I guess I expected more from the raving Yelp reviews. Another Chinese owned Sushi joint in the bay. This place is tiny and I definitely would not recommend any party over 4 to come here. Food: Some decent quality fishes mixed with bad ones. The owner came over to go over how good the quality of their fish is and I just kept staring at the crappy edamame looked (feel the irony!). Definitely not one of the better places for traditional nigiri style sushi...the sauced up ones were okay. Environment: Pretty dang cramped! Price: Pricey for food I didn't care for. Food: 2 Service: 4 Environment: 2 Price: 2 read more

We decided to come here on our weekly date night based on recommendations by friends. The service was actually really good, but the food wasn't what they sparked it up to be. The waitress was very thorough and spent a lot of time with us since we were first-timers and that was highly appreciated. She explained that it was a French-Japanese fusion restaurant, which I think they mention to justify the prices, because it was pretty steep for mediocre food. My favorite was the hamachi carpaccio. We also ordered hamachi sashimi, which was OK. On top of ordering those items, we ordered their "designer rolls" which is a name they probably give them to surge the prices. They weren't what I expected. The description the menu and the waitress gave us sounded better than they actually tasted. That's really too bad because we were extremely stoked to try them. We also had the recommended beer and sake, which were bleh and extremely overpriced. I don't mind paying more for the ambiance and quality, but it was a run-of-the-mill Japanese restaurant -- nothing French about it. I was perplexed. Hmm, maybe a first and only visit for me...which I'm sad about. I had high expectations, but they disappointed me. read more

iSushi is a small intimate sushi restaurant located amidst a dense variety of good eats. With limited parking. You may say hole in the wall. What separates this establishment from the rest, for me, the yelp reviews. As for my personal experience, the service has been very much geared towards making sure that we were well taken care of and making sure that we had a good experience. Our server gave us recommendations and upon receiving our entrees she also informed us on how certain items were to be eaten for a balance in flavor. In short, iSushi has great service! The cuisine is done well. I been here before, the food and service is consistent. The reason for a four star and not a five star review, it is pricy and parking is very congested. If you're ever in the area and feeling like sushi try this place! += read more

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I used to frequent here when I used to live in CV over 6 years ago. I came back over the weekend with my sisters and their customer service and food is still really good. Their food portions are small but the flavors are excellent. I definitely couldn't get enough of their mussels. read more

This is a really solid neighborhood sushi place. The sushi is always fresh. I haven't really tried anything that I haven't liked yet. The only issue with this place is that it's pretty small and the parking lot gets packed. I like to go at odd times or just order take out. read more

We ordered ankimo with uni. Just look at the picture! The fish liver was not fresh and creamy at all. Worst experience ever will not come back! read more

iSushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Five stars for the sushi, two stars for the service. Wow, now that's sushi! I found this place using Yelp because I was craving sushi and I ordered the 007 roll because I normally eat that. Every other place cooks the meat and they do not add jalapeno or tobiko on top of the roll. I chose this roll off the menu I found using the link here on Yelp and didn't think twice to ask for the ingredients since I always eat this roll at other places. When I arrived and opened up my to-go box I found jalapeno (gasp!) and tobiko on my roll. What started out as promising new adventure soon turned into a huge back and forth with one of the servers. I asked one of the servers if they could remove the jalapeno and she said, "We put it on there because you didn't say to not to". I really didn't understand what that had to do with me asking her to take it off, I know you put it on there because I didn't tell you otherwise. I told her I've never been anywhere where they have served a 007 roll like this. She said it's listed on the menu with jalapeno and I told her it didn't say that online and I was only asking her to remove it not to remake the roll. She told me that if they took off the jalapeno that they would have to remove the tobiko, I told her I didn't care that I just wanted the jalapeno removed. She acted like she wanted to say something else but she refrained. I didn't think I was asking for too much. There was no way I could have enjoyed eating that roll with the jalapeno still on it. Even when I ate the roll it still had some of the juices but it wasn't too hot for me to eat. I was just really annoyed that there even had to be a long conversation when I simply asked for them to take off the jalapeno. It was good food but if I go again, I'm going in person and looking at their actual menu not what they have listed online since it doesn't give you all the information about their food. p.s. this place is super small... read more

