Silvers Omakase is a dead serious omakase sushi restaurant helmed by Lennon Silvers Lee, a white…read moreguy from Van Nuys, the San Fernando Valley neighborhood where I happened to be born. Before opening Silvers, Chef Lennon opened several restaurants with his brother, including Sushi by Scratch in Montecito, one of the best places you can eat in Santa Barbara. Scratch is now a national empire, with dozens of restaurants in several states. Lennon branched off to do something just as ambitious, in a different direction: this beautiful, Michelin-starred, ten-seat sushi bar, where everything is honed and polished to his exacting standards. We booked Silvers for an early Valentine's Day dinner, a luxurious Thursday date night. Our reservation was for the second seating, at 8:15, but we were informed there would be champagne in the waiting room should we decide to arrive at 8:00. We had babysitting, so we were there at 8:00 sharp to claim our welcome drinks. The waiting room was comfortable, and we enjoyed hanging out and meeting the other diners. When Chef Lennon was ready, we were ushered in and led to our seats, which were designated with name cards. The chef introduced himself and his small, mighty staff. They were a wonderful team, and they took great care of us throughout the meal. Seems worth noting, too, that they all seemed to like each other and admire Lennon. The menu was 100% omakase, so the only decision we had to make was what to drink with our sushi. We went for the standard sake pairing, and this was excellent, a nice variety of sakes, each chosen to accompany two or three courses. The pours were about three ounces each, but we quickly learned that they'd get topped up if we finished them early. The food was outstanding, and I enjoyed hearing Lennon talk about where it all came from with such obvious passion and expertise. I guess most of the fish is sourced from Japan, though he gets some of it local, plus a lot of his produce. His rice comes from a very specific place in Japan that supplies no other restaurant in America, and Lennon and his team prepares it through a laborious-sounding process. The resulting rice was genuinely superb. But first, we enjoyed a few sashimi dishes. Kurodai in a citrus broth with bitter soy and a touch of yuzu kosho, then kanpachi brushed with soy sauce with a dollop of fresh wasabi on the side. Hotate came with daikon sprouts and navel orange zest in a light house dashi. Then we had kelp-cured buri cooked briefly in shabu broth, served with daikon and shiso flowers. At this point, we were given house pickled ginger then taken on a nigiri journey. We had madai, kinmedai, shima-aji, nodoguro, and saba--so much beautiful, delicious fish. Then we had three superb pieces of tuna: akami, chutoro, and otoro, in order of decadence. Finally, a uni hand roll with shiso, one of my favorites of the night, and sugar-dusted Japanese Amaou strawberries for dessert. This was a lovely omakase experience. Elegant, pared down, and traditional, just premium fish and rice, meticulously prepared by Chef Lennon. If you want top tier sushi in Santa Barbara, Silvers Omakase is hard to beat.

I'm conflicted about my experience with this experience. There were some amazing things and some…read morevery boring things. I think that curation of rare fish is not enough. The creativity and was lacking. It was basically a rare perfectly cute raw fish tasting with no other culinary edge. Because this is rated a Michelin star, I have to disagree on every level from a food perspective,

Very average food the night we went. Lots of "different" kinds of ingredients. Not the…read moretraditional rolls for the most part Ordered a hot dish hoping to get something my wife loved. I asked "it's as good as Roy's?" And was nowhere near The server we had- she as very nice and friendly.

