I'd give this place 0 stars but it's one star is for the appetizers: Ankimo w uni and quail egg Wagyu beef w bluefin tuna ROLLS ARE TERRIBLE, BLAND, SMALL, NO FISH, AND EXPENSIVE. I've never had such horrible sushi before for a $100 meal split with my girlfriend. Skimping out on portion size to charge someone $15+ for shitty rolls. Hell drive to San Jose for low quality Kenzo sushi and it's even better. read more

iSushi - "salmon fantasy" more like salmon nightmare. The fuck is this portion for $15+ - Sushi Bars Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Quality of nigiri has gone down again. Huge amount of rice, I will admit the size of the cuts are decent, but the fish just seems flavorless and falls apart (and not in a good way). The wasabi, I'm not sure what product they're using, but it's almost entirely flavorless. I even tried eating a bit of it right off my chopsticks to make sure I wasn't crazy. Better off ordering sushi from the sushi counter at the CV marketplace. Disappointing after giving isushi another opportunity to impress after 3 years. It seems the chefs focus left isushi and went 100% into I prive, in Burlingame - their sister restaurant. read more

iSushi - Omakase nigiri - Sushi Bars Near Me - Castro Valley, California

For everyone that is planning to eat here, PLEASE pay attention of the tip suggestions on receipt! If the service was good I'm more than happy to pay more than 20%, but horrible service. read more

This is a quaint sushi restaurant in Castro Valley that gets busy, but somehow every time I go My party gets a table! We recently went to satisfy our sushi craving after a basketball game. I purchased $18.00 Chirashi which came with miso soup and salad. It wasn't mind blowing but did satisfy my craving. We paid $87.00 for four people so I would the prices are right on par with other sushi restaurants, however, on this day it did seem expensive. Perhaps it was the holiday spending blues? Stop on by when in Castro Valley. isushi is worth at least one visit! read more

iSushi - Dec 2019 - salad and miso soup - Sushi Bars Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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I have food poisoning from eating dinner here earlier this evening. I threw up half my dinner, but still can't lie down because of my stomachache. I should have known not to eat here because the restaurant was empty at 6 pm on a Thursday night. Their sushi used to be fresh before COVID. I might have to go to the ER tonight. read more

This is probably the worst sushi establishment in CV. Akemi is across the street, is counter service and amazing. iSushi, however, is terrible. The tuna smells awful - fresh fish should never smell like an old shoe. This seems like a place to drink, not to eat. If you like sushi, go across the street. read more

There are a few things that I think that I sushi should know. 1. I have had your sushi before and I enjoyed it. That is why I came back.. 2. The reason I will never return, is noticing how when I come in establishment, with my black face, you don't smile, you don't greet me, but you greet the couple behind me. You smile at them and not at me. 3. Then, when you finally do say something to me, I say, I would just like one California roll, you tell me how I have to pay for it, telling me that I can't use a credit card. I by the way told you fine I was paying with cash anyway but by that time I was done. 4. This incident occurred two months ago. I have had feelings about just not saying anything at all but you know what to hell with that. I am tired of being treated unnecessarily like I'm a bother just because I'm walking into your restaurant. I am just as good as anybody else and I didn't make it erase thing you did read more

I think this place is only great for their specialty sushi and sashimi dishes. Everything else was a little underwhelming in my opinion. Tried the soba and it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. However, the Ankimo with Uni was delicious, very flavorful and not too fishy. It arrived topped with a quail egg and some fish eggs, nom nom. I could scarf down at least five of these, if only there was more...the order came with four and it was market price to add Uni to it. It came to about $11 per Ankimo Spoon. Would love to come and try their Omakase or the Belushi everyone keeps talking about! Great service, would come again only to order the specialty, more $$$ expensive stuff. read more

iSushi - Ankimo with Uni and Quail Egg, sooooo good - Sushi Bars Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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Probably top 2 ayce sushi spots I've been to! Servers are extremely friendly and attentive. Highly recommend.

