Excellent stop in Calgary for fresh, delicious sushi and traditional Japanese dishes. Small intimate dining room and very attentive staff. Menu has a variety of meal selections and sushi menu options. We ordered the salmon don bowl, zaru soba with shrimp tempura, chicken katsu and an assortment of sushi and an edamame appetizer. Our sushi arrived first, giving the kitchen time to prepare our meals. It was played beautifully and the taste was so fresh. We are salmon lovers and this salmon was perfect. The taste and texture was amazing. Zaru soba was flavorful and filling. Chicken katsu was a great option, fried nice and crispy, and this is one of the few places we've had the sesame seeds served with the katsu - very traditional! Overall an excellent meal and service. read more

See all

I'm from California where we have great sushi. This traditional sushi restaurant compares with the great ones there. The place is moderately sized and has a nice sushi bar. The sushi is very fresh, the appetizers are very good and the servers are very attentive. I've been to over 5 here in Calgary and this one is my favorite. Can't wait to keep coming to this place and trying other sushi/sashimi combinations! read more

See all

Hate to follow the prompt but - doesn't look like much when you walk by but this was a great place to eat! We tried their grilled black cod, salmon belly and mackerel and they were all done to perfection (looking back on my photos, I didn't snap a pic because we devoured it when it arrived) ! The dishes are smaller in portion (similar to izakaya) so ordering a bunch and sharing is probably your best bet! photo attached to the review is their matsu deluxe nigiri set - it's on the pricier side for sure but a pretty vibrant presentation. Staff wear masks and have the area well spaced. read more

Sushi Bar Zipang - Matsu deluxe nigiri - Sushi Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

Sushi zipang has been my go to for top quality sushi. It is also my hubbie and my "special occasion" restaurant. I had Omakase (chef choice menu) before and it has always been quite good with beautiful quality presentation. However, our recent visit it was slightly different and therefore I gave it 4 stars (compared to my earlier visit a year ago). The sushi was fresh but not melt in your mouth kind of sushi (which I had in the past) . Also, the sushi I had before was brought out in 2-3 plates and now it was all provided in one single plate which detracts on presentation. I believe that this might be due to covid measures to minimize contact. Other items included were grilled cod, spinach in black sesame paste, grilled pork, and green tea ice cream. Also, they take covid safety measures quite seriously and have these beautiful dividers in between tables so you can enjoy your meal and have a great dining experience. Overall, I think zipang has the best sushi in Calgary however, I might order from the menu next time or do omakase whenever their sushi bar opens again. read more

See all

The best Sushi restaurant In Calgary. BAR NONE!! Attention from the top down is the top. read more

So came here during dinner time and I was surprise that this place fills up pretty quick. You need to make a reservation. So yes we did do that. Came here and I would say sushi is on the pricy side. If you order a la carte is not cheap. So we each did the combo. I got the umi combo. The Umi Combo came with sashimi, tofu, miso soup, marinated salmon, rice and rib eye steak cut into pieces. I liked the sashimi the most. The sashimi were really fresh and has a nice sweet taste to it. The agadashi tofu was good as well. The marinated salmon is something you have to like. I find it ok because I am not a big fan of it. The steak was nice and it was marinated with sweet soy sauce. It also came with cold potatoe salad. Service was not bad. They are smart to give us a 1 liter glass so we can refill our water glasses ourselves. The place is nice and clean. However it is small. I do highly recommend coming here. Go for the sushi and sashimi. read more

See all

By far the best sushi restaurant in Calgary read more

Sushi Bar Zipang - Sushi Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

The sushi is fairly good but didn't find it exceptional. I would come again but would not come out of my way to come here. I've been two times and it was ok each time. May need to come again and reassess ;) read more

