One year later since my first review, and Red Sake continues to be the undisputed leader of the pack when it comes to sushi options here in the Ballantyne/S Charlotte area, as the fish is fresh, the presentation is excellent, the drinks are on point and the service continues to be head and shoulders above some of their key competitors on this side of town. With special rolls only $10 during the week, it serves as one of the best sushi values in the area, so if you haven't had the opportunity to check em out, what are you waiting for??? Give them a shot, as you won't be disappointed! read more

Delicious! We came here on a Saturday night with no reservation and were sat quickly. We started with sake flights, which were great. We also enjoyed the calamari and some sushi as a starter, which I would also recommend. For the main course, we each had a curry dish - I had red chicken curry and it was a lot of food! We also shared another 2 sushi rolls (we were hungry!) and ended with another sake. The service was excellent and the prices are good! Will definitely be returning. read more

Sushi is good no complains.. place is clean and service is fast. They have a good lunch special

Great fresh sush and excellent service! Our server (who's name I feel terrible for not remembering but shared about his trip to Vietnam) was knowledgeable, friendly and attentive! They were obviously busy with take out orders but we were well taken care of, and everything was delicious! Very nice selection of fish and the rolls we tried were both very different and very tasty, and a nice selection of sake that I haven't seen anywhere else yet in Charlotte! Will definitely be back read more

We have lived here 6 years and have searched for good Chinese food trying 6 to 8 other places. This is the best and ended our search. Ate there last night, take out. It was a disaster, it took almost an hour, total chaos as table full of orders with nobody picking up, 10 people waiting there and no food. Got our order, the sweet and sour chicken had no sweet & sour, the rest of the dishes were tasteless.... never seen a restaurant go from 5 to 1 so quick. Disaster read more

Ordered the sashimi & sushi platter, aming other things. The sashimi tasted fresh; the rolls were great, shoyu not necessary; & the salmon skin hand roll was tasty. Lychee martini was delish. read more

Insanely good and much needed in this neighborhood. Already planning the next visit. The pic is a Japanese ice cream sandwich. Serious NOMS!! Dinner was Crab Rangoon, garden salad (ginger dressing...so damn good), and sesame chicken. Portions are huge and all the sushi around us looked amazing (that's the next trip). Get thee to Red Sake!! read more

Red Sake - Sushi Bars Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

If you ever crave Miso Soup like myself, this is your place. Best Miso I've had in a long time. I ordered the Lunch Special. 2 Rolls + Miso Soup for $10. Absolutely delicious. Additionally, for takeout they actually provide soy sauce in a pre-packed cup. Easy for dipping unlike most sushi takeout read more

Great lunch specials. Generous portions. Fish flown in from japan is amazing. Otoro fatty tuna belly was flavorful, melt in your mouth, buttery. Worth the price. Only complaint was my rude server. Will be back for takeout ! read more

We tried out Red Sake, the new Asian fusion restaurant that opened up next to Hawthorns, and it did not disappoint. We finally have fresh, delicious raw fish in Ballantyne! Can I get an "Amen!"? They opened less than a week ago, so they're still not running seamlessly and quickly, but we had a great experience. We walked in without reservations at time they were expecting 4 parties with reservations to arrive within the next 15 minutes, so they were unsure of wait time. Luckily for us, we were only a party of two and we're offered the two available seats at the sushi bar. We ordered two soups (Tom Yum and Seafood soup) that seemed to be almost the same except one had more seafood than the other which came with shrimp (although chicken was also an option). It had a slight spiciness and overall great flavor. We also ordered the Red Sake Platter that came with 8 different sushi, 12 sashimi (3 pieces of 4 different fish), an order of spicy tuna rolls, and an order of Red Sake rolls. I LOVE that every piece of raw fish that I ate melted in my mouth....none of the fish was chewy or fishy smelling. I love that we have fresh sushi in Ballantyne! It was about time! I hope they keep up the quality of their ingredients. The two rolls we had were just good. The spicy tuna wasn't spicy and the Red Sake was missing something. We will definitely return and look forward to trying so many more things as their menu has a ton of options! read more

See all

Beautiful place in this area. Sushi was so so fresh and delicious. Chow Fun is my must order!!! It may took a little bit time wait for the food at weekend but we want to wait and we definitely understand !!! Because everyone love this place. they dont let us down. Never disappoint. High recommend! read more

This place is great. Since moving to Charlotte, we've been on the lookout for place that would consistently provide quality Sushi without breaking the bank. Red Sake fits that bill. We're consistently going back every other week for our sushi fix. read more

