The service here is amazing. As a student from the University of Minnesota Rochester, I always love getting lunch here with my friends. The workers are always friendly and they may even recognize you. The food here has always been great and price worthy. read more

I used to think I didn't like fish but I had a poke bowl with salmon and tuna here and it's safe to say that I like fish now. I also had sushi from here (idk what type it was) but everything was super good read more

We happen to come across this food court as we explored the shops along the skywalk. You'd have to be looking for the sign and then walk back and around into this food court. It's past Thai Garden. The staff is really friendly and helpful. The udon noodle soup hit the spot on a cold day. My husband had the sushuritto (a sushi burrito). He enjoyed it and was filling. This is a good place for a quick tasty lunch. read more

This is a nice fast food noodle place in a food court above and to the left of Chesters. The guy that took our order was fast, efficient, friendly and helped us to choose something that we would each like. Don had Beef Pho and I had the TONKOTSU (pork) Ramen soup. Both were delicious and really hit the spot. We would definitely eat here again. The people who manage the food court are really on top of things. As soon as someone leaves a table, someone is there to clean it. Impressive! read more

This place was great for lunch today! The food was fresh and tasted great. I had a spicy salmon salad with avocado and my daughter had the spicy tuna roll. Yum! The best thing was the service! The staff was friendly & engaging, gave us recommendations and made sure we knew what the specials were! Don't let the "food court" aspect scare you away. It is bright & airy with lots of windows and there was someone cleaning tables as soon as people got up. read more

I ordered the sashimi bowl which came down to $9. The reason for my lower rating is because for the price I paid I got a few thin strips of yellowtail, salmon, and tuna. The tuna wasn't the brightest pink and the yellowtail was slightly brown. I don't think the fish is super fresh but it isn't bad. The salmon tasted fine and quite nice. The bowl comes with some variation of that one salad dressing you get at Olive Garden, but maybe a little creamier. I took the fish out of the bowl because the dressing was strong and defeated the purpose, in my opinion, of ordering a bowl with sashimi (which is traditionally eaten with a dab of wasabi and a dip in soy sauce. The portion sizes are SMALL. For a bowl whose name is contingent on sashimi, most of the bowl was greens and although rice is supposed to be at the bottom, you get a small spoonful (2 tablespoons at best). The good? The service was excellent. The guy working behind the counter was attentive of all the guests at the place and frequently checked on everyone, making small talk along the way. Very friendly staff and a family atmosphere. The verdict? There aren't many sushi places accessible to me currently and sushi being my favorite food, this makes settling mandatory; however, I've only endeavored one menu item! A lot of folks go here for the ramen from what I gaged when I was there so that might be something I'll eventually try. Next time I'll order a roll, though, because it seems like a good value for the same price I paid for the sashimi bowl and a roll usually fills me up. Note: I'll update my review as I try more items on the menu! So I will be back :) read more

Hmm...if I've never tasted fresh Ahi before, would I like it here? If I've never tasted Poke from Hawaii before, would I like it here? Or, would I like it here only because there isn't anything else like it around, and it has such a cute name? Pretending not to be a local from Hawaii, but a native of Minnesota, I sit here and ask myself these questions in order to objectively write this review. Tough, but here goes. Between appointments at the nearby Mayo Clinic, my partner and I ventured into one of the food courts across the street. Maybe it's not so bad. There were lots of people at this one stall. We read the menu and saw that it was quite large. There was everything from ramen and pho to sushi and poke bowls on it. The specials of the day was a Shoyu Chicken Plate and a Ahi Poke Bowl. I opted to get the Shrimp Tempura Bowl, my partner got the Ahi Poke Bowl, and we shared an order of Spicy Ahi Rolls. Both bowls had mildly seasoned sushi rice on the bottom then topped with shredded carrots, daikon (radish), sprouts, and, diced cucumbers. Sorry, but all this stuff was a turn off. The previously frozen Ahi in the Ahi bowl was simply seasoned with Hawaiian (Rock) Salt and nothing else. It was "okay". The Shrimp Tempura was precooked, overcooked, and served at room temperature. Not good. The Spicy Ahi Rolls were spicy in a good way, but the fish wasn't all that fresh. Fish shouldn't taste fishy. The presentation looked good and the customer service was outstanding. Because of this, and trying to remain objective, I'll give it 3 stars. If I was at home in Hawaii, however, this would easily be a (barely) 2 star review. It isn't likely that we'll be back, but, kudos to Wabi Sabi Express for trying. The locals of Rochester seem to enjoy your food. read more

