We came in about 15 minutes before closing and the entire staff was very welcoming and were happy to seat us. I had a pomegranate mojito and a tuna poke bowl. The fresh mint was the perfect compliment to the pomegranate. The tuna poke bowl was very fresh and filling. They acknowledged my gluten allergy and were able to bring me gluten free soy sauce. The atmosphere is cozy. Low lighting with tables close together but you still feel like you have privacy. It was a really fun place to visit and the food and service were great. I forgot to take pictures of my food but the portions were excellent. read more

Yosake - Pomegranate Mojito - Sushi Bars Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

I don't know if this was just a weird day for them because the reviews were so high and I really wanted to like this place as they were also on resy (so I assumed that they had to be good). Last night's dinner was terrible. From service to food to everything, terrible. I made a reservation for 5 adults and even detailed that I will have 2 car seats with me for my babies. The waiter up front wanted to seat us on a 4 person table by bringing a chair on the other end to seat 5, very silly. 5 adults and 2 car seats in a 4 ft table? Makes zero sense. Service was really shocking and absolutely dissapointing. We were constantly begging for our waitresses attention. From ordering food, to cleaning up our table after the appetizers, to the simple task for a water refill... just ridiculous. And now, for the food... everything was either too salty or too bland. The udon was especially disgusting, the broth seemed like its been reduced for the past couple of months as to how salty it was. The ramen, they used an instant ramen noodles... for $24? Like what? It looked and tasted like a $2 packet of ramen. The only good thing between those 2 orders is the pork belly. I wish I could get my time and money back. Definitely do not recommend and would not come back. read more

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We were visiting Wilmington with family and was craving for ramen, we decided to go here based on the high quantity reviews it has but it was so disappointing and the worse service and ramen I had in a while. The server was no where to be find no service at all aside from bringing the food. Needed to wait and ask for water refill and never checked on us, we asked another server to find her. The place is in a second floor and was surprisingly busy for the food quality and taste. I will start w the appetizers the spicy tuna roll was not good the rice was so cold n mussy like it was ready on the fridge from last night. The lettuce wrap is a ground meat and lettuce, I almost choke on how hard the cabbage was no flavor at all. The teriyaki pork belly has 3pcs and side veggies that were so hard as well. And the most important part was the shoyu ramen when i asked for chili she said it is additional and I said sure but chili is just oil no chilies. The ramen as soon as i saw it already knew it was with INSTANT NOODLES, it was the first time for me and I was so shocked on how a restaurant that sounds and feel so good is this bad... the soup was so bland and the bochoy on it was so hard you cannot eat it. I am not sure if that place knows the food they are serving no way near to being authentic . My appetite disappeared as soon as I tried the noodles. Please save yourself time, and money. NOT RECOMMENDED. read more

Yosake - Ramen Shoyu - Sushi Bars Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

We had the best food and the best time at Yosake on Saturday night! The sushi was to die for, so were the apps (not pictured). I personally recommend the Crab Rangoon, dumplings and the Edamame. Everyone at the table was thrilled with their rolls ranging from Philly to specialty. They have a gluten free menu and had plenty of NA drink options for me, including a yummy hibiscus mojito. Our server was excellent and made a ton of recommendations when we were split on decisions. She also personally recommended drinks and her favorite rolls. Yosake is an upbeat and fun atmosphere which is perfect for its location close to the rest of Wilmington's nightlife. For us it was the start of a great night out! read more

Yosake - Krunchy Krab Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

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Went here for a late night bite. Our waitress was very nice, the restaurant has kind of speakeasy vibes because you access it from a stairwell which was cool. The inside had really nice ambiance. The sushi was good and my husband got ramen, the broth was delicious. read more

Yosake - Sushi Bars Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

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Service is excellent. We didn't get the table we wanted, but we're walk-ins so that's understandable during the holidays. We ordered three rolls off the happy hour menu, tomato ginger bisque, and I had the hot sake. My partner said the sushi was overly salted, but I didn't taste that much salt. My favorite was the crispy spicy salmon! We will be back! Happy holidays, everyone. read more

Yosake - Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

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Food was absolutely delicious. We strongly recommend going at Happy Hour. Prices and selection are great. We loved the Firecracker Shrimp, edamame, sushi, and entrees we had. We will definitely visit again. The restaurant is cozy, and service was good. Cocktails are also delicious and interesting. read more

