Went to this place back in January 2024 so my review is of my experience then- management changed in spring. When I went the place was really nicely decorated, great ambiance. The was incredible, outstanding service. Everything we ordered was delicious the sushi I've had in Calgary and priced very well. Huge menu! One of my favourite places to go! read more

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To celebrate our son's Convocation, we made a reservation for dinner here. Our servers were pleasant, efficient and took the time to explain the special/popular items on the menu (this was our first time here since the restaurant changed management from Sakana Grill to Ponshu). We ordered two appetizers: the beef tongue and the Japanese calamari. The raw beef tongue slices which the server instructed us to grill (10 seconds per side) on a steaming hot stone were meltingly delicious and tender. The calamari was also crispy(with hardly any trace of batter) and served with a housemade tartar sauce (creamy with the right amount of tartness). Onward to the main dishes: the Chef's Choice Sashimi was presented on an elevated mat on a bowl of ice and dry ice. Today's special was salmon, tuna, and mackerel; this was the freshest sashimi I've tasted in a long time. We also enjoyed an assortment of rolls -- California real crab roll, tempura shrimp and smoked salmon roll, and the Wagyu unagi truffle roll. All of the ingredients complemented each other so perfectly, especially the Wagyu and unagi (it's like they got married and lived happily ever after)! Overall, all our dishes were beautifully presented and the flavours were fresh and vibrant. We will definitely be back! read more

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Got their Lunch Sets, Fisherman Bowl and Balsamic Pork Ribs. Every lunch set comes with rice and miso soup There was a generous amount of fresh sashimi bites topped on a bed a sushi rice. The Balsamic Pork Ribs was seasoned to perfection, and it melts in your mouth! Definitely would recommend if you're in the area during lunch time! read more

Ponshu - Lunch Set - Fisherman Rice Bowl Lunch Set - Balsamic Pork Ribs - Japanese Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

This used to be Sakana Grill. It's gone upscale, with a refreshed interior that exudes a more contemporary urban vibe. We ordered the chef's sashimi special (salmon, tuna, mackerel), beef tongue on hot stone, calamari, dragon roll, dynamite roll, California roll with real crab meat, and wagyu unagi roll. Everything was fresh, delicious, and presented beautifully. We'll return. read more

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The decor is nice but the food is not at the same level. So came here for the late night special and ordered a bunch of things. Everything was disappointing. From something so basic like tempura to sushi. Also the best deal was their toro sushi during late night and we were told that they don't have enought toro so that special isn't there anymore (for this location ???? only???) Service was meh as well. At least they came to clear the plates. If I had to compare this place to all you can eat quality, I would say the grade was definitely lower than all you can eat. The salmon sushi wasn't fresh and had too much rice. Not to mention the salmon was very thinly sliced. The most disgusting sushi, I ever had was from this place the unagi dragon roll. First off it was cooked and second of all, unagi doesn't go well with lemon. Why is their slices of lemon between the roll? Nasty. So nasty. Never coming back. read more

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Ponshu review Visited this restaurant in Calgary almost 5 months ago. Maybe it changed since but I wasn't too fond of it. Started off with some popular appetizers. There was the Sea of Japan Ceviche where I only wanted it for the gram, it's presented in a glass and comes out smokinnnnn (prounounced like the Mask, do people know what the Mask is? Am i really old? Yes is the answer). However, the flavor wasn't too smokin at all, it had some decent but very small pieces of scallops, shrimp, salmon, tuna, octopus and salmon caviar (which is just roe but apparently, you can upcharge something if it has caviar in it *eyeroll*). Dish is basically all presentation. Also had the chicken karaage which was pretty oily and nothing more than a Japanese chicken nugget here, Texture wasn't crisp at all and the chicken tasted dull. Ordered some pressed sushi as well. The first impression of them is that they were pretty small. We had the aburi salmon and negi toro pressed sushi. The salmon had a creamy sauce which made it taste ok, while the toro had some wasabi soy for a better flavor in my opinion. What's interesting is that the chef here apparently is from Miku in Vancouver. Where I loathe the sushi there and the pressed sushi was terrible. So having this just gave me flashbacks of paying for the oceanside location prices at Miku. Also had some spot prawns which were small as hell, but they deep fried the heads so all was well. I'm seriously gonna research the difference between prawns and shrimp because I swear some places are charging prawn price for a shrimp. One of these prawns were 6 bucks...pretty pricy for sure. Forgot we had the Stone Plated 6oz AAA steak and for $22 it was not worth it. Nothing about the steak was special in anyway. I'll stick to the Shokunin for steak prepared in the appropriate Japanese way. Overall the service here was garbage tier. Seemed like during the pandemic they were insistent on packing the entire restaurant then even getting us some water. Will probably never come back here so don't be fooled by their social media. Sal says: Just Skip It (2.6/5) Tracey says: I thought the place was pretty clean... The fish tasted pretty fresh; flavours were good but not amazing. The shrimp thing was very mediocre haha. Portions were def small, especially the pressed compared to dorinku as u had mentioned lol. I didn't really care for the yuzu drink either but also I usually only like alcohol that doesn't taste like alcohol. Service was subpar, they were friendly enough but didn't even offer water and dude ignored my first water request haha read more

