I just moved back to the area from living in the Bay Area. I was supposed to be able to get really good sushi, but I could not. I had so many bad sushi experiences that I almost gave up. I am so glad I didn't. The Spicy Tuna Roll was to die for! The hostess who helped me was amazing and made my experience here so wonderful. The place smelled clean and no fish smell. My sushi melted in my mouth and I really didn't even need my spicy mayo. You should eat at this place if you love sushi read more

After many months of hearing about this place from my family I was finally able to try it out when I was in town for a visit. The place is super clean and nice and the staff is great. My cousin is a regular there so I really couldn't tell you what I had but we tested a variety of food. Some kind of beef which really good. I really liked the tiger and lobster roll and the tuna. Everything was fresh and delicious and the service could not have been better. I can't wait to enjoy it again on my next visit. read more

Friend that just got introduced to sushi took me to this place, it was fabulous and fast and good. I ordered the rainbow roll because they didn't have tuna (woe)... but they conveyed their apologies to me very sincerely so I won't dock them stars. Other than that, good sushi. read more

I don't live in Modesto, but I came to pick up my niece and we wanted to get some sushi before we drove back to San Jose. We picked Sushi Garden because it had good Yelp reviews and it was fairly close to where we were at the time. The restaurant was clean and has really funky track lighting that we both enjoyed. We were seated right away and had our drinks on the table within 2 minutes. The menu was solid and seemed to have something for everyone (who wanted to eat at a sushi restaurant.) We didn't sit at the sushi bar, but we could still see the large TV (which was tuned to the Giants game) from our table. After we ordered, we were given complimentary miso soup. It was piping hot and not too salty. Our food came out shortly afterwards. We had an order of salmon nigiri, a California Roll (krab and avocado), a Tempura Philadelphia Roll (smoked salmon, cream cheese, avocado inside tempura deep fried roll with teriyaki on top) and a Tempura Roll (tempura shrimp, cucumber, avocado, and krab with teriyaki and tempura powder on top). The salmon nigiri was super fresh. The pieces weren't tiny by any means, but I've had bigger pieces elsewhere. The rolls were long and very full of very fresh ingredients. I really liked that they provided ample amounts of avocado and didn't skimp. I also liked that they didn't overdo it on the cream cheese. They were able to cook the Tempura Philadelphia Roll just enough to heat it up, but not so much that the salmon inside gets cooked as well. (Why is that so hard for some places?!) I came here with my 14-year old niece. When we left and I mentioned that I would need to write a review on Yelp because it was so good, she said, "Make sure you tell about the servers and how nice everyone was!" So here goes: The service was spectacular! Everyone was so nice and very attentive. Our plates were cleared quickly when we were done. I didn't have to wait forever for the check. At the same time, we in no way felt rushed. There was a fair amount of other people in the restaurant when we were there, so it's not like we were the only table they had. I will absolutely go to Sushi Garden again the next time I go to Modesto to pick up my niece. She definitely wants to go back. And for a 14-year old to like ANYTHING, that's really saying something! read more

This place is the best local sushi place around. No other sushi restaurant in Modesto can compete. The rolls are always so satisfying and just the way I like it. Clean environment and a friendly staff. Great place for lunch or a nice dinner. read more

Definitely THE best sushi in the area, and yes I have tried them all! Fresh fish, clean, friendly staff...Don't bother trying anywhere else!

I saw the good ratings for this restaurant and made the drive from my hotel all the way across town to have some great salmon sashimi. Often my craving.... The place looked great, the staff was friendly and the menu was well put together. I ordered the 18 piece mixed sashimi (chef's choice) and asked for salmon only and the waiter said it would be two additional dollars to accommodate my request. I said "no problem" and waited the 15 minutes for my dish to arrive while sipping on filtered saki. Once it arrived, I noticed that it was cut so thin that if you put a slice on top of a dime you could see if it was heads, or tails. Unbelievable. I was so disappointed. I am used to going to Fat Fish sushi in Pleasanton that serves 8 pieces of half inch thick ultra fresh salmon sashimi for half the price of Sushi Garden of Modesto. So I expressed my disappointment to my waiter (who was very good) and suddenly a boy appeared to tell me that he disagreed with me and that "Sushi Garden" had gigantic portions! His rough, over confident, pseudo intellectual tone made me want to gag, but I listened to his short, cocky dissertation of his version of the facts and let him go back to his toy box in the back room. His name was Chance. The sushi chef seemed professional enough, but charging me $18.00 for the substandard sushi helped form my opinion that this whole experience was an utter waste of time. Good luck Sushi Garden. I hope that someone else will expose how much of a disappointment this place is. Everyone seems to be cutting back portions to increase their margin, but this place also overcharges for it, too. read more

Food is ok. Service is good. Its not the best sushi in town but its consistent and the staff is always nice.

