Place was fairly empty upon arrival. First appearance was cute, Hawaiian style and really good music like sublime. It did take a little while to get our drinks started and our sushi. The cook was handling both online orders and our orders. He was really friendly though so made the wait chill. The sushi was delicious we tended to eat quickly. It was fairly expensive which we aren't used too since we have decent priced sushi restaurants in Long Beach. It's a nice experience but I don't think we'd return just because the price. read more

Kai Ola Sushi - I think this was the rainbow roll yummmm! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Encinitas, California

This is a Sushi restaurant in Leucadia. It claims to be laid back and Hawaiin style but they actually have a grungy vibe and play loud metal and rock music. I don't know if having half naked Hawaiin women art on the wall makes it Hawaiin. I doubt it. Depending where you sit, you may find the music too loud. The first time ""I tried" to eat here, I left without ordering. It was too loud and had a weird vibe. This time I stayed and tried the food. We started with vege tempura and edamame. They tasted good. We ordered rolls. Well, I tasted something weird in the Grandview roll. I thought it was some bell pepper in the roll, which wasn't on the menu. I pulled it out and looked at some green thing. If it was cucumber, it had gone bad. I don't know what it was. Not a good feeling. I looked up the description and bell pepper was not listed. So I pulled out the hard green things and ate the rest of the roll. The food tasted mostly good. However we both woke up to stomach issues in the morning that continued all day. Michelle The waitress took our order, but then other staff dropped off the food and pulled dishes, so there was a lack of continuity there. It felt like you were being served by everyone but looked after by no one. Kinda weird. So when I had issues with the food, I didn't see our waitress around to ask. They claim to have premium sushi, but both our stomachs say different. Very uncomfortable and unfortunate. Not going back. read more

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By far the best sushi I've had in north county. We always get the Special Hawaiian, Kook, and 2 Moonlights because one isn't enough. The sunset roll has truffle oil so it can be an intense flavor but it's delicious to try when in a group. read more

Paid $30 (not including tip) for 2 salmon rolls. Not even a specialty roll. Each "roll" had 6 pieces in it. Slices weren't even a finger width either. Go to Sushi Lounge for double the food and half the price. read more

The best sushi I've had! What a pleasant surprise. I've been to Nobu and this was still my fave! Fantastic!

Visit #2 consisted of The sashimi combo, special Hawaiian, scallop hand roll and some fresh wasabi. Once again, amazed with the quality of fish and more the quality of location and service. We got lucky to have Michelle once again as our sever, which suggested some things that turned about to be life changing when eating sushi. Well worth our 45 min drive from OC. read more

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Service was slow and I was hungry, however, the night became infinitely better when our chef Matthew started whipping out roll after roll. He single-handedly saved our night when he handcrafted our glorious rolls. They were incredible. He then gave us an orange dessert surprise that changed my life. T'was a lovely experience and I would go back for sure. (Only if Matthew is making my roll - give this man a raise) read more

Awesome spot. Love the sushi and people. pricey though! Fresh fish you could tell! Obviously will return read more

Kai Ola Sushi - Ponto - Sushi Bars Near Me - Encinitas, California

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Make a reservation (by phone). This place is always busy and for good reason. Came on a Saturday night (with a reservation.) We were seated in one of their alleyway tables, which was a surprising hit. I liked it out there because it is covered, has heaters, is way quieter than inside, and cozy for tables for two. I wouldn't recommend this place for parties of more than 4 people. Ask for the craft sake menu; it's fascinating! We ordered a carafe and really enjoyed it. Takoyaki appetizer was really delicious and something we had never tried before. I'd get it again just for the sauce! Hangover noodles were even better this time than the last (tender pork). I had the Beacon roll. I wasn't so sure after my first bite because it has tempura inside, which I don't normally like. But the salmon on top was so fresh and the SuMiso sauce was so light and tasty, that overall I enjoyed it. Service was friendly, but food took a long time to get (which our server warned us about). I'd recommend planning on sharing everything, otherwise one person could be sitting there for 15 minutes with nothing. read more

Kai Ola Sushi - Hangover noodles - Sushi Bars Near Me - Encinitas, California

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Food was great! All of us loved our food so much! Only things I would comment on is that the Host/sever questioned us for a very long time about our ID's even though we are of age and made the situation very awkward. Additionally we felt that many of the workers were extremely awkward when approaching our table and would stand in silence for a few seconds before talking. We often felt uncomfortable when people would approach our table. We enjoyed our experience regardless. read more

