I-Sushi is a small cramped eatery. couldn't tell they were open since lights not seen. blinking "open" sign was a clue. offerings: starters, designer.specialty rolls, sushi, desserts, ramen, lover specials. .. eats: omakase sashimi lunch special (20) -10ish pieces: scallop, sake, masago, tobiko, butterfish, tuna, albacore, tamago, hamachi? *sashimi mostly cold, some pieces mushy. pieces different shapes. -dashi flavored soup, thousand islanded mixed greens. -true japanese green tea 3ish stars temaki: -flatscreen off -blackboard filled with sashimi items, unpriced., omakase listed/ priced. -"asian fusion", fancified rolls their speciality. -inimpressed..... read more

We have been coming to this place well over 20yrs. Great staff, phenomenal food and local to us Castro Valleyn's

We came here on a weekend afternoon and found it to only be occupied by one other group when we walked in. Service was not the best. Waitress didn't seem happy to be there and seemed irritated at times with us, especially my young kids. We ordered a chicken ramen for the kids (they substituted with miso broth since they only had spicy ramen broth available). The chicken was cooked well, but the ramen was soft and overcooked. I ordered a sashimi salad for myself. The sashimi was not fresh and so disappointing. It was equivalent to supermarket sushi that's been sitting there the whole day. The color also looked off, and the fish had a leathery taste. Fish should not taste like this. Salad was mediocre and drizzled with heavy cream dressing, which I didn't like as it washed out the flavor of the fish. I guess in hindsight, that might have been good since the fish was the worst part. My husband got a chirashi bowl, which had the worst sashimi he has ever had. He let me try the sushi rice, and it tasted very off. It was almost like they put only vinegar and little mirin to balance the vinegar flavor. It also tasted a little old. We paid a whopping $75 before tip. Definitely not worth the price. Also the restaurant was very rundown with part of the front broken wood covered by some cardboard. I will not eat here again and don't recommend it given the much better options in the area such as Tancho. read more

FIVE stars for uniqueness. Negative THREE stars for price! iSushi definitely offers non-traditional sushi. With flavors I would never have imagined. I have no idea what we ordered, but it was all delicious. Service was great, our waitress had a story to tell for each dish she brought out. Which I really appreciate. Its more of an experience rather than eating regular sushi rolls. She also had some great recommends. But be careful, all those recommends can be pricy! At the end of our meal, we were surprised with a shot. (yay right?) no! It was a shot of fresh wasabi!! I'm not big on spicy things, but since she was nice enough to bring it out, we gave it a try. This was an interesting bite to say the least. You must order this if you come! The owner was really sweet to make his rounds. He came, introduced himself and made sure everything was ok. Be prepared to spend at least $40 a person... FYI don't order typical rolls. You won't be impressed. Make your way toward the unique appetizers and specialty rolls. read more

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Bar is awkward and not a very good first date spot, kinda has no vibe like other spots have. Service was fine but the food was lower quality that I expected, not sure if it justifies the cost. There are places that serve higher quality fish/meat with lower price tags. read more

Raw fish sushi quality was top notch (salmon particularly good) - sweet, fatty, generous, and super fresh. Scallop also really good, textured, so clean and sweet. This is definitely a higher quality of raw fish sushi than your everyday sushi restaurant. Can't speak to sushi rolls.. but I don't know why you'd come to a higher end sushi place like this for rolls. Kind of missing the point... Looking forward to trying again! read more

Great creative sushi rolls, fresh high quality fish, and attentive service with a great sake selection!

Best fusion sushi place in eBay. Not too much rice, good texture, nice variety and flexible! Tips: -try to secure reservations, tiny place -take some time to read the menu it's LONG -'wd' = well done, as in cooked, not raw -flexible with changing up types of fish -pretty saucy place, we asked for everything on the side and they complied -nice cold sakes by the glass, generous & $9! Ordered: -black cod, nice crispy skin, buttery fish -jada, wasn't what I expected, couldn't decipher flavors, skip -Danielle, perfect for those who are low carbing it, the favorite of the two rice less items -01+01 roll, really good, unique combo, wd -888 roll, loved the torched scallop and basil Impressive place. The owner is really involved, hovering, greeting old and new faces. On par with any of the South Bay faux sushi joints. Yay! read more

