Usually every sushi place is about the same. They have the same rolls just with different names, they have the same drinks, and same food but somehow Daiwa is absolutely different in every sense. The food is better here than anywhere else I've been in New Orleans. The food is always fresh and never changing. You know exactly what you're gonna get when you order a roll from them because everyone makes their rolls the same exact way. It's never changing. The atmosphere is very nice with the Asian decor, and it's always quiet enough to have an intimate evening with your loved one or to have fun with some friends or family that come out to eat with you. But you really have to try the food. The cowboy roll, the appetizers, and the fried rice of course! That's always what I get and if you are into trying new things, this is the place to do that. You will never be disappointed and if you are they will take whatever you got back, (WITHIN REASON) and try to rectify the situation. Did I mention how nice the servers and staff are? I used to come here with my girlfriend all the time and they know us by name now. They know what we want to order or tell us about the specials or the new things on the menu. Talk about A++ service across the board. Also you should check out the karaoke rooms. Perfect place to have a nice party with friends singing drinking and eating the best sushi in New Orleans. read more

Discrimination!!! Racism!!! Me and my two girl friends went there last week supposedly to celebrate Chinese New Year. We arrived there at lunch time and asked for a karaoke room. We were told to wait 20-25 mins for them to set up the room. We waited for over 50 mins watching all other customers waiting and being led to their tables. I couldn't wait any longer cuz I was starving. So I went to the front and asked what's going on. One waitress told me we needed to make reservation for the karaoke room which they didn't tell us at all when we got there. I told them we already waited almost an hour instead of 25 mins and we were very hungry. She ignored my words at all just kept saying about the reservation thing and showing me the price of karaoke room sounded like we couldn't afford it. We asked her to stop explaining these things we already been told and please tell us when they can open a room for us. Finally she agreed to take us to the karaoke room which seemed set up already. After we got into the room, her attitude changed completely saying "you know what, I'm doing you a favor. If you don't like, you can leave." Are you kidding me? This is your JOB! We're still willing to pay for it even you ignored us for an hour because we still want to have fun. Then she said "OMG you Chinese are crazy!!!......" Then she went out, opened the restaurant's door. Everyone in the restaurant looked at us with a weird look. We went out the restaurant with embarrassment. We wanted to fight back but seemed like we couldn't do anything there because we were minority, we were poor international students. This is their service. From the beginning to the end, we didn't see any smile on her face. We didn't hear any apology from them. Btw she is an Asian too. She speaks Chinese too. It was my very first time being discriminated. I don't think I will ever go back to that place again. read more

DELICIOUS!!! I absolutely loved the sushi and the atmosphere!!! I can't believe this is on the WEST BANK!!! Truly worth the drive over there from the French Quarter--- I highly recommend this!!!!! read more

Is it me or was I the only one having a bad experience with the squid?It tasted burnt to me.We had the crab roll and that tasted nasty also.The rice kept falling everywhere!They surely didn't roll it up nicely enough.The only decent thing the were the scallops to bad there was only 5 of them.Other then the food being bad the place is really nice!And the prices are good also. read more

Great sushi, very fresh and huge variety. A bit confused about their seating policy; open seats at the sushi bar are apparently not open until they 'release' the seats. Can't wait to return and try food from the kitchen! read more

It is really good food and amazing service but the prices are super high. We don't go a lot because of how exoensive it is but when we do we have amazing food. Their prty rooms are amazing also. read more

Service is horrible! Waiting 50 minutes(and counting) for take out order. No offer of refreshments while I wait nor anything other than a simple, "sorry for your wait". They are however serving the dine-in customers with extreme haste. I wont spend another dime at this place. read more

BEST SUSHI EVER !!! crunchy roll is awesome. but my favorite part is the service! they're always so nice! they always ask how my days going. they're very polite and caring. def my fav sushi place I've ever been to:) love Daiwa read more

Daiwa is THE best sushi restaurant on the west bank...even better than majority of sushi places in nola. Service is always outstanding, food and sushi are amazing and the atmosphere is great. read more

My family and friends have frequented this restaurant on numerous occasions and have yet to be disappointed. What I like best is the variety of non-sushi items on their menu. Their is a kind of noodle soup, which that may well be the name, that my 3-year old loved. I have also heard that if you spend 150 on sushi, they comp your party a karaoke room. read more

Delicious sushi!! I mean really really delicious, very fresh! The sushi options are endless, too! The squid steak is excellent and comes on a bed of grilled onions smothered in teriyaki! The yaki soba was disappointing. The noodle salad is not the usual one you get at other sushi restaurants, it's OK, not great. Nice, calm atmosphere. Come for the sushi and appetizers, skip the rest! read more

this place is just plain horrible! I will never come back. The service was just rude and nasty! the people their don't care about your needs or anything. i give this place less than 3 months or maybe less and it will eventually die down. I'm going back to shogun and sakura! read more

