality at T&T, what’s the point of paying more. Too bad, I wanted to really like it here because it’s near my place.
For all the knocks on the service, I did find them friendly and even fun. It’s probably what will have me come back one more time to see if I caught them during a bad night.

Tonight was my second time going to Fuji Yama on 17^th. I really want to like it due to its convenient location, but I just can’t.
The first time we (boyfriend and I) went there the service was poor and there were some small quality issues. A big pet peeve of mine is when servers are slow to bring the bill or pick up payment after you have clearly stated that you are done. Our server was definitely in that category. The miso tasted off and the sushi was nothing to remember. Also, the top to the soy sauce was not secured or very full, so when it was tipped far to pour, the lid came right off and the remainder of the sauce ended up on the table.
We didn’t finish our dinner (which is rare for me at a sushi place), and due to the slow service, some lady who I can imagine was a little sketched out (I am not sure why she was in there), noticed that we weren’t finishing it and asked if she could have it. I had no issue giving her food that we weren’t going to eat… but it was unusual to be approached like that during dinner.
The second time we went there (tonight), wasn’t much better. However, our server was very nice and attentive. Unfortunately, the salmon was chewy and slightly fishy, and the rice did not seem fresh.
I find that the prices are a premium for a product that is poor. Although I can see why they need to charge so much, both times I was in there only about 20% of the tables were being used. It is a large space in prime real estate… I can’t imagine they will be in business much longer unless they get crowds, which isn’t going to happen with their current food.