4. Restaurants

Wasabi

Natick Collection,1245 Worcester St, Natick, MA, 01760
  • (508) 720-0326
  • Store is closed

Wasabi Menu

Sorry, We are updating this restaurant menu details.

  • Bill R.

    This place is exactly how the rating describes it A-Ok. I am a mall employee and this is one of my go to places for lunch. They have super fast take out and their prices are reasonable. I would never come here for a sushi night out but it's more than passable for what it is... Mall sushi.

    (3)

  • Mike D.

    Alright - Let's set the expectation here 1.) You are in a mall 2.) The food is on a plate on a belt 3.) You have the convenience of choosing the dish you want. That all being said - This idea is pretty great and fun! Everyone should try it once! I ordered off the menu and off the belt. The sushi was not bad and there were some different Maki's from normal. I was happy with it! Give it a try!

    (4)

  • Jamie M.

    What a fun experience! You pick your basic sushi off a conveyor belt, where it travels on price-coded plates. Each plate has a chip that lets the staff know how long it's been on the belt, so the sushi stays fresh. More elaborate rolls can be ordered from your waiter. There's a kids' menu as well: my favorite item there is the peanut butter and jelly "roll." Instead of weighing yourself down with traditional food court cuisine, try this fun, fast, and healthy alternative.

    (4)

  • Peter C.

    Go for the experience! You have sushi coming around on a conveyor belt... that's pretty cool. The pricing structure is done by plate color and the waitress adds up your empty plates at the end to calculate your bill. You can also custom order anything you don't see coming around on the conveyor belt. The Sushi is good, probably better than you'd expect for a Mall based eatery. The restaurant is wide open, so you can successfully people-watch while you're enjoying your meal. My personal favorites are: The Philadelphia Roll The Crunchy Salmon Roll Avocado and Salmon with Cavier California Roll The Caterpillar Roll Shrimp Tempure Roll

    (4)

  • Holly K.

    I was pretty hesitant to try this place out after all of the pretty horrible reviews here. Reading through the reviews it seems like a lot of the complaints were about the service. I was definitely pleasantly surprised with dinner here. The service was great! From the hostess to our waitress everyone was friendly and the waitress was always around when I needed her. I am no sushi connoisseur but I was happy with the food! It is fun to see all the sushi rolling on by and deciding what variety to pick off the conveyor. I heard one of the chefs telling another customer how they changed their cooking method because their chicken used to be really dry and now the customer was raving about how great it was. If you haven't been here in a while I would recommend giving this place one last try; I definitely think it is better than the food court if you want to grab something fast to eat while at Natick Mall.

    (4)

  • Juliet M.

    Horrible. No sushi on the belt and no servers to get you a drink. The server nearby said they got a new Manager...they need a different one. Dishes piled on the counter. Filthy. Finally gave up and left.

    (1)

  • Abe A.

    Absolute rip-off. The sushi is almost passable (think decent grocery store pre-packaged tier but with half the amount of actual fish), but the price is just stupidly high for the amount of food you get. I was disappointed in the selection, especially in terms of raw fish. They definitely cater to a western market, which may be fine, but it wasn't what I or any of my friends were looking for in a sushi restaurant. Service was friendly and decent. Presentation is good. Location is pretty slick, right in the middle of the Natick Mall. But Wasabi fails when it comes to actual food and price (the core aspects of a restaurant) . Seriously, every bite I took was like swallowing $2.50 (not even exaggerating: their Unagi is $5 for two pieces). Usually I wouldn't mind so much, but the eel slices were just TINY. Unacceptable, I'm never eating here again, and I'm advising others to steer clear.

    (1)

  • Dave B.

    Well, it's about as good as you can expect. The concept: this is what's called "Kaiten-zushi," or "conveyor-belt sushi" in English. The chefs are constantly cranking out a variety of small dishes (about the size of what you would expect at a tapas restaurant), which move around the restaurant past each table on a conveyer belt. If something looks good to you, you just grab it and start eating, and your final bill gets calculated based on what you had (the plates are coded by color, each color is a different price). It's a fun way to dine, especially for anybody who's a "beginner" at sushi. I thought the food was okay, the simple common items are probably the best choices (tuna rolls, California rolls, etc). It's not gourmet. It's not the best sushi you've ever had...it's not even CLOSE to the best sushi you've ever had. But the ingredients are fresh and prices are very low. This IS a shopping mall food court, after all...fresh ingredients that aren't going to make you sick is about as much as you can ask for. So if you want a break from your shopping for a quick bite that will fill your belly and leave you satisfied, this is a good choice. If you want gourmet sushi, finish your shopping and go somewhere else instead.

    (3)

  • Vlad C.

    You are walking through the mall doing a little shopping (window and maybe real) when you decide you have a sushi craving. OH NO what do you do? Well this is what happened to me the other day. All of a sudden I remember "oh yeah there is this new belt sushi in the mall it must be a decent value and if I don't like it I wont go again". Well this did not happen. The fish was fresh, the presentation was pretty. The rice quality and consistency could be better, but how much can you expect from a sushi joint in the mall. The belt was consistently full and the same plates were not there over and over as there was a decent crowd. Now though there are obviously significantly better sushi places, for a quick craving and not emptying out your wallet this place will definitely hit the spot for a craving. I recommended this to friends, who also enjoyed it and I will come back again!

    (4)

  • Nasreen D.

    Absolutely as fun as it is delicious! My first time there, I promised myself I will take only 2 dishes off the conveyer belt. I ended up taking 5, plus o e order of dessert, green tea mousse! It was just tempting, looking at all the dishes passing me by. I just want to grab every single thing before I miss them. Price-wise, I think it's very reasonable, but if you're tight on a budget, I wouldn't recommend going because you're only limiting yourself! I like to surge when I come here. The service here is also excellent! Honestly, nothing bad to say here!

    (5)

  • Rebecca S.

    Wasabi reminds me of childhood growing up in NYC. Rotating sushi belts were very popular back a little while ago, unfortunately they all seemed to disappear. Even though this place is located in the center of a mall I always drive out of my way just to eat here. The food is great, not over priced. There is also a good mixture of sushi that has more of a real Japanese style to it, and Americanized sushi as well. So it is good for mixed eaters. My last time there I had a delightful time, ate a lot and the total for two people was around $25. Being from NYC that seems reasonable. The hostesses were super nice, and I think they were relieved not to see kids or aggravated parents (it was very crowded at dinner time). I am giving them a 4 because our waitress ignored us for a little after we sat, but it was very crowded so I understand.

    (4)

  • Robin Y.

    The actual sushi here isn't anything special, but they're not trying to be authentic- it's American sushi, and they don't disguise that. The food comes around on a conveyer belt, and they take it off when it's been out for awhile, which is comforting, since nobody likes the consequences of warm sushi. I got the edamame, California roll, and chocolate mousse, which I was perfectly happy with. The waitstaff tends to have glazed-over eyes and they're kind of glum and detached, buuuut... they're working in a mall, so I wouldn't expect them to be incredibly lively and excited about life. I haven't come back here since I ate here a year ago, because I wasn't incredibly impressed, but I definitely didn't dislike it. I just sort of prefer Au Bon Pain.

    (3)

  • Kitten H.

    In terms of quality Wasabi is the Applebee's of sushi. We ate 6 or 7 plates and our water was only refreshed just before the check arrived. Limited but nice selection. Will eventually return, cute place.

    (2)

  • Austin J. A.

    If you have the hankering for conveyor-belt sushi in the middle of a trip to the Apple store, this is definitely your saving grace. This is conveyor-belt sushi. This is not Oishii or Cafe Sushi. This is sitting at the counter or in a booth, and pulling tiny plates of pricey rolls off of a tram that visits every place setting. This is pretending to be in a science fiction universe where you are in a primordial soup of little offerings that come to your table via invisible robots. Or this is reminiscing with your date about all of the other conveyor-belt and buffet-style sushi you've ever eaten across the globe. It's remembering what it was like to go eat at the Automat with your Dad in the 1970s, only instead of ebi nigiri and seaweed salad it was sweet potato pie and green jello. With Cool-Whip. In a word, this is not A-list celebrity sushi. This is a B-movie. A fine B-movie about some radioactive honey badger trying to take over Moscow, with a great soundtrack by Philip Glass. But it's a B-movie, and (if it knows what's good for it) it's not trying to be anything else. You'll get your cult following of loyal fans, and that's the point. Wasabi is a quirky place to have the experience of picking up tiny plates of food from a perpetual-motion conveyor belt and then eating them as you watch tons of other little plates of Japanese food go by. Plates are priced by color, and the color key is in the menu. You can also order from the menu; I've had drinks, soup, and specific sushi brought to me by cheerful and attentive servers on several occasions. Nobody has ever given me a reason to dislike coming here. For what it is. I love their plate of cut mochi, because you get several flavors/colors of mochi in bite-sizes. The shrimp nigiri is a go-to item, as is their red tuna. They have different specialty rolls and chef's special rolls, often involving a sauce or a cooked ingredient. The plates are small, arrive covered (they look like little Jetson-era UFOs with their acrylic lids, sailing along towards their inevitable destinies), and if I don't like what I ordered (it hasn't happened yet), I can easily pick up another dish that catches my fancy. If you are worried about over-ordering on your first trip, just pick a price range to shoot for, and stick to one or two plate colors. There are VERY few of the lowest-tier price color plates, and typically, they're just for edamame or some kind of salad anyway. The blue, red, and magenta/purple plates are the ones upon which I have most often found my favorite foods. There is a kids' menu, with a bento box that they can take home with them afterwards; and by the way, these little conveyor-belt sushi-pods are the best way to entertain kids at a mall outside of Build-A-Bear, and they don't feed you at Build-A-Bear. The staff behind the counter use a machine to extrude rice onto nori paper, and let's face it, I wouldn't trust the spicy tuna (usually, it's the oldest cuts of fish that go into the spicy rolls, because the spiciness masks the age-taste), but I don't go here because I can eat the very best sushi in the whole world. I go here because I'm tired of shopping, I don't want a trendy, darling, or overdone mall eating experience (like so many other offerings at the Natick Collection), and I genuinely like this incarnation conveyor belt sushi...for what it is. So let's recap what we've learned... Q: what is conveyor-belt sushi at Wasabi? A: it's an experience wherein you will get to do something that you probably don't get to do every day, AKA eat little plates off of a conveyor belt. That's it. You probably wouldn't seek out this food if it wasn't served to you on a mechanized food-train. And that's okay. If you want good sushi, there are plenty of positive options within just a few mile radius. But if you want to sample a bunch of little plates and find robotic food pulleys to be adorable, fun, or hypnotic to watch, then this is the cult classic for you.

    (3)

  • Rachel K.

    Wasabi's great customer service and care for its frequent visitors are making me turn this 3 stars into 4 :).

    (4)

  • Anurag M.

    It is a good option to eat decent sushi in the mall. Kid friendly. I would recommend as a healthy option in the mall.

    (3)

  • Christy C.

    I just ate here with my kids and we were all disappointed. When you go to eat sushi and the highlight of your meal is the watermelon, that is pretty sad. My daughter had the pb & j Benton box which looked nothing like the photo. The portion was equivalent to half a sandwich and the strawberries were not fresh. I am not sure why this came with rice. The sushi tasted like day old grocery store sushi. The avocado was brown and the shrimp tempura roll that I ordered was not crispy. At least now I can say that we have been there, but we wont be coming back.

    (1)

  • Vickie M.

    This is the second time I went and tried not to be biased. The food is not good. the fillings are small and the avocado is too ripe. The rolls are not tight so they can easily be loosen up. The cost is ok. THere isn't much sushi. I sat there for an hour today and realized they limit their sushi. I prefer Enso. They have other sushi specials that are different. Never going back to wasabi ever.. really not worth it even the market's sushi is better.

    (1)

  • Jacqui A.

    great sushi for the price. I eat here often as a mall employee and get 15% off the food because I work at the mall. Great deal for employees, I love sushi and I love the concept of the conveyer belt. I just try to always ask to have it made for me, especially on warm and sunny days because it gets warm in the spot it's in. I wish I got more fish with my nigiri or sashimi for the price, but overall great atmosphere for a mall sushi place :)

    (4)

  • Bailey F.

    Ok it is what it is folks, it's a MALL SUSHI KIOSK! It's cute looking and it just happens to be one of the few Kaiten-zushi styled eateries that isn't claiming to be fine dining, so that alone is a treat for me. The food isn't 5 star quality and if you're looking for that out in the mall, go to one of the restaurants that claim they provide such things; If you want a kitschy street food experience, that's not as terrible as the food court, where everyone can eat for about 15 per person and leave full, you got it. The food isn't as horrible as some of these reviews make it out to be and honestly I found the service reasonable considering most of the wait staff were high school students. Our server was nice, and about as attentive as needed considering your food is on a conveyor belt in front of you, all he was really needed for was drink orders. The food was fresh, and I wasn't sitting right at the kitchen area, and I did notice them clear things off aftrer they had been around a few times, so it does look like its monitored for freshness. I loved my Chefs Special, and my vegetarian boyfriend got a lot out of the meal, which is nice that we could both go somewhere and enjoy a dinner where he could eat something more than just a salad. Overall I had a good time, so Wasabi, I'll be seeing you!

    (3)

  • Rita V.

    Sometimes rolls are sloppy but edible... Fast food, really. I like one 0f their seafood salads and their seaweed salad is pretty typical. But on this last visit I found their rolls uncomfortably-fall apart loose and... bland. They had set a higher standard for mall sushi for me, but really, next time, I might go upstairs back to Sarku. It is pricey for what you are getting, and the convenience of it was overshadowed by the descent in quality...

    (2)

  • Christopher R.

    Ive only eaten their sushi once, and it was pretty good. I wasnt overwhelmed. Its good for something quick while in the mall. Im just mesmerized by watching the sushi go round and round

    (4)

  • Neil S.

    Eating here is fun, so I do recommend you try this place. The sushi itself is... okay. I didn't try the yellow tail (if the tuna doesn't impress me, then I'm not willing to go there), but the salmon is good. I don't care for rolls, but the people I went with seemed to enjoy them. The cooked chicken teriyaki was pretty good. It's mall sushi, so if your expectations aren't much then you won't be disappointed.

    (2)

  • Hubert K.

    Had dinner here a few weeks ago, and the sushi selection was abundant and fresh. Our waitstaff, Max, was really attentive and friendly. Whatever sushi items that did not arrive on the belt, we were able to ask Max to get them. Our kids had fun, and it was nice to be able to see the quality of the sushi prior to selecting a specific plate. Definitely a place to check out, and reasonably priced.

    (4)

  • Bobby C.

    Sure it is in the "Natick Collection" part of the mall. It's still in the mall. Enough said? It's like stepping foot into a hotel restaurant. You know what you are getting yourself into. I know I am exaggerating and generalizing a bit. Maybe it is where we sat. The rolls on the carousel or conveyer belt is never looked that appealing when they got around to us. Probably because we sat far away from where they made the sushi and everyone has taken the decent plates. You may want to use the bathroom before you go eat. You have to walk towards the other end of the Natick Collection for the bathrooms.

    (2)

  • Dorian G.

    When this place first opened, I was new to sushi and thought it was the cat's meow. Now, I've been schooled a bit in sushi AND I'm gluten-free. Sushi should be easy when you're GF. Rice + fish = no problem. As long as there is GF-soy sauce/Tamari on hand, we've got a party! GF Visit 1 was a to-go order. I asked if there was GF menu. The girl at the register handed me a photocopy of the actual menu with the non-GF items crossed out. Seemed easy. I got some nigiri and a rainbow roll to go. Nothing complicated. And she filled up a to-go cup with Tamari. GF visit 2 was another to-go order. I asked the guy at the register for the GF menu again. he said there was no such thing. I begged to differ. He asked the manager and he brought me out a different piece of paper. This was a handwritten list of every menu item, with the ingredients listed alongside, with allergens highlighted. They can make an roll I like and alter as needed. I noticed that the seaweed salad was NOT highlighted (which i assumed it would be as it has soy sauce). Inquire...oh, yeah...its not. Oops. (DO YOU KNOW WHAT KIND OF LIABILITY THAT IS??) Placed my order and asked for Tamari. Was told they had none. Again, I dont think so. Some digging produced an unopened bottle. GF visit 3 (and my last for a good long while) was today. Seated lunch with a friend. I ask for the GF menu/list/whatever. I am told they have a list of allergens but cannot show it to me. Waitress THINKS that the nigiri, sashimi and some rolls are GF. I ask as they roll by, "is this one? is that one?" She doesnt know. I explain i'm on my lunch break and i cant wait for her to keep going and forth to "the book" and can i please see the list. No, I cannot. She disappears and comes back and says that as of now FOUR items are GF. Nothing else is. The vegetable roll (salad in rice paper, yay!) and 3 other rolls. Plus sashimi and nigiri. That's it. What happened to the extensive menu? Ugh. I just grabbed a rainbow roll and a vegetable roll, ate and RAN. FAST. This place is an allergen nightmare. Run, don't walk.

    (1)

  • Ryan K.

    Love this place. Fast, convenient and pretty good. Its not the best Sushi I have ever had, but for the price and speed, it cant be beat!! Definitely try it.

    (4)

  • Kristin D.

    When my cousin's friend said we should do conveyor-belt sushi for lunch, I looked at her funny. I had seen this type of thing on TV, but never experienced this before. So we went. I admit I was very intrigued by this concept in application. We were seated at the bar and given a run down of the logistics by our server (since neither myself nor my cousin had been there before). I ordered an iced green tea, which I thought odd that it came in a bottle; but it was in Japanese, and unsweetened. We started grabbing dishes off of the conveyor belt. I had 4 dishes: Lucky Roll, Yellowtail Nigiri, Blue Crab roll, and another I can't remember. My 4 plates and drink came to approx. $23, not including tip. They also had other items on the belt such as seaweed salad, seaweed pockets, and even chocolate mousse! The three of us split something called Mochi, which was a lot sweeter than expected, but still very good. They even have a menu you can order from if you don't see what you want or "if its taking too long to come around." I could have eaten more!!! As for the quality of the food, it was very good, but not as good as other sushi restaurants I have been to. I am really looking forward to taking my husband here, but more for the novelty than for the outstanding food.

