Where do I start? The Thailander is not peanut sauce. It's peanut butter on fish. The smoked slammin tastes like it was slow smoked in a muffler from a 58 studabaker. Server accidentally poured water on my fiancé's plate, quickly took off like he was going to grab a towel and never came back. This place is the Chernobyl of sushi bars. I'm guessing the fish had feet at some point. Synopsis: Food sucks. Take some pride in serving your clients or just shut your damn doors. Where's the closest hospital? read more

We ordered at about 7:45 on Friday evening via Yelps Grubhub app, but unfortunately when we arrived our order had not processed correctly and the staff was in the process of cleanup and they didn't have the food. However, they really stepped up and cancelled our order and made us some free to go rolls to make up for our troubles. They were absolutely delicious and I look forward to returning again during normal times to enjoy a meal there. The manager (maybe owner) was a very kind man who really took care of us. I definitely recommend. read more

Geisha Sushi was pretty good! I really love that the fish all come from sources that are sustainable, so that I don't have to feel guilty about eating seafood, and their flavor combinations (cilantro is so underrated in sushi!) were creative and quite yummy. However, I guess they sacrificed fish quality for sustainability, because the fish alone was pretty unremarkable. Their flavor combos are great though! Garlic, cilantro, salsa...they use so many interesting flavors in their rolls. It's also not super expensive, which is kind of surprising given the sustainability factor. Our waitress was very nice and attentive. Great service. I would recommend checking this place out at least once, especially if you are on the hunt for a spicy sushi roll! They have a roll called the Satan Roll and it is really *quite* spicy, without being slathered in Sriracha and wasabi. This is the first "spicy roll" that I've actually found to be spicy. read more

I had a Groupon and enjoyed my Geisha experience. The location -- upstairs, a block from Capitola Beach -- can't be beat. (Parking is not easy, though.) The decor (pink and black with lots of Japanese lanterns and blossoms) was very pretty. Service was prompt and fine, if impersonal. The complimentary miso soup was nice. My matcha shrimp and veg tempura was good. The rainbow roll -- with four types of fish, chef's choice -- was very beautiful. Presentation was great overall and I like knowing that the business cares about seafood sustainability. It's a bit expensive for me to return regularly, but with the Groupon it was reasonable. read more

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Shawn (Sean?) hooked me up with a roll not on the menu woo woo secret spies thank you Shawn. - Brian guy

This place does a great job with takeout. Everything is well-packaged and timely. I'm sorry I've never had a chance to dine in, as they have a cute setup. I've liked everything we've tried. They have an excellent selection of veg rolls and everything is super tasty! Yam Central, mmmm read more

This place is exceptionally mediocre. I've been here twice. The first time, I ordered a bowl of salmon udon and a tuna hand roll. The salmon in the udon was dry and overcooked. The tuna hand roll was equally dry and bland. The service was atrocious and I had to ask the waitress for water/tea each time. Completely reactive service. On 02/02/19 I went back with my girlfriend to try and give them a second chance. The host sat us down at a table that had not been cleaned. The busser arrived, spilled our chopsticks on the dirty table, placed our chopsticks back on our plates, half wiped the table, and took off. 10 minutes elapsed before the host came back to ask if we wanted something to drink. Two glasses of water were brought out that looked like they had been standing gathering dust. Another 10 minutes elapsed without interaction from the staff. In total, 20 minutes elapsed, during which time the busser, host, and one of the waitresses passed our table a total of 11 times without any effort to address us. We left. The plus side to all this? We went to AKIRA sushi instead. Akira sushi was amazing and the complete opposite of this place. read more

Amazing selection of vegan items clearly labeled on their menu. Food was delicious. Server was fantastic! This will be a new favorite for us. read more

Geisha has an incredible vegetarian and vegan sushi menu. I never thought I would enjoy this type of sushi but I was extremely impressed with the flavors and the variety of these options. read more

The restaurant is extremely clean with a pleasant soothing ambiance. Servers are nice and aren't overbearing. The miso soup and seaweed salad is tasty. I love the curry udon full of hearty veggies! It smells amazing. My boyfriend says the sushi is fresh and full of flavor. They are members of the seafood watch which makes me feel better about the fish they serve. Great place overall! read more

