Sawa Asian Bistro

Just finished picking through dinner from this place. We have had great Thai food, but this wasn’t it. My sister and I ordered the crab Rangoon, steamed pork dumplings, chicken satay and spicy basil beef. There was no peanut sauce to go with the satay and the chicken was incredibly dry. The dumplings didn’t look quite right from the moment I opened the box. The vegetables in the beef entrée were cooked unevenly. Based on the other reviews, I’d have to say stick with the sushi because the Thai items on the menu are a bust.

Love, love, love Sawa! It’s amazing food for an incredible price and very friendly staff. As a college student who looks for good food at a defent price, I can say that this spot is gold.
The sushi is incredible and the thai food is even better. The red curry chicken is one of the best options on the menu, à mon avis.

We ordered pork dumplings, an avocado peanut roll, General Tso’s Combo and Sweet and Sour Chicken for pick-​up. The restaurant was clean but very dark inside with a faint smell of fish in the air. My order was neatly stacked up and stapled in a paper bag. When I got home I unwrapped nothing but disappointment.
The pork dumplings were more like wilted wontons. Thin wrappers that fell apart when you tried to pick them up. The sauce didn’t complement them very well either. The avocado peanut roll was tiny. The container it was packed in must not have had a lid because a larger lid was cut down to fit and secured with a rubber band. General Tso’s chicken had more batter than chicken swathed in a bland brown sauce. The accompanying fried rice had bits of red and gray pork and was unremarkable. The egg roll was decent, not too greasy with identifiable seafood pieces in the filling. The Sweet and Sour chicken was just a container of chicken fingers — they forgot the sauce. Had to drive back to Bristol from Tiverton to get it. Not worth $ 34 or the extra trip back to get sauce for the chicken.

Good food friendly staff great little hole in wall kind of place. been here 3 times and always been satisfied. will be returning again

Hate to say it, since the folks who run this place seem pleasant — but this may be the worst meal I’ve ever had in a restaurant. Pretty close to inedible.

The person at the front is always very nice and the servers are very attentive to if you need anything. The food is very good and possibly the best Chinese/​Japanese in the area. The décor on the inside is very nice and always makes for a nice day/​night out for eating.

Called in a takeout order was told to pickup in 10 minutes, showed up in about 20 minutes and had to wait another 15 minutes. The interior was so cold I had to go to my car and get a jacket, the workers were wearing hooded sweatshirts. After all the time waiting the order was completely wrong. Ordered 2 combo’s, General Tso’s chicken and sweat & sour chicken no egg roll and substitute chow mein which they were fine with over the phone. I received no sweet & sour sauce for the sweet & sour chicken dinner, got 2 egg rolls, supposed to have been 1 egg roll 1 side of chow mein, received a full order of the chow mein instead. Now I understand why the tab was $ 30 bucks. Nothing had flavor, everything was bland, all I could smell driving home was the garlic in the chow mein, I will stick to Jackies.

Don’t let Sawa’s modest hole in the wall exterior fool you. The inside is nicely designed with a modern Asian bistro flair, the food is great, and the prices reasonable. My husband and I had a sushi appetizer and two entrees, one Thai and one Chinese. All were excellent and service was good. It’s nice to be able to get three Asian cuisines in one place.

Sawa is my go-​to for Asian takeout. I used to get Jackie’s Galaxy, but this place beats it with quality and price. Sawa Asian Bistro is run by a husband and wife team that are the friendliest you will ever meet. When Sawa opened, they went on a rigorous marketing effort that included putting menus in people’s doorstops as well as participating in locally mailed coupons. Hopefully it paid off, because Sawa and their family deserve tremendous success.
In the interest of disclosure, I have never eaten inside, and in the few times I’ve been inside I’ve been turned off by how dark the place is. Because of how convenient it is, I’ve always stuck with takeout, and taking advantage of the limited delivery that the owners offer to those living in close proximity.
My favorites are the seaweed salad, seared tuna, dragon rolls, nime chow, and so much more. If you feel like sushi and sashimi, Sawa’s menu offers an array of delicious and affordable options. For some comfort food, they have a variety of traditional Chinese dishes. Anyone want some General Tso’s chicken on a cold winter night? The price for everything on the menu is so affordable compared to other nearby places.
I usually order from here a few times a month. The location that Sawa occupies has had its fill of restaurants coming and going; here’s hoping that Sawa beats the odds and stays open for a long time.

This is the latest and best of the Asian restaurants occupying this space over the last few years. The sushi/​maki are outstanding and affordable, and their takes on Thai and Chinese dishes on the limited menu are a cut above most small pan-​Asian restaurants. The young couple running the restaurant are friendly and attentive, and I hope they do well here. In an area without many options for quality sushi, this is now our go-​to place.

