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Sakana Grill
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 11 am - 11 pm
Fri-Sat 11 am - 12 am
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
11 reviews for Sakana Grill
11 reviews in English
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Review from Reginald T.
Calgary, AB
I *love* this place! The food is always tasty, and they often give you complimentary extras that you didn't order as a way of saying thanks.
I used to come here often in University and haven't much lately, but not much has changed. Still a nice and intimate atmosphere, and there's always Japanese music playing in the background. That said, I mostly went on weekend afternoons, so haven't yet had a chance to catch any of the special evening entertainment like the magic shows.
Sushi, of which they have multiple choices, is an option here, but it isn't the only one. They have plenty of cooked dishes as well, my current favourite being the Katsudon.
I haven't come across many places in downtown Calgary that offers the same selection and variety for the price as Sakana Grill. It's my first choice downtown when it comes to Japanese.
10/30 -
Review from Angelo T.
1/3/2012 2 Check-ins Here
Great sushi spot to hit in Chinatown when all of a sudden you and your party decide on "anything but Chinese food!" but won't hop back into their cars because they've already paid for parking :/
Sakana grill's prices are a bit expensive compared to the better sushi joints I've been to (Wa's is just a few blocks up Center Street) but they do have some unique items such as their tempura soft shell crab.
I ordered their Abure Rolls, which means it's sushi slightly seared at the top. The waiter came by with a fancy blowtorch to sear my roll and my mom decided that her sashimi was "too raw" and asked him to toast her expensive pieces of salmon and tuna :( ...+1 for Sakana Grill not taking the insult -
Review from Gabe A.
11/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
Last weekend, Kat and I were hit with post-work hunger pangs - hard. It was a Sunday night, aka. Yr City's a Sucker Time, when nothing at all is open downtown except pubs - and this place. It is hard to say no to a Japanese place that is open late, so we walked in (although "staggered inside with weakness" might paint a better picture) and were promptly seated in a cozy booth, next to a heavily tattooed couple in the adjacent cozy booth. We four had two cozy moments. Menus were dispersed, orders quickly taken, and food reasonably quickly served.
We tried the takoyaki balls (well-seasoned, but tiny piece of octopus), I had a miso soup (standard quality, although a big Western-style spoon?? Points off for missed aesthetics!), and we shared the standard bearer of a sushi place: California rolls. Fantastic, though it might have been the hunger speaking.
For the mains, I had the unagi roll and Kat had the other standard bearer, the Katsu don. I was not prepared for the entire roll to be deep-fried (although I was hungry, it WAS late and I prefer to keep it light by that time), and it took away from the fish; all I could taste by the end was batter. Her Katsu don was slightly better, though I have tasted superior ones in other places. Overall, it is worth a visit if its late and you are in the area and craving sushi and nothing else is open.
10/30Listed in: The 30-Day Challenge
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Review from Rachel F.
10/17/2011
Being pregnant, I am currently avoiding raw fish. But I love sushi. In fact, I often crave it. So I settle for cooked fish sushi or vegetarian sushi. I was delighted to see that Sakana Grill offered a selection of both types of sushi I can eat.
We opted for the Caterpillar Roll and the Spicy Fuji Roll. Both were very good, though the Spicy Fuji Roll did not live up to its name - not very spicy, but nothing being generous with the wasabi and ginger couldn't fix. We also had the miso soup, edamame, and dessert. Oh, be sure to ask for the dessert menu. The green tea ice cream was excellent, and the coconut surprise ice cream was outstanding.
I was really impressed with the service. When we were there, the restaurant had two very large, very loud, and very boisterous parties at the two main grills. But the couple tucked away in the quiet, romantic corner was not forgotten. The staff was quite attentive and service was exceptionally prompt.
The food itself was good, and probably worth about 3 or 3.5 stars. But the dessert definitely bumps up the score. And the service, even more so. -
Review from Sarah Louise F.
Calgary, AB
9/18/2011
I am alright with Sakana Grill. If it is late, and we are in Chinatown, or looking for a place to eat before hitting up a movie or something at Eau Claire, I am definitely willing to eat here, although it is by no means a mindblowing experience.
Service is generally pretty friendly and awesome here, although I have experienced a server who reminds me of Mel from Flight of the Conchords here which freaks me out a little bit. But I digress.
Something I do like about Sakana, is that they don't have just your typical cucumber maki or avocado rolls here as options for vegetarians. They also have a delightful asparagus and avocado roll here that I really enjoy, as well as a sundried tomato roll. None of my friends really enjoy this roll for some reason, so I rarely order it if I'm sharing, but I think it's pretty cool that they have this as an option.
Additionally, they usually have specials on Japanese beers, which I don't particularily enjoy myself but my friends love. I usually just fill up on the cheap genmaicha.