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This place is horrible the prices are really high for basic ass sushi if you actually eat sushi you would know what im talking about but if you dont really eat sushi and what to pay top dollar but get basic service and sushi this place is for you.... the service was ok? the waiter didnt even knew what he was talking about.i came here 2 years ago paid a arm and a leg still got shit now I remember why I stop coming here this place is all hype because it the only sushi near or here in capitola which honstly I feel bad for the people you guys deserve better. Top dollar for basic? Not worth it never coming here again. read more

We love the food here but the service is awful and it's always SO LOUD. Either college students partying and doing sake bombs or unattended kids. We love the sushi and prices but dining here is a literal headache. read more

Our table waited nearly two hours to get our food. I understand that we're a group of 7 but taking more than an hour to make our orders? Come on now. Food was alright. Plus, they made us pay 18% gratuity even with terrible service! No communication between the servers, chefs, or the customers. Why did it take twenty minutes to take our order? Why did it take over an hour to make our food? I really don't understand, and to expect 18% of the bill for their "service?" what service? All they did was write down our orders and filled our waters, no explanation why our food came out so late. You'd think for a restaurant the staff would apologize for the ridiculous wait time. They ignored us the whole time. Horrible service, avoid going here! read more

The shittiest service I have ever witnessed. Look at this shit too wtf dirty ass napkins and waited over half an hour for one appetizer read more

Geisha - Opened up this and it's used - Japanese Near Me - Capitola, California

reservations are worthless at this restaurant. And then when you get there you watch them seat walk ups before you get a table...I wouldn't even have waited except it was packed everywhere in the village. read more

Well I am not a big sushi fan. And bring someone that doesn't like fish to a sushi place. We meet some friends there. They were able to pressure us into trying some of the sustainable sushi, rolls, eel, and other treats. Being Gringo, I got the Ribeye steak which was pretty awesome! Also the teriyaki chicken was great! A few saki bombs and I was ready to try some of the raw stuff! The Ahi tuna I believe it was, was delish! Lightly cooked. And the suzuki rolls? Sea Bass, and the salty sea urchin! It has been a long time since I went to the old place there Paradise Sushi. They have really done a great make over. Very friendly place. Able to strike up conversations with others in the restaurant. Staff was busy, and being pretty much a new restaurant they continue to improve and impress. Really beautiful place inside, great atmosphere in wonderful capitola village. read more

Came here on a rainy Sunday, and the place was mostly empty. I think that helped our service a bit, but definitely not attentive or friendly. My daughter loves sushi and she liked the roll she ordered, but my son and I both got the chicken teriyaki. Many years ago I served in a Japanese restaurant in Anchorage that was out of this world, but never got a taste for raw fish. Anyway, it took me a while to put my finger on what was wrong, but the chicken is definitely frozen. You can see the texture of the meat is unreal and no flavor. I just tried to eat the left overs and couldn't gag it down. Might as well have been Lean Cuisine. Yuck. The vegetables were okay, rice okay. read more

Service took forever. Rolls were horrible. The menu was honestly pretty terrifying with the amount of weird stuff they put in their rolls. Struggled to pick from the menu and did not wind up with anything that was good. Pieces of the rolls were wayyyyyy to big. Too big to fit in your mouth. Honestly made it unappetizing. Nothing tastes fresh. Everything was warm or fried. All three of my rolls just weren't good. $50 down the drain unfortunately. Threw away most of it read more

This place was amazing!!! the sushi is very innovative and the owner / main chef was amazing so kind so so kind he made sure that I was not only completely satisfied but made my experience so nice I had my four-year-old son and he gave him a free scoop of ice cream and some lemonade no charge he was so sweet and you can tell that he loves what he does because everything comes out beautiful and amazing!!!! read more

It was a busy weekend with the Arts and Wine Festival. We were seated fairly quickly, served drinks and edamame within 15 minutes, then waited over an hour for our food. We had, edamame, 3 rolls and 2 nigiri (yellowtail), a beer and diet coke - for an $80 total. We had to call aside the manager Anthle (sp) - after an hour. She expedited our order. We ate quickly and left the restaurant - still hungry and not happy to pay $80 for such poor service, so-so food...and customer neglect. To her credit the manager was apologetic, but without any concessions. We're Santa Cruz residents, and unfortunately will never return because of the unapologetic nature of our server and indifference towards customer service in a restaurant that pretends to be high-end! read more

Hands down, the best sushi I've had in a very long time. Somehow I forgot about this place, but thanks to the limited options for sushi on door dash, I thought I'd give it a try. I will definitely be making this my go to sushi spot from now on! Next time in person! Everything was so fresh, and the flavor combos were spot on! Tempura combo - OMG!! Not only was it excellent, but it was beautiful!!! Wish I took a picture. And I got it delivered, so that says a lot! Happy customer right here! read more

