I come here for the lunch special: small salad, miso soup, soda, choice of 6 rolls (crunchy, California or one other option) and choice of rice bowl with like chicken, beef, tempura, etc. (they have 10 different bowl options in total I think). The lunch special is only $11 after tax and it's super reasonable (I usually split the meal with someone). The chicken katsu and the gyoza are my usually choices for the rice-meat bowl that they serve with the lunch special. Quality here wavers, some days its better than others and I wish I could rate Sushiya 3.5 overall. But you get what you pay for; most rolls cost between $9 and $13. They also offer mochi as dessert (at a dollar each; which is ridiculous). But yea, lunch special great! Everything else, meh. read more

Sushiya Express - Salmon roll $5.99 (two already eaten) - Japanese Near Me - Goleta, California

Been going to Sushiya for a while. It's one of the best quality food you will get in Isla Vista. The best sushi place in great Goleta area!

I have to say this is awesome even though it's not like the rolls I had in Asia. Never expected the fillings to be so creamy. I'll definitely order it again. read more

Sushiya Express - Spicy Baked Salmon Roll - Japanese Near Me - Goleta, California

This is my favorite restaurant in Isla Vista. I've been coming here since 2018. My favorite dish is the miso ramen. Pure comfort food. Their udon, kimchi fried rice, and sushi rolls are also great. Not only is the food great, but the sisters who work there, Kate and Leeanne (not sure how it's spelled, sorry!), are super nice! After eating there and also ordering takeout a handful of times, they started remembering my name and what my favorite orders were :) . A lovely neighborhood restaurant! read more

I got the teriyaki salmon plate for dinner. Comes w/ salad and white rice. The food was alright, although the teriyaki sauce was somewhat salty. Nothing too special. I have yet to try the sushi or ramen. read more

Sushiya Express - Teriyaki Salmon Plate - Japanese Near Me - Goleta, California

My friends and I ordered the budaejjigae, rainbow roll, baked salmon roll, and donkatsu. The food was all pretty good. I personally ordered the sushi and the baled salmon roll was really heavy on the sauce. It was yummy though. The rainbow roll came garnered with red onion shavings and made the rolls taste fresh. Each roll came with a miso soup too. 2 rolls were ~$30. The budaejjigae tasted like kimchi jjigae (kind of sour if you're unfamiliar with kimchi) but decent. The meats in it balance it out. Only downside was the price for the size. Definitely can fill one person but a bowl was ~$23. The katsu came with a side of rice, greens and the sauce. All these satisfied my craving for Asian food! read more

The food is decent, they have a wide variety so you can always find something that you want. The price isn't too bad I definitely get full off the special rolls. You can get sushi better somewhere else, it is IV and you should go downtown SB to get more quality sushi. The service is kind of slow sometimes and if you order over the fone, I would make sure you specify what you want. They have japanese dumplings that are pretty good. I love the miso soup and you can't go wrong w/ that. They have a fried chicken or something I forget the name but it's gross! They have good edamame. The tiger roll and the tempura isn't bad either. The location of the place is great though, smack in the middle. Parking can suck only because the lot is so small but there is plenty other places around. Just never park there if you do not plan on going to any of the places around. One guy was going to give me a ticket because I used their parking. Might I add the lot was completely empty! The guys' from dominos are on a power trip. I mean come on it's IV no one cares about anything...unlike these guys'. read more

I came in during Del Topia with my boyfriend and it was a great decision! The food is so home-y and it feels like a meal with your family. Also, the cashier was so sweet and patient dealing with kids with such bad manners. Would definitely come back again. Thanks for the yummy meal :-) read more

Not really as bad as people say. I come here a lot because it somewhat satisfies my constant cravings for Japanese food without having to commute all the way to state street or goleta. While the place does seem a little sketchy, the rolls are pretty solid. The hungry roll is huge (and not to mention deep fried). It's good, unique, and filling and comes with miso soup (so yummy) and salad! The kiss dragon roll was pretty good as well. I tried the sashimi dinner plate today and it was a little sketch. Only the salmon and tuna tasted legit while the other fish didn't taste as fresh. I don't think this is the best place to come for raw fish (or ramen for that matter; the ramen is basically ramen noodles placed in a generic udon broth). Order the chicken katsu plate or sesame chicken but keep in mind that the portions aren't exactly worth the price you pay in terms of the entrees and sashimi. However, if you are looking for a decent Japanese place, come here for the specialty rolls! Their lunch happy hour is a pretty good deal too, so check that out. The only thing is that some of the dishes are way too expensive for the quantity they give. Other than that, I'd come back for the rolls! read more