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We didn't order much. $60 total for takeout. We always lower our expectation when we order takeout. But when you put sashimi and "hot" (the rice was still very warm) sushi rolls in the same container, this is probably unusual. And unfortunately we ordered 3 orders of tobiko. Maybe not a good choice for to go. read more

iSushi - two plastic containers with different types of food in them - Sushi Bars Near Me - Castro Valley, California

I do not like to write bad reviews, but this is the most over-priced, over-rated Japanese restaurant I've been to. When we walked in the door, we were encouraged that the waitress and one of the chef are Japanese. However, the food proved disappointing. We tried the chashu ramen and the tonkatsu scallop ramen. For $15 and $17, I expected high quality ramen like you would experience at Santa Ramen or Ippudo. However, the ramen broth were bland and the toppings uninspiring, akin to the kind of ramen you would find at typical budget Japanese restaurants for $10. I thought maybe ramen is not their speciality, so I should give them the benefit of the doubt and try their sushi. However, the $23 sushi deluxe I got were mostly cucumber rolls and California rolls. The only nirigi sushi were a few pieces of tuna and salmon, and one piece of tako (octopus). There was no hamachi, snapper or any other fish you would expect for that price range. They should not be charging such high prices for such budget quality Japanese food. read more

My friend and I were enjoying an appetizer when the waitress asked us if she could literally take our table to accommodate the white people that just walked in. There was a white man sitting next to our table, he was waiting for his food to go and not dining in. She could had asked him for his table, but she didn't. I'm assuming she didn't bother the man sitting next to us because he was white too. I couldn't believe what was happening and said no, but she insisted again. We decided to leave and not argue with ignorance. I'm Latina woman and perhaps this restaurant thinks that color/dark people are inferior to their white skin. I will never spend a penny at this restaurant again. Good luck with this racist restaurant! read more

This place is wonderful. Get the chefs special edamame it is divine! Kind and efficient staff. Delicious food!

We have been to iSushi three times without issue, but tonight we ordered it to go. We ordered shrimp and veggie tempura and it came with two prawns, a piece of broccoli and seven sweet potatoes. While the shrimp and broccoli were good, my husband and I got tired of eating sweet potato. The three rolls we ordered were average. Nothing to write home about. They were really bland. And my shrimp tempura roll was anything but crunchy. The surf & turf roll was supposed to come with Kobe steak, but instead came with what looked like pieces of dog food with zero taste. The Ruby roll was decent. The best of the three. If we return, we won't be ordering take out. read more

iSushi - SEVEN sweet potatoes in one order of shrimp tempura. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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After opening the menu, noticed the blue fin $40. Only the Chef said no Blue Fin tuna? Only problem with that I perveyed the Specials. 2 other mentions about Blue Fin Tuna. Chef says no blue Fin? Only the waitress didn't say anything? I asked for some cold saki. She brought me a glass for whiskey? She poured under a 1/2 glass? I asked her Where's the bottle you just poured from? She commented I poured it from a big bottle, which I never say?I ordered a tempura roll/ Shrimp. They used the ends of the Shrimp as a piece of your roll. Who eats the Tail or better yet who ever see deep-fried shrimp tail included in your roll? Tried 2 other dishes that weren't good at all. $127.89 for this debacle!! No frigging tip!! Doesn't the Chef ever look at the Special board for the day? Now he's telling the waitress no Blue Fin yet never says the other 2 Blue Fin items we don't have either? Not one word? How is this place still still around? Never coming back to I Sushi !!! read more

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At around 7pm, my wife and son joined me for dinner at ISushi. It wasn't crowded and we were seated right away. My wife is pregnant so we had to get a few welldone rolls on the menu. Once the rolls came out, I noticed that one of the welldone rolls had raw scallops in the center. I quickly flagged down the waitress and she said yes that roll is supposed to have raw scallop and walked away. I looked at the menu again to double check and yes it was in the welldone section. I went over and pointed it out to the waitress again. She then went to check with the cook and came back saying yes it's cooked - the scallops are pan fried but not tempura style like it's supposed to be in the menu. The scallops looked clear and translucent like raw scallops are supposed to look but she kept insisting that it was cooked. I looked her in the eye and asked her if she was sure that my pregnant wife can eat this and she said definitely yes. I knew it wasn't cooked but just wanted to see if she really was going to risk my pregnant wife eating the raw sushi just to save the restaurant time or money. We are never going back to this place and neither should you. read more

Small interior but nice place. Food is delicious. Sushi fresh. Plenty of options. It's a favorite.

