Ryuko South - Japanese Kitchen + Bar

We took a trip to Calgary for my wife’s birthday dinner and she chose Ryuko South and it was a wonderful experience. You are greeted at the front door by the cool purple light of their fish fridge, which was cool to see. Inside the restaurant, it is modern, cleanly designed and bright. Our server was friendly and prompt and brought our drinks, which she used a smoke gun to add a smoke bubble to my sweet and tart yuzu drink. We had the karate chicken with its wasabi like dip and it was hot, crunchy, but needed a bit of salt. The sushi was excellent and we enjoyed all of the oishi sushi that we ordered. Our favourite was the wagyu beef oishi sushi. Unfortunately the surf and turf roll had two pieces of gristle that we had to remove from the rolls, as it was inedible. All in all, a lovely, authentic sushi restaurant in Calgary. It was a lovely birthday dinner!

My guest and I had the early dinner Omakase on a Sunday night and Chef Jun and his staff provided an amazing experience. This was served in the upstairs portion of the restaurant and it had a nice open atmosphere. There was a nice waiting area if needed, however, we were greeted immediately and taken to our seats. It was a nice setting of just 6 seats and Chef Jun was so meticulous in his presentation of each dish. Watching Chef Jun prepare each dish behind the counter was artistic. He was careful and explained what each dish was and how and why it was prepared the way it was. Each dish had their slight unique flavor. For someone like me that doesn't normally like sushi unless I was at a coastal city, Ryuko has been the only place in the city where I do enjoy it. Even the matcha drink at the end, where normally matcha has a very slight bitter after-taste, however, the way he served it, took that edge completely off. It was incredibly refreshing way to finish off the night of so many wonderful courses. The server was also very attentive, our drinks was always full, and she was always available if we needed anything. He even hand picks the background music playing for each dish as it is prepared and served. It was a nice touch. I have been to every location in the city so far, and I look forward to the next one which will be closer to my home! However, this one will bring great memories of the amazing night of the Omakase with my guest.

We had the lunch omakase, and it was a wonderful experience. With only six seats, it was intimate, and Chef John Lee answered all our questions. The dishes featured high-quality ingredients, with a progression of different cuts explained by the chef. Everything was simply delicious. We’ll definitely be returning to try the other seasons’ menus.

There was a mix up with my reservation, and I thought I booked the omakase but hadn’t. I was disappointed at first since I came from out of town just to try it, but Iren was amazing. She apologized, offered great alternatives, and made sure I left happy. The appetizers and kaiseki bento were delicious, and her service turned the whole experience around. I highly recommend coming here for both the food and the incredible hospitality.

Amazing food. We started with oysters and then had some specialty rolls and nigiri. All the food was amazing. Mina our waiter was amazing and had great suggestions. Highly recommend Ryuko if you appreciate high quality Sushi.

I can confidently say this place offers the best service and the best flavor. I’m usually sensitive to fishy tastes and can’t enjoy seafood everywhere, but every time I come here, the food is consistently fresh, clean, and absolutely delicious. The staff are always kind and attentive, which makes the experience even better. Out of all the Japanese restaurants I’ve tried in Calgary, this one truly stands out as the best. The quality, taste, and atmosphere make it a place I always look forward to visiting again.

Absolutely one of the best sushi experiences I’ve had! The fish was incredibly fresh, the rice perfectly balanced, and every roll was full of flavor. Beautiful presentation, generous portions, and very friendly service. Highly recommend — will definitely be coming back! 🍣🔥

Great food, menu has a variety of options but not overwhelming. Service was good too and the ambience is quite pleasing. Not too loud to have a conversation

I'm impressed by how delicious and high quality this sushi is. It is not in downtown Calgary, in fact, a bit far. Definitely not a place tourists would find themselves in but it's worth going out of your way for. The sushi is that good!! The assorted sashimi platter included their house aged fish, which you can see on display when you walk in. Decor and ambience are very *fancy* Miso aburi salmon was melt in your mouth. This was my favourite dish. Wagyu tartar was the best I've ever had as well. I felt the price was fair too. The tonkotsu ramen my partner and I both felt was too watery. It lacked body, salt, and flavour. Flavour is very delicate/mild with a bit of fish taste. Also it only came with 1 thin slice of meat and half an egg. I felt this ramen was overpriced to what I'm used to, especially for the watered down broth. Overall, just come here for the sushi!