First off, let me preface this review by saying that I judge sushi by what I grew up eating in Orange County and San Francisco. Perhaps my perception is a bit skewed, as I'm used to high standards and quality. That being said: Let me start with the positives. The water was clear and tasted good. Okay, that's not right. My two stars are mainly for the good service and what I feel was mediocre sushi. Not the worst I've had, but far from the best. We ordered seven different rolls and the tempura vegetables. I didn't feel like the fish was fresh or necessarily sushi grade; the color was off, it had no flavor and it was cut too thick for the rolls. Also, the ginger was a strange pink color and kind of off-putting. I wouldn't willingly go back there for the sushi, but hey, I live in Patterson now and options are limited. For everything. All in all, I'm surprised I didn't get food poisoning to be honest. I was a little sketchy about my five year old eating here, but she only ate the shrimp and vegetable tempura, which was actually pretty good. What I took away from this place was fish that wasn't fresh, heavy sauces with too much mayo, very old and dilapidated menus and decor, and not a lot of value for the money. Our waitress was great and the food came out relatively fast, but I just wouldn't go back here or recommend it to others. Take my review for what it's worth. I'm a food snob. read more

I am new to the whole Sushi thing but was persuaded by my fiance to try it (bribed is more like it). We tried two other local Sushi places here in Modesto. One was good but the place smelled like mold or something old, the other had good sushi too but it took forever to get our food, the waiter was not very friendly and it seemed more like the place to be for show instead of for good sushi. The Sushi Garden had great decor, really friendly staff, the sushi was pricier than at the other two places but so worth it (although my husband thinks $14 for sushi is like being raped). The taste was fresh and absolutely delicious!!! The atmosphere was family friendly and the waitress worked with us as we were in a hurry (movie starting in 45 min) Would highly recommend!!!! read more

First off, I love Jae, the manager there. Second the Fried Oysters. Third the Tako Kimchee. This place is so sacred to me, I have only gone here with my BFF Jessica and my sisters. Its usually busy but they offer genuine service and the food is worth the wait. One of my all time favorites. read more

Come here at least every two weeks for a date night. Love the environment, staff is wonderful, best of all the sushi is up to par. Only reason I give it 4 stars is because I wish it was a tad bit bigger or that they took reservations, there's almost a long wait during dinner time. Other than that I deff recommend this place. read more

