Wasabiya

By far the best sushi place on bardstown. They are all so friendly, we come back once a week to have as much sushi as we can stuff ourselves with.

Fresh sushi with amazing customer service. The second time my boyfriend and I went they gave us a FREE sushi roll!!! This place has a great location and the environment is very inviting. Will definitely be going back

All the fish was very fresh, the chef or manager had a lot of personality and brought some free delicious rolls to the table, the atmosphere was pleasant, the prices are very reasonable, the portions were huge. Service was good but not great.

This place has really gone downhill. I really hate to give them a bad review because the staff is always so nice, and they are always so generous about sending free stuff our way, but it just isn’t what it used to be.
Many of the rolls seem to have been reformulated to have lesser quality – and less expensive ingredients. Seriously, when will sushi places understand that you cucumber is not as good at avocado? On a side note, I stopped going to Sapporo for this exact same reason. I looked over the menu and everything was «spicy (imitation) crab» and cucumber. no thanks. On my most recent visit, I was glad to see that they had brought back more interesting options and the quality was really good.
So after my last visit to Wasabiya, I probably won’t be back unless they make some changes to their menu. I really love the staff though, so I hope they can hang in there and get their quality and creativity back to where they started.

Wonderful place! Very well priced for sushi with great service. I come here at least once a week and it’s always an enjoyable experience!

Louisville has decent sushi but this was just mediocre. A lunch stop and three rolls later did not impress me. Alaska (yellowtail, cucumber, avocado and scallion), crunch (crab with mayo and cucumber) and spicy tuna (tuna and cucumber) were all blah…
It is also frustrating when you visit a restaurant for the first time and the wait staff does not suggest a lunch menu which is hidden in the main menu. Instead they show you the main menu… not good customer service.

This place has quickly become my favorite Sushi place in Louisville. The food is fabulous, the staff is super friendly, and there’s always plenty of room (this is important for World Cup fans like me at times like these…)
You can see Louisville To Do’s blog post about it here:

You cannot miss this Sushi Restaurant! The artistry of the food, fast and great service, and the sushi chef and the behind the kitchen chef (who makes the udon, yakisoba, bibimbab, etc) just fantastic! I don’t believe bad reviews at this joint!!! It’s just that good! Oh did I mention the service!!! I always get some kind of free dish! Sometimes an extra roll or side salad!!! Don’t have to think twice! Just try them out! Suggestions: pink lady, Xfile, girlfriend!!! OH and the Dragon Balls! It’s just a party in my mouth! The fusion of the crisp outside, the soft melting touch of cream cheese and the crabmeat… You have to try it!!!

Wasabiya is great! It’s my second favorite Japanese restaurant. I always get the red snapper which is perfect. It has the slightest crisp on the outside and is perfectly flaky on the inside. TRY IT! And their sushi is great too. The staff is really warm and friendly too. We like to go here when we want Japanese without all the fuss and wait of the other one.

My daughter and I went yesterday, a Thursday evening, to use a Groupon I had that was soon to expire. We split the house garden salad (usual ginger salad) and we got the yum yum roll, creamy california roll, popcorn lobster roll and treasure island roll. I was in sushi heaven with these rolls. I’ve tried sushi all over Louisville and southern Indiana. Oishii Sushi is still my very fav, but this place now comes in second. The rolls are soft and taste very fresh. The crab has a wonderful taste and the cream cheese seemed soft and… well, creamy! It was delish!

I actually didn’t end up getting sushi. This was my second visit to Wasabiya, my first was when they first opened. I tried a more traditional dish – Bibim Bop – where there was rice, vegetables in egg presented in a hot pan. It was really enjoyable, and just what I needed the night before a ten mile race. There was some confusion involving which bill was ours’, and getting it paid quickly. I do give them credit though, there were a lot of folks there that night and many of the folks (including us) there with a groupon.
My husband ordered two sushis rolls, the one he thought came off fairly sweet for the flavor, but the other he really enjoyed.
Overall, the waitress was very helpful with suggestions and in explaining how to eat what I ordered.

Amazing, delicious, fresh, fresh, fresh sushi. The presentation is 5 star, top chef quality. The ambience is casual trendy fresh. The meal is elegant. The service is fast and friendly without being over attentive. Drinks filled promptly. Excellent knowledge of the menu items. A great place for an intimate date or a big group of friends. We used our Groupon. I’m already looking forward to my next visit. Two thumbs up!

Groupon just had a deal for Wasabiya. So be prepared for service in the next month or so to be particularly busy even on non-​peak days. I came with a friend last night (fairly early on a Thursday), with my Groupon. Service was sluggish… I think there were 2 waitresses and the two guys making the sushi, but by the time we had our appetizer and ordered our rolls, the whole restaurant was full!
And the sushi is good enough that I am not put off by a little wait!
Get the Groupon, don’t get the Groupon… just GO here!
I highly recommend the yami avocado appetizer (tempura fried avocado with crab and special sauce). And my two favorite rolls here are the Cardinal Roll and, as of last night, the Snow White Roll. Yum!
I wish I could afford to eat sushi everyday!

Try the pink lady or the hot JB rolls… so delicious!
The staff is super friendly and my family and I love going there for some yummy sushi! The interior is clean and modern without too much kitchy asian themed décor. A great place to stop in if you are out in the Highlands!

