Wagaya - Emory Village

We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at this restaurant, Wagawa. We were seated right away. The food was great , the service was great, and the ambiance was good. The food took a while to come to the table, and we were told that they were backed up. So,unfortunately, we received our food at different times. That's the only reason that I didn't give a 5⭐️. I recommend this location for a date night, girls' night out, or a family dinner. You'll enjoy yourself.

Wagaya is an absolutely fantastic Japanese restaurant! The food is fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented, with an authentic taste that makes every dish memorable. Their sushi is top-notch, with high-quality ingredients and excellent craftsmanship. The ramen is also a must-try—rich broth, perfectly cooked noodles, and well-balanced flavors. The restaurant itself is clean, cozy, and has a welcoming atmosphere. The staff is friendly, attentive, and always ready to offer great recommendations. Service is efficient, making for a smooth and enjoyable dining experience. Whether you’re here for sushi, ramen, or other Japanese specialties, Wagaya never disappoints. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a great Japanese dining experience in Atlanta!

Food was fantastic. Tobi was very helpful with helping us get sat and navigate the menu. I wish they would dim the lights at dinner to make for better ambience and then our dinner would have been perfect. The bright lights made it feel like I was in a food court. Other than that we had an excellent time.

Wagaya is such a cozy and welcoming spot! The atmosphere is comfortable, and the staff makes you feel right at home. The food is absolutely delicious, with authentic flavors that truly satisfy, and the prices are great for the quality you get. It’s such a joy to have this kind of amazing Japanese food in Atlanta. Highly recommend!

Great friendly service and kick ass traditional Japanese food! Tonkatsu Curry it's what brought me here and it was worth it, though probably could use a little more curry for how much rice you get, which is the only critique.

They were out of Toro which was a major letdown. But it was a very good meal - excellent tonkatsu broth, salmon ikura chazuke was comforting, and pork was crispy breading and very tender meat. I'll give them one more chance to have Toro in stock 😉

.Wagaya at Emory Village has a great atmosphere. Although the space is small, they make efficient use of every inch with well-arranged tables and chairs, creating a cozy vibe. The servers are extremely friendly, adding a personal touch to the experience. However, on the Wednesday evening I visited, the food took much longer to arrive than expected. When my ramen finally came, the noodles had absorbed most of the soup, leaving very little broth. I asked for more, and the server promptly brought extra broth, which was much appreciated. As for the food, it was decent but didn’t stand out—I’ve had better ramen at other places. The location is incredibly convenient for Emory University students and staff, being just next door, but overall, the dining experience didn’t leave a lasting impression.

One of our favorite places on campus! The food is fresh, and the staff is very friendly. There’s even a kids’ meal you can order off the menu — chicken teriyaki rice with a side of fresh strawberries, served on a firetruck plate!

My craving for ramen led me to Wagaya after work. It was my first time there. My partner and I were quickly seated, though the table was a bit small for two people. The restaurant was clean, with a minimalistic decor and calming ambiance, and the service was excellent. We started with the Onigiri ($5.50). It was a bit disappointing, as it contained mostly rice with minimal grilled salmon in the center; it was bland. The Spicy Tonkotsu ($15), however, was a highlight. It had just the right amount of spice and was packed with flavor. The braised chashu pork belly was tender and juicy, and the garlic sauce on the side added a great touch. We also tried the Japanese Katsu Curry with Pork Loin ($19), which came with a savory miso soup. The pork loin was perfectly deep-fried, and the gravy was delicious, but I would have preferred a bit more curry to balance the rice. Overall, while there were a few misses, Wagaya delivered on the essentials. I'd return for the ramen and the inviting atmosphere.

