Dancing Wasabi

Elizabeth is right, this place is «Cloud 9» now.
I’ve been here on multiple occasions (mostly later hours), & I’ve never had an issue. You do have to keep in mind that the place is relatively small… but, while cramming multiple dishes onto the bar top (when there’s little space to work with) can prove slightly annoying, the food has always won me over.
The staff has always been really nice (& the sushi chefs are pretty entertaining to watch if you’re at the counter), & I don’t really have any complaints.
It might not be for everyone… but, if you’ve never been, you should give this place a try at least once before totally dismissing it.

Service was slow, sushi was sub-​par (cincinnati context in mind) and the wait to get a table was excruciating.
Sushi IS a trend for the typical roll-​eater and Dancing Wasabi will delight the california roll, spicy tuna roll and speciality roll eater during their ½ price happy hour. Down some miller lite, or some pbr (for the increasing hipster population in the area) and pound on some sushi!
However, for the non-​trend eating sushi eaters such as myself that smash on differentiating sushi such as sake, toro, amaebi (raw shrimp is one of my fav), uni and love the way raw scallops melt in your mouth and love how pungent mackeral is… stay away from here, ha. I love the thick oily taste of mackeral, however they over-​cured the batch we had and I had to ask for some green scallions to counter the taste. The sake we had must have been farmed at a twinkie farm because it was so thick with lined fat. You get my point.
We paid the price after ordering our fav. sashimi and nigiri. Close to 2bills after drinks (and this was during ½ price!)…but hey, you eat and your learn.
Just go next door to Ichiban. Great atmosphere, same happy hour deal, and the service was great. Ichiban at least has some mood lighting and real glasses to drink out of.

I hate to be a sushi snob, but the sushi here wasn’t up to par. Dancing Wasabi is more like a sports bar that serves sushi than an actual sushi restaurant.
The fish was chewy, the rice was dry, and the nori was tough. The rolls tasted like they’d sitting around for a while before we got them. One of the rolls, a chef’s special roll, and some of the nigiri were okay, but the rest of our order was pretty bad.
To add insult to injurty, without the half-​off special that it seems they’re always running, their sushi would be pretty expensive. You can do better.

When I say I’m not big into sushi, I mean that I have pretty much boycotted eating it to avoid coming off as a trend-​whore. That’s where I’ve gone wrong, however, as I don’t mind the taste. I actually find sushi to be – gasp — pretty good. Hey, admission is the first step to [sushi boycotter] recovery, eh?
One of my favorite things is that Dancing Wasabi isn’t pretentious. It is very small and the décor is far more substandard than I was expecting. The cost is very reasonable, especially if you get a smörgåsbord to share with a group of people.
I must say that my first experience going out on a sushi date with girlfriends was definitely a good one. Our server was great and I cannot say enough good things about the Sunday Morning rolls. I haven’t been back since my first tryst with Dancing Wasabi a couple of months ago, but those rolls alone will have me back soon enough.

There are too few places open after bar hours so I was very happy to discover this place. It is located next to a Lucy Blues which is still my favorite post-​beer food, but I was glad to try something new.
The waiters there are fan-​freaking-​tastic. I can only imagine how much drunk traffic they have to deal with on weekends. I know from the 4 I had at my table alone. The man was tipped very well.
I found the prices very reasonable. I ordered 3 different rolls, not exactly a huge spread but it was enough for the few of us to pick on as we laughed about the evening we had in the very nearby Mt. Lookout bars.
The sushi was delicious, though I always feel wary about judging the sensitivity of my palate after 3am. Lets face it, most things taste good at that time of the night/​morning after a good time on the town. I will say that after a few weeks and a crazy night, the fact that I can remember that I had the Bengal Roll, the Rainbow Roll and the Dragon Roll should speak to how much I enjoyed the place.

This review is for the Hyde Park location.
Fellas– If you are single and into sorority type girls, this is the place to be.
We ate dinner here on a Thursday night, and I felt like I was in the middle of a sorority reunion. That is neither here nor there I suppose.
This place gets three stars because the service was… lacking.
Our poor waiter was awesome and totally overworked, but everyone else who «works» there is clearly there to be seen, and not do anything? My friend ordered a seaweed salad, which ended up coming at the end of the meal because the kitchen forgot it. The hostess then attempted to bring us a house salad TWICE, which resulted in our waiter loudly telling her «SEEEEE-​WEEEED SALAD» to help get his point across to her that she was an idiot. After that fiasco, it took forever to pay our check. When we attempted to give it to another waitress, she looked at us with utter contempt and walked away, only to go chat with the hostess. Really???
Again, we must remember that we were in Hyde Park, the land of beautiful, not so smart people.
Anyway, I graciously give Dancing Wasabi-​Hyde Park three stars because the sushi was very good and half price.