    (3)

  • Dave H.

    Sushi at the Mall! OK... this is not gourmet-level sushi, but the convenience and fun factor make this one of the best choices for lunch or dinner at Natick Mall. The best part was the friendly staff and service... especially the hostess who seems to know everything about the food preparation, the best rolls to order and detailed knowledge about the Mall.

    (5)

  • Heather R.

    I love this concept but the cleanliness is scary. The menus are sticky, I watched them reuse lids without washing them and the area I was seated at was dirty. Sushi places need to be uber clean to enjoy them. This place makes you wonder how you will feel after your meal.

    (2)

  • M. P.

    The sushi was good for what it is which is mall sushi and you're sitting in the middle of the open mall. We got a lot of interesting rolls like the baja tuna ($4.00 - spicy tuna, jalapeno, avocado, red pepper & cilantro) and crunchy salmon ($3.50 - salmon, cream cheese, masago, spicy mayo). It is definitely dangerous to have a conveyor belt of sushi in front of us. We definitely had two plates too many but it was a decent price for 2 people. Two iced teas and about 6 plates is about $30 bucks. It was fast, easy and convenient.

    (3)

  • Alan C.

    I'm not sure if it was because we went on an off day or what but the sushi was not very fresh and very expensive from my point of view. The conveyor belt idea is only good if the sushi is actually fresh. they only put the cheaper stuff on it first and you get the special sushi by ordering straight from the waiter/waitress. the salmon roe we ordered was definitely not fresh.

    (1)

  • Alan S.

    This was my 3rd time back, and it gets better every time.... Great staff, and delicious food!! Its nice to see a restaurant that consistently does a great job! I would recommend this place to anyone, and will be back again soon!!

    (4)

  • Tammy C.

    No no no...... What a disappointment! What you pretty much are paying for here is the experience. Let me tell you, I was not impressed. Waitstaff was not friendly at the least. The conveyer belt sushi idea is a very innovated trend, but the execution here was poorly done. The layout here is pretty simple. Tables and bars alongside the conveyer belt with the sushi. It is very modern and orange. There isn't much to say about this place. Given the one star, I assure you I will not be returning to this establishment. The sushi was mediocre. Simple. Mediocre....Actually, I'd be too kind to say mediocre. The food that was being rolled around, was not fresh. To enjoy fish, it has to be fresh right? I don't care if you are eating sushi in Boston or sushi at the Natick Collection. It should be served for its patrons in the best quality. I had a great variety of food here and I was not pleased. The seaweed salad was pretty okay though. I liked it. Besides that...even the caterpillar/green dragon roll wasn't good. Rolls were not tight and uniform. :( I was really hoping to have good food here. Sorry guys, you should pass on this one. For a better conveyor belt sushi joint - Genki Sushi. Check out my review on them!

    (1)

  • Natasha R.

    Last Saturday my husband and I ate here after learning about it through a Boston.com review. While the review and most of the Yelp reviews are all mixed, we thought we'd take the chance anyway because sushi on a conveyer belt sounded awesome. And there's no danger of over-ordering. All in all, we were pretty impressed and really enjoyed the food. The only issues we had was the limited selection of vegetarian rolls (my husband doesn't eat meat), the slow turn-around for some of the better rolls, and the slow service from waitstaff. The california roll and avacado-cali roll were amazing and a lot of the rolls on the menu sounded fantastic, but they didn't put them all out. If you see something on the menu that doesn't come around, they can usually make it for you. I'll definitely go again.

    (4)

  • may l.

    Well, only good thing it is in the mall, and this kind of setup is the only one in the whole mass.... My waiter is nice also. Now serious business , the food is not fresh. The shape, the quantity varies all the time. They just put out what ever and serve you whatever . If u r luck, u get a few dishes nice, but the majority are lacks of fish and too much veggi or too much rice... Some popular items might take you over 20mins waiting . Now the service, except my waiter. Really, the reception, the manager are extremely rude and careless. I feel not welcome and stupid to eat there. Trust me, if it is not because I need to eat inside natick mall, I will not even consider you at all. Just few minutes drive I can reach to tens of much better Japanese food around!

    (1)

  • Aayisha A.

    This place is really horrible. It's official, I hate that place. If anyone wants to eat nice and delicious sushi, DO NOT go to Wasabi.

    (1)

  • Steve S.

    What you see is what you get, and what you get is good. The prices are very reasonable, and the sushi is prepared fresh. Yes, it takes a few trips around the conveyor, but the kids love that. Nothing adventurous here - standard sushi fare. But always reliable and always tasty.

    (3)

  • James G.

    Whats to like? Yes, the conveyor belt delivery of food is eye catching, but what about the food? Tiny, miniscule portions are expensive for food/cost ratio. The rice is uncooked, chewy, blah! You want green tea? That will be 2$ for a kiddy cup. When we went, they served us with paper cups, explaining they hadn't recieved the cups they ordered. Okay, but am I to pay 2$ for tea (usually free) in a paper cup? If you like watching tiny helpings of poor quality sushi circle your table and paying good money for it this is your spot.

    (1)

  • Jonathan C.

    I loved the sushi, very fresh, great atmosphere, friendly staff and reasonably priced. Definitely coming back.

    (5)

  • Reid F.

    This fits into the food-as-entertainment column. In addition, the sushi's not half-bad. It may not be as good as Oishii, but it certainly beats Oga. And it's less money, and it's fun.

    (4)

  • Derek S.

    Yeah, I said four stars. For the experience--it's great to eat half a dozen types of sushi and watch the mysterious conveyer belt to see what it will bring you next. Instant gratification. The sushi is only average, but service is friendly. I don't recommend the gyoza.

    (4)

  • Jeremy K.

    3 stars, although as i write this, its got a 2 star review, so without reading them (yet) i could see how Wasabi could slide into eek-land. i was without power and without work for the day (no-powered out! yay!) but without power at home, its like winning the lottery for 85 cents. so i got in the car and headed to the collection in hopes of a whalers bummer sticker (no luck btw.) i saw this place once before, but i was solo this go around *foreshadow* and wanted to get my sushi on. cute concept, the yakima or whatever the food on a belt thing is called. obviously this place didnt invent this round d' go fish delivery on a conveyor belt. i found it entertaining at the very least, ive never dined in this kinda of format. so you get sat, i was at the bar, and the waitress brings you sauce, wasabi, and ginger, and then, or even before in some cases, you take little plates off the belt as they pass. the plates indicate the price and you add it up as you go. they also have a pretty extensive menu with a bunch of other ala carte items. expect 3 or 4 at the least. i waited and waited for a tekka roll to roll on by, no luck, but the waitress took my request and poof, one tekka ($3). the roll was small, 6 slivers and well more rice than fish. i really wanted it to be on the line though, zoom goes the food. some other items, shrimp tempura roll ($5), tuna nigiri ($4) and, from the menu, seared tuna($5.) small prices for small portions, so those 4 plates didnt fill me up too much, a few hours later i could chow. i know when i leave zen320, i am not eating the rest of the day. ok, now what of those potential bombs of a rating. perhaps it was that there were kids everywhere. kids eat sushi? some did, and i thought that was cool, but a lot didnt and watch the 3 year old in the booth right across the zip line indulge in a loud sniff followed by an audible ewwww doesnt do it for me. in fact, parents, if you are going, you sit on the inside and assist them with the item selection, dont let them get all up in the foodbelts grill. did i think this was a tremendous deal? no, 17 bucks in gills is 3$$$ territory in my opinion, and, AND! 2 bucks for hot tea. isnt that a pre req for sushi? i am fin.

    (3)

  • Hillary M.

    The sushi is pretty bad, the service isn't great, but there are some redeeming qualities to this place. Well, redeeming if you have children and it is hard to carry on an adult conversation without distracting them. Wasabi offers a perfect distraction - a conveyor belt of food. You can even be a jerk and teach your kids to put stuff on the empty slots on the belt to see how far it will go. The kid's pb&j bento was sheer genius. And very reasonably priced. The avocado and cucumber rolls and miso soup were totally fine, the mochi was surprisingly delicious, and, while a totally stingy amount, the salmon sashimi was tasty enough. Can't recommend any of the other sushi, though. If you're interested in actual fish, I recommend ordering it off the menu. Not much variety circling around on the belt. The restaurant is basically in the center of the mall, so exceedingly noisy. But, again, if you have kids, sometimes this is a good thing. If you don't have kids, I'd think twice about going here.

    (3)

  • Dorgana D.

    Their sushi is not great quality. They really need to improve their rolling quality. Too loose. The idea of such a restaurant is great. But they need to improve.

    (3)

  • Laurie L.

    Read the reviews and warned my sushi loving daughter that this would probably be like supermarket sushi. She was unfazed. After over an hour trying to find a parking spot, we were hungry and Wasabi was right off the elevator, so we were pretty happy when we got here. The server explained the fairly obvious workings of the place. We had to ask for soy sauce because ours was empty but it was filled right away. We had the following: Husband: WASABI MISO, CRUNCHY SALMON, LUCKY ROLL (shared) Daughter: MISO, SALMON NIGIRI, EEL NIGIRI, SALMON, AVOCADO & CAVIAR Roll, DRAGON ROLL Me: MISO, VEGETARIAN ROLL (Buddha roll?) - soy wrapper, rice, cucumber, avocado, red pepper, kanpyo, carrot & oshinko (2) I feel like I'm missing something, but the total came to about $40. The portions were a little small, but it was a fun experience and everything tasted fresh. The first roll I had was a little firmer texture than the second, but the taste was about the same. I'm guessing the rice on the second may have been a bit warm. The place was very crowded, we had a 15 minute wait, so we didn't see a lot of empty spaces on the conveyor belt and there was a pretty good variety available. We all thought it was a much better experience than the food court would have been. I'd be surprised if we didn't go back, but I wouldn't make a special trip just for it.

    (3)

  • Cyndie B.

    When I saw the conveyor belt sushi I instantly wanted to go because my first meal with my partner was at a similar place outside of Nashville. So we thought we'd try it. The food was ok not the best and not the worst. If I was in the area or at the mall it would probably be the place I would go eat but it would never be a destination for me. The food was ok but as someone else mentioned, the choices for someone who does not eat meat is limited (conveyor style). However, you can order items from the menu and they do bring it right over. If the place is crowded and you see something you like coming by (think Lucy and Ethel working at the chocolate factory) - grab it because it may not come around again too quickly or someone else may grab it, Also it is easy to over do it as stuff comes by and you just start pulling it off the belt. The seaweed salad was very good and I would snag that again. Pros: In the mall, its sushi, you eat pretty quickly. Cons: food ok, hostess was in a daze, don't wait for veg items to roll by

    (3)

  • Julia J.

    Their sushi is not awfully bad, but the server was just ignorant. I came here at 3pm and was starving because I didn't have anything for lunch. So it turned out fine. Natick probably has some better restaurants, but I would probably come back again if I can't find anything better in the mall.

    (3)

  • Sonny V.

    Went here with my friend couple weeks ago. Very good idea to serve food on the conveyor belt. They need to improve on the food quality side.... hire some real sushi chef will you....

    (1)

  • YJ C.

    1 star for cleanliness (well, it just opened). The food is not their redeeming quality. Bad food, bad hostess, bad service. If you are at Natick mall and are starving, just go to the food court upstairs or the Cheesecake Factory. If you are really craving Japanese food or sushi, go to Minado across from the mall. It's FAR better, all-you-can-eat Japanese alternate compared to this establishment. 1. Inefficient staff: The first impression you have of a restaurant is the host or the hostess. Oh dear, I don't know why they hired her. There were plenty of seats on the counter, but she refused to let us sit there, making us wait for 15 minutes when it was not at all full. I usually don't mind waiting, but seeing many empty seats and how inefficiently the hostess functioned (Get it together, girl!), while my tired and aged mother had to stand around, puzzled why they won't let us sit on the counter when other customers were sitting there as well, drove me mad. Ah, the hostess...she looks flustered the whole time, not very hospitable, and moves around a lot without achieving half of what she could have done in same amount of time. They don't really have a proper system of taking in customers. They don't ask for the name unless you specifically ask for it. They don't ask for it, so people just assume you would get seated if they wait. Even if you stand in a line to get in, the party standing after you sits first because they had their name down while you didn't. I think it's the manager, but the Asian man in glasses said to a customer, "they(someone who complained or left, apparently) didn't even put their name down!" crossing someone's name off. It's your damn fault if your restaurant is inefficient and makes the customers angry and confused. Not professional at all. Not to mention the tables don't get cleared on time, and we had to wave our hand frantically just to get a glass of water. We would not have gotten them otherwise. Same went for wasabi. 2. Sigh, the food: I don't expect much from a shopping mall sushi. Still, it brought tears to my eyes. Everything is automated. The rice is "balled up" by a machine that looks like it poops small balls of rice. Then a cook takes out a plastic container filled with pre-cut, low grade sashimi, then places the sashimi on rice. No wasabi or anything. The pathetic quality is evident in the sushi. I was gawking at every piece of tuna rolling past me, most with unappetizing blood clots and not at all fresh. The fried shrimp in sushi tastes stale and old. The variety of sushi is dismal and they are all overpriced. We also ordered something called "Tokyo Salad", the most expensive plate. Wasabi should apologize to the citizens of Tokyo. It's just a mix of regular seaweed salad and preserved squid and tiny pieces of sad looking veggies....and I honestly don't see how this sad little creation is related to Tokyo. Also, the second-most expensive dish is the imitation crab sushi. They sell two pieces of rice balls with imitation crab on top of them for 4~5 dollars. If you go to any Asian market and buy crab sticks, put them on a lump of rice, you have the same exact thing at a fraction of the price. The sushi masters of Japan would rise from their grave weeping at how Wasabi manages to butcher sushi and rip customers off. I babbled a lot, but in conclusion: not worth your $$. If it's your first time seeing sushi rotating around, try for the fun of it. Why not. But please, don't think this is the usual service, quality or variety expected of a conveyer sushi restaurant.

    (1)

  • Kelly C.

    Nope. Just no. We had been wanting to try this place for a while. I liked the whole gimmick and it seemed like a fun time and since I love sushi.. we went. The idea behind the conveyor belt bringing food by and you getting to pick what you want is great. However, when they only put out large quantities of roughly 3-4 items... its not such a great idea. I will say that they have a menu that you can order from and our pleasant waitress was quick to bring us an order of spicy tuna when we asked... a little too quick if you see where I'm going. I tried the spicy tuna, some sort of salmon and a tempura shrimp. I had one of the spicy tuna and the chili powder on top was just too overwhelming. I thought the shrimp was okay but after eating 3 rolls, something just left a bad taste in my mouth. Together we had 4 plates of sushi and in total spent $20.00. We got out of there pretty quickly. I know its sushi in the mall and a gimmick, but I fell for it. Oh well, live and learn!

    (2)

  • Mayo B.

    I only recommend to eat here once so you can say you have tried it, but I would never go back. The sushi was sub-par and very small sizes for the price you pay. I know it's the mall, but the quality was mediocre at best. I felt the temperature was questionable too. I didn't get sick the next day, but I felt the sushi wasn't cold enough. I do not plan on trying it again.

    (1)

  • Kerr T.

    The place was half empty but my friend and I were not allowed to sit at a booth - the reason was "when we are busy, we sit only groups of 3 people and up at a booth." You know what, I don't need to sit at your booth and I am gladly to take my business somewhere else. Oh, the fish didn't look fresh at all either. Bye.

    (1)

  • Henry W.

    Conveyor belt sushi is the craze. It's the first of it's kind in the metrowest area and probably the only on within the state! They are a huge hit in the West coast and can found everywhere in Japan. I've actually been to this place twice now and both times resulted in the same critique. Design/Space: The design of the 'restaurant' if you want to call it that is very open. It's located in the middle of a open space in the Natick Mall. The design is fun with bright greens and orange accents. Different seating is arranged for groups of all sizes. For a 6 feet guy like me, the tables were a bit low compared to the seating for me at the booths. However, I noticed kids LOVED the place. It definitely seems like it's more family orientated, and makes for a great night out with the young ones. They love the idea of a conveyor belt with food. I saw a young one's action figure cruise down the conveyor belt line! Food: I went to Wasabi the very first day it opened. My initial impression is that the sushi is not very good. Let's start at the rice. The rice is not very well seasoned. Lacks vinegar and sugar, the most essential ingredient in sushi rice. The rice was also heavily squeezed and compact. The fish is not very fresh looking. There were several pieces of tuna that looked very sad as it passed by our group several times. The colors were all off. Fresh tuna should look reddish pink. Not light pink to the point where it looks spoiled. From my understanding of sushi culture, sushi chefs train for years in mastering the art of cutting and preparing sushi. The fish on nigiri sushi looked as if it was cut with a butter knife instead of a razor sharp knife expected from a proper sushi chef. Butchered, not mastered. Presentation and skills are always presented within the sushi I am served at every Japanese restaurant I go to (Oiishi, Takara, Green Tea...etc) There's a lot of pride behind the workmanship. Here at Wasabi, their sushi cried for help and display a poor level of sushi mastery. The rolls were almost insulting. What's normally served as a 6 piece roll is cut up into 12 little pieces and then served in a 6 piece dishes; marketing the low cost of their rolls. This brings us into portions. The cut of the fish for the nigiri sushi was very inconsistent. One of my favorites nigiri sushi, tamago (egg omelette) completely turned me off. Sushi chefs takes years just to master the art of folding the egg and getting it just right. It's obvious they used shortcuts to prepare the egg, which is fine in today's modern rush of food. However, the egg is literally served ice cold. At the same time, I will get one piece of tamago that is sliced paper thin, and the next piece is a quarter inch thick. Consistency please. The avocado used were over ripen to the point where there is browning. The eel nigiri is lacking the special eel sauce and sesame seeds. The first time I went to Wasabi, I had the edamami and they tasted terrible. It was unsalted, and not fully cooked! The second time I went, it was improved to what proper edamami should be. The inari (tofu skin wrap) sushi was pathetic. They are suppose to be stuffed with rice, and these barely had rice inside them. Oh and be ready to gag on the ice tea. No amount of lemon and sugar can save that drink. Price: The price needs to be adjusted. The price of 2 pieces of Tune nigiri is $4. Then the price of 2 pieces of imitation crab meat nigiri is also $4. Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait...huh? Tuna and imitation crab meat are not on the same price range! Considering the price of Wasabi's nigiri and rolls are as competitive as other sushi restaurants, they were definitely underserving in their proportions. They are selling a gimmick/fad rather then the food. If you're going to charge for Japanese food, then please serve Japanese quality food with normal proportions. Service: I must say most of the staff is friendly and welcoming. I've bumped into the owner several times and he's working at a very fast pace. Does he lack in customer service? I've never seen him interact with any customers, but I can't make a judgement call on that yet. However, I did notice some of the staff seems to have a bit of a attitude. As if we are doing them a favor by eating there! This was noticed on both occasions. The first time I ate at Wasabi was the grand opening and one of the waitresses wasn't sure if certain things were on the menu are not. This is understandable considering it's their first day. Last notes. Before Wasabi was open, when they were announced. I wanted to make this place my favorite. It was close to where I work and I wanted to make it my regular place for lunch. I wanted to love it and it was very promising before they opened. However, after going twice (once on grand opening and twice about 2 weeks later,) I can honestly say the gimmick has gotten boring for me already. You want sushi? You want gimmicks? Go to Minados across the street.