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Pretty mid. If you're visiting iv you should probably go somewhere else. Yeah it's sushi but it's not very good. Fish was like the definition of mid. Service was cool and everyone seems chill but like it doesn't make up for it. We got tempura california and tuna rolls so maybe other stuff is good but i doubt. read more

delicious and fresh sushi! we also loved the katsu curry, and the beef soft tofu soup! I have been looking for a place with soft tofu and this place did a great job!! read more

Sushiya Express - Sushiya roll - Japanese Near Me - Goleta, California

Really Good Sushi! Best sushi in IV! The lobster roll is WAY better than the lobster roll at Edomasa. Is a bit pricy for IV and also an fast food place. No waiter, just a cashier that calls your number and you go up to the counter to pick up your order. The udon is decent, decent amount of noodles. They have some Asian drinks you can buy. There is also like 2 Korean dishes you can order. read more

Would have been a 4 star rating EXCEPT the cashier "forgot" to give our order ticket to the chefs in the back. We waited 20+ minutes for our 2 order of sushi as we watched numerous customers get their orders even though the ordered after us. (however, we were comped 2 free fountain drinks but i only drink water so it didn't matter!) With that said, the sushi was pretty good! We had the Dragon roll combination which was a HUGE roll with these weird fishy flakes on top (which i didn't like that much). There was plenty of avocado and eel in each bite. Warning: it's kinda hard to eat because of the size and may get a little messy. Our other dish was the California and Spicy Tuna roll combination plate. You get a TON of sushi (8 pieces of each) and the presentation is pretty cool. Overall, a pretty good sushi experience for an 'express' restaurant. read more

Sushiya Express - Sushi combo #1 - cali roll and spicy tuna roll. - Japanese Near Me - Goleta, California

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Ordered a spider roll today and the staff was really nice and the wait wasnt too long so I'll give them 2 stars, however the portion sizes are ATROCIOUS. how are you going to charge customers $14 for a roll with only 5 (edible) pieces?? the end pieces were so large they fell apart when I tried to pick them up with my chopsticks :/ Really unfortunate since it seems to be the only sushi place in my area read more

DO NOT ORDER BIBIMBAP ! ! ! SUCKS! ! ! It's the most ever bad bibimbap I had I will never order it again and tell others don't order as well read more

Sushiya Express - BIBIMBAP - Japanese Near Me - Goleta, California

I have mixed emotions about Sushiya. The food itself tastes fine. Nothing special, but definitely satisfies the sushi craving. You get a ton of food for your money also which is great. The only thing I'm iffy about is how fresh the fish actually is, and I notice that most of their rolls are spicy crab or spicy tuna instead of the fresh kind. Regardless I still go to Sushiya and I recommend it unless you're a sushi-snob (I can be at times) and want great quality fresh sushi. For everyone else, I say Yaaa to Sushiya! read more

Sushiya Express - The Red Dragon Roll. Ballerina Roll in the background - Japanese Near Me - Goleta, California

