Review Template === 1. VERDICT/VALUE The Google reviews maybe hyped up my expectations; I might only swing by again if I were in the area. The prices were not really enticing enough to get past the food quality bar: which is exceeded by other sushi places in town. === 2. FOOD If Sushi Story excels at anything, it would be on providing large pieces of tempura, square-shaped :) Katsu Dinner Box ($23.95): It's good value for dinner: pork katsu on rice with dynamite roll, salad, four pieces of tempura, some fruit, and miso soup. Sashimi Dinner Box ($25.95) It's the kitchen sink: four pieces of sashimi, three pieces of nigiri, dynamite roll, four pieces of tempura, some fruit, a miso soup and an ebb sunomono. The shrimp in the sunomono were big but very odd-tasting - not sure if they went bad or what, but I would not do that again. The noodles were fine, if not really al dente. Prawn Tempura ($13.95): Six pieces of delights await you, lightly breaded for the most part. === 3. SERVICE Perhaps all but our server were Korean; our server was an older Japanese lady who treated us really well and catered to my little guy. I would be happy to be served at the restaurant again by the lady we had. === 4. ENVIRONMENT Don't let the nondescript parking lot outside fool you; it's a bit of a darker wood oasis that awaits you and it's older but pleasant. Groups may ideally be sized 6 or less, but there is plenty of space between booths/tables and wheelchairs and baby stroller would be welcomed easily. Parking is very much available in the shopping complex lot outside - with a lot of transient traffic from food delivery drivers. read more

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First time visit based on s friends recommendation We had the Teriyaki Chicken bento box and Yuri roll combo. Food was so tasty and presentation fantastic. Service by Sham was spectacular!! Will definitely be back! read more

It doesn't look like much on the outside, really needed someplace to eat during Christmas Eve. This place was open! A Atmosphere: A very warm environment with soft music playing. Nice comfortable seating. It can seat quite a few people. Food: The food was tasty and fresh, and the presentations were nice. I was content with what I ordered. A spicy shopper scallop roll, and a spicy tuna roll. With a sashimi appetizer. I was not a big fan of the Lobster roll my fiancée ordered. Maybe it's because I'm not a big fan of fried seafood. He was satisfied with everything that he ordered and there was a ton of food still left over. Cons: It took forever for us to get our green tea or water, and there was only one table before us. Our sashimi appetizer was sent out after we had received our dinner rolls. Other than that, it was reasonable priced. 50 some dollars for 4 rolls and one appetizer. read more

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The food was amazing and fresh!!! Absolutely delicious. My new fav is "monkey brains"!! Not to mention the rest. We will definitely be back!!! read more

found two suspicious looking hairs underneath my agedashi tofu. i was a couple bites in and the hairs were underneath the food so the chef didn't notice and went ahead and placed the food on top or they were put there? this place has let me down many times this was the final straw. never coming here again I am completely grossed out read more

Sushi Story - Picked up a piece of tofu and found 2 hairs - Japanese Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

I'm absolutely obsessed with Sushi Story. Always a perfect date night stop for delicious food in fast times. Waitresses are so kind and food comes out quickly! Usually give something "on the house" like spring rolls. Great prices and great quality, always looking forward to supporting read more

We were craving sushi on a Sunday evening when many sushi establishments are closed during the winter months. Ah ha! To the rescue we found Sushi Story. Easy to read online menu and order placement. We wanted to pick up exactly at 7pm and voila it was packed and ready as requested. We ordered 2x Alaska rolls and the Kobe Platter. What a great deal. Would definitely order the Kobe platter again. Very generous and fresh. The salmon balls were a delight. Will be making this our regular sushi go-to read more

In Victoria visiting family and needed a sushi fix. We found Sushi Story via Yelp and stopped by for an early lunch. It is located across the street from a small plaza in Esquimalt (a short drive from downtown Victoria) with plenty of free parking. There was plenty of seating available and the staff were quite pleasant and attentive. I ordered the dynamite combo. I did like the presentation of the rolls on the boat (see photo). The food was okay but was not a fan of putting a sweetened bbq sauce on the dynamite roll as it overpowered the rest of the flavours. The prices are very reasonable and it was a positive food experience but we have no plans to return. read more

