Pretty damn good sushi. Especially because I had an unbreakable rule about getting cream cheese in my rolls, and these guys broke it. In general I think cream cheese overpowers the sushi and these guys some how get it right. Pretty amazing. They have some really interesting rolls. Other than that, the sushi is high quality and isn't too expensive. read more

Meh. This place may be fantastic for the rolls (which is obviously what the average person would come here for). But I am not average and I came here for the Teriyaki Chicken dinner plate. The chicken was fatty...really fatty..and lots of dark meat when I am used to leaner white meat. No special sauce or glaze or flavorings at all. Very BLEEEEEEEEEEEH. My husband got the same thing so it was a double disappointment. Did I mention it was my anniversary? lol. I will say the staff was friendly and efficient (not always something that is easy to come by at these places) so I do appreciate that. It is a VERY tiny place...6 tables max and the sushi bar. I will not be back simply because the chicken plate was that bad. read more

Went there last week and had Chirashi Sushi. You know it's not going to be too good when they put too much tomago sushi on it. I don't mind a little, but three pieces? The food isn't bad, but something is lacking...like Japanese people!!?? I'm getting tired of going into a sushi restaurant and having non-Japanese people making the sushi. I'm tiring quickly of fusion food. I want the real thing, made by Japanese people. I love Kamakura in Alameda. There are other much better places, but I can't think of their names at the moment. I wasn't too fond of the sorta-miso soup. I'm not sure what it was and what was in it. The salad was fresh, green leaf lettuce was used instead of iceberg, but I'm not sure what kind of dressing was on it. Like many restaurants, whether you like them or not is so subjective. But if you like more traditional sushi (I'm not even Japanese) go elsewhere. read more

iSushi is my favorite place in the area. Stanley and Co. have great offerings here. A word of warning - their traditional dishes suuuuck (hence 4 rather than 5 stars) - so if you like your sushi traditional, try Ray's down on A Street. They really shine with their fusion and experimental offerings - mango, jalapeno, and basil highlight their best dishes. read more

Un-lurking to defend iSushi! This is one of those places it pays to come back on an "off" night. Get to know the staff, get to know Stanley the owner, get to know a regular (there's always one, usually seated at the bar). I'll admit it is small, can get very crowded--but isn't that a sign that people like it? And use this as an opportunity to meet some new people. If it's a really slow night, the chef might get bored and will make something just for you. The place isn't cheap, but the quality (especially of the blue fin) is excellent. I haven't had a piece of sushi there I haven't liked. read more

I don't know where to start. First of all they made a mistake in my order and blamed me for it. The waitress made an angry face and didn't ask me if I want a refill. But she refiill the water for my girlfriend. When she did refill she gave me half glass empty (like seriously?!) I ate there more than 10 times Because the sushi is good but i will never come back!! Shame but they earn that!! :/ read more

Delicious and fresh, and lots of roll options! 5 star quality food, but the rolls were on the small side and a tad expensive for their size. A nice treat! Excellent service. read more

