Absolutely love this place. It's very clean and decent service. The sushi is fresh and you get a great bang for your buck. Who has lunch specials on Saturday?! Love that you can get a salad, soup and 3 rolls for $11. The various meat teriyaki lunch boxes are $9. Haven't tried the hibachi here yet but will try soon! Definitely can not go wrong here. read more

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I often get take-out from this place and it is always well prepared and packed. The service is also very friendly and timely. I get Shrimp Shumai, a Cali roll, and vary the second roll. So far I have had the hamachi, rock and roll, and the Japanica. All which are good, but the rock and roll being my favorite so far. My average bill is around $16 which is awesome and of course my favorite part!! :) read more

This was our third trip to Japanica and each time we absolutely love it! (I will explain why only 4 stars, instead of 5). Each time we come with a group of 8-10 people and do the Hibachi. Im a steak eater so each time I get the filet mignon. Others usually get the steak and shrimp combo and the kids get the kids shrimp meal. To begin, the waitress comes over and takes a drink order. After delivering drinks, they come back to take your food order. Shortly after they bring out the mushroom soup which is actaully very good and the salad. Then about 7-8 minutes later the "chef" comes over to your Hibachi and now the real entertainment starts! This time our Chef was Chris - wow he was incredible! Funny, talented, all of the above..he was wonderful! He starts out getting his grill all fired up ( literally with fire - see the pictuers ). He plays around with his utensils, throws them around, cracks some eggs, and gets the rice going. Then he tosses the veggies on and then tries to fling them into your mouth with this tools! Its really fun! If you catch it, he gives you some Saki! Next he puts the meats on and begins to cook them while keeping the entertainment going! My filet was cooked perfectly and the rice was delicious! The only thing is, once he starts the cooking, the waitress never seems to come back around and it was very difficult to get a second drink. When we finally flagged her down, she only took one persons drink order and we had to call for her back to refill the rest of us. Hence, only 4 stars. Overall, this place is fantastic! I would def reccomend it! read more

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Worse experience from this restaurant was a party of 4 . We had hibachi ordered extra steak, rice . They sat 5 other people at the table with us . The chef called my husband a pussy cause he wouldn't take sake. Then he gave the other group our steak they ordered chicken and gave them our extra rice. We didn't get hardly any vegetables. After was done cooking and left within 5 mins waitress ( second time only time seeing her) comes over with boxes and bill and being pushy to leave . They just added the gratuity at 18% on bill they wouldn't let us tip what we wanted. I wouldn't recommend to anyone overpriced for this kind of service and having our food given to strangers at our expense!!!!!! read more

Hibachi was great. Very fun for adults and kids and everything was perfectly cooked. Will be back!

Japanica is by far my favorite sushi restaurant in Milwaukee. I've been coming here for over 12 years and will be for many more. The staff is always extremely friendly (Amber is the best!!) and the food is always wonderful! The fish is fresh, the rolls are large, hibachi show is amazing and their specialty rolls are delicious! If you haven't been here, please pop in and check it out! Great place to celebrate your birthday! read more

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The salmon was absolutely amazing. A lot of places I go for sushi, after a few pieces, the salmon starts to get a funny flavor. Not here! Salmon rolls and sashimi are my absolute favorite and to know that the salmon is super fresh here makes it worth the 50 minute drive! read more

Pretty standard stripmall sushi. Not our first option, my work peeps and I ventured in here for lunch recently. It was totally fine, nothing to complain about, but if you take every sushi restaurant you have ever been to and averaged them out, you would wind up with Japanica but with terrible Miso soup. One thing here that I am not of fan of is that the Hibachi tables are not in a separate room. This means that if you come here for a quite romantic sushi dinner, the drunk Greenfield family celebrating little Ashley's 7th birthday at the Hibachi table 10 feet away from you will probably interrupt your little romantic interlude and possibly toss a grilled shrimp in your direction from time to time. They will be loud, and close, and you will go home smelling like their dinner whether you want too or not. You won't be disappointed by your food, but you'll probably forget what you ordered twenty minutes after you leave. read more

