OC Wasabi

Run, don't skip, past OC Wasabi. It doesn't deserve your money, time or patience.

We were seated last night by a friendly male host around 8:13 pm. The atmosphere feels very old school Japanese dining, and we had a traditional table in a corner. That's where the meal rolled down a cliff.

We sat for 5...10... then 12 minutes as we witnessed who we assumed to be our server (Sona B), chatting with a nearby table about her kids, activities, their trip to Shenandoah, etc. I'm glad they were having a great talk, but at least a glass of water and acknowledgement of our existence would have been nice.

Thankfully, a woman in a flannel top (we assumed a manager) noticed and we heard her tell the server, "That table in the corner has been sitting for too long."

Sona came over and immediately asked what we wanted for dinner. (Good evening to you as well). This was now past 8:40 pm, the restaurant closes at 9:30 pm according to the Google page. We ordered three rolls, gyoza/dumplings and tofu teriyaki entree.

Food took forever. We weren't sure if it was because, once again, we watched our server talking with other tables for long periods of time and our food was actually ready, or if it's a slow kitchen. Our meal came out at 9:24 pm.

The rolls weren't presented well or very tasty, they fell apart and were simply thrown together with massive chunks of veggies, not nicely cut as usual sushi restaurants. The spicy mayo was good, actually had a great kick. The tofu teriyaki was a letdown for $21. Broccoli was soggy, the tofu wasn't fried long enough and just had sauce dropped on top of it, and the biggest portion of the meal was rice. And it was cold, but I don't know if that's because my meal sat from a slow kitchen or an inattentive server. $66 not well spent.

And, once again, we waited so long for the check (Sona disappeared) that we had to ask the manager in flannel for the check. Thank you to the manager for acknowledging us.

We are always very, very good tippers (20% +) but she received a 3% tip and I hope she realized it was directly related to the absolutely terrible service she provided us. We were friendly, polite and easygoing, but to spend an evening ignored while watching her interact so much with every other table is unacceptable.

OC Wasabi is a hard pass. Do yourself a favor and stroll past and try elsewhere! Or, don't sit in Sona's section.

The absolute best sushi spot in Ocean City. They have a dish, the Maryland Fried Rice that is unlike anything else anywhere and worth the trip just to OC wasabi. The scallops are fresh from the bay and you can taste the freshness in the food.

The drinks, especially the hot saki and orange crush are worth mentioning as well if you have a taste for an adult beverage.

Large Japanese restaurant with wonderful staff. Some of the sashimi weren't too fresh. But the rolls were delicious. It's a bit pricey. There's parking in the back for convenience.