Wasabi Ultra Lounge

When a place with such possibilities is LOUSY it makes it ever more apparent. They have a great location, an enthusiastic fun-seeking steady stream of foot traffic, great building, but how many people have gone away disgusted feeling ripped off and vowing never to go back? It is a wonder this place is still in business, most likely because of its location. Everything is on 'Auto Pilot' and with Sushi, you can't mess around- this place BITES. SAVE YOUR MONEY, there are other good sushi places in Long Beach.

Pros: Great Location!!!

Cons: Poor Quality, Lousy Management, Crummy Vibe, WAY OVERPRICED

Posted 10/02/09

JASON, the sushi chef at wasabi with long curly hair has problems. he treats his employees like DOGS. yells at them in front of customers not knowing that it makes him look like a damn FOOL. i know this because im a previous employee there. he cusses at them and ignores them when he wants. cuts their hours if he wants.. basically does whatever the hell he wants. he steals tips from servers and makes them pay for the taxes. he has no morals, responsibilities especially no brain! they're sushi is nasty. some people seem to like it though. their eel sauce is straight concentrated soy sauce.. nasty. everythings just.. really bad

by the way, there is no limo service, there is no happy hour, there is no all you can eat sushi.
everythings OVERPRICED.. never has anything in stock. some things on the menu they dont have.

do NOT go there. i would rather eat burgerking or wendys.

Pros: none

Cons: everything

Posted 03/02/09

We walked from the Long Beach Terrace Theater last night for sushi since the sushi place we were planning on going to was no longer existent.
All 5 of us ladies sat down at the sushi bar and we had the best time of our lives being catered to by excellent sushi chefs, Toro and Sean, and a very friendly waiter, Min. The "Heart Attack", "Leo" and "Long Beach" sushi were awesome! You ought to sample them when you visit. Ask Toro for some of his creations. He can be very creative. The sashimi was so fresh, no bad taste in your mouth afterwards. There was also this dessert made with scallops and crabmeat (yes desserts.) with whipped cream on the side. We thought it also unusual but you gotta try it to believe it!
Overall, this is a great place to come and have fun not just with your friends but also with the people behind the counter serving the most unusual but delectable creations! We came in a Tuesday night and it wasn't packed at all. If you are up to trying sushi fusion, this is the place. What can I say except this place makes me happy!
I will definitely bring all of my friends and family the next time I come back. We've definitely found an excellent hangout!

Pros: Warm and friendly people, the freshest sashimi, great sushi creation

Posted 11/27/07

Not a great place for sushi. There, I said it. Now I can tell you why Wasabi is great. I had clients from Japan in LA for work this week and they wanted to have "sushi, where Americans eat". Wasabi is the place for this. All these years later and the place is still rocking- even on a Wednesday night. The bartender is HOT, the waitresses are HOT, the clientelle is largely conventioneers sprinkle in some locals and its a good time. Don't think of it as sushi, think of it as creative raw seafood wrapped in rice and nori and it goes down much smoother. The guys from Japan marvelled at the unique rolls, the casual and fun atmosphere and especially the eye candy all over the joint. They asked me why none of the other places on Pine seemed to be as busy, I told them it had to do with the food, fun and ladies.

Pros: Hot, hot, hot and I ain't talking about the food...

Posted 04/29/07

I found this restaurant to be completely overpriced for the value and service. After our reservations for the limo were "cancelled" because they forgot to call and confirm with us, they then made us wait almost a half an hour to get a teppan grill. This is also not the place to go to sushi, ever! A member of our party had her drink spilled and the manager made her pay for it and then laughed in front of her at her request to be compensated. Then he was outside smoking while we waited over 20 minutes for the limo driver to return who then argued with us and insulted us after dropping us back off.
Stay away from this restaurant unless you like to waste money on a staff who could care less about treating you with any respect.

Pros: location

Cons: staff, food, service, etc...

Posted 02/24/07

I experienced 2 firsts at Wasabi. It was my first time trying sushi and my first time participating in karaoke. I can't sing, and I can't really use chopsticks very well, but I enjoyed myself nonetheless. The service was as busy (read:long and tough to pin down) as the place was packed and filled with energy, so I only noticed the delay a little bit. Overall: I'll be back to cultivate my sushi tastes.

