Banbu Sushi Bar & Grill

Our first time coming here. We tried seared this roll and the Banbu roll. Amazing! So much flavor! Our server Chloe was great! She provided lots of recommendations and was very helpful.

I had an incredible dining experience at this sushi bar & grill. The ambiance is sleek and upscale. It’s definitely not your typical sushi joint. You can tell right away that they take pride in quality, especially with the sushi rolls. The fish was incredibly fresh and flavorful. Our server, Nia, made the experience even better. She was attentive, friendly, and genuinely helpful. I asked for a recommendation and trusted her pick, and I’m so glad I did. Every bite exceeded expectations. If you’re looking for a refined sushi experience with great service and premium ingredients, this spot is a must visit. They also offer a spacious outside dining area. As I mentioned, this is not your typical sushi joint. The prices are much higher here, but the quality is superb!

Banbu sushi isn't my favorite sushi place. It's my mom's and it's a great place to hang out with friends have a nice meal and enjoy a game. The atmosphere is nice and calm and has that outside patio seating with warm lighting and a fire pit that makes it a great place for a birthday, celebration or even watching a game at their bar. The food is good and flashy, beautiful rolls with all the style and swag that pleases the eye. Not fancy sushi? How about some ramen? A burger maybe? they have it. Their tonkotsu ramen felt like something was missing for me though not bad, but not the traditional flavor I was looking for. The soup was runny and looked more like cereal than ramen. They added like half a pound of cabbage which ruined it for me. I got to try their surf and turf roll which was good, steak seared nicely with hints of lobster and crab. I also tried their new york steak and it was cooked nicely. The food is good for the price but if you're looking for a more traditional flavor I would try some other places in SD for a smaller price. The atmosphere is nice and friendly and the rolls are flashy but the presentation is half the battle. Their staff is nice and wait times can get prolonged if it's a holiday. For a nice outing with your loved ones check it out, and enjoy the scenery. For taste and price there are other options I would recommend.

It was first time I visited Banbu, and I hope last. Salmon rolls were with overcooked strange rice. Sushi set was better, but it all really overpriced! We paid more than 100$ for 2 persons.. And at least they didn' t have hot black tea 🤬😓

My Partner and I attended Banbu on 4/8/25 as a celebration of our first anniversary together. We have been there 3 times now. Food was wonderful , weather and ambience was great . Our sweet server Cassidy was such a great Server. She constantly checked up on us and made sure we were happy. She offered the special of the day , asked how we liked the food and drinks, she always had a smile on her face. At the end before getting the check she offered Dessert , we had to go but we did not turn down the offer. Had the Volcano cake to go and OMG! the best we've had. The ice cream didn't even melt after an approximate 30min drive . Definitely visiting more often. Appetizer : Jalapeño Poppers Roll: Mt. Fuji Roll Entree: Emperor's fried rice Drink : Passion Fruit Sake Dessert: Banbu Volcano Cake

Always delicious sushi rolls. Yakosobi (spelling?) noodles both had dry chicken and dry steak, probably the only dishes we would not order again. Female server Sam was beyond awesome and took care of our needs before asking for anything. The Kobe beef roll was the table favorite along with the sesame chicken. We had two sake, 6 dishes, and 4 rolls and it ended up being about 460 without tip yet. Worth it and we're definitely going back.

This is my favorite sushi place in all of San diego. I will tell you ahead of time though that the food is overpriced. It is good and the service is good and the atmosphere is good but you're going to pay about $30 for a sushi roll. It's seriously overpriced. I'm going to give them their credit because they're good at everything and sometimes the price doesn't matter but when you're going to have three or four sushi rolls and not even a drink or dessert for $100 it's overpriced. It is good though. It's hard to balance that but just understand that if you're going to go with a date you better bring about $200.

We have come here often and unfortunately the food has not been consistent. This last visit for my birthday was disappointing. We order 6 different items and only two things were great (Lemon Roll & Seaweed Salad). We also had to wait 30+ minutes to get our sushi’s after ordering which was not cool considering it wasn’t that busy. We order a small fried rice and a roll as appetizers which our waitress got to us quickly. They said there was a big party in the back which was the reason for the long wait. Everything looks but rice and flavors were not good this trip. I won’t be visiting for awhile as it’s too pricey for Inconsistent food quality.