Excellent meal. I was amazed to find that this nondescript sushi restaurant in a strip mall was so exceptional. The food was wonderful and some of the best sushi I've ever had. Definitely worth trying. I'll definitely go back. read more

Worst Sushi I have ever had. They way x-tra charged my co-worker for her item. Brought it back and also Mrg. Not good at accommodate Never ever again no star read more

This is "THE PLACE" for Sushi. We love Daiwa. They make everything fresh. We used to leave the gym and walk straight to Daiwa. Sometimes we'd pull up to the gym & instead of working out we would just go for Sushi. Best out of the two if you ask me. We always order a Snow Crab salad which his a huge lump of crab, alvocado slices on top & Roe. I love the fishy eggs. Then we switch up the Sushi rolls. We've had the Marrero, Fema, Kenner, Tiger, Katrina, Sashimi Naruto, Lapalco. Good, good, good and all good. Service is excellant! They now have party rooms with Kareoke. Woo Woo!!! You can Sushi and party read more

My first time at Daiwa was last night for a birthday get together. Daiwa is a restaurant, but also had karaoke rooms for different size groups. I think you had to reserve in advance for the karaoke room. We did and had to put $50 for deposit, which wasn't a problem. First, let's talk about the food. It's a food joint after all. We ordered a wide range of food because it was a large group. Personally, I think sushi were average there. It's nothing to write home about. There weren't anything that I felt like I couldn't get anywhere else, especially there is so many sushi and Asian fusion joints nowadays. Second, of course, service...Daiwa has multiple karaoke rooms available, so I would figure that they should be staffed for large groups. There were different size rooms, and we reserved the large room, which comfortably seats 40 people. We had probably 25-30 people at one time, but there were only one waitress all night. She was so slow. Drinks came out slowly and food was a couple plates at a time. She was doing her best to keep up, but she clearly was running behind. Third, karaoke....the main reason why we booked this place. Sounds and TVs were good....no complaint, but the limited selection of songs. It seems to have more songs in Chinese than English. I could argue if there were more Japanese because it is a sushi place, but nope....Chinese songs and older English songs. We made it work, and enjoyed ourselves because it's karaoke after all. Lastly, the cost/price - as of food and drinks, Daiwa is comparable to other sushi places. However, Daiwa continues to push us to increase or tab by raising their "minimum" spend required. When we reserved that large karaoke room, we were told that we had to put a $50 deposit, and we will get it back if we spend $350 or more on our tab. If not, they will charge us for the room, which we agreed and thought if was fair for that size room. However, when it was getting close to the end of the night. The waitress said that we need to spend $59 more to meet the minimum. We asked for detailed receipt and it was over $600 already, so why do we have to spend more? Waitress said that since we had that many people the "minimum" spend went up. First, there are different size rooms for a reason and we reserved a large room for a reason. Again, the large room seats 40 people comfortably, so shouldn't Daiwa expect the room to seat 40 people. Furthermore, Daiwa told us that the "minimum" was $350, so why is it different now? Btw, it turned out that we were the one room rented that night and they were slow....is that a factor? I don't know but I do know that a sliding minimum scale is shady and not a way to run a business. Of course, I asked for the policy, and they didn't have it. Guess what? Our words against theirs....we didn't gave a problem with the $600+ tab but it's the principle that Daiwa's waitress wants us to spend more by threatening us that she will have to charge us the room fee. Keep in mind that she gets 20% tip because it's a large group. We just paid and thought it was shady with the "minimum" spend required kept changing throughout the night. Just a suggestion to get it in writing from them. We will not return to Daiwa. I don't like shady business like this. read more

Great restaurant and food and lol about the "poor international student" you guys are funny. Scroll down to read more

I like it the sushi is good. I was not a big fan of sushi before but now I want it all the time. I love their special crunchy roll. The service is great I always enjoy my food here. read more

The sushi here is very good, but the choices of fish is limited. They are served fresh everyday. Th appetizers are delicious. We had the gyoza, Kim chi noodles, squid steak, and fried squid. All the appetizers are good, and I highly recommend the Kim chi noodles. The rolls are good, but not the best. The dried rolls are a little overbearing for me but everyone else is excellent. This place is always busy, so don't be upset if the food takes a little longer to be made or if the staff doesn't check on a table continuously. read more

Yum yumm in my tummy! Never disappointed at daiwa! My son loves the Kim chi udon, fried dumplings and baked mussels! As for sushi rolls, I always order the sunset and sunrise roll. So good!! read more

