Located in a strip mall off the corner of Georgia/Sandy Springs Road (turn right when you see Mattress Warehouse on the corner), Wasabi Zen was just an okay place to grab some sushi. We started off with the salmon and avocado salad. Ummmm definitely skip this! Loaded with tons of wasabi dressing, this salad consisted of iceberg lettuce, a good amount of avocado, and tiny pieces of salmon. What a waste of money. We also ordered several rolls: Japanese bagel roll (fresh salmon, cream cheese, cucumber, and scallions-$6.95), Baltimore roll (cooked salmon, avocado, cucumber, Old Bay-$6.25), tuna roll ($5.25), yellow tail roll ($5.75), and the tuna cheese roll (seared tuna, cream cheese, and cucumber-$6.95). The rice was fluffier than I'm used to, but I have to admit, I liked it. Other than that, I thought the rolls were just okay. Some of them fell apart quickly when you picked them up, which is a huge no no for me. Another thing that I didn't care too much about, was that their was not enough fish in the rolls. Many of the rolls were filled mainly with cream cheese and/or cucumber. My favorite out of all the rolls I tried, hmmm...that's hard to say. I guess it would have to be the Baltimore roll, but I would have liked it better if there was a tad bit less of Old Bay on it (a little too salty for my taste). Our waitress was friendly and refilled our drinks quite frequently. The only thing you do have to remember though is to ask for your check because they won't bring it to you otherwise. Above average prices for the quality of sushi you get. MAYBE I'll be back, but I highly doubt that. read more

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Salmon Sashimi was excellent! Tuna Sashimi was excellent! Fried Tofu was pretty good, but I was expecting a crunchy exterior and it wasn't prepared that way. Service was slow and the waitress was rude while the restaurant was half empty. I went back - twice - and the service was even worse. Seems like they don't care how long people have to wait. I won't be back. read more

I decided to check this place out because we had a groupon for it. I took my sister with me as I always do when I'm trying out a new place. I have to say that the sushi we got for the price of the food was lacking. It was average sushi for an expensive price. We got: - Miso soup - Avacado and Salmon salad - Tuna roll - California roll - Alaskan roll -RT108 roll The highlight of our meal was the Avacado and Salmon salad, but it was extremely small for $8. The creamy wasabi sauce was wonderful. The rolls were average, plenty of filling and balanced well with the amount of rice in the roll. The RT108 roll was scallops with spicy orange sauce. it was good. The most disappointing part of our meal was the Miso soup. It was very dense, tasted like it had been sitting in the pot for a very long time and the tofu was firm which messed up the texture of the soup. So, 3 stars, average food, expensive price and overall a lacking experience. I thought the sushi bar was really cool looking though since It was in the shape of a wooden boat. read more

Wasabi Zen - Tuna roll, RT108 roll, California roll, Alaskan roll - Japanese Near Me - Olney, Maryland

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I love sushi, and this is one of my favorites! The place is small, and in a horrible location, but it is a wonderful experience. I'll intentionally drive across the county to eat here. Oddly enough, between when I started this post and now, two friends of mine got food poisoning while eating here. They think it might have been the tuna. Sad, and hopefully just a fluke. read more

Wasabi Zen - Japanese Near Me - Olney, Maryland

The food isn't bad the service is truly loathsome. I have been here many, many times since I live in Olney and its convenient and like I said, not bad sushi. The service is always very, very slow. They seem to be more concerned with carry out orders. On the most recent occasion, we sat at our table for 15 minutes, no one ever acknowledged us. Tables that were sat after us were greeted and had drunk orders taken. We left as there was no sign of even ordering a drink in sight. That was the last straw. I will not be coming back. read more

I went here with my cousin for dinner. I would give it a 5 for the food but a 1 for service. Our server was extremely rude. She answered questions annoyed and seemed in a rush even though half of the place was empty. She didn't refill our drinks or come check on us. The sushi took over an hour to get to us. The two tables that came in after us were served first by about 15 minutes. The server was overall unpleasant. The sushi was great! The spicy tuna roll, California roll, shrimp tempura roll and spider roll were all great. The fish was fresh. The miso soup and salad were also great. Overall awesome food but horrible service. read more

