Japanica does a really good job with it's hibachi. Everything is always cooked to perfection. The flavors are on point. The entertainment from the chef is always fun! Overall, Japanica always leaves myself and any group I am with happy and full. read more

I think it used to be better, the sashimi doesn't have the same taste it once had. This place is hidden next to the garbage buffet and I think the fish quality suffers. read more

I always order carry out though I've eaten in a few times. Food is good. I've never had a bad experience.

My husband and I like to go to this restaurant because the food is good and it is close to our house. I usually get sushi and my husband gets the hibachi chicken and steak. The staff is nice, service is decent and the price is reasonable. We would recommend this place to anyone looking for good food. read more

So, I eat sushi all the time. Like everyday all the time. And back in the day Japanica was my "go to" place. Food was fresh, fish cuts tasted excellent and the rolls were large. Now, I clearly had tasted metallic tang in my roll, had to douse the soy sauce over it to eat. Plus, the lunch/roll menu was rather a-la-carte in terms of fillings other then fish...tuna roll, if you want avocado in it, extra $1. Not much, but seriously? Disappointed read more

Suprisingly good sushi for being in a mini mall of random stores. I think it is next to a JoAnn Fabrics. Randomly went here with a friend but was happy with the food. I would return if ever in the area again. read more

The host was silent when we walked in. I had to tell him we needed a table. Sat us near another couple and Habachi, when there was a lot of empty tables. Martinis were overpriced. $8 and tiny! took 4 sips to finish. Ordered Terriaki chicken, all it was chicken ontop of a bed of grilled onions! Probably 2-3 cups of onions! no other cooked vegetables. Poor service, never asked us if we want water, another drink, how everything was, took forever for check. My friend said sushi was just ok, could tell if he was eating a scallop or tuna! not going back. read more

Didn't have a lot of flavor. Nothing special. I've had better Sushi at Whole Foods for half the price. The California Roll tasted funny. The ingredients tasted bad. Sorry not a good experience. read more

Went with coworkers after training seminar, it was fantastic! The food was amazing and we all did the Hibachi and were impressed with the chef!! read more

We've been regulars at Japanica for a few years now. We usually do takeout, because we like to drink our own wine or champagne, and enjoy the comfort of our home. We usually pick out the Japanica Sushi Special for 2, or if entertaining, the Love Boat. We've also had the Ikura (Salmon Roe), Dragon Roll, and Spider Roll. Everything has been very fresh. The carryout service has been timely, and the service friendly. They've been very consistent all around. read more

I love sushi and I loved this place! the Japanica roll was my favorite! the restaurant is decorated lovely and the sushi is great! Can not wait to go back! read more

The food is great! Their Sushi is spectacular! The only reason I didn't give them 5 stars, their service is a bit slow. Food is worth the wait, but there's no need to wait for water guys! At least acknowledge the customers! read more

Ordered the lunch special with a friend. The spicy crab sushi was great, the spicy tuna did not taste fresh. Service was quick.

Great food! Have gone with work on lunch and done the habachi grill. Great chefs and entertaining.

The hamachi is the best thing in the universe they do tricks and awesome stuff It is amazing

Japanica is absolutely beautiful, great atmosphere and decor. Only off-putting thing is the smoke stains on the ceiling tiles near the fans from the hibachi grill, which are somewhat unavoidable. The food is excellent. I have only been here for lunch but have never been disappointed. Both the Sushi and Hibachi options are delicious. read more

Tofu soft, soggy, and still uncooked. Rice tastes like fish. Not a pleasant experience will not return

I come here a bit. It is cheap, portions are on the larger side, and it is quite decent. That is the bottom line. There restaurant has Hibachi, bar, tables area, and a private room. It is usually packed on Fridays. The fish is fresh and the menu is no pretty extensive so you will surely find something. My only issue is that I can only eat fish (no shellfish or other creepy crawlies) so sometimes I have problems finding something new and exciting to eat. The only time I had a problem there is when I ordered green tea mochi and is felt like it was defrosted and refrozen a couple of times. That happened only once and I have come back since then. read more

I met 6 friends here for a surprise birthday dinner. We had a reservation and we were not sat until an hour after the reservation time and noticed people with reservation times after us with the same size parties being seated. We pointed it out to the hostess and she kept saying "oh I know." Dinner was great until we received our check before we were even done eating. (No, we did not sit and chat because we had a show to go to next.) Then here's the kicker, they brought another group (the next reservation) to stand behind me as they sang happy birthday then told me I could eat my ice cream in the bar. As we walked stunned to the bar we noticed tables sat before us were still seated! No apology... no nothing... literally said thanks for your money you go now we need this table. We met here every other month for dinner... we will not go here again. We have an will tell everyone we know how horrible we were treated read more

