Wasabi Ankeny: sushi night in Prairie Trail

In our sushi guide, we called the Wasabi group the reliable roll fix for the suburbs. The Ankeny location sits at The District at Prairie Trail, and the room alone is worth the trip: red booths, lotus-shaped pendant lamps, a long bar, and a wall of wine under a painted koi mural. It works for a date, a family dinner, or a group that can't agree on anything.

The sushi

The classic rolls cover the basics, from California and spicy tuna to yellowtail jalapeño. The special rolls are where it gets fun. The Angry Dragon pairs spicy tuna, shrimp tempura, and mango under crab and honey miso. The Marilyn Monroll tops spicy tuna and spicy salmon with seared white tuna and garlic sambal. The Protein Roll packs tuna, salmon, and yellowtail into one. For something lighter, the hamachi chili (yellowtail with jalapeño, cilantro, sriracha, and ponzu) is one of the prettiest plates on the menu. Sharing? Sushi and Sashimi for Two brings 15 pieces of sashimi, 10 pieces of sushi, and a chef's special roll.

Not in a sushi mood?

The kitchen side is just as deep. There's black garlic tonkotsu ramen, spicy seafood ramen in tom yum broth, kimchi fried rice topped with a sunny-side-up egg, pad Thai, red curry, and yakiniku beef. Start with the crispy Brussels sprouts or the spicy crispy chicken wontons, and finish with green tea fried ice cream or mango mochi. There's a kids' menu too, so it's an easy call for families.

Happy sushi hour

On weekday afternoons from 3 to 6pm, Wasabi runs a happy sushi hour in the dining room, with discounted rolls and starters, $3 off glasses of wine, $4.95 sake bombs, and $7.95 signature cocktails like the Passionfruit Asian Mule. Through November 30, there's also an all-day sushi and wine special on Sundays and Mondays.

Good to know

Wasabi takes reservations, offers pickup and delivery, and caters with party trays, from California roll trays to a deluxe sushi platter. If you're planning a holiday get-together, the private party option is worth asking about.

Go: 1615 SW Main St, Suite 100, Ankeny (The District at Prairie Trail) · Mon to Thu 11am to 9:30pm, Fri to Sat 11am to 10:30pm, Sun 11am to 9pm · 515-264-5210