Blue Ocean Robata & Sushi Bar

Blue Ocean Robata – Where Fire Meets Flavor and Keeps You Coming Back My first taste of robata happened at Blue Ocean Robata & Sushi Bar, and it instantly shot to the top of my favorite cuisines. The pork belly and wagyu beef skewers were pure perfection—smoky, tender, and unforgettable. The caramel popcorn shrimp from the appetizer menu stole the show—sweet, crispy, and a perfect match for their crisp craft lagers. And the sushi and sashimi? Unbelievably fresh, artfully plated, and full of flavor that keeps calling me back. For the best experience, drop by Monday to Thursday between 3–6 PM during happy hour—same amazing food at prices that feel like a steal.

Came here for a date night. After reading the mixed reviews I was a little skeptical but left heavily impressed. We sat at the sushi bar and our sushi chef Joe gave us great recommendations and service. Left very full, happy and eager to visit again :)

Overall, a decent experience, earning a 3/5 from me. The staff provided good, fast service, and we never felt neglected. The calamari really stood out – perfectly cooked and flavorful. However, the sushi just didn't quite hit the mark for my taste, which was a bit disappointing.

We were there for lunch and dinner. Everything went well, I love the lunch menu. Big portion and great price for Carlsbad Village. Definitely will go back for lunch!

If anyone asks me what my favorite restaurant it is literally this place, without a doubt, my boyfriend is a CA native and he raves about this place. The food is absolutely incredible, the service is top tier, and the atmosphere is perfect. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ask for some fresh wasabi and it won’t disappoint.

Very very impressed with place! The have high quality sushi with such unique flavor combinations. Their cocktails were fabulous too and recommend the lycheetini & whiskey yuzu sour! I really enjoyed the sweet and sour hibiscus sauce paired with the veggie potstickers- very creative and well balanced with the savory saltiness of the potsticker. The sushi rolls were the highlight though, and very impressed with the presentation, quality, and uniquness of ingredient . Some favorites were the Tsunami roll and lemon roll (if you’re a big fan of citrus). Also our server was very nice and helpful with recommendations- thank you Mekayla! Definitely will be returning here for our next date night!

I brought my family for Father's Day lunch and it was great. All the rolls that we ordered (Mexican, dynamite, heart attack, salmon crunch, and hot date) were absolutely delicious. Portions were perfect. Nice small restaurants. Perfect for date night or small celebrations. Definitely would come back!

Blue Ocean is my new favorite sushi spot in North County! We went for a happy hour on my birthday and were blown away by the quality and quantity of each of their dishes. The tomago nigiri was A+ perfectly seasoned and the wakame is soooo tasty. The rest of the nigiri was perfect and as expected for top notch fish. The rice was also perfectly seasoned. The crispy shrimp was plump and perfectly covered in a sweet and savory sauce. We tried two skewers - the pork with pineapple and the steak. Both were superb. I think I liked the pork one a little better because the pineapple was a perfect foil for the juicy pork. The birthday chocolate cake with a savory caramel and crispy amaranth was sublime. Not too sweet with lots of complexity. This isn’t our first time nor will it be the last time. If you want truly exceptional sushi and skewers. This is the place to go. Don’t sleep on the soup as well - it’s rich, dotted with tiny mushrooms, and very satisfying. There is plenty of parking in the lot or nearby. They also have drink specials weekly - I highly recommend the whiskey Wednesday!

YOU HAVE TO TRY THIS SPOT!!!!!! If you happen to find yourself out in Carlsbad and are in search of a delicious spot to eat sushi, THIS IS YOUR PLACE TO GO!!! Everything we ordered was SO FLAVORFUL, it felt like it was bursting in my mouth! Each of the sushi rolls were good size rolls (not too small or too big in my opinion), and each roll is presented in a unique way! Even some of the other dishes like the Chicken Teriyaki, Edamame, Brussel Sprouts, and Vegetable Potstickers were really tasty -- so you have quite a nice variety to choose from. But definitely keep in mind that this place does not do all-you-can-eat so you might need multiple trips here to try it all (we will definitely be back)! We went on a Friday evening around 5 or so as a group of 6 and it was pretty busy inside. As such, our server was not around our table very often to ask for refills or order more food, which is a little bit of a bummer, but luckily there were plenty of food runners that brought the food out as it was ready! Either way, our server was very kind and was great with answering any questions we had and even pointed us towards some of the more popular dishes on the menu. As for the inside, there seems to be a good amount of space for several parties, and even larger parties as well. It has a cute little bar on one side, tables for different size parties, a sushi bar (which you can sit at), and even a table-top fireplace inside (which I didn't explore much because it was busy, but it looked really cool)! Overall, I HIGHLY recommend this place and I absolutely cannot wait to go back!!