Best sushi place ever!! + The rolls are unique (can't remember what we had, but one had bits of mango in it) but it was delicious! Not your typical rolls but all were great! + Service was great, the owner even came over to talk to us and gave us free dessert (Green tea ice cream with hot sake poured on top!) + Ambiance was nice. Yummy in my tummy! read more

RUN, don't walk, to i sushi and get their black cod special NOW!!!! soooooooo unbelievably good! another stan creation FTW. read more

Thank you Yelpers! I was in the neighborhood and was in the mood for sushi and found this place on yelp! The servers were very knowledgeable and friendly. They were able to recommend some amazing dishes for us to try. I shared the following dishes with my husband: Eric's Desire Jada 007 Each dish was a flavor explosion in my mouth! Love all the complex flavors and textures. it's been 3 months since dining here and I still think about it...especially their delicious butter fish. read more

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Best hidden treasure in Bay Area - This sushi restaurant is in my Top 10 lists forever! The quality of the food - Best of the best The plating of the dish - Best of the best The wine lists pairing with the food - Best of the best Service - Best of the best I lived in Castro Valley for 16 years, I never notice this hidden treasure is in my backyard. OMG! Their fusion menu is Best of the best. The restaurant owner is super friendly, he gave great suggestion for all the signature fusion dish. All the dish are well put, not just the deep though of the food pairing, also the plating and creativity. I highly recommend this restaurant for special occasion. Super fancy romantic dating place! read more

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Good quality food and perfect customer service. The roll choices are good and anyone can find something to suit their taste. Prices are reasonable. Definitely will go again. Change is always among us but I do miss the old menu though... There were a few crowd pleasers that I just can't remember the name of. Still a good new menu. read more

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We have mixed feelings about this restaurant and will have to try it again to get a better feel for it. We lucked out by walking in just as a four-topper opened up. We were asked to wait until the table had been wiped and then promptly seated. Menus were presented and drink orders taken. Wow! What a menu! It's huge and confusing! There are a ton of rolls and most are unusual names (if you check out isushisake.com, you'll see the names but no descriptions). The only way to know what the rolls contain is to read the details of each item. Fortunately for us, we don't order rolls. And that may be the beginning of our conundrum. You can't get a good feeling for the fusion if you're more interested in the traditional. A server came by and asked if we had been to the restaurant before. When we said no, she said that she would try to point us in the right direction. She asked if we had any allergies and then proceeded to describe the evenings specials and most popular items on the menu. Unfotunately, I didn't grab the detail receipt of our dinner so I can't list everything that we ordered: Hamachi Kama - good; there was a bit of an unnecessary sauce on the plate but it wasn't too annoying. I was more bothered by the fact that it came after all of our entrees were served. Josh - interestingly good; deep fried basil leaf topped with ??? (hamachi & mango?); it was difficult to pick up but a very delicious one-biter. Definitely not something we've seen elsewhere before. Spicy Crab Tarta & Salmon Ceviche - good; especially the deep fried salmon skin "chips" Sushi Deluxe Dinner - Miso soup and salad were served first. The soup should have been hotter. Salad was fine. California Roll should have been rolled tighter; nori on Cal Roll and Cucumber roll were chewy as if it hadn't been toasted first before rolling. Flavor were fine; Maguro and Sake sashimi were very good; The nigiri assortment was good; the fish large and rice small; Overall dinner presentation looked quite large and appetizing. Sashimi Sampler - Two of our diners ordered this. While they were satisfied with their dinners and the quality of the fish, they both thought the presentation made their dish look skimpy compared to the Sushi Deluxe Dinner. One diner requested hot rice with her dinner and we had to ask twice before it was delivered. Unagi Don - The fourth member of our party had to wait and wait and wait before his dinner arrived. We pointed out to our server that he had not received his meal after all of ours had been on the table for at least seven or eight minutes and she automatically answered, "it's coming" even though she was taking an order from another table. We still have to wait a few more minutes before it arrived. When we first arrived, I inquired about ordering a short Asahi. The order taker told me that they only had one size bottle and it was 21 ounces and all of their beers were the "tall" bottles. I found that to be unusual and drank water instead. Summary - The menu is interesting; The service is mediocre at best. Pricing is not inexpensive. The owner did stop by and say hi but did not stop long enough to aske us how we enjoyed our meal. read more

