Unequivocally the best sushi in the Santa Barbara area. Every time I walk into Sun it feels like I entered a warm family home because of the amazing staff and ambiance. There is an older gentleman who serves us with such care that I can't speak highly enough of him. The fish is excellent (especially the 6-step salmon) and the price is extremely fair. Sun has been such a great experience thus far that my girlfriend and I now go weekly no matter what. If you value the art of a meal, I implore you to come here and experience a master class. read more

Three of had a wonderful experience here a few nights ago. We made a reservation and only waited a few minutes to be seated We ordered a wonderful bottle of sake. We also ordered soft she'll crabs(delicious) a wonderfully prepared plate of sushi, including eel and unagi with quail eggs Many other wonderful dishes. Our was knowledgeable and suggested some excellent items. We left not full but satisfied and very pleased with this establishment. read more

Sun roll 3/5 Rainbow roll 4/5 tuna roll 4/5 The rolls are fresh with the fish. The rice is too soggy. Price was normal. Service was good (profession). read more

Sun Sushi - Tuna roll and rainbow roll - Japanese Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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We were craving sushi on our drive down to Ventura, and found Sun Sushi on Yelp. I called ahead to ask if they were busy and was quoted a 30 minute wait. However, the hostess let me put my name down over the phone, which was helpful. We were seated pretty quickly when we arrived, and the interior looked like your standard sushi restaurant - casual ambiance, minimal decor. They were packed on a Friday evening! I started with a Miso Soup (good, as expected) and the State Street Roll. The roll only had 6 pieces, but they were larger than average. It was tasty, but not particularly memorable. My partner chose the Albacore Del Roll and Crunch Roll, which were also just solid. We were still hungry after this and decided to try the 6 Step Salmon. This was a little pricey, but our favorite item! It was cool trying salmon nigiri prepared in 6 different ways, and the fish was very fresh. Service was quick and friendly! read more

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First off, the staff was very friendly and always had a smile. The service was a little all over the place but not bad. We got some of the entrees before the appetizers and some rolls came out very late but overall not bad. I had the nigiri 10 piece sushi and it was delicious. Fresh fish and good ration of rice to fish but I will say that the pieces were a little smaller than i'm used to. This was part of the reason for my 4 star vs 5 star. At this price you definitely want a bit more and a tad more flavor. I know several places that are as good for half the price, that's the only reason i can't give it a 5 but still very good quality! Side note, they did give me toro and uni which both on their own are pricey so I do recognize this. The jalapeno popper were really good and a different take on the classic, with tuna inside instead of bacon wrapped. Really surprised and enjoyed. Overall I had a lovely time here and would recommend people stop by and try the delicious food but be prepared to pay SB prices. A little small but never felt like the space was tight and the people were very acommodating and kind. read more

Sun Sushi - sushi combo - Japanese Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Honestly my favorite sushi in sb! My reservation always goes smooth with no wait and a very friendly staff.

They forgot basically a third of what we ordered--beers, miso soup, and a sushi roll. Small portions for the price (coming from someone who just moved from Santa Monica). Pretty bland flavors and super basic. Recent transplant to SB and will continue the hunt for a sushi spot since this was not it. Highlight was the spicy tuna on crispy rice--which is nearly impossible to mess up--so at least there was that. read more

my girlfriend and i came in for dinner around 7:30pm on a saturday, busy night so we waited for about 25 minutes before getting a table we got the gyoza, orion beer, red dragon, salmon delight, and spicy scallop roll gyoza: perfectly crispy on the outside(all sides) , filling was some vegetable and pork? loved the vinegar soy sauce served, would get again 100% again. 10/10 red dragon: crispy tempura adds a nice texture to the roll, sauce is savory and a bit sweet and pairs extremely well with the tuna, 9/10 salmon delight good salmon and jalapeno added a nice crunch to the bite, avacado is appreciated but i think there is TOO much fattiness along with the fatty salmon, overall everything tasted very similar and there was no distinguishing the different components 7/10 scallop roll: very simple and as expected, scallops are plump and pairs nice with the spicy mayo sauce: 8/10 service was attentive and they constantly cleared plates and checked on us, also gave us a great beer recommendation to share read more

