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

They use PLAIN RICE to make sushi instead of seasoned sushi rice (with sweet vinegar). I was confused because I've never had a roll made with plain rice before. Is this their style? I really don't think I would ever go back here. It was so bland I just couldn't believe it..... so disappointing. 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

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

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

First of all, I just called them three times and they didn't answer. Second, their food is inconsistent, sometimes good sometimes inedible. They also give very little ginger. Third, their service is lazy and unprofessional. If you want sushi in Isla Vista, your best bet is to go to Camino Real Center and eat at Itsuki. read more

I would like to start off saying that I am by no means a sushi snob, but I am a sushi lover, and I've tried quite a few places. Oddly, this little restaurant is one of my favorites. I always get a special roll, which comes with a salad and miso soup. The soup is standard, nothing too exciting, and the salad varies but it usually mixed greens with onions, shredded purple-red stuff (honestly I have no idea what this is, doesn't have much of a flavor) and a yummy ginger-type dressing. My favorite roll is the crunch red fox, and my boyfriend and I usually get that and then mix in another special. I love spicy food so I usually try anything with spicy tuna in it. The Tsunami and Poisiden rolls are pretty tasty. The only real downside is the amount of spicy mayo they use. I'm not a big fan of mayo in general, and I can't say I hate the flavor of the spicy mayo but I still grosses me out a little, and doesn't seem necessary. Try the rolls without it. (Also the phone number listed is incorrect, their actual number is 805 961 8272) read more

I've eaten here a few times and its been decent but i don't usually order fish. Thought i would try out the rainbow roll and let me tell you it did not taste as good coming up as it did going down read more

We love this place and it has become our go to sushi restaurant. The food is amazing. It is always fresh, the rolls are large and generous. Everything is always delicious and every role has its unique taste. No matter how busy they are, their food is consistently great and the presentation is lovely. We discovered this little gem at the beginning of COVID and have been getting our sushi there ever since. And it is reasonably priced. Don't let the "express" name fool you because everything is made fresh and it shows. Even their miso is delicious and included. We call in our orders and then go pick them up but you also have the option of sitting outside on their picnic tables. I highly recommend this little restaurant! read more

Love this place. When i was in freshmen year three years ago I guess there were different owners. When I started coming here laat year, i found my hidden gem in IV. Whenever I crave sushi or authentic Korean food, I go here. Usually the beef/clam tofu stew (ORDER EXTRA SPICY****) and I really like the Sushiya roll. Owner and his daughters are super nice and always greet me with a smile. Im sad to leave this place after grad in June. Its been a comfort food place! read more

Not the best sushi, but when you're craving it, and you're in Isla Vista, watcha gonna do? I've tried a few different rolls here. Nothing particularly stands out. Just try to avoid stuff that uses mock crab. (around half the menu) Try to go for rolls that have tempura shrimp, eel, or spicy tuna as the filling and then pick whatever stuff you like on top of the roll. The rolls here are huge. You will not be able to fit one into your mouth (that's what she said). You have to bite it in half and eat it that way. Expensive ($12+). Comes with miso soup and salad. I would go here when I didn't want to make dinner and had a particular hankering for sushi. One time I had to wait over 30 minutes for my order to come up and it turned out that they had just left the order around somewhere and forgotten to give it to me even though I asked the girl at the front two times about it. They do hire students though, so what can you expect? read more

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. In the case of Sushiya, it is definitely shame on me because I have given this place many more chances than it deserves. Finally, I can say lesson learned and I'm certain I'll never be desperate enough for a sushi fix that I'd settle for this "sushi" again. This fast food sushi joint is overpriced and surprisingly NOT fast. The fish is not fresh at all (once I got some sort of chewy, rubbery, chunky concoction that seemed far from edible) and for the time spent making the rolls its ridiculous how sloppily they're put together. The california roll tastes like pure mayo and this is one of those places that puts paper thin slices of avocado in your roll that require a magnifying glass to be sure they actually put it in there. If you like sushi, don't bother looking for it here. If you know someone who's never tried it, keep them away! This place is besmirching sushi's good name. Hate to say it, but this place is just plain gross. read more

The boyfriend and I ordered an Alaskan roll and a Kalbi combo for lunch last weekend. When they delivered it, we realized they delivered a Bulgogi combo instead of the Kalbi. I called Sushiya to tell them they got the wrong order, and James (the manager) told me they'd send the correct order right away. He called us a few minutes later saying he'd include a coupon for our next order. The sushi was yummy and the portion for the Korean food was very generous. We saved most of the Bulgogi and a little bit of the Kalbi as leftovers for our next meal. They also include Miso soup with meal, and if you use the coupon code, you get a free ice cream mochi! It was a little bit pricey (lunch + delivery was about $30) but I think it's pretty worth it! I gave them the fourth star for really good customer service. Even though the delivery got messed up, we were impressed with how quickly they resolved everything and how well they handled the situation, and we would definitely come back here again! read more