Banbu is one of our favorite local restaurants. We are huge sushi snobs and banbu is consistently fresh and yummy. We especially love all the nigiri bites. The flavored sake is also really yummy and we love the fun light up carafe it comes in. The ambiance is really lovely inside and out, love the little garden seating area and the fire pit! It's unfortunate the fire pit is right near the parking lot, but it's not that busy so it's still nice. What always really stands out to us most is the service. Special shout out to Nia who is a manager but has also served us many times and is so kind, speedy, and always has amazing recos. My favorite of all time reco from her is the fresh wasabi. I've never had it anywhere else, and wow it seriously enhances sushi. When we went last night, we had Ally as our server and Valencia as our hostess. Valencia gave me the special kids birthday menu (wink wink) and Ally was so accommodating. We ordered the wrong drink twice (yikes on us) and she handled it with no issues or extra charge. The restaurant was randomly crazy busy for a Wednesday night but she was still so great with our party of 6 including kids, grabbing all the extra requests like lemons for our drinks and fresh wasabi. Our busser, David, was also insanely kind and ran after us to the parking lot when my daughter left her water bottle at the table. Banbu is def a favorite for us in the neighborhood! Such a treat and we'll be back again and again.

Banbu Sushi really knows how to plate a dish--the presentation was on point. If I were paying just to look at the food, I'd be thrilled. Unfortunately, I was also hoping to eat it. $9 for a miso soup that arrived cold felt more like a prank than a premium dining experience. The sushi looked great but tasted far from fresh--pretty, but not pretty enough to distract from the lack of flavor. If you're into fancy visuals and leaving hungry (and broke), Banbu might be your spot. Otherwise, I'd keep looking.

I'm so glad we came in today. I cannot say enough about our server, Kayla! She was professional and personable at the same time. That set the mood. The food and the ambiance (have to sit outside) was amazing. Adding Kayla's service to that and the experience was over the top. We got a few sushi rolls. Everything we ordered was very fresh. ... Make sure you save room for the tempura fried banana split Come in for yourself and you'll see why they consistently get high marks. Great spot. Two thumbs up. The full bar was an added plus.

The food here is amazing. That's why we come here. The service is also really good. The ambience is romantic and fun and it's actually expensive for San Diego.

This is the only time in my 80 years that I have left without ordering because of the prices. I had a beer before I read the menu and it was reasonable and interesting and my server was great. But the prices on the food are ludicrous. My income is not low.

This is my friends favorite sushi spot in La Mesa, now I know why! This place is so cute we sat ourside and the patio is well decorated, quiet and calm! The inside was nice! We got a bunch of rolls to share for the table and I also got a cup of miso soup! This was by far one of the best miso soups I've ever had! The rolls were really good. The service was great! Some of the best sushi I've had in awhile!

I totally Loved this place! Food presentation and taste is amazing! We ordered the Inferno roll, Crunchy Jalapeño Hamachi Roll and Tan Tan Men as entree's and edamame and Gyoza Pork Dumpling starters! Every one of the dishes were perfectly esthetic and taste great!! Drinks were excellent as well ( Mango Sake and two wild berry Hibiscus teas! Excellent! The atmosphere of the whole restaurant was pleasant with lots of outdoor seating with elegant outdoor decorate lighting. The service waitress was a total sweetheart and attentive to our table. It's a place I will totally recommend to my friends and family! Great for any occasion!

First time here while in town visiting. We had dinner here and my party of 5 all liked their food and drinks. The waitress was great very attentive! The restaurant was decorated nicely, very clean and also clean bathrooms. The food was a little expensive for what you get but it was still tasty. The edamame was very good. The drinks were all great and tasted very good. Our food came out at different times but our waiter told us that ahead of time so we expected which was nice since we knew. Great experience!

Arguably the best sushi in San Diego. The King Salmon citrus sashimi special was as delicious as it was beautifully presented. The fish, rice and veggies were all SO fresh and flavorful. I loved the salmon belly and toro! Good news - if you're not a sushi-goer, they have PLENTY of other delicious entrees and even RAMEN to choose from. All of the portions are generous relative to other sushi restaurants, so don't let the prices scare you away. They have an expansive cocktail, beer, wine, and sake menu. The only roll I did not like was the ABURI SALMON ROLL -- the bonito shavings taste extremely fishy and smoky. Shortly after taking a bite, I started to itch and my tongue started to tingle, so on top of it tasting like feet, I might be allergic. I even mentioned this to my waitress, but she didn't offer to switch the dish at all, so service probably could improve there (especially since my party spent SO MUCH and ordered practically everything else on the menu). Also wish she would have told me one of my dishes included some seaweed salad when I asked her so that I didn't need to order another side of it and have it go to waste. They also have desserts, but the tempura banana was probably fried in the same oil as shellfish because I broke out in hives on my way home shortly after. This bit on the service was truly a disappointment because I mentioned several times to the waitress ABSOLUTELY NO SHELLFISH. Location is a bit interesting, as it's located in a strip-mall by the trolley station. Don't expect an upscale, trendy, or romantic ambiance. Think casual / modern. Go for the food. Be loud if you have any allergies/restrictions. Don't expect anything with service / ambiance. Take some Benadryl with you and an epipen ;)

Very trendy spot tucked in the back of a busy shopping center. The service was great, food was decent. Sushi rice was a more on the mushier side. My daughter picked the rice off of her rolls and ate it without. Presentation is beautiful.... The pricing was on the higher end for sushi, but not comparable to other higher end sushi restaurants.