EXCELLENT service. GREAT sushi and very good variety. Cheap, fruity, "cruise ship" cocktails. Typical habachi food / presentation. Fun, bright, crisp, clean decor. read more

Japanica is definitely one of the most delicious food choices in all of the United States. I love how Japanica is involved and brings back flavors that many of us relate too. Their chow main with Orange chicken is the best combination in the whole menu! Really good food here!! read more

Our number one go to sushi joint for sure!!! No one can beat the prices they offer for actual QUALITY product. They offer a lovely lunch special, EVEN ON SATURDAYS!!!! Includes soup, salad, and choice of 2 or 3 sushi rolls for about $11. Which everyone knows is a GREAT deal!!! 99% of the waitstaff is extremely friendly and very helpful if you're new to trying sushi!! I recommend giving them a try!! read more

Japanica - 3 roll lunch special - Sushi Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Very cold inside. Food is ok. The restroom area in the back of the restaurant did not smell good.

Good to see young men setting grills on fire. Really warms my heart ;) go here for fun. Walk out satisfied!

When this place opened, it was on our favorites list. The first owners were awesome and were also successful with a buffet on Hwy 100 & Greenfield. The second owners still provided good food but copped an attitude when we'd requested another tablespoon of sesame seeds for our sushi. Since that time, we moved out of the area and lost track of Japanica and its chain of ownership Now that I'm working in Greenfield again, today I ordered a teriyaki lunch online, and the pick up time was set for 11:45. When I arrived, I told the young lady that I was picking up an order. She tried to hand me a menu. I said, "No, I ordered the food online at 10 a.m. to be ready now." After a minute, she decided to look at their fax? printer? and found my order. She said she'd rush the order and it would only take a few minutes. I said, "No, if you're just discovering it now, mark the order as cancelled. I'll have to get my lunch somewhere else." The is the reason that I always choose Pay At Restaurant on any online orders. Maybe it was a good thing that they couldn't get their act together, because the rancid grease smell in that place was nasty. Haven't restaurants discovered how to set up an Ionic cleaner at closing time, so they have a clean smelling place in the morning? GEEZ read more

Seriously, people, you act surprised that a good sushi restaurant is in a strip mall. If you're in this area, you're probably shopping at Southridge mall. (Not exactly a high-taste cultural hub) Pot, meet kettle and all that... This place was very good. I'm partial to Samurai Sushi and often use it as a comparison to other sushi places, but after dining here I wonder if it's owned by the same people. Almost everything was the same. Almost. The decor was practically identical, except for the two fake trees in the dining room, which was a nice touch. The miso soup was flavorful and had the same seaweed, small cubed tofu and thinly sliced scallions. The seaweed salad was the some of the best I've had. It had a strong sesame flavor and wasn't too oily. The maki rolls, while they tasted just fine, were not rolled very well and kept falling apart. To top it off, they were served above room temperature. They weren't hot, but were definitely warm, which was strange. My wife's maki rolls were also warm. I'm used to the temperature of sushi being ever so slightly chilled when it is served. The size of the rolls and amount of fish and rice in each piece was perfect. I have to dock the place one star for the warm maki rolls. I plan to go back in a couple weeks and will edit my review then. Perhaps it was just a one-time thing. read more

I ate there with a large party and the hibachi chef was fun to watch and truthfully most of my group seemed okay with their experience. I ordered my steak medium rare and the steak was well done (the grill was already off )so I ate very little and told a staff member when I received my bill. I was offered a new steak or a discount on my meal. Because my party was done eating I took a discount and they surprised me with a miserly 10% off. Further, the fried rice was meh , the veggies were heavy on zucchini instead of more broccoli, the salad is all iceberg lettuce and comes heavily pre-dressed with something yellow and grainy and the soup is clear mushroom which was tasteless. The bathroom was a mess with towels all over and empty soap dispensers so I honestly think you can make a better choice. It's subpar IMO. read more