It had been years since I had been to Wagaya and I'm not sure why! I remember really enjoying their ramen in the past. Toward the end of this past June, one of my friends asked me if I'd be interested in going to All Fired Up to paint pottery as well as grab a bite to eat at one of the restaurants nearby. Of course I was in! Needless to say, our restaurant of choice was obviously Wagaya. The ambiance is the perfect combo of upscale-casual. I felt comfortable here and loved the beautiful decor. Additionally, each server who approached us was friendly and attentive. Our meals came out quickly and were fresh and delicious. That brings us to the main reason why you're probably reading this review: the food... Since I often have a hard time picking between a green salad and a seaweed salad, I ordered the Sunomono Salad to start. It was exciting to see this on the menu and was, as I anticipated, the best of both worlds! I expected it to be smaller, but was pleasantly surprised by the big portion that I received. This salad was refreshing and satisfying. For my sushi roll of choice, I went with the Four Seasons "Shiki." I was drawn to the fun presentation. It is: four kinds of fish (tuna, salmon, unagi, yellowtail) inside and outside with fried gobo burdock (a root vegetable, I came to discover after my Google search) and kabayaki glaze (aka eel sauce). It was nothing short of amazing! I loved the textures and tastes. As I'm writing this review, I'm kicking myself for not ordering dinner from here tonight. I'll definitely be a returning customer again soon!

We stopped by for lunch and it was delicious. They had daily specials listed and the server was attentive. There is free parking which is nice. As you can see the fish is great quality. I would definitely dine again.

Wagaya is just flat out good. It doesn't really matter what you order, it's likely to taste divine. I love the food and the ambiance. Serving time can fluctuate based on how busy they are and I have noticed the customer service improving over time. This is definitely a go to spot for me and my family when we want a good hearty meal! Favorites are agedashi tofu, all the rolls, and the tonkatsu.

This is my favorite Japanese restaurant in the city. Not only do they have a great atmosphere, they also have DELICIOUS food, and great service. Highly recommend!

Great intimate place for lunch or dinner. Fresh food and i am a fan of the peach green tea. Our servers are always friendly and great.

Waitress paid more attention to training the younger staff than attending her customers. Had to ask for a fork which took forever. I am a regular ramen/udon connoisseur and the broth here is salty. Waited forever for the check only to be told to pay up front at the hostess station. Could you have told me that at some point? I am in the area for work twice a month, but I won't definitely be returning here.

Had a spontaneous late lunch here recently and, to be honest, the food wasn't the prettiest I've had but everything was delicious and good quality. If you're interested in convenient Japanese food, this is a good option. Affordable, quick and attentive service.

Came here to grab a bite to eat before going out for the evening and the food did not disappoint. I ordered a sushi + ramen combo for ~$25 which I consider a steal. The sushi was pretty good and I can't wait to come back and try some of their specialty rolls. The ramen was delicious, and was perfect for the cold and rainy evening. The service was quick and the ambiance was fairly quaint with complementary dim lighting.

I took my girlfriend here for her birthday after a change of plans and a quick recommendation from a friend and we're sadly disappointed with the food and the service. The restaurant ambiance is nice and exactly what we wanted, but unfortunately our server just seemed unhappy we were there. He did not greet us and immediately asked what we wanted. As an appetizer we ordered the crispy rice. I personally enjoyed it, thought they weren't joking when they said crispy. It was almost tough to chew. For my entree I ordered the traditional dinner which included 4 nigiri (with an up charge of $4 because it initially came with a California roll) , sashimi, tempura (shrimp and vegetable), and chicken teriyaki with rice. The sashimi was not the best of the best, but for my less refined palette I found it decent. The nigiri wasn't my cup of tea, it was tough and did not taste fresh. The tempura was bland, but not overly fried or greasy. The chicken teriyaki was dry. It took flagging down the server several times to get the check or a refill of our drinks. Although I didn't think the food was inedible, I am disappointed that we wasted my girlfriend's birthday dinner and $75 on a subpar meal and service.

Ordered the philly roll and lobster roll. The rice on both was pretty dry and the rolls were quite small. It's got a cute interior with lots of wood. Service was prompt and food was served quickly. Overall, it's an okay place to go in a pinch if you're close by but nothing special.

It's not particularly great, but it's not bad either. No need to run here, but also no need to avoid either. The rolls are pretty standard American-style rolls with a lot going on. Nothing particularly special, but also good in a pinch if you want decent sushi. The bento box is fairly standard for a Japanese restaurant in the US as well.