The highlight of the meal for me was the Chirashi Bowl Premium. The assortment of fish was fresh,…read morebeautifully presented, and offered a nice variety of textures and flavors. Every bite tasted clean and high quality, making it a solid choice for anyone looking to enjoy a range of seafood in one dish. I also ordered the Ultimate 10, which features ten pieces of premium nigiri. While the fish itself was certainly fresh, I found it difficult to justify the $80 price tag. There was nothing wrong with the quality, but the overall experience didn't quite feel proportionate to the cost. If you're looking to maximize value, I'd probably steer toward some of the other menu offerings instead. I love uni (sea urchin) and it was particularly fresh, creamy, and rich without being overly briny. Another surprise was the Gold Shot, featuring quail egg, uni, chives, and ponzu. The combination works beautifully, delivering a burst of creaming, savory, and bright flavors in a single bite. The Popcorn Rock Shrimp was also a winner, crispy and satisfying without feeling overly heavy. The Wakame salad (seaweed) was also refreshing making it a great palate cleanser between some of the richer dishes. The Wokked Edamame was also quite yummy with the garlic chile sauce. The restaurant was bustling during my visit, creating a lively atmosphere that reflected its popularity. Despite how busy it was, the staff remained friendly, and welcoming, and attentive. Be sure to make reservations. Overall, Arigato delivers on freshness and quality, which is ultimately what matters most at a sushi restaurant. While I wasn't completely sold on the value of some of the higher priced items, there were enough standout dishes throughout the meal to make it a worthwhile visit. I'd happily return and explore more of the menu on a future visit.

This place was so good, I had to take out my phone to take notes. Each dish blew me away, and I…read morestarted texting my friends about it before all 9 courses were done. Had reservations for 7 pm dinner on Friday. The place wasn't busy during our entire dining experience. Aside from a larger table of ~10 people and 2 smaller tables, the place was empty, which was nice and quiet for date night and anniversary celebration. The 9-course Kaiseki was plate after plate of flavor. Highlights: - Course 4: Somen with sweet broth, grilled beef, and grilled green onion. THIS. The beef was so good, I refused to swallow, so I could savor the flavor. Fatty in flavor. Lean in cut. Somen cooked to perfection. - Course 7: Chilean sea bass simmered in bonito chicken broth with daikon and green beans ~ THE SEA BASS WAS GAS. Marinated in miso before grilling, the tenderness and juiciness of the sea bass is locked in prior to simmering in the broth. Chicken broth with the bonito added depth to the dish. - Course 9: Black sesame pudding with tangerine jelly ~ THIS. This dish embodied the level of black sesame I expect for any dish. Tangerine jelly cuts through as a nice refresher for the next bite. Perfectly not too sweet. All in all, I had the best experience. Each component of a dish adds its own flavor that completes the dish as a whole. Ultimately, one of my favorite culinary experiences that took my taste buds on a journey! Would return!

This was one of my best omakase experiences in the US and I'm glad we found this place! The owner…read morewas extremely nice and makes you feel like you're eating at his house, which is an apt feeling since the restaurant is in a small house. All the dishes we had were flavorful, had perfect texture, and the seafood was all very fresh.

Three of had a wonderful experience here a few nights ago. We made a reservation and only waited a…read morefew minutes to be seated We ordered a wonderful bottle of sake. We also ordered soft she'll crabs(delicious) a wonderfully prepared plate of sushi, including eel and unagi with quail eggs Many other wonderful dishes. Our was knowledgeable and suggested some excellent items. We left not full but satisfied and very pleased with this establishment.

Sun Sushi is located in a nondescript strip mall on State Street, but their food is mostly really…read morefresh and delicious. The miso soup was pretty "meh", but the salad with its miso dressing was tasty, as was the shrimp and veggie tempura; nothing outstanding, but on point. The pork-filled gyoza were also fresh and delicious. The "Bluefin tuna 6 ways" was outstanding: each presentation highlighted different cuts of the fish and each one was delicious and a bit different, really good. My girl had some green tea mochi she liked; I tasted it and it didn't do much for me, but... Wine pours by the glass are generous and reasonable, and the service was just fine, courteous and attentive. This is a small restaurant and it can get kind of noisy and crowded, but that's also a testament to the fact people know how good this place is. If you're a local you probably know this, but if you're a visitor (like we were) be sure to check this place out if you're in Santa Barbara and craving really good Japanese food. Recommended.

Amazing service, friendly staff, great food!…read more My wife and I had the Mizo and pork ramen that hit the spot after a day trip of wine tasting. The staff constantly checked our table to make sure our needs were met. The food was delicious!