My wifey and I had our first date here three years ago... and we've been coming back ever since! We love the ambiance and how all fish served is sustainably caught. Also, the Satan Roll is the most delicious, spiciest roll you'll ever have... We highly recommend Geisha to everyone we meet who loves excellent Japanese food! read more

I walked in and got seated with three of my friends and it's been 20-30 minutes since anyone has spoken to us. We asked one of the workers if we could order and she said she wasn't a server but would get someone and then she walked away and didn't do anything but stand off to the side. We even noticed that the couple that had came in two minutes after us got served before we even got our waters. We got up and left. The air was good tho, quality air. read more

TLDR; Fish does not taste or look fresh!!!!! Service is very friendly, inside is nicely decorated, the types of flavors/ideas seemed good, but in the end the quality of fish is what would stop us from coming here again or recommending it to anyone else. So my girlfriend and I were looking for something close to have for dinner. I had Geisha bookmarked for a while and we were in walking distance, so we figured why not! When trying to find this place, it's incredibly easy to miss! It shares the building with another restaurant downstairs and Geisha is the second floor and the sign is T I N Y. If our navigation wasn't leading us, we definitely would have passed on by. As soon as we walked in, we were seated immediately. The place was pretty empty aside from about 2 other tables despite it being dinner time on a weekend. Our server was extremely informative and told us the specials for the day along with her personal recommendations. We started off with miso soup and a pot of genmaicha. I know that genmaicha is probably as basic as teas get, but something about the genmaicha here was extra delicious! The rice was toasted so well that it had such a great nutty flavor to it and toasty aroma. For food, we went with the smoked albacore, citadel groovy, and lemon drop. We asked if the smoked albacore sashimi could be prepared nigiri style with the rice underneath and they very nicely did it for us! The fish had a lot of smokiness to it, however I wish it had more of the tamarind glaze on it that sounded so promising! The glaze just wasn't as flavorful as it sounded like it would be. The pieces of albacore felt rubbery/spongy and chewy and not a melt in your mouth texture. Onto the citadel groovy, this was one of the specials that day. It had spicy tuna, mango, lime, macadamia nuts, etc. Those ingredients all together sounded like heaven and we couldn't wait for this! The macadamias gave it nice crunch, there was spice from the tuna, sweet from the mango flavors, and acidity from the lime to cut through. The flavors went well together but the fish was not up to par! Coming from two people who eat a lot of fresh fish from various places + being provided fresh fish from a fisherman father, we know freshness. The fish had jagged cuts when you look closely to it instead of smooth straight cuts and there were lines of sinew running through the fish. What was also very strange was how cold this roll was. It literally felt like we went to safeway and grabbed a roll of sushi from the deli section! Lastly came the lemon drop, a fried roll. It was mushy and at this point we were just turned off by the quality of fish. In the end we never sent anything back to the kitchen even though being completely unsatisfied because our waiter was just too nice so we just hurried to get out of there. The quality of fish would probably be fresher if it was just busier here, but the location just isn't doing it well. read more

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Delivery option was great....sushi a little bland and taste to much like mayo will be looking elsewhere maybe for sushi. Tempura veggies good. Tempura tofu was good. read more

I've been here dozens of times. Even before it was Geisha and was Paradise Sushi. I ordered the expen$ive Nigiri Combo for $22 and it was the biggest disappointment I've ever received at a sushi restaurant not only in Santa Cruz, but in all of the West Coast of America. The "Combo" consist of 8 pieces of fish; how were four of them Salmon? OLD Salmon. AND FARM RAISED! Seriously? The entire place couldn't have been out of octopus,eel,egg,squid and or maybe salmon egg? How on this Awesome Earth did I get four out of eight pieces of combo of the worst salmon ever. I later saw the head sushi chief passing the same fish he made our food with to the other cook and he smelled it and made a face that I will never forget. I WILL NEVER EAT HERE AGAIN. WHAT IS HAPPENING TO CAPITOLA VILLAGE? OVER PRICED GABAGE Not to mention the service was total trash. what horrible place will open next? Thanks for wasting over $100 of my hard earned money. Next time my five year old daughter wants sushi; i'll save the money and get her Nob Hill sushi from Michelle for $5 because it doesn't suck! Worst food in Capitola Village other than Taqueria Baja which is below it. I wouldn't eat here again even if you gave us a free coupon. it was that bad. You are only paying for the view of the beach. might as well just sit on the beach and relax. It makes me sad to think I used to take the highest care cutting your fish at Stagnaro Bros where you purchase the majority of your products; just for you to make the worst cuts possible and serve them to my family when I could have brought them home wholesale, and not farm raised. Do you forget you serve the actual locals who cut your fish and deliver them to your Over priced Sushi Joint. Not only do I live her, deliver your fish, but I will tell all I know that your place is crap. Don't eat here read more

