.... so I've been waiting for this place ..and even read about this place...(apparently a partner to the one in Rancho/and/or Riverside). Couldn't really believe that the Inland Empire is actually ever gonna get some decent sushi... So I was hopeful. Anyway, they've got a menu outside that you can order pick up... Or you can try to figure out how to even get to the restaurant... ....You take the spiral staircases down... To the empty leather black sofa... Then, if you can locate... & get the courage... To push open a sliding wood door ... You do it. - I entered a completely empty restaurant @ lunchtime... Sat down and decided to give it a try. $39 Omakase of course. Let's see what this place offers . The privacy and seclusion (mostly because no one can figure out if the place is even open) was very dramatic and made me feel 'exclusive'. I would say the Sushi was... Fine... And I ordered the best they had. Omakase...and then I also tried a cut roll as well as a $10.50 (4-piece spicy tuna cut roll...). Again I would say the Sushi is ....fine. ... Not sure that I would go back again on my own, but if people are looking for Sushi, it's probably OK. Generally speaking, the presentation was fantastic and the Sushi was... Decent enough. Ok -I'll even try it again with others... maybe that will help. read more

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I went for the first time today. This is a hidden gem right here in the city of Redlands. They prefer that you make a reservation as it is a higher end Omakase type sushi bar. The staff is all extremely friendly and has no problem explaining the menu to you upon arrival. Everything I tried today was so fresh and garnished to perfection. I had a salmon, skin hand roll, yellow tail hand roll, sweet shrimp with their deep fried heads and salmon nigiri. Everything was excellent. This is my new favorite sushi place in the Inland Empire. I will definitely be back time and time again to try out the Omakase and additional menu items. read more

Shokunin - Yellowtail hand roll the left salmon skin hand roll in the middle and salmon sushi on the right. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Redlands, California

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Delicious food excellent service jack made sure everything was to perfection with excellent customer service.

Great hospitality and ambiance. Tucked away in a cozy spot of the RPM. Got the omakase with Tony and got the best sushi experience in Redlands. read more

Shokunin - Sushi Bars Near Me - Redlands, California

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Amazing food and service. Location is exquisite 10/10 would recommend to a friend. Great ambiance and vibes this place is great

Speak easy sushi restaurant was very delicious. Be prepared to wait 30 minutes or more for your order. You can order on your phone or go down stairs to order. The staircase is extremely narrow and can only fit one person at a time. If you order upstairs, there is a doorbell to ring that is supposed to get the attention but they don't really answer it. You will likely have to go downstairs to get your order. The service staff does greet you on the way in, but it is very unorganized. They messed up our order and were extremely nonchalant about it, had us waiting there for very long all over again. Luckily, the yellowtail roll was delicious. If you are claustrophobic, this is not the place for you. But if you don't mind, have plenty of time to kill, you will love it! it is very romantic-like and quiet inside. We will probably come back! read more

Ambiance was beautiful, service was on point and tending to our needs and the food was on point. The location is nice having to walk down the winding staircase added to the experience read more

Ambiance is very intimate and quiet. very cute and perfect for a date night. I would recommend the shrimp crunch temaki, it was delicious! All the food was delightful and full of flavor. read more

Shokunin - Strawberry and apple soju. Squid and scallop sashimi. Shrimp crunch temaki, spicy salmon, spicy tuna, creamy shrimp temaki - Sushi Bars Near Me - Redlands, California

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Omakase is always a great experience; a good sushi chef will take you for a ride with a wide variety of great tasting fish while explaining the flavor. At this price point, you expect the whole experience to be something to remember. Unfortunately for Shokunin, this is not what was experienced. Though the walk down the stairs over the cherry blossom tree was nice, you are then not greeted by any one. The place has several people both customers and staff standing around waiting with no one approaching. All staff members seem to be listing to something in their apple bluetooth and barely acknowledged the customer. Though the place is new, it look dirty and seems trashed with ingredients and boxes piled all around. Though the food was of a good quality, this restaurant is not worth the price. read more