I went to Japanica on a Saturday evening with a group of 5 friends for a hibachi dinner. The restaurant wasn't crowded, so we didnt have to wait long for a table. Major plus, considering we were expecting to have to wait a while. Once seated (and drinks/entrees ordered), our hibachi chef arrived at our table. He had quite a rough start, accidentally breaking two different eggs while attempting to do fancy tricks with them. Understandable. Once he finally got the eggs cracked correctly, he tossed the vegetables onto the grill. While they were cooking, he cut up a raw zucchini and began tossing it at each of us, honestly, it was really weird. He kept saying 'open it" and even though we were refusing/hesitant he still insisted on tossing the zucchini at us. Weird. The rice and grilled vegetables were delicious, as with most hibachi restaurants. I ordered the shrimp and scallops, and the flavor was wonderful, I ate it all! The portions are pretty generous, which is nice. All of my friends ordered steak/filet mignon and chicken combo meals, but somehow the hibachi chef completely forgot to give chicken to one of my friends. My friends had to shovel pieces of chicken off of their plates for my friend who didnt get any chicken, I thought it was very rude of the chef not to even offer to comp part of her meal or provide her with a free drink or something for the inconvenience. Another friend ordered a white wine, and when she finished her glass, she ordered a refill, and got a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT wine! When the waiter passed out our checks at the end of the dinner, as he was handing me mine, he said "oh, yours is wrong. I accidentally charged you for the wrong entree" ($1.00 more) --- ummmmm....WHAT?!?!?!?? and he didnt say he was going to change it, or that he would ultimately charge me for the correct entree. I made sure for account for this in his tip, because I am a firm believer that no one is entitled to a 15%+ tip if they provided bad service when the restaurant was not busy. All of this said, I would actually go back here. The food was good. But I will make sure to speak to a manager if the service continues to be negligent. read more

Hibachi: pretty darn good, the same tricks a lot of other places do and as usual, it can be hit or miss depending on the chef and his mood... but the truth of the matter is that it stands alone in this part of town and is in a convenient place (though hiding in the strip mall). You may occasionally get the training/aspiring chef that launches cutlery at your face, apologizes, then silently finishes dinner in awkwardness...but that's the risk you take. Eh, it happened years ago and since then I have been satisfied. But the actual taste of the hibachi rivals any...specially the nice cuts of beef and the scallops. Sushi: the sushi is not bad and they have some good sushi chefs and signature rolls. I like Kyoto down the road much better but Japanica has the Crunch Roll and the Rock 'n Roll (Roll) which are pretty darn good. Like other reviewers said, the lunch specials are the best for the sushi. read more

This isn't world class sushi. It's not even the best in the city, but it's handy and near stores we shop at in the same strip mall. Which makes it our default sushi place here in MKE. The food is decent. The service while hit or miss is usually not too bad. My biggest pet peeve is the hibachi stuff and the annoying birthday interruption. Their prices are in the "adult food" range, so it would be nice if it were more an adult food place. It's hard to have a romantic date when yet another kid over in the hibachi section is celebrating a birthday. So romantic--NOT. On the nice side of things, other sushi joints in town have the tables crammed in so close to each other that you feel like you're part of their conversations. The layout isn't bad here. They do have an annoying habit of seating others right next to an occupied table vs spreading things out a bit. All in all this place fills the sushi urge. If you're in the area already, go for it. I wouldn't travel out of my way for this place though. read more

Fun, fun place to go. A bit expensive, so you've been warned. We went to a birthday get together for my husband's cousin last year and sat at the hibachi. It was a ton of fun watching the chef do some nifty tricks, including an onion volcano, flipping veggies for people to catch with their mouths, or squirting saki into the happy mouths of those willing to give it a try. The food was very good and everyone enjoyed their meal. They also have an area for sushi which I haven't tried. I ordered the tofu hibachi and it was really good. If I weren't a vegan now I would so order that again (butter and eggs are used in the beginning for the rice). We were served soup, which wasn't great. As the birthday girl said, "it tastes like feet." I don't even want to know... This place is more about the experience then the food if you go to the hibachi (bring a friend, I don't think they seat you there unless you bring others). Would I go there again? Probably, but only if I was tagging along with someone. A bit too expensive for me to say, "hey, let's go there for supper!" read more