    (2)

  • Ken C.

    So perhaps I am not a sushi expert, but I was happy with my visit. The service was slow to refill my tea... And they didn't leave a pot which irritated me a little. But was otherwise friendly. The sushi was tasty, and priced within my expectations. I ate a filling dinner for about $15. It was my first time seeing conveyor belt sushi, so that was a fun little novelty. I'll come here again, but when I do I will demand that they leave the tea pot for my $2.

    (3)

  • Michaela T.

    My friend told me about this place a few weeks ago and I was anticipating the opening. A conveyor belt sushi restaurant? Sounds super cool, especially when there isn't one like this around Boston/Natick. Once we were seated we waited. And waited. I was confused. Do I just grab the plates and just start eating? Where is my wasabi? Our waitress was no where in sight. When she did come to help the couple next to us, we couldn't even get her attention. Ten minutes later she came and took our drink order and explained the process. You just take a plate and start eating. If you don't see a sushi roll on the belt, you can place an order for it. Seems simple enough. We didn't get my water for another 10 minutes and at this point I was pretty pissed off. The sushi rice was super thick, kind of like stop and shop sushi (yes, I compared this place to stop and shop). Presentation of the rolls were pretty messy. The sushi is OVERPRICED for what you get. I was shocked that three slices of watermelon costs $4. I can buy a whole watermelon with four dollars. That one star I gave this place is because it just opened. I'll try this place again in a few months.

    (1)

  • Agent Q.

    We are not going to open on a good note here when I think super market sushi is actually BETTER than the sushi at this joint. It's not so much that the fish is bad, it just isn't good. I passed on anything with avacado in it b/c it was clearly overripe and brown, good thing the sushi plates rotate by, because if someone ever served that to me at a restaurant I would send it back in a hurry or walk out, either one. There was some unhappy looking, cloudy salmon passing by, but every now and then a shiny orange slab would tempt me and I would throw my mitt up and snatch it quickly from the conveyor belt. I ate it cause I was hungry. What really irked me though is that the presentation of the rolls is surprising sloppy for a Japanese "restaurant." From my knowledge of sushi chefs, they train for years to become a master of their craft and this seems like a disservice to all sushi chefs. The chefs looked lost behind the counter, but were very friendly, which is always good. The service is non-existent, but I will give them time to get their act together b/c they just opened. To rant anyway, they did not give me a soy sauce bowl, did not bring out wasabi and ginger, forgot to give me a menu, and there was a waiter hunched over, shoveling down some maki rolls on his break at the sushi counter. So why did I give it two stars... rather than one. I am glad to have this concept around the Natick, or even Boston area. I like the idea of picking your own food and it adds a nice communal, family style atmosphere. By family style, I mean picking and sharing your food together. The act of eating should be shared by all. Additionally, I was mesmerized by the rotating sushi, it just kept coming! Lastly, I asked about how long the sushi is left on the belt if no one takes it, I presume this is a question they get asked often. The "waitress" girl said they take it off after 20 minutes and that there are sensors to alert them when the food has been out for too long. I didn't see any of these magical sensors and the sushi I ate was also slightly warm. That did not really bother me though because sushi really should be served room temperature. There was one bright spot, sort of... I got a salmon sashimi type thing that I only saw rotating once. It was slices of salmon in a soy/sesame dressing with chopped jalapenos on top. It looked like the jalapenos were chopped by a butcher with a butter knife, but the taste was there. I'll go back... maybe.

    (2)

  • Kaitlin M.

    I would recommend this to anyone who would like a quick, enjoyable (and entertaining) meal! Definitely fantastic for families as the conveyer belt is endlessly entertaining to people of all ages. The appetizers are very fairly priced (shumai/dumplings for $3!), but I would recommend to people that they be incredibly patient with how they choose their food. Let the conveyer belt go around a few times before you make a decision. Some of the rolls are a lot larger than others and for a dollar more it's worth it. If you're expecting a fancy meal/presentation you should go to a restaurant that isn't serving food Fraggle Rock style. I think a lot of these reviews posted on here have been unfair because 1) people went the day it opened and 2) they wanted a full service non buffet style sushi experience when that is exactly what Wasabi advertises itself as.

    (3)

  • Arinne B.

    I 2nd what YJC wrote. I have never given an establishment 1 star before. The star I'm giving to this one is for the cool CONCEPT of bringing a conveyer belt sushi restaurant to the Natick Mall...not for the execution. Although there were empty tables when we arrived, we waited in line for 20 mins. to be seated. During that time, they sat a group who walked up and were not on the list...twice. We confronted the hostesses about giving away our table the second time and they actually lied to us and said they'd had a reservation. The teens were sweet and volunteered that they hadn't in fact had a reservation and offered to wait their turn. We would have liked to have sat down at that point. Unfortunately, a family seated at another table saw a host bringing the high chair we'd requested 20 mins. earlier to our table as they prepared to seat us. At this point, the other family stopped the host en route to request one and THEY GAVE AWAY THEIR LAST HIGH CHAIR along with our opportunity to be seated once again. The hosts then told us it would probably be another 10-15 mins. longer of a wait if we still needed a high chair. As we have a 2-year old, and this is ostensibly a "fast food" establishment, we had reached our limit on patience and left. Really enjoyed the sushi place in the mall's food court though! Very pleasantly surprised by *their* quality of sushi. My wife ate at Wasabi during her next mall trip and reported that the sushi was just "meh." She wondered how long the plate she took had been in circulation. There's something to be said for having your raw fish prepared FRESH to order.

    (1)

  • Netta L.

    Have to try it once. That was my once. Yes, it's grocery store caliber sushi...if that good. My Hannaford does a terrific job with sushi. But I digress. The preparation here is SLOPPY. The avocado/cucumber sushi had salmon in it. Not a big deal unless you are a vegetarian or allergic. But also...it's gross. The conveyor belt is a cute idea until the kids at the table across from you are reaching their arms into your zone. My main complaint is that the place is dirty. We asked for a fork and they were filthy. The conveyor belt has spills all over it & the tables wre just not clean. I'm sure this restaurant will be successful because it's in the middle of the Natick mall & it's trendy & cute. Everyone will want to try it once. I'd be surprised if anyone returns unless they really get their acts together.

    (1)

  • Skye G.

    My favorite is tuna. Spicy tuna, Lucky, Scorpion. The California Volcano, seaweed salad and Edamame were good. Oh what fun it is to bring the kids and watch their eyes get bigger as the plates go by on the belt. As others have mentioned this is not fine dining but a novelty. The plates are colored and priced accordingly. Yellow $2.50 Orange $3 Purple $5 Blue $4 Red $3.50 Sitting in the booths give more room but sitting at the counter gives you the best view. Given all of the various places to eat in the mall...it is a good place to stop when you don't want to bring the kids to Friendly's or McD's.

    (4)

  • Kristi R.

    Went for lunch today with friends who had experienced Wasabi in the past and suggested we give it a try so... You don't go to Wasabi for good food, you go for the experience which might be fine for some but I want good quality food. Our server was nice and the conveyor belt was stocked well w/ a variety of choices. If you want something not offered on the belt, the server will bring it. Overall- it's not my gig but more power to you if it's yours!

    (2)

  • Becky B.

    I'm a big fan of sushi so I was excited when my friend told me about this place. I'd heard of conveyer belt sushi before but never actually been to one. The atmosphere was very cool. The restaurant was bright and open, a big difference from a few of the other sushi places in my area that are kind of darkly lit. We went fairly early on a Saturday evening so we didn't wait at all and were seated right away. Our waitress was very friendly and got us our drinks as well as ginger and wasabi quit quickly. The conveyer belt was very fun, and I loved seeing all the colorful sushi spin past us! I got several different kinds and it was all very tasty and fresh, not the BEST I've ever had mind you, but it was good for the affordable prices and I wasn't expecting the same quality of to-order sushi either. I do have a few small complaints, the fish on my yellowtail sushi was cut rather thin for the price, and the rolled sushi was cut unevenly (you would get a couple thin slices and a couple really chunky slices! Doesn't effect the flavor of course but I feel the size should be consistent). The variety on the menu was pretty decent and there was a good amount to choose from. I didn't see quite as much variety running by on the belt though. I understand that it's best to put up more of some of the more popular types (like philly rolls and tempura shrimp rolls) but a very good chunk of the menu we only saw roll by maybe once during our stay (we spent maybe around 45 minutes to an hour here). The waitress was very good about getting our orders to the chefs for things we wanted but didn't see and we got them in a timely fashion. But the reason we came here was for the novelty of catching them off the conveyer belt! So I was a little sad that philly roll after philly roll sped past us but after a half an hour of not seeing any I had to special request and inari pocket. All in all, it was a good experience. The food was decent for the price, the waitstaff very friendly and attentive. The belt style was also very fun! I'd definitely come here again if I'm in the neighborhood.

    (3)

  • Kate A.

    As some of the reviewers mentioned, they don't sit you at a booth unless you are a party of three and it's busy. I was in the mall with my 1 year old son. They had several booths open and at a few more people were done and ready to leave. Regardless of the empty or soon-to-be empty tables, I was told I can sit only at the bar (with my 1 year old in a stroller???). I was also told that the empty booths belonged to a waiter who was taking a break and I needed to wait AT LEAST 10 minutes. They definitely didn't need my business. Don't go there. Not a good place

    (1)

  • Peter W.

    This is a fun place to bring kids so that they can pick and choose what they want. There are a number of good choices for them- cucumber maki, seaweed salad, edamame, and fruit. The rolls are ok for adults, but I prefer sashimi. Location is great. I recommend going in off hours around 2 to 4 so that there is less rush around you. Service is attentive.

    (3)

  • Jesse W.

    I am some what of a snob when it comes to sushi and Wasabi does a very good job. The service is nice and quick and I always enjoy conveyor belt style serving. At Wasabi it is better to sit near the beginning of the conveyor and look for the dishes that are fresh off the line but if you do you will have a good time with the variety of offerings and the fun atmosphere.

    (3)

  • Jenny k.

    The sushi is decent for this type of establishment. You get what you pay for. However, it's simply not worth the headache. First of all, it takes forever to get service. I've eaten at this location three times, hoping that it'll get better. It's a wait to get your water. And although you can start eating when seated, it takes awhile for the soysauce/wasabi dishes to come out, delaying the meal if you find that you need it. In addition, someone in my party has food allergies to mango (and just that). So when tasting a salmon/avacado roll, he had a reaction, which may mean fruit in the roll? We asked the wait staff, and they claimed there is no fruit in any of the rolls and this concerned us because it either means 1) he has a new allergy or 2) there is fruit in it. When tasting the roll, there was a fruity taste which may have been from the caviar (?). But I must note that there were smoothies in the open kitchen, obviously purchased outside the restaurant, being consumed by the chefs. Culprit? Anyways, besides that, this place gets one star for lack of service and major attitude. The sushi food court is better.

    (1)

  • Becky B.

    I'm a big fan of sushi so I was excited when my friend told me about this place. I'd heard of conveyer belt sushi before but never actually been to one. The atmosphere was very cool. The restaurant was bright and open, a big difference from a few of the other sushi places in my area that are kind of darkly lit. We went fairly early on a Saturday evening so we didn't wait at all and were seated right away. Our waitress was very friendly and got us our drinks as well as ginger and wasabi quit quickly. The conveyer belt was very fun, and I loved seeing all the colorful sushi spin past us! I got several different kinds and it was all very tasty and fresh, not the BEST I've ever had mind you, but it was good for the affordable prices and I wasn't expecting the same quality of to-order sushi either. I do have a few small complaints, the fish on my yellowtail sushi was cut rather thin for the price, and the rolled sushi was cut unevenly (you would get a couple thin slices and a couple really chunky slices! Doesn't effect the flavor of course but I feel the size should be consistent). The variety on the menu was pretty decent and there was a good amount to choose from. I didn't see quite as much variety running by on the belt though. I understand that it's best to put up more of some of the more popular types (like philly rolls and tempura shrimp rolls) but a very good chunk of the menu we only saw roll by maybe once during our stay (we spent maybe around 45 minutes to an hour here). The waitress was very good about getting our orders to the chefs for things we wanted but didn't see and we got them in a timely fashion. But the reason we came here was for the novelty of catching them off the conveyer belt! So I was a little sad that philly roll after philly roll sped past us but after a half an hour of not seeing any I had to special request and inari pocket. All in all, it was a good experience. The food was decent for the price, the waitstaff very friendly and attentive. The belt style was also very fun! I'd definitely come here again if I'm in the neighborhood.

    (3)

  • Kate A.

    As some of the reviewers mentioned, they don't sit you at a booth unless you are a party of three and it's busy. I was in the mall with my 1 year old son. They had several booths open and at a few more people were done and ready to leave. Regardless of the empty or soon-to-be empty tables, I was told I can sit only at the bar (with my 1 year old in a stroller???). I was also told that the empty booths belonged to a waiter who was taking a break and I needed to wait AT LEAST 10 minutes. They definitely didn't need my business. Don't go there. Not a good place

    (1)

  • Jenny k.

    The sushi is decent for this type of establishment. You get what you pay for. However, it's simply not worth the headache. First of all, it takes forever to get service. I've eaten at this location three times, hoping that it'll get better. It's a wait to get your water. And although you can start eating when seated, it takes awhile for the soysauce/wasabi dishes to come out, delaying the meal if you find that you need it. In addition, someone in my party has food allergies to mango (and just that). So when tasting a salmon/avacado roll, he had a reaction, which may mean fruit in the roll? We asked the wait staff, and they claimed there is no fruit in any of the rolls and this concerned us because it either means 1) he has a new allergy or 2) there is fruit in it. When tasting the roll, there was a fruity taste which may have been from the caviar (?). But I must note that there were smoothies in the open kitchen, obviously purchased outside the restaurant, being consumed by the chefs. Culprit? Anyways, besides that, this place gets one star for lack of service and major attitude. The sushi food court is better.

    (1)

  • Ed B.

    When they were constructing this place, i was pretty excited to try it out. I've seen similar places in London years ago but never got the chance. Yes, it's gimmicky. i went here with a friend last Saturday, around 11AM. We were seated immediately at booth (because we asked for one). The place was clean. The waitress came over after a few minutes to take our drink orders and explain how everything worked, seemed simple enough. Took about 7 plates all together. THe miso soup was fine, tasted as it should. As for the sushi? Yes, I've had way better at REAL sushi restaurants. I even made a comment about how, not be stereotyping, there weren't many asians actually making the sushi. I do belive in the training of the sushi chef, but this seemed so mass produced. But I sort of expected that going in. The prices were fine for the most part and the portions were indeed smaller. Pride in presentation was lacking. I was a concerned about the freshness. How does one tell how long a particular plate had been sitting out. A lot looked/felt pre-fabricated. Our server was very attentative. Our glasses never went empty and she checked in on us enough. Our check was process quickly. Three stars. It's what I would expect for a "restaurant" in the middle of the mall. I'll go back. But recommend people set their expectations.

    (3)

  • Ed B.

    When they were constructing this place, i was pretty excited to try it out. I've seen similar places in London years ago but never got the chance. Yes, it's gimmicky. i went here with a friend last Saturday, around 11AM. We were seated immediately at booth (because we asked for one). The place was clean. The waitress came over after a few minutes to take our drink orders and explain how everything worked, seemed simple enough. Took about 7 plates all together. THe miso soup was fine, tasted as it should. As for the sushi? Yes, I've had way better at REAL sushi restaurants. I even made a comment about how, not be stereotyping, there weren't many asians actually making the sushi. I do belive in the training of the sushi chef, but this seemed so mass produced. But I sort of expected that going in. The prices were fine for the most part and the portions were indeed smaller. Pride in presentation was lacking. I was a concerned about the freshness. How does one tell how long a particular plate had been sitting out. A lot looked/felt pre-fabricated. Our server was very attentative. Our glasses never went empty and she checked in on us enough. Our check was process quickly. Three stars. It's what I would expect for a "restaurant" in the middle of the mall. I'll go back. But recommend people set their expectations.

    (3)

  • Sunny D.

    Meh.. The food is not fresh. Meal-in-a-bow is ok but too much sauce, ruined the whole thing. The decor is fun and cool, great staff but cannot make up for the bad food. Please manager if you ever read this, change the chief, get some1 who knows how to roll sushi properly and manage your inventory better.

    (2)

  • Lauren W.

    I love this place, it's the only place I regularly get sushi! I'm vegan and this place has more veggie options than ANY sushi place I've ever seen. The avo rolls and the sweet potato tempura (which is egg free!) are my favorite. Loveeeee it!

    (5)

  • Falon H.

    Options are limited for fresh food in the natick mall so wasabi is where it's at. I get lunch there and although I have never eaten their actual sushi, I can say that the noodles, salads, edamame, and appetizers are delicious. The food is reasonably priced and the staff is super nice!

    (4)

  • Jalaj A.

    The service was good. Tofu bahn mi sushi was exceptional. Being a vegetarian this was a nice experience for me this time at wasabi

    (4)

  • Mark T.

