AF
Anna Francisco
Jul 27, 2026
What a disappointing experience from start to finish. My friends and I waited over a month to celebrate a birthday at Blue Wasabi because it was the one restaurant the birthday guest specifically wanted to visit.
Before arriving, we called the restaurant to ask about accommodations for our group of eight. Although they do not accept reservations, the manager on duty and Owner, ‘Freddie’ informed us in writing, to arrive around 4:30 p.m. and assured us they would be happy to seat our group. We followed those instructions and arrived early, at 4:00 p.m., only to end up waiting outside in 114-degree heat for nearly three hours. During that time, we also missed happy hour. Since we were three hours behind on schedule, our additional after dinner plans did not come to fruition with the birthday guest.
The experience only continued to decline. Water was not offered while we waited endlessly outside, unless we specifically asked, and the seating and waitlist management appeared disorganized, leaving our group without any clear communication or accommodation.
The most disappointing part, however, was how the situation was handled by the owner, Christian. Rather than showing empathy or taking an interest in resolving a poor guest experience, he became combative and argumentative when we tried to calmly express our concerns and request some kind of recovery on the behalf of our friend. Instead of working toward a solution, the conversation felt confrontational. A second friend had to get involved while speaking with Christian due to his combative attitude. The only gesture offered after hours of waiting and an unpleasant interaction was our first, and only, (1) cocktail at the happy hour price, which did little to nothing to address the overall experience.
I rarely leave negative reviews, and in fact, this is my first one-star review. Unfortunately, the lack of organization, poor communication, and especially the way we were treated by ownership made this an experience I cannot recommend. I hope management takes guest feedback more seriously in the future, because no customer celebrating a special occasion should leave feeling this disappointed.
The only good review I can leave was our server, Ms. Ashlynn. She was above and beyond in being attentive, overly kind, remembered each of our names, and truly wanted to turn around our experience since she felt terrible for what we endured. Thank you Ashlynn for all of your hardwork, I hope your management team truly gives you the recognition you deserve!