This was my first time at this location. It definitely is the most happening place in Gardner. Very popular and a lot of regulars. Very nice and friendly bar area. The food was great. Custom cocktails were amazing also. Ended up with sushi and fried wontons. Definitely heading back soon. I'm glad I was introduced to this location.h read more

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2nd visit. Ordered the lunch special with hot and sour soup, small spicy tuna sushi, egg roll and Thai basil chicken with rice. All were excellent. Sawa has a full sushi bar, which nice to have. I made the mistake of ordering uni sushi, which I knew might be risky. Certainly edible, but won't order again. My mistake. I am spoiled by 40 years of sushi in CA. Service was excellent. read more

Do not order on a holiday. Online order 6 hours before and 2 hour wait at the restaurant. Poor business model to take on so many orders and not have the ability to for fill their commitments. Beware read more

They don't LISTEN. Second time this has happens ordering take out. I asked for Japanese teriyaki chicken with vegetables. When picked up it had no vegetables barely even seasoned chicken. No flavor at alllll now why wouldn't just ask for plain chicken if I actually wanted plain chicken. Do better at listening to what customers ask for read more

The interior looks amazing, but the food was not. I ordered the vegetable drunken noodles and the noodles were bland and greasy and the container was 3/4 full of bean sprouts when I first opened the takeout container. The dish was listed as spicy and it had a 0 spice level. The few snap peas were not trimmed, which was not enjoyable. I got two vegetable sushis and the rice was sparse and the sweet potato tempura was stale. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll return. read more

Sawa Asian Bistro - Asian Fusion Near Me - Gardner, Massachusetts

We loved the old location before COVID. We were excited for the new location, and it was renovated beautifully, but left with an average food experience. Service was not great, food was no better than your average Chinese restaurant and more expensive. We did go back to try it again, thinking it was a bad night, but we left with a similar experience. We used to order take out at the old location and it was exceptional. Take out at new location, not recommended. We have found a new place in the city, food is much better. read more

We sat at the large bar and ordered very good drinks. Then we got appetizers and entrees. The dumplings were excellent. We really enjoyed our experience here. read more

After all the hype of the new place, I was eagerly anticipating trying the new place. I left disappointed. The new decor is nice. They've literally flipped the old Southside layout. That was promising. It kinda didn't last. The menu appears to be cut in half. Several of my favorites seem ti have disappeared. They also don't serve off their lunch menu on a Sunday-which limits the already cut down menu. The menu format is now placemat style; it kind of cheapens the experience. They also listed NO non alcoholic drinks that I could see-I don't drink in public and it would have been a nice option. My wife ordered Bi Bim Bap (which she said was good). I ordered Coconut Shrimp. The service was kinda meh-not bad, not good and the food came out kind of slow. When mine came-it was warm, not hot (which is fine). The real problem is the coconut sauce they used had almost no flavor. It was like eating plain shrimp tempura. It was just utterly bland. I complained to the waiter. The manager came over and asked what the problem was. I told her it was bland. She offered me more sauce. I said it's not the amount of sauce-there's plenty, it just wasn't good. I only ate about half of it or less. I would also like to add-sometimes places respond to negative reviews by saying the customer " should have said something". Well, I did-and they still charged me for a substandard meal that they had previously made very well at the other location. If you don't want bad publicity-try to gain a reputation of actually being responsive. read more

Well, after living right near this place for over 3 years, we finally tried it and all I can say is: I'm an idiot. First off the restaurant is MUCH larger than it appears from the outside. I was shocked at the size of the bar and the sheer number of booths and tables. From the outside it looks about the size of a standard pizza place but it's much, much larger. The cocktail list was very impressive and the drinks were absolutely top notch. The sushi was FRESH and perfect! Entrees came out hot and perfectly cooked. The bill was reasonable and the service was excellent. What more can you ask for?! I can't wait to go back. This will be a regular spot for us going forward. Great place and great people! read more

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The food, drinks and service are all great. The new location came out great. Giving a 3 because it is WAY too bright in there. Like, uncomfortably bright. It also makes it feel kind of tacky in there. Brightness literally should be cut in half. read more

