Excellent food and great service! Sat at the bar watching football, having delicious food and with great conversation with the bar tender! Highly recommend!! Might even have it to go tonight! read more

Uni was on point but everything else was average. For me I'd just go for the omakase type items. The other stuff like their miso black cod were pretty good. read more

The Food Service and Ambiance were !! I am so glad our daughter found this restaurant. Everything was delicious. Sushi, dessert and service! We will definitely be coming back as our daughter attends UCSB and we visit her frequently, we found our new favorite restaurant to eat at when we come to visit her! read more

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First and foremost, the service was great. Our server was incredibly knowledgeable and provided honest and insightful information regarding the food. Second, the quality of the food was fresh and flavorful. All of our rolls, nigiri and fish dishes were amazing. The wines complemented the seafood nicely. The location near the beach was also a plus. read more

I had a wonderful experience at this sushi restaurant! The food was absolutely delicious--everything was fresh, flavorful, and clearly made with high-quality ingredients. You can really taste the difference. Our server was incredibly friendly and attentive, paying close attention to every detail and making sure we had everything we needed. The ambiance was fun and upbeat, creating the perfect atmosphere for a great night out. I'll definitely be coming back! read more

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1 Star Our experience here was extremely disappointing and upsetting. During our dinner, a woman came over and rudely interrupted us to tell my 1-year-old to be quiet. Instead of handling the situation professionally or respectfully, she continued to show clear disgust toward our family being there. What made it worse was the lack of support from the manager on duty. Rather than addressing the situation appropriately, the manager allowed other patrons to get involved, which escalated things even more. In the end, my wife and I had to leave with our two small children, and my older son was left in tears. As Latino parents simply trying to enjoy a meal with our family, the way we were treated felt discriminatory and unwelcoming. Families should not be made to feel uncomfortable or pushed out of a restaurant like this. The is clearly no culture at this restaurant, it's sad that this is allowed in such a beautiful city. I hope the business takes situations like this seriously and works on creating a more respectful and inclusive environment for all customers. read more

Ideally I'd give this place 3.5 stars! We had our anniversary dinner here after so many of our friends recommended it. We had a reservation for Saturday 7pm on the patio, and at that point it was too dark to see the ocean but it's still a cute restaurant! Seemed a little more casual than I anticipated, some customers showed up in pajama pants. It was really busy so our server didn't check up on us often, but nothing to complain about. We ordered a couple rolls (I forgot their names sorry), Toro nigiri and uni nigiri. The uni was definitely the highlight, we ordered extra. It was so fresh and sweet, the best we've ever had. My boyfriend and I love splurging a little bit on good sushi, and this place was reasonably priced. read more

Oku - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

The Hamachi Kama was AMAZING! Almost everything else we tried was just ok. The salmon lollipops tasted like only cucumber. The nigiri was pretty good and the one roll we tried was also good. If we go back, I'd stick to the hamachi Kama, some fun rolls, and try some more of the hot dishes. Lychee martini was also very good. read more

Made a reservation and then we were sat at a table that shouldn't even exist. Right by the bathroom and elevator. A restaurant that charges an average of $20 for a sushi roll shouldn't let that be anyone's experience. Just awful. A good restaurant would never have this as an option. We were the only table in the transition area between where people come upstairs and the actual dining area. The food took forever to come out. We ordered all our rolls (5) at once and there was about 20-25 minutes between our last 2 rolls. read more

Oku - Our view. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Yum! Fresh! Ocean view! Sergio master of customer service. In this town this is a must! Great job to all the staff and such good sushi!

Service 1/10 Came on Sunday afternoon around 5pm drea and sara were our servers but after taking our order they never checked on us again we tried to wave them down for these we needed but we kept getting ignored, we were the only group they never came to check upon . After that happened two nice gentleman's helped us out eventually read more

So happy we found this little jewel on the Santa Barbara coast. It's got great food, a fabulous view, and comfortable atmosphere. The patio is comfortable, but the traffic makes it a little noisy. We will return for more great food. read more