Sushi was great. The staff seemed preoccupied with the karaoke rooms and a bit negligent of the people in the main dining area. Also, somewhat stingy with the eel sauce. read more

this is easily the best sushi i've tried so far. i get the lapalco rolls, which are pretty simple, but delicious. my boyfriend loves the fryers deluxe roll and the Hiroshima oyster roll (forgive me if the spelling is off). that tends to be our regular order here, and we enjoy it every time, while occasionally branching out to try new things. i can also recommend their fema roll, the poboy roll, and their spicy city roll in good faith. they have a huge menu, so there are plenty of things to try, and that means something for everyone too. the prices go from fair and average to a bit expensive, depending on what you get of course. i'd say it averages out to be about $15 per person. the staff is wonderful. the ladies there are so incredibly sweet and give you a personal experience, even if you're just picking up a to-go order. all in all, i couldn't be happier with this place. i have to thank yelp and previous commenters for leading me there. :) read more

Since opening, Daiwa is now our go-to sushi spot. Their business has grown, which is a great thing, but does add to wait times, so plan ahead. We often get to-go orders to get around this. Our order is always correct and the staff is always pleasant. The food is always good and we have never had an issue with freshness or availability. Hoping they'll be around for many years to come. read more

The smelt roe and crab meat salad was awesome. I dined in but It was so good I had to order one to go!! The soft shell crab roll is awesome as well. I finished everything off with a glass of imported plum wine. I'll be back for sure. read more

Daiwa is definitely the best place to get sushi on the westbank! I usually get the po-boy roll, clear soup and edamame and it all taste fresh and great (: read more

Ceviche was excellent, and very fresh as was all the sushi. Tako was great. Good service and selection as well

I seriously love Daiwa. They have amazing prices, a huge selection & it never takes very long! I've never actually dined it but have take food to go 3 different times. They're always super nice, give you all kinds of sauces & decent size portions! The sushi is so so good & you can tell it's fresh. I don't have any complaints at all as a to go person - mainly because I have a small child that can never sit still enough through dinner - they always offer her lollipops & drinks while we wait & they have a separate little waiting room. Super well lit & not too big so it seems nice & private. I'll have to dine in soon. read more

Whenever my husband and I are on the West Bank and want good sushi, this is where we go. The service is always fast and friendly! The tuna is very fresh and the speciality roles are amazing especially the spicy city roll. They even made it for me without the fried outside part as my request. We will keep coming back! read more

I know a lot of people love this place, but my husband and I were far from impressed. We eat a lot if sushi. We tried to count at one point and we stopped around 20 restaurants or so. And when we go to eat sushi, we eat sushi. Not the other menu items, so please note this review is for the rolls, service and atmosphere only. Atmosphere: Some if the hardest, most uncomfortable benches I have ever sat on. And if the person in the booth behind you is moving please note that you're going to feel like you're trying to eat on a turbulent airplane. The lighting is bright and harsh. And I like k-pop as much as the next person, but if it is loud to the point I have to shout at my husband across the table, it's too loud. And it's a sushi restaurant, not a bar, there is no need for flat screens everywhere, also with the volume on blast that competes with the music. Service: As my husband and I eat sushi about once a week, and this was the first time that we had eaten there, we like to study the menu. Our drink order was taken and the waiter returned almost immediately with the drinks. He asked for our order and we told him to give us five minutes, however instead of attending to other customers, he sat down at an empty table right next to us and stared. After about two minutes he got back up and asked us if we were ready, we told him no. He sat down next to us again. There were multiple empty tables, there was no need to stare us down, there wasn't a line of people. There was no need to rush us. We placed our order and the food was brought out. Then we were summarily dismissed. Our drinks were not even refilled once. We tried to flag waiters down and were ignored. The only time he came by again was to drop off the bill. In short, rude, inattentive and impatient. The food: lackluster at best. They put "spring mix" (aka soggy colorful nasty tasting lettuce) that watered down the flavor of everything. We started picking it out of the rolls so we could taste something besides lettuce. We literally filled up an entire salad plate with the stuff. The presentation was sloppy. Sushi should be beautiful to the eyes and palate. The rolls were not rolled tightly (they fell apart easily, which is a pain), overpowered with lettuce sticking out everywhere, cut unevenly, unrolling on the plate, and just piled on the plate with no presentation whatsoever. I love tuna, it should be beefy red, slightly chewy and have no odor at all and cut into big chunks. Once I removed all of the lettuce I was left with what looked like discarded pieces, pale pink, mushy in the mouth, smelling strongly of fish. I was afraid of getting ill (I even eat my steaks cold rare) so I didn't finish it. The miso was terribly bland with hardly any tofu or seaweed. Just broth and a ton of green onions. I adore miso and I was sorely disappointed. The only thing I really enjoyed was the iced green tea, but I drank it quickly trying to get the taste of the terrible food out of my mouth and was left wanting a refill that never came. Even the roe was strong smelling and mushy. I like my caviar to have a crunch. Long story short, even if this was an isolated incident, it was bad enough that we will not be returning. Thanks but no thanks. read more

Best sushi in NOLA, not just the westbank (which it is also). The staff is always very helpful and nice. I love the ambiance and decor of the place, it is small but that doesn't bother me any. The Marrero Roll and the Spicy City Roll are must haves. Try Daiwa once, and you will never go back to any other sushi restaurant!! read more

I recently held a surprise party for my wife in one of the private karaoke rooms. The food and the service were absolutely amazing. Lahn was very professional and helpful, she guided me through the entire process and ensured that all of our guests had a very memorable experience. I definitely recommend them for their regular dining and for hosting private gatherings. read more

Amazing food and great drinks! Service could step it up a bit but 100% worth the stop!

