Akira- had a great experience here with my cousin! We got sake and beer for sake bombs! We also got…read morethe spicy edamame which was so good and very spicy. We both got two different speciality rolls and a California roll. I can't remember what I got. One of the dragon ones I believe! The sushi was really good! Very fresh and had a lot of flavor! This was game 5 of the Knicks Spurs game and the vibes were up! Our waitress was very nice and attentive and helpful! This place is located in a strip mall with plenty of parking. If you are staying in La selva beach it's close by! Would for sure come back!

Good: - Caterpillar roll…read more- mushaboom roll Meh: - agedashi tofu (too deep fried) - Alaska hand roll (salmon was stringy and hard to chew, plus the handrolls are just too big to eat whole and get all the flavors)

Hello new favorite asian restauraunt in all of santa cruz county / norcal coast?? Sushi Garden has…read moreextremely fresh and clean cuts of fish and has a super cute garden with a koi pond and an inviting outdoor patio seating!! Inside, natural light floods in through giant windows overlooking the garden. Time to try sushi: - Chirashi - Sushi Garden Special (sashimi + nigiri combo) The fish is incredibly fresh and clean! For either of these, you get thick cuts of buttery melt-in-your-mouth fresh salmon, toro (tuna belly), hamachi. There were other cuts of fish but these truly stood out. For such premium cuts, it's a pretty good deal! Their tamago/egg was tasty and sweet - delicious. The rice itself could use a bit more flavor, but the rolls, on the other hand, were so deliciously flavorful! Overall, the sauces on all the rolls delivered excellent flavor. Not too heavy, salty, or spicy. Great balance and ratio of fish : rice : sauce. the ROLLS we got: - Magic Dragon - This is like a spicier dragon. Great combo of spicy and sweet. Yum! - Trio (from the special menu) - A lighter, all-protein option with no rice. Again, quality buttery salmon right here. - Dr. Woo's - yellowtail inside with albacore outside, great combo with spicy mayo - Volcano roll - spicy tuna topped with seared salmon - like when salmon gets slightly seared, it absolutely is the best! All the rolls were great, but the Magic Dragon and Volcano Roll were my favorites because their flavor profiles were chefs kiss. The staff was incredibly nice and generous. This local establishment has been a staple here for years! Their menu is massive, and while the names of the rolls could be more straightforward, their website has pictures, which helps! They truly have options for everyone, from classic to fusion. Btw free parking! Huge lot.

Fun ambiance. Staff is always friendly. Sushi, udon, delish. Today I got the seafood udon noodle…read moresoup. Salad comes with it. Edamame is complimentary.

This food was not good, and I genuinely pity all the reviewers on here speaking to the contrary…read more Wasabi Sushi is an order-at-the-counter sushi joint. Yet when you pay at check-out, the tip amount defaults to 18% (yes, a default 18% tip at a fast-casual restaurant), with the alternatives being 20%, 25%, or custom. The lone employee who made eye contact with us was nice, but again--this is a fast-casual restaurant! The edamame was soft and unseasoned. The only condiment on the table was soy sauce (no low-sodium options available) and sushi rolls do not come with wasabi nor ginger. "Bento boxes" are essentially combo meals. When we sent the first edamame back because it was mushy, we received another bowl of flaccid beans back moments later. I suspect they are steamed in bulk, possibly in a bag in a microwave. My gripe with this place that finally pushed me to publish this review was the fried soft shell crab roll. PLEASE, for the love of cuisine, spare yourself from this roll. The crab is fried harder than a well-done Kentucky fried chicken leg, with a sweet sauce smeared over the top to distract from the flavorlessness of the contents. To add insult to injury, one piece had unfurled when this landed at our table. I have never, ever received a deconstructed sushi roll that was not immediately replaced. A minor aesthetic inconvenience for me; but a good illustration of the lack of concern for attention to detail here. I did not enjoy any part of this meal, which cost over $100. My biggest takeaway from this dinner is to never take Reddit reviews of Santa Cruz restaurants seriously again. Of course, nobody asked how my food was.