We Love the new site . Awesome food and great people service is the best.the servers and the bar staff are are as good as it gets. read more

Sawa is great! This is a staple in our household, we come here pretty regularly and the foods been amazing everytime. The general tso tofu is some of the best I've ever had! read more

The sushi part of the business is in a separate location around the corner where the Mexican restaurant used to be. Fantastic sushi though! Restaurant is spotless and staff very friendly and hardworking. I will definitely be returning here soon. read more

It is very bright in this restaurant which isn't very enjoyable however we did like the food and the lighting will not deter us from coming here again. Everything in the Thai-basil chicken dish was extremely fresh and cooked perfectly. The crab rangoons had a perfect crisp, weren't greasy, had right amount of filling, and had visible pieces of crab meat. They were excellent. We also ordered the bao's (pork buns) and thought those were good as well. read more

The food was very good my most recent visit. I was happy for some vegan options where I was visiting my family. I got the veggie roll, green curry & kimchi tofu soup. Everything was very fresh and very yummy. I l loved the kimchi soup! There were other vegan options. The curry comes out in a sizzling dish. read more

Excellent Asian food and sushi bar. Dimly lit bar vibe. Always seems busy, but never too busy to get a seat. Chicken teryaki looks different at first glance, but then you realize it's the real deal teryaki after your first bite. Wow, delicious! I saw the waitress eating something good so I asked what it was. Got silly and tried her recommendation of seafood stew... except I got udon noodles. Hoowee it was delicious! Crab rangoon filling here is just right. If you're new, try the sushi, chicken teryaki, crab rangoons, or cocktails to start things off. You can pretty much order anything from here, and it will taste good. Reasonable prices. Will recommend! read more

Everything went well! The food and the service was amazing. The ambiance is accommodating for all.

Food is pretty average, maybe a notch above for the area, but not great. My only actual gripe comes with the lunch specials. There's only one vegetarian option, which is close to standard, but the portion is ludicrously small. I received about a cup and a half of lomein, and two crab rangoons that had good flavor on the filling, but a stale oil taste on the wonton wrapper. Ultimately I'm leaving feeling pretty ripped off. But hey, northern Mass. read more

The new location is great!! Food and service at the bar were amazing Ryan and Tressa were kind and very attentive! Only input- turn down the bar lights and add some tunes! read more

Summer drink ！ wow ... If you want to try new summer drink ,you can order this ,Amazing!!!! read more

Sawa Asian Bistro - Sawahoku - Asian Fusion Near Me - Gardner, Massachusetts

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Most of the food was unmemorable. The dumplings, however, were so bad. I am used to pan-fried dumplings. These were deep-fried and not good. Won't go back. read more

Some of the best Chinese food I've had. The general gso and beef and brocolli are delicious! Would have given it 5 stars, but the fried rice was a little too cooked/sticky. Everything else was fantastic! read more

Cocktails are in small glasses but average prices. Scorpion bowl tastes like straight alcohol. Prices don't match the quality of food and drinks. read more

Using my last 5% to leave this review. Worst customer service ever. They've screwed my order up multiple times and never make it right. Live and learn. Not worth the headache for mediocre food. read more

My son and I go here several times a year, usually for luncheon specials. The pad thai here is the closest to authentic that I have found in a non-Thai restaurant, so most often I will order that. My son is fond of General Gau's, so that's his go-to meal. Luncheon specials come with soup and one appetizer. They also have sushi luncheon specials, but be aware that they do a booming sushi takeout business (it's the only sushi place in town) so there is usually a wait for sushi. (We once made the mistake of ordering off both the sushi and the Chinese specials, and my son was done his Chinese food before my sushi had even reached our table. We won't make that mistake again!) We've tried several dishes and never been disappointed. Prices are reasonable and the service is 3 star. Looking forward to the next time we go and get pad thai! read more

Sawa Asian Bistro - Sawa - Asian Fusion Near Me - Gardner, Massachusetts

Awesome food, consistently delicious, and eclectic menu. Proud to be able to live close by- Definitely try the Thai spicy basil dish, and the spicy chicken wings! read more