Modern look asian interior, good staff, friendly owner, ken is a car enthusiasts! Used to go to this place weekly when i worked on the westbank. Went here by recommendations from others. By far the best sushi i had in the area. I will admit Johnnies was better when he was open (keyword 'was') I not a big fan of the specialty rolls, i just love fresh fish and Ken and Daiwa Offers just that fresh fish at a great price! Highly recommended to go there. My suggestion, skip the soy sauce/wasabi and get the kimchi dipping sauce. KEN OPEN A LOCATION SOMEWHERE NEAR SLIDELL/MANDEVILLE! read more

We shared a ton of food. Cowboy roll was just ok, I have had better cowboy rolls but it was still good. We also ordered the po-boy roll. This is my new favorite sushi roll, delicious. We got more, but I don't remember exactly what. And then we got the mochi ice cream balls for dessert. The strawberry was delicious. read more

The menu might be a little too big. Sushi is too good for me to care.

The sushi here is fresh and decently priced! I always get the salted white fish, seared, scallops, kimchi udon, no name roll, rock n roll, and most of the popular rolls. On my last visit I wanted to low carb so I ordered the ceviche salad and gyoza. Both were good. The ceviche salad is a really good size, it had salmon, tuna, white fish, and octopus on a bed of spring mix with a tangy ponzu sauce? I really didn't like the octopus, it was kind of salty. read more

This is the best sushi joint around. The staff is amazing. It was about 2 months between visits and they remembered me like it was yesterday. Highly recommended. Not to mention the karaoke rooms! read more

I've heard good reviews of this restaurant, so I decided to take my mom to lunch and give Daiwa a try. The decor inside the restaurant is really nice for a westbank sushi restaurant. Although it was really bright during lunch, I could tell that this place would have a really pretty ambiance during dinner time when the place is darker. We were greeted very politely at the door. My mom even commented on how our waitress had a great energy to her and how she seemed to be genuinely sweet. (I believe her name was Christina). I thought it was pretty cool how the menus here had loads of pictures, which made ordering extra easy. After receiving my Coke in this tiny little bottle, we decided to start our meal off with the Crispy Tofu, Butter and Garlic Scallops, and an order of the Kimchee Udon Noodles. The Crispy Tofu wasn't very crispy at all. It was kind of soggy and there was nothing really special about it although it was kinda cool how those thin flakes that is drizzled on top of the tofu seemed to be moving or something. (Don't ask me why I ordered tofu in a sushi restaurant). That was my mistake, so I won't really count that one against them. The scallops on the other hand were perfectly seared and seasoned and was topped off with those stringy mushrooms. I actually prefer the scallops to be plated over a bed of greens the way Rock N Sake does it, but the stringy mushrooms wasn't bad at all. The Kimchee Udon Noodles was the BOMB though! I plan on coming back to this place just for the Kimchee Udon Noodles. It is a little pricey though at $9 a bowl and the portion was pretty small. I decided to try the Australian Lobster roll and the Cowboy roll. I was a little disappointed with the Lobster roll because quite a few of my friends suggested that roll. I thought it was a little weird to roll some lettuce into the roll. I felt like the lettuce was overpowering and sort of took away from the roll. Now that I think about it, I don't know why I didn't just pick the lettuce out to see how it would taste without it? *Brainfart* The Cowboy roll was good but not great. We only ordered two rolls, so I can't judge the place based on 2 rolls. It was partly my fault for venturing out and trying different combinations on the sushi rolls. I definitely plan on trying more rolls the next time I come back for their Kimchee Udon Noodles. I also plan on coming back at dinner time to experience the moody lighting. =) read more

I've had sushi everywhere around the city and even worked at a sushi restaurant and it doesn't get better than daiwa! This place opened my senior year of high school and became a regular visit for my friends and I , years later the food quality has only improved as the atmosphere is perfect! I make the drive from Kenner just for daiwa read more

I've been to numerous sushi places and this is my absolute favorite. The environment is kinda loud but that's only because it's a popular place to go to. I highly encourage ordering the spicy kimchi udon and fryer's deluxe roll. Oh, and don't forget about dessert! I highly recommend the mango mocha ice cream. Yum!! read more