No wait to be seated on a Saturday night, however the food and service was a bit slow (at least 15 minutes before our orders were taken, then another 25 minutes for all of our food to be ready). But the staff were all smiles, super friendly, not just with us, but with all customers. We also got complimentary sake served to our table, the cheap stuff, but it was on the house so can't really complain. For food, we got the Viagra special roll, Victoria's Secret baked roll, spicy hamachi handroll, gyoza, and mackerel, and it was ALL amazing. I can't pick a favorite, each dish was equally satisfying and perfectly filling. Great casual atmosphere, karaoke in the back (looked like a private party), and plenty of space inside the restaurant. I would certainly return here for some good sushi. read more

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I love sushi and we had a celebration so decided to get a sushi takeout. Honestly, sushi for a takeout wouldn't be my first choice, but we needed to do it this time around and it was absolutely delicious! I'm sure dining in would be a wonderful experience. We got a diversity of plates and everything was delicious but my favourite: combination tempura, viagra roll (delicious!), sashimi dinner, Godzilla roll, Jenny roll, red dragon, giants. The fish is fresh and the flavors were very balanced and flavourful. Next time we are dining in read more

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Our family was craving Ramen last night so we headed to I Love Sushi for bowls of their delicious shrimp ramen. We ordered four giant bowls of ramen. ( the chicken and shrimp) Our waiter took our orders and we were presented with a pitcher of water. The soups arrived promptly and were steaming with delicious flavors and noodles. The bowls are oversized and definitely leave you with leftovers for lunch the next day. It's a family run business. They are in the business of giving you an incredible dish with fantastic service. It is evident they are in the business of making their customers happy. You won't be disappointed in this family run business. read more

I give three stars to this place, The food quality is mediocre, the sitting area is spacious , the restrooms are filthy which turned me off to even wash my hands. The atmosphere is from everywhere, nothing Japanese. The food portions were good enough for one! The sashimi quality was not something that caught my eye. In Santa Cruz area the sushi restaurant is not something more common , you have few options , so for that few options this place is good to get rid of your sushi craving, that's all. read more

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We DO love sushi! Such a fun place, friendo turned 21 and we had sake bombs which was quite a delight. Birthday girl was also treated to a free roll and mochi, to which we all shared and DELIGHTED in! Definitely will be coming back- keep up the good work! read more

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Easily one of the best sushi spots in town. The quality is always consistent and it's a lovely little space. Highly recommend their Jenny Love roll. It's the best of both worlds with poke on top of the roll. Everyone is always so kind and it's also an easy place for pick up as well. So happy to have a great spot like this in town! read more

I Love Sushi - 2 Jenny love rolls! So tasty! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

It's a fun sushi spot. We tried the red dragon, the green dragon, the Alaska, and the spicy dream. The spicy dream was fantastic with just the right kick to go with the delightful crunchy texture. The Alaska roll was like a perfect dessert. We couldn't stop at one. You can't come here without ordering the Alaska. The sake was a nice accompaniment. Went great with the rolls. read more

I Love Sushi is a very spacious restaurant with an extensive sushi roll menu. Theoretically really good for large groups and/or people who want sushi rolls with a little bit of everything. Our specialty rolls were satisfactory and very filling between the two of us. The Sake Bomb would be good for people who like sushi rolls with lemon slices and spice from the jalapeño. The Crystal Shrimp was more on the creamy side with the scallops topped with spicy mayo. Sadly, we weren't as much of a fan of the fried calamari. It was very much like a piece of calamari sandwiched between two pieces of fried breading. The sauce definitely made up for it, though. read more

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The food was tasty and the service was friendly. We tried the Salmon which was cooked well, and a couple of rolls that were also made well with fresh fish. We appreciated that the restaurant could accommodate a good amount of tables so the wait on Friday night wasn't an issue for walk-ins. read more

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Sweet Jesus, thank you! Nice large location, service was spot on, very friendly and attentive. Food... omg yum we had the combo tempura, chirashi bowl, sashimi combo and shrimp tempura roll, WITH hot sake. YUM YUM YUM. read more

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The sushi here is sooo good, especially at the price we got. Owner and staff were great. Been to a few other sushi spots in Santa Cruz and this is definitely my favorite, can't wait to come back! read more