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I've been to Sakana Grill 3-4 times already, both with family and friends and it is a favourite spot for sushi. The atmosphere is contemporary and welcoming, with booths for larger parties and tables for couples. The staff can be straight to the point when it comes to bringing your food, but I have never had to send anything back or had a complaint. This is a traditional place in ways of food delivery---it comes all at once so large parties may share their plates, be prepared to shuffle plates around. Pricing is $60-$80 for two people (not during happy hour) and about $120-$140 for parties of four to five people at least in my case. Bottom line: come for the food. Come to socialize. Good for kids and large parties. There is limited parking in the back. You will become a master plate shuffler. read more

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Ponshu is a new face in Crowfoot. It has taken over the Sakana Grill location. The food we ordered via delivery was amazing! I am so happy to see such a fine Japanese restaurant in Crowfoot! We ordered the following: - Japanese Calamari - so cool with that mayo sauce! - 5 kind assorted Sashimi- wow! I was so impressed with the fresh sashimi. There was tuna, red tuna, Hamachi, scallops, salmon decorated with edible gold leaf and rosebuds!! Came with Wasabi, ginger and soya sauce. - Endamame- good - Sea Urchin Carbonara - OMG! Best uni udon I have ever had! Creamy and so uni- delicious! -Melting Chashu - OMG! Ponshu has a very unique way of making pork sing, or in this case, melt! It literally melts in your mouth! - Habanero Pork Cheeks - a slightly chewy pork cheeks in an interesting sauce - Chicken Karaage - best part of this juicy fried chicken, Ponshu gave it for FREE! Thanks, Ponshu! In love with this chicken and spicy mayo sauce!! Needless to say, we love the food at Ponshu! Will definitely order again! read more

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I have never been to Sakana grill outside of the happy hour. Happy hour occurs from 9pm to closing. There is also a lunch time happy hour which is around 2pm to 4pm (don't quote me on this). Almost every time that I come here, I order the love boat deluxe - this is one out of the two love boats and this one comes with cooked food like gyoza and teriyaki. This boat also comes with a miso soup and salad to start. It will definately keep 2 people full, even 3 if you're not too hungry. The Crowfoot location is very open and clean. I've been coming here for a few years and they have renovated the restaurant and the decor looks very welcoming. The food quality is always good, not the best I've ever had but well worth the price. I would recommend coming here for a late night dinner. read more

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Excellent ambience and service. Customer service and food arrangement suffers slightly during busy hours (eg. Being ignored by waitstaff, sushi rolls not formed adequately and easily falls apart), but not enough to ruin the day. The quality of the food is very good, however it is expensive for what you get compared to other restaurants serving the same fare. For example, majority of a sushi will be rice and imitation crab while the fish portion is only the size of a fingernail. Rice bowls look pretty but upon closer inspection, there is barely anything besides rice (the toppings are broken up and spread apart so it gives the illusion that you're getting a lot). Come for a good time with friends but expect to pay out the nose for worthwhile menu items. The food is good at looking pretty but not much else. Anything less than $3 per sushi seems to skimp on ingredients. read more

Ponshu looks the same as previous restaurant Sakora Grill, but the menu is far more interesting. The Wagu Carpaccio, served in a jewel box, comes with a hot stone so you can cook the meat at the table. The presentation of the sushi and sashimi was elegant and service was exemplary. I highly recommend it. read more

Met friends for dinner. I tried this place before about 6 or 7 years ago and thought it was OK but gave it another try. Service was prompt and attentive. We ordered a flaming roll which is super cool, deluxe sashimi and a beef tataki. I also had a seared tuna and they brought a mini torch to the table . Overall, the resto was empty but picked up by 6pm. All tables were spaced apart. We got there at 5pm. Restos have only opened up for dine in a few weeks ago so I understand the hesitation. I've not been out in 4 months! It was a bit pricey and the rice was not my fave. To me, sushi rice quality is indicative of the overall quality and experience. read more

