Waka House was my favorite sushi spot in high school, and I am so glad that I revisited it today while in town! Such friendly people, such delicious and well-priced sushi! It's definitely got a little hole-in-the-wall feel; there's less dine-in seating than years ago and now there's an area of shelving with dishes and Japanese crackers and cookies for sale. My favorites were still just as good as I remembered. Cucumber salad, hayden roll, karadynamite roll, mango shrimp tempura roll, and snow crab Naruto roll. Waka House is such a hidden gem in Baton Rouge! read more

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Food took forever to come out to begin with. Their excuse was that they were so busy while the restaurant was empty. They seem to prioritize their to-go's before tending to their dine-in customers. It made us sick once got home. Customer service was T E R R I B L E. The serve was a young guy whose attitude was over the roof. He had no manners. Literally bumped into my 1mo baby stroller while my infant was in there. He didn't bother to say sorry or excuse me. -We asked for a second round of fried rice for dine in & instead he insisted that we take it to go. He kept reaching over the table to bring our food & tab. Just terrible. The one on Sherwood location could never let me down! That's the best one in town!!! WE WONT BE BACK. read more

Another day, another post-practice outing with my boys--this time, after basketball, I took them to Waka House Restaurant, just 1.5 miles south of LSU campus on Highland Road. I'd been wanting to try this spot for a while, being a fan of Asian cuisine and having seen some buzz on my Yelp feed recently. We'd passed by it plenty of times, and I'd even ordered from them years ago through the now-defunct Menu-Express. Pulling up, the parking lot was sparse, and my boys gave me that look, saying, 'Dad, for real?' I just grinned and said, 'Let's give it a shot.' The big 'Waka' sign hung over an unassuming storefront, and stepping inside felt like stumbling into a street-side café from my travels in the Far East. The front doubled as a pottery store, with cooking happening behind a sushi bar in the back. Spartan seating stretched off to the left, where a floor-level big screen played a Japanese food show with subtitles. A mix of patrons, some chatting in the native tongue, filled the space with a quiet hum. After standing for a moment, I asked the waitress for a table for three. 'Sit where you want,' she replied in broken English, her warmth shining through. Our waitress, Yan Xi, a spry elderly lady, hustled between tables with a smile. With limited seating, we grabbed a center table, settled in, and waited a bit before she brought us colorful English menus to peruse. Ordering took some time, but when the food arrived--seemingly in no particular order--we were blown away. The seaweed salad was crisp and fresh, the miso soup had a bold kick, and my tokuyaki, a combo of beef, skewered chicken, and tempura shrimp, was absolutely off the chain. My boys devoured their chicken teriyaki and a dynamite roll combo with gyoza, and we all shared a shrimp fried rice dish, spiced just right with jumbo shrimp that hit the spot. There was a steady flow of takeout orders that kept things lively, and the elderly owners handled the crowd--including some less-than-polite customers--with graceful Asian charm. We left stuffed, carrying generous amount of leftovers, and as we headed out, one of the ladies apologized for the wait. My youngest just grinned and said, 'It's was worth it.' If you're craving an authentic taste of Japanese cuisine locally, Waka House is a must-try. The minimalist seating might not suit everyone, but the food is an awesome experience at a great price. The steady stream of happy customers and those big, satisfied smiles say it all. Date of visit, 04/10/2025; table T5; order 136782 read more

BEST SUSHI in BATON ROUGE! Seriously, best sushi and the nicest family that run it. I've been coming to Wakka House for over 10 years - it's so good I even get it to go when I drive from Houston to back home. Karadynamite Roll, Hayden Roll, Spicy Tuna roll, Mango Tempura roll, the fried rice (large portions!), and Wasabi Shrimp - to die for!! read more

Waka House - Karadynamite Roll - Japanese Near Me - Baton Rouge, Louisiana

The food is decent, but overpriced. The restaurant is nicely decorated and service in the good when dining in, but they take too long when filling the togo orders. read more

Literally so bussssss. Rolls are huge and great price. Get the hayden roll! It is super casual and a great hole in the wall!

