This place is one of the best Japanese restaurants that I've ever been to. The prices are considerably low for the amount of food one gets! I totally recommend the Mexican Roll because there is such a kick to it. I think this place will be my go to places whenever I'm out of Downtown's reach. read more

Literally this is the best sushi I've ever been blessed with, and my former fiancé was a damn sushi chef. They're certainly not cheap but they're not THAT much more than most average sushi joints. So reasonable for what you recieve. I've paid more for worse sushi, let's just say that much. The waiters were so professional and kind, and the plating was superb for a tiny little cubbyhole in SB, CA. Parking lot was almost nonexistent but we didn't mind one single bit. We parked on the street and had the most pleasing post-banquet Buddha-bellied walk back to our car that night that we've ever had on a weeknight. read more

This is the worst Japanese food I have ever had. First off, there was an awful odor on my menu which kind of smelled like cat urine. No one else smelled it at first, so I thought my sense of smell was off. I usually order sushi from Japanese restaurants, but after I noticed the odor on the menu, I opted for something cooked, so I ordered the tempura( if it were up to me, I would have left after noticing the smell on the menu). The tempura was over cooked and so was the chicken teriyaki my kids got. I will say that our waitress was nice, but the food wasn't edible! I don't know how this place is in business! read more

Recently had a surprise party here in their tatami room for my daughter. The service and food was excellent. Although we had more than ten people, our server was able to attend to our needs and kept on checking in with us. Really personable service. read more

This has to be one of the best sushi restaurants in sb! If you haven't tried the Hawaiian roll and the salmon crunch roll you're missing out! read more

I'm a student at UCSB & the "sushi" at Ortega does not cut it. My friends & I are always craving sushi, but we wanted to find a place that we could get to, wasn't too pricy & still had good quality food. We found this place on Yelp & found that we could take bus 11 to right where the restaurant is! I got 3 orders of cut rolls for about $15 & the fish was good quality. Service was great, our waitress checked up on us a few times & split our checks no problem. The decor inside is very nice & it creates a nice ambiance. Since then, I've been back there with my boyfriend for our anniversary dinner & he enjoyed it very much as well! Highly recommend the yellowtail & the Mexican roll (: read more

OK Sushi, not anything special. Host personnel speak poor English! NOT able to understand. Hibachi table, OK! It is your classic commercial restaurant. If you are accustomed to authentic Japanese, you'll know this is just a meager show place. If you are into authentic Japanese, go to Noble Fish in Clawson, MI, that place ROCKS! The BEST Sushi, EVER! Into Hibachi, you can do better at Benihana's restaurant in Dearborn or Troy. PASS on this place. NOT worth the price, the bad English from the host, and mediocre everything. Place is barely average! The only thing that is Japanese about this place is maybe the food; otherwise, very Chinese. Like in a Chinese restaurant. read more

I enjoyed the food a good deal. The service was fine, just not something to rave about. They have these booths in the middle that I suppose people use for parties and they get very loud. Overall, it was a pretty good experience. The location is a bit strange but the ambience was decent. read more

they had pretty fresh sushi and had so many different kinds of rolls. I really like salmon, albacore sushi and sunset roll here. The sushi was very fresh and the price was reasonable. If you go during happy hour like 5 to 6? or 7 o'clock, you can get sushi and some rolls half price. I never went during happy hour, but I will try to go their during happy hour next time. oh, their green tea tempura ice cream was super good~!!!!!!!' also, people were doing sake bombing when i went to the restaurant, it seemed really fun~! read more

Pretty average Japanese food. Somewhat interesting atmosphere w some cool rooms for small groups, and food is just ok....but if you're looking for the real deal head some place else. These guys have a lock on locals in the hood that know little about solid, authentic Japanese cuisine other than teriyaki chicken and fried rice.....which, in my mind, don't count. But hey....they must be doing something right to be in biz as long as they have, right!? read more

One of the very best deals in town for a really good and consistently pleasant dining experience. Alex and Chi are so very welcoming and helpful, especially with the elderly friend with whom I often dine. I so enjoy their food and always look forward to the wonderfully fresh fare they have on offer. read more

My husband and I love Kyoto. We try to go every week. The fish is fresh and delicious and the service is fast and friendly. Whenever we have out of town guests, we make sure to take them out to dinner here. We also like that it is family run (very nice people) and the prices are very reasonable. read more

This restaurant has been the best Japanese food I've eaten in America so far ! Do come and try their sushi rolls out !!