Yosake never disappoints! The happy hour menu is unmatched! Excellent service, great ambiance, YUMMY good and plenty of options! Wonderful for a night out with friends OR colleagues. Be mindful of parking details in downtown ILM. Otherwise, enjoy! read more

Yosake - Sushi Bars Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

The food was ok; nothing stellar compared to places easier to get a table & easier to park. Tables and bar felt kind of sticky. Getting a table on a Sunday night at 5 was a no-go unless you had a reservation; its not a huge restaurant so limited seating. Tables & everything just felt super cheap IMO. Friends of ours love it here but we were underwhelmed. Parking, like most downtown restaurants is so hit-or-miss we just don't venture downtown much - probably not as much of an issue if you get a spot in a parking garage & walk to your destination. read more

I sat at the bar since I was by myself. The drink selection was great. The cocktail list looked amazing but I had sake and wine. I def recommend the Joto Yuzu Sake by the pour. So citrusy! I had the seaweed salad, spicy tuna roll with avocado and salmon sashimi. I wanted the salmon belly but they were out. The salmon was so tender and had amazing texture and flavor. The bartender was handsome and nice. read more

Yosake - Sushi Bars Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

Two friends and I went to Yosake for dinner a few nights ago. We decided to go during happy hour which is always a great choice and made sure to make a reservation. Our waitress wasn't extremely excited or friendly, which was a bit off-putting, but the food was delicious. We ordered several orders of the Firecracker shrimp which are always delicious. I ordered several rolls including the CARP roll and the shrimp tempura along with two of the sashimi appetizers and one order of salmon sashimi. One friend ordered two other rolls, and the other friend ordered coconut soup and a roll. Overall, the food was tasty and we all were full. However, I was disappointed with the sashimi appetizer- the slices of fish were all really thin. Maybe I've been spoiled by other sushi restaurants in town, but that was not the amount of fish I was expecting. Worth it for a few happy hour things, but not if I'm wanting a decent amount of sashimi. read more

I'm new to the area and being that it was my birthday I picked this place to take my family for my favorite food, sushi. I have noticed that the Wilmington area is not big on sushi places, and this place being one of them. I really wouldn't call it a sushi restaurant being that their selection is extremely limited. I did like the atmosphere though, and they had a lot of other food along with their limited sushi menu. The atmosphere was cool, the service was good, so come for that. But if you want a real sushi restaurant, go elsewhere. read more

Downtown but upstairs. YoSakè is above The Husk so don't sit down at the wrong place like I did. I was greeted with a smile and offered table seating, bar seat, or sushi bar seat. I love watching how the rolls are made, my FAV! Here's my three things: 1) Hip scene for ILM downtown and has a solid menu with hot dish and sushi options. 2) Plenty of beers, wine, and Sakè options so if you wanna feel the sush this is your joint. 4oz pour of Joto, and a Salty Turtle sets any dinner right off. 3) Got the seaweed salad (3/5 portion/runny liquid). Gianna's roll, was super good but didn't know from description that it was a fried roll. I watched it all get made and still love the process. read more

Yosake - Sushi bar in action - Sushi Bars Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

Gave it a second shot. 1st issue 3months back left me feeling like "I'm not going there again" was ordering to-go $25-30 total, handed over a $50 and was asked if I needed change... yes of course I do. 2nd chance tonight, ordered 2 rolls and an app at the start of happy hour. Received the same rolls twice and the rice on the sushi unfortunately tasted old. I wasn't checked for food quality or if anything was needed. Highly recommend Nikki's sushi for the service-quality-prices are yosakes happy hour prices but all day read more

Yosake - A spicy salmon & spicy tuna roll Crispy Brussel sprouts - Sushi Bars Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

We tried this tonight for the first time. Door is between The Hive and another business so I missed it the first pass. Found it and went up to the second floor to find a cool vibe with plenty of seating and windows looking down on downtown Wilmington. I ordered the Korean ribs, but they were out so, I opted for the steak teriyaki. The fried rice that came with the dish was delicious, the steak turned out flavorful but very tough. Our waitress offered twice to switch it out but I kept it and cut it on a separate plate into small pieces. At the end of the meal, my husband tried the steak and commented that it was very tough and was surprised I hadnt sent it back. The waitress came back with the manager and told me they would take my dish off the bill. My husband had miso soup and sushi which he enjoyed. I appreciate how attentive the waitress was to the issue and offering solutions, it left us feeling good about our experience. Don't forget to tip for what the meal would have cost instead of what it does cost when they remove a dish so you don't short your wait staff. read more