I Love Sushi - funny poster inside - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Came here with a large group for dinner. The sushi was good quality and they had a lot of options on the menu. We had 7 in our group and were served in a quick manner and were treated with a lot of hospitality from the staff. Of course we did sake bombs too and they were the perfect addition to all the sushi we ordered ! read more

I drove my daughter and her companions to a concert at the Catalyst Club in Santa Cruz, and wanted to grab a nice dinner for myself while waiting. I found I Love Sushi had the highest, most consistent ratings in the area, so I parked up and made the short walk over. I ordered the dinner bento with tempura and salmon sashimi with a small hot sake and Sapporo on the side. Everything came out quickly and super fresh! I enjoyed my meal and had some leftovers to take home. The service was wonderful, too. You could tell that they had their regulars, and there were lots of pick up orders being bagged up. And if you are a karaoke fan at all--they have a karaoke area. Such a great and fun spot to eat and hang out! read more

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Food was not very good. Service was ok. Pricey and the restaurant was not super clean. Came here for quick dinner one night and ordered a few rolls to share. The place was empty so we got a table right away. The food came out pretty fast, but the taste was a bit lacking. The rice was cold and a bit hard. The fish was good but was a bit thin. The rolls were all plain tasting, not a whole lot of flavor. Overall, it's ok but pricey and I don't think I'll want to come back. read more

I Love Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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Amazing food!!! I recommend appetizers: calamari and the heart attack. Soups are awesome! Rolls are perfect every time. They make your birthday experience something to remember every single time the owner and his staff go above and beyond. The restaurant is clean, with an ambiance that makes you feel at home. read more

I Love Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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This place sucks! The food tasted weird and the manager the new one started padding and touching me and I'm a kid inappropriately and the atmosphere was eerie and creepy. This was also the worst sushi l ever had. He also kept guessing my age and randomly saying happy birthday when it was not my birthday. Plus the only stuff in the sushi is just crab meat and avocado. I advise no one to walk near this place read more

We stopped by this place while exploring Santa Cruz, the edamame appetizer was more of a sweet and sour but it was really good! Our food took a second because it was pretty busy but it was all delicious. We ordered 4 rolls (Sorry can't remember which ones specifically) but they were inhaled by us within 5 minutes! The staff was every attentive, we never ran out of water or edamame. If you wanna stop by, give them a call to make sure you have a table, this place gets packed! It's that good! :-) read more

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Daughter wanted salmon and this place was it. There were many American diners to choose from but we opted for our Asian cuisine. We ordered the 3 items bento box (salmon teriyaki, chicken katsu, and chicken teriyaki we originally wanted galbi but they ran out. In addition we ordered two rolls. The bento box items were good and surprisingly my kids ate it all. My kids are pretty picky when it comes to chicken teriyaki and salmon teriyaki so that is a plus. The chicken katsu was good also. We had the teriyaki sauce on the side and my kids actually wanted to dip their chicken and salmon. I can't remember which roll I ordered but they were both good. The service here is good also. The waiters kept an eye on us but it was not overbearing. The place was not busy when we arrived but it did get busy when our food arrived. The place is also spacious so it's a a plus for families with little ones. read more

On the outside it looks like a hole in the wall. But when you enter it is huge! They have j door and outdoor seating. Outdoor has a small covering but looks like it's be hot on a hot day. We chose indoor. Tables are pretty far apart. Service was good. Started with some nice warm edamame. Perhaps could be salted a bit more. Then miso soup which was fine, nothing special. Really tasty sushi. Started with the carpaccio. Amongst the better we've had. Nice large cuts of fish. You can choose between fish variety. We had yellowtail, tuna, and salmon. Then a Warrior roll. Very nicely done (see photo). Average size. Knew I'd still be hungry so just a couple more pieces of sake nigiri. Also good. Soy cause comes in mini plastic cups. But ginger and wasabi were on the plate. If in the area and looking for sushi, definitely the place to go. One block over from the main downtown street. And about two blocks from the parking garage. read more

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I love sushi never disappoints. Consistently great sushi rolls and a cool place to have a karaoke night. read more

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I do love sushi and this restaurant only reaffirms that love. For one, I appreciate that there are a handful of unique rolls on their menu. We ordered two rolls we've never had and they were indeed the best ones. The Protein and the Hokey Pokey are must orders! They are serving up some of the freshest tuna I've had in a while. Our server was friendly and attentive. Plus the food came out fast and the prices were standard. I can't wait to return and try even more of their unique roll! read more