I can see why the reviews are deteriorating. There is nothing that separates this place from every other Chinese-owned Japanese restaurant that does the bare minimum. The vibe is totally run down, awkward and pressuring. I would've loved to try the items that people raved about years ago, but they don't come in small quantities anymore and they're super expensive. read more

Very good presentation. Fresh tasting. Ready for pick up as told on phone for time. Easy parking read more

I came here on a Friday night, because it had 4 star ratings on yelp. I've never been so disappointed with a sushi place. We ordered 3 rolls and they were all essentially the same role - bland and full of rice. The rolls had such mushy rice & there was hardly any protein/fish in the roles. $95 gone to waste. 1 star for the special dishes - Danielle & Ankimo. These were actually good. I suggest not ordering rolls if you come here! I'm still hungry. :( read more

iSushi - Sushi with hardly any meat - just mushy rice. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Located in a plaza this place in my opinion was a little difficult to find because the sign is supposed to say "i Sushi" however there was no "u" and the design itself made it hard to understand that was the restaurant. The interior is simple and bright with a couple tables and about 10 bar seatings. It is small so I wouldn't recommend coming here with a big group. While they are small they do offer a variety of options for food. They also have a huge selection of sushi which is great! Miso soup:: For some reason this soup didn't have much flavor or taste in it. It didn't have the traditional seaweed or tofu in it either. It was good overall; however I do miss the traditional miso soup. Bella Lucia:: Great taste, sushi rice tastes fresh, sauce on the sushi tasted delicious, the cilantro really made it taste good for some odd reason Scoot mark:: The wasabi on the top of the sushi adds that perfect kick to the sushi, Black tobiko tasted delicious, sushi tasted delicious, and it came out in 8 pieces. Unagi don:: Unagi tasted fresh, came with three rolls of California rolls, salad, half an orange cut in half, and miso soup. There was a great balance of the unagi sauce to mix with the rice which makes everything perfect for me. While the food was really good, it took awhile for us to receive our orders. Service here was good; however if you can try to avoid sitting at the bar. We sat near the end where all these wines were being held so we felt cramped and didn't have much space for the food. Overall though this place is good and I'm definitely coming back to try out more of their sushi because everything sounded so good! read more

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Sushi so creative. Love that they can still make the old school rolls, even if they are no longer on the menu. Tres hombres is the bomb! Fresh and tasty, highly recommend! read more

Tried this place tonight and probably won't return. It's small with limited seating. Service was ok, not very welcoming. I ended up ordering this black cod dish called Tony and Kathy which sounded interesting in addition to miso soup. The soup was delicious but when my entree arrived, I was shocked. It was pretty but portion was that of a snack. There was no way that dish was going to fill me up so I ordered a Lion King roll. Taste was ok on both definitely not worth the very high price. The cod dish was $30! I've had much better lion King roll at other places for cheaper price. Not impressed. read more

iSushi - Black Cod dish called Tony & Kathy - Sushi Bars Near Me - Castro Valley, California

This place is smaller than I imagined but thankfully, there was room for us at the bar when we stopped by. The menu is a little overwhelming as there are so many different options for sushi rolls! We were extremely satisfied with what we chose though. We tried the Ankimo, baked mussels, the Josh, and two of their specialty rolls. As usual, my boyfriend and I OVER ordered, but we knew from our first few dishes that we were going to add this place to our sushi rotation! My favorite for the night was the ankimo. Super interesting flavor and texture! Two spoons is definitely enough for me. I thought the rolls we had were creative but smaller than I'm used to. I am glad that it didn't have so much rice though. read more

iSushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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Not bad, not great but it definitely satisfied my sushi craving. We came in a bit late so service was okay. We ordered two rolls to share: The lion king and the 0101. The rolls looked a little smaller and the prices seemed steeper than other places I go to but they did not lack in flavor and I surprisingly got pretty full. Check in has one free ice cream for the table which was a decent enough size to share but seeing as me and my friend both enjoy yelping and both checked in we were a little bummed we couldn't each have an ice cream but it was okay. read more

Everything here is so delicious I would totally recommend. I especially loved the unagi and various sushi rolls. The cold soba noodles tasted healthy and was perfect during a hot summery afternoon. But the highlights are definitely the speciality rolls. Pretty small establishment, so you might want to go during slow hours. Parking is ample but will get crowded during peak times. Great service! read more

