we are completely new to this area and found this place on yelp. and thank goodness we did! this place was absolutely amazing. our server was the best. i think his name is kale? cale? sorry for not spelling it right! he explained the menu to us because we told him it was our first time. we got most of his recommendations, i didn't think we had room in our stomachs to order the rest lol. which is why, we are bringing our friends over to try this place very soon. more bellies, more food! we got: - miso soup: probably one of the better miso soups i've had. most places make it extremely salty, but this one was just the right amount. - el jefe roll: WOW i was not expecting to like this one that much. the spice was spicin'! if you cannot handle spicy foods, do not get this one. - salmon nigiri: one order comes with two pieces. the salmon just melts in your mouth. i'm drooling just thinking about it. - negro aguachiles: speechless at this dish. i could eat aguachiles everyday!! i loved it. i can't wait to try their verde one! - smoked yuzu hamachi: omg you get dinner and a show with this one. this was soooo good, i want to eat this everyday. parking was aplenty and there were a good amount of tables inside. we came on a sunday afternoon and we didn't have to wait to get seated. read more

My husband and I decided to try out Tsunami since we haven't been there before. We arrived a little before 6pm. It was very nice that they had special customer parking, since this parking lot does get very busy. We liked the nautical esthetic outside with the vintage diving suit statue outside. We noticed there were a few tables outside and some tables inside as well. We were greeted at the door and asked to sit anywhere. We chose to sit at a 2 seat table where there a long couch on one side and chairs on the other side( you share the couch with the table next to you. I immediately noticed how crowded the restaurant is and how the regular chairs were made to fit a smaller body type. As a larger person, I sat on the couch side (which was hard to get out of without disturbing the table next to us). I did notice when we were seated that our table looked a bit dirty with something stuck on it. I ordered a ginger ale and my husband got a water. We ordered the prawns Roca for our appetizer, it was very flavorful. I ordered the Rainbow roll and my husband ordered the El Ranchero roll. My rainbow roll was very filling and had an interesting tangy flavor, similar to miracle whip My husband loved the el Ranchero roll. He really liked the unique Mexican Japan fusion flavor of it. Overall, we were happy with the food but not happy with the price. We felt it was definitely not worth the price. The knly way we'd come back is if we took advantage of the happy hour special someday. read more

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Overall, the experience was great and I will be coming back! LOVED THE SUPER SALMON. Absolutely delicious and will get again. The miso soup was some of the best soup I have ever had!!! The salad dressing was pretty disgusting. I'm not sure if it was "bad" or something but it had a very rancid taste and smell. I even had my sister and mom try it and they said something was off. The salad was actually the whole reason I tried the place so I was a little disappointed. I wish I could have tried the great salad I read so many news about but I will probably not take a chance again. Will be back for the sushi though. Just maybe don't get their salad. read more

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This place is awesome. Very cute interior and a nice outdoor patio area. I really appreciate the vegan option, as I would not have come with my family had they not had a dedicated option. The vegan roll was really tasty, fresh, and had great flavor. It was very similar to salmon rolls which have the very thin slicer of lemon on top, just minus the salmon. The veggie roll is also great, much bigger than most other places and includes Inari, which gives nice balance to all the crunchy veggies. Our server was very attentive and nice. Highly recommend! read more

Tsunami Modern Cuisine - Veggie roll and El vegan roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santee, California

I love Tsunami! We always have really good and fast service here. The beers are always cold. Drinks are delicious and aesthetically pleasing. Tsunami has an awesome Asian Mexican fusion menu. My go to roll is the OMG, but you truly can't go wrong. The sushimi melts in your mouth! And we tried the mole dumplings are delicious. Completely out of my comfort zone and everything I try on their menu happily surprises me. Can't wait to come back and try even more items! Worth the money yall! Come check it out! read more

Tsunami Modern Cuisine - Verde Aguachiles - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santee, California

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Got the Baja roll & the mango chingon for happy hour. Phenomenal food and excellent service! The drink was super yummy too! Highly recommend! I will be back!!! Clean, comfortable and quaint ambiance. read more