See all

Fantastic place for quick afternoon Asian fusion, sushi and sashimi while in the area. It sits on the second floor of the building in a 'food court'. Don't let that deter you!!! Great food and awesome service! Wide ranging menu and only really available during the afternoon. If you want dinner from here, you'll need to grab it ahead of time :) The pho is fantastic! Everything is made fresh, while you wait. We grabbed ours to-go, and so do the majority of the clientele ... many from Mayo staff. You have an indoor area available for quick dining. Their Dragon roll is perfect and flavorful as is the standard staple California roll. Their rice bowls are flavorful, colorful and large portions! We had the Sashimi and combo bowls and were very satisfied! We loved the food and service! We highly recommend them, especially to-go, when you are in the area. read more

Ate here last week and got my usual Pho dish which is normally pretty good; however my most recent dining experience will be my last. As I was enjoying my soup I happened upon a kelly green appearing item in the middle of my bowl. I didn't think it was the jalapeños or a lime wedge due to the color. As I fished out the item, to my chagrin it was a saracha sauce top, in PEAK FLU SEASON, in the middle of a pho dish I had been eating for 20 min. I didn't want to believe my eyes, so I walked back to the counter to check if it had fallen off the bottle there and that was not the case. I threw the rest of the pho away and went about my way. Now, several days later my whole household has the flu, including my infant. I won't ever eat here again. read more

This place has gone downhill. It's really dirty. I threw my sushi away after I saw a lady sitting on the floor cutting meat balanced on a bucket. The floor was dirty. Don't want to take a chance on getting food sickness. read more

Moved back to Rochester after 5 years and was looking to see if any of the Japanese-Hibachi restaurants had Ramen. Not the Maruchan-75-cent-instant one- The ACTUAL Japanese Ramen with fresh vegetables, broth, and less salt/sodium. I had pretty high standards when it came to Ramen. Being in the East Coast/Big cities a lot the past 5 years, I was introduced and love ramen! So I searched (Google) for a restaurant that serves it and this restaurant came up. I tried one of their ramen bowls (Started with an "N") and sure enough, it was very delightful! It's got Bok Choy, Green Onions, Fish Balls, etc- all fresh and it was flavorful. I also had a conversation with the owner and he was telling me all about his years developing and mastering his Ramen recipes. You can tell he really puts his passion to his culinary skills. I highly recommend this place if you're into Ramen (Japanese Noodle Soup- similar to Vietnamese Pho). If you haven't had real Ramen, this place will definitely get you hooked! read more

Having lived near Los Angeles for many years, I used to eat at the best ramen place in Chinatown called Ramen Champ. I recently discovered Wabi Sabi and decided to give it a try. I had the Shoyu Ramen. The broth was so good, I drank it with a straw! No joke! I would give this 5 stars as this is the best place you're going to find in Minnesota for authentic Ramen. However, the noodles were kind of bland and the chicken could use seasoning. But man, that broth! Soooooo good! The hard-boiled egg was pretty close to authentic but not quite there. The owner was really nice and I look forward to going back to try their Beef Pho! read more

Never again. I wasn't expecting high quality sushi from this place - that's asking a bit much for a place that only has to-go service, but good god, they have the worst sushi I've ever eaten. First off, they charge ten dollars for nine pieces of sushi. Secondly, they managed to mess up all component parts of said sushi. The rice was soaked with vinegar, and the fish was incredibly mushy and tasted very off. I wouldn't be surprised if the fish was a week old, honestly. If you're looking for a sushi lunch in downtown Rochester, look someplace else. read more

Great place in Rochester to find Japanese cuisine. In addition to classic or specialty fresh sushi rolls, they also have really flavorful hot noodle bowls. My favorite is the spicy combo Sushi Rice Bowl (seasoned rice topped with a variety of veggies, spicy mix of tuna and salmon and finished off with some sauce drizzle). Location might be hard to find - in the newly remodeled 2nd floor First Ave Food court. Sometimes they will have a special of the day, like a special unlisted dish, or free tea or $1 miso soup with a purchase. Wonderful place to visit, whether its for a quick lunch or a place to sit and enjoy some sushi. read more

Wabi Sabi Express - Super Crunch roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

See all

Healthy and fresh Japanese food at it's best. The poke bowls are absolutely delicious. The fish and chicken katsu are fried to perfection and hit the spot if you need some comfort food like okasan used to make. read more