Hands down the best sushi spot in North County! I love the vibe, the waiters are so sweet and make us feel at home. This is a very casual place, they play music , the chefs talk to you, the staff. Our favorite rolls are the beacon, moonlight, grandview. This place is nostalgic to us thanks to the warm greetings from all the staff. They also have really good tuna! read more

Great local spot for fresh sushi. Great selections, big variety. Ramen Great on a cloudy coastal day. The roll options are creative and delicious. Matt is the best sushi chef. Grayson always provides friendly and efficient service. So happy to have this spot in my hood. read more

Kai Ola Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Encinitas, California

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My son picked Kai Ola for his birthday dinner. With it's prime location in a gentrified block of Funky Leucadia this restaurant is a hip and cool restaurant catering to the local youth, hipsters, and surfers. I love the way they named the rolls on their menu after local surf spots. Our table of 4 sat outside and had a great server who brought us water immediately and let us ask questions about the menu which you pull up on a phone. I have a hard time reading small print and scrolling down many pages so I inquired about the hangover noodles which I ended up ordering. Others at the table tried the sunset roll which ended up being the hero of the night, a vegan roll, agedashi tofu, and the famous Beacon's roll. When my noodles arrived I was surprised that the tempura shrimp were already submerged in the broth. As I looked into the lens of my camera I noticed pork on the bowl so I had the server take it back. I felt kind of bad about this, the server did not mention it however I should have double checked that there were no pork products but I did not even think of it and thankfully our waitress said that people have to return this dish all of the time because of that cha shu. I am grateful that they let me replace it. The sunset roll starts out with a delicious spicy tuna and tempura shrimp roll topped off with decadent, thickly sliced scallops, avocado and masago. The fresh, clean flavor of this specialty made it my favorite of the night. Kai Ola is a great spot for a casual dinner and people watching. I appreciate the limited menu which is the right size for a small restaurant serving primarily locals. read more

Kai Ola Sushi - Hangover noodles. I knew it was shrimp broth and asked the server what was in it but she did not mention pork. This never got tasted. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Encinitas, California

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Service by Kristen was awesome. Food was fantastic. Never disappoints. Had the large table for 7 of us.

Tiny sushi spot on the 101 but you can't miss it! My friend and I said we're able to snag a table for 2 on a busy Friday night luckily with no wait! We sat on the outside side portion of the restaurant under a heater so we wouldn't get cold. Service was fast and attentive too! No long waits at all and they were busy too! We grabbed the spicy garlic edamame- 10/10, the Swamis roll- 10/10, some yellowtail nigiri-10/10, spicy tuna roll-10/10, and I think the moonlight roll? Also 10/10 Everything was amazing and satisfied our sushi craving! Sushi was fresh and nicely presented too! Highly recommend:) read more

Thanks Matthew for a great dinner! We enjoyed everything you served and your company! We'll be back soon for some more of your favorite nigiri :) read more

Kai Ola Sushi - Moonlight (no mayo) - Sushi Bars Near Me - Encinitas, California

The sushi here is great! We tried at least six (6) different rolls and each one was better than the last! The service was fast and courteous. The atmosphere was cool and upbeat. Would definitly return! read more

I was charged $15 for a glass of plum wine. Unreal. Plum wine is very inexpensive generally and it didn't even look like a full pour. I'll never go there again! read more

So a follow-up. After going back and forth a few times, Kai Ola reversed the charge and refunded me. I appreciate that this was finally done. Thank you Ryan. read more

Great service at this small restaurant on the 101. It was about 2pm on a Sunday so it wasn't busy anyway. The ambiance is similar to most sushi restaurants around north county but they don't have many tables in their small restaurant. The price does not reflect the quality or portion sizes. We were severely disappointed with the veggie tempura and the specialty roll. We also had a crunchy shrimp and spicy tuna roll that were ok. With so many sushi restaurants around, I'd opt for a different place with better prices or better quality or larger portions. read more

Was craving sushi today and came by here for lunch. We ordered 2 spicy tuna rolls, crispy rice, won ton min, gyoza, and a miso soup. The sushi itself was delicious. Spicy tuna was fresh! The win ton min wasn't very flavorful but I just added some Siracha and it was fine. The gyoza, my cousin and I both agreed, was the best gyoza we've ever had. I loved the little hall with seating. Only issue is I think we were forgot about a few times lol. I'll definitely sit inside next time! Food is 5/5 - service was just 4/5. read more

One of my favorite sushi places in North County. Great menu and food. We dined during CoVID and sat outside on the side patio. Moonlight roll and the special sashimi are my go to. read more