My husband and I were really looking forward to trying this restaurant. The menu looked great and we'd heard great things. However, our experience was extremely disappointing. Firstly, our waitress was rude and unhelpful. Since it was our first time there, my husband asked if she had any recommendations, to which she replied "did you not look at the menu??" in a very condescending tone of voice. We were taken aback because we've never received any responses other than polite and enthusiastic recommendations at other restaurants. Okay, not a great first impression. We thought maybe she was having a bad day and that the food would be good at least. We discovered that the menu was kind of misleading. I ordered salt and pepper shrimp off the lunch specials menu, since we were there for lunch, and nowhere in the title or description did it say that the shrimp was fried. I don't care for fried shrimp, so this was frustrating that the menu did not indicate that the shrimp was fried on the lunch menu. I later discovered that this description was included on the normal menu for the salt & pepper shrimp, but why would I look at the dinner menu when I'm there for lunch and there's a lunch menu? My meal ended up being bland in taste and nothing special. My husband ordered sushi and it was also nothing special. It tasted like sushi you'd pick up from the grocery store, not restaurant-quality. I really had high hopes for this restaurant and we were sadly disappointed. Maybe we caught them on an off-day, but we will not be back. read more

For a pandemic Mother's Day we ordered curbside food from Red Sake. Our first time eating their food. We had the Tom Yum shrimp soup for a starter. 3 nice size shrimp per serving..nice. Then the Red Sake Poke Bowl...fresh, flavorful. Then the Red Sake roll...a little crunch in a nice fresh roll. Very good. Canton duck was very good as well. Most people over-cook duck and this was properly done. The Szechaun Trio was next. The only let down...we detected zero spice in this dish. In all dishes, the vegetable-to-protein ratio was very fair. Sometimes you get chunks of chicken with no vegetables or vice versa. We hope the restauarnt makes it through the current times and we look forward to dining inside. read more

Came in for the soft opening. Sushi is amazing! Extremely fresh. Also loved the stuffed jalapeño appetizer. Met both owners who are very friendly. Will definitely be back soon! read more

Best sushi that I have had in Charlotte. Very fresh. Wait staff was excellent. Tuna was very fatty and fresh. I highly recommend. Sunny was aaa awesome waiter. read more

We didn't try the sushi, but the wok dishes were good. I had the Mongolian trio. The sauce was good, nothing spectacular. The tails were left on the shrimp, which I didn't expect in such a sauce-heavy dish. It reminded me a bit of the sauce you would get with something like beef and broccoli. The prices are a bit high for dishes that you can get at any run-of-the-mill Chinese take out place. $4 for a green salad that was presented as if someone had just pulled out a handful of bagged spring lettuce mix and plopped some watery ginger dressing on it? If your prices are going to be at this level, you really need to work on your presentation to make it something special. Because what you're getting is Chinese takeout-style food. Service was friendly, but I'll be heading back to my tried and true Chinese take out, where pricing is fair for what you get. read more

So amazing! The sushi was extremely fresh and super flavorful! Ordered tuna and salmon nigiri, spicy tuna and salmon avocado rolls. Definitely a place to keep coming back too. I'm visiting family, but if I lived closer this would be my spot sushi! Service was great and staff were super nice! read more

Amazing sushi! We had the blue fin tuna last night and it was exceptional. The fish is always so fresh. Steve and his team are masters. My family and I love this place. Treat yourself and try Red Sake; you won't regret it. Enjoy read more

Had lunch here after church today and we are SO glad we tried this new restaurant! We have been looking for a nice but fast and not super expensive sushi restaurant in South Charlotte for years. We have been disappointed with the ones we've tried and had yet to find our "go to" place. Until today! The staff is extremely warm and friendly without being overbearing. The restaurant is clean, spacious, and nicely decorated. They served their lunch menu on Sunday, including their lunch specials! (Many restaurants don't do specials on the weekends.) We each got the two sushi rolls and a salad (or soup, but we chose the salad) special for $10 each. The salad was plentiful, tasty, and fresh. The rolls were delicious, too - nice sized pieces of fish and excellent sushi rice. We were full but decided to try one of their special pieces of fish - the salmon belly. It was delicious! They sear just the top and sprinkle Japanese black salt on it. The result is an amazing smoky, balanced, perfect bite! We look forward to coming back soon and are hopeful others will try this much needed addition to our restaurant scene! read more

Came during lunch on the days they were havving soft openings. It was our waiters first day and he did great! I got the lunch special of 3 rolls for 14 dollars and a miso soup. we also ordered pan fried dumplings as a appetizer and they were great!!! 5/5 for freshness and for great prices and service!! read more

Not impressed. I ordered crunchy rolls, that weren't crunchy. The sauce for chicken teriyaki was like water. Hey chef - teriyaki sauce should be thick and flavorful.The singapore noodles lacked seasoning. And the price, well... the two tasteless rolls, Singapore noodles and chicken teriyaki with watery sauce was $55.00! I should have gone across the street to Chick-fila :( read more

I was looking for some sushi near my house and found this place. I saw they had good reviews and decided to give it a shot! I ordered the pineapple fried rice, hamachi nigiri, the amakusa roll, and hon maguro nigiri. The fish was SO fresh. I loved everything I ordered! Ended up going back the following week for more sushi read more

Just what Ballantyne needed! I've visited twice and both times were excellent, from food to service. I highly recommend!