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This sushi spot was such a great find! It's a hole in the wall in the middle of a great plaza, but has a very authentic feel on the inside. The prices aren't bad and the creativity of the rolls is insane. They have really traditional ones but pages of uniquely created rolls you can choose from. I ordered two very different rolls, the Lucia roll and a roll with tuna and unagi in it. Unfortunately I can't remember the names because they're so creative, but I asked the server which roll she recommends that has a little bit of everything in it and she pointed these ones out. There were huge chunks of shrimp, tuna, Unagi, and anything else I ordered. The sauces weren't overwhelming and they put a lot of toppings. The sizes were great, perfect for lunch or dinner. read more

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The workers are so disrespectful and I ordered 3 salmon skin HAND ROLLS. They have given me salmon ROLLS. The lady at the front is always so disrespectful and hung up on me. Worst customer service EVER. The quality of the food isn't even good TO BE HONEST. I'm truly upset. Whenever my mom goes they disrespect her because her English is not fluent. Screw this place. I have been working as a server for so many years and they fail to accommodate me. They don't care about their customers AT ALL. Worst treatment I've ever received. read more

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My wife and I came here for an early dinner after seeing some really great reviews for this place. The plaza for this restaurant is medium sized as it's next to a Starbucks and other shops. The restaurant itself is pretty tiny, and the seating is pretty limited as they also allow reservations. The sushi is really good compared to other restaurants that I have tried in the past. Normally to cut down on costs, a lot of rolls are usually overstuffed with rice, but i Sushi does you a solid by giving you the minimal amount of rice needed to complete your roll while giving you a decent serving of fish so you can fully taste its flavor. Price-wise, the rolls average between 15-18 dollars and they also do offer omakases. Also, remember to take full advantage of the check in offer and claim that dessert, the wife and I fully enjoyed our green tea ice cream after having several rolls. read more

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We had 4 with real crab California rolls and a couple salads. And their salads are always great. We can't wait to order more. Laura & Ben W.

Extensive menu with lots of rolls choices . Great, friendly staff as always. We had a large group for a Friday night and they were kid enough to hold a table for our party of nine. We eat here a ton so was happy to be able to do it with a larger group which we haven't done before. We'll be back... read more

4.5/5 Came here on Valentine's Day around 7:30pm. The place was so packed. Luckily we had reservations. (From my observation, most people came here with reservation in V-day, otherwise it's hard to fit you in) Pro: - lots of parking space outside - service good - food was AMAZING! We tried 5 of their signature dishes and ALL OF THEM WERE GREAT! - jada - I belushi (MUST TRY) - I scallop - I Valentino - aniko with uni (MUST TRY) - decent price for all the good foo - casual ambience Cons: - I have to say this place was really small and packed. You may not like here if you prefer more personal space. - noise level is 4.5/5, you may not like here if you plan for a quiet private date ;) Overall: FOR SURE I WILL COME BACK FOR THE FOOD! maybe not on a Valentine's Day thou lol read more

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Located inside the Castro Valley Shopping Center surrounded by European Wax Center, Lime Leaf Thai, Starbucks, Mr. Pickles to name a few... MOD Pizza is also coming soon! Think this is my 3rd time here. My wallet suffers so can't eat here too often. Lol. Busy parking lot. Anyway, pretty tidy spot with a small TV. Came with a party of 7 on a Sunday night close to closing. They brought us tea (think it was brown rice tea; not 100% sure). So, we ordered some well done rolls: Surf & Turf ($20) which has kobe beef, tempura shrimp, asparagus, cucumber and the Captain Scott ($17 - salmon skin, tempura scallops, avocado & mango). We also got the 007 roll, raw oysters, the black cod and hot soba noodles w/ soft shell crab. Everything tasted fresh and the flavors were light and tasty. Wasn't a huge fan of the oysters because think I tasted wasabi, don't really like wasabi) but otherwise good service & food; just a lil' on the pricier side. I also recommend their grilled mussels and the "Josh" item (spicy tuna tartar and mango on crispy basil leaves). Yummy! Check in on Yelp for free ice cream! read more

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The restaurant is small, so at the most one large group and that's pretty much it and fits a few smaller family around. So if you're coming with a large group, make a reservation. Food-wise, it is not something I would return for. Food taste is mediocre - from the ramen to the sushi and even the bento box. For the price paid, I would rather just go to other Japanese restaurants and get better quality food for the price. read more