Tiny little place in a building tucked behind a building (a little tricky to find in the dark). Wood floors and the small dining room made it a little loud (so if you are looking for quiet conversation this may not be the best setting). Server wasn't real friendly but okay. Sushi tasted great but servings were on the small side my rolls were regular priced but only 4 pieces. So not a great value. read more

This is a great place to have fresh sushi. They have wonderful rolls and combinations. There is something for everyone. Parking can be difficult. The service is attentive and non pushy. The presentation is beautiful. Olney is lucky to have a sushi place that isn't just grocery store grade sushi. read more

I love sushi! Wasabi Zen was recommended to me when I was looking for a sushi restaurant. Nice atmosphere and great prices. And above all, great food!! read more

This is the worst Japanese food ... Really the worst carry out I've ever gotten. For nearly 60$ we got steak that looked like a microwave dinner - teriyaki shrimp that was pasty and tasted terrible - rubbery frozen vegetables and small portions of rice. The sushi tasted frozen not fresh and was a pitifully small portion. I'll never go here again! read more

Wasabi Zen - Japanese Near Me - Olney, Maryland

Food = Fair. Customer service = terrible. I ordered 8 rolls. They read me back my order, roll by roll, and then we confirmed 8 rolls total. When I arrived to pick up my carryout order at the designated time, I was asked to come back in 10 min. (Where exactly am I supposed to go?) I took my order home, and there were only seven rolls. I called back and was first told very stridently that I only ordered 7. When I said, don't you remember us going back and forth, confirming 8, yes 8? Their response was well don't worry, you weren't charged. Oh that makes it ok ... NOT! Never again. Olney needs a better sushi place, in terms of the food and the customer service! read more

I love that Wasabi Zen is in Olney, mostly because I love that I can get good Italian, Mexican/Peruvian, Belgian-style mussels, a local dive with a big old beer list (as in huge) and decent chili AND sushi in such a tiny town. It's not a bad place to live for that reason alone, and since I've lived here most of my life, it's nice to see them all coming to town. That said, Wasabi Zen, as noted, is not the quickest game in town. However, no one has ever chased me to the parking lot, and the food is always good. On my most recent visit, I got the regular sushi entree, nine big pieces of nigiri and six tuna rolls. The fish is good - very fresh and attractive, even in a carryout container. The place is small, so I'd cap a party at six or so...much better for a max of four people. I think I'd just feel crowded otherwise. Overall, good stuff. read more

If you've ever had a bite to eat in Olney, you know this town is full of half-hearted attempts at high-end cuisine, chain restaurants, and grocery stores. Olney can be about as gastronomically interesting as a bucket of water. One restaurant has been secretly working to change that image for a number of years now. This unsung hero? Wasabi Zen. Located behind Mattress Warehouse (Southbound Georgia Ave), the ~20 table sushi lair is Olney's best-kept secret. Parking is crowded and can be a bit problematic during the busy dinner services; patience is a virtue, no? Wasabi Zen has many of the standard rolls and nigiri sushi you're used to, but they have two stand-outs that deserve mention. The first is the 911 roll with spicy tuna and crab. Excellent portion size, deliciously spicy. The second is the Tower Roll. I don't want to spoil the surprise---- just order it! The ambiance is cozy, the staff super friendly and attentive (consistently over 10+ visits), and the prices pretty reasonable. The place is always full of locals and regulars, and the same waitresses have been serving us smiles for years. Bottom line: Great for date night, or just a night out. If you're bored with the normal favorites in Rockville, the freshness and service here is worth the trip. Don't be afraid to ask someone at the table next to you what to order-- chances are they've been there many times before! read more

I keep getting suckered into these groupon deals...and this time I was dragged all the way to Olney. This place is an "average sushi" restaurant. The owners were very nice and courteous and I did get a good deal so I'll just provide one constructive criticism to help the owners a bit.... Speed of service- 6 tables sat before us (a total of 12 people) on a weekday and it took over 40 minutes for 3 rolls to come out. I understand this is a family run business, but....the speed really has to pick up. At some point I was thinking they were going fishing in the lake. I did order some of the fancier rolls so perhaps they were thawing the fish and that's why it took so long. In sum, Wasabi Zen is a nice cozy neighborhood sushi restaurant. Not a "dive sushi bar" but not an upscale one either. read more