Wonderful restaurant at the beach with delicious food and great vibes. We sat in the outside patio area facing the ocean. Our waitress was so pleasant and made the experience that much better. We ordered the following food and drinks and enjoyed it all: Japanese Sake Flight Oku Edamame - asked without fish sauce for vegan Fresh Pear and Butter Lettuce Salad - my favorite!! Vegetarian Rainbow Roll - good but the veggies on top could've been cooked much softer for a better texture. Everybody Loves Raymond Roll - bf loved this a lot Lychee Martini The food presentation was beautiful and we loved this place so much that we would definitely come back. read more

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What a fantastic dinner! Oku has easily become my favorite place to eat in Santa Barbara by a long shot. My boyfriend took me out on a Friday evening to celebrate our relationship (isn't that sweet?! Let me not be sappy and stay on track). We have been wanting to go on a fancier date night for a bit now and he surprised me by taking us here! We had an 8 pm reservation, and we were able to get seated a bit earlier! The staff was night and they helped us right away :) we got to sit on their outdoor patio facing the ocean, which has a stunning sunset! And it was warm, we were right underneath a heater so it was just perfect! We ordered a lot between the two of us: 4 rolls, gyoza, drinks, and dessert! I will say, a commonality between all the dishes we ordered was the freshness and quality of the seafood they had here. We had shrimp, crab, tuna varieties, yellowtail, and all were amazing. Umami is the best word to describe it. All fish were tender and delectable. And fish portions were amazing! Did not skimp! Now for more details (in order of how we ordered, 4 rounds total) The Spicy Flying Newton Roll: - OUR FAVORITE ROLL BY FAR! - the shrimp and yellowtail in this roll were a fantastic pairing! Super great flavor especially in the spicy yellowtail - topped with large slices of tuna, delicious. - best part was the chili oil and togarashi on top, really enhanced all the flavors in the dish. We finished this roll in the blink of an eye!! Snow Crab Roll: - basically a California roll but a million times better because it's real crab - large size and great amount of crab. No filler! You get exactly what you want: crab!! Shinobi Roll: - this was our least favorite roll but quality was still there! - daikon wrapped roll, which threw us for a loop. We thought it would be daikon and nori but nah haha - this roll is super spicy and heavy! We saw Serrano on the roll and didn't expect much but wow what a punch. Luckily there was a sweet sauce on top to balance it a bit. - we wouldn't order this one again! Shrimp and Crab Gyoza: - what an interesting bite! Our server added on an extra piece for us (regular order comes with 5 but he wanted us to have an even amount each!) - it's a whole shrimp stuffed with crab and wrapped with a gyoza wrapper, like a little pop! - to me, it tasted like butter shrimp toast, if anyone has ever had this Hong Kong classic? The gyoza wrappers were buttery and tasted like brioche! - still so so tasty and paired well with ponzu, but I wish they called it something different since nothing about it screamed gyoza to either of us! Mike Wazowski Roll: - funny name but insane flavor!! - we opted to get no avocado in this roll since my boyfriend has a mild avocado allergy. This was our final roll of the night so we didn't want to push the limits lol! NOTE: the staff didn't charge extra or anything for the substitution!! They just loaded our roll with more yellowtail! So this roll was so meaty! - again, FRESH! This was super filling and flavorful. - yuzu wasabi aioli on top really added to it. The delicate fish flavor paired perfectly with the light spiced citrus sauce!! Vanilla Crème Brûlée: - my absolute favorite dessert! My boyfriend has never had it and I'm glad this was his first taste! - the custard was so silky and perfectly sweet. The crème disnf break and become curdled, which is perfect. - wonderful brûlée on top! - we will definitely return and try all 3 flavors!! Matcha, vanilla, and chocolate! Overall, Oku is fantastic. With beautiful views of the ocean and wharf, paired with fantastic food, what is there to beat? We both loved it so much and it made for such a special, memorable night. If you love Japanese food, or just really good food in general, please do come here. Next time we wanna sit on the roof! read more

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To start, the restaurant is literally across the street from the beach, so you're welcomed with the ocean breeze and view as you eat. Beginning with the appetizer, I had their cauliflower, and as someone who isn't the biggest fan of vegetables, it was probably my favorite dish. Although, I must add that all the rolls I had were amazing, especially the "Crazy Rich Asian" roll. Aside from their rolls, I also got the garlic noodles which was very unique and tasty. I would most definitely recommend if you are in Santa Barbara area. read more