People keep complaining about the prices here, but essentially, you get what you paid for. Another hidden East Bay gem within the Castro Village Shopping Center and a refreshing change of pace from the other sushi restaurants in the area. The variety and uniqueness of the rolls makes for an interesting culinary experience. They also open it up to audience participation. You can design your own sushi rolls and mix and match ingredients to your heart's content. If the combination is winning, it can become an official menu item with your name alongside it. This is where you come with an adventurous palate and open mind to try as many combinations of ingredients as you can think up to construct that perfect roll. If you choose to do so, be prepared to dish out some serious cash because, going back to my original point, it ain't cheap. The Semper Fi and Brynne & Madison rolls were tasty. Next time I plan to try the two Ankimo (Monkfish Foie) dishes: there's one with quail egg and uni and the other one with a triple berry wine sauce, which sounds hit or miss. The Sake/Soju flight makes the experience. You'll get three cold sakes and a soju. Their omakase is highly rated but I can't attest to that since I haven't tried. One of these evenings, when I have 90 minutes to spare, maybe. read more

I come here all the time, yet never write a review, so here goes... I love salmon sashimi, which is usually what I get when I come here. I've recently discovered "skips" which is a ramped up version of sake sashimi, so that's my new go to. Great flavor combination, although I get it with no wasabi. I've have many different rolls here, none of them that I really remember. I think I'm in more of a "try new things" phase, so the rolls have been a little less impressive. Don't get my wrong, they are good, just not my cup of tea at the moment. I absolutely love the spicy edamame, which is not on the menu and is a little pricey at $7.50, but I always order it because it's delicious. Tonight I asked for tempura siso uni and they made it for me. I think they have some kind of "off the menu" special but it came with some kind of fried fish skin and a chocolate wasabi sauce. Still not a fan of wasabi, but the uni was good. When I asked if they had scallop, the waitress offered to make a special scallop plate that had a piece from each of the 3 scallop dishes that they offer, so that I could try each one. I love the fact that they are so open to giving the customer the best experience possible by catering to different needs/wants. The dish ended up being one of my new favs, especially the pan seared scallop and the tempura scallop. Sometimes the service can be slow (mainly on busy nights), but I've always received great service from a very knowledgable and friendly staff. Definitely recommend coming here if you are in the area. It's the best. read more

iSushi - Scallop 3 ways.. Tempura, sashimi, pan seared - Sushi Bars Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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This is absolutely my favorite sushi restaurant ever. I discovered it on Yelp about 8 years ago when trying to find sushi to feed our then 3 and 5 year old kids on the way home from SFO. I partly resisted writing a review all this time because I didn't want to reveal it to the world (it's small). I live a couple of hours away and come any chance I get. I know that they are closed Monday's and don't serve lunch on Sunday's so if I am able I schedule my SFO travel accordingly. Everything is incredible. Fresh ingredients, creative flavor combinations, and beautiful presentations. Our hands-down favorite is the Josh which my wife says "lights up the whole brain"... we also love the Stimulus and infusion (add jalapeño) rolls. read more

iSushi - Tried a new dish, Colombo, which was tasty and pretty. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Still making excellent sushi considering we're still in a pandemic. Excellent variety of sushi. Very creative plates and taste combinations. Have been coming here for 15+ years and the quality is always top notch. Especially like the live uni when it's available. read more

Great service. First time here and the pages of menu was quite overwhelming. However....I would have given this place 5 stars; however, the waiter charged us for an extra we did not order but did eat, and also charged us for a bowl of edemame that we also did not order but also did eat. The waiter did acknowledge that he gave an extra roll by mistake, unbeknownst to us since the 4 rolls we ordered did not come out all at once and ate as it came out. Good thing the rolls were good. We ordered the chef's special of the blue fish tuna tartar with quail egg...OMG, just melted in your mouth.. Check your bill before you pay! read more

