Eat Here. After eating here many times, it's time for a review. This place rocks. My girlfriend and I have gotten big to-go trays a couple with a bunch of different rolls but my No.1 favorite is the red dragon roll. The fish always tastes very fresh. The salmon Nigiri was a perfect consistency and they use just the right amount of sauces and toppings. Have only gotten take out so I cannot report on the service but it seems like a nice environment to dine in. read more

Sun Sushi - Salmon roll Cucumber roll Avacado roll Salmon nigiri Red dragon roll Shrimp tempura roll - Japanese Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Good atmosphere, friendly service and great food! We always enjoy our time at Sun Sushi. Definitely recommend the Box Sushi rolls and Agedashi appetizer. read more

Salmon 6-Steps $19.95 (Scotty, Atlantic, and Ocean-Trout) Three types of salmon prepared multiple ways. The fish was super fresh and buttery! read more

Sun Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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I really needed to eat some raw tuna and from the Yelp reviews I thought this was the place. The bluefin tuna 6 ways (6 step) was OK. But due to everything else I do not trust my assessment of their tuna because the overall experience was so horrible. The ikura (salmon egg) sushi, the eggs were not fresh, were tough and did not pop in my mouth but needed tooth to pop them. Except for the guy at the door who seated me, the service was HORRIBLE. If you can call it service when you don't have a server and it was barely seated counter help service. It was catch as catch can when I could get someone's attention. Much wait time for everything. TEN MINUTES for anyone to even look at me after seating. For contrast, the male couple next to me received proper service. They also received ginger and wasabi. I did not. The service pieces were all filthy. The six step tuna serving piece was disgusting. They tried serving me salmon six steps twice, then when I was finished, they tried to serve me tuna six step again. It was as if I did bot exist and was a bother. And it was the very first time I left $0.00 for gratuity. It was that bad. The setting was average. Nothing to rave or note beyond standard cheap everything. read more

Alright.... They redeemed themselves. This was a great roll! Excellent! 5 stars! Again, it was delicious. The sushi chef made this roll perfect. Thank you! read more

Sun Sushi - Rainbow roll with Spicy Tuna inside. - Japanese Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

A few friends have recommended this place and I had to try it out! It's a little hole in the wall place but the sushi is phenomenal! A lot of people were there for takeout (which I saw as a good sign). I was seated right away and bummed to learn there wasn't any red wine available at that time. I thoroughly enjoyed the dragon and crunch roll! Everything tasted fresh and delicious! This is going to be my new go to sushi joint in SB! So happy to have come here and I can't wait to try more of their sushi read more

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Came to this restaurant for dinner. We to-go'd salmon "sushi," halibut "sushi," salmon delight roll, dragon roll, and Japanese fried chicken for two people. Overall, the fish was fresh and yummy. Salmon "sushi:" We specifically asked them to do sashimi instead of sushi and the salmons wow'd us. It was pretty fresh that it melted in our mouth! Well $8 spent there. Halibut "sushi:" If you order this, you will see a thin slice of halibut on top of ball (oval shape) of rice. And you will get two pieces for $8. If I knew that, then I would've just ordered 2 thick slices of halibut itself to enjoy the sashimi only. Salmon Delight roll: If you cannot eat spicy food, ask them to either take out or set aside the jalepenos from top of the roll. It can get pretty spicy after eating 4-5 rolls. Otherwise this dish was good! Dragon roll: No comment. It was good. :) Japanese fried chicken: Well seasoned chicken. Just hope there was a special sauce on the side to enlighten the taste of the fried chicken. But it was worth getting it. Would I come back to this restaurant? Yes! Just won't order halibut "sushi" but would order halibut sashimi! read more

Sun Sushi - Salmon sashimi, halibut "sushi," salmon delight sushi, and dragon roll (from left to right) - Japanese Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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I like the sushi rolls here better than at Oku. The ambiance is clean but tables are close together so you can hear people's conversations next to you lol. The service was really good. I was happy to see one of the Sushi chef's from Shintori here. I will definitely be coming back here. read more