Don't expect great service late at night. I walked in at 10:10pm and the hostess asked me in an assuming manner if I'm getting food to go. No, I replied. There were a couple people with a chef at the hibachi table but they declined to seat me there and told me if I wanted hibachi it would come straight from the kitchen. Okay, I thought, I guess I'll have to settle for something else. My waitress came by after a few minutes to take my order. I asked for a couple more minutes. She replied "I don't mean to be rude or anything but if don't order now you won't be able to get any food. We close in 40 minutes.". I looked at my phone - it was 10:18pm. I was rushed into ordering a sushi platter. The sushi itself was ok. Not great, but not terrible either. I didn't enjoy my rushed dining experience however and I will not be back. At least not after 10pm. If the business hours are advertised as until 11pm, I expect to be served until that time. Cmon, it's not like I walked in at 10:45. read more

I've been to Japanica a few times. I'm a big fan of the lunch special. It's filling and a great deal for $10.00. Tonight I had the hibachi, which was awesome. My husband tried the spicy machi combo, which he also enjoyed. Overall, I think it's good sushi and hibachi. Nothing that is super amazing, but I do really think it is something special for the price. My husband and I can eat there for WAY cheaper then a lot of other sushi places. read more

I used to consider this a high end sushi/ hibachi restaurant but was disappointed on last visit. We went for Hibachi and they herd you in like cattle so we were stuffed at an already tight table. And it appears what they do is wait to take table's dinner orders until every seat is filled so the table had already decided what they wanted to eat when we were sat and given very little time with the menu. The guy sitting next to me had not dined there but that made very little difference to the waitstaff who just places the salad and soup that come with dinner in front of everyone with no description/ explanation as if serving cafeteria style. Menu prices are still the same mind you but one slight difference- 18% gratuity added for hibachi tables. The service we received didn't warrant 10% which is the problem with automatic tipping. The cook was reserved and seemed unknowledgable. We had seen some leftover rice on the corner of grill but I explained to my daughter he would wipe b4 cooking which to my suprise he did not. He used the same utensils for placing and cooking raw chicken as well as everything else on grill. He didn't interact or talk to anyone at our table except for the initial greeting and menu verification. I ordered lobster and filet and filet was not cooked to medium well and he used an overabundance of sauce essentially ruining lobster tail which was such a waste. So much sauce was used it all tasted like teriyaki and previously you would get courses in the hibachi- not here. He cooked up plain fried rice and served, then gave everyone their meat- then the veggies which were not cooked entirely. read more

Nice suprise in this generic strip mall! Inside is cute, hibachi tables or you can get sushi. I've only tried the hibachi and the show is good, portions are big and everything tastes good (not very exciting for vegetarian, I had friend rice or something not too memorable but the salad w/ginger dressing was really good!). Unfortuantely after eating here last time I was sick (not sure if it was flu or something I ate here)... I would give it another shot though. It was a fun atmosphere. I haven't tired their sushi but I would go back and try again. read more

This is our go-to sushi place in town, even though it's across town, so despite my lack of check-in's I've been there well over fifty times. Unlike many other sushi restaurants, they're very accommodating when it comes to special requests. The staff is exceptionally friendly, and the food is good quality especially for the price. If you enjoy sushi than you should definitely give place a try. And by the way, the Las Vegas maki is awesome. read more

I really like Japanica. The service is honestly great and the sushi is as good as you're going to get in Milwaukee. I really enjoy their sushi.. Their super white tuna is very good and their spicy tuna roll is also very good. I have eaten in Chicago at plenty of sushi places (most of which are over priced) and honestly, I don't see much difference at all. I have eaten at many sushi places in Tokyo and other cities in Japan and again, the quality is obviously better but, not to such an extent that you need to buy a ticket for Japan but, definitely noticeably better. All in all, very nice place for sushi, don't buy into how much better Chicago is. read more