This is an amazing place. I have eaten here twice now, once we had a platter of sushi and the other visit we had a variety of their hot food off the chinese side of the menu.
We went to town on the sushi! I bought lunch for my co-​workers and myself and spared no expense. The sushi was amazing. The rice was extremely fresh, still slightly warm with just a hint of sweetness. The fish was VERY fresh and well cut. It blows the stars off any ‘galaxy’ near by… I am so very happy that saw has opened since the area has needed a good sushi in the area extremely badly. The other restaurants in the area don’t even come close to the quality of this restaurant in regards to sushi.
The hot food was just as amazing. We had the dumplings (AMAZING), which was easily something that was prepared fresh, not the normal doughy dumplings from other places. The shumai was excellent and nicely presented. We also had pork fried rice, house special lo mein and boneless spare ribs. All was very tasty, fresh not stale rice or noodles.
The one argument is it is a bit pricey but with all things to get something good, you need to pay for it. The portions are HUGE, and the flavor is out of this «galaxy»! It is a small dining room but they do take out, and it is run by a husband/​wife team. I will now only go to them for my chinese and sushi needs for sure and you should too!

This place is delicious! So many options to choose from and they are very accommodating. Friendly staff! Must visit

Just went here for a quick lunch with a friend who lives in neighborhood. We had nori rolls, pad Thai and an app spring roll order. All was pretty terrific. I think spring rolls needed more basil but besides that all was good. I’ll go back. Maybe dinner next time, as we took advantage of lunch specials which can’t be beat.
Service was lovely and the place is immaculate.

Very glad to see a place downtown with good quality food like this. General Tso’s chicken is one of the best I had.
I will be back

Solid Asian take out. Got the steamed chicken with broccoli over white rice and received a HUGE portion, enough for 2 meals. Staff was friendly, place seemed clean when I picked up my food and price was fair. I’ll be back again next time the craving hits.
Fortune: He who sows courtesy reaps friendship.

I am officially declaring this the best sushi place in the Bristol area.
I have been here twice now, but this is my first take out.
We got the Tiger Roll, Philly, Cali, and Tsukiji Mango Roll. All of which were fresh and excellent. The Tsukiji may be the perfect sushi roll.
Two small things that I love too. They use the white more fresh looking ginger and also they use really nice cop sticks.
You should also read my original review, because for that I was able to visit and sit.
Love this place, I hope it stays great

Me and a friend walk into this place mid blizzard to an empty restaurant. We get a little of everything. Drinks, sushi, chinese and thai cause were ballin like that. First off the sushi was excellent. The rolls here are considerably bigger than they are at Jackies down the street. I got Thai green curry and my buddy got the Pad Thai. The pad thai was really good, I saw that another review described it as «decent» but I’ve eaten this dish all over local paces AND Thailand thus rendering me better than her and my opinion more valid. The green curry was great. I’m tempted to give them 4 stars because my soda was flat. Don’t laugh, that shit’s important to some people. Their staff was so friendly that it almost bordered on being uncomfortable. I’m excited to live near this place.

Very friendly staff. Ordered the General Tso lunch special (my litmus test for Chinese restaurants) and they passed with flying colors. Total came to something like $ 6.50 after the 10% grand opening discount and was much more food than I could comfortably put away in one sitting. What more do you want?

Upon arriving home yesterday I checked my mailbox to find a menu from Sawa Asian Bistro, a restaurant that just had their grand opening on Wood st. I scanned the menu, and became full of joy when I saw they serve pad thai! Since moving to Bristol in September, I’ve been having pad thai withdrawals. And now, not only is there a restaurant that serves pad thai in Bristol, it’s also a 1 – 2 minute walk from my front door. Hallelujah! Right? Not quite. Or at least not just yet.
So, today my husband and I decided to try out Sawa for lunch. We went early, at 11:30, and were seated in a very empty and quiet restaurant. Probably because we were so early, our food came out quickly, and the service was both friendly and attentive.
I, of course, ordered the lunch veggie pad thai, and my husband opted for the lunch special of 12 pieces of sushi. His came with a side salad, and both came with miso soup.
My pad thai was decent. It wasn’t the kind of pad thai that makes you fall in love, if you know what I mean. The cook was kind enough to cook the peanuts in my meal, rather toss them on top, which I was grateful for. But the overall taste and flavor of the pad thai was not enough to make my heart swoon. In fact, the pad thai was pretty taste-​less.
My husband ate every last bite of his meal, but later told me he thought the rice was too «mushy.»
However, I will say this: we will be coming back. We see the potential Sawa Asian Bistro has to offer. With a little more experience, we think their food will be 4-​stars worthy. The prices are very affordable, the staff friendly, and the food is decent.
Fin.

Was driving back from MA to CT, stopped by this small gem of Bristol RI. The Sushi here is fresh, the waiters are very attentive, and the atmosphere is awesome. I think they are just opened, best wish to them!