"Ate" here last night and I am still depressed and somewhat irritated with what my wife and I were served. We waited about 10-15mins on these kid sized cubes by the host's station around 1730 on a Friday night. No biggie but for the fact that you are face to butt with whomever walks in and gives their info to the host. From my not so advantageous vantage point I immediately noticed that their bar (for drinks) is not a bar at all. It is a check and drink service station only, weird. They have plenty of room to put some bar stools for those who are forced to wait to be seated. A poor use of what would otherwise be a decent looking bar. Specials Menu was out (always look for specials, especially seasonal fish offerings) but not so special. Prices looked standard not discounted in any way. Items ranged from the typical Japanese, to Chinese Shumai (?!), to The Cowboy Roll, an abomination. As I had time to wait I decided to do my routine bathroom check. The state of the bathroom is as important as the dining area in a Sushi Bar. Should always be CLEAN. It was, but their soap dispenser was bone dry (again 1730 on a Friday night) and the paper towel dispenser feeds out onto a wet shelf directly below. Again, weird. Dining area was reasonably clean and adorned with a blend of cliche Japanese and Contemporary Generic Decor. Huge Sushi bar that was well lit and manned by 4 "assemblers". Tables were clean as well. Then come the plastic covered Menus, GROSS. There is nothing more off-putting then being handed a semi-greasy menu before eating food meant to be picked up by hand (yes it is true, we've all been eating it wrong.) and I just washed mine. Okay beverage options: Hot or Cold Saki no brands just one or the other. Beer consists of the usual suspects: Sapporo, Asahi, Kirin. Not my favorites but at least there's a choice. Apps: Seaweed Salad- Well balanced textures and flavors. A great salad that got me optimistic for the rest of the meal. Really wanted some spice for it and planned accordingly. Tako Kimchee- I love both octopus and kimchee (which is Korean) so this was a no-brainer. This dish was a total failure unfortunately. Super salty with long spear-like slices of cucumber? There was nothing here to suggest Kimchee at all. Not even the flavor. What I did get was a mega dose of sodium and some funky flavor that I could not identify. It tasted fabricated somehow. After telling our server why we were sending it back she returned and told us they buy the sauce. Weird. Ironically, I would see a Kimchee "sauce" in a Cost Plus World Market later that evening. Sushi: Chirashi- If you have not had Chirashi, it is the perfect compromise. Nigiri without the bulk of the rice (as it is served on the side or under the fish) and Sashimi without the bulk of the price. Sushi Garden's, unfortunately, should not be considered. Chirashi consisted of the following disappointments: Hokkigai (Red Clam)- Watery and no flavor. Hamachi- Decent quality, sloppy cut. Most of the sushi would suffer from poor knife skills this night. Sake- No flavor to speak of, little to no fat, but acceptable texture. Poorly cut. Maguro- Okay quality, sloppy cut, zero flavor (it is subtle I know). Bintoro (Albacore)- Slightly seared triangular "logs" dressed with a weird garlic mayo? Tai (Red Snapper)- Dressed with Sriracha. Really people? Tai is incredibly light flavored and you put a jalapeno based hot sauce on it? Poor cut again. Unagi- This is my dessert sushi as it is slightly sweet due to the sauce they LIGHTLY BRUSH the delicately charred eel with. This was a soggy, "undercharred" (i.e. under cooked), drowned in sauce, disgrace. An eel died in vain. I didn't even touch the second piece. The first time in over 35 years. Kamoboko- Fish Cake. I have no idea why anyone would think it's a good idea to put this on a Chirashi plate. Kamoboko is for Udon or Ramed not Sushi. Insult to injury, IT WAS OLD. Fish cake takes on a "dusty" taste when it's past its prime and should be thrown out.. Shari (Sushi Rice)- Bizarrely salty and overcooked. Another travesty. Even the pickled Daikon was old/low quality. Nigiri: Albacore- My wife like it. I didn't even bother knowing it was more of the same mayo-garlic nonsense. Saba- Here's where I get really nervous. Saba is my favorite above all else. Misunderstood and underrated, it is the red-headed stepchild of the American sushi market. It is also the most flavorful and sustainable. An eleventh hour save, it was delicious. My taste buds didn't know how to process it by that point as they had been bombarded with so much junk. Spider Roll- Back to reality. An emaciated, tiny (literally the tiniest Spider Roll I have ever seen in my life), soggy, flavorless excuse for an all time favorite. But for the GREAT service, a soul crushing experience, I left more sad than upset. No one should be subjected to this abuse. Luckily I'm going to Amici tomorrow. read more

Always fresh. Always good. Very accommodating to special requests (for which my wife is known for). Good Saki selection. Fully staffed and fast service no matter how busy they are. You won't be disappointed. Try the Oshi Sushi roll. Amazing. read more

Japanese owner with excellent traditional Japanese Sushi Expert. Great service and good team work in all staffs.

Once in a while you will get a rude waitress and be treated poorly, sometimes it seems like they completely forget about you even before they take your order, we had to wait about 35-40 minutes just for our drinks, it was a friday night, but that it still unacceptable. Other than that, the food is really good and as far as I have seen they are pretty clean. read more

My wife and I ate here this past Saturday night. We are not from the area so found this place on Yelp and it had decent reviews. We got here about 8pm or so. The service was pretty good throughout the meal. I love sushi! Their menu seemed a bit limited to what I am used too for sushi. They had a small book of pictures with special rolls that didn't really look all that appetizing. They may have tasted amazing but the pictures were poor. After coming for sushi my wife and I just decided to go with something else. I ordered the ginger pork and rice and she got the tempura udon. The ginger pork was okay. It was a bit sour. Also on my plate they served it with potato salad and some raw broccoli with some kind of dressing. Potato salad at a sushi restaurant? It was a very mis matched meal. My wife's udon was just okay. Maybe we just need to give the sushi go as the pictures on Yelp look much better than what they have in their restaurant. The two dishes we ordered I would not recommend. read more

This restaurant is one of the BEST places in Modesto! Their staff very polite and nice. I would suggest the 'Garden Roll' the sauce is the best! read more

I'd say this place is the best around for sushi. Ive had a couple different rolls and have yet to be disappointed. The staff is pretty friendly, but at times can feel rushed if they are busy. Im good w/ a dragon roll and a tall Sapporo!!! enjoy read more