This is one case where I think the overall rating is a bit off, as another reviewer stated. I am borderline one or two stars on this one, but, I'm placing it at two stars; It wasn't 'nasty', it appeared that they are trying. The service was nice and the dining environment is fine. I will not be returning, nor recommending. However, I'm going say that I do not enjoy the sushi at this place one bit. We ordered the Sashimi Regular entree, the Honey California Roll, and the Zen roll. The sashimi was some of the worst fish I've had before. The Tuna, while bright red, was either not fresh or was from a different part of the tuna and colored to make it appear like it was the fatty red tuna we were expecting. The salmon, too, tasted amiss and didn't seem to have the fattiness or buttery flavor that we would expect from the sushi cuts we've come to enjoy at other places. For $25 we received 4 pieces of 4 different fish ( salmon, tuna, white-fish, and one other I can't recall). The cuts were on the thick side, and a little larger than a postage stamp. It was a depressing sight. The Honey California roll, even though recommended by other yelpers, didn't seem at all special to me. Though, it did appear pleasing, there was no added sweetness to it, it merely tasted like a California roll with avocado around it. The Zen roll was just a glob, a very large roll with more avocado and cream-cheese than fish. It was an interesting attempt at a signature roll, though I wouldn't recommend it for someone looking for fish flavor to stand out. Also, the seaweed that wrapped the sushi didn't pronounce itself, it was an absent component to the rolls; that we immediately commented was a missing character. So, added together we spent ~$50 for two people; that didn't even fill us up. And we didn't really enjoy. read more

ohhhhh Wasabi Zen.... such a hidden place and soooooo good. The rainbow roll is soooo delicious crafted like a beautiful piece of art.......the california rolls no additives like mayonnaise... satisfying...Spicy tuna hand roll....my favorite, not tooo spicy, just right ..spider roll....crunchy, delightful..YUM I can never walk out spending less than $30. Great atmosphere, small but cozy. Good service even when you get carry out. read more

Not an inkling as to why this place is rated higher than 2 stars. In this shopping center, you can park in the front or back (no entry through back). Upon entry, you'll be transported into a zen sushi place, with its sushi bar as a wooden boat--and step higher seating along the walls. I appreciated this, as most of the sushi places in Rockville are without frills decor wise. It was also a nice touch to have the sushi menu as the chopstick wrapper. However, this experience quickly went downhill upon reading and eating what was on the menu. -Miso soup and ginger salad were good, no complaints there (Not salty at all, according to a few reviews. They must have fixed this.) -We also ordered a spinach salad with miso dressing, which was essentially steamed bunched up spinach (like Korean apps) topped with too much turdlooking mayo, which I wouldn't have known was miso. The texture was like babyfood. only relieved by a few specklings of tempura flakes. This was definitely NOT worth the $7. -First letdown was the chicken yakitori. The meat was incredibly dry (tasted like frozen bought chicken), and underseasoned. Sauce was good, vegetables had great heat and glaze to it, but I just could not get past the meat. Avoid this. -Spicy crunch salmon roll, yellowtail roll with cilantro, and salmon roll. All in my opinion close to inedible, with the exception of the spicy salmon roll, only because it had fried yumyums rolled on it and a spicy mayo. Mayo never does you wrong. Take off all the mayo, and underneath you will not find fresh salmon, but minced balls inside. They did not give any yellowtail--it was the smallest amount of fish I had ever seen inside sushi. The salmon roll wasn't sliced salmon--it was all mangled, beyond minced, and rubbed on the exterior (this should be a sushi sin). I hardly touched it because it just tasted like too many hands got on it. I can see how patrons would be tricked to believe that Wasabi Zen offers yummy sushi, but it is all masked behind mayonaisse--big nono. Please go somewhere where it is properly done for much less cost. (The rolls here range from $8 for basics to $13-14 for specialty at 6pc/roll.) None of the rolls were reflective of pictures on Yelp. -Biggest letdown of the night that I wish I sent back to the kitchen was the chicken teriyaki. It came out sizzling on the plate, and we hoped it would be better than the yakitori we ordered. To our disappointment, it was just as dry. It was also overdone to the point that the sauce overcaramelized the meat, and you could not pry the meat off to eat. Cancerous and inedible...and costed us a whopping $25!!! We made sure the waitress knew when she asked how the meal was. When chicken is phenomenally better at a mall chain like Sarku, there is a problem. Really nice that they checked in on us and were fast about orders, but there was absolutely no care put into these plates. I urge you to go to the other sushi establishments in Maryland, which are much less expensive. read more