    OK, so I will assume you like/love, or want to try Sushi... then a simple flowchart Can you EAT (I mean really EAT!) Yes -- Go to Minado (other side of Worcester Street) No -- Go to Wasabi Food on a conveyor is a cool idea, and an awesome concept and experience, but it gets old fast. It becomes a bit of a treasure hunt, as what you want may around to your area rarely. It also tricks your mind... In a restaurant, you order, and you get (usually) a large plate of food. Here, they are really small, but as you take various plates you want to try the money adds up quick. Hence the question if you can EAT. If you can't, then a couple of plates won't set you back too much. If you can, Minado, as an all you can eat buffet is of better value. Quality and selection are good, nothing to complain about. However, the Sashimi Salmon and eel are stupendous. There are also various kinds to suit all tastes and preferences. Bonus points for having everything labeled with clear markings of raw/cooked/spicy etc. Service was also good. The server doesn't have to do very much, as you grab plates off the conveyor yourself, and then grab more. Location is opened (no walls/ceilings), and literally smack dab inside a mall, although the restaurant is in a designated area, you can see the people walking around/above. Some of which want to look at the impressive conveyor system. I did not like this aspect of the experience, but that does not make it bad. Overall, for Minado offers better value (if you can EAT) slightly better quality, and a selection much more vast than this location.

    (3)

  • Laura D.

    My girlfriend and I love this place! We were immediately sold by the novelty of its sushi delivery method--the sushi passes by you on a conveyor belt and you pick up the plates you want. The color coding of the plates indicates the price, allowing wait staff to quickly figure out your total while not knowing exactly what you have eaten. The only major con is that sometimes you have to wait awhile for specific dishes to pass by, especially if they're not very popular, or if they're super popular and you're at the end of the conveyor. When this happens I usually just give in to temptation and pick the next best thing, but as a result I don't get to try as many new items as I'd like. The prices are fairly reasonable (for sushi) and range from $2.5-5 for a small sushi roll with 6 pieces. We always aim for 3 dishes each but usually we only get to 4-5 total before we're full. We love the sweet potato tempura, shrimp tempura, cucumber and avocado rolls, california rolls, and the caterpillar roll (california roll with avocado on top to make the roll look like a caterpillar). I was meh about the california volcano roll--california roll with a heavy sauce on it that is a bit too much for me. The only roll thus far I've disliked (actually hated) was the Banh Mi roll. I wanted to really go out of my comfort zone, and I think I went a bit too far. This roll is based off of the popular Banh Mi sandwich and features chicken and mayo. I should have known it couldn't translate well into sushi, but alas, I gave it a shot. Truly gross. I couldn't finish the roll. We'll definitely be back soon to try more of the menu! EDIT: I've had to subtract a star for subpar service the last several times we've come. It's hard to get the servers' attention even for water refills here.

    (4)

  • Alicia K.

    Come in here with no expectations. I would have given this two stars, but because of the great service and fairly inexpensive items--Wasabi gets 3 stars. As many have stated, this is Keitan style Japanese food. The conveyor belt goes around the area and you pick up what food you want--the plate dictates the price. You can also order appetizers and hot meals if you wish from your server. Our server was incredibly sweet and kind--always refilling our drinks and asking if we needed anything else. My boyfriend and I ordered the noodle bowls as entrees while I kept grabbing cooked sushi from the conveyor belt. I am not one for raw sushi--but even if I was, I may stray away from it here. There is no 'kitchen' so to speak, so everything is pre cooked and then packaged on the cute plates. The inari sushi was delicious, along with the sweet potato avocado rolls. PBJ rolls were a sweet touch as well. I ordered the teryaki chicken and noodle bowl, while my boyfriend ordered the same but with Kung Pao sauce. This is where the quality really went down. The chicken breast was more of a Panera type chicken, nuked in a microwave and sauce sprinkled on it. The noodles themselves were the same, microwaved. The sauce I had wasn't that great, my boyfriend's Kung Pao was way more palatable. The $7.50 price tag seemed good at first, but after trying it, I would have rather gone for some more sweet potato sushi. All in all, for 32$ this wasn't a bad meal, and it was fun. Something I would do again every once in a while. Also, check out their website, as they do give you a free plate for trying them and signing up for their email list.

    (3)

  • Brandon L.

    Absolutely love this place, come here for lunch 2-3 times a week and never leave disappointed. Friendly, fun. And for comments about freshness, you are able to ask them to make you a plate right that minute and not have to wonder about freshness. But I've never had a problem with freshness off the belt. It tastes fresh looks fresh and is fantastic. Definitely recommend!

    (5)

  • Thanh H.

    This was a mistake the moment the words, "sushi at the mall" came out of our mouths. It was Black Friday weekend and we were right there anyway, so why not? I'll tell you why not. While the conveyor belt is a great novelty, the quality and freshness of the food was sacraficed. The first thing I got was the "Banh Mi" roll. There was no distinction between vegetarian and chicken, so if you're vegetarian it's a gamble on that one. I should have known something was wrong when it comes in chicken or tofu. The classic Banh Mi is pork based, but the name lured me in. It was terrible and I could eat past the second bite. After this, I was more careful in what I was gabbing, keeping freshness and price in mind. The price part is easy. The pirces are based on color-coded plates. Purple is $5, red was $4, or something. Anyway. The tuna that passed us looked like it was there since the Bush administration. I asked for a philly roll made, hoping it would be much than the ones on the belt. NOPE. The salmon was salty. At first I thought it was the cheese, but then I isololated the pieces, and it was the fish. Finally, I had the green tea cheese cake. There was no green tea taste or smell. It was green cheese cake....they forgot the tea.

    (1)

  • Myan T.

    This place is great for someone who has patience. Their concept consists of choosing sushi off a conveyer belt. Although I find this idea convenient, the whole anticipating for the sushi you want turnaround can be quite painful. By the time the item you were craving appears, you're already full from the 'just because I want something' choices. The same options reappear about every few mins which is really annoying. They also charge you based on the color-coded plate method, i.e. Red $3.50, Blue $4.00, Purple $5.00. I guess this makes it easier for the waiters and our checks. The wait staff are there to provide you water, apps, etc.. But the service is slow. I ate my food before drinks were even ordered.

    (3)

  • Mohamed E.

    After reading some reviews, I was worried to eat here! I was surprised with the good quality and new way to serve food :) I came here twice and will surly visit again.

    (4)

  • Katie C.

    Meh. Wasabi is the only conveyor belt sushi in the area that I know of, so I've been wanting to try it for a while. The selection is limited and overpriced, definitely nothing like the "moving sushi" of Japan. The quality is also lacking. But what do you expect for a place in the center of the mall? Although I won't be returning, I'd recommend it to a conveyor belt first timer or maybe someone with kids. The experience of dining in the middle of a mall atrium is also fun and the service is friendly and attentive.

    (2)

  • Chilly P.

    The concept of Wasabi is all kinds of right. Sushi conveyor belt in the middle of a high-end shopping mall?! Too bad the sushi is anything but high-end. Think about it - the sushi makes it way around the belt for who knows how long before it gets eaten. It's also under direct sunlight - really? I'm only giving Wasabi two stars because it's a fun experience but the sushi is so very average.

    (2)

  • Sharon Z.

    Well. I'm glad to try revolving sushi bar for the first time finally and this is definitely one of the very few in the Boston area. Located in the middle of the Natick mall, the conveyor belt is really attention catching. The way it's priced is by the color code of the plates, corresponding to prices on menu. Food wise this is 1 star. The quality is so subpar I'm actually afraid to eat some of the raw fish dishes. (maybe because the belt is long and things stay on there for an extended period of time?) The tuna especially looks very grey with no shine, a sign of none fresh food. A lot of the sushi elements didn't go together at all, the chicken in the banh mi roll was dry and the ingredients are barely held together. Even the flavor combination for the salad is very awkward and the greens are limp and warm from sitting there in room temperature for too long. For $49 for 2 people, we could have gotten much better sushi experience elsewhere.

    (1)

  • Jay M.

    Avoid the spicy tuna roll at all costs. I'm pretty sure the makers of this roll have never eaten it, as it is so unlike any other sushi restaurant's spicy tuna roll. It's basically a super-spicy tuna mix in a roll with a ridiculous mound of crushed hot peppers sprinkled on top. Totally inedible. And spicy tuna is usually my favorite roll. The experience in this restaurant is great. Nice, open air, fun with kids who love to grab the sushi as it comes by. Prices are quite reasonable. But the sushi itself is very hit or miss. Had some yellow tail last night that was none-too-fresh. California roll was great. And sadly I had forgotten that the spicy tuna was so terrible (had learned that about a year ago) and got some of that for take-out and ended up putting it down the garbage disposal.

    (2)

  • Julia T.

    WOW this is literally the worst sushi I have ever had in my life. First of all, this rude couple cut us off as we were putting our names down on the wait list to the host.. They ended up being seated before us..of course. At this point I was really annoyed but whatever, I was still very enticed by the whole conveyor belt sushi idea. Let's just say that did not last long. I saw the same dish circle around me from the time I entered until I left. Do they even remove the dishes that have been floating around for too long? The quality was way below average but the bill came out to around $70. They do deserve that one star though..I didn't get sick afterwards. Bottom line - you can get better sushi at Market Basket.

    (1)

  • B J.

    Didn't expect much but was surprised at how fresh and well prepared the dishes were. I've been there two times and the first time we had an extremely friendly and attentive waiter. The second time, the waiter was not that great. The conveyor belt is a fun twist and it's easy to come back and try new dishes or return to your old favorite. I ordered the ginger Cosmo and found that it was very weak and did not taste much ginger. They could improve upon their drinks.

    (4)

  • Penelope C.

    Wasabi is a great place to go if you are in need of a quick snack. It's fun to watch all the food go by you too. Very cheap. The price of the food can be identified by plate color. Could have easily been 5 stars if it was in a better, less noisy environment .

    (4)

  • Sakshi B.

    Loved this place. Their concept of the menu on a rotating conveyor brlt keeps you wanting more. Its fun and ezciting for kids and grown ups at the same time. Food quality is good and even though located in the middle of the mall has a really nice atmosphere. Reasonable prices and a friendly staff. Would definitely go there again.

    (4)

  • Marjoline F.

    Finally decided to try this place after passing it multiple times at the mall. The dishes are conveniently labeled so that you can match the description to it on the menu. There was a good amount of vegetarian options. They are definitely over priced but it was worth it for the experience. It was a little weird that it is located in the middle of the mall but it wasn't that big of a deal. I probably wouldn't go back but it was an enjoyable meal for someone who doesn't like sushi.

    (4)

  • Daniel N.

    I must state upfront that I am allergic to shellfish and some types of fish, so I usually avoid traditional fish sushi, however I love veggie maki rolls of all types, and I will happily eat anything with egg, chicken, beef, duck, etc. Two friends and I chose to do a late 3PM lunch at Wasabi, and overall, we found the experience disappointing and not worth the per plate prices. Almost as soon as we sat down, my friends grabbed sushi from the conveyor belt, but even after all the plates made a couple rotations, I still hadn't found anything without fish (that wasn't a dessert). I looked at the menu and saw at least a dozen different dishes that I could eat, yet none existed on the conveyor belt. The three of us began trying to get the attention of a server. I hoped to cut to the chase and simply place an order, but also, we still hadn't been offered drinks. By now, each of my friends had eaten 2-3 plates of sushi, and I still hadn't had a bite. One of my friends pointed at a seaweed salad rolling our way, and even though it was not what I wanted, I grabbed it and gave it a try. It was below average with almost no flavor. We finally got the attention of a bus boy clearing a nearby table, and he sent over a waitress. She was friendly enough and apologized for not providing drinks (15 minutes in). I placed an order for a sweet potato maki roll and a bowl of noodles with chicken and veggies. Then we waited five minutes, ten minutes, fifteen minutes... still no food. By this point, both my friends had finished their lunch. Then we spotted a sweet potato maki roll making its way down the conveyor, and even though I had ordered the same roll with the server, I grabbed it because I was hungry and the wait was getting ridiculous. To my immediate disappointment, the plate was mislabeled and had slices of fish on top, so I reluctantly put it back on the conveyor belt. About 40 minutes and still no food, my friends began getting upset for me. They joked that they would continue shopping and pick me up in a couple hours, but in the meantime, I should complain and not leave a tip. By this point, I was trying VERY hard not to let my annoyance get the best of me, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. When the server finally delivered my food, I dug in, and all hope I had left faded. The noodle bowl was just plain bad. Undercooked noodles, very little sauce, and the chicken was like leather. I'm not sure how they prepared it, but it seemed like it was microwaved (or at least reheated in a microwave) which gave it a terribly tough texture. I gave up on it and retreated to the sweet potato maki roll which was better, but not great, and certainly not worth the wait. My two friends, although they were able to find food they could eat without having to wait 40 minutes, agreed that the quality for the price was not at all worth it. On the way out of the mall, we commented on the fact that we had eaten better sushi at a desert truck stop while on a cross country road trip last year. I hate giving one start ratings, but unfortunately that's the quality of the overall experience we had. Remove one star for the high prices, remove a second star for the lack of service, remove a third star for the long wait after placing an order, and remove a 4th star for the lackluster food.

    (1)

  • Kerry R.

    Came to the mall to find wedding shoes and in the process my fiance and I became pretty hungry. We passed Wasabi (it's impossible to miss actually) as we were shopping and mentioned if we didn't see anything else that struck our fancy, we would give it a whirl. Once downstairs, we reviewed the menu while the very nice hostess explained the premise to us. We have been to a Kaiten sushi restaurant before (Umi in West Hartford) so we knew the deal. I was pretty skeptical since we were the only ones dining (it was also 4pm so not an ideal eating time). But we sat down anyway and hoped for the best. As others have stated, you can sit and begin eating without another word from the staff. Unfortunately, the selection was seriously lacking. 99% were vegetarian rolls (avocado, cucumber and avocado, california) which do not interest me in at all when having maki. The only sushi I saw was some oddly colored tuna that I steered my fiance away from eating because I really didn't feel like being in the ER all night for food poisoning. Several cold noodles dishes, an overabundance of edamame (people really get this when dining out?? What a waste of money!), fruit cups (umm...) and faux crab filled items. A few more diners took seats in the restaurant and I began to notice new plates being put on the belt. Guess we weren't special enough for them? I did order a bahn mi roll because I love bahn mi's and yes I was well aware that this is a pathetic excuse for maki cuisine. It actually wasn't terrible. The roll was cut way too big but it had good flavor thanks to the jalapeno and pickled daikon. Overall, we spent $40 and left with a huge feeling of disappointment. I actually wanted to stop at our usual sushi place on the way home to make up for our awful meal and to also remember what good food tasted like. I would never try this place again but it's probably good if you have no standards. If you are looking for a halfway decent representation of kaiten go to West Hartford.

    (1)

  • Jen M.

    This is a super fun concept, well executed, in a really nice mall with great decor. I was concerned that the sushi would not be as fresh as one would hope since it is rolling around on a conveyor belt but I was pleasantly surprised to find that wasn't the case! I love picking and choosing exactly what I want (and paying only for that - although I love most sushi there is always that mystery piece of "meh" sushi when you order a combo) and the staff were really helpful. I was sort of nervous about the pigeons that were flying inside the mall but whatever, the restaurant was kept clean and well staffed to handle any potential mishaps. I wish it were slightly more private but that would ruin the vibe.

    (4)

  • Barbara A.

    I think this place needs to be experienced once or twice or if you are in the area but it is not a "must go to" sushi place. I ended up here last year because it was next to the Apple store (with a cracked iTouch) and it was my birthday. It was late and my daughter reminded me that we did not celebrate my birthday so she "took" me here. It was a lot of fun to experience through her eyes and stomach and we had a good time. They have a conveyor belt of food that comes around and you pick what you want and they "know" what to charge by the plate color. There is also a sensor on the belt that tells the chefs what got picked up and if they need to replenish that dish. If you don't see what you want a waitress will take your order which was good because we are edamame fiends and we needed them stat. It is a solid mall experience.

    (3)

  • Jessie C.

    Weird.... not bad, not amazing - fun and weird. If you're looking for amazing sushi, this is not the spot. If you're looking for a fun lunch spot or a bite to eat, this is a great option. Centered in the middle of the Natick Mall, this place brings a little fun to eating sushi. Went with two friends, and we enjoyed ourselves. Instead of ordering off the menu, it was fun to see the sushi before we ate it. I enjoyed myself - I'd go back but not on a totally empty stomach.

    (3)

  • Jah S.

    Solid up and coming "Merry go round" casual dining restaurant with sushi, ordered some warm food and some beer as well. Interesting concept, service was great, had a great recommendation from Katie B. who got me the noodles with tofu and anticucho from the kitchen. I'm happy and full.

    (4)

  • Louis C.

    A couple weeks ago Kelly and I were walking on the upper level at the Natick mall and we notice a new Japanese style restaurant below, we decided that we would try it out this past weekend. I was so disappointed I guess I was blinded by the gimmicky set up of Wasabi. We should've looked at the menu first. There was nothing that stood out to me. Everything had avocados in it, ugh... I don't even like avocados!! The concept is pretty cool, pick what you wanted and pay by the plate. Each plate is colored so it indicates what how much it is going to cost. The maki rolls are so small, like less than 3/4" in diameter. Because there was nothing that I liked on the conveyor belt I am them to bring me two orders of the spicy tuna roll. When they came out they were pretty bland however they did have a "spice" to them just not the type I am use to... you see they were covered in chili powder. Disgusting. Kelly and I could not even finish what we had ordered. We asked for the check and decided that it was best to leave sooner than later. We will not be going back, $20 dollars wasted on horrible sushi.

    (2)

  • Meredith K.

    I love this restaurant. Everyone that works there is really nice. The conveyer belt is time sensitive and monitered by chips underneath the plates so they're not sitting out too long. Sometimes the sushi is flimsy because of the nature of the restaurant. They have to make it quickly to keep the belt stocked, so it's not that it's old, it's that it's made with haste. Yeah it's not Newbury Street, but your bill also isn't $40 for 4 rolls, it's about $13. Edemame is the best I've ever had. Noodles are great. I would suggest the spicy or baja tuna.