Pros: LOTS of fun

Cons: LOTS of people

Posted 01/16/07

Wasabi aspires to be a hip, rock-and-roll sushi place similar to Ace Wasabi's or Blowfish in SF, but it misses on the fundamentals. It is always busy because it has a great location amongst the clubs on Pine St. I've been there 3 times in the last 6 weeks because my girlfriend loves sushi before we go out and each time the service has been horrible. We've even had trouble just getting someone to seat us! If you MUST have sushi on Pine St., then I guess Wasabi will pass, just don't make this a destination spot.

Pros: Location

Cons: Service, food

Posted 01/13/07

during previous visits i've found the chefs to be super fun, but it is not a good place for someone that is truly looking for quality japanese faire. the service is by far the worst experience i've ever had. at the beginning of our evening they inadvertantly gave us a ton of sushi that wasn't a part of our order (we didn't touch any of it and quickly sent it back), we never received the food we DID order, when we brought this to our waitress' attention, she never returned to our table and after escalating the problem to the owner he made no attempts to salvage the situation. 2 hours later and still no food, our waitress finally returns with the bill that entailed the food we didn't order, the food we DID order and never received and a disconcerned staff that thought the whole situation was hilarious. what a nightmare. avoid at all costs.

Pros: wild, humorous teppan chefs

Cons: sushi is tough, the staff is rude and unprofessional

Posted 11/05/06

If you want to go to a place where the girls rock then you are in the rightplace. Food is awesome and there is always something going on. Park in the back if you go and make sure you are ready to have a good time!

Posted 08/15/06

I was seated immediately but it took several minutes before someone acknowledged me. I felt like I should I taken my own order and delivered it to the kitchen. I had to ask for a menu, for water, and for my check. The waitress level ask if I would like to order additional food. I think this is a nice restanuant but based on my previous experience I am not sure if Iwill return.

Posted 12/25/05

The dinner menu had some new items since last time we were there, and they were as good, or even better than before! I really enjoyed the unique rolls that they had--some were old faves, but the chef's specialty rolls are awesome! This restaurant definitely offers items for both sushi fans, and those who prefer cooked items.

Pros: wide menu choice, validates parking, music/lively people

Posted 08/07/05

The best sushi in town. Go on Mondays, Kareoke nights are so much fun

Posted 03/23/05

Here the drinks should flow just as well as the sushi. At the sushi bar, the sushi chefs help to make your stay great. If you arrive with a group, you can get a teppon table. All in all, it's a great experience. If you're there on a Thursday, try the Karaoke!!! You're bound to leave with the stresses of work behind you!!!

Posted 02/22/05

The rolls were especially small and OVERPRICED. Their version of the spider roll (ninja roll) was 1/2 the size of a regular spider roll you'd get elsewhere. I think they used only half of the soft-shell crab in it. We ordered quite a few different rolls and they were all sub-standard size. The taste of the sushi was "ok", nothing special to write about.

Pros: Good service, Trendy

Cons: , Mediocre sushi, Small portions

Posted 01/19/05

Wasabi is a great place to eat! And the owner is wonderful. I had my wedding rciption in the down stairs bar area. It was so much fun! all of my guests loved the chefs at the tappan tables. and the bar tender was so fun! and as we where leaving, the wedding party was all giving a shot of that oh so wondeful FIREWATER!

Pros: great food, music, personal

Posted 08/01/04

This restaurant has been around since 2000 and has gone through many changes since. Most recently, a change of ownership has brought a much needed face lift to the decor and the food quality. The sushi is top notch and the chefs creativity and presentation is refreshing. The teppanyaki tables are obviously the highlight of this rockin' restaurant, where the chef cooks and entertains at your table. Also, they offer fabulous ENTERTAINMENT in their downstairs bar four nights a week (karaoke monday, thursday, and friday & saturday night dj's). The KARAOKE is a BLAST, with Shed, one of the top entertainers around. I highly recommend a visit to this one of a kind restaurant!!!!!

Pros: fresh food, fun atmosphere, great entertainment

Posted 04/20/04

Wasabi's teppan yaki is far better than Benihana's. It's more inviting place and simply better!

Pros: crowded, good music, good food

Posted 03/23/04

I had lunch here yesterday, & it was great! All of the staff members were nice & knew their stuff. The tempura was excellent, & if your not a big sushi fan, they have plenty of other good items. I noticed they had Filet Mingion on the menu. Think I'll have to go back & try that too!

Pros: nice staff,, cool atmosphere, very good food

Posted 03/19/04