This has become my go to birthday or celebration spot. I am not the most well versed sushi expert,…read morebut i do love a good meal & this hits the spot every time. The staff is very attentive and kind, and all you can eat for $35 at dinner is a steal if you pig out like we do. We have a running list of our favorite rolls and i highly recommend the forest, snow mountain, mangrove, and sacramento rolls.

We went to this place for lunch cause our hotel was right next to it. Food was great good flavors…read more The fish we got on our rolls was good. We got gyoza as an app. Very tasty. Service was good. Staff made good recommendations. Nice little family style restaurant plenty of seating.

If there was a 6th star I would have chosen it! WOW...what a great dinner with friends at Nama…read moreSake. The service was amazing and attentive ....the small plates to start were so yummy---had the crispy rice roll and still dreaming of it! We also had the Noelle roll (so good) and the Merriam Park which was the table favorite . We were able to really take out time in between our plates and had a great meal, rather, experience!

I want to like this place so bad! There is so much potential. But I have given it three tries, and…read morethere is something wrong every single time. I can no longer justify the high price point for a dining experience that has not once met it. Let's start with the good: the fried rice cakes are incredible. The ambience feels really nice and upscale. There are some delicious food items here. The service is friendly. Last night was my final straw though. The service was incredibly slow. We ordered a couple appetizers and a couple rolls. The appetizers were on the slower side, but within reason. But then we were there for over an hour (like actually timed, not me being hyperbolic), and we still hadn't gotten our rolls. Now full disclosure, my mom does have a shrimp and crab sensitivity. However, she made it clear to the server that this is not a contact allergy. She specified: She can handle things being fried in the same oil. A simple wipe down of the food prep service suffices. She has to actually ingest the food for it to affect her. Well. It had been over an hour, and they had not even started on her rolls. When I asked someone (who I think may have been the manager?) to check on them, she let us know that they were starting right then and that with an allergy they have to clean off an entire station in order to serve, and so on. Uhm. How does that justify the fact that they clearly didn't even start cleaning a station at all for over an hour after we had ordered?? Do they expect us to wait till all other customers have left?? An allergy doesn't mean we should be completely de-prioritized. I know that she wasn't intending to make excuses and was intending to explain, but an explanation at that point is completely inadequate. To try to explain to someone with an allergy that service is going to be slower because they have to clean off an entire station... Do they think we've never been to restaurants before?? We know how it works and there's just no justification for that. The rolls were also terrible. We substitute tempura asparagus for my mom due to her not being able to eat shrimp. In our experience, this is quite standard with sushi restaurants. They served it with steamed and it was terrible. The rolls were also very thick cut, falling apart, and- I kid you not - not even cut all the way through. We got chu toro, one of our favorite items--they didn't trim the sinewy parts off. I had to send back a drink because it felt like I was drinking perfume. They took these items off thankfully but overall, we still spent over $100 and didn't even get sushi. Ugh. So frustrating and I just can't imagine myself giving them another try.

Best sushi I've ever had - hands down. The food was so fresh and flavorful, and the atmosphere was…read moresuper fun and welcoming. The whole place just has a really good vibe. Jared truly made our experience. He was so friendly, attentive, and made us feel right at home from the start. You can tell he genuinely cares about customers having a great time, and his energy really stood out. Our waiter also knew the menu really well, which made everything easy. They gave awesome recommendations and helped us try a few new things we ended up loving. Can't recommend this spot enough- great food, service, and all-around experience for great sushi!

Lunch with my daughter at Big Tuna was nothing short of amazing! From the moment we walked in, the…read morevibe was warm, welcoming, and had that "we're about to have some seriously good sushi" feeling. We kicked things off with a bowl of perfectly salted edamame, the kind that makes you keep saying, "Just one more," until suddenly the bowl is empty. It pairs well with their branded hot sauce. Then came the sushi feast, and wow! Fresh, colorful, and plated like edible art. The rolls were as delicious as they were beautiful (the kind that makes you pause mid-bite just to appreciate the moment). My daughters rolls we awesome, she let me try them,, and let me tell you, the balance of flavors - from creamy avocado to fresh tuna and crunchy tempura - was spot on. Every bite felt like a little celebration. And the Saba? Absolutely melt-in-your-mouth perfection. I adored the coconut shrimp roll, who would have known? Big Tuna has that rare combo of great food, friendly service, and a menu that makes you want to come back just to try everything else. If you're ever in Chico and craving sushi, this place is a must! #FreshAndFlavorful #SushiDoneRight #ItsTheLittleThings #BigTunaMagic #ChicoEats #FamilyLunchGoals

Maki Japanese has some of the best sushi! Everything is fresh and flavorful--favorites are the Maki…read moreRoll, Hot & Spicy Baked Roll, and Lion King Baked Roll. The spicy shrimp eel and Philadelphia rolls are also so good. Don't skip the appetizers either--fried calamari, Vietnamese egg rolls, and spicy garlic edamame are all delicious. Highly recommend!

Roll was good. Spring roll a bit fishy. Service good but…read morecharged me for Chefs Choice Roll at $20.99 when I ordered a roll costing $18.99 so watch your checks. Ambiance okay.

Went for first time, for lunch. First of all, great service, very attentive but not on top of you…read more Started out with oysters, very large and meaty Pacific oysters. Not briny like Atlantic or Gulf oysters. Next tempura platter. Very nice to share, and good light batter. Followed up with sashimi platter (ordered an extra piece of tuna to make it even - note to restaurant, don't do odd numbered pieces on platters that people are likely to share). Fish was very fresh and tasty. Finally, finished up with California roll. Very nice, but more crab, less cream cheese. We also shared a bottle of wine and very reasonably priced for both wine and all of the food. We will be back to taste more and yes they have wine, beer and sake.