Kai Ola Sushi - Special menu as of 9/24/2020 - Sushi Bars Near Me - Encinitas, California

Located on PCH and Leucadia Blvd. plenty of street parking, super easy to get to. Jumped on the waitlist at 5pm, arrived 10 Min before our 5:30 reservation. Beer on tap, super cold, hit the spot after a long day at the street fair and nice afternoon stroll on the beach. Vibe: super chill, beach/island music blasting, gives off the impression that you are at a local Hawaiian bar. Staff: host was friendly, seated us right right away, servers are super friendly and prompt with the basic necessities. The place was about 70 percent full, some tourists, some locals, lots of first timers drawn to the reviews of great sushi and cool atmosphere. The lite omakase, sunset roll, two Sapporo, and veggies/shrimp tempura were ordered. Chef looked a bit tired and overworked. Small pleasantries was shared but the lack of response and the small physical cues showed that maybe he didn't want to interact. Miso soup came out within 4 minutes, Sunset roll came out 12 min later, the roll was quite tasty, recommend it to anyone. Staff suddenly realized the salad didn't show up, promptly got that out for us. First course of omakase was plain tuna roll, rice, seaweed, plain tuna. We scarfed down the salad, the tuna, the the sunset roll. Tempura came. I was taught that the quality of the tempura can tell you a lot about the rest of the food. The batter did not have enough air and crisp. It was not piping hot when received, some of the vegetable were stuck together. It could be a personal preference for me, I like the airy crunch. I felt like I was eating the awesome blossom that was slightly above lukewarm. The omakase experiences was less than stellar, we received the nine other courses of the omakase all at once on a large plate more suitable for a California roll. Would it be nice that the chef reached out and ask for preferences? Of course. Would it be better to experience omakase one course at a time and inform the eater what each dish is versus guessing based on my experience? Absolutely! Perhaps we came on a bad night. If you are looking for a simple on the go sushi, come here. It's loud and fun and kid friendly. Not your place if you are picky with Japanese food. One and done. read more

Kai Ola Sushi - Sunset Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Encinitas, California

Been here several times and it's fire. Easily one of my favorite places to get sushi in North County. They have a great selection of Special Rolls made with Hugh quality fish. The salmon is always cold and fresh, never had a fishy or off bite here. The spicy tuna crispy rice is soo delicious, perfectly crispy a perfect balance of spice and crunch. For rolls, the Kook is my favorite, the coconut shrimp tempura inside the roll is hot, fresh, crisping off in your mouth and then you get the cold fresh mango salsa on top it's literally a life changing experience of temperature texture and flavor truuusttt me. We tried the Grandview tonight and it is also very good, fresh no complains. Im looking forward to trying my way through the menu here because it hits evvery time. Portions are nice, though I will say sometimes I feel like they're different from one day to the next. The point off has nothing to do with the food , but the place itself is a bit cramped and confused. If you like casual sushi that is fresh af every time, this is your place. read more

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Came here not knowing what to expect, loved the sushi and the sake. The servers were ok; they were beelining from the back to the front and it took us a LONG time to get something from the servers themselves. Until I'm able to get back out to Encinitas to try Kai Ola again, I will chalk it up to it being a busy night... From the way the owner behind the counter put together his rolls though, it looked like he had been doing it a long time and that he cared. It's really cool to see that up close; sit at the bar once if you can! I really recommend it stopping by if you've driven by and wondered how this place was like I did. read more

A rare gem great atmosphere and stellar food. You can really taste the love and pride put into the food. read more

Kai Ola Sushi - Hawaiian Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Encinitas, California

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Love slurpin up some sushi at Kai Ola. Service is incredible and the food is just as good. Love the ambiance also!

Yummy food with innovative house rolls, cool ambiance. I prefer to sit at the sushi bar if it's a week-end night (and therefore busy). Sushi chefs are great. :) I look forward to dining there every time I'm in Encinitas. read more

This was an odd experience We were a party of 5 ... from the time we sat down, we were persistently approached by the wait staff to order... we had already ordered drinks and appetizers and were waiting on the remainder of our party-trying to enjoy the drinks and appetizers. The wait staff literally approached every few minutes asking if we wanted to order more... hovering while we're still trying to enjoy what had arrived. This continued throughout the meal... we were barely there an hour and there was no waiting line. The worst part was the server waiting for me to close out the bill while I was in mid-conversation with my party. It was a big bill... over $400... I still left a 15% tip... bc the sushi was good and the sushi chefs did a great job. Management, please observe your wait staff more closely. read more

Scrumptious! I have only been here twice and both times have been really great. I've tried a few rolls and my favorite so far is the Moonlight beach roll. The Shishito peppers are fun as well. Very small but has outdoor seating. read more

Kai Ola Sushi - The Moonlight Beach roll. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Encinitas, California

The owner reached out to me and sincerely apologized. Again, the food and service is always great here, I think Saturday was just a fluke. I highly appreciate the owner personally messaging me to apologize and making things right. He let us know that they moved their storage location of plates so this issue won't happen again. Thank you read more

Sophia was an amazing waitress We come here very often and the food never disappoints. After coming here, no other sushi can ever compete!