The Jamba Juice of sushi (per my husband)…read more I used to live somewhere which actually good sushi and it was everywhere. This has ruined me for the prolific mediocrity of sushi in Northern/Mid California. If you don't really like sushi, it's probably because of places like this. If you like sushi, don't come here or you'll leave upset that you spent $100 on under-seasoned rice and soft shell crab that tasted and looked the same as the (dry) katsu chicken. It makes me sad that the people eating here don't know that it can be better than this. Ambience was comfy and nice. Pretty chill, you order for yourself and they bring it to you. Staff was nice and replaced the mushy edamame upon request. (With more mushy edamame) If you want good sushi, leave the country, spend alot of money at an omakase place or go to Las Vegas. If you want to put food in your stomach after giving someone money, this place will do.

Delicious sushi and fast and friendly service. Was not interested to have basil in my sushi. Tables…read morewere clean and setting nice.

My wife and I had dinner here and the food and service was very good. We ordered the bento boxes…read morewith soup and salad. Their salad dressing was the best. Strip steak was excellent. The sashimi could be cut thinner and overall just ok. Salmon was very good. CA roll could be better seasoned. Tempura is a bit heavily battered making it very oily. The wasabi was very weak which happens when it's old. The pickled ginger was dry. Portions are great. Ambiance was good. I have visited hundreds of Japanese restaurants so I believe this review is objective.

Walked in after 8 pm and got a table immediately. Server was quick to bring menus. Food came…read morequickly after ordering. First miso soup, then green tea, and finally the rolls: tempura eggplant and "naka #1" tuna, salmon, krab (?) cucumber and avocado. The rolls were fat four pieces instead of long eight pieces typically served at other restaurants. The roll pieces are so large that one must use fingers--the menu encourages one to do so. The fish pieces were sashimi sized so I chose to use chopsticks to deconstruct the roll. I experienced the distinct flavors more intensely that way. The room was not too loud for conversation with my partner with only nine diners.

5 stars sushi & services the best! One wish, can we have the rice bowl like this from another…read moresushi restaurant?

Solid sushi although they ran out of toro, friendly staff. You know this is a real Japanese…read morerestaurant as the entrance was dark, they accept no tips & they are closed on Sundays

The food was good and a good value, but unfortunately, we were made to feel unwelcome from the…read moremoment we walked in. We arrived at 8:10--50 minutes before closing--and before the door had even shut behind me, I was approached and told that they were about to close and asked what I wanted to order. I have never been there before, so i asked if i could sit down and see a menu. I was then followed to the table and asked again what we wanted before even sitting down or receiving a menu. She acted surprised when i asked if i could see a menu and promised I'd order within 5 minutes. Alas, we ordered literally the first thing we looked at because it was clear she wasnt okay with us taking 5 minutes to see what we could order. We felt rushed and treated like an inconvenience throughout the meal. No one checked on us. We were served the miso sou[ without any spoons on the table, and couldn't get anyone to come our way... eventually had to walk over to a waitress to ask for spoons. The overall atmosphere from the staff felt tense, negative, and almost hostile. I would return for the food, but the hospitality left a lot to be desired.

I've driven past this place almost daily and today we decided to stop by and have dinner here…read more The staff is welcoming and attentive. We were surprised to see both Japanese and Chinese cuisine menus. When our server asked us which menus we wanted to order from, we picked both - just because we wanted to see what kind of food they have. We ordered: 3 Ko Ramen Pork Tonkatsu Five Cracker Roll Agedashi Tofu Garlic Edamame Fresh Salmon Nigiri We are very surprised by how big the portions are. We ordered a lot of food thinking about the other Japanese restaurants we have been to - they have pretty small portions. Not here! The portions are huge! I brought both my boys in their early 20s with me. These two can eat more than I have ever seen anyone eat, and we still couldn't finish everything. We had a lot of leftovers. All the food was wonderful. The Ko ramen is amazing!!! All our food was so fresh and tasted really good. The outside of the building is deceptively small-looking. The place has a lot of seating inside and has a party room as well. Despite the number of diners around us, it didn't sound loud at all, in fact we were able to speak in a very normal indoor volume and we could hear each other perfectly. We found ample parking in the back of the building. No parking fees/meters. Next time we will try the Chinese food too. For now, the Japanese food i would definitely recommend. Will update review after we try the Chinese food. Their prices are really good! They also have a discounted menu of 4 different offerings for students M-F I believe 12pm to 2pm. Those prices are amazing!