One of my favorite sushi spots. I just found this little gem so close to LSU. The quality of their rolls is great. Although I usually go for something a little fancier like specialty rolls, just their simple rolls like shrimp tempura and crunchy have so satisfied. The serving size is great in comparison to other places I've tried. The owners work there and they are friendly and generous with wasabi and ginger and whatever else we need. Their Tokutoku set is a really great deal and so delicious, and I get it every time in addition to a few rolls. I would say they have HANDS DOWN the BEST salmon for a decent price. 1) Tsunami and 2) this place. I don't know what it is or how they do it but the quality and flavor of their salmon is amazing. I haven't tried much of the other fish there because the salmon is that good. Their hours are a little weird because it says that they close around 3 to reopen at 5pm. We came to dine around 2 and stayed well past 3:00 and they didn't stay anything to us. Also, people were coming in to pick up takeout orders too in that time period. Definitely my new go-to spot and I've been recommending it to everyone around the area. Sushi Masa used to be my go-to spot, but even though this place isn't all you can eat, it is definitely worth it. read more

I love sushi and I have to say this has been one of the best sushi I have had in a while. I admit I was a bit skeptical about trying this place out, but I was having dinner with an old friend. She loves sushi, so the best friend and I let her pick a place for dinner. We opted for somewhere close with sushi. The atmosphere was calm and relaxing when we stepped in. They weren't so busy to the point where we couldn't get a seat. We were immediately asked about what we wanted to drink and given time to peruse the menu. The green tea I ordered came out in an interesting tea pot. Not your everyday type of teapot! There is such a vast amount of sushi to choose from! I put in my seaweed salad and my two friends decide what rolls to pick. I'm am easy person and eat just about anything. I just requested some snow crab be in it also. The presentation for everything was quite lovely. What you noticed is that they stand all the sushi side by side like a wall. It's different from the usual places I've had that just lay the sushi down. Everything was impeccable to my palette. The roll I enjoyed most was the Happy Valentine roll. It was almost like a dessert roll and is a bit weird during your first try. It basically had fruits with cream cheese and I believe maybe a shrimp inside. I can't really recall, but there was interesting sauce poured over it. For dessert we had the mochi dessert. We asked if it was fresh, but the waitress admitted it's frozen and they take it out when ready to serve. It melted in your mouth like ice cream! With the exception of the green tea one. The outside kind of broke down in your mouth into small hard pieces instead of melting into a soft texture. The mango and strawberry were my favorite flavors. Definitely if you're a sushi lover give this place a try and don't forget to get the Happy Valentine roll if you're a dessert person. And if you have room for dessert order the mochi dish for the table to eat. read more

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I haven't been to their other location, but if its as good as the one on Highland, than I would be suggesting it too. This place is delicious. The sushi is on the border of being too pricey for me (a college student) to really afford; however, it is only on the border. They have a huge variety of very tasty sushi and they have a few Japanese dishes in addition. Their seaweed salad was great. Free refills on the drinks! (always a good thing.) read more

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This restaurant is very lowkey. It was my first experience here. The woman working up front was so kind and helpful! The food is amazing and very affordable! read more

Waka House - Dumpling combo A! Pork dumplings and crunchy rolls with a side order of miso soup! - Japanese Near Me - Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Have been here several times and the sushi is always good. They're presentation is really gorgeous. The dumplings are always a treat. The plum tea is excellent when they have it. My favorite roll is the Mango Shrimp Roll. I always end my meal with it read more

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Not bad. I was slightly skeptical at eating at a sushi place in a strip mall type of setting next to a Walmart, lol, and when I got inside, I was more skeptical. We were the only people there at 1pm--I thought oh not a good sign. BUT it actually turned out alright-- I forwent the sushi, nervously not trusting raw fish there, and got the shrimp tempura lunch box. What a pleasant surprise. A few people trickled in behind us, made us feel less like odd balls, and the food started to be delivered. Miso soup was good, and the tempura was delicious. So light and fluffy I was quickly stuffed and couldn't finish. He got some type of beef bowl, was HUGE, and he ate the whole thing. We would actually go back and try the sushi next time and of course the tempura again. So don't judge this book by its cover. read more

We have had a very hard time finding good Asian restaurants in this city, but the food is very good at the Waka House. The teriyaki salmon was cooked to perfection. The portion sizes were also very good. The ingredients were fresh. The facilities were clean and service was excellent. Definitely recommended. read more

Sushi rolls are entirely too big, rolled loosely and cut into 3 inch slices. If your into deconstructed sushi on your plate and lap, hurry and get to this Waka House. Also, the owner apologized to the table next to us for taking so long on their food, she told them they were behind because we ordered too much. It was all that tables fault. I love the Waka House in Sherwood and have always enjoyed their service and food. I can't believe this two have the same name! read more

I love their food. Service is prompt and pleasant. Fresh tasting and authentic menu! I've traveled to Japan and looked for some of the menu items that became my favs. Not just sushi! read more