This was our first visit to this restaurant, and unfortunately, the overall experience was…read moredisappointing, mainly due to the atmosphere and pricing. We were drawn in by the happy hour specials, which were advertised until 7:30 p.m. We arrived at 7:15 p.m. and ordered a couple of appetizers from the happy hour menu, along with miso soup and sushi rolls. At the time, we were the only two customers seated in the dimly lit dining room. As soon as our appetizers arrived, gnats began swarming our table. One landed on my water glass, and another ended up in our soy sauce. After dealing with a couple of them, we felt rushed to finish our meal before more appeared, which made for a very unpleasant dining experience. The food itself was decent, but nothing memorable. The miso soup could have been served hotter, though I did appreciate that it wasn't overly salty. Our server was friendly, attentive, and our food arrived promptly. One aspect that made the experience uncomfortable was that the four staff members stood nearby watching us eat, which gave the impression they were waiting for us to finish and leave. Finally, despite ordering multiple happy hour appetizers before the advertised cutoff time, only one item was discounted at the happy hour price. Overall, the service was good, but the insect issue, uncomfortable atmosphere, and pricing left us disappointed. Unfortunately, this isn't a restaurant we'll be returning to.

Its Two Star 2uesday!…read more A b'ness associate and I stopped by here for lunch before we went to our hotel in DT Santa Barbara. Unfortunately, the food was not very good. First of all, the chirashi was expensive and the fish was not that fresh. You could tell from the lack of redness on the ahi. The texture of all of the fish was not super fresh, like I am accustomed to. Many of the places I go to source their fish from Toyosu Market in Tokyo. Secondarily, the uni had an off taste, and was sloppily presented. I'm glad I didn't get sick later. The remainder of the items were ok, but nothing special. Regarding the ambiance, its roomy and it has a sushi bar. Nonetheless, we were one of two tables, and they had to seat the party of 5 directly behind us. Our waitress, and the staff were nice. They were the only saving grace of the place. I'm not sure of the allure of this place. The menu is big & complicated, and the fish is not fresh. There is no way I would return.

The Shirley temple was SOOOOOO GOOD! and the rolls! And the short ribsssssssssss! Like, peace out…read more If this gets 10,000 views I will post 100 new reviews! BYEEEEEEEE!

New favorite sushi place! The wait staff was very attentive and nice while the food was delicious…read moreand not too pricey. Don't sleep on the Okinawan onigiri. I had never had one but it was awesome. Also probably not the best spot for a large group but it was excellent for a date night.

We arrived right at five pm. Found quick parking near the restaurant…read more It's a small area but absolutely lovely! The food was delicious. They had pork and chicken dumplings and they kindly made me a veggie version, it was so good! We also got free chocolate ice cream, by I believe to be the owner. We also order the Japanese cake dessert. The whole experience was lovely. Highly recommend!!

Tonight was our 3rd time here... we come from San Diego and each time has been an excellent…read moreexperience. Being a restaurant owner/ manager and also someone who advises other restaurants, I can't say enough how I want to pack up all of these employees and take them home with me in my suitcase. Vanessa is an absolute favorite server of ours. We have been blessed to have her our last 2 visits. She goes above and beyond to make sure each person is seen and well taken care of. She is a dream employee. Our chef was also amazing. We were lucky to have him twice as well. We didn't catch his name, but he is tall with tattoos on his right forearm. Thank you Hibachi Steak House & Sushi Bar for being our go to when we visit!

We stopped by today to make an in person reservation for tomorrow night. Fiesta is going on at the…read moremoment so we were in the area. On our way out, and after making our reservation we left a rolled up paper plate in one of the outdoor bus bins since they did not have any visible trash cans outside. We continued to chat near the entrance when small statured male employee comes out and aggressively hands us back our rolled up paper plate that was intended for disposal. He was rude and seemed to lack customer service experience hence why I started leaving this review. As I was writing out this review, I decided to call the restaurant before posting it, in an effort to make management aware. At first I spoke to a guy named Ryan, and he seemed indifferent to the feedback so I continued on with my review. About 5 minutes later we get a call back and it's from THE BOYS MOTHER saying she is canceling our reservation for tomorrow night because they have a right to refuse service. She must be the business owner or something. However, if you choose to employ your family members, you'd think you'd teach them how to act decent while helping run your family business. This place is giving messy, inexperienced, 1 star vibes. Maybe that can explain why it's empty.