Went here for lunch and ordered the chicken lunch special. Very small serving size. I have never seen such little chicken on a plate before

the place is very nice and quiet. The server was polite and we got our food within a good time period, it didn't take too long.

Wow, this place has gotten even worse. Had a big order and the sushi was mucky, the sashimi was skimpy, the miso was odd. Only thing ok was agadeshi tofu specialty rolls super disappointing. Feels like someone who doesn't know how to make sushi works there. Not even decent for being cheap as it's not cheap anymore either. Won't be returning. read more

This is my friend's favourite Japanese restaurant in Victoria. On our way there, she was raving about how incredible the special rolls were and how she has never been disappointed with a single dish. So, what's the verdict for me? I have to say that I am a fan as well. There is a vast array of hot and cold food to choose from, so even the pickiest of eaters should be able to find something. Our original plan was to just get rolls, but as soon as we saw the special menu item of Rice Cake Hot Pot with Kimbap, we gave in and decided to sacrifice some rolls for some hot, spicy goodness. RICE CAKE HOT POT (~$43 incl. kimbap): This is not for the faint of heart as it is quite a spicy dish. However, the waitress did say that the chef could add less of the spicy paste, but it would still be hot. (Case in point: One of my friends can only tolerate mild spiciness and she found this incredibly spicy.) The hot is loaded with sausages, fish cake slices, rice cake (duh), hard boiled eggs, cheese (shredded Parmesan and one slice of American cheese), udon, etc. In other words, you will feel bloated after this hearty dish and, like us, you may have to take it home if you decide to order other food. I personally found it spicy myself, but the good kind of spicy where you can't help but want more. It's like budae jigae's slightly healthier sister. KIMBAP: This was just your traditional kimbap. No complaints other than I wish there was more. LAS VEGAS ROLL ($10.99): This was our one special roll and it certainly looked the part with its presentation. It's a heavier kind of sushi with prawn tempura, cheese, and wasabi mayo among its ingredients. The batter of the prawn tempura was fried just right--crisp and not oily whatsoever. It also held up well when you bit into the sushi. TUNA TORO BATTERA: When I first saw this, I thought it wouldn't be that yummy because it looked like there was too much rice. I'm happy to say that that wasn't the case here because there is a nice filling inside and a good amount of sauce drizzled on top to balance everything out. The best part is of course the buttery toro which just melts in your mouth and surprisingly is not masked by the flavour of the sauces. The added crunch from the jalapeno (with its seeds removed so it won't be overwhelmingly spicy) and the tempura bits was very much welcomed as well. While Sushi Island's interior is a bit lackluster, it shines in the food that it delivers. Our waitress was also very attentive in refilling our tea and water, and coming by to stir our hot pot and ensure we didn't put the cheese in too soon. If you're ever in the area, I suggest you give this place a try (ideally in a group too so you can get more variety!). read more

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Honestly, I absolutely love Sushi Island. I was first brought here by a friend about 2 years ago, and it's been an infrequent treat for me ever since then. Their bento boxes are extremely tasty and are priced very well, but their sushi rolls are also great options. I like to try as many different types of sushi as I can, and my last visit, I tried to spice things up a bit (pun most certainly intended). Maybe it wasn't a good thing for sushi to be overly spicy anyways but their spicy mayo and jalapeños on top of the rolls didn't give me any sort of spice. I'm not a huge wasabi guy so that isn't really my go-to, but maybe that'll be the best answer to this particular dilemma. The location is also wonderful, as you can saunter over to Sushi Island if you're shopping at Hillside mall and craving something other than the food court. If you're a fan of sushi and Japanese food in general, give this spot a try! It's a good place to get an inexpensive, tasty lunch, but don't go looking for a super romantic or high-class experience. read more

Sushi Island - Sushi Island's volcano roll, with jalapeño atop them. Not much spice in them at all - Japanese Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

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Excellent FRESH sushi - and right across the street from Hillside Centre, corner of Scott St. The chef is Japanese and he does a fine job. I had the house roll with prawns - very tasty and fresh. They also have local craft beers , including Hoyne Pilsner - a great accompaniment for sushi. read more

Out of all the sushi spots in Victoria, this has got to be one of my favourite ones. It's in a convenient location surrounded by fast food chains like Dairy Queen, McDonalds, and Little Caesars, so if sushi isn't your thing and fast food is, you've got some options. Aside from their convenient location, they do serve up a mean plate of sushi. Their food quality is fresh and delicious, and they have a wide selection of "classic" and "special" roll options. All their rolls are on the larger end, compared to other sushi restaurants in the city. My personal favourites are the crispy roll (shrimp tempura, avocado, and sweet chili sauce) and dragon roll (bbq eel, avocado, unagi sauce), which I'd 110% recommend. Very casual dining atmosphere, quick service, good sushi, cheap prices, need I say more? read more

