Wasabi Juan’s

I go here a minimum of once a week for lunch, and it’s amazing. The staff is always extremely friendly and I’ve now worked my way through most of the menu and never been disappointed with anything except the kimchi. Some people like it this way, but the kimchi I had was overly fermented and had turned more sour than spicy and fresh. Even if it were superb, not sure this one would be worth the price tag ($ 4.00 if I remember correctly).
As far as other complaints of value for the money, I don’t see the problem. People are expecting burrito prices, but you’re getting sushi ingredients. This is fresh, high grade fish… not rice and beans. If you went anywhere in town for a standard roll of sushi you’d pay $ 10 – 12 (the same price Wasabi Juan’s charges) and these rolls are ENORMOUS in comparison.
Be warned, most days of the week there’s a decent chance the dining room will fill up so maybe plan to go 30 minutes before or after the noon rush.
Also, I wish they’d just put wasabi on the burritos or offer a side automatically. Why do you have to ask for wasabi at Wasabi Juan’s?

I have to admit I was a bit skeptical of this fusion. However, it was close to work and they took an order over the phone to be picked up a few hours later on my lunch break.
IT WAS DELICIOUS.
They could make the burritos a little larger, but that’s just because I wanted more of this amazing cuisine!

Neat concept. Take a great Sushi Chef that is also a great teacher. Open a small Mexican restaurant and everything is sushi rolled. It isn’t a burrito, it’s sushi. It all tastes great. Such an awesome location by Avondale Brewery. The atmosphere is so cool. It’s also super hard to explain. It’s bright with vibrant colors and the menu wall is a chalkboard with all different colors and art. Such a neat place. The food is great. Read the menu. It is hard at first to separate your mind from sushi flavored over to Mexican but please don’t miss out on this place.

I tried the crazy Doritos sashimi tuna nachos (420 Nachos) even though I was highly skeptical, but they were so delicious! I’m rating five stars because the owner or manager came by our table and was extremely friendly. We had a 4 year old with us who was already playing with some of their in-​house toys, and she brought over more. Space wise — smaller restaurants are not usually my thing (it was too cold for the patio), but it was a casual and cozy environment.

One of the most unique restaurants Birmingham has to offer. The sushi rolls that are available here are massive and fresh. The owner and managers here are very attentive of their customers and are extremely nice to answer any questions one might have. I will definitely return to Wasabi Juan’s.

Loved the Austin so much that I returned for the 2^nd time in a week after never previously visiting Wasabi Juan’s before. The ingredients seem fresh and the concept ensures a filling meal. The chips & salsa were above average as well. Be sure to add wasabi inside your burrito if you are a fan. I forgot the side ginger, but will add next time.

Cool fusion approach, freshness and whimsical combinations make this place a fun find!
Really liked the samurai «burrito», but the Destin and the Austin were also tasty.
Definitively wanna come back and keep trying the rest of the menu!

Finally got around to eating at Wasabi Juan’s, definitely one of the most unique restaurant concepts in Birmingham. I had lunch on a Saturday and got the LMH roll because it had a «customer favorite» sticker next to it and sounded like a pretty delicious combination of ahi tuna, shrimp, avocado, unagi mayo, and cream cheese.
The atmosphere is great. I love the homey decorations and the outdoor patio. There’s lots of different menu items and they have a great variety even though many items use the same ingredients. Service was great too, everyone asked how I was doing and I was in and out within 20 minutes.
The main reason I hadn’t tried Wasabi Juan’s earlier is price vs. quantity. It looked like you didn’t get a whole lot of food for the price. I am happy to say that I left pleasantly full and that the roll was delicious. There was just enough rice on the outside to balance the different ingredients in the roll and the paper they had around the outside kept everything from falling apart. The ahi tuna had a great flavor and the shrimp gave a nice texture to all the creamy elements. The roll came with chips and salsa, and while the chips were good, the salsa was almost flavorless. Like chunky water. But very fresh. And surprisingly, the chips and salsa complimented the roll well even though you don’t think about sushi and chips going together.
My entire meal cost about $ 12.50, and it would have been $ 14.50 if I’d gotten a drink (I had water). That does seem a little expensive for how full I was when I left. Something about the concept and atmosphere makes it seem like the food shouldn’t be quite as expensive as it is. They’re taking a fancy concept (sushi) and making it less fancy, but it’s still just as expensive. If they could cut all the roll prices by $ 1-​$ 2, I think they’d be in the sweet spot. As is, I think it’s a great concept with good execution, but the price will keep me from being a regular. There were a few other rolls (and tacos!) that I want to try though, so I’ll update if my feelings change! Definitely worth a try for locals and out-​of-​towners alike. I’ve never seen or tasted anything like it.
UPDATE: Went to Wasabi Juan’s again for lunch and tried the tacos this time. I actually like them better and at $ 5 per taco, it’s more filling and a better deal. The salsa was still too watery for my taste, but I was much more satisfied.

