The Next Japanese modern cuisine

I made a reservation for 7:30PM for 4 people, and it was packed inside. We ordered, and waited 1 hour for any of our food to arrive. There was only 2 waiters, and they were constantly running around the place. Authentic Japanese. Be careful to check their open hours. Monday and Tuesday they are closed, and during the afternoons. There food tasted good, but not worth the wait and poor service.

I'd been when it first opened & it was great. we had friends visiting & they wanted to try it out. unfortunately it was closed for 2weeks. so we went to nubo instead & it was sensational. still wanted to give the Next another go...tried on a tuesday, it was closed. again went to Nubo---again had a super great time, great food, atmosphere. still thought i'd like to give Next a try, hit it thursday & wow it was open. sort of. the waitperson funnelled every comer into one corner although the place was empty so that she could set the tables. she couldn't manage waiting on customers & getting her soy sauce & ginger pots in order at the same time. attention: the menu has changed & not for the better. the bento is now some sort of hodge podge that makes Nobu's look even better. Next when it opened had a great lunch. no longer. one friend ordered sushi, another a special, i ordered from the list of combinations, just to see. disappointment. not good. the sushi was okay but nothing like the great adventure you get at Nubo. we won't be back. yes, it's convenient if you live in the area or are visiting fairfield---but if you are in fairfield Nobu is a short walk & infinitely better & in some cases cheaper. granted the cook street village doesn't offer a lot of choices but venture down vancouver or downtown & you will not be disappointed. Next, really suits its name---next.

I have been here with friends several times and the food is fresh and unique. However, unless you have time to spare, it is not a good choice. The service is very slow. It can take ten minutes before they approach your table. But if you have lot of time, the food is worth it.

Went on the weekend with a friend and ordered a couple of specials from the daily special plus a couple of rolls and sashimi. The bento box was very good - ginger chicken with spicy tuna roll and miso soup and salad and a unique potato salad appetizer with a citrus miso mayo. The Japanese oyster mushroom tempura was nice and light. The bbq salmon skin roll was very tasty as well as the spicy salmon roll.

The Next puts all the other so-called Japanese restaurants in Victoria to shame. With very few exceptions the menu has not compromised Japanese food for Canadian tastes. Prices are very reasonable and the recent build out of the kitchen will probably speed up the service. One of Victoria's top 5 restaurants for lunch or dinner.