Sushi Island is your best option for sushi in the Hillside & Shelbourne area. The restaurant has definitely a more casual dining atmosphere, and the interior is pretty basic (could use a bit of renovation/improvement to be honest), but the menu is very decently priced and they're serving up some surprisingly good quality sushi... They also have Sapporo and Blue Buck on tap. Good service + good food + very good prices = great value for sushi in Victoria. read more

This used to be our favourite sushi spot outside downtown Victoria. Close to home and consistently served excellent maki and sashimi. Even with our past positive experiences, I'm sorry to say we won't be returning to sushi island. The most recent visit in late August 2016, the sashimi & maki were nice but we could not get over how filthy the restaurant was. The floors appear to never have been properly mopped. Grime was going up the walls. No exaggeration. We have been loyal customers since the opening of sushi island, but no longer can stomach the ever-present grubbiness. read more

Seems like staff has had a turnover, service is excellent! Attentive, prompt, friendly - wonderful experience. Spicy tuna roll and salmon avocado roll were both great. Green tea was good, and water is infused with lemon and refrigerated so it is nice and cold when put out on the table. Fresh sashimi cuts, great prices, relaxing ambience and atmosphere. Great value! Definitely visit this place, hope they continue having success, seems like tons of return customers which now includes myself, so big bravo to them! read more

Sushi Island - Salmon avocado roll on the top, spicy tuna roll on the bottom - Japanese Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

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We were on our way back to the mainland after having collected our daughter from UVIC to come home for the holidays. This is a place where she and her friends come to eat, so we thought we'd try it out for lunch. Efficient service and the place was quite busy so had to wait a few minutes for a table. Throughout our meal there was a steady of flow of people coming in. Typical Japanese food and everything we ordered was good. A nice place to come for staple Japanese food. read more

The prices are good value, but you get what you pay for - supermarket-like sushi and poor service. . . . . We waited to be seated so long that we sat down on the bench by the door and the server promptly invited the twosome that came in behind us to a table. You know it's bad when the sushi chefs at back are calling out to the server to seat us. Slow to take our order, fast to deliver but mixed up who ordered what on all accounts. Slow to check on us, so I went to the counter to get containers for leftovers and we packaged it up ourselves. No bill delivered, go to the till. I've not seen such lackadaisical service in a long time. Freezers, storage and random stuff mingle in both dining rooms. No atmosphere in the back room, just a TV and a photo print of a Greek villa. I'm sorry, but the six different types of various rolls and special rolls we ordered displayed well, but were much the same in taste and texture. Why did I order a bacon roll? The bacon was mushy and none of the other ingredients came through. The ebi sunomono salad ingredients were fresh tasting. but the dressing was too sweet/flat, not refreshing. The tempura was the only highlight with light crispy battered fresh vegetables served with a sweet-tangy dipping sauce. read more

Wish I could give this establishment less than one star. Walked out about 5 minutes after arriving due to them not having about half of their menu available. The staff was rude and unaccommodating to our simple requests. Will never be back again, and I would highly suggest you follow suit. Jeff read more

I ate here yesterday and while I don't like sushi I have a Donbury and a whole bunch of Gyoza. It was very tasty and my friend who got the sushi loved it. My only problem was that the Donbury came with a lot of salad which had a weird dressing on it that look like someone barfed on it. Get rid of that nasty salad folks and just add more rice! read more

I've been eating here since it opened. It has always been decent and dependable sushi. Last night's meal was a huge disappointment. The rice was crunchy and the tuna tasted like it was past its best before date. Given my history here I will give it another try, but only one more. Y read more

Quick and efficient, Sushi Island isn't world-class dining, but for the great prices you still get pretty decent sushi. My boyfriend and I will stop off here often when we're in need of a quick eat, and have yet to receive poor service. We are pretty basic in our food choices, so I can't speak to much more than their basic rolls, but I think they still do a pretty good job. read more

First time visiting Island Sushi and it was so very good. Everything was fresh and tasty. The portions are decent as well as the price. Definitely will be back and I highly recommend others try it, you won't be disappointed...... read more