OH Japanica. I wish you were closer to me. Not only are the indoor trees pretty nifty, your lunch special rocks! Expect friendly service and quality sushi all at an affordable price. read more

I really wanted to give this place a 5, the guy who did our hibachi table nailed it. Excellent with the kids too. Service was a 1. Worst. Server. Ever. Slow, slow, slow, then non-existent. Forgot our refills, forgot our daughters birthday, forgot our check. Just lame. The four stars is generous. read more

As a sushi lover, I am always on the lookout for great places to go to satisfy my cravings. Japanica definitely tops the list of my go-to sushi restaurants. It has such a peaceful atmosphere, with soothing music and lights that aren't overly bright. The staff is very nice and attentive. They have fantastic lunch specials. You can choose either the 2 roll ($8.50) or 3 roll ($11.00) lunch. The lunch includes a miso soup and salad. They also have hibachi lunch specials as well. I did have their hibachi dinner on one occasion, and it was delicious. The chef was very nice and kept our table laughing and in a good mood. They have several options to choose from for the hibachi dinners, including combo options. The prices on the dinners range from $13 to $30 per person. They also have a children's menu for the hibachi. Japanica has several specialty sushi rolls to choose from. With the special rolls, they are 8 pieces, and the pieces are a pretty decent size. Of course, they also have the standard 6 piece rolls (tuna, salmon, yellowtail, California and more) to choose from. The last few times I was here, I went for the lunch special. However, I definitely want to come back here for dinner very soon. read more

Well that does it for me - no more (American) hibachi. The food from thre gridle is way over seasoned and the meat (had chicken and shrimp) pretty tough. Another thing that bothers me is the fact that all components of the dish are done at different times. First the rice or noodles, then the meat, and eventually the vegetables. If you wait for the dish to come together, some components will be cold while others are piping hot. Another thing: this place is dirty, the walls are covered in grease, especially towards the ceiling. Bathrooms disgusting. Good luck to you if you dare to roll the dice and go for their sushi ;) read more

Oh Japanica. Like a bad ex I just can't shake, I keep coming back to you--lured in by the dulcet tones of Japanese pop music and the promise of fried cheesecake. Seriously though, this place is pretty great for a strip mall sushi joint. Not being a fish fan (I know, I know) I tend to avoid the raw stuff but their chicken tempura roll is the best one in town and their hibachi is hands-down my favorite. I would eat my weight in fried rice and drink gallons of the clear soup if I could (if anyone has that recipe...). Iceberg lettuce salads are usually an instant failure in my book, but I give them a pass this for the dressing alone. The only problem I have with this place is one of the waiters is a little...overwhelmingly friendly. As a frequent solo diner on my lunch break I usually just bring a book and chill with my tea while waiting for my food. This guy...he meant well for sure, but he just came off as creepy. I came here to eat lunch, not to flirt. Every other member of the waitstaff has always been super nice. The hibachi tables are fun for a group but it can get really pricey, especially at night. Plus, the birthday drum and music are hilarious to embarrass your friends with. And if you ever want a good time...split the Scorpion Bowl with some friends (and bring a designated driver because you'll need one). But the fried cheesecake is what makes this my absolute favorite Japanese place in town. Bits of cheesecake tempura battered and fried just so the outside is creamy and the inside is cool and firm, topped with what I can only describe as a child-designed swirl of redi-whip and sprinkles. It's not high cuisine but it's tasty and fun. read more

Tonight was our first visit and I would certainly go back. The sushi was absolutely excellent and the hibachi food was great. The hibachi chef was amazing and super entertaining. The restaurant itself was was very and the wait staff was very polite and attentive. read more

