First off the ambience is very nice. Not in a posh or romantic kind of way but in an authentic izakaya way. Very Japanese decor and all the staff I saw we're Japanese including the chefs, one of which was a lovely young lady. My first experience with a female sushi chef, so that was a pleasant surprise .
Anyway as far as the food goes I had agedashi dofu and sushi rolls. The agedashi appetizer was one of the best I've had. They make it right with plenty of ginger and scallions, unlike most places.
The sushi was not quite as good. Though the menu is creative and the rolls competently assembled and tasty, some of it was too cold, as if the ingredients had just come out of the refrigerator.
It's for that reason I could not recommend. Too bad because it's a nice little spot.
We went to Asaka for the 5pm-7pm Happy Hour on a whim. Â I was really wanting sushi but didn't want to go to one of the fancier spots in town. Â We ordered five different rolls (which proved to be a lot) and edamame. Â It was really tasty and very cheaply priced (roughly $3-$5 per roll).
If you're looking for a nice ambiance and a romantic setting, this isn't the place for you. Â However, if you want an after-work meal, it is great. Â For the price and the amount of food, it's a great spot.
I wouldn't take a first date there.
At long last, an authentic sushi place has come to Indianapolis! Â Having lived in Tokyo and Kyoto and studied Japanese cuisine, I am always on the lookout for good places in the area. Â
The owner is Japanese and moved to the area a number of years ago; he could be found behind the sushi bar preparing the sushi HIMSELF. Â I was pleasantly surprised to find a menu that offered not just rolls, but more traditional offerings such as Tenpura Udon and Donburi. Â
My wife ordered and devoured the Chirashi-zushi, an assortment of sashimi atop a bed of sushi rice. Â I got both sushi rolls and the Udon, both of which were fantastic. Â My brother, always a picky eater, surprised us all and went for the sushi dinner and crushed it. Â
Overall, the food was wonderful, and the service was punctual. Â The fish was fresh and flavorful, and the rolls were inspired and plentiful. Â
Don't come here look for trendy Asian fusion lounge food and cocktails; come if you're in the mood for traditional and authentic Japanese dishes. Â You'll likely find yourself sitting next to natives longing for a taste of home, as we did.
Whoa...they all speak Japanese in there, even the Caucasian waitress. At least the food is actually made by Japanese people, not some knock-off pretending they're an expert in Japanese cuisine. On one condition...the food does need some much needed improvement since my high school days. I've had sushi and a few appetizers before back in 2004...and fast-forward to now. I give them a second chance, still same ole same ole.
The tako-yaki (octopus balls) aren't the ones I'm usually accustomed to. They were very soggy and the dashi flakes tasted a little stale. Definitely will skip that next time. The only thing I think they semi-excel in is the Asaka ramen. The tonkatsu broth is flavorful without being overly salty and they use actual ramen noodles. Not the instant ones out of the bag. This is probably the only place serves and remains consistent with the ramen noodles. Just too bad this place is only opened for dinner, otherwise I would frequent here during lunch just for the ramen.
Well extremely disappointing and a waste of $ (no one has it to throw away these days)
I so looked forward to eating here as this menu looks great. Â I'm a great home cook and have made almost all these items. Â I also am the one that chooses where we go because that's my husband's choice. Â I've been known to take him to obscure ethnical hide aways. Â We usually try a place for lunch in case it's a blowout, but Asaka only serves at night.
Â
MIso soup yummy? Â Anyone can go to the Asain Mart, buy some miso, combine it with H20 and your fav. ingrediants. Â
Salad-blah
Dumplings-mediocre
Squid legs-absolutely terrible! like they were from the freezer, greasy, soggy, & tasteless Yuck, Â
Shoyu raman-just OK
My husband's terriyaki chicken- just OK who can't pour sauce on chicken??
Well it was the weekend and there were a few people that came in. ' All' were eating sushi.
Maybe we missed the train! Â Â
This experience was too bad to go back and Indy has so many wonderful restaurants!!
But--Maybe I'll try again for sushi at a later date!
Asaka has a sushi happy hour early evenings. Â The rolls were fresh and came out FAST (it may have helped that we sat at the sushi bar). Â The rolls were not very creative though. Â I would like to see some more outrageous rolls there -- they were pretty basic. Â The quality was fantastic though.
Review Source:I believe this is one of the best sushi places in Indianapolis. Â Even beyond the rolls, the appetizers and entrees are very flavorful--some personal favorites include the agedashi tofu and any of the udon dishes. Â As far as rolls are concerned, there is quite a variety and the namesake Asaka roll is nice and meaty, and I can't recall any roll that has disappointed (I've been here about 4-5 times). One other positive that can't be understated: this place is JAPANESE-owned which is a nice change of pace (most places in Indy usually have Chinese owners). Lastly, this place is quite reasonable in terms of pricing, I find.