I guess you have to be an avid sushi fan to appreciate this place. The sashimi didn't come off to me like it was significantly more fresh than any other restaurant of the same price point. The tempura was very doughy. The only thing i thoroughly enjoyed was the eggplant, it was delish, and soooo savory. Half way through the meal the restaurant became super smokey and oily. They really need a better ventilation system. i had to toss my clothes in the wash afterwards, or maybe their kitchen was having a crisis that day. All in all it was an ok experience. They don't have a lot of seating, and most of the tables are 2 seaters, but it is very spacey (you are not forced to have a convo with your neighbours). The service was also mediocre. read more

Sushi Bar Zipang - Deep fried eggplant! My fav dish at zipang. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

I like this place. To date, its the only sushi I've enjoyed in Calgary. Its good. I've had slightly better sushi in another city (a fake and pretentious congested shithole of a city that's further west of here, have a guess). So far, this place has not disappointed, so yeah... well done Zipang! See you again soon. 4.5 /5 read more

They've got lovely sushi and some really good ingredients, you can tell that they're high quality. It's a bit pricier than most sushi places, but worth it in terms of the food that you get. They don't have a wide variety of selection, though. Only problem would be the waiters and waitresses aren't always the nicest or very happy. Most look like they'd rather be anywhere else and can get snippy w read more

Just had an EXCEPTIONAL takeout meal. To begin the meal the miso was excellent, good flavor, quality amount and size of tofu, yummy good quality seaweed. Their sunomono salad is my favorite in the city - really nice overall flavor (I think a bit of ground toasted sesame? Not sure but whatever the umami hint is ... it is sooo delish), not too much vinegar and not too sweet. The noodles are silky and perfect in my opinion, nice amount of thinly sliced cucumber so you can take a few for more cucumber or spread it out within the dish, lovely delicious seaweed, I always get prawn and they are consistently good quality and are nicely cut as only a trained chef would do. These are topped off with sesame seeds. If you like this dish it is a must order. I did the set miso and rice combo with the daily appetizer. They included green beans with the sesame sauce which I very much enjoyed. I had actually thought about ordering them as an appetizer (but already had lots of food) so it was THE BEST surprise to have a mini version! I separately ordered the cucumber roll and the avocado roll with directions to combine them, rice on the outside with sesame seeds (avocado cucumber + sesame roll is my favorite) and they obliged and fulfilled my request without any complaints. The avocado is oh-so-ripe ... perfect roll in my opinion. I also had the following sushi pieces: sockeye/wild salmon, bluefin tuna, hamachi/yellowtail and toro. Usually when I get takeout sushi and any of the pieces are fishy I will feed them to my dog ... the dog didn't get any of these delightful bites tonight, they were all delicious and came with plenty of ginger and wasabi. Feeling lucky to have had this meal right about now - highly recommend ! read more

Authentic Japanese food on all levels. The sushi and the kitchen food are top notch. Nothing has disappointed me on any level.

Been here twice. Great atmosphere and best seating is at the sushi bar! My first time was at the sushi bar and we were starving for sushi. I enjoy watching the chefs work and seeing quality workmanship in their food (Saw a junior chef get reprimanded by the older one; not sure what it was about). Anyhow, it was interesting to be at the bar. I think they're a bit priced in the upper range, however their quality is worth tasting. Prices range $60-90 for 2 people and service is decent. Servers do good job of rounding the far ends, however during rush hour, you'll have to get their attention. Tip: Get a reservation before 7.30pm or go after 8pm because patrons are already leaving (Friday night). read more

It is in the name. "Sushi Bar". Zipang has some of the best sashimi & sushi this side of Vancouver & Toronto. This is a traditional sushi restaurant, not a fusion place, not an izakaya. They have a large variety of fresh raw fish and that is what they are good at. Please do not go to Zipang for tempura, donburi or other "normal" Japanese cooked dishes. It is the equivalent of going to a steak house and complaining that the chicken salad isn't good. If you are willing to be a bit more adventurous, there are some less well known cooked dishes that are pretty good. The cold soba noodles are good, they have some grilled fish (i.e. mackerel) that are tasty and the daily specials all are a little off the beaten track for Calgary Japanese food. The highlight for me (and many other patrons at zipang) has to be the heads on shrimp sushi. This is one of the few places in Alberta that I have found that serves fresh shrimp sushi with good flavor. To top it all off, the kitchen will take the left over heads and deep fry them to make a delicious dessert (think Asian shrimp chips). The price is a little steep but considering that almost the entire restaurant was filled with Japanese families it appears that there are some people in Calgary who appreciate what Zipang is offering. read more