Update the "miso" soup tasted like warm water absolutely no flavor and the amount of salmon in the entire crunch roll wasn't enough to spread over a cracker

I decided to order take out from Wagaya on a Friday evening since I was craving Japanese food and it did not disappoint! I was able to place my order online, and my food was ready to go at the time estimated with no hassle! There is street parking which is quite limited, and a free parking lot by the CVS that usually has spaces available. When I went in to get my food, the restaurant looked quite crowded, which is understandable for the time of day. But one of the workers came up to help me within a few minutes, so they were definitely very efficient! The food itself was good. The takoyaki was still quite warm by the time I got home, and tasted great. I was also impressed by how my tempura udon was packaged. Absolutely none of the broth spilt, the packaging with the noodles was very easy to place the broth in, and tempura on the side that was still quite crisp! And the to-go bag contained plastic utensils in addition to chopsticks which was appreciated. It all tasted very good, with the only very minor issue being that the food had cooled off quite a bit by the time I received it, but nothing that a microwave or air fry didn't remedy! I will definitely be going back again.

Met a friend here for the first time to grab an early dinner. Really great service! Our server gave great recommendations! The sizes of the rolls are very shareable for 2 people. Very filling. We tried the Bagel tempura, Devils breath, and fore cracker rolls. All very flavorful and spicy! Our server was great about not interrupting too much and allowing us to catch up. Plenty of parking on the street and behind the restaurants as well as around the corner. Located in Emory village.

We love coming here. Not taking the time for a huge write up, suffice to say it's good. I did discover this visit that you better be hungry if you order with extra noodles. I couldn't finish it, and I can eat! Of course had dumplings too and I had some of the chicken off the meal. Watch the hours if you are going, this is one of those places that closes between lunch and dinner for a couple hours. Also, there is limiting street parking out front, but just drive around behind and there is a whole open parking lot for the now closed Slice & Pint you can park in.

Wanted to try this Japanese restaurant while we were in town. Atmosphere was good. Food was decent. Standout was the vegetarian roll with sweet potato and pumpkin and chicken karaage. Spider roll was just ok-asked for it without mayonnaise but that request got missed. Otherwise the food was made as requested. Service was prompt and friendly.

Cozy and comfortable ambiance. Servers are excellent and very helpful. They have a limited gluten free menu but some other items are able to be customized to remove gluten. Overall great spot!

NICE LITTLE JAPANESE EATERY NEAR EMORY ive heard of wagaya for quite some time now and finally made my way over. i visited on a sunday around 6pm and it wasn't too crowded but didn't last very long because soon short after there was a bit of a wait. currently, they are using qr codes for their menu. the menu is very extensive with a wide range of Japanese dishes and an assortment of sushi to choose from. what i got: - tofu avocado salad: pretty yummy salad, loved the avocado in it and came with two delicious dressings! i wish they did a little bit more with the tofu though, it's just raw tofu that they cubed. - salmon avocado hand roll: decent hand roll, tasted pretty fresh, so can't complain - devil's breath roll: a good roll, but not my favorite roll. however, my mom really enjoyed it. personally, i don't think i really liked the sauce on it but it was still solid! - cucumber avocado roll: your classic veg roll - i probably would just get the avocado roll though. - four seasons "shiki" roll: my favorite roll i had. i love how there were four types of fish and it all went together really nicely. the service wasn't the best. they seemed a little understaffed, but that's common nowadays so it isn't the biggest deal. however, the waitress we did have was really nice and helpful! overall a pretty good restaurant. next time i might try new sushi rolls but i would love to try their ramen or other Japanese dishes since a lot of people ordered that and it looked really good.

Another failed restaurant in Atlanta/Decatur. Overpriced slop, low quality ingredients. For a place on a college campus they should be ashamed for charging so much for so little that the kids will need to sell a kidney for a possible food poison sushi roll that will cost them 30 bucks and not even fill them up.

We ordered some noodles and onigiri from this restaurant. We got the food to-go so maybe that's why we were pretty disappointed. The noodles were very dry and the onigiri was quite literally just plain rice with one small spoonful of unseasoned salmon with the smallest piece of seaweed. Unfortunately will not be going back.