I Love Sushi - Hokey Pokey - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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Anyone that knows me well enough will know that I love sushi, but I really did not love 'I Love Sushi.' In fact, I almost regretted taking my Dad here for his birthday lunch when he visited because it really was nothing special. After reading so many reviews, I was looking forward to trying a sushi restaurant that seemed to defy the odds. The restaurant at 13:00 on a weekday was fairly packed but seemed to only have one server working the entire time, meaning it took a long time for us to order, get our food, and pay. Not good signs to start. Without any sushi lunch specials, I took the bullet and paid for two $15 specialty rolls, a hamachi collar, and what I perceived to be a teriyaki chicken bentou box. The two rolls I ordered (San Jose Sharks & April Rolls) were okay but absolutely nothing special either. The hamachi collar was dry and not what I was hoping for, and the bentou box was not a box at all- but a plate with dried teriyaki chicken and a lot of rice. We did not finish this last dish. I will admit that their complimentary appetizers to start (edamame, a roll, and cucumber salad) was much appreciated and made the experience better than our actual meal. Paying $65 for all this for lunch was not ideal and I really don't see myself coming back here. There are much better spots for sushi around town so I'd skip this unless you're in the area and need sushi right away. read more

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Awesome!!! Great customer service, excellent sushi! My girlfriend and I decided to go for sushi after our tattoo appointment just down the street. We were greeted right away and had no wait time. Menu was easy to digest and has a great selection of sushi and non sushi items. The hot sake is a must have! Paired with a cold Sapporo, your night will be off to a great start. Will definitely be coming here again! read more

I Love Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

I had a great time here. Just got some simple rolls and beer before going to a concert. My friend also ordered some sukiyaki but I won't speak on that because I don't like eating it. He liked it, though. The man who I believe is the owner is very friendly and funny. He also gave us two free hot sakes and kept saying it was for the "romance." Too funny! All the servers here were really friendly. I wouldn't mind coming back for the sushi. read more

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They did an amazing job packing up the takeout and I would highly highly recommend eating in this establishment or getting takeout if not able to. Absolutely enjoyed my hotel dinner! read more

Please open again soon. We miss the great sushi and the even better service. Always felt at home. Basically the best sushi and service in Santa Cruz. We miss you. read more

I was surprised to see the restaurant basically empty on a Friday night. I used to come here all the time in college about ten years ago and it was always packed. I was quickly seated and the staff was very attentive. They used to bring miso, fried California Roll, fried calamari, edamame and cucumbers as free appetizers, but they do not do that anymore (maybe because of Covid). I ordered the April's Roll (their Rainbow Roll) and was very disappointed. As another review stated, it tasted like the crab was previously frozen and the texture was strange and tasteless. The fish on top was fresh at least. Unfortunately this was probably my last time here. read more

I Love Sushi - April's Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

I went here with my man for date night and it was delicious! We even got sake on the house. The customer service was fantastic and the sushi rolls were yummy! If we are in town again, we will be back. read more

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Great food. The fish were all super fresh and tasty. The rolls were packed with flavor. Service was amazing. Will definitely be coming back. read more

I Love Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

We love to come here when we are in Santa Cruz and craving sushi. They are very attentive and make sure you have water right when you walk in the door. The food is good as well. They have sukiyaki and I highly recommend it with beef. All in all a favorite when we are in town. read more

The stars are really for the food. Their food was delicious and menu offerings were really the best one I've found in a sushi place. It's like they knew what I liked (shrimp Tempura with onions-- yum!) and Shrimp Ramen with ramen noodles that were like of those instant ramen but better! I HAD to knock off a star because well, their service. It sucked royaly. Not sure if it was because it was at 8:30 at night on a Saturday and i came with my kids and husband (party of 6). After we were seated it took a loooooong time for a serve to greet us and ask us about anything related to ordering or menu questions. A long time where I had to raise my hand, and make eye contact with a random server to ask who our server was. After our server finally came- she was nice but service was just weird and terrible. While our food orders came pretty fast, our appetizer came in towards the end of us finishing our meal. Like I said, food was delicious. They for sure give you a lot of portions for diner Munu where the quality of taste didn't compromise. Our check came bc kitchen is closing and this check was brought to us without even asking if there's anything else they can get us. I asked about dessert because that's a must with kids who finished their dinner- and I get the, "oh sorry, kitchens closed." It was quite annoying. Not sure if I'll be back when we're in Santa Cruz but again, their food was great. Service they could retrain their servers. read more