#180 This should have actually been #179 (since my latest visit was yesterday) but apparently, I had an issue posting a draft. I visit this location quite often (especially now that the downtown location has closed for renovations and a rebranding). I normally come in for their famous Happy Hour pricing with a $27 Love Boat for two being my staple (which, even as much as I eat, I can only eat about 1/2 to 2/3 of it) so good thing I bring my dates with me. Maybe it's because the staff recognize me/us but I always get great service and my glasses very rarely run empty (but if that should happen, they are there before I can raise my glass). My Love Boat is always delivered with a smile and a plethora of fresh scallop (1 piece) tuna sashimi (3 pieces), salmon sashimi (3 pieces), snapper (I think) (2 pieces), salmon sushi (2 pieces), tuna sushi (2 pieces), ebi sushi (2 pieces), cucumber roll (6 pieces), California roll (6 pieces), salmon roll (6 pieces), and 5 pieces of House? roll (has tuna, salmon, imitation crab). I also get two green salad and two miso soup. I like to also try something new with my Love Boat and last night was no exception. I tried the tuna takaki which is 4 pieces for $6 (Happy Hour pricing). I wasn't expecting much but the pieces are huge and their ponzu is pretty good (though I need to remember to ask for extra onion). I have always like this location though parking can be challenging (there are a large number of spots but this spot is very popular). Good selection (at least for Happy Hour) for a fair price with friendly service (though I see other reviewers have not been so lucky). read more

Best sushi in Calgary. Authentic staff and food. Must try! Great daily specials as well.

The atmosphere is so much better after they had the renovations. It seems more open and brighter. Thank goodness they got rid of that extra step to get into the booths. Before, if you were not paying attention and you to get up and out from your booth/table- you end up stepping down onto a lower part of the floor. Their baked oysters are the bomb!! So yummy and SO HOT (temperature wise) I do however have a pet peeve about their raw oysters- make sure there are no pieces of shell in there. Maybe it's just because of how small they are, the shell is more fragile? LOVE their sushi and sashimi!! And I like how they give you a simple palate cleanser: 3-4 frozen grapes. Nice and simple. read more

Sakana is perhaps best known for its Happy Hour pricing, which I believe to be in play a couple of times each day (once in the late afternoon, and again late-night). This promotion is highlighted by their "sushi love boat", which drops in price from around $35 to around $23, and is truly one of the best sushi deals going in Calgary (or anywhere, for that matter). The boat contains a good assortment of quality nigiri, maki, and sashimi, and feeds three comfortably. It's not quite 5* sushi quality, but it's very good, and dollar-for-dollar it would be hard to do better (at least during Happy Hour). read more

Excellent happy hour! $1 salmon: either as sushi or sashimi! Customer service is fairly standard, nothing extraordinary. The quality of food at this location seems better than the downtown location. Only sad thing is they only serve toro sushi (from the happy hour menu) from mon-thurs. I didn't order it this time but the deluxe boat is pretty good. it has a great mix of sushi, sashimi, and kitchen items! read more

Ponshu - $1 a piece! Sushi or sashimi - Japanese Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

Their presentation is amazing when you look online BUT disappointed coz they don't do the same on weekends. No dry ice in our sea of japan order because we came on Saturday night but you pay same price. The food is jusk ok. Nothing to be excited about. A bit pricey too. Our server is friendly but forgot to refill our tea until we reminded him. read more

Food is excellent, service was an extreme let down. Got seated and left, waited ten minutes with no sign of a server. Got up and asked to order drinks and handed over the filled out food menu. Drinks came back with a complementary 4 pc roll! Woohoo! "Here is your Spicy Tuna roll!" We had two small children with us! Spicy? Really? Kids end up mad because they can't eat it. Friends joined shorty after with the same issues, had to chance down servers for the rest of the night. read more

I was really impressed with the sushi here. There wasn't a roll I had that I didn't like! My favourites were the ocean mountain roll and the squid leg roll. Also, I want to commend Daniel for amazing service! He was very kind and on the ball. I would definitely go back! read more

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Review: happy hour. One of the few Japanese restaurants in Calgary that serves happy hour, we wanted test how happy the hour truely is at this place. Bottomline: average Japanese food at a cheap price. Good place to fill up on sushi without costing your mortgage. Atmosphere: generally speaking, the decor is modern and ambience is decent. However, they paid much less attention to the details. I.e. there were old decor visibly tucked away high up on the shelf that seemed to have collected dust over the last century. The kitchen door to the outside faced the parking lot and was opened so you could see all the garbage and old dirty racks and boxes stacked up against the restaurant. Service was good. Food: mediocre Japanese food. They offer two different sushi boats during happy hour and we tried both. The sushi was heavy on rice and some rolls fell apart when I picked them up. But at least they tasted good and the fish was fresh. The tempura was battered well and the gyoza were also tasty. Chicken teriyaki was nothing special and tasted like homemade. Value: pretty good price for the portions of food you are getting. Don't expect high quality Japanese food though. read more