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I really hate spending hard-earned money on bad food, and unfortunately that's exactly what happened here. Some of the rolls were decent, but nothing memorable. The black aguachiles were the real issue -- and the timing somehow made them worse. They were ordered as an appetizer, but didn't arrive until the end of the meal, and only after we had to track down what felt like a nonexistent waiter to ask what happened. When they finally showed up -- after about 45 minutes -- they were borderline inedible: rubbery shrimp in an oily, unbalanced sauce that completely missed the mark. Waiting that long for something this bad is impressive in the worst way. It tasted careless, not creative. To be fair, the restaurant was busy, but that doesn't excuse the rest of the experience. We also waited an unreasonable amount of time for a fresh drink, and the couple next to us complained as well. That tells me this wasn't a one-off -- it was a breakdown in basic service. When both the food and the service fail this hard, it stops being a night out and starts feeling like an expensive lesson. Santee has far too many great options to justify wasting money here. read more

Tsunami Modern Cuisine - El JJ Speciality Sushi Roll and O.M.G Speciality Sushi Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santee, California

Kale the server was amazing Was our first time there and the service and the food was beyond amazing!! read more

I Visited this restaurant for lunch and had the lunch special poke bowl. It was really good. It had several varieties of fresh fish with seaweed salad, avocado with eel sauce. They have a weekday lunch special and a Happy Hour every day from 2-5pm with some really good options. They also have lots of sushi roll options. It wasn't busy probably because everyone was out Christmas shopping. The inside is very nice inside and the staff were nice. I hope these guys do well, if you haven't been here give them a try. read more

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Great food for an appetizer we had the octopus and the spicy garlic edamame and it was amazing. I had the protein roll and it was delicious will definitely come back read more

Tsunami Modern Cuisine - Protein roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santee, California

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its good and the service is good go have lunch we take are kids and customers here for food read more

Food: 5/5 Portions: 5/5 Atmosphere: 4/5 Cleanliness: 5/5 Customer service: 5/5 Speed: 4/5 Price: $$ Takeout: yes Outdoor seating: yes ADA access: yes Restrooms: yes, unisex Dogs: patio Kid Friendly: yes Vegetarian options: yes Vegan options: yes Ambiance: casual Pros: EXCELLENT customer service. Great food. Heated patio read more

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We've ordered takeout from here several times and everything is always fresh and delicious. The restaurant itself is also cute and clean!

I'm glad this place serves fresh sushi and the service is attentive. Since this place opened I've noticed the word is getting around because the lunchtime and dinner time crowd is getting more populated. I've been to Osaka and Tokyo so I can say I have experienced next level sushi and this place serves good and fresh sushi. The waiters were attentive and welcoming. There is also sports on the two TVs above the sushi bar. Executive Summary: Drink menu: 4/5 Sushi menu: 4/5 Quality of the food: 5/5 Good for groups: 3/5 (outdoor seating-fire pit and indoor seating) Kid-friendly: 5/5 Parking: 5/5 Service: 5/5 Flavor of the food: 4/5 I recommend this place, service was great, my food experience was good and the vibe here is relaxed. read more

A friend of mine from Vegas and I popped into Tsunami for an early dinner. We grabbed a couple of seats at the bar and were handed menus, and our drink order was taken. SALMON COLLAR: We started with this and it was superb. Flash fried so the skin is extra crispy while the meat retains its flakiness and flavor. It was a lot bigger than I anticipated and easily fed both of us as a satisfying appetizer. EL JJ: Spicy Yellowtail, jalapeños, crispy green onion, yellowtail habanero, spicy mayo, ponzu, eel sauce and crispy red onion. The was my buddy's order and he loved it. We swapped a couple of pieces of each roll. I very much liked the El JJ also. We both agreed that it could've been a tad spicier. FLAMIN TIKI: Albacore, avo, shrimp tempura, Yamagobo, diced flaming tuna, eel sauce, habanero, and micro cilantro. Probably the coolest presentation of sushi that I've ever received. The flame in the center was a nice touch. The roll was excellent. It was fresh and delicious. Again, we both thought it could have been a tad spicier. CHEF'S CHOICE NIGIRI: The was my friend's choice. I did not have any. He really liked it. The fish was fresh and tasted great. In my opinion, Tsunami serves the freshest sushi in Santee. Service at the bar was friendly and efficient. If I had one complaint about Tsunami, it certainly would not be about the food. It is the barstools. They are too low for the bar top height. read more

Amazing array of speciality sushi, the G.O.A.T. is a must try, the goat cheese, soft shell crab tempura, and truffle soy sauce pair amazing together; reminiscent of an upscale crab rangoon. Staff was attentive and sat us promptly. read more