Wasabi Zen - Spinach salad with miso dressing - Japanese Near Me - Olney, Maryland

My wife and I checked this place out for the first time a couple of weeks ago. We had our 3 month old baby on tow...which we're discovering is a risky move when trying to have a relaxed meal. We show up, and the place is tiny, but the friendly hostess found us a spot in the corner that could accommodate us with the car seat, and all was well....or so we thought. We each proceeded to order a nice Japanese beer and sip it while trying to decipher the menu. We're both "sushi" lovers, but unfortunately not to the degree at which we really get any of the fancy stuff...which their menu is full of. It took us 10 minutes to realize that there was a separate sheet full of the Americanized rolls that we're accustomed to. Thank god...because I was lost, looking at the list of options on the real menu. Anyway...we finally put the order in, and got some dumplings to boot, and all was well... It was as if the baby knew how hungry we were, and how good the food looked...and she just wanted to torment us. She started wailing like a banshee, as soon as the dumplings hit the table. And so began the fastest meal with chopsticks, that man has ever eaten. The rest is a blur of soy sauce and baby screams, but from what I remember the food was amazing. I just wish I could have taken the time to enjoy it. Next time, we're getting a sitter... read more

This place is delicious! I go here for all of my sushi needs! It's a cute little place to take a date!

I never knew sushi could be so interesting until I went to Wasabi Zen. The California honey roll - delicious! The Baltimore roll has salmon with Old Bay seasoning for us Marylanders. There there's the Route 108, which has scallop, and the Hawaiian Sunset roll with salmon, crab, and pineapple! You can't go wrong with any of the sushi choices. The other food on the menu is good too but I go there for the sushi. The place is very tiny and does get crowded on a Friday or Saturday night, so go early. read more

Of course this is one of the "best" sushi joints in Olney, it's one of the ONLY sushi joints in Olney. Way overpriced, mediocre sushi. One of these places that is very aware that Olney has very limited dining options, let alone sushi- so can and does take advantage by over charging you. I'm glad we had a groupon, we would have been very sore if we had paid full price for the poorly made rolls we received. Head over to Harris Teeter for higher quality and some bang for your buck. Yes, I'm serious. Sad, but serious. read more

I like having this small, neighborhood sushi joint nearby, but the hit-and-miss service makes it hard to totally love. Some nights, the timing is perfect and other nights, it takes forever to be served. If they only have one sushi chef working, bring your patience. Favorite rolls: Honeymoon and Hawaiian Sunset Favorite app: Avocado and Salmon Salad (with a wasabi dressing) The basic sushi is good too - just a simple tuna roll was a nice balance to the fancy-pants rolls. One thing I wish they'd change is to cut the special rolls into an even number of pieces. It would keep my husband and I from fighting over the last piece... read more

Hidden in-between shopping centers, Wasabi Zen is a great sushi joint in good ol' Lonely Olney. They've got some pretty creative rolls and it was nice to see something different - the honey california roll. While most of the rolls were good, non really stood out except for the spicy tuna roll. Spicy tuna roll is probably my most ordered roll mostly because its a safe roll that you can't go wrong with so for a spicy tuna roll to stand out, its gotta be pretty good. The prices are a little high so you won't get a bang for your buck but with the good service (the waitresses can't ignore you, the room is too small) and decent sushi, you can't go wrong when you're in the area. read more

When I am in the fine village of Olney and in dire need of sushi (quite often is the case), I go to the source of zen, Wasabi Zen that is. Consider the following: in my three some years of dining in and carryouts, apart from the occasional miso soup and salad, I have never gotten anything other than sushi - I have yet to regret this. I consider this the finest sushi establishment within the greater Olney metropolitan area. It's a small place that seems to do as much, if not more carry outs than dine ins. Be aware, during the dinner bum rush it does tend to get slightly cramped, so if you're not a fan of enclosed spaces, order carry out and eat in the parking lot. :D I'll give it four stars because everything but the quickness is stellar. Their limited waitstaff ends up running around as they attempt to keep up with my Sapporo consumption. read more