We have had some of the absolute best meals here but the last two times 4/2026 & 5/2026 have just…read morenot been that good. Our favs have been the Japanese Tacos, Gyoza, Sushi Sampler Plate and any number of rolls. The side salad with the Wasabi dressing has always been and is still delicious! Every place can have an off day or item but the last two visits leave us looking for other options. The sauce for the Japanese Tacos has become so spicy hot we've had to have them hold it - something's changed there. The gyoza (2 orders for one person and one order for the second person were all served on the same plate, forgivable but they were bland and the sauces were spilled when the waitress set them down. The Sushi sampler contained "room temp", not cold raw fish and was literally flavorless AND the rice tasted old and chalky. I tried the spicy tuna roll the month before and I could not eat it. It was flavorless and warm. Our last visit's service was very poor. Had to ask more than once for the basic wasabi and ginger. Then we had to ask for our beverages again halfway through our meal. Used to be awesome but this is two poor experiences in a row. I've been enjoying Japanese cuisine throughout California my entire life and this just wasn't worth it. The place is also loud and rushed.

Food was great. But…read moreservice was so slow. And our waitress didn't do much to keep us updated. I don't think I'd come again but come try it once. Just don't have hungry kids.

Located in downtown area with limited parking . Cute restaurant with rolled dollar bills in the…read morebrick walls. Different. Got seated fast but service after that took awhile . Sushi was good but the teriyaki chicken had way to much sauce on my meal . My coworker had too little . Pricing was great .

This place is our all time favorite restaurant. And best sushi in Chico!…read more Great service they have really stepped it up in that department! Always get sat right away and the sushi is fresh and flavorful! Recently had the best cocktails ever . Keep it up Gen Kai worth every penny !

This is by far the best sushi restaurant in town. The fish is always fresh, service is great and…read morethey offer a happy hour.

Went here last night with a group of friends and had the best dinner ever! Our server was very…read morehelpful when we had questions about the menu and the chef was hilarious. Jamie and Tino were awesome and we had so much fun. Everyone had the hibachi dinners and fried rice and the food was delicious. Additionally, getting to see it cooked in front of you is a really cool experience. I had the chicken as well as the tempura sweet potato sushi roll and will absolutely be returning the next time I'm in town!

We had a fantastic hibachi dinner last night! The chef was entertaining and the food was excellent!…read moreIt's a great way to celebrate out of town guests or birthdays or just a fun night out. The prices quantity and quality of food was excellent! Great value for the prices and lots of fun!

Rawbar is hands down my favorite sushi spot in Chico and after another visit it still holds the…read morecrown, well not the King of Chico, that's me. They are famous for their Poké bowl, but we only did sushi this time (my willpower deserves recognition).. The edamame was excellent and their miso soup is still one of my favorites anywhere. It just tastes different... richer and more intentional than the usual versions. I'm a huge saba fan and theirs was exactly why I keep coming back... clean, fresh and done right. My kid had the tataki and it was the same story there, super fresh and gone in about thirty seconds. We also had the Gilroy (yum) Japanese Cowboy, Red Dragon, Hibachi Sunset and Lotus Cobra. The Lotus Cobra is one of those rolls you order once and then it just becomes part of your future. The ambiance is probably my favorite in Chico. It's one of those places where you can have a great meal and some top tier people watching at the same time. Service is always solid, friendly without being fake, and everything from the dining area to the bathrooms is consistently clean. I'll just say it... I wish we had a place like this back on the Mendocino Coast. Until then, this is always going to be my Chico sushi stop. If you like fresh fish, good energy and a place that just feels dialed in, Rawbar is hard to beat.

A trip back to Chico gave me just a few hours in town, and the one place I absolutely had to visit…read morewas Raw Bar--and I'm so glad I did. I've been craving the oyster hot shots and Shaka tuna for yeeeears. I've even tried recreating those hot shots at home more times than I'd like to admit, and I still can't crack whatever magic they're doing back there. Now onto the new stuff. We ordered the special dry-aged nigiri sampler, and my mom couldn't stop talking about how much it reminded her of the way fish and sushi are treated in Japan. Thoughtful, balanced, and intentional. It was such a refreshing break from the AYCE-style spots where the fish-to-rice ratios can feel quite careless. Almost forgot! Our server was amazing. Gah I forgot his name. So professional and knowledgeable about everrrrrything. We were super comfortable in the new lounge area, which I would say is much cozier and dare I say sexier than the old motif which was kinda industrial. If they ever open a location in Los Angeles (hint, hint), I'd be first in line.

We've gone twice now, both times the place was pretty much empty. A sunday night and a Saturday…read morenight. Was slightly concerning for dinner time to be so slow but it also was nice not dealing with other folks. The second visit was very strange as our food took forever, yes we had one couple ahead of us and one pick up order but it still took over 20 minutes for our first roll and our daughters avocado roll arrived last and an hour after ordering. This was just strange but they only had one sushi chef working. Another issue was our omakase orders, one was just a Tina roll and the other was the surf n turf roll. Which both rolls are totally fine but it wasn't what I thought I'd get when ordering omakases. Also the ginger that say was really flavorless, I've never had such watery bland ginger before. Being in the old Japanese blossom build it has plenty of space, and with the lack of customers the parking lot was a lot easier to deal with compared to when it was JB. No music was playing but it was well lite and didn't have any noticeable smells. If we could remove the odd Saturday night dinner it would rank higher. But that second visit was a huge miss from time to flavor.

A little pricey but the rolls were a good size. The employees were both welcoming and we didn't…read morehave a long wait time either. Not pictured was the dragon roll (highly recommend as the eel was top tier) and the seared salmon roll. The place was clean, pretty quiet and the food tasted fresh.