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One of the newer sushi spots in Santee. It's a mix of an Asian fusion/Mexican vibe. Their marlin taco stood out . The rainbow roll was pretty standard. They do serve alcohol here. Place got fairly busy on a Saturday afternoon. Outdoor seating was available. The indoor seating was not particularly large. read more

Really wanted to like this place better. Im afraid it was just mid. Small. Crowded tables. Food was ok. Three shrimp flautas and one rubbery octopus tentacle for $47 including tip is crazy. The staff was nice and service was good...the only thing saving it in my opinion. Glad I tried it once. read more

Tsunami Modern Cuisine - Pulpo ala Brasas - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santee, California

Went in mid week for a birthday. So glad we went here, it's was our first visit. Everything was delicious. I did think the place was bigger but we got a table right away for five of us. We had little of everything, sushi, micheladas, teriyaki, campechana ... everything was amazing. The place has a Mexican fusion to it and loved it . Our waiter was very hospitable and friendly. I will definitely be back when in the area. read more

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The lemon cilantro Roll Very citrus hits the spot. El Jefe Roll Highly recommend if you looking for something spicey. Fuckin amazing read more

Tsunami Modern Cuisine - Lemon cilantro Roll If you are looking for something citrus. This Roll is the way to go. Its very fresh and citrus. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santee, California

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Great food, awesome atmosphere and excellent customer service! The best sushi place in town for sure!

I have ordered to-go sushi from Tsunami a few times since they are very close to my place of work. I will say the rolls I have ordered have always came out fresh and tasted really well. The customer service has never been short of friendly and quick. And the ambiance of the restaurant is very clean and modern. I didn't have high hopes for a sushi restaurant in Santee but this place certainly exceeded my expectations. I enjoy ordering my crunchy roll and OMG roll and will continue to do so! read more

Food: We have been here twice now and both times, it has been great! I got the GOAT and the El Ranchero rolls, both were really good! They use a lot of weird different flavors in their signature rolls. My daughters liked their rolls too - El Jefe (a little spicy but good), OMG... they were all delicious! Oh and the garlic edamame... they put thin slices of grilled (I think?) garlic with it... we have fun just eating that plain! Atmosphere: It's a tight place inside, maybe 10 tables? They have some outside seating too, just be mindful if bringing a large party. They don't have too much spare room. Price: It's not the MOST expensive place I've ever been too, but their signature rolls all run around 20-25$. You can get simple rolls for 10-15$ which is more reasonable. It's not bad, but I would say it's perfect for how delicious it is. A meal for two is easily 60$ with tip. Service: Our server was friendly, no complaints! And the head sushi chef asked us how we liked our rolls at the end of the meal, that's a nice touch! Obviously there wasn't a crumb left so we loved the rolls very much. Overall: This place is a little trendy, vibey, tucked away in Santee. It's definitely one of our top 3 sushi places. I'd ask the chef to come up with more unique rolls and we will keep coming to try them! read more

Tsunami Modern Cuisine - El Ranchero roll! With STEAK on top! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santee, California

This is the best food i've had for a while. The food was perfectly cooked, and the service was amazing. They always ask if you need things, and the vibe of the place is calm and chill. I really enjoyed this place, and it is definitely one of my top 10 favorite restraunts. GPK is #1 though, so go check it out. read more

We came here on a Sunday at 2 pm because I saw they had a happy hour from 2-5. There is plenty of parking since it is in a shopping plaza. The restaurant looks very modern and clean. Leslie was our server and she was really nice. We tried the spicy tuna roll, philadelphia roll, and tsunami roll off the happy hour menu, and fresh wasabi, oysters, and aguachile trio. Everything was okay, not super amazing but not bad at all. The Philadelphia roll and spicy tuna roll were pretty standard but the nori/seaweed was a little soggy. The tsunami roll was the star of the show. I'm not the biggest fan of fried rolls but the tsunami roll had the best crispy tempura coating and stayed perfectly crispy through our meal. The fresh wasabi was okay. Fresh wasabi is usually really mild but they add horse radish to their fresh wasabi, which I enjoyed since it gave the nose burning sensation you associate wasabi with. The aguachile was okay. It had way more avocado, onion, and cucumber than shrimp, less than half of the dish was shrimp. They were also not spicy and needed some salt. It's okay that it needed salt though since it's not a cooked dish that requires salt throughout the cooking process. I liked the salt shaker though, it didn't pour too much salt at once. Overall, I enjoyed my experience and I would come back for the tsunami roll and to try different menu items. read more