We went to explore the area for new sushi places, found this one on a whim, and was thoroughly impressed. Not only by the food but the service as well. The ambiance was calming, and the music choices were awesome! We had Nia, I believe her name was, and she was very informative of the menu as well as super approachable, kind and had exceptional customer service. We are definitely coming back for date nights and will recommend this place to our friends and family! Thank you to Nia, who made our experience exceptional, and also made our night :)

The food is way over priced. 28 dollars for a lemon sushi roll.. service was great though but it didn't feel like an authentic sushi place more like a chain corporation You come here for the variety of sushi

Loved this place! The sushi & drinks were amazing. The customer service was top notch I love how both inside & outside looked, it was perfect for a date or even to just catch up with friends! Will definitely come again.

Great food and service! We specially loved their sushi, plus service crew was nice and friendly. Also, the place was clean and music was not super loud.

My husband and I had an absolutely wonderful evening at Banbu for date night! Robin was our server and he was awesome - attentive, friendly, and made sure we had everything we needed throughout our meal. The outside seating area creates such a pleasant, relaxed vibe perfect for a quiet dinner. The sushi rolls were amazing - fresh, beautifully presented, and flavorful. My favorite was the lemon cilantro roll. We also enjoyed the Asahi and Orion beers. Banbu delivered on all fronts: exceptional food, great drinks, wonderful ambiance, and top-notch service. We'll definitely be back next time we're in town!

The only reason I didn't give this place five stars was because of the pricing. It was a bit outrageous how expensive the portions were. Other than the pricing, the food and service were amazing. Our server Kayla was so attentive and fun, she constantly checked on us to see how our food was and if we needed anything. The house made sauces were delicious. We got the surf and turf roll, which was a little on the big size for bites but the combination of flavors was surprising and delicious. The fish was so fresh and flavor profiles were on point.

Finally went back 07/11/25 and they still left the sauce out, I guess if you know it's going to be missing you can just check, it is listed as part of the roll on the menu.

Sushi was delicious and restaurant had a nice, breezy, and relaxing environment. I remember when this building used to be a movie theater! The quality of the fish and vegetables was good. Service was also very friendly. Prices were quite expensive, much more than other restaurants in the area. It would be great to have some appetizers or specials with a lower cost.

Nia was amazing! Great food as always and service was great!!!! We'll definitely be back soon!!

Food was delicious, drinks were really good, atmosphere was great, the staff were amazing. Highly recommend

My family and I had such a wonderful experience thanks to our waitress, Sam. From the moment we sat down, she greeted us with a warm smile and an incredibly positive attitude that made us feel welcome right away. Her genuine kindness and attentiveness stood out throughout the entire meal she went above and beyond to ensure everything was perfect for us. It's rare to come across someone who makes dining out feel so personal and enjoyable, but Sam truly did. Because of the excellent service she provided, I would absolutely come back again and highly recommend this restaurant to others. Service like hers makes all the difference!

Since I came alone, I decided to sit at the bar. I was seen right away by the bartender (Zach) and he asked right away if there was anything I wanted so definitely quick on service. Made me a spring fling very quickly then followed up with me to check if I was ready to order anything. I ordered the fried calamari and sashimi combo along with a melrose roll and cobe style beef roll. The sashimi was all delicious. I enjoyed every bite of it! The melrose was delicious too! Definitely recommend! Throughout my time, it seemed like many people relied on Zach and yet he was quick to help me when I asked for anything and constantly checked on me but not in an overbearing way at all. The overall vibe was the place was great and I would recommend coming by here. My total was about $187 for everything I ordered. The only thing I didn't post a photo of was the Cobe since I got that to go. I also got a Kirin. The place is a lil expensive but it's not surprising considering the vibe I get here.

We went and picked up food from the sushi place a couple of weeks ago and I've been meaning to write this review. What a fantastic experience from the beginning of the phone call to when we picked up the food. I think we spoke to the young lady her name was Valencia and she was on top of it with the order and the food pick up. Great experience and we also really like the way the restaurant looked and we were handled. We will be back because the sushi is amazing.!