Sushi Bar Zipang - Sushi Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

This seems like quite a popular place to get sushi. It was very busy when I visited during dinner hours. Service: They're kind of slow. The waitress was kind of snippy. It took a really long time for us to even get a cup of water or for someone to take our order, which makes me wonder if they should come up with a more efficient system. Food: I ordered a Salmon oyako don and thought it was delicious. The salmon sashimi was fresh and the ratio of salmon + roe to rice was great! It is like salmon heaven for salmon lovers. Since I sat at the bar, I noticed a lot of their food is presented very well and the cuts of sashimi are pretty big! At the end, they gave us complimentary green tea ice cream. Price: it's a little bit on the pricey side, especially for the amount of food you get. If I lived in Calgary, I'd probably come here once in a while or take a sushi-lover here. read more

Food: 9/10 Service: 1/10 Value: 7/10 Ambience: 6/10 TL;DR - Great food and portion but deplorable service Remove the bad service and this place is easily 4 star. The mackerel was great, and Sushi were huge, fresh, and yummy. The amount of fish in each rolls was the most I've ever seen. The service was a nightmare, however. No napkins and no silverware even after we asked several times. The bill came with 2 glasses of wine we didn't order and took them forever to fix. The table next to us was way too close, and they would not stop talking. The wait time was quite long as well. read more

Sushi Bar Zipang - Saba - Sushi Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

See all

Sushi Bar Zipang makes one thing so well, I would be happy to just eat it... Fried oysters in ponzu sauce (appetizer size). Don't mistake the appie with the main, which is a panko crusted fried oyster. I prefer the ponzo as the batter is light and melts in your mouth. The oysters are also cooked just so ... leaving the meat soft and silky. The panko oysters are larger and more well-cooked, and come with a heavier dipping sauce. While I would prefer just to order 4 orders of the oysters in ponzu sauce, I stop myself because I also enjoy the chirashi (selection of sashimi on sushi rice) and nigiri. If you want a table, you better reserve at least 24 hours in advance. Place is packed every night. read more

See all

I have eaten at a quite a few sushi places in Calgary. Zipang has been by far the best. The fish is always so fresh plan on sitting and down and having a real meal here it's no quick sushi joint. read more

Best & 5 Stars Sushi Place in Calgary! Food is always great, very good quality! I love the Chirashi (Ryoushi no Donburi - Assortment of Fresh Sashimi on Sushi Rice)! Although it's pricey, the quality is good. It has Bontan-Ebi (spot prawn/head-on), can send to the chef for deep frying the head! Make reservation, always busy there! read more

See all

I came here on a recommendation by my brother! You know you enter into a good place when the atmosphere and mood seems just right. After a hot day 26C it was nice coming into a slightly dark room where there was a magnificent scent of rice wine vinegar seasoned rice and seafood! The A/C was just perfect also! Nice and cool! I ordered a sunomono salad which was a very soft texture with a hint of lemon and a slight flavour of the sea! Almost gooey but just amazing! Then I ordered a small mixed tempura and three rolls (spicy rotate, Spicy tuna and BD roll). All three had wonderful flavour and texture to them! There are so many sushi places that crank out rolls with no care for the experience! Zipang is what I look for in a sushi restaurant! A very calming ambiance of a local sushi shop with excellent quality sushi! A+ experience!!!!! read more

See all

One of the better Japanese restaurants in all of Calgary. Every dish was tasty and well prepared. As a family there is something for everyone and the service staff were helpful and knew what they were doing. We'll keep going back regularly read more