The food was amazing, fresh ingredients and interesting menu items and combinations. I really enjoy the atmosphere as well

The service could have been better at this location. My friends and I decided to eat at this location and not the midtown location because we thought it wasn't going to be busy. The host was wishy-washy with the estimated time to sit for 3 people. Every time we asked how much longer. He would walk away and come back and assist other people. He was avoiding us because he wasn't sure what to tell us. The service was slow and we overall did not have a good time.

On rainy hiking days my hiking group goes to either Tomo or WaGaYa. Both a little different but both outstanding. WaGaYa is homier and a little more casual. The sushi and ramen are the draw and the lunch specials are filling and fresh. Here's a little recap from our latest trip: https://www.trailheadshike.com/post/will-fame-spoil-trailheads-and-what-s-with-the-sushi

I love this restaurant. It's my go to for Ramen that's not far from my house and has been 1 of the best ramen places I've found in the Decatur area. The manager knows me by name and greets me each time I come. I normally order the White Tonkotsu with extra egg and pork and it's always delicious. They don't skimp you on the noodles or broth. I've also tried the Shoyu and Black & Red Tonkotsu and I haven't been disappointed with any of them. Any time I order to-go it's never a long wait, maybe 10 minutes at the most and even if I order ahead my food has been ready on arrival. I've started ordering the Tempura Shrimp Appetizer with my ramen now and it seems like a great pairing that I'll probably be sticking with each time I go now. As far as sushi, I haven't tried that many rolls but I've had the basic California Roll which was good. I've had the Spider Roll which is my favorite and I've had the Lobster Roll - that was okay for me but I love the Spider Roll the most out of all the rolls I've ordered. I highly recommend the Ramen here - it's my favorite!

Wagaya this is our go to regular place But this last time, the sushi tasted different I don't know if it's a bunch of new trainees behind the counter but the spicy tuna was not spicy and seems very mushy. The rainbow roll, the fish looked a little brown. Hope this was just a one time incident .

Easily the best sushi restaurant in Atlanta . The miso soup is amazing so is the katsu curry. The sushi is out of this world for sure.

Been wanting to try a sushi place near where I live so I finally tried this one after driving by almost every day. Parking was not a problem, they have a small lot in the back for those businesses in that little corner. We didn't have a reservation on a Friday night and only had to wait 10 minutes for a table for 2. It's nice inside, not loud. The menu has a lot of variety of rolls, ramen, and other options - lots of vegetarian and vegan options as well. My boyfriend and I opted for sushi but saw a ton of people having the ramen so I think I'll try that next time. We ordered the devil's breath, treasure box, endless lava, and the salmon trinity. Devil's breath was my favorite. We weren't too happy about the Treasure box. It had a great presentation but it wasn't really a sushi roll, it fell apart easily, and didn't have too much taste. I'll probably come back to try the ramen.

Food is mediocre. Noise is deafening. Impossible to converse with people at the same table. Terrible experience.

My go to meal is hamachi kama with a side of onigiri (mine was rice and salmon). Delicious! If you've never had fish collars this will change your mind. Ask for it medium cooked, more moist this way. The shrimp tempura comes out hot with a delicious dipping sauce. Sushi is delicious!

Honestly, not that great. Spent $100 on take out and the rolls were so small and not very flavorful. There was a lack of effort in the rolling process. Rice falling apart etc... Also, it's very skimpy! Definitely wouldn't be back. If you're craving sushi, I definitely would recommend looking elsewhere to satisfy your tastebuds. Just not worth that time and money.

Okay sushi in a small-ish space and a generally crowded part of town. Came here on a Friday night for dinner with a friend, and we had to put our names down and wait ~30 minutes to be seated. Most of the customers appear to be college students (due to the proximity to Emory). I was excited to try this spot, since I'd heard good things - I know there's also a location on the Westside. I ordered the Four Seasons "Shiki" roll as well as the eel cucumber roll. The former was decent (and had an interesting presentation about it), whereas the eel cucumber roll was quite lackluster. Service was okay at best throughout our night - it almost seemed as if they were rushing us. Overall, not a bad spot, but I think there are much better options for fresh sushi and great service in the Atlanta area. I'd rather try other spots before coming back here.