One gripe however: the service is very inconsistent. Â Sometimes the waitresses are quite attentive but largely they have a tendency to ignore your table for long stretches of time. Â A couple of times, we would order more food only to wait an eternity and have to ultimately cancel it because we had to run. Â That said, I'm willing to put up with it to a certain degree because I think the food is worth it, just be forewarned.
Wow, to get six sushi rolls for take out they told me after waiting 15 minutes that I would have to wait another 30 minutes. Â The place was dead with only two couples on the restaurant. Â Guess they have lazy sushi chefs that work there. Â All is ok though, went to Sapporo across the street and got great sushi for take out, and it took under 15 minutes.
Review Source:Why do you go to a Japanese Steakhouse? Sometimes it's because either you/your date doesn't like sushi. Otherwise, let's say special events and/or nights out with friends. My visit was of the birthday persuasion. I love sushi (but my wife doesn't) so this seemed like a fun, different place to go than the usual Scotty's/Champs/Etc.
When we walked in, I thought about turning around to go somewhere else, but it was late and we were hungry. I loved the comment below about this being the Denny's of Japanese Steakhouses. Dead-on. Koi pond, check. Everything else in the place, boring and plain. Not even background music? This place was DEAD on Thursday at 7pm.
Escorted through the dining room, through crying babies at 2 tables. Sat at the hibachi and waited 20 minutes before the chef came out. Let's call him 'disinterested' - you know all of the mildly humorous things you expect from the guys behind the hibachi? Well, he pulled off most of them, but now imagine he's been doing it for 35 years, and working 2 other jobs. That was about the level of enthusiasm that our guy had. There wasn't a problem with the food, but this place doesn't have what I'd expect for a Japanese Steakhouse. If you just want good sushi, go to a sushi place. If you want to be bored through a half-hearted dinner, this is probably the place for you.
I've been coming to Asaka since 04 and it is still my favorite Indianapolis sushi restaurant. I base that on the freshness of the fish and the selection ONLY. I could care less about ambiance or atmosphere. If that were the case I would have ruled it out altogether because it sits between a hooters, red lobster and a Burlington coat factory. Good fish, great service and they great you every time you walk in the door. I will say they used to have free dumdums lollipops years ago, but have since abandoned this sweet post dinner treat.
Review Source:I have been to Asaka several times and only had one bad experience here. All the other visits were fantastic. In general, the sushi selection is large and flavorful, with reasonable prices and free yummy miso soup. The service is also usually quick and good as well. The one time that everything went wrong, I ordered a bowl of noodles that had almost no flavor and I made myself eat a few bites before giving up. And the service was of course super slow that day - maybe our waitress was having a bad day because she is usually great. I would stick with the delicious ramen and sushi here, as I'm not so sure about anything else and am now afraid to order outside my favorites. I keep going back and just try to pretend that one little (or major) fluke didn't happen. :-)
Review Source:I am a huge sushi fan so was excited to try something new. Â I was pleased with the happy hour prices and the extent of their menu. Â I was pleased with the kindness of our server. Â I was appalled by service itself and for this reason, I will never come back. Â I came in with a party of five, one of whom ordered chicken while the rest of us ordered sushi. Â The chicken came out 20 minutes before anything else and was cold before anyone else received their dinner. Â Two more sushi plates arrived, 15 minutes after that one more arrived, and a full hour after the chicken dish was set on the table, the last plate of sushi was served. Â Beers were never delivered without having to remind the server. Â The checks took forever and only after they were requested. Â Finally we inquired why 5% wasn't taken off for those of us who paid in cash as it had been advertised. Â "I'm sorry but I can't do that for split checks." Â Gee, thanks for letting us know. Â I forgot to mention that the fish wasn't that great either.
Review Source:You mightn't guess that hidden behind the Hooters in a Castleton strip mall is this cozy little sushi joint. The menu, in Japanese and English, is extensive, and they seem to have plenty of weekday specials, including free miso soup. I sampled some veggie rolls, the house salad, seaweed salad, inari and miso soup--all were above average. I washed my meal down with Asahi, which was 20 percent off, making the 24-oz bottle a steal. The service was gracious, though perhaps a tad slow when it was time for the check. But by that time I was in a warm, belly-full-of-sushi kind of haze so I didn't much mind.
Review Source:Pro: One of the best "pure" Sushi in Indianapolis. The cook is actually Japanese, not Korean or Chinese. Their appetizers are great too. The staff are friendly. I recommend going there on weekdays 5-7pm for their half price nigiri. Great deal!
Cons: A little bit pricy, but all good Japanese foods in Indy are too.