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This review is more for the experience than anything else. I was having a pretty bad day and was craving some inari sushi, something that I had really liked when I was younger but I wasn't sure if they had any. It was also my first time checking out sushiya, I had heard alot about how it wasn't good from a bunch of people, but seeing as it was the only sushi place around that might have inari sushi, I thought, why not? I walked in to where the lady was speaking with customers in what sounded like a mix of Japanese and Korean (I also noted that they offered a bunch of Korean dishes as well - to be tried next time), but I didn't want to interrupt so I just stood near the entrance and tried to see whether or not it was on the menu. She noticed me standing there after a little bit and immediately went to the cash register to help, so I asked if they had any of that sweetly savory goodness and she said "of course!". The price was a little more than what I expected, but... it was a bad day, so I decided on getting them for the price of 4.50 for 2 pieces. As she charged me for them she asked me how my day was going, of course I answered "good"; standard etiquette I presumed. Then after a short pause she asked me if school was going okay, I blustered a little saying "yeah it was going fine" with a slight nervous laugh. I could tell she noticed I was a little caught off guard, she gave me a sympathetic smile and nodded. After the exchange I went to sit at one of the high tables with stools to wait for my order, which after a 5 min wait, came. I left sushiya, thanking the lady. A few steps out I opened the to-go box, inside were the two inari sushi, some pickled ginger and a pearl of wasabi. But it was perhaps the best inari sushi I've had, they had added seaweed salad inside the fried marinated tofu skin wrapping the sushi rice, giving the sushi an entirely new texture sensation, accentuated umami and sweetness, as well as temperature contrast with the warmth of the rice. Add a few slices of the pickled ginger and there was a slight heat to the entire mouthful, enhancing the overall taste. But apart from how good the sushi was, I was most thankful for the lady's kindness and concern. It's not every day where someone you literally just met would go beyond social expectations and try to extend some care to a complete stranger. I know that inari sushi isn't exactly the most expensive sushi they have, as well as the fact that I didn't have any of their fish, but regardless, I'm hoping you all would give sushiya a second chance despite what your friends might be saying or the reviews here are saying. If not for stellar food (where can you even find that in IV?), Then how about for the experience and good service? For me, I know I'll be going back to try out the other items on the menu and to thank her for her kindness. read more

Just don't. Miso is okay but how can you go wrong there?? Sashimi is stomachable, the rest is comparable to your local Seven Eleven.

I really enjoy the sushi here. The quality of the fish is surprisingly good for Isla Vista. Yes, it is expensive, but actually I find that it is very reasonably priced compared to many sushi places that I have gone to in the past. I prefer to keep it simple with the rainbow roll or Hawaiian roll. I have also tried the 'army stew,' which I must say was absolutely delicious. Each roll comes with free miso soup which is lovely. I did choke on a fish bone during my last outing, but I suppose that is my fault and not theirs. read more

Service was great and the sushi came with miso soup. The salmon tempura roll came with fried salmon it was so good!!

Pretty good sushi imo. But the prices are very high. I know sushi is almost always pricey, but this was pricey pricey. Decent customer service, relatively long wait times. As good as can be expected for a sushi place in IV. read more

We tried the poke and sashimi and rolls including dragon roll and rainbow roll, and everything was all super good! The sushi tasted so fresh and the service was so fantastic. Price was more than fair as well Highly recommend if you're in the area and craving sushi. read more

Had salmon skin salad and yellowtail roll for a quick dinner and it was not bad. Fresh salad came with a lot of crispy plaster salmon skins, and I was glad to find that the yellowtail roll had some thin green onions inside which was a traditional condiment to pair with yellowtail, even though the menu didn't mention this. Nice touch! read more

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They take about 20 mins to prepare two rolls. I have waited several long times for simple rolls. Not even something that needs to get fried. Sad this is the only sushi spot in IV. read more

3 1/2 stars for this place. PROS: they really stepped it up after they changed ownership in terms of menu variety, cleanliness and decorations, customer service, and overall look and atmosphere. They added a bunch of korean food ideas to the menu, which all sound really good. I decided to get the beef tofu soup with rice, which was pretty good! I would say it's one of the only more authentic ones in Santa Barbara area. The customer service was really good. I talked to the cashier who was the daughter of what seemed like the owner. She told me, "the korean food here is really good because my mom cooks all of it herself". That gave a little plus points for this review because it's family owned and they were all very friendly. I would definitely come back for more Korean food. :) CONS: I ordered a rainbow roll another time because the place is called "Sushiya" so it should be known for sushi. However, I do not like the roll at all. The fish wasn't very fresh and had a weird texture. I didn't think anything of it, so I ate it anyway, BUT later in the day I started feeling really sick and nauseous. I didn't really eat anything else after that roll so I'm thinking it was the sushi. My friend ordered the salmon tempura roll and he said it was pretty good. However, he started feeling sick after too. OVERALL, I would say the korean food here is pretty good! I will come back to try more. As for the sushi, I wouldn't really recommend it. They should change the name and call it a Korean restaurant, maybe it would attract more customers because they will think it's something new! Pretty positive experience overall, but the sushi really turned me off :( read more

Rude. Just absolutely rude. It's sad to see hospitality take a back seat. Walked out without even ordering.