I finally got a chance to try the sushi at this place. It was AMAZING! I ordered take-out, and I was surprised at the very cool atmosphere they have going on inside their restaurant. Classy for a sushi place. I will definitely go here again. Can't comment much on their service, next time I will try to eat in. read more

Ordered a tuna roll and dynamite roll. Had to send dynamite back as the pieces fell apart when picked up. They were also a little large, even for a dynamite roll, which may have had something to do with the falling apart issue. I got it replaced with a Cali roll. Flavour was decent but the Nori on both rolls was quite tough and difficult to chew. read more

Ordered takeout including cali, spicy tuna and salmon rolls. This was the worst sushi I have ever tasted. We were only able to eat a few pieces before throwing it out. I'm not sure if the fish was going bad or if it was just very poor quality... either way I wouldn't risk it. So many better options in Vic! read more

Dynamite roll was aweful, tempura was cold and soggy. I took one bite, and mentioned to the server and sent back. Sockeye, Toro and Unagi were good but small cuts, priced at $2.50/piece I expected better. When the bill came I was shocked to still be charged for the roll, despite taking one bit and sending it back. They made it a very awkward experience that I was not expecting. I'm afraid another potentially good sushi restaurant, comparable to Vancouver establishments has completely disappointed. read more

Id like to start off saying that this is my first restaurant review and only am I writing this because I feel so strongly about my experience that I had at Sushi Island last night. I was recommended to try this restaurant out after one of my colleagues from work suggested this restaurant to me as he said the restaurant had decent food at a fair price. In comparison to great sushi places in town like Shizen, Sen Zushi, or Ibizo, this was in fact true in which the sushi wasnt anything spectacular, but wasnt of poor quality either and was fairly priced for sure. The thing that bothered myself and my girlfriend the most was the service or lack there of. The first incident happened when my girlfriend asked if would be possible to add mango to a roll, for an extra charge of course, the server was unsure so she went over to who I believe was the head sushi chef and perhaps even the owner. When the server went over the chef he seemed very annoyed that we even asked that and after a few minutes of deliberation the server came back and said that was not possible which we said ok fine if you cant you cant with no argument. The second incident happened when we asked our server for ginger because we had not gotten any with our sushi. The server went over to the same chef to ask for some ginger and again he seemed very upset and almost insulted that we would bother to ask for ginger in which all sushi restaurants that I have been to would give to their customers when their sushi comes to their table. The third incident occurred when we had finished our meals and our table was full of dishes. Most sushi restaurants would clear your dishes as you go since at Japanese restaurants your order comes in smaller dishes, but not at this restaurant. Instead our plates piled up as our server was in the next room sweeping for 15 minutes. We would understand if the restaurant was particularly busy but last night was not busy whatsoever and had about 4-5 tables between 2 servers. We waited for 15 minutes after our meal was done sitting there until the other server came over and asked us if we needed anything else. The last incident was the thing that sent us over the top and basically just left us shocked. The main sushi chef had a few minutes to spare I guess in between preparing meals, who seemed to be aggravated all night, proceeded to sit down at the sushi bar in front of the other chef, who was preparing the next order of meals, PULLED OUT HIS 'E-CIGARETTE" AND STARTED SMOKING IT!! This was in the main dining room with about 6 tables full of people! Now I understand there's quite a bit of controversy about whether these things are acceptable being used in public areas, but this was an employee smoking it in the restaurant right in front of the other chef who was making food! Does it not seem more appropriate, from the very least a professional stand point, to go out back and do it where there isnt a room full of customers?? With all this being said I hope this restaurant takes strides in improving their service as service does not seem to be a priority here. All in all it was decent food at a fair price, but with such horrible service, we both will not be coming back to this restaurant and if we do it will be for take out so we do not have to put up with the service again. read more

This is the best sushi and service in Victoria hands down. We had a misunderstanding on a previous order and got the wrong thing and the next time we ordered they gave a ton of extra sushi. How can you not love this place? read more

My favorite sushi place in Victoria. The rolls are huge and delicious and fairly priced. My boy friend and I can eat until we are stuffed and pay under $30. We have yet to try a roll we dislike and the miso soup is fantastic. Our favorite rolls are the philly roll and the seafood tempura roll. But you really can't go wrong. We have never had a problem with service here and have eaten here at least a dozen times. I mean it isn't a 5 star restaurant service but they are there when you need them and quick. read more

Amazing sushi, and great service. My family and I stopped by here looking for cheap sushi as our tummies were cavernous with sushi craving. We found all the dishes great but the simple ones really stood out as incredible, this is now my go to sushi spot. read more