I will preface this review by saying that I only eat veggie sushi, which is pretty standard and (in my opinion) difficult to mess up. I came in on a Friday night wanting a veggie roll to go. I ordered the ruby red crunch roll, which was listed on the menu as a roll with pickled radish topped with avocado. I thought there might be tempura involved also because of the word "crunch" in the name (there wasn't). It was a little expensive for veggie sushi- between $6 and $7 I can't remember. I'm unfortunately allergic to avocado so I asked for it to be replaced with extra radish or veggies. I got my check and was disappointed to see that I'd been charged an extra dollar for the radish replacement even though I took the (surely more expensive) avocado off my order. The total including tip was over $10. I got my boxed roll to go and took it home to eat. The roll was large with a good amount of rice and served with the usual wasabi and pickled ginger. It came with my "extra" serving of pickled radish which was tasty. The roll itself was filled with pickled radish as expected but was covered in some kind of mayonnaise dressing- not too tasty. That saying about how even bad pizza is good because it's still pizza came to mind when eating this... It was still veggie sushi...just not great. I still finished it after removing half of the mayo coated radish from each bite. Overall, pricy for a veggie roll-- I could get double this amount for the same price at other places and it would taste much better. I'll be sticking with Wahada (my favorite veggie roll in Baton Rouge) or Hello Sushi from now on. However I did notice on the menu that beer and wine are reasonably priced and the restaurant itself is inviting. If I ever come back it will be for a drink and some edamame. read more

Waka House - Ruby red crunch roll without avocado - Japanese Near Me - Baton Rouge, Louisiana

This has become our favorite not-fancy place. Different flavors, so try something new. My new choice is the David roll. Wife likes the great and generous shrimp fried rice... and Teriyaki shrimp (different!!)... other family members like the specials. Grandson likes the baked salmon which is good too. Cucumber salad and crab variant are good choices. I don't like everthing, not big on the chicken...where does your taste fall? Eating-in, be sure to accurately write your order to protect language barrier. Ask for a fork too. read more

I ordered the Hayden Roll, it has avocado, tempura shrimp, wrapped in seaweed and rice and topped with crab, tempura, and eel sauce. I also ordered clear soup. The soup was hot, full of seaweed and krab. I think I was expecting seaweed and tofu, but it was still delicious. The Hayden roll was incredible! It had large chucks of avocado, large shrimp with a hearty coating of tempura, a thick layer of rice and was piled high with crab and tempura on top. I had a difficult time eating the first few pieces because the size of each slice was massive! You will get all the bang for your buck here! read more

Anytime I am in Baton Rouge near Highland, this is my go to sushi option. Friendly, consistent, fresh ingredients and the Su Chef has really good knife skills. I truly enjoy the Mango Tempura Shrimp Roll and the Cucumber Salad too. read more

Server was new and not very well-informed, but he was nice. Took about 15 minutes for a small gyoza (6 pieces) that came with a strange sauce (tasted like soy sauce mixed with mayo or some type of coffee). Oh, and there were only 2 servers there with the help of the manager. Decent amount of tables in the restaurant, so wait time shouldn't be long (unless it's Lent season). Decor is interesting, I guess. Feels like Waka House is trying to be high-end in the low-end of town, but it's a nice change of scenery. I love how the menus have pictures of the food, so it makes ordering or deciding what to eat so much easier. On to the food. Gyoza dumplings weren't that good. I was super disappointed with the sauce it came with because it tasted like it was a mix of soy sauce, mayo, and some other ingredient. It wasn't the regular gyoza sauce. Ordered like 3 or 4 rolls: David's, Mango Shrimp Tempura, and Hayden. Well, David's could've been better if it wasn't drowning in the spicy sauce. Hayden had too much snow crab, but it was still ok. Mango Shrimp Tempura could've been great minus the cream cheese, but the mango was fresh =) Ended the night with MOCHI! For the large one, got 2 of each flavor: green tea, red bean, mango, and strawberry. I absolutely did not like the mango and the green tea, but the other two were great ^_^ the bill ended up being around $55. Not too bad on the price, but I probably wouldn't be coming back. P.S. I've never been to the Sherwood location. read more

Hit or miss: Karasalmon roll- way too much sauce. The sauce drenched the roll. I'll never get it again. Couldn't even taste the sushi roll which made me feel they were trying to cover it up b/c it wasn't fresh. Hamachi maki roll- stale and fishy didn't finish it. Won't order it again. Crunchy dynamite roll- very good and fresh. Loved the price and size of the roll. Escolar-fresh. Loved it. Pet peev: They only have the soy sauce with the red top. I like the low sodium green top. Loved the decor...very modern, hip, and clean. read more