They were super busy on a Saturday night. But managed to seat my girl and I right away there seemed to be a long wait for fancy haibachi grill. The server ran around fast. As was others. sushi was good but the teriyaki beef was the best I ever had. And they were fast with our drinks. Overall a very nice experience when they were extremely busy. I'd give them a solid 8.2 out of 10 read more

The hibachi food is pretty good and the show is fun! I love the hibachi fried rice. The sushi is good, but it is not my favorite. The fresh salmon sushi here, is usually a little fishy tasting to me. I can get my sushi fix here, though, especially their 3 roll lunch combo (super cheap). One of the hostesses is kinda mean. I could just be uber sensitive, who knows? read more

Japanica - Lunch combos! $8 hibachi and $10 for 3 rolls! Mmmmm - Sushi Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Ive dined at just about every sushi restaurant in Milwaukee and neighboring areas and no one compares to the quality of Japanicas sushi, and no one can compete with their prices for said quality. The service is always on par and very knowledgeable. They make the most amazing mixed drinks. I always recommend Japanica when I'm referring people for amazing sushi. Also the hibachi birthday show is one of a kind. I really wish they had their own building and didn't share with a strip mall. I only gave them a 4 stars today because they were the busiest I've seen them in a while and they took 6 minutes to ask us our drink choices. Also they were unsure of where to seat us, and our waitress was unsure if we were her table. Otherwise as always the food was amazing. I added pictures of all of the appetizers and entrees I ordered. read more

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Japanica has become a favorite in the household. It is getting to a point that when we ask the 2 boys where they want to eat, they choose here. The Hibachi besides being a really good time, is filling. I really enjoys the shrimp hibachi, you get a good amount and the shrimp are always tasty, I like that they do up a nice size batch of Fried Rice and Veggies to give you with your shrimp. The other night, my wife and I ordered one hibachi meal to share and 2 rolls of sushi. After diner, we were very full. I strongly suggest the Vegas roll. Very Yummy. And of course the other thing that brings us back is the chefs that continue to entertain us while making our food. I recommend this establishment for anyone that is going on a first date also. You will laugh, talk and have good eats! read more

Such great hibachi. Really nice staff. And super good lunch special deals! I recommend this place to anyone who enjoys a good Asian meal. I'm vegetarian and their tofu is always super good. They also have a lot of different options. My fiancée loves sushi, and they have that too! read more

Decided that before Christmas shopping, i needed to do something that would make me happy. Of course it had to include alcohol, but i was hungry too. Sushi I said, and my wife agreed. Where to go? Well, since we had to be near Best Buy, why not Japanica i said. So glad I remembered it! First of all I was surprised at the size of the place. Doesn't look all that big from the outside, but when you get in.....well that is something entirely different. Plenty of seating, a Hibachi area with at least 4 grills. and a sushi bar in the back. We opted for a table and it was a nice choice. We were seated in a booth that had dividers all the way to the ceiling to give you some privacy. Kinda nice. The waitstaff wasted no time getting to our table and taking our drink orders. Saki drink for my wife and a giant can of Sapporo for me. Then as they placed the drinks in front of us, they took our orders. The waitress was very friendly and answered several questions that we had with great detail. We did not have to wait long until we were presented with our soup and salad. Shortly after that, two plates of mouth watering sushi. We both wasted no time and dove in eating to our hearts content. The smells from the other tables were making us want more, but soon we had reached our full limit. So much good food and great smells it was almost overwhelming. So next time, and there will be many more next times, we will try much more of the menu and bring the kids in for the Hibachi. Cannot wait!!! read more

Horrible service!! Our waitress was so rude that we had to request another one. The food is decent but nothing to brag about. Don't waste your time or money on this place. read more

If you're a seasoned sushi enthusiast, you will be bored and unimpressed (why are you in Milwaukee anyway?). If you're anyone else, prepare to be elated! Absolutely no complaints! Fantastic rolls, entrees, hibachi, service, etc. I've taken off one star because, now that I've been treated to the world of Chicago's sushi, I don't think that I can go back. read more