I love this place. The staff is fantastic and the sushi is always on point. Evan and Sebastian are a huge reason I keep coming back. They always are fun and make me feel like a valued customer. Thank you Evan and Seabass!

Never disappoints! We only get out this way about once a year. Sushi consistently always fresh generous and delicious! I love the Hawaiian roll made with real crab! The Bento lunch boxes are great. We also had the miso sea bass which was outstanding! We tried a different sushi place in town and the blue always is a better choice!

We stopped by for happy hour and had a blast! What we ordered: Hot sake: they give you a lot! Passionfruit margarita: a must get if you like passionfruit & tequila $7 Popcorn shrimp: the shrimp was fried perfectly crunchy and the sauce is amazing!! Calamari: loved it! Fried lightly yet crunchy. Love the two sauces as well- an aioli and sweet&sour sauce 9pc sushi $20: perfect amount & fresh quality! Service was great! Our food came out so fast. Great place for a date spot or even dinner with family!

Absolutely amazing sushi! Would highly recommend and come again. I was visiting from out of town and ordered take out on a Sunday evening. It was ready as soon as I arrived. I ordered the garlic herb shrimp (seared), deluxe sashimi, salmon nigiri, crunch shrimp roll (thinly sliced), hot night roll (thinly sliced) and garlic edamame. The quality of the fish was fresh and everything was so flavorful. There is some parking in front of the restaurant but you'll likely have to try to park somewhere throughout Carlsbad village as it's limited. Would definitely come again.

So many interesting sushi restaurants around and tried here. 40 minute wait... thankfully we snagged a few seats at the bar hidden in the back... it's blocked by the alcohol section in the middle and against the windows so you have to walk around to see them. The servers were friendly but it was a bit busy/chaotic so they had to be asked to bring us our miso soup even after all of the rest of the food came out. Now, the food is amazing. The sashimi is incredible fresh and melt in your mouth. Tuna, albacore, salmon... all great. Blue Ocean Three Course sampler - amazing deal with 9 pieces of sashimi, grilled sea bass, miso/salad, rice, and veggies. I don't see how you can get better bang for your buck. Tsunami Roll - delicious mix of tempura and sashimi I so wish there was a place like this in the Bay Area with fresh fish at good price. Edit: we came back two days later and tried several more rolls. All of them were great Tango Mango - sweeter taste profile with a nice mango mousse. Our kids loved it! Chef Specialty - a little bit of spice but not that bad and lots of delicious tuna and salmon on top Madison - real crab on the inside! Albacore delight - crunchy and different. We loved the variety of rolls and going between each of them to mix things up. Love this place!

Ambiance was very nice, I went during the week and it was happy hour. Sat at the bar, bartended was very attentive. The sushi was super fresh. Pricey but worth it

Street parking can be tough in this area of Carlsbad. The restaurant has a parking lot which is great for accessibility. The restaurant is very cozy with great vibes, decor and comfy chairs despite the modern style. We had Robata - pork belly and wagyu meatball Bluefin Carpaccio Calamari Chef's Specialty Roll Albacore Delight Roll Everything was fresh and delicious. The fish, especially the carpaccio had a clean taste. No slime or fishy smell. The rolls were not packed with too much rice. Wagyu meatball was tough so I recommend skipping it and getting sushi rolls instead. The pork belly was flavorful and tender.

The food was ok. Everyone seemed to enjoy their meal. I had a vegetarian tempura roll with black tahini sauce. The tempura was so hard that it cut the top of my mouth to where it was bleeding and a piece of my flesh came off and when my son tried it, it cut his tongue. I also could not taste anything because the black tahini sauce was so overpowering. The filet and pineapple menu description was deceptive. It was a very small kebab. The food came out in individually with undesirable time gaps. The tables indoors were so close together that there's not enough space to walk through comfortably without being too weary of bumping another diners elbows. The server was great. The outdoor area has heated lamps. It was reasonably priced.