I came here tonight for dinner with a gf. I had been to I Sushi once before and wasn't very impressed, however tonight was alot better! I had the hot soba with miso soup, pork gyoza, and chicken teriyaki w/ cucumber sushi roll. The soba noodles were firm and miso was light but tasty, gyoza was not bad and the roll was yummy! I do not eat seafood so was happy I found a roll I liked! Service was also friendly and attentive. Prices are reasonable. This place is pretty small and the tables are very close together so sometimes its hard to maneuver in and out. Wouldn't mind returning again to try more dishes. read more

iSushi - Soba - Sushi Bars Near Me - Castro Valley, California

I paid $23 for the driest over-cooked teriyaki chicken I have ever tasted. I ordered the Bento box with California rolls (which on 3 came with it). Now I know why there was nobody else in the establishment, except for 1 guy sitting at an outside table. Although, I didn't look at what he was eating. Welp, so much for trying a new establishment. I should have went and got my cheesesteak like I originally planned and why I was at that shopping center in the first place. read more

Oh my goodness, this place makes me salivate just from thinking about it. Expensive sushi but damn well worth it. Their roll with the hand torched Kobe beef was delicious! I loved every single thing I tried there. I also tried the Josh which is simply one-of-a-kind. You will never try anything else like it. It's the number one thing I recommend to anyone who's going to I Sushi. Another one of my favorites is their 01+01 roll. The sauce is unique and that little bit of herb they place on top perfects the roll. It adds such a distinct flavor that makes me want it every time I'm craving sushi. For dessert, I had their I Sushi Dessert and it was orgasmic. It's a must try! I can't rave about this place anymore or else I'm going to drool. All I can say is, this place has great potential. read more

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This place is 2 legit. All of their raw ingredients are on display in a refrigerated display case between the customers and chef. As someone who has grown oysters on the east coast, they have some of the best raw oysters I have ever had. I have been there twice in the week that I've been in town on business. On my second visit, I noticed that many of the menu items had names like Jeff and Ari. Then I saw that they have a design your own sushi option. I can only assume that Ari and Jeff made excellent sushi rolls and were rewarded by being immortalized on the menu. To top off the experience, my boss insisted that we order the iBelushi. A $30 sushi platter that is assembled as follows; a base of some sort of thick mango gazpacho topped with a thin layer of caviar and a quail egg. It is served with a side of wasabi fried salmon skin chips. The service was attentive and friendly. As I said before, this place is legit. If you get bored watching the crafting of delicious unique sushi, perhaps you would enjoy the methodical rhythm of a knife being hand sharpened on a whet stone. Treat yo'self, go to iSushi. read more

First of all, the food is DELICIOUS but the service.. not even NEARLY as good. I understand that tipping helps the waitress but that does not give any reason to give a nasty attitude the moment we are seated. My fiancé and I had been coming to this location off and on for a while now and we would try to tip whenever we possibly could. Of course we did not purposely just ignore the tipping option, some days we had cash others we did not. We would feel bad about not being able to tip but we always thought of doing it whenever we could even if it wasn't every time we'd go. Unfortunately today we were greeted rudely about coming often and not tipping. This caused our dinner to be uncomfortable and I honestly think that this waitress should also try taking into account that not everybody will always have money for a tip and that it's not always because they don't want to. Her comment only made us lose our guilt of not being able to give one so if you are looking for good food go ahead, as for the passive aggressive service try thinking on it some more. Losing two decently regular costumers definitely won't make much of a difference but it should at least be known how you may be treated off not being able to tip. read more

server lady is rude and begs for tip. makes me honestly feel bad but she said it very rudely snd i didnt appreciate that..be a little nicer for a better tip maybe? lost 3 customers lol dont come here if u dont like rude servers. wish the service was as good as the food read more

Ok, so just went to iSushi and grabbed a togo order of lion king and dragon roll, the avocado was rotten as seen on the photo. The sushi could definitely be better, I don't think I'll be coming back to this place anytime soon. read more

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If I could give zero stars I would. I don't know what's worse. The fact that I never got the chance to taste the food or the greeting my children and I received upon entering this establishment. Let me start by saying, I'm new to the area and I love Japanese food. So does my 6 year old son. He's the reason why we were there. This place is within walking distance from my home so I thought let's try it out and see. As we're walking to the entrance I see the server HAPPILY chasing a patron who had forgotten their food. She then came back out to give them their proper receipt. BUT once my children and I were inside she came in and RUDELY said "yes". No hello, is this for here or to go?" NOTHING. I proceeded to tell her we were ordering to go. She hands me the menu and goes about her way. I'm literally standing at the register ready to place our order. She walks by me with an order for a waiting table without so much as an "I'll be right with you". At that point I knew this is a place I'D NEVER patronize. read more