My old review was from the old ownership. The new owners have turned this place around and it is now very good. They use the best quality beef in their Beef Bento Box. The new people serving are pleasant and professional. I usually deal with Leanne who is very helpful. And the music is no longer annoying! I definitely recommend this place if you are anywhere around Goleta or UCSB! read more

We love Sushiya!! We usually go there after a big family beach day. The family that runs it is so sweet and the sushi is AMAZING. If you have not tried the BSCR roll yet we highly recommend it : ) read more

Years later and I still love this place. I am a rabid sushi fan who eats sushi at least once a week if I can afford it. (Why don't other restaurants offer this amazing Sushiya roll?) I went there so often the entire staff knew me by name. They are so friendly and always ask me about school. Even after graduating, I would still go back. It's a pain to drive in Isla Vista but it is WORTH it for this restaurant. Don't be fooled by the quality of the surrounding Isla Vista restaurants: this place is delicious, high quality, fresh, and fast. I have never been disappointed. It is a truly wonderful family-owned and operated small business with nice indoor & outdoor seating, mere steps from the beach. Don't sleep on this place. It may be in a student area but it is higher quality & more affordable than Sushi Teri etc. I've eaten here more times than I care to count, & will return whenever I'm in the area. read more

Even though this is a Japanese restaurant, this place is pretty Greek. OK folks, don't choke on your water laughing now. I was visiting my little bro in IV when we decided to walk around. We settled on this joint and let me tell you, food quality definitely correlates with price. Our rolls (we got a combo plate for the three of us) were crumbling, they were so loosely packed. The fish, although edible, was not particularly fresh either. The green salad had a delicious ginger dressing, however. The tempura green tea ice cream had good ice cream and nasty tembura coating- it tasted like a flavorless, dry donut. I'm oscillating between 2 and 3 stars on this one. It wasn't very good, but I did finish it all, save the nasty tempura batter. read more

Good quality food and very friendly service. Also a very short wait to get food which is great for college students. 10/10 would go back read more

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You probably didn't come into this restaurant looking for a trove of information on just how radioactive their food supply is, but if you did, have a look around, if not, then leave immediately. You should know right away that you have a problem when the sushi bar you walk into has chefs that look like their straight off the set of breaking bad. I have only eaten here a few times, but it has never been worth my whale. Yes, I know my puns may have you rolling on the floor, but I must maki-it known that people should not eat at this horrible establishment. These rolls are so Americanized that I might as well be eating fried mayonnaise balls with a side of shame. Not a single thing on their menu is actually healthy, as sushi is typically meant to be. The sheer amount of cream cheese they use in their roles could supply a New York bagel store for months, perhaps years. I am also truly concerned that almost every role has tempura-something in it. Perhaps all of these roles are simply a ploy to distract from the incompetence and lack of finesse that their chefs embody; perhaps they are trying to display the facade of a healthy image, or perhaps they have absorbed too much seaborne radiation from the Fukushima disaster last year. Either way, if you waste your money in this place, be it on their sticky fried rice balls where something hide in crunchy, or their slippery eel mayonnaise volcano eruption roll, you will be soy sorry. read more

I was in IV and craving sushi and decided I would give this place another shot even though I've never liked it much. Mistake. The first issue was that after I ordered and paid, I was told that the chef was "on an errand" and would be back in 15 minutes. I don't know why I didn't ask for my money back right then. Hindsight. I finally got my order and headed back to my office to eat it. I ordered the eel and avocado roll and the eel was dry, chewy, and inedible as if it had been sitting out for a week. Obviously I threw it out, along with the 8 or 9 dollars I paid for it. That's time and money I will never get back. I'm sure if I had eaten it I would have gotten a nasty case of food poisoning. Never again, Sushiya. Never again. read more

