Sushi Story — Restaurant in Esquimalt

EDIT 07/24/2019 Changed review from 4 stars to 1 star. Sushi story is a joke. I have placed pick up orders twice and spoken clearly and precisely as to what food I wanted. BOTH times they have gotten my order wrong and forced me to drive back to get my correct food remade. They apologised but I don't want an apology. I want my food made correctly the first time, not to have to get back in my car and drive back there a second time, wasting my time and money. AND I tipped both times expecting it to be correct. I will NEVER go back to this restaurant again and I hope they go out of business or fire the idiot who is taking orders wrong. DO NOT GO HERE and do not support a business that clearly does not care about their customers.

---- Previous review. Re-reading it now it still tells of how their quality control is abysmal ---- When we came for dinner the restaurant was packed. The food came in a very reasonable time (the amaebi at the end took quite long though but the waitress came back to tell us it was defrosting). They gave us complimentary spring rolls before our main order came which was very nice. The miso soup was flavoured with mushrooms and was very tasty, a nice change from the standard style. My dinner bento was gargantuan. The chicken and tempura wasn't very hot but the dynamite roll was good. It had yam tempura in it, which was nice. I was blown away by the ebi sunomono that came with the bento. It is very rare that you get a sunomono with a bento and are usually a $5-$8 side dish. This one was excellent and very large. Overall, I really enjoyed my dinner here and will definitely be back to sample more dishes. It's not the most extravagant sushi in the world but the value for the quality of the food is apparent. I would recommend...

Sushi Story is my ultimate comfort restaurant. I love coming here to celebrate achievements or birthdays. I love ordering an affordable and delicious lunch for take out on a nice day. I love coming here for a warm, nourishing dinner and to quietly watch shows on my phone while sitting in a booth on a rainy day. I love getting a lovely, familiar meal to bring home when I need it the most after a hard day.

The food is fantastic for its price range, and always comes with one or two complimentary spring rolls. I highly recommend the beef or sashimi lunch/dinner boxes - they are by far the most satisfying combo boxes I’ve ever had at a sushi place. I love the noodle and tempura sides, and the fruit is always somehow insanely crisp and sweet. The two types of chirashi bowl they have are also great! When I moved to the island, I found it surprisingly difficult to find good sushi/fish, but Sushi Story was the first restaurant I found to offer amazing and consistent quality.

And the staff is wonderful! They are always smiling, friendly and accommodating, even when it’s busy. It’s always a pleasure sitting in or ordering out with them.

The only reason I haven’t left a review sooner is because I wanted to keep Sushi Story my little secret - a hidden gem. It’s no high-end atmospheric bistro, but it’s reasonably priced, delicious food with an incredibly warm and welcoming staff. Since moving to Victoria, I’ve been struggling to find a small sushi spot with that balance of great food, good prices and home-like appeal, and I’m so happy Sushi Story has fulfilled that...

Been here twice in a span of 20 days, which is a little too soon for me. Within those two visits, I've both had great services and great food. That consistency is very valuable to me, which I usually give restaurants one visit where the food may not be as good that time.

I may be in a disadvantage for points of view, but I did order two dinner Bento specials in a row. It is typical Japanese food fare, but the value is good for what you are getting, in my opinion. The menu is massive, which can be good or bad depending on your preferences. They have hot pot (shabu shabu) specials on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and they also have featured Korean fried chicken on their menu on my most recent visit.

Being very extremely picky, my complaint would be that the pork katsu batter was too flaky or overdone that it was very delicate on the pork and was coming off too easily. This was on the latest visit. However, still very consistent in flavour otherwise. The server is very lovely, we had the same server both visits. Despite having two tables that are groups, she was very careful in ensuring orders are delivered, and customers got their requests. I realize it's very tedious to keep handing mini plates to customers in tight corners, so props. I like the cart for delivering many orders, it just really helps the server a lot.

The location may be far for some, but I recommend giving their establishment a visit! It does get busy at times, I suggest a reservation if you plan to...