Went here yesterday for a girl's night out with 2 other good friends. Here's the quick run down: Service - AMAZING Food - Fantastic, the rolls were a little bit small Ambiance - Perfect for the occasion -- of course everyone's occasion is different. Details! Service - The waiter was amazing and very accommodating. I spilled soy sauce on my shirt, and he immediately brought up more napkins and sparkling water to help me get it out of my shirt. Needless to say, I was able to wear the shirt for the rest of the night because most of it was gone. :] When it was time to turn in our bill, he told us he would check up on us every once in a while, though in case we were in a rush, we could bring the bill downstairs. Food - The food was deeelicious. It does have two $$ on the restaurant review, so be prepared to pay a little more for the sushi. The sushi presentation was fantastic. We ordered the 01+01, 888, and Spicy Tuna rolls. Each of them were great and the flavors for each roll complemented each other well. At the end, the waiter offered the dessert menu, but also brought us coconut ice cream with hot sake poured over the top. It was such a great combination. Ambiance - The restaurant is small downstairs and upstairs. There are high bar stool-type seats downstairs with tables that are lower, but upstairs is much quieter. It really depends on the eating experience you want. In my case, my friends and I wanted to catch up without hearing the hustle and bustle of the kitchen. The upstairs seating was perfect. Thanks for a great experience! :) read more

iHad the Nigiri and Maki sampler. This might be the best iValue on the menu. Had plenty of food, and I think I had the smallest portion of the bill. The sushi is good. The various iRolls are definitely interesting combinations, but still yummy. The whole i business is kind of silly, OK, VERY silly! I heard some people behind us, and everything they iOrdered had an i in front of it. The decor isn't very Japanese. Seems like it was an old Italian restaurant or something. I'd come back for the iFood. read more

We came here on a Friday night around 5:30pm. Folks familiar with this area is aware parking is tough. We got lucky and found parking fairly quickly. We ordered three rolls to go: Uncle Rock, Dragon Roll and Rainbow Roll. My wife enjoyed Uncle Rock roll and Dragon roll and she said Rainbow roll needed a soy sauce. I didn't have any because I was eating some Chicken on Fire down the road from here. Small sushi restaurant in a large strip mall with ample parking that gets filled up. Servers were really nice! Recommended! read more

To set your expectations, I Sushi is more like artisan sushi for the people who don't mind spending extra $$ on a designer roll. And yes, I do mean designer! Like $12 for two bites of a kobe topped, mango wrapped, rice ball of deliciousness. Is it worth it? Maybe every once in awhile. The kitchen uses all fresh ingredients and even though the place is small, there's usually a wait because the service and the food is good. So put on your fancy pants and prepare yourself for some not so average sushi and Japanese fare. read more

iSushi - Danielle: Kobe beef w/ ahi & Jada: Hamachi torched w/ mango and avocado - Sushi Bars Near Me - Castro Valley, California

We saw the reviews on yelp and the pictures looked great, so we decided to stop in for a dinner visit. When we got there, we were promptly greeted and were asked if we had a reservation. When we said no, the waitresses went scrambling and that seemed to be the response with the other customers who were coming in too without reservations. To me, it didn't seem like that big of a deal since there were 8 seats open and only 4 of them had "reserved" on them. Anyway, once we were finally seated, the owner greeted us and walked us through the menu, which was pretty extensive. Since it's a Japanese fusion place, it took us awhile to decide. We finally decided to get "Josh" (since we were told it was the most popular item) and 3 rolls. Josh (basil leaves, mango, spicy tuna tartar) was like an appetizer, but the flavors were balanced well and it was quite tasty. However, we thought it was a little pricey for $13. The rolls were decent as well, it was a little hard to get over the fact that there were several ingredients (ie basil) that aren't what we were used to seeing in sushi. The rolls weren't all that impressive for us, especially at the price point. Bottom line, if you're looking for a different take on traditional Japanese food and are willing to pay a premium, this might be your place. It certainly seems like this place is popular and has it's share of regulars (the owner seemed to know quite a few of the people). But if you're looking for some good Japanese food at a decent price, you'd best look elsewhere. read more