In Modesto, there is no finer place for Sushi. Fresh fish, friendly folks and delicious rolls. Of course, things are better in the Bay Area but for the price, atmosphere and food - this is probably my favorite place to eat in Modesto next to In-N-Out and that's saying a lot! read more

Bento box lunch special is fabulous! Can't go wrong Great price and a lot of food Fresh, tasty and perfect portions A bento box lunch special that has potato salad, rice, tempura and a main course protein - fantastic! read more

If your in Modesto and craving sushi..this is the place to go. There's only a few sushi places here and this is the best one. Its clean..has a sushi bar and pretty roomy. The sushi is good and fresh. Each roll is plenty and i especially like that its not full off rice on the outside. Its just the right amount. Although they were a bit stingy with the roe on my spider roll this last time. The roll was still delicious. read more

Came here a couple of months ago. We ordered three rolls. We thought they were good but, not the best we've ever had. We did like the fresh oysters, we wished we had a whole plate of them! Service was really good, prompt and friendly. All in all, not a bad place but, we will still be on our search for the best sushi in Modesto. read more

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I won't knock down the sushi because it's not bad. But, the service is beyond horrible it's rushed and you can tell the waitresses and waiters are NOT trained at all and are very rude. I didn't mind that the waiters were like that but once I found a fingernail inside of my sushi. It was disgusting beyond belief and unsanitary and I've never stepped foot in there since. I don't recommend this place at all. read more

Sushi Garden is Terrific. They know how to make great quality sushi and Sashimi at a very nice price. The restaurant is not a hang out and nor should it be. Sushi is meant to be eaten and enjoyed for the FISH not the Crowd hanging out there. They not only do standard awesome sushi and Sashimi but they have creative dishes that are very original. My Favorite is the Modesto Roll. Can't wait to go back. Oh, and you can't forget the selection of traditional Japanese dishes if you need more than just sushi. I learned to make sushi by studying under a master in Hawaii over 9 years ago and I love to make my own. Most restaurants that are known for sushi are not sushi they are just trendy hangouts. Attractive people go there and they are high priced and the sushi usually is way over priced for what you get. I could name a few but that's another review. Visit Sushi Garden and enjoy their great food. read more

food 4/5 based on sushi service: 5/5 decor/atmosphere/decor: 5/5 I came here with a small group on a weekday for dinner. The restaurant had a lot of people already, but there were still a few open tables. For seating, there is the bar or regular tables. This is also a good place for large parties. We decided to share several sushi rolls instead of getting individual meals. I thought that their sushi was pretty good and probably one of the best you can get around the modesto area. We had sushi rolls and the sashimi platter. I thought the sashimi was pretty fresh but the slices were a bit thin. I felt the sushi rolls were somewhat small, but the taste was good. Each person paid $15 for the food without drinks. However, our party had some snacks before and weren't that hungry by the time we got to the restaurant. I think we could easily pay $20 per person if we came with empty stomachs. So over all, good sushi for the central valley. Slightly overpriced for the amount though. However, if you wanted to take someone for japanese food in modesto, I would still recommend this place. read more

Not only great "for modesto", but great sushi in general! The I've lived in quite a few different big cities and the sushi here is comparable to all those places! The teriyaki lunch specials are amazing. The amount of high quality food for such a low price is insane. Great decor and good service add to the great food. read more

The best sushi and Japanese food around by far. My family and I are addicted to Sushi Garden and Sushi Garden 2 in Turlock. The lunch specials can't be beat. read more