This one worker with glasses is such a hard working lil boy, he made me feel welcomed at this restaurant. The food was delicious and the price was not even that bad. Would come again 10/10 read more

Sushiya Express - Japanese Near Me - Goleta, California

Scrumptious food, generous portions, pocket friendly prices, and friendly service. What more can you ask for?!? Quality of the sashimi was amazing and look at that thickness! Awesome location where you can taste genuine Korean & Japanese cuisine Thank you Chef James for all the yummy food!! read more

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I went in last Wednesday night to get something to eat. Im a bit of a regular there and for the most part I dont mind eating there. I think they are very pricey, but usually they make up for it in a bit of presentation or extra pizzaz on the quality. But I went in and ordered some spicy tofu ramen noodles, and paid 8 bucks for what seemed like the biggest rip-off for a meal. I got Ramen that tasted, looked like and felt like cheap ass grocery store maruchan noodles. The "spicy" tasted like sriracha on ramen broth (from the packets) and 3 little stingy ass cubes of tofu. If this was my 1st and only time visiting Sushiya, I would give it 1 star. But since Ive had some decent meals before Ill give it 2 stars. Overall, they should not try skimping on their quality. Trying to rip-off the costumer is no way to go for a sushi place. It will show and you will only loose business! For now, I will stick to other items in their menu. It will be a while before I try their "ramen" again. read more

Quick easy to go on campus dab. A-OK service, A-OK quality, A-OK price. But with sushi you dont wanna go wrong. read more

Don't go here, it's a waste of your money! Just because the restaurant is in a college town, they make any excuse to jack up the prices. Anyway, their salads are good though (that's probably it). Sushi rolls are okay, not much time seems to be taken to make them. Sashimi is not good, tastes like the fish is old... Their miso soup gets cold really fast... My experience: I've been here a few times... But this time I got a california roll, and I wanted it dipped in tempura batter. So they charged me for that, and then 5 minutes later they tell me it's $5 extra. What the heck? Crazy... I'm not paying $5 extra for that. I asked for my money back, didn't buy anything and left. If you're in the SB area, I suggest you just go to TAKENOYA on fairview, they (takenoya) actually have some really good dim sum too. Anyway, back to Sushiya... Service is really bad. Doesn't even look like they sterilize or clean the place each night, just looks like they wipe it down with a wet rag. Sorry, but I love sushi places...and this place is just not good. read more

I'm writing this review solely based on the fact that I am sitting here at 2 am on a Sunday night craving Sushiya (mind you, I graduated two years ago). I just love their IV roll & miso soup SO much! It's not your best quality sushi restaurant by any means, but it is damn good. read more

Horrrrrible service... What else can I say that's positive about Sushiya. Oh, it took 30 minutes to get my sushi when the restaurant wasn't crowded and it was just average​. read more

Their sushi was the best!!! especially their seafood ramen with bunch of high quality seafood!! Employees were very kind and always kept their smile. Their fish were in excellent condition. Will definitely come back for more!! must try! read more

Sushiya Express - spicy seafood ramen - Japanese Near Me - Goleta, California

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I haven't tried the sushi, but the teriyaki chicken entree was excellent - a perfect portion of meat, rice and salad. I would suggest a small miso soup as well to round out the meal. The only thing that sucked was that the day I was there, they were out of forks, so I gave myself a crash course in chopsticks :) I definitely want to return and try their noodles and perhaps, the sushi. read more

Came in right when it opened. The place is nice and open. However, the food wasn't that good. The fish didn't seem fresh and the miso soup tasted like water. The rolls were also a bit too drenched in sauce so it kept falling apart. The service was fine, but probably wouldn't come back if I was craving sushi. read more

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After driving 4 hours from Fresno, Ca, I had to wait 25 more minutes for my food after ordering. I came in a group of 5 and one person out of our group got their food so our whole table sat and watched as he ate his food. I turned around and looked at the cash register and both girls working were on their phones. People that ordered after us were getting their food before us. I left a tip as I paid at the counter too. The workers never checked up on us during our wait. Never come here. It was a joke. read more

Sushiya Express - Our table during the 25 minute wait. - Japanese Near Me - Goleta, California

Been coming here for a few years now. Service was always ridiculously slow, from totally uncaring student employees, but the food was pretty good and for a great price and large portion. Just came in after a couple month hiatus to find a (minimum) 20% price increase, but closer to 50% on nearly all "classic rolls". Great miso soup. Love the crunch roll. Fresh food. Just don't come if you're in a rush to eat (sushi is made to order, which is nice). read more