Pros: The combo tempura was piping hot and just *perfect*,…read morewith a fun assortment of veggies (crunchy green bean? almost creamy Japanese eggplant? Super cool.) I honestly haven't stopped thinking about it. The chow mein was also piping hot and extremely fragrant of garlic as the plate was set in front of me. I haven't stopped thinking of that succulent steam facial, either. I also had a root beer. Life should always be perfect tempura and your favorite soda. The service was great as well. They replied with a genuine "enjoy" to each of my "thank-you's", and also spoke very kindly and gave great service to the considerably under-spoken guy at the booth next to mine. Con: The place is old as dirt and needs to be gutted. I don't think it was 'sticky' tablecloth dirty, but I was pleasantly surprised that the bathroom was very clean and tidied. The smell when I entered the restaurant quickly let me know that something was wrong with the sewer lines, or something. Like, I almost left before anyone saw me stroll into the empty place, ok? There was a gal who was walking in to scope the place out for she and her friends as I was leaving. She didn't stay. I was waiting for an Uber as she hightailed it back to her car declaring "Well, I guess I haven't been there in a while..." into her phone. Overall, I'm glad I stayed to give an old place a new try for the first time in... 15 years? Not surprised that all of the orders were being picked up by DoorDash, etc, but also not surprised at how many orders were being pickup up, one after another. I need tempura and rooty beer this week. Not sure if I'd ever be brave enough to give their sushi menu a try, though.

Service. Not good. Food. Half the things on the menu not available. So I got crappy mushrooms. See…read morepic for details. Ambience. Eh. I'll leave it at that. I wouldn't go back.

I've only been here a few times over the years and each time I visit, I remember how sweet of a…read morespot it is. Whether you're coming for drinks or food, you've got so many wonderful options. In addition to wine and beer, they also have cider and I believe, mead wine in a can (made from honey)! And for the non-alcohol crew, they've got you covered too. The aesthetic is just... cozy. There's a fireplace indoors and a fire pit outdoors. They have blankets and games, too. Like, cmon. Absolutely nailing the cozy vibe. The food menu is also great! As someone who eats gluten-free, there were plenty of options. I definitely recommend for the overall experience.

Sanderlings has a beautiful large patio dining space with umbrella tables (there is an indoor space…read moretoo, but it's smaller and not as fun) and a menu of high-end dishes. It feels like you're at a golf course resort restaurant without the golf. You are a windy path away from one of the prettiest beaches too. Wait, did I mention the view has a gorgeous treeline? It reminds me of Half Moon Bay. The food and cocktails are 7.5 out of 10 here, and they pay attention to aesthetics, which I appreciate. The prices are a little high, and the service can be a little slow, but that can be expected with hotel restaurants and patio service.

Pros- Wonderful location…read moreOutside seating is where you want to dine Excellent wait staff Dinner menu was very good

Perfect place to be after a10 mile hike, that for sure!!! My…read morefriend and I just hit this place after our 10 mile hike. No knowledge of how it's going to be. This place didn't disappoint us! Price is reasonable, nice kids serving putting our bowl together! Only 4 stars coz it could be tastier! We're happy for the tables nicely distanced and are out in the open!

Let me start by saying I am a very regular customer - I have come once or twice a week, nearly…read moreevery week, for the past 2 or 3 years. Their food is great, & I love the poke. I would've given this place 5 stars in the past, but their recent employees' service is extremely, extremely poor. Due to other responsibilities, I am often arriving about 30mins before close. There have been several occasions where they are cleaning up already, even 30mins before closing time. This leads to certain items being cleaned up/removed from display before they close, & their go to answer is that "they dont have anymore available for the day." It happens most often with the avocado, although it can also be other ingredients. This happens too often to be true, & on a few occasions, Ive had an employee go to the back & retrieve a small amount of avocado to add to my poke bowl, which is the appropriate action to take, but demonstrates 1. theyre not actually out & are being dishonest with customers & 2. they are cleaning things up & putting them away before it's an appropriate time to do so. Additionally, there was a time my fiancé & I arrived at 6:30pm & the worker helping us was so eager to close that as they rung us up they kept asking, "anything else? Anything else?" to rush us out of the restaurant. We both felt rushed & pressured, & when they asked "anything else?" & my fiancé went to look at the drinks to consider getting one, she continued to ask "anything else?" multiple times over before he even had a chance to look at what was available. He never even had a chance to look at what was available because she wanted to rush us out. This service is extremely dissatisfying, dishonest, & lacks integrity. From someone who comes once a week for years, the service has significantly gone downhill, & I do hope this is addressed in the future by leadership.