Excellent place to eat! Highly recommend this restaurant. The apps are great. Soup is outstanding and entrees are incredible. Layers of flavor in every dish. Great service as well read more

Very nice place. It can be noisy but that's because they stay so busy. Definitely recommend a reservation especially on the weekends. Food is good, and they have options for non sushi eaters too. read more

Yum! We came here with a big group and it did not disappoint! We were promptly sat and greeted with drinks. We started with crab rangoons, spicy cauliflower and dumplings. They were DELICIOUS! The crab Rangoon & cream cheese was perfectly distributed and dumplings were perfectly steamed. The sushi was also delicious. Would definitely come back! read more

Definitely fancier and pricier than some of the other sushi spots around but amazing food, service, and atmosphere in the perfect downtown location. The restaurant is on the second floor. While most of the menu is obviously sushi they also have lots of street food options, noodles, soup, salad, and a favorites menu ranging from surf and turf and burgers to curry and teriyaki. They also have wine, beer, sake, and specialty cocktails. My favorite time to go is during happy hour which is daily 5-7pm or my personal choice weekends 10pm-12am. If you are looking for local sushi at a cheaper price point in a less busier area I also recommend Yoshi near UNCW. read more

We came for the Sushi we left with the knowledge that white guys should not make sushi, lol. The rice was gummy, the rolls not so flavorful, it is a great place if you looking for cheap happy hour food and drinks but for adults, "NORI" would be a better option located at the point. I am glad we checked it out but....nothing special here. The youngsters will appreciate the Happy Hour Prices on their Happy Hour menu before going to booze it up and the quality is not horrible, just better in other locations. You can always go upstairs to Tempo 33 to wash it down and listen to music. The Location is Great and the Ambiance is a Party feeling, not for relaxing Dinner situations. Service was amazing with exception to an older server with glasses, she seemed miffed that someone asked her to bring us our edamame which was under cooked and dropped it on the table. So nice to visit, and not to keep coming back to. read more

I had the pork udon and it was very good! Their broth they use is amazing! And the appetizers where good but average I would say but I would recommend this place and I love the that the location is upstairs and it's also dark vibes inside and the service was good I have no complaints. read more

The food was amazing.We ordered from the 5-7 Happy Hour Menu. They had several great options on the menu. We choose the Shrimp ,Tuna roll and edamame.Very delicious! It was my first time going and can't wait to go back and try other menu options. read more

Yosake - Spicy tuna roll ,Shrimp and edamame - Sushi Bars Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

First time here and enjoying it. Came on a Thursday night and it was packed so I suggest making a reservation if you can. I sat at the sushi bar. They have two bars that people can sit at (sushi bar and alcoholic bar). Both were pretty full. The service is fast though! I ordered the Lodi red blend wine and enjoyed it. The malbec is also good! I got seaweed salad and tom yum soup to start. Both came out within 5 mins and were tasty. Then I got the chefs choice specialty roll - which changes each night and is designed by the sushi chefs. My waitress recommended it and I enjoyed it. It had a lot of things including baked sweet potato, North Carolina crab, and tempura shrimp topped with tuna, avocado, spicy mayo, scallions and black garlic shoyu (which is a type of fancy soy sauce I think). It tasted fresh and I enjoyed the details that went into creating it. The atmosphere is lively yet sultry with a tinge of an eclectic vibe. This place is great for a date night, solo date, or a meetup with a couple/few friends. My waitress, Lena was great! She had wonderful recommendations and checked in the perfect amount of times (not too little and not too much) and was very down to earth. Many employees here were pretty friendly. read more

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Love this place so much! Just moved to Wilmington and was on the prowl to find my new sushi place! Well folks here it is! The service was fast, great and professional. The ambience is perfect for any date! The food was excellent I enjoyed two rolls, Lo mein and a savory soup! read more

Yosake - Tom yum soup - Sushi Bars Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