For a hole in the wall strip mall sushi joint this amazing find goes toe to toe with the likes of Nobu and Omakase. This is our favorite business lunch spot. It is tiny inside but they treat us well to accommodate our group of tall hungry guys. Every special roll I've had is phenomenal. Specials like Otoro, Blue Fin and Uni are a nice treat. I'd eat here 3x a week if I could. read more

My date got the better order because she went traditional and I for the 1st time tried the some Malinial fusion crap. Now I know I am a Shushi traditionalist. The Sake did not warm me up one the first taste nor did it have a bite, it rather tasted watered down. The waiter told me it "was the house sake" and didnt know the name. I wanted to never buy it in the store. I tried something called the "Radiers Francisco" where you have to find Waldo, I mean find the raw fish amongst all the fluff, sauce, bacon and crab mix. .......OVERATED The third star is my dates. read more

COVID-19 based review.. ordered the pot sticker( YES!) and the dragonroll( OK) . Was needing a late snack. as I had eaten a late lunch 4pm. and as 8:30 rolled around I was hungry again.. Picked up the food easily and effortlessly, and as I was hungry popped open the bag and started in on the dragonroll as I headed home. Freshly prepared and tasty, it was a solid dish. I scarfed them down before I drove home the 2 miles. After I got home, I opened the pot stickers and dipping sauce. that's what made impossible to eat on the drive home. Those were really tasty, best I've had in a long, long time. will be back for more of those bad boys read more

After viewing the website, I ordered the $9 chicken teriyaki lunch by phone to go. When I came in to pick it up it was $13. I told the staff member about what it says on the website and she said "Oh, that's very old". I said that they should think about updating their on-line menu and she said "The owners very busy; he has another restaurant". This is my first experience with this restaurant and I won't be returning. read more

First of all,  I never write bad reviews but this needs attention. I walk in and there are two empty 4 tops and ample outside seating. Mind you,  these 4 tops are 2 tops pushed together and easily separated. I asked to sit at a table,  but because I was dining for one she said I had to sit at the bar.  I wasn't offered any other option. I should have left right then.   I sat down at the bar. She brought me no menus and I had to ask.  Then she asked me if I'd like to order a drink but she didn't provide me a drink menu so she had to go get one of those.  I ordered a small sake.  She said they only serve large sake. Sorry. Ok. Sapporo it is, then.   I put together my order as I have dined there before.  I started with 6 raw oysters, Carpaccio and Josh (tempora appetizer).   Another couple walked in and sat at the bar.  She took their order after me. She brought out my beer and I was just Internet surfing while I was waiting for my raw oysters. 15 min.   20min. 30min.  The couple's next to me hand roll came out and they were served.   I flagged her down to make sure she knew that my oysters were raw and not cooked. She said yes she knew.   I went to the restroom. Came back to see the Josh sitting there at the food window.   Who knows how long it had been there waiting to be served.   I am not a food server but to me ...you place the order that I did that would come out last -she fired it completely backwards.   2 of the dishes were raw and the Josh is a deep fried tempora dish. sat back down. (Mind you they were not busy)  5 minutes later she brings the dish.  I had the dish sit in front of me and I realized that I had no soy sauce.  I flagged her down and asked her to bring some soy sauce and she looked at me crazy. She said "for what?"   I said excuse me is there a problem?  She said that dish does not require soy sauce. I said I'd like to have some anyway, please. She brings it begrudgingly.  I took one bite and decided to wait to have my food arrive and I could eat it in the order that I intended. Then 10 minutes later the Carpaccio comes out. I let it sit.  Then 10 minutes later FINALLY MY RAW OYSTERS.  They must have had to go to the ocean and come back. Anyhow I finally proceeded to eat my food I started with the oysters and then I ate the Carpaccio and then I ate the tempora Josh. And I used my soy sauce for the dish and it made it taste better. Ha. As soon as I finished I quickly asked for the check she brought it promptly. And I got the h*** out of there and proceeded to go to Taco Bell. We live in the Bay area and it's expensive enough as it is to live here and in a town that has no food offerings.  I work as a healthcare provider and I came in in my scrubs.   I work hard and I just spent $80 for a meal that was the most uncomfortable experience of my life. The moral of the story here is kids, this place is a joke. just another reason to travel out of town to get a decent meal. Whoever she is should not be in the food industry. Worst $80 I ever spent. So disappointed. read more