Mariah was an attentive server. I had a "rewarding" lunch with my real estate coach at Century 21 Affiliated Fine Homes & Estates Carlsbad. The salmon was fresh and even my manager is now a Blue ocean Robeta follower! He has taken his family and other work colleagues to this place. As for me, I come here when I'm in the area craving for sushi!

I recently ordered take out, they forgot the ginger but most of all the WASABI!!!. I called the restaurant and was told manager was out to lunch and they would call back but I told them I didn't have any wasabi, I had to end up going to local store since it was closer to buy some wasabi. Bit disappointing since I purchase 5 rolls and not one container had wasabi. Word of advice the host at their door should confirm that the rolls are not missing anything before handing out the food. Never got a call back by the way.

Very very impressed with place! The have high quality sushi with such unique flavor combinations. Their cocktails were fabulous too and recommend the lycheetini & whiskey yuzu sour! I really enjoyed the sweet and sour hibiscus sauce paired with the veggie potstickers- very creative and well balanced with the savory saltiness of the potsticker. The sushi rolls were the highlight though, and very impressed with the presentation, quality, and uniquness of ingredient . Some favorites were the Tsunami roll and lemon roll (if you're a big fan of citrus). Also our server was very nice and helpful with recommendations- thank you Mekayla! Definitely will be returning here for our next date night!

So this is my favorite restaurant of all time. I very much enjoy coming here. I just wish things would stop getting more expensive. I use to come here almost once a week. Now I just come if I'm sad, which is once a month, lol. Realistically, I come here on my birthday and maybe every 3-6 months. Food is always fresh and delicious, so worth every penny! Service is a hit and miss. It depends on who you get, but they are very busy so I get it. I love the sake bombs! Especially the pearl diver. The restaurant has fun ocean decor, which I love. And yes I will always come back even when I'm not sad.

Love the sushi here! The padres is to die for. Most of the sushi places we go to take FOREVER to get sushi out, not here! Even on a busy nights the sushi comes out fast! We can actually order a little bit at a time. We always sit at the bar because Sebastian is an awesome bartender! That's why we come every Saturday! Love the staff here!

My favorite sushi spot! Their fried eggplant dish was incredible. The mango rolls were delicious. The fish was so fresh. The customer service was so helpful and friendly and gave great recommendations. I keep coming back :)

Came in on a busy Saturday night and sat at open seating near the bar. Our server was so attentive and funny! Definitely loved his vibe and he gave great recommendations. I ended up getting the Madison roll. SO DELICIOUS!!! The toro was seared to perfection and the wasabi sprouts added a perfect blend of spicy freshness. One of the best rolls I've had. Also ordered the whiskey yuzu sour. SO FRESH and not too sweet. Perfect for a night out

I've been coming here for a while, and we decided to go to end of school year lunch on 6/5/25. After a longer-than-usual wait for our server (not a huge deal), we placed our order. The kids' chicken arrived raw (literally uncooked) in the middle, so we had to send it back. The rolls were the smallest I've seen at any sushi place. Had to ask for avocado because they put zero on the Marine Boy, then they charged me for it! Had to ask for utensils, wasabi, and ginger since our table didn't have anything ready. Definitely not the experience I have had in the past at Blue Ocean. Probably won't be returning.

The music is so loud and the food is pretty good but not A+. Our waiter is nice and helpful and they have gluten free tamari. I like the Kaboconut soup better than the sushi. The bluefin sashimi was great.

Jane and Milton are the BEST. Fish here is as good as Ken, Hidden Fish, and Ota with fantastic freshness and consistent quality. We love coming here and hope they never close. Shout out to the managers who do a great job behind the scenes.

Fresh sashimi and uni, nice ambiance and good service. We had a great dinner here and will be back!

It's annoying that they don't take reservations and on the weekends waits can be 45-55 min which is ridiculous. Their sushi is good, but since Kai Ola opened up I much prefer the quality of that. It also can feel a bit cramped in Blue ocean. On the plus side, they have good cocktails like their lychee martini and nigiri/rolls. I also like their robata side of things and small, cooked food like the chicken skewers. So if you're okay with waiting and like good sushi/robata, you should go for it.