Sat down at the bar and was pretty much ignored by the bartender.. She had absolutely nothing to do and couldn't even make eye contact with me so I just walked out.. Won't ever go back absolutely horrible service. I guess deleting orders off the PLC is more important than even acknowledging new customers. read more

Have gone here for years ... food is always good .. service is hit or miss but 2 of my BIGGEST complaints are 1. They charge you a credit card fee which is ILLEGAL in MA but they get away with it & 2. Now as of FEB 2024 when you order a plate of food you have to order a side of RICE SOLD SEPARATELY! WTH! This will be my last day spending any money there. At this point it's the petty ass ness of this place! Enjoy my last $40 bucks on 2 dinners plates with 2 sides of white rice at an extra cost!!! Unbelieveable read more

8 pieces of yellowtail sushi for $24. Manhattan Sushi is somehow cheaper while being fresher and much better tasting. If you're vegetarian- go somewhere else. We got General Tso's Tofu (pic). The tofu was in huge mushy chunks with a sticky jelly sauce and raw broccoli. The red curry tofu was worse (pic). It was curry flavored water with uncooked carrot and onion chunks. They refused to top with OR add a side of pineapple or jalapenos; They had both, but refused with no explanation. $71 total for all of this food that went in their dumpster and we ate somewhere else down the road. read more

Sawa Asian Bistro - Curry flavored water for Red Curry Tofu. Gag-worthy. - Asian Fusion Near Me - Gardner, Massachusetts

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The best Asian fusion spot in town. They have all kinds of different dishes, including some of the best Korean food you can get in this area, a wide variety of sushi and sashimi, and they even have bao! Just give this place a try, you won't regret it read more

I got a flyer in my mailbox, and usually toss them away, but I recongnised the name from a conversation I had with a friend that mentioned them and liked what they had. So, I ordered that night and let me tell you it was SO GOOD. As I am writing this I am debating ordering from there again tonight :) read more

It was a surprise to find this hidden gem! The food was fantastic! The prices are very reasonable too! The service was excellent! We will definite return! read more

The service was excellent and the food was very good! It was a great value, reasonably priced, pleasant relaxed atmosphere! We have been a few times now and the food is consistently good! read more

Tried the Vietnamese spring rolls, Indian pancake and the sushi and sashimi platter for two. The Vietnamese spring rolls was very soft and fresh. It came with a fish dipping sauce instead of the traditional peanut sauce. The Indian pancake was awful, it was nothing like a roti canai. It was just like a scallion pancake without the scallions and the curry dipping sauce was awful. It did not have any chicken or potato's in the dipping sauce. The sushi and sashimi platter was good read more

The customer service at Sawa is seriously lacking. Walked in and waited to be seated. There was a board that indicated to wait to be seated. Waited about 15 mins before someone behind the bar told me to just sit anywhere I'd like. The place was not busy. There was only one other couple seated and a few people at the bar. Sat at a table and waited about 15 mins before I got a menu. Sat there for about 45 mins with no one having approached us for drinks or to even take our order. Needles to say, we left without ordering anything. read more

Where to begin? "We have no wok" was the repeated comment from our server when we asked about our Peking ravioli. Mai Tai is disgusting. We have tried this three times and this is it. Frozen Chinese food is way better. read more

Based solely on food quality, I'd give them 4.5 as it always very good and made with fresh ingredients. However, their prices have gone up while their portion sizes have gone down so I have to give them a 3. I usually go elsewhere when I am in the mood for Chinese as Sawa often leaves me hungry and feeling like I overpaid. read more

This is really the only Asian place in town beyond Chinese-American cuisine, so the menu reflects that. You'll find Chinese, sushi, a couple Korean dishes and some Thai food on the menu. It's nice because it's all in one place and otherwise it would be a drive to get these things, but on the other hand they are all *okay*. Everything I've gotten is prepared well enough, but when you've had the same dish from a more bespoke restaurant, it just doesn't compare. It's good in a pinch, but I find myself waiting until I pass through a bigger town and just get something more flavorful - especially for the price. read more

Friendly staff, good food, and fun selection of alcohol. Definitely recommend the place.

Super friendly staff. Great food! The food is always fresh and they are very good about getting your order right. Best Chinese/sushi around. read more