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Got here on a Tuesday at about 6 and it was already packed! Glad we made a ressie, so we were seated right away. I kinda like sitting at the sushi bar so we can order and get our food faster. It was delicious! Started with some miso soup and Japanese salad (or as they call it in Japan, just "salad"), which was part of my 6-Step-Salmon order coming later. Since it's fairly cold up here in early December (up here for our 1st wedding anniversary), some hot miso was so perfect. The 6 step salmon is an impressive dish. 3 types of salmon made for subtle differences in flavor. A bit of sushi rice on one of the steps ties it up nicely. Then came the next 3 rolls, State Street, scallop, and crispy rice spicy tuna. All were excellent, especially the State Street and crispy rice spicy tuna. My wife thought the scallop roll had too much mayo, but I liked it. Raw scallops, on their own, have a bit of sweetness to them anyway. Our chef in front of us recommended a good, easy Japanese beer called Orion, which paired well with the food. Nice and easy, low alcohol content at 5%, and it was a big 22 oz bottle, so 2 pints worth. Good with the spicy tuna We were still a bit hungry and had to finish the rest of the beer, so we ordered another roll, the Red Dragon roll. I think this one might have been my favorite Ok that's it for the review. Now time to do my wife. lol read more

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Not the neatest rolls, but it was a busy Christmas Eve, and we got take-out. The local uni is well worth trying. It was among the most creamy and sweet we have ever sampled. The salmon skin hand rolls are also great for a satisfying crunch. read more

Went to Sun Sushi for my sister-in-law's birthday dinner. Arrived at opening time. Restaurant was full when we finished. Others around the restaurant seemed to enjoy it more than I did. Portions were smaller than expected. Miso soup wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. Service was ok. I'll agree to try it again in the future to see if this was just a bit of an off night. read more

This is hands down my favorite casual sushi spot in Santa Barbara. I love coming to the restaurant but it's also a great place to grab takeout too. I always start with the crispy tuna rice! I also love the Crunch Roll and the Salmon 6 Step (six pieces of salmon nigiri, each with a different topping or flavor). It's super fun to try them all and they're always fresh. The lemon pepper salmon nigiri is another favorite - simple but so good. I also usually get the Dragon Roll or Red Dragon Roll, depending on what I'm in the mood for, and both are super tasty. Their unagi bowl is also amazing! If you're looking for quality sushi in a chill setting, this place is it. read more

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Tasted fresh, good service, and great vibe. I got the baked scallop roll, it was delicious. My boyfriend got another roll i forgot the name of. Both were really good! We shared a rainbow roll as well. Would recommend, great taste and great price point as well not expensive SB sushi! read more

Sun Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Food was fresh and delicious. Loved the bento box. Service was fantastic. Restaurant not fancy but worth it.

I got the yellowtail delight roll and my boyfriend got the sun roll. I can easily say the fish tasted fresh and high quality! We also got the shishito pepper tempura which was really yummy! The only downside is that the food portions are quite small for the price. The ambience of the place is very nice as a date spot or a night out with friends. The service was also great as the workers were constantly making sure we had everything we needed :) read more

Sun Sushi - Yellowtail Delight Roll, Sun Roll, and Shishito Pepper Tempura - Japanese Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

We came here for a 24 hour stay for my son's 12th birthday. He loves sushi, so we found this casual spot. We were seated in a spot near the window which was nice for a family. The food was very good! The service was friendly. Parking was a bit challenging but worth the wait. Good price and value. read more

I saw a cockroach run across under the table. This had been a favorite for years, but a cockroach? Need more?

Delicious sushi and excellent service! I've been coming here for years. The workers are always so friendy and kind. The sushi fish is fresh and delicious. Highly recommend!!! read more

You can't go wrong with super super fresh high quality fish amazing sauces and fast service.

Great experience with food and service, had sashimi, sushi and rolls all were excellent read more

Sun Sushi - Great dinner plate guess what? - Japanese Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Solid sushi place with unique rolls! Always have had a good experience here but the place is quite small and can fill up fast, be prepared to wait if coming during dinner hours. It's a lot of my friends favorite sushi spots in SB! The tempura jalapeño poppers are a must get, they are bomb read more

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Delicious fresh sushi. Service was very good. Only issue was I went in as party of one and they repeatedly sat couples coming in at a table for 2, and even at the bar as I sat waiting. Had to ask two separate hosts status on my seating. Hostess need to do better. read more

We love this little hole in the wall. We always sit at the sushi bar so we can chat with the chef and get his recommendations. The sushi quality of great, especially for how affordable this joint is. The service is superb!!! read more