This is a sushi lover public service announcement: if you're looking for THE BEST SUSHI IN SANTA BARBARA, the hidden gem the local foodies go to, this is your place. At Sun Sushi you will find fresh fish flown from Japan and the best local fish, the quality is beyond anything else offered in town. As a regular at Arrigato and always disappointed by the uneven quality, the overpriced, tiny rolls, I am now in sushi Heaven having been initiated to this gem of a restaurant by a chef friend. The saying that the best food is at the simplest restaurants holds true here. This is a come as you are place, but you will not leave the same as you came. Your taste buds will have enjoyed an explosion of flavors, and you will have been completely enraptured with the freshness of the fish that just melts in your mouth. Even the rice in our rolls, was the freshest, moistest, I have ever enjoyed. I highly recommend the box sushi,red dragon, yellowtail delight, & State Street rolls. And their local uni was amazing. I am now a regular here, and am already craving my next fix. Oh, and I forgot to mention their prices will let me indulge on a regular. read more

Sun Sushi - Box sushi - Japanese Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Best sushi in Santa Barbara! Especially at this price point. Super fresh fish and excellent service. Favorite dishes: the crispy spicy tuna appetizer, box sushi, the tuna and salmon delights. You really can't go wrong. read more

NOT GOOD. do not waste your time here. The rolls are extremely small and there was an ant and bug on my table right when I got sat. Super pricey as well for tiny rolls. Service is fine, but the sushi itself did not taste fresh nor fulfilling at all for around $20 a roll. They also charge $1 for sauces like spicy mayo or siracha. read more

Showed up when the restaurant was nearly empty and it took 20 min for someone to take our order. One roll came out quickly, the other roll took another 20 minutes. Tuna delight wasn't good but the Spicy dragon was alright. I understand most of the time the service is probably better but my experience was bad enough to not return again. read more

Food and service was amazing! Me and my partner shared the volcano roll and the rainbow roll. It was a great pairing of baked and fresh...I highly recommend. Good service and quality food is hard to find these days so Sun Sushi will be a new favorite spot for us. read more

I thought I had the best sushi in town before walking into Sun Sushi. I was wrong. Sun Sushi had the most delicious rolls I've had in awhile. We got the red dragon roll, the Mexican roll, and box sushi. All of them were fabulous. It was very busy and the service was slow, but the food made up for the wait. I recommend stopping by for amazing sushi at a great price!! read more

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Their sushi is incredibly good; one of my favorite spots in town. I highly recommend going and checking it out for yourself. You will not be disappointed. read more

Portion size is a joke for the prices. Sushi was bland and not worth it at all. The staff was friendly that's about the only good thing.

We had our first visit at Sun Sushi tonight, and my family and I absolutely loved it! The food was delicious, staff was friendly, and the store was big and spacious! We will definitely come back next time! read more

This feels like a little hole in the wall, but I guess many of the best sushi joints give off that vibe. We were spending a long weekend in the Santa Barbara area and stumbled up this place. We ordered the California, Dragon, and Crunch Roll, as well as the Salmon 6-steps. I've never seen the Salmon 6-steps before, so I was curious to see what that was all about. I gotta say, that sh* was bomb! I almost wish they had a Salmon 12-steps! Maybe I should have just ordered 2! Each piece had a slightly different flavor. Each piece was also quite fresh; no fishy smell or taste. That was the highlight of my dinner. ...and I wasn't even really hungry! The rolls were primarily for my wife and kids. They were your typical run of the mill sushi rolls. Nothing fabulous, but very good nonetheless. I don't live in the area, so it's unlikely I'll be back any time soon. But if I should ever find myself in Santa Barbara again, it'll be worth dropping back here again for some steps! read more

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For lunch, we got one tuna and one salmon roll and the price was about $40. They were good taste but pretty small rolls and we really feel this is totally overpriced for what it is. Basically $2 per roll slice ... no way. read more

Sun Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Sushi was very good. This is a small seating area. Most of the food we saw coming out was takeout. This place is always very busy. Staff was very nice to us. read more

Sun sushi is a fun little spot to get a reasonably affordable couple of rolls. I loved their crispy tuna rice and almost all of the specialty rolls I've tried. The staff is so kind and has always given their opinions of best on the menu which have never disappointed! read more

The specials were good with uni shots and the salmon collar. Sat at the bar but didn't interact too much with the chef, would recommend getting the 6 steps of either salmon or tuna! read more

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Came here on a Saturday night for a party of 6 and my experience here was pretty good. Great service and very attentive servers. Yellowtail nigiri: 10/10 the most memorable one. Thick piece of fish on top with a tad bit of wasabi tucked inside. I'd order this again. Masago nigiri: 10/10 nothing wrong with this one. But it did tasted more salty like the sea than it being sweet from the eggs State street: 7/10 falls apart easily. It was okay. I like the ingredients inside but I felt like it was missing something. I'll probably get an item on the crunchier side next time. Spicy tempura lobster roll: 9/10 also falls apart very easily. However, the texture and flavor was delicious for this one. The crispy lobster and cucumber makes a huge difference. Btw are you guys selling your mugs that you serve your hot tea in, because they are cute as heck read more