Shokunin - Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Redlands, California

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Great service, great vibe, great sushi, great everything! No complaints from me. will definitely be back read more

Shokunin - Sushi Bars Near Me - Redlands, California

As a regular at their Rancho Cucamonga location, had to try their new spot located in Redlands, CA. Very pleased with the experience & consistent per usual. Very intimate & believe is the closest you'll get to eating Japan quality fish without having to go to Japan. Highly recommended. read more

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Got a choice bento takeout box for $50. Had high expectations. However was disappointed. Rolls were cut haphazardly with what appeared to be a dull knife. Rolls uneven. Ragged edges. Different sizes. Presentation was mediocre. Fish in the rolls were not properly deboned. Almost choked on a bone For $50 this is not acceptable. Hopefully this is just growing pains of a new business. Will try giving them a chance again in the future. read more

Omakase Sushi offers a truly intimate dining experience. The fish selection is absolutely incredible easily some of the freshest and most amazing cuts I've had. Highly recommend for a top-tier sushi night! read more

Shokunin - Sushi Bars Near Me - Redlands, California

Holy crap! I've had sooooomuch sushi over my lifetime- but I realize now I've never actually had sushi. Tony taught us what sushi should be. We did the 13 course and split it between me and my boyfriend. We were full at the end but more than that we were sushi drunk. I don't think I can go anywhere else ever again read more

The service was amazing. All the employees are super friendly and helpful. The food is delicious. I highly recommend coming here it's a super cool atmosphere. read more

Best omakase you'll ever experience. Trust the chef's choices but also tell them exactly what you like and dislike about each piece you eat to get the ultimate tasting experience. They'll cater to your palette and introduce you to new flavors with every bite. This intimate sushi bar is the perfect date night or group dining experience. While they don't offer any cocktails, you are more than welcome to get drinks from the food hall and bring them with you. If not, they have a very expensive selection of Japanese whiskey and unique selection sake. The only regret you'll have coming here, if realizing you'll HAVE to come again. read more

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We love this place! Everything is so fresh! The fish is so fresh and the premium omakase is a great deal!

Finally some good sushi in the IE! So nice not having to drive to LA to get quality omakase anymore. Everything here is really delicious and the chefs are accommodating of allergies. Definitely a nice date night spot read more

Quality was very good and fresh! Server was very attentive and checked up on us often! This place is perfect for a relaxing meal with friends! read more

Shokunin - Sushi Bars Near Me - Redlands, California

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Food was good and the ambience was really nice! Our server was great and very friendly! read more

Shokunin - Sushi Bars Near Me - Redlands, California

great variety of fresh fish. quick with service. ambiance is relaxed and nicely decorated for the holidays read more

Shokunin - Mysterious Handroll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Redlands, California

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Great sushi, ingredients straight from Japan, probably the best omakase you could get in the area. always glad to return and enjoy fresh high quality sushi! read more

First of all if you have any type of mobility issue don't bother to go. There is a narrow spiral staircase to get into the restaurant. There are high barstools around the center where the sushi is prepared which looked pretty cool, if not a bit chaotic. We were brought water in plastic cups which was not very impressive knowing the cost of the meal. Hubby ordered the deluxe Omakase which was very good. Each piece was presented as a unique experience. He sat there a while before he got his first piece. After the first piece the rest were staggered out pretty far apart. The server indicated there would be some sashimi included which he did not see. I ordered the 8 piece nigiri which was good, a bit on the tiny side and a unagi cut roll, each of the 4 pieces was about the size of a nickel. I am not a big eater but was still hungry. The people around us had giant rolls and even took home leftovers. Not sure what the issue was with that! After spending $150 only on food and no drinks hubby was also still a bit hungry! We honestly didn't know if we just ordered the wrong thing or what! Uncertain if we will return. read more

13 piece chefs choice! an assortment of yummy fresh fish. blasts of flavor and texture. A delightful experience. 10/10. Very kind chef. Would recommend!! read more