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Nice spot within walking distance from a lot of the hotels on Cabrillo. We waited about 20 minutes on a Tuesday evening and were seated upstairs. The downstairs patio looked great and I don't think the rooftop was opened at the time. Customer service pace was leisurely amd friendly, sushi rolls were tasty, and the drinks were good. Finished the meal with the 2 piece Toro (fatty tuna nigiri) and it was so good! I can imagine summer evenings eating here are probably fantastic. read more

Oku - Spicy Tuna and Rainbow Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Staff and food are always a 10/10. I always take my out of town guests to Oku to sit on the outdoor upper patio.

Everything about this place was spot on. Food, service, ambiance, location. Of course it didn't hurt that it was a beautiful evening for a nice outdoor dinner overlooking the ocean. High Recommend! read more

Overhyped. Outside seating ambience wasn't super impressive. Didn't even have water when we sat down. Plate was chipped. For a restaurant I heard so much about I was expecting it too be a lot better. Food was great but nothing out of the ordinary. Wouldn't go again. read more

Great location - we had reservations well in advance and once seated we weren't even acknowledged for 25 minutes. The food was mediocre and service worse - never again read more

Customer is amazing, all the staff are sweet. The food was beautiful and very tasty. As well are the drinks, fleshing and semi sweet. Also they had the best edamame I've ever tasted. Definitely recommend! read more

Oku - Edamame, leche martini and more - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

I do not each sushi but this is my spot for inviting friends from out of town to a nice scenic place. The rooftop at night or day is the place to be. My MUST HAVE item here has to be the Brussels sprouts. I do not even share with no one, I let everyone know this ahead of time when taking them there lol. Their steak fried rice is great too!! And normally do not like edamame BUT they're fireeeee here with the spicy sauce. Oh and lastly, the Korean cauliflower is lovely. I am not one to go to restaurants to eat veggies but at OKU they're done proper and very well. read more

This place is by far the BEST SUSHI I've ever had! Stumbled across it by sheer luck but didn't regret one single drink or bite. The flavors were decadent and rich but satisfying. Everything we ordered was 5/5. Can't wait to come back to Oku. I love the lighting and open balcony area. It's a great vibe. Everyone was helpful with their recommendations when I asked for great tasting and aesthetically pleasing. Hah highly recommend everyone to try Oku. read more

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If I said everything good about this place my great grandchildren would die before I could finish. Camille was the best server ever!!!!!!!!!! read more

Oku - Miso soup - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Oku is one of our favorite restaurants in the area. The food is amazing and the service is amazing. Can't beat the rooftop patio at sunset.

We had done some research about where to eat on a recent visit to SB, and this place was not on our list. Then we walked by and saw the hypnotic lighting, fun yet casual ambiance and we could feel the convivial atmosphere of the rooftop dining area. So we snagged a table with a view, got some (generous) drinks, and ordered a smattering of warm and cool plates to share. They came out gradually, allowing us to enjoy the super pleasant temp and we enjoyed one after another. Suddenly we were full. But wait, should we have another order of hamachi sashimi? Yes, we're indulging tonight. We did and you should too. PS Our waitress was outstanding too. read more

Was very disappointed in the snow crab sushi roll. It was hard, if that makes sense. Did not have a good mouthfeel. I've truly had better sushi at Whole Foods deli market, no joke! I am not picky with sushi either. Another big bummer is that they wouldn't sit us in the rooftop even though we made a reservation for the patio/outside. So just be aware. I would go back just have wine and maybe some appetizers. They also offer some half bottle of wines, which are better than some of the offering by glass. Also, a better deal. read more

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Came in last night and sat at the smaller bar downstairs- Eileen took such great care of me! I have Been to Oku a few times and everytime it is wonderful! The quality of the food is fantastic and you have a beautiful view right by tje beach in Santa Barbara! My person favorite as always is the spicy tuna on crispy rice as well as the salmon sashimi!! read more

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We had a great evening on the patio. Rachel our server recommended some great items and the Cold Ramen was super. Full of flavor and tasty for a hot summer night. The Uni spoons were awesome. She recommended the quail egg on top and we loved it. We were so full that dessert was not an option. Our food came out on time and we just love going to Oku !! Everyone is so professional and kind even though the place was packed with many customers read more