    (4)

  • Anora L.

    The server was actually really great but the food itself was some of the worst sushi I've had in a long time. The selection is very limited. The atmosphere is fun but I don't know I would want to drop that kind of money on this place again.

    (2)

  • David H.

    OK for a quick meal when at the mall. Kids enjoy looking at items on the belt. We tell them take whatever they want, but eat it. Same restaurant at Braintree closed. Sushi choices really limited to vegetarian or cooked fish items (shrimp tempura for example). We tried the spicy tuna and a couple of the others salmon, tempura, crabstick) and the fish was bland in taste and really skimpy. Also, rice was not molded very well and fell apart easily. Family of four we had $60 in various dishes and 2 sodas. Best item was the edamame, which was more flavorful than other places and even when we make at home. Again, go only if you are in the mall and can't be bothered with the food court.

    (2)

  • Jennifer P.

    Although the sushi quality is not what you would get in a decent restaurant, it is great option for faux-Asian for in the mall. I usually get a miso soup and the small teriyaki salmon plate, which has freshly prepared salad, rice and salmon and costs about $8 after my 15% mall employee discount. I love the salad dressing that they use as well; it's a simple ginger vinaigrette but it tastes great. I'm most impressed with the friendliness of the staff and the speed that they prepare take-out.

    (4)

  • Rick B.

    First experience at Wasabi. It is what it is: Mall Sushi with a conveyor belt. Volcano California Maki was tasty but portions of salmon sashimi were sliced so thin it was closer to lox than sushi. Not bad, not great. Think fast food. Service excellent.

    (3)

  • Clarissa K.

    again, another consistent dinner -- this time, not with Katie...but with Max! this time, try the summer roll...very surprised how fresh it was! just when you think you've tried everything..you find another great dish! thanks again Max!!! :)

    (5)

  • Joseph G.

    Fun way to eat see what sushi you want as it goes by your table on a conveyor . I do feel Its a little $$$ for what you get.

    (3)

  • Nicole A.

    This place is very convenient. Food travels around on a conveyer belt and you don't have to wait long for what you want. Plate colors indicate the food prices which range from 2.50 to 5 bucks. Not bad in my opinion. The only issue with this conveyer belt idea is that it leads to overeating. Seeing all that food passing by your head really makes you want to grab anything. Now on to the food. I ordered a scorpion roll, spicy tuna roll, zen soba noodles and seaweed salad. 15 bucks for all the food. However, the sushi was basic. You could compare it to supermarket packaged sushi. The seaweed salad was good and the zen soba noodles were weird. The taste was off so I didn't finish them. Overall, food was okay. Service was good although I did have to flag my server down. Price was cheap but it could have easily gotten out of control if I didn't stop myself. Just remember, food gets to you fast but it is a sushi place in the mall. So don't have extremely high expectations.

    (3)

  • Kamille W.

    Hearing the words "conveyor belt" and "sushi" together would usually make me equal parts confused and concerned, but after visiting Wasabi, I'm a believer. Here's how it works. Your hostess seats you and a server comes by to take your drink order. After that, you just reach out and grab whatever sushi delights tickle your fancy. It's sort of like a reverse sushi buffet, where all the food comes to you. Everything is helpfully labeled and color-coded according to price. If you see something on the menu that hasn't come by on the conveyor belt, just ask your server and they'll bring it right out to you. The food itself at Wasabi is perfectly adequate. It's about as good as anyone can reasonably expect from a mall restaurant. I went for the basic tuna roll and the Tokyo salad (squid and seaweed in a citrus dressing). The Tokyo salad was especially delicious; I would have happily eaten a huge bowl of just that. I should note that I wouldn't have ordered it had I not seen it go by on the conveyor belt, looking ever-so delectable. The whole experience of eating at Wasabi was so fun and cool and modern. I'll definitely be stopping by Wasabi the next time I visit the Natick Mall.

    (3)

  • Jamie M.

    What a fun experience! You pick your basic sushi off a conveyor belt, where it travels on price-coded plates. Each plate has a chip that lets the staff know how long it's been on the belt, so the sushi stays fresh. More elaborate rolls can be ordered from your waiter. There's a kids' menu as well: my favorite item there is the peanut butter and jelly "roll." Instead of weighing yourself down with traditional food court cuisine, try this fun, fast, and healthy alternative.

    (4)

  • Holly K.

    I was pretty hesitant to try this place out after all of the pretty horrible reviews here. Reading through the reviews it seems like a lot of the complaints were about the service. I was definitely pleasantly surprised with dinner here. The service was great! From the hostess to our waitress everyone was friendly and the waitress was always around when I needed her. I am no sushi connoisseur but I was happy with the food! It is fun to see all the sushi rolling on by and deciding what variety to pick off the conveyor. I heard one of the chefs telling another customer how they changed their cooking method because their chicken used to be really dry and now the customer was raving about how great it was. If you haven't been here in a while I would recommend giving this place one last try; I definitely think it is better than the food court if you want to grab something fast to eat while at Natick Mall.

    (4)

  • Juliet M.

    Horrible. No sushi on the belt and no servers to get you a drink. The server nearby said they got a new Manager...they need a different one. Dishes piled on the counter. Filthy. Finally gave up and left.

    (1)

  • Abe A.

    Absolute rip-off. The sushi is almost passable (think decent grocery store pre-packaged tier but with half the amount of actual fish), but the price is just stupidly high for the amount of food you get. I was disappointed in the selection, especially in terms of raw fish. They definitely cater to a western market, which may be fine, but it wasn't what I or any of my friends were looking for in a sushi restaurant. Service was friendly and decent. Presentation is good. Location is pretty slick, right in the middle of the Natick Mall. But Wasabi fails when it comes to actual food and price (the core aspects of a restaurant) . Seriously, every bite I took was like swallowing $2.50 (not even exaggerating: their Unagi is $5 for two pieces). Usually I wouldn't mind so much, but the eel slices were just TINY. Unacceptable, I'm never eating here again, and I'm advising others to steer clear.

    (1)

  • Peter C.

    Go for the experience! You have sushi coming around on a conveyor belt... that's pretty cool. The pricing structure is done by plate color and the waitress adds up your empty plates at the end to calculate your bill. You can also custom order anything you don't see coming around on the conveyor belt. The Sushi is good, probably better than you'd expect for a Mall based eatery. The restaurant is wide open, so you can successfully people-watch while you're enjoying your meal. My personal favorites are: The Philadelphia Roll The Crunchy Salmon Roll Avocado and Salmon with Cavier California Roll The Caterpillar Roll Shrimp Tempure Roll

    (4)

  • Bill R.

    This place is exactly how the rating describes it A-Ok. I am a mall employee and this is one of my go to places for lunch. They have super fast take out and their prices are reasonable. I would never come here for a sushi night out but it's more than passable for what it is... Mall sushi.

    (3)

  • Mike D.

    Alright - Let's set the expectation here 1.) You are in a mall 2.) The food is on a plate on a belt 3.) You have the convenience of choosing the dish you want. That all being said - This idea is pretty great and fun! Everyone should try it once! I ordered off the menu and off the belt. The sushi was not bad and there were some different Maki's from normal. I was happy with it! Give it a try!

    (4)

  • Dave B.

    Well, it's about as good as you can expect. The concept: this is what's called "Kaiten-zushi," or "conveyor-belt sushi" in English. The chefs are constantly cranking out a variety of small dishes (about the size of what you would expect at a tapas restaurant), which move around the restaurant past each table on a conveyer belt. If something looks good to you, you just grab it and start eating, and your final bill gets calculated based on what you had (the plates are coded by color, each color is a different price). It's a fun way to dine, especially for anybody who's a "beginner" at sushi. I thought the food was okay, the simple common items are probably the best choices (tuna rolls, California rolls, etc). It's not gourmet. It's not the best sushi you've ever had...it's not even CLOSE to the best sushi you've ever had. But the ingredients are fresh and prices are very low. This IS a shopping mall food court, after all...fresh ingredients that aren't going to make you sick is about as much as you can ask for. So if you want a break from your shopping for a quick bite that will fill your belly and leave you satisfied, this is a good choice. If you want gourmet sushi, finish your shopping and go somewhere else instead.

    (3)

  • Vlad C.

    You are walking through the mall doing a little shopping (window and maybe real) when you decide you have a sushi craving. OH NO what do you do? Well this is what happened to me the other day. All of a sudden I remember "oh yeah there is this new belt sushi in the mall it must be a decent value and if I don't like it I wont go again". Well this did not happen. The fish was fresh, the presentation was pretty. The rice quality and consistency could be better, but how much can you expect from a sushi joint in the mall. The belt was consistently full and the same plates were not there over and over as there was a decent crowd. Now though there are obviously significantly better sushi places, for a quick craving and not emptying out your wallet this place will definitely hit the spot for a craving. I recommended this to friends, who also enjoyed it and I will come back again!

    (4)

  • Nasreen D.

    Absolutely as fun as it is delicious! My first time there, I promised myself I will take only 2 dishes off the conveyer belt. I ended up taking 5, plus o e order of dessert, green tea mousse! It was just tempting, looking at all the dishes passing me by. I just want to grab every single thing before I miss them. Price-wise, I think it's very reasonable, but if you're tight on a budget, I wouldn't recommend going because you're only limiting yourself! I like to surge when I come here. The service here is also excellent! Honestly, nothing bad to say here!

    (5)

  • Rebecca S.

    Wasabi reminds me of childhood growing up in NYC. Rotating sushi belts were very popular back a little while ago, unfortunately they all seemed to disappear. Even though this place is located in the center of a mall I always drive out of my way just to eat here. The food is great, not over priced. There is also a good mixture of sushi that has more of a real Japanese style to it, and Americanized sushi as well. So it is good for mixed eaters. My last time there I had a delightful time, ate a lot and the total for two people was around $25. Being from NYC that seems reasonable. The hostesses were super nice, and I think they were relieved not to see kids or aggravated parents (it was very crowded at dinner time). I am giving them a 4 because our waitress ignored us for a little after we sat, but it was very crowded so I understand.

    (4)

  • Robin Y.

    The actual sushi here isn't anything special, but they're not trying to be authentic- it's American sushi, and they don't disguise that. The food comes around on a conveyer belt, and they take it off when it's been out for awhile, which is comforting, since nobody likes the consequences of warm sushi. I got the edamame, California roll, and chocolate mousse, which I was perfectly happy with. The waitstaff tends to have glazed-over eyes and they're kind of glum and detached, buuuut... they're working in a mall, so I wouldn't expect them to be incredibly lively and excited about life. I haven't come back here since I ate here a year ago, because I wasn't incredibly impressed, but I definitely didn't dislike it. I just sort of prefer Au Bon Pain.

    (3)

  • Kitten H.

    In terms of quality Wasabi is the Applebee's of sushi. We ate 6 or 7 plates and our water was only refreshed just before the check arrived. Limited but nice selection. Will eventually return, cute place.

    (2)

  • Austin J. A.

    If you have the hankering for conveyor-belt sushi in the middle of a trip to the Apple store, this is definitely your saving grace. This is conveyor-belt sushi. This is not Oishii or Cafe Sushi. This is sitting at the counter or in a booth, and pulling tiny plates of pricey rolls off of a tram that visits every place setting. This is pretending to be in a science fiction universe where you are in a primordial soup of little offerings that come to your table via invisible robots. Or this is reminiscing with your date about all of the other conveyor-belt and buffet-style sushi you've ever eaten across the globe. It's remembering what it was like to go eat at the Automat with your Dad in the 1970s, only instead of ebi nigiri and seaweed salad it was sweet potato pie and green jello. With Cool-Whip. In a word, this is not A-list celebrity sushi. This is a B-movie. A fine B-movie about some radioactive honey badger trying to take over Moscow, with a great soundtrack by Philip Glass. But it's a B-movie, and (if it knows what's good for it) it's not trying to be anything else. You'll get your cult following of loyal fans, and that's the point. Wasabi is a quirky place to have the experience of picking up tiny plates of food from a perpetual-motion conveyor belt and then eating them as you watch tons of other little plates of Japanese food go by. Plates are priced by color, and the color key is in the menu. You can also order from the menu; I've had drinks, soup, and specific sushi brought to me by cheerful and attentive servers on several occasions. Nobody has ever given me a reason to dislike coming here. For what it is. I love their plate of cut mochi, because you get several flavors/colors of mochi in bite-sizes. The shrimp nigiri is a go-to item, as is their red tuna. They have different specialty rolls and chef's special rolls, often involving a sauce or a cooked ingredient. The plates are small, arrive covered (they look like little Jetson-era UFOs with their acrylic lids, sailing along towards their inevitable destinies), and if I don't like what I ordered (it hasn't happened yet), I can easily pick up another dish that catches my fancy. If you are worried about over-ordering on your first trip, just pick a price range to shoot for, and stick to one or two plate colors. There are VERY few of the lowest-tier price color plates, and typically, they're just for edamame or some kind of salad anyway. The blue, red, and magenta/purple plates are the ones upon which I have most often found my favorite foods. There is a kids' menu, with a bento box that they can take home with them afterwards; and by the way, these little conveyor-belt sushi-pods are the best way to entertain kids at a mall outside of Build-A-Bear, and they don't feed you at Build-A-Bear. The staff behind the counter use a machine to extrude rice onto nori paper, and let's face it, I wouldn't trust the spicy tuna (usually, it's the oldest cuts of fish that go into the spicy rolls, because the spiciness masks the age-taste), but I don't go here because I can eat the very best sushi in the whole world. I go here because I'm tired of shopping, I don't want a trendy, darling, or overdone mall eating experience (like so many other offerings at the Natick Collection), and I genuinely like this incarnation conveyor belt sushi...for what it is. So let's recap what we've learned... Q: what is conveyor-belt sushi at Wasabi? A: it's an experience wherein you will get to do something that you probably don't get to do every day, AKA eat little plates off of a conveyor belt. That's it. You probably wouldn't seek out this food if it wasn't served to you on a mechanized food-train. And that's okay. If you want good sushi, there are plenty of positive options within just a few mile radius. But if you want to sample a bunch of little plates and find robotic food pulleys to be adorable, fun, or hypnotic to watch, then this is the cult classic for you.

    (3)

  • Rachel K.

    Wasabi's great customer service and care for its frequent visitors are making me turn this 3 stars into 4 :).

    (4)

  • Anurag M.

    It is a good option to eat decent sushi in the mall. Kid friendly. I would recommend as a healthy option in the mall.

    (3)

  • Christy C.

    I just ate here with my kids and we were all disappointed. When you go to eat sushi and the highlight of your meal is the watermelon, that is pretty sad. My daughter had the pb & j Benton box which looked nothing like the photo. The portion was equivalent to half a sandwich and the strawberries were not fresh. I am not sure why this came with rice. The sushi tasted like day old grocery store sushi. The avocado was brown and the shrimp tempura roll that I ordered was not crispy. At least now I can say that we have been there, but we wont be coming back.

    (1)

  • Vickie M.

    This is the second time I went and tried not to be biased. The food is not good. the fillings are small and the avocado is too ripe. The rolls are not tight so they can easily be loosen up. The cost is ok. THere isn't much sushi. I sat there for an hour today and realized they limit their sushi. I prefer Enso. They have other sushi specials that are different. Never going back to wasabi ever.. really not worth it even the market's sushi is better.

    (1)

  • Jacqui A.

    great sushi for the price. I eat here often as a mall employee and get 15% off the food because I work at the mall. Great deal for employees, I love sushi and I love the concept of the conveyer belt. I just try to always ask to have it made for me, especially on warm and sunny days because it gets warm in the spot it's in. I wish I got more fish with my nigiri or sashimi for the price, but overall great atmosphere for a mall sushi place :)

    (4)

  • Bailey F.

    Ok it is what it is folks, it's a MALL SUSHI KIOSK! It's cute looking and it just happens to be one of the few Kaiten-zushi styled eateries that isn't claiming to be fine dining, so that alone is a treat for me. The food isn't 5 star quality and if you're looking for that out in the mall, go to one of the restaurants that claim they provide such things; If you want a kitschy street food experience, that's not as terrible as the food court, where everyone can eat for about 15 per person and leave full, you got it. The food isn't as horrible as some of these reviews make it out to be and honestly I found the service reasonable considering most of the wait staff were high school students. Our server was nice, and about as attentive as needed considering your food is on a conveyor belt in front of you, all he was really needed for was drink orders. The food was fresh, and I wasn't sitting right at the kitchen area, and I did notice them clear things off aftrer they had been around a few times, so it does look like its monitored for freshness. I loved my Chefs Special, and my vegetarian boyfriend got a lot out of the meal, which is nice that we could both go somewhere and enjoy a dinner where he could eat something more than just a salad. Overall I had a good time, so Wasabi, I'll be seeing you!

    (3)

  • Rita V.

    Sometimes rolls are sloppy but edible... Fast food, really. I like one 0f their seafood salads and their seaweed salad is pretty typical. But on this last visit I found their rolls uncomfortably-fall apart loose and... bland. They had set a higher standard for mall sushi for me, but really, next time, I might go upstairs back to Sarku. It is pricey for what you are getting, and the convenience of it was overshadowed by the descent in quality...

    (2)

  • Christopher R.

    Ive only eaten their sushi once, and it was pretty good. I wasnt overwhelmed. Its good for something quick while in the mall. Im just mesmerized by watching the sushi go round and round

    (4)

  • Neil S.

    Eating here is fun, so I do recommend you try this place. The sushi itself is... okay. I didn't try the yellow tail (if the tuna doesn't impress me, then I'm not willing to go there), but the salmon is good. I don't care for rolls, but the people I went with seemed to enjoy them. The cooked chicken teriyaki was pretty good. It's mall sushi, so if your expectations aren't much then you won't be disappointed.

    (2)

  • Hubert K.

    Had dinner here a few weeks ago, and the sushi selection was abundant and fresh. Our waitstaff, Max, was really attentive and friendly. Whatever sushi items that did not arrive on the belt, we were able to ask Max to get them. Our kids had fun, and it was nice to be able to see the quality of the sushi prior to selecting a specific plate. Definitely a place to check out, and reasonably priced.

    (4)

  • Bobby C.