Well if I give them an out for the horrible sewer smell permeating through the windows as I attempted to consider eating raw fish they still get 1 star. We made reservations for 6 and were promptly seated. We found the tables very constricting and small knowing that multiple plates of rolls would be coming out and we were right there was just not enough room to eat comfortably. The atmosphere was bland lacked warmth. The waitress lacked common sense let alone product awareness when we attempted to order sake other than hot she had zero clue and finally we asked to see the refrigerator to see for ourselves. Next came the very very very long wait for our sushi and in the fashion of being a really unorganized waitress we also found that our sushi was served on plates that were for other people at the other end of the table. We were moving rolls from plate to plate just so we could eat. Now the rolls. If you don't get anything tempura they are average. The rice tastes off though and the size is not impressive. Tempura rolls taste awful. They taste like doughnut holes over fish and are way too sweet to be enjoyable because the fish cannot even be tasted. Trendy is what this place is for being so popular. The whole message of "sustainable fish" is what gets them the business not the service, food or the experience. All in all I don't recommend it nor will I visit again and seriously the name "Geisha" did anyone bother to find out what a Geisha is? A prostitute..nice! A Japanese hostess trained to entertain men with conversation, dance, and song (and a little sumthin extra) read more

I think I will soon be a regular at this place. The sushi rolls are good, they have a nice selection of non-sushi foods that are kid-friendly, and their selection of teas are stellar. They offer many organic items and their fish is sustainable. Their service is good. And, it's close enough for a quick, mid-week, I'm-too-tired-to-cook dinner. And, prices are fairly reasonable. I don't know if I could ask for anything else... :) read more

Geisha - Bento box salad - Japanese Near Me - Capitola, California

I really wanted to get down with the idea of sustainable, local, organic sushi. With that said, it still needs to taste good, and I wasn't too sure of this place. I was told this place had legit sushi but it seems like it's catering to trends and tourists. The Cherry Coke roll was alright because it was the only one where I could actually taste the fish. There was another roll that was fried in tempura batter and topped with macadamia nuts, which was disappointing because I could taste everything but the fish. However, their uni nigiri was really sweet and creamy, the highlight of dinner. I was a little weirded out by the name of the restaurant, combined with all the waitresses wearing trendy kimono tops, and having the place look like a bottle of Pepto Bismol exploded inside their restaurant. read more

hands down the best food in santa cruz!! tons of insanely good vegan options, and sustainably caught fish for the rest of ya. waitresses are always fun too. truly a hidden gem. read more

Geisha - a variety of sushi dishes on a table - Japanese Near Me - Capitola, California

Full disclosure... I have followed/stalked Dave, the Sushi Chef at Geisha from business to business for nearly a decade now. I am thrilled to have him back at this physical location in Capitola Village. I enjoy the sense of whimsy and humor that he infuses in the flavors and the names of his rolls. I consider his style a bit like improvisational jazz, melding and fusing flavors that might not, ought not work... then they do. Unusual additions of Thai basil, pineapple, cashews, plus incredibly fresh pieces of fish and the utmost care go into this sushi. And now, it is fresh and SUSTAINABLE fish. What does this mean for you? Well, you can stuff yourself silly while still caring for the environment and, specifically, our Monterey Bay. But it also means that, since the usual suspects of unagi and hamachi aren't available, you will be gently pushed towards trying something new. (I am looking forward to my second visit because they were out of geoduck while I was there.) So if the menu confuses you, just ask for your servers advice. Let them pick something you might like. You can't actually go wrong. And the servers and the owners are pretty miraculously awesome people. Just don't let them trick you into trying the Satan Sauce. No, no seriously. There isn't a jelly bean in the world that it going to ease that burn. read more