We thought that this was overall a really good place for sushi. We tend to stay away from the 'saucy' rolls and stick to the traditional stuff. For us, it's all about the fish. This place did not disappoint. We rarely make a big deal about salmon, but Sun Sushi had really fresh Salmon. You can just taste that it was really high grade. Another order we had on repeat was the yellow tail. We also tried their Uni and that was also very good. Their service was also excellent. We are looking forward to our next visit to Santa Barbara and Sun Sushi! read more

We came on a Friday evening around 6pm and the place was packed but luckily we got one of the last tables for 2. The girl at the front greeted us and got us seated right away. The vibe was casual and welcoming- it was lively with a full house but doesn't feel too packed. The menu was extensive, you have rolls plus sushi for those that like to stick to more traditional pieces. For our table we got the unique 6 steps salmon which is 6 pieces of salmon sushi done 6 ways -it comes with miso soup and salad. Additionally we got the toro sushi, sweet shrimp sushi which also came with the fried shrimp head, a spicy tuna handroll and a bottle of sake to sip on throughout the menu. The food was good! Fish was fresh and met our needs. I will recommend this sushi for those who find themselves craving sushi in the Santa Barbara area :) Tip: check out the board by the chefs station for their specials of the day Lastly, parking can be challenging so if the lot is full try, to find street parking on the block at the end of the lot. read more

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Hidden gem - looks unassuming but don't be fooled as it's top class sushi served by experts. Seek it out.

While we were visiting SB , we stopped by and we were impressed walking in. We had a 15min wait and as soon as we were sitted our waitress came by and ready to serve. Nice atmosphere and food was very good! I tried a new drink that I fell in love with! read more

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Solid sashimi, good rolls, good service, family vibes! Not the greatest parking but if you're lookin to get away from downtown, Sun will do the job happily! read more

Sun sushi is one of my favorite sushi spots in the area. The ambiance is very casual and the service is amazing. Everyone on the staff is very attentive and our food came out so fast after we ordered The food itself is so good. The fish is super fresh and for this price it would be hard to find fish that is this good. read more

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Sushi is amazing, the fish is fresh. I really enjoyed their miso soup as well. The staff is incredibly friendly and attentive. We ate at the restaurant and it was clean. The tables are very close to each other and we were sat next to extremely loud table so it sucked for a bit but once they got their food they really quieted down. Overall, great experience and food. read more

This was our first stop in Santa Barbara and it was a great experience. We were indecisive with some of our order so the staff gave us some good recommendations. Also threw in a free miso soup so that was nice. Sushi presentation 10/10 Sushi quality freshness 9/10 Service quality 10/10 Ambiance 8.5/10 Below are the items we ordered. read more

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sushi was ok though I would not go back. The service was fine The chicken dinner was not good. I remember it being much better read more

Got there as it opened. Prompt service. Good ambiance. Chicken karaage pieces were so small but good. Side order of rice was small as well. My son enjoyed his sushi. Will have to go back to determine my full rating. I always give a business a second try. read more

I genuinely think that they have the best salmon in Santa Barbara. Service is so good. Atmosphere is amazing! It's my favourite sushi spot here! read more

Sun Sushi - incredible presentation of salmon set and uni (+ salad and miso soup) - Japanese Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

A delicious, casual spot for sushi in the Santa Barbara area -- they were able to accomodate our party of 13 on Christmas Eve for dinner at really short notice, which I'm so appreciative of. All of the servers were kind and attentive, and the food didn't take too long despite being a large order. Everything was SO. GOOD. but my favorites were the Shishito Pepper Tempura and Red Dragon Roll. The Sun Roll was also really unique, and I wish I could come back to try the Lobster Tempura one too. We had a great experience here with everything from the service to the food, would recommend! read more

Sun Sushi - Red Dragon Roll - Japanese Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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the staff was super attentive and careful. the food came really quickly and it was fresh. i really enjoined the caterpillar roll, all the ingredients tasted fresh. my bf really liked the crunch roll. i would definitely recommend to others. i would definitely come back. and support small businesses like this one! read more

Sun Sushi - gyoza - Japanese Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Incredibly sushi joint! We were so satisfied with how fresh the sushi was. If you are in Santa Barbara this is definitely the go to spot for sushi read more