See all

Ugh, so I've come out of lurkdom in order to defend my dear I Sushi: Are you effin' kidding me?! You know the first sushi experience is like, "Ooh, what the hail is this salty, sumptuous material melting in my mouth?!" then through your college years you have buttloads of mediocre-ass slapped-together stuff, and then you starting noticing the few-and-far-between good stuff? This restaurant reawakened my obsession with sushi after a long slumber. To be fair, I think the main conflict between taste amongst reviewers must be a cuisine philosophy: simple, pure, and traditional vs. extravagant, innovative, and unconventional. You know how tons of sushi restaurants are making these giant rolls where avocado, unagi, salmon, tuna, a roe are arranged in different proportions and designs all to make the same big ass roll in about 50 different versions? You know, the ones named after butt towns and sports teams! Well, I Sushi does this, has an overwhelming menu, even moreso than other typical places (they even have rolls named after *years* -- the 1999 roll, the 2005 roll, etc. I think they're auspiciously missing 2002 though. Hmm . . . aftermath of 9/11) -- but I think they do it well. The menu can be slightly confusing and it seems like some items might be double listings. No, they're separate items prepared differently. The center spread contains the simple, one-ingredient, traditional roles. There's sashimi and actual sushi too. And lots of sakes (cold and hot) and plum wines. But here's the main reason why this place is amazing: The non-sushi items. Good lo'd! Y'all gotta try "Josh's Special". And the . . . blue beluga something. They do some amazing, secret things with deep fried basil leaves, fresh tuna, mango, and fresh wasabi. Fresh wasabi is quite the experience! Try crispy (or crunchy?) tofu too. I admit the place is cramped and hard-edged, but I find the staff quite friendly. Y'all gotta be respectful! In fact, my li'l chemist friend and I were hella tore up and exhausted, and we ordered some of the tasty appetizers and sushi, and then the chef asked us what was up. We said, "We want more but we don't know what we want!" So he proceed to invent for us something special! It almost trumped Josh's Special! Ai'ght, yes, it's a busy place, yes, it's expensive, and yes, it's kind of like sitting in a cube, but I think it's mostly the clientele that has contributed to any odd annoyance -- but I've mostly been amused. And hullo, it's right across the street from that ghetto-ass pool hall, giant ice cream parlor, and down the street from Golden Tee miniature golf! Dey got all these DDR-like do-something-creative-with-a-machine-to-direct-you arcade games! And surly teenagers! And then there's the 3 crosses church! But that's for another review . . . read more

Since there is not much restaurants in Castro Valley that opens late on a Sunday night I decided to stop by here for dinner. Empty restaurant should have been a red flag! Ordered Hamachi Kama, spicy tuna maki and Salmon shioyaki. First comes the miso soup n no seaweed, tofu or green onions found. Only a pc of carrot!! To me that is not authentic. Spicy tuna maki then arrives with this orange mayo on top to cover the nasty old cheap looking tuna in the roll. Hamachi Kama was served and tasted really fish and look really awful. I can tell this restaurant is family owned since all the waitstaff and kitchen does whatever they want. Take my advice and don't bother wasting your time and money for horrible, overpriced food n this hole in the wall joint. read more

Eric's desire, 007, inferno, danielle, jada - A sushi experience like no other. I felt like I was eating Iron Chef Morimoto's restaurant. I never thought you can put japanese basil in sushi to give it a unique.. Hmm! Like everyone says, they are pretty pricey. Don't expect to be full walking out but do expect to excite your flavor palettes. Waitress was great. They were packed for dinner yet she still took her time to explain the menu to us. They have so many different rolls but you really want to try their "out of the box" type dishes - you won't regret it! read more

iSushi - 007 yummm - Sushi Bars Near Me - Castro Valley, California

See all

The GF and I were looking for a decent sushi place in Castro Valley, so iSushi fit the bill. The service was good and the rolls were decent, but nothing really jumped out at me. I'm usually a tough grader on sushi mostly because I think a lot of it tastes the same, no matter how much sauce you put on the rolls. This place fit the bill of run of the mill. I'll probably be back because there just aren't that many sushi places in CV, but it is a bit on the expensive side. read more

Good service, informative staff, interesting rolls. Only reason why I haven't given it five stars is that the taste and quality isn't quite matched up to the price. For four rolls and a couple miso soups it was $70. A little too much, if you ask me. read more

The food was good and there were some nice designs to it. Not a fan of the mango desert however. Place is pretty small on the bottom. Didn't go to the top because it was booked for a party. On the contrary, the service was horrible! We waited almost 20 mins for us to be seated. The serverv gavev us an attitude at the end of the night just because we wanted our tab to be splitted. She said to us "next time u tell me before u order, we don't do this when we're busy. When clearly that night they were not busy because almost everyone had already left. The store manager was a bit rude because we had one sushi left that we could not finish & as he was cleaning our table he used a chopstick & put that last sushi roll on my friends plate to eat it & I thought that was rude because your never suppose to touch a customers food even if they were eating it or not. So they got best of the bay, but I think that's false review. read more