So the sign that I should have walked away was that there were no lights on in the business and the lady was dozing off to the rear of the restaurant. The specials were hand written on a cardboard with markers like my did drew it. Ordered the tonkostu ramen which was a big mistake. It took them about 10 minutes to prepare that and bring it out. It looked like they just opened up a bag of noodles that you get at the asain marker and heated it up. The pork was standard pork slices and super tough. I also order their daily special roll.... california roll. It was decent. The sushi rice was cold. Not wrapped tightly at all. And the funny part of it all was that when she rung me up. I had to pay for the ramen seperate from the california roll. I wanted to pay with CC but she stated that the daily special requirement was cash ONLY????? read more

I am VERY picky about seafood and even PICKIER about Korean-owned restaurants because I'm Korean and my family used to own restaurant(s) that had AMAZING food. The fish isn't fresh, the portions aren't large, the prices aren't good. They rarely have the yakisoba and the white rice is always on the dry side. The California Roll is the second worst I've ever hard, the first worst being from CaliRoll (they should change their name immediately). And my non-Korean friends always say they feel super awkward and uncomfortable going in because the workers aren't very friendly and don't seem to speak English very well. I am Korean and haven't noticed that the not-speaking-English-very-well thing, but I do think the workers tend to be on the not-so-friendly side but I mean, student workers who are at work instead of with their friends can get cranky and nobody likes work, so bad service is understandable. The menu is extensive, especially for an IV place BUT, I can't give this place above a three because their food is NOT worth it. And trust me I've been here a LOT, definitely at least twenty-five times. I got the spicy pork, rice, salad, sushi combination most often. The sushi is always kinda gross, but I always eat it anyway because IV food/Santa Barbara Asian food lowered my standards and cuz i'm a fatass. The sushi always comes with one yellowtail, one salmon and one tuna. The salad is pretty good and the spicy pork is really good (the only saving grace for this place and the only reason why it squeezed out three stars from me). Anyway, this meal costs around 8-9 dollars... I would take my 9 dollars and get some Super Cucas or Naan Stop (best name ever) read more

This place sucks. It's the best sushi in IV because it's the only place in IV to get sushi. That's by default not because it's actually good. The prices are the same as other sushi places which is relatively expense by IV standards and the sushi quality shits. If you're gonna charge me as much as a regular sushi joint at least give me something that comes close to the level of quality. Do yourself a favor and either drive to a sushi spot in goleta as the price is the same and its better, or buy from the sushi place inside albertsons as the quality is the same and it's cheaper. Problem solved. read more

First, hire staff who actually want to be there and not say "meh" when I say thank you and goodbye. Second, cooks who know what Japanese food is supposed to taste like might help too. Getting a tempura roll with the spicy tuna fully cooked because it was in the grease too long is disgusting. Now, let's talk about cleanliness. Cleaning helps keep vermin down and makes your guests feel like you care. Having numbered wooden spoons that look like someone was digging in the dirt and have hand oil all over them is again, disgusting. Even students deserve having clean good food. read more

I used to love Sushiya because of its convenient location. The portions are filling and pretty tasty for a sushi joint in IV. But unfortunately, I've found hair in my food... on two separate occasions. First I found one floating in my miso soup, and then the cashier just replaced it with a new one, and the second time I found a small strand tangled within the center of my roll. Definitely unsanitary, check your food before you eat it. read more

This place is gross. Their miso soup is insant powder and I found hair in my sushi. And the person working asked if I wanted them to remake me another one. Uhh hello? Why would I want that and have another hair in there? Don't think so. I came here 3 times and never again. I tried giving it another chance and it's just too disgusting. read more

After a hiatus of about a year or two, I have revisited Sushiya. Although the food was probably barely edible as usual, I didn't care because I was wasted. C'mon people, this place isn't popular because of its food quality. It's popular because it has an ideal location and the Bruce the Emperor and his collection of incompetent workers don't complain when you bring your own booze. That's right, we show up with a 30 pack, a couple bottles of sake, and good people. We always have an amazing time. You can find me at the big table in the back left corner in groups of no less than 10 people. read more