Sun Sushi - California Roll - Japanese Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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AMAZING especially if you want hot food in an air conditioned place to enjoy your sushi dinner. Reasonably priced if not a DEAL for the quality you will receive in quality food & service. Everything was exceptional. Flash fried Tempura lightly battered, Fresh cold Hamachi Sashini! Their rolls are delicious pack with fresh fish not overdone with thick rice! read more

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(Overall: 87% | B) - Overall, I found Sun Sushi to have pretty reasonable sushi options that are on the more affordable side for Santa Barbara standards. The place is very crowded so be sure to make a reservation in advance. The service and atmosphere is fine, and the food quality is fine too, but there are areas of improvement that could be made, but seems reasonable given the price tradeoff compared to other options like Oku. (Omakase: 90% | A) - The omakase runs for $65 at Sun Sushi and comes with 10 pieces + 1 bonus. This is a reasonable price for Santa Barbara and comes with a good variety of fish including uni, scallop, and yellowtail belly. I found the toro to be kind of broken based off hows its cut, and less enjoyable, but all the other fish is fantastic! I do wish I was given an explanation of the fish as well as the flavor pairings. (Uni: 92.5% | A) - I love the ini this time of year. Its large, fresh, and creamy! Simple and elegant. (Chicken Karaage: 92.5% | A) - The chicken is crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The spice works great with the sriracha mayo as a creamy balancing dip. (Salmon Kama: 75% | C) - This is a large piece of fried salmon cheek for only $7 which is a great deal in terms of quantity. However, fried fish does not work with a warm soy sauce and lemon.. although I'm not exactly sure what would be a better pairing. The palette is searching for something to soothe the friedness but nothing is ever found. (Salmon Six Step: 92.5% | A) - The lower steps are uninteresting because I think the salmon might be the ocean trout or a leaner variation which makes it less rich without some additional flavor pairing. The higher steps add some interesting notions of charred flavor which adds textural plays. The salmon belly is also interesting due to the natural marbling and fattiness that carries its own! (Ikura: 60% | D) - Unfortunately, this was way oversalted and that is the only note of flavor I'm tasting. The salmon roe is hopefully fresh otherwise. (Salmon Belly: 85% | B) - I love the extra fattiness of the belly and a $1 upcharge to the regular order of salmon is well worth. The seaweed is an interesting pairing, but I think there is more room to improve the presentational and flavoral pairing of the fish. (Tuna Six Step: 97.5% | A) - This tuna set is fairly priced under $40 and already comes preseasoned with wasabi and other flavors that make it very well prepared. While the albacore step was completely overshadowed, the bluefin tuna is very tender and fatty. The scorched version adds great texture and the toro melts in my mouth! I also like the cut roll that is paired with some type of pickle jam. (Lobster Roll: 80% | B) - This roll follows the yellowtail roll in that the primary taste is spice with both sriracha and sriracha mayo. The roll tastes fine as an elevated shrimp tempura but is bewildered by strange presentational choices like spy paper that actually detract from the look the roll. Further, I don't think this is a good way to highlight the beauty of a lobster. (Red Dragon Roll: 95% | A) - This roll combines a good mixture of flavors of spicy mayo and a sweet unagi sauce to provide a nice complement to the spicy tuna and california roll. (Yellowtail Delight Roll: 87.5% | B) - The selection of ingredients in this roll is really nice as I find the yellowtail from sum sushi more buttery than other places, which pairs even more well with the creamy spicy mayo. This roll is quite delightful in flavor overall, though it perhaps leans into the spice component too much as its jalapeno on spicy mayo on spicy yellowtail when other tastes can help create a better balance. (Rainbow Roll: 90% | A) - This is a nice and beautiful rainbow colored assortment of fresh sushi on top and a california roll on the bottom. Its a simple roll that glistens but leaves room for presentational or textural improvements. (Tempura Ice Cream: 95% | A) - We tried both the green tea and black sesame variations and this dessert is definitely always the highlight of the meal. I love the crispiness on the outside and the tenderness on the inside. Black sesame is a flavor that's very hard to find for ice cream these days, so it was great to see that on the menu. On the other hand, the green tea ice cream I found to provide a more interesting flavoral contrast. Birthday Ice Cream - this depends on the server, but I heard past experiences provided tempura ice cream! During the two birthdays we celebrated recently, we got regular ice cream once and mochi ice cream another time. Still very kind of them to give a sweet treat to end off a celebratory meal. read more

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Fantastic food and excellent service. Go early because it gets crowded if you wait too long. Loved the State Street roll.