I've been here twice and thought it was decent sushi. It wasn't fishy at all which makes or breaks a spot for me. I like their spicy mayo and unagi sauces too. Sometimes places make those different and it kills the roll for me. Their hamachi nigiri was on point!! Their service, however, wasn't the best. I drank my water really fast and didn't get a new one until I was ending my meal. When that is the only drink on the table and it isn't busy in the place at all, filling my glass of water doesn't seem like something too difficult to accomplish as a server. Again, their sushi was decent, but I have had amazing sushi from Aniki's and Satomi in Fremont, so I am a bit of a sushi snob. Haha read more

For the price they charge the sushi is very average to below average. It's one of those fusion places so it's not a traditional sushi menu. The menu is cryptic to read and they really need to simplify things. Place is also really tiny so be prepared to squeeze in. The service was also so-so. Asked the waitress for advice on the menu and she basically blew us off. Felt ripped off paying extreme prices for inferior quality. read more

My husband and I went here last night and it was fantastic. Every morsel was delicious. We try to eat vegetarian when possible, and their veggies dishes are AMAZING! Try to Portobello Mushroom Special and the Rebecca Roll. They do lovely things with Basil and Mango. We are big big fans!! No more trips to SF, we can hang right here in Castro Valley and have the best Sushi ever! Can't wait to have a party/group so we can go and order all kinds of things. Their menu is enormous, so there are endless options. Very creative, friendly, tasty, and affordable. Loves it!!! read more

I have Sushi EVERYWHERE I go... I love it!!! So it's time I gave iSushi the kudo's they deserve!!! Stanley (the owner)...You Are The Man!!! I love your creativity, your hospitality, your passion in not only the sushi you create but the service and special attention you give to your customers! I typically start with a Josh appetizer (DELISH!!!), but last night added the "Eric & Lori" scallops & asparagus appetizer as a recommendation by the waitress...once again, I was not disappointed! As always the rolls I chose were incredible..."Scooter & 007"... I live in Oakland now but will travel over to CV to have the BEST sushi in the Bay Area any chance I get. Keep up the great work Stanley & iSushi Staff! read more

My friend found this place, and she's been ranting and raving about it since. Upon meeting Isushi I had extremely high hopes and Isushi has nailed every, single one of it. Appealing to the eye? For sure. Taste? out of this world. Atmosphere? cozy, but extremely friendly and knowledgeable. The owner comes by and greets every single one of his customers, and they're very specific regarding any allergies. Don't know what you want? have them make you something, you'll be VERY pleased you did! read more

G: yum yum! I love the crispy calamari over here. I'm pretty much going to iterate the major themes of the other reviews. Expensive. Very small so space is limited. Attentive and Friendly service. Large selection of creative dishes! Parking was easy. Will I come back? Probably. But only when I have some extra cash and I won't go here peak times. I would probably come back just to have that calamari again. read more

Ay Ay AY CARAMBA, que deliciousa! I love I Sushi, though let me be straight about two things... 1. It is not cheap, delicious but not cheap.. these are designer rolls. 2. They are always packed and thus are not the quickest service, do not come here if you need to be in and out quickly. No back to why I LOVE this place... the rolls are INCREDIBLE!!! We get about 3 on average or it is too much. It ca be hard to pick what to eat and remember what you have had, this menu is incredibly expansive. Plus you can create your own rolls.. OMG YUM. The Hugito Explosion is great, as is the 007, oh.. it all is. Just go and enjoy quit trying to make up your mind. read more

Best sushi in the area. Small place but worth the coziness. Everything's fresh no fish smell. Staffs great and sushi comes out fast and yummy! Try it you'll like it! read more

A small space in Castro Valley. I was excited to try this place, but was disappointed. Overpriced and the sushi did not taste fresh.