First thing - unnecessarily expensive. I'll admit - they have some fun interesting rolls with some fun ingredients. The designer rolls are very good - soft, fresh, and each ingredient's flavor is prominent. But I don't expect to be paying $14-18 for a small-sized roll in Castro Valley. I REALLY liked the Top Blazer - probably my favorite. Unfortunately, the restaurant itself is pretty dark so it's hard to get any good pictures of the rolls. They also have a selection of traditional/classic items, but we were mainly there for sushi. I'll definitely be coming back to try their Somen. read more

OMG Just Off The Hook Sushi!!! I was in Castro Valley rolling my Weekend Whip and started Craving Sushi . So I hit my trusty Yelp App and I Sushi pops up. So I roll my Whip to I Sushi. I was able to park my Whip right in front. I rolled in and was greeted and seated. I was given 2 menu's one Food and the other Drink.. I ordered a Danielle- Kobe Beef with Ahi Tuna , Deluxe Dinner Sashimi Platter and Black Cod In Miso with Baby Asparagus. My Sashimi Platter was brought up first . Awesome fish it was so fresh it melted in my mouth . Off The Hook Yo!!! I was seated at the Sushi Bar when 2 of Stanley's regulars sat next to me . Jennifer happen to sit next to me. Being at the Sushi Bar which is very Communal we started to talk about Sushi and when she found out it was my first time at I Sushi. Introduced me to Stanley the Owner. Jennifer also ordered and treated me to a Valentino-Sashimi,Crab Marinated in Sake,Tobiko and Quail Eggs. My Danielle Came next. The Kobe Beef and Ahi was so Tender and Flavorful just out of the World!! Next Came the Black Cod in Miso with Baby Asparagus again great Texture and Flavor. Then the Valentino came out Awesome presentation - Salmon Sashimi rolled around the Marinated Crab with Tobiko and topped with a Quail Egg placed under an upside down Champagne glass with a Cucumber Slice with Tobiko and a Quail egg on the Stem Flat of the Glass. Even More Awesome Taste-Better than Sex. The Valentino is usually served on Valentines day only. Jennifer was such a sweet Sushi Bar mate she shared an Ipot-Grilled Seaweed and Mushrooms,Kumato Oyster, A Josh -Fried Tempura ,Basil ,Spicy Tina and Tobiko, Kanpaghi Tzukurt and a Dessert Plate- Coconut Ice Cream with Macadamia Nuts, Mango and Avocado . What a great Introduction to I Sushi Thanks Jennifer. Trivia- Rolls are named After Customers or Children Of Customers. I had a chance to talk to the Owner Stanley and he is very passionate of his Creations and his Business and it shows. They Have Over 60 Signature Rolls. I Sushi may be pricey ,but quality costs. I rolled out in my Whip to Biggie Smalls. read more

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Took my in-laws for dinner last night at I Sushi. Parking was hard to find on Friday night since there are so many restaurants in the same center. I Sushi is not a traditional sushi restaurant but has it's own twist and creations on Japanese cuisine. We usually don't order the rolls but the creations with hamachi, salmon toro, Kobe beef are terrific. on Friday night they had fresh Tai and Aji from Japan so we order some sashimi. Stan, the owner is usually around and checks in on his customers. Service is good. If your looking to find a less traditional sushi place with some new creations try I Sushi. read more

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First, thanks to a restaurant I won't name that, for some unknown reason, was not open when we arrived. As a result we ended up at I Sushi. I ordered the sashimi lunch. Mark ordered The Heat specialty roll. Mine came with salad and miso soup. The roll did not. The salad was small, which is not unusual. It was super fresh and the dressing, used sparingly to perfection, was very tasty. The miso soup included onions, a nice addition. Also very good. The sashimi included eight pieces, two each red tuna, sea bass, salmon and albacore. The red tuna was sprinkled with green onions. It was good, which for me is great. What that means is I'm not a huge fan of red tuna, but it is usually included in any restaurant's sashimi special. I am just not a fan of this dense fish, but the tuna here was not unpleasant. The sea bass was very good, but didn't melt in my mouth. The salmon was fantastic. It was so smooth and delicate. It did melt in my mouth. And finally the star, the albacore. It was so good I had to ask what it was so I could order it when we return. It came with green onions and crushed garlic. Oh my goodness, it was extraordinary! The flavor was so delicious. I want a plateful of this next time. One last note about the sashimi. The pieces were large, with the perfect thickness. Each piece could easily have been two, so while eight pieces at $18 seemed just a tad steep, it was very much worth it. Mark really enjoyed The Heat. He said it was crunchy with a blast of lemon in each piece. The flavors really hit home. I've wavered between giving I Sushi four or five stars. I've decided on five. read more