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Our new sushi place we really enjoy and frequent once a week. The happy hour is solid and prices are great for what you get. The service from the Manny is phenomenal!! He is the manager and part owner. It's refreshing to get quality service these days & he does it right. The outdoor dining has two tables that has a gas fire pit in the middle of the table for those colder days. If you have not yet tried this tucked away spot, you need to! read more

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Excellent service, wonderfully unique sushi rolls. Love that they had TVs and they have great AC throughout. Very cute vibes too! It is in the corner of a plaza of variety stores. Easy to park and find. We will be back! read more

I love the Asian/sushi Mexican fusion concept here, there's nothing quite like it. Everything here was fresh and flavorful. Great happy hour options offered daily. Service was good too! I will definitely be returning since I'm a local resident here in Santee. Small but mighty! Make sure you get here early for a seat because there's a only a few tables indoor If you're looking to try something new this is the spot for you! :) read more

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It's great place to have sushi. Clean and great customer services. We got there on happy hours so we can most of the food on the happy hours menu. The spicy tuna and dragon roll are very good. We also got the fried salmon (don't remember the name) but it was so delicious. Crunchy outside and soft inside read more

We are so happy to have Tsunami open up in our neighborhood. This place quickly became my number one choice for home delivery sushi in Santee. Sushi, appetizers, and hot plates we have tried so far have been above and beyond. Seafood tastes fresh, tastes delicious, love the creative menu, and reasonable pricing. Thank you Taunami cuisine! read more

Update: it's the best spot in town. Pricing has remained while competitors gouge and have far inferior service to Tsunami. It's our east county home base for sushi and we couldn't be happier. Our host and the staff knows us well by now and take care of us. read more

Plot twist. It's a mostly Mexican seafood place, but they do sushi and the random chicken teriyaki. I was in the area running errands and I found this place in search of a light lunch. What a pleasant surprise. I ordered an aguachile with octopus and shrimp. It was the less spicy one from the top three. Packed full of seafood and fresh veggies, it was perfect for the weather. It was the perfect ratio of red onions, cilantro, tomatoes, avocado, and seafood. And I had just enough tostadas and salditas for the whole dish. The vibe is simple, airy and clean.Good service. Attentive. The food came out quickly. Nice view of the street. Really. Let the magic happen and try it here. read more

Tsunami Modern Cuisine - Aguachile - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santee, California

Tsunami is a hidden gem in the City of Santee located in East County, San Diego. They offer delicious Japanese sushi and selected Mexican seafood items. I had a host of items, including the Albacore Morita, with albacore caparccio Butter Garlic, Ponzu, and delicious morita salsa, a protein roll, a mixed sashimi, and blue fin tuna sashimi and nigiri combo. I tried an off menu beverage called the "Cuba" or their version of a Michelada. I recommend it if you like Micheladas, it delicious and refreshing. Everything was delicious! I loved the Albacore Morita. The morita sauce on top was exceptional in flavor and texture. Albacore was delicious. It's a great starter. The protein roll was very good, too. It came with crab salad, salmon, tuna, yellow tail, ponzu sauce, a thin lemon wedge, cilantro, and a touch sriracha. This a great roll if you are going low carb or for any other reason you would like a tasty roll. The mixed sashimi was very well presented and came with quality salmon, tuna, and albacore. I recommend to enjoy the sashimi with kizami wasabi made from real Japanese hon wasabi. It's a game changer. Finally, the blue fin tuna, which was beautifully presented, respecting the fish, and was rich in flavor and offered a creamy buttery texture. This tuna is always a special treat. The service was very nice. The young lady who initially provided, but later left because of a shift change, was very nice and pleasant to talk to. The gentle who took over was very cool and knowledgeable about the product. This is a great place. read more

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This place was a pleasant surprise! Got takeout from here after taking my daughter to Chuck E Cheese. The menu is not crazy extensive and definitely is more towards the Mexican seafood fusion side than traditional Japanese. We had the O.M.G, truffle maguro, crispy rice, super salmon, and chicken strips meal for our daughter. The bill was almost exactly $100 with tip. The quality was very good for a casual place and the rolls were not too heavy on the rice or overly large but well made and tasty. We liked how they did the crispy rice as a whole big piece of fried sushi rice that was then cut, unlike most places. The truffle on the truffle maguro wasn't too strong, but just right in my opinion. The sushi looked so good my kid tried the super salmon roll and wanted more. The kids meal was an actual kid appropriate portion unlike lots of places where we end up throwing away leftovers. I definitely will be back to try more! read more