Used a Groupon deal here to dine in after having only carried out before. Boy are we glad we went inside! It's beautiful inside with a sushi bar that looks like a wooden Japanese boat and pretty green walls with orchids around and wood floors. The California Honey Roll and Hot Night Roll are super delicious. Only downside is we ordered five rolls but didn't get miso soup or ginger salad with it. Guess we had to order those separately. It's pretty expensive and the Groupon gave us a false sense we would only be spending that 15 dollars. Ended up spending 27 over that. Expensive but yummy! Add-on to review: Had the spicy tuna roll here the other day. WHOA. Best spicy tuna I've had. Not weird mush inside. Real solid tuna. Spicy sauce. So good. This one alone will make me come back again and again. And it's a great price at 1/2 the cost of their special rolls. DELISH! read more

Honestly, I think this is the best sushi I have had in the area! Granted there are SOME bizarre rolls with flavor combos I wouldn't touch but that's okay because obviously someone enjoys them. We loved the spicy tuna roll (I know...snore), Baltimore roll (rolled in OLD BAY), and several others that I am forgetting. We have eaten here twice and have enjoyed each experience. First time was on a Tuesday night and the place was dead. We had amazing service since we really had the place to our self. The next experience was on a Friday night. We got seated within a few minutes but service was slower as to be expected. We have had sushi and only sushi (well and seaweed salad) but everything on the menu looks interesting. I am looking forward to coming back again to try more! read more

When I was living in Olney I probably ate/carried out from Wasabi Zen once a week. I liked it that much. The sushi is great. I have tried many of the rolls that they have and had never had a bad one. The Beef Terayaki is so good, a good cut and portion of beef and the teraykis sauce is wonderful. Not too sweet and packed with flavor. The service is great, the servers may not alway be super friendly but they are quick and efficieint. The location is horrible it's this tiny little dingy strip of shops behind Popeyes and Mattress Discounters. It is tiny inside the atmosphere is okay and it is always clean. But when I say tiny, it really is and you can here pretty much everyone elses conversation. My favorite roll is the Spicy Tuna, their's is unlike anyone elses. I also discovered and highly reccomend the Spicy Tuna Salad....a great value. It is most likely all the left over peices from Sushi, but I love it just the same. It consists of Tuna on a bed of lettuce covered in the best spicy sauce (sriracha and mayo) with the panko crunchies. SO good and its something like $7 for the amount of Tuna you get this is a steal. It is a little pricey and one of those places you go for the great food not so much the atmosphere. I just wish they would add some specials...sushi happy hour anyone? read more

I had to be in Olney last night around dinner. Yelp consensus pointed to this place ... I'm not a sushi regular. Well, I like it. I eat it maybe once a month. But I can't say I've ventured too far beyond the usual tuna roll or salmon nigiri. Sometimes I'll try the "sushi regular" (this seems to be the accepted vernacular for chef's special), and at most places, that means I get some yellowtail or red snapper with the standard salmon and tuna. So I ordered the sushi regular at WZ. It really was "chef's special." Of course there was one salmon and one tuna nigiri. And yes, I recognized the shrimp and the egg/omelet. Otherwise ... I really have no idea what the other pieces were. There was one piece in particular I didn't really like - but the rest of it was good, and the tuna and salmon seemed impecabbly fresh. Service on a Thursday night was efficient. Recommended. read more

although the fish seemed good and fresh, the amount of sauce used on the special rolls was excessive. It was as if they were covering up the the fish purposefully. Also (and this is a biggie) the spider roll had two ends of a fried softshell crab, but the center pieces of the roll was filled with kani (wtf?). Aren't we in maryland, the land of the crab. kani, really? read more

Very good sushi and spicy dipping sauce to go along with it. The rolls are very large but just as delicious. Food quality was excellent and the taste was amazing don't let the outside appearance fool you. read more

Wasabi Zen - Pineapple on the back one. Front left was a chili spiced roll, and front right is Phili roll. All bomb - Japanese Near Me - Olney, Maryland

Sadly they have gone downhill. The lunch special had cucumber roll not California roll. It's sad when corners are cut like that.