Let me preface this by saying that I was accustomed to living a hop & skip away from Beluga previously, where I overindulged in their weekend late-​night ½ of sushi & adored all the creative & generously-​portioned rolls.
Since moving around the corner of Mt. Lookout square, i’ve been dying to love dancing wasabi — unfortunately, it is just not happening for me.
Two key reasons… nothing breakthrough, but I feel somewhat not true justifications for higher stars:
— always crowded, and the service reflects it. I’ve frequented plenty of crowded places where the waitstaff still managed to keep high spirits rather than the «get in and get off my table» attitude you may get. Instead, the other sushi restaurants within one mile all have more interesting décor & comparable prices.
— sushi quality is not great — Yes, expectations should be managed going in already, BUT — Ichiban, which is a stone’s throw away, also does ½ off sushi daily and has MUCH better sushi, IMHO.
I’m interested to see if moving to Beluga’s old space will help ramp up the quality and atmopshere, but finding it hard to convince myself to return easily…

Let me start off by saying that if it wasn’t for the venue, Dancing Wasabi would have earned 5 stars in my book. We have been here multiple times and the service and the sushi have been AMAZING every time. It is half price if you go between 5 and 7 any day of the week-​which is awesome (almost as good as having a coupon!)!
Now lets get to the venue. Small. Cramped. Loud-​just to start. It makes it difficult to enjoy the great food and company. Its a big put off to be sharing a table with complete strangers, especially if you’re trying to enjoy a date. And a big downside is that the half price sushi offer is only valid for dining IN. Bummer.
Also, if you go with a party larger than 2, expect a wait. There’s usually a line out the door and they will not seat you until all members of the party are there.

I have been to several sushi places and this place is a pretty good deal. Half price sushi and sashimi! However, with the good deal, brings a good crowd, which results in less than average service.
This was my first visit here and it was a late Tuesday night. The food was good — no complaints there, but the waitress never did get my drink I ordered. Then when we got our order we were missing a roll. I brought it to the sushi chef’s attention and had the roll within 5 minutes.
Open late — so its great for late night sushi, just don’t expect dinner type service.

Be prepared for a long wait on weekends! The half price sushi deal is great, and probably the only reason we go there and not somewhere else. No favorite rolls for me, everything is pretty tasty. Love the tempura veggies for an appetizer. Nice beer selection. Service can be lacking at times. Definitely recommend it for affordable sushi.

When I think of sushi places, there are the higher class sushi places where you are willing to pay more for fresh fish and better food overall. Then, there is the other class where Dancing Wasabi belongs. However, what sets it apart from Ichiban (which seems to think it’s better than it really is), Dancing Wasabi feels like a place where it knows it doesn’t have the best sushi but it knows what its niche market is. Namely, the hungry cheap populace.
While it does get crowded at times, I’d still rather go here than Ichiban if you’re craving sushi and not especially the best sushi.

The first time I went to Dancing Wasabi, there were a few tables available and we were seated quickly. Little did I realize that we must have been lucky that day. The rest of our many visits have been a little more… busy The half price sushi all day is definitely hard to pass up so I understand the swarming crowds. There aren’t any good places to wait when it is cold, so you might find yourself up close and personal with others waiting for a table. During our last visit, we were actually asked if we would be willing to share a table with another couple — we both agreed and while it was maybe a little awkward at first, it was fine.
Now what would make people willing to deal with being packed in like sardines? There are a wide variety of rolls that are cheap… and while many of them don’t necessarily stand out over similar sushi spots… the Sunday Morning Roll seems to have a cult following. It is decedent and unhealthy and tasty! It is a Salmon and Cream Cheese roll deep fried and even better than it sounds. Great now I’ve got a craving…

Can’t get much better than this. HALF-​PRICE SUSHI, and its delicious! Small place so be prepared to sit close to your friends and other groups, but this only adds to the personality of the place.
Close to some good bars too.

I love this place because it reminds me of NYC. Its always crowded after 6pm, they don’t waste any space, the sushie is incredibly amazing, and the staff is friendly but at the same time they are kind of obnoxious in a new york kinda way.
Don’t be fooled by Ichiban a couple doors down. They both offer half-​price sushi, but I think if Ichiban didn’t, they couldn’t survive with Dancing Wasabi’s following. If you have to wait for a table at Dancing Wasabi its well worth it, as opposed to walking down to Ichiban, which is a completely different experience.
The Dancing Wasabi is low key and fun, the prices are great and the food is amazing. Ichiban’s food is just okay and a $ 9 cocktail and schmancy ambiance and décor means jeans aren’t gonna cut it. Plus the sushi isn’t as good as DW.
The DW also has kimchi, not on the menu but very crispy, hot (in the spicy way) and fresh, as well as giant colorful cups for your non-​alcoholic beverages. (I get excited when I get an opaque turquoise cup). And you really can’t go wrong with their sushi options.
I was a tad disappointed last time because we came late and had to sit at the sushi bar, but its nice b/​c the food came a lot faster than at a normal seat, and the waitress doesn’t ignore you up there!