I love this restaurant! I think this is the best place to have fresh suchi in indy. I dined in and took out before, both experience were wonderful! Further, 5-7 pm on weekdays are happy hours, they are almost half price of nigiri and some rolls. Great place to enjoy local Japanese style night :)
Review Source:my favorite sushi place in the indianapolis area, hands down. Â i've never been disappointed with the food - it's always delicious. Â i'm a vegetarian and love their asparagus tempura roll. Â definitely can't complain about complementary green tea, either. Â Â the wait staff is a little hit and miss, and the decor is nothing special, but the food makes up for it. Â soooo good.
Review Source:Still fantastic! Free miso soup in the wintertime is amazing, and the tuna is still the best I've had. The service is fast and friendly too, a nice change from Sakura (see my review). They've been a lot busier the last couple times I've gone, so make reservations if you're going on a weekend.
However, I don't recommend getting anything with the tempura "crunchies" as an ingredient. I ordered the "Funky Tuna" roll and was less than impressed because of this unfortunate addition. They're kind of greasy and flavorless.
This was not my favorite sushi place by quite a long shot actually. Â Saying that, if you are on a budget, this place is probably the joint for you and in that scenerio...this is the place to go. Â I was here during the happy hour and got a bill for two just over $30 which is pretty darn good for sushi. Â I guess where this place just doesnt do it for me is in the freshness of the seafood. Â I dont think that it was very fresh and they were really lacking in the presentation department. Â Sushi should be really artful and they definately were not able to deliver that. Â We had ordered a roll that was a special that night and they actually splattered soy sauce on the plate...which really does not work at all since soy sauce is not dense enough to stay where it was splattered and ended up running all over the platter and that was the extent of the decorating of the roll. Â There was not even an attempt to lay the roll out in a unique way, they just set it down on the plate. Â Similar things can be said for the other things we ordered. Â This place did they trick but really there was nothing that stood out at this place except the happy hour prices. Â Â I guess you could say that this place is very forgetable.
Review Source:I was really expecting a lot more after reading reviews on Yelp and deciding to come to Asaka. Maybe it was an off night? Visited the restaurant on a recent Saturday night and we ordered an assortment of nigiri - along with a two rolls. Before I jump into that, I'll say that the soup and side salad were wonderful (great dressing on the salad). The edamamee appetizer was also very good (just the right amount of salt). But the sushi didn't follow suit. It didn't seem fresh. The color of the sushi seemed dull. It tasted a little too fishy. We had leftovers - which never happens and neither one of us wanted to take the extras home. The price is definitely right here, though. It's the most affordable sushi that I've found so far, but I'm not sure if that will get me back in the door.
Review Source:I really like Asaka, although it's not nearly as bright and glowing on the inside as the pictures on the website would have you believe. It is kind of dive-y, but the food is good. I can never resist the yakiniku, which is thinly sliced beef in a very flavorful sauce. If you like bulgogi, you'd probably like yakiniku. What little sushi I tried was also fresh and tasty.
My favorite part of coming to this restaurant, though, is dessert--green tea ice cream. Mmmm.
People seem to love this northside dive. I did love the happy hour sushi prices, which were still in effect on Friday evening when I visited (full time is 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday). Hand rolls were going for $2.95, so I chose spicy tuna and shrimp tempura. The shrimp tempura was pretty good and crisp; the spicy tuna was a blob of electric red gop spiced up with Sriracha sauce to the point I couldn't taste much else.
I also tried the agedashi dofu, deep fried tofu in a vegetable "sauce" that was really a very salty broth. The shrimp and crab dumplings ("shumai") were tasty, but a bit soggy.
This is the kind of place that would be great with a few tweaks.
I used to go Benihana for 1/2 price Sushi twice a week, but now that Benihana remodeled, got rid of their half price sushi menu, and hired a bunch of rude, surly, and absent sushi servers, I don't go there anymore.
I am sold on Asaka mainly for their half price sushi menu from 5pm-7pm Tuesday-Sunday (they're closed on Mondays). Â Pieces are $1, with the exception of a few things (salmon and eel come to mind) which are $1.25-1.50 per piece. Â The rolls are not half price though.
The restaurant itself is hardly ever full to capacity, meaning that even on a Friday night you can expect to get a table without a wait. Â They don't charge for green tea (some places do!) and the wait staff, for the most part, are attentive and helpful.
If you're looking for a sushi restaurant that can be a place you return to over and over, Asaka is it. Â Two adults can eat here (including a salad or seaweed salad and tea) for under $40. Â My fiance and I can escape for under $30 sometimes if we're not starving. Â That's totally reasonable considering sushi can cost $50+ at Wasabi and other places in the area.
Asaka would get 5 stars if the tables didn't have squeaky chairs, and if the decor and music were a bit better. Â You will look at the walls and go "what were they thinking with this attempt at decoration!" Â But the food is great. Â That's why I am there about once a week!
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