Awful place, horrible customer experience. They never refilled water or tea even after I asked. I will personally never be back, wouldn't recommend it to my worst enemy! read more

I had other non-sushi Japanese food. The shrimp tempura was raw and extremely greasy. The tonkatsu I had was dreadful. I would give this place a miss. I did like the chef so I gave it two stars. read more

I had always been a loyal customer at this place. They have reasonable price, warm service and yummy food. to eat in the restaurant is probably the best idea. But never directly order the takeout!!!! The quantity and the quality is way worse than the same dish if u ordered to eat in the restaurant. I was shocked when I open my take our at home and realized I should have order for here, grab several bites and take the leftovers to go. It would be way better experience than this. Eat in the restaurant! Just don't order the takeout. read more

I'm delighted to post the first review! This place is an amazing little gem - unexpected! Don't be dissuaded by the location or display container outside the door. The food is incredible and gorgeously presented. Lovely decor and great service. My new favourite sushi place - by far. read more

Moved in down the road. Been meaning to try this place. Finally made it. IT WAS AWESOME. I won't so long before me next visit.

Very good sushi and Japanese food. do not order lunchbox combos as the quality is very inferior to ordering rolls or nigiri separately. Service is not the best and there seems to be a high turnover rate for waiters. read more

I've had the sushi here and it is passable but I made the mistake of trying the miso ramen - fail. I am one of those people who is compelled to eat everything on the plate... and I had to give up on this bowl of slop 1/3 of the way through. I don't know what the broth was made of but the taste and any visual evidence of miso was absent (yeah, I know, miso is expensive but if you have it on your menu, deliver the goods). The noodles were virtually uncooked, the 'chashu' pork slices were tough and flavorless, and the veggie toppings were fragments of cabbage, carrot and cucumber. All up: a hot mess. Even being really hungry, I had to give up on this offering - maybe the second time in my life I've done this! The staff's breezy response was 'i guess you don't like miso ramen'. Listing the short-comings, the response was 'that's the way we make it'. Their menu should have an additional side note of "warning: if you like real miso ramen, do not order this" read more

I've been here a handful of times now, the sushi is decent and very affordable. Service is incredibly slow and they have been out of items more than once. However, as a starving student on a budget, thats ok!! Have found it's often easier to order takeout. read more

Can't say what the teriyaki or rice tasted like as they were stone cold. Tried to get the servers attention to ask for it to be heated. Unfortunately she ignored me. Finally flagged her down and asked for bill and let her know food was cold. She asked if I wanted it heated up. Lunch was over so said I'll take it with me. No apology nor acknowledgment of issue- just the bill. Ps water jug lid was dirty so nothing to drink either. Never going back read more

It's ok. I loved going there but found the food to be inconsistent. They didn't charge us extra to get wild sockeye instead of farmed salmon which was nice. But the restaurant atmosphere is not great. Floors are super dirty.... as is bathroom. I dislike that they're always listening to the radio with commercials on. And a tv on always distracted my kid. I had to send food back once because it wasn't fresh and it clearly upset the sushi chef - wish they would have consistent chefs on so that the food is the same each time because it's a great location and has potential. Please clean your floors though and get Spotify or play a cd ! read more

Great food, great prices, and really quick service. One of my favourite sushi places in Victoria.

I have been to this restaurant many times and always enjoyed the food I get. Yesterday I went expecting the same good food. Before I ordered I went to the bathroom and noticed there was no soap in the dispenser. I asked a staff member for soap and she referred me to the mens bathroom, which was also out of soap. I told her they were both out and she went looking for more to refill it. Turns out they were completely out of soap, even in the kitchen! All the dispensers were empty and they had none to refill them, who knows how long this had been going on. They informed the manager who went across the street to the mall to buy more soap. I was so grossed out I left immediately with the people I arrived with. This is unacceptable in any food service location but especially when dealing with raw fish. I will never eat here agin! read more

Okay food here. Don't like the chicken teriyaki Don. The sauce is not correct. The Sushi here are good and not very expensive. Went there about two or three times but not going there anymore because I found somewhere better:) read more

Group of us ordered six different rolls to share. All were delicious and the presentation was beautiful! Favourites are the Crispy Yam Roll and the Las Vegas Roll. Service was fine, no complaints. read more

`Meh` sums this place up. Too much mao where its not needed, tempura's a bit dry with too much batter, and they're doing their own thing with the gyoza sauce that's just not working. read more