We ate at Ryuko West, but can't find that on Yelp. Fabulous meal. Came directly from skiing in Banff. Jason served us and was great. So gracious. Agedasho Tofu, Surf and Turf Roll, Aburi Spacy Salmon Roll, Wague Oshi, Gindara Oshi. We loved all of it. Hope to return soon.

Went for brunch and overall taste was great! Banana waffles were a bit heavy for our preference. The Tamago Benedict and Choushoku Tray were both good, but the tray I thought was a bit overpriced for what you get. Yuzu mocktail was too sweet in my opinion. We will probably go back to try their dinner menu.

Great atmosphere and service. But the food, OMG! The Surf and Turf Roll was the best thing my daughter and I had ever had. The Edamame beans were crazy special. Everything about this place is off the hook!

My wife and I dined at Ryuko South for the first time on March 2nd. We had the Magurocamole as a shared appetizer (nice feature to have a little dry ice come out of the glassware), then we both had the Tonkotsu Ramen (delicious broth and fresh ingredients) and shared the Ikageso Roll (large sized rolls with fresh ingredients. In Young was our attentive server. We highly recommend Ryuko South and, most definitely, we will be back again.

New York Quality Sushi!! WoW Best Sushi In Canada!!! FOOD: 5 (Amazing Sushi) SERVICE: 5 (Fast and Friendly) DECOR: 5 (Beautiful interior design) I can't wait to try aged fish next time! Each fished is aged in a different time period. Wasn't ready when I was there.

As a Yank from the states one needs to remember the axiom that Canadians are not yelpers hence the low number of reviews when traveling through Canada. Ryuko Japanese cuisine once again was a great choice that my nephew recommended. Located in a unassuming building which from the outside does not look like the makings of a sushi restaurant. Everything was great with the wagyu cooked over a hot stone being a hit as I have previously experienced this at other restaurants. Another great find was for me to try the roll that had asparagus in it as I have never been a fan of this veggie. Combined with the other ingredients, one does not really taste the asparagus but when taking your first bite it gives the roll a nice "crunch" combined with the fish and other ingredients. a return visit to this place is definitely warranted on my return.

Calgarys best sushi without a doubt. Service always on point and the sushi rice is always fresh. Great cuts of fish from Japan !!

I don't know where you can find a more elegant lunch in this city for under $20. This is excellent value. Terrific food, great service, beautiful room. This is our 4th time here, more to come.

Amazing. Especially the gindara oshijshi (melt in your mouth sablefish), aburi brant lake wagyu oshizushi, surf and turf roll, ikageso crunch roll etc. But it was all wonderful due to the fantastic service (thanks Jason)!

New resto in canyon meadows that is clean, modern and has high quality fish! They opened only 2 weeks ago and we sat by a window that opens (gasp!) which is unusual these days with AC. We began with the wagyu beef tartare which was absolutely fantastic with bits of what I'm guessing was octopus with cucumber and chives finely chopped and a side of fresh taro chips. This may not be for a traditional tartare purist but was a unique twist to the French version. The thick and sticky sesame sauce was awesome!!! Next we shared the veggie bibimbap which was a symphony of textures and flavours. There's no fast food shedded carrots and cucumbers but an elevated dish done simply. Would absolutely get this again! Last item was a 10pc sashimi that was served with real shaved wasabi- no green pasty powder ball here! Pieces were well sized and so smooth served on ice chips. Presentation for all dishes was top notch. Service was attentive without being intrusive as they topped up our water and checked our table. We were also lucky enough to taste a fruit meringue dessert that was a surprise since we did not order it. A light, creamy custard left us with a sweet but mouth cleansing ending. Give this place a try for sure!!!

From the Happy Hour menu, tried the Wagyu Ishiyaki, Tempura Shrimp Udon, and the Yuzu Chu-bai drink special. As other reviewers have noted, everything was exquisitely prepared and presented. Service was prompt, polite, and friendly. A nitpick, but minus one star for the jarring background music, which I found too loud and intrusive for a relaxed dining experience.