Amazing and fun combination of sushi and Mexican cuisine, and it works.
But take it from me, if you usually order two rolls, start with one and see how you feel. These are big.
Available with side wasabi and ginger, each roll comes with tortilla chips (wheat I think), salsa and ponzu sauce (not to sweet, good sauce).
It’s like burrito sushi, and the wrap is light light a rice bread or something. Very cool.
I will be back, this place is the kind of cool that Birmingham needs.

How have I not reviewed here yet! Wasabi Juan’s is a gem in Avondale. It’s a tiny place, but wow is their food good! The venue is very cozy and offers a variety of tables and seating options. It’s decorated eclectically, but thoughtfully. It’s busy and charming at the same time. There are stringed lights and paper lanterns on the ceilings and posters of upcoming events around town plastered to the walls.
Once you walk in here the staff make you feel like you’re at home. They offer you suggestions and and always tell you what is new on the board. They have one wall covered with the written menu chalkboard style. You order at the bar and take a seat to wait for them to bring you your food.
I almost always order the rainbow. I haven’t mentioned it yet, but this place is what would happen if Japan and Mexico had a baby. They make sushi burritos! Hand held sushi? YES PLEASE! It’s so easy and convenient to eat. It’s the fancy of sushi with the casual of a burrito. Complete Wonderfullness. They have a variety of sushi burritos, tacos appetizers, and dessert burritos. I suggest trying the 420 nachos they have so much happening it’s perfect to share. They also give you tortilla chips and salsa with your meal. This is some seriously fresh salsa, tastes like they make it daily! You can even watch as he kitchen makes your food for you.
This is a must try in Avondale. They will wrap it up as takeout, and you can bring it with you to one of the breweries!

Love this place: Kimchi is amazing!!! How can you imagine serving Kimchi in Birmingham? Avondale taco and ignition burrito are my favorite!

I stopped by Wasabi Juan’s the other day and found myself pleasantly surprised by the sushirritos here!
I was able to try parts of the Ignition, Rainbow, and Austin roll burritos. The Ignition had the perfect amount of kick (and crunch) in it. The Rainbow was more refreshing (I might be biased though, because I’m a sucker for salmon and avocado though). Surprisingly, the sun-​dried tomatoes in the Austin seemed to work in its favor. The fish wasn’t super fresh in particular, but I didn’t have a problem with it either. Everything seemed a little overwhelmed by the amount of sauce in the burritos (for example, the spicy mayo in the Ignition roll). Although not perfect, each bite was a burst of flavor. I actually thought the chips and salsa on the side was a good touch too.
The service ranged from average to subpar. One waiter came up to us with our plates, and when we asked which rolls were which, she just told us «I don’t know» before walking away. I asked for spicy mayo on the side, and they forgot about it. This place could definitely improve on its service.
Overall, I liked the Asian-​Mexican fusion nature of the food here, but there are definitely areas this place could improve on. I’d still check this place out, though!

Such a cool concept and the food was great! I got the El Toro Burrito which was excellent. We ended with the frushi, which was really good too.