I've had the teriyaki chicken plate (which is chicken with rice and a salad) and the chicken yakisoba plate (which is... chicken with noodles and a salad). They were both eatable, and satisfied desperate teriyaki cravings; however I would never order ANY sort of raw seafood from any place in Isla Vista. JUST DON'T DO IT! You would gambling with your life my friend. The gyoza were alright but tiny; the tempura veggie were not too bad either (but not for you if you don't care for squash/mushrooms/broccoli!). The storefront is not good at all; there is no good place to queue for ordering and the music is constantly at a terrible volume. So if you have to have teriyaki chicken and just can't be bothered to leave IV, have it delivered to your home (which unfortunately means a minimum $20 order...). read more

The one and only sushi place to get your sushi fix in IV. I've been here a handful of times when I've been too lazy to go to Sushi Ahi at the Marketplace. It's never crazy busy and you get your order within 15 min if there's no one else around which seems a bit much, but I have enough patience to wait. I'm not THAT adventurous when it comes to sushi, but I have to say their california rolls are pretty good.The cost of the sushi itself is a bit pricey for the quality, and sometimes quantity, that you get. I mean I got 2 mini hand rolls for 4 dollars when I could have gotten 2 large hand rolls for 6 dollars at the Marketplace. Bottom line: a good place to go when you are attacked by that sushi craving. read more

Got their daily special of CA rolls. They were quick and the rolls tasted great. They deserve more than their current 3 stars

I wish that i could give this business negative stars! Here is the definition of Sushi: n. Cold cooked rice dressed with vinegar that is shaped into bite-sized pieces and topped with raw or cooked fish, or formed into a roll with fish, egg, or vegetables and wrapped in seaweed. Note the BITE SIZED PIECES part?? Sushiya obviously does not understand this concept! i got a roll that sounded so mouth watering and when i got it, each piece was the size of a chocolate chip cookie. and it was the sloppiest thing i have ever seen. it took at least three bites to eat each piece. needless to say i ate one piece and was done with my $8.00 roll. it was falling apart, the avocado had brown pieces on it, the crab was coming out of both ends. It was the worst display of sushi i had ever seen. Also, i was the only customer in the store the whole time so it was not like they were in a rush to make my roll. they had all the time in the world to make some great food. Please do not go here and lets run this business into the ground! read more

It was my first time ordering at Sushiya Express since it was the closest sushi place in Isla Vista. I would say that it satisfied my Japanese food craving! I ordered the kimchi beef rice and the Crunch Red Fox Roll! I definitely liked it! A must try if you haven't tried it yet! Prices seem to be just right. Location is close to all the other food chains. Food is pretty good! read more

Best food in IV!!!! Quality food and always consistent. My favorite are the kalbi and baby baked lobster roll. So good!

Love this place, obviously not the best sushi you'll ever have but for the price and location, I think they really deliver. Cashiers are always nice, and food is good. read more

I love their dessert options and sushi rolls. But waiting for the food to be served can sometimes be a big annoying. read more

The California roll is so good! Perfect size and not too much rice just the perfect amount of ingredients.

I honestly don't understand the poor ratings below. This is the BEST sushi place in town PERIOD (the picture says everything) read more

Sushiya Express - I really dont understand the poor rating below. This is the BEST sushi place in town PERIOD. (the pic tells everything) - Japanese Near Me - Goleta, California

Ordered with my friends today and we all feel like shit right now. The food is made without any care by cooks that aren't even Japanese and couldn't care to match Japanese quality food. We all have stomach aches, whatever you do don't go here or order from here. read more

We loved it here! This restaurant gives you lots of bang for your buck. My friend and I got the Alaska roll and the Rainbow roll. They were filling and delicious! We will definitely be back. read more

If you are looking for a quality sushi place that uses fresh ingredients, this is the place. You'll know when you eat that they use good ingredients. I loved their sashimi plate and the yellow tail sashimi platter with their signature sauce. It was refreshing and tasty, of course. And I ended with their spicy seafood ramen, which was a bomb! I mean, too much word can't explain everything. Go and try, and you'll know. Highly recommended! read more

We used to go here weekly. Last time I ordered takeout, there was a loooong hair in my roll. It grossed me and I haven't been back since.

I had a coupon that I gave to the cashier at the time of check out with an expiration date of 3-27-17. I paid for my purchase, and while I was waiting outside for my order the cashier told me that he was going to cancel the order because he called his manager and the coupon was not valid. You accepted the coupon and payment. Then 10 minutes later track me down to try to redo the order? You need to inform your staff on what is no longer accepted. You also need to stop emailing coupons to your customers and not accepting them the day it was received. Don't get me wrong the food is great but just really didn't appreciate the situation. read more