    Sure it is in the "Natick Collection" part of the mall. It's still in the mall. Enough said? It's like stepping foot into a hotel restaurant. You know what you are getting yourself into. I know I am exaggerating and generalizing a bit. Maybe it is where we sat. The rolls on the carousel or conveyer belt is never looked that appealing when they got around to us. Probably because we sat far away from where they made the sushi and everyone has taken the decent plates. You may want to use the bathroom before you go eat. You have to walk towards the other end of the Natick Collection for the bathrooms.

    (2)

  • Dorian G.

    When this place first opened, I was new to sushi and thought it was the cat's meow. Now, I've been schooled a bit in sushi AND I'm gluten-free. Sushi should be easy when you're GF. Rice + fish = no problem. As long as there is GF-soy sauce/Tamari on hand, we've got a party! GF Visit 1 was a to-go order. I asked if there was GF menu. The girl at the register handed me a photocopy of the actual menu with the non-GF items crossed out. Seemed easy. I got some nigiri and a rainbow roll to go. Nothing complicated. And she filled up a to-go cup with Tamari. GF visit 2 was another to-go order. I asked the guy at the register for the GF menu again. he said there was no such thing. I begged to differ. He asked the manager and he brought me out a different piece of paper. This was a handwritten list of every menu item, with the ingredients listed alongside, with allergens highlighted. They can make an roll I like and alter as needed. I noticed that the seaweed salad was NOT highlighted (which i assumed it would be as it has soy sauce). Inquire...oh, yeah...its not. Oops. (DO YOU KNOW WHAT KIND OF LIABILITY THAT IS??) Placed my order and asked for Tamari. Was told they had none. Again, I dont think so. Some digging produced an unopened bottle. GF visit 3 (and my last for a good long while) was today. Seated lunch with a friend. I ask for the GF menu/list/whatever. I am told they have a list of allergens but cannot show it to me. Waitress THINKS that the nigiri, sashimi and some rolls are GF. I ask as they roll by, "is this one? is that one?" She doesnt know. I explain i'm on my lunch break and i cant wait for her to keep going and forth to "the book" and can i please see the list. No, I cannot. She disappears and comes back and says that as of now FOUR items are GF. Nothing else is. The vegetable roll (salad in rice paper, yay!) and 3 other rolls. Plus sashimi and nigiri. That's it. What happened to the extensive menu? Ugh. I just grabbed a rainbow roll and a vegetable roll, ate and RAN. FAST. This place is an allergen nightmare. Run, don't walk.

    (1)

  • Ryan K.

    Love this place. Fast, convenient and pretty good. Its not the best Sushi I have ever had, but for the price and speed, it cant be beat!! Definitely try it.

    (4)

  • Kristin D.

    When my cousin's friend said we should do conveyor-belt sushi for lunch, I looked at her funny. I had seen this type of thing on TV, but never experienced this before. So we went. I admit I was very intrigued by this concept in application. We were seated at the bar and given a run down of the logistics by our server (since neither myself nor my cousin had been there before). I ordered an iced green tea, which I thought odd that it came in a bottle; but it was in Japanese, and unsweetened. We started grabbing dishes off of the conveyor belt. I had 4 dishes: Lucky Roll, Yellowtail Nigiri, Blue Crab roll, and another I can't remember. My 4 plates and drink came to approx. $23, not including tip. They also had other items on the belt such as seaweed salad, seaweed pockets, and even chocolate mousse! The three of us split something called Mochi, which was a lot sweeter than expected, but still very good. They even have a menu you can order from if you don't see what you want or "if its taking too long to come around." I could have eaten more!!! As for the quality of the food, it was very good, but not as good as other sushi restaurants I have been to. I am really looking forward to taking my husband here, but more for the novelty than for the outstanding food.

    (3)

  • Dave H.

    Sushi at the Mall! OK... this is not gourmet-level sushi, but the convenience and fun factor make this one of the best choices for lunch or dinner at Natick Mall. The best part was the friendly staff and service... especially the hostess who seems to know everything about the food preparation, the best rolls to order and detailed knowledge about the Mall.

    (5)

  • Heather R.

    I love this concept but the cleanliness is scary. The menus are sticky, I watched them reuse lids without washing them and the area I was seated at was dirty. Sushi places need to be uber clean to enjoy them. This place makes you wonder how you will feel after your meal.

    (2)

  • M. P.

    The sushi was good for what it is which is mall sushi and you're sitting in the middle of the open mall. We got a lot of interesting rolls like the baja tuna ($4.00 - spicy tuna, jalapeno, avocado, red pepper & cilantro) and crunchy salmon ($3.50 - salmon, cream cheese, masago, spicy mayo). It is definitely dangerous to have a conveyor belt of sushi in front of us. We definitely had two plates too many but it was a decent price for 2 people. Two iced teas and about 6 plates is about $30 bucks. It was fast, easy and convenient.

    (3)

  • Alan C.

    I'm not sure if it was because we went on an off day or what but the sushi was not very fresh and very expensive from my point of view. The conveyor belt idea is only good if the sushi is actually fresh. they only put the cheaper stuff on it first and you get the special sushi by ordering straight from the waiter/waitress. the salmon roe we ordered was definitely not fresh.

    (1)

  • Alan S.

    This was my 3rd time back, and it gets better every time.... Great staff, and delicious food!! Its nice to see a restaurant that consistently does a great job! I would recommend this place to anyone, and will be back again soon!!

    (4)

  • Tammy C.

    No no no...... What a disappointment! What you pretty much are paying for here is the experience. Let me tell you, I was not impressed. Waitstaff was not friendly at the least. The conveyer belt sushi idea is a very innovated trend, but the execution here was poorly done. The layout here is pretty simple. Tables and bars alongside the conveyer belt with the sushi. It is very modern and orange. There isn't much to say about this place. Given the one star, I assure you I will not be returning to this establishment. The sushi was mediocre. Simple. Mediocre....Actually, I'd be too kind to say mediocre. The food that was being rolled around, was not fresh. To enjoy fish, it has to be fresh right? I don't care if you are eating sushi in Boston or sushi at the Natick Collection. It should be served for its patrons in the best quality. I had a great variety of food here and I was not pleased. The seaweed salad was pretty okay though. I liked it. Besides that...even the caterpillar/green dragon roll wasn't good. Rolls were not tight and uniform. :( I was really hoping to have good food here. Sorry guys, you should pass on this one. For a better conveyor belt sushi joint - Genki Sushi. Check out my review on them!

    (1)

  • Natasha R.

    Last Saturday my husband and I ate here after learning about it through a Boston.com review. While the review and most of the Yelp reviews are all mixed, we thought we'd take the chance anyway because sushi on a conveyer belt sounded awesome. And there's no danger of over-ordering. All in all, we were pretty impressed and really enjoyed the food. The only issues we had was the limited selection of vegetarian rolls (my husband doesn't eat meat), the slow turn-around for some of the better rolls, and the slow service from waitstaff. The california roll and avacado-cali roll were amazing and a lot of the rolls on the menu sounded fantastic, but they didn't put them all out. If you see something on the menu that doesn't come around, they can usually make it for you. I'll definitely go again.

    (4)

  • may l.

    Well, only good thing it is in the mall, and this kind of setup is the only one in the whole mass.... My waiter is nice also. Now serious business , the food is not fresh. The shape, the quantity varies all the time. They just put out what ever and serve you whatever . If u r luck, u get a few dishes nice, but the majority are lacks of fish and too much veggi or too much rice... Some popular items might take you over 20mins waiting . Now the service, except my waiter. Really, the reception, the manager are extremely rude and careless. I feel not welcome and stupid to eat there. Trust me, if it is not because I need to eat inside natick mall, I will not even consider you at all. Just few minutes drive I can reach to tens of much better Japanese food around!

    (1)

  • Aayisha A.

    This place is really horrible. It's official, I hate that place. If anyone wants to eat nice and delicious sushi, DO NOT go to Wasabi.

    (1)

  • Steve S.

    What you see is what you get, and what you get is good. The prices are very reasonable, and the sushi is prepared fresh. Yes, it takes a few trips around the conveyor, but the kids love that. Nothing adventurous here - standard sushi fare. But always reliable and always tasty.

    (3)

  • James G.

    Whats to like? Yes, the conveyor belt delivery of food is eye catching, but what about the food? Tiny, miniscule portions are expensive for food/cost ratio. The rice is uncooked, chewy, blah! You want green tea? That will be 2$ for a kiddy cup. When we went, they served us with paper cups, explaining they hadn't recieved the cups they ordered. Okay, but am I to pay 2$ for tea (usually free) in a paper cup? If you like watching tiny helpings of poor quality sushi circle your table and paying good money for it this is your spot.

    (1)

  • Jonathan C.

    I loved the sushi, very fresh, great atmosphere, friendly staff and reasonably priced. Definitely coming back.

    (5)

  • Reid F.

    This fits into the food-as-entertainment column. In addition, the sushi's not half-bad. It may not be as good as Oishii, but it certainly beats Oga. And it's less money, and it's fun.

    (4)

  • Derek S.

    Yeah, I said four stars. For the experience--it's great to eat half a dozen types of sushi and watch the mysterious conveyer belt to see what it will bring you next. Instant gratification. The sushi is only average, but service is friendly. I don't recommend the gyoza.

    (4)

  • Jeremy K.

    3 stars, although as i write this, its got a 2 star review, so without reading them (yet) i could see how Wasabi could slide into eek-land. i was without power and without work for the day (no-powered out! yay!) but without power at home, its like winning the lottery for 85 cents. so i got in the car and headed to the collection in hopes of a whalers bummer sticker (no luck btw.) i saw this place once before, but i was solo this go around *foreshadow* and wanted to get my sushi on. cute concept, the yakima or whatever the food on a belt thing is called. obviously this place didnt invent this round d' go fish delivery on a conveyor belt. i found it entertaining at the very least, ive never dined in this kinda of format. so you get sat, i was at the bar, and the waitress brings you sauce, wasabi, and ginger, and then, or even before in some cases, you take little plates off the belt as they pass. the plates indicate the price and you add it up as you go. they also have a pretty extensive menu with a bunch of other ala carte items. expect 3 or 4 at the least. i waited and waited for a tekka roll to roll on by, no luck, but the waitress took my request and poof, one tekka ($3). the roll was small, 6 slivers and well more rice than fish. i really wanted it to be on the line though, zoom goes the food. some other items, shrimp tempura roll ($5), tuna nigiri ($4) and, from the menu, seared tuna($5.) small prices for small portions, so those 4 plates didnt fill me up too much, a few hours later i could chow. i know when i leave zen320, i am not eating the rest of the day. ok, now what of those potential bombs of a rating. perhaps it was that there were kids everywhere. kids eat sushi? some did, and i thought that was cool, but a lot didnt and watch the 3 year old in the booth right across the zip line indulge in a loud sniff followed by an audible ewwww doesnt do it for me. in fact, parents, if you are going, you sit on the inside and assist them with the item selection, dont let them get all up in the foodbelts grill. did i think this was a tremendous deal? no, 17 bucks in gills is 3$$$ territory in my opinion, and, AND! 2 bucks for hot tea. isnt that a pre req for sushi? i am fin.

    (3)

  • Hillary M.

    The sushi is pretty bad, the service isn't great, but there are some redeeming qualities to this place. Well, redeeming if you have children and it is hard to carry on an adult conversation without distracting them. Wasabi offers a perfect distraction - a conveyor belt of food. You can even be a jerk and teach your kids to put stuff on the empty slots on the belt to see how far it will go. The kid's pb&j bento was sheer genius. And very reasonably priced. The avocado and cucumber rolls and miso soup were totally fine, the mochi was surprisingly delicious, and, while a totally stingy amount, the salmon sashimi was tasty enough. Can't recommend any of the other sushi, though. If you're interested in actual fish, I recommend ordering it off the menu. Not much variety circling around on the belt. The restaurant is basically in the center of the mall, so exceedingly noisy. But, again, if you have kids, sometimes this is a good thing. If you don't have kids, I'd think twice about going here.

    (3)

  • Dorgana D.

    Their sushi is not great quality. They really need to improve their rolling quality. Too loose. The idea of such a restaurant is great. But they need to improve.

    (3)

  • Laurie L.

    Read the reviews and warned my sushi loving daughter that this would probably be like supermarket sushi. She was unfazed. After over an hour trying to find a parking spot, we were hungry and Wasabi was right off the elevator, so we were pretty happy when we got here. The server explained the fairly obvious workings of the place. We had to ask for soy sauce because ours was empty but it was filled right away. We had the following: Husband: WASABI MISO, CRUNCHY SALMON, LUCKY ROLL (shared) Daughter: MISO, SALMON NIGIRI, EEL NIGIRI, SALMON, AVOCADO & CAVIAR Roll, DRAGON ROLL Me: MISO, VEGETARIAN ROLL (Buddha roll?) - soy wrapper, rice, cucumber, avocado, red pepper, kanpyo, carrot & oshinko (2) I feel like I'm missing something, but the total came to about $40. The portions were a little small, but it was a fun experience and everything tasted fresh. The first roll I had was a little firmer texture than the second, but the taste was about the same. I'm guessing the rice on the second may have been a bit warm. The place was very crowded, we had a 15 minute wait, so we didn't see a lot of empty spaces on the conveyor belt and there was a pretty good variety available. We all thought it was a much better experience than the food court would have been. I'd be surprised if we didn't go back, but I wouldn't make a special trip just for it.

    (3)

  • Cyndie B.

    When I saw the conveyor belt sushi I instantly wanted to go because my first meal with my partner was at a similar place outside of Nashville. So we thought we'd try it. The food was ok not the best and not the worst. If I was in the area or at the mall it would probably be the place I would go eat but it would never be a destination for me. The food was ok but as someone else mentioned, the choices for someone who does not eat meat is limited (conveyor style). However, you can order items from the menu and they do bring it right over. If the place is crowded and you see something you like coming by (think Lucy and Ethel working at the chocolate factory) - grab it because it may not come around again too quickly or someone else may grab it, Also it is easy to over do it as stuff comes by and you just start pulling it off the belt. The seaweed salad was very good and I would snag that again. Pros: In the mall, its sushi, you eat pretty quickly. Cons: food ok, hostess was in a daze, don't wait for veg items to roll by

    (3)

  • Jane S.

    Their sushi is not awfully bad, but the server was just ignorant. I came here at 3pm and was starving because I didn't have anything for lunch. So it turned out fine. Natick probably has some better restaurants, but I would probably come back again if I can't find anything better in the mall.

    (3)

  • Sonny V.

    Went here with my friend couple weeks ago. Very good idea to serve food on the conveyor belt. They need to improve on the food quality side.... hire some real sushi chef will you....

    (1)

  • YJ C.

    1 star for cleanliness (well, it just opened). The food is not their redeeming quality. Bad food, bad hostess, bad service. If you are at Natick mall and are starving, just go to the food court upstairs or the Cheesecake Factory. If you are really craving Japanese food or sushi, go to Minado across from the mall. It's FAR better, all-you-can-eat Japanese alternate compared to this establishment. 1. Inefficient staff: The first impression you have of a restaurant is the host or the hostess. Oh dear, I don't know why they hired her. There were plenty of seats on the counter, but she refused to let us sit there, making us wait for 15 minutes when it was not at all full. I usually don't mind waiting, but seeing many empty seats and how inefficiently the hostess functioned (Get it together, girl!), while my tired and aged mother had to stand around, puzzled why they won't let us sit on the counter when other customers were sitting there as well, drove me mad. Ah, the hostess...she looks flustered the whole time, not very hospitable, and moves around a lot without achieving half of what she could have done in same amount of time. They don't really have a proper system of taking in customers. They don't ask for the name unless you specifically ask for it. They don't ask for it, so people just assume you would get seated if they wait. Even if you stand in a line to get in, the party standing after you sits first because they had their name down while you didn't. I think it's the manager, but the Asian man in glasses said to a customer, "they(someone who complained or left, apparently) didn't even put their name down!" crossing someone's name off. It's your damn fault if your restaurant is inefficient and makes the customers angry and confused. Not professional at all. Not to mention the tables don't get cleared on time, and we had to wave our hand frantically just to get a glass of water. We would not have gotten them otherwise. Same went for wasabi. 2. Sigh, the food: I don't expect much from a shopping mall sushi. Still, it brought tears to my eyes. Everything is automated. The rice is "balled up" by a machine that looks like it poops small balls of rice. Then a cook takes out a plastic container filled with pre-cut, low grade sashimi, then places the sashimi on rice. No wasabi or anything. The pathetic quality is evident in the sushi. I was gawking at every piece of tuna rolling past me, most with unappetizing blood clots and not at all fresh. The fried shrimp in sushi tastes stale and old. The variety of sushi is dismal and they are all overpriced. We also ordered something called "Tokyo Salad", the most expensive plate. Wasabi should apologize to the citizens of Tokyo. It's just a mix of regular seaweed salad and preserved squid and tiny pieces of sad looking veggies....and I honestly don't see how this sad little creation is related to Tokyo. Also, the second-most expensive dish is the imitation crab sushi. They sell two pieces of rice balls with imitation crab on top of them for 4~5 dollars. If you go to any Asian market and buy crab sticks, put them on a lump of rice, you have the same exact thing at a fraction of the price. The sushi masters of Japan would rise from their grave weeping at how Wasabi manages to butcher sushi and rip customers off. I babbled a lot, but in conclusion: not worth your $$. If it's your first time seeing sushi rotating around, try for the fun of it. Why not. But please, don't think this is the usual service, quality or variety expected of a conveyer sushi restaurant.

    (1)

  • Kelly C.

    Nope. Just no. We had been wanting to try this place for a while. I liked the whole gimmick and it seemed like a fun time and since I love sushi.. we went. The idea behind the conveyor belt bringing food by and you getting to pick what you want is great. However, when they only put out large quantities of roughly 3-4 items... its not such a great idea. I will say that they have a menu that you can order from and our pleasant waitress was quick to bring us an order of spicy tuna when we asked... a little too quick if you see where I'm going. I tried the spicy tuna, some sort of salmon and a tempura shrimp. I had one of the spicy tuna and the chili powder on top was just too overwhelming. I thought the shrimp was okay but after eating 3 rolls, something just left a bad taste in my mouth. Together we had 4 plates of sushi and in total spent $20.00. We got out of there pretty quickly. I know its sushi in the mall and a gimmick, but I fell for it. Oh well, live and learn!

