Wagaya

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  10      Service  8      Value  8     

Went there for the first time a few months ago with my husband. Situated in the corner of the street between Market city and Entertainment centre's MacDonald, the restaurant is indeed a gem hidden away from the other buzzing restaurant stretch.

We ordered so many dishes that I can't fully recalled all of them. A few stand outs that I can definitely recall are the soft shell crab salad, ox tongue kebabs, Japanese rice cake pizza and teriyaki chicken. These dishes are highly recommended!

Oh, book in advance to save waiting time as the restaurants can get really busy especially for dinner. We're going there again (we live quite far from the city) next week and I am already salivating as I typed....mmmm...wagaya....

Jul 11, 2009 

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  7      Value  8     

Great place! Excellent food, made with real fresh ingredients. Overall, great value! The only downside I can possibly think of is that, if you're having dinner with a big group of people, they don't let us pay the bill individually, which is a bit annoying, as people tend to leave at different times. But I guess that's a general problem with most of the restaurants in Sydney anyway.

Jul 07, 2009 

5.5 Average

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  2      Value  6     

I was having a supper at Last Saturday night. The food was amazing, the choice was quite a lot that I felt like I want to try everything. It was my first time. I could not really comment on the service, because we were served only when the food was sent to tables and we did not really pay attention to how well the wait staff took care of us until one of my friend was waving at one waiter walked by our tables and passed him the empty beer bottle and he replied "I'm sorry I am finished". Hmmm and all of impression of the food fell apart in a moment, hmmm.

Jul 07, 2009 

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  8     

This is a great little place to come for dinner before seeing something at the Sydney Entertainment Centre as the restaurant is located just across the road. It is very clean and efficient as you would expect of a Japanese restaurant.

As mentioned in various reviews the ordering system is via a touch screen which is a great way to do it. I wish more restaurants would offer it as the touch screen 'waiter' has more personality than some the wait staff we have all met in the past! The food was promptly delivered and by and large met expectations. I tend to liken this place to a sushi train where you get small serves of numerous dishes except the dishes are all cooked as you order them.

I would suggest budgeting on around $25-$30 per head with drinks as once you start ordering you just can't stop trying this that and the other. Would definitely come back. Happy eating.

Jun 14, 2009 

10 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  10     

We had a private room ($15.00) and we didn't have to leave until we were ready.
The food was excellent and service was efficient. We asked the waiter about a couple of dishes and he was very helpful. I can't wait to go back again. The ordering system was very easy for food and drink, but there is also a BYO option if you choose.

Jun 14, 2009 

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  10     

Fast, delicious and everything a dining experience should be! The food comes very close to what I've had in Japan. Will come back in the future.

Jun 13, 2009 

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  7     

One of my favourite japanese restaurants in Sydney not just because of the menu but because of the quick service! We had barely just decided on our mains when our entrees arrived. Food is good quality and good variety of choices, however, booking is strictly recommended as we had to wait quite a long time!

Jun 12, 2009 

7.8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  8     

Eating here is really fun and with a large group of friends you can pick out a heap of stuff, end up sampling a large part of the yummy menu and end up paying 20 bucks a person. The food is simple and good and the ramen and sushi are particularly inviting. It's self service so you can easily get carried away with all the ordering. I'd recommend this place for good food and a good time. It's usually quite busy (we had to wait half an hour on a tuesday night) but has its own funky vibe because of it.

Jun 11, 2009 

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  8     

Arrived at Wagaya on a Sunday night to find a bustling and busy restaurant. Luckily we had the foresight to reserve a table and we were seated very quickly. Incidentally, when we booked our table we were told that if we chose to eat before 8 pm we would have to be out by 8 pm. Wisely, we chose to reserve a table at 8 pm on the dot so we wouldn't be hassled out and I'm please to report we enjoyed a happy 2 hrs of eating!

The food was delicious though quite limited compared to the cocktail/alcohol menu. The 'bang for your buck' factor varied considerably, it was $8.00 for a 3-piece very delicious but pricey prawn tempura, yet only about $25 for a small hotpot soup (a good two person size) which kept getting refilled. In the end it did work out cheap, about $25 a person and we had eaten a lot.

The interior is really nice and all classy black for a place which isn't too pricey but it is loud, so don't expect a fine dining ambience. If you're like me and don't mind a bit of noise you'll be right at home and enjoy the buzzing vibe.

Service: the food came out within minutes of us pressing our magic buttons but the staff weren't particularly friendly, just very efficient. When we asked some questions about the food one of the waiters appeared to have limited English so we heavily relied on the pictures and short written descriptions which were on the screen.

Overall I was really pleased with the place and it certainly proved you can have a cool gimicky ordering system without having disappointing food.

May 29, 2009 

8 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  8     

Wagaya gets in touch my Japanese soul. I am back in Japan, everyone who works here is Japanese (no Koreans sneaking about pretending to be Japanese), the food is Japanese, the drinks are Japanese, and the ordering system is mighty fun, very Japanese.

I have lost count to how many times I have been here. I came one night not long after it opened. We got a seat, it was great. Not overly packed, and the hubby and I went nuts, overate and drank, emptied our wallets, yet will still walked out with the biggest smiles on our faces.

It is very easy to over order at Wagaya, as every second reviewer here will have wrote. Yet, the food is so so very good, you eat it anyways. The touch screen is great fun, even more fun if you change the language to Japanese, and then order, not 'really' knowing it is, then translating back to english. Only then to find out that that grilled beef that melts in your mouth, in that incredibly succulent, rich, earthly, slightly salty sauce, with fresh tomatoes, bitey mustard and sliced 'negi' (spring onions on top) is gyuton - Ox Tongue! Even the pizzas, with corn and a soy-like sauce and cheese!? Awesome! And so we finish it.

The Sushi Roullette is fabulous fun in groups, 6 pieces, and one little glistening morsel of sushi salmon is hiding below her a mind-blowing, face-thwacking, nose clearing heap of wasabi. This is great fun, though not as painful when you've downed a few Asahi's, Sochu's or Sake and a nice range of bevvies they have (I highly recommend Tsunami - a lychee-flavoured sake RTD. Fabulous).

Only on one occasion did I ever have any issues here, and it happened on the one day. In my Churashi, I have an edge of a plastic container, and some silver scrubbing-brush metal in my Edamame. The head waiter quickly took them off my bill though, so it was very much appreciated.

Don't come though if you want a cheap meal, there are a few other ramen restaurants nearby if you're hanging for Japanese but are low in the ol' bank account. I've always paid around $40-$50 per head on each occasion.

May 29, 2009