Went to Blue Ocean Robata for a girls' night with my 2 BFFs, and overall, it was a good experience - more for the company than the food. They don't take reservations, but we arrived at 5:30pm and were seated right away, which was a great start. Happy hour runs until 6, and luckily they honored it. From the HH menu, we got the shishito peppers and calamari, along with a couple of cocktails. The calamari was just okay - small rings and a bit overfried, though the aioli was tasty. The shishito peppers were also just ok; I like the ones at The Roxy in downtown Encinitas better. We also ordered 2 sushi rolls: the Yellowtail Jalapeno Roll and the Hot Night Roll. They were good but not particularly memorable. Blue Ocean Robata shines in its value. With the happy hour specials, our total was about $30 + tip each for food and drinks, which is a great deal for a night out! The service was great, and the ambiance and location in Carlsbad Village were perfect for a fun evening with friends! I'd come back for the overall experience and happy hour deals, but if you're looking for amazing food, this might not be the place.

Amazing food, presentation on point, delicious flavors and great ambiance. I would definitely go back and try some new things. I was nice and full after our meal. Get the soup! Whether it's miso or the other one! I also love that it has a designated parking lot for the restaurant so you don't have to pay or look for far parking.

My boyfriend and I were in the area and decided to stop by here for dinner! We were seated immediately. The restaurant is very clean and family friendly, but also a bit elevated - a good place for date night :) We ordered the bluefin carpaccio, popcorn shrimp, tango mango roll and marine boy roll. The carpaccio was so fresh and we liked the truffle oil on it. We could have done without the shrimp, but it wasn't bad! The fish for both the sushi rolls was really fresh and generous servings, I would also just pass on the mango roll (it was a little too sweet for me). The food is also reasonably priced for an elevated sushi restaurant. I would visit again!

4.5 stars We came to Blue Ocean Robata in Carlsbad to celebrate a friend's birthday. She's a big sushi lover, and our other friend who's a regular here recommended it to her. I'd been once before with my husband and enjoyed it, so I was excited to try it again! First things first--the cocktails! Their cucumber martini is delicious; I tried the lychee martini this time to mix things up, but I'll definitely be going back to the cucumber one next time. It's a standout! Our friends, being regulars, took over the ordering. They went heavy on the apps and robata, so we ended up with a spread that included skewered pork belly, beef, crispy rice with tuna, and something called a "French kiss." Fun, tasty, but not exactly what I came for, since sushi is my true food love. Eventually, the birthday girl and I ordered some nigiri to make sure we got our sushi fix, even though we were starting to get full! The real star of the night, though, was our waitress--she was so fun and really made the experience special. The food was great, but next time, I'd skip the hot apps and focus more on the sushi. Overall, highly recommend, and I'd definitely come back!

Hands-down, the best sushi I've ever had! You have to order the sashimi amazing it melts in your mouth like butter. Had the house saki on a Thursday night it comes with one bottle of beer. Had the albacore which melts in your mouth and is amazing and the Hawaiian role as well fabulous and the vibe here is very cool

One of my fav sushi spots in town. Server was lovely and the atmosphere was great for a date. As seen in the photo: Albacore - Fresh and dynamic taste, spicy Caterpillar - Subbed the krab for spicy tuna and loved the straight forward flavor Madison - My fav roll, has a complex and fresh flavor with fatty toro Chefs Special - Comfort food with lots of spicy mayo

My favorite place in Carlsbad! I love the madison roll and the bao buns are phenomenal! I really come here because the bar is so cozy and welcoming. Ben has fast become my favorite bartender with him actually picking out my favorites here and just being a cool guy that does his job well and has a great personality. I usually get sake and a beer and the happy hour is legit too. I love it so much here that I told my sister and now she's a regular. I hope this doesn't impose on my bar seating because it's tight in there sometimes.

Great, friendly staff. Sushi tasted great and was very fresh. The drinks were tasty and the decor created a great atmosphere.

Food was excellent and service was top notch! Will definitely return. Check out Happy Hour.

I placed a Togo order online and it was ready on time. The girl that handed me my order was super friendly! I got the salmon kama which was delicious and reasonably priced ($7.50), blue crab roll which was also delicious and reasonably priced ($13), salmon nigiri, eel nigiri, and yellowtail nigiri. All of the nigiri's were great except one of the yellowtail pieces tasted very fishy. I would definitely go back just for the Kama and blue crab roll.