    (2)

  • Mayo B.

    I only recommend to eat here once so you can say you have tried it, but I would never go back. The sushi was sub-par and very small sizes for the price you pay. I know it's the mall, but the quality was mediocre at best. I felt the temperature was questionable too. I didn't get sick the next day, but I felt the sushi wasn't cold enough. I do not plan on trying it again.

    (1)

  • Kerr T.

    The place was half empty but my friend and I were not allowed to sit at a booth - the reason was "when we are busy, we sit only groups of 3 people and up at a booth." You know what, I don't need to sit at your booth and I am gladly to take my business somewhere else. Oh, the fish didn't look fresh at all either. Bye.

    (1)

  • Henry W.

    Conveyor belt sushi is the craze. It's the first of it's kind in the metrowest area and probably the only on within the state! They are a huge hit in the West coast and can found everywhere in Japan. I've actually been to this place twice now and both times resulted in the same critique. Design/Space: The design of the 'restaurant' if you want to call it that is very open. It's located in the middle of a open space in the Natick Mall. The design is fun with bright greens and orange accents. Different seating is arranged for groups of all sizes. For a 6 feet guy like me, the tables were a bit low compared to the seating for me at the booths. However, I noticed kids LOVED the place. It definitely seems like it's more family orientated, and makes for a great night out with the young ones. They love the idea of a conveyor belt with food. I saw a young one's action figure cruise down the conveyor belt line! Food: I went to Wasabi the very first day it opened. My initial impression is that the sushi is not very good. Let's start at the rice. The rice is not very well seasoned. Lacks vinegar and sugar, the most essential ingredient in sushi rice. The rice was also heavily squeezed and compact. The fish is not very fresh looking. There were several pieces of tuna that looked very sad as it passed by our group several times. The colors were all off. Fresh tuna should look reddish pink. Not light pink to the point where it looks spoiled. From my understanding of sushi culture, sushi chefs train for years in mastering the art of cutting and preparing sushi. The fish on nigiri sushi looked as if it was cut with a butter knife instead of a razor sharp knife expected from a proper sushi chef. Butchered, not mastered. Presentation and skills are always presented within the sushi I am served at every Japanese restaurant I go to (Oiishi, Takara, Green Tea...etc) There's a lot of pride behind the workmanship. Here at Wasabi, their sushi cried for help and display a poor level of sushi mastery. The rolls were almost insulting. What's normally served as a 6 piece roll is cut up into 12 little pieces and then served in a 6 piece dishes; marketing the low cost of their rolls. This brings us into portions. The cut of the fish for the nigiri sushi was very inconsistent. One of my favorites nigiri sushi, tamago (egg omelette) completely turned me off. Sushi chefs takes years just to master the art of folding the egg and getting it just right. It's obvious they used shortcuts to prepare the egg, which is fine in today's modern rush of food. However, the egg is literally served ice cold. At the same time, I will get one piece of tamago that is sliced paper thin, and the next piece is a quarter inch thick. Consistency please. The avocado used were over ripen to the point where there is browning. The eel nigiri is lacking the special eel sauce and sesame seeds. The first time I went to Wasabi, I had the edamami and they tasted terrible. It was unsalted, and not fully cooked! The second time I went, it was improved to what proper edamami should be. The inari (tofu skin wrap) sushi was pathetic. They are suppose to be stuffed with rice, and these barely had rice inside them. Oh and be ready to gag on the ice tea. No amount of lemon and sugar can save that drink. Price: The price needs to be adjusted. The price of 2 pieces of Tune nigiri is $4. Then the price of 2 pieces of imitation crab meat nigiri is also $4. Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait...huh? Tuna and imitation crab meat are not on the same price range! Considering the price of Wasabi's nigiri and rolls are as competitive as other sushi restaurants, they were definitely underserving in their proportions. They are selling a gimmick/fad rather then the food. If you're going to charge for Japanese food, then please serve Japanese quality food with normal proportions. Service: I must say most of the staff is friendly and welcoming. I've bumped into the owner several times and he's working at a very fast pace. Does he lack in customer service? I've never seen him interact with any customers, but I can't make a judgement call on that yet. However, I did notice some of the staff seems to have a bit of a attitude. As if we are doing them a favor by eating there! This was noticed on both occasions. The first time I ate at Wasabi was the grand opening and one of the waitresses wasn't sure if certain things were on the menu are not. This is understandable considering it's their first day. Last notes. Before Wasabi was open, when they were announced. I wanted to make this place my favorite. It was close to where I work and I wanted to make it my regular place for lunch. I wanted to love it and it was very promising before they opened. However, after going twice (once on grand opening and twice about 2 weeks later,) I can honestly say the gimmick has gotten boring for me already. You want sushi? You want gimmicks? Go to Minados across the street.

    (2)

  • Ken C.

    So perhaps I am not a sushi expert, but I was happy with my visit. The service was slow to refill my tea... And they didn't leave a pot which irritated me a little. But was otherwise friendly. The sushi was tasty, and priced within my expectations. I ate a filling dinner for about $15. It was my first time seeing conveyor belt sushi, so that was a fun little novelty. I'll come here again, but when I do I will demand that they leave the tea pot for my $2.

    (3)

  • Michaela T.

    My friend told me about this place a few weeks ago and I was anticipating the opening. A conveyor belt sushi restaurant? Sounds super cool, especially when there isn't one like this around Boston/Natick. Once we were seated we waited. And waited. I was confused. Do I just grab the plates and just start eating? Where is my wasabi? Our waitress was no where in sight. When she did come to help the couple next to us, we couldn't even get her attention. Ten minutes later she came and took our drink order and explained the process. You just take a plate and start eating. If you don't see a sushi roll on the belt, you can place an order for it. Seems simple enough. We didn't get my water for another 10 minutes and at this point I was pretty pissed off. The sushi rice was super thick, kind of like stop and shop sushi (yes, I compared this place to stop and shop). Presentation of the rolls were pretty messy. The sushi is OVERPRICED for what you get. I was shocked that three slices of watermelon costs $4. I can buy a whole watermelon with four dollars. That one star I gave this place is because it just opened. I'll try this place again in a few months.

    (1)

  • Agent Q.

    We are not going to open on a good note here when I think super market sushi is actually BETTER than the sushi at this joint. It's not so much that the fish is bad, it just isn't good. I passed on anything with avacado in it b/c it was clearly overripe and brown, good thing the sushi plates rotate by, because if someone ever served that to me at a restaurant I would send it back in a hurry or walk out, either one. There was some unhappy looking, cloudy salmon passing by, but every now and then a shiny orange slab would tempt me and I would throw my mitt up and snatch it quickly from the conveyor belt. I ate it cause I was hungry. What really irked me though is that the presentation of the rolls is surprising sloppy for a Japanese "restaurant." From my knowledge of sushi chefs, they train for years to become a master of their craft and this seems like a disservice to all sushi chefs. The chefs looked lost behind the counter, but were very friendly, which is always good. The service is non-existent, but I will give them time to get their act together b/c they just opened. To rant anyway, they did not give me a soy sauce bowl, did not bring out wasabi and ginger, forgot to give me a menu, and there was a waiter hunched over, shoveling down some maki rolls on his break at the sushi counter. So why did I give it two stars... rather than one. I am glad to have this concept around the Natick, or even Boston area. I like the idea of picking your own food and it adds a nice communal, family style atmosphere. By family style, I mean picking and sharing your food together. The act of eating should be shared by all. Additionally, I was mesmerized by the rotating sushi, it just kept coming! Lastly, I asked about how long the sushi is left on the belt if no one takes it, I presume this is a question they get asked often. The "waitress" girl said they take it off after 20 minutes and that there are sensors to alert them when the food has been out for too long. I didn't see any of these magical sensors and the sushi I ate was also slightly warm. That did not really bother me though because sushi really should be served room temperature. There was one bright spot, sort of... I got a salmon sashimi type thing that I only saw rotating once. It was slices of salmon in a soy/sesame dressing with chopped jalapenos on top. It looked like the jalapenos were chopped by a butcher with a butter knife, but the taste was there. I'll go back... maybe.

    (2)

  • Kaitlin M.

    I would recommend this to anyone who would like a quick, enjoyable (and entertaining) meal! Definitely fantastic for families as the conveyer belt is endlessly entertaining to people of all ages. The appetizers are very fairly priced (shumai/dumplings for $3!), but I would recommend to people that they be incredibly patient with how they choose their food. Let the conveyer belt go around a few times before you make a decision. Some of the rolls are a lot larger than others and for a dollar more it's worth it. If you're expecting a fancy meal/presentation you should go to a restaurant that isn't serving food Fraggle Rock style. I think a lot of these reviews posted on here have been unfair because 1) people went the day it opened and 2) they wanted a full service non buffet style sushi experience when that is exactly what Wasabi advertises itself as.

    (3)

  • Arinne B.

    I 2nd what YJC wrote. I have never given an establishment 1 star before. The star I'm giving to this one is for the cool CONCEPT of bringing a conveyer belt sushi restaurant to the Natick Mall...not for the execution. Although there were empty tables when we arrived, we waited in line for 20 mins. to be seated. During that time, they sat a group who walked up and were not on the list...twice. We confronted the hostesses about giving away our table the second time and they actually lied to us and said they'd had a reservation. The teens were sweet and volunteered that they hadn't in fact had a reservation and offered to wait their turn. We would have liked to have sat down at that point. Unfortunately, a family seated at another table saw a host bringing the high chair we'd requested 20 mins. earlier to our table as they prepared to seat us. At this point, the other family stopped the host en route to request one and THEY GAVE AWAY THEIR LAST HIGH CHAIR along with our opportunity to be seated once again. The hosts then told us it would probably be another 10-15 mins. longer of a wait if we still needed a high chair. As we have a 2-year old, and this is ostensibly a "fast food" establishment, we had reached our limit on patience and left. Really enjoyed the sushi place in the mall's food court though! Very pleasantly surprised by *their* quality of sushi. My wife ate at Wasabi during her next mall trip and reported that the sushi was just "meh." She wondered how long the plate she took had been in circulation. There's something to be said for having your raw fish prepared FRESH to order.

    (1)

  • Netta L.

    Have to try it once. That was my once. Yes, it's grocery store caliber sushi...if that good. My Hannaford does a terrific job with sushi. But I digress. The preparation here is SLOPPY. The avocado/cucumber sushi had salmon in it. Not a big deal unless you are a vegetarian or allergic. But also...it's gross. The conveyor belt is a cute idea until the kids at the table across from you are reaching their arms into your zone. My main complaint is that the place is dirty. We asked for a fork and they were filthy. The conveyor belt has spills all over it & the tables wre just not clean. I'm sure this restaurant will be successful because it's in the middle of the Natick mall & it's trendy & cute. Everyone will want to try it once. I'd be surprised if anyone returns unless they really get their acts together.

    (1)

  • Mark T.

    OK, so I will assume you like/love, or want to try Sushi... then a simple flowchart Can you EAT (I mean really EAT!) Yes -- Go to Minado (other side of Worcester Street) No -- Go to Wasabi Food on a conveyor is a cool idea, and an awesome concept and experience, but it gets old fast. It becomes a bit of a treasure hunt, as what you want may around to your area rarely. It also tricks your mind... In a restaurant, you order, and you get (usually) a large plate of food. Here, they are really small, but as you take various plates you want to try the money adds up quick. Hence the question if you can EAT. If you can't, then a couple of plates won't set you back too much. If you can, Minado, as an all you can eat buffet is of better value. Quality and selection are good, nothing to complain about. However, the Sashimi Salmon and eel are stupendous. There are also various kinds to suit all tastes and preferences. Bonus points for having everything labeled with clear markings of raw/cooked/spicy etc. Service was also good. The server doesn't have to do very much, as you grab plates off the conveyor yourself, and then grab more. Location is opened (no walls/ceilings), and literally smack dab inside a mall, although the restaurant is in a designated area, you can see the people walking around/above. Some of which want to look at the impressive conveyor system. I did not like this aspect of the experience, but that does not make it bad. Overall, for Minado offers better value (if you can EAT) slightly better quality, and a selection much more vast than this location.

    (3)

  • Laura D.

    My girlfriend and I love this place! We were immediately sold by the novelty of its sushi delivery method--the sushi passes by you on a conveyor belt and you pick up the plates you want. The color coding of the plates indicates the price, allowing wait staff to quickly figure out your total while not knowing exactly what you have eaten. The only major con is that sometimes you have to wait awhile for specific dishes to pass by, especially if they're not very popular, or if they're super popular and you're at the end of the conveyor. When this happens I usually just give in to temptation and pick the next best thing, but as a result I don't get to try as many new items as I'd like. The prices are fairly reasonable (for sushi) and range from $2.5-5 for a small sushi roll with 6 pieces. We always aim for 3 dishes each but usually we only get to 4-5 total before we're full. We love the sweet potato tempura, shrimp tempura, cucumber and avocado rolls, california rolls, and the caterpillar roll (california roll with avocado on top to make the roll look like a caterpillar). I was meh about the california volcano roll--california roll with a heavy sauce on it that is a bit too much for me. The only roll thus far I've disliked (actually hated) was the Banh Mi roll. I wanted to really go out of my comfort zone, and I think I went a bit too far. This roll is based off of the popular Banh Mi sandwich and features chicken and mayo. I should have known it couldn't translate well into sushi, but alas, I gave it a shot. Truly gross. I couldn't finish the roll. We'll definitely be back soon to try more of the menu! EDIT: I've had to subtract a star for subpar service the last several times we've come. It's hard to get the servers' attention even for water refills here.

    (4)

  • Alicia K.

    Come in here with no expectations. I would have given this two stars, but because of the great service and fairly inexpensive items--Wasabi gets 3 stars. As many have stated, this is Keitan style Japanese food. The conveyor belt goes around the area and you pick up what food you want--the plate dictates the price. You can also order appetizers and hot meals if you wish from your server. Our server was incredibly sweet and kind--always refilling our drinks and asking if we needed anything else. My boyfriend and I ordered the noodle bowls as entrees while I kept grabbing cooked sushi from the conveyor belt. I am not one for raw sushi--but even if I was, I may stray away from it here. There is no 'kitchen' so to speak, so everything is pre cooked and then packaged on the cute plates. The inari sushi was delicious, along with the sweet potato avocado rolls. PBJ rolls were a sweet touch as well. I ordered the teryaki chicken and noodle bowl, while my boyfriend ordered the same but with Kung Pao sauce. This is where the quality really went down. The chicken breast was more of a Panera type chicken, nuked in a microwave and sauce sprinkled on it. The noodles themselves were the same, microwaved. The sauce I had wasn't that great, my boyfriend's Kung Pao was way more palatable. The $7.50 price tag seemed good at first, but after trying it, I would have rather gone for some more sweet potato sushi. All in all, for 32$ this wasn't a bad meal, and it was fun. Something I would do again every once in a while. Also, check out their website, as they do give you a free plate for trying them and signing up for their email list.

    (3)

  • Brandon L.

    Absolutely love this place, come here for lunch 2-3 times a week and never leave disappointed. Friendly, fun. And for comments about freshness, you are able to ask them to make you a plate right that minute and not have to wonder about freshness. But I've never had a problem with freshness off the belt. It tastes fresh looks fresh and is fantastic. Definitely recommend!

    (5)

  • Thanh H.

    This was a mistake the moment the words, "sushi at the mall" came out of our mouths. It was Black Friday weekend and we were right there anyway, so why not? I'll tell you why not. While the conveyor belt is a great novelty, the quality and freshness of the food was sacraficed. The first thing I got was the "Banh Mi" roll. There was no distinction between vegetarian and chicken, so if you're vegetarian it's a gamble on that one. I should have known something was wrong when it comes in chicken or tofu. The classic Banh Mi is pork based, but the name lured me in. It was terrible and I could eat past the second bite. After this, I was more careful in what I was gabbing, keeping freshness and price in mind. The price part is easy. The pirces are based on color-coded plates. Purple is $5, red was $4, or something. Anyway. The tuna that passed us looked like it was there since the Bush administration. I asked for a philly roll made, hoping it would be much than the ones on the belt. NOPE. The salmon was salty. At first I thought it was the cheese, but then I isololated the pieces, and it was the fish. Finally, I had the green tea cheese cake. There was no green tea taste or smell. It was green cheese cake....they forgot the tea.

    (1)

  • Myan T.

    This place is great for someone who has patience. Their concept consists of choosing sushi off a conveyer belt. Although I find this idea convenient, the whole anticipating for the sushi you want turnaround can be quite painful. By the time the item you were craving appears, you're already full from the 'just because I want something' choices. The same options reappear about every few mins which is really annoying. They also charge you based on the color-coded plate method, i.e. Red $3.50, Blue $4.00, Purple $5.00. I guess this makes it easier for the waiters and our checks. The wait staff are there to provide you water, apps, etc.. But the service is slow. I ate my food before drinks were even ordered.

    (3)

  • Mohamed E.

    After reading some reviews, I was worried to eat here! I was surprised with the good quality and new way to serve food :) I came here twice and will surly visit again.

    (4)

  • Katie C.

    Meh. Wasabi is the only conveyor belt sushi in the area that I know of, so I've been wanting to try it for a while. The selection is limited and overpriced, definitely nothing like the "moving sushi" of Japan. The quality is also lacking. But what do you expect for a place in the center of the mall? Although I won't be returning, I'd recommend it to a conveyor belt first timer or maybe someone with kids. The experience of dining in the middle of a mall atrium is also fun and the service is friendly and attentive.

    (2)

  • Chilly P.

    The concept of Wasabi is all kinds of right. Sushi conveyor belt in the middle of a high-end shopping mall?! Too bad the sushi is anything but high-end. Think about it - the sushi makes it way around the belt for who knows how long before it gets eaten. It's also under direct sunlight - really? I'm only giving Wasabi two stars because it's a fun experience but the sushi is so very average.

    (2)

  • Sharon Z.