Giving 5 stars to this place would have been a very generous... and I mean a VERY generous rating years ago. However, I'm actually going to give it that rating right now because it deserves it! This Sakana Grill at the crowfoot location has definitely improved since the last time my friends and I went here. Before the food would taste very bland, refrigerated and felt like it was just slabbed together. This time, I ordered the Geisha Roll and Ocean Mountain roll with my boyfriend, and wow... these rolls were SUPER tasty, amazing, and you get A LOT then what you would expect to get! We also got some tempura udon... for 10.95... you get a plate of tempura, and a huge HUGE bowl (like... a large pho bowl size) of udon (althought it's only filled up half way). I shared this with my bf and the soup was really tasty, the noodles were the right chewy consistency and the tempura was very good. We also got some sunomono as an appetizer and it was bigger than expected and they used real crab :) The service is by far the best I've gotten from any sushi restaurant. The staff are very cheerful and attentive and actually make our dining experience so much better. My friend's birthday was during the time we went and we told the waitress. She gave us some complimentary sundried tomato with avocado sauce sushi on a dish, as well as some complimentary shumai (I think it was complimentary... o_O). Since it was her birthday, they did a birthday cheer for her while dressing her and her bf up in cute asian outfits. :) My friend also received some birthday dessert pocky and her SO also received some pocky as well. To end off the meal, Sakana Grill crowfoot location gives you a complimentary bowl of fruit (fresh fruit ftw!) and Pocky for everyone. I would definitely go back to this place. They have stepped up so much since my last visit, I'm glad I was convinced to go back! :) read more

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The last review I wrote in 2015 is no longer relevant of this location. I believe they have changed for the best, the menu has a special price like happy hour for sushi and drinks. The last time I went a few weeks ago was wonderful. I brought my Fiancée and his mother and we had a grand time, the portions were giant despite it being on a happy hour menu. As usual we ordered the Red and Black Ninja roll and OMG, IT IS AMAZING! Seriously amazing salmon sashimi. I will for sure be returning with all of my friends. Maybe even for my birthday party :) We were blown away by the fast service this time, and the renovations to the washrooms are gorgeous. European Bidets are installed and I find that very classy for woman like myself in skirts (Thongs lol) Wonderful experience! read more

Small portions really small portions really would never use this company again Skip the dish 7 minute drive away my food was sitting getting cold Not impressed with either will not use either one again I can't believe how small the portions are read more

This is the best sushi restaurant in Calgary. The service is good. Most important the quality is very good and with a reasonable price. The fish is flash, and all the grill is delicious. read more

Ponshu - Japanese Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

Really good sushi! I give it 4 stars because it's a little bit pricey, however, it's totally worth it. They have good service, and are kid-friendly. They also have a special treat for birthday's. Definitely recommend. read more

We like to come here with family during happy hour. We usually order the Love Boat, along with a few cooked items like gyoza, tempura etc. Their BBQ corn is delish - love that they put bonito flakes on it! read more

Some of the staff are really hit or miss, there is one older lady in particular that I always get as a server and I always KNOW she's my server because I've waited 10+ minutes just to be greeted and asked what I want to drink. Other staff members take their time talking to customers and don't come to you until they're done chatting, and some girls act like they'd rather be working anywhere else than here. But, occasionally you will get a splendid server and it will make up for all the bad ones that are here. The food is also hit or miss here, some nights it's splendid and some nights the rice is incredibly hard and uncooked. I think their might be multiple chefs here that are causing this fluctuation in food quality, but I can't be sure. I've had multiple times where they didn't clean the salmon properly and had fish scales in all of my sushi. The only great thing about this place is the prices, the salmon sushi is .85 cents per piece and they have great happy hour prices. (2-4:30 & 9-11). If you're willing to test your luck and see if you get a good server and a good chef for that night, then I'd say go for it. On great nights when the food and service is good I'd give this place 5 stars. But for all the other times I've come here and all the inconsistency's, I have to give it 3. read more