Suistanable Sushi? Sounds good, right? Well I hope you like the flavor of cardboard. We stopped in for lunch this weekend while visiting Capitola. This was the worst Sushi we have ever had. The fish was bland and still too cold from obviously being frozen. The Weany Meanie roll took 15 minutes to prepare and tasted like sardines. The rice had the oddest and blandest flavor we have ever encountered in a Sushi place. Worst tasting sushi ever, and a pompous hippie sushi chef to boot. They use sustainable fish, which honestly tasted like crap. Give me the real thing please. Oh well, you can't win them all. Make me want to order the Bald Eagle roll. HA HA HA read more

Not impressed... was so excited to try this place after searching for a park for what seemed an hour. The roll I ordered had jalapeño however when it arrived it had pickled jalapeños which ruined the entire taste of my dish. Or server was not paying much attention to us as I had to get up to ask for our rice and also our check when only one other table is occupied it was annoying. Won't be back ... read more

There is only 1 table of 2 in here. And we've been waiting over 1 hour for a California roll. Just 1 California roll. This is absolutely ridiculous. First time here, most definitely will be the last. read more

The only star was for our waitress. She was the only waitress and we could tell she was a little stressed. Unfortunately our food took forever and we all got our food at different times, even though we said we would wait until it was all done:/ sucks. When all the food did come they were bad.. They all fell apart. About an hour later everyone had a bad stomach ache too... Will not be returning read more

Sunday Memorial Day Weekend: We ordered 4 different rolls. So many to choose from! All were delicious and very different. The Izzy Bizzy was as hot as the waitress said it would be. We loved it. The miso soup came first and fast. The edamame came fast as well and was yummy. The food took about 30 minutes to come out. There were only 4 guests in the place and seemed to be just one guy in the kitchen and the (?) owner stood in the front chatting with the other table. We wondered why he did not pop into the kitchen to help or at least see why the delay. We did comment that the wait seemed long for just 2 tables. I can see how the other reviews complained about the service. The restaurant filled up as it got later in the evening and one new waiter showed up, but no extra kitchen staff. We'd go back again for the food. read more

Fabulous - and full disclosure: NOT "roll people," it's ALL about the fish (and service)!!! We recently moved to SC (from SacTown) and were 'dreading' the inevitable search for new favorite restaurants: #1 Sushi (Sacramento's Kru, and Lou's Sushi, are HARD to match) #2 Pizza (next review!), #3 tbd... Geisha is superior in every way, very interesting twists on prep (smoked, sauced), pricey & WORTH it. Came back with out-of-town friends a couple of weeks later - they were BLOWN away and grateful for the experience! Can't wait to return, REALLY start to know the fascinating Sushi Man in the beret... read more

Not even close to authentic Japanese food. As a Japanese - American, I'm insulted by their attempt at the cuisine. Run away... The only redeeming factor is their sustainable fish practices. read more

Sustainable Sushi? ...Sustainable Sushi!! First off, I would expect nothing less in the charming little hippy-dippy town of Seabright (Santa Cruz) but beyond that...I was IMPRESSED! Though a huge fan (and frequent consumer) of sushi and sashimi I had never really considered the source, literally or figuratively. Geisha (and the mini educational pamphlets at each table) have successfully changed my view of sushi and likely my entire outlook on future sushi meals. This cute little restaurant is tucked away on the second floor right off the 'main' strip in this cute little beach town. Upon ascending the stairs and entering Geisha we were greeted by the hostess/server and told to pick any table we'd like. We sat down and the young woman immediately explained/apologized that it might be a bit of a wait since it was only her and one chef. We had no problem taking our time since we were in no rush on this day of leisure but appreciated the heads up. While she buzzed around from table to table keeping pace with the crowd she stopped by every so often to refill our water, bring us complementary Miso (I'm assuming for the wait) and take our order. Even though she was busy she handled it with grace and took her time to suggest rolls and consult with us on our choices (there were MANY choices and I truly wish I could try them all). The sushi was very fairly priced and the rolls themselves were fresh, delicious and made with great care. Overall, we walked out of there minds and bellys full of sustainable (and why it matters) sushi deliciousness. I am definitely putting this little joint in my Bookmarks cause I hope to make it back again and again when I am in the area! read more

I'm gonna break it down real quick for all the people who prefer not to have time and money wasted. 1-Parking is a female dog 2-Super slow service (we were there for 2 hours kind of going with their flow of service) 3-Proportions were just not substantial (If you have a hardy appetite your absolutely going to be spending a lot to feel full) I shouldn't have to spend $50 and feel like I had an h'orderve *Aaron was really cool and made some good conversation. We ended up going somewhere else to complete dinner. read more