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First I'd like to say that my dining experience at Sun Sushi was amazing! My sister and I came down from Sacramento to drop off my nephew for his last year in college @ UCSB and found this awesome place. We were asked if we would like to sit at a table or if we would like to sit at the sushi bar and we chose to eat at the sushi bar. We ordered stuffed jalapeño for an appetizer and several rolls (sun, state street, red dragon, rainbow, spider, dragon, & volcano) and I have to say that it was all so delicious. The seafood was all very fresh and tasty. Max and his entire staff were very attentive and provided exceptional customer service on a busy Friday night. Thank you for the great food and we will be coming back soon! read more

Sun Sushi - sun, volcano, dragon roll - Japanese Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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This is really good. Food is delicious never really had a bad meal or experience here. Roles are great menu is easy to read and understand If I did have to complain about something it would be the service and price. Both are not really their fault due to how busy they are and lack of staff and Bidenflation; but by far it's the most reasonably priced sushi in town Ambiance is great just a small little restaurant. Which is fine. read more

Went to visit after a round of beers and cheap oysters elsewhere. We wanted end the night with something of good quality! I came around 8:30pm yesterday on a Saturday and it wasn't packed. Sat at the bar with my boyfriend and grabbed a large Asahi. We ordered: 1. yellowtail delight roll (spicy yellow tail roll, cucumber inside with yellowtail, avocado, and jalapeño on top (with spicy mayo and ponzu) 2. halibut fin nigiri (seared with soy. fatty and melty with a firm bite on the uncooked part, SO GOOD) 3. salmon delight roll (spicy salmon roll, cucumber inside with salmon, avocado, tobiko, jalapeño in top (spicy mayo and ponzu) 4. flying fish nigiri (wasabi, grated garlic, green onion, ponzu - also fresh, firm, delicious) 5. amaebi nigiri plate (aka sweet shrimp) - fresh and live! Sweet tasting. I appreciate how they freshly fry the head for you with a side of ponzu. Very crunchy and great way to end with a cooked item. I was satisfied by the end of my meal. It came to around $80ish after tips which I find worth it for quality sushi in the area!! I'd rather save my money for this kind of treat than eat bad sushi : ) my only gripe is their special rolls are on the small side, BUT they are offering really fresh fish and the chefs are super quick. I'm looking forward to ordering a chefs special sushi and sashimi order once I budget for a "treat yo self meal" Quality sushi can't be beat. Glad I tried this place and hope it stays consistent in this area. read more

I recently moved from Orange County to SB and I've been trying to find a sweet little sushi shop like Sun. My favorite was their shrimp tempura roll and spicy tuna, simple rolls but had amazing flavor. I'm so glad I have found this hidden gem, with amazing prices too! Hard to find in SB. Can't wait to come back for more :) read more

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Amazing Service.Had my 1st Uni shooter.Fast Service and very welcoming.Recommened Uni sushi, Alabacore ans State roll read more

Sun Sushi - Green tea, Uni shooter,Albacore Sushi, State roll w / soy sushi wrap. Fresh seafood - Japanese Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

really delicious and fresh! we ordered takeout and food was perfect. slightly expensive but fair for the most part.

It was really good especially the stuffed jalapeños appetizer. The roll I got was the box roll and it was something new I hadn't tried before. read more

Whew! This review update is loooong overdue. Yet, they say late is better than never! (Plus now we can always blame the pandemic). Sun Sushi is my number one sushi spot in Santa Barbara. I don't care what anyone else says but it triumphs over the competition. While the exterior facade is unassuming--in a strip mall off Upper State Street next to the Tee-Off--the freshness, reasonable pricing and being family owned make it shine. You'll notice that the owner is almost always on site working, whether behind the sushi bar making maki or otherwise. Also notice how he goes out of his way to respond to each and every Yelp review. The food is spectacular. The maki/rolls are made with care, not with an excessive amount of rice to fill you up quickly and cheaply, and are plated beautifully. For me, the appearance of food is instrumental and influences the taste. Everything from their basic California roll (made with real crab meat, not imitation) to more complicated sushi creations like the Box Sushi (fresh seared tuna and crab meat pressed into a bamboo box with sesame seeds and eel sauce) or the Salmon Six Steps (6 pieces of salmon each prepared differently and beautiful places on bamboo stairs). I have never had anything here I disliked or sent back! They also have freshly shipped fish from Japan on Friday's so that's the best time to visit. Check out the chalkboard for their specials. Have I said enough? Simply check it out for yourself! read more