I see here that someone commented on the entertainment/magicians. Yes, they are still there, but this is actually something that really makes me uncomfortable about dining in at Sakana. It is quite awkward when you are trying to have a conversation, and you don't want to turn away the endearing magician lady, but also don't really want to pretend to be entertained. Also, the first time this happened to us my friends and I just stared across the table at each other, and didn't know if this lady was expecting to be tipped, or what have you. Uncomfortable.
But decent food if you are in the area and nothing else is open. -
Review from Nyssa R.
11/8/2010 ROTD 4/24/2011
Wow! What a great experience. I've been here twice, the first time they had a magician that entertained us in between orders. That was a few years ago, I'm not sure if they still do it but it was a great distraction as we waited. The service was prompt and it was a great experience. The atmosphere is great, you have the option of having the chefs prepare food in front of you, and they are entertaining, or ordering a la carte in the tables.
Every server I've dealt with there has been quick and polite. The food is great, and the prices, as other people have mentioned are extremely competitive. The rolls are innovative, the sashimi is a little thin sometimes.
In the end they give you Pocky sticks too... definitely different than a lot of Japanese restaurants in Calgary, and a worthwhile experience.Listed in: Sushi...
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Review from Kait K.
Calgary, AB
9/2/2010
I always get my takeout sushi from Sakana Grill and it is always fresh and delicious. The delivery time can sometimes be more than an hour which can be annoying when you are really hungry. I have gone there many times for table service which has always been impeccable.
Their drinks are slightly over-priced for what they are, but if you are a sushi tea and water drinker than you will be totally fine.
Great place, good prices, huge menu. -
Review from S S.
Calgary, AB
Updated - 5/20/2011
I returned with another group of friends on a Thursday night. We arrived a little after 5pm and the restaurant only had a couple of tables. However, service was extremely slow as our server disappeared for quite a while and another one ended up taking our order. Also, none of our glasses were refilled with water even when they were completely empty.
The food was very prompt, except they gave us sashimi sushi instead of just sashimi and they corrected it after we informed them. In addition, they gave our table of 3 some complimentary sushi, other tables received some as well.
The food was quite good, except some of the sushi rolls were not very firm and fell apart easily. Our bill came to a total of $51. Overall not bad, the service could have been more attentive, however I think it was due to the specific server we had.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/11/2010
Went one day with 4 other friends.
Food was pretty good. The loveboat for two had a very nice variety… Read more »
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Review from Kevin J.
Calgary, AB
5/30/2009
So, a couple friends and I rolled up to Sakana Grill for some late night sushi, which Sakana Grill ACTUALLY does, so kudos for that. We ended up having to wait 15 minutes for a table. However, we were offered to take seats at the grill. Sorry something about sitting in a line when trying to have a conversation among friends isn't right, so yeah, not this time. Service was indeed slow, but this isn't new for any previous customers.
Our server actually missed the sushi we had ordered on the order form. Not that I expected him to study and dissect the order form, but at least glance at it and realize that people do order off of it. The food was scrumptious. One of the few restaurants in Calgary that actually serves mayo with their Takoyaki. Unfortunately, there was a surplus of mayo and not enough Tonkatsu sauce with the Korokke.
At the end of the day, SG is great and probably the best late night sushi restaurant in Calgary. However, I wouldn't be planning a trip there any time before 10pm.
One week later update:
So, After I initially wrote this review, I went back to Sakana Grill the following week to appreciate the good food. Service was some what better, all of our food was ordered and beverages were served in my lap. I don't know if the staff recognized my famous Yelp review, but I did indeed have water split on me. The server was embarrassed and repeatedly apologized. However, when the bill came there was no compensation, only my damp jeans. Sometimes I wonder, the power us Yelpers have. We must remember the old Spiderman quote, "With great power, comes great responsibility."
Yelpers - we must not be silenced by restaurants. Let the truth be told. -
Review from C T.
Calgary, AB
3/20/2009
Went for happy hour at about 4 p.m. and they have a special menu that serves Salmon and Tuna Sushi for really ridiculously low prices like $0.90!! We ordered the Sushi Love Boat that serves 2 people for about $25.00; it comes with salad and miso soup. The Udon and Tempura also comes with 2 pcs of tuna and salmon sashimi each. The Udon is $9.90.
Whole bill came to about $45!! I kid you not!
The sushi rice was really fresh and moist. The fish yummily fresh. Very important.
Only thing is service is quite slow. -
Review from Yasmina S.
Calgary, AB
3/24/2010
- Very friendly staff
- Reasonable Prices: Love boat (serves 2) is a great value for your money and comes with salad and a soup; they also have it as a happy hour special for $22.95 i believe as well as super low prices on tuna and salmon.
- Nice Environment
- Fresh ingredients