My favorite sushi spot in town! 01 01 and hugito explosion are our go to's Spicy edemame is amazing. Pokimon was also a hit- very refreshing. read more

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I love this quaint Castro Valley Japanese restaurant. I like their wide variety of sushi options. And, the service is always efficient.

Walked in at 2:00 PM and was told that I could only place a to-go order because they were closing at 2:30 PM. Why have hours until 2:30 PM if you stop serving at 2:00 PM? read more

Good Ramen, Friendly Staff! Clean and stylish Restaurant, and no back door kitchen. Everything is made in front of you. I'm reading a lot of reviews about the price... Let me just say that good quality food takes time and money. I made ramen ONE time and it took hours. It's a labor of love, and the same goes for sushi. Will be back!! read more

This place is way over-rated! I went to try out their "think out-of-the-bento-box" items since reviews looked OK and we were in the area. To begin, we (3 people) were seated before the crowed showed up around 7pm. We ordered once we went thru the large menu ( with no pics so we had lots of questions). My wife got a Ramen soup and I got a rainbow roll and the teriyaki chicken plate with miso, rice, and salad with CA rolls. I was to share my rice and chicken with my son. I also ordered a large Asahi beer. Beer, soup and rainbow came out fast. The Beer was warm. I asked for a chilled glass and the waitress came back with a room temp. glass, again! The rainbow roll was meh! and the first bite had very fishy taste. The rest of our food came out 45 min. later. My wife's soup was super-salty and tasted like it was instant noodle soup with lots of sriracha sauce! My plate was SOOOO disappointing I almost sent it back, if it wasn't for my hunger. The chicken was not lean and badly cooked. My CA rolls were falling apart and very small. My salad was just a pinch of lettuce and some salty dressing.. HORRIBLE!!! I left that place hungry and with $65 less in my pocket! They do have lots of "awards" from the city and yelp on the wall but I really don't see why. Save your time and money, go to Amakara in Dublin! read more

We love this place. It's a great local sushi restaurant. Small in terms of seating so you may have to wait, but worth it. The servers are all super friendly and helpful. We've been coming here for 3 years...it's down the street from where we live. It's always busy. The sushi chefs and kitchen crew are super nice. If you're in Castro Valley and enjoy sushi then this is place to check out. They also have a sake selection that's great (from what I hear). read more

iSushi - 01+01 roll. Super tasty - Sushi Bars Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Sushi very fresh and prepared nicely. Crab tartare looked Impressive but tasted ehhhh. I would not order that again. It's kinda pricy here but if you want very fresh sushi then you will like it here. read more

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

I tried this place out with my buddy. It had been on my list of restaurants to try for a long time, and I don't even recall where the recommendation came from. I had tried to make a reservation but couldn't quite figure out how to do it. However, we were able to walk right in on a Friday night and were seated at the bar. We chose five rolls from their extensive menu. Each one was quite tasty and inventive. This is definitely the place if you want to see some creative sushi rolls. We also got the sake tasting, which I really enjoyed. Overall, the service was just okay. The server was a bit abrupt and didn't seem interested in talking about the menu with us when we were being inquisitive. That being said, I'd still recommend giving it a try for the creative rolls. read more

A grand disappointment. The sushi was small overpriced and made my stomach hurt. I don't mind paying more for a good quality sushi, (which is what I hope would happen) but it has to be 'good quality' sushi. Yes sushi was subpar at best. The only positive thing I can say is the staff was nice. read more

Unagi don was delicious and affordable!!! For just $17, you are given 7 hefty slices of unagi atop a bed of rice drizzled in tobiko + your choice of california or cucumber roll (real crab used in california). I love me some unagi, and I Sushi satisfied my craving. We came here on a busy Friday night and were sat on the second floor. Yes, they have stairs leading up to extra seating (not too big, probably only 3 tables ~ 1 being long). The plaza that it's located in gets extremely busy, so good luck finding parking! We circled around at least 10 times before finding a space, and that was across the way. The menu is unique in that it makes you "think outside of the bento box." As japanese restaurant frequenters, we were expecting a bento section since we always feel like you get the most bang for your buck during dinner time. But they specialize in their rolls and rice plates and our proud of it! We had excellent, attentive service for our big group. And there is a free pineapple ice cream check in offer! read more