This place gets one star for the half price «sushi.» Otherwise I would have given no stars. The sushi here is horrific! The worst sushi I have had in Cincinnati, hands down.
Where do I start? My salmon roe nigiri was served to me on its side, one of the rolls was completely fried including the seaweed on the outside, and my salmon skin roll was barely crispy the way it should be. There’s a difference between coming up with creative, Americanized sushi and just plain nastiness.
Please do not bring sushi virgins to this place. They will hate sushi and I won’t blame them. Instead, take them to Aoi @ Newport or Mei Japanese Restaurant.
But yes, it’s extremely reasonable if you don’t mind the low quality. Even so, I’d choose Kroger sushi over this place any day. Won’t be going back.

Listen, how many of you know anything about REALLY good sushi? I’ll admit that I don’t. That’s why, for the money– Dancing Wasabi is usually my first choice.
The cost is extremely reasonable, because they do half-​price sushi every day but Sunday. This is also the reason that the place is CONSTANTLY PACKED. Parking is a nightmare in Mt. Lookout Square, especially now that there’s some added construction.
It’s always cramped and crowded– I have only once (last night) been seated immediately upon walking in. It was 9:45 at night. If you are going to come here, be prepared to wait. And also be prepared for it to be outside, because the actual restaurant is so tiny that they cannot fit everyone waiting for a table into the small amount of free space down the middle.
Once you finally get to your table, you’ll probably be sharing it with some strangers. If you’re not actually sharing your table with strangers, they will certainly be able to overhear your conversation from their table.
Do NOT go here if you are low on patience, because you will not enjoy your meal.
Now that I’ve gotten all my complaining out of the way, I’d like to mention that the actual food… is pretty darn good. Yes, I’ve definitely had more impressive sushi elsewhere. They tend to throw the sushi together hastily to keep up with the demand and to turn over tables so you’re not waiting forever.
The ingredients are pretty good, and I always enjoy everything I get. It is very rare that I sample something here that I don’t like. If you are jonesing for sushi, and you don’t want to spend a ton of money– definitely come here. If you are looking for an experience… look elsewhere.

Being new to Cincy, I heard about this place right off the bat as a place I needed to try. I finally was able to go a couple of weeks ago, and was surprised to see people waiting outside for tables. We were able to be seated right away with just two of us, and service was prompt. It was packed inside. The tables are pretty close together, so it may not be the best dining experience if you are claustrophobic. Also, because it was so packed, it was pretty noisy. It was a bit difficult to have a good conversation with my friend without yelling.
I enjoyed every roll we got, and found the Philadelphia roll the most unique variation I have ever tried. We did go during the half price hours, ordered 4 rolls, and the bill was about 26 dollars. Not bad! I’m not quite sure if my wallet would be able to handle going during regular priced hours though. If you are a sushi lover, a stop to Dancing Wasabi is a must!

Sushi, baby!
I have a weird love for this place, even though it’s impossible to get to. It’s in the middle of a plaza that’s treacherous to navigate and nearly-​impossible to park in. I always have to find a spot ways away, and it always seems to be raining as I then run to the restaurant. I know that’s not their fault, but still, I just wanted to complain for a second, heh.
You walk in and are immediately cramped. This restaurant is long and narrow and there are people sitting everywhere. Everything feels a little smooshed in and tables seem like they nearly touch as you sit and eat. That’s the bad stuff.
Surprisingly though, I’ve never waited long to be seated. Plus, they accommodate massive size groups. I like there were 12 of us once at a table along the wall, and they were happy to have us there.
Plus, the food? Oh, the food. If you like sushi, you will be a happy camper in this tent. They;‘ve got your normal bits of California and Philadelphia rolls and then your wild things I can’t really pronounce but will happily eat. Mmm.
Plus, ask for the spicy mayonnaise sauce. Sounds gross, tastes delicious.
This is my spot for sushi. Perhaps, after you try it, it will be yours as well.

I came here last week for half price sushi in celebration of their 3^rd anniversary. The space is cozy with a nice bar — although as someone said the flat screen televisions playing sports is a little odd. It was a fun atmosphere with lots of people and moderately crowded right at 5pm, likely because of their special.
Our server was amusing and timely. The sushi was good, we got lots of salmon nigiri (per the request of my company) and were surprised that one order was only one piece and not two as it is most other places we have been to. This just meant we had to order a round two.
Best roll of the night: Fire Scallop Roll.

This place was OK. The service was attentive. The sushi staff was friendly. They had a couple vegetarian options. Everything was decent but not amazing.