See all

No, no, NO! Perhaps I ordered the wrong type of ramen, but the Tonkotsu Ramen I had did not have the culinary skills or the passion that was described by another yelper. The broth is the most defining aspect of any noodle bowl! Broth is made with care by simmering on the stove for hours and then having the correct accompanying ingredients added to enhance the delicate flavors. I watched in utter horror as the cook added an unidentified grey powder to a measuring cup of hot water that was eventually poured over my poor innocent noodles. At this point I knew I could have saved myself the $8 and brought a 75 cent bag of instant ramen to work instead. Not surprisingly, the broth lacked any flavor at all and what was even more disappointing was that the shitake mushrooms were only partially reconstituted from their dried state and inedible. Blech! read more

I can't speak to their hours but I went for lunch around noon and the shop had a long line and packed seats. It looked to be popular with Mayo Clinic faculty/staff so I decided to give it a try. I really enjoyed my beef pho. I put in a good amount of sriracha but could still taste the spices in the broth. It tasted like a standard pho dish. I could have done with more cilantro and some lime but it is just a counter after all. Serving size was what I expected for $8. The free cucumber infused ice water is nice as well. The most difficult part of the experience was trying to find a seat. The food court really fills up over the lunch hour. read more

Went for the first time yesterday and to be honest, was not impressed. Went specifically for the ramen as they are the only ramen joint in town that I know of. I ordered the Shio Ramen which had crab and fish balls. The broth did not taste like ramen at all (tasted more like pho broth) and the noodles were exactly like other Yelpers described, the 20 cent kind you can buy at any Walmart. I also ordered the calamari salad which was decent. I will end up going back again but not to try the ramen, but to try their sushi bowls. Maybe I'll have more luck with those! read more

The ramen was very filling but lacked some flavor. Needs a splash of fish sauce or something, lol. I added some soy sauce which made it taste good. The sriracha was extra spicy which I like. The pork and egg were really good. The sushi was good but they didn't have sushi rice, just brown rice which is a weird texture. I liked the filling of the Philly roll and the outside of the scorpion roll. I'd probably go back to try the other ramen they have just cause I love noodles and they're the only ramen place in town! read more

Wabi Sabi Express - Ramen with pork and egg. It's creamy broth but I forget what one it was. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

I love this little hidden gem of a lunch location in the First Avenue Food Court. If you haven't been, GO! The food court is located between Salad Brothers and the sky way, across from the entrance to Newt's. The prices are great, the sushi is good, and the service is friendly. On Monday's miso soup is only $1 (and is a very generous portion), and they have a variety of sushi rolls, bowls, etc. I've only been there twice, but I recommend the spicy tuna roll. Very tasty! But with such a diverse menu, you could eat here every afternoon and rarely have the same thing twice. read more

Wabi Sabi Express - Spicy Tuna Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

This place looked better than the other places but my rice bowl was cold and my soda warm. I think that it should be the opposite. It is a shame because it would have tasted a lot better warm. For that I am giving a second star. read more

This 2 star review is a 3-star for the Poke bowl and a 1-star for the ramen. Poke bowl: very hard to find and great meal, but the quality of tuna used by Wabi Sabi is awful. Full of sinews and incredibly tough. It's also cut into chunks so large that you either have to (attempt to) cut them with chopsticks or bite in half--or gag on the whole thing. The flavor of the bowl overall is good though, despite the poor tuna. Great sauce flavor. Ramen: Terrible. The worst I've had (aside from instant) and certainly not worth $8. The noodles are soggy and have no texture. The broth is flavorless--CERTAINLY not ramen broth. No flavor in the beef. And for some reason there were Vietnamese meatballs in there (terrible as well!). It tastes like they just took canned chicken broth and threw a bunch of ingredients in it. read more

We just tried out the new location (1505 U.S. Hwy 14 East) and enjoyed it. The prices are reasonable and the service was very friendly. We tried the Salmon Trio bowl, Salmon Sashimi bowl and Spicy Tuna/Salmon bowl. The flavoring was excellent for Rochester sushi and there was a nice balance of rice, fish and veggies. My only disappointment was that the spicy tuna was canned. It would be nice to have that clear on the menu. We will definitely be back! read more

See all

I ordered the Shio Ramen bowl, WOW it was huge!!!! The flavors were amazing!!!! The Staff is super nice and friendly..