Sushi Story - Dynamite combo - Japanese Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

Was v good. Generally v friendly staff. One guy was more Korean reserved. We had red dragon roll, chic karaage, lobster roll, sashimi pizza. Also got complimentary spring rolls which were unexpectedly delicious. The chic karaage had v thin batter & so unlike what I've had b4. Very very good. The other 2 rolls' ingredients were v fresh so much appreciated that way but, I wonder if they would benefit from a little marinade to bring out the flavour a bit more? Anyway overall, a lovely resto to go try. read more

Good and will continue to frequent. Not the best sushi place I have been to regarding their sushi rice and dynamite rolls, but pricing is mostly ok. The mango avo rolls got slimy pretty quick. My mom likes the egg rolls and I suggest the crazy girl roll a deep fried california roll that has jalapeno cream cheese. read more

Came in for some sushi when they opened at 4pm and was immediately met with incredible friendly staff. Our server was quick to ask us if we wanted anything to drink, and promptly brought us water. We ordered two miso soups and 2 rice and steak sauce and our server brought out 3 spring rolls ON THE HOUSE!! They were so tasty, along with all the other food we got. Prices are very fair and the food was incredible with a great presentation. I will DEFINITELY be coming back and telling my family and friends!! Thank you Sushi Story !!! read more

They have good sushi and excellent service. Our friends told us about it and they will even drive across town just to go for sushi. I can see why it is worth the trip. read more

Get takeaway all the time, good value for the island and the rolls are huge. Tuna avocado roll is my go to. The staff is SUPER friendly! Only reason I didn't give 5 stars is because it's not a really fancy spot. read more

Super disappointed. Ordered the chicken teriyaki which was so dry my beer couldn't even water it down. Very little teriyaki sauce. I'm not a cook but if I can make something better than your restaurant you're not very good at what you do. Had ridden 40 miles on my bike and was starving and ended up throwing 3/4 of the meal away. The only good thing about this place was the staff. We were only 8 blocks away and couldn't get delivery unless the bill was over 50 dollars. read more

We were looking to celebrate with extended family last night and as my wife called around looking for somewhere that could seat us all at a reasonable hour, the Sushi Story came through for us. We discovered this gem in November and were amazed that such a great sushi spot existed outside the core of Victoria. When you sit down they bring you an amuse bouche to get your tastebuds going. The sushi is well made and the larger rolls don't fall apart on you like they do at too many spots. We were able to feed a huge crew, high quality food, without breaking the bank. They have a great range of dishes and what we ended up doing was an assortment of appetizers for folks to snack on and a boatload of sushi (some of which arrived on a wooden boat). Everyone was happy and full by the end of our feast. once they cleared the dishes they brought these lovely little puff pastries stuffed with ice cream for the kids and frozen grapes for all. The service and attention to detail here are much better than a number of the sushi spots in town. It is most definitely worth it to stray across to Esquimalt to come here. Even better there is tons of free parking either in their lot or on the street. I will be back soon. read more

Sad Sushi Story - service is brutal. This was our 2nd time at Sushi Story - first time was ok. I went there with my family on Feb 22. My husband and I each ordered a bento box (his was the noodle bento and mine was teriyaki chicken) and my daughter ordered sushi. We also ordered a sushi to share before our meals arrived. I think I may have stumped our server when I asked for no skin on the chicken in the bento box - there may have been a language barrier. When our food arrived, my husband got his bento box, my daughter got her sushi and we received our appy along with all of our meals at the same time. I was served up a dish with chicken, rice and veggies, not the bento box that I had ordered. I explained to our server that I ordered the bento box and she said that they could not do anything about it because the portion amount of the chicken is larger than what is the bento. I reiterated that I didn't order it and pushed it back towards her and she said "there is no skin on the chicken" and put it in front of me again in as much to say - "too bad!". My family heard what I ordered and this server (may have been the owner) was not prepared to make things right. If it were an issue of portion and even having to pay a bit more I would have and would take no issue with the chicken on that dish being used for my bento box. My daughter works in the service industry and we hear how disrespectful and rude some people can be to her. We decided to not make this a further issue as it was clear where the service was started and ended. My daughter was appalled with the service and, instead of berating the server, she said the best thing we can do is eat what you can and tell your friends and write a review and NEVER come back. I ate only the chicken as I don't eat white rice and the veggies were not very good but more than the food was the vibe that we felt. Clearly we did not matter. Seriously, there is some great sushi restaurants in Victoria that value their customers and have basic industry service standards. Go where you are valued! read more