The service is exceptional and the staff seem very happy to be working there! It creates a welcoming atmosphere! The food is fresh and I always manage to bring a little something home for the next day. Banbu Sushi continues to be a great place for lunch and dinner with family and friends.

From the amazing food to the amazing customer service, our dinner tonight was absolutely wonderful! As always the sushi here never disappoints! Always fresh, creative and beautiful, and of course...tasty! What made the evening even better was our server, Kayla. Courteous and friendly as well as funny! Kayla was prompt and efficient without being rushed or put out if we had questions. Thank you Banbu for another fantastic meal and do everything you can to hold on to your employee Kayla. She emulates the true definition of excellent customer service!

Pricing was ridiculous. $9 for one miso soup that was served cold. Calamari that were so small about 10 pieces for $30. 4 rolls was close to $150! Rolls that were so small and skinny! Dinner was over 200 bucks. This will be my first and last time coming here!!

Food was great and fast are server robin s . Was Excellent . So fast and patient with our kids . The food can't be beat !! Ask for robin s

This was our first time in and We sat outside. The weather was perfect and the music and mood was very nice Kayla was our server. She was awesome. She was patient with us and answered all the questions we had (we had a lot) and provided great recommendations. We ordered emperor fried rice, two rolls , Banbu Baja and Cherry Blossom (on her recommendation). Cherry blossom was sooooo good. The protein on the fried rice was over cooked a bit but Kayla quickly remedied the situation and got us a freshly cooked bowl. She was very friendly and provided great service. She came back and checked on us throughout the meal. We ended the meal with the tempura banana split. Yum !

The sweet and sour chicken is amazing! Especially nice when you just get it with the steamed rice. Super nice contrast. Delicious meal and our server Robin was super good. Thank you Robin for a perfect lunch.

One of my most favorite sushi spots in this part of San Diego. The quality of sushi here is superb. Between the chirashi or any of the nigiri as well as rolls that are perhaps less traditional (with things like jalapeño and lemon slices), you really can't go wrong. I love coming here whenever I'm in town!

Had an absolutely wonderful time yesterday! Had late lunch on the patio with my mom and daughter and Kayla was a joy to have as our server. She was very personable as well as professional. We had edamame and tuna poke salad. We also ate amazing sushi rolls; lemon cilantro roll, protein roll and seared ahi jalapeño roll - all delicious! I highly recommend Banbu for their delectable food, excellent service and lovely location. Kudos if it's a sunny day and you snag a table on their outdoor patio! Make sure to ask for Kayla as your beautiful server! AAAAA+

The food was great. The Rainbow Row was delicious and so was the Chicken Katsu curry. Amazing service! Cass, our waitress, was super attentive and knowledgeable of the menu. One of the better waitresses I've had in a while. If you go would highly recommend eating outside as the ambiance was really nice.

Good, service, ambiance is fire! Check this place out. Jackie is absolutely the best! You should def check this place out, don't wait.

Amazing amazing! Last year we celebrated my sister's birthday here . Everything from cocktails to entrées were absolutely good. During the Christmas holiday my brother came in from the East Coast and we decided to have dinner at this restaurant. All entrées we ordered were absolutely delicious. I cannot wait to return & have some more delicious sushi . Nothing we ordered was disappointing. Everything was absolutely amazing.

The katsu sandwhich on the special list was literally the best sandwhich I've ever had. I didn't even get that - it was my husbands meal lol I got the inferno roll (I think that's what it was called) and it was really good. We had a great lunch here. Prices are high so be prepared to spend quite a bit , but it will be worth it.

Food was very good! What made the experience even better was our server Cass, think her full name was Cassidy was very attentive and had a positive attitude at all times even though we were very indecisive. Definitely recommend her as your server

The food was amazing! Jacky our server made the experience even better, was very nice and suggested great menu items.

Here at Banbu everything is very tasty... especially the SESAME CHICKEN OMG!! We ordered it twice LOL. In other words, we ordered one plate first as an appetizer(ask them to add veggies) and gobbled it up real quick. Then we ordered a second plate but with no rice but instead extra veggies. Our server highly recommended it. He said it was his fave dish. So thank you mister server!!! I forget his name but he is asian young guy black hair courteous guy and helpful. Then we ordered this cucumber Martini wow!! Also very tasty. But beware ... each sushi roll is about $30. I have never seen specialty rolls at this price!! Not even in LA Garlic edamame is $13. Can you believe it. That's my entire combo meal at In N Out .....My cava bowl is $13. But garlic edamame should be max $9. But anyway I'm not complaining too much..... more like I'm shocked at the inflation here in San Diego now! We came here on New Year's Eve just the other night ... they have lovely indoor and outdoor ambiance...even on cold winter night they have cozy outdoor heat lamps! Def need to visit next time I'm in sd!

