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    Sawa Sushi

    4.2 (311 reviews)
    ModerateSushi Bars, Japanese
    Closed 11:30 am - 2:30 pm, 4:00 PM - 9:00 PM
    Updated 1 month ago

    Sawa Sushi Photos

    Business Info

    SAWA SUSHI ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Quiet
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Sawa Sushi

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    Marilyn A.

    Hands down I think the best sushi I have had in the Coachella Valley! To be more specific characteristics of the food, such as aroma, visual appeal, texture, color were 10/10. This place is a small whole in the wall, with only booths and two stand alone tables, I suggest calling ahead of time to plan for a big party. The service was a little different , not greeted or acknowledged until we sat down. The lady just gets straight to business asking what we want, & service was the same throughout the visit. No checking in on us either. I think it's a cultural difference not so much being rude, just a heads up!

    Menu

    Place was clean, menu prices updated. Spicy tuna was way spicier than most places, but still tasty. Tempura mix was good but the shrimp was pretty low quality. Miso soup was yummy but very small for $3.

    Chris D.

    We should of know when we walked in that it wasn't gonna be great. Definitely a pass. There's certainly other better sushi spots around the valley. Our server awkward and, perhaps new, I don't know. But it was so uncomfortable to order. Such a weird experience. We got several rolls to share and they looked gorgeous and delicious!! But 2 or the 4 were fishy, which is not what you want when you order fish. The spicy tuna was really mushy and the chicken teriyaki that we ordered definitely wasn't a teriyaki sauce. Bizarre. Also, the inside of the restaurant felt like a diner or just generally run down. Try Misaki or Sam's near by, or Dragon Sushi in Palm Desert.

    Picante
    Nicole C.

    I've passed by this sushi spot 1000 times and so glad we finally tried it. The picante roll was to die for! We came back the next day because it was that good. The inside is very spacious and the servers were very attentive. Definitely recommend as a great sushi spot!

    Sheryl L.

    We went back a few days later with my son and all three of us were very happy. We loved the yellow tail collar and everything else. Many times we go back to places and it's not as good as the first time but not here! So far this is our favorite sushi in the desert.

    Menu
    Robert L.

    We were in Indian Wells for a dance competition and looking for some takeout Japanese food. Found this place on Yelp. Had pretty good reviews. Decided to give it a try. The facility itself is very underwhelming. Located in a strip mall. Relatively small restaurant space. Also when we went in, it was relatively empty. Could just be the time of year being middle of June. But we went during dinner time. Fortunately, the food was excellent. Sushi was very fresh. Rolls were tasty. We had the Rainbow roll, Tokyo roll, Yellowtail lover roll. Also ordered some tuna and yellowtail sushi. Everything was great. We enjoyed it so much. We came back again later in the week. As I mentioned, the ambience is not too great, but for us, we just wanted takeout and it was perfect.

    Quick check in at Sawa
    Rick J.

    Kind of out of they way location, small indoor seating area. YELP Short answer: Sure, it is okay for a quick sushi or noodle meal, just not very fancy buildout but super fast efficient service. Location: in a sea of cement in a forest of large big box and retail stores. Very small which is fine. Buildout: on a dime, but works. Menu: Pretty extensive, lots of choices not sure how they knock it out when busy. Food Prep: Nicely done. Food Quality: Pretty good, I just had one roll, it was pretty good but not tight, loose and a little hard to eat. Waitstaff: Getting down to business, these people work hard, great service. Value: Yes ok value and glad I visited but for inexpensive and other options are nearby. They seem to have a lot of regulars which is great.

    Jessica G.

    This sushi spot has undoubtedly secured its place as my favorite in the desert. Tastes amazing and is fairly priced. Not very crowded, allowing me have a more enjoyable experience. Plum wine, edamame, miso soup, and sushi. Each visit reaffirms why this spot holds a special spot in my culinary heart.

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    4 months ago

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    9 days ago

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    1 year ago

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    4 months ago

    Small place with excellent fresh sushi. The sushi is delicious better than many in the valley.

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    10 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

    This was a great experience. High quality sushi, and a fair price. Staff were kind and paid attention to refills and extra plates!

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    2 years ago

    Food was great! Will order again for take out. The sushi was delicious and the specialty rolls were good too!

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    1 year ago

    Definitely don't go if you gave food allergies. They won't take precautions. We asked.

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    2 years ago

    It was so great. The people were so great and the food was delicious. Smaller restaurant and we actually liked the intimacy. Great spot!

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    Ask the Community - Sawa Sushi

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    Nobu - Indian Wells

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    Nathan made our entire experience unforgettable. We decided to trust all of his recommendations,…read moreand every single dish was incredible. His knowledge of the menu, attention to detail, and genuine enthusiasm completely elevated our dinner. The meal honestly felt like fireworks of freshness, and several dishes were so good they were almost emotional. Nathan guided us perfectly through the menu and made the whole experience feel special from start to finish. If you visit, ask for Nathan, he made what was already an amazing dinner truly exceptional.

    Bit pricy but glad we got to try the experience at Indian wells…read more My hubby and I walked in and only waited 30 minutes. We were seated outside the restaurant was super packed. We got the new sashimi style, miso cod, spinach salad, couple of sushi and sake. Service is fast and food came out within 15 minutes. New style sashimi (7/10)-fresh but nothing special don't think it's worth $30 Spinach salad (9/10)-super refreshing best thing we had on the menu, the dressing is very flavorful. Miso cod (5/10)-pretty disappointed being the top item ordered. Bland and overall nothing special Sushi (7/10)-not the best we have had but portion was good fish to rice, liked the yellowtail the best. I think it's worth going once but probably not multiple times. Overall a good place to try for a first timer at Indian wells.

    Photos
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    Glo Sushi

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    YELP SHORT ANSWER: No... one of the worst sushi experiences I have ever had. Maybe a bad day but…read moreguessing on our visit the people working there hated us for their own reasons and it showed. Being there at 4:30pm and being the first and only customers we were greeted with 15 minutes of being ignored with some guy behind the counter being a dick. Not sure what the problem was but it became very apparent they did not want to serve us and hoped we left. Some other guy came up finally and took our order and got us water. LOCATION: very nice, located on the lower lobby of the Renaissance Resort. FACILITY: excellent, clean, and authentic similar to a small bar you'd find in Japan. MENU: resort expensive but we had a few days to enjoy relaxing at the resort. I was not so concerned with the cost, rather the customer service and the quality of the food both not happening here. FOOD PREP: ordered hamachi sashimi, $26 and plate appeared with such a small amount it looked like a joke. About 1/3 the size of nearby Japanese restaurants. FOOD QUALITY: some of the worst, fishy smelling hamachi I have ever had. Maybe the guy was trying to kill us. It had so much lemon juice on top it did not even taste like hamachi... one and done we did not finish the small portion served just paid our bill and walked away, yes we did leave a nice tip. LIBATIONS: we did not try here, thankfully. WAITSTAFF: terrible, if you trained someone to be a jerk, well the lead guy must have graduated with honors. OVERALL VALUE: so not worth it and I know that is not the intent of this great resort but they have a serious F&B staffing problem as least at Glo Sushi on that day. TIP: avoid unless they get their stinky fish act together. I must add, Autumn who was kind enough to check us out was a great ambassador to the resort and brand, she was great and we followed her to The Place and ended up having a great time with great food.

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    Sushi bar in the resort.
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    Very nice resort with good dining options, pool food, or room service. Avoid sushi restaurant.

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    Very nice resort with good dining options, pool food, or room service. Avoid sushi restaurant.

    Sawa Sushi - sushi - Updated July 2026

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