Food was incredible and we had the best waiter, I wish I remembered her name so I could give her a shout out. The sushi here is a little more on the pricey side, but I promise you it is worth every bit of it. The Chucks Special is incredible. They no longer do reservations or have the bar as open seating so expect a little bit of wait. I got there at 7pm on a Friday and only had to wait 20 minutes.

Blue Ocean offers a fun atmosphere to enjoy good quality fish and creative drinks. The robata was smokey and perfectly cooked. While the fish quality was good, but nothing out of the ordinary, the drinks were fantastic! I definitely see myself returning for tapas and drinks.

Everything we ordered was great! We asked for a modification to a cocktail and they did it no problem. All of the roles we ordered were very solid and they came around frequently to fill water and check in. I would be happy to come back again sometime!

Came here for dinner (for the first time in a couple years) and unfortunately it was a disappointment in comparison to my memory. Almost everything we got had very little to no salt and we waited 55 minutes for two of our four skewers. Service -- friendly but slow, especially waiting for Robata items. Our server, Helena was absolutely lovely. She definitely saved our evening. Ambiance -- some nice decore but not cozy and extremely noisy and poor acoustics. Food -- some delicious items (amberjack carpaccio & sea bass skewer), but mostly underwhelming.

Came for lunch with my aunty because she recommend and it did not disappoint. We shared the omakase box and ordered the Madison roll. Omakase box has an assortment of sashimi, even uni. The fish tasted fresh, but my favorite was the salmon and tuna. The Madison roll was good because of the seared toro, the blue crab inside was nice but after a few pieces I just wanted the toro. The quality of fish was good so I'll def be back and possible order some nigiri next time! It's a great lunch spot, server was nice, but we'll come back to try the robata after 4pm! We wanted to eat the baby octopus.

Yiew! This place was DOPE! We came in on a Saturday night about 7 and had to wait an hour whic sucked but I'll take the blame for that. Once we got our seats and the sushi bar we placed our order. We did robata and sushi. We had the Waygu meatballs, they were good but really just meatballs. And the pork belly. Yes! Now those were on point. Buttery, nicely rendered yet still plenty of meat on them. Smokey and sweet. So very nice. Then we moved onto the sushi. My son and I shared a toro sushi, albacore roll and their new roll, the beach boy. We subbed "Krab" for spicy tuna because I don't like imitation crab. The service was good. And the value was phenomenal for the quality. I'd definitely go back next time I was in town. I would only call first to see if they take reservations.

2nd visit here and brought a friend to have lunch. Fish was fresh and beautiful presentation! Great value and quality. They do have lunch specials from opening to 3pm. They have great Happy Hour Deals here too! Service was friendly but a bit slow this time around...however we were not in a rush and enjoyed a nice leisurely meal. Restaurant is really cute, clean and has a nice modern ambiance. There's bar seating and what looked like an enclosed outdoor space as well. Tables are a bit on the small side so if you order a lot, it may get cluttered up fast. Free Parking is available in the lot or in the street.

Unfortunately not our favorite place. Think it will be a one & done try for us. Atmosphere was loud & very crowded. Maybe I'm just getting older and enjoy more mellow and not crammed spaces. Sushi wasn't anything special & fish cut for nigiri wasn't the best. Didn't think it was worth the price but we tried!

The omakase box here is so good and at a decent price! Their rolls are also really good too! My go to rolls are the Marine Boy Roll and the Wasabi Roll. Btw they use real wasabi in the wasabi roll! My mom's favorite is the Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass.

This place is definitely on the pricier side, but that's to be expected in downtown Carlsbad Village. I don't come here too often because I feel like there's equally good sushi at better prices not too far away. Blue Ocean leans more toward a "date night" sushi spot rather than a "family dinner" place. Nothing wrong with either vibe--I enjoy both--but this place definitely has that lively, Saturday-night energy. Now, let's break it down: Sushi: Excellent! Great quality, always fresh, and I've never been disappointed. The chefs clearly know what they're doing. Service: Solid. No real complaints. Even when it's busy, they're usually quick and efficient. We had one small hiccup once, but our waitress handled it well and was very apologetic. Atmosphere: This is more of a personal thing, but it's LOUD. That's actually my biggest issue. I don't love having to raise my voice just to have a conversation over the music. Some people enjoy that high-energy vibe, though. I'd probably rate this place higher if it weren't for the noise level, but if you're into a lively, drinks-and-sushi kind of scene, you'll probably love it here.