I absolutely love this place. It is hands-down my favorite sushi place for a number of reaons. Price: There is nowhere in Baton Rouge where you can get sush THIS fresh and tasty for this amount. There is sushi on par with this, but it is at least 20% more expensive. I am a college student so I'm pretty price sensitive... Sushi will never be fast-food priced, so if someone wants sushi, they should expect to spend more on it than a meal at Cane's or the like. For sushi, the pricing is excellent. Selection: They have a ton of awesome items to choose. Every sushi place has the same staple rolls: crunchy, dynamite, spicy tuna/eel/etc. Their variations take the best parts of all that I've tried and combine them. They also have their special rolls that are amazing (like the Hayden roll). Last but not least, Quality: The sushi here is incredibly fresh. Hands down, their spicy tuna and Hayden rolls are my absolute favorites. The fish is never "fishy" and it always tastes so incredibly fresh. Miso is always hot and the tofu is cooked well. The only reason they did not get Five Stars is because of the location. I live on the north end of College Drive and it's an absolute pain to get there (during a work lunch errand, etc.) unless I am already in the area. Even if I were not having to drive a distance in traffic to get there, that area in general is such a cluster that I avoid it at all costs... except to get sushi. I've only dined in once- to go service has always been prompt and accurate. My absolute favorite sushi place in Baton Rouge. read more

Love this little hole in the wall place. The sushi is affordable, and the atmosphere is cozy. The staff is very kind and the food is amazing. I've been coming to this place for years and I enjoy the sushi a lot. read more

I'm always hesitant trying sushi from places that I've never been to but this place was good. The service was good also.

This place is actually pretty nice, I sadly wasn't able to dine in yet but I did order two take out boxes to go home to try, the food is fantastic and I ordered something fried and when I got home, it was still crispy the way it would of been if I dined in. The food portions were a bit off from the price point but the quality was really good. Definitely will try it dining in one day. read more

I will preface by saying the food was good. I have been here multiple times before and food and service was always adequate. The service was awful. It took over 20 minutes to get water because they were somehow out of cups, and an additional 25 min after that to get a miso soup ordered when we got water. 45 min later we got the first of our 3 rolls all ordered when we got our water. They seemed overly concerned with the Waitr orders that there seemed to be plenty of. When we questioned what was taking so long we mentioned the guests here should have some precedence over to go orders and were informed they somehow these peopled ordered over an hour ago. If that's the case this place won't be around much longer. read more

NOTE: Three stars for sushi is GOOD for Baton Rouge... It's also slightly expensive for Baton Rouge sushi... I don't like the tables very much...if you have long legs, watch out for your knees. read more

i love place soo much. probably the only place i will ever willingly go to to eat sushi. their hayden roll is to die for!

I highly recommend this place. The Hadden Roll is the best thing I've ever put in my mouth! The Highland rd location is very nice and roomy!

Decent, albeit inconsistent food. Service is also inconsistent. The last time I went I walked out after being told to sit anywhere and then chastised for doing so. Nine Dragons is more consistent and a slightly better value. read more

Ordered a snow crab salad to be delivered among other rolls. Received the rolls just fine yet the snow crab salad was strictly the ingredients thrown into a box. Not cut, plated, or anything to say I couldn't have done it myself. On top of that, the delivery being estimated for 30 mins, took over an hour to arrive. read more

So disappointing to have to write a negative review about one of my former favorite restaurants! Went tonight with friends from out of town, and noticed we had a new waitress (I come here frequently) She started off by requesting our id's repeatedly, after already showing them to another waitress. After the typical delicious meal we're used to there, we were finishing up the bottle of sake we had purchased. She then returned to say she had to kick us out because they had closed, immediately upon collecting our checks - tips in hand. I work in a restaurant myself and have never kicked out patrons after closing - the closing time is the guideline for seating people. I was so horrified and embarrassed in front of my guests. Waka, please get rid of this waitress, she's creating a bad name for y'all's formerly spotless reputation! read more

We love going to Waka House for dinner! It is always a great experience!! It is our go-to eatery and has yet to disappoint! Our favorites that we highly recommend are as follows in no particular order: wasabi shrimp, crabmeat salad, seaweed salad, fried rice, yakiudon, beef donburi, hayden roll (snow crab wrapped in soy paper with fried tempura batter on top), osaka roll (basically an eel roll), Alex roll (snow crab with salmon and avocado), and kani naruto (more snow crab wrapped in cucumber). Our server was phenomenal. He was very polite and attentive. If you're a sushi lover, definitely give Waka House a try! read more

I've visited the location on Sherwood many times, so I though this would be a great place for lunch. The sushi was not up to par with the other location. The shrimp tempura was dark brown, not golden fried brown. All of the rolls were drenched in sauce...eel sauce, spicy mayo, and some sweet mango sauce. The presentation was nice, but the food tasted horrible. I could not finish what I ordered, but I told the waitress I would take the rest to go. read more

Favorite sushi spot in Baton Rouge! The salmon nigiri is unreal in quality. The seared tuna sushi roll was also delicious and unique. Everything I had was enjoyable. Very decently priced and will absolutely return! read more

Excellent sushi! The bad servers generally weed themselves out. Only had awful service one time, and it wasnt nearly as bad as other places. Recommend it to everyone! Hope yall make it! read more