Solid 3.5 Firstly, the food was really good. Definitely enjoyed the Korean cauliflower and short ribs, and my husband loved the vegetarian rolls and nigiri. My only issue came down to service...if the service is off, it just adds the wrong vibe to the whole experience. Getting someone's attention was pretty difficult when asking for napkins or utensils, and I noticed this was because the servers tended to not look up or around the dining area. They'd go to a table, turn back around, and pay no one else any attention. I also needed to ask everytime to have an empty plate taken off our table, which was a little odd especially when they kept trying to add other dishes to the already tiny table. We were constantly doing Tetris with the plates. Despite this, I do feel like the servers were courteous and polite, so I'm wondering if the odd service was because they may have been under staffed for the night...just a speculation. read more

we booked a reservation and were seated outside. they have nice warm heating in cases it gets chilly outside (which it did). our servers were lovely and super attentive, making sure we were comfortable and weren't disturbed by any crazy noises. most importantly, the food was delicious especially the seared yellowtail roll and their sashimi! read more

Oku - seared yellowtail roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Oku is a fantastic beachside sushi restaurant with modern decor and great service. My friend and I came here on our first night in town and it definitely exceeded expectations. The restaurant is super busy but that didn't alter the service at all. We got our food in a timely manner and everything was delicious. Would highly recommend the miso soup! Pro tip: sit upstairs if you can for ocean views read more

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Love this place we ordered a bunch of items and everything was fantastic! Can't wait to go back

The food was amazing and I'm not a sushi person. Went with a date and we both had this amazing steak and the cauliflower appetizer and enjoyed it so much. Great for a special occasion read more

Oku - Black Garlic Filet Mignon - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Honestly, if we're speaking of the food, it's okay at best. The best part of the experience is the views and the atmosphere, but not really much of anything else. We ordered a roll and the seaweed was so chewy that it took a whiiiile to swallow and enjoy. The yakisoba was lacking a lot of flavor. Because we weren't too satisfied with what we ordered, we tried ordering another roll but it took way too long that we didn't even want it anymore. Overall, the views are honestly what is keeping this place open and poppin. The food, on the other hand, is very questionable. read more

Oku - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

EDIT: the owner reached out and said I didn't like the California Roll wasn't made with mayo,however that's incorrect,rice was hard! I have had it before without mayo and and was excited to order it with it omitted. We made reservations on open table and requested outdoor patio.Assumed it was on rooftop,it was not. Dishes ordered snow crab rolls,Cadillac rolls,few vegan rolls.Everything was good except snow crab rolls were horrible. It was nice sitting on (lower) patio and received excellent service.We were all very disappointed didn't get rooftop seating. I'd only go back for that and maybe just few appetizers and drinks. read more

Oku - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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I've been to this spot over 20 times since they opened, which is why this review is disappointing to write. Unfortunately, this was by far the worst experience we've had. Our group had been drinking, but we were not drunk, and we trusted our server by handing over our cards before seeing the bill, something we've done here many times without issue. When the check came back, we noticed we had been charged for an $80 large sake when we had very clearly ordered the house sake. When we questioned it, the server attempted to brush it off as a "silly mistake" and seemed to hope we wouldn't notice. The charge felt intentional, not accidental, and it left us feeling like she was trying to take advantage of the situation because we were a little tipsy. What made this especially upsetting is that this has always been a place we've trusted and supported. One experience like this can really damage that trust. I hope management addresses this seriously, because loyal customers shouldn't have to double-check their bill to make sure they aren't being overcharged. read more

Oku - Charged for a sake we did not get. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Sushi was objectively good. Enjoyed the noodles with the shrimp, miso soup was also good. The menus were dirty, it seemed careless. The menu was all over the place, while it wasn't bad there wasn't a sense of cohesion. read more

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always a must when we visit Santa Barbara. The XO noodles are my go to. Service was great and they were stroller friendly!

My server, Áine, was so amazing and accommodating of my vegan diet. She knew the menu inside and out and made my birthday dinner so special! The sushi was delicious and the staff was accommodating of my birthday cake that we brought from home. Will definitely be returning! read more