The ginger dressing is the best I've probably had. The sushi has all been great. The miso is tasty, even if a smaller portion. Have only had delivery, but everything has been packaged with care and they haven't skimped on the wasabi!

Wagaya is great if you want a combo meal! I got the sashimi and udon for $18 and got udon, assorted sashimi, tempura shrimp and vegetables, and inari. It was a great deal. They cleaned off all the tables and seats before you sat down and had less seating than normal. They also have a Japanese market where you can get Ramune, Pocky, and all your favorite snackies.

So this a beautiful cosy restaurant, we had to wait a little as we had walked in. The food was exceptionally good. I had the dinner set and my husband ordered a customized chicken ramen. The customized chicken ramen (which was suggested to us by the waiter) was very bland and oily. Neither I nor my husband enjoyed it. I wouldn't recommend that one. However, my dinner set was very good, loved my ramen. Highlight was the matcha cheesecake. It was the best matcha cheesecake I've ever had! Throughly enjoyed it. I would definitely revisit for the cheesecake.

Returning to some old stomping grounds in Emory Village, it felt only natural to re-visit a place where my husband and I had one of first dates, but alas that particular restaurant is no longer in existence at that location. After perusing the menus, we decided to patronize Wagaya because I needed something gentle on my stomach (holiday meals aren't always my body's friend) like ramen. We both ended up opting for Truffle veggie ramen, but I opted for a side of rice and my husband opted for a side of sushi. He also opted for peach ice tea, which wasn't too sweet (and that was great), but then the server told us to stir it up and the sweetness exploded! How neat. My ramen was good - it wasn't as "soupy" as I expected (hence why I ordered the rice), but it did come with noodles. In the past, I've had ramen with all of the ingredients in a bowl, and then the server would pour on the broth and leave the vessel on the table, but it was different here. My ramen bowl had noodles as a base, topped with corn and edamame, and that was all topped with tofu (which wasn't too friend - thank goodness! - I hate tasting oil when I have overly fried tofu). The broth was a good amount, but not as plentiful as I imagined. Nonetheless, I had a great time and the meal was just what I needed to keep my stomach full and still recovering post-heavy holiday food that so many families insist on having. I hope to return the next time I'm in the neighborhood.

My fiancé and I have wanted to try this restaurant since there is a location down by Georgia Tech as well. I was partial to the Emory Village location because parking is so easy & the surrounding Emory campus is pretty. We came on a week night and didn't wait more than 5 minutes for a table for two. The interior design is cozy with low lights and "shades" serving as table separators for 2 person seating. For appetizers we tried the gyoza and edamame. I didn't eat the gyoza, but it looked great. The edamame was a very small portion for the price. I got the four seasons roll, which is hands down my new favorite sushi roll that I've had in Atlanta. We'll be back!

Good food and really nice varieties in each option. Probably a little pricy for what you're getting though. Nice staff. This place can get busy on weekends, especially with Emory being so close.

My Japanese friend introduced me to this place and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It has a traditional Japanese feel inside with the decor and plating of the dishes. We ordered several sushi rolls and it was delicious, followed by matcha green tea ice cream. Perfection.

The sushi is good!!!! And the appetizers. I really do like this place. However, the atmosphere could use a little improvement. The music is mismatched for the vibes of the place. It was heavy rock and light metal while we were there and was quite distracting while trying to catch up with a friend. Aside from that, the food is good, the space is good and it's a fun place!

Prefacing with I'm from metro NYC. Tons of Japanese restaurants. Even sushi lunch specials at an average place on Long Island was way better than this Don't know where good reviews come from. I got take out. It's about the food. Don't like the sushi. It's a sushi restaurant. End of story. Would not return.