Kyoto is pretty good. Solid Nigiri. Like Arigato, a solid three stars, bordering on four. However, I find the menu less creative and the location a little less desirable. Bonus points for having the tatami room. read more

WORST sushi I've had in years! I am a sushi hound and love all types of sushi, in all kinds of places, and unfortunately I found most of the sushi here inedible. The fish wasn't fresh (my yellowtail sashimi was starting to turn brown), and each piece was way too chewy. Maybe they were overwhelmed by the crowd and so their food suffered as well as the service, which was spotty? I'm not sure, but I know I will never return here. read more

I travel to Santa Barbara quite often and always make sure I eat here if I'm in the mood for sushi. They use a very good ginger dressing for their salads and I always buy some to take back home. The fish is always fresh and the service is good. Sometime they have a large crowd of college students that get one of their private rooms and that gets pretty loud but most of the time, it's a very relaxed environment. Besides Aregato and Shintori, this is the only sushi place that is worth going to. read more

Perfect sushi place - my wife and I enjoyed very much on our drive through Santa Barbara.

Just had dinner with my family here! Best sushi place in town! great waitstaff! Definitely coming back again.

The best thing about this place is their private room. Actually its really hot in there so I don't know if it's the best thing. We came here Saturday night for a friends Birthday party, there were about 18 of us in the private room. The room felt like a gym sauna, I had to have a fan right in front of my face! We ordered the Heaven roll which had some good sauces but was still kind of bland and we ordered the Spider roll (worst decision ever!) The Spider roll had some weird kick to it. It was so gross my wife took one bite and said eat the rest, that's not like her so I figured i would try it. It was horrible! I even ordered two bowls of rice to help fill me up because I didn't want to waste money ordering another roll. Than God the waiter came with more Saki Bombs. This place is way over rated. If it wasn't for the birthday party I would have asked for a refund. So sad because I always look forward to new sushi joints. Too bad this place was a flop. read more

I'm never disappointed here! This is my favorite sushi joint in Santa Barbara. Every time I come, the customer service is great and the food is always amazing. Tiger roll, double albacore roll and dragon roll are some of my favorites. I've been going for over a year now and it's never let me down! read more

i got to say that this restaurant is awesome with their real authentic japanese dish. the only thing that is not authentic is the owners. they where korean. so it wasn't all that authentic. but then 70% of sushi places in california are korean owned and operated. but the food here is excelent . they also have a little japanes type room where you take off your shoes and eat like in real japaneses joints. i recommend the fire roll and the hawaiin roll. my gf loved both of them tooo.OMG so good. i do say that this is very delicious. if you ever pass through santa barbara and want good japanese food. this is the spot to be at. read more

i'd have to disagree with some reviews here that says this place is pricey. considering how pricey all japanese restaurants are in town, this place is the cheapest and the freshest. i highly recommend going for the happy hrs (5-6pm) when sushi & rolls are half-price. yum! read more

They serve lunch from 11-2pm then close until dinner time. I walked in a couple of minutes after 2p and they refused to serve me. I was willing to take out and not disturb their clean up process. I guess, my money isn't good enough. Not a great way to attract a regular customer who travels through the area every week. read more

They let us sit down even though they were closing in like 15 min and were very nice about it. Very welcoming. Great service and food! Will definitely recommend. read more

I always get Kyoto and Shintori confused. Both are solid sushi options. Both have similar decor. Both are on upper State. Both are pretty good. There's really nothing I don't like about Kyoto. The sushi is fresh, and frankly, the ambiance is as nice as Arigato at half the price. Kyoto hits that sweet spot between Edomasa and Sakana, for casual sushi and Japanese food that still has a little upscale edge. read more

this place has been around since college days... and it's still pretty darn good! my younger son's favorite place! love the teriyaki chicken, very tender, with great flavor, come on, teriyaki sauce is KEY, in this dish! read more

Sadness comes to me when I remember the wonderful Original owners. I am sure they have passed on by now and are turning over in their graves every-time a 21 year old screams "sake bomb" In the once beautiful tatami rooms. Now it's turned into a noisy, classless place. We go occasionally checking the parking lot hoping for a non noisy dinning experience. The food is still great but not the atmosphere. read more

I recently visited this restaurant to celebrate a friend's birthday. Food was good but nothing special. I got the Red Dragon roll and was turned off by the amount of spicy tuna added to the top. The nightmare was closing the tab. We had a group of 8 which they automatically add gratuity for groups of 8+. That didn't bother me a bit, for the most part the service was speedy considering it was a Saturday night. What bothered me was the fact that they didn't give us the option of splitting the bill, which I know can be a pain but not impossible. What could have been a 3 star rating quickly became a 2 when they let us split the bill, mind you we wrote out and did the math and clearly wrote which card needed to be charged which amount. They added 15% gratuity to each of our bills. I live closer to Kyoto but because of this experience I'll drive the extra few miles to have my sushi at Something's Fishy. read more

The best sushi value in SB, bar none. Arigato might be slightly better, but costs 5X. Unique rolls by the talented Mr. Park (ask for anything with the soft shell crab). Reserve a private room for special occasions, or sit at the sushi bar and watch the master at work. read more

Me and my boyfriend love going here, it's our favorite Japanese restaurant in town. Food is always delicious and the staff is the BEST! The chicken katsu and the Leo's special roll and the Mexican roll are so good!! That's our favorite!!! read more