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Sun Sushi has been my favorite go-to sushi restaurant for a few years now. The staff is always so friendly and helpful. It is a small place but packs big flavor! The fish is always so fresh, and I like that there are plenty of rolls without so many crazy sauces. Its truly about the fresh fish, which when you have good fresh fish, you don't need all the fancy extras! I always trust the waiters and sushi chefs to give me recommendations, and that's how I have found some fish/sushi pieces that I would not have otherwise known to try! I haven't tried much other than sushi, but their baked mussels are also some of my favorites! Come try Sun Sushi, you won't regret it! read more

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Without a doubt the best sushi spot in Santa Barbara. Their fish is consistently super fresh every time I go making for delicious rolls. Location is a little random in a shopping center off state street but the quality of food makes up for outdoor dining in the parking lot. My go to rolls are the salmon or yellow tail delight and the volcano. I usually just get takeout but last time i went I ate inside and the staff were incredible. Absolutely phenomenal sushi read more

Sun Sushi - (From bottom to top) Spicy tuna roll, state street roll, volcano rolls - Japanese Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Believe the reviews. A friend of ours actually recommended a different place, but after looking at their menu and reading reviews and then reading the reviews for Sun Sushi, we knew this was the place to go. No it's not fancy. Don't go for the atmosphere, go for the amazing food and great service. The blue fin tuna was like butter. Literally everything we had was delicious. Get there early as it's a small place and parking kind of sucks (like most places in SB), but you'll be glad you did, and so will your taste buds! read more

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The food was really good. Everytime I go there is always really well prepared sushi and it comes out fairly quickly. However, if you are expecting to be seated quickly and have good service, it can be a little slow at times. I had a reservation at 6:30 and didn't get sat until 7. Overall, love this place. read more

Best sushi in town! They have great quality, great taste, and great portions. Sun Sushi is our go-to in SB. They will absolutely not disappoint in terms of food AND service. Try the special menu on the whiteboard if you can, the Lemon Pepper salmon was the best read more

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Personally, I enjoyed the salmon 6 step more than the tuna 6 step. The salmon collar bone is also pretty good. I also liked the uni shot! We sat at the bar so we were able to have a cool conversation with the chef. A little pricey but still overall pretty solid sushi place! read more

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What a wonderful surprise to find Sun Sushi. Located on State Street by all my other favorites (Harry's Plaza, Via Maestra 42, Chaucers Books, Tee Off). Our server Kelly was helpful in getting us acquainted with the various dishes, and paired with the Sake . . . it was all delicious. Our favorite dish is the Salmon-6-Steps, and tried all new rolls and sushi selections. Everything was presented well, and was very fresh. Will definitely be back soon. read more

For a city that's located right along the Pacific Ocean and has an abundant source of local seafood, the sushi here is lacking. The quality just doesn't match LA, or the price point doesn't justify the costs. I came to Sun Sushi on a whim, not really expecting too much. But to my delight, I left pretty satisfied and wished I splurged a little more. The restaurant is located along the upper side of State Street, in a plaza next to Spudnuts. Parking is a bit tight but spots are available at the Rose Garden Inn as well. On the menu, you will find your standard appetizers, as well as some interesting options. The soft shell crab was a delicious start to the meal, I would recommend that one. They also had Korean short ribs and Japanese fried chicken, which I was tempted to try but held off to leave room for more sushi. Maybe next time. Out of all the rolls, Box Sushi was the clear favorite. Rice is pressed into literally a rectangular prism to give it a boxy shape and then overlaid with a mix of tuna and crab before finally topped with eel sauce. The roll has a little kick to it, but the spice is absolutely tolerable. We didn't order any other specialty rolls, but the rest of the dishes we had were decent. The rice was well made, and they used the right amounts for their fish. It was my first time choosing sweet shrimp nigiri over regular shrimp, and it was well worth the premium and I've been ordering it since. read more

Sun Sushi - Box Sushi, Soft Shell Crab, Sushi Roll ⋅ Ontare Plaza - Santa Barbara, California - Japanese Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Our waitress was so fun !!! Absolutely loved their food and environment. I'm not a fan of California rolls and most of their rolls were just that with something added. Nonetheless their food was delicious. Thank you guys read more

Sun Sushi - $72.65 - Japanese Near Me - Santa Barbara, California