My brother and I found this place on yelp when we discovered our usual sushi spot in Hayward was closed for the day. Once we arrived the server greeted us with a smile and asked if we would like to sit at the sushi bar. We agreed and he instructed us to sit at the very end. Once we settled in, he asked if we were interested in omakase (chef's choice style dining). When we declined stating we preferred to pick from the menu, he asked us to move over because the end of the bar seated is reserved for omakase customers only. ...seriously?? He told us to sit there!! If that was the case, he should've informed us prior, NOT after the fact. My brother thinks this server was new because he was receiving instruction from another server but we were both highly irritated. As we considered leaving, the owner stepped in to explain the menu to us. (Perhaps he sensed our irritation.) From that point on, our experience at I Sushi was superb. He was incredibly friendly and took his time to explain the menu. We appreciated the fact that he wasn't pushy in any way whatsoever. He was also obviously passionate about creating unique sushi dishes. The food here isn't typical. Sure, they offer patrons a choice of the usual rolls, but they also offer unique options. I ordered the inferno roll (which includes ingredients such as mango and basil) and a roll most sushi restaurants offer, the dynamite roll. Both were very tasty and appropriately sized. My brother ordered the chirashi and was pleased with the quality of the dish and portion size. When we finished eating, the owner surprised us with a pistachio ice cream and sake dessert. It was incredibly tasty and the highlight of my night! With the exception of the rude server, we enjoyed our dining experience and will definitely come back! read more

iSushi - Pistachio ice cream and sake dessert - Sushi Bars Near Me - Castro Valley, California

This is a neat, little sushi restaurant in Castro Valley, and when I say "little," I mean "little." It's hidden inside of a big shopping plaza, so it's hard to find. If you're looking for it, just remember that it's across from Walgreens. The restaurant itself is pretty small and can't sit too many people. If you come on a busy night, be sure to call ahead for reservations. The place seemed pretty popular and the staff was really friendly. The food is on the pricey side and has a lot of unique dishes that you won't normally find at a sushi restaurant. I ordered a fried scallop dish (Eric and Lori's) and it was pretty awesome. The other scallop dish (the one with the wontons) wasn't as awesome, as it was described as scallops wrapped around a wonton (which sounded unique and awesome), but ended up being fried wontons with little scallops inside. That was definitely not worth the price. The seaweed salad was also good, but it was a small dish. The sushi dishes were pretty good. My boyfriend had ordered one that had basil in it, which tasted rather unique. They also had many unique ingredients to pick from, including mango, and pineapple. Another neat idea was they had something called "create your own sushi," in which you can pick 3-5 of your favorite ingredients and they'll make you your very own sushi roll - talk about customization. My boyfriend's friend also loved the tea. I thought it was good since it had the sesame flavor, but I've had others similar to this that tasted better. Anyhow, it's definitely a fun place to try out if you are a sushi lover. However, be prepared to spend some cash, as they come in small portions for a high price. read more

The food is good and the plate design is creative, not only the classic rolls, they have new signature dishes, the lady works there is very nice and helpful, for sure will go back again. read more

See all

Even though word around town is you have to pay for your meal with your first born child ($$$$), I used to be a big fan of I Sushi. Used to. We used to order quite a bit of take out. When hubby was on a business trip, I Sushi was a treat for the kids and me. The last time I called in a take out order, one of the rolls my son wanted had nuts. I'm very allergic to nuts. So when I ordered, I carefully explained before ordering about my nut allergy. Again, when I ordered the specific roll, I said no nuts because of my allergy. Before hanging up, I said it again. Nut allergies are serious, Folks, and I didn't want to end up in the ER (or worse!). I wasn't casual about informing them about this! Picked up our order, brought it home, opened up the boxes and ... NUTS... and that roll was packed with three other rolls which meant non for me. With each roll being $10+, that was over a $40 box of sushi that had to be tossed. I called. Oh no problem, come back and we'll give you another roll. No, the whole box has to be replaced. Nope. They'd only make another roll, without nuts this time. I explained that at this point, I'm not calling to get more food. I'm calling to let them know how very serious nut allergies are and that one bite of anyone of those rolls could have been very dangerous to me. It didn't sound like the person on the other end of the phone took me very seriously. Fast forward about 11 months.. haven't been there since. My son has been asking to go back for quite sometime now. We stopped in yesterday for lunch. No problems with the nuts this time (WHEW!) and they even made sure to my my rolls completely separate from other rolls so no chance of nut contamination. Everything was fresh, still expensive, and the portions are smaller now. Significanty so. While it tasted great, it's just way too much money for what you get. It was a nice touch to bring the kids each a scoop of green tea ice cream. Still doesn't make up for the super high prices or the very serious error with the nuts. Oh, ask Stan why they don't have take out menus... he'll tell you it's because they want to save the special rolls for the customers who dine in. If that's the case, don't offer service take out. Period. read more