A favorite sushi spot in Leucadia. Coastal Hawaiian vibe in the sense of being low key, unpretentious and delivering on the flavor. Local Leucadia chill..fresh fish, talented chefs and staff, delicious sushi...it's all good!! Fave: Salmon Salad with Sesame Dressing - Delish! Shishito Peppers - Lots of flavor Crispy Rice Roll - Decadent! Beacons, Swamis and more local rolls...bring it on! We go just the two of us for date night or go with besties and family to celebrate time together over a great meal. Yeah, I'm a fan. read more

Fresh, beautiful sushi that exceeded my expectations. These guys are doing it right. The counter cases show off how gorgeous and fresh the fish is. Look at the blue fin on this roll! We came for lunch and had no problem getting in, we had the toro hand roll special with fresh wasabi; the Moonlight roll and the Beacon's roll. I recommend both and will be back for more. The sea salt served with the Moonlight roll was something I had never seen before. Very classy and definitely worked well with the hamachi. The staff here were great, punctual and attentive. read more

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Kai Ola is a great low key sushi with exceptional rolls and fresh nigiri. My go to local.

Excellent quality fish, great crew of sushi chefs in a fun, lively, comfy offbeat space. My only complaint is the supertóxicacelosa energy of the jefa that makes it hard for a pretty girl to just sit and enjoy her sushi if she even looks in the general direction of the jefe. Still going back tho bc tóxica vampire slaying is my specialty and I really love sushi and my boyfriend lives across the street so... read more

We arrived just shy of 8:30pm on a Sunday knowing we might get turned away because it was so late, I was craving sushi, and another place had already closed their kitchen. We were pleasantly greeted and asked to select a table--they were happy to serve us. We quickly ordered shrimp and veggie tempura (light batter, great flavor), eel nigiri (high quality and dressed nicely), the Las Vegas Roll daily special (nice combination of toppings, lightly deep fried to a point where the salmon was cooked; wish it were a bit more raw), and Hangover noodles. Noodle broth was light, with all listed ingredients over ramen noodles--enough, but not overly done. Overall, I'd definitely come back and would be interested in trying more of their sashimi and sushi, as this seems to be their specialty. read more

This place may look small but it is the perfect sushi restaurant if you want the Japanese vibe. After living in Japan for six years this is the first place that I have gone to that made me feel like I was back there. Both rolls were absolutely refreshing and filling as well. Although the gyoza didn't taste as they usually do they were still very crispy and delicious. Loved everything about this place - the rolls were made very quickly, the service was excellent and all decently priced. Worth checking out. read more

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Super high quality fish that you pay a premium for but it's really good. I liked the moonlight and spicy tuna on crispy rice. The salad wasn't too good on thr dressing so I'd skip that next time. Hirami and yellowtail nigiri was bomb too read more

Won't go there anymore. Not good. We went there yesterday (Saturday, August 18th), stayed in the line, put our names and were told to wait 20 min. 40 min after we called and asked that we are hungry and we're waiting twice longer, the answer was that I'm wrong with the time, and table should be ready soon. We came back to this place and realized that people who were behind us in the line for the reservation were already seated. I asked manager, and her reply (quite angry) was that they had a reservation. How come people who has reservations stay 30 min to wait for it?.. They finally sat us, but felt so rude and uncomfortable, as this place quite often feels... We ordered a glass of wine for $15 per glass, but wine felt like $5 per bottle. We had rolls, nigiri and some other stuff. Food is just ok, like 3 stars. Received a receipt and first time decided to check the prices... Realized that this place is over priced for the quality and for $$ they are saying in Yelp. Their salmon nigiri is about $10, nigiri unagi is $13 (per 2 pieces), low quality rolls $26. Versus our favorite sushi place in La Jolla (Himitsu) who rate their self as $$$ price restaurant: nigiri salmon ($7), best rolls about $24. We will never go back there this place. Bad customer service, not good food, overpriced (even for this neighborhood). read more

Kai Ola Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Encinitas, California