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This was definitely a mixed experience in terms of the good and bad. My wife and I ordered the 13 course sushi omakase for $85 (per person) which is completely up to the chef's choice on what to serve. Didn't realize that each course is basically 1 piece (nigiri sushi does not come in set pairs like your typical sushi restaurant. And the last course is a serving of cold buckwheat noodles with dipping sauce (which was a bit too strong and needed to be diluted compared to how it is traditionally served in Japan, and yes I'm Japanese). So this omakase dinner only serves essentially 12 pieces of sushi which comes out to about $7 PER PIECE. This is very expensive, HOWEVER, I must say that each piece was DELICIOUS, unique and very high quality in freshness, cut and balance. Each piece was very well thought out using non traditional garnishes and toppings that you don't normally see at your typical sushi restaurant such as FRESH ground wasabi root (instead of cheap powder based wasabi paste you eat everywhere else), shiso leaf (Japanese mint), plum paste, truffle oil, lemon pepper, yuzu miso, caviar and even maple wood smoke (they smoked it right in front of us using a glass dome which is pure gold for social media posts if you're into that sorta thing). There were some cuts of fish I don't recall ever having before like bluefin tuna and salmon belly (both like melted butter, oh so tender and very tasty), amberjack and sea bream. It should also be noted that each nigiri piece (there was only 1 sashimi course) came with loosely packed rice already flavored with a VERY subtle sauce (think Sugarfish) that was perfectly balanced and therefore it was apparent that you are NOT supposed to use soy sauce with the omakase servings. Just about every single piece of sushi was to die for. HOWEVER, we also ordered a couple of cut rolls since we knew the omakase was not going to be enough food. One was a salmon skin roll and the other was a spicy garlic crab roll and... they were NOT good. Like AT ALL. In fact, I'd honestly rather have Stater Bros sushi compared to that. Now that is saying something for a Japanese bro who loves sushi. The rice ingredient is so so important as a basis for decent sushi and it was clearly not the same rice as the omakase menu. I couldn't even taste rice vinegar in the rice which is bare bones basics for making sushi rice. For the salmon skin roll, there was actually no salmon skin in the roll but they just sprinkled some deep fried salmon pieces on top. WTH?!?! I couldn't believe my eyes. It not only looked bad, it had no flavor because the salmon skin pieces were basically tasteless and was hugely disappointing, especially because the omakase servings were SO good. Now on to the service. Knowing that we were going to be paying good money for dinner, I was expecting service to be great. Service wasn't bad especially in terms of speed, in fact the food starting coming right away. The chef (there's only bar seating) brought us the first dish and blurted out what it was "This is bluefin tuna with fresh ground wasabi" and walked away. And as soon as we ate, he brought the next thing and just blurted out what it was and walked away and it was basically like this the whole time. The service was actually too fast which I don't think is a sentence I've ever said before. There's nothing technically wrong with fast service of course and I know he has other customers to serve, but paying this much ($170 for two BEFORE drinks, sides, additional sushi, taxes and tip [our total bill came out to $260 with a 15% tip]) I was expecting more of an EXPERIENCE where the chef explains not only what is being served but maybe (at least) a brief explanation as to why such and such topping or garnish was used with this particular fish, etc. But nothing of the sort. If we didn't take our time and order drinks and other dishes, etc, we could've been out of there in about 30-40 min. After all it doesn't take long to eat 12 pieces of sushi and a sampling of buckwheat noodles. In conclusion, the omakase sushi is some of the best tasting sushi I've ever had while 2 of their regular menu dishes are some of the worst I've ever had. Lol. Overall, the dining experience I was expecting for the price was not delivered. Maybe I'm just cheap, but I think the value simply wasn't there especially since we still had to spend extra to order more food to be satisfied. BUT if you happen to have diarrhea of cash spilling out of your a$$ uncontrollably then I highly recommend getting the 13 course omakase and nothing else. read more

Shokunin - Bluefin tuna belly with fresh ground wasabi and caviar. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Redlands, California

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It definitely looks better on Instagram. We ordered the premium omakase and were disappointed. 1 star for the food, 1 for the ambience would give this place a 2 star rating but since the service was decent I'm giving it 3. However, if I based the rating on how it looks on IG vs what it is in reality I'd probably give it 1 star since 0 isn't an option. read more

My girlfriend and I absolutely loved this place. All of the staff were friendly and Tony made us feel very comfortable for our first ever omakase experience. His selection of cuts were all delicious. Easily the best sushi we've ever had. read more

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Amazing sushi, feels like i am in japan. My new name is going to takumi fujiwara after coming here.