If you're into non-traditional Japanese food aka Asian Fusion, this could be your place. More than half the menu is nouveau Japanese dishes. Fortunately, they do have the more traditional dishes for those of us who are not quite adventuresome. The service was wonderful and at the suggestion of our waitress, we started with a raw tuna appetizer with IHT sauce (not sure what that is) over shredded daikon and carrot. We then had raw butterfish with a thin slice of jalapeno pepper on each slice of butterfish. The butterfish was fine and it wasn't that spicy. No jalapeno seeds. We also had a tuna with lemon roll which was a bit more traditional. Our dinner salads used mixed greens instead of the usual iceberg lettuce and had a dressing that was not the usual miso salad dressing. It's not a very big place, but it had some pretty fancy lighting. Shopping mall parking, but because of the dated design of the mall, most of the parking would be in an adjacent larger lot. We got lucky and found a space right in front. I'll have to try the more traditional dishes next time. Another negative - it's pretty pricey. We got out of there with a bill of over $50 for two, no booze or dessert. read more

I've been here twice. Food is unique but doesn't really jump out. Food is not the issue. They charged me twice and was told the first one didn't work due their machine didn't spit out a receipt. They did it again and I was concerned of being double charged. They said that it won't. Well I checked my card a day later and sure enough double charged. Getting them to refund was ridiculous. They treated me as if I was making it up. It's been a year now and today I wanted to give them another shot. They sat us down 2 adults and 1 kid, time was 5:30pm and they decided to seat us on a reserved table since that party wasn't arriving till 6:45 pm. We sat and waited for our menu. After 5 mins of waiting they tell us we have to get up because the seats were reserved. read more

So I walk in to grab a California roll and vegetable tempura for my daughter to go. The place looks decent, but nothing more than Ive seen in most sushi restaurants. The waitress tells me my total is $17 and change! I look at the receipt and the vegetable tempura (no shrimp) is $10! Seriously?! Im no cheap eater, but that is ridiculous! And for that price, both the California roll and the tempura were very small. At least smaller than the many different places I've been. I didn't even get a decent greeting or a smile from the waitress. Maybe she didn't want to be there, but as a customer, it shouldn't be so obvious. Never again! read more

iSushi - $10 for this - Sushi Bars Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Two and a half stars for the food: I ordered the Johnnie in Big Trouble, Infusion, and the tempura roll and they were good-tasting but it could have been better. The pieces of sushi themselves were not that big but I guess it was fine. Two stars for the price: I paid over $40 for three rolls of sushi that could have been bigger and better. Take your money somewhere else if you want good sushi. read more

I picked this place because I was looking for good quality sushi without going to the city. Because of its high reviews and high prices, I assumed I would find something great. However, disappointment sunk in when I tried their sashimi. I had salmon, ahi and an assortment of other fish. For a restaurant that charges Michelin rated prices, I was very disappointed. The fish tasted bland and it was difficult to differentiate the types when the salmon didn't taste much different than the tuna. The good reviews on here must be from people who don't eat much sushi or have never tried good quality fish. If you are looking for delicious, fresh fish take a trip out to the city to a Michelin rated restaurant instead where you will get MUCH better quality, taste, service and ambience for the same price. If you are just looking for nearby sushi, you are better off going to a cheaper sushi bar that isn't trying to take advantage of the higher profit in California. They should be ashamed of themselves read more