Average rolls but friendly staff. My miso was soup EE cold but they sent a very hot 2nd bowl. read more

Red Sake - Spicy salmon - Sushi Bars Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Moved to Asheville five years ago, prior to that I was a devoted customer of Wild East. Recently learned WE closed last February, very sorry to see it go. Visiting Charlotte this week, I learned about Red Sake, same owners, gladly went to lunch. Steve Li, one of the owners was there making sushi, as expected. This restaurant is a step up from WE, very nicely decorated, more posh, and larger, missing the do-it-yourself aspect of the old restaurant, more professional-looking decor. The menu is similar but expanded, exactly the type and quality one wants from an Asian-style eatery, I am really glad Steve seems to be doing well, hard work and talent needs to be rewarded, and he deserves it. Actually, the Mongolian Beef I had was better than WE, and the Tom Yum soup excellent. Every visit to Charlotte will now include Red Sake, can't get a better meal. read more

We tried the ceviche, lobster roll and and a tuna roll with spicy Mayo. The ceviche didn't have enough spice or flavor, the two rolls were good. I, unfortunately, didn't see the sanitation grade of 92.5 until after we were almost finished. We were still hungry after spending $50, but I couldn't eat anything else after seeing on the sanitation grade website https://public.cdpehs.com/NCENVPBL/INSPECTION_VIOLATION/ShowVIOLATIONTable.aspx?INSPECTION=3729686&ESTABLISHMENT=227713&esttst_cty=60 their past several inspection ratings weren't much better and one of which was 90.3. That is unacceptable for any restaurant, but especially a sushi restaurant. We will not be back. read more

14 bite size pieces 2 rolls. I had to call to see if they had completed the entire order. NY, hell most places you get 10 pieces.

This is my first time here and I really really like the food. The sushi appetizers were great at the sashimi was good. It was very fresh. The sushi was amazing we had for different rolls. I liked that you can pick out two different rolls read more

Jade was very informed and professional. The food was fantastic and the novice I brought with me is now a sushi lover!!

Best spicy Thai chicken basil ever!! Delicious! And the Tom Kha soup was to die for! I am so happy we tried this restaurant again. We went one time just after they opened. Then the pandemic hit. We have picked up take out twice this month from Red Sake and will be going back soon. So much better than the Basil Thai at Stonecrest. read more

Great food, wonderful service, reasonable prices. We had a fabulous experience and will certainly be back.

This is an outstanding take-out option, as the food is excellent and there's a 20% discount on orders over $50. Even if the discount didn't exist, it's worth every penny, as you can tell that there's real talent doing the cooking and the ingredients are all first rate. Favorites include Mongolian Trio and Canton Duck. We've had take-out from Red Sake many times during the stay-at-home order and have never been disappointed. Friendly folks running the place, too. Highly recommended! read more

I love this place. Best fried rice and sushi I've had in the area. Nice facility with wonderful waiters and waitresses. They make sure you're taken care of and they are very knowledgeable of the menu, charismatic and kind. read more

The food and service are always AMAZING!! We go several times per month - all different days and times. It's so consistently good. We think it's the best sushi in Charlotte- and we've been to nearly all of the others. Take out is great too!! Love Red Sake!! read more

I have eaten at Red Sake and their sister restaurant WildEast weekly. We even have continued to support them both regularly throughout this Covid Pandemic in an effort to help them survive this tough time for businesses. No more...I called to make a reservation for 3. I was informed that due to people not showing up for reservations, they have a new policy starting tonight that they only accept reservations of 4 or more. I informed them that I only have 3 in my family. So if you have less than 4 in your family you will be discriminated against! Note- I have "Always" shown up and on time for all reservations there! read more

Used DoorDash And got a few things, vegetable tempura was great, vegetable roll amazing, but the fried California roll wasn't good at all, by the time it got here, it was soggy(because the restaurant poured soy sauce on it), there was no ginger or wasabi. I won't be ordering that again unless I specify directly with the restaurant. read more

8.15.20 dinner. We were very excited to try this because we understood the chef came from Yami in Waverley. My wife and I had the Thai curry and Thai basil it was very goopy and oily and looked and felt like processed steak and chicken. read more

5 stars! If you are a well traveled sushi aficionado, you will appreciate Red Sake. Truly delicious, fresh sashimi including uni from Japan. Great service and presentation. Absolutely out new "haunt"! read more

Consistently good. Great service every time, good variety and very good food. It gets busy most nights so there can be a little wait, but it's worth it. read more