    Well. I'm glad to try revolving sushi bar for the first time finally and this is definitely one of the very few in the Boston area. Located in the middle of the Natick mall, the conveyor belt is really attention catching. The way it's priced is by the color code of the plates, corresponding to prices on menu. Food wise this is 1 star. The quality is so subpar I'm actually afraid to eat some of the raw fish dishes. (maybe because the belt is long and things stay on there for an extended period of time?) The tuna especially looks very grey with no shine, a sign of none fresh food. A lot of the sushi elements didn't go together at all, the chicken in the banh mi roll was dry and the ingredients are barely held together. Even the flavor combination for the salad is very awkward and the greens are limp and warm from sitting there in room temperature for too long. For $49 for 2 people, we could have gotten much better sushi experience elsewhere.

    (1)

  • Jay M.

    Avoid the spicy tuna roll at all costs. I'm pretty sure the makers of this roll have never eaten it, as it is so unlike any other sushi restaurant's spicy tuna roll. It's basically a super-spicy tuna mix in a roll with a ridiculous mound of crushed hot peppers sprinkled on top. Totally inedible. And spicy tuna is usually my favorite roll. The experience in this restaurant is great. Nice, open air, fun with kids who love to grab the sushi as it comes by. Prices are quite reasonable. But the sushi itself is very hit or miss. Had some yellow tail last night that was none-too-fresh. California roll was great. And sadly I had forgotten that the spicy tuna was so terrible (had learned that about a year ago) and got some of that for take-out and ended up putting it down the garbage disposal.

    (2)

  • Julia T.

    WOW this is literally the worst sushi I have ever had in my life. First of all, this rude couple cut us off as we were putting our names down on the wait list to the host.. They ended up being seated before us..of course. At this point I was really annoyed but whatever, I was still very enticed by the whole conveyor belt sushi idea. Let's just say that did not last long. I saw the same dish circle around me from the time I entered until I left. Do they even remove the dishes that have been floating around for too long? The quality was way below average but the bill came out to around $70. They do deserve that one star though..I didn't get sick afterwards. Bottom line - you can get better sushi at Market Basket.

    (1)

  • B J.

    Didn't expect much but was surprised at how fresh and well prepared the dishes were. I've been there two times and the first time we had an extremely friendly and attentive waiter. The second time, the waiter was not that great. The conveyor belt is a fun twist and it's easy to come back and try new dishes or return to your old favorite. I ordered the ginger Cosmo and found that it was very weak and did not taste much ginger. They could improve upon their drinks.

    (4)

  • Penelope C.

    Wasabi is a great place to go if you are in need of a quick snack. It's fun to watch all the food go by you too. Very cheap. The price of the food can be identified by plate color. Could have easily been 5 stars if it was in a better, less noisy environment .

    (4)

  • Sakshi B.

    Loved this place. Their concept of the menu on a rotating conveyor brlt keeps you wanting more. Its fun and ezciting for kids and grown ups at the same time. Food quality is good and even though located in the middle of the mall has a really nice atmosphere. Reasonable prices and a friendly staff. Would definitely go there again.

    (4)

  • Marjoline F.

    Finally decided to try this place after passing it multiple times at the mall. The dishes are conveniently labeled so that you can match the description to it on the menu. There was a good amount of vegetarian options. They are definitely over priced but it was worth it for the experience. It was a little weird that it is located in the middle of the mall but it wasn't that big of a deal. I probably wouldn't go back but it was an enjoyable meal for someone who doesn't like sushi.

    (4)

  • Sunny D.

    Meh.. The food is not fresh. Meal-in-a-bow is ok but too much sauce, ruined the whole thing. The decor is fun and cool, great staff but cannot make up for the bad food. Please manager if you ever read this, change the chief, get some1 who knows how to roll sushi properly and manage your inventory better.

    (2)

  • Lauren W.

    I love this place, it's the only place I regularly get sushi! I'm vegan and this place has more veggie options than ANY sushi place I've ever seen. The avo rolls and the sweet potato tempura (which is egg free!) are my favorite. Loveeeee it!

    (5)

  • Falon H.

    Options are limited for fresh food in the natick mall so wasabi is where it's at. I get lunch there and although I have never eaten their actual sushi, I can say that the noodles, salads, edamame, and appetizers are delicious. The food is reasonably priced and the staff is super nice!

    (4)

  • Jalaj A.

    The service was good. Tofu bahn mi sushi was exceptional. Being a vegetarian this was a nice experience for me this time at wasabi

    (4)

  • Peter W.

    This is a fun place to bring kids so that they can pick and choose what they want. There are a number of good choices for them- cucumber maki, seaweed salad, edamame, and fruit. The rolls are ok for adults, but I prefer sashimi. Location is great. I recommend going in off hours around 2 to 4 so that there is less rush around you. Service is attentive.

    (3)

  • Jesse W.

    I am some what of a snob when it comes to sushi and Wasabi does a very good job. The service is nice and quick and I always enjoy conveyor belt style serving. At Wasabi it is better to sit near the beginning of the conveyor and look for the dishes that are fresh off the line but if you do you will have a good time with the variety of offerings and the fun atmosphere.

    (3)

  • Daniel N.

    I must state upfront that I am allergic to shellfish and some types of fish, so I usually avoid traditional fish sushi, however I love veggie maki rolls of all types, and I will happily eat anything with egg, chicken, beef, duck, etc. Two friends and I chose to do a late 3PM lunch at Wasabi, and overall, we found the experience disappointing and not worth the per plate prices. Almost as soon as we sat down, my friends grabbed sushi from the conveyor belt, but even after all the plates made a couple rotations, I still hadn't found anything without fish (that wasn't a dessert). I looked at the menu and saw at least a dozen different dishes that I could eat, yet none existed on the conveyor belt. The three of us began trying to get the attention of a server. I hoped to cut to the chase and simply place an order, but also, we still hadn't been offered drinks. By now, each of my friends had eaten 2-3 plates of sushi, and I still hadn't had a bite. One of my friends pointed at a seaweed salad rolling our way, and even though it was not what I wanted, I grabbed it and gave it a try. It was below average with almost no flavor. We finally got the attention of a bus boy clearing a nearby table, and he sent over a waitress. She was friendly enough and apologized for not providing drinks (15 minutes in). I placed an order for a sweet potato maki roll and a bowl of noodles with chicken and veggies. Then we waited five minutes, ten minutes, fifteen minutes... still no food. By this point, both my friends had finished their lunch. Then we spotted a sweet potato maki roll making its way down the conveyor, and even though I had ordered the same roll with the server, I grabbed it because I was hungry and the wait was getting ridiculous. To my immediate disappointment, the plate was mislabeled and had slices of fish on top, so I reluctantly put it back on the conveyor belt. About 40 minutes and still no food, my friends began getting upset for me. They joked that they would continue shopping and pick me up in a couple hours, but in the meantime, I should complain and not leave a tip. By this point, I was trying VERY hard not to let my annoyance get the best of me, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. When the server finally delivered my food, I dug in, and all hope I had left faded. The noodle bowl was just plain bad. Undercooked noodles, very little sauce, and the chicken was like leather. I'm not sure how they prepared it, but it seemed like it was microwaved (or at least reheated in a microwave) which gave it a terribly tough texture. I gave up on it and retreated to the sweet potato maki roll which was better, but not great, and certainly not worth the wait. My two friends, although they were able to find food they could eat without having to wait 40 minutes, agreed that the quality for the price was not at all worth it. On the way out of the mall, we commented on the fact that we had eaten better sushi at a desert truck stop while on a cross country road trip last year. I hate giving one start ratings, but unfortunately that's the quality of the overall experience we had. Remove one star for the high prices, remove a second star for the lack of service, remove a third star for the long wait after placing an order, and remove a 4th star for the lackluster food.

    (1)

  • Kerry R.

    Came to the mall to find wedding shoes and in the process my fiance and I became pretty hungry. We passed Wasabi (it's impossible to miss actually) as we were shopping and mentioned if we didn't see anything else that struck our fancy, we would give it a whirl. Once downstairs, we reviewed the menu while the very nice hostess explained the premise to us. We have been to a Kaiten sushi restaurant before (Umi in West Hartford) so we knew the deal. I was pretty skeptical since we were the only ones dining (it was also 4pm so not an ideal eating time). But we sat down anyway and hoped for the best. As others have stated, you can sit and begin eating without another word from the staff. Unfortunately, the selection was seriously lacking. 99% were vegetarian rolls (avocado, cucumber and avocado, california) which do not interest me in at all when having maki. The only sushi I saw was some oddly colored tuna that I steered my fiance away from eating because I really didn't feel like being in the ER all night for food poisoning. Several cold noodles dishes, an overabundance of edamame (people really get this when dining out?? What a waste of money!), fruit cups (umm...) and faux crab filled items. A few more diners took seats in the restaurant and I began to notice new plates being put on the belt. Guess we weren't special enough for them? I did order a bahn mi roll because I love bahn mi's and yes I was well aware that this is a pathetic excuse for maki cuisine. It actually wasn't terrible. The roll was cut way too big but it had good flavor thanks to the jalapeno and pickled daikon. Overall, we spent $40 and left with a huge feeling of disappointment. I actually wanted to stop at our usual sushi place on the way home to make up for our awful meal and to also remember what good food tasted like. I would never try this place again but it's probably good if you have no standards. If you are looking for a halfway decent representation of kaiten go to West Hartford.

    (1)

  • Jen M.

    This is a super fun concept, well executed, in a really nice mall with great decor. I was concerned that the sushi would not be as fresh as one would hope since it is rolling around on a conveyor belt but I was pleasantly surprised to find that wasn't the case! I love picking and choosing exactly what I want (and paying only for that - although I love most sushi there is always that mystery piece of "meh" sushi when you order a combo) and the staff were really helpful. I was sort of nervous about the pigeons that were flying inside the mall but whatever, the restaurant was kept clean and well staffed to handle any potential mishaps. I wish it were slightly more private but that would ruin the vibe.

    (4)

  • Barbara A.

    I think this place needs to be experienced once or twice or if you are in the area but it is not a "must go to" sushi place. I ended up here last year because it was next to the Apple store (with a cracked iTouch) and it was my birthday. It was late and my daughter reminded me that we did not celebrate my birthday so she "took" me here. It was a lot of fun to experience through her eyes and stomach and we had a good time. They have a conveyor belt of food that comes around and you pick what you want and they "know" what to charge by the plate color. There is also a sensor on the belt that tells the chefs what got picked up and if they need to replenish that dish. If you don't see what you want a waitress will take your order which was good because we are edamame fiends and we needed them stat. It is a solid mall experience.

    (3)

  • Skye G.

    My favorite is tuna. Spicy tuna, Lucky, Scorpion. The California Volcano, seaweed salad and Edamame were good. Oh what fun it is to bring the kids and watch their eyes get bigger as the plates go by on the belt. As others have mentioned this is not fine dining but a novelty. The plates are colored and priced accordingly. Yellow $2.50 Orange $3 Purple $5 Blue $4 Red $3.50 Sitting in the booths give more room but sitting at the counter gives you the best view. Given all of the various places to eat in the mall...it is a good place to stop when you don't want to bring the kids to Friendly's or McD's.

    (4)

  • Kristi R.

    Went for lunch today with friends who had experienced Wasabi in the past and suggested we give it a try so... You don't go to Wasabi for good food, you go for the experience which might be fine for some but I want good quality food. Our server was nice and the conveyor belt was stocked well w/ a variety of choices. If you want something not offered on the belt, the server will bring it. Overall- it's not my gig but more power to you if it's yours!

    (2)

  • Jessie C.

    Weird.... not bad, not amazing - fun and weird. If you're looking for amazing sushi, this is not the spot. If you're looking for a fun lunch spot or a bite to eat, this is a great option. Centered in the middle of the Natick Mall, this place brings a little fun to eating sushi. Went with two friends, and we enjoyed ourselves. Instead of ordering off the menu, it was fun to see the sushi before we ate it. I enjoyed myself - I'd go back but not on a totally empty stomach.

    (3)

  • Jah S.

    Solid up and coming "Merry go round" casual dining restaurant with sushi, ordered some warm food and some beer as well. Interesting concept, service was great, had a great recommendation from Katie B. who got me the noodles with tofu and anticucho from the kitchen. I'm happy and full.

    (4)

  • Louis C.

    A couple weeks ago Kelly and I were walking on the upper level at the Natick mall and we notice a new Japanese style restaurant below, we decided that we would try it out this past weekend. I was so disappointed I guess I was blinded by the gimmicky set up of Wasabi. We should've looked at the menu first. There was nothing that stood out to me. Everything had avocados in it, ugh... I don't even like avocados!! The concept is pretty cool, pick what you wanted and pay by the plate. Each plate is colored so it indicates what how much it is going to cost. The maki rolls are so small, like less than 3/4" in diameter. Because there was nothing that I liked on the conveyor belt I am them to bring me two orders of the spicy tuna roll. When they came out they were pretty bland however they did have a "spice" to them just not the type I am use to... you see they were covered in chili powder. Disgusting. Kelly and I could not even finish what we had ordered. We asked for the check and decided that it was best to leave sooner than later. We will not be going back, $20 dollars wasted on horrible sushi.

    (2)

  • Meredith K.

    I love this restaurant. Everyone that works there is really nice. The conveyer belt is time sensitive and monitered by chips underneath the plates so they're not sitting out too long. Sometimes the sushi is flimsy because of the nature of the restaurant. They have to make it quickly to keep the belt stocked, so it's not that it's old, it's that it's made with haste. Yeah it's not Newbury Street, but your bill also isn't $40 for 4 rolls, it's about $13. Edemame is the best I've ever had. Noodles are great. I would suggest the spicy or baja tuna.

    (4)

  • Anora L.

    The server was actually really great but the food itself was some of the worst sushi I've had in a long time. The selection is very limited. The atmosphere is fun but I don't know I would want to drop that kind of money on this place again.

    (2)

  • David H.

    OK for a quick meal when at the mall. Kids enjoy looking at items on the belt. We tell them take whatever they want, but eat it. Same restaurant at Braintree closed. Sushi choices really limited to vegetarian or cooked fish items (shrimp tempura for example). We tried the spicy tuna and a couple of the others salmon, tempura, crabstick) and the fish was bland in taste and really skimpy. Also, rice was not molded very well and fell apart easily. Family of four we had $60 in various dishes and 2 sodas. Best item was the edamame, which was more flavorful than other places and even when we make at home. Again, go only if you are in the mall and can't be bothered with the food court.

    (2)

  • Jennifer P.

    Although the sushi quality is not what you would get in a decent restaurant, it is great option for faux-Asian for in the mall. I usually get a miso soup and the small teriyaki salmon plate, which has freshly prepared salad, rice and salmon and costs about $8 after my 15% mall employee discount. I love the salad dressing that they use as well; it's a simple ginger vinaigrette but it tastes great. I'm most impressed with the friendliness of the staff and the speed that they prepare take-out.

    (4)

  • Rick B.

    First experience at Wasabi. It is what it is: Mall Sushi with a conveyor belt. Volcano California Maki was tasty but portions of salmon sashimi were sliced so thin it was closer to lox than sushi. Not bad, not great. Think fast food. Service excellent.

    (3)

  • Clarissa K.

    again, another consistent dinner -- this time, not with Katie...but with Max! this time, try the summer roll...very surprised how fresh it was! just when you think you've tried everything..you find another great dish! thanks again Max!!! :)

    (5)

  • Joseph G.

    Fun way to eat see what sushi you want as it goes by your table on a conveyor . I do feel Its a little $$$ for what you get.

    (3)

  • Nicole A.

    This place is very convenient. Food travels around on a conveyer belt and you don't have to wait long for what you want. Plate colors indicate the food prices which range from 2.50 to 5 bucks. Not bad in my opinion. The only issue with this conveyer belt idea is that it leads to overeating. Seeing all that food passing by your head really makes you want to grab anything. Now on to the food. I ordered a scorpion roll, spicy tuna roll, zen soba noodles and seaweed salad. 15 bucks for all the food. However, the sushi was basic. You could compare it to supermarket packaged sushi. The seaweed salad was good and the zen soba noodles were weird. The taste was off so I didn't finish them. Overall, food was okay. Service was good although I did have to flag my server down. Price was cheap but it could have easily gotten out of control if I didn't stop myself. Just remember, food gets to you fast but it is a sushi place in the mall. So don't have extremely high expectations.

    (3)

  • Kamille W.

    Hearing the words "conveyor belt" and "sushi" together would usually make me equal parts confused and concerned, but after visiting Wasabi, I'm a believer. Here's how it works. Your hostess seats you and a server comes by to take your drink order. After that, you just reach out and grab whatever sushi delights tickle your fancy. It's sort of like a reverse sushi buffet, where all the food comes to you. Everything is helpfully labeled and color-coded according to price. If you see something on the menu that hasn't come by on the conveyor belt, just ask your server and they'll bring it right out to you. The food itself at Wasabi is perfectly adequate. It's about as good as anyone can reasonably expect from a mall restaurant. I went for the basic tuna roll and the Tokyo salad (squid and seaweed in a citrus dressing). The Tokyo salad was especially delicious; I would have happily eaten a huge bowl of just that. I should note that I wouldn't have ordered it had I not seen it go by on the conveyor belt, looking ever-so delectable. The whole experience of eating at Wasabi was so fun and cool and modern. I'll definitely be stopping by Wasabi the next time I visit the Natick Mall.

    (3)

Sorry, we don't have Q&A for this restaurant.

Sorry, No Coupons available for this restaurant.

Map

Opening Hours

  • Mon :11:00 am - 9:00pm

Specialities

  • Takes Reservations : No
    Delivery : No
    Take-out : Yes
    Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Good For : Lunch
    Parking : Garage
    Bike Parking : No
    Good for Kids : Yes
    Good for Groups : Yes
    Attire : Casual
    Ambience : Casual
    Noise Level : Average
    Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
    Outdoor Seating : No
    Wi-Fi : No
    Has TV : No
    Waiter Service : Yes
    Caters : No

Wasabi

Share with your social network

WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES

Looky Weed - Buy Marijuana Online

Looky Weed is here to help you navigate the maze of legalized marijuana. We provide you with a complete dispensary directory.

© 2024 Restaurant Listings. All rights reserved.