Great to see local businesses thriving in the area! Love the concept, but could use a little wasbi in the burrito to spice things up. A little heavy on rice and I’m not sure Godzilla sized is worth the premium, but definitely a cool place to check out!

My first thought when I heard about this place was No Way! Sushi and Mexican! However, being adventurous, I went and ordered the Rainbow roll burrito and poke with crushed macadamia.
Man was it good! Perfect blend of ingredients. Having the soy wrap was a genius choice instead of having a chewy nori wrap. Perfect balance of rice to fish otherwise it would be a rice burrito.
The owner Louis, was very friendly and we chatted about how he started the business and how they are growing.
I highly recommend this place and will be back!

This place was so cool and different and the food was great too! I was super excited to find a vegan option. I had the hippy (avocado, sundried tomato, cabbage, jalapeño, cucumber and sesame). My husband had the cowboy (seared steak, cream cheese, avocado and sesame) both came with soy sauce and chips and salsa. Salsa was a little flavorless but everything else was delicious. We spent $ 20 and had a nice lunch. The décor is cute and the staff is nice. We had a good time and would be glad to come back.

My boyfriend and I always face the same struggle on Friday nights: do we want some sushi, or do we want burritos? This place is our dream come true! I had the Hippy (vegans: this rocks) and he had the Rainbow. The portions were perfect, and serving chips and salsa with sushi is so right. Prices were great, too. We’ll be back very soon!

Update: Wasabi Juan’s is still going strong! Sometimes they get a bit backed up at lunch time, warning. You may be better off calling your order in.
In regards to their sweet wrappers, you can request your burrito wrapped in nori instead. It’s a great alternative and really helps keep the roll together.
Their miso soup is from a powder, microwaved, or just tastes like it. I still get the soup because I’m trashy like that, but it’s nothing special.

Amazingly Unique and Delicious! I’ve been living in Birmingham for about 6 months and I have finally found my «go to» spot.
The style and delivery of Mexican cuisine fused with a flurry of Asian cultured flavors makes such a unique yet amazingly delicious combination. As a native of California, fresh seafood & sashimi style dishes come in abundance. Wasabi Juan’s definitely reminds me of home. The options of raw seafood and cooked seafood are available for Sushi burritos and tacos.
There are many Hawaiian and Japanese influences that blew my mind away. The creative dishes make it hard to choose.
The atmosphere and staff were hand in hand. Cozy, warm, and open. Relation between staff and customer is very much so like a family feel. Unless the flavor is out of your preference, Wasabi Juan’s definitely deserves 5 stars. And If you don’t like the flavor, they deserve 5 stars for friendliness alone.

Sushi Chef Kelly Viall who is the mastermind behind the highly successful Birmingham Sushi Classes has decided to take her considerable talents to the next level and open her very own unique venue for sushi nuts like myself.
After taking classes with Kelly, my wife and I have followed her success closely and went to try out Wasabi Juan’s on it’s opening weekend. As expected we were not surprised by the quality of the food, the size of the servings, and the prices… They were all WONDERFUL!
Sushi Burritos are not a new concept but certainly new to the Birmingham scene and Kelly and her team execute them flawlessly. Easy to eat with your hands they also travel well (brought home an LHM for my son which he absolutely loved.)
I also had the most popular LHM Burrito which is tempura-​fried shrimp, spicy raw ahi, avocado, cream cheese, spicy mayo and it was yummy. Ingredients were fresh and plentiful.
The wife had the Toro which is seared ribeye, avocado & cream cheese with
unagi sauce & sesame seeds and she thoroughly enjoyed it as well.
Bottled Coca-​Cola was a great touch as they are so much tastier than fountain Coke.
The real wonderful thing about Wasabi Juan’s is that the food is of the highest quality, its made fresh (no pre-​made Burritos here) and its fast. Which is hardly ever the case at a full service Sushi Bar.
Great food, served quick by a great staff headed by Chef Kelly. What more can you ask for!
Will be back soon!