We tried this place the other night and I was super disappointed. The food is mediocre at best. My BF has the teriyaki chicken and tempura and we had to ask them where the tempura was as they had forgotten it He said the teriyaki chicken was horrible. He didn't even finish it and said it tasted like canned chicken. It really looked sorta uncooked and the sauce was super runny. The rolls were ok but they fell apart really easily. The toro sashimi just fell apart in the plate. The salmon was nice. Large slices actually. Edemame was under cooked and dry Super disappointing. read more

Not the best sushi nor the fanciest but it's certainly pretty good read more

Ponshu - The pyro in me approves of torches at the table. This is toro. - Japanese Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

I had a chuckle as I walked to the front door. The restaurant took over Pizza Hut. It's funny because Pizza Hut moved next door to a smaller space. While, this sushi restaurant is housed under the symbolic Pizza Hut roof. The service is good. The place was packed when I went on a Saturday night. Their specialty rolls were average. I prefer this joint over Kinjo, if I was hung up on staying up in the NW area. Otherwise, downtown and Kensington offer better quality sushi. read more

I'm not a big sushi guy, but if that's what the people want, I'll go. And I did and wasn't let down. They had an excellent and large teriayki chicken plate for us non-sushi carnivores. But even I was impressed with the boat of sushi they offer there. It's an actual wooden boat (not full size, but big enough for a whole table) filled with different kinds of sushi and other Japanese culinary items. They forced me to try the tempura which I can say was tasty. Sakana Grill has an authentic Japanese feel inside and a great atmosphere for large groups. It's hard to get in and out of the booths, but that made it feel truly Japanese, like maybe I should have taken my shoes off, too. read more

I recommend for all non sushi lovers to visit this place before you stop eating sushi. I couldn't stand sushi anywhere else because I felt like the meat was too fishy or it felt like I always felt sick after. At Sakana grill you get fresh fish all the time. I have never had a bad experience and my food is always good. If your afraid of trying sushi, try the sushi tempura roll.. This roll is the best shrimp sushi I have tasted. It so well put together and it never falls apart. The shrimp is wrapped with cucumber and avocado and then on the top it's a fresh avocado slice on top. DELICIOUS!! read more

So I had spent many 2 o'clock happy hours when was Sakura over many years boat mostly (I m old ok) but the new chef does create magic. A little pricier but I believe well worth it read more

There is better sushi places around here! Came for the happy hour, but realized they have changed their portion sizes. Steak was good but only had a few oddly shaped beef pieces. Sushi has got to be some of the worst in the city. They rolled so sloppy they would fall apart when picked up, and one of my pieces had an inedible hard piece of something inside. It was almost as though they were made by an amateur. However the worst part of our visit was our server Vennie. She left the menus on the table after we ordered, didn't bring our waters even though we asked twice, and when she finally did bring our water they were half empty. She didn't ask us how our food was, she didn't clear any plates off our table, and she didn't thank us for the visit at the end. It's sad because we saw other tables around is getting much better service from other waitresses. read more

Ponshu - Might be the worst sushi in the city. Fell apart when I picked it up and one had an inedible hard piece of something inside. - Japanese Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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So glad my husband reminded me of this location. Sakana was always a go to spot for me at the downtown location, but the past couple years its gone down hill. I was pumped when we came here! It's never too busy, so easy to get a table and quick service. The sushi is good, fresh and reasonably priced. I stick to my usuals, miso soup, salad, salmon, kappa rolls and a few other random pieces. read more

If you're looking for a budget friendly option for sushi and Japanese food in the northwest, this is a good choice! They have a huge menu including some value "love boat deals" (order one just to watch the tiny waitress stagger out of the kitchen carrying a wooden boat as big as she is). There are plenty of cooked options for non-sushi lovers. My favourite Japanese restaurant is still Shikiji, but this is a more family and wallet-friendly option. I find their rolls not quite as fresh-tasting. When you enter, a smiling line of kitchen staff may shout "Irasshaimase!" at you, but they just mean "Welcome!" so try not to be alarmed! read more

Newly renovated. We usually just come for happy hour. Not bad for what you get at happy hour. read more

Ponshu - Happy hour. Love boat deluxe. - Japanese Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

What's this? Happy Hour for sushi? After 9PM, Sakana discounts their love boats and depending on the night, other select items on their menu as well. Who eats that late? A lot of people apparently! The restaurant is always full whenever we hit up Sakana for "Late Night Sushi" as we like to call it. A love boat deluxe (comes with tempura, dumplings, assorted sushi & sashimi, rice, soup and salad) and bowl of udon is the right amount for 3 people without getting too full. read more

Looks like there will be a new location opening on Macleod in the SW sometime soon hopefully! read more

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