I recently went here! The monkfish liver was tasty both ways - raw and seared! The first time we went, they let us try both in one order of four pieces. The next time we went, they said "no" and we were highly disappointed. Good service means consistency and willing to make the customer happy, especially when we just had it a week before! I really don't appreciate the "upselling" here either. You are paying premium prices, and they try to influence you to order more. Some people might not take notice and mind, but I find it makes me a bit unhappy. If you have good food, it will sell itself. You don't need to influence people to order more. Not only did I experience this, but I saw others being asked similar questions implying for them to order more also. Overall, it's okay if you are willing to splurge and craving for some sushi in the East Bay! read more

Good sushi with good service. The menu can be a bit overwhelming with all the unique names and numerous options. Most memorable was the 007 roll that was recommended by a waitress. Each individual sushi piece was topped with a jalapeño seeds removed for a small hint of spicy. read more

I feel that this place is a little crammed up; small. Luckily, I made reservations prior to coming, not knowing what to expect. They have some good sushi. They also have a nice cute sushi bar. Good customer service. Free ice cream when you "check in" on yelp. read more

iSushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Decided to give this place another try. Ordered the chirashi for dinner takeout and was charged dinner price which is suppose to be 10 peices of sushi for $21. However, I only got 7 peices. So pricey for 7 peices. Not worth it. Fish was just ok, not super super fresh. To make my box look full it was literally all rice....... read more

A-maz-ing!!! We ended up at this place on a whim since we usually drive all the way out to Dublin for our favorite sushi place. But, we weren't really feeling like making the trek so we looked up local sushi and this place popped up! I am quite picky because places usually put all this fluff around sushi and I am a sashimi fan and you can quickly tell a good sushi place and a place that hides the lower quality stuff with all of the "fluff". Well, this place is not that case it is WONDERFUL. I had the sunomuno salad with hamachi and it was so incredibly delicious. I also orde I have ever had. read more

3.5 stars if I could. This place is located in a strip mall in Castro Valley. From the way everything looked on Yelp, I was really excited to get my sushi fix over here. Sadly, I was a bit underwhelmed. The quality and overall experience of the sushi here was not justified by the hefty price tag that came with it. Don't get me wrong, the SO and I don't mind cashing out for food, as long as the meal is worthy of our hard earned $$. While all the items we ordered were good, none of them were "close your eyes and smile in delight" good. I was most looking forward to the ankimo with uni and tobiko and sadly it was just aiiiiiite. read more

iSushi - Ankimo, uni, & tobiko - Sushi Bars Near Me - Castro Valley, California

The restaurant is located in a shopping center just off Castro Valley Blvd. Parking is easy to find. This is some interesting wonderful sushi served here. I love Japanese food and coming here just elevated me to heaven with the different combinations of sushi and sashimi I have never had before. read more

iSushi - I sushi appetizer - Sushi Bars Near Me - Castro Valley, California

WOW! The Size of This Menu is Impressive! I wish my husband and I had more time to try all of the sushi choices on the menu. It was an extensive list of rolls, which were all named after patrons. I would call this place a flavor fusion factory. The chef does a great job of mixing different textures and flavors together. Sushi with Hawaiian accents - meaning a good use of pineapple and macadamia nuts. The rolls we had were: 007 - never knew macadamia nuts would be good on a sushi roll Bill's on Fire - fresh white fish it was rated very hot...but not hot enough for me Stuffed Jalapenos - Good flavors not hot at all everyone will enjoy Forgot the name dessert - fried snickers type sushi dessert thing - absolutely tasty with great textures. I never knew a good sushi house would be here in little old Castro Valley. You guys are very lucky to have a sushi bar that is innovative. When we are back visiting I would love to come back here. AMBIANCE: Small and quaint. Not big enough for big parties. But if you get there early they can accommodate you. SERVICE: Very nice and had great recommendations. WHERE WE STAND: I wish they had this place here in LA so I can try their extensive menu. A true innovative culinary experience leaving me wanting for more. read more

iSushi - Big menu! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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This place is a gem. Excellent sushi, great quality, set in an intimate atmosphere. One of the best higher-quality spots in the East Bay. A highlight of CV. read more