The lovely interior of Blue Ocean sets the tone for your meal; vibrant, clean, and magical. The outside of the restaurant hides the magic that goes on in the inside. The food was packed with flavor and lacked any fishy flavor. The food is plated beautifully--and often gone in seconds. Our server made sure to stop by every now and then to give us water and a bit of small talk! Great service, magical ambiance, Excellent food!

I wish they had their special priced lunch combo available on weekends so I could drive out more often. When I have a rare weekday off, I'll make a trip here with my girlfriend who's in love with this place too. We always get the same waiter, he's attentive, helpful, and always gives great service. The restaurant is chic and modern. The only negative I have noticed is that the ceiling decor has gotten a bit dusty. The restaurant is pretty large and I imagine would easily fit a larger party. I've also never had to wait for a table. Now, my favorite part.. the food. The oysters are so good! I order them every single time I'm here. They are fresh, large, and I love whatever sauce they use on the oysters. 10/10 The sushi roll + nigiri combo (available on weekdays) is a 9/10. I wish it had more options of different rolls. But the one I get is pretty good. What steals the show out of the combo is the nigiri. It's buttery, flavorful and melt in your mouth good. The white one with the black stuff on top is one of the best nigiris I've ever had.

Really busy but very quick service. Sushi rolls were a really great price for the size. I was impressed! We ended up eating half of what we ordered because we weren't expecting the portion size. Super great flavor and fresh! Highly recommend for sushi lovers.

Easy to find. Fun atmosphere. Pretty people. Good service. We met some friends here at 4:30pm. We knew it can get quite crowded, so we wanted to be sure to get there before the waiting list started. It was perfect timing. Every seat was filled by 5:30. Since it was the first time eating here I wanted to order something Blue Ocean is known for. So I ordered the Wagyu Meatball Robata and Black Rice to go with it. The meatballs were good, but the 'Robata' taste was barely there. My friends (who had been there before) said they noticed that the BBQ taste was far greater as the night goes on. So since it was on the early side, I didn't taste it as much as I would have later in the evening. Good to know for next time. One thing that bothered me, was that my rice came out before anything else. So am I supposed to eat just the rice? It sat there for 10 minutes before the meatballs came out. By then it was room temp. This was super frustrating to me. Maybe I need to ask them to bring them out together. Also got the Seaweed Salad and Tuna Sashimi. The seaweed was great, but we had to eat it alone, only because it came out before most of the other food did. I like to eat salads like this with other food. It can really elevate the taste. The Tuna Sashimi was wonderful - melted in our mouths. Plus, the presentation was cool - was illuminated by a blue light. Wow! So, I didn't like how different servers bring each dish out. It was confusing to me. Am I supposed to wait till all the food comes? Do I eat what's right in front of me since it's fresh and just out of the kitchen? Like my rice? Not sure. I may go back another time, but for the price and small portions, eh ... maybe not. We'll see.

The menu offers a wide variety of options! We opted to do family style are share different dishes. The sushi pieces are large. Everything seemed high quality. The only negative remark is that we saw a dog in the restaurant (we came right at the opening). It seemed like there was a miscommunication and the dog should not have been in there.

Food was amazing! Service was superb. The place is very cozy and warm. Perfect for family quality time or friends catching up. Highly recommended and we will surely come back for more.

The BEST sushi in Carlsbad. Hands down. I have not had a single item I did not enjoy here. I am big fan of their house Chardonnay made at a local winery in Fallbrook. Our favorite is the marine boy and how fresh the ginger is. The staff is helpful in finding what rolls you would like, so don't be afraid to ask questions. Such a cool vibe as well!

Best sushi I have ever had. Such a wide variety of vegetarian sushi rolls, not just the run of the mill cucumber or avocado roll. Vibrant and lovely flavors! One of the rolls had a yuzu sauce on top and tempura inside, while the other was watermelon radish and burdock root. We ate to our heart's content here. The sushi chefs are also super friendly and put on a show making the rolls for us chopping and such. Cannot wait to come back.