No complaints at all! Alaskan roll always good. Salmon is fresh. Miso soul delish! Girl friend loves the chicken teriyaki. Chicken not fatty at all. And always friendly service (Natalie). read more

iSushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Castro Valley, California

First time to this Sushi place. Great service, fresh fish and creative dishes. Owner Stanley is extreme friendly and calm even during busy time. I've been in restaurant business myself for a long time and I have to say this is not easy to do. Past by a few time was skeptical to go in. I love sushi, but have to be very careful where to go. When it comes to good food, especially good sushi, I don't like to rate it on price. I'm reading a lot of review and notice that some review that are given so little star is because prices are too high and they can go elsewhere and pay half the price. I can tell you, this has been one of the freshes and best sushi I've had. Me and my wife are very picky when it comes to sushi. We order Toro sashimi, sake, hamachi, uni and a few of Stanley's special dish. The Uni is very very fresh..Toro was beautiful......You will get what you pay for.. This is not your average sushi.... Will definitely be back..... read more

Much talent here. Monkfish liver dishes are quite good. Come early/reserve or wait. And don't be scared by 'spicy' when applied to tuna or scallop. read more

I have been to just about every sushi restaurant in San Francisco and honestly I have not found one that was as good as ISushi!!!! This is hands down the best Sushi I have ever had. They have the traditional Sushi but what makes this place so good is to just let the owner pick for you and he will make the most unique dishes you have ever had. We had 9 dishes and only one of them was a traditional roll. Absolutely amazing. It is a little pricey for an average night out in Castro Valley but if you want a fancy dinner then it is priced reasonably. read more

Food is great. Guy server was really nice. The lady server was really rude in all contexts. If you are a person of color I do not recommend that you go to this place. We asked for cream cheese in a roll and she laughed at us and said we don't have kimchi.. YES! we understand that we are not at a Korean restaurant.. before that comment, she asked us if we wanted forks because we were "trying too hard to use chopsticks." We are a mix group of individuals one white two Spanish and two blacks... we also work as servers and bartenders in very nice and established restaurants; we should have never been mocked or treated this way. We are very disappointed. Still tipped 22 percent (adding more cash to what they wrote in; as people in the same industry, we know that's unacceptable) because karma is a....y'all know!!!!! read more

I really wish Yelp didn't refer this place to me... I called to see what time they stopped seating people and then was turned away an hour before closing... made me waste gas and time and the lady was very rude even though I called to check when they stop seating people! read more

Very tiny location so make reservations in advance. Great assortment of vegetarian and nonveg options. I will definitely eat here again. Everyone was well pleased. read more

YUM YUM ! stopped into pick up some sushi on the take out tip for my hubby last night, he ordered himself a chicken katsu and then on their recommendation got a number 7 roll. It was divinity by way of sushi roll. OMG loves it! OK it had mango, avocado, drizzled with something creamy and topped with daikon and jalapeno. The heat of the pepper came at just the right time after popping it in your mouth. I tried going over the menu on their site before before writing this review but I can not find the name of it. I can not wait to visit them again to have this heavenly little roll again. read more

Date night - avoided all the rolls and ordered a bunch of specials ($$$$ and not $$). - Fresh Uni (very raw) - I hate uni and have only been able to take it down at Yume in Alameda. I Sushi did it right! I still don't like it, but I didn't gag like all the other times I tried it (exception is Yume, of course). - Scallop special (one seared, one fried/baked?, and several raw) -- didn't think I'd like the raw one, but they turned out to be the best! Loved the raw scallops! super fresh! - had some other sashimi and two large bottles of hot sake... all were good but I don't remember what they were. Very pricey for all the specials though... bill came out to well over $150 for two people. Prices are somewhat comparable to Yume in Alameda, but it was worth it. Just didn't expect to pay this much for any restaurant in Castro Valley. read more