I haven't been to Zipang for years and I'm sad to say that though the food was good, the service definitely needs a lot of help. First of all, the place is tight to begin with, but when reservations are made and patrons come in and stand around waiting, it gets worse. It just makes dining experience bad for everyone, including those who are already seated. We arrived about 10 minutes before our reservation at 7 pm and the first person we some to seemed to have no clue what I was talking about. Second person seemed to understand but suggested our reservations were at 7:15, but we confirmed it was indeed 7. Finally sat down at almost 7:20. Menus plopped on table. Waited another 15 minutes before someone came over and have us water. When asked what was the daily special appetizer for the soup set, we were told he didn't know and will check with chef. Nothing wrong with this, but the person never returned to answer my question. Totally disappeared. Little ones were extremely hungry by this time so got cranky. I had to give one a food pouch. Finally after waiting another 10 minutes and not seeing anyone, had to go to the till to ask for service. Edamame came out, but still no setting. Had to again wave someone down to ask for settings, which took more time. Kids are still hungry and I could barely keep up with their request for food. Waited again for miso soup so I could feed them. At this point, I've had glares from other patrons as though we should not be bringing children here, but really, they were well behaved for the most part. Can't blame a toddler who cannot speak who's just hungry. This made the whole meal unenjoyable. It's just too bad the sushi place I had wanted to try was closed today. I will probably not return to this place the next time I'm in town, which is a shame as the food is good. Reason for 1 star instead of 2 is because for the price, I expected better. read more

See all

Sushi Bar Zipang is hands down the best sushi restaurant in Calgary. The fish is the freshest you will get and the portions are very generous. And the flavors are exceptional! The staff is always very friendly and attentive to your needs. It is sometimes quite busy, which can slow it down, but as my mother always used to say, "good food is worth waiting for!" To the reviewer who likened food delivery people to front line workers and therefor gave Zipang a one star rating, I would say give your head a shake. I have seen food drivers act very rude to the restaurants they pick up from many times. They act like they are buying the meal, but alas, they are only delivering it! And why was this driver dragging along her child? Ignore that review and read the ones that speak to the food, which is great! read more

So it's been a while since I last went to Sushi Bar Zipang. It must have had a reno since I was last there, because the inside was really, really nice. Everybody was very well dressed, so it felt like a super classy joint. It was pretty quiet, and good for conversation. The place was packed so we ended up sitting at the bar, and we had a nice little conversation with one of the chefs. His hands were like magic, he was moving so fast. The large tempura we ordered was tasty, but took a while. I like mine a little more crispy, but it was definitely good. The salmon nigiri was tasty, nice and fresh and melted like butter in my mouth. The tamago and white tuna was also cut very nicely. I wasn't as crazy about their futomaki roll or any of the others. I'd like to back and try some of the tasty non-sushi items, as they had quite a selection of cooked japanese food. I was pretty disappointed as our food took a while (they did apologize) and it was hard when I was sitting there watching him make it! My one fish with the joint is that it was much more expensive than some of my favourite sushi restaurants, and the price difference wasn't reflected in quality or quantity. read more

Sushi Bar Zipang - Sushi Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

See all

This is probably best sushi in Calgary downtown area. Must try : Pork cheek Appetizer oyster ponzu sauce Eggplant -meh All Sashimi is generally fresh and good except for squid and anago read more

Sushi Bar Zipang - Pork cheek - Sushi Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

See all

Best and fresh sushi in the city. You need reservations to come here because it's always busy and only open for dinner hours. The drink selection is subpar. All of the sashimi etc are fresh, great tasting. All the rolls are large, worth the $ and taste amazing. The freshest rolls around. Yes it's an expensive sushi place, definitely will cost to around $100 for 2ppl BUT worth every dollar if you love sushi. Enjoy read more