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I knew I'd be back....next time we're getting the iSushi tasting menu starts at $69. I still despise the fact they dyont have pictures to go along with the sushi roll descriptions on the menu, but whatever. I'll just continue to ask "what's this?? using Yelp pictures! read more

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We have been coming to this place well over 20yrs. Great staff, phenomenal food and local to us Castro Valleyn's

Fancy, delicious, fresh, but pricey. This really is an innovative Japanese Fushion Sushi Bar, so if you are up for a twist in sushi and paying a little extra for it, then come here. If not, don't say I warned you. This is a foodie's paradise. Wonderfully plated sushi rolls, izakaya plates, and sashimi. I tried Eric's Desire that had butterfish, jalapeno, plum, and a delicious vinaigrette sauce that I used for all the upcoming rolls. Eric's Desire was good, but pricey at $17 and only 6 pieces. So we ordered rolls to fill us up I definitely recommend getting rolls with macadamia nuts, because they give a crunchy kick to the rolls. That includes Brynne & Madison and Hugito Explosion. They were both great. 01+01 was good too. All dishes we ordered I give 4 out of 5 stars. OVERALL: Great sushi presentation, consistently delicious, but expect to pay a lot. But yes, I'd come back for more, because I believe this may be one of the best sushi restaurants in the East Bay. read more

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We came here on a weekend afternoon and found it to only be occupied by one other group when we walked in. Service was not the best. Waitress didn't seem happy to be there and seemed irritated at times with us, especially my young kids. We ordered a chicken ramen for the kids (they substituted with miso broth since they only had spicy ramen broth available). The chicken was cooked well, but the ramen was soft and overcooked. I ordered a sashimi salad for myself. The sashimi was not fresh and so disappointing. It was equivalent to supermarket sushi that's been sitting there the whole day. The color also looked off, and the fish had a leathery taste. Fish should not taste like this. Salad was mediocre and drizzled with heavy cream dressing, which I didn't like as it washed out the flavor of the fish. I guess in hindsight, that might have been good since the fish was the worst part. My husband got a chirashi bowl, which had the worst sashimi he has ever had. He let me try the sushi rice, and it tasted very off. It was almost like they put only vinegar and little mirin to balance the vinegar flavor. It also tasted a little old. We paid a whopping $75 before tip. Definitely not worth the price. Also the restaurant was very rundown with part of the front broken wood covered by some cardboard. I will not eat here again and don't recommend it given the much better options in the area such as Tancho. read more

Sushi was ok. Pass on the regular food. Came here on a Saturday for lunch and it was pretty empty. We sat at the sushi bar and ordered one roll, soba, ramen, and a glass of sake. We tried the Bella Lucia Matt and Christian roll and it was delicious. The flavors in the roll were paired well. Presentation was nothing to look at though. Our plate was also really dirty, you can see the grease smudges around the outside. It was about 100 degrees outside so I also ordered a glass of sake to cool down. Their portions are no joke. I got a glass of sake in a WINE glass and it was huge. For mains, we ordered the tonkatsu ramen and the cold soba. Both of these dishes were underwhelming. The ramen broth was flavorless and even when we ordered it spicy, it was not very spicy at all. The chashu and egg didn't have any flavor either. The soba was meh. Nothing special. Their noodles were cooked okay, but the dipping sauce was terrible. It was SO salty and tasted just like soy sauce. Normally it's some sort of dashi broth, but this was strange. I even tried adding the onions and grated radish. Nope. Then for some reason it came with a lemon wedge. I added that. Double nope. Will return and try some more rolls and sushi, but as to the regular food. Hard pass. read more

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