Best Sushi restaurant in the whole DMV! Been coming here for well over a decade and have never had a bad experience. Everything is always fresh, big fan of their Kan Sai Roll, Philly Roll and the Shrimp Tempura Roll. If you're a Sashimi fan, you won't be disappointed, make sure you ask for the fresh wasabi. Love to start with their Miso soup and finish my meal with their Green Tea Tempura Ice Cream. YUMMY!! Just writing this review is making my mouth water, thank you for the great food and service! read more

You can always count on getting rude service from the waitresses...sushi is good and guys behind the sushi bar are nice, so maybe I will consider carryout, if I go back. Not worth the money and time spent at a restaurant that acts like they are doing you a favor serving you. Also, the waitress kept rubbing her nose with her bare hand and coughing without covering her mouth. Not appetizing and disgusting to experience in public, especially now. Think twice before eating at this restaurant. read more

Sushi in Olney and 5 stars? I can't believe it and I am writing it. A few notable rolls we tasted: Crazy roll: had a strip of hot pepper sauce on top that an intense pepper flavor released after the milder flavors of the salmon, genius! Also tried a 'bagel' roll, another brilliant creation: essentially a Philadelphia roll but with a little twist (some avocado and some green onions and sesame seeds on the outside...hmm. Also make sure you try the crunchy eel roll...so good we had a second. There were only two other full table as we went for an early dinner (1700hrs) so we did not have service issues mentioned in other reviews. I will definitely be back. read more

Quality of sushi is 3 stars, it's decent. But service, EXTREMELY TERRIBLE. And this is not an exaggeration. I'm from Olney and I'm always trying to support local businesses, but when the grumpy looking woman burns my fiance's hand (that ended with a huge blister), my respect for this place went all the way down. An apology would've been nice. read more

If you have a hankering for Japanese sushi and you live in the Olney area this restaurant is a satisfactory option to help cure your craving. Located in between a strip mall and McDonalds this small friendly place serves decent food albeit at the pricey end (at least for dinner). The dinners come with miso soup, which my wife and I found too salty, and salad with ginger dressing which was dead on delicious. My wife ordered a sushi tray and was satisfied enough to declare that she would be willing to return for lunch when the prices were far more reasonable. I ordered the shrimp tempura and it came with five shrimp and and assortment of veggies with the most curious one being broccoli which I don't recall ever seeing in the form before and I have eaten a lot of tempura dishes. The nice surprise was the pumpkin which my wife poached from my plate and enjoyed greatly. Besides the salty miso, other negatives were poor water service and as my wife said the obvious (to her) use of old cooking oil for the tempura. It didn't affect the taste to me, but is food for thought. The owners are Korean, which is very common with Japanese restaurants and are very pleasant and friendly. We used a Groupon deal and overall we are glad we did. Our favorite Japanese restaurant is still Niwano Hana in Rockville, but is a little more of a trek for us so this is a nice safety valve. read more

My mom and I came to Wasabi Zen for lunch. We've come here a few times before. She got a salmon bento box which she liked. It has a nice assortment of "everything" in the perfect potions. I ordered the mushroom roll and the avocado roll. They tasted great. I will say my only complaint is that I don't eat meat and there seemed to be fish eggs from a previously made roll on my rolls. It's not pleasant to have to pick through to make sure I'm not eating any masago. Otherwise, a pretty good experience. Pretty decently priced and I can't complain about service. read more

Wasabi Zen - Part of my mom's salmon bento box. I forgot to get a picture when it was complete! - Japanese Near Me - Olney, Maryland

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The best kept secret of Olney! The have very fresh sashimi/sushi and they even adjust or create things for us when we ask! The best fatty tuna! read more

Wasabi Zen - A la carte! Amazing! - Japanese Near Me - Olney, Maryland

Way above expectations. Currently carry out only but absolutely worth it. Overfilled rolls. Salmon skin handroll was Huge and delicious.

The food and service is good.....and fir the negative: its located in a dark hidden parking lot and inside the place it does not get any better. If you want good food with bad decor...this is the place. read more