I got the shrimp teriyaki special of the day and was blown away by the portion and super fresh grilled prawns. My significant other got 2 rolls and they are equally gigantic and delicious. So much yumness for such an affordable price, why not? read more

Unimpressed! I have been a consistent customer at sushi story for some time now, and lately the quality control has gone down hill. Sad to see read more

Friendly staff excellent food and cool atmosphere. We're always happy after we come here. You are greeted with a loud hello when you come in the door followed shortly by a free, always delicious appetizer morsel. The sushi's always fresh and beautifully presented. A great hidden gem! read more

Sushi Story - The Red Dragon roll - Japanese Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

After a very full day of sightseeing my partner and I wanted a nice meal of sushi. We found Sushi Story and had a great experience. We were greeted quickly by friendly staff. Attention by the staff was ongoing, friendly and informative but not intrusive. We ordered our food and it arrived within about 10 minutes. We had an appetizer of 4 pces of tempura, and I had a sushi sashimi combo plate with 10 pces along with 6 pces of fish - generous portion of food. My partner had a mega lobster roll which included a whole lobster tail, scallops, and salmon. Plenty to satisfy his hunger. All this great food along with a bottle of Asahi beer and saki came in at less than $60. We arrived on a Thursday at 5:30 pm and the restaurant was empty. By the time we left an hour later it was completely full. If you want evening dining I would suggest a reservation. read more

Absolutely excellent. Went there once and back again a few days later because it was so good. Having just moved to Esquimalt from Vancouver, I was worried about not being able to find sushi as good as what I am used to. Sushi Story is just perfect. The sashimi is fresh, the rolls are gorgeous, the Bento boxes are absolutely huge and everything is delicious, from the light and crispy tempura to the delightful sesame dressing on the green salad. Their Korean Sizzling rice bowl (BiBimBop) is fabulous. And they start you off with a tasty little Amuse Bouche (seems to change daily). Not only are the staff super friendly, they are amazing with kids and saved my evening by arriving with a plate of watermelon just before my baby had a complete meltdown (it was a late dinner for us). It's a big place with plenty of room for strollers. Oh, and the house wine is less than $5 a glass. I highly encourage you to try Sushi Story and then tell all of your friends. We want this place to last! read more

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This is a great restaurant all around. The staff have a great understanding of their customers. Sushi story has always continued to impress me with their great attitude and passion for great food. Their tempura is to die. I wholly recommend the chicken katsu! I give it a five because they are paying attention and they greet the customers. this is a lovely business. I wholly recommend the tempura. read more

Service is good. They provide a complimentary one bite appy, which was really good. The presentation on the specialty rolls was beautiful, I almost felt bad eating them. Although the traditional rolls left alittle to be desired. All in all it's a great sushi joint, I would 100% recommend this one. It is significantly better then the sushi restaurant that used to be there. read more

We had dinner there last night..the food was so fresh and just fantastic!!!! It reminded us of being in Japan..the service was awesome...it was one of the best experiences we have had ...please support this restaurant It is worth every penny!! I look forward to going back many times And it is worth the drive read more

Great sushi, great price and super service! Love the amuse bouche they give before your meal. Always friendly too. Can't say enough good things ! read more

Love this place! I usually end up there once a week or so. Awesome food and supper friendly staff. I'm seriously addicted!!! They bring out a mini appy on the house and fruit for dessert and the food is excellant. Highly recommend checking it out. read more