Nice spot for a group outing. Sushi is good. Try the basics without all the toppings to enjoy the fish. Also nice selection of other items beyond sushi. They have nice private Japanese style rooms. read more

My wife and I visit Santa Barbara a couple times a year. This is the Japanese restaurant I wish I could take back to San Francisco with me. I am strictly a Sashimi assortment fan, and Kyoto's is great. For less than I pay for about ten ounces of fresh sashimi in SF, I get a full dinner, with rice, salad, soup, and half again as much fresh sashimi as as the best I can find in San Francisco. They seem dedicated to good service and great quality. read more

I have to admit, I'm a bit put off by the four stars this place got. It was fine, nothing wrong with it really, but also fully in the "Meh" category in my book. Parking is a nightmare, and the speaker shop next door didn't help much, with the cars in the lot testing out their new speakers, blasting the bass so loudly the plates were moving across the table. Then there's the weird booth smell, and yes I'm complained about this before at other places, but seriously, who wants a weird chemical smell assaulting their noses the second they sit down? I wouldn't go back, especially with so many other sushi places to try. Started with Miso and edamame. Too much salt on the edamame, and the miso tasted like it was made from a powdered mix, which is sacrilege in my book. I can make better miso soup from scratch in my sleep. And I'm a white chick that can barely cook. The sushi was fine, I mean I freaking love sushi and even poorly executed sushi is tasty to me, I'm not a sushi snob, but the rice was pretty tough and kind of chewy, and that's another key. If you can't get your rice right at a sushi place, you might as well close up shop. The rolls were big, yes, but kind of random and messy. Got a variety of rolls, including a caterpillar and a Hawaiian. The eel sauce was really thick on those two for some reason, and seemed to congeal on the plate, so that when I tried to pull a piece of sushi across the sauce, it had the consistency of elmer's glue. ew. I mean whatever, if you want to drop some sake bombs and fill your belly, while enjoying some sweet bass thumps rocking your booth, this spot is a treat. All I know is throughout the dinner my friend and I were looking at each other with our eyebrows up the whole time, as in "WTF", and the jank factor was pretty high. read more

I can definitely say, this is a place where you go to have fun in groups, not for that wonderful intimate evening with a good friend or a date. The first time I came here, I came with a group of friends before the school year started. Being in that private tatami room definitely helps being separated from the rest of the restaurant. Service was good. I mean we definitely got checked up on alot and they would surprise us with tempura ice cream on birthdays. Its such a sweet gesture. The pricing for the food seems a little bit overpriced, but then again it is Santa Barbara. Here, I usually order Nabeyaki Udon and an appetizer. This place would have gotten 4 stars. But as the years go on, my reservations tend to get ignored when I try to reserve a tatami room. So I am knocking down a star for that. Not only that, but when you order, sometimes they do not have certain items in stock, such as a yellowtail kama. I do not come here as much anymore since I enjoy intimate dinners instead of a noisy one. read more

The waiters, waitresses, and owners are really nice and friendly. Their food is fresh, delicious, and awesome. Their mika combination is good to share, or consume by yourself. They have large rooms that hold groups of people, but you sit on the floor (it's Asian style, so it's not dirty, and you take your shoes off beforehand), and that can be uncomfortable for people. read more

Large group with reservations smashed into a small space. The sushi eating people enjoyed their sushi but the steak and chicken people were very disappointed. The steak was so tough teeth could not bite though it. And both chicken and steak were cold. read more

My wife and I eat here almost every week because of the great food, staff, service and location. They really care about their customers and will gracefully accommodate special requests. Fish quality is excellent. Highly recommended! read more

The prices are pretty good compared to other sushi places, and the staff is friendly. And I love the lobster roll

Sushi and ambiance was nice, service just okay. We had a party of 12 for a birthday celebration before making reservations we asked if they have 'Real Crab"? (fake crab is what they serve in many sushi places unless it is upgraded to real crab, next time at the grocery market feel free to review the ingredients of fake crab, it is not good at all). We were told 'yes'. When we asked the nite of the bday party they said they do not have it. Disappointing. There are too many other good sushi places in town that have real crab as an option/upgrade. No Thanks. read more

I came here because it was recommended by some friends of mine. Everything started okay, I came alone and opted to sit at the sushi bar. The two sushi chefs graced my presence with a sour disposition and a half hearted and broken hello. The sushi was above 7-11 quality but below the standard of most places in town. One of the male servers kept coming by to get orders for the booths and tables and when he did he kept reaching over me and a couple of times his armpits were inches from my face. I asked for an Uni shooter which is one of my favorites and instead of telling me they didn't know how to make one, they made up one of their own using sake and various other ingredients. The only thing they got right was Uni and Quail egg the rest was all wrong. I wouldn't recommended this place for sushi to anyone unless they were desperate for above 7-11 quality and on an extreme budget simultaneously. Other than that and some of the decor, I wont be back here. read more