Super low key Japanese spot. I went here on a lunch date. The place is small and pretty traditional looking. They serve a variety of Japanese dishes from sushi to bento to ramen, which is what both my date and I ordered. The ramen was fairly unadorned, with 1/2 of an onsen tamago and 1 piece of seaweed paper. The noodles were pretty thin and very slurpable. The broth was rich, especially white tonkotsu. I tried the shoyu broth, which was earthy. The staff was attentive and friendly without being pushy. Good social distancing practices (masks, gloves, etc) and the menus were on RFIDs. The ramen only ran us $11 which is totally reasonable for a full belly, because despite the lack of additions, the bowl was quite filling. Want to go back and try more.

Yummm. I came here the other day for a sushi dinner situation. I had the dragon's breath roll and the green typhoon roll. Both were EXCELLENT! The rolls were super fresh and flavorful. I'll definitely be back for some ramen and more sushi soon :)

Bummed. I was craving sushi for lunch, as was a friend, so I stopped to placed an order to-go for us to share. Upon arriving, I was at the host stand and asked for a menu, and Was directed to scan the QR code for the menu. Cool. So I did. The menu on their site/app didn't move past the first page (of 7), so I asked for a real menu so I could order. I was then informed that prices aren't accurate and could be a "dollar or so" more than the menu list. Again, fine, we are hungry. I ordered. One of the teriyaki lunch means (T chicken with 2 rolls - we chose spicy tuna and crunchy yellowtail), additionally, we ordered Toro and Yellowtail nigiri. Sounds like a good assortment, right? Here are the details... the Teriyaki chicken was tough and tasted of either blandness or possibly freezer burnt flavor. Both rolls were very "fishy" in taste. We both thought it was just the first taste, so went for a second piece, and it was consistent with the first. Regardless to say, two pieces of each roll were eaten, and the teriyaki chicken was absolutely tossed. Super bummed as I've been looking for a go-to for Sushi in or near Atlanta, and this is place regrettably won't have a return visit from us. Though there are many decent reviews, this was not a good day for this establishment.

$5.50 for this tiny little seaweed salad. Sashimi 6 was excellent until the salmon smelled and tasted fishy

After two rather disappointing sushi experiences in Midtown at places which per their locations and prices should be able to turn out better sushi than they were, I was very very nicely surprised by this small but highly authentic sushi bar near Emory University. My boyfriend and I came here after seeing the Divine Felines exhibit at the Carlos Museum at Emory and we both were very impressed. For one, the interior is very traditional, comfortable, and unassuming for a sushi bar instead of sleek, modern, or trying too hard in any capacity. However, there are appropriate little touches such as some of the finest Japanese tablewares I've ever seen to round out the aesthetics. The sushi chefs appeared Japanese themselves and while the ethnicity of the chefs doesn't matter outright, having someone in the arena who is aware of actual sushi culture in Japan is a huge plus in my book. Why? Because Americanized sushi, especially in the American South, tends to try to throw everything but the kitchen sink into most rolls whereas in Japan the main premise instead is to taste the fish, to have clarity and harmony between a scant few ingredients instead of a clutter of a great many. In terms of the sushi here, the harmony of ingredients and the ability of the chefs to serve up very fresh-tasting, very pristine, nigiri and simple rolls is what totally won us over. Everything was fresh, visually-appealing, and the chefs were attentive to our profusion of questions. Service was prompt enough, but it's not really a place--even at lunch--to come when in a rush. Highly recommended.

Bruhhhhh This place is amazingggg!! I got the Ramen with the two 6piece sushi rolls. Delightful beyond delightful. I have a happy food baby right now and our waitress Aria was great!! will be back!!!

Came in for lunch on a Friday and although it was busy we didn't have trouble finding a table for three. I ordered the chicken jewel bowl and it was a nice big portion that also came with miso soup. I can't comment on the sushi or seafood but from what I saw and heard from my fellow diners, it was all very good. Service was pretty good as well. Glad to have found this good option for lunch near Emory.

I've eaten here a dozen times by now and it's always delicious. They've added ramen options but I can't seem to move away from the sushi! I especially love that when I order sushi rolls. I don't have to ask them to go light on the rice. (For me, a thick jacket of rice makes for a high carb meal and worse, takes away from the wonderful flavors!)