I’ve been to Wasabiya twice. The first one was by mistake when I got too excited with the Groupon that I got and did not bother reading the fine print. It cannot be used on that day yet. Bummer, but what else can we do when we’ve already ordered and consumed everything?
1^st time– Tried their sushi. They were nowhere near being delicious. :(They didn’t taste fresh and the variety of Japanese rice used is not a good kind. We were disappointed and I tried making myself feel better by getting some yummy dessert. I tried ordering tempura ice cream, but I was told that it wasn’t available that time. I know I’m not just being bitter because I didn’t get to use my Groupon, I found that out after we ate.
2^nd time– This is the redeeming visit, which made me decide to give them 3 stars instead of 2. We got to use our Groupon (Yay!), but decided not to gamble on their sushi. We got the gyoza for our appetizer. Those were delicious!!! Flavor was really good, they were slightly fried on one side, and the sauce made them even more tasty. For the entrée, I got the Korean BBQ rib and my husband got the chicken. Both dishes were really good. Portions were huge so I did not attempt getting any dessert.
Though their gyoza and entrees were really good, we won’t go all the way to Bardstown Rd just for those… we would most likely not come back.

When I first learned that a Japanese restaurant would be opening closer to me, I was excited. And, for the first few months, the food was great. Then, my favorite chef left and the rolls started getting a bit sloppy, and the special tuna tartar lost that special zing it had to it.
I still enjoy dining here, if the temperature outside is not too hot (which makes it uncomfortable inside), and there isn’t some sort of sewage smell inside. I stay away from the sushi, nigiri and sashimi, as I’m still not sure if those food offering have improved again, but I will fill up on some agedashi, spare ribs, salad, rice and tempura.
They’ve got a decent sake selection, and sometimes have some yummy plum wine or fruit-​infused sake’s.
In summary… not at the top of my go-​to Japanese locales, but if I want to walk up somewhere close for a little edamame and a cold Sho Chiku Bai Nigori unfiltered sake, it’s a sound choice.

I tried Wasabiya again because my friend offered me dinner there due to a soon to expire Groupon. Still pretty underwhelming, rolls are priced pretty consistently with other sushi bars but continue to be overloaded with cheaper ingredients like cucumber. I don’t actually mind cutting back on the fish for whatever reason but please don’t compromise the balance of flavor!

I bought a
gift certificate for this place a couple of weeks after moving to Louisville in August 2010, but heard not so great things about it and didn’t try it until tonight. For that, I feel like an idiot.
My friend and I both started with a side salad with their ginger-​carrot dressing, which my friend declared his favorite (Side note: we go out for sushi on a weekly basis, going to all different places around the city, depending on where we are).
We got three rolls to share: a spicy tuna with tempura flakes, treasure island, and dragon balls (not really a ‘roll,’ but individually fried balls). They came out in that order, which was nice; it felt almost coursed. The spicy tuna roll tasted very fresh (.in Kentucky) and had great flavors. The treasure island roll was a pile of amazing and I wish I had another one right now. I forget what exactly was in it but it made sweet, magical love to my tastebuds. Last but not least, the dragon balls… so unique. Deep fried spicy crab and cream cheese with hot sauce & eel sauce. Slightly difficult to eat (but if you stab with chop sticks and then split are manageable) but worth it.
For dessert, we split tempura ice cream. This is probably why I didn’t give it 5 stars… it tasted freezer burnt. That part was a bummer. Next time, I’ll go for the awesomeness and walk across the street to Pie Kitchen for ice cream.

4.5 stars, rounded up. Definitely feeling the love for this neighborhood sushi spot.
My husband and I haven’t had a chance to try out too many sushi places in Louisville, but we have been to what feels like dozens while living in other cities mainly Chicago, Denver, and Boulder CO. We decided to go on a whim on our way home from a basketball game at the Yum Center — the fact that there was a free parking spot literally right out front of the door sealed the deal.
We arrived around 6:30pm on a Saturday night. There were a handful of other parties in the restaurant, the ambiance was inviting — attractive paint colors on exposed brick walls, dim lighting with nice accents, a couple flat screens showing college basketball (no sound). What stood out immediately was the friendliness of the host and waitstaff — we eat out quite a bit, and it’s rare that a balance of friendly yet not annoying is accomplished as well as it was here. Restrooms were also very clean /​looked after.
On to the food — we started edamame and miso soup — both basics, as good as expected.
We opted to get only three rolls, where we usually would split four. Three was a good call. We were pleasantly surprised to discover that the «basic rolls» (priced around $ 5 or less, and not really all that basic as far as the combinations) we had ordered each came with eight pieces, the same number as the one specialty roll we got. Plenty of yummy sushi arrived quickly.
We enjoyed all the rolls, and aside from the sweet potato tempura, I can’t recall the exact names of the other rolls. One had mango, shrimp tempura, cucumber… very tasty. The selection was sizable and comprehensive — something for everyone. Lots of selections without raw fish, for pregnant ladies or others who have particular aversions.
Highly recommend, this is a great place on a fun block in the Highlands.

Update: Came on a Friday night, great service and staff again… This place is growing on me. New Bibimbap is excellent.
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Went on a Tuesday night during the week and the place was pretty empty. Service was good, sushi was fresh and it was quick. Good size rolls and fair prices. If you like Sapporo you’ll like this place too, (without all the noise).
What I ordered:
Japanese bagel, Hot mama, Cherry blossom, Eatin lemon