BluWave Sushi & Handroll Bar — Restaurant in Orlando

Cute restaurant, but arguably one of the worst meals/experiences I’ve ever received from a restaurant. I tried to order online at around 8:45pm, only to see that I couldn’t place one. I wondered if maybe it was about to close, but the website and Google both stated that closing was at 10pm. I called and placed a carry out order via phone, and the hostess did confirm my order with me twice so I knew that I should receive the correct order.

The picture online shows a normal-sized 10-piece roll with avocado, cucumber, and spicy tuna inside, with your choice for the topper protein. Then topped with tempura flakes, spicy mayo, and eel sauce.

The description almost matched this, so I ordered it.

What I received was a very disappointing roll the size of my VERY small palm, 8 pieces - missing the avocado inside, the tempura flakes on top, and the eel sauce on top. Thankfully I live directly across the street, so I walked straight back over to make sure they gave me the correct roll. It’s a good thing I did, because they were closing up the doors at 9:25 when I got there. I asked if they were closing, and they said yes.

I showed the hostess the picture on the website vs what I received, and she returned moments later with the same roll. They just added toppings to the roll that I just brought back to them, then returned it to me (still without avocado inside) instead of remaking the roll correctly. They also gave me a free “roll” as a courtesy, which was SOMEHOW even SMALLER than the first roll. I left with these “rolls”, as I could tell that I wasn’t going to receive what I actually ordered from this staff.

I only wish I could attach photos to this review.

I tipped around 18% for this pickup order so ended up paying just under $60 for my entire order, and I will be disputing the charge with my bank. We 100% did not receive what we ordered, and the images on the website were false advertising. Our other meal - the Karaage Bowl - was also a disgracefully small portion, and missing half of the ingredients that were listed online - but unfortunately we didn’t notice this until after the restaurant was...

It may seem that I leave a lot of five star reviews. Thinking about it, it's these great restaurants like this one that really motivate me to speak out and recommend them.

We came up to Orlando to see twenty One pilots at the Kia center and wandered around looking for a good restaurant, this one reached out to us and pulled us in.

To clarify that a bit, it was the first restaurant we saw on the way walking from the Kia center over to the downtown area, the sign reached out to us and there was someone handing out coupons for free drinks and sushi after we had already decided we were going here so that sealed the deal.

We had the free drink and the free hand roll and they were both quite excellent. The drink was so good I had a second one that I paid for. It is some kind of fruity semi-sweet drink with a significant amount of alcohol to thumbs up for that.

We ordered a volcano roll because that is one of the roles we frequently love at sushi restaurants and try to compare them. The volcano roll at this restaurant is probably at the top of my volcano roll list. It was amazingly good. It was well balanced in flavors, beautifully presented, had just the right amount of crunchy on top to give it some good texture, and on top of that it had a sauce on it that is unusual for a sushi restaurant in that it was a turquoise blue. I asked how they colored it and they said they use spirulina so it is a natural colorant for it not a food coloring.

The manager came over and spoke with us and told us that everything they make here is done on site including cutting up whole 500 lb tuna into the bite size pieces we all enjoy. See some of the pictures attached.

Unfortunately we live 3-hour drive away from here but when we were back in the area this will certainly be on our radar to come visit. For anyone that lives in or is visiting the Orlando area and loves sushi, come visit this place you will not be disappointed.

On top of that the seating is really comfortable The atmosphere is nice and the service is...

Blu Wave Sushi - Disappointing Experience Despite Good Food

We’ve been to Blu Wave Sushi before and returned hoping for another great experience, but unfortunately, our visit this time left a lot to be desired. While the location is excellent—right on a busy street in downtown Orlando near the Kia Center—and the food itself was good, the overall experience was very disappointing.

Here’s why: Flies and Mosquitos - The restaurant had its front doors wide open on a warmer December night, leading to a noticeable amount of flies and mosquitos inside. It made the dining experience uncomfortable. Overwhelmed and Unorganized Staff - The team seemed stretched thin and unprepared for a busy Saturday evening. Food was coming out incredibly slow, and after 20-30 minutes in the restaurant, we noticed that almost no one was eating—everyone was still waiting for their orders. Inexperienced Bar Service - For a sushi bar with a full liquor setup in a prime downtown location, the bartenders struggled to make even simple drinks. It shouldn’t take three people to make an espresso martini. There was constant interruptions in the music and the vibe wasn’t what we remembered. Unacceptable Wait Times - After finishing two sushi rolls, we waited another 45 minutes for our Waygu Roll, which never arrived. Eventually, the staff admitted the delay, comped 20% off the bill, and removed the roll, reducing what should’ve been an $80 bill to $40. While appreciated, it felt like a Band-Aid on an avoidable problem.

Blu Wave Sushi has great potential—good food and an interesting concept—but the management needs to address these issues urgently. The staff was nice for who was there but there was literally a night and day difference between our first visit and this visit. With the current level of disorganization and service problems, it’s hard to see this restaurant thriving. We hope they can turn things around, but as of now, we wouldn’t...