Ordered the premium omakase course and had Vu as my chef. He did a great job letting us know which fish is which and asked us our preferences for some of the pieces before he served it to us. The fish was very tasty and nicely presented. The interior of this place is very pleasing to the eye and nothing too flashy, overall pretty relaxing ambiance (there wasn't that much people when we went). read more

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Fresh fish creatively presented. Service is excellent and the owners are super nice. Two Omakase flights to choose from or a la carte. So glad they opened a 2nd location in Redlands cause we have zero premium sushi out here. Perhaps the menu could offer more fish variety & some Izakaya plates. Highly recommend read more

I'm going to give it a 3 for now. Sushi is really fresh and good for the most part. I'm really excited they have this in Redlands. Nothing compares. I'm originally from LA and have been to Japan too. However, they do seem a bit overwhelmed and unorganized. They probably need more help and organization. I anticipate this place getting a lot busier because there's nothing like it around here. So please try to make reservations if you're planning to dine in. We had the premium omakase and loved it. I wish them success and hopefully more patience from new patrons. read more

Amazing speakeasy omakase spot in Redlands Public Market. A fun find down the stairs and through a hidden sliding door. Its got everything to love about the perfect dining experience: food is great, atmosphere is great, chefs and staff are great, and the concept overall is well thought out. What is also a plus is that you do not have to do omakase if you do not want to. They have a variety of a la carte options but I highly recommend the omakase course. Each item is carefully crafted to really bring out the various flavors you never thought sushi had to offer. Definitely a place to become a regular without hesitation! read more

Great service, fish was fresh and delicious. The stairs are kinda weird. Not accessible at all.

Bring some lube for your terrible service and the bill at the end for absolutely mediocre everything... stick to your local tried and true.. not worth it at all... read more

Service was friendly and the hand rolls were really satisfying. Salmon was delicious. read more

Shokunin - Sushi Bars Near Me - Redlands, California

Shokunin is by far one of the best sushi restaurants i have been to. They bring a modern twist to a traditional omakase experience. The fish is always fresh and the service is more than attentive. They also have an a la carte option if you opt out for the omakase, but i would highly recommend going with the omakase experience. read more

Good Sushi but pricier than most other sushi spots in town. Ordering takeout is a complete mess. On three separate occasions now including times the restaurant was nearly empty, I have gone down after the estimated time to pick up my order just for them to say "oh its almost done." when they clearly have not started on my order yet. I would recommend going to the rancho location since it would probably still be faster than going here. read more

Naw dude. This sushi ain't it. Not fresh. Two orders of sashimi, a simple tuna roll, and 60$ dollars later, I could've had a better time at my tride an true local sushi place where I can trust the quality of the fish. Took forever to get that small amount of food ready. The ambiance was a facade for bad sushi. Try anything else at the public market. read more

Don't waste your time or money on this location. They have disgusting rolls, inadequate service, never again.

I shared this on their Rancho Cucamonga page. My wife and I recently tried this location at the Redlands food lab. It's hidden away a bit in the lower level, and like a treasure it is worth the effort to find it. I really loved how it's quieter compared to the rest of the food lab on that lower level. The service was excellent, the owner is super nice and he and his chefs are very talented and knowledgeable. The food is top tier. Some of the best tasting sushi I have ever had. We really enjoyed our experience and will be going back many times. You should definitely get a reservation before hand, we got lucky and tried them early on but I expect they will be very busy now. read more