My nine year old wants everyone to know how amazing this place is. The service and the food. We eat GF for me and here offered a variety of starters and mains AND dessert. Highly recommend the yuzu pavlova if you want a little sweet ending. For the beginning we can recommend the salmon and hamachi Carpaccio (sans crispy onions which we swapped for green onions). Roasted tea - lovely. And only premium sake so have it cold. For those who prefer non-alcoholic go for the yuzu mock tail - the presentation is as tasty as the drinking of it. So glad this place is in the South. I've also been told that they do large parties and will open the patio for the summer. Coming back for sure.

amazing food- we had a platter to share that apparently is not on the current menu but was recommended by our fantastic waiter Doby. it wS a mix of sashimi, nigiri and rolls- all were perfection to our entire group. from individuals new to eating sashimi to seasoned sushi lovers the platter was perfect to share with friends and the quality was perfection that everyone loved it all. I would come back for the platter for sure! beautifully done inside of the restaurant and the service was everything one could want with great recommendations And very lovely, I look forward to coming back soon And highly recommend to everyone!

From the moment I walked in, I was in awe. Fresh design and layout. Very busy for Thursday 7:00 PM. The food was fresh and very well presented. So many different serving platters.

Everything was top notch but especially the food. So fresh! Will go back for sure. A new favorite for sushi.

Was very impressed by Ryuko. The interior is beautiful and so is the food. Everything was great, can't wait to go back!

Amazing food and presentation was like art work. Great service with knowledge of food. Ambiance was nice and would definitely go again.

Been here twice in a short span. Really good spot for both traditional Japanese (sashimi, nigiri, udon) dishes as well as non-traditional/fusion and modern takes on Japanese dishes with Korean influences. Dishes had excellent flavour, balance and presentation. Between the two vists, we tried most of the menu, all of which was done very well. The beef tartare stood out, along with the nigiri. Fish is excellent quality. Clean, bright (maybe too bright?) and well decorated spot. Worth the drive if you're not in the area. Shoutout specifically to Dobby (though all of the staff was excellent), who treated us very well at our first visit, and stopped by on his day off to drop off a treat for my dad's birthday on our second visit. Incredible service and very much appreciated. Hats off to all the staff for what I'm sure has been a crazy time opening a new(ish) restaurant.

Spacious and relaxing ambiance. Food is excellent!!!! If anyone loves Japanese food, this is a must try place. Foods are upscaled compared to common known N American Japanese food. Being from YVR and lived in Japan that I always go for fresh creative seafood dishes. Our waiter explained each dish well.

Tried this new Japanese sushi with hint of Korean tones out the other night. Nice to have a south side option now. It is a bit tough to review this restaurant as it is probably going to go through some growing pains as it strives to strike the right balance. We found a couple of dishes really well done and one that was meh that needs to be refined. First of all the good: the nigiri platter was very nice selection and the fish was fresh. The squid however had that slightly mushy texture on the bottom which not sure if it can be avoided or not. But still tasted fresh. The raw prawn with soy was a nice change from the standard poached prawn. The salmon Hamachi carpaccio appetizer was delicious with its ponzu gel sauce topping. Easily the best dish even though they ran of hamachi. The shrimp tempura was light and fluffy and not greasy. The meh: we had a fish bone in our salmon sashimi platter. That should never happen if cut properly. Super dangerous by the way. Maybe we should have pointed it out to the sushi chef as we were right there sitting at the sushi bar. But decided not to as the meal was going pretty good at that point. We added the waygu beef with taro chips as an appetizer as we needed a little topup to fill us up. This one needs work. The beef was cut into chunks a bit large in our opinion which made it quite chewy. The flavour of the sauce on the beef was not quite flavourful enough and needed the extra sauce which they served on the side to be added to make it reasonably tasty. The taro chips were nice though. Finally a little bit out off at the end with the tip selection having 16% preprogrammed as one of the defaults. I don't mind paying for good food service but I still think it should be the customers choice to select something more than 15% at their own discretion. Putting in 16% as the minimum default tip percentage was a bit off putting. I'm not saying the service was not good. In fact the servers were all very knowledgeable, efficient and friendly. And one of the sushi chefs chatted with us a bit once the orders slowed down a bit which was nice. Overall: nice experience. Would recommend. But needs to take in some suggestions as it moves forward in their soft launch to help get it over the top as a great sushi restaurant.

Amazing authentic Japanese cuisine. Highly recommend everything on the menu. Great staff also