Abysmal service. My girlfriend reserved a table for us, but the waitress was so disorganized on seating the customers that we had to wait an extra 30 mins. Not only this, but the waitress had a horrible attitude throughout the night. You can just tell that she doesn't have a good relationship with the chefs. She was extremely slow at giving us water, and can be spotted standing alone not knowing what to do. Wake up, and figure it out. Moving onto the chefs. I asked for Natto roll instead of a cone, and he said that he cannot make this because this would ruin the flow of making other sushi's. What difference does it make? And Excuse me? I'm Japanese and in Japan, sushi chefs make it work no matter what. Japanese chefs are known to be the consummate professional who serves their customer as best as they can. This Chef in Zipang is in fact Japanese. One with a terrible attitude though. Disgrace to our country. Go clean up your act. Anyways, the bad service completely overshadows the food here. By no means this is even comparable to the quality you'll find in Japan. You have a better time eating sushi else where. read more

Absolutely amazing. Super delicious and wildly fresh. A bit on the expensive side but you're paying for the quality. Some of the best fish I've ever had in Calgary and definitely in my top three. However, the service leaves a lot to be desired. Got there at 6:30pm. Was seated shortly after, received water about ten minutes after that. Order was taken fifteen minutes later. Then it went even more downhill. Received our sushi close to 8pm (again, so so delicious!). Finished our nigiri and the waitress came and asked if we were waiting for anything, which we were. About twenty minutes later, she came and let us know that the person entering the order hadn't noticed the udon and tempura on the bottom of the sheet (which she had confirmed with us when originally taking our order). We opted to just get our bill and leave. Note: we also only had our small tea cups and water glasses filled once in the entire two hour sitting and this was on a Tuesday night. TL;DR: amazing food but don't go if you have plans afterwards. Hoping to go back and have a better experience as the food was amazing and the servers were kind, despite the level of attention (or lack thereof). read more

It gets packed around dinner time. Friendly staff. Decent sushi variety. I like that they offer wild salmon as an option instead of the usual salmon that's always served in most sushi restaurants. The sashimi portions were good. The quality of the fish was great in general. It's worth checking out. read more

We love this place, best sushi in Calgary for us! Very , very close to our favourite place in Vancouver :)

Easily the best Japanese in Calgary. I pity the suburban Calgarians with their view of how "great sushi" is done. I was horrified when I first moved to the prairies. Zipang more than made up for some of the atrocities I came across. The food in genuine, and delicious. I appreciate the daily features, along with the penciled in nigiri options. The fish is the freshest in the city, with varying options based on what was good that day. This is the type of japanese joint you'll want to try something you've never tried before. I enjoy sitting at the bar, watching the chefs work. When something I've never seen pops up, I usually order it. Their black cod, along with the salmon jaw are honestly some of the best things I've ever eaten. If I was broke, and begging for money, and I had to choose something to eat, I would save up my pennies and get that cod to lift my spirits. Their premium sake list is pretty good as well. (Something I generally don't find in Calgary) I would sincerely suggest the bar, the fresh specials, some new nigiri, and a bottle of sake. Date night figured. You're welcome. read more

Decent sushi bar in decent location. Sweet prawn, sea urchin, and sea bream are the best sashimi in Calgary. Actually all sashimi are fresh and tasty. It's a place that I just don't want to say too much about it. Just come and eat, then you will like it. read more

Sushi Bar Zipang - Sit at the bar - Sushi Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

I am so pleased that we gave Sushi Bar Zipang a second chance, after receiving terrible service on our first visit. We have been back a few times now, and are very impressed with the quality of the fish, the traditional preparations, the friendly staff, and the overall environment. You pay a bit more than some places, but you're paying for freshness! Also, portions are quite generous, with large slices of fish. A bowl of tuna/salmon don comes with beautiful, generous slices of fish; rolls don't have any 'filler' and are well done. We have had tae out as well, which was tasty and efficient, yet not quite as good as enjoying it fresh in the restaurant. This small, authentic, restaurant is now a local sushi favorite! read more

