Wakita of Japan

By far the best sushi place in town. Definitely try this place if your in the area. All the sushi is amazing, service is great.

I absolutely love eating at this place. I go for lunch every Few weeks to treat myself. I don’t find the fare to expensive and the sushi is very fresh. I always ask for the the special and each time is better than the last. Nice interior great service. I will continue to go back. I would recommend the King Roll but this place has gone out of business because the owner got ill.

This place is pretty good. I found it on my way to shop. I love the sushimi there. As a japanese food lover, i have tried a lot of different places for a piece of decent sushimi. Asian bistro’s sushimi is fresh high quality and I bet because of its new-​opened, they offered us A LOT! defenitely coming back.

Well after getting done my doctor appointment I saw the sign for Wakita of Japan sushi restaurant, I decided to stop by and have lunch to my surprise the place was under new managment with a different name. the new Asian Bustro opened today. I felt bad fir the young waitress, no experience what so ever but did her best. The sushi was ok, I had better from Giant or trader joe. I don’t think this place will last.

We wandered here one evening, surprised to find it was practically in our backyard and we’d never heard of it. The sushi is excellent — best in Philly burbs, by my reckoning — and this is soooo much more than a sushi bar. The tempura in particular is stellar: light, crispy, flavorful. There’s a much better known Japanese restaurant in the area whose tempura is soggy in comparison. The menu is well-​priced and imaginative, and we’ve just begun to explore it, having been back 3 – 4 times in the last month. And yes, they do allow BYO, which makes them unique among local Japanese restaurant. Family run with wonderfully attentive service. I noted that one reviewer posted a snarky comment about phony reviews from friends if the family. Well, truth is, after a couple of visits, you do feel like an honored family guest, and what on earth is wrong with that? If you live within a half hour of the intersection of US 202 and US 1 — and like Asian food — this is a must-​do.

We discovered this lovely restaurant through
, and I’ll always try a new place with a $ 25 coupon in hand. The atmosphere is unique and inviting — there is a raised platform floor and a water feature along one of the stone walls — feels very classy.
Granted, Glen Mills is a high rent district and the sushi prices are inflated about a dollar or two above what you’d expect to pay elsewhere. We ordered the chirashi entrée — which was surprisingly small for $ 22. Among the fish selections in the entrée, there was not one, but two pieces of egg sashimi! Cheap cheap cheap!!!
The fish itself was fresh and delicious if not a tad overpriced. Again, not a big deal with a coupon but I wouldn’t want to pay full price.
Another nice feature is that it’s BYO. And the service was great. All in all, if you’re not a cheapie like me, this is a nice place to go for fresh, delicious sushi.

Stopped by after I noticed the sign in the strip mall. The restaurant is beautiful with a raised hardwood floor.
The sushi was well done. The rice well cooked and the nigiri formed consistently and evenly. The su was light and very mild. Ikura was plump and juicy with moderate flavor. The tako was well cut and soft enough to not be chewy but have enough tooth to it. The uni was creamy and mild in flavor. I did get some wakame soup that had a good solid dashi.
Prices were reasonable and there was a lot of seating. The restaurant was a bit empty when I went (it was me and another couple). However, several people did stop in for take out while I was there. The sushi was solid and well done. Next time I think i will sample some of the entrees and see. I would eat at Wakita again, it is just a bit out of the way for me.

I was going to be at the Inn at Mendenhall for one night and was eating three meals there the next day, so wanted something light. I researched online and found favorable reviews of Wakita of Japan and decided to go there. But then a very negative review was posted by «Ullie A.» and I had second thoughts. But I went anyway and I’m glad I did and so I decided I just had to post something.
First of all, it was a slow night when I was there and I can see how the chef could get backed up on a busy night. So that is probably a valid point. But the way around that is to sit at the sushi bar, not at a table, which is what I recommend anyway. Other than speed of service, I respectfully disagree with everything else in the review.
Here is why I loved the place. Maruyama-​san (the chef) is something you rarely see any more: an old school sushi chef. We started talking (he asked me how I learned to speak Japanese and how I knew about Japanese-​style sushi) and it turned out that he had worked in downtown Philadelphia in the mid-​1980s when sushi was getting popular but was still not Americanized. He knew Oka-​san, who was the head chef at Hikaru, on 2^nd and South (Hikarau is, I believe, still there but not the same) Oka went back to Japan in the 90s and I actually looked him up at his restaurant in the Akasaka District of Tokyo when I was over there.
Now Maruyama can make that sort of sushi (and did for me) but also makes the American rolls that pay the electric bill, so any kind of sushi fan (except one in a hurry) would be happy here. Just remember its BYOB.
As far as the fish goes, I started out with a sunomono made with jelly fish instead of the more common shellfish and it was great. He also had fresh aji and made me aji no takake (that’s where traditionally the small fish is filleted and placed on the platter and the chopped up flesh in put on the body with the head and tail still attached. It makes a great presentation. The hamachi was excellent; there was a clam that had the taste and texture of mirugai (which is getting harder and harder to find), some good flounder and a good but not mind boggling variety of other fish. Uni had run out and there was no toro.
It is not Morimoto’s or Nobu’s but for a landlocked BYOB place it is quite an exceptional value. Sit at the bar, talk with the chef and try some old school sushi, even if your taste runs to deep fried rainbow rolls.