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When I was in high school, I heard a lot about this place but never actually got around to trying here. About 6 years later, I FINALLY remembered...I don't need to ask mom for an allowance, so I can eat wherever I want and just pay my own bill! I came here for a dinner and I could see why many locals like this place. They're very personable with the customers and I can easily see this being a regular spot for many. It definitely is only good for dates or meals with only a few people though. The tables are squeezed in and I awkwardly kept bumping elbows with the lady next to my table. Service was very quick here and I was surprised to be seated within a few minutes of coming in on a Friday evening (probably just came in at the right time). Our order consisted of just a Sashimi dinner and an Unagi Don. The salads and miso soup came right after our order was placed. I really liked the flavor of the soup, not too salty and a little different with carrots and onions in it. As for the salad, the dressing was very light but the lettuce was a bit old (ended up picking a bunch out of the bowl). Sashimi dinner: Highlight was the salmon (sake) sashimi. It melted in my mouth and tasted very fresh. The tuna (probably akami = lowest in fat on a tuna) and everything else was alright but wasn't as fresh as the salmon. There was a white sashimi that I forgot was it was; it was the only one that tasted fishy and smelled strange in the dish. Overall, it wasn't too bad but not amazing. Unagi Don: Served on a plate with the salad and a cutely cut orange, I was glad to see that it wasn't the frozen kind that I normally see at Asian super markets. Unagi was delicious and no complaints for it at all. Final Thoughts: Dinner was on the expensive side but it wasn't too bad. Portion size was decent and the servers were very attentive to everything. I'd like to come back here to try lunch or a roll next time. read more

This might be the worst sushi joint I have ever tried. I don't know how it has 4 stars on yelp. Both food and service were horrible. Their menu is extensive and expensive. Most of their rolls have macadamia nuts or some kind of sauce in it. They don't have too many simple rolls on the menu such as a salmon roll or negi hama roll. The waitress forgot to give me a spoon with my miso soup. The scallop tatini was incredibly bland and my chirashi had a hair in it. The only saving grace was that there was a Mr. Pickle across the street. read more

This is some of the best sushi I've had! We tried some of the specialty rolls and they were delicious. I will definitely be back the next time I am in town. read more

I really enjoyed my meal from I Sushi. The menu is a bit overwhelming, though. It seemed like pages and pages of choices just for the rolls. A lot of the rolls are cutely named after regular customers. You can choose from the vast selection or create a roll of your own. My order of the blue fin nigiri ($12) was huge! The portion size definitely made it worth the price. We also had a pretty darn good order of hamachi sashimi ($17) served with a sauce that I would say is similar to the sauce you get with tempura and topped with jalapeno slices. No complaints about the Breezee roll ($15) except that I wish it were a little bigger. I do agree with fellow Yelpers that this place is a little on the pricey side for what you get. My husband wasn't as impressed with this place as I was. He didn't think the quality matched with the price. We were also overcharge by $10 bucks which is my reason for only giving this place 4 stars. My receipt was $86.03, but my card was swiped for $96.03. I feel a little ripped off for tipping them 18% in cash and then they got me for another $10. Oh well, though, mistakes happen. read more

iSushi - Blue Fin tuna - Sushi Bars Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Had been going to satomi sushi in Fremont every Sunday for the last 2-3 months. Got bored and got on yelp to find an alternative. After some dismal suggestions in union city, the search in Hayward got a hit. After a 20 min drive we reached. Small restaurant but there were Lots of empty seats. We sat at the bar. The decor is nothing impressive, but it was clean. The staff was friendly but not too attentive. Rating for food- California roll- 4 stars-used fresh crab meat. No imitation crab here. 2006- 5 stars- good proportions of fish and rice. I hate it when sushi places put too much rice in an attempt to make the rolls bigger. The Unagi was awesome, the pineapple added a nice touch and the white fish was super fresh. J Jessica roll- 5 star- I loved the surprising crunch that the almonds added. The sweet wasabi sauce was awesome. Mango dream- 5 stars- we forgot to mention if it was an order for 1 or 2(wanted 1) so they made it an Order for 2 without confirming. But it was awesome and we cleaned up the plate. Coconut ice cream with macadamia nuts and honey, fried mango and fried avocado. Green tea ice cream- 5 stars- free from yelp checkin. Awesome flavored. Decently sweetened. I am definitely coming back. read more