YoSake boasts strong reviews, and on paper, that makes complete sense. The menu is deep and varied, the location is convenient, and the use of local ingredients is commendable. The actual experience of dining here, however, proved to be fairly disappointing. YoSake is located on the second floor of a historic building, accessible by pausing halfway up a long staircase. Inside, the ambiance is half industrial (bricks n ducts), half imitation Japanese (red walls and anime art). While a "fun" atmosphere with space for groups, it's also quite loud, making conversation difficult. Billed as a sushi lounge, YoSake has classic and specialty rolls but also curries, noodle dishes, soups, salads, and more. There are Thai as well as Japanese influences and vegetarian options as well. My wife and I ordered a coconut lemongrass soup, a farmhouse roll (cucumber, sweet potato, avocado, and asparagus with cream cheese), and a crispy salmon (salmon, forbidden rice, scallions, and avocado cream). Our server was friendly, and in light of what followed, very apologetic, but the meal was one mishap or letdown after another. YoSake makes no claim on authenticity, but even faux Asian fusion should be able to do better than a bag of Bigelow in the tea department. The soup (perhaps tellingly not billed as tom kha gai) was salty to the point of inedible (no hyperbole here) and filled with overcooked vegetables to boot. Somehow, my crispy salmon (listed that way on the menu) was interpreted as a crunchy roll with salmon, a mistake that was, thankfully, quickly remedied. That said, the meal wasn't a complete disaster. The farmhouse roll offered a healthy change-of-pace from the traditional Philly, the salmon was cooked well (crispy as advertised without being dry) if a bit understated in the flavor department, and the rice was quite tasty. It's possible that we caught YoSake during an off-night, but the acoustics, miscues, and presence of more reliable options in the area make it unlikely we'll be back during our next Wilmington trip. read more

Yosake - Sushi Bars Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

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Hands down, the best sushi ever. We try to eat here every Friday night. Shelly roll, Fire on the Mountain, and Tomago among our favorites. The short rib appetizer and all soups are divine. The sushi chefs are artists and they are nice, funny, efficient. There's a tip jar on the counter and a gong to ring when a tip goes in. We've noticed a majority of sushi diners don't tip in that jar. Seriously? The chefs deserve these tips. If you can afford to dine out, please tip appropriately. read more

Yosake - Fire on the Mountain - Sushi Bars Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

Yummy sushi tucked away at the top of quite a hike of stairs. We opted for the sushi for me to share, 4 regular rolls which is enough for the two of us. Our app and sushi arrived at the same time which was okay but it's always better when the app comes before so you have a chance to nibble. This is a neat little place with ample seating but they seem to prefer reservations- when we arrived, we were offered bar seating or table seating if we would be done in an hour. I was cool with that but it's really not up to me how long our meal takes to arrive so this was an odd situation. A party was leaving as we came in though so we were seated at a table pretty quickly nonetheless. Service was okay, food was good. We left full and content. read more

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Came for my son's 17th birthday! Make a reservation. They open at 5. Thai curry ribs disappeared before my eyes. Crab Rangoon is pizza like Music is good, though loud. Atmosphere is loud in general. They do have an elevator They had a GF menu. They had a kids menu We had GF rolls. They were okay. I felt like they were bland. Didn't taste any spicy anything with the tuna. We thought the appetizers were better. Kiddo like his noodles. read more

Yosake - Sushi Bars Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

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Ambience was absolutely wonderful and the music was great. The food was also wonderful. Now the negatives... bathroom was very dirty and definitely needs renovating and the service was really inattentive. It wasn't that busy but our server definitely seemed stress, so I cut her some slack. I'll be back but hoping for a little elevated service next time. read more

We had a great meal here, we went on a Sunday and it was busy but there wasn't a wait. Our server was great, she answered our questions about a few dishes and was checked in at different times to see if we needed anything. We started with the Crab Rangoon flatbread which was perfect for sharing among the three of us. Yosake has a great variety on their menu, but not overwhelming. Our sushi rolls came out and were beautifully plated. We had a great meal, servings were generous which allowed us to share and taste different sushi rolls. We will be back to this Wilmington favorite of locals and visitors for sushi! read more

Yosake - Crab Rangoon Flatbread Appetizer - Sushi Bars Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

One of my all time favorite spots in Wilmington. Perfect for a date night or a night out with the girls, the food is always delicious and the atmosphere makes the evening feel special. read more

I have waited 6 mo. to try Yosake, and was super excited. After eating here I was disappointed. Here is my official rating out of 5 stars. Atmosphere 4 stars - Service 4 stars - Food 3 stars - Value for your money 2 stars. Overall I would give Yosake 3 stars. The sashimi was 4 stars but the specialty rolls 3 stars at best and that is being very lenient. The specialty rolls were very Americanized and not authentic, and that's what I was hoping to get when I came to Yosake. Yosake is a good place for new sushi goers or folks that want to eat sushi, but don't want to taste the fish. My final rating is 3 stars. read more