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Came back for another try. We ordered takeout, kids got quesadilla and chicken strip kids meals, my wife got the omg Roll and I got the el vegan roll, and we both got miso soup. The kids loved their meals. The miso soup was ok but I was pretty disappointed with my vegan roll. It tasted ok but they packaged it with my wife's roll and the mayo from her roll got smeared onto my roll. I can't stand mayo that's one of the reasons I ordered a vegan roll. It makes no sense at all to me to put the rolls in a container together. My wife said for some reason here roll had a strong wasabi flavor. The kids were happy but both of us were pretty disappointed. If it weren't for the kids being happy I would probably have given them a 2 to be honest. read more

Tsunami Modern Cuisine - The mess I was greeted with when I ordered my takeout. Mayo all over my vegan roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santee, California

If you love fresh fish with a spicy kick, the El Dorado Roll is an absolute must. The fish tastes incredibly fresh and high quality, and the spicy flavors are perfectly balanced--not overwhelming, just enough to give it that delicious heat. The combination of textures, from the soft fish to the creamy and slightly crunchy elements, makes every bite really satisfying. It's rich, flavorful, and definitely one of those rolls you keep craving after you've had it. Easily one of my favorites read more

Tsunami Modern Cuisine - El Dorado Roll--spicy kick! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santee, California

I came to visit some family and stopped in here during their happy hour. The decor was very cute and the staff were super friendly! This corner usually struggles with businesses but by the time I left the restaurant it was full. It is a Japanese Mexican fusion restaurant. You'll find things on the menu like aguachile and marlin tacos, while also seeing nigiri or crunchy rolls. I ordered off the happy hour and the rolls were good. The veggie tempura was tasty and overall not a bad spot. read more

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Much much better than I expected. It's better than Sei Sushi in San Carlos and creeps up and over Tabu in my opinion due to similar quality but lower prices. When we come to more budget friendly places we steer away from nigiri and lean towards rolls. Great choice because the rolls were great. We default to spider rolls or the cali-roll with lemon and cilantro on top. Both were great, 8/10, both under $20. Service is a bit average. I get it though, when there are few tables servers just kind of gossip and chat in back, totally fine. Best Sushi in the area. I'd recommend hitting here then Home Depot or Costco. read more

Tsunami Modern Cuisine - Sushi Bars Near Me - Santee, California

This is an amazing spot, a relatively newer, hidden gym that boast some of the freshest seafood in the county, especially sushi! This was admittedly, a shocking place to make such a discovery; a group of my friends recommended trying it out, and I'm glad they did because it's amazing! Is not one of my top two favorite places to get fresh seafood in the county, specifically for sushi. Although it doesn't have as many options as my other personal top contender, it makes up for this with absolute fresh flavor, unique high-quality pairing of unique items and recipe types on the menu, as well as it's easy comfortable atmosphere. Parking is also not an issue whatsoever in the spot, leading to no stress in that department. The staff service is solid. The place has acquaint elegance. My only very minor complaint is that the screens near the kitchen areas displaying sports games take away from what could be an even greater charm to the place. We don't need more screens to distract us, and even removing just one of the screens, if not both and replacing it with some complimenting art would be excellent. The atmospheric music can be a very minor hit or miss; I tend to be a person who likes the music to fit the theme of the restaurant. These are very minor notes in what is otherwise a truly excellent experience. I highly recommend Tsunami. read more

I always do takeout, so I can't speak on the service but the food is amazing!! I have tried quite a few of the specialty rolls and my favorites are: * O.M.G. roll * JJ roll (sub yellowtail for tuna - just my personal preference) * sushi toast (with salmon). I love the combination of flavors and the uniqueness of each roll. It's sushi, with a dash of fusion. Can I also just mention how beautiful each roll looks! From the microgreens to the yummy fried onions, the dishes are just as nice to look at as they are to taste! Prices are a little on the higher end for sushi, especially compared to the other popular sushi spot in Santee... but I think it's worth it. read more