Sushi Bar Zipang is hands-down the best sushi in Calgary. It's simply decorated, modest sized location in Bridgeland is always busy and full of regulars who return time and time again to enjoy their simply delicious sushi and sashimi. Unlike other sushi bars, Zipang doesn't drown their sushi with heavy sauces and creams. Their fish is so fresh and tasty, you don't need a lot of extras to enjoy it. Zipang often offers hard-to-find-fish like young yellowtail tuna and sea bass along with daily specials. Service is friendly, fast and efficient. The owner is often behind the bar making sushi; he always greets his guests hello and thanks them for coming. We often see him walking around chatting with guests which is always nice to see. Zipang is locally owned (not a mass producing franchise) which is great when you want to support local! read more

For me this gets THE five star rating for Calgary, I used to have Globefish in that category, but I found their quality slipped when they expanded the 14th street location and even before that when they opened the Marda Loop location. My favourite speciality is when either the head of the Botan Ebi is deep fried in salt oil or the body of the Aji when they have the special whole Aji sashimi dish (only occasionally on the specials menu). Eating these as kind of a between dinner and desert special snack is delightful. There are many other wonderful items on the menu, and like many more traditional places they serve raw quail egg. I love having the Uzura over my fish roe sushi. One last recommendation, save room for desert, their banana fritter with ice cream and strawberry is awesome too. read more

I am a BIG fan of this place. I went with two of my really good friends. One friend who doesn't eat seafood got a ramen bowl and was really happy with it. Another friend that eats seafood (but no beef, chicken or pork) shared a roll with me. She also ordered more sushi and was quite pleased. I got the braised oysters, rice combo (rice, soup and salad) and was totally full. I had no idea but the braised oysters comes with something that tasted like it was half mashed potatoes and half potato salad. It was delightful to say the least! We all pounded back 2 beers each. Dinner and drinks came out to just a little over $100. Not bad at all! Service was great. It was busy on a Friday evening so we waited a little bit but they kept coming back to see how we were doing (important). I will be back for sure. read more

Having lived on the west coast of BC for many years I'm a bit spoiled when it comes to quality sushi. When Zipang was recommend to me as a place to check out(by another ex-vancouverite), I eagerly anticipated my visit. The sashimi and sushi are excellently prepared, presented and the quality is unbeatable. Classic rolls along with a few of their own unique twists. Don't miss out on trying their specials of the day usually listed on the chalk board as you walk in. If they have the braised black pork belly, order it. The first time I tried it, I actually had an emotional reaction it was so good and brought such pleasure to my senses. Had I not ordered the last serving they had, I would have ordered a second(shhh, don't tell my doctor, everything in moderation right? including moderation). The service is fast, friendly and efficient too. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do. 5/30 read more

I had only been to Zipang for lunch before this visit and I was very impressed with their dinner selection. The fish is extremely fresh and I thoroughly enjoyed the sushi. The extra special scallop nigiri I ordered was disappointing though as it was too dry and not creamy. The mayo had dried out unfortunately. The chicken karaage was crispy and flavorful. It's actually the exact same version as Roku's. The beef tongue was absolutely delicious. The braised black pork belly was melt in your mouth tender and so flavorful. I would order a bowl of rice to go with it to mop up all the sauce. It's a very busy little place so reservations are recommended although they seem to always have seats on the sushi counter available. I wouldn't hesitate to return for dinner. I actually prefer it over lunch. There's more selection and their small plates are perfect for sharing. read more

See all

This is actually a 3.5. I have wanted to try this place forever, as it was recommended by some friends, who are picky sushi eaters. Made it down for dinner one night and not that impressed. It was quiet so that was good, we were able to get a table. We sat at the sushi bar as it's easier and we're pretty quick. I did my usual sushi order, and the salmon that came was stupidly large. Like I had to cut it, so I could eat it. Sorry I'm not a fan of that. And my husband big complaint was the rainbow roll. They put avocado it in, as it's usually mad, plus the draped tons on the outside. My husband loves avocado, and said it was way too much. Service was good, just not impressed with the sushi. read more