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After 2 tries, I think I can give a fair assessment now...I was disappointed with the ratio of food to the price. I guess for the area it's par. Sat at the sushi bar w/my daughter, it was a treat because we don't have sushi often due to the economy. She loved everything she ordered, that's because they were more closer to the portions that is acceptable to an 8 year old. She had nigiri pieces w/Sake, Himachi, Ebi and an order of Edamame (that she didn't finish). I found myself ordering a bit more than her and topped it off with an order of raw oysters...which I forgot shouldn't be ordered in June...which came back later, so not good. I especially didn't enjoy the sushi chef staring at me struggle to remove the damn oysters from their attached muscle w/a chopstick...had to ask for a knife and he gave me a spoon (WTF!?). Made do w/what I was given and they tasted good going down, different story later though. The owner, Stan, was great, the service was good. The prices for the nigiri started at $5 and went up w/the nicer products. Anyway, it was a treat, but we won't be going back any time soon. Sorry. read more

I could eat sushi everyday. It's just one of my favorite food but if sushi is this expensive, I may have to taper it down. The cheapest we paid for was called Raiders for $12 and the rest are mostly $17 each for a sushi roll. Their food presentation is clearly outstanding but for someone who eats sushi without dipping them on a soy sauce, I obviously depend on the sushi's flavor alone and could clearly taste if it's good or not. For me, the superb flavor that I expected wasn't just there. It was quite a bit disappointing. read more

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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

Unfortunately, not as great as my fellow yelpers had pumped this place up to be. The place was small, yet the service was a bit slow. The rolls came out pretty quick, but after that, things just slowed down. Granted we ordered everything backwards, starting with the designer rolls and then appetizer (veggie and prawn tempura), it still felt like we were waiting for days just to get our veggie and prawn tempura. My boyfriend and I also had to wait quite a while just to get the bill. He and I ended up walking towards the cash register once the server came to the bar to give us the bill. Who knows how long that would have taken if we waited for her to come back to pick up our card... The "designer rolls" (I guess their specialty rolls) were pricey, but weren't out of this world good for the price (ranging from $13+). We ordered the Inferno roll and the 2003. In my opinion, nothing special. A lot of the rolls had mango slices in it, but I honestly couldn't taste the mangoes, which was unfortunate because the mangos were what made the rolls sound intriguing. Plus, I must have waited for the most expensive tempura appetizer ever ($10) to only get a few fried veggie pieces and 2 prawns though they did tell us that we would only get 2 prawns. All in all, this place is a "smeh" for me. There was actually an array of "designer rolls," but the two rolls we ordered were only okay. Since this place was also a bit out of the way for us, the food won't be enough for us to come back anytime soon... read more

iSushi - Inferno designer roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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iSushi was an interesting experience. for the first 20 minutes of staring at their menu, more confused than ever. I asked the waitress about their lengthy titles to their food items. I was then told that their dishes were all named after their customers...most of those were couples, so you can imagine how confused I was. I still think the names are a little ridiculous; Danielle, Josh..But the food was amazing. iSushi is Japanese fusion so their dishes are not what you would expect to find at other Japanese restaurants. We had roles that were seared, and torched, then wrapped with kobe beef. Excellent food, with good service. Plan to spend $$$ read more

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

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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

I wish i can eat here every day! Hole in the wall restaurant, cozy, friendly and knowledgeable staffs/owner. I hosted my bday party here and ordered literally everything off of the menu and some. My all time favs are: Oysters - soooo fresh iuni - not on the menu Josh - brilliant use of basil leaf! Ankimo 3 ways - uni, tobiko with quail eggs or with scallops Bluefin tuna tar tar - i forgot what's the name on the menu but love the deep fried salmon skin(i normally hate skin but this is so awesome) If you feel like trying out something new and exciting ask for the wasabi cucumber (only if you can handle spice) this is just for fun Dessert is always refreshing. My fav one is the beer float with vanilla ice cream and deep friend salmon skin with some hazelnut jam inside. I know...sounds really nasty but it was surprisingly good. Stan(owner) took the time to call me all the way from Japan to wish me a happy bday because he was out of town and couldn't post my bday that night. So sweet of him. I recommended all my friends here and everyone single one of them love it. The service, quality of the food, originality, price all exceeded my expectation. read more

iSushi - Ankimo with quail egg/black Tobiko and with Uni! So delicious! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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