I Love Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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The food was good! Wait was reasonable considering the restaurant was short staffed haha The servers were very nice! - The veggie sukiyaki was good! They have noodles that also tasted good. Altho not the best ive had idk whats missing , maybe a bit on the sweet side. - Wham bam thank you yam was good, cream cheese was a surprise to me even though i knew about it. I didnt know it would taste like that. I think it overpowers everything else. I probably wont order that one again. - Black jack was good but i feel like there wasnt much that was special about it.... ! - We also had veggie tempura, which I liked - they had onion, broccoli, yam, and zucchini (the best one)! It's not a 4 star bc this wont be the first place i think of when i crave sushi in the area It's not a 5 star bc i wasnt blown away :0 Ps. The menu was soooo hard to read )): super packed with words and long descriptions. There were a lot of choices... prob can be better with pictures and cut down to master some of the dishes read more

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The food in this place is amazing. Unfortunately the owner or manager is a entirely unprofessional. He touched our group inappropriately and offered us alchohol when we refused multiple times. The owner made sex jokes, sexist jokes, and dirty comments toward our mostly female school group. Seriously cannot stress enough to avoid this place. Red dragon roll was good lol read more

We stopped in on a rainy, wintery Saturday night. It took awhile to get the attention of someone to seat us, despite catching the eye of multiple servers who quickly averted their gaze and scuttled back into the kitchen. We were eventually seated, downwind of the wooden front door that would sporadically fling open and let wind gush inside as if the whole restaurant were being taken up in a tornado. It made for an interesting (if chilly) experience. We were given 3 small complimentary appetizers (similar to banchan); they were pretty decent! We ordered a combo dinner (with katsu + tempura) and the Chicken Donburi. Perhaps this place is called "I Love Sushi" as a subtle warning not to order anything on the menu that *isn't* sushi - we weren't terribly thrilled with either entree. The katsu was overfried; the donburi had a bunch of over-steamed veggies that looked like they came out of a Bird's Eye bag. I'd 100% return here if I'm out drunk (or about to get drunk) with friends. At the back of the room were a group of college girls slamming down sake bombs that registered on the Richter scale. Coupled with the gale-force winds coming in the front door, we probably had a more dramatic-than-usual experience here. I'd be willing to try it again, sticking to the sushi menu next time and hoping for calmer seas. read more

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My experience at this place was depressing, and I mean that I literally left the restaurant utterly depressed. The ambiance is sad, the place looks old and the food is not good. The restrooms were disgusting. I don't recommend and won't come back. I can't give it more than one star considering how bad my dinner was, how hard I tried to leave as quickly as I could (I couldn't wait to get out of there) and how sad the whole thing was. I can't even call it dinner, I barely touched the food. read more

Not a big fan of plastic forks and paper cup when your dining in. Service wasn't the best once the kid wearing the mask took our order we never heard from him again. Food was just ok definitely nothing special. The place is due for a remodel. Lots of choices on there menu . read more

Came with some friends to celebrate and was greeted with smiles. Ordered exclusively from the special rolls section and was pleased with the quality and flavor with all of our choices. The gentlemen was so kinda enough to notice our celebration and gave us mochi ice cream for our celebration! Would come again. read more

I'm sad I didn't enjoy the chicken donburi, but maybe I needed to manage my expectations. I thought it would be like oyakodon, since the menu says all donburi are served with egg. There were tiny bits of rubbery scrambled egg, and the chicken felt a bit overcooked. The rice was soggy, with a lot of water/liquid at the bottom of the bowl. On the other hand, I liked the Godzilla roll a lot! It tasted fresh and looked pretty. The staff were very friendly and attentive. read more

Came to this restaurant on my birthday weekend with friends. The owner was very welcoming and gave me a birthday wish with a complimentary California roll and hot sake. The food is awesome, the music is fun and the decor is eclectic. Definitely recommend this place. Cheers!! read more

This place sucks! The food tasted weird and the manager the new one started padding and touching me and I'm a kid inappropriately and the atmosphere was eerie and creepy. This was also the worst sushi I ever had. He also kept guessing my age and randomly saying happy birthday when it was not my birthday. Plus the only stuff in the sushi is just crab meat and avocado. I advise no one to walk near this place. read more