I will give them points for the decor of the kiosk. I will not however recommend their food. I ordered shrimp tempura sushi and an order of beef pho. The pho broth was beef Ramen broth. The shrimp tempura needed a whole lot of help it was not flavorful. I have been to grocery stores that sell sushi that is more flavorful than what I got from this restaurant. I am from California I know what the items I ordered should taste like and that was not it. read more

Probably 4 star food but it's a fast food setup and easy access from Mayo. I have not found anything better inside the Mayo system. Solid Pho and decent sushi. I eat here most every time I visit Mayo. read more

This little gem is tucked away back in the side of the walkway system, but it is worth searching out. They have pho and poke, and sashimi and ramen. (Not a fan of their ramen, but the salads are great). read more

Great quick sushi lunch and extremely personable owner! He takes pride in his work! The seaweed salad and nigiri is well made, next time I'll have to try the phone! read more

I get sushi there a couple times a week and it's always been good. It's in a food court so it's not high end although they do have specialty sushi. I've also tried the Sushi bowl and will say I wasn't the biggest fan, but the sushi, ramen,and pho is delicious. The staff is awesome too. The younger guy who works cashier knows me and my friends names and is always friendly. Would highly recommend this if your looking for a quick meal. read more

My boyfriend and I eat here for lunch all the time. It is conveniently located, and the sushi is typically decent. However, yesterday, he ate a spicy crab roll that made him incredibly sick. It is obvious that the fish was old or poorly handled, as he became ill almost immediately after lunch. I would think twice...and then decide no...before eating here again. read more

I liked this place. The spicy salmon rice bowl was good, I inhaled the entire thing in minutes. Fills you up if you're hungry. If you're absolutely starving the spicy salmon salad bowl looked even bigger, with a good amount of rice. For $8 is was not a bad deal. read more

The food is really good here typically and I was craving it today. I went around 3 o clock and the man who works the desk seemed like he was having an off day. I politely asked him if the kitchen was still open and he didn't give me a direct answer, saying it was "up to you". I was a little upset with answer and asked him to clarify. He again wasn't direct and I chose to leave the establishment. Was disappointed in the service today even though the food is normally great. read more

I have only had a variety of the rice bowls and some of the pre-made sushi rolls. The rice bowls are fresh and very good in my opinion . I eat lunch here often, and would recommend. read more

Right above Mac's. Great stuff and fast. I'm from Austin TX and hard a hard time finding it. The people are cool and helpful. Good Food!!!

Great hot dishes. I love the ramen in the winter months. I haven't tried the sushi yet but it doesn't look anything that special.

Obviously this place is favored for its convenience, location, and reasonable prices, but don't expect authenticity or high quality food. I've tried a few different items here (pho and sushi bowls and sushi) and none of them were impressive. They just fill you up and that's about it read more

Excellent food and kind staff. Location is hidden unless you really look for it. I consider it to be a gym amongst all other international foods that are in that same small food court but again it is really hidden even though it is right in the University Plaza second floor. Go up the escalator and down the hall and you will find it. read more

Oh Wabi Sabi, how I wanted to like you. However, the first time I went there, your sales clerk informed me that you were closed. When I asked what time you closed, you said 2pm. Sadly, it was 1:15 and when I told the clerk that he just reiterated that they closed at 2 and they couldn't serve me, sad. Next time I went, I came in at lunch time and order some PHO to go. Up until now, I didn't know you could mess up that dish, but you did. If you're going to continue as a restaurant, I'd recommend that your clerks learning to read a clock and stop selling PHO.. Maybe I'll try your other stuff in the future and see if all your menu is the same. read more

Fantastic sushi! Shipped in high quality fresh fish. I highly recommend the Poke salad--he uses big pieces of extremely fresh Ahi Tuna and it better than any poke you can get in Minneapolis! Shai, the owner/chef, also does home sushi parties where he comes to your house for a dinner party and whips up incredible sushi and teaches you how to make it. One of the most fun things you can do in Rochester. Highly recommend you try both! read more

Making a stop in Rochester, MN to visit the family and visit the Mayo campus I made my way to find a good bite. Upon arriving to the numerous numbers of Asian cuisine settle in the bottom part of the Mayo campus, I decided to try out Wabi Sabi Express. I ordered the Tonkotsu Ramen and ummm, I was very disappointed. I did eat up my food for what it was since I didn't want to waste it. I believe I could have had a better with package instant ramen noodle. read more