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This was my first time here. It is a nice friendly late nite sushi bar (meaning the menu was small but we'll thought out. The prices are very reasonable. read more

Yosake - Nice sushi bar. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

If I could give this place 20 stars, I would. My friend and I were able to get a reservation pretty quickly on a Friday night and were greeted by the NICEST waitress. The restaurant is on the second floor above Husk, and it was gorgeous inside. Very aesthetically pleasing. We both ordered drinks, and I got the Rising Sun, which has Tito's vodka, sake, and raspberry purée (pictured). It tasted like a hard cider (random, but delicious - I had 2 haha). We then ordered two rolls, which aren't pictured here. The restaurant ended up bringing us the wrong rolls (pictured), but they were SO good. Not what I would have naturally chosen, but so glad we got them. Because they did this, they ended up bagging up our original rolls to go and giving us cheesecake on the house. The manager was extremely sweet, and they went over and beyond our expectations. I will definitely come back here again!! My favorite sushi so far in Wilmington. read more

Solid sushi and Asian spot downtown! They have taken over the third floor as well so there is a more relaxed area to enjoy drinks and sushi with a lower wait time. Their bar is solid, especially with their specialty drinks and Saki. The food is decent, often large portions. The lo mein is wonderful. The service has not always been wonderful. Pretty hit or miss. A few of the dishes have been entirely too spicy to eat. The only reason I really come here is their happy hour menu. A significant discount on my favorite rolls and apps, no complaints there. At happy hour, 5/5. Anytime else, 3/5 at best. Try it out! read more

This place is an amazing time warp. By that I mean, they have roughly the same tables as Nikki's across the street, but fancier decorations and it seems to step you back in time twenty minutes from when you walked in the door. More staff than Nikki's and yet your food will come out cold, or your sushi will come out warm, all while paying more money for the same dish. You will be met with statements about a 35 minute sushi wait when half the menu involves that and there is an entire half of the restaurant involved in sushi preparations. Over priced. Underserved. There was a time this place rocked. Since then I don't know what happened. Keep trying it and keep getting cold food that's supposed to be hot and warm food that is supposed to be cold. read more

This place is a hidden gem! Walk up the stairs to some exceptionally fresh sushi and sashimi. Great service and cold saki too. Cheesecake dessert was a hit too! Highly recommend. read more

So my wife and I visited this location on Friday, March 28, 2025, first time visiting here as we are from out of state, but in Wilmington for 6 1/2 weeks living and this place was absolutely horrendous. The food was terrible the service behind the bar. There was two young women. One of them was very nice. The other was very nice. The service was very good impromptu. What a complete turn off when this young woman with somewhat of a tank top type shirt on goes underneath this cabinet and I can see her vaping and blowing the smoke into the cabinet coming back out, not washing your hands or nothing and then handling cups and everything else while she's mixing drinks this is terrible. Gross and I almost want to contact the Department of health and human services for Wilmington and let them know this. I was almost going to take a picture with my phone or a video to show this. We had lettuce wraps and it was terrible. We had a dumpling type soup and that was absolutely terrible and my wife had some sort of sushi roll that she said was maybe a two on a scale of one to five. Absolute complete turn off, watching this young woman again, grabbing her vape stick opening up the cabinet door behind the bar and taking a couple reefs, soffit and blowing the smoke clouds of smoke underneath the cabinet and coming back out without washing her hands and then starts mixing drinks and handling cups of which people are going to put near their mouths. read more

On a whim while visiting the area we stopped in for a late lunch. The staff were very friendly and food did not take very long but seemed very fresh. My husband and I both enjoyed our sushi burritos. I was not prepared for the spice level in my food (crustacean sensation) but enjoyed all the food nonetheless. We will definitely go back on our next trip. read more

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So I went on a random Sunday night in the beginning of January because it had great ratings and I had sent some tictoks. I got the chicken and saag rice, which is really delicious but the fiery meat wasn't that good It was a little empty and so there wasn't really an atmosphere to rate, and our server was good, but a little bit too chatty and kept coming by our table to talk to us about random things. but I definitely recommend the food is really good overall and hot sake is always a plus read more

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