Service is slow at times but the food is outstanding. Every menu item we have tried has been great and we have been here over 10 times as we live right down the street. One of my favorite sushi places just takes awhile for service to be able to get to your table or check in. I recommend requesting everything you want the first time otherwise you'll be waiting if you need extra sauce or sides.

Lot of parking in structure across the restaurant Very friendly service Large seating areas Indoor / outdoor Creative sushi rolls Restrooms inside Large selection Fresh wasabi or wasabi paste Alcohol available Dessert available Heat lamps for outside Vegan options

Looking for average sushi at twice what it costs elsewhere this is your spot. Over $200 for party of 2 with one drink. Most rolls were fried or had shrimp tempura as filler. So many better options at literally half the price. Service was solid though, she gets the extra star

Used to be our #1 go to place, even for hosting family parties! Went back after a long absence & a quick dinner for 2 was over $200? Nope. We did not even order that much! Sadly, not what it used to be.

My boyfriend and I were craving sushi and wanted to try a different spot versus our favorite sushi joint. We both have been wanting to try this place since it always pops up on our Yelp. The restaurant is cute, quaint and quiet. Can feel very intimate. They also have outside seating with warmers. They have blankets to use as well if the warmers don't help which I think is pretty thoughtful. The service was great. Their drinkware is stainless steel or something cause it kept everything nice and cold. The menu wasn't anything crazy. They had a great list of starters and other items aside from sushi. The sushi menu was a little small for my liking. I ordered the 5 piece salmon sashimi. My boyfriend and I both ordered a rainbow roll and miso soup. My boyfriend also had a tuna roll and crispy rice. You can definitely tell everything is fresh. As soon as I bit into my rainbow roll.. I looked at my boyfriend and I said "is this real crab?" I didn't ask but it was so good and so fresh. The cucumbers in the roll... perfect. Nice and crisp. Gave a good little crunch. We decided to indulge in their dessert for the night. I can't remember the name of it. What I do remember is that it was a white chocolate dessert with cookie butter. It was very rich. But omg if I could I would've eaten them all. However, I am a sweets person soooooo

Banbu Sushi is our ride-or-die spot! We've been coming here for years and it's the only place we'll eat sushi--nothing else even comes close. The food is always fresh, creative, and ridiculously good. Big shoutout to Cass--she was so sweet, attentive, and genuinely made us feel like VIPs. She took the time to walk us through the menu, gave awesome recommendations, and checked in with the perfect balance of care without hovering. You can tell she loves what she does, and it made our lunch feel extra special. (Cassidy K) Service like that is why we keep coming back (well, that and the spicy edamame we're lowkey addicted to). We also tried Nori fries for the first time--Delicious! Banbu, you've got us for life!

Came here with a couple of friends and everything seemed to be much better than the last time. Fish was fresh nicely prepared. Enjoyed the experience.

Nicely tucked away and easy to get to with a huge variety of rolls but I wouldn't say that the fish is of the highest grade but still very creative rolls which punched a pack in flavor. Had 5 rolls and they were all generous portions and each did have their own specific flavor profile which was a nice surprise. Favorite was the Hokkaido Ahi roll as it was a unique surf & surf with a crunch of fried calamari and the combination of sweet & spice made this a definite winner. The other rolls were all equal in flavor and excellent presentation. Great service and friendly staff made it a good experience.

Nia, You WIN!!! Thank you for waiting on us The food was delicious . Thanks for keeping us hydrated

First time here and has seen it before and wanted to go there. Made reservations for the outdoor patio even though it was a bit chilly they had the heaters on high. We got there around 7:06p and Sat down, ordered sake and sparkling waters. My date ordered the sashimi appetizer. 10 mins later I ordered the baked mussels and we each ordered a roll. We didn't get any of our food until roughly 8:10p. An hour with just drinks, even though the sashimi was ordered earlier. We got the sashimi and 20 mins later came the baked mussels and immediately after the rolls. The samurai roll was good but boy was it spicy. The super crunchy roll was okay, not a lot of taste to it even with spicy mayo and soy sauce. But it helped to eat both together. The baked mussels were okay not the best I've had. Our server was nice but she wasn't checking in on the food for us it seemed like... Just checked in for other orders we had. Overall it was okay the ambiance is prettier than the food being good in my opinion.

Good sushi. Plating is pretty. Great service. Best of all close to us. Love the cone beef roll and cilantro lime and salmon belly. Popcorn chicken yummy. Seaweed salad refreshing.