I made reservations for a party of 14 a week in advanced for 7pm - they asked on the phone if we can make it 7:30pm just to be safe. We do. We arrive a few minutes before 7:30pm - by 8:20pm, we all left because WE STILL WEREN'T SEATED. Then when i told them we were leaving, i didn't even get as much as a "sorry" - i will NEVER be back. Glad they didn't get all the money our party was ready to spend. read more

I will never return to this place. Last time I went there I called and made a to go order. They told me it would be ready in 15 minutes. I came in to pay 20 minutes later and waited for my food. 20 minutes later I was still waiting and no one cared to let me know what was going on. So my order wasn't ready within 40 minutes when I was told 15 minutes. They really just seem to care about the people who come in to dine in. I was really tired and 6 people were in line to get dined in by the time I walked out. I went home thinking that they would give me a call before they closed to tell me that they still had my to go order, but I guess they just forgot. They got $30 from me and I never got my food. The staff is very unprofessional and not personable. Very unorganized. I was a patron for years and they used to have nice people ring you up. Never coming back. read more

Very disappointed! We had a reservation for 13 people at 6:00 pm. Upon arrival - on time, we checked in. We weren't told how long our wait may be. We proceeded into the bar area and spent well over $200 as we waited and waited some more. After waiting an hour, we checked to see how much longer. We asked to speak to a manager who stated it would be approx 15 minutes. 15 minutes came and went. Spoke to the manager again. We requested reimbursement for part of the $$ spent in the bar during our extended wait. The manager said he'd be right back. Didn't return. No available hibachi table yet. After waiting an hour and a half past our reservation time, we left - never to return again. read more

Horrible Service. Took forever to get our drinks. Then, when it came to order, the bigger problem started. My wife ordered a hibachi and one to split with our kids. I was told we had to leave the hibachi table since I wanted sashimi. House rule, at least 50% of your party needs to order hibachi at the hibachi table, or you need to move (even though two-thirds of our order was hibachi). Its one thing if the place was busy, but it was not. Lots of empty seats around the hibachi. The waiter was especially rude. They billed us for the kids sodas and we left for Fujiyama's. Even though they were busy, the service at Fujiyama's was wonderful, as always. I will never go back to Japanica. read more

Was in there yesterday for lunch at 12:30. We were the only ones in the restaurant. I ordered 2 rolls, spicy salmon and spicy crabmeat roll. Neither were topped with spicy mayo; waiter was nowhere around so I ate them as is. The bathrooms stunk so horribly and was filthy. Garbage cans had not been emptied in days. Will not go back here. It's a shame because it used to be one of my favorites places. read more

If you plan on bringing a party look somewhere else. The waiter did little to nothing when he knew he was getting gratuity. We had hibachi there and the cook was fine but messed up on our orders. It was kind of sad because we were the only costumers in at that time. WORST BIRTHDAY DINNER EVER. read more

By far the best sushi restaurant in Milwaukee! The service and price just solidifies their place! I do ALL the time. I wish they had coupons or discounts, though! read more

One of my favorite sushi spots. I usually make it out there at least once a month (& EVERY time I hit Tuesday Morning!). I have yet to have a bad meal, or anything other than fresh fish. Their Spider & Dragon Rolls are what keep me coming back. Reasonably priced for what you get. Lunch specials are hard to beat (2 rolls/$8; 3 rolls/$10). I always leave feeling satisfied and relaxed. read more

Don't expect great sushi because they are not the most fresh fish you can find. You get what you pay for. I went there several time for its location and not disappointing sushi. I do like their sauce flavored rolls and never tried their hibachi. Service is good most of the time in the evening. read more

Best sushi in Milwaukee. I only recommend the lunch specials because it is priced well and the food is good. The staff is nice and the vibe of the place is very relaxing and chill. read more

I am a huge fan of sushi and I can easily say that this place is my favorite. It is very fresh and well prepared. Everyone is so friendly here too. My boyfriend and I are definitely regulars here. Give this place a try whether you are into sushi or hibachi. read more

My family and I have been going to Japanica regularly since they opened (has it been 10 years now?) and have rarely, if ever, been disappointed. I'm a big fan of salmon hibachi (which we order from the regular table unless bringing a guest to be entertained with the flames and knives). I LOVE the miso soup. There's something about it that warms my heart. Can't really describe the reason for that, but it's amazing. We can almost always get a table without wait, service is attentive and fast. Shrimp tempura roll is a favorite for take out. Lunch specials are reasonably priced and generously portioned. read more

Don't let it throw you off because it's hidden in a strip mall, I've been here several times for hibachi & love it.