Yummy, big sushi rolls. It’s all very delicious.

Wakita is by far the best Sushi in the area. I have eaten here for a few years and the consistency and quality is extremely good. The sushi is authentic, well-​prepared, and phenomenal tasting. Don’t come here for the atmosphere, come here if you simply like great sushi. Really, really, good! Highly recommend! Make sure you know it is a BYOB…

Ever since visited, it is once a month place for me :)
…really «Thank you» to Eugene H.
Every time I visit, there are always plenty of selections… and sushi/​sashimi is very consistent for quality and presentation. Chef Yama is certainly careful over what is being served. Only reasons I don’t put 5-​stars are, no real Wasabi and no fatty Tuna ever served. Some rare seasonal items were served when lucky; but it all depends upon Fish Market — which is quite understandable to begin with. For those who like to experience real Japanese style sushi/​sashimi, this is the place you must visit.
This place is the only place around Philly to use real snow crab meat for California rolls as long as I know. All other places use imitation crab meat unless otherwise specially ordered.
At this moment, this is my «place to go for sushi» for sure.

Excellent. Go here if you like authentic sushi. Have not sat at a sushi bar and had such an experience ever. Between the conversation with Chef Yama, and the uniquely wide variety for this area, I was held interested and satiated. This is more authentic sushi than big fancy rolls. We had horse mackerol, sea bass, yellow tail nigiri. We also had dragon roll. Probably the highlight of our night was when the chef disappeared in back and came back with a whole flying fish that he had gotten in that morning. He fileted and we had nigiri style as well. We had another mediterranean fish we can not recall the name of, had so many. All was fresh, quality was there, the atmosphere was great. Service was amazing. Will go back again and again.

I’ve been here on a couple occassions. The first time blew me away — The freshness of the crab and scallop sushi was unbelievable, as was the Eel. If that were the only visit, I’d give Wakita five stars. However, the second time was less impressive. The spicy tuna roll tasted like they placed it in a blender with a pint full of pepper. The flavor just wasn’t all that good. Their most elborate sushi offerring was complex, but didn’t have the taste as the fresh crab and scallop that made me meet Chubb Rock before. Hey Eugene, I don’t work at Wakita. And sushi in Japan sux deez nuggets. I’m just saying, based on 2 visits, Wakita is easily top 5 out of 20+ sushi places I’ve been to in my meager existence.

I’m not a fan of overhyped reviews by the owner or the owner’s friends. Since when is family owned a way to review a place… unless that family is from the food network.
Aside from that, I was in the area so I decided to give them a shot. The atmosphere, service, and food were just about average. The price/​portions are about what you come to expect for sushi and entrees, so that wasn’t too bad.
Not the best age dashi tofu, but not the worse.
Steak teriyaki comes in huge chunks as opposed to the usual thinner slices.
Sushi portions are decent, but none of the rolls I tried really stood out.
Overall, not too bad but not too great either. Perhaps worth another try down the line.

This is simply the best sushi in the suburbs and most likely the best in the Philadelphia area. I have dined at nearly every sushi place in Philadelphia, NJ & DE and I have never been exposed to such a vast selection of impeccably fresh fish. I swear I had 20+ varieties and everything was amazing! Also, it is a BYOB with no corkage fees.
I have been there numerous times since my first visit and have since tried many of the cooked meals as well as experienced some truly interesting and never-​before-​tried sushi. I highly recommend Wakita to anyone who loves Japanese cuisine. Give it a try and I guarantee it will be come your new favorite!

Great food, family owned and very attentive dining experience. The best MISO SOUP! Very nice atmosphere and clean. Love the sushi!

BYOB. Pleasant dining environment. Food is delicious and Fish is superbly fresh! Mushroom soup and avocado boat w caviar were terrific. My wife had the Sushi Deluxe and I had the Tuna Boat. Both were out of this world. We also had tempura ice cream and the fried bananas, also excellent. Only complaint, the service was a bit on the slow side because their was only one waitress, but she did a great job and food was well worth the wait. Not recommended if you are in a rush. They have a cool water feature inside.
I agree with Shawn, it is hands down the Best sushi and sashimi in the area.

B E S T Sushi in the area. hands down. period.
Fresh fish, knowledgeable chef. Family owned and operated…
I am a hamachi sashimi guy. WOW!
it is BYOB.