The best sushi in Modesto by far. There is always a wait and it's always well worth it. I personally sit at the sushi bar when I come in unless I'm with a group. The sushi chefs at the bar are great to talk to and watch at work. You can see them using fresh ingredients right there. Love that they always have a game on whenever you go in! The owner is a no nonsense woman that gets it done and makes sure her staff is always on the ball. Plus I love that she is right there with them hustling just as hard if not harder. Unlike many of the sushi restaurants in Modesto,or the central valley for that matter, this place is family and kid friendly! I'll admit I went here with a group a few years ago for a birthday and we started getting loud, drinking sake bombs, probably not using the best of language lol. Ya that didn't fly. The owner came up and waved her finger at us saying no no no not here. So if that's what your looking for go to fumi or mikis. They cater to partiers but you won't get the same quality sushi (fumi has amazing drinks and the curry katsu is off the chain). That being said the restaurant is bright and well lit. It doesn't look like a club. Never understood why sushi places tend to go for the club/bar vibe but whatev. I will also add that sushi garden caters to special requests as well. I order a my sushi cucumber wrapped instead of with rice and extra spicy. Now I could go through every item I've tried and tell you how great they are but here's some favorites. The baked mussels. Because they are delicious and the mussels are cleaned. These mussels are pretty much the baked mussels with spicy cupie sauce and scallions you get at most places. I make them at home and they are not hard to screw up buuuuuut people do all the time usually by not cleaning the mussels. Sushi garden has good ones. The curry katsu. Ya I know I said that fumi's is off the chain because it is but sushi garden makes a good one too. The difference is fumi uses a different curry and it's unique. But sushi gardens curry katsu reminds me of the curry i grew up on. It takes me back to being in my Aunt Nobuko's kitchen and that is comforting to me. If you grew up eating Japanese food try the curry. It isn't unique or special but it taste like homemade. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a box of golden curry floating around in the back ;-). The grilled edamame. One word WOW! So good. Now this is amazing! Grilled edamame with I think it's garlic salt. Best way to start your meal. All of the sushi!!!! I haven't had a piece I haven't enjoyed. Sashimi, nigiri, or any of the rolls. Sooooo fresh! I'm personally not a huge fan of the fried stuff but from here I wouldn't kick it out of bed for eatin crackers. I could go on and on but bottom line best sushi in the central valley. Enjoy! Itadakimasu!!! read more

All of the food is fresh and tasty. We have never received anything we did not like from the tempura, squid vinegar, any of the sushi (we really like the lobster roll) and the mochi ice cream is the BEST! We never leave without ordering it. It is busy so go early unless you don't mind the wait, but it's worth it! read more

Awesome place my hubby and I love to go as much as we can! Clean restaurant friendly staff. You can bet it!

Best Sushi in Modesto! The food is great, the employees are very nice and best of all the place is always super clean.

As far as sushi restaurants go this one is great. The staff is very friendly and on the ball. Once seated they are quick to get drinks to the table and get any appetizers you want going. They are informative with the different type of rolls and always have good suggestions. Theatmosphere in the restaurant is nice. My only criticism which is not a big deal is the waiting area is very small. This is a busy place and it is always crowded in that area. read more

So rude. My check was just thrown on my table by the cambonian guy n the food too . The lady who took my card didn't even hear that I asked for a box. My Katsu taste bad n not tender read more

Great service, clean, and most of all, delicious sushi. I come here all the time and I've never been disappointed. I really enjoy their tiger roll and the spicy tuna tempura roll (not on the menu). If you're looking for great sushi in Modesto, this is the place to go! read more

I came here based on reviews from yelp. I made the right choice, I love their Spider roll, but i think my favorite is their Tiger roll. I love the spicy delicious taste it has. Service has always been great here too. Would recommend read more

Let me start off by saying this had been my favorite sushi place in Modesto. I've been coming here for years, anytime friends or family and I wanted sushi this was our spot. Unfortunately with the service I received today I will not be back. At least for a long while. After being seated we were asked for our drink orders promptly. Seemed like it was going to be another great experience until our plates came out with our checks? At the same time? Kind of makes you feel a bit rushed.. Anyways, my friend had ordered a roll, and a sesame chicken dinner which usually comes with a side of tempura veggies and a few shrimp. My order of sushi came out a long with hers yet the chicken plate never arrived so after waiting a while we had noticed it was placed as "to go" on our tab. After we asked they ended up bringing out the plate, but it didn't come with the tempura. So we kindly asked the waiter if she could bring the side with no worries that they had messed up the order. A few moments later another waiter storms over to our table and very rudely starts scolding my friend. I am so dissatisfied that someone spoke to us so rudely over a side of vegetables!!! Especially since we had placed the order for the meal and politely asked if we could just get it on the side after the waitress mishap! After listening to my friend get scolded for over two minutes I told our waitress that she was so rude she needed to box our food and that we wouldn't be eating there anymore. So sad. I really loved this place. I'm still baffled as to why it wasn't okay to politely request a side of vegetables we had ordered THAT CAME WITH THE MEAL. Oh and when we finally got our vegetable tempura on the side that we only received ONE onion and ONE carrot out of spite. So long sushi garden. read more

Horrible horrible horrible service. My food was late they verbally were talking about how they had forgotten us. People that cake after us got their food first. The deep fried tofu for my salad was basically still frozen. I've had amazing experiences here but hadn't been in years. Glad to know things do change and sadly for sushi garden not for the better. read more

This place is always busy, but it is well worth the wait. Service is good and the food is awsome. It is a great place.

The food was awesone!! Service needs a little help. Not very attentive. Cowboy roll was the best.