I have been SICK since June 23 after eating the Chef Special SUSHI Saturday June 22 :(

I have never had a bad meal here and everything is always fresh and tasty. I have only eaten sushi here, but feel their drinks are a little pricey and they do not offer free refills on sodas and so they lost a star for that. read more

This was my first experience with sushi as well as the friend who went with me. We ordered so many items to try that the waitress probably had to explain the order was just for two people. Along with a variety of sushi and tempura, we ordered the BBQ squid. We were concerned but adventurous. It was so beautiful when it arrived we didn't want to eat it. Turned out to be our favorite thing we ordered. In addition to fabulous food, the drinks are extremely tasty and the atmosphere is cozy and casual. read more

I absolutely love this place! My teenage boys love this place. It's possible we are addicted to this food. We started out doing their Hibachi and now we typically eat in the regular part of the restaurant. We also get take out - and we do this often. I love that they have specials on their board that you can see from outside. So we'll do a drive by to see what's on the board and then order. Our food is ready in 10-15 minutes. And they have never made a mistake on our order. It's important to me that when I get home with take out that all that I have paid for is in the bag. The place is always clean. The benches in the booths are not really comfortable. If they were busier they could probably afford to update these so I wouldn't downgrade them for this. The staff is SUPER friendly. Service is great! read more

I've been here 3 times and only because my boyfriend likes Hibachi (Japanese style cooking in front of you). I don't know why alot of reviewers like this place...but there are far, far better places for sushi and hibachi. Our Hibachi chef was a little on the shy side and considering it's Hibachi where it is suppose to be kind of "entertaining," he didn't bring much to the table, but he was nice, so that's okay. However, he overcooked our food and made at least 5+ mistakes. 2 people ordered lobster tail and he must've forgot that 2 was ordered because he started cooking one lobster tail 10min before the 2nd lobster tail. So as you can imagine, 1 lobster tail was supremely overcooked and the other was alright. Our shrimp, chicken, and lobster were all overcooked. He gave the wrong food to one person and forgot about the steak for 2 other people. So then he asked for the kitchen to bring out another portion for the steak, but the steak that was brought out was literally 4in by 2in, and that's a problem when TWO people needed the steak. WE had to point that out before another one had to be brought out. I dunno, was it a long night for our chef? Came here for my boyfriend's birthday and I gave the hostess the birthday cake I made and asked them if they could bring it out as a surprise with the candles (that I had bought). They said, yes, of course. The guy comes out at the end of the dinner, asks in front of EVERYONE whether we would like the cake out now even though he had JUST asked who the birthday boy was. Wow, so much for a surprise. Then, he brings out the cake, with no candles on it WITH the tin foil covering STILL on and places the cake right in front of my boyfriend. Really??!! I pointed out that it was suppose to be a surprise and the waiter said, "oops, sorry." Wowwww. Waiter/server never had a smile on his face, nor was he friendly at all. If you expect courteous service, you won't get it here. He was rude and even though there were only TWO parties that night, he never checked up on us and we had to wave him down each time for a refill or water. It also doesn't help that he was very unclear. The service here has really gone down each time we've been here. We did split checks (7-8) but considering we were the last people there, it shouldn't have taken 20min to get our checks paid. Really put a damper on the mood. He sucked. DO NOT GO HERE. I REPEAT. DO NOT GO HERE. I HEARD THERE'S ANOTHER HIBACHI PLACE NEAR HERE. Basically, Japanica committed all the mistakes you could have as a restaurant. Overcooked food, wrong food, spoiling a surprise, rude customer service, and oh so slow service/attention. read more

No matter what they may tell you, they do not take reservations for large groups. We had to wait over an hour for our group of 30 even though they told us they could accommodate us. The food and hibachi chef was great once we were seated at a grill. read more

Two stars solely due to the poor upkeep of this restaurant. Sushi and Hibachi rating is 4 stars but this place is in some serious need of establishment upgrades. Ceiling tiles are filthy, most of the booths have tears in the seats, springs poke you in the rear, carpet is old and tired, restrooms are below avg for cleanliness. For how long they've been open they need to spend some $$ on a full remodel. I'd go back for the food but only with some dark sunglasses on. read more

We have been going to Japonica since they opened a few owners ago. Sadly the change of ownership has been diminishing returns. Tonight was the LAST try! Table (not hibachi) food was awful! Ordered the Filet and Shrimp Hibachi...small serving of veggies that was ONLY broccoli, Filet medium rare came burnt, rice tasted like rancid oil to top it off, the food was barely warm. When brought to the attention of the waiter and owner, they admitted that the vegetable serving was incorrect and the meat over cooked. The owner took the plate to show the cook the problem and then brought the plate back with no change, not even temperature about 5-10 minutes later. We sure miss the former owner "Ann". What a disgrace this owner has done to what had been a remarkable restaurant. For our dissatisfaction we received